Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 September 2023

Topic: National News

1. ‘Bharat’ replaced ‘India’ in G-20 invite from President.

• President Droupadi Murmu has sent an invitation to the heads of state and government and the Chief Ministers of Indian States for an official banquet on the occasion of the G-20 Summit.
• This invitation has used the word ‘Bharat’ in place of ‘India’.
• The invitations to the G20 summit issued from the President’s office described Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat” instead of the usual “President of India”.
• Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states that "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
• The name was decided by the Constituent Assembly after much debate. Some members were wanted to keep the name India and some wanted to keep it Bharat.
• Mughals used the name ‘Hindustan’ to describe the entire Indo-Gangetic plain.
• India is officially called as the “Republic of India”.
• Origin of the word ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’
  • "Bharat" is mainly derived from the name of the Vedic tribe of Bharatas who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the principal kingdoms of the Aryavarta.
  • The word Bharata has been described as the land between the “sea in the south and the abode of snow in the north” in the Puranas.
  • The name "India" is originally derived from the name of the river Sindhu (Indus River).
  • The term Hindos or the Indos was used for Indus River by the Iranians and the Greeks.
• How name can be changed to Bharat?
  • If the government chooses to change the name, it has to bring a constitutional amendment bill.
  • This bill has to be passed by a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
  • It needs to be ratified by state legislatures before presented to the President for assent.

Topic: National Appointments

2. Nasscom has appointed Rajesh Nambiar as its chairperson.

• Rajesh Nambiar is chairman and managing director of Cognizant India.
• Previously, he was the vice chairperson. He succeeds Anant Maheshwari, former president, Microsoft India.
• Debjani Ghosh is the President of Nasscom.
• National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom):
  • It was established in 1988 as an association of the software industry.
  • It is the premier trade body and chamber of commerce of the Tech industry in India.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. The first National KCC Conference inaugurated by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala in Mumbai on September 4, 2023.

• The first National Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Union Minister urged the banks to keep minimum checklist to approve loans through KCC to farmers.
• He said the benefit of Kisan Credit Cards was earlier available only to farmers.
• He said Prime Minister decided to extend the benefit of Kisan Credit Cards to fishermen and dairy farmers.
• A total of 80,000 participants joined through physical and virtual modes.
• The Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan were also present on the occasion.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. SEBI will introduce a one-hour trade settlement by the end of this fiscal (March 2024).

• SEBI has adopted a roadmap towards making trade settlements instantaneous.
• The roadmap is from one day to one hour to instantaneous settlements.
• One-hour settlements are much quicker to implement than instantaneous settlements.
• Technology for one-hour trade settlements already existed.
• The instantaneous settlements needed more technology development.
• SEBI is presently considering launching one-hour trade settlement for all investors by March 2024.
• It is considering a timeframe of 6 to 8 months more for the instantaneous settlements.
• The Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA)-like facility for secondary markets would begin by January for all investors.
• The early settlement facility will be optional for investors. They can opt out of it.
• Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) is an Initial Public Offer (IPO) application process developed by SEBI.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

5. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the country's first solar city in Sanchi of Madhya Pradesh on 6 September.

• Sanchi Solar City will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 13 thousand 747 tonnes annually, which is equivalent to more than 2 lakh adult trees.
• With this, there will be an annual saving of more than Rs 7 crore in energy related expenses of the government and citizens.
• By 2070, PM Narendra Modi has set a target of developing a solar city in every state of the country.
• Additionally, in Sanchi, an effort has been made to promote tourism by implementing eco-friendly facilities that reduce environmental pollution.
• Battery-operated e-rickshaws and garbage vehicles will also be run in the city. E-vehicle charging stations have also been installed.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. The Ministry of Tourism unveiled the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard.

• In collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Tourism unveiled the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard on 5 September.
• In a virtual ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Shri G. Kishan Reddy has launched the dashboard.
• Developed under India's G20 chairmanship and in close partnership with UNWTO experts, the dashboard is a testimony to India's commitment to sustainable tourism.
• It showcases best practices, theme-wise studies, and insights from G20 countries. It is designed to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The SDG Dashboard is a lasting legacy of India's G20 Presidency, showcasing its commitment to global cooperation and sustainable development in the tourism industry around the world.
• The G20 Tourism and SDGs Dashboard serves as a comprehensive online public platform that contains the entire collective wisdom of the G20 Tourism Working Group.
• It consolidates the Goa Roadmap, survey results, thematic studies, and best practices from G20 countries.
• The SDG Dashboard provides observation-based insights into sustainable tourism practices and also provides a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and development.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. PM Modi will attend the 20^th ASEAN-India Summit and 18^th East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

• These Summits will be hosted in Jakarta by Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN.
• The 20th ASEAN-India Summit is the first one after the elevation of the India-ASEAN relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022.
• The theme of this year's summit is ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.
• India is the founding member of the East Asia Summit.
• During the Summit, the Prime Minister and other leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen the East Asia Summit mechanism.
• The 19th ASEAN-India Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2022 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India dialogue relations. 
• East Asia Summit meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings. The 17th East Asia Summit was held in Cambodia.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. The Malaviya Mission-Teachers Training Programme of the University Grants Commission has been launched by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

• Education Minister also inaugurated the Portal of the Programme and released its information brochure.
• The Malaviya Mission-Teacher Training Programme is being organised by the University Grants Commission, in association with the Ministry of Education.
• It aims to provide tailored training programmes for teachers. It will work for the capacity building of faculty members in higher educational institutions.
• The Minister also announced the renaming of Human Resource Development Centres (HRDCs) as Madan Mohan Malaviya Teachers’ Training Centre.
• He mentioned that this programme will help in building capacities of 15 lakh teachers of Higher Educational Institutions through 111 Malaviya Mission centres across India.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. India extends support to SCO countries to enhance their legal and judicial capabilities.

• During the 10th meeting of the Ministers of Law and Justice of SCO countries, India committed to support SCO countries to enhance their legal and judicial capabilities.
• Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that India is committed to the SCO charter and its principles of mutual trust.
• A joint statement was signed by all the Ministers of Justice of the SCO Member countries, which emphasized the cooperation in the field of law and justice achieved in the last 22 years among the Member countries.
• The Ministers of Law and Justice of the SCO Member States through the Joint Statement declared the following:
• Continue to work on the implementation of the Co-operation Agreement.
• Organize conferences, legal cooperation fora etc. for better exchange of experience.
• Continue the work of the Expert Working Groups on Forensic Expertise and Legal Services.
• To cooperate between Ministries of Law and Justice of SCO Member nations to enhance cooperation in legal and judicial spheres.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
  • It was founded in 2001. It is an intergovernmental organization.
  • It focuses on regional security issues, including its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism. Its priorities also include regional development.
  • India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2023.

Topic: Art and Culture

10. World's tallest 'Nataraja' statue has been installed at the G20 Summit venue.

• A 27-feet-tall statue of “Nataraja” has been installed at Bharat Mandapam, which is the venue for the G20 summit in New Delhi.
• The weight of the statue is around 20 tons and it has been built in a record time of seven months.
• The cost of the Nataraja statue is approximately Rs 10-12 crores.
• It has been manufactured by using traditional casting methods of Ashta-dhatu.
• It has been created by the traditional Sthapatis of Swamimalai. It is an ancient craft that was started under the Chola dynasty.
• It has been built by sculptor Radhakrishnan Sthapathy and his team at Swamimalai in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
• Nataraja sculpture:
  • The dancing figure of Shiva as Nataraja was mainly evolved during the Chola period.
  • Nataraja sculpture shows Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts.
  • In this, the image of Shiva is encircled by a prabhamandala, a circle of fire. The right hand of Shiva is in the Abhaya mudra.
  • Shiva’s cosmic dance signifies the cyclical creation and destruction of the universe.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

11. International Day of Charity 2023: September 5

• Every year on 5 September, International Day of Charity is celebrated.
• The date of 5 September was chosen to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa.
• In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress."
• She was born as Agnes Gonxa Bojaxihu in 1910 and came to India in 1928.
• She started the Order of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1950 and died on 5 September 1997.
• United Nations General Assembly declared 5 September as the International Day of Charity in 2012.

Topic: Science and Technology

12. India's First AI-Powered Anti-Drone System Unveiled by a Hyderabad Firm.

• A state-of-the-art autonomous anti-drone system powered by artificial intelligence has been unveiled by a Hyderabad-based robotics firm.
• The system can protect not only important installations such as nuclear installations and oil rigs but also a wide area of an entire city from multiple drones of any type.
• Such type of system has been developed for the first time in India.
• Grene Robotics demonstrated this advanced full-spectrum drone security system capability live on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
• Grene Robotics is a deep-tech company that specializes in providing AI-powered security solutions for defense, enterprise, and government sectors.
• The anti-drone system is named Indrajal and is said to be the world's only wide-area counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS).
• It can provide a comprehensive and integrated defense mechanism against growing threats that cannot be dealt with by static defense systems.
• Indrajal is designed to defend against autonomous drones of all classes and levels in an area of 4,000 square kilometers.
• The system provides 360-degree protection with the ability to detect, identify, classify, track, and neutralize threats in real-time.

Topic: State News/ Assam

13. Assam government formed a three-member panel to draft an anti-polygamy law.

• Assam government has constituted a three-member panel to draft the law to end polygamy in the state.
• Advocate-General Devajit Saikia, Legal Remembrancer Kuntal Sharma Pathak, and Director-General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh are members of this committee.
• Earlier, the Assam government had formed a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Rumi Phookan (retd.) to examine the legislative competence of the State legislature to enact an anti-polygamy law.
• The committee would prepare the draft for an anti-polygamy Bill in 45 days.
• Justice Rumi Phookan’s panel scrutinised the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937 along with Article 25 for a uniform civil code.

Topic: Banking System

14. Hitachi Payment Services launched India's first-ever UPI-ATM.

• Hitachi Payment Services in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched India's first-ever UPI-ATM.
• It has been named as Hitachi Money Spot UPI ATM.
• The ATM will offer cardless cash withdrawals without physical cards.
• A UPI-ATM allows users to withdraw cash from multiple accounts using the United Payments Interface (UPI) app.
• It will promote banking service in areas where traditional banking infrastructure and card penetration is limited.
• This innovative concept has been designed to provide quick access to cash even in remote areas of India.
• Hitachi Payment Services, with ATMs at 3000 locations, is the only White Label ATM operator to provide a cash deposit facility.
• Hitachi has over 65,500 ATMs (including 27,500 cash recycling machines) and 9,500 WLAs under management.