Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 October 2021

Topic: National News

1. Central government is going to launch a mega door-to-door vaccination campaign- Har Ghar Dastak to accelerate COVID vaccination.

• Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya interacted with Health Ministers of States and Union Territories at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi and discussed about the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
• While talking to the media, he said that the government will launch a mega vaccination campaign-  Har Ghar Dastak with an aim to give impetus to the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
• During the next one-month campaign, health workers will go door-to-door in all states to vaccinate persons eligible for the second dose, and also those who have not received the first dose.
• Special attention will be given during the campaign to 48 districts across the country where less than 50% of the eligible population has been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Topic: Appointments

2. Center appointed Rajesh Gokhale as Secretary, Department of Biotechnology.

• Rajesh Gokhale has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Biotechnology by the Central Government.
• He will succeed Renu Swarup, who is going to retire on the 31^st October.
• Dr. Gokhale is an immunologist and is also known for throwing new light on aspects of tuberculosis. 
• He has also been the former director of CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).
• He is currently posted as a Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.
• Mr. Gokhale had also won the Infosys Life Sciences Award, 2013.

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

3. Tamil Nadu government launched ‘Education at your doorstep’ scheme.

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the ‘Education at your doorstep’ scheme. He also released an app related to the scheme.
• It is a unique academic scheme to give education to every child in the State. The scheme will become operational from 15^th November.
• The enrolled volunteers of the scheme will engage with students for one hour every evening at a specific location.
• It will first be launched in 12 districts. Students from the government as well as private schools can attend these classes.
• The volunteer and student ratio would be 1:20 and around one lakh volunteers are expected to join the initiative.
• Under this scheme, persons who have studied up to class XII can teach students of Classes 1 to V and degree holders can teach middle school students.
• A state-level committee will be formed to implement the scheme. District and block level committees will be also formed.

Topic: National News

4. Sixth Edition of National Formulary of India (NFI) launched by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.

• Sixth Edition of National Formulary of India (NFI) launched by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has published NFI to promote the rational use of medicines in India.
• Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that NFI, 2021 would act as a guidance document for all healthcare professionals.
• He also said that NFI will be very useful for Clinicians and Healthcare professionals while prescribing the medicines to the patients.
• NFI 2021 includes a separate Chapter on Management of Diabetes. It also includes a new appendix on Good Distribution Practices.
• A formulary contains summaries of pharmacological information about selected drugs.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

5. Coast Guard Ship ‘Sarthak’ commissioned in Indian Coast Guard.

• Indigenously built India Coast Guard Ship ‘Sarthak’ commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard on 28 October 2021.
• Sarthak was commissioned and dedicated to the nation at Goa by the Director-General of Indian Coast Guard K Natarajan.
• Sarthak will be based at Porbandar in Gujarat. It will operate on India’s Western Seaboard under the Operational and Administrative Control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (Northwest).
• Sarthak is a 105-meter-long ship. It is propelled by two 9,100 kilowatt diesel engines designed to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots.
• Sarthak is 4^th in the series of five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) being built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the India Coast Guard.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

6. Mysore-Chennai Shatabdi Express becomes first IMS certified train of Southern Railway.

• Mysore- Chennai Shatabdi Express has become the first Integrated Management Systems (IMS) certified train of Southern Railway. It also became the first Shatabdi of Indian Railways to get an IMS certificate.
• It became the first train of Southern Railway to bag IMS Certification with ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 Certifications.
• This certificate has been granted for maintenance and better use of environment-friendly resources and for offering travel comfort.
• The certificate has been given by the certification agency after a comprehensive audit. The maintenance of the train is handled by Basin Bridge Coaching Depot of Chennai Division.

Topic: Reports and Indices

7. 12^th edition of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report released.

• The twelfth edition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report has been released. The report was released with the title ‘The Heat is On’ on 26 October 2021.
• In 2021, different parts of world witnessed droughts, floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and hurricanes like extreme weather events.
• The Emission Gap report 2021 shows that climate action is still inadequate. It states that the countries have to cut greenhouse emissions by more than half in the next 8 years to reach the 1.5 degrees Celsius target.
• According to this report, the current pledges of the countries would warm the world by 2.7 degrees Celsius by this century.
• The report shows that new or updated NDCs and announced pledges for 2030 have only a limited impact on global emissions.
• According to the report, G20 members are not on track to achieve either their original or new 2030 pledges.
• The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented 5.4 percent drop in global fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2020.
• Globally, 49 countries and European Union have only pledged a net-zero emissions target.

Topic: Important Days

8. World Psoriasis Day: 29 October

• World Psoriasis Day is observed every year on 29 October. World Psoriasis Day is observed in more than 50 countries.
• It is celebrated by the International Federation of Psoriatic Disease Associations (IFPA) to raise awareness about the medical condition and effects of Psoriasis.
• Around 125 million people globally are affected by psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis is a non-contagious skin disease.
• About 30 to 33 percent of people with psoriasis feel inflammation, pain, and swelling in the joints.
• Psoriasis can lead to other medical issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, insulin resistance, etc.
• yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation can reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.

Topic: State News/ Delhi

9.  Delhi’s sex ratio rises, infant mortality rate decreased.

• Delhi's sex ratio has increased from 920 females per thousand males in 2019 to 933 in 2020. The infant mortality rate of Delhi has declined from 24.19 to 20.37.
• Social awareness is the main reason for the increase in the sex ratio. An educated society understands the importance of girls.
• The birth rate has felled from 18.35 per thousand in 2019 to 14.85 per thousand in 2020. The reduction in the birth rate is the result of the public awareness efforts of the government.
• The reduction in infant mortality is the result of improved health infrastructure and better access to health facilities.
• The maternal mortality rate has also decreased from 0.55 per 1,000 births in 2019 to 0.54 per 1,000 births in 2020.
• The death rate has decreased from 7.29 per thousand in 2019 to 7.03 per thousand in 2020.

Topic: Appointments

10. Shaktikanta Das reappointed as RBI Governor for three years.

• The government has extended the term of Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das by another three years up to December 2024.
• He was appointed as the RBI’s 25th governor on December 11, 2018, for a period of three years.
• The decision of reappointment has been taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Earlier, Shaktikanta Das had held important positions in the Central and various state governments in areas like finance, taxation, industries and infrastructure.
• He has served as India’s Alternate Governor in the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Development Bank (NDB).

Topic: Space and IT

11. China successfully launched optical remote sensing satellite.

• China has successfully launched optical remote sensing satellite from Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A).
• Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) is a low-cost small, solid fuel carrier rocket.  Jilin-1 Gaofen 02F is the name of satellite.
• The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province.
• Jilin-1 Gaofen 02F can provide high-resolution images and high-speed data transmission.
• Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) has been developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
• It is designed to launch low-orbit satellites weighing under 300 kg.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

12. BSE signs MoU with Government of Chhattisgarh.

• BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) has signed MoU with Chhattisgarh Government to promote listing of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the state.
• Under the MoU, BSE will make available intellectual and manpower support to create awareness about the benefits of listing among SMEs.
• BSE will also conduct generation/capacity building programs. It will also offer training and capacity building support to District Industries Centre officials of Chhattisgarh Government.
• Chhattisgarh Government’s Department of Industries and Commerce will offer support in mobilizing the SME representatives through District Industries Centre.

Topic: National News

13. Ministry of Civil Aviation releases draft guidelines for making air travel easier for disabled people.

• Ministry of Civil Aviation has released draft guidelines for aviation sector stakeholders such as airlines and airports to make sure disabled people can travel at ease.
• As per draft guidelines, airport operators must make special arrangements to facilitate screening of persons with special needs.
• Disabled passengers should inform the airline about their complete requirement 48 hours before the scheduled departure. This will help the carrier in making necessary arrangements.
• In draft guidelines, it is mentioned that airport security might use X-ray, explosive trace detection (ETD) devices or visual checks according to their requirement during the screening of prosthetics.
• As per the guidelines, the passenger who has a prosthetic limb will first go through the door frame metal detector.
• The passenger should then be taken to a private screening point and made to sit comfortably. Passenger will then receive additional screening including a pat-down.
• As per the guidelines, prosthetic appliance without any foam padding cover may be screened by visual inspection and ETD checks only, without removing it.
• Prosthetic appliance in which the steel rod of the appliance is clearly visible may be screened by visual inspection and ETD checks only, without removing it.
• X-ray screening may be resorted to if there is sufficient justification. Justification for subjecting a prosthetic limb to X-ray screening shall be recorded in a register.
• The draft guidelines say that prosthetic appliances with foam padding and invisible steel road must undergo X-ray screening.
• According to draft guidelines, passengers with external devices including insulin pumps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, spinal stimulators, bone growth stimulators and ostomies will not have to disconnect them for X-ray screening.