Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 September 2023

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

1. India ranked 52^nd Out of 121 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index survey.

• India jumped seven places in the Digital Quality of Life Index survey. Last year, India’s rank was 59th.
• The survey has been carried out by cybersecurity firm Surfshark.
• The survey has ranked countries based on five factors: internet quality, internet affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government and e-security.
• India’s rank has improved due to the improvement in internet quality in the country.
• In terms of internet quality, India ranks 16th among 121 countries and in the 91st position in terms of e-infrastructure.
• India is in 28th, 25th and 66th positions respectively, in internet affordability, e-governance and e-security.
• The survey has placed Singapore and Saudi Arabia in top positions. The average internet speed in Singapore and Saudi Arabia stands at 300 Mbps and 310 Mbps respectively.
• Internet in India is not the fastest but it is highly stable. The survey shows that India has better internet affordability.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. Ministry of Finance announced welfare measures for LIC agents and employees.

• The welfare measures are related to the amendments to LIC (Agents) Regulations, 2017, Enhancement of Gratuity Limit, and Uniform Rate of Family Pension.
• LIC has more than 13 lakh agents and more than 1 lakh regular employees.
• The measures which have been approved for LIC agents and employees are as follows:
• The government has decided to increase the gratuity limit from ₹ 3 lakh to ₹ 5 lakh for LIC agents.
• The term insurance cover for the agents has been increased from ₹ existing 3,000-10,000 rupees to ₹ 25,000-150,000.
• Family pension will be provided at a uniform rate of @30% for the welfare of the families of LIC employees.
• Reappointed agents will be eligible for renewal commissions, thereby providing them with increased financial stability.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

3. WHO released its first-ever report on the global impact of high Blood Pressure.

• The WHO report states that hypertension affects one in three adults worldwide.
• As per the report, four out of every five people with hypertension are not adequately treated.
• If the countries increase the coverage 76 million deaths from hypertension could be averted between 2023 and 2050.
• Hypertension can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems.
• Between 1990 and 2019, people suffering from hypertension increased from 650 million to 1.3 billion.
• Half of people with hypertension globally are currently unaware of their condition.
• More than three-quarters of adults with hypertension are from low- and middle-income countries.
• Prevention, early detection and effective management of hypertension are the most cost-effective interventions in health care.
• Early detection should be prioritised by countries as part of their national health benefit package at the primary level.
• Hypertension can be controlled effectively with low-cost medication yet only about one in five people with hypertension have controlled it.

Topic: National News

4. Two new B-360 types of aircraft inducted by the Airports Authority of India into the AAI Flight Inspection Fleet.

• On 18 September, AAI inducted the aircraft for validation of PBN procedures of additional ground navigation/landing equipment installed at airports in India in view of increasing air traffic requirements and aircraft operations.
• With the induction of these new aircraft, AAI will be able to complete timely aircraft operations through ground-based electromagnetic wave routing/visual routing at all airports in the country.
• AAI will provide necessary support to air operations in neighboring countries, thereby generating revenue.
• The Flight Inspection Unit (FIU) of the AAI is a very important component in the safety chain of air navigation service provided by the AAI throughout the Indian airspace.
• Considering the importance of aviation infrastructure in the country and the wide network of airports, navigational aids are also being installed at all airports for safe flight movement.
• These aircraft will be used to calibrate Category I, II, and III Instrument Landing Systems, DVOR, DME, NDB, Radar, GBAS, PAPI, TACAN, etc.
• They will also validate RNP and LPV procedures as well as instrument approach letdown procedures for DVOR/DME and ILS.
• At present, AAI's FIU operates one Dornier-228 and one B-350 aircraft for flight calibration/inspection purposes and calibrating navigational aids.
• FIU was established in 1959 at Bamrauli, Allahabad, and was shifted to Safdarjung Airport in 1986.
• Starting with Dakota aircraft, FIU then moved on to HS748 AVRO and then on to Dornier DO-228 and Beechcraft King Air B350.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

5. Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Diamond League final in Eugene, USA.

• On 16 September, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men’s event at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
• Neeraj's best throw of 83.80 meters came in his second attempt.
• Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch won his third title with a best throw of 84.24 meters.
• Finland's Oliver Helander finished third after a best effort of 83.74m in his third attempt.
• In 2022, Neeraj had won the silver medal in the World Championships at this venue with an effort of 88.13 meters.
• Now, he will defend his title at the Asian Games 2023 starting in Hangzhou later in September.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Three game-changing initiatives launched by the center for farmers focusing on agri-credit and crop insurance.

• On September 20, the government launched a series of transformative initiatives in New Delhi aimed at revolutionizing agriculture in the country.
• The transformative initiatives include the Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), Door to Door KCC campaign, and Weather Information Network Data System (WINDS) manual.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar have launched these initiatives.
• These initiatives aim to increase financial inclusion, streamline data usage, harness technology, and enhance the livelihood of the farming community.
• These initiatives will focus on agri-credit and crop insurance, keeping the welfare of farmers at its core.
• The Kisan Rin Portal (KRP) has been developed in collaboration with multiple government departments.
• This digital platform offers a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and efficient agriculture credit.
• The Ghar Ghar Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Abhiyaan is an ambitious campaign to extend the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme to every farmer across India.
• The Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) initiative is an instrumental innovation, which uses advanced weather data analytics to provide actionable insights on weather to stakeholders.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. The National Human Rights Institutions conference inaugurated in New Delhi.

• On 20 September, the conference of National Human Rights Institutions of the Asia-Pacific region has been inaugurated by President Draupadi Murmu.
• The National Human Rights Commission, India, is organizing the conference in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.
• The two-day conference includes the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 20, 2023.
• On September 21, the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), 30 years of national human rights institutions and the Paris Principles will be celebrated.
• Sub-theme related to the environment and climate change will also be discussed.
• Besides this, the National Human Rights Commission will organize a seminar on ‘Business and Human Rights’.
• The event aims to ensure that businesses prioritize human rights and environmental sustainability.

Topic: National News

8. PM Modi proposed to name the old Parliament House as 'Samvidhan Sadan'.

• As the proceedings of Parliament shifted to the new building on 19 September, the Prime Minister announced the new name of the old Parliament House, which would be called "Samvidhan Sadan" (Constitution House).
• This decision was accepted by both the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
• On the other hand, the new Parliament House has been named "Parliament House of India".
• British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed the old Parliament Building.
• It was constructed between 1921 and 1927 and witnessed some of the great moments in Indian history like the passing of India's constitution.
• The old Parliament House will be preserved as an archaeological marvel of India.

Topic: Defence

9. 2nd edition of the Indian Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenization Seminar – ‘Swavlamban 2023’ will held on 04 – 05 Oct 2023.

• The Indian Navy will host the second edition of its Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, known as 'Swavlamban’, from 4-5 October in New Delhi.
• 75 prototypes will be showcased during the 'Swavlamban-2023’.
• Live demonstrations of selected promising technologies will be showcased during the event.
• The first edition of Swavlamban was launched in 2022. In this edition, the Prime Minister launched the 'SPRINT Challenges’ initiative.
• Under the SPRINT initiative, 75 challenges were presented to startups and MSMEs. Its main aim was to foster the use of indigenous technology within the Indian Navy.
• This initiative received an overwhelming response, with 1106 proposals submitted.

Topic: National Appointments

10. Dhananjay Joshi has been appointed as Chairman of DIPA.

• Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA), a Telecom Industry Body, has appointed Dhananjay Joshi as the chairman.
• Dhananjay Joshi has taken charge from Akhil Gupta, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises.
• DIPA named Sandeep Girotra, CEO of American Tower India, as the new vice chairman of the association. He has taken the place of Amit Sharma.
• The leadership change will come into effect from October 1, 2023.
• Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA):
  • It was constituted in 2010 as an industry representative body registered under the Indian Society Registration Act, of 1860.
  • It represents India’s digital infrastructure industry that develops, builds, owns and operates the nation’s wireless infrastructure.
  • It is dedicated to interacting, discussing and deliberating with Indian Government Ministries, Policy Makers, Regulators, Financial institutions, and technical bodies etc. for knowledge collection & dissemination for the promotion of healthy growth in telecom services.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. A shrimp crop insurance scheme launched by Union Minister Parshottam Rupala in Navsari.

• On September 14, the Shrimp Crop Insurance Scheme was inaugurated at the 2nd edition of ICAR-CIBA Shrimp Farmers Conclave-2023 in Navsari, Gujarat.
• The shrimp crop insurance scheme has been developed by the Agricultural Insurance Company (AIC).
• The insurance cover is for 130 days from the initial stage till the shrimp are ready.
• This insurance policy covers a wide range of shrimp varieties including Black Tiger shrimp, White Leg shrimp, and Scampi.
• India is the second largest shrimp producer in the world.
• Shrimp farming is being done on 10,000 hectares of land in Gujarat, of which 80% is owned by the government.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

12. In March 2023, the Financial Inclusion Index improved to 60.1 from 56.4 from the March previous year.

• As per the RBI, the value of the Financial Inclusion Index has grown across all sub-indices.
• Mainly Usage and Quality dimensions contributed to improvements in the FI Index. This reflects the deepening of financial inclusion.
• The Index for the FY ending March 2021 was at 53.9.
• This index was at 43.4 for the period ending March 2017.
• The Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) captures the extent of financial inclusion across the country.
• It was first published in August 2021 for the FY ending March 2021.
• The value of the index ranges between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 represents full financial inclusion.
• It consists of three broad parameters-access (35% weightage), usage (45% weightage), and quality (20% weightage).
• Major schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and the expansion of mobile connectivity have significantly contributed to the progress of financial inclusion over the years.

Topic: International News

13. India expels 'senior Canadian diplomat' in response to Canada government action.

• India and Canada's bilateral relations reached a new low after the Canadian government expelled an Indian official.
• The Canadian government asked an Indian official to leave Canada due to a potential link to the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• Indian Government has also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat based in India.
• The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days.
• Ministry of External Affairs said that the decision has been taken due to the interference of Canadian diplomats in the internal matters of India and their involvement in anti-India activities.
• India denied any link between Indian government agents and the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• Around 770,000 people of the Sikh community are living in Canada. It accounts for approximately 2% of its total population.
• Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a prominent figure of the Khalistan movement based in British Columbia.
• Nijjar was the chief of the separatist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
• In February 2023, the Indian government notified Khalistan Tiger Force as a terrorist organisation.

Topic: Books and Authors

14. I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra unveiled a book titled “People’s G20” on India’s G20 Presidency.

• The book explains the complete journey of India’s G20 Presidency.
• The book has three parts, the first section focuses on the historic G20 Summit held in New Delhi from September 9-10.
• The book explains the structure and workings of the G20 and it also explains the initiatives that have been taken under India’s G20 Presidency.
• The second part of the book provides a summary of the meetings of various Working Groups under the Sherpa and Finance Track along with the meetings of the Engagement Groups.
• The eBook's final section presents a captivating photo essay that captures the essence of the Jan-Bhagidari events held across India in the last year.

(Source: News on AIR)