Daily Current Affairs and GK | 3 August 2023

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

1. Uttar Pradesh government gives nod to UP Water Tourism & Adventure Sports Policy 2023.

• Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the Uttar Pradesh Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy 2023 on 1 August 2023.
• This policy will be applicable for all inland land-based, air-based and water routes, dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds and all water bodies adventure activities in Uttar Pradesh.
• This policy will be valid for 10 years from the date notified by the State Government.
• Under this policy, the nodal agency will create adventure sports units at the divisional level.
• Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation will sign MoU with Uttar Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Welfare Corporation to include ex-servicemen in Adventure Sports Unit.
• A detailed SOP within 60 days from the date of issue of the policy will be formed by the nodal agency.
• The government has also approved the proposal of the tourism department to operate closed, loss-making or non-operational tourist accommodation houses on PPP mode.
• Heritage buildings of the state will also be developed as heritage tourism units on the PPP model.
• These buildings will be developed as Heritage Hotel, Heritage Museum, Heritage Restaurant, Home Stay, Thematic Park, Mall Activity Center, Wellness Center, etc.
• A total of 9 heritage buildings have already been identified for this initiative.

Topic: Art and Culture

2. Aadi Perukku festival celebrated on 3 August.

• Aadi Perukku is an auspicious festival for the Tamil community. It is mainly celebrated in Tamil Nadu.
• This festival is celebrated on the 18th day of Aadi month.
• Aadi Perukku is also known as Pathinettam Perukku. It is celebrated to show gratitude toward monsoon.
• It is celebrated in honour of the life-sustaining properties of water.
• The month of Aadi marks the beginning of the monsoon season in Tamil Nadu.
• The monsoon month is beneficial for the sowing and planting of seeds and vegetation.
• Mother Nature is worshipped on this day in the form of Amman deities.

Topic: National News

3. Bharat Internet Utsav will be celebrated from 7th August.

• Under the Communications Ministry, the Department of Telecommunication is celebrating Bharat Internet Utsav from the 7th of this month.
• This Utsav's aim is to share various empowering real-life stories about the transformation brought by the internet into people's lives.
• On this occasion, the department has invited people to share video stories showing how the internet has changed people's lives.
• For the contest, the contestants have to upload their video stories on their social media platforms using the hashtag India Internet Utsav and MYGOV platform.
• The contest will end on August 21 and the winner of the contest will get a cash prize of Rs 15,000.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. e-CARe portal launched to facilitate the transfer of mortal remains of Indians who die abroad.

• To ease the process of bringing back the mortal remains of Indians who die abroad, the government launched an e-CARe (e-Clearance for Afterlife Remains) portal on 3 August.
• This portal has been started to avoid the delay in bringing back the mortal remains of Indians abroad.
• From this portal, the Central International Health Division, nodal officers, consignees, and airlines will get information through email, SMS, and WhatsApp.
• A nodal officer will be deputed from the Airport Health Organisation who will be monitoring the portal 24x7. 
• The designated nodal officer will scrutinize the application and give approval within 48 hours.
• The applicant has to submit scanned copies of four documents – death certificate, embalming certificate, NOC from the Indian Embassy or Consulate, and canceled passport of the deceased.
• The status of the application can be viewed on the e-care portal through the registered number.

Topic: International Appointments

5. Indian-American Shohini Sinha has been appointed Special Agent in Charge of the FBI.

• She has been appointed as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Salt Lake City, in the US state of Utah.
• FBI Director Christopher Wray appointed Sinha, who is known for her work on counter-terrorism investigations.
• In 2001, Sinha had joined the FBI as a special agent.
• In recognition of her outstanding performance, she received a promotion to supervisory special agent in 2009 and was transferred to the Counterterrorism Division in Washington, DC.
• In 2021, she was chosen to serve as the executive special assistant to the FBI Director at FBI Headquarters in Washington DC.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

6. An MoU was signed by the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society with All India Football Federation on 2 August.

• The MoU has been signed by both for the first time to promote football at the grassroots level.
• The Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society has been organizing the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament since 1960.
• From this edition, the society will form the Subroto XI team for boys under-17.
• This team will also participate in the All-India Football Federation youth competition from 2023-24.
• The AIFF will also organize an education workshop to update and educate the coaches of the final-round teams.
• Clubs from Indian Super League, Indian Women's League, and I-League will also be able to select players for the Subroto Cup.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Art and Culture

7. President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the national festival of India's folk and tribal expressions "Utkarsh" in Bhopal on 03 August 2023.

• President Murmu also inaugurated the international literature festival "Unmesh" in Bhopal on 03 August 2023.
• This event is being organized by the Culture Department of Madhya Pradesh along with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi of the Ministry of Culture from the 3rd to the 5th August.
• Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were also present at the inauguration.
• About 800 artists from 36 states and union territories of the country will participate in Utkarsh Utsav.
• Unmesh is Asia's largest literary convention. 575 participants representing over 100 languages from 15 countries will take part in it.

Topic: Defence

8. The first Radio Frequency Seeker of Akash has been handed over by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to DRDO.

• It is the next-generation weapon system produced at the newly commissioned state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre (SFC) of BDL.
• Seeker is a critical and technology-intensive subsystem. It is used in Surface-to-Air Missiles and Air-to-Air Missiles for target tracking in the terminal phase.
• DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat has designed the RF Seeker.
• BDL has produced it at its state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre set up at BDL, Kanchanbagh Unit in Hyderabad.
• The Chairman and Managing Director of BDL, Commodore A Madhavarao handed over the 1st RF seeker manufactured by BDL at its new facility to the Secretary, the Department of Defence Research & Development and Chairman DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat.
• The setting of the Seeker Facility Centre at BDL has made it possible for India to achieve self-reliance in the field of RF seeker production.
• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is a public sector undertaking. It was founded in 1970 in Hyderabad. ‘The force behind peace’ is its tagline. Commodore A Madhavarao is its CMD.
• Akash is the first indigenously developed Surface to Air missile of India. It is designed and developed by DRDO. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014.

Topic: Art and Culture

9. UNESCO recommended adding Venice to the ‘heritage danger list’.

• United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended including Venice, a popular destination in Italy, in the ‘heritage danger list’.
• Climate change has become one of the major problems of Venice.
• UNESCO has recommended Italian government to increase efforts for securing the historic city and its surrounding lagoons.
• As per the UNESCO report, overwhelming tourism, overdevelopment and rising sea levels due to climate change are major risks for Venice.
• These risks are deteriorating and damaging building structures and urban areas.
• In recent years, Venice also witnessed a rise in weather-related problems.
• The UNESCO report blames the Italian authorities for a "lack of strategic vision" in solving the problems of Venice.
• The proposal to add Venice to the endangered list was brought by UNESCO two years ago but was avoided at the last minute due to some measures adopted by the Italian government.
• The large ships were banned and the Italian government had promised to launch an ambitious conservation plan for the city.
• However, the conservation plan for Venice was never implemented.
• Venice is known as "La Serenissima”. It is considered a gem by Italians.

Topic: Indian Polity

10. Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023.

• This bill will allow the private sector to mine six out of 12 atomic minerals, including lithium, and deep-seated minerals such as gold and silver.
• The bill was passed by the Upper House of Parliament by voice vote. It was approved by Lok Sabha last month.
• The bill amended The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
• Previously, state-owned entities only had the exclusive right to mine and explore all 12 atomic minerals.
• Now, the mining of lithium, beryllium, niobium, titanium, tantalum and zirconium has been opened for private companies.
• The Bill also proposes exploration licenses only for deep and critical minerals. The licence will be given through auction.
• As per the bill, the mineral sector required many reforms for increasing exploration and mining of critical minerals essential for economic development and national security.
• As per the bill, now companies will be allowed to suggest areas where they want to explore minerals.
• It is a deviation from the traditional process where blocks or mines were allocated by the government for auction.
• Gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cobalt, platinum group of minerals and diamonds are deep-seated minerals.

Topic: National News

11. Mandatory quality norms for 'Smart Meters' and 'Welding Rods and Electrodes' rolled out by the government.

• On 14 July 2023, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) notified two new quality control orders for 'Smart Meters' and 'Welding Rods and Electrodes'.
• These Quality Control Orders (QCOS) will come into force in six months from the date of notification.
• Smart Meters (Quality Control) Order, 2023 QCO mandates mandatory certification under IS standards for products manufactured for the domestic market or imported into India.
• It includes “AC Static Direct Connected Watt Hour Smart Meter Class 1 and 2” and “AC Static Transformer Operated Watthour and Var-Hour Smart Meters, Class 0.2s, 0.5s, and 1.0s”.
• Smart meter is a type of electronic device that records information about electricity consumption, voltage level, current and power factor etc.
• The Welding Rods and Electrodes (Quality Control) Order 2023 mandates mandatory certification under IS standards in case of finished products for the domestic market or products imported into India.
• It includes “Covered electrodes for manual metal arc welding of carbon and carbon manganese steel”, and “Welding rods and bare electrodes for gas shielded arc welding of structural steel”.
• Welding rods are used in shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). It is also known as stick welding.
• The quality control ecosystem in India is based on the standards developed by BIS, the National Standards Body of India.
• QCO is a mandatory certification scheme, under which compliance to a specified list of Indian Standards applicable to the product concerned is mandated by the Central Government under various considerations.

Topic: Important Days

12. World Breastfeeding Week 2023: 1 to 7 August

• Every year, World Breastfeeding Week is observed from the 1st to the 7th of August.
• It is celebrated to promote the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and the baby.
• The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2023 is "Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents."
• In 1992, the World Breastfeeding Week was first started.
• In 2018, a resolution of the World Health Assembly endorsed World Breastfeeding Week as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy.
• Breast milk contains colostrum. Colostrum protects the newborn and children from sickness. It imparts them with immunity.
• Breastfeeding helps in the sensory and cognitive development of infants. It reduces breast and ovarian cancer risks in mothers.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. Rohini Commission constituted for examining the sub-categorisation of OBCs submits its report to President.

• The Rohini Commission for examining sub-categorisation in Other Backward Classes was set up in October 2017. It was headed by Justice G Rohini.
• The commission submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu after 13 extensions on 31 July 2023.
• The Commission was set under Article 340 to examine the issues of the sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes.
• The main objectives of the Rohini Commission are given below:
  • It was given the task to study the various entries in the Central List of OBCs.
  • It was given the task to work on mechanisms, criteria, norms and parameters in a scientific manner for sub-categorisation within Other Backward Classes.
  • To recommend correction of any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription, examining the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the OBCs.
• The sub-categorisation of OBCs means creating sub-categories within the larger group of OBCs for reservation.
• OBCs are being currently given 27% reservation in jobs and education under the central government.

Topic: Sports

14. England seamer Stuart Broad announced retirement from International Cricket.

• The 37-year-old Stuart Broad took retirement from cricket after the final test of the Ashes series.
• He is the second-highest wicket-taker for England in Test matches. He is only behind his teammate James Anderson.
• He has taken 602 wickets in 167 test matches.
• He is also the fifth-highest wicket-taker in test cricket and the second-highest among the fast bowlers.
• He is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in international cricket.
• He made his test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007.
• He was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC Twenty20 World Cup.