Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 and 6 June 2022

Topic: Environment and Ecology

1. Supreme Court directed protected forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to have an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of at least 1 km.

• A bench of the Supreme Court also said that mining within the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries shall not be permitted.
• It also added that the construction of permanent structures will be not allowed within the ESZ.
• As per the guidelines of the Environment Ministry, eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) have to be created around national parks, forests and sanctuaries as “shock absorbers”.
• The judgment of the Supreme Court has come on a petition for the protection of forest lands in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
• A list of existing constructions within the ESZs will be created by the Chief Conservator for each State and Union Territory.
• Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs):
  • It is notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
  • It acts as a transition zone between areas of high protection and areas with lesser protection.

Topic: International News

2. UN agreed to change the official name of Turkey to ‘Turkiye’.

• Turkey will be known as Turkiye at the United Nations.
• UN’s acceptance of the change in the name will start the process of adopting the new name of Turkey by other international organisations.
• The process of changing the name of Turkey was started last year. The citizens call the land ‘Turkiye’, but its anglicised version ‘Turkey’ was adopted internationally.
• The word ‘Turkey’ is also used for a large bird that is served for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in North America.
• The government was not happy with the Google search results for the word ‘Turkey’. It has also raised objections to the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of the term “turkey”.
• Turkiye word best represents the culture, civilization and values of the Turkish people.

Topic: State News/ Bihar

3. A Food testing lab inaugurated at Raxaul in Bihar by Health Minister Mandaviya.

• This laboratory was built on a bilateral agreement between India and Nepal to reduce the time it takes to evaluate imported food samples delivered into Raxaul from Nepal.
• It would facilitate cross-border trade with Nepal through shorter testing times and faster report generation for imported samples.
• Previously, all imported samples with legal sanctity were forwarded to the National Food Laboratory in Kolkata for testing.
• The Minister also inaugurated the AIIMS auditorium and the CGHS building in Patna.

Topic: Sports

4. In the French Open, Rafael Nadal won the men’s title and Iga Swiatek won the women’s title.

• Rafael Nadal of Spain has won the 14th singles title at the French Open by defeating Norway's Casper Ruud in the final.
• The 36-year-old Nadal has become Roland Garros' oldest champion with this victory. It's his 22nd Grand Slam title.
• Iga Swiatek, the World No. 1 tennis player, won the women's singles title in Paris by defeating US player Coco Gauf.
• 21-year-old Polish player won her second Grand Slam title.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. Ministry of Tourism has launched National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Traveller Campaign.

• In New Delhi, the Ministry organised a National Summit on Developing Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program and the Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI).
• The Strategy document has identified the strategic pillars for the development of sustainable tourism like Promoting Environmental Sustainability, Protecting Biodiversity, Promoting and Economic Sustainability, etc.
• With the goal of providing tourists with an experience, the Ministry of Tourism launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, which has currently sanctioned 76 projects.
• The Ministry has now revamped the Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0.
• Swadesh Darshan 2.0 aims at holistic development with a view to developing sustainable and responsible tourist destinations. Swadesh Darshan scheme was launched in 2014-2015.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

6. "Kumbha," a male tiger in the Ranthambore tiger reserve, has died.

• Kumbha's carcass was discovered in a drain near Salavat ghati, according to Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahendra Sharma.
• Kumbha, also known as -T 34, was 16 years old.
• Ranthambore National Park:
  • It is a national park in Rajasthan. It is surrounded by the Banas River to the north and the Chambal River to the south.
  • The park is named after the old Ranthambore Fort that is located within it.
  • It was established as Sawai Madhopur Gaming Sanctuary in 1955 and Ranthambore Forest was incorporated into Project Tiger in 1973.
  • In 1980, the Ranthambore forest was declared a National Park.
  • In 1991, the Ranthambore tiger reserve was extended to incorporate the Sawai Mansingh and Kaladevi Sanctuaries.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

7. PM Modi launched a global initiative 'Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement' on 5th June 2022.

• He said that the vision of LiFE is to live a lifestyle that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it.
• The idea of LiFE was introduced by PM Modi at the time of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-26) in Glasgow last year.
• The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.
• Author of Nudge Theory Prof. Cass Sunstein participated in the programme.
• Prof. Cass Sunstein spoke about the EAST framework of behaviour change.
• EAST stands for Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. He added a new letter ‘F’ to the framework to make it FEAST. F is for Fun.

Topic: Sports

8. India defeated Poland by 6-4 in final to win inaugural FIH Hockey 5s championship.

• India won FIH Hockey 5s championship in Lausanne in Switzerland on 04 June 2022.
• India’s Raheel Mohammed was the tournament’s top goal scorer.
• He was awarded the best player award at the Hockey 5s Lausanne 2022.
• The Indian women’s team could not make it to the final. Hockey 5s is a short format of Hockey.
• The Hockey 5s match was played for the first time at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games in 2014.
• Hockey 5s Lausanne 2022 was a two-day tournament. It was 1st official senior Hockey 5s competition organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

9. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the ‘Clean and Green’ campaign on World Environment Day.

• Under this campaign, Urban Local Bodies will organize awareness programmes to make the country free from single-use plastic and to protect the environment.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has instructed to ban Single-Use Plastic by 30 June.
• As part of the campaign, a part of the plastic waste generated will be used either as an alternative fuel in cement plants or for road construction purposes.
• State government and local bodies have to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with nearby cement plants or other industrial units for the implementation of the campaign.
• Every ULB is required to adopt 100% source segregation of waste for reducing plastic waste.
• Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Its aim is to create “Garbage Free Cities” through comprehensive sanitation and waste management.

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

10. Rajasthan Government launched Special Health Care Abhiyan 'Anchal' for pregnant women in the Karauli district.

• Under this campaign, haemoglobin levels of 13,144 pregnant women were tested out of which 11,202 were found to be anemic.
• This unique campaign has been started to provide all necessary medical aid to pregnant women at the pre and post-natal stage.
• Its main aim is to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
• Under this campaign, the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and ASHA workers of the district will provide counselling and treatment to pregnant women in their respective areas. Around 13 thousand women will get the benefit of this campaign.
• The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of Rajasthan has come down to 30 from 41 in 2017-18. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Rajasthan is 141.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Tamil Nadu government signed MoU with IPPB for obtaining life certificates from pensioners.

• Tamil Nadu government signed an MoU with the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) for obtaining the life certificate from the pensioners through the doorstep services of the postal department.
• IPPB will obtain a digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Portal. IPPB will offer doorstep services at Rs 70 per digital life certificate.
• In Tamil Nadu, around 715761 State government pensioners, including family pensioners, submit their life certificates every year.
• At present, submission of the life certificate can only be done by pensioners either through physical appearance or through post, or through Jeevan Pramaan Portal by using a biometric device.
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):
  • It was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on September 1, 2018.
  • It has been set up under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by the Government of India.

Topic: Important Days

12. World Environment Day: 5 June

• World Environment Day is observed every year on 5^th June.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness about the conservation of the environment and describe the importance of nature to us.
• UN General Assembly established World Environment Day in 1972. It was first celebrated in the year 1974.
• In 2022, Sweden is the host of world environment day. The theme of World Environment Day 2022 is 'Only One Earth'.
• On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a programme on ‘Save Soil Movement’.
• The day aims to bring the attention of the government and Non-government organizations to environmental issues like marine pollution, global warming, and wildlife crime.
• SDG Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Topic: Defence

13. IAF heritage centre to be set up in Chandigarh.

• An 'IAF Heritage Centre' will be set up jointly by the Indian Air force and the Chandigarh administration.
• Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF have signed an MoU setting this centre.
• It will have artefacts, simulators and interactive boards to highlight various facets of IAF.
• The heritage centre will showcase the role of the Indian Air Force in various wars and its overall functioning.
• It is expected to be completed by October 2022.
• Indian Air Force:
  • Its primary aim is to secure Indian airspace and conduct aerial warfare.
  • The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Air Force.
  • The Chief of the Air Staff is Vivek Ram Chaudhari.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

14. World's largest plant discovered in Australia.

• The sprawling seagrass, a marine flowering plant known as Posidonia Australis has been discovered off the West Coast of Australia.
• It has a length of 180km and is spread over an area of 20,000 hectares.
• It has been discovered in Shark Bay by a group of researchers from Flinders University and The University of Western Australia.
• These researchers have also found that the plant is 4,500 years old and it can survive in a volatile atmosphere.
• It is so large because it clones itself and creates genetically identical offshoots. It has a double number of chromosomes than similar plants.
• The Great Banyan in Howrah’s Botanical Garden is the largest tree in India.