Daily Current Affairs and GK | 3 and 4 May 2022

Topic: International News

1. A joint declaration of Intent on the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force has been signed between India and Germany.

• Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R.K Singh and German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Change signed the declaration on 02 May 2022.
• Speaking on the occasion, Minister R.K Singh said India will add 500 Gigawatt of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
• The two countries have also signed a joint declaration of Intent on Forest Landscape Restoration.
• Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav and Minister for Environment and Nature Conservation of Germany signed this declaration on 02 May 2022.

Topic: National Appointments

2. The nomination of Rajiv Ranjan as an ex-officio member of MPC has been approved by RBI Board.

• 595th meeting of RBI’s Central Board of Directors was held on 02 May 2022 through video conferencing.
• The meeting was held under the chairmanship of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
• Ranjan was earlier an advisor in-charge in the monetary policy department.
• He replaces Mridul Saggar, who retired in April 2022.
• Monetary Policy Committee:
  • It has 3 Reserve Bank of India officials and 3 Government of India nominated external members.
  • The three internal members are the RBI governor, the deputy governor in charge of monetary policy and a central board nominated official of RBI.
  • The Executive Director of the Monetary Policy Department is usually the third internal member. 

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

3. FAO’s flagship publication “The State of the World’s Forests” (SOFO) released on 2 May.

• According to this report, in the last 30 years, the world has lost 420 million hectares, which is approximately 10.34 per cent of the total forest area.
• This report has been released on the first day of the World Forestry Congress.
• Forest cover 31 per cent of the Earth’s land surface (4.06 billion ha).
• The report says that the rate of deforestation is declining and around 10 million hectares of forests had lost every year between 2015 and 2020.
• As per this report, more than 700 mha of forest (18 per cent of total forest area) is in legally established protected areas.
• According to this report, around 1 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa will use polluting fuels like charcoal and fuelwood till 2025.
• The annual global consumption of all-natural resources will get doubled from 92 billion tonnes in 2017 to 190 billion tonnes in 2060.
• The report highlighted three pathways for achieving green recovery and tackling environmental issues.
• 140 countries’ leaders had signed the Declaration on Forests and Land Use to eliminate forest loss by 2030.

Topic: National Appointment

4. Former Petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor appointed as advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Tarun Kapoor has been appointed for a period of two years.
• Earlier, he has served as the chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
• Radha Chauhan has been appointed as the new secretary of the department of personnel and training (DoPT).
• Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as secretary of the cooperation ministry and Alkesh Kumar Sharma as the electronics and information technology secretary.
• PK Tripathi will be the new secretary (coordination) in the cabinet secretariat.
• Atish Chandra has been appointed as an additional secretary in the PMO. He is currently serving as the chairman of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Topic: National News

5. Amit Shah inaugurated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Bengaluru campus.

• National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Bengaluru campus will help in stopping modern-day crimes and threats.
• Union Minister Amit Shah said that the government has entrusted the work to NATGRID for developing an innovative information technology platform for sharing information.
• Amit Shah said the central government will soon develop a national database to monitor hawala transactions, terrorist funding, counterfeit currency, etc.
• C-DAC is implementing NATGRID according to the vision of making India self-reliant.
• Home Minister said intelligence and legal agencies will now make full use of information. NATGRID will fulfil the responsibility of linking various sources of data.
• National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID):
  • It is an integrated intelligence master database structure for counter-terrorism purposes
  • It was conceptualized after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
  • It is a streamlined and secure database containing information on terrorists, economic crimes, and other similar incidents.
  • Its current CEO is Ashish Gupta.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

6. World Asthma Day 2022: 3 May

• World Asthma Day is celebrated annually on first Tuesday of May.
• This year, the day has been celebrated on 03 May and its theme is Closing Gaps in Asthma Care.
• World Asthma Day is organized by Global Initiative for Asthma every year since 1998.
• This day is celebrated to raise awareness about asthma all over the world.
• Asthma:
  • It is chronic inflammatory disease of airways. Its symptoms are coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. 
  • Tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollution, dust mites, cockroach allergen, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass, pets and diseases like the flu cause Asthma.

Topic: National News

7. Railway Protection Force (RPF) made focused effort under Operation Satark from 5th April to 30th April 2022.

• The aim of the effort was to take action against illicit liquor, and illegal tobacco products being transported through railway network.
• The effort also aimed to take action against unaccounted gold, cash, and precious items being transported through railway network.
• Taking action against Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) being transported through railway network was also the aim of the effort.
• Railway Protection Force:
  • Railway Police was formed in 1854 and was given the legal status under Police Act 1861. 
  • It was established as RPF under Railway Protection Force Act 1957.
  • The force has the task to ensure the protection of railway property and to protect against related crimes.
  • It has the power to search, arrest, investigate and prosecute.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between C-DOT and C-DAC.

• The MoU was signed at the Semicon India 2022 event in Bangalore on 30th April, 2022.
• The objective of MoU is cooperation in diverse areas of Telecom and ICT.
• The signing of the MoU will help both organizations take advantage of each other's strengths in their respective fields of work.
• C-DOT and C-DAC have agreed to work jointly in identifying and developing activities in the areas of 4G/5G, Broadband, IoT/M2M, Packet Core, Computing etc.
• Centre for Development of Telematics(C-DOT) is R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications under Ministry of Communications of Government of India.
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is an autonomous Scientific Society of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) was set up in 1988. It is headquartered in Pune.

Topic: Sports

9. JAIN University won Khelo India University Games 2021.

• JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), the host of the Khelo India University Games 2021, has won the Khelo India University Games 2021.
• It was the second edition of the Khelo India University Games held in Bengaluru.
• With 20 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze medals, the JAIN University team took first place and followed by Lovely Professional University (LPU) with 17 gold medals and Punjab University with 15 gold medals second and third place, respectively.
• Siva Sridhar emerged as the outstanding swimmer with 11 gold medals, while Olympian Shrihari Natraj claimed three gold medals by showing record-breaking performance.
• Shrungi Bandekar won four gold medals in women's swimming competitions.
• Khelo India University Games:
  • Its inaugural edition was held in Odisha in 2020.
  • It is organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities, the Indian Olympic Association, and the National Sports Federation.

Topic: State News / Bihar

10. Bihar's first greenfield ethanol plant is inaugurated by Nitish Kumar.

• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated a new grain-based ethanol plant in Purnia, costing Rs 105 crore, to boost industry in Bihar.
• The initiative is part of Bihar's ambitious plan to meet the country's fuel demands by producing ethanol from sugarcane, maize, and rice.
• The ethanol plant has been developed with cutting-edge technology and will not emit any waste, which will make it fully environmentally friendly.
• It has been built as part of the Indian government's and Bihar's ethanol promotion programs, which were announced in 2021.
• The Purnia plant, which is spread over 15 acres and costs around Rs.105 crore, will produce 65,000 liters of ethanol per day.
• Bihar:
  • It is located in the eastern part of India.
  • It shares its boundary with Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.
  • Phagu Chauhan is the Governor and Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister of Bihar.
  • It has the second-lowest Urban Population in India.

Topic: National News

11. Indian Railways has announced the closure of SRESTHA, Lucknow.

• Special Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology and Holistic Advancement (SRESTHA) was established in March 2016.
• It was established for undertaking long-term railway research projects requiring technological advancement.
• The ‘SRESTHA’ directorate was part of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
• Under the new restructuring plan, the railways also decided to merge 32 Directorates of the RDSO and brought them under seven verticals.
• Indian Railways will merge Geotech Engineering Directorate with the Track and Bridges & Structures Directorate.
• The railways also proposed to create new posts of the rank of Executive Director under the Railway Board’s Rolling Stock Directorate.

Topic: National News

12. PM participate in unveiling ceremony of the Statue of Sardar Patel at Canada's Sanatan Mandir cultural centre.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the statue will strengthen not only the cultural values but will also become a symbol of India-Canada relations.
• The Prime Minister also praised the role of the Sanatan Mandir Cultural Center in Ontario in preserving Indian culture and traditions in Canada.
• The statue is a replica of the Statue of Unity. The Statue of Unity is situated in Kevadiya of Gujarat.
• Sanatan Mandir Cultural Center provides facilities for education, religious worship, and social functions.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

13. Indian Oil Corporation has launched M15 petrol on a pilot basis in Assam.

• Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameswar Teli launched M15 petrol.
• The launch has been done from Tinsukia because of the availability of methanol.
• Methanol is being manufactured by Assam Petrochemical Ltd in the surroundings of the Digboi refinery.
• M15 is a 15% blend of methanol with petrol. In other words, M15 is a 15% Methanol blended petrol.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC):
  • It is a Maharatna PSU that was formed in 1959. It is the largest commercial oil company in India.
  • Headquarters of IOC: New Delhi
  • Chairperson of IOC: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya

Topic: Important Days

14. World Press Freedom Day: 3 May

• May 3, is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day across the world.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom in any democracy.
• It is also observed to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek.
• World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993.
• On this occasion, UNESCO and the Republic of Uruguay will host the annual World Press Freedom Day Global Conference.
• This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme is “Journalism Under Digital Siege”.
• As per World Press Freedom Index 2021, India’s rank is 142 among 180 countries.