Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 and 7 August 2023

Topic: Sports

1. Prarthana Thombare won the doubles title at the women’s tennis hardcourt event in Barcelona, Spain.

• Prarthana Thombare and Russian Anastasia Tikhonova narrowly defeated France’s Estelle Cascino and Latvia’s Diana Marcinkevica in the final.
• It is the second title of the year for Prarthana. It is the 26^th overall title for Prarthana.
• Prarthana won bronze with Sania Mirza in 2014 at Incheon.
• Siddhant Banthia and Sai Karteek Reddy won in the ITF men’s event in Astana, Kazakhstan.
• They defeated Estonia’s Daniil Glinka and Karl Kiur Saar. This was their second title this season.
• In the ITF women’s event in Foxhills, Britain, Rutuja Bhosale and Destanee Aiava defeated Talia Gibson and Petra Hule in the doubles final.
• It was the 22nd career doubles title for Rutuja.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. The temperature of the world’s oceans has been recorded at 20.96 degrees Celsius.

• The oceans have reached their hottest-ever recorded temperature because they absorbed warmth from climate change.
• As per the EU’s climate change service, the average daily global sea surface temperature has broken a 2016 record because it reached 20.96 degrees Celsius.
• The temperature record has been broken this year after a series of marine heatwaves this year in the UK, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico.
• Oceans are a key climate regulator. They absorb heat and drive weather patterns.
• Due to hotter oceans and heat waves, marine species like fish and whales are disturbed because they move in search of cooler waters. As a result, the food chain is disturbed.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Amit Shah launched the digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office in Pune.

• Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah launched the digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The main of the digital portal is to implement completely paperless applications, ensuring automatic compliance with Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act (MSCS Act) and rules through software, and ensuring digital communication.
• It will boost the cooperative movement in India and support the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samridhi’.
• The online portal will include different modules for registration, amendment of by-laws, annual return filing, appeal, audit, inspection, inquiry, arbitration, winding up, etc.
• The cooperative portal will help in processing applications and service requests speedily.
• This new portal will also have provisions for OTP-based registration, validation checks for compliance with the MSCS Act and Rules, hearing through video conference, and the issue of registration certificates and electronic communication.
• The office of the Central Registrar will introduce more computer-based operations for promoting ease of doing business in the cooperative sector.
• The Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, of 2022 fixes the accountability of cooperatives and ends nepotism.

Topic: India and its neighbours

4. India provided financial assistance of Rs 45 crore for Sri Lanka's digital identity project.

• India has provided financial assistance of 45 crore rupees to support Sri Lanka's unique digital identity project.
• This step will play a key role in the successful implementation of Sri Lanka's digitisation programme.
• The main aim of the project is to collect biographic and biometric information, including facial, iris, and fingerprint data.
• This unique digital identity project aims to revolutionize India’s administrative infrastructure.
• It will pave the way for more streamlined and efficient service delivery to its citizens.
• The project was started with the signing of an MoU between Sri Lanka and India in March 2022.

Topic: International News

5. A state of emergency has been declared in Ethiopia amid Amhara clashes.

• On 4 August, the government of Ethiopia announced a state of emergency.
• This emergency has been declared after several days of clashes between federal security forces and local ethnic militias in the northern Amhara region.
• Intense fighting broke out at the beginning of the week between the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the Fano militia group.
• In the Tigray conflict, both armies and federal forces fought together. The federal government seeks to centralize power.
• Recently, the government tried to force the Fano militias group to lay down their arms. After which the tension flared up.
• Amhara is one of the 11 regional states of Ethiopia. Each regional state has its own police force.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

6. National Handloom Day 2023: 7 August

• Every year on August 7, National Handloom Day is celebrated in India,
• It is observed to commemorate the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905.
• It is also celebrated to recognize the contribution of the handloom industry to socio-economic development and to raise awareness about the industry.
• This year, the 9th edition of National Handloom Day is being celebrated in India.
• National Handloom Day is celebrated all over the country under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles.
• On the same day in 1905, Swadeshi Movement began. The movement encouraged swadeshi industries and swadeshi spirit, including handloom weavers.
• In 2015, the government decided to designate 7 August as National Handloom Day (NHD).
• The first NHD was observed on 07 August 2015 in Chennai.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

7. PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for revamping 508 railway stations.

• The redevelopment work of 508 railway stations will be launched by PM Modi on 6 August at a cost of 24, 470 crores.
• The main aim of the redevelopment project is to improve the facilities for passengers.
• Under the Amrit Bharat Scheme, the government is planning to revamp 1309 stations. Currently, only 508 stations revamping will be launched.
• 24 railway stations in 10 states are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Scheme.
• ₹1,813 crore has been allocated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus, the highest allocation among 24 railway stations. This station is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
• The wide arenas are being developed for passengers to rest and recoup while they wait for their train.

Topic: National News

8. Government set a deadline for the pharma industry to adopt good manufacturing practices.

• Ministry of Health announced that all pharma industries with an annual turnover of over Rs 250 crore will have to mandatorily adopt good manufacturing practices (GMP) within six months.
• Pharma companies with less than Rs 250 crore in revenue would have to adopt good manufacturing practices within a year.
• The timeline for adopting Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act will start from 1 August. It has not been implemented by most of the drugmakers.
• Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 deals with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for pharmaceutical manufacturing units.
• GMP includes specific requirements pertaining to premises, plant and equipment. GMP are mandatory standards to bring quality in products by controlling materials, methods, machines, processes, environment, etc.
• GMP was first incorporated in Schedule M in 1988. The norms of GMP were last amended in 2018.
• In India, there are around 10,500 pharma manufacturing units. Out of the total, 8500 are MSMEs.
• Around 2000 manufacturing units in India have WHO GMP certification.

Topic: Indian Polity

9. Central government tabled the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 in Parliament.

• This bill lays out the procedures for the collection and use of personal data of India’s citizens by the government and corporations.
• This bill was presented by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha on 3rd August.
• The Opposition sought the bill should be sent to the standing committee for scrutiny.
• As per the government, this bill protects the rights of all citizens and allows the innovation economy to expand.
• The Bill seeks to govern and safeguard the use of personal data. It sets out the rights and duties of users and the obligations of businesses.
• The proposed law will apply to the processing of digital personal data within India and data processing outside the country.
• The bill also proposed to set up a board that will deal with the matters related to the violations of data breaches.
• This bill is based on six principles of the data economy. It proposed a penalty of ₹500 crores on persons and companies that fail to prevent data breaches.

Topic: Personality in News

10. Popular Telugu singer, G Vithal Rao, passed away.

• He was popularly known as Gaddar. He played an important role in the Telangana movement through his songs.
• He went underground in the 1980s. He became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).
• He founded Jana Natya Mandali, the outfit’s cultural wing.
• In 2017, he severed his ties with the Maoists. He was not active as a Maoist since 2010.
• Last month, he declared the launch of a new political party. He called it Gaddar Praja Party.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. India and Nepal have signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs).

• These MoUs are on education, water supply and sanitation facilities.
• The MoUs have been signed by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and the Government of Nepal to carry out the four development projects.
• Among the four development projects, three will be in the education sector and one project will be for water supply and sanitation.
• Two school buildings will be built in the district of Darchula in Sudurpaschim province of West Bengal.
• One school will be built in Sankhuwasabha district of Koshi Province in East Nepal.
• Local authorities of Triyuga Municipality will help in implementing construction of Shreepur Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Udayapur district of East Nepal.
• Since 2003, India has taken up 546 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) across all 7 provinces of Nepal.

Topic: Important Days

12. Hiroshima Day: 6 August

• Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the disastrous effects of an atomic bomb.
• On 6th August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
• The bomb was dropped by an American B-29 warplane, Enola Gay. It was flown by Paul Tibbets.
• The nuclear bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima city was named 'Little Boy'.
• The bomb was to be dropped on Aioi Bridge. It missed the target due to crosswind. It instead detonated directly over Shima Surgical Clinic.
• Three days later, on 9th August 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Topic: State News/ Bihar

13. 'Rhino Task Force' will be constituted by Bihar for the reintroduction of the rhino conservation scheme in Valmiki Tiger Reserve.

• After a substantial increase in the number of tigers in Bihar, the state government is now all set to constitute a 'Rhino Task Force' to suggest measures for the revival of the terrestrial mammal in Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district.
• At present, there is only one rhino in VTR and 14 rhinos in Patna Zoo.
• Under the National Rhino Conservation Strategy, the VTR has been selected as one of the possible sites where rhinos can be introduced from other reserves in the country.
• About two years ago a committee was constituted to assess the habitat and security conditions in VTR and suggest measures to reintroduce rhinos to the reserve.
• It has been decided to increase the rhino-bearing areas in VTR by 5% in the next two years.
• India is home to about 75% of the world's one-horned rhinoceros population, and over 93% of the Indian rhinoceros population lives in just one protected area, the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
• The areas identified as having potential for a reintroduction scheme in VTR are Ganauli and Madanpur.
• VTR is located in the core area of 909.86 sq km of Valmiki Sanctuary located in the West Champaran district of Bihar.
• In 1990, the VTR was established as the 18th tiger reserve. It is ranked fourth in terms of the density of the tiger population.
• Bihar's only national park VTR has recently recorded a 75% increase in tiger numbers, from 31 in 2018 to 54 in 2022.

Topic: India and its Neighbours

14. Pakistan's National Assembly will be dissolved on August 9.

• On 3 August, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif announced the dissolution of the National Assembly on 9 August.
• The decision came after he met with parliamentary leaders, where the country's political situation was thoroughly discussed.
• During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz sought his input and discussed the arrangements for the Caretaker Prime Minister and Caretaker set-up.
• On August 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will send formal advice to the President to dissolve the National Assembly.
• The President has to sign the advice within 48 hours on the proposal to dissolve National Assembly.
• If, for any reason, the President does not sign off on the advice, the Assembly will automatically be dissolved.
• Furthermore, PM Shehbaz assured that after three days of consultation with the opposition, he would submit the name of the caretaker Prime Minister to the President.
• However, if no agreement is reached, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will intervene and nominate a candidate for the post of caretaker prime minister from among the proposed names.
• In addition, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the upcoming elections in Pakistan would be held on the basis of the digital census of 2023.