Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 and 6 October 2022

Topic: National Appointment

1. Sanjeev Kishore appointed as the new Director General of Ordnance (C&S).

• Sanjeev Kishore has assumed the charge as Director General of Ordnance (C&S).
• Sanjeev Kishore was the Additional Director General Ordnance at the Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services), Kolkata.
• He has taken the place of M K Grag, who retired recently.
• Sanjeev Kishore has served in different roles and varied technological environments.
• Sanjeev Kishore is a recipient of the Santu Sahaney Memorial Shield and Ayudh Bhushan Award.
• Sanjeev Kishore was the first CMD of Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd. (AVNL).

(Source: PIB)

Topic: State News/ Jammu and Kashmir

2. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced to give Scheduled Tribe status to the Pahari community in J&K.

• During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Amit Shah announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Pahari community.
• Paharis community were demanding ST status for four decades.
• The Justice GD Sharma Commission has recommended reservation for Paharis, Gujjars, and Bakerwals.
• Amit Shah said that after Article 370 was rolled back, Rs 56,000 crores investment has been made in J&K.
• As per the census of 2011, 7.38% population of Jammu Kashmir is Scheduled caste and 11.91% population belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST).
• In the Jammu division, the population of the Scheduled Tribes stood at 810,800, while in the Kashmir division, it is 464,306.
• The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are defined in Articles 341 and 342 of the Indian Constitution with regard to each State and Union Territory.
• The criteria presently followed for the specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe are:
  • Indications of primitive traits
  • Distinctive culture
  • Geographical isolation
  • Shyness of contact with the community at large
  • Backwardness

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

3. Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Scheme announced by Gujarat govt for assistance to Industries at Gandhinagar.

• Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that the proposed investment of about twelve lakh fifty thousand crores is expected in the state from this scheme.
• Apart from this, employment opportunities will be created for about fifteen lakh people in the coming days.
• The Chief Minister said that on the lines of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, nine sectors, including Green Energy Ecosystem, Sustainability, and Mobility, have been identified as major focus areas.
• Various incentives have been proposed in this policy for micro, small and medium enterprises, large industries, and large-scale industries.
• These include reimbursement of net state goods and services tax up to 75 percent of fixed capital investment to micro, small, medium, and large enterprises in ten years.
• These also include reimbursement of employer's contribution to EPF of new employees for ten years and Electricity Duty exemption for industries for 5 years.
• In this policy, an interest subsidy of up to twelve per cent has also been proposed for large enterprises.
• It also proposes to increase incentives for women entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs, startups, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Sports

4. Rest of India (ROI) won the Irani Cup 2022.

• On October 4, the Rest of India (ROI) defeated Saurashtra by eight wickets to win the Irani Cup 2022 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
• Rest of India pacer Mukesh Kumar was adjudged Player of the Match in Irani Cup 2022.
• Irani Cup:
  • Irani Trophy or Irani Cup is a test match format cricket tournament in India.
  • The current Ranji Trophy winners and the Rest of India's cricket team compete in it each year.
  • It is organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
  • To commemorate 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship, the competition was introduced during the 1959–60 season.
  • It was named after the late Z. R. Irani.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel received 'Nensen' refugee award.

• On October 4, former German chancellor Angela Merkel received the prestigious Nansen refugee Award of the United Nations refugee agency.
• The UNHCR selection committee praised Merkel's "leadership, courage, and compassion" for welcoming 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers by Germany in 2015 and 2016 during the war in Syria.
• The former chancellor will be honoured with the award on October 10 in Geneva.
• Angela Merkel served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021.
• Nansen refugee Award:
  • It was established in 1954.
  • It has been named after Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.
  • This award honors individuals, groups, or organizations working to protect refugees and other displaced and stateless people.
  • It includes a commemorative medal and a monetary prize of US$ 150,000.

Topic: International News

6. WTO lowered its projection for global trade growth in 2023 to 1%.

• The World Trade Organization lowered its forecast for growth in global trade volume to 1 percent from 3.4 percent earlier, citing rising downside risks.
• Due to several shocks on the global economy, world trade may lose momentum in the second half of 2022 and remain subdued in 2023.
• However, the WTO increased its forecast for the growth of global merchandise trade for 2022 from its April estimate of 3% to 3.5%.
• According to the latest WTO forecasts, the world GDP at market exchange rates will grow by 2.8 per cent in 2022 and 2.3 per cent in 2023.
• India's merchandise exports declined 3.5 percent in September for the first time in 19 months.

(Source: WTO)

Topic: Indian Economy

7. India has become the largest producer of sugar in the world.

• India has also become the second largest exporter of sugar.
• In Sugar Season 2021-22, over 5 thousand lakh metric tons of sugarcane was produced in India.
• In this season, record highest sugar exports of more than 109 lakh metric tons have been registered.
• These exports earned foreign currency of about 40 thousand crore rupees.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Jharkhand

8. Jharkhand government has introduced industrial park policy to boost infrastructure.

• On 29 September, the state cabinet approved the draft of the Jharkhand Industrial Parks and Logistics Policy of 2022.
• It will be effective for the next five years.
• It is aimed at boosting the industrial infrastructure in Jharkhand by seeking the support of private players to establish industrial parks by providing financial subsidies of up to Rs75 crore.
• Any private company or joint venture will be eligible for setting up industrial parks.
• 60% of the developed land of the parks will be required to be reserved for industrial units. 40% will need to be reserved for MSME units.
• The permission for transferring the land within 60 days of receipt of the application will be given by the deputy commissioners of respective districts.
• The government will give up to 50% of the project cost to the maximum limit of Rs 40 crore as subsidies to the developers.
• Under the provisions of the policy, subsidies will be provided for industrial parks which have areas above 10 acres that can accommodate a minimum of 5 industrial units and the developers have to complete their projects within six years.
• In the case of logistics parks, the policy has provisions for 50% of the project costs and for reimbursements on interest subsidies and registration fee waivers.
• In the case of logistics parks, the policy has provision for training for up to 100 employees at Rs 13,000 per employee who are natives of Jharkhand. 

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Morten Meldal, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, and K. Barry Sharpless won Nobel Prize 2022 in Chemistry.

• Morten Meldal, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, and K. Barry Sharpless have been awarded for their work in ‘click chemistry‘.
• Their work has several applications in the field of medical science including the treatment of cancer.
• Click Chemistry is the process of joining molecules together to form new molecules.
• Barry Sharpless and Morten Meldal got the Nobel prize for laying the foundations of click chemistry and bringing chemistry into the era of functionalism.
• Carolyn Bertozzi brought a new dimension to click chemistry and began using it to map cells.
• Triazoles are a useful chemical structure that Meldal discovered through his experiments. Triazoles are stable and are used in pharmaceuticals, dyes, and agricultural chemicals.
• Click Chemistry is about making huge chemical reactions simple. Barry Sharpless coined the concept of Click Chemistry around 2000.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

10. SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for 2022 will be awarded to Yunqing Tang.

• Yunqing Tang, an assistant Professor at the University of California, will be awarded the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for 2022.
• It is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of mathematics and is influenced by Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• The prize will be presented at the International Conference on Number Theory during December 20-22, 2022 at SASTRA University.
• Yunqing Tang has been selected for her work which displays a remarkable combination of sophisticated techniques.
• Tang's most recent work with Frank Calegari and Vesselin Dimitrov on modular equations has great significance.
• SASTRA Ramanujan Prize was instituted by SASTRA in 2005. It comprises a cash prize of $10,000.
• It is presented annually to individuals aged 32 and below.

Topic: State News/ Telangana

11. Telangana government launched 'Aasara' pension for poor.

• The Telangana government has introduced the 'Aasara' pensions to ensure a secured life for all the poor.
• It is a welfare scheme of pensions for widows, physically disabled and beedi workers.
• Under Asif Nagar Mandal jurisdiction, 10,000 new Aasara pensions have been sanctioned.
• The ‘Aasara’ pension scheme has been launched to protect the most vulnerable sections of society.

Topic: State News/ Himachal Pradesh

12. PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stone of projects worth over three thousand 650 crore in Himachal Pradesh.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated AIIMS Bilaspur. It has been constructed in 1,470 crore rupees.
• It has 17 super speciality departments and 18 modular operation theatres and 750 beds.
• PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of around 31 km long project for four laning of the National Highway from Pinjore to Nalagarh.
• He also laid the foundation stone of the Medical Device Park at Nalagarh, which will be built at a cost of about 350 crore rupees.
• He also inaugurated the Government Hydro Engineering College at Bandla. 
• He participated in the Kullu Dussehra celebrations. It was for the first time that the Prime Minister of the country participated in the Kullu Dussehra celebrations.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has organized a national SC-ST hub conclave in Gujarat.

• The conclave has been attended by many financial institutions such as the State Bank of India and Yes Bank.
• CPSEs like National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., Food Corporation of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation Limited also participated in the conclave.
• Details regarding various lending schemes for the MSME sector have been provided during the conclave.
• The National Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme has been launched by the Ministry of MSME for inclusive growth of the Indian economy.
• Its main aim is to enhance capacity and promote an entrepreneurship culture among the SC-ST population.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

14. Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launched Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme on October 01, 2022.

• The Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme aims at promoting technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, developing a culture of technology-cum-innovation, reducing imports and creating intellectual property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also aiming to create an ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, and proof of concept testing.
• The scheme encourages and inducts indigenous technologies to meet domestic needs.
• Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) provide fund for research and development in rural-specific communication technology applications.
• The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was established in 2002 under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003. It is an attached office of the Department of Telecom.