Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 April 2023

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

1. NITI Aayog released a report titled ‘Promoting Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States/UTs’.

• NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman K. Bery released the report in the presence of other members.
• The report is a compilation of good and innovative practices adopted by state governments and organizations in various aspects of the millet value chain including production, processing and consumption.
• It is based on three themes, which are given below:
  • State Missions and initiatives to promote millet
  • Inclusion of millets in ICDS
  • Research and development and use of technology for innovative practices
• The report will act as a guiding repository to revive and mainstream millets in our diets.
• The report covers good practices in policy, state missions and research & development and technological innovations to boost millets.
• Millets have been integrated in the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under ICDS by many States/UTs.
• 2023 is being celebrated as the ‘International Year of Millets’ (IYM).
• India is the largest producer of millets and proposer of the International Year of Millets-2023.
• Millets was notified as Nutri-cereals by the Government of India in 2018.

Topic: International News

2. US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol have agreed on a landmark deal.

• The deal includes plans to deploy US nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea.
• The US has also agreed to involve Seoul in its planning for the use of nuclear weapons in any conflict with North Korea.
• South Korea has agreed to not develop its own nuclear weapons.
• At a joint press conference with President Yoon in Washington on 26 April 2023, US President said the deal will strengthen the allies’ cooperation in deterring a North Korean attack.
• The deal will be called Washington Declaration.
• There are concerns of nuclear threats from North Korea as it carried out a record number of ballistic missile tests.

Topic: Defence

3. The 7^th edition of joint military exercise between India and the United Kingdom is being carried out at Salisbury Plains, UK.

• The exercise “AJEYA WARRIOR-23” is being carried out from 27 April to 11 May 2023.
• Soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha Rifles from the UK and Indian Army soldiers from the Bihar Regiment are taking part in the exercise.
• On 26 April 2023, the Indian Army contingent arrived at Brize Norton by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft.
• The exercise aims to build positive military relations. It aims to imbibe each other’s best practices.
• It also aims to promote the ability to operate together at the time of carrying out operations in urban and semi-urban environments under UN mandate.
• The exercise also aims to develop inter-operability and friendship between the two armies.
• A Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) are involved within the scope of this exercise.
• Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR:
  • It is a biennial training exercise with the United Kingdom.
  • It is conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India.
  • Its last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president and foundation trustee presented 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award to Dalai Lama after 64 years.

• Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president Susanna B Afan and foundation trustee Emily A Abera presented the award to Dalai Lama at his residence in Himachal Pradesh’s McLeod Ganj.
• This was the first international award given to the Dalai Lama by the Foundation in August 1959.
• In addition, the Dalai Lama signed a drawing of himself for the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation in the Philippines.
• This was the first international award given to the Dalai Lama for community leadership in recognition of the Tibetan community’s gallant struggle in defence of the sacred religion.
• Dalai Lama is a title given to foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso. 

Topic: National News

5. 91 FM transmitters of 100 W inaugurated by PM Modi on 28 April.

• This will expand radio connectivity in the country.
• In 84 districts of 18 states and two union territories, these transmitters have been installed.
• The main objective of this expansion is to increase the coverage in aspirational districts and border areas.
• This service has been expanded in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Union Territories of Ladakh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• With this extension of FM service of All India Radio, an additional two crore people will be able to avail this service and the coverage will be extended to an area of more than 35,000 square kilometers.
• The Prime Minister launched the Mann Ki Baat program to harness the unique power of radio broadcasting to reach out to the widest possible audience.
• The program has reached its historic 100th episode.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. Farm Machinery Technology Summit inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

• 3rd edition of Summit on Farm Machinery Technology has been organized from 27-28 April 2023 in New Delhi.
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Tractor and Mechanization Association (TMA) have organized the summit.
• Around 85% of small farmers are in the country, who should get the benefit of technology and machinery.
• Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM), the states have received Rs.6120.85 crore from 2014-15 to 2022-23 for various initiatives including training, testing, setting up of CHCs, hi-tech hubs and Farm Machinery Banks (FMBs).
• In addition, 15.24 lakh farm machinery and equipment have been distributed through state governments at subsidized rates, including tractors, power tillers and automated machinery.
• Government of India has reduced the time taken to complete the testing of tractors to a maximum of 75 working days by implementing a new system at Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute (CFMTTI), Budni (MP).
• In addition, from 2014-15 to 2022-23, the Central Government trained 1.64 lakh workers through its four FMTTI-designated authorised test centres.
• Another important step in this direction is the introduction of Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
• Out of which, projects worth Rs 14,000 crore have been approved to benefit the farmers.
• Kisan drones are being promoted, subsidies are being given to various sections including farmers, SC-ST category, women farmers.
• Farmers' market access through e-NAM mandis has also increased and agriculture sector gaps are being filled, for which a package of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been earmarked for agriculture and allied sectors.
• The second edition of the summit was held from 16-17 December 2021.

Topic: International News

7. India and the United Kingdom will create India-UK NET zero innovation virtual centre.

• India-UK NET zero innovation virtual centre will provide a platform for stakeholders of both countries to work together in different areas.
• Some of these areas are the decarbonization of manufacturing processes, transport systems, and green hydrogen as a renewable source.
• Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced this while chairing the India-UK Science and Innovation Council meeting in the presence of United Kingdom Minister George Freeman.
• Dr Jitendra Singh is leading a high-level official Indian delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology to the United Kingdom.
• Dr Jitendra Singh informed his British counterpart that the UK has emerged as India’s second largest international research and innovation partner.
• Dr Jitendra Singh invited Minister Freeman to the G20 Research Ministers meeting in Mumbai on 6th July 2023.

Topic: State News/Assam

8. The Centre, Assam government and representatives of Dimasa National Liberation Army/Dimasa Peoples’ Supreme Council (DNLA/DPSC) signed a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement.

• The tripartite Memorandum of Settlement was signed in New Delhi on 27 April 2023.
• Home Minister Amit Shah said that this agreement is another significant milestone towards making North-East insurgency-free by 2024.
• According to Home Minister Amit Shah, this agreement will put a complete end to the insurgency.
• Under the agreement, the representatives of DNLA have agreed to abjure violence.
• They have agreed to surrender all arms and ammunition. They have agreed to disband their armed organization.
• They have agreed to vacate all camps occupied by their cadres and join the peaceful democratic process.
• As a result of the agreement, more than 168 cadres of DNLA are joining the mainstream by laying down their arms.
• According to Mr Shah, the agreement will bring a complete end to the insurgency in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.
• Under the agreement, the Government of Assam will set up Dimasa Welfare Council.
• This will ensure the development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Council.
• Dimasa people live in Assam and Nagaland. They speak Dimasa. Dimasa is a Tibeto-Burman language.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. Supreme Court modified its order of maintaining eco sensitive zone around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.

• Supreme Court modified its June 2022 order of maintaining a 1 km eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.
• Supreme Court in its modified order removed a complete ban on development and construction activities within ESZs.
• SC said that the order of 2022 will not get applicable to ESZs for which draft or final notifications have been issued or in the case of proposals pending with the Ministry of Environment.
• The order has been issued by a bench of Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol.
• The bench said that eco-sensitive zones cannot be uniform across the country. It has to be ‘protected area-specific’.
• The mandatory ESZ provision will not get applied to the national parks and sanctuaries which are located on inter-state borders or share common boundaries.
• The new order maintains that no mining would be allowed, either within national parks and sanctuaries or in a 1 km radius.
• SC said that if no permanent construction is permitted for any purpose, a villager who is desirous to reconstruct his house would not be permitted.
• The earlier provision was preventing the State or the Central Government from constructing roads and providing other facilities for villagers living in ESZs.
• Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs): These act as a transition zone between areas of high protection and areas with lesser protection. The purpose of ESZs is to limit activities for protecting wildlife.

Topic: Personality in News

10. Indian Boxer Kaur Singh passed away at the age of 74.

• Boxing champion Kaur Singh passed away at the age of 74 after multiple health problems.
• He had won six gold medals in international competitions including medal in Asian Games in 1982.
• He is a recipient of many awards including the Arjuna Award in 1982 and Padma Shri in 1983. He won the Vishisht Seva Medal in 1988.
• He represented India in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984
• He also took part in an exhibition match with the legendary Muhammad Ali in 1980.

(Source: Boxing Federation of India)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

11. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited has received Navratna status.

• On 26 April, the Union Finance Ministry approved the upgradation of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) from Category-I Miniratna to Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
• Now, the corporation will have more autonomy in terms of investment, joint venture formation, and other financial decisions.
• Under the Ministry of Railways, RVNL is a public sector undertaking and it will be the 13th Navratna among the CPSEs.
• RVNL was incorporated in 2003 and it is engaged in planning, development and implementation of Railway Infrastructure Projects.
• The discussion of giving Navratna status to RVNL started recently after receiving several orders from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Railways.
• RVNL is a CPSE of Ministry of Railways with an annual turnover of ₹19,381 crore and a net profit of ₹1,087 crore for the year 2021-22.
• The government held 78.2% stake in the company as on 31 December 2022.
• In Q3 FY23, the company recorded a 30.5% growth in consolidated net profit to Rs 382.42 crore, up from Rs 293.01 crore in Q3 FY22.
• The company should have Miniratna status with 4 independent board directors, as per the Navratna company norms.
• In addition, the company must obtain a score of 60 out of 100 in parameters such as net worth, net profit, total production cost, manpower cost, service cost, capital employed and PBDIT.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. On April 26, 2023, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches 'City Beauty Competition' portal.

• In this competition, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the country can participate.
• The competition aims to encourage and recognize the transformative efforts made by cities and wards across the country to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces.
• Under this competition, the wards and public spaces of the cities will be assessed under five broad pillars viz (i) accessibility (ii) amenities (iii) activities (iv) aesthetics and (v) ecology.
• The competition will help to honor the most beautiful wards and public spaces in towns and cities.
• The selected wards will be awarded at the city and state levels under four categories viz. waterfronts, green spaces, tourist/ heritage sites and market/ commercial sites will be awarded at the state level first.
• Thereafter some shortlisted entries will also be considered for national level awards.
• The competition provides an exclusive opportunity for wards and cities to showcase their efforts towards creating beautiful public spaces.
• The competition will promote heritage and culture, sustainable communities and ecological conservation, as well as encourage states and cities to learn friendly practices.

Topic: Agriculture and allied sectors

13. Union Minister Amit Shah launched world’s first liquid nano DAP.

• Amit Shah launched the IFFCO’s liquid nano Di-Ammonia Phosphate (DAP).
• It is not only a revolutionary step to increase foodgrain production but it will also make India self-reliant in fertilizer production.
• Nano Di-Ammonia Phosphate (DAP) has been manufactured by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO). In May 2021, the IFFCO launched Nano Urea.
• Around 6.3 crore bottles of Nano urea have been manufactured till March 2023.
• One 500 ml bottle of liquid DAP contains 8% of Nitrogen and 16% of Phosphorus. It can easily replace a 50 kg bag of traditional DAP.
• Nano DAP will also help farmers to reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers.
• IFFCO is likely to manufacture 18 crore bottles of nano DAP by 2025–2026. It will help in reducing the consumption of 90 lakh tonnes of traditional DAP.

Topic: Books and Authors

14. Amitav Ghosh's new book titled 'Smoke and Ashes' will be released in July.

• Amitav Ghosh authored a book titled 'Smoke and Ashes', which will be released on 15 July 2023.
• 'Smoke and Ashes' is about the opium trade's effect on world history and how it continues to hugely impact our lives today.
• This book explains how India became the world’s largest producer of opium between the 18th and 19th centuries.
• It also gives an insight into the various regions in which opium was produced.
• It gives an insight into the transformative impact of the opium trade on India, China, Britain and the United States.
• This book tells how this common plant shaped the modern world.
• It has been published by HarperCollins.