Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 September 2022

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/ Taskforces

1. Government has set up a committee under the chairmanship of Kirit Parikh to review the current gas pricing formula.

• The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has set up a committee to review the pricing formula for domestically-produced gas.
• The committee will submit the report by the end of September 2022.
• The committee will be headed by energy expert Kirit Parikh and its other members will be from the fertilizer ministry, gas producers and buyers.
• In the last revision, the price of natural gas from old and regulated fields was doubled to $6.1 per million British thermal units (mBtu).
• For the April-September 2022 period, the price of gas produced from difficult fields like the KG-D6 block was hiked from $6.13 to 9.92/mBtu.
• The local gas price has reached a record high and will further rise due to global gas price.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

2. Uttar Pradesh has topped in the use of the e-prosecution portal.

• Uttar Pradesh stood first in the disposal and entry of cases through the e-Prosecution portal under the Digital India Mission.
• Uttar Pradesh has disposed of 9.12 million cases through the e-Prosecution Portal.
• Madhya Pradesh with 2.31 million is in the second spot, while Bihar with 859,000 cases is in the third spot.
• Uttar Pradesh has also topped in convictions associated with crimes against women and cases related to cybercrimes.
• e-prosecution portal:
  • Two years ago, the e-prosecution portal was launched to assist courts and the prosecution system in expediting criminal trials in serious crimes.
  • It is a medium of e-communication between the police department and the prosecution directorate under the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS).
  • It helps in the transfer of data among courts, police, jails and forensic science laboratories.
  • Under this system, witnesses are informed through SMS about their day of appearance in court.

Topic: State News/ Karnataka

3. New Coastal Zone Management Plan for Karnataka has been approved by PM Modi.

• In Mangaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the ground for multiple projects totalling Rs 3,800 crore.
• As per the 2019 CRZ notification, the new Coastal Zone Management Plan has been approved by the Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change.
• Karnataka is the first state in southern India and the second state in the country to have prepared and approved the plan as per the new CRZ notification.
• The plan will boost the economy and tourism in the coastal region of the state.
• Recently, 18 projects have been completed under the Sagarmala Project and the Union Ministry of Inland Transport and Ports has approved 14 schemes worth Rs 950 crore.
• The Modi government has approved the development of the Maajali port in Karwar at a cost of Rs 350 crore.
• The Central Government has approved the supply of 100 high-speed boats to help deep-sea fishing under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada scheme.
• The government has implemented the Vidyanidhi scheme for the benefit of 2 lakh children of fishermen.
• 2019 CRZ notification:
  • On November 1, 2021, the Government of India issued a notification on proposed changes to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2019 in the exercise of its powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
  • The 2019 notification declared certain coastal parts as Coastal Regulation Zones, and the setting up of industries and expansion are prohibited activities in these areas.

Topic: National News

4. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 'Kartavya Path' on September 8.

• The iconic Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate renamed as Kartavya Path (Path of Duty).
• Rajpath was known as Kingsway during British rule. It is the place where the Republic Day parade takes place every year on 26 January.
• On this occasion, the Prime Minister also unveiled the granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate.
• A hologram statue of Bose was unveiled on the occasion of Netaji's birthday on 23 January.
• The 28 ft high statue, crafted by the chief sculptor Shri Arun Yogiraj, is carved out of a single granite stone and weighs 65 metric tons.
• These steps are in line with the Prime Minister's second 'Panch Pran' for a new India in the Amrit Kaal: 'Remove any trace of colonial mentality'.

Topic: Important Days

5. World Physical Therapy Day 2022: 8 September

• Every year on September 8, World Physical Therapy Day is celebrated.
• The theme of World PT Day 2022 is "Osteoarthritis and the role of physiotherapists".
• World PT Day 2022 is aimed at promoting the role of physiotherapists in the prevention of osteoarthritis and in the management of people affected by osteoarthritis.
• The 8 September was declared as World PT Day in 1996.
• This day was established by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy.
• In 2023, the focus will be related to rheumatology conditions.
• In 1813, the Swedish poet, Per Heinrich Ling introduced real physiotherapy to the world.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

6. A National Conference 'Manthan' inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari in Bengaluru.

• Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, inaugurated a two-day National Conference titled "Manthan" on 8 September in Bengaluru.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has organised the Conference.
• It aims to engage with States, Union Territories and other key stakeholders of the industry to discuss a range of issues and opportunities in the roads, transport and logistics sector and share best practices, policy support and capacity development.
• The theme of Manthan is “IDEAS TO ACTION: Towards a smart, sustainable, road infra, mobility and logistics ecosystem”.
• During the event, the next-gen M Transport mobile app has also been launched.
• During the event, the Minister stated that Water, Power, Transport, and Communication are the four sectors that can turn our country into a super economic super power.
• He emphasized reducing logistics costs from 16% to 10% by enhancing waterways and implementing a multi-modal transportation system.
• Shri Gadkari announced 10 winners of the Hackathon. Each winner will get Rs 10 lakh for the development of apps that will transform the road transport sector.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. India-US 2 plus 2 inter-sessional meeting organized in New Delhi on 07 September 2022.

• The meeting was led by senior officials from External Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Defence and US Departments of State and Defence.
• They reviewed the outcomes of the 22 Ministerial Dialogue of April 2022.
• The fourth India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held in Washington in April 2022.
• India-US Ministerial 2 plus 2 Dialogue:
  • It was first held in 2018 in New Delhi.
  • It is the highest level institutional mechanism between US and India in which the defense and foreign ministers from both countries meet.
  • Apart from the US, India also takes part in 2+2 Dialogue with Japan, Russia and Australia.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

8. Queen Elizabeth II passed away recently at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years.

• She breathed her last on 08 September 2022 at her Scottish estate Balmoral.
• She is the UK's longest-serving monarch. She took the throne in 1952. King Charles III is her son.
• Her reign spanned 15 Prime Ministers starting with Winston Churchill and including Ms Truss.
• She was born as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

9. China’s first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle completed its maiden test flight successfully.

• The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) took off from the airport of Shaanxi province and fly for 26 minutes.
• “QIMINGXING 50" or Morning Star-50 is the first large-sized UAV powered only by solar energy.
• It has a wingspan of 164ft. It can operate for months or even years without break, according to the designer of the drone.
• It is also the first high-altitude, low-speed drone produced by the Chinese aviation sector.
• It can fly in near space from 20km to 100km with stable airflow and no clouds.
• These drones are also referred to as ‘High Altitude Platform Stations’ or pseudo-satellites.
• In July 2022, the US Army tested a solar-powered, near-space Airbus Zephyr S drone. It had created a record by being airborne for 42 days.
• These types of drones can be used in surveillance missions. It can be used for monitoring forest fires and conducting high-altitude reconnaissance.

Topic: International News

10. United States has issued the highest number of student visas to India in 2022.

• The United States issued 82000 student visas to Indians in 2022.
• Indian students received the highest number of US student visas as compared to other countries.
• Indian students comprise nearly 20 per cent of all international students studying in the United States.
• The Indian diaspora in the United States is approximately 4.8 million individuals, which is around 1% of the US population.
• The largest source of remittances for India is the United States, it is followed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched US Startup SETU- Supporting Entrepreneurs in Transformation programme in San Francisco.

• This initiative will help in connecting start-ups in India to US-based investors and start-up ecosystem leaders.
• It will assist Indian startups in various fields including funding, market access, and commercialization. 
• SETU initiative will break the geographical barriers between mentors based in the US and startups in India.
• The interaction will be facilitated through the mentorship portal MAARG (Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth) under the Startup India initiative.
• A mentor will assist the startups through human intelligence. More than 200 mentors are on the MAARG portal.
• MAARG portal:
  • It is a one-stop mentorship platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors.
  • Startups can connect with academicians, industry experts, and successful founders through this portal.
  • The main function of this portal is to improve ease of access, use artificial Intelligence for matchmaking, schedule meetings virtually, host masterclasses, etc.

Topic: Defence

12. DRDO and Indian Army successfully conducted six flight tests of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system.

• The flight tests of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system have been conducted from Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.
• The flight tests have been carried out against high-speed aerial targets as part of the evaluation trials by the Indian Army.
• The data captured by many range instruments like Telemetry, Radar and Electro-Optical Tracking Systems (EOTS), confirmed the performance of the system.
• These tests were conducted under deployment of all indigenously-developed sub-systems, including the missile with indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker, mobile launcher, fully automated command and control system, surveillance and multi-function Radars.
• QRSAM (Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system)
  • It is a short-range Surface-Air Missile (SAM) system that is designed to protect the Army's moving armoured from aerial attack.
  • The uniqueness of the QRSAM weapon system is that it can operate in a moving position. It has the capability to search and track capability & fire on short halt.
  • QRSAM weapon system will be very useful in enhancing the strength of the armed forces.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. PM Modi addressed the 7^th Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok through video conferencing.

• The Eastern Economic Forum 2022 took place from 5–8 September 2022 in the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) campus in Vladivostok.
• In his speech, Prime Minister Modi stated that India is prepared to bolster its relationships with Russia on Arctic subjects.
• He said that there is immense scope for enhancing cooperation in the field of energy.
• In the Eastern Economic Forum in 2019, he had announced India's Act Far-East policy.
• As a result, India’s cooperation with the Russian Far East has increased in many fields.
• India was the first country to open a consulate in Vladivostok. The 30^th anniversary of the establishment has been completed.
• Russia is the largest investment destination for Indian oil and gas companies.
• Eastern Economic Forum (EEF):
  • It was established by Vladimir Putin in 2015.
  • It is a key international platform for establishing and strengthening ties within the Russian and global investment communities.
  • It is held each year since 2015 in Vladivostok, Russia.

Topic: Space and IT

14. NASA’s Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument generated oxygen on Mars.

• The Mars oxygen in-situ resource utilisation experiment (MOXIE) instrument has successfully produced oxygen from the atmosphere of Mars.
• MOXIE instrument is part of NASA’s Perseverance rover mission.
• As per a report, the MOXIE instrument has been successful in producing oxygen equivalent to a tree in all seasons of Mars.
• The instrument has produced oxygen in different environmental conditions on Mars during the seven experimental runs.
• MOXIE has achieved the target of producing oxygen six grams per hour in each run.
• MOXIE instrument has used the “in-situ resource utilization” method for producing oxygen.
• The current version of the instrument is very small and is for shorter periods.
• The non-availability of oxygen on other planets forces rockets to carry oxygen from Earth, which increases the payload.