Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 August 2022

Topic: Indian Polity

1. Supreme Court struck down a provision of Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act of 1988.

• The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act of 1988 has the provision of punishment of a maximum jail term of three years or a fine or both for those indulging in Benami transactions.
• A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices C T Ravikumar and Hima Kohli declared the provision unconstitutional on the ground of being arbitrary.
• Supreme Court declared section 3(2) of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 as unconstitutional.
• Supreme Court also states that the 2016 amended law will apply only prospectively, and not retrospectively.
• This verdict of the Supreme Court has come on the appeal of the Centre challenging the Calcutta High Court judgement.
• Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act 1988:
  • It came into force on 5 September 1988 and it prohibits certain types of financial transactions.
  • It defines a 'Benami' transaction as a transaction in which property is transferred to one person for a consideration paid or provided by another person.
  • It was amended in 2016 as an attempt to curb black money.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. Snailfish survival in Greenland could be in trouble due to the warming of Arctic water owing to climate change.

• The snailfish can survive in icy waters of Arctic because antifreeze proteins are present in its blood.
• These antifreeze proteins prevent ice crystals from accumulating in its cells.
• The researchers discovered antifreeze proteins while investigating biofluorescent properties of snailfish.
• Biofluorescence is rarely found in fish from the Arctic because of lengthy periods of darkness in the Arctic area.
• The only polar fish known to exhibit biofluorescence is the snailfish.
• An organism's capacity to change blue light into green, red, or yellow light is known as biofluorescence.
• If Arctic sea ice decline continues at this rate, within the next three decades, the Arctic Ocean will be mostly ice-free during the summer.

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

3. Minister Shanti Dhariwal inaugurated Rajasthan's first well-organized motor market in Kota on 21 August 2022.

• This will provide facilities to the citizens doing motor business in different places in the city.
• This will also solve the problem of traffic jams in the city.
• In this market, buyers of old vehicles will also get many options in one place.
• 247 shops have been constructed in this market by the Urban Development Trust. 9 more shops will be constructed.

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

4. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot unveiled the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games mascot ‘Sheru’ at the indoor hall of Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

• CM Gehlot said that Rural Olympic Games will be organized in the state from August 29.
• He said that a budget provision of Rs 40 crore has been made for this.
• He said Rural Olympics is for all age groups. Nearly 30 lakh people will be taking part in these games.
• Two lakh teams have been formed. The objective of the games is to discover and bring forward rural sportspersons.
• The games also aim to hone their talents and promote sportsmanship among the general public.  
• Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympics will be organized at the Gram Panchayat level from 29 August to 1 September.
• It will be organized at block level from 12 September to 15 September.
• It will be organized at the district level from 22 September to 25 September and at the state level from 2 October to 5 October.
• CM Gehlot said that a provision of 2% reservation has been made for sportspersons in government jobs and they are being given jobs up to the DSP level.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

5. First night safari in India will be launched in Lucknow.

• In the Kukrail forest region, India's first nocturnal zoo will be established.
• In the state capital, the government of Yogi Adityanath has decided to establish a night safari and biodiversity park in the pattern of Singapore.
• There are 13 'Day Safari' in India but not a single night safari.
• The night safari will be set up in 350 acres in the Kukrail forest area spread over 2027.46 hectares, according to Minister of Tourism and Culture Jaiveer Singh.
• The Zoological Park will be set up in 150 acres.
• The government has a plan to build a Leopard Safari in 75 acres, a Bear Safari in 60 acres, and a Tiger Safari in 75 acres.
• The animals will not be kept in cages but they will roam freely like in the forest.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. India and UK agreed to exchange experiences, best practices in commercial courts, and ADR mechanisms.

• India and the United Kingdom have agreed to share knowledge and best practices regarding the operation of commercial courts and alternate dispute resolution mechanisms, such as arbitration and mediation.
• Apart from this, it was also agreed to organize time-bound training and capacity-building programs for legal advisors, draftsmen, judicial officers, prosecutors and legal professionals in reputed institutions.
• During the recent meeting of the India-UK Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), the Ministry of Law and Justice announced the agreement.
• On August 18, 2022, the third in-person meeting of the JCC was conducted in New Delhi.
• Law Secretary Dr Niten Chandra led the Indian delegation.
• The Indian Government and the UK signed an MoU on 10 July 2018 to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of law and justice.
• A Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) has been set up to determine the future steps to be taken in the area of cooperation to meet the objectives.

Topic: Important Days

7. Internaut Day: 23 August

• Internaut Day is celebrated around the world on 23 August to mark the invention of the World Wide Web.
• An “internaut” is a person who has a thorough knowledge of how to use the Internet and its history.
• August 23 marks the day when the World Wide Web (WWW) was opened to the public back in 1991 for the first time by WWW inventor Tim Berners Lee.
• Tim Berners Lee is an English computer scientist. He invented the World Wide Web in 1989.
• He also devised the first Web browser and Web server.
• In 1990, with Robert Cailliau, he prepared hypertext project which was called WorldWideWeb.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

8. External Affairs Ministry has announced the appointment of Vikram Doraiswami as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.

• He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. He is currently the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh.
• He is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch.
• Earlier, Pranay Kumar Verma had been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
• He is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Vietnam.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Art and Culture

9. 12^th National Science Film Festival of India is being organized from 22-26 August at Bhopal.

• Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology is hosting the 12th National Science Film Festival of India at Ravindra Bhawan in Bhopal.
• It is India’s first of its kind of film festival where documentaries and short films on popular science, technology, health, and environmental issues are screened.
• It is the first time that the festival is being held in Madhya Pradesh.
• For first, second and third positions, the best films in each category will be awarded the Golden Beaver, Silver Beaver, and Bronze Beaver respectively.
• It is a platform for interaction with filmmakers, scientists and enthusiasts for developing a better public understanding of the universe.
• This event will encourage citizen science and public participation and promote appreciation of science films.
• National Science Film Festival of India is a flagship event of Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous agency under the Department of Science and Technology.

Topic: National News

10. PM Modi dedicated Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre to the nation in Punjab.

• PM Modi also inaugurated the Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, Haryana.
• It is built in an area of 133 acres with an outlay of six thousand crore rupees.
• The Amrita Hospital is the largest hospital in the region. It was founded by Mata Amritanandamayi 'Amma'.
• Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre is built in an area of 50 acres at Mullanpur in Punjab with an estimated cost of Rs 660 crores.
• It has been built by the Tata Memorial Centre, an aided institute under the Department of Atomic Energy.
• It will provide cost-effective cancer treatment facilities to the people of Northern India.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

11. Government extend the tenure of Meenesh Shah as NDDB Chairman for another 6 months.

• Meenesh C Shah’s tenure has been extended for another six months until 30 November.
• Meenesh C Shah was given the additional charge of Chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on June 1, 2021.
• The tenure of interim chairman Varsha Joshi ended on May 31, 2021.
• India will host the world’s biggest dairy conference—IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 in New Delhi from 12-15 September.
• The summit will be organized under the “Dairy for Nutrition and Livelihood” theme.
• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
  • It is headquartered in Anand, Gujarat.
  • It is a statutory body founded in 1965.
  • It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
  • The main subsidiaries are Indian Dairy Machinery Company Limited, Mother Dairy and Indian Immunologicals Limited, Hyderabad.

Topic: Personality in News

12. Dr Anthony Fauci announced to step down as head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

• Dr Anthony Fauci will also step down as the chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden in December 2022.
• Dr Anthony Fauci served as director of the NIAID for 38 years.
• He was the face of the US COVID-19 response during the pandemic.
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:
  • It is one of the important institutions under the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Its main aim is to prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
  • It was established on 29 December 1955.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

13. IREDA and MAHAPREIT signed MoU for green energy projects.

• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) signed an MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (MAHAPREIT).
• Under the MoU, IREDA will provide finance facilities to MAHAPREIT for renewable energy projects.
• IREDA will also provide techno-financial expertise to MAHAPREIT for renewable energy and conservation projects.
• It is the ninth MoU for IREDA in the last two years to provide consultation services.
• Earlier, SJVN, NHPC, TANGEDCO, NEEPCO, BVFCL, THDCIL, GSL, and CIPET have also signed MoUs with IREDA.
• Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd:
  • It is a private company incorporated on 12 April 2021.
  • It is a wholly owned subsidiary of MPBCDC (49% owned by Govt. of India and 51% owned by Govt. of Maharashtra).

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

14. An additional gene boosted the yield of a Chinese rice variety by up to 40%.

• As per a study published in the journal Science, adding a second copy of one of its own genes has increased the yield of a Chinese rice variety by up to 40%.
• The addition of a second copy of a single gene enhanced photosynthesis and nitrogen uptake and hastens the flowering and nitrogen absorption processes.
• This helped the plant absorb more fertilizers and flowers faster. As a result, it has improved the productivity of rice.
• The addition of the same gene again is called genetic modulation.
• India saw a three-fold increase in rice yield per hectare after the green revolution in the 1960s. The green revolution was focused on high-yielding crop varieties, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.
• But, after fifty years, some negative effects of this intense methodology are becoming apparent and are affecting the environment and soil fertility.
• India is the largest exporter of rice in the world. In 2021-22, India exported 18.75 million metric tons of rice to more than 150 countries.