Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 June 2022

Topic: Reports and Indices

1. State of The Tropics Report 2022 has been released on International Day of the Tropics on 29 June 2022.

• The report is titled ‘Covid-19 in the tropics’. International Day of the Tropics is celebrated annually on 29 June.
• International Day of the Tropics celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the tropics.
• At the same time, it highlights unique challenges and opportunities nations of the Tropics face.
• The first State of the Tropics Report was launched on 29 June 2014.
• Marking the anniversary of the launch of this report, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2016.
• This resolution declared that 29 June each year will be celebrated as International Day of the Tropics.
• The Tropics account for 40% of the world’s total surface area. They comprises approximately 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
• Findings of the State of The Tropics Report 2022:
  • The number of Covid cases has generally been lower in the tropics than in the rest of the world.
  • Mortality as a proportion of the number of Covid cases has been much higher in tropical regions.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has increased literacy poverty. The number of 10-year-old children without basic literacy skills has grown by 17% since the start of the pandemic.
  • Unemployment increased globally by 15% between 2019 and 2021. The unemployment rate in the tropics has also grown from during this period. Female unemployment increased more.
  • Globally, CO₂ emissions decreased between 2019 and 2020. CO₂ emissions in the tropics also decreased during this period.
  • Plastic waste has increased from discarded Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and food containers.

Topic: International News

2. US and its allies launched the ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ initiative to counter China.

• US and its allies — Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom launched the ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ initiative to counter the influence of China in the Pacific region.
• It is a five-nation “informal mechanism” to boost diplomatic, and economic ties through closer cooperation and will provide support to Pacific islands.
• The members of the initiative have also announced that they will “elevate Pacific regionalism” and create stronger ties with the Pacific Islands Forum.
• ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ initiative will enhance cooperation in connectivity and transportation, maritime security and protection, health, prosperity and education.
• In April 2022, China signed a pact with the Solomon Islands, which created a sense of insecurity in the region.
• Nine of the world’s 10 busiest seaports are in the Indo-Pacific region and 6 countries in the region have nuclear weapons.

Topic: Books and Authors

3. Biography of George Fernandes will be released in July 2022.

• The biography of George Fernandes titled ‘The Life and Times of George Fernandes’ will be released on 25 July.
• It has been written by Rahul Ramagundam. It has mentioned the journey of George Fernandes from the streets of Bombay to the corridors of Parliament.
• George Fernandes:
  • He was a veteran social leader and considered the hero of the Anti-Emergency campaign.
  • He organised a Railways strike in 1974, which brought him into the national limelight.
  • He was the founder of the Samata Party and a key member of the Janata Dal.

Topic: Space and IT

4. Three Singapore satellites will be launched with PSLV-C53 rocket by ISRO.

• The launch vehicle will take off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on 30 June.
• NewSpace India Limited, a public sector unit under the Department of Space, was recently formed and PSLV-C53 is its second dedicated commercial mission.
• The four-stage 44.4-meter-tall rocket has a lift-off mass of 228.43 tonnes.
• Its primary payloads are the 365 kg earth observation satellite called DS-EO, a 155 kg NeuSAR satellite and the 2.8 kg Scoob-1 nano-satellite of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
• Six nano-satellites, including those belonging to two of India's private space startups, will also go into space.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

5. Uddhav Thackeray stepped down as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

• Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief minister of Maharashtra, has resigned ahead of the trust vote in the state assembly.
• This decision was taken after the Supreme Court refused to stay the floor test to be held under the direction of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
• Uddhav Thackeray stated that he would also resign from the Legislative Council.
• After a rebellion in the Shiv Sena party, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra was in a political crisis.
• Chief Minister of a state can give his resignation to the Governor.
• What is a floor test?
  • A "No Confidence Motion" or "Floor Test" is always held on the House floor to determine whether the current government has the support of at least 51% of the members present.
  • According to the law, the Governor may summon the House under Article 175(2) and order a floor test to determine if the government has a majority.
  • If the Assembly is not in session, the Governor can use his residuary powers under Article 163 to allow the Speaker to summon a floor test.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

6. India tested the high-speed expendable aerial target, HEAT-“Abhyas” successfully off the coast of Odisha.

• The indigenously developed high-speed expendable aerial target “ABHYAS” has been successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
• During the test flight, the aircraft's low-altitude performance, including sustained level and high manoeuvrability was shown.
• A number of tracking instruments, including radar and an electro-optical targeting system, were deployed by the ITR to track the aircraft.
• Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed and developed the "ABHYAS".

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

7. Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS) sets up India Center to promote India-centric activities at the University.

• The Centre will be a focal point for India-related programs at Busan University. It will also strengthen academic and cultural collaboration with the university.
• The Busan University of Foreign Studies and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) also signed an MoU to foster collaboration in the areas of education and cultural exchange.
• Prof. Sun-cheol Lee of the Department of Indian Studies, BUFS, will serve as the Center's Honorary Director.
• The Centre in BUFS will be self-funded, SVCC will provide content and resource persons for classes and workshops.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

8. The deregulation of sale of domestically produced crude oil has been approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

• All exploration and production companies will now be free to sell crude oil from their fields in the domestic market.
• However, exports will not be permissible. Government revenues like Royalty, cess, etc. will continue to be determined uniformly across all Contracts.
• The categorization of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) as an International Organization has also been approved by Union Cabinet.
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) initiative:
  • The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 September 2019 at the UN Climate Change Summit.
  • Since its launch, six International Organizations, 31 Countries, and two private sector organizations have joined as members of CDRI.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

9. Indian Coast Guard launched Centralised Pay System ‘PADMA’.

• Pay Roll Automation for Disbursement of Monthly Allowances (PADMA) was inaugurated by Shri Rajnish Kumar, Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA).
• PADMA will help in seamless and timely disbursal of Pay & Allowances to Indian Coast Guard personnel.
• It has been developed under the aegis of the Defense Accounts Department and it will be operated by the Pay Accounts Office Coast Guard, Noida.
• The Centralized Pay System (CPS) has been started to provide one-stop pay accounting solutions for all organisations under the Ministry of Defence.
• ‘PADMA’ will promote the Digital India concept under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
• Indian Coast Guard:
  • It works under the Ministry of Defense.
  • It is an armed force, maritime, search and rescue, and law enforcement agency.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Topic: Committees/Commissions/Taskforces

10. Government directs to form a five-member committee to review the diversion of forest lands.

• According to the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022, notified a screening committee will be formed in each State/UT to review proposals related to the diversion of forest land.
• The five-member committee will advise the state governments on projects in a time-bound manner and will meet at least twice every month.
• Every proposal received from state governments or Union Territories (UTs) will be examined by the committee.
• The committee will review whether the proposal is complete or not in all respects and check the location of the project with respect to restricted areas.
• The notification also prescribes the time frame of review for different kinds of projects.
• The project screening committee will be headed by a nodal officer and also have a district collector and conservator of forests.
• The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022 also proposed the formation of an Advisory Committee at each of the integrated regional offices.
• It will examine the proposal under relevant clauses and recommend the grant of approval or rejection of proposals.

Topic: Space and IT

11. Cyber-security researchers discovered a new spyware ‘Hermit’.

• 'Hermit' is being used by the government through SMS messages to target high-profile people like business executives, human rights activists, journalists, academics and government officials.
• 'Hermit' is probably developed by Italian spyware vendor RCS Lab and Tykelab Srl.
• Hermit is modular spyware that hides its malicious capabilities in the downloaded packages.
• Hermit is highly configurable spyware with capabilities to collect and transmit data.
• Hermit spyware was earlier used by Italian authorities in an anti-corruption operation in 2019.
• Spyware is malicious software that enters a user's computer or mobile device and gathers data from the device and sends it to third parties without consent.

Topic: Personality in News

12. PM Narendra Modi to participate in the 125^th birth anniversary of the celebration of Alluri Seetharama Raju.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the 125^th birth anniversary celebration of Alluri Seetharama Raju on 4 July in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh.
• He will also unveil the statue of freedom fighter Seetharama Raju.
• Seetharama Raju:
  • He was an Indian revolutionary who fought against the British colonial rule in India.
  • He was involved in the protest against the 1882 Madras Forest Act. This act had restricted tribals from practising their traditional form of agriculture known as Podu.
  • He played a key role in the Rampa Rebellion of 1922.
  • He was locally known as "Manyam Veerudu" for his heroic act.
  • He was involved in the guerilla campaigns against British rule in the part of the East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

13. Cabinet approved MoU between India and Singapore for cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation.

• Union Cabinet has approved an MoU between the Department of Science and Technology, India and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore.
• The MoU was signed in February 2022 for Cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation. 
• The MoU will help in creating an ecosystem for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in both countries for new technology creation, manpower training, and IP generation.
• The main aim of MoU is to promote innovation and research in Agriculture and food science and technology; Green economy; Data Science and Emerging Technologies.
• The MoU will help in product development and technology exchange for generating new enterprises and employment.

Topic: Space and IT

14. NASA successfully launched ‘CAPSTONE’ mission on 28 June 2022.

• Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) mission was launched on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket.
• The Capstone mission will be deployed after reaching the lunar orbit in November 2022.
• The CAPSTONE mission will carry a dedicated flight computer and radio to perform calculations and determine whether the CubeSat satellite is on its orbital path or not.
• The CubeSat satellite will use NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to understand its position in space.
• If CAPSTONE's autonomous navigation software is successfully tested, it will help future spacecraft to determine their location without using Earth-based tracking.