Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 and 31 July 2023

Topic: Environment and Ecology

1. Melting of Ladakh glacier may form three lakes, as per a study.

• A new study by scientists of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology found that due to rapid ice melt three glacial lakes are likely to form around Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh.
• These lakes could be a potential source of glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayas. The area of each of these lakes could be between 43 to 270 hectares.
• Parkachik Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the Suru River valley. It is part of the Southern Zanskar Ranges, western Himalaya.
• This study is based on satellite imagery between 1971-2021 and supplemented by extensive field surveys between 2015-2021.
• A group of four scientists led by Dr Manish Mehta found that glacier melting varied between 1971 and 2021.
• According to the remote sensing data, glaciers melted at an average rate of around two metres per annum between 1971 and 1999.
• Between 1999 and 2021, the melting rate of glaciers was at an average rate of around 12 metres per annum.
• The current climate change is the main reason for the accelerated glacial melting.
• Glacial lakes are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Ranger Day: 31 July

• World Ranger Day is celebrated every year on 31 July.
• It is observed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Rangers.
• It was first observed in 2007 in memory of eight rangers who lost their lives while on duty in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The theme of World Ranger Day 2023 is “30 by 30”.
• The '30 by 30' commitment, which aims to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the earth’s regions by 2030, was adopted by world leaders and decision-makers at COP15.
• This goal highlights the urgent need of increasing conservation efforts to safeguard ecosystems and protect the planet's biodiversity.
• International Ranger Federation (IRF) was established in 1992 to appreciate the work of Rangers.

Topic: MoUs and Agreement

3. On the occasion of the All-India Education Summit 2023, 106 MoUs were signed.

• On July 30, the Ministry of Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship signed 106 MoUs with various reputed organisations and institutions.
• The MoUs were signed on the occasion of the All-India Education Summit 2023 and the third anniversary of the National Education Policy.
• The objectives of the MoUs are to promote innovation and research and exchange of knowledge in various fields and to encourage academia and industry linkages.
• The partnership covers public and private institutions, school education, literacy, and higher education.
• Central Board of Secondary Education-CBSE has signed 15 MoUs with organizations like Atal Innovation Mission, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft.
• These MoUs are focused on skill development and education.
• The 3 MoUs have been signed with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
• NCERT signed 20 MoUs under the aegis of the eVidya initiative with the Departments of School Education of several states.
• These MoUs were signed for the development of quality e-content and its dissemination through PMeVIDYA DTH TV channels in different languages and for various stakeholders.
• 14 MoUs under the NETF and AICTE were also signed in partnership with SkillDzire Technologies Pvt Limited, MathWorks India Private Limited, TimesPro, Google India, etc.
• The six MoUs have been signed in the field of higher education to promote the Indian knowledge system.
• The six MoUs have been signed on international alliances.
• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed 14 MoUs to provide high skills and knowledge to the youth.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

4. 7 Singapore satellites successfully launched by ISRO on a PSLV-C56 rocket from Sriharikota.

• On 30 July, the ISRO's PSLV-C56 rocket successfully launched Singapore's DS-SAR satellite and six co-passenger payloads from the first launch pad of SDSC-SHAR in Sriharikota.
• PSLV-C56 / DS-SAR is the Dedicated Commercial Mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for ST Engineering, Singapore.
• DS-SAR, a radar imaging earth observation satellite, is the primary satellite of the mission.
• PSLV-C56 is configured in its core-alone mode, similar to the previous C55 mission.
• All the satellites are launched into a 535 km circular with 5 orbital inclinations.
• The SAR contains the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload hoped by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
• The co-passenger payload VELOX-AM is a microsatellite developed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore for a technology demonstration of Additive Manufacturing (AM) payload.
• This is the 58th flight of PSLV and the 17th flight of PSLV in core alone configuration.
• After all the satellites have been injected, the upper stage of the rocket would be placed in a lower orbit to ensure its reduced orbital life.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

5. 14 medals bagged by India at Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships.

• On 30 July, the Indian contingent completed the Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships with 14 medals including nine gold, four silver, and one bronze.
• On the final day of the competition, Indian athletes won six medals at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.
• In the Indian 4x400m mixed relay team event, Amoj Jacob, Aishwarya Mishra, Muhammad Anas, and Himanshi Malik won the first gold medal of the final day.
• In the 4x400m women's relay event, the Indian quartet of Sonia Vaish, Aishwarya Mishra, Subha V, and Himanshi Malik won the gold medal.
• This event was the 101st Sri Lankan Athletics Nationals.
• Indian medal winners are:

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Goa

6. Goa selected to host the Rubaru Mr. India contest, the world's biggest and most prestigious national pageant for men in August 2023.

• This renowned event will take place in August, with the finals taking place at the Bogmalo Beach Resort on August 5.
• Goa will welcome the 32 most handsome, charismatic, and talented men from different parts of India for the 19th season of the Rubaru Mr. India contest.
• For this prestigious event, many notable and prominent personalities from the fashion world and beauty pageant industry will also come to this event.
• 32 of the most handsome and attractive men are selected after a series of nationwide registrations and auditions lasting over 6 months to compete in the national finals.
• Activities like formal wear rounds, health and fitness round, personal interviews, etc. will be conducted to analyze who among the shortlisted 32 has the potential to be called the next Mr. India.
• The Rubaru Mr. India contest holds the record for producing the highest number of international award winners in the male pageant industry.
• Goa will host this prestigious event for the third time. Previously, Goa hosted the contest in 2018 and 2021.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

7. India’s tiger population has been estimated at 3,925.

• The annual growth rate of India’s tiger population has been estimated at 6.1% per annum.
• Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar released a report on 29 July 2023 on the occasion of Global Tiger Day.
• According to the analysis of data done by the Wildlife Institute of India, from both camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, the upper limit of the tiger population is recorded at 3,925.
• The average number of tigers is recorded at 3,682 tigers.
• The notable increase in tiger population has been observed in Central India and the Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains, especially in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra.
• Some regions, like the Western Ghats, recorded localized declines.
• Small tiger populations have been reported in some states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Madhya Pradesh has the largest tiger population of 785. It is followed by Karnataka (563) & Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
• Within the Tiger Reserves, the tiger abundance is highest in Corbett (260).

• Nearly 35% of the tiger reserves urgently require enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration and other measures.
• India currently has almost 75% of the world’s wild tiger population.
• India celebrated the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger in April 2023.

Topic: International Appointments

8. Nisha Biswal has become deputy chief executive officer of the US finance agency.

• Nisha Biswal is an Indian-American policy expert.
• Nisha Biswal will serve as the Deputy CEO of the United States International Development Finance Corporation.
• She is currently Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce.
• She has over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and international development programmes.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. Union Minister Piyush Goyal addressed India International Footwear Fair 2023 in New Delhi.

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that Indian Footwear and Leather industry provides employment to around 4.5 million people.
• He said that India can become the world’s largest and best-quality footwear manufacturer.
• Indian Size of footwear will be launched very soon to reduce dependence on foreign sizing trends. It will also help in promoting Indian footwear around the world.
• India is the second-largest exporter of leather garments and is the third-largest exporter of Saddlery and Harness products and the fourth-largest exporter of Leather Goods in the world.
• In the footwear sector, more than 95 per cent of the production units are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• He also said that as part of India’s Footwear and Leather Development Programme testing facilities will be established by the government.
• He mentioned that institutions like CLRI, FDDI, and NIFT should collaborate with the industry for developing new products and technologies

Topic: India and its neighbours

10. India and Bhutan discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in various sectors.

• India and Bhutan have reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to enhance cooperation across different sectors.
• Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and his Bhutanese counterpart Aum Pema Choden co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks.
• India and Bhutan's foreign Secretaries noted the progress in bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said that India and Bhutan share an exemplary bilateral relationship.
• India and Bhutan:
  • The main framework of India and Bhutan's bilateral relations is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which was signed in 1949.
  • India is Bhutan's largest trading partner.
  • India is the most popular educational destination for Bhutanese students.
  • India's merchandise trade with Bhutan has almost tripled from USD 484 million in 2014-15 to USD 1422 million in 2021-22.

Topic: Sports

11. Harmanpreet Kaur was suspended for two international matches for breach of the code of conduct.

• Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for the next two international matches after two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct.
• To show dissent at an umpire's decision, she was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
• On 22 July, the incident happened during the 3rd ODI match of India Women vs Bangladesh Women in Dhaka.
• In the 1st incident, she was adjudged caught at slip by the on-field umpire and expressed her dissent and frustration over the decision by smashing the stumps with her bat, followed by a heated war of words with the umpire.
• Kaur was fined 50% of her match fee for a Level 2 offense and given three demerit points on her disciplinary record.
• In the 2nd incident, Kaur openly criticized the hosts for their 'biased and unfair' umpiring during the entire ODI series between the two teams.
• She was also fined 25% of his match fee for a Level 1 offense relating to "public criticism in relation to an incident occurring at an international match".

Topic: Books and Author

12. A book titled "Memories Never Die" has been released by Union Minister Amit Shah.

• Amit Shah released the book during his two-day visit to Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu.
• This book is a tribute to the life and legacy of the late former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• Dr. APJM Nasima Maraikayar and scientist Dr. Y. S. Rajan have co-authored this book.
• Shri Shah said that the dream of space science shown by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam seems to be coming true.

Topic: Important Days

13. World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: 30 July

• It is celebrated every year on the 30th of July to raise awareness about human trafficking.
• The theme of this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is “Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind”.
• The campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2023 aims to raise awareness of disturbing trends identified by the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons.
• The United Nations General Assembly designated July 30 as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in 2013.
• Global crises, conflicts, and climate emergencies are increasing the risks of human trafficking.
• Trafficking of persons is a serious crime and a violation of human rights. Thousands of men, women and children get trafficked every year.

Topic: Indian Polity

14. Government’s new bill proposes the president as a visitor of all IIMs.

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan presented the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.
• The bill proposes to make the president as the Visitor of all IIMs.
• It seeks to amend the 2017 Act so that the Visitor can nominate the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIMs.
• The bill seeks to amend Section 10 of the present Act. A new Section, 10A, would be added to make President the Visitor of every Institute.
• Section 16 of the Act will be also amended to give more powers to the Visitor in the appointment of IIM Directors.
• The Board will now have to take the prior approval of the Visitor to appoint a Director.
• The Director will be appointed from a list of candidates recommended by a search-cum-selection committee.
• Earlier, the director was appointed by the board with the prior approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister.
• With prior approval of the Visitor, the board can remove the Director. The Visitor can also terminate the Director.
• The bill also proposes to convert the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai to the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai.