Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 October 2022

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

1. On 16-17 October, First National Coal Conclave and Exhibition organized in New Delhi.

• The Indian National Committee of the World Mining Congress, under the aegis of the Ministry of Coal, organized the first ever National Coal Conclave and Exhibition 2022.
• The theme of the Conclave was "Indian coal sector-sustainable mining towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat."
• Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi and Minister of State for Coal, Mines and Railways Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve addressed the Conclave.
• The two-day event provided a suitable platform for policy makers, public and private sector mining companies, researchers, academia, and other stakeholders.
• The three main focus areas of the conclave were fuel self-sufficiency in power sector, Aatmnirbharata in steel making for coal and technology & sustainability.
• Around 150 students from the mining engineering sector participated in the coal mining companies' conclave, apart from senior functionaries from the Ministries of Coal, Mines, Power, Steel, NITI Aayog, Disaster Management.
• The Coal Minister informed that a record 772 million tonnes of coal was produced in the country's coal sector, registering a growth of 8.8% during the year 2021-22.
• Coal production increased to 33.94 million tonnes in the first fortnight of May 2022 from 24.91 million tonnes during the same period last year.

Topic: National News

2. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is on a three-day visit to India from 18 October.

• This is his first visit to India after assuming office for the second time in January 2022.
• Mr Guterres will first pay tributes to those killed in the 26/11 terror attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai.
• He will address a seminar on India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening South-South Cooperation at IIT Mumbai.
• On October 20, Shri Guterres will attend the launch of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) booklet, logo and tagline by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at Kevadiya in Gujarat.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also hold discussions with Mr. Guterres on various topics, including India's upcoming presidency of the G20 and reformed multilateralism.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. PM Modi started distribution of PMJAY-MA Yojana Ayushman cards in Gujarat via video conferencing on 17 October 2022.

• After this, 50 lakh Ayushman cards were distributed to all the beneficiaries across Gujarat by the empaneled agencies of National Health Authority after e-KYC of the beneficiaries.
• ‘Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA)’ scheme was started by PM Modi in 2012 as the then Chief Minister of Gujarat.
• It was started to shield poor citizens from the catastrophic costs of medical treatment and illness. 
• In the year 2014, the 'MA' scheme was expanded to cover families with an annual income limit of Rs 4 lakh.
• The scheme was further expanded to several other groups and later rebranded as Mukhyamantri Amrutam Vatsalya (MAV) scheme.
• Drawing from the experience of the success of this scheme, the Prime Minister launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in 2018.
• Gujarat integrated MA / MAV Yojana with the AB-PMJAY scheme in 2019 with the name PMJAY-MA Yojana.
• AB-PMJAY provides coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitalization without any cap on the family size and age.

Topic: National Appointments

4. Irish former professional boxer Bernard Dunne has been appointed by boxing federation of India as the high performance director for Indian boxing.

• Bernard Dunne replaces Santiago Nieva. Dunne had a five-year (2017-2022) term with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association.
• During Dunne’s tenure with Ireland, Kellie Harrington became World (2018, Delhi) and Olympic (2021, Tokyo) champion.
• Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke won golds at World championships 2022 in Istanbul during Dunne’s tenure with Ireland team.
• Dunne won 13 national titles and WBA World Championship in 2009.
• Boxing federation of India is headquartered in New Delhi. Its president is Ajay Singh. It is the Indian national governing body for boxing for Olympic.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

5. Ennore Creek may soon be declared a protected wetland under Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission.

• Tamil Nadu Wetland Authority member secretary Deepak Srivastava said that the creek and adjacent group of wetlands in Tiruvallur district need to be protected.
• He said there is a lot of distress, especially among fisherfolk, due to pollution and degradation of Ennore Creek and Kosasthalaiyar River.
• He said he will push for the notification of Ennore Creek under Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2020.
• Recently, southern branch of the National Green Tribunal gave directions to Tamil Nadu government to notify the full extent of the unencroached portion of Ennore wetlands under the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission.
• Ennore Creek is a natural carrier of floodwater and an important wetland that supports livelihood of fishermen. It is located in Ennore, Chennai along the Coromandel Coast.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. 22^nd edition of the World Blockchain Summit is being held in Dubai’s Atlantis from 17 to 19 October 2022.

• It is an attempt to bring experts including government and investors together to initiate conversation and action on blockchain.
• The next Summit will be held from December 8 to 9, 2022 in Bangkok.
• Earlier, the Summit was held in Dubai in March 2022 and October 2021.
• World Blockchain Summit is a global series of gatherings that take place in 19+ destinations all over the world.
• It aims to bring together the most important stakeholders from the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency ecosystem.
• In 2021, IIT-Kanpur became the 1st institute in India to launch a system to award blockchain-based educational degrees in digital form to students.
• In blockchain, record of transactions is maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network. A blockchain stores information electronically in digital format.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Integrated Pensioners’ Portal will be launched by Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

• Integrated Pensioners’ Portal is a single window to address the needs of pensioners.
• It will be launched at Anubhav Awards Ceremony being organised by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) in New Delhi on 18 October 2022.
• Anubhav Awards Ceremony is being organised to felicitate the awardees for their write-ups for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• DoPPW launched an online platform titled ‘Anubhav’ in March 2015.
• It provides a platform for retiring government employees for sharing their experiences while working in different Ministries or Departments of the government.
• 8722 write-ups have been published on Anubhav Portal as of 30th September this year.

Topic: Defence

8. The 12^th edition of the biennial DefExpo will be held from 18th October to 22nd October in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

• The theme of the 12th DefExpo is ‘Path to Pride’. At DefExpo-2022, the participants will get an opportunity to showcase their equipment and platforms.
• As part of the DefExpo, live demonstrations by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and DRDO will be held in the evening daily at Sabarmati River Front.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this would be the largest-ever Defence expo.
• He said India has now been among the top 25 defence exporters in the world.
• For the first time, states/union territories have been invited to set up pavilions at the event.
• The India Pavilion will showcase the maturity of indigenous defence products, start-ups, latest technology, including Artificial Intelligence in defence.
• It will present India’s vision for 2047. It has been named ‘Path to Pride’.
• For the first time, the event has been organised in a four-venue format.
• DefExpo 2022 will be the first-ever edition exclusively for Indian companies.
• Seventy five countries will be taking part in DefExpo 2022.
• The Raksha Mantri will host the second India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) on October 18.
• INDIAN Ocean Region plus (IOR+) conclave will take place on October 19.
• Another highlight of the event will be the biggest-ever drone-show by IIT Delhi start-up.
• For the first time, ‘Invest for Defence’, targeted to promote investment in the defence sector will be held. It will be inaugurated by the Raksha Mantri on October 20.
• Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence in Defence Manufacturing is also being organised for the first time during DefExpo.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

9. India’s 1st cable-cum-suspension bridge across Krishna River approved by Centre.

• The construction of an iconic cable stayed-cum-suspension bridge across Krishna River has been approved by the central government.
• The bridge will connect Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and pass through the Nallamala forest range.
• The bridge will be built at a total cost of ₹1,082.56 crores, with a construction period of 30 months.
• The bridge will have many unique features, such as the longest glass walkway across the river, gopuram-like pylons, signature lighting, and a large navigational span.
• The bridge over the Krishna River will be the first of its kind in India and the second in the World.
• The 80-km distance between Hyderabad and Tirupati will be reduced by this 3-km bridge.
• The bridge starts in Somasila in Kollapur in the Nagarkurnool district of Telangana and ends at Atmakur in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Topic: Important Days

10. World Trauma Day 2022: 17 October

• Every year on 17 October, World Trauma Day is observed.
• This day emphasizes the need to prevent global accidents and injuries that cause death and disability.
• Trauma means "any injury caused to the body".
• In 2011, World Trauma Day was declared in New Delhi, India.
• The day was created as a result of the high number of deaths due to road accidents in the country, with an estimated over 400 people losing their lives every day.
• Every year, approximately 5 million people worldwide die from injuries.
• Around one million people die every year and 20 million are hospitalized in India due to injuries.

Topic: Defence

11. NATO begins its annual nuclear exercise "Steadfast Noon”.

• Every year "Steadfast Noon” exercise is hosted by one of the NATO members. This year Belgium is hosting the exercise.
• 14 nations are participating in this nuclear exercise. Fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads are participating in the exercise.
• As per NATO, 60 aircraft will participate in this exercise. Flights will take place over Belgium, the UK and the North Sea.
• The exercise will run until 30 October and is a routine, recurring training activity.
• The exercise will focus on strategic weapons. It may coincide with Russia's annual nuclear drill, Groom.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization:
  • It is an intergovernmental political and military alliance of 30 countries.
  • It was constituted in 1949 with the North Atlantic Treaty.
  • Its headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

12. Union Home Minister launched Hindi textbooks for medical studies at a function in Bhopal.

• Madhya Pradesh government has started an initiative wherein students can now study MBBS in Hindi also.
• Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to launch an MBBS course in Hindi.
• Amit Shah launched medical Hindi books for anatomy, biochemistry and physiology for first-year MBBS students.
• It has been launched under the PM’s vision of promoting Indian Languages.
• Medical and technical education in Hindi and other regional languages will help students from socially and economically weaker to study the course in the regional language.
• Entrance exams for medical colleges and engineering colleges is being conducted in 12 languages.
• According to article 343, the official language of the Union is Hindi in Devanagari script.

Topic: Agriculture and allied sectors

13. India is the third largest producer of fish in the world.

• India is the world’s third-largest fish producer and second-largest aquaculture country in the world after china.
• Union Minister of State Dr L Murugan said that the government has taken several steps to improve fish production, export and infrastructure development.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana is a central scheme to promote sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector.
• The government has allocated 53 crore rupees to complete phase three expansion of Mangalore fishing harbour, phase two of Gangolli fishing harbour, Alvekodi and Thenginagundi fish landing centres.
• In 2021-22, the total global production of aquatic animals and algae was 214 million tonnes.
• India accounts for 7.96% of the total global fish production.
• The world's largest fish producer is China. Andhra Pradesh State is the largest producer of fish in India, followed by West Bengal.
• The fishing sector contributes around 1.07% to the GDP of India.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

14. As per the EY-CII report, India will attract FDI worth $475 billion in the next five years.

• Recently, a report titled “Vision – Developed India: Opportunities and Expectations of MNCs” has been released.
• Over the last decade, FDI in India has continuously risen. In FY22, the FDI inflow was $84.8 billion despite the impact of the pandemic and geopolitical developments.
• About 71% of MNCs consider India as an attractive investment destination for their global expansion.
• Multinational companies (MNCs) praised the impact of GST, government digital initiatives, and transparency in taxation.
• India is being seen as an emerging manufacturing hub and growing consumer market.
• According to the report, the main expectations from the government is to promote ease of doing business, faster implementation of infrastructure projects, early closure of free trade pacts and GST reforms.
• The survey said that India has become the fifth largest economy in the world and is projected to become the fourth largest by 2025.