Daily Current Affairs and GK | 27 and 28 November 2022

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar conferred Shilp Guru and National Awards to master craftspersons.

• The Ministry of Textiles gave Shilp Guru and National Awards to master craftspersons for 2017, 2018, and 2019 in New Delhi.
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was the Chief Guest of the awarding ceremony.
• Since 1965, the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) is implementing the scheme of the National Awards for master craftspersons. Shilp Guru Award was introduced in 2002.
• These awards are conferred every year to master craftspersons of handicrafts for their work which contributed to the preservation of rich and diverse craft heritage.
• The main aim of the award is to recognize outstanding craftspersons in the handicrafts sector.
• The Handicrafts Sector plays a key role in India’s economy. It gives employment to craftspeople in rural & semi-urban areas.

Topic: National News

2. NCC celebrated its 74th anniversary of Raising on 27 November.

• The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was formed in 1948. It is the largest uniformed youth organization in the world.
• Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane paid homage to heroes on behalf of the entire NCC fraternity at the National War Memorial, New Delhi.
• As part of Youth Exchange Programmes (YEP), NCC has sent its cadets as ambassadors of peace and unity to 25 countries.
• National Cadet Corps (NCC) gives an opportunity to the youth for self-development.
• On this occasion, marches, blood donation camps and social development programmes were organized.
• In recent times, the NCC has been expanded to coastal and border areas of the country by adding over one lakh young cadets.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

3. Aero India 2023 will be organized from 13-17 February in Bengaluru.

• Aero India 2023 will be held from 13-17 February 2023 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
• Aero India is India’s biggest airshow. It will also facilitate virtual exhibitions.
• Both Indian and foreign exhibitors will come to Aero India 2023.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will organize the event. It is scheduled for five days.
• In the last edition, over 500 companies from more than 35 countries had taken part in the airshow.
• The 14th Aero India is expected to be bigger and better than the previous editions.
• The first edition of Aero India was organized in 1996.

Topic: Defence

4. Indo-Australian Army contingent bilateral training exercise "Austra Hind 22" began in Rajasthan.

• The bilateral training exercise, “Austra Hind 22” between Indian and Australian army contingents, started at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan.
• It is scheduled to take place from 28 November to 11 December 2022.
• This is the first exercise of the Austra Hind series in which contingents of all arms of both armies will participate.
• Troops of the 13th Brigade of the Second Division of the Australian Army have reached the exercise site.
• The soldiers of the Dogra Regiment are leading the Indian Army.
• Exercise Austra Hind will be held alternately in India and Australia every year.
• Its objective is to build positive military relations and adopt each other's good practices.
• It also aims to enhance the ability to work together to conduct operations in semi-desert regions under UN peacekeeping commitments.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

5. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2023.

• For the first time, the President of Egypt will be the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations of India.
• The Ministry of External Affairs has said that India and Egypt enjoy friendly relations.
• Both countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
• Egypt has been invited as the 'guest country' during India's G-20 presidency in 2022-23.

Topic: Sports

6. Asian champion Raveena won gold in the youth men's and women's world championships.

• In the final of the 63kg category, the Indian boxer defeated Megan deCler of the Netherlands.
• In boxing, India finished the Youth Men's and Women's World Championships in La Nucia, Spain, with 11 medals.
• In the other final, Kirti was defeated by European youth champion Cliona Elizabeth D'Arcy of Ireland and had to settle for the silver medal.
• The 25-member Indian team won 11 medals at the competition, including four gold, three silver, and four bronze.
• Overall, 17 Indians qualified for the quarter-finals of the tournament, which was more than any other country in this edition.
• Women boxers had the highest total of eight medals among all countries in this year's edition of the championships, followed by Kazakhstan (5) and Uzbekistan (4).

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. China hosted the first China-Indian Ocean Region Development Cooperation Forum meeting.

• To increase its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, China has organized a meeting of the China-Indian Ocean Region Development Cooperation Forum.
• In this, 19 countries have participated except India.
• On November 21, 2022, the event was held alongside several other events, including the 6th China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, and the China-Indian Ocean Region Thinktank Forum.
• The China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), which formulates policies and coordinates major foreign aid issues, hosted the forum.
• CIDCA is headed by Luo Zhaohui, former Vice Foreign Minister.
• India continues to maintain relations with the countries belonging to the Indian Ocean through events, such as the Indian Ocean Rim Organization and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.
• This is in line with the Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mauritius in 2015.
• This initiative of China is worrying and is to counter India's influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Topic: Sports

8. PT Usha is set to become Indian Olympic Association’s first woman President.

• She emerged as the only candidate for the top post for the December 10 elections.
• She filed her nomination papers for the post of IOA’s president on 27 November 2022.
• She will also be the first Olympian and the first international medallist to head the IOA in its 95-year-old history.
• National Rifle Association of India’s Ajay Patel is set to be the Senior Vice-President. He is also the only candidate for the post.
• PT Usha is a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and a fourth-place finisher at the 1984 Olympics 400m hurdles final.
• She is often called the "Queen of Indian track and field". She is also known as the 'Payyoli Express'.

Topic: State News/Bihar

9. Har Ghar Gangajal project has been launched by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Rajgir.

• Har Ghar Gangajal project is an initiative to provide Ganga water on tap in the parched areas of the state.
• This will help to harvest the excess water of the Ganga during the monsoon season.
• The water will first be stored in reservoirs in Rajgir and Gaya. It will then be channelled to three treatment-and purification plants.
• The water will be supplied to the public from these plants.
• Har Ghar Gangajal is part of the Jal, Jeevan, Hariyali scheme of the Bihar government.

Topic: Personality in News

10. Government appointed Dr. Deepa Malik as Nikshay Mitra ambassador.

• Union Health Ministry appointed Dr. Deepa Malik, President of the Paralympic Committee of India, as Nikshay Mitra ambassador.
• She also participated in the TB awareness activities of the Ministry of Health at the 41st India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
• Nikshay Mitra is an initiative under Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
• Ni-Kshay Mitra’s aim is to provide aid to TB-afflicted patients on three levels- nutritional, additional diagnostic, and vocational support.
• Dr. Deepa Malik adopted 5 TB patients as a Ni-Kshay Mitra.
• Deepa Malik is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games. She won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
• India is aiming to become a TB-free country by 2025.
• Ni-kshay 2.0 portal is a platform for donors to provide various forms of support to people undergoing TB treatment.

Topic: Defence

11. PSLV-C54 carrying Earth exploration satellite EOS-06 and 8 nano satellites was successfully launched by ISRO.

• On November 26, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C54 was launched into space from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
• The launch was the 87th launch by ISRO and the 56th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) class of launch vehicles.
• Its payload includes an Earth observation satellite (ES-06 or Oceansat-3) and eight nano satellites that have separated in the specified two hours in two different sun-synchronous orbits.
• The eight nano satellites include ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), Anand, Astrocast (four satellites), and two Thybolt satellites.

Topic: Committees/Commissions/Taskforces

12. A panel formed by the Centre to revamp the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

• The committee has been constituted to review the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme, particularly to assess the efficacy of the program as a poverty alleviation tool.
• The committee has been headed by former Rural Development Secretary Amarjit Sinha.
• The first meeting of the committee was held on November 21, 2022, and it has been given three months to give its suggestions.
• The Sinha committee has now been tasked with studying the various factors behind the demand for MGNREGA work, trends in expenditure, and inter-state variations and composition of work.
• It will suggest what changes are needed in the focus and governance structures to make MGNREGA more effective.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA):
  • It was passed by Parliament on 23rd August 2005. It came into force on 2 February 2006.
  • In October 2009, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 was amended and its name was changed from NREGA to MGNREGA.
  • Under MGNREGA, there is a provision to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
  • Presently, 15.51 crore active workers are enrolled under the scheme.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

13. Second edition of ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ concluded with the award ceremony of the “53-Hour Challenge”.

• The competition provided a challenge to the 75 Creative Minds selected from all over India to produce a short film on their idea of India@100 in just 53 hours.
• The competition was organised by National Film Development Corporation in collaboration with Shorts TV.
• During 53 hour deadline, 5 short films were made.
• Film ‘Dear Diary’ has won 53-Hour Challenge for 75 creative minds.
• It was made by Team Purple. It highlights the issue of women’s safety.
• Antardrishti, The Ring, Almost and Sau Ka Note are the other four films made in the competition.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

14. Proposal to degrade the status of Southern white rhino from Appendix I to Appendix II was accepted at COP19 to CITES.

• The proposal was given by Botswana and Namibia.
• However, the parties rejected the proposal of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) to allow trade in rhino horns.
• King Mswati III International Airport in Eswatini is a hub for rhino horns imported illegally from South Africa and other southern African countries.
• Under Appendix II, the animals may not be threatened with extinction but the trade of such animals should be controlled.
• Southern white rhino:
  • It is the most common and widespread subspecies of rhinos.
  • It is the second largest and heaviest land mammal.
  • The maximum population of southern white rhino lives in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.
  • IUCN Status: Near Threatened