Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 September 2023

Topic: Sports

1. The team of Arjun Cheema, Sarabjot Singh, and Shiv Narwal won the gold medal at the Asian Games.

• On 28 September, the Indian team of Arjun Cheema, Sarabjot Singh, and Shiv Narwal won the gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
• India's Roshibina Devi won a silver medal in Wushu. Roshibina had to face defeat from China's Wu Jiao Wei in the final.
• India's Anush Agarwalla has won the bronze medal in horse riding. Anush won the bronze medal in the individual dressage event with a score of 73.030.
• This is India's second medal in horse riding, before this India has won the gold medal in horse riding.
• Till 28 September, India has moved to fifth place in the medal table with a total of 25 medals including six gold, eight silver, and 11 bronze.
• China is at first, Korea at second, and Japan at third.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

2. Major amendments have been made to the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

• On September 27, a notification amending the rules and introducing a procedure for the renewal of multi-system operator (MSO) registrations was issued by the Ministry.
• A provision has been made in the rules for sharing infrastructure by cable operators wherein broadband service providers will promote last mile internet access.
• Multi-system operators will apply for renewal of registration online on the Broadband Services Portal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Registration of multiple system operators will be renewed for a period of 10 years.
• The application for renewal of registration must be made two to seven months before the expiry of the validity of the registration.
• The renewal process is in line with the government's commitment towards ease of doing business.
• This will provide certainty to cable operators to continue their services without any interruption and thus make the sector attractive for foreign investment.
• Earlier, only new MSO registrations were granted under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
• The rules did not specify the period of validity for MSO registration, nor did it mandate mandatory filing of online applications.
• The inclusion of provisions relating to the sharing of infrastructure by cable operators with broadband service providers will have the dual benefit of increasing Internet penetration and efficient utilization of resources.
• This will also reduce the need for additional infrastructure for broadband services.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

3. World Heart Day 2023: 29 September

• Every year on 29 September, World Heart Day is observed.
• The theme of World Heart Day 2023 is “Use Heart, Know Heart".
• On 29 September 1999, the World Health Federation established World Heart Day to create awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
• CVDs are responsible for around half of all non-communicable diseases (NCDs) deaths.
• According to the World Heart Federation, CVD, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in the world, claiming 18.6 million lives each year.
• A human heart is of the size of a fist and the strongest muscle in the body.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

4. Awareness about social welfare schemes among elderly in India is low according to India Ageing Report 2023.

• The report has been made by the United Nations Population Fund, India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences.
• It throws light on the challenges, opportunities, and institutional responses around elderly care in India.
• India’s elderly are likely to make up 20% of its population by 2050.
• Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Annapurna Scheme are three key government schemes for the elderly.
• 55% of the elderly are aware of the old-age pension scheme (IGNOAPS).
• 44% of the elderly are aware of the widow pension scheme (IGNWPS). 12% are aware of the Annapurna Scheme.
• According to the India Ageing Report 2023, the access to social security schemes for older persons with disabilities remains far less.
• The awareness of the MWPSC (Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens) Act is relatively very low.
• A little less than 12% of elderly people had any knowledge about the act.
• Only 15% of elderly men and 9% of elderly women knew about the Act.
• 30% of the rural elderly from below-poverty-line (BPL) households get benefits from IGNOAPS.
• Only 24% of the elderly BPL widows receive the widow pension.
• In Southern states, only Karnataka showed higher coverage of 48.2%.
• A third of the BPL elderly received benefits of this scheme in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
• Only a fourth of the ageing population from BPL households got benefits from IGNOAPS in Telangana.
• The highest coverage (51%) of IGNWPS was found in Andhra Pradesh.
• It was followed by Himachal Pradesh and Telangana with around 41% coverage.

Topic: Important Days

5. International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction: 29 September

• International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction is celebrated every year on 29 September.
• This year, its theme is “Reducing food loss and waste: Taking Action to Transform Food Systems”.
• India contributes 7% of the total global food waste. Every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted.
• 74th United Nations General Assembly designated 29 September as International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste in 2019.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. ‘Jhaadu Daan’ Initiative has found a place in India Book of Records.  

• SP Singh has entered India Book of Records for distributing lakhs of brooms to promote cleanliness.
• SP Singh is the principal of UPSRTC Model Driving Training and Research Institute.
• India Book of Records is the official annual record book that recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions. It is registered with the Government of India.
• Singh’s Jhaadu Daan initiative aligns with the nationwide Swachh Bharat Campaign.
• He distributed lakhs of brooms across various districts, including Auraiya, Agra, Ghazipur, Mahoba, and Lucknow.
• SP Singh started this initiative in 2014. He has distributed over 1 lakh brooms across 80 locations.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. A week-long program ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ will be launched by PM Modi.

• On September 30, a week-long program for Aspirational Blocks in the country called ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ will be launched by PM Modi at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• 'Sankalp Saptah' is associated with the effective implementation of the Aspirational Block Program (ABP).
• On January 7, 2023, the Aspirational Block Program was launched by the Prime Minister.
• It aims to improve governance at the block level to enhance the quality of life of citizens.
• It is being implemented in 500 aspirational blocks of 329 districts of India.
• 'Sankalp Saptah' will be celebrated in all the 500 aspirational blocks.
• Starting from October 3 to October 9, 2023, each day of the 'Sankalp Saptah' is dedicated to a specific development theme on which all the aspirational blocks will work.
• The themes for the first six days include ‘Sampoorna Swasthya’, ‘Suposhit Pariwaar’, ‘Swachhta’, ‘Krishi’, ‘Shiksha’, and ‘Samridhi Diwas’.
• The work done during the entire week will be celebrated as ‘Sankalp Saptaah–Samavesh Samaroh’ on the last day of the week i.e. 9th October 2023.

Topic: Defence

8. The first of six new Dornier Do-228 aircraft inducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 27 September.

• The new Dornier Do-228 aircraft is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• HAL equipped this new version of the aircraft with new engines, composite propellers, advanced avionics, and a glass cockpit.
• In March, the Defense Ministry had struck a deal ensuring the purchase of six Dornier-228 aircraft from HAL for the Indian Air Force with a budget of Rs 667 crore.
• Originally employed by the Indian Air Force for the route transport role and communications operations, these aircraft have also played an important role in the training of transport pilots.
• Earlier, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had inducted the Indian Air Force's first C-295 MW transport aircraft while inaugurating the "Bharat Drone Shakti-2023" exhibition at Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad.
• IAF worked with the Drone Federation of India to jointly host Bharat Drone Shakti 2023 to recognize the potential of domestic drone design and development.
• The "Bharat Drone Shakti-2023" event was held on September 25 and 26.
• The use of drones is increasing in India for both military and non-military purposes.

Topic: International News

9. Taiwan has launched its 1^st domestically developed submarine.

• The submarine is named “Narwhal” in English and “Hai Kun” in Mandarin.
• It is named after a mythical massive fish that can also fly.
• Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the launch ceremony in the port city of Kaohsiung.
• Narwhal is expected to enter service in 2025.
• Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two such domestically developed submarines by 2027.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

10. Harry Potter actor Sir Michael Gambon died on 28 September 2023.

• He was best known for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films.
• He also appeared in Fantastic Mr. Fox and played French detective Maigret.
• He also starred in The Singing Detective. Sir Michael started his acting career more than 60 years ago.
• He was one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre alongside Laurence Olivier.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. The government has extended the RoDTEP scheme for exporters by nine months till June 30, 2024.

• Remission of Duty and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) was notified for certain sectors till September 30, 2023.
• The Commerce & Industry Ministry has extended the scheme at the same rates to the existing export items.
• It is a popular export benefit scheme. The scheme is WTO-compatible.
• It was announced in January 2021 to replace the WTO-incompatible MEIS scheme.
• Under the scheme, 8731 items from most export sectors were covered with the exception of organic and inorganic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and iron & steel.
• It refunds embedded duties/taxes, mandi tax and duty on electricity used during manufacturing, that are not rebated under other schemes.
• Later, the government extended the benefits of RoDTEP to the three excluded sectors, but just for 9 months till September 30, 2023.

Topic: Important Days

12. World Maritime Day 2023: 28 September 2023

• World Maritime Day is celebrated every year on the last Thursday of September.
• This year, World Maritime Day has been observed on 28 September.
• The day recognizes the contribution of people who are engaged in the maritime industry.
• The day also aims to attract public attention to issues related to the industry like shipping, marine trade and environmental causes.
• World Maritime Day was established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• This year, the theme for World Maritime Day is ‘MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on’.
• The theme highlights the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• World Maritime Day was observed for the first time on March 17, 1978.
• It was observed to celebrate the establishment of the IMO Convention.
• International Maritime Organization is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Kitack Lim is its secretary general.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. India retains 40th rank out of 132 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2023 rankings.

• The World Intellectual Property Organization released the Global Innovation Index 2023 rankings.
• Over the past years, India has moved from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023.
• The index tracks the performance of 132 global economies in terms of innovation ecosystem performance.
• Switzerland has topped the ranking for the 13th year. Sweden and the United States are in the second and third spots respectively.
• The United Kingdom is in the fourth position while Singapore is in the fifth spot.
• China is the only middle-income economy within the top 30.
• As per the Global Innovation Index 2023, India is among the 21 economies that outperformed for the 13th consecutive year in innovation relative to the level of development.
• India, Iran, Philippines, Turkiye, Vietnam and Indonesia are among the top 65 countries that have climbed fastest in the ranking over the last decade.
• Global Innovation Index is a tool for governments across the world to assess the innovation-led social and economic changes in their countries.
• The NITI Aayog in partnership with the CII and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) virtually hosted the launch of the Global Innovation Index 2023.
• Global Innovation Index (GII):
  • Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization annually published and compiled it.
  • The overall GII score is the average of the Innovation Input Sub-Index and Innovation Output Sub-Index.
  • The Innovation Input Sub-Index comprises five pillars, and the Innovation Output Sub-Index comprises two pillars.

Topic: Personality in News

14. MS Swaminathan, father of India’s Green Revolution, passed away at the age of 98.

• Renowned agricultural scientist Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (MS Swaminathan) passed away at 98 in Chennai.
• He was an agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian.
• He played a key role in developing high-yielding varieties of wheat and Rice in India during the Green Revolution. He is known as the father of India’s Green Revolution.
• He worked with agriculture ministers including C Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram during the 1960s and 70s for the success of the ‘Green Revolution’.
• MS Swaminathan was also known as the “Father of Economic Ecology".
• He was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 for developing and introducing high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India.
• He was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986.
• He also received the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize.
• He also served as the principal secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979.
• He became the president of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1988.
• He was appointed as chairman of the National Commission on Farmers in 2004.

(Source: News on AIR)