Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 and 5 September 2022

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. India’s first LNG-fuelled truck has been launched by Blue Energy Motors.

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the manufacturing facility, near Pune, with a capacity to make 10,000 trucks annually.
• The LNG-fuelled trucks will start with the introduction of 5,528 4x2 tractors by the end of September 2022.
• The LNG-fuelled trucks of Blue Energy Motors will be long-haul, and heavy-duty trucks.
• Blue Energy Motors has signed an agreement with Iveco FPT, which will provide engines.
• Various public sector undertakings (PSU) and private oil and gas marketing companies are setting up LNG stations.
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a change-maker for the transport sector. This is a very good alternative to petrol and diesel.
• Blue Energy Motors is a Singapore-based firm.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

2. Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated the ‘Swasth Sabal Bharat’ Conclave.

• The primary goal of the conclave is to discuss the state of organ, body, and eye donation in India and to identify solutions to the problems.
• The Union Minister emphasized, “Jan Bhagidari” or people’s movement, to come forward for organ donation.
• Steps taken by the government to promote organ donation in the India are as follows:
  • The National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) promotes organ donation and transplantation across India.
  • The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) was established under this programme in New Delhi. Sixteen State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) have also been established.
  • NOTTO has a facility called the National Level Tissue Bank (Biomaterial Centre) for storing tissues. Organs like the Heart, Kidney, Liver etc. need to be transplanted immediately after retrieval.
  • A regional bio-material centre was also established at Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO), Chennai.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

3. Cyrus Mistry, Tata Group Ex-Chairman, died in a road accident.

• The accident happened when Cyrus Mistry was travelling from Gujarat's Udwada to Mumbai.
• Cyrus Mistry was the sixth chairman of Tata Sons. He became the Chairman in December 2012, after the retirement of Ratan Tata.
• He was an Indian-born Irish businessman. He was the first person who was not directly from the Tata family but became the chairman of Tata Sons.
• He served as head of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He joined the board of Tata Sons on 1 September 2006.

Topic: Sports

4. Mascot & Anthem for 36^th National Games has been launched by Amit Shah at Trans Stadium in Ahmedabad.

• The mascot is named Savaj, which in Gujarati means cub.
• The anthem is based on the theme of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat".
• The National Games will be organized in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Bhavnagar from the 29 September to 12 October.
• In 2014, the budget allocated for sports was 866 crores, which was increased to two thousand crores this year.
• An official website of the national games “www.nationalgamesgujarat.in” and the mobile App “NGGujarat” has been launched by Home Minister as well.
• The event also concluded the 11^th Khel Mahakumbh and prizes were given to the winners.
• Four Parathletics from Gujarat were also honored with Khel Pratibha Awards on the occasion.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

5. Government will establish the country's first Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh to promote Astrotourism.

• The Department of Science and Technology has undertaken a first-of-its-kind initiative to establish India's first Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh.
• It will be completed within the next three months.
• The proposed Dark Sky Reserve will be located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanle, Ladakh.
• It will be one of the world's highest-located sites for optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes, boosting Astrotourism in India.
• A tripartite MoU has been recently signed between UT Administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, IIA to launch Dark Space Reserve.
• Ladakh has a very rich and wide variety of animals for leather research and industry and for promoting the bio-economy of products derived from animal skin.
• The Ladakh administration has decided to start the commercial planting of Leh Berry.
• CSIR is promoting Leh Berry, an exclusive food product of the cold desert, as well as a source of business and self-sustainability.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep S. Puri, will lead an official delegation to Gastech Milan-2022.

• The conference will be organized from 5^th to 7^th September 2022 in Milan, Italy.
• GasTech is the world's largest conference focused on LNG.
• During the conference, Ministers and CEOs will debate the developing energy landscape, post-pandemic economic recovery, and a just energy transition.
• In addition, he will participate in Ministerial Panel discussions on "Energy Security and Transition" and "A just energy transition for poor nations."
• S. Puri will chair the panel discussion “India Spotlight: Powering India’s energy industry - new avenues for a sustainable future”.
• During the visit, Shri Hardeep S. Puri will launch India Energy Week, which will be organized from 5th to 8th February 2023 in Bengaluru.

Topic: Important Days

7. Teachers’ Day 2022: 5 September

• Teachers’ Day or Shikshak Divas is celebrated in India on 05 September.
• It is celebrated on the birthday of educationist and former President Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
• Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962). He became the second President of India (1962-1967). He was born on 05 September 1888.
• The theme of Teachers' Day 2022 is ‘Leading in crisis, reimaging the future.'
• World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5.  
• In New Delhi, President Draupadi Murmu presented 46 teachers with National Awards for 2022.
• The purpose of the National Awards to Teachers is to recognize and reward the dedication and hard work of those educators who have made a significant impact on the lives of their students.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

8. Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator for Mars or Venus Landing Missions successfully tested by ISRO.

• ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) designed and developed Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD), which can be used for other missions including Mars and Venus.
• This technology, named IAD, has been developed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center.
• The IAD successfully completed a test flight in a 'Rohini' sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.
• Rohini sounding rockets are regularly used for flight demonstrations by scientists from India and abroad.
• Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD):
  • The IAD is made from Kevlar fabric, which has been coated with polychloroprene.
  • The IAD systematically reduce the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag and followed the predicted trajectory.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Banking System

9. RBI issued new guidelines for digital lending to protect borrowers.

• As per the new guidelines, regulated entities cannot store borrowers' data except for some basic minimal information.
• The lender can now only store information like the name, address, contact details of the customer, etc.
• The digital lending apps cannot store the biometric information of the borrower.
• The regulated entities have been given time till 30 November 2022, to implement the guidelines.
• The main objective of these guidelines is to protect borrowers from unscrupulous lending practices.
• As per the guidelines, all data should be stored only in servers located within India.
• Borrowers will get the option to exit the digital loan by paying the principal and the proportionate APR without penalty during this period.
• The guidelines will be applicable to all commercial banks, primary (urban) co-operative banks, state co-operative banks, district central co-operative banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies, including housing finance companies.

Topic: Sports

10. Apeksha Fernandes becomes the first Indian woman to reach the finals of the World Junior Swimming Championships.

• She finished eighth in the 200m women's butterfly summit in Lima, Peru.
• She completed the lap with a time of 2:19.14. Her previous best was 2:18.39.
• Sambhavv Rama Rao failed to qualify for the final, finishing 27th with a time of 1:55.71.
• The 8th World Junior Swimming Championships was held in Lima, Peru from 30 August to 4 September 2022.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

11. United States will host the first US-Pacific Island Country Summit.

• The United States will host the first US-Pacific Island Country Summit on 28-29 September in Washington, DC.
• 12 Pacific island countries, including the Solomon Islands, will take part in the summit.
• US President Joe Biden will host the summit. The summit will further deepen the ties between the United States and Pacific Island countries.
• The summit will help in enhancing cooperation on key issues such as climate change, pandemic response, economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, etc.
• The US has always supported the principle of a free and open Indo-pacific region and condemned the expansionist policy of China.

Topic: National News

12. Government announced Special Maternity Leave for women employees.

• In the case of stillbirth or death of an infant within a few days of birth, female Central Government employees can now use 60-day special maternity leave.
• This program will encourage women to enter the workforce and protect a mother's mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
• The Central Government has taken this decision keeping in mind the shock caused by the death of a newborn baby immediately after delivery.
• Under this initiative, 'stillbirth' is defined as a baby born at or after 28 weeks of gestation with no signs of life.
• Special maternity leave will be only available for female employees with less than two surviving children.
• After the passage of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, maternity leave has been raised from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

Topic: National News

13. Government will hold year-long commemoration to mark 75 years of ‘Hyderabad State Liberation’.

• The government has decided to celebrate 75 years of 'Hyderabad State Liberation' from 17 September 2022 to 17 September 2023.
• The celebration event will be inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah on 17 September.
• The ‘State of Hyderabad’ got liberation from Nizam's Rule on September 17, 1948, after 'Operation Polo'.
• 'Operation Polo' was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-ruled princely state and annexed it into the Indian Union.
• The main aim of the celebration is to make the current generation aware of the liberation of the ‘Hyderabad State’.
• Hyderabad State was a princely state of India. Nizam-ul-Mulk was the first Nizam of Hyderabad while Mir Osman Ali Khan was the last Nizam.

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

14. Rajasthan Cabinet approved the Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy 2022.

• To assess the performance of government departments and agencies, the Rajasthan government cabinet has also approved the proposal to form the Rajasthan Social and Performance Audit Authority.
• Doctors, engineers, architects, economists, professors, information technology specialists and other experts will be members of this authority.
• The authority will assess the performance of government departments and agencies in implementing the schemes/ Programmes.
• The Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy 2022 will improve the conditions of artisans in the state. It will help in generating new employment in the state.
• The Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy will help in brand building by helping with e-marketing, social security, loan facilities, scholarships, assistance for participation in fairs, and the expansion of infrastructure.
• The running of the Palace on Wheels train under the operation and maintenance model has been also approved by the cabinet.
• Cabinet has also approved the new rules for the appointment of dependents of martyrs.