Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 June 2023

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

1. ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan’ has been launched by UP government.

• To promote technical education in Uttar Pradesh, ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan’ has been launched by CM Yogi Adityanath.
• Its main aim is to generate employment opportunities for youth by connecting them with technical education.
• Its main aim is to enroll lakhs of youth in government and private polytechnic institutes.
• The interest towards polytechnic education has declined in recent years, as a result, many seats remain vacant in the polytechnic colleges.
• CM Yogi Adityanath stated that the state government will create one lakh government jobs and six lakh private jobs annually.
• There were only 28,999 seats in 154 government polytechnic institutions in 2018. The number has increased to 41071 in 2022.
• The number of Private polytechnic institutions witnessed the highest growth in the state.
• The ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan’ is being conducted in many educational institutions for the promotion of entrance examinations in all districts.
• District magistrates, Divisional Commissioners, District School inspectors have been requested to set up special camps for promotion and dissemination.

Topic: Reports and Indices

2. India’s rank has improved by eight places from last year as per the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report, 2023.

• As per the Gender Gap Report 2023, India is ranked 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity.
• India was ranked at 135 in the 2022 edition of the report. India had improved by 1.4 percentage points since the last edition.
• As per the report, India had achieved parity in enrolment across all levels of education.
• The report says that India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap.
• However, it had achieved only 36.7 % parity in economic participation and opportunity.
• Iceland is the world’s most gender-equal country for the 14th consecutive year. As per the report, it is the only country that has closed over 90% of its gender gap.
• It is followed in the top 5 by Norway, Finland, New Zealand and Sweden.

• The report points out that women’s share in technical roles and senior positions had declined slightly since the last edition.
• India has recorded 25.3% parity on political empowerment. Women are representing 15.1% of parliamentarians. This is the highest for India since the first edition of the report in 2006.
• Since 2017, 18 out of 117 countries have attained more than 40% representation of women in local governance.
• These countries include Bolivia (50.4%), India (44.4%) and France (42.3 %).
• As per the report, an improvement of 1.9 percentage points for India in sex ratio at birth had improved parity.
• The skewed sex ratios at birth explain low overall rankings on the Health and Survival sub-index for Vietnam, Azerbaijan, India and China.
• Gender parity at birth stands at 92.7% for India. It stands below 90% for Vietnam, China and Azerbaijan.
• At the overall level, the Southern Asian region has attained 63.4% gender parity. This is the second-lowest of the eight regions. Europe has the highest gender parity at 76.3%.
• Gender Gap Report:
  • It is published annually by World Economic Forum since 2006.
  • It examines four overall areas of inequality between men and women.
  • These four areas are economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment.

Topic: State News/Haryana

3. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of four national highway projects at Sonepat, Karnal and Ambala in Haryana.

• The four national highway projects are worth Rs 3,835 crore.
• 11 flyovers will be constructed on the 8-lane National Highway 44 from Delhi to Panipat in the Sonepat area at the cost of Rs 890 crore.
• The total length of flyovers will be 24 km. This will connect the economic nodes of Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Delhi-Panipat corridor will ease the movement of tourists between Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
• The construction of the Karnal Greenfield 35 km 6-lane Ring Road also commenced. This project will cost Rs 1,690 crore.
• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister also laid the foundation stone for two National Highway projects worth Rs 1,255 crore in Ambala of Haryana.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. India and United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed an MoU.

• The MoU aims to enhance cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest. 
• Ms. V Vidyavathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General, UNWTO were the signatories to the MoU.
• The fourth and final Tourism Working Group Meeting concluded on 20 June 2023.
• The G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting was held on June 21-22, 2023.
• According to the sources, Goa Roadmap and Action Plan is almost ready after two rounds of working meetings
• At the end of the ministerial meeting, final Goa Roadmap will be endorsed.
• On 19 June, India also held bilateral talks with Oman.
• Nearly 15 bilateral meetings were held between India and various G20 member countries and international organisations from June 19-22.
• United Nations World Tourism Organization:
  • It was established in 1946. It is responsible for the promotion of tourism in the world.
  • Its headquarters is located in Madrid, Spain.
  • It promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability

Topic: Defence

5. Integrated Simulator Complex 'Dhruv' inaugurated at Kochi to enhance practical training of Indian Navy Personnel.

• On 21 June 2023, the Integrated Simulator Complex (ISC) ‘Dhruv’ has been inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at the Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
• ISC 'Dhruv' is equipped with modern and state-of-the-art indigenously built simulators, which will significantly enhance practical training in the Indian Navy.
• These simulators are envisaged to provide real time experience on navigation, fleet operations and combat skills of the Navy.
• These simulators will also be used for training of personnel from friendly countries.
• Raksha Mantri visited the Multi Station Handling Simulator (MSSHS), Air Direction and Helicopter Control Simulator (ADHCS) and Astronavigation Dome.
• Ship Handling Simulator manufactured by New Delhi based ARI Pvt Ltd has been exported to 18 countries.
• The Astronavigation Dome built by Infovision Technologies Pvt Ltd is the first of its kind in the Indian Navy.
• The ADHCS developed by the DRDO laboratory's Institute for Systems Studies and Analysis will be able to provide real-time operational environment scenarios to the trainees.
• Some other indigenously developed simulators include Combat Management System and Maritime Domain Lab.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. UNDP and DAY-NULM have partnered to empower women entrepreneurs.

• The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) have entered into a collaborative partnership.
• Its aim is to empower women to make informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship.
• The partnership will help aspiring women start and expand their ventures in the care economy, digital economy, electric mobility, waste management, food packaging, and other sectors.
• Covering eight cities in the initial phase, this three-year project will focus on encouraging entrepreneurship development and accelerating enterprise development, which can be extended beyond 2025.
• An important objective of DAY-NULM is to empower urban communities.
• Today, women account for only 15 percent of the total entrepreneurs in India.
• UNDP will offer national-level capacity building support to DAY-NULM leveraging its experience in linking over 2,00,000 women to better employment opportunities.
• The collaboration will focus on knowledge creation and management, such as compiling a compendium of best practices related to urban poverty to enhance the implementation of national level plans.
• DAY-NULM aims to uplift the urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development.
• The scheme extends its coverage to all 4,041 statutory cities and towns, thereby covering most of India's urban population.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. Labour-20 (L-20) summit is being held in Patna, Bihar from June 21 to 23, 2023.

• During the summit, the topics of 'Universal Social Security' and 'Women and Future of Work' will be widely discussed.
• Governor of Bihar, Rajendra Arlekar, inaugurated the L-20 conference on June 22.
• The inception meeting of L-20 was held in Amritsar from March 19 to 21, 2023.
• Extensive discussions were organized with the representatives of Business-20, Civil-20, Youth-20, Women-20 etc.
• Discussions were organized with local trade unions at district and industrial level at 562 places.
• After the summit, G-20 Labour and Employment ministers meeting will take place in Indore in July.
• At the meeting, the adopted declaration of Labour 20 Summit will be presented to G-20 Labour and Employment ministers.
• 173 delegates from 28 countries including India are taking part in this conference.
• In addition to G-20 countries, India has invited additional eight countries namely Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Nepal and United Arab Emirates for G-20 under its presidency.
• International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Asian Development Bank have also been invited this time.

Topic: International Appointments

8. Petteri Orpo has been elected as the Prime Minister of Finland.

• Orpo is the leader of the conservative party in Finland.
• Orpo will be leading a coalition government made up of four parties. The coalition includes the far-right Finns Party.
• Orpo has been elected as the Prime Minister after victory in the April elections.
• President Sauli Niinisto will formally appoint Orpo as the new prime minister. Orpo will succeed Sanna Marin.
• Sanna Marin is the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
• Social Democratic Party stood at third place in the elections after Orpo's National Coalition Party (NCP) and the Finns Party.
• Finland:
  • It is a North European country whose capital is Helsinki, and its currency is Euro.
  • It shares borders with Sweden, Russia, Norway, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.
  • It is the eighth-largest country in Europe.

Topic: International News

9. Senate India Caucus will introduce a bill to add India to NATO Plus group.

• Senators Mark Warner and John Cornyn are planning to introduce a bill to upgrade India-US defence ties.
• The bill aims to make India a part of the NATO Plus group.
• It will facilitate the transfer of topmost American technology and defence equipment without any bureaucratic interference.
• At present, NATO Plus 5 is a group of US, NATO and five aligned nations: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and South Korea.
• India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, however, had already rejected the framework for India.
• Mark Warner, the co-chair of the India caucus, has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State visit to the US will convert India-America ties into a “full-fledged partnership”.
• The US wants to add India to NATO Plus 5 because China posed a challenge to both India and the US in many ways.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization:
  • It is an intergovernmental political and military alliance of 31 North American and European countries.
  • It was constituted in 1949 with the North Atlantic Treaty, which regulates the functioning of NATO.
  • Its headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium.

Topic: Defence

10. Indian Army took part in Agneyastra 1 military exercise in eastern Ladakh.

• Various artillery platforms of the Indian Army, including the newly-inducted Korean K-9 Vajra-T 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzer (SPH), FH-77 Bofors 155mm/39 calibre towed howitzer and mortars took part in the exercise.
• Anti-tank missiles and Carl Gustav rocket launchers (RLs) were also used in the exercise.
• Ideaforge switch UAV provided real-time imagery of the exercise area.
• The Army had earlier conducted exercise — Buland Bharat, in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang and West Kameng districts.
• Indian and Chinese troops are involved in the ongoing standoff near LAC for three years.
• The exercise has been organized just three days after 16 June, which marks three years of the Galwan clash.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. Prestigious German peace prize presented to Salman Rushdie.

• British-American author Salman Rushdie has been awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023.
• He won the award for his literary work and positive attitude in the face of constant danger.
• The €25,000 ($27,300) prize will be awarded at a ceremony in October during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Ahmed Salman Rushdie was born on June 19, 1947 in Bombay (now Mumbai).
• He is best known worldwide for his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", which created a widespread uproar in the Muslim world due to a story inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
• Rushdie was the President of the PEN American Center from 2004 to 2006, and then he was appointed chairman of the PEN World Voices International Literary Festival for 10 years.
• Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan won this prize for 2022.
• Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Kumar Sen won this prize for 2020.
• Peace Prize of the German Book Trade:
  • It is an international peace prize awarded annually by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
  • The prize was started in 1950.
  • It is given to individuals committed to supporting international understanding among nations and cultures through their work.

Topic: International News

12. Estonia became the first nation in central Europe to permit same-sex marriage.

• On 20 June, Estonia's parliament approved a law to legalize same-sex marriage, and became the first Central European country to do so.
• The law will come into effect from 2024.
• Same-sex marriage is legal in most of Western Europe but not in Central European countries.
• The bill has received 55 votes in the 101-seat parliament from a coalition of liberal and social democratic parties.
• A poll was conducted by Center for Human Rights. In this poll, 53% of the population supported same-sex marriage.
• Same-sex marriage is legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001. The Netherlands is the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
• Same-sex marriage refers to a marriage between two people of the same gender (two men or between two women).
• Currently, same-sex marriages are not legal in India.

Topic: Art and Culture

13. A Mesolithic-era rock painting has been discovered by an archaeologist in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

• A rock painting depicting a person tilling a piece of land of the Mesolithic period has been discovered by D. Kanna Babu, former Superintending Archaeologist of the Temple Survey Project (Southern Region) of the Archaeological Survey of India.
• This painting was discovered during surveying the lower River Krishna Valley to ascertain the architectural features of shrines.
• One of the paintings shows a man catching a wild goat with his left hand while there is a hook-like tool to control it.
• Another painting depicts two couples standing with their hands raised while a child stood behind them.
• Kanna Babu found the prehistoric rock painting on the walls and ceiling of natural rock shelters on a hillock at Orvakallu.
• These paintings were made of natural white kaolin and red ochre pigments. Most of the paintings have got damaged due to exposure to air.
• Ochre is a pigment composed of clay, sand, and ferric oxide. Kaolinite is a soft and white mineral produced by the chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals.
• This discovery will throw light on various aspects of the social life and culture of people living in the area.
• Earlier, in 2018, archaeologists discovered prehistoric rock art near Dachepalli in the Guntur district.
• Bhimbetka, Adamgarh, and Pachmarhi are important Mesolithic rock art sites in India.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Swaminathan Janakiraman has been appointed as RBI Deputy Governor.

• State Bank of India Managing Director Swaminathan Janakiraman has been selected for the post of Deputy Governor in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• The appointment of Swaminathan Janakiraman has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• He will replace Deputy Governor M.K. Jain whose tenure will end on 30 June. M.K Jain was appointed to this critical role in 2018.
• His tenure will be of three years from the date of Joining or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• Dr M.D. Patra, M.R. Rao and T. Rabi Shankar are the other three deputy governors of RBI.
• Out of the four deputy governors, two are traditionally selected from executive directors of RBI. One is nominated from among chairpersons of PSB and the other is an economist.
• RBI can have a maximum of four deputy governors and one governor.