Daily Current Affairs and GK | 2 September 2022

Topic: State News/ Punjab

1. Punjab government has directed to ban sarpanch proxies.

• Punjab government has announced that Husbands or relatives of elected women will not be allowed to attend any meeting of Panchayati raj institutions.
• In Punjab, the government implemented 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions in 2017.
• The decision has been taken to empower women and to ensure equal participation of women.
• Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 govern the Panchayati Raj institutions in Punjab. There are a total of 13,276 panchayats in Punjab.
• Madhya Pradesh's Panchayat Raj department issued an order earlier this month directing district collectors to take action against officers who administered the oath of office to unelected people.
• Panchayati Raj in India:
  • It was constitutionalized by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.
  • It came into force on 24 April 1993. This act has added a new Part-IX titled “Panchayats” to the Constitution of India.
  • As per the act, State governments are under constitutional obligation to adopt the new Panchayati raj system.

Topic: Important Days

2. National Nutrition Week is observed from September 1 to September 7 in India.

• ‘Celebrate a World of Flavours’ is the theme for National Nutrition Week 2022.
• National Nutrition Week is observed to raise awareness about the need for adequate nutrition in diet.
• The Food and Nutrition Board under Ministry of Women and Child Development started National Nutrition Week in 1982.
• American Dietetic Association (ADA) started National Nutrition Week in 1975.
• In Global Hunger Health Index Report 2021, India ranked 101st among 116 countries.
• 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah is being celebrated by Ministry of Women and Child Development from 01 September till 30th September.
• The objective of this year's Poshan Maah is to focus mainly on women and health and child and education through Gram Panchayats.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

3. Patchy proton auroras have been found in Mars' skies by United Arab Emirate's Mars Mission (EMM) and NASA's MAVEN probe.

• It provides new insights into the atmosphere of Mars. The new aurora found by the team has formed after the direct impact of solar wind on upper atmosphere of Mars.
• The new aurora was discovered in snapshots of the dayside disk obtained by the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS). EMUS observes upper atmosphere of Mars.
• Scientists had for the first time a global view of spatial variability in proton aurora at Mars.
• An aurora is a natural light display in sky of a planet. When the aurora occurs, the planet’s small regions become much brighter.
• It is mostly seen in high-latitude regions such as the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, seen from the Earth.
• MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) was launched in November 2013 on an Atlas V rocket.

Topic: Art and Culture

4. Temple of Vedic Planetarium in West Bengal will become largest religious monument in the world.

• It will serve as the headquarters of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
• It will also have the world’s biggest dome. It will cost $100 million.
• It will reportedly replace Cambodia's 400-acre-large Angkor Wat temple complex.
• It is in West Bengal's Mayapur in Nadia district. It will open in 2024. 
• It will be larger than the Taj Mahal and St. Paul's Cathedral in the Vatican.
• It is apparently inspired by the design of the Capitol building in the United States. Capitol building is the meeting place of the United States Congress.
• The Vedic Planetarium has a massive rotating model. This model illustrates how the planetary systems move. The construction of temple started in 2010.

Topic: Defence

5. Exercise Vostok - 2022 began at the training ground in the Eastern Military District of Russia.

• The multilateral strategic and command exercise will run from September 01 to September 07, 2022.
• Its purpose is to establish exchange and coordination between the participating armies and observers.
• The exercise will be conducted at various locations in the Far East and the Sea of Japan and will involve over 50,000 troops from China, India, and several other countries.
• The Indian Army contingent consists of soldiers from the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles.
• The Indian contingent has reached the exercise site and will conduct joint exercises there over the next seven days.
• The exercise includes a joint field training exercise and a discussion on the process of encounter and weapon wielding.
• The Indian Armed Forces will share practical aspects and practice military procedures and practices, which incorporate new technologies.
• All these activities will be accomplished through discussions and strategic exercises.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. Ranveer Singh received the best actor award at Filmfare Awards 2022.

• The 67th Filmfare Awards 2022 winners have been announced.
• The three most successful films were Kriti Sanon's Mimi, Vicky Kaushal's Sardar Udham, and Siddharth Malhotra's Shershaah.
• The three films that received the most awards were all OTT releases.
• The Karan Johar-produced movie Shershaah became one of the most watched movies on Amazon Prime Video.
• The complete list of winners is given below:

Topic: Defence

7. Tejas Mark-2 Project has been approved by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

• 6500 crore rupees have been sanctioned by CCS for designing and developing Tejas Mark-2 fighter jets with prototypes, flight testing, and certification.
• The allocation is in addition to the 2500 crore rupees already sanctioned to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
• Tejas 2.0 will have GE- F414 engines in the 98 Kilonewton thrust class.
• This will allow it to extend its flight range and carry additional payload and weapons.
• It will have a payload capacity of four tonnes as compared to the current version's three tonnes.
• Tejas 2.0 will also have an indigenously developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

8. PM Modi commissioned INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi on 02 September 2022.

• Vikrant has been made using indigenous equipment and machinery supplied by India's major industrial houses as well as over 100 MSMEs.
• INS Vikrant is the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier.
• It is designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau. It is built by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
• It is the largest ship ever built in the maritime history of India. It is built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
• With the commissioning of Vikrant, India now has two operational Aircraft Carriers.
• INS Vikrant is named after its predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which had played a key role in the 1971 war.
• India’s first aircraft carrier, a British-origin ship, was Vikrant (R11). It retired from service in 1997.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Union Minister Hardeep S. Puri presented Smart Solutions Challenge & Inclusive Cities Awards 2022.

• The Smart Solutions Challenge & Inclusive Cities Awards are an initiative of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the United Nations (UN).
• These awards have been designed to promote people-centric design and foster novel home-grown technological innovations and solutions.
• These awards have been instituted to address the challenges related to accessibility and inclusion at the urban level, faced by women, girls and the elderly.
• A 7-member jury panel shortlisted the winner among 100 entries. The top 10 technology-based solutions have been awarded the Inclusive Cities Awards 2022.
• A ‘Compendium of Smart and Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive & Accessible Urban Future’ was also launched.
• Union Minister Hardeep S. Puri said that solutions will be instrumental in integrating universal design, and it will help in achieving the SDG target.
• He also said that India has expanded the list of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21.
• List of the awards is given below:

Topic: Geography

10. Super Typhoon Hinnamnor is moving towards Japan.

• Super Typhoon Hinnamnor, the strongest global storm of 2022, is moving towards the southern islands of Japan and the east coast of China.
• It is moving at a speed of around 241 kilometres per hour. The atmospheric pressure at its centre is 920 hectopascals.
• According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the storm is about 290 km south of Miyako Island.
• As per the projection, the storm will reach the Korean peninsula next week.
• Typhoon Hinnamnor has been classified as ‘violent'. It could bring strong gusts and high tides to Okinawa.
• Typhoon:
  • These develop between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • It is a giant, rotating storm that brings wind, rain, and destruction.
  • Hurricanes and typhoons are kinds of tropical cyclones.

Topic: National News

11. Phase II of the Kochi Metro was inaugurated by PM Modi.

• PM Modi also inaugurated the first phase of the extension linking S N Junction and Vadakkekotta at a function in Kochi. He dedicated three other railway projects to the nation.
• Phase II of the Kochi Metro project covers a distance of 11. 2 km, linking Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the Info Park at Kakkanad.
• It will have 11 Metro stations and will connect the main IT hub at Kakkanad with Kochi city.
• PM Modi also visited Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram at Kalady village.
• PM Modi also flagged off special train services between Kottayam and Ernakulam and between Kollam and Punalur.
• He will attend the ceremony of commissioning the indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on 2^nd September.
• He will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan).

Topic: International News

12. Sri Lanka and IMF reached a preliminary agreement for a 2.9 billion dollar loan.

• Sri Lanka has reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan of about $2.9 billion to come out of its worst economic crisis.
• After being approved by IMF management and its executive board, the preliminary agreement will get finalized.
• This 48-month IMF program will raise government revenue by supporting fiscal consolidation and by introducing new pricing for fuel and electricity.
• It will support central bank autonomy and rebuild depleted foreign reserves.
• The program will implement major tax reforms, including broadening the tax base for corporate income tax and VAT and making the income tax more progressive.
• The programme aims to reach a primary surplus of 2.3 percent of GDP by 2024.
• The revised interim budget projected a deficit of 9.8% of the gross domestic product in 2022.
• Sri Lanka has to also strike a deal with international banks and asset managers that hold the majority of its $19 billion worth of sovereign bonds.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. World Bank released a paper titled ‘India Covid-19 Procurement: Challenges, Innovations, and Lessons’.

• The World Bank lauded India’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The report has documented India’s innovation, challenges, and lessons in the procurement of essential medical items.
• As per the report, centralized procurement, production of Emergency Medical Equipment (EME) and early export restrictions worked in favour of India.
• The establishment of empowered inter-ministerial groups aided the government in making timely decisions for centralized procurement to support the states.
• The report commended India for not compromising the quality of critical commodities during the large-scale procurement project.
• The World Bank also stated that the Indian government created an environment for the growth of the indigenous medical device industry.
• The report praised the government's decision to allow several automobile and electrical manufacturing companies to produce ventilators.
• As per the World Bank assessment, key innovations by India are as follows:
  • Government supported the local production which helped to steeply reduce unit prices and dependency on global supplies.
  • Introduction of the accelerated tendering process and quality assurance protocols.
  • Efficient supply chain management that helped to project the number of cases and admissions.
  • The government’s e-procurement site for Covid commodities.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Dr Vasudha Gupta appointed as Director General of News Services Division of All India Radio.

• Dr Vasudha Gupta assumed the charge of Director General, News Services Division, All India Radio.
• During her 32-year-long career, she has served in various positions in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Before the appointment, she was serving as DG of the Press Information Bureau.
• She has started several important initiatives, including the establishment of a fact-check system for the government and a feedback dashboard for the Government of India.
• She also introduced social media platforms in regional languages through All India Radio.
•  All India Radio:
  • It was established in 1936.
  • It is a division of Prasar Bharati and is officially known as Akashvani.
  • It is the national public radio broadcaster of India.