Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 August 2022

Topic: National News

1. Central government executed 'One Nation One Fertiliser' plan under the “Bharat” brand.

• The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has issued an order directing all fertilizer companies to sell their products under a single brand name of ‘Bharat’.
• After order, all fertilizers bags containing urea or di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) or muriate of potash (MOP) or NPK will be sold under the brand ‘Bharat’.
• The single brand name would be Bharat Urea, Bharat DAP, Bharat MOP, Bharat NPK, etc.
• As per the direction of the government, the single brand name and the logo of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojana (PMBJP) should be used on fertiliser bags.
• It will reduce the transit time and freight charges and also ensure the availability of fertilizers throughout the year.
• The new bag of fertilizer will be introduced from 2 October. The companies have been given time till December 12 to exhaust their old bags.
• The government gives subsidies on 26 fertilizers and it also decides the maximum retail price of urea.

Topic: Art and Culture

2. Anang Tal Lake could soon become a site of national importance.

• The government is planning to declare the ancient mound at Mehrauli in South Delhi, including Anang Tal lake, a site of national importance.
• According to the notification, the protected area would be spread over 42,894 square metres.
• The ASI excavated the site in 1993, which was built by the 11th Century Tomar king, Anang Pal Tomar.
• The National Monuments Authority Chairman Tarun Vijay had submitted the proposal to declare the Anang Tal lake as a monument of national importance in 2019.
• Once the site is declared of national importance, the ASI protect it and places restrictions on nearby construction.
• Recently, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena visited the Anang Tal Baoli inside Sanjay Van.
• Monument of national importance:
  • A “Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey of India.
  • National Monuments Authority is responsible for categorizing all the protected monuments and protected areas declared of National importance.

Topic: Sports

3. First Khelo India Women's Judo Tournament will start on August 27.

• The tournament will be contested in four zones around the country.
• At the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, the national round will take place from 20^th to 23^rd October 2022.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched the Judo tournament as another effort to boost women's sports events under Khelo India, the government of India's flagship program.
• The Sports Department has allocated Rs 1.74 crore for organizing the tournament, which includes prize money of Rs 48.86 lakh.
• During the tournament, competitors from four age groups will compete.
• The four age groups are: sub-junior (12-15 years), cadet (15-17 years), junior (15-20 years), and senior (15+ years).
• Competition schedule for 4 Zones:

Topic: Agriculture and Allied Sector

4. Wheat or Meslin flour export policy amendment is approved by Cabinet.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal to amend the policy for exemption from export ban/restriction to Wheat or Meslin Flour (HS Code 1101).
• This approval will now allow a ban on the export of wheat flour, thereby ensuring a check on rising wheat flour prices and ensuring food security for the most vulnerable sections of society.
• A notification to this effect will be issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• Reason for the policy amendment:
  • Russia and Ukraine are the major exporters of wheat, accounting for about one-fourth of the total global wheat trade.
  • The conflict between them has disrupted the global wheat supply chain, leading to an increase in the demand for Indian wheat.
  • As a result, the domestic market also witnessed an increase in the price of wheat.
  • It was decided to ban the export of wheat in May 2022 to ensure the food security of 1.4 billion people in the country.
  • However, the ban on the export of wheat has led to an increase in the demand for wheat flour in foreign markets and its exports from India have increased.

Topic: International Appointments

5. Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian appointed Executive Director (India) at the IMF.

• Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian's appointment to the position of Executive Director (India) at the International Monetary Fund has been approved by the Cabinet's Appointments Committee.
• He will begin his tenure on November 1, 2022, and will remain for three years.
• Dr. Subramanian will succeed Dr. Surjit Bhalla.
• Dr. Bhalla, a renowned economist, was appointed in 2019 as the Executive Director for India on the board of the International Monetary Fund.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF):
  • The IMF is an international organisation designed to promote global monetary cooperation.
  • Its headquarters is located in Washington DC.
  • It was established in 1945.
  • The Managing Director of IMF is Kristalina Georgieva.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. 31^st Vyas Samman has been presented to Hindi writer Dr. Asghar Wajahat for 2021 in New Delhi.

• The prestigious award has been given to Dr. Wajahat for his play Mahabali.
• For the 31^st Vyas Samman, his work has been selected by a selection committee headed by renowned Hindi scholar Professor Ramji Tiwari.
• This book was published in 2019.
• Asghar Wajahat's play 'Mahabali' has been composed keeping the focus on Emperor Akbar and poet Tulsidas.
• Born on July 5, 1946 in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Asghar Wajahat has been a professor in the Hindi department of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi.
• Asghar Wajahat was awarded the 'Best Playwright' award by Hindi Academy, Delhi in 2009-10.
• He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for playwriting in 2014 and the Delhi Hindi Academy's highest Shalaka Samman in 2016.
• Vyas Samman:
  • It was started in 1991.
  • K.K. Birla Foundation gives this award annually to those people of India who worked in Hindi language literature and have published their work in the past 10 years.
  • Rs. 4 lakh cash, a citation, and a plaque are presented to the winner of the Vyas Samman.
  • The 30^th Vyas Samman for 2020 was conferred on Professor Sharad Pagare, renowned Hindi writer for his novel 'Empress of Pataliputra'.

Topic: Important Days

7. Women's Equality Day: 26 August

• It is observed every year on August 26 in the United States.
• It is celebrated to honour the women of America for gaining the constitutional right to vote.
• In 1920, the US constitution gave equal voting rights to women through the ‘Nineteenth Amendment’.
• It was first celebrated in 1971 and was established by Congress in 1973.
• The theme of Women’s Equality Day 2022 is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. 3^rd India-Mauritius Joint Committee Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperation was organized in New Delhi.

• Two Memoranda of Understanding have been signed in 3rd India-Mauritius Joint Committee Meeting.
• One MoU has been signed between SME Mauritius Ltd. and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad on 23rd August, 2022 in Ahmedabad.
• Another MoU has been signed on 24th August, 2022 between SME Mauritius Ltd. and National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ni-msme) in New Delhi.
• Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Narayan Rane led Indian side in the meeting.
• In the meeting, present engagement between India and Mauritius in the field of MSMEs was reviewed.
• National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ni-msme) is an institute under the Ministry of MSME. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• Mauritius:
  • It is an island nation which is located in the Indian Ocean.
  • Its capital is Port Louis and its currency is the Mauritian Rupee.
  • Pravind Kumar Jugnauth is the current Prime Minister of Mauritius.
  • Prithvirajsing Roopun is the current President of Mauritius.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 on 24th August, 2022.

• New rules have been notified to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries.
• They will replace the Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.
• All types of batteries (Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries) are covered under the rules.
• The rules are based on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• In the concept of EPR, battery producers and importers are responsible for the collection and recycling of waste batteries.
• They are also responsible for use of recovered materials from wastes into new batteries.
• EPR prohibits disposal of waste batteries in landfills and incineration.
• It mandates that all waste batteries are to be collected and sent for recycling/refurbishment.
• To meet the EPR obligations, producers may engage themselves in the collection, recycling or refurbishment of waste batteries. They may authorise any other entity for this.
• To fulfil the obligations of producers, the rules will allow for the establishment of a mechanism and centralised online portal for the exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/refurbishers.
• The rules promote entrepreneurship and the establishment of new industries in the collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries.
• The new rules mandate a minimum percentage of recovery of materials from the waste batteries.
• They prescribe the use of a certain amount of recycled material in the making of new batteries. This will cut dependency on new raw materials and save natural resources.
• Other salient features of rules are online registration & reporting, auditing, and a committee for monitoring the implementation of rules.
• According to the Polluter Pays Principle, environmental compensation will be imposed if Extended Producer Responsibility targets, responsibilities and obligations set out in the rules are not fulfilled.
• The funds raised under environmental compensation will be used for the collection and recycling of non-recycled waste batteries.

Topic: National Appointment

10. Government appointed Samir V Kamat as new DRDO Chairman.

• Samir V Kamat will succeed G Satheesh Reddy. Additionally, he has been named Secretary of the Department of Defence Research.
• Samir V Kamat was serving as Director General, Naval Systems and Materials, at the DRDO.
• Samir V Kamat will serve as DRDO chairman till he attains the age of 60 years or until further orders.
• G. Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as the scientific adviser to the defence minister.
• The new appointment will help in making defence research more industry-friendly and promote the growth of the local defence industry.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
  • It is a premier research and development Organisation in India.
  • It works under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence.
  • It was established in 1958 by amalgamating the Defence Science Organisation and some of the technical development establishments.
  • It has a network of 52 laboratories across the country.
  • It is involved in developing critical defence technologies and products to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

11. 38^th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC) held in New Delhi.

• During the meeting, both countries discussed issues related to the water-sharing treaties of the Teesta, Ganga and other rivers.
• They also discussed the ongoing projects of mutual interest, including common river water sharing, sharing of data on flood, countering river pollution, joint survey on sediment management, etc.
• Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Water Resources, Zaheed Farooque, led a 17-member delegation at the meeting.
• India and Bangladesh also finalized the contents of an MoU on interim water sharing of the Kushiara River.
• The Joint River Commission meeting was held after 12 years. The bilateral technical discussions and consultations were going on between the two countries under the JRC framework.
• 54 rivers are common between India and Bangladesh, and out of which 7 rivers were identified earlier for the water sharing agreement framework on a priority basis.
• One of the most important areas of India's cooperation with Bangladesh is the sharing of real-time flood data.
• The Ganga water treaty was signed in 1996 and it will be renewed in 2026.
• Bangladesh and India have also signed contracts for the construction of a new broad-gauge line between Khulna- Darsana and the conversion of metre gauge line into dual-gauge line between Parbatipur and Kaunia.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

12. PM Modi addressed the National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories on 25 August.

• The two-day National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories is being held at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is being organized by the Union Labour and Employment Ministry.
• The main purpose of the conference is to discuss labour-related issues. It will bring synergy between the Centre and State Governments in formulating better policies related to labour.
• The conference will have four thematic sessions, which are given below:
  • Integrating e-Shram portal for onboarding social security schemes to universalize social protection.
  • Swasthya se Samriddhi for improving medical care through ESI hospitals run by State Governments and integration with PMJAY
  • Framing of rules under four Labour Codes and modalities for their implementation
  • Vision Shramev Jayate @ 2047

Topic: Corporates/Companies

13. SEBI auctioned the properties of Sumangal Industries and GSHP Realtech.

• On 25 August, SEBI auctioned the properties of Sumangal Industries and GSHP Realtech worth a total of Rs 9.8 crores to recover money that was illegally raised from investors.
• The properties include land parcels, multi-storied buildings and a flat located in West Bengal. The auction was conducted online.
• eProcurement Technologies was appointed as the e-auction service provider.
• SEBI probe has found that, without complying with the regulatory norms, GSHP Realtech raised money from 535 persons in 2012-13 by issuing Non-Convertible Redeemable Debentures.
• Sumangal Industries has raised Rs 85 crore from investors through illegal collective investment schemes (CIS).
• Sumangal Industries was running illegal ‘potato purchase’ investment schemes promising 100 percent gain in just 15 months.
• Between 2013 to 2016, SEBI had ordered Sumangal and GSHP Realtech to return money to their investors, but they failed to return the money.
• As a result, SEBI started recovery proceedings against them.
• SEBI is a regulator of the securities market in India and aims to protect the interests of investors in securities.

Topic: Sports

14. VVS Laxman appointed India’s interim head coach for Asia Cup 2022.

• VVS Laxman has taken place of Rahul Dravid, who is suffering from Covid.
• Rahul Dravid tested positive before the team’s departure to the United Arab Emirates. He will join the team after he tests negative.
• India will begin its Asia Cup 2022 campaign on August 28 against Pakistan.
• Asia Cup 2022 is scheduled to be held from 27 August to 11 September 2022.
• The Asia Cup is a men's One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament.

Topic: International News

15. The tension between India and China could affect space projects.

• The rising tension between India and China could affect the ambitious project to install an India-made spectroscope on the developing Chinese space station, Tiangong.
• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, were among nine groups who were selected as part of a United Nations-led initiative.
• The Chinese space agency is working with United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to send international experiments to Tiangong.
• The Spectrographic Investigation of Nebular Gas (SING) project has been designed and developed by research students at IIA.
• It is a collaborative project of the Institute of Astronomy and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
• The SING project would be the first space collaboration project involving India and China.
• India and China had collaborated in the past on research projects like Giant Metre Wave Radio Telescope.
• The ‘SING’ project aims to install a spectroscope on the developing Chinese space station - Tiangong.
• It is associated with sending and positioning a spectrograph for studying ultraviolet radiation. The spectroscope will help in analyzing the sources of interstellar gas in the region.
• The T-shaped Tiangong space station consists of three modules. It will be only the second such station after the International Space Station in orbit.