Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 June 2022

Topic: National News

1. Government has issued new rules related to surrogacy.

• As per the new guidelines, Couples who want to become parents through surrogacy will have to purchase general health insurance of 36 months from an insurance company or an agent of IRDAI for the surrogate mother.
• The insurance cover amount should cover all expenses of pre and post-pregnancy.
• The government has also notified the requirements and qualifications to run a surrogacy clinic.
• The government has also notified that the number of attempts of surrogacy procedures on the surrogate mother should not exceed three times.
• Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, a surrogate mother may be allowed for abortion in case of any complication during the surrogacy process.
• As per the notification, Surrogacy clinics shall have at least one gynaecologist, one anaesthetist, one embryologist and one counsellor.
• Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 regulates Surrogacy in India and prohibits commercial surrogacy in India.
• Surrogacy is a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple and hands it over to them after birth.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

2. Jammu and Kashmir will host G20 meetings in 2023.

• The J&K government has formed a five-member high-level committee for the overall coordination of G20 meetings.
• In September 2021, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20.
• India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022. India will convene the first G20 leaders' summit in 2023.
• G20:
  • It was founded in 1999 as a forum for Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks.
  • It was formed after Asian financial crisis. The G20 summit is held annually since 2011.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. India’s current account deficit for January-March 2022 quarter declined to USD 13.4 billion or 1.5% of GDP.

• In the December 2021 quarter, current account deficit was USD 22.2 billion or 2.6% of GDP.
• India recorded current account deficit (CAD) of 1.2% of GDP in 2021-22 due to a wider trade deficit as per RBI. A surplus of 0.9% was recorded in FY2020-21.
• The trade deficit increased to USD 189.5 billion in FY22 from USD 102.2 billion a year ago.
• Goods imports stood at USD 618.6 billion in FY22 as against USD 398.5 billion in the year-ago period.
• Current account deficit occurs when the value of a country’s imported goods and services and other payments is more than the value of its export of goods and services and other receipts.

Topic: Important Days

4. International Widows’ Day 2022: 23 June

• International Widows Day is observed annually on 23 June.
• United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day since 2011.
• UN observes 23 June as International Widows Day to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to galvanize the unique support that they need.
• International Widows Day was started by The Loomba Foundation.
• The first official UN International Widows Day was held on June 23, 2011.
• “Invisible Women, Invisible Problems” was last year’s theme of International Widows’ Day.
• “Sustainable Solutions for Widows Financial Independence” is this year’s theme.

Topic: International News

5. US will launch first ‘West Asian Quad’ Summit with India, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.

• It will be launched while Biden will be in Israel for his first stop on his inaugural trip to West Asia from July 13 to July 16.
• The four nation group will be known as 'I2U2', which means 'India, Israel, United States of America and UAE'.
• It will focus on enhancing economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia through trade, energy cooperation, etc.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched I2U2 in October 2021.
• The new group of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US will hold its first online summit 'I2U2' in July 2022.

Topic: Committee/Commission/Taskforce

6. Ranjit Bajaj appointed as chairman of the advisory panel to oversee the function of the AIFF.

• The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has appointed Ranjit Bajaj as chairman of the advisory panel to oversee the functioning All India Football Federation (AIFF).
• The 12-member group will be led by former I-League club Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj and Jaydeep Basu will be in charge of "media and communication concerns."
• Praful Patel was compelled to resign last month by the Supreme Court for failing to comply with the National Sports Code's age and tenure requirement.
• The three-member CoA was established to take over the AIFF, which is comprised of Justice AR Dave, Dr. SY Quraishi, and Bhaskar Ganguly.
• All India Football Federation (AIFF):
  • It is the governing body of football in India.
  • It was founded on 23 June 1937.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. Sri Lankan government will hold a Donor Conference with China, India and Japan.

• Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told this recently to the Parliament.
• Sri Lanka is trying to obtain overseas assistance to overcome the worst economic crisis since its independence.
• Sri Lanka:
  • It is an island country in South Asia.
  • Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the current President of Sri Lanka.
  • Sri Lankan rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka.
  • Its executive and judicial capital is Colombo, and its legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Government gave first-ever National Logistics Excellence Awards in New Delhi on 23 June 2022.

• Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal gave away the awards in 12 categories.
• National Logistics Excellence Awards will be given annually to recognize excellence in logistics within the private sector in India.
• The National Logistics Excellence Awards aim to acknowledge the logistics service providers in India.
• Important winners of National Logistics Excellence Awards 2021 are given below.
  • Best Road Freight Service Provider – DHL Supply Chain India Pvt. Ltd.
  • Best Rail Freight Service Provider – Adani Logistics Ltd.
  • Best Port Service Provider – DP World
  • Best Warehouse service provider – Transport Corporation of India Ltd.
  • Best Logistics infrastructure and service provider – Adani Logistics Ltd.
  • Industry Excellence Award – Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. Scientists discovered four species of azooxanthellate corals for the first time in Indian waters.

• Truncatoflabellum crassum, T incrustatum, T aculeatu and T irregulare are the names of the species of azooxanthellate corals found in the waters of Andaman and Nicobar Island.
• Azooxanthellate corals are found in dark habitats and do not contain zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is a microscopic algae that converts sunlight into energy.
• This study was recently published in ‘Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences’.
• The study has explained the morphological features with global mapping of the four species of flabelliids.
• All these four species were found in the waters from Japan to the Philippines and Australian waters.
• According to a 2016 study by the Institute for Environmental Research and Social Education, there were 227 species of azooxanthellate scleractinian corals reported from the Indian Ocean region.
• Coral reefs in India:
  • It is generally found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Strait and the Lakshadweep islands.
  • The Hermatypic corals are found from Kollam in Kerala to Enayam Puthenthurai in Tamil Nadu.
  • The total coral reef area in India is around 5,790 km².

Topic: International News

10. United States Senate passed first gun control bill in the last three decades.

• The Senate of the United States has approved the gun violence bill by 65 votes in favour.
• The bill will now have to pass in the House of Representatives. The bill proposed tougher background checks for buyers less than 21 years.
• It has a provision to allocate $11 billion for mental health programs and $2 billion for school safety programs
• It also provides funding to incentivize states to enact "red flag" laws to remove firearms from those considered a threat.
• In recent times, it is the first time that proposed reforms have received support from both Democrats and Republicans.
• This year, more than 20,900 people have been killed in gun violence in the US.

Topic: Space and IT

11. South Korea successfully launched its first satellite with an indigenously built rocket.

• South Korea has successfully launched a satellite with the help of the first domestically developed Nuri rocket.
• South Korea becomes the 10^th country to put a satellite in its orbit with its own technology.
• The Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II, known as Nuri, took off from the Naro Space Center on 21 June.
• The three-stage rocket placed the satellite at the target altitude and it transmitted signals about its status back to Earth.
• It is South Korea’s second launch of the Nuri rocket. In October 2021, Nuri reached the desired altitude but couldn’t place the satellite into orbit.
• South Korea successfully launched its first satellite from its soil in 2013 with the help of a Russian rocket.

Topic: India and its neigbourhood

12. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off Bharat Gaurav tourist train for Nepal from Safdarjung station.

• Bharat Gaurav tourist train will connect India and Nepal and complete the Shri Ramayana Yatra in 18 days.
• It will cover the places of the Ramayana circuit and travel approximately 8,000 kilometres.
• It will pass through Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
• The Bharat Gaurav tourist train has been started to showcase the rich cultural, spiritual and historical heritage of India.
• The exterior of the coaches of these trains has been designed as a kaleidoscope of “Bharat Gaurav” or “Pride of India”.
• IRCTC is the first Indian agency to connect India and Nepal through a tourist train.
• Ramayana Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.

Topic: Important Days

13. International Olympic Day 2022: 23 June

• International Olympic Day is observed every year on 23^rd June.
• It is observed to spread awareness about the benefits of playing sports.
• Doctor Gruss proposed the idea of World Olympic day at the 41st session of the International Olympic Committee in 1948. The first International Olympic Day was celebrated in 1948.
• ‘Together for a Peaceful World’ is the theme of this year’s International Olympic Day.
• The Olympic Games are held on every four years. It is one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

Topic: Reports and Indices

14. India is the fourth largest country to recycle gold: World Gold Council (WGC) report. 

• India recycled 75 tonnes of gold in 2021. According to the WGC report 'Gold Refining and Recycling', China is the world's largest recycler of gold.
• China recycled 168 tonnes of gold. China is followed by Italy, which is ranked at 2nd position with recycling of 80 tonnes of gold. 
• The US is on third place with the recycling of 78 tonnes of gold in 2021.
• As per the report, India’s gold refining capacity increased by 1,500 tonnes (500%) in 2021 from 300 tonnes in 2013.
• As per the report, the scale of formal refining of gold has increased and the scale of unorganized refining has fallen.
• The report notes that the share of gold dore in overall imports has increased from 7% in 2013 to around 22% in 2021. 
• The report also notes that India recycles about 8% of the global scrap supply of gold.