GK Today September-2022 Current Affairs

Current Affairs Articles Compilation [PDF] - September, 2022
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Current Affairs Articles Compilation [PDF] - September, 2022
Contents
......................... .... ...... ....... ... . . ......................................................
News Headlines ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
September 1, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 3
September 2, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 3
September 3, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 4
September 4, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 5
September 5, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 5
September 6, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 6
September 7, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 7
September 8, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 7
September 9, 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 8
September 10, 2022 ..................................................................................................................................... 9
September 11, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 10
September 12, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 10
September 13, 2022 ..................................................................................................................................... 11
September 14, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 12
September 15, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 12
September 16, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 13
September 17, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 13
September 18, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 14
September 19, 2022 .................................................................................................................................... 15
September 20, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 16
September 23, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 17
September 24, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 18
September 25, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 18
September 26, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 19
September 27, 2022 .................................................................................................................................. 20
September 28, 2022 ................................................................................................................................... 21
September 29, 2022 .................................................................................................................................. 22
September 30, 2022 .................................................................................................................................. 23
September 1, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................. 24
MoU for promotion of 'One Herb, One Standard' ............................................................................. 24
ICMR study on snakebites- Highlights ................................................................................................... 25
Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS) ...................................................................................................... 25
India-Nepal MoU on Biodiversity Conservation .................................................................................. 26
NSO Data on India's GDP Rate in Q1 ................................................................................................... 26
Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022 .................................................................................................................. 27
DPIIT interactive dashboard for user associations .............................................................................. 28
India’s first indigenously developed qHPV against cervical cancer .................................................. 29
GST revenue up 28% year-on-year in August .................................................................................... 29
September 2, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Vostok Military Exercise ............................................................................................................................ 30
Nuakhai agricultural festival begins in Odisha ...................................................................................... 31
CAPF e-Awas Portal ................................................................................................................................... 31
2 September : World Coconut Day ........................................................................................................ 32
AICTE- Adobe Partnership on Digital Skilling ..................................................................................... 33
© 2022 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | https://www.gktoday.in | For printed books & notes visit GKTBOOKS.COM 2
Meghalaya : Rural Backyard Piggery Scheme ...................................................................................... 34
Ghatiana Dwivarna: New Crab Species ................................................................................................. 34
Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy-2022 ......................................................................................................... 35
September 3, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................. 35
Synergy: CERT-In Cyber Security Exercise ........................................................................................... 35
UGC ‘e-Samadhan’ portal ......................................................................................................................... 36
WHO-UNICEF Report on Progress on WASH in health care facilities .......................................... 36
IMF $2.9bn deal to aid Sri Lanka ........................................................................................................... 37
Indian Navy's new ensign ......................................................................................................................... 38
Tejas Mark-2 Project ................................................................................................................................. 39
Additional safety requirements in battery standards ........................................................................... 39
India becomes world's fifth-largest economy ...................................................................................... 40
September 5, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................. 41
5 September: National Teachers Day ..................................................................................................... 41
5 September: International Day of Charity observed .......................................................................... 41
Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PBC) wins 68th edition of Nehru Trophy Boat Race ......................... 42
Scheme for 'Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks' ....................................................................................... 42
Ladakh Night Sky Sanctuary .................................................................................................................... 43
2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients .......................................................................................... 44
VentuRISE: Karnataka Startup Challenge .............................................................................................. 45
India set to become 3rd largest economy by 2030 ............................................................................ 45
September 6, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................ 45
Japan's war on floppy disks ...................................................................................................................... 45
Liz Truss elected as Britain's new Prime Minister .............................................................................. 46
BSF Drone Tear Smoke Launcher ......................................................................................................... 47
NGT fines West Bengal for waste management failure .................................................................... 47
Mascot & anthem for 36th National Games ........................................................................................ 48
30th Southern Zonal Council Meeting .................................................................................................. 49
NASA - Eyes on the Solar System Tool : 7 GK & Current Affairs Facts ...................................... 49
ISRO tests Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator ................................................................................... 50
September 7, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................. 51
September 7: International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies - Update (September, 2022) ....... 51
Delhi model School Plan' in Tamil Nadu ............................................................................................... 51
James Webb telescope captures 'Super-Jupiter' : 5 GK & Current Affairs Facts .......................... 52
Rajasthan Job guarantee scheme : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts .................................................. 53
Chile rejects new Constitution ................................................................................................................. 53
PM-SHRI Yojana : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts ............................................................................. 54
Committee to draft National Cooperation Policy ................................................................................ 55
3 Indian Cities in UNESCO Network of Learning Cities ................................................................... 56
September 8, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................ 56
Moody's retains India's Baa3 rating with stable outlook ................................................................... 57
8 September: International Literacy Day observed - Update (September, 2022) ....................... 57
Indian Army Chief conferred honorary rank of Nepal Army General ........................................... 58
India's first intra-nasal Corona vaccine: GK & Current Affairs Facts .............................................. 58
Maitree Super Thermal Power Project : 7 GK & Current Affairs Facts ........................................ 59
Status Report on India's External Debt 2021-22 ................................................................................. 60
Google Doodle pays tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika ......................................................................... 60
India- UK conduct Counter Ransomware Exercise ............................................................................. 61
September 9, 2022 ............................................................................................................................................ 62
September 9 : Himalaya Day ................................................................................................................... 62
Kirit Parikh Committee to moderate gas prices .................................................................................. 62
Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST) Initiative ............................................. 63
September 9 : World EV Day .................................................................................................................. 64
Queen Elizabeth II dies : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts .................................................................. 64
September 9 : International Day to Protect Education from Attack ............................................... 65
Kerala: Expert committee to study human rabies deaths .................................................................. 66
What is ‘Human Organ Transportation Drone’? ................................................................................ 66
September 10, 2022 .......................................................................................................................................... 67
Neeraj Chopra becomes Diamond League champion ....................................................................... 67
September 10: World Suicide Prevention Day ..................................................................................... 68
Inauguration of 'Kartavya Path' ............................................................................................................... 68
Fortune India Rich List 2022 ................................................................................................................... 69
UNDP Human Development Index ........................................................................................................ 70
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ......................................................................................... 70
TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan ‘Ni-kshay 2.0’ portal ................................................................................... 71
September 12, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................... 72
September 12: International Day for South-South Cooperation ...................................................... 72
What is Operation London Bridge? ........................................................................................................ 73
Taragiri: Third stealth frigate under Project 17A ................................................................................ 73
Gayaji Dam: India’s longest rubber dam on Falgu river .................................................................... 74
US Open Tennis Tournament 2022- Winners .................................................................................... 75
US Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test ...................................................................... 75
Indian Army Exercise Parvat Prahar ....................................................................................................... 76
NITI Aayog: Approval of beneficiaries under PLI Scheme ............................................................... 76
September 13, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................... 77
Kibithu military garrison named after Gen Bipin Rawat ................................................................... 77
National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition ............................................................................. 78
India’s Retail Inflation in August 2022 .................................................................................................. 78
FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report ................................. 79
Reintroduction of Cheetahs at Kuno National Park ........................................................................... 80
Decline in Per Capita Government Spending on Healthcare ............................................................ 81
“Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” report ...................................................................................... 81
Dr Renee Wegrzyn appointed as the director of ARPA-H ................................................................ 82
HDFC – first to issue electronic bank guarantee ................................................................................ 83
Naga Mircha Festival ................................................................................................................................. 83
Climate tipping point ................................................................................................................................. 84
2022 SCO Summit ..................................................................................................................................... 85
September 14, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................... 85
Advocate Mukul Rohatgi reappointed as Attorney General for India ............................................ 85
National List of Essential Medicines ....................................................................................................... 86
September 14: Hindi Diwas ..................................................................................................................... 87
IRCTC to launch Navratri Special Tourist Train ................................................................................ 88
Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav ........................................................................................................................ 89
Damodaran Committee to boost PE/VC investments ....................................................................... 89
MeitY Startup Hub and Meta launch XR startup program .............................................................. 90
JIMEX 2022 .................................................................................................................................................. 91
UP builds highest number of Amrit Sarovars ....................................................................................... 92
Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program .............................................................. 93
September 15, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................... 93
Hughes-ISRO satellite internet service ................................................................................................... 93
Exercise Kakadu 2022 ............................................................................................................................... 94
Inclusion of tribes from 5 states in ST category .................................................................................. 95
Norway’s central bank digital currency ................................................................................................. 96
FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup 2022 ......................................................................................... 97
First Anniversary of Shoonya campaign ................................................................................................ 98
NCERT’s guidelines for early identification of mental health problems in students .................... 98
MEE-ZOO Report 2022 ........................................................................................................................... 99
Armenia and Azerbaijan clash at Lachin corridor ............................................................................. 100
September 15: National Engineer’s Day ................................................................................................ 101
September 16, 2022 .......................................................................................................................................... 101
World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 ....................................................................................... 101
September 15: International Day of Democracy ................................................................................ 102
Jharkhand increases reservations for SCs, STs, Others .................................................................... 103
World’s largest museum of Harappan culture in Rakhigarhi .......................................................... 104
Kantar BrandZ India 2022 ..................................................................................................................... 104
Roger Federer Retires .............................................................................................................................. 105
European Parliament: Hungary no longer a full democracy ........................................................... 106
ANGAN 2022 ........................................................................................................................................... 107
E-Baal Nidan portal revamped ............................................................................................................... 108
Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill ...................................................................................... 108
September 17, 2022 ......................................................................................................................................... 109
September 16: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer ................................. 109
UNEP launches Green Fins Hub ............................................................................................................ 110
Varanasi nominated as the first SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital ............................................... 111
India Discrimination Report 2022 .......................................................................................................... 112
Sova virus in India ...................................................................................................................................... 112
KRITAGYA 3.0 .......................................................................................................................................... 113
KVIC launches 72 units under PMEGP ................................................................................................ 114
National Logistics Policy ........................................................................................................................... 115
September 17: World Patient Safety Day .............................................................................................. 115
INSPIRE Awards conferred to 53,021 students across India ........................................................... 116
September 19, 2022 .......................................................................................................................................... 117
Nine District Disability rehabilitation centres upgraded across India ............................................. 117
International Equal Pay Day .................................................................................................................... 118
Poland opens new canal across the Vistula Spit .................................................................................. 118
Amendment of Foreign Trade Policy of India for Rupee Settlement ............................................ 119
India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline ................................................................................................... 120
UAE to launch its first lunar rover in November ............................................................................... 120
9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture ................................................................................................................................... 121
Global Registry of Fossil Fuels ................................................................................................................ 122
Indian Government to set up panel to study status of SC converts to Islam and Christianity
................................................................................................................................................................ 123
Market-Based Economic Dispatch (MBED) mechanism ................................................................. 123
September 20, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 124
Congo Basin Forests - State of the Forests 2021 ............................................................................... 124
Lassa fever in Nigeria ............................................................................................................................... 125
World’s First Cloned Arctic Wolf .......................................................................................................... 126
77th session of the United Nations General Assembly .................................................................... 126
RBI asks large UCBs to set up Board-approved policy, compliance function ............................. 127
IDMC-ADB report: southwest monsoon lasting longer, displacing millions in South Asia ..... 128
NASA’s Perseverance finds organic matter on Mars ........................................................................ 129
InSight lander detects space rocks hitting Mars ................................................................................ 130
India’s presidency of AIBD extended for one year ............................................................................ 130
Soviet Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov passes away ................................................................................ 131
September 21, 2022 .......................................................................................................................................... 132
Centre notifies new medical device rules ............................................................................................. 132
Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 ................................................................................... 133
New Framework for Social Stock Exchange ...................................................................................... 133
“The Merge” of the Ethereum ............................................................................................................... 134
ECI seeks restrictions on cash donations to political parties ............................................................ 135
Bru Agreement .......................................................................................................................................... 136
September 21: International Day of Peace ........................................................................................... 136
India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) receives UN Award ................................................. 137
ADB releases updated Asian Development Outlook ......................................................................... 138
Global Fintech Fest 2022 ........................................................................................................................ 139
September 22, 2022 ......................................................................................................................................... 139
First Advance Estimates of production of major kharif crops ........................................................ 139
Ambedkar Circuit ..................................................................................................................................... 140
Nanoplastics in human food chain ......................................................................................................... 141
SCALE app ................................................................................................................................................. 142
300 in Wipro fired for moonlighting ................................................................................................... 142
Export Promotion Council (EPC) for Medical Devices .................................................................... 143
Virtual autopsy ........................................................................................................................................... 144
Draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, 2022 ...................................................................................... 145
Gujarat Government withdraws Cattle Control Bill ......................................................................... 146
FSSAI releases draft notification on Indian Nutrition Rating .......................................................... 146
September 23, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 147
Global Financial Centres Index .............................................................................................................. 147
US Senate ratifies Kigali Amendment .................................................................................................. 148
REC Limited accorded Maharatna status ............................................................................................ 149
September 23: International Day of Sign Languages - Update (September, 2022) .................. 150
Sri Lanka's inflation spikes to 70.2% .................................................................................................... 151
Convergence Portal between AIF, PMFME scheme & PMKSY ....................................................... 151
Defence ministry contract for BrahMos missiles ................................................................................ 152
Committee for pharma marketing practices ....................................................................................... 153
Breakthrough Prizes 2023- Winners .................................................................................................... 154
September 24, 2022 ......................................................................................................................................... 155
SRESTHA- Gujarat Project ..................................................................................................................... 155
Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020 ............................................................. 155
India exports first contingent of plant-based meat products ........................................................... 156
QUAD inks HADR Partnership Guidelines ......................................................................................... 157
Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries ......................................................... 158
Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA) ........................................................................................................... 158
China discovers new type of mineral on Moon ................................................................................. 159
September 25, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 160
Fridays for Future Campaign ................................................................................................................. 160
Banking System Liquidity turns to deficit mode ................................................................................. 161
September 26, 2022 ......................................................................................................................................... 161
Sign Learn – Indian Sign Language Dictionary .................................................................................. 161
Food Barons 2022 report ....................................................................................................................... 162
IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022 ............................................................................................. 164
Real-Time Train Information System ................................................................................................... 165
September 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons ..................... 165
Rhino Memorial in Kaziranga National Park ...................................................................................... 166
Operation Megh Chakra ......................................................................................................................... 167
National Conference of Environment Ministers ................................................................................. 168
Swachh Toycathon Competition ........................................................................................................... 169
September 27, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 170
Make in India completes 8 years .......................................................................................................... 170
September 27: World Tourism Day ...................................................................................................... 171
Italy’s first female premier ....................................................................................................................... 172
Khosta-2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 173
Bathukamma .............................................................................................................................................. 173
ADB to provide 14 billion USD aid for food security in Asia Pacific ............................................ 174
Honeybees capable of parity categorization ........................................................................................ 175
Mega fair on research and development ............................................................................................. 176
TamiraSES project .................................................................................................................................... 177
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill ............................................................ 177
New Target under National Clean Air Programme ......................................................................... 178
September 28, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 179
JALDOOT App ......................................................................................................................................... 179
Extension of Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 - Update (September, 2022) ................................. 180
AVGAS 100 LL .......................................................................................................................................... 181
Livestreaming of Constitutional Bench Proceedings .......................................................................... 181
Popular Front of India .............................................................................................................................. 182
September 28: International Day for Universal Access to Information - Update (September,
2022) ................................................................................................................................................... 183
HAL’s Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility ........................................................... 184
Redevelopment of 3 major railway stations ........................................................................................ 185
Ayushman Utkrishta Awards 2022 ....................................................................................................... 185
Extension of PMGKAY Scheme ............................................................................................................ 186
September 29, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 187
Lt. General Anil Chauhan becomes next CDS ................................................................................... 187
Encyclopedia of Tribes in Odisha .......................................................................................................... 188
DRDO successfully tests VSHORADS missile .................................................................................... 189
September 29: World Heart Day .......................................................................................................... 189
SC-ST Hub Conclave .............................................................................................................................. 190
Kerala’s Draft Industrial Policy ............................................................................................................... 191
Uttar Pradesh’s fourth tiger reserve ...................................................................................................... 192
Hurricane Ian ............................................................................................................................................. 192
NASA’s DART hits asteroid ................................................................................................................... 193
Duare Ration Scheme declared void .................................................................................................... 194
September 30, 2022 ........................................................................................................................................ 195
WHO, ILO global guidelines on mental health ................................................................................... 195
Vande Bharat 2.0 ...................................................................................................................................... 195
R Venkataramani: New Attorney General of India ........................................................................... 196
World’s first CNG terminal .................................................................................................................... 197
India Tourism Statistics 2022 ................................................................................................................ 198
Global Innovation Index 2022 ............................................................................................................... 198
State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in South Asia and the HKH Region ................. 199
SC Order on Legal Abortion ................................................................................................................. 200
Icaria: new catfish species ....................................................................................................................... 201
RBI Monetary Policy Committee Meeting – Highlights .................................................................. 202
News Headlines
September 1, 2022
Here are Today’s News Headlines by GK Today for September 1, 2022
INDIA
– 82 murders a day, 11 kidnappings, abduction every hour across the country in 2021:
NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) report
– Filmfare Awards given in Mumbai; ‘Shershaah’ wins Best Film award; Ranveer Singh:
best actor for ‘83, Kriti Sanon: best actress for ‘Mimi’
– Govt approves signing of MoU with Nepal on biodiversity conservation
– Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launches Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS); students from
across the country eligible for admission
– CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) hosts Cyber Security Exercise
“Synergy” for 13 countries
– Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav addresses opening ceremony of the G20
environmental and climate ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Govt approves disposal of pulses to States and UTs at discounted rates for various
welfare schemes
– BCCI is a ‘shop’, provisions of Employees State Insurance Act applicable: Supreme Court
– Arbitrators can’t decide their fees without consulting parties, says SC
– ONGC gets Rajesh Kumar Srivastava as third interim chairman in a row
– India’s core sector output growth slows to six-month low of 4.5% in July
– India’s Q1FY23 GDP grows 13.5%, fastest in a year: Govt data
– Govt scraps sale of PSU Central Electronics Ltd (CEL) to Nandal Finance & Leasing
WORLD
– Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader who ended cold war, dies at 91
– UN celebrates International Day for People of African Descent on August 31
– Bangladesh imports 36 F-7BGI aircraft from China
– Japan PM Fumio Kishida apologizes for his party’s (Liberal Democratic Party) church
links, will cut ties
– Twitter introduces Circle globally, allows users to make smaller groups
September 2, 2022
INDIA
– WCD Ministry’s Rashtriya Poshan Maah begins across India with key focus on “Mahila
aur Swasthya” and “Bacha aur Shiksha”
– Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announces India’s first indigenously developed vaccine,
“CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer
– Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri presents Smart Solutions
Challenge & Inclusive Cities Awards 2022, in New Delhi
– Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launches “CAPF eAWAS” web portal in
New Delhi
– Vasudha Gupta assumes charge as DG, AIR News
– Ravi Capoor relieved of duties as Sansad TV CEO; Utpal Singh, currently holding the post
of Secretary General Lok Sabha, will additionally discharge the functions of CEO Sansad TV
– Kerala Assembly passed the contentious University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, which
would result in curtailing the powers of the Governor as Chancellor of state universities
– NIA announces Rs 25 lakh reward for information on gangster Dawood Ibrahim, a key
accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts
– Delhi reverts to old excise policy as 300 govt-run liquor vends open
– ‘The Architect of the New BJP: How Narendra Modi Transformed the Party’, book by
journalist Ajay Singh, released
– Delhi Police is first force to make collection of forensic evidence mandatory in crimes
punishable by more than six years
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) launches Pharma Sahi Daam 2.0 app
– Cabinet Committee on Security approves Tejas Mark-2 fighter jet Project
– India’s urban unemployment rate at 7.6% in April-June quarter: Periodic Labour Force
Survey (PLFS)
WORLD
– India participating in multi-nation Exercise Vostok 2022 being held in Russia from Sept 1
to 7
– UNHRC says extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghurs and others in China may
constitute crimes against humanity
– Russia completely halts gas supplies to Europe via major pipeline, citing maintenance
September 3, 2022
INDIA
– PM commissions first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited
in Kochi
– PM unveils new Naval Ensign ‘Nishaan’ at Cochin Shipyard in Kochi
– Karnataka: PM launches, lays foundation for projects worth Rs 38,000 cr in Mangaluru
– Foreign Minister S Jaishankar co-chairs 14th India-UAE Joint Commission in Abu Dhabi
– Over 99% of India’s population breathes air that exceeds WHO’s PM2.5 guidelines:
Greenpeace India
– PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organises Education Summit in New Delhi
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India’s external debt rises 8.2% to USD 620.7 billion till March 2022: finance ministry
– India’s foreign exchange reserves decline to $561.046 billion in the week ending Aug 26
– RBI issues new digital lending guidelines for banks, lenders to protect borrowers
– RBI takes up project to digitise farm loan delivery under Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme
– Adani Enterprises to enter Nifty 50 index from September 30 in place of Shree Cement.
– Yamuna Kumar Chaubey gets charge of NHPC chairman and managing director
WORLD
– Team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reaches Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
plant in southern Ukraine
– World Coconut Day observed September 2
– NASA captures 1st direct image of exoplanet outside our solar system using James Webb
Space Telescope
– Former Reckitt head Laxman Narasimhan is new CEO of Starbucks
SPORTS
– Former footballer Kalyan Chaubey elected as new President of All India Football
Federation
September 4, 2022
INDIA
– Govt to set up country’s first-ever Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh to boost Astro tourism
– Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chairs the 30th Southern Zonal Council
meeting in Thiruvananthapuram
– Five JD(U) MLAs merge with ruling BJP in Manipur
– Supreme Court Judge Justice DY Chandrachud nominated as Executive Chairman of
National Legal Services Authority
– Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurates
‘Swasth Sabal Bharat’ Conclave; emphasizes on ‘Jan Bhagidari’ to encourage people for
organ donation
– National Green Tribunal (NGT) slaps Rs 3,500 cr penalty on WB govt for huge gap in
waste management
– Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla unveils bust of Indian freedom fighter Dr Pandurang
Khankhoje at Chapingo University in Mexico
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India has overtaken the UK to become world’s fifth-largest economy
WORLD
– Sri Lanka’s ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns from Thailand; had fled country on
July 13
– Russia scraps deadline to resume gas flows to Europe via Nord Stream 1 pipeline
– G7 finance ministers agree to impose price cap on Russian oil: US Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen
SPORTS
– Delhi Football’s Shaji Prabhakaran appointed new secretary general of AIFF
September 5, 2022
INDIA
– ISRO tests system to recover spent rocket stages; Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator
successfully test-flown by VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) on a Rohini-300 sounding

rocket
– Former Kerala Health Minister K. K. Shailaja rejects Ramon Magsaysay award offered to
her for her contributions to preventing COVID-19 and Nipah virus, says it was a collective
effort
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Former Tata group chairman Cyrus Mistry, 54, dies in car accident on Mumbai-
Ahmedabad route
WORLD
– IAEA says, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses link to main power line
– UN Secretary-General Guterres appoints former Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva
as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
– China & Japan ground ferries, flights as Typhoon Hinnamnor approaches
– Former U.S. President Barack Obama wins Emmy for narrating documentary series ‘Our
Great National Parks’
SPORTS
– Kerala: Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PBC) wins 68th edition of Nehru Trophy Boat Race in
Punnamada lake in Alappuzha
– Pune: Odisha Juggernauts beat Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in final to win Ultimate Kho Kho
tournament
– Max Verstappen of Red Bull wins Formula One Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort
– Japan Open badminton in Osaka: Home favourites Kenta Nishimoto (men’s) and Akane
Yamaguchi (women’s) win singles titles
– India’s Aravindh Chithambaram wins Dubai Open chess tournament
– Let’s roar Savaj, the mascot for 36th National Games to be held in Gujarat from Sept. 27,
unveiled
– Asia Cup Cricket: Pakistan (182/5 in 19.5) beats India (181/7 in 20) by 5 wickets in T20I at
Dubai
– 6th All India Prison Duty Meet sports being held in Ahmedabad on September 4-6
September 6, 2022
INDIA
– Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren wins confidence motion with 48 votes in 81-member
Assembly, BJP stages walkout
– PM announces development and upgradation of 14,500 schools across the country
under PM-SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India) Yojana
– President Droupadi Murmu confers National Awards to distinguished teachers on
Teachers Day
– UGC launches new research fellowship and research grants schemes on Teachers Day
– Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina holds talks with the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
in New Delhi
– Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari confers honorary title to Indian Army chief Gen.
Manoj Pande in Kathmandu
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– CCI clears Prosus-backed PayU’s $4.7-billion acquisition of BillDesk
– Krishnan Sankarasubramaniam takes over as Tamilnad Mercantile Bank MD & CEO
– India to celebrate National Cinema Day on September 16 says Multiplex Association of
India (MAI), tickets priced at Rs 75
WORLD
– UK: Foreign Minister Liz Truss elected new leader of the governing Conservative Party,
becomes next PM of Britain
– Afghanistan: Two Russian diplomats killed along with several locals in blast outside
Russian embassy in Kabul
– China: 6.8-magnitude earthquake hits Sichuan Province, 21 killed
– International Day of Charity observed on September 5; death anniversary of Mother
Teresa of Calcutta
September 7, 2022
INDIA
PM Modi and Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina jointly unveil Unit-I of Maitree Power
Project; 2 countries ink 7 MoUs
– Warangal in Telangana, Thrissur and Nilambur in Kerala join UNESCO Global Network of
Learning Cities (GNLC)
– India’s first inter nasal COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech gets DCGI approval for
emergency use
– Chief Justice of India, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit inaugurates NALSA’s Centre for Citizen
Services in New Delhi
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets his Mongolian counterpart Saikhanbayar Gursed
in Ulaanbaatar
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Moody’s retains India’s sovereign credit rating at Baa3 with stable outlook
– Government sets up Kirit Parikh committee to moderate gas prices
– Centre releases revenue deficit grant of Rs 7,183 cr to 14 states
– Centre announces constitution of National level Committee for drafting of National
Cooperation Policy under the Chairmanship of former Union Minister, Suresh Prabhu
WORLD
– Queen Elizabeth II appoints Liz Truss as Britain’s new Prime Minister
September 8, 2022
INDIA
– New Delhi: Rajpath to be called ‘Kartavya Path’ now as NDMC Council passes proposal
– Cabinet approves Rs 27,360-crore for PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) covering
over 14,000 schools across the country
– Karnataka minister Umesh Katti dies at 61 in Bengaluru
– Bhojpuri folk artiste Ram Chandra Manjhi dies at 97 in Patna
– Mongolia: President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh gifts horse ‘Tejas’ to Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– 14th CII Global MedTech Summit organised in New Delhi
– Cabinet approves policy on long-term leasing of Railways’ land; lease period increased
from 5 to 35 years, fee cut from 6% to 1.5%
– Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal launches SETU (Supporting
Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskilling) initiative in San Fransico to connect
startups in India to US-based investors
– Bangladesh: Cargo vessel on trial run from Kolkata port arrives at Chattogram Port
– India, Bangladesh sign agreements on training employees and IT collaboration to
deepen railway cooperation
– Cabinet clears 2nd phase of Kochi Metro Rail project costing Rs 1,957 crore
– India and UK conduct Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 nations
WORLD
– Britain’s new PM Liz Truss appoints Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary
– 7th Eastern Economic Forum being held in Vladivostok, Russia from Sept 5 to 8; theme:
‘On the Path to a Multipolar World’
– Pakistan floods: Rains damage 5000-year-old ruins of Mohenjo Daro in Sindh province
near the Indus River
– International Day of Clean Air for blue skies observed on Sept 7, theme: “The Air We
Share”
September 9, 2022
INDIA
– PM inaugurates ‘Kartavya Path’ – a stretch of the Central Vista from the Rashtrapati
Bhavan to India Gate in New Delhi
¬– PM unveils 28-feet tall granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate in
New Delhi
¬– Indian, Chinese troops begin disengagement process from Gogra-Hotsprings (PP-15)
area in Eastern Ladakh
¬– DRDO & Indian Army conduct six flight-tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile
system off Odisha coast
¬– Second India-Japan 2 Plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue held in Tokyo; participants: Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Japan’s Foreign
Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defence Minister Hamada Yasukazu
¬– PM addresses inauguration ceremony of ‘Kalam no Carnival’ Book Fair organised by

Navbharat Sahitya Mandir in Ahmedabad via video message
¬– Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina confers Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Scholarship on Indian students in New Delhi
¬– India ranks 132 out of 191 in UNDP’s Human Development Index
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
¬– Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah addresses two-day National
Conference of State Cooperation Ministers in New Delhi
¬– Govt to set up 300 cargo terminals under PM Gati Shakti framework over next 4-5 years:
Railways Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw
¬– Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra
Pradhan participates in the India Ideas Summit organised by US-India Business Council
WORLD
¬– US govt. approves sale of F-16 fighter jets worth USD 450 million to Pakistan
¬– International Literacy Day celebrated on Sept 8; theme: ‘Transforming Literacy
Learning Spaces’
¬– World Physiotherapy Day celebrated on Sept 8; theme: ‘Prevention and Management of
Osteoarthritis’
September 10, 2022
INDIA
– President Droupadi Murmu launches Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
– Army, Air Force conduct joint exercise ‘Gagan strike’ in Punjab
– Managing Director of IMF Kristalina Georgieva calls on President Murmu in Delhi
– PM Modi holds telephonic conversation with Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Store
– Refurbished Central Vista Avenue thrown open to the public
– CM Conrad K. Sangma launches ‘Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act’ portal
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– ¬NITI Aayog approves 32 beneficiaries under PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) scheme
for large-scale electronics manufacturing
– Railways invite private players to build high-speed wheel plant under Make in India
initiative
– Piyush Goyal takes part in the first in-person Ministerial meeting of the Indo-Pacific
Economic Forum in Los Angeles
– India’s foreign exchange reserves decline by $7.9 billion to $553.11 billion in week ended
Sept 2
– World EV (Electric Vehicles) day observed on Sept 9
WORLD
– International Day to Protect Education from Attack observed on September 9
– Britain’s longest-reigning monarch ¬Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96; her eldest son Charles
ascends to the throne as King Charles III
– Austria’s Volker Turk appointed as next UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
SPORTS
– Neeraj Chopra wins men’s javelin throw gold at Zurich Diamond League athletics with a
throw of 88.44 metres
September 11, 2022
INDIA
– PM Modi speaks to his UK counterpart Elizabeth Truss on phone
– Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announces holding of Swachh Amrit Mahotsav from
Sept 17 to Oct 2
– National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India being held at
Bhubaneswar in Odisha on Sept 10-11
– Indian Embassy in Beijing issues advisory for students seeking medical degree from
China; those who wish to seek admission for undergraduate clinical medicine programme
in China are required to obtain a license to practice medicine in China before they appear
for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE) in India
– PM inaugurates 2-day ‘Centre-State Science Conclave’ in Ahmedabad via video
conferencing
– India’s eastern-most military garrison of Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh named after Gen
Bipin Rawat
– Chhattisgarh: CM Bhupesh Baghel inaugurates 2 more districts: Manendragarh-Chirmiri-
Bharatpur and Sakti, takes total to 33
– Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel unveils ‘Cinematic Tourism Policy’
– Renowned archaeologist Braj Basi Lal dies at 101
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India stays out of Trade Policy Pillar at IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Forum)– Piyush Goyal
addresses event hosted by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Los Angeles
WORLD
– King Charles III proclaimed Britain’s new monarch
– UK: King Charles III names William and Kate as the Prince and Princess of Wales
September 12, 2022
INDIA
– Navy launches stealth frigate Taragiri, built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, in Mumbai
– President Droupadi Murmu nominates Gulam Ali from J&K to Rajya Sabha
– Rajasthan launches ‘Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme’ to provide 100 days of
employment in a year to families residing in urban areas
– India signs MoU with Gulf Cooperation Council to facilitate consultation
– External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addresses diplomats at the Prince Saud Al Faisal
Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Riyadh.
– Army conducts Exercise Parvat Prahar in Ladakh sector
– Centre fixes total number of seats in Municipal Corporation of Delhi at 250

– Veteran actor and former union minister Krishnam Raju dies aged 83 in Hyderabad
– Dwarka peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati dies at 99 in
Narasinghpur (MP)
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Two-day National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition begins in Kota, Rajasthan
– Production of Vande Bharat train to begun from October: Railways Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw
– Centre imposes 20% duty on rice exports of various grades
BUSINESSLINE CHANGEMAKER AWARDS
– Presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi in six categories
– Changemaker of the year: Bharat Biotech
– Iconic Changemaker of the year: Mithali Raj
– Changemaker Digital Transformation Award: DeHaat
– Changemaker Financial Transformation Award: Zerodha
– Changemaker Social Transformation Award: Ramesh Raliya
– Young Changemaker Award: Akash Singh and Prachi Shevgaonkar
WORLD
– Russia announces troop pullback from two areas in Kharkiv region of Ukraine
– Last reactor at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant stopped says operator Energoatom
– 3 dead after 7.6 earthquake hits remote part of Papua New Guinea
SPORTS
– US Open tennis in New York: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (men’s), Poland’s Iga Swiatek
(women’s) win singles titles
– Max Verstappen of Red Bull wins Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza
– Sri Lanka (170/6) defeat Pakistan (147/10) by 23 runs in final at Dubai to win Asia Cup
– Karnataka win 75th Senior National Aquatic Championships held in Guwahati
September 13, 2022
INDIA
– EAM Jaishankar calls on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hands over PM
Modi’s written message
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– International Conference on Green Ship Recycling & Vehicle Scrapping held at
Gandhinagar, Gujarat
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the Indian Army Logistics Seminar in New
Delhi
– International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit 2022 being held in Greater Noida
from Sept 12 to 15; theme: ‘Dairy for Nutrition and Livelihood’
– Government health expenditure fell from 1.35% of GDP in 2017-18 to 1.28% in 2018-19
– IIT-Madras becomes first Indian institution to join IBM Quantum Network
– IIM-Bangalore declared India’s best B-school in Financial Times (FT) Masters in

Management (MiM) Ranking 2022
– Retail inflation rises to 7% in August
– Industrial growth, as measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), at 2.4% in July
WORLD
– UN says 50 million people stuck in modern slavery
– Spanish writer Javier Marias died in Madrid at 70
– International Day for South-South Cooperation observed on September 12
September 14, 2022
INDIA
– India, China complete disengagement process in eastern Ladakh sector
– Japan-India Maritime Exercise begins in Bay of Bengal on September 11
– India to assume the Presidency of G20 for one year from Dec 1
– Indian Navy to participate in Exercise Kakadu – 2022 hosted by Royal Australian Navy
– Sibi George named the next Indian ambassador to Japan
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Vedanta & Taiwan’s Foxconn Group to set up semiconductor unit in Gujarat
– Govt sets up expert committee on boosting venture capital/private equity investments
– 384 medicines under National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)
– FICCI commits to adopt 100,000 patients under TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
WORLD
– Armenia says 49 soldiers killed in attacks by Azerbaijan
– Jean-Luc Godard, French director of New Wave movement of the 1960s, dies at 91
September 15, 2022

INDIA
– Govt clears proposal to grant ST status to several communities in 5 states
– Safe to consume milk from cattle infected by Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) as it is not
transmissible from animals to humans: Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI),
Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand
– 6 Pakistani nationals held with drugs worth Rs 200 crore in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat
coast
– J&K: 11 dead as mini bus plunges into deep gorge in Poonch district
– Goa: 8 out of 11 Congress MLAs to join BJP
– Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk meets with PM Modi in Delhi
– S. Jaishankar holds talks with France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in New Delhi
– J&K: Indian Navy revives training centre at Manasbal lake after 33 years
– Hindi Diwas celebrated on September 14
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Banks exempt from 10% TDS on one-time loan settlements, waivers: CBDT
– Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation declines to 12.41% in August
WORLD
– Israeli Army officer, 2 Palestinian militants killed in shootout at West Bank
– Pakistan: 5 dead including a peace panel member in blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province
– Flights halted as typhoon Muifa approaches northeast China coast
– Close to 100 soldiers killed in fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-
Karabakh region
– German government sells its last shares in Lufthansa airline
– Denmark: World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 held in Copenhagen
September 16, 2022
INDIA
– Online portal “E-Baal Nidan” for redressal of grievances against violation of child rights
revamped by NCPCR
– BSF’s first female camel riding squad ready to be deployed along India-Pakistan border
in Rajasthan and Gujarat
– Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launches Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’
Programme for students of class 1 to 5
– Tamil Nadu govt. starts free breakfast scheme for govt. school students of Classes 1 to 5
– Jharkhand raises reservations in govt jobs for SC, ST, others to 77%
– Engineer’s Day celebrated in India on September 15
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Chairs 26th meeting of Financial Stability and
Development Council
– SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) elects Vinod Aggarwal of Volvo
Eicher Commercial Vehicles as its new president
WORLD
– Sweden: PM Magdalena Andersson announces resignation after losing election
– International Day of Democracy observed on September 15
– World Lymphoma Awareness Day observed on September 15
SPORTS
– Vinesh Phogat wins bronze in women’s 53kg at World Wrestling Championships in
Belgrade
September 17, 2022
INDIA
– USAID and UNICEF launch Doordarshan and YouTube series titled ‘Door Se Namaste’ to
promote healthy behaviours in a post-pandemic world
– Bill to help SC/ST appeal against refusal to issue caste certificate passed in West Bengal
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Govt permits invoicing, payment and settlement of trade in rupee
– Govt slashes windfall profit tax on domestic crude oil, ATF, diesel export
– Govt. revises paid-up capital and turnover thresholds for small companies to help reduce
compliance burden on more entities
– India’s foreign exchange reserves down $2.23 billion to $550.87 billion
– Central govt caps platform channels on DTH at 5% of total capacity
– NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) approves merger of Exide Life Insurance with
HDFC Life Insurance
– Holcim of Switzerland sells Ambuja Cements and ACC to Adani group for $6.4-billion
– Govt launches diabetes drug Sitagliptin, its combinations at Rs 60 per pack
– Industrialist Swati Piramal conferred France’s top civilian honour — The Chevalier de la
Legion d’Honneur or Knight of the Legion of Honour
– Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh presents INSPIRE awards to 60 Start-Ups and financial
support to 53,021 students
– Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses 75th Annual General Meeting of Indian
Banks’ Association in Mumbai
WORLD
– International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer observed on September 16;
theme: Montreal Protocol at 35: global cooperation protecting life on earth
– Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agree to order ceasefire and troop pullback following deadly
border conflict
– Varanasi nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital at the 2022 SCO
Summit
– 22nd Meeting of Council of Heads of State of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization)
held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
SPORTS
– Pranav Anand (15) becomes India’s 76th Chess Grandmaster
September 18, 2022
INDIA
– 8 cheetahs flown in from Namibia released into special enclosure in Kuno National Park
in MP
– Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar campaign culminates on International Coastal Clean-up
Day: Sept 17
– India achieves a new milestone in voluntary blood donation with nationwide mega Blood
Donation Camp held under Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav; more than 87,000 (87,137) people
voluntarily donated blood in a single day
– Cooperation Minister Amit Shah participates in the 75th Hyderabad Liberation Day
program in Telangana
– Congress leader and ex-Union Minister Manikrao Gavit passes away at 87 in

Maharashtra
– Aniket Doegar of Haqdarshak awarded 13th Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY)
Award-India given by Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social
Entrepreneurship
– Pratap Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media, elected chairman of ABC (Audit Bureau of
Circulations) for 2022-2023
– Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, and Vedanta BALCO Medical Centre, Raipur, sign MoU
for driving excellence in cancer care
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– PM launches National Logistics Policy that seeks to address challenges facing the
transport sector and bring down the logistics cost of businesses from 13-14 per cent to a
single digit
– KVIC launches 72 units under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme to
empower artisans
– MoS Anupriya Patel attends 10th EAS EMM (East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’
Meeting) in Siem Reap City, Cambodia
WORLD
– World Patient Safety Day observed on September 17; theme: “Medication without Harm”
– Army leaders from 24 nations belonging to Indo-Pacific region participate in the Indo-
Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) in Dhaka
September 19, 2022
INDIA
– National conference of tourism ministers of States & UTs being held in Dharamshala,
Himachal Pradesh on Sept 18-20
– Over 100,000 donate blood on Sept 17, creating world record as part of the fortnight-
long ‘Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav’
– 9 District Disability Rehabilitation centres (DDRCs) inaugurated across the country by Dr.
Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment
– Karnataka CM Basavraj Bommai launches diagnostic service Xpress Clinic
– Rajasthan to give 2% reservation to sportspersons in govt jobs: CM Ashok Gehlot
– Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) concludes in the Bay of Bengal
– Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh will lead the Joint Indian Ministerial Delegation of
Power, New and Renewable Energy and Science and Technology to America to take part in
Global Clean Energy Action Forum.
– President Droupadi Murmu offers tributes to Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in
London
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– ICAR signs tech transfer pact with Biovet for lumpy skin disease vaccine
WORLD
– Toronto International Film Festival: ‘The Fabelmans’, directed by Steven Spielberg, wins
People’s Choice Award
– Tsunami warnings issued after 6.8-magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan
– Typhoon Nanmadol bears down on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu
– Tropical storm Fiona becomes a hurricane, aims at Puerto Rico
– International Equal Pay Day celebrated on Sept 18; aims to bridge gender pay gap
SPORTS
– Football: Bengaluru FC win Durand Cup by defeating Mumbai City FC 2-1 in final at
Kolkata
– World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade: India’s Bajrang Punia wins bronze in men’s
65 kg
– Davis Cup tennis: Norway beat India 3-0 in World Group I tie at Lillehammer
– India’s Pranav Anand (Under-16) & A. R. Ilamparthi (Under-14) win titles at World Youth
Chess Championship in Romania
September 20, 2022
INDIA
– PM Modi meets Deputy PM and Finance Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong in New
Delhi
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls on President of Egypt Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in
Cairo
– Kazakhstan to host Conference on Confidence Building Measures and Interaction in Asia
(CICA) Summit in capital Astana on October 12-13; invites PM Modi
– President Droupadi Murmu meets King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London
– Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER G. Kishan Reddy addresses the Tourism
Ministers’ meeting of the BRICS member countries virtually
– Odisha BJP leader Bishnu Charan Sethi dies at 61 in Bhubaneswar
– Shri Panchkhand Peethadheeshwar Acharya Swami Dharmendra Maharaj dies in Jaipur
at 80
– Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh joins BJP, merges Punjab Lok Congress with BJP
– Manipur CM Biren Singh launches portal ‘CM da Haisi’ (Let’s inform the CM) to address
public grievances
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) amends regulations to boost value of
stressed companies
– 9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture being held in New Delhi from September 19 to 24
WORLD
– Ukraine says Russia strikes Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Mykolaiv region,
reactors undamaged
– 94 people killed in border clashes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

– Nigeria: Death toll from Lassa fever rises to 171 this year
– International World Snakebite Awareness Day observed on September 19
SPORTS
– WTA Chennai Open tennis: Linda Fruhvirtova (Czech Republic) wins singles; Luisa Stefani
(Brazil) & Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) win doubles
September 23, 2022
INDIA
– Defence Ministry signs deal for dual role (land as well as anti-ship) Surface-to-Surface
BrahMos missile with BAPL (BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd)
– NCC (National Cadet Corps), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) sign MoU
in New Delhi to tackle the issue of plastic pollution
– International Day of Sign Languages to be celebrated on Sept 23
– 10th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum) Trilateral Ministerial Commission
meeting held in New York
– 106 activists of PFI (Popular Front of India) arrested in raids by National Investigation
Agency (NIA) in 11 states over terror funding charges
– Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi unveils ‘Wall of Delhi’ mural depicting 75
historical sites
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– PSU REC accorded with ‘Maharatna’ company status
– UCO Bank becomes first lender to get RBI’s approval for rupee trade
– RBI cancels licence of Solapur-based Laxmi Co-operative Bank
– Over Rs 58,000 crore in taxes lost in 2019-20 due to illicit trade in FMCG, mobile, tobacco,
alcohol industry: FICCI report
– First consignment of plant-based meat products under Vegan food category exported to
USA from Gujarat
– Atul Chaturvedi elected as first chairman of Asian Palm Oil Alliance
WORLD
– Global Clean Energy Action Forum-2022 being held in Pittsburgh (US) on Sept 21-22
– International Space Station gets 3 new residents (I from US, 2 Russians) after Russian
Soyuz rocket launch from Kazakhstan
– US Senate ratifies international climate deal (Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal
Protocol on ozone pollution) to limit use of refrigerants
– Germany nationalises country’s largest gas importer Uniper for energy security against
the backdrop of Russia’s gas supply freeze
– Ukraine announces high-profile prisoner swap that frees Ukrainian fighters who
defended a steel plant in Mariupol during Russian siege
– New York tops Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI)
– World Rhino Day celebrated on September 22; theme: Five Rhino Species Forever
SPORTS
– Anil Khanna resigns as Indian Olympic Association acting president
– SC appoints ex-judge Justice L Nageswara Rao for amending constitution of IOA (Indian
Olympic Association)
September 24, 2022
INDIA
– National Conference of Environment Ministers of States being held in Kevadiya, Ekta
Nagar, Gujarat on Sept 23-24
– Book on PM’s speeches titled ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas-Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Speaks released
– Rajiv Bahl appointed new director general of ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research)
– M. Srinivas appointed Director of AIIMS-Delhi as Dr Randeep Guleria retires
– Private Security Agency (PSA) Security personnel to be deployed at 60 Airports for non-
core functions in place of CISF
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India’s foreign exchange reserves fall by $5.22 billion to $545.652 billion: RBI data
– Skill India partners with Samsung to upskill youth in emerging technologies such as
Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programming
– Dilip Asbe reappointed MD & CEO of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for
five years at firm’s AGM
WORLD
– Booker-winning author Hilary Mantel, dies at 70 in UK
– Quad countries sign Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief Guidelines at a meeting of
their foreign ministers in New York
– Meeting of G-4 (Japan, India, Brazil, Germany) Foreign Ministers held in New York
– Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations held in New
York
– India launches ‘Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries’ on the
sidelines of the Clean Energy Ministerial being held in Pittsburgh, US
– 20th Meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO Member States held at Astana, Kazakhstan
SPORTS
– Former India captain Dilip Tirkey elected unopposed as new Hockey India president
September 25, 2022
INDIA
– President Draupadi Murmu confers National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards 2020-21 at
Rashtrapati Bhawan
– Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates building of five Border Observation Posts
(BOPs) at SSB (Seema Suraksha Bal) camp in Kishanganj in Bihar
– MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) to launch ‘Swachh Vayu
Sarvekshan’ programme under NCAP (National Clean Air Programme 2019) to rank cities
based on their actions to improve air quality
– K. Raja Prasad Reddy from Telugu daily Sakshi elected Indian Newspaper Society
president
– Centre launches Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary mobile application called ‘Sign
Learn’ containing 10,000 words
– India’s first Avalanche Monitoring Radar installed in north Sikkim by Army’s Tri Shakti
Corps
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– ‘Make in India’ completes 8 years, annual FDI doubles to $83 billion in 2021-22 from
$45.15 billion in 2014-2015
– Multiplex Association of India celebrates National Cinema Day on Sept 23; ticket prices
capped at Rs 75
WORLD
– World Lung Day to be celebrated on Sept 25
– US revokes Taliban ruled Afghanistan’s designation as major non-NATO ally
– 2 killed, many left without power as typhoon Talas batters Japan
– Actress Louise Fletcher, known for her performance in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest’ (1975), dies at 88
– UK: Home Secretary Suella Braverman given first-ever Queen Elizabeth II Woman of the
Year award in London
SPORTS
– Cricket: India (92/4 in 7.2) beats Australia (90/5 in 8) by 6 wickets in 2nd T20 International
in Nagpur; 3-match series 1-1
September 26, 2022
INDIA
– Sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males): Uttarakhand (814) worst, Kerala (974)
best
– External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in
New York
– Chandigarh airport to be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary
that falls on September 28: PM
– Operation Megh Chakra: CBI conducts searches in 20 states over child pornography
– Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma unveils memorial in Guwahati to the greater one-
horned rhino and the forest guards of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Lord Venkateswara’s properties are worth Rs 85,705 crore across India, says TTD
(Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) Chairman
– Centre withdraws incentives, special allowance to IAS, IPS officers working in north-east
regions
– IAS officer Rajendra Kumar appointed ESIC Director General

– PSU BPCL signs pact with Brazil’s Petrobras to diversify crude oil sourcing
WORLD
– Bangladesh: 24 killed as boat capsizes in Karatoya river
– Super Typhoon Noru slams into the Philippines
– World Bank pledges $2 bn in aid to flood-hit Pakistan for reconstruction
– Storm Fiona ravages east coast of Canada
– Singer Elton John gets National Humanities Medal from US President Joe Biden for work
done by Elton John AIDS Foundation
SPORTS
– Norway’s Magnus Carlsen beats India’s Arjun Erigaisi in final to win Julius Baer
Generation Cup chess online tournament
– India (187/4 in 19.5) beat Australia (186/7 in 20) by six wickets in third T20I at Hyderabad,
clinch series 2-1
– Cricket: West Zone (275, 585-4-declared) beats South Zone (327, 234) by 294 runs in final
at Coimbatore to win Duleep Trophy
– India (169/10 in 45.4) beat England (153/10 in 43.3) by 16 runs in 3rd and final women’s
ODI at Lord’s, London to sweep series 3-0
– Tennis: Team World clinches Laver Cup in London by beating Team Europe 13-8
– US defeats International 17.5-12.5 to win Presidents Cup golf tournament at Charlotte
– Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge wins Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09, betters own world record
September 27, 2022
INDIA
– Karnataka: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates Mysuru Dasara Festival at Chamundi
Hills
– Karnataka: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates new campus of the Indian Institute
of Information Technology, Dharwad
– Direct flight between Delhi and Shimla started by Alliance Air
– Former J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad launches ‘Democratic Azad Party’
– Indian Navy participating in ‘Operation Southern Readiness’ maritime exercise in
Seychelles
– Arogya Manthan 2022 organised in New Delhi on Sept 25-26; Health Minister Dr
Mansukh Mandaviya awards best performing states for PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan
Arogya Yojana) and ABDM (Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission)
– Gujarat: Home Minister Amit Shah lays foundation stone of 350 bedded ESIC hospital at
Sanand
– Rural Development Ministry develops “JALDOOT App” to measure water level of wells
– Supreme Court to live-stream proceedings of Constitution benches from Sept 27 on
webcast.gov.in/scindia/
– Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh announces One Week One Lab theme-based campaign
to showcase technological breakthroughs & innovations of CSIR (Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research) labs
– Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry launches Swachh Toycathon — a competition to make
toys from waste
– External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin in
Washington
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20) extended for six months from Oct 1
– Govt commits Rs. 7,385 crore under Fund of Funds for Startup India Investment for 88
Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs); 720 startups supported by AIFs
– &P Global Ratings projects India’s FY23 GDP growth at 7.3%, pegs inflation above 6%
– Rupee ends beyond 81 against US dollar for the first time
– WAPCOS Ltd, under Jal Shakti Ministry, files DRHP (draft red herring prospectus) with
SEBI for IPO
– Tamil Nadu Cabinet gives assent to ordinance to regulate online gambling
– Centre launches indigenously-developed aviation fuel AVGAS 100 LL; developed by
Indian Oil Corporation
WORLD
– Putin grants Russian citizenship to US whistleblower Edward Snowden
– Global economy to grow at 2.7% in 2022, 2.3% in 2023: Moody’s Analytics
– Plenipotentiary Conference of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) held in
Bucharest, Romania
– Unilever CEO Alan Jope to retire at the end of 2023
– UN’s Education Cannot Wait fund receives $42 million from donors
– Pakistan: Military helicopter crashes in Balochistan province; all 6 killed
– Russia: 17 dead in school shooting in Izhevsk city
– International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons observed on Sept 26
– World Pharmacist Day celebrated on Sept 25, theme: ‘Pharmacy united in action for a
healthier world’
– World Rivers Day celebrated on Sept 25, theme: ‘The importance of Rivers to
Biodiversity’
September 28, 2022
INDIA
– President inaugurates Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited at Bengaluru; also lays foundation stone for The Zonal Institute of
Virology (South Zone)
– Actress Asha Parekh (79) wins 2020 Dada Saheb Phalke award
– SC Collegium proposes Bombay HC Chief Justice’s elevation to top court
– Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar presents National Tourism Awards for 2018-19 on
World Tourism Day
– Labour & Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav releases report on employment

survey, Employment increased from 3.14 crore of Q3 to 3.18 crore of Q4: Govt.
– Supreme Court directs to stop all commercial activities within 500-metre of Taj Mahal
– DRDO conducts test flight of VSHORADS (Very Short-Range Air Defence System) missile
– National Clean Air Programme: Govt to reduce 40% particulate matter by 2026
– Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurates 150-bedded ESIC Hospital in
Kalol, Gujarat
– JALDOOT App launched to enable monitoring of ground water tables across the country
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– 13th FICCI Global Skills Summit 2022 organised in New Delhi
– Sweden’s Saab to produce Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons system in India
– Govt reshuffles IL&FS board; C. S. Rajan becomes non-executive chairman
– Govt bans mapping and export of sensitive locations under geospatial data regime
– Razorpay acquires PoshVine, forays into loyalty and rewards management
– Torrent Pharma acquires cosmetic dermatology company Curatio for Rs 2,000 cr
WORLD
– World Tourism Day observed on Sept 27; theme: “Rethinking Tourism”
– NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission successfully crashes spacecraft
into asteroid Dimorphos
– Germany loses 1 of its 5 glaciers; scalding summer melts Southern Schneeferner
– Banknotes featuring King Charles III to be in circulation by 2024: Bank of England
– ‘Bread for all’: Dubai introduces vending machines for free bread
September 29, 2022
INDIA
– Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
– Government bans Popular Front of India, affiliates for 5 years on terror links
– Chandigarh Airport renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport on his 115th
birth anniversary
– Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unravels archaeological remains in MP’s
Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve
– Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bangladesh on withdrawal of upto 153 cusecs
of water each by India and Bangladesh from common border river Kushiyara
– Duare Ration Scheme (ration at the doorstep) of West Bengal govt ultra vires to NFSA,
legally void: Calcutta HC
– PM Modi inaugurates Lata Mangeshkar Chowk in Ayodhya on her 93rd birth anniversary
– Kumar Sanu (2021), Shailendra Singh (2019), Anand-Milind (2020) get Lata Mangeshkar
Award of MP govt.,
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Centre extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) for another three
months (October 2022-December 2022);
– Indian Fertiliser companies sign MOU with Canpotex, Canada one of the largest Potash
suppliers globally
– Cabinet approves redevelopment of New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai Railway Stations
– Tata Motors launches Tiago.ev, its first electric vehicle in the hatchback segment
– Jio Telecom head Akash Ambani is the only Indian on Time’s 100 emerging leaders’ list
WORLD
– Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions in east & Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in south
vote to join Russia in referendums
– World Green Economy Summit being held in Dubai, UAE
– UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference being held in Mexico City
– Cuba without electricity as power grid collapses after Hurricane Ian
– Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appointed as prime minister
– World Rabies Day observed on Sept 28; death anniversary of vaccine developer Louis
Pasteur
– International Day for Universal Access to Information observed on Sept 28
September 30, 2022
INDIA
– All women, married or unmarried, entitled to safe and legal abortion till 24 weeks of
pregnancy, rules SC
– Govt. approves 22nd tranche of electoral bonds; sale from Oct 1-10
– Gujarat: PM inaugurates and lays foundation stone of projects worth over ₹5200 crores
in Bhavnagar
– PM lays foundation stone and dedicates various projects worth more than ₹3400 crores
at Surat
– 6 Airbags in Passenger Cars to become compulsory from 1st October 2023: Union
Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari
– Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar visits Australia; meets counterpart Vice Admiral
Mark Hammond
– CBI launches Operation GARUDA to dismantle drug networks with international linkages
– First chairperson of National Commission for Women Jayanti Patnaik dies at 90 in
Bhubaneswar
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– India’s external debt rises 7.1% to $617 bn in June 2022: RBI data
– India’s current account deficit widens to 2.8% of GDP in Q1FY23: RBI
– Govt hikes interest rate on small savings schemes for Q3 of FY23; Senior Citizen Savings
scheme rate raised by 0.2%
– CCI approves acquisition of Assets of Essar Group by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Ltd
– CCI approves acquisition of the share capital of eighteen subsidiaries of Mytrah Energy
(India) Private Limited by JSW Neo Energy Limited
– CCI approves acquisition by Adani Power of share capital of Diliigent Power and DB
Power
– Adani Green commissions largest 600 MW wind-solar plant in Rajasthan
WORLD
– International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction observed on Sept 29
– World Heart Day observed on Sept 29; theme: ‘Use Heart for Every Heart’
– World Maritime Day celebrated on Sept 29; theme: ‘New technologies for greener
shipping’
– Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza awarded Golden Pen of Freedom by World
Association of News Publishers
– Finland to bar Russians entry with Schengen tourist visas from Sept 30
September 1, 2022
MoU for promotion of 'One Herb, One Standard'
Recently an MoU has been signed between Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian
Medicine and Homeopathy (Ministry of AYUSH) and Pharmacopoeia Commission of India
(Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) to achieve “One Herb, One Standard”.
Key Points
The primary objective of this MoU is to develop collaborative efforts between PCIM&H and
IPC to promote public health while facilitating the development of herbal medicine
standards.
This MoU will facilitate wider cooperation to promote exchange of information in the field
of standardization of traditional medicine. This will be done through sharing of scientific
knowledge and information about pharmaceutical raw materials/extracts, seminars,
workshops, training and brainstorming programmes.
The MoU will provide an opportunity to all stakeholders such as herbal medicine
manufacturers, researchers and regulators to access world-class monographs in their
respective fields.
Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine
On June 4, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the
Pharmacopoeia commission. The cabinet has approved to re-establish the
commission for Indian Medicine and Homeopathy under Ministry of AYUSH.
The commission has been set up by merging Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian
Medicine and Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory. The two central laboratories
were established at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh in 1975.
This commission is an autonomous body that operates under Ministry of AYUSH. It is
in operation since 2010.
This merger will also optimize the use of resources and also enhance outcomes of
Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy drugs towards effective quality control.
Significance
Pharmacopoeia means drug making. The Government of India has re-established the
Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy. The commission will
help to optimize technical manpower, infrastructural facilities, financial resources.

ICMR study on snakebites- Highlights
To collect data on mortality, morbidity and socio-economic burden, the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting a first of its kind study on snakebite incidence in 14
states representing all geographical regions of the country. This study is based on a
previous Sri Lankan study, which covered the entire island, surveying <1% of the total
population
Key Points
Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram and
Tripura have been included in this study.
The main objective of this study is to generate realistic data on the incidence,
mortality, morbidity and socio-economic burden of snakebites in the country to help
decision makers in policy making to prevent and control snakebites in India.
All snakebite cases occurring during the period of 18 months (April 2022 to October
2023) in the study district will be recorded. A total of 336 blocks in 31 districts with a
total population of about 83.9 million will be covered in the study.
This surveys are also important because geographically the greatest impact of snake
bites occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions, which are highest in India. Global
estimates of snakebites range from 4.5 million to 5.4 million annually, of which an
estimated 2 million are in India.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
ICMR is the apex body to formulate, coordinate and promote biomedical research. It is
one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies across the world. It is funded
through the Department of Health Research of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS)
Recently, the Delhi government has started the “Delhi Model Virtual School” to provide
opportunities to the students of the National Capital Region and beyond. It is an online
platform, which will conduct completely online classes, and will help the students to
complete their studies without visiting the school.
Key Features of Virtual School
This school will have special teachers who are trained to take online classes and aims
to increase the enrollment ratio, especially for those who do not have access to
physical schools.
Any person who has studied at least up to class 8 from a registered school and is in
the age group of 13 to 18 years can apply for admission to class 9 in this virtual
school.
The school will offer online classes including virtual lectures, recorded and live
lectures, and skill-based courses as well as training for other competitive exams
including JEE Main, NEET and CUET.
There will be no option of physical classes in this school, it will be completely virtual.
Apart from this, another great feature will be that if you miss class, or you are not
able to take class someday, then you will also be able to see the recording.
This school was started with the aim of providing education to the begging children on the
streets, children from remote villages who do not have proper schools, girls from socially
disadvantaged backgrounds living outside their neighbourhoods. This school will give
opportunity to all those students who are not able to access education.
India-Nepal MoU on Biodiversity Conservation
Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the
Government of Nepal on Biodiversity Conservation proposed by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Key Points
This MoU has been signed to strengthen and enhance coordination and cooperation
between the two countries in the fields of forestry, biodiversity conservation and
climate change.
It will also help in restoration of corridors and connecting regions and sharing of
knowledge and best practices between the two countries.
The shared Indo-Nepal border of over 1,850 km touches five Indian states – Sikkim,
West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. India and Nepal are already
cooperating on a number of wildlife-related issues, but this will strengthen bilateral
cooperation and strengthen the management of important cross-border wildlife
habitats.
The joint border of India and Nepal includes many border wildlife habitats. For example,
the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar connects to the Chitwan National Park and Parsa
Wildlife Sanctuary in Nepal. Similarly, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh shares its
boundary with Shukla Phanta National Park in Nepal. Thus, this MoU is expected to have a
significant focus on the management of the marginal landscape.
NSO Data on India's GDP Rate in Q1
Recently, the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Program
Implementation released the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant
(2022-23) and current prices for the first quarter (April-June) of 2022-23.
Key Findings
In the first quarter (April-June) of the current financial year, the country’s economy
has registered a growth of 13.5 percent. However, this growth has been around 3 per
cent lower than the estimate expressed by the RBI earlier this month.
The GDP growth rate in the April-June quarter of the last financial year (2021-22) was
20.1 per cent.
At the same time, real GDP at constant prices (2011-12) is estimated at Rs 36.85 lakh
crore in the first quarter of 2022-23. It was Rs 32.46 lakh crore in the same quarter
last year.
Gross Value Added (GVA) refers to the total value of goods and services in a
country’s territory over a given period of time.Gross value added (GVA) grew 12 per
cent to Rs 34.41 lakh crore in the April-June quarter this year.

The growth rate of GVA in the agriculture sector stood at 4.5 per cent in Q1 as
against 2.2 per cent in the same quarter a year ago. However, the growth rate of GVA
in the manufacturing sector declined to 4.8 per cent from 49 per cent in the same
quarter a year ago.
According to the data, GVA growth in the mining sector stood at 6.5 per cent from 18
per cent in the April-June quarter of 2021-22 a year ago. The growth rate of GVA in
the construction sector declined to 16.8 per cent in the quarter ended June 2022 from
71.3 per cent in the same quarter a year ago.
On the other hand, in services sectors such as trade, hotels, transport,
communication and broadcasting, it has a GVA growth rate of 25.7 per cent in the
first quarter of the current fiscal.
Eight infrastructure sectors which include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery
products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity. In this, the production growth rate
in April-July in the current financial year was 11.5 percent, which was 21.4 percent a
year ago.
National Statistical Office (NSO)
NSO as an agency that was formed on the recommendation of the Rangarajan
Commission. The office was set up to implement and maintain the statistical standards
and coordinate the statistical activities of Central and State agencies in accordance with
the National Statistical Commission (NSC). The Rangarajan Commission had also
recommended to set up the NSC. NSC is headed by a person having a “Minister of State-
Level designation”. NSC will serve as a nodal body for all core statistical activities in India.
NSO was formed after merging the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and Central
Statistics Office (CSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI).
Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022
Ministry of Women and Child Development is celebrating 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022
from 1st to 30th September 2022. This year, with the main focus on “Mahila aur
Swasthya” and “Bacha aur Shiksha”, Poshan Maah is to be started as Poshan Panchayat
through Gram Panchayats.
Key Facts
Pregnant and lactating women, children below six years of age and adolescent girls
will be given special attention in this month-long Poshan Maah. Along with this, they
will be made aware about the importance of nutrition through sensitization
campaigns, outreach programs, and camps.
Awareness activities will be conducted at the Panchayat level by the concerned
District Panchayati Raj Officers, CDPOs, local officials.
This time a national level toy manufacturing workshop will also be organized to
promote the use of indigenous and local toys for teaching children in Anganwadi
centers.
Under this program, the importance of rainwater harvesting will be emphasized

among women at Anganwadi centers as well as information related to traditional
food items for healthy mother and child in tribal areas will be provided.
Under the state level activities, ‘Amma ki Rasoi’ of traditional nutritious dishes will
also be operated. Also, extensive efforts will be made to integrate traditional foods
with local festivals during Poshan Maah.
About POSHAN Abhiyaan
POSHAN Abhiyaan is the flagship programme of government of India to improve
nutritional outcomes for pregnant women, lactating mother, children and adolescent
Girls. This mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of
International Women’s Day on March 8, 2018. POSHAN stands for “Prime Minister’s
Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition” Abhiyaan. This mission was announced in
Budget 2021-2022.
Aim of the Mission
POSHAN Abhiyaan divert the attention of country towards the problem of malnutrition
and address it in a mission-mode. This mission focuses on the aims of POSHAN Abhiyaan,
Mission Poshan 2.0. it seeks to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and
outcomes in order to develop practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity on
disease as well as malnutrition.
Jan Andolan
POSHAN Abhiyaan is a Jan Andolan or People’s Movement. It incorporates inclusive
participation of public representatives of local bodies, government department from
States or UTs, Public & Private sector and social organizations.
DPIIT interactive dashboard for user associations
Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has
developed a user-interactive dashboard for industry associations and trade bodies.
Key Points
This new digital initiative will facilitate authorized user associations to register their
suggestions and issues with the government so that their issues related to various
departments of the government can be resolved in a transparent manner.
Recently, a user demonstration of the system was organized for all the major
industry associations engaged in logistics services in India to discuss about the
prototype of the system and its benefits.
The initiative is expected to help identify procedural issues that lead to lower logistics
efficiency and higher logistics cost.
This User Interaction Dashboard is part of several initiatives being developed by
Logistics Division, DPIIT to address technology, services and human resource related
aspects of logistics efficiency in the country.
The dashboard is expected to be launched soon for all the authorized associations in
the region.
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
It is a central government department works under the aegis of Ministry of
Commerce and Industry. DPIIT is responsible to formulate & implement the
promotional & developmental measures for the growth of industrial sector.
The department look after the overall industrial policy while several individual
administrative ministries are responsible for production, distribution, development
and planning of specific industries. DPIIT was named in its current form on January
27, 2019 by changing the name of “Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion”.
India’s first indigenously developed qHPV against cervical cancer
Recently Serum Institute of India (SII) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) launched
indigenously developed quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for prevention
of cervical cancer.
Highlights
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) last month granted market
authorization to Serum Institute of India (SII) for the production of this indigenously
developed vaccine against cervical cancer.
It will be the first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) in India, to
prevent cervical cancer.
After the launch of this vaccine, the government will soon run a national
immunization program for girls in the age group of 9-14 years.
In 85 percent to 90 percent of cervical cancer cases, it has been seen that the cancer
used to grow in the absence of a vaccine, but now it will not happen. If we give this
vaccine to young children and daughters in advance, then they will be safe from
infection and it is possible that they may not get cervical cancer after 30 years.
Cervical cancer in India
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancers among women in India, even though
it is preventable. This cancer is commonly diagnosed among women aged 15 to 44 years
of age. According to Globocan 2020, cervical cancer stood at 9.4% of all cancers and 18.3%
of new cancer cases in 2020. During 1990-2016, cervical cancer was the second main factor
of cancer deaths for women across 12 Indian states.
National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)
National Cancer Control Programme was first started in India in 1975. Under the
programme, priorities were given to equip existing cancer hospital and institutions.
Central assistance of Rs 2.50 lakhs was provided to each cancer institution, in a bid to
purchase cobalt machines for radiotherapy.
GST revenue up 28% year-on-year in August
The Gross GST Revenue collected in the month of August 2022 is ₹ 1,43,612 crore which is
28% higher than the GST revenue of ₹ 1,12,020 crore in the corresponding month of the
previous year.
Highlights
During the month, revenue from domestic transactions (including import of services) and
import of goods grew by 57%, up 19% from revenue from these sources during the same
month last year. Monthly GST revenue for six consecutive months is over Rs 1.4 lakh crore.
Better data on GST revenue ensures that the impact of various measures taken by the GST
Council for better compliance is evident.
What were the CGST, SGST, and IGST collected in August 2022?
In August 2022, the GST revenue collected was Rs 1,40,885 crore which is divided into:
CGST: ₹ 24,710 crore
SGST: ₹ 30,951 crore
IGST: ₹ 77,782 crore (including ₹ 42,067 crore collected on import of goods)
Cess: ₹ 10,168 crore (including ₹ 1,018 crore collected on import of goods).
What is GST?
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax imposed on the supply of goods and
services. It is a multi-stage, destination-oriented tax. The 101st Amendment Act of 2016
paved the way for the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) regime in India.
What are the components of GST?
1. Central GST (CGST)
2. State GST (SGST)
3. Integrated GST (IGST).
Which component of GST is the largest contributor to GST growth last year?
Due to the surge in imports, integrated GST (IGST) on imports became the largest
contributor to GST growth last year.
What is the GST council?
Goods & Services Tax Council (GST Council) is a constitutional body (Article 279-A) for
making recommendations to the Union and State governments on issues related to Goods
and Service Tax (GST). The GST Council is a joint forum of the centre and the states, with
the Union Finance Minister as the Chairperson.
September 2, 2022
Vostok Military Exercise
Recently, a contingent of soldiers from 7/8 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army arrived in
Russia to participate in the multilateral tactical and command exercise Vostok – 2022 to be
held from 1-7 September 2022.
Important Facts about Vostok 2022
In this exercise more than 50 thousand soldiers from India, China, Laos, Mongolia,
Nicaragua, Syria and former Soviet countries will participate.
The seven-day exercise comprises land, air and sea components. However, India has
decided to stay away from the maritime component.
There will be joint exercises of both attack and defense during this exercise. More
than five thousand types of weapons will be used in this exercise. It will have 140
fighter aircraft, 60 warships, gunboats and allied ships.
The one-week-long exercise has been organized under the auspices of Russia’s
Eastern Military District (Theater Command) and Pacific-Fleet in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok is located in the far east of Russia on the Sea of Japan. In such a situation,
Japan has expressed its opposition to this military exercise.
At the same time, America has also expressed its concern about each country
participating in this military exercise, because Russia is fighting a barbaric war in
Ukraine. The US has said that any country’s military exercises with Russia are a
matter of concern.
Nuakhai agricultural festival begins in Odisha
Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival celebrated in Odisha. Celebrated a day after Ganesh
Chaturthi, this festival is the most auspicious and important social festival in western
Odisha.
What happens in the Nuakhai Festival?

In Nuakhai, Nua means new and Khai means food. The festival of Nuakhai is
celebrated by the farmers of Odisha after the harvesting of grain.
On this festival, Odia people, even those living in far off lands return to their native
places to be the part of the celebration.
The festival is celebrated by wearing new clothes and offering prayers to God,
following which a feast is thrown and food prepared using newly harvested crops is
consumed.
The Nuakhai festival is the most famous social festival celebrated in the Western
Odisha and nearby areas of Simdega in Jharkhand. A similar festival is that of
Nabanna which is celebrated in Coastal Odisha.
Odisha has a vibrant culture of festivals and the Nuakhai festival is just one of the 13
festivals celebrated in Odisha. This is popularly called as in the local Odia language
as the ‘Bara Massa re Teraa Parva’.
History of the Nuakhai festival
As per the local legends, the Nuakhai festival was first started in the Vedic period
when the sages deliberated on Panchyajna.
One part of panchyajna was the Pralambana yajna in which the harvesting of new
crops and offering them to mother goddess was celebrated.
Significance of the Festival
The Nuakhai Festival aims to provide a great message to society about the relevance
of agriculture in the economic progress of the country.
It drives home the point that the farmers are the fundamental building blocks of
Indian society. Thus, it is imperative that the role of farmers in the process of nation-
building be recognized.
CAPF e-Awas Portal
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently launched a new online portal ‘e-Awas’ for CAPF
personnel.
Key Points
With the help of this new portal, CAPF personnel will also be able to find the houses
available with other forces instead of searching for accommodation available in their
force. This web portal will enable online registration and allotment of residential
quarters to eligible personnel of CAPFs and Assam Rifles.
Apart from the Assam Rifles, the CAPFs also include Border Security Force (BSF),
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-
Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
According to the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, at present about 19
percent of the houses of the CAPFs are vacant and through this portal, the force
personnel can find the houses available with other forces.
Other Initiative
The Government of India had also started the ‘Ayushman CAPF’ scheme some time back
with the aim of providing better medical facilities to the families of the jawans. So far more
than 35 lakh Ayushman cards have been distributed to 10 lakh workers under this scheme.
At the same time, about 56 thousand bills of more than Rs 31 crore have been paid so far.
About CAPF
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) refers to the uniform nomenclature of seven central
armed police organizations in India that are overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Their mission is primarily to defend the national interest against internal threats.
The seven organizations under the CAPF are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),
Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF), National Security Guard (NSG), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Special
Protection Group (SPG).
Central Armed Police Forces are organized with the primary function of border guarding
for ITBP, BSF, SSB; CISF provides security of sensitive establishments; CRPF, NSG assists
police to tackle law and order, counter-naxal operations for and counter-terrorism
operations.
Aside from their primary role, all CAPFs support the police in law and order situations, as
well as the army in counter-terrorism operations. In the past, the army has been aided by
BSF and CRPF during external aggression. CAPFs collaborate with both the Police and the
Army to assist them in various tasks.
2 September : World Coconut Day
The World Coconut Day (WCD) is observed every year on September 2 to enhance coconut
farming with focus on productivity and product diversification.
Key Points
The day is also celebrated to commemorate the formation day of Asian Pacific
Coconut Community (APCC). In India, the day is celebrated every year under the
aegis of Coconut Development Board (CDB) in various coconut growing states across
the country.
The 2022 theme is “Growing coconut for a better future and life”.
Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC)
APCC is an inter-governmental organisation of 18 member countries mandated to
promote, coordinate and harmonize coconut developmental activities of the Asian

Pacific region to achieve maximum economic development.
India is one of the founder members of APCC. India is one of the founder members
of APCC and stands first in global coconut production and productivity.
The annual coconut production of India is 2437.80 crore and the productivity is 11616
coconuts per hectare.
About Coconut Development Board
The Coconut Development Board (CBD) is a legal body under the Ministry of
Agriculture of the Government of India, responsible for the comprehensive
development of coconuts and coconut-related products.
The board was established on January 12, 1981 and operates under the
administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of India. Its
headquarters is located in in Kochi, Kerala, and the regional offices are located in
Bengaluru, Chennai and Guwahati.
This board has six state centres which are situated at Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Thane,
Patna, Hyderabad and Port Blair. It has 9 Demonstration cum Seed Production (DSP)
Farms which are located in different locations across the country and as of now this
board maintains 7 farms.
In Delhi, a Market Development cum Information Centre has been established. The
Board has also set up a Technology Development Centre at Vazhakulam which is
located near Aluva in the state of Kerala.
AICTE- Adobe Partnership on Digital Skilling
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has recently signed a partnership
agreement with Adobe to accelerate digital creativity skills across the country.
Key Points
Under this agreement, Adobe will provide curriculum and expertise with the creative
and digital literacy skills needed to prepare students for the current digital-first
world, and train teachers to integrate digital creativity into the curriculum.
The partnership aims to empower over 75,000 teachers across 10,000 higher
education institutions with the necessary digital creativity skills by 2024.
This understanding from AICTE in collaboration with Adobe will build a strong skilling
ecosystem in the country and empower teachers and students with new age skills to
thrive in the post-pandemic digital-first world.
About AICTE
AICTE is a statutory body as well as a national-level technical education council that falls
under the ambit of the Department of Higher Education. This organization was
established in 1945 first as an advisory body and in 1987 it was given statutory status. The
responsibility of AICTE includes coordinated development and proper planning of the
country’s management education and technical education system. AICTE’s headquarters
is located in New Delhi. Anil Sahasrabudhe is the chairman of this organization.
Meghalaya : Rural Backyard Piggery Scheme

Recently, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma launched an ambitious flagship
program – “Rural Backyard Piggery Scheme” for farmers under National Livestock Mission
at Birnihat in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
Key Points
The objective of this scheme is to ensure that farmers earn a sustainable livelihood
through various animal husbandry activities.
Meghalaya receives 18,000 metric tonnes of pork from various states and there is
acute shortage in supply and demand, the state is planning to bridge the supply
shortfall through pig farming scheme.
Under the Phase 1 of this scheme the government has earmarked Rs 15.18 crore,
under which four high yielding improved varieties of pigs will be distributed to 6000
families and an additional Rs 25 crore will be earmarked for starting the second
phase of the programme.
Meghalaya Piggery Mission
The scheme launched on 10th August in Samanda block of East Garo Hills district has
received good response and appreciation from the farmers.
Under this scheme 4 pigs, 3 female and 1 male piglets will be distributed to the
farmers to promote pig breeding to provide regular income to the farmers. This
livestock package is Rs 25,000 per beneficiary.
The scheme is envisaged to benefit 6000 poor and marginal farmers and increase the
production of pork in the state.
National Livestock Mission
National Livestock Mission is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare launched in 2014-15. The objective of this mission is to ensure quantitative and
qualitative improvement in livestock production systems and capacity building of all
stakeholders of livestock economy.
There are four sub-missions of National Livestock Mission as follows:
1. The Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed Development
2. Under Sub-Mission on Livestock Development
3. Sub-Mission on Pig Development in North-Eastern Region
4. Sub-Mission on Skill Development, Technology Transfer and Extension
Ghatiana Dwivarna: New Crab Species
Gopal Krishna Hegde, a wildlife enthusiast and photographer, found Ghatiana Dwivarna, a
freshwater crab that lives under small rocks in the dense forests of the Western Ghats of
Karnataka.
Key Points
The name of this new species of crab is derived from a Sanskrit word ‘dwivarna’
which means two-colored.
This bright hued crab is the 75th fresh water crab of the Western Ghats.
The size of a full grown female is 29 x 15 mm while the male is 24 x 13 mm.
It is a hyperactive, but equally shy creature and feeds mainly on algae but also eats
small insects of the mosquito family.
The ‘Kunabi’ tribe that is native to this region knew of this crab already.
It is a venomous crab and is definitely non-edible species of crab.
Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy-2022
The Rajasthan cabinet has recently approved the “Rajasthan Handicrafts Policy-2022”.
Through this policy, work will be done for the upliftment of handicrafts in the state and
participation in the development of the state will be ensured by empowering them.
Highlights
With this policy, new employment opportunities will increase in the state. Along with
this, the extinct handicrafts will be revived.
Under this, a national level handicrafts week will be organized every year in
December, in which handicraftsmen will be rewarded.
At the same time, e-marketing, social security, loan facility, scholarship, assistance
for participation in fairs, expansion of infrastructure facilities in Shilp Gram,
Handicraft Park, Museum, Design Center, Sales Center for brand building of
handicrafts.
There will be many important works like support, design bank establishment. The
government will also create an online platform to help artisans sell their products.
Provision will be made by government departments to buy products up to Rs 10 lakh
from registered artisans through e-market without tender.
A Handicraft Design Center will also be set up in Jodhpur to study the techniques and
designs used in other states and countries so as to promote new techniques or
processes for the products in the state. This center will be set up as a ‘Centre of
Excellence’.
September 3, 2022
Synergy: CERT-In Cyber Security Exercise
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the Ministry of
Electronics and IT, in collaboration with the Cyber S ecurity Agency of Singapore,
successfully designed and conducted a cyber security exercise “Synergy” for 13 countries.
Key Points
The theme of the exercise was “Building a Strong Network to Combat
Ransomware Attacks”.
It was conducted on its own simulation platform related to the exercise in which
each state participated as a National Crisis Management Team consisting of various
government agencies.
The specific objective of the exercise was to assess and exchange various strategies
and methodologies among member-states to build a strong network against
ransomware and extortion-intensive cyber attacks.
This exercise scenario was derived from real-life cyber incidents, in which a single
incident of domestic (with limited impact) ransomware turns into a global
cybersecurity crisis.
It succeeded in meeting the objectives and provided insights on better coordination
and cooperation among CRI member states to strengthen the network and deal
effectively with ransomware attacks.
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
CERT-In is nodal agency for information technology (cyber) security under aegis of
Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Electronics and IT. It was established
in 2004. Its mandate is to protect Indian cyberspace and software infrastructure against
destructive and hacking activities. It also responds to computer security incidents, report
on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout country. It also
issue guidelines, vulnerability notes, advisories and whitepapers regarding to information
security practices, prevention.
UGC ‘e-Samadhan’ portal
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently launched an online portal named ‘e-
Samadhan’.
Key Points
Through this portal, students taking admission in any university or facing any kind of
problem after admission will be able to find solutions to their problems.
Students will now be able to directly report their problems to the UGC for any
problem in Central and State Universities, their affiliated colleges and other
government and private sector higher education institutions across the country
through this portal.
This will benefit all stakeholders in the higher education sector – 1,043 universities,
42,343 colleges, 3.85 crore students and 15.03 lakh teachers.
Through this portal, students and employees can register any grievance of theirs
anytime within 24 hours. Apart from this, there will also be an option to register your
problems on the UGC toll free number 1800-111-656.
University Grants Commission (UGC)
UGC is a statutory body established by UGC Act 1956. It works under Ministry of Education
to coordinate, determine and maintain standards of higher education. It gives recognition
to universities in India, and disburse funds for recognized universities and colleges. It is
headquartered New Delhi, along with six regional centres in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata,
Guwahati, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
WHO-UNICEF Report on Progress on WASH in health care facilities
Recently WHO and UNICEF released a report titled “Progress on Wash in Health Care
Facilities 2000-2021”.
Key Points
According to this report, while the world is battling the threat of diseases like the
Covid-19 epidemic and monkeypox, on the other hand 51 percent of the world’s
health centers are providing basic facilities. There is no facility like water, soap,
sanitizer.
According to this report, 385 crore people are dependent on health centers due to
lack of basic facilities, where there are no facilities like water, soap, sanitizer, while
688 crore people are dependent on such health centers where there is no cleanliness
and hygiene. There is no connected infrastructure available.
Talking about the availability of water, about 170 million people in the world are still
dependent on water scarce health facilities. At the same time, out of these, 857 crore
people are such, who are not used at all in health centers.
The situation is worst in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 52 percent have access to
health facilities, compared to 90 percent in East and Southeast Asia. On the other
hand, if we talk about the most backward countries, then this figure is only 47
percent.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is also known as “United Nations Children’s Fund”. It is a United Nations agency,
which is responsible to provide humanitarian and developmental aid to children across
the world. It is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations
of the world. It is present in 192 countries and territories.
Activities of UNICEF
Main activities of UNICEF include:
1. To provide immunizations and disease prevention
2. To administer treatment for children and mothers with HIV
3. To enhance childhood and maternal nutrition
4. To improve sanitation, promote education, and provide emergency relief in response
to disasters.
IMF $2.9bn deal to aid Sri Lanka
Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has come forward to help Sri Lanka,
which is facing a historic economic crisis. The IMF has announced a loan of $ 2.9 billion to
Sri Lanka.
Key Points
The aid aims to restore macroeconomic stability and creditworthiness in Sri Lanka as
well as protect financial stability.
The IMF and Sri Lankan authorities have agreed on a 48-month loan under the
Extended Funds Facility (EFF) of about $2.9 billion to help stabilise the economy and
boost growth.
The agreement between Sri Lanka and the IMF is only preliminary, and has to be
approved by the IMF management and its executive board. It will also go through
only if Sri Lankan authorities carry out previously agreed measures which include
additional funding from multilateral partners and debt relief from Sri Lankan lenders
to help ensure debt affordability and bridge the financial gap.
Starting with one of the lowest revenue levels in the world, this loan program will
implement major tax reforms. These reforms include making personal income tax
more progressive and expanding the tax base for corporate income tax and VAT.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
IMF is an international financial institution. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The
institution comprises of 190 countries. It is working to foster global monetary cooperation,
facilitate international trade, secure financial stability, promote sustainable economic
growth, promote high employment and reduce poverty worldwide. It was created in 1944
but started working formally on December 27, 1945. It came into existence with 29
member countries.
Why was IMF created?
The IMF was originally created as a part of the Bretton Woods system in 1944. During the
Great Depression, countries raised the barriers to trade in order to improve their failing
economies. This resulted into devaluation of national currencies and decline in world
trade. Breakdown in international monetary cooperation created a need for oversight.
Thus, representatives of 45 governments met at the Bretton Woods Conference, in the
United States, to discuss a framework for an international economic cooperation and to
rebuild Europe.
Indian Navy's new ensign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled the new ensign of the Indian Navy which
takes inspiration from the seal of the great Indian emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Key Points
This new ensign has two main components: the canton national ensign in the upper
left, and a navy blue-gold octagon in the center of the fly side away from the staff.
St. George’s Cross has been removed from this new ensign. Now the tricolor is
drawn in the top left. Next to it is the emblem of Ashoka in gold on a blue
background. Below it is written ‘Sham no Varunah’ in Sanskrit language. It means
that Varuna, the god of water, is auspicious for us.
The blue octagonal shape in this new ensign represents the eight directions,
symbolizing the multi-faceted reach and multi-functional operational capability of
the Indian Navy, while the anchor symbol represents “firmness”.
History Behind the Naval Ensign
India became independent from the British colony, but the ensign of the Indian Navy
remained a glimpse of the British period. The red cross seen on the Navy ensign is
the ‘St George’s Cross’, which was once part of the English flag, the Union Jack.
It bears the insignia of the Red Cross Navy and the tricolor was placed in the top left.
In the year 2001, changes were made to this ensign and the Red Cross was removed
from it and in its place the Ashoka symbol was made in blue color.
However, there was a complaint that the blue color mixes with the sea and the sky,
due to which it is not visible. After this it was changed again in 2004 and the Red
Cross was established. But this time the Ashoka symbol was placed in the middle of
the Red Cross.
In 2014, it was changed again and ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was written below the Ashoka
emblem.
What is the full form of Navy?
N– Nautical
A– Army of
V– Volunteer
Y– Yeoman
Tejas Mark-2 Project
Recently the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the project to develop a more
capable and powerful version of the indigenous aircraft LCA Mark 2 multirole fighter jet.
Key Points
The Tejas Mark-2 is described as a 4.5-generation machine, which will not only have
70 per cent indigenization (as opposed to the Mark IA’s 62 per cent), but will
incorporate more advanced technologies to be manufactured in India. Tejas is a
single-engine and highly maneuverable multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft
manufactured by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The jet will be fitted with the more powerful GE-414 engine, which will give it a longer
combat range and more weapon-carrying capability than the existing Tejas Mark-1
(GE-404 engine).
Also, the look of Tejas Mark-2 is of the 21st century. Next to the wings, a canard
resembling those of contemporary fighters such as the Rafale, Eurofighter or
Sukhoi-30MKI has been added.
Apart from the weapon payload and engine, the interiors of the Tejas Mark-2 will be
rearranged, to make it more accessible and maintenance-friendly.
The fighter jet will be developed at a cost of over Rs 6,500 crore, in addition to the Rs
2,500 crore approved earlier.
Why is Tejas Mark-2 important?
The approval of Tejas Mark-2 is a big relief for the Indian Air Force. The IAF currently has
30 fighter squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42, which is insufficient at a time
when the country is facing threats from both China and Pakistan.
The LCA Mark-2 fighter jets will replace the Jaguar and Mirage 2000 fighters when they are
phased out after 10 years. The new Tejas is a very formidable aircraft which will surely add
more strength to the IAF list.
Additional safety requirements in battery standards
In April this year, cases of fire in electric two-wheelers of manufacturers such as Ola
Electric, Okinawa Autotech and PureEV were reported. Following which the government
constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of Tata Narasimha Rao
(Director, ARC, Hyderabad) to probe it.
This committee submitted its recommendation to the government recently. These new
safety standards will come into effect from 1 October 2022. Ministry has also sought
comments and suggestions from all stakeholders within a period of thirty days.
Key Points
These new rules will be applicable to electric two-, three- and four-wheelers,
passenger and goods vehicles. These modifications included specific requirements

for L-class motor vehicles with electric power trains (engines) and requirements for
M-class and N-class motor vehicles for electric power trains.
Whereas, L class motor vehicles are those which have less than four wheels, whereas
M category vehicles are those which have at least four wheels and are used for
transporting passengers.
These modifications include additional safety requirements relating to thermal
diffusion due to fire from the battery cell, on-board charger, the design of the battery
pack, and internal cell short circuits.
Mandatory to include ‘Safety Fuse’
In this new amendment it has been made mandatory to include ‘Safety Fuse’. This will
blow the battery off the powertrain and immediately disconnect it in case of excessive
heat generation or high current outflow.
EVs will now also have four additional sensors
These sensors will help to quickly identify the problem if there is a problem with the
battery system. These sensors will show an error on the console of the vehicle which will
alert the driver to take necessary corrective or remedial measures.
Distance between two battery cells is compulsary
It is also said to increase the distance between two battery cells used in electric vehicle
batteries. It is recommended by the panel to help release heat in the event of thermal
runaway in rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) and to help detach cells.
Auto cut-off feature for charger
Electric vehicle chargers will be redesigned to include a charge voltage cut-off as well as a
time-based charge cut-off function. This will help prevent overcharging the RES.
Audio-visual alerts for drivers
The EVs will have to be equipped with audio-visual alerts for early detection of thermal
events or gases in case of thermal runaway of the cell.
India becomes world's fifth-largest economy
Recently, India has overtaken the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world.
India is now behind the US, China, Japan and Germany in terms of economy. A decade
ago, India was ranked 11th among the world’s largest economies, while the UK was firmly
at number 5.
Key Points
In the midst of the economic crisis, India has faced the challenges better. On the
other hand, Britain is bearing the brunt of its slowness. These figures are given in
dollars, and it is worth noting that the Indian rupee has outperformed the UK pound
against the dollar.
According to the report, the size of the Indian economy with respect to ‘nominal’
cash stood at USD 854.7 billion during the March quarter. In contrast, the same was
USD 814 billion for the UK.
India’s currency was in a strong position against the pound in the quarter during the
time period during which this calculation was done.

On the other hand, the Indian economy is registering a growth of 7 per cent, while
the UK economy is growing at less than 1 per cent. Due to these reasons, India grew
rapidly but Britain could not perform like India and fell behind India in sixth place.
Significantly, India has also performed well in the agriculture and services sector. In the
first quarter (April-June) of the current financial year, the country’s GDP has been 13.5
percent. At the same time, comparing it with the April-June quarter of the last financial
year (2021-22), the GDP growth rate at that time was 20.1 percent.
September 5, 2022
5 September: National Teachers Day
The National Teachers Day is observed every year on 5th September in India to
commemorate birthday of country’s first Vice President and second President Dr
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Key Points
To celebrate this day, various programmes were organised in schools and colleges
throughout the country to honour of teachers who shaped the lives of students and
showed them path of success.
On this occasion, Environment Ministry launched Prakarti khoj, an environment
awareness initiative. It is an online environmental quiz competition conducted at
national level.
The objective of quiz was to generate interest among school children about the
science related to environment.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September 1888 in Thiruttani in then
Madras Presidency of British India (now in Tamil Nadu).
He was Indian philosopher and statesman and one of best known scholars in field of
comparative religion and philosophy in India in 20th century.
He had tremendously contributed towards new contemporary Hindu identity in eyes
of the ill-informed Westeners.
He held great respect for teachers and always believed that teachers are real nation
builders and thus should always be the best minds in the country.
He was the first Vice President of India (in office from 1952–1962), Second President
of India (in office from 1962 to 1967).
He was first recipient Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award along with
politician C. Rajagopalachari, scientist C. V. Raman. He was also awarded British
Royal Order of Merit (1963).
5 September: International Day of Charity observed
The International Day of Charity is observed every year on September 5 across the world.
It aims to recognise role of charity in alleviating human suffering within and among
nations.
It also seeks to raise awareness and provide common platform for charity related activities
for charitable, philanthropic and volunteer organizations and individuals all over the world
for their own purposes on national, regional and international level.
Background
The International Day of Charity was instituted by United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) by adopting resolution A/RES/67/105PDF on 17 December 2012.
Why September 5 ?
It is death anniversary of Mother Teresa. It was celebrated for first time in 2013. On this
day, UN invites all Member States, international and regional organizations, as well as civil
society to commemorate this day for encouraging charity, including through education
and public awareness-raising activities.
Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PBC) wins 68th edition of Nehru Trophy Boat Race
Pallathuruthi Boat Club recently won the 68th edition of the Nehru Trophy for a boat race
held on the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha district of Kerala.
This edition of the Boat Race, held after a gap of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
was flagged off by DK Joshi, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar.
Key Points
In this competition ‘Mahadevikadu Kattil Thekethil’ of Pallathuruthi Boat Club won
the trophy while ‘Nadubhagam’ of Kumarakam of NCDC Boat Club won the runner-
up title.
The competition was organized under nine categories, with 77 boats including 20
snake boats competing in the race. Initially, 22 snake boats were to take part in the
race, but two withdrew their participation from the race and brought it down to 20.
In this, the boat of Pallathuruthi Boat Club won the title by covering a distance of
1.15 km in 4.30.77 minutes.
This is Pallathuruthi’s hat-trick title win in the Nehru Trophy with Santhosh Chacko as
the captain of this boat.
Boat League (CBL)
CBL (championsboatleague.in), billed as a game-changing initiative, seeks to
professionalize Kerala’s largely scattered snake-boat races, while commercializing them
without losing the traditional spirit of the sport does.
About Nehru Trophy Boat Race
It was established in 1952 to commemorate the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru’s visit to the region and his boat ride in Alappuzha Lake.
During his visit to Alappuzha, PM Nehru climbed on Nadubhagam sandalwood after
coming first in snakebite in the race for the exhibition. Later on his return to New Delhi,
Prime Minister Nehru donated a silver trophy, a replica of a snake bite.
Scheme for 'Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks'
The Department of Pharmaceuticals has recently given ‘in-principle’ approval to the
proposals to set up bulk drug parks in three states- Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and
Andhra Pradesh under the scheme of “Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks”. This is a major
initiative to support bulk drug manufacturing in the country.
Highlights
Under this scheme, proposals for construction of bulk drug parks were received from
13 states. Out of which Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have been
selected.
The financial assistance for the proposed bulk drug parks in Gujarat and Andhra
Pradesh will be 70 per cent of the project cost of the shared infrastructure.
At the same time, being a hill state, the financial assistance for Himachal Pradesh will
be 90 percent of the total project cost. The maximum assistance for wholesale drug
parks under this scheme will be limited to Rs 1,000 crore.
About the Parks
These parks will be set up on 1402.44 acres in Haroli tehsil of Una district of Himachal
Pradesh, 2015.02 acres in Jambusar tehsil of Bharuch district of Gujarat and 2000.45 acres
at KP Puram and Kodhaha in Thondagi mandal of East Godavari district.
Project Benefits
The bulk drug parks to be developed under this scheme will provide common
infrastructure facilities at one place, thereby creating a strong ecosystem for bulk
drug manufacturing in the country and will also bring down the manufacturing cost
significantly.
The scheme is expected to gain a foothold in the global market by encouraging
domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and providing easy access to standard testing
and infrastructure to reduce import dependence.
The scheme will help the industry to meet environmental standards at low cost
through innovative methods of common waste management system and to reap the
benefits arising out of the optimization of resources and economies of scale.
Ladakh Night Sky Sanctuary
In a unique and first of its kind initiative, the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
has decided to set up India’s first Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh.
Highlight
Scientists from Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, CLRI will soon visit
Ladakh to set up the branch as the region is home to a wide variety of animals.
This proposed dark sky reserve will be located as part of Changthang Wildlife
Sanctuary in Hanle, Ladakh.
It will give a boost to astro-tourism in India and will be one of the highest places in
the world for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes.
Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary
Located in the Changthang Plateau in the Leh district of Ladakh, Changthang Wildlife
Sanctuary is one of the most popular sanctuaries in the Ladakh region. With its
picturesque landscape, this sanctuary has a huge variety of flora and fauna.
Spread over an area of about 4000 sq km, this sanctuary also houses the highest lake on
earth, Lake Tso Moriri. It is considered to be the second largest nature reserve after
Northeast Greenland National Park. The sanctuary is situated at an altitude of
14,000–19000 feet.
Places near Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary
Korzok village is located near Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, which is considered to be
the highest village in the world. The main attraction of this village is the Korzok
Monastery. Other places around Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary are Pangong Tso Lake,
Tso Kar Lake, Khardung La Pass and Shanti Stupa.
2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients
Ramon Magsaysay Awards were announced recently. This year the award will go to
Sothiara Chim, Psychiatrist (Cambodia), Tadashi Hattori, Ophthalmologist (Japan),
Bernadette Madrid, Pediatrician (Philippines) and Gary Bencheghib, activist and filmmaker
(Indonesia).
Sothiara Chhim, Psychiatrist (Cambodia)
Sothiara Chhim, a 54-year-old Cambodian, was rewarded for dedicating her life to helping
those suffering under the Khmer Rouge regime. Sothiara Chhim himself was also a
survivor of the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime, which in the 1970s killed nearly a
quarter of Cambodia’s population through starvation, overwork and mass executions.
Tadashi Hattori, Ophthalmologist (Japan)
Tadashi Hatori, a 58-year-old Japanese ophthalmologist, was honored for providing free
eye surgery in Vietnam, where such specialists and facilities are limited.
Bernadette Madrid, Pediatrician (Philippines)
Bernadette Madrid, 64, has received an award for helping domestic abuse victims and
setting up a child protection center in the Philippines. Since 1997, he has headed the
country’s first child protection center at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. It has
served more than 27,000 children over the last year.
Gary Bencheghib, activist and film producer (Indonesia)
27-year-old French environmental activist and filmmaker Gary Bencheghib has been given
the award for his efforts to clean up Indonesia’s polluted waterways. Bencheghib and his
brother have built a kayak made of plastic bottles and bamboo to pick up garbage in the
Citarum River, one of the world’s most polluted rivers.
About the Award
The award is considered as the Nobel Prize of Asia. It was established in 1957. The Award
recognizes and honours individuals that have achieved distinction in their field and help
others generously.
The Award has been given in five categories namely journalism, government service,
public service, literature and creative communication
How are the Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients chosen?
Since 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation selects awardees for the Emergent
Leadership Sector on an annual basis. The awardees receive a certificate, a medallion with
an embossed portrait of Ramon Magsaysay and a monetary prize.
Ramon Magsaysay
Magsaysay became the president of Philippines in 1953. The administration years of
Magsaysay are cited as Golden Years of Philippines. He was well known for his generosity
and agrarian reforms.
VentuRISE: Karnataka Startup Challenge
The Government of Karnataka has recently launched “VentuRISE” – Global Startup
Challenge, to recognize, reward and support growth stage startups in manufacturing and
sustainability related sectors. The Startup Challenge is a part of the Bangalore Palace
flagship event to be held from 2nd to 4th November 2022.
Highlights
This global challenge will provide an opportunity to budding entrepreneurs across the
globe to showcase their products/solutions to entrepreneurs around the world and build
a strong network to support their enterprises.
The challenge will focus on startups in manufacturing and sustainability-related sectors
through a screening and selection process conducted by experts in the field for the next
two months.
A cash prize of USD 1,00,000 has been earmarked for its winners. The winners get access
to clients, exclusive pitch sessions at Invest Karnataka and an investor meet and curated
mentoring session on the same. Marquee PE, VC and angel investors are expected to
participate.
The Startup Challenge will be a 3 round challenge which will be conducted over a period of
2 months. The process will include online application submission, online pitching to the
jury, and final presentation at the Global Investors Meet and media visibility across all
platforms.
India set to become 3rd largest economy by 2030
Recently, State Bank of India (SBI) released a research report which states that India is
likely to become the third largest economy in the world by 2029.
Highlights
The report said that India has gone through a major structural transformation since 2014
(when it was ranked 10th) and is now the 5th largest economy, overtaking the United
Kingdom.
There is also a possibility that India will overtake Germany by 2027 and Japan by 2029.
India is only behind 5 countries (USA, China, Japan and Germany) in terms of the size of
the economy in terms of dollars.
The share of India’s GDP is now 3.5%, which was 2.6% in 2014 and is likely to cross 4% in
2027. Germany’s report on global GDP further said that India is likely to benefit as China is
slow in terms of new investment intentions.
Broad-based development of empowerment will also elevate India’s per capita income
above the current levels and can also act as a force multiplier for a better tomorrow.
September 6, 2022
Japan's war on floppy disks
Japan may be home to some of the world’s leading tech giants, but the Japanese have
always been fond of old technology. But now Japan has declared war on the floppy disk to
get rid of old technologies and machines.

Key Points
One reason for this is that if Japan replaces old technologies such as fax machines
and floppies with new technology, it will need to create a lot of software for everyday
tasks. And it will also require many software engineers. There is currently a shortage
of about 5 lakh software engineers in Japan.
Other reason for this is that Japan is a country of old people. Bureaucratic confidence
in Japan is also an obstacle in the way of new technologies that when a technology is
working well for 20 years, why will it not last for the next 20 years.
Japanese officials are very sensitive to personal and government data. Japanese
government officials believe that the data in floppies is more secure than today’s
modern technologies. That’s why they don’t even use email in official work.
Floppy Disk
The floppy disk drive was invented in 1967 by Alan Sugart at IBM. Floppy disks were used
as the main storage device in the 1980s-1990s. At that time it was the only way to transfer
files to a computer. But gradually the use of floppy disk decreased and in today’s time
floppy disk is not used at all.
The floppy disks used in computers are 5.25 inches (also called mini floppy) or 3.5 inches
(also called micro floppy) in size. Floppy disks can store very small amounts of data.
Liz Truss elected as Britain's new Prime Minister
Recently, UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss has been elected as the next Prime Minister of
Britain and the leader of the governing Conservative Party.
Highlights
After a grueling six-week campaign, Liz defeated her rival, former finance minister
Rishi Sunak, by 81,326 votes to 60,399.
Liz Truss is the 56th Prime Minister of Britain and the third woman Prime Minister to
lead the country. The previous female prime ministers – Margaret Thatcher and
Theresa May – were also from the Conservative Party.
Liz Truss
Liz Truss’s full name is Mary Elizabeth Truss. He was born on 26 July 1975 in Oxford,
England. When Liz Truss was four years old, her family moved to Scotland. Here he did his
early studies. After a few years, she moved to Canada. In 1996 Truss studied Philosophy,
Politics and Economics from Merton College in Oxford.
While studying at Merton College, she came into contact with the Liberal Democrats party.
She has also been the chair of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. Apart from this,
she was also a member of the National Executive of Liberal Democrats Youth and
Students.
As a student leader, Truss also campaigned extensively for the Labor Party. However, after
graduation i.e. in 1996, he left the Democrats and joined the Conservative Party. Since
then he is in this party.
Truss also contested the Greenwich London Borough Council elections in 1998 and 2002,
although they were defeated in both. On May 4, 2006, he won the first election as a
councillor. After this, in 2010, she was elected MP for the first time. In 2014, he was made
the Environment Minister.
BSF Drone Tear Smoke Launcher
Recently, the Tear Smoke Unit of the Border Security Force (BSF) has developed an
indigenous drone Tear Smoke Launcher. This launcher will be used to control the crowd
and to release tear gas shells during riots and unrest.
Highlights
It can be used to launch shells from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones and
will be a potential force multiplier for security forces operating in the law and order
management sector.”
In this, tear gas shells can be fired within a radius of 250-300 meters through drones.
A drone can be loaded with 2 to 6 tear gas shells and dropped on the target area.
Most security certifications have also been obtained for the use of this technology.
This drone technology will soon be handed over to all police departments and armed
police forces.
Tear Smoke Unit (TSU)
The tear gas unit at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy was set up in 1976. Earlier,
tear gas shells were imported into the country from abroad. In 46 years, this unit has
made India self-reliant in this sector by increasing the capacity of manufacturing tear gas
material in the country by 12 times.
About Border Security Force (BSF)
It is one of 7 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India. It was raised in wake of 1965
War on 1 December 1965.
It is country’s largest border guarding force with a present strength of about 2.5 lakh
personnel. Being a primary border defence organisation of India, it is tasked to secure two
of India’s most important and sensitive fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
NGT fines West Bengal for waste management failure
Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed environmental compensation of
Rs 3,500 crore on West Bengal for failing to manage solid and liquid waste.
Key Points
In the budget of the financial year 2022-23, the West Bengal government had made a
provision to spend about Rs 12818 crore on matters related to urban development
and municipalities. But the state government did not do any special work in this
direction.
According to the NGT, urban areas of West Bengal generate 2758 million sewage per
day while the treatment capacity through 44 sewage treatment plants is only 1505.85
MLD. Therefore, only 1268 MLD of sewage is treated and 1490 MLD of sewage
remains untreated.
The West Bengal government will have to deposit this 3500 crore fine within two
months. At the same time, the National Green Tribunal said that if such violations of
environmental matters continue, then more fines will be imposed.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)
NGT was established on October 18, 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010. It
was established for effective and expeditious disposal of cases related to conservation of
forests, environmental protection and conservation of other natural resources besides
enforcement of any legal right related to environment. This Tribunal is not bound by the
procedure laid down under “Code of Civil Procedure, 1908”. It is guided by principles of
natural justice.
National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
It is an Act of the Parliament that lead to the creation of a special tribunal for handling the
expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental issues. It was inspired from
constitutional provision of Article 21.
Function of the Tribunal
The Tribunal is having a dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters. Thus, it provides
speedy environmental justice and help in reducing the burden of higher courts. It is
mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals within 6 months.
Mascot & anthem for 36th National Games
Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the anthem and mascot of the 36th
National Games at TransStadia’s EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
36th National Game 2022
The 36th National Game 2022 will be held in Gujarat.
It is scheduled to be held from September 27, 2022 to October 10, 2022.
It will be held across 6 cities of Gujarat, in which all the 28 states and 8 Union
Territories will participate.
In all, 36 sports will be hosted, in line with the tagline “Sports for Unity”.
This year, Yogasana and Mallakhamba have been added to the list of games. Thus, it
will promote indigenous sports in India.
Inaugural function will be held at the Narendra Modi stadium.
An estimated 7,000 athletes from 28 states and eight union territories are expected
to participate in 36 disciplines, which comprise most of the traditional Olympic
sports.
Venue for the National Games:
The National Games 2022 will be held across 6 cities in Gujarat, viz., Gandhinagar, Surat,
Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Bhavnagar.
Mascot
The mascot is named Savaj which in Gujarati means cub. The mascot represents India’s
cultural heritage, while also giving a glimpse of the rapidly growing India, which is set to
become a world leader again.
Theme
The theme of the national anthem is Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Last Edition of the National Games:
Last edition of the National Games was organised in 2015, in Kerala. 2022 edition of the
National Games will be held after a gap of seven years.
30th Southern Zonal Council Meeting
Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the 30th Southern Zonal Council
meeting of South Indian States and Union Territories in Thiruvananthapuram.
Key Points
A total of 26 issues were discussed in this meeting, 09 issues were resolved, 17 issues
were put up for further consideration, out of which 09 issues related to the
reorganization of Andhra Pradesh.
The meeting was attended by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, chief ministers
and ministers from other southern states – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana – and lieutenant governors of the southern union territories of
Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The main objectives of the meeting of the Regional Council are –
To encourage regional cooperation between states, to resolve disputes and issues
between the Center and the states by consensus
To provide a platform to all the states of the country to discuss issues of common
national importance.
Establish a strong collaboration mechanism among all stakeholders
About Regional Councils
Regional councils were established under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 (hence
it is not a constitutional body) to promote inter-state cooperation and coordination
among states.
At present, there are a total of five regional councils. Northern, Western, Eastern,
Central and Southern.
They are regional forums of cooperative effort for states that are geographically,
economically and culturally connected to each other.
Regional councils provide the basis for a general meeting for states to promote and
facilitate coordinated efforts to promote economic and social development.
They have been mandated to discuss and make recommendations on matters of
general interest in the field of economic and social planning, linguistic minorities,
border disputes and inter-state transport etc.
Note: North Eastern states are not included in these five regional councils. Their special
problems are looked after by the North Eastern Council established under the North
Eastern Council Act, 1972. It is also chaired by the Union Home Minister.
NASA - Eyes on the Solar System Tool : 7 GK & Current Affairs Facts
Recently NASA has updated its 3D visualization ‘Eyes on the Solar System’ tool. This new
and improved system now makes interplanetary travel easier and more interactive than
before.
Important Facts
1. This latest edition of “Eyes on the Solar System” lets you scroll through rich
interactive journeys. For example, you can enjoy Voyager’s grand tour of Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
2. It took more than two years for the Visualization Technology Application and
Development team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech to develop the
system.
3. This update offers better controls, better navigation, and tons of new opportunities
to learn about our own Earth, the Solar System, asteroids, and more.
4. This unique 3D instrument allows real-time 3D data visualization of the past, present
and future of the Solar System.
5. The instrument allows multiple visualizations from all satellites on Earth in real time
for air temperature, carbon-dioxide, sea wall, soil moisture, ozone, and more.
6. This amazing tool allows you to explore exoplanets in 3D, the search can be filtered
by planet type which includes ‘Gas Giants, Terrestrial and even ‘Super Earth’ type
planets.
7. This instrument highlights stars and allows the detection of exoplanets around them.
One can see the “habitable zone” around the star and if an exoplanet is in that zone.
ISRO tests Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator
Recently, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully tested the
Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) technology that can aid in cost-effective
recovery of spent rocket stages and land payloads safely on other planets.
Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD)
The Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator has been designed and developed by Vikram
Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).
The IAD technology has been tested from the sounding rocket Rohini-300 (RH300 Mk
II). Rohini sounding rockets are regularly used by scientists from India and abroad
for flight demonstrations.
At launch, the IAD was folded inside the ‘payload bay’ and as it reached an altitude of
about 84 km, the IAD was opened and inflated into the payload portion of the rocket.
Due to which the velocity of the payload was affected and the speed of the rocket
decreased.
The IAD has huge potential in variety of space applications like recovery of spent
stages of rocket, for landing payloads on to Mars or Venus and in making space
habitat for human space flight missions.
IAD can prove to be a game changer for many future space missions. With this
technique, the speed of the rocket can also be slowed down, so that scientists will be
able to control the speed of the rocket.
ISRO
ISRO is the space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India. It was
formed in 1969. ISRO replaced its predecessor, INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for
Space Research) which was established in 1962. Current Chairman of ISRO is S. Somnath.
September 7, 2022
September 7: International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies - Update (September, 2022)
The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed every year on September 7.
Highlights
The day is facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In the year 2021, the day was observed under the theme- ‘The Air We Share‘. It
focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution highlighting the need for
collective accountability and collective action.
Background
This day was first established at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly
in 2019. It seeks to create awareness regarding the significance of air quality.
First observance of the day
The day was first observed on September 7, 2020 across the world.
Coordinating Partners
The lead coordinating partners of the day are United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
(CCAC). Additional fundings were provided from the Federal Ministry of Environment,
Nature Conservation & Nuclear Safety of Germany (BMU). In some commemoration,
World Health Organization (WHO) partnered with NGO BreatheLife to organise activities.
Focus of the event
In the year 2022, this day & event focused on prioritizing the need for healthy air for all. It
also lays stress on critical issues like climate change, human health, planetary health and
Sustainable Development Goals.
Air pollution
As per United Nations, air pollution is a “two-fold problem”. It adversely impacts the
health as well as climate. Tiny pollutant particles penetrate deep into bloodstream, lungs,
and body. These pollutants cause about one-third of deaths from stroke, chronic
respiratory disease, and lung cancer. It also led to asthma and chronic respiratory
illnesses.
Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)
SLCPs are linked with health effects and near-term warming of the earth. These pollutants
survive in atmosphere for few days and sometimes for few decades. It reduces their
magnitude and can be proved fruitful in ensuring better health of earth and humans.
Delhi model School Plan' in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the School of Excellence and Model
School scheme in the state in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This
scheme is based on the Delhi Model School Scheme.
Excellence School and Model School Scheme
Under this scheme, 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools of the state have been
included in the first phase. These schools will be named Thagaisal Palligal and Mathiri
Palligal Model School in Tamil language.
Under this scheme, all girl students studying in classes 6 to 12 in government schools will
be paid Rs 1,000 directly into their bank accounts till the uninterrupted completion of
bachelor’s degree, diploma and ITI courses.
Education in Tamilnadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India. The literacy rate of the state in
2011 is 80.33 percent, which is above the national average.
Tamil Nadu tops Indian states with a nearly 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in
primary and upper primary education in a survey conducted by industry body
Assocham.
According to the Union Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) for
2019-20, Tamil Nadu is among the top five achievers in key parameters of education
such as access, equity, infrastructure and governance processes.
The state has secured 906 marks out of 1,000 in this ranking, which is higher than
last year’s 793 marks. The Dharmapuri and Villupuram districts of the state have
been declared as the districts giving better teaching results than other districts of
Tamil Nadu.
James Webb telescope captures 'Super-Jupiter' : 5 GK & Current Affairs Facts
Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured its first image of an exoplanet
at, or planet outside the Solar System.
Facts About the HIP 65426 b Exoplanet
The captured exoplanet is named HIP 65426 b and is about six to 12 times the mass
of Jupiter. It was first discovered in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the
European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.
This young planet is a “super-Jupiter”, meaning it is a gas giant that is more massive
than Jupiter. It is composed of gas in origin and has no rocky surface, meaning that
the found planet may not be habitable.
Exoplanets have been observed through the telescope’s four different light filters,
proving how James Webb’s powerful infrared technology can easily capture worlds
beyond our solar system.
NASA revealed that it is a young planet about 15 to 20 million years older than our
4.5 billion year old Earth.
The planet is located 315 lightyears away and is orbiting at a significant distance
from its Star, allowing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a picture of
the same. The distance between exoplanet and its star is about 100 times that which
is between Earth and Sun.
What is James Webb Space Telescope?
The James Webb Space Telescope is a large infrared telescope. It will study every
phase in the history of universe. This includes formation of solar system, Big Bang
and other theories that support life on other planets.
The Telescope is capable of looking about the past such as the first galaxies formed
in the early universe through its longer wavelengths. These wavelengths will help the
telescope to peer inside dust clouds from where the planets and stars are formed.
The telescope is to travel at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the earth.
The telescope is to be launched in Ariane 5 ECA rocket from French Guiana in South
America. The rocket is from the European Space Agency.
Rajasthan Job guarantee scheme : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts
The Government of Rajasthan is going to launch Indira Gandhi Urban Employment
Guarantee Scheme to provide employment to the residents of the city on the lines of
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme run by the Central
Government.
Important Facts
This Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme will be started in Rajasthan from
September 9. A budget provision of Rs 800 crore has been made for this scheme in
the financial year 2022-23.
This scheme will provide 100 days of employment to the families living in urban
areas on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
More than 2.2 lakh families have been registered under this scheme, which is
expected to provide employment to the poor and needy people including those
affected by the pandemic.
Under this scheme all the family members of a job card holder, whose age is
between 18 to 60 years, will be eligible to get work under the scheme.
The state government has constituted committees at various levels for the effective
implementation of this scheme.
The scheme will provide employment in the areas of environment and water
conservation, sanitation and hygiene, prevention of defacement of property, service
related works, convergence work and heritage conservation.
Eligible people will be engaged in plantation, cleaning of ponds, garbage collection
and catching stray animals.
The cost of material covered under this scheme and payment for labor work of
general nature will be in the ratio of 25:75.
It will vary for particular jobs with technical expertise.
The Local Bodies Department of the State Government will be responsible for the
implementation of the scheme.
Chile rejects new Constitution
Recently, a referendum in Chile rejected a proposal to replace the old charter with a new
progressive constitution.
Key Points
According to the result of this referendum, 61.9 percent votes were received against
the proposal for the new constitution, while 38.1 percent people got support.The
draft resolution was drafted to replace the 1980 charter, written under the
dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.
The rejection of the referendum motion shocked President Gabriel Borich, who
argued that the introduction of the new constitution would usher in a new
progressive era.
What was the new constitution proposal?
The president remains head of the government. However, he would share the power
to submit laws involving public spending with legislators. Currently, this power
exclusively lies with the president.
The president could be re-elected consecutively once. Currently, he can be re-elected
non-consecutively.
Congress would become an asymmetric body, which currently is a bicameral body
with equal power.
Direct democracy mechanisms such as popular law initiatives and citizen
consultations would be followed in routine.
It would provide wider social rights, including housing, health, social security, access
to food and work.
It dedicates an entire chapter to environment, noting that “nature has rights” and
animals are “subjects of special protection.”
Under proposed constitution, fight against climate change would be a state duty,
because it would protect biodiversity, natural spaces and native species.
Water has been classified as a “non-appropriable”, as opposed to current
constitution.
Apart from this, new constitution also provides for state to take steps to eradicate and
punish gender violence. State bodies and public companies have been mandated to have
gender parity. State has also been mandated to respect, protect, promote, and guarantee
the self-determination, participation of indigenous groups, and collective & individual
rights.
PM-SHRI Yojana : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that 14,500 schools across the country
will be developed and upgraded under the PM-Shri scheme. The scheme was announced
by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in June 2022.
Key Points
These schools will become the model schools of the country, which will be in line with
the core spirit of the National Education Policy and will emphasize on innovative
methods of teaching.
These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart
classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art rooms etc., which are inclusive and
accessible.
These schools will also be developed as green schools with integration of water
conservation, waste recycling, energy efficient infrastructure and organic lifestyle in
the curriculum.
At least one PM Shri School will be established in every block of the country. So that
the children of common people can also get the opportunity of good education and
they do not have to go far for studies.

Under this scheme, one secondary and senior secondary school will also be
connected in each district of the country.
Assessment at all levels of the school will be based on conceptual understanding and
application of knowledge in real life situations and will be competency based.
These schools will not only aim at qualitative teaching, learning and cognitive
development, but will also create holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with
key skills of the 21st century.
These schools will be established on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalaya. At the same
time, according to the need, the premises and structure of government schools will
be made beautiful, strong, attractive.
The Central Government will bear the expenses of PM Shri Schools. However, the
implementation and monitoring of this scheme will be the responsibility of the state
government.
Committee to draft National Cooperation Policy
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah recently announced the formation of a
committee to draft a National Cooperation Policy document.
Key Points
The 47-member committee will be headed by former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.
The committee also includes experts from the cooperative sector; Representatives of
National/State/District and Primary Co-operative Societies; Secretaries
(Cooperatives) and Registrars of Co-operative Societies of the States/UTs; and
officers of Central Ministries/Departments.
This policy is being prepared to realize the government’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se
Prosperity’. Earlier the current National Policy on Cooperation was formulated in
2002.
This Cooperative Policy Document is being prepared with a view to fulfill the
mandate given to the new Ministry of Cooperation, which includes strengthening the
cooperative movement in the country, deepening its reach at the grassroots level
and promoting a cooperative based economic development model.
Co-operative Societies in India
There are about 8.5 lakh cooperative societies in India, with a member base of about 29
crores. These cooperatives are engaged in various activities like agro-processing, dairying,
fisheries, housing, weaving, credit and marketing.
Ministry of Cooperation
The Ministry of Cooperatives has been constituted with the objective of providing a
separate administrative, legal and policy framework to strengthen the cooperative
movement in India. This ministry will work towards realizing the vision of ‘Sahakar Se
Samridhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation). Simultaneously, it will work to streamline
processes for ease of doing business for cooperatives and enable the development of
multi-state cooperatives.
3 Indian Cities in UNESCO Network of Learning Cities

Recently, three cities in India have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
These include two cities Thrissur and Nilambur in Kerala and Warangal in Telangana.
Key Points
Warangal is the second UNESCO recognition for Telangana. Earlier, Ramappa Temple
in Mulugu district was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
This time, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, South African city Durban and UAE city Sharjah have
been included in this list of UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
In the year 2022, 77 cities from 44 countries of the world including India have been
included in this list.
The inclusion of these cities will encourage exchange of ideas with other cities and
share among themselves the methods of systems already implemented in these
cities.
Nilambur (Kerala)
Nilambur is a famous eco-tourism destination in Kerala. Majority of the population here is
dependent on agriculture and allied industries.
With Nilambur included in this list, sustainable development through community
ownership, gender equality, inclusivity will be further promoted. As well as creating
employment opportunities in the city and achieving the goals of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Thrissur (Kerala):
Thrissur, an important center of academic and research institutions, is considered the
cultural capital of Kerala. It is also known as gold art and jewelery industry in particular. By
being included in this UNESCO list, Thrissur will benefit the world with its intellectual,
educational and jewelery arts and will itself benefit from cultural inclusion.
Warangal:
Warangal is a city with rich cultural heritage of Telangana. It is a major tourist destination
of the state. More than 32 lakh tourists visit here every year. The economy of Warangal
mainly depends on agricultural and industrial centres. The development of this city will
further accelerate after it is included in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities:
Launched in 2013, the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) is an
international policy based network. It aims to ensure the development of all learning cities
by sharing ideas and arts with other cities. So far, 294 cities from 76 countries are included
in this list.
The network supports the achievements of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
but primarily focused on SDG 4 (‘Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and
promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all) and SDG 11 (making human habitats
sustainable, inclusive, safe).
September 8, 2022
Moody's retains India's Baa3 rating with stable outlook

Moody’s Investors Service recently announced its decision to maintain India’s sovereign
credit rating at a minimum investment grade of ‘Baa3’ and continue with its “stable”
outlook on the country.
Key Points
According to Moody’s, India’s economic growth rate in the current financial year will
be 7.6 percent as compared to 8.7 percent in the previous financial year 2021-22. At
the same time, the growth rate of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is estimated to be
6.3 percent in 2023-24.
According to Moody’s, right now India’s biggest challenges include things like low
per capita income, rising government debt, low debt capacity and limited
government effectiveness.
Also, rising challenges to the global economy, including the Russo-Ukraine war, high
inflation and a hike in policy rates by central banks, will adversely affect the ongoing
recovery in India in the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Moody’s said that if India’s economic growth is faster than expected, then it may
increase the rating further. This can happen only after implementing economic and
financial sector reforms.
The rating agency expects the quality of the Indian banking system to improve
further as the economy emerges out of the pandemic. As this improves, conditions
will be favorable for banks and this will strengthen business confidence.
About Moody’s Investors Service
Moody’s Investors Service, often referred to simply as Moody’s, is the bond credit rating
business of Moody’s Corporation. This organization provides financial research globally on
bonds issued by government and commercial organizations. Moody’s, along with Fitch
Group and Standard & Poor’s, are considered the big three credit rating agencies. Its
headquarter is in New York.
8 September: International Literacy Day observed - Update (September, 2022)
The International Literacy Day (ILD) is being observed every year across the world on 8
September to emphasize importance of literacy to individuals, society and communities.
The day was instituted in 1966 by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO). This year it was 54th International Literacy Day.
ILD 2022 theme announced by UNESCO was “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”.
It seeks to highlight importance of embracing linguistic diversity in education and literacy
development as it is central to addressing persisting literacy challenges and to achieving
Background
The International Literacy Day (ILD) was officially proclaimed by UNESCO in its 14th
Session in November 1966. Since then, it is celebrated annually by member countries of
UNESCO.
Why September 8?
On this day in year 1965, World Congress of Ministers of Education had met for first time
in Tehran, Iran to discuss the programme of education at international level.
Purpose of this day:
(i) To mobilize public opinion in favour of struggle against illiteracy.
(ii) To disseminate information on literacy and
(iii) To raise public awareness and the significance of literacy for individual and national
development.
Indian Army Chief conferred honorary rank of Nepal Army General
Recently, at a special ceremony at ‘Sheetal Niwas’, the official residence of the President in
Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, Indian Army Chief General Pande was conferred with the title
of Honorary General of the Nepalese Army during his ongoing visit to the Himalayan
nation.
Key Points
Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army Chief to be
awarded this title in 1950. In November last year, Nepal’s Army Chief General Prabhu
Ram Sharma was also conferred with the title of Honorary General of the Indian
Army by President Ram Nath Kovind at a function held in New Delhi.
The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of decorating army chiefs of each
other’s country with the honorary title.
General Pande is on a four-day official visit to Nepal from 5th to 8th of this month.
This is his first visit to Nepal as the Chief of Army Staff.
On behalf of the Government of India, General Manoj Pande provided training
equipment along with light vehicles to the Nepalese Army which will enhance the
capabilities of the Nepalese Army personnel.
About Lieutenant General Pande
He is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun and the National
Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. In 1982, he was commissioned into the Bombay
Sappers after passing out from the IMA.
Lt General Pande held prestigious command and staff assignments in counter-insurgency
and conventional operations in all types of terrain during his 39-year military career. In the
Western theatre, he has commanded an engineer brigade. He has also commanded an
infantry brigade along the Line of Control (LoC), in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the
North-east region of the country.
Before taking over as the army’s vice-chief, he has also served as the Eastern Army
Commander. From June 2020 to May 2021, he served as the Andaman and Nicobar
Command’s commander-in-chief. After General Narvane retires, he will be the senior-
most officer of the Army.
India's first intra-nasal Corona vaccine: GK & Current Affairs Facts
The country’s first intranasal COVID vaccine iNCOVACC by Bharat Biotech has recently
received DCGI approval for primary immunization against the infection for people above
the age of 18 years. This vaccine has been named ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S COVID-19.
Highlights
ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S COVID-19 (Chimpanzee Adenovirus Vectored) Recombinant Nasal
Vaccine for COVID-19 by Bharat Biotech is the first of its kind needle-free vaccine.
Prior to the approval of this vaccine, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International
Limited (BBIL) conducted Phase III trials of this vaccine on around 4,000 volunteers. The
vaccine proved effective in this trial. After which this vaccine has been approved under
restricted use in emergency situations for age 18 years and above.
ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S COVID-19
This is a new intranasal vaccine that is given without the help of a needle (injection).
It will prove to be a safer and more effective option for middle-income countries.
According to the company, this vaccine enhances the broad immune response.
In addition it inactivates IgG, mucosal IgA and T cell responses, and inhibits infection.
Scalability will not be a problem with this new intra-nasal vaccine based on the viral
vector platform.
Through this vaccine, we can increase the thin mucus membrane immune cells of the
nose and mouth, from where the Sars-CoV-2 virus enters the body.
Therefore, it can prevent the virus from replicating upon its entry and spreading to
the lungs and other parts of the body.
Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL)
BBIL is headquartered in Hyderabad. The company is engaged in discovering drug,
developing drug, manufacturing vaccines, pharmaceuticals and health care products. It
was established in 1996.
Maitree Super Thermal Power Project : 7 GK & Current Affairs Facts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently
unveiled Unit-1 of Maitree Super Thermal Power Project.
Key Points
It is located at Rampal in Bagerhat district of Khulna division of Bangladesh.
The 1320 (2×660) MW coal-fired power plant is being set up at a cost of
approximately $2 billion.
The project is being developed under India’s concessional financing scheme and will
add 1320 MW to Bangladesh’s national grid.
It is being built by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for Bangladesh-India
Friendship Power Company Private Limited (BIFPCL).
The first unit of this super thermal power plant will go into commercial operation in
early October and will be a major breakthrough in the growing cooperation in the
Bangladesh-India power sector.
Unit-II of the power plant, also known as the Rampal coal-fired power project, is
expected to be commissioned early next year.
Once both the units of this mega power plant are commissioned, Maitree Super
Thermal Power Project will be one of the largest power plants in Bangladesh.
Agreements signed between the two countries –
Seven agreements related to water resources, railways, science and technology and
space technology etc. have been signed during India-Bangladesh bilateral talks.
During the bilateral talks, an agreement was signed between Prasar Bharati and
Bangladesh Television to enhance cooperation in the broadcasting sector.
An important agreement was also signed on the sharing of the waters of the
Kushiyara River to benefit the Sylhet region of Bangladesh and the southern Assam
region of India.
Status Report on India's External Debt 2021-22
The External Debt Management Unit (EDMU), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance, recently released the 28th edition of the Status Report on India’s External Debt
2021-22.
Highlights
Long term debt: USD 499.1 billion constituted the largest chunk of 80.4 per cent of
total
Short-term debt: USD 121.7 billion accounted for 19.6 per cent of total
NRI deposits: Declined by 2 per cent to USD 139.0 billion
Non-sovereign debt: Grew 6.1 per cent to USD 490.0 billion over the level as of end-
March 2021
Non-sovereign external debt: Estimated at USD 490.0 billion as at end-March 2022
Sovereign debt: USD 130.7 billion rose higher by 17.1 per cent over its level a year
ago
Debt service ratio: It fell significantly to 5.2 per cent during 2021-22 from 8.2 per
cent in the previous year
SDRs: Rose to US$ 22.9 billion from US$ 5.5 billion as at end-March 2021
Commercial borrowings, NRI deposits and short-term trade credit are the three
biggest constituents of the non-sovereign debt, accounting for as much as 95.2 per
cent.
Short-term trade credit increased by 20.7 per cent to US$117.4 billion at the end of
March 2022, thanks to a significant increase in imports during 2021-22.
In a cross-country perspective, India’s external debt is modest, ranking 23rd globally.
India’s stability in terms of different credit vulnerability indicators was better than
that of low and middle income countries (LMICs) as a group and even better than
many of them individually.
Google Doodle pays tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika
Search engine giant Google honored Dr Bhupen Hazarika on his 96th birth anniversary (8
September 1926) with a doodle on its webpage. The doodle has been created by Mumbai-
based guest artist Rutuja Mali.
About Bhupen Hazarika
Born in 1926 in Sadiya, Assam, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is today a stalwart in the archives
of India’s cultural heritage.
He is popularly known as Sudhakantha, which means Nightingale.

A versatile talent, he is a fine poet, musician, singer, actor, journalist, writer and
filmmaker of the highest order.
He is the only living pioneer of Assam’s film industry in the Northeast, and therefore,
has been appropriately acclaimed as the uncrowned king of the cultural world of
North-East India.
He was most popular in Bengal and Bangladesh and was responsible for introducing
the culture and folk music of Assam and Northeast India to Hindi cinema.
In 1999, he was appointed as the President of the Sangeet Natak Akademi for a
period of five years by the Hon’ble President of India.
Apart from this, he was honored with many prestigious awards like Asom Ratna in
2009 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the same year, Padma Bhushan in 2011.
In the year 2019, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest
civilian award.
India- UK conduct Counter Ransomware Exercise
Recently India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the British Government
in collaboration with BAE Systems successfully conducted a virtual ransomware drill for 26
countries to prepare for a large, widespread cyber attack.
Theme
The theme of the exercise is “Energy Sector” which aims to enable national cyber crisis
management teams belonging to CRI affiliates to tackle ransomware attacks on multiple
power distribution companies.
Key Points
The exercise was part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI)-
Resilience Working Group led by the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) in
India.
The objective of conducting this virtual cyber exercise is to detect and address a
large, widespread cyber security incident affecting institutions operating within a
country.
The exercise is designed to support CRI’s mission, and is intended to allow
participating CRI members to test their abilities to respond to a major ransomware
incident at multiple power distribution companies.
It also mentions the benefits of sharing and collaborating during such a major cyber
attack.
Such exercises also provide opportunities for CRI countries to share their
perspectives on tackling ransomware.
National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC)
It is an operational cyber security and e-surveillance agency in India which is intended to
screen communication metadata and co-ordinate intelligence gathering activities of other
agencies. It generates situational awareness about potential and existing cyber security
threats and enables timely sharing of information for proactive, preventive and protective
actions by individual entities.

National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under National Security Council Secretariat
(NSCS) coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters.
September 9, 2022
September 9 : Himalaya Day
Himalaya Day is celebrated every year on 9 September with an aim to preserve the
Himalayan ecosystem and region.
Himalaya Day
In 2015, September 9 was officially declared as Himalaya Day by the then Chief
Minister of Uttarakhand.
The Himalayas play an important role in saving and maintaining nature and
protecting the country from adverse weather conditions.
Apart from being rich in biodiversity of flowers and fauna, the Himalayan range is
also responsible for bringing rain to the country.
Himalaya Day is also an excellent day to raise awareness among the general public
and bring about community participation in conservation activities.
This time special events will be held in nine Himalayan states as well as in Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi.
Himalaya Day 2022 was observed under the theme ‘Himalayas will be safe only
when the interests of its residents are protected’.
Why is this day celebrated?
This day is celebrated to mark the importance of the Himalayas. The Himalayan hill cities
face many challenges due to poor building planning and design, poor infrastructure like
roads, water supply, sewage etc. and unprecedented felling of trees. This results in serious
ecological issues.
The day is observed highlighting that there is an urgent need to develop eco-sensitive hill
town plans and designs. The Himalayas are a source of strength and a valuable heritage
for the entire world. So it needs to be protected. Apart from promoting scientific
knowledge, the day helps to raise awareness and community participation.
Kirit Parikh Committee to moderate gas prices
The Central Government has recently constituted a committee under the chairmanship of
Kirit Parikh to control and reduce the continuous increase in LPG gas prices.
Key Points
A representative each from private companies involved in city gas distribution, public
gas company GAIL India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and the Ministry of
Fertilizers has been included in this committee.
This committee will decide the formula for better pricing for domestic gas
production. The report is expected to be submitted by the end of this month.
This committee will also review the formula for fixing the price of gas produced by
companies like ONGC and Reliance.
LPG consumption in India
Consumption of LPG in the country – mainly used as cooking fuel – rose 3.75% in January
to a record high of 2.569 million tonnes in January, PPAC data showed. India’s LPG
consumption has increased in recent years to 27.558 million tonnes in the financial year
2020-21 (April-March), from 4.803 million tonnes in the financial year 1997-98.
Indian imports were traditionally butane-heavy, although the LPG import ratio has
remained largely the same in recent years.
The flagship scheme of the government Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has made
a significant contribution towards enhancing the penetration of LPG, especially in rural
areas. The renewed targets under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) aims to
provide LPG connections to 10 crore households before January 31, 2022.
Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST) Initiative
Recently, the central government launched a new i-STEM (Indian Science Technology and
Engineering Facilities) initiative named “Women in Engineering, Science and Technology
(WEST)”.
Key Points
The WEST program is aimed at women from STEM backgrounds and will empower
them to contribute to the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.
Under the WEST initiative, the existing support being provided by I-STEM to S&T
startups of women entrepreneurs will be enhanced and a dedicated team of women
will ensure the successful implementation of this initiative.
Access to R&D facilities and R&D software platforms (Comsol, Matlab, LabVIEW,
AutoCAD) available through this portal will create a strong support network for
women entrepreneurs in science and technology.
In addition, a digital group “Connect Quickly” has also been set up through I-Stem’s
WhatsApp and Telegram platforms for online discussion and immediate help.
Significance of WEST
i-STEM will provide a platform for women researchers to discuss achievements,
issues and exchange ideas to take the country forward through advances in science,
technology and innovation.
Women with this experience can become entrepreneurs to serve as consultants for
operation and maintenance of sophisticated equipment/equipment through i-STEM
platform.
This initiative will also help in bringing women back into the science and technology
domain after a career break.
This will go a long way toward filling the “skills gap” and putting publicly funded
tools to good use.
I-STEM Portal
I-STEM is Indian Science, Technology Engineering Facilities Map. The portal will act as a
gateway for the researchers and users to locate facilities that are required for their
research and development work. Also, after locating the facility, the researcher can make
an online reservation in order to use the facility. With this, the start-ups can leverage
public and private investments and come up with successful services and products.
Initially, similar facility was operating at IISc Bengaluru and IIT Bombay. The I-STEM portal
is a replica of these facilities. The facility at IISc Bengaluru was called the Centre for Nano
Science and Engineering (CeNSE).
September 9 : World EV Day
World EV Day is observed on September 9 every year in order to mark the celebration of e-
mobility.
Highlights
On this occasion, special awareness campaigns are organised across the world in
order to educate people regarding the benefits of electric vehicles.
It is a social media campaign which encourages drivers to recognise the benefits of
electric vehicles.
It also encourages the drivers to make commitment that the next car they drive will
be electric and not the one running on conventional fuels.
World EV Day works alongside the Green.TV’s EV Summit.
EV Summit
EV Summit brings together the e-mobility leaders from across the world together to
brainstorm on how they can take electrification and sustainable transport forwards. It is
organised by Green.TV.
History of World EV day
World EV Day initiative was created by sustainability media company Green.TV. First
edition of the World EV day was observed in 2020.
World’s largest EV market
China is the largest EV market worldwide. Besides China, India is also emerging as next
favourite destination for automotive companies. Indian government has also promised to
offer all possible help to take electric vehicle industry forward. Currently, the automotive
industry of India is the fifth largest worldwide and is set to become third largest by 2030.
India’s efforts for shift towards EV
India is already making efforts to shift towards electric vehicles. Recently, a leading electric
vehicle & clean energy company, Tesla, announced to enter into India. Tesla has already
incorporated its subsidiary, Tesla India Motors & Energy Pvt Ltd, in Bengaluru. Japan-
based Suzuki also declared to launch its first EV in India while Tata Motors has plans to
launch 10 electric cars by 2025.
Queen Elizabeth II dies : 10 GK & Current Affairs Facts
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland
on September 8, after ruling for 70 years.
About Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II was born as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 21 April 1926 as the first
child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).
She acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952 at the age of 25 after her father, King
George VI died.
She was crowned as queen of Britain and other realms, including Canada and
Australia on 2 June, 1953.
She is also Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of
England. In 1945, she had actively joined World War II as a driver in the Women’s
Auxiliary Territorial Service (WATS).
For most of her subjects, she was the only monarch they had ever known, featuring
on stamps, banknotes and coins, and immortalised in popular culture.
After being in good standing for most of her elderly life, the Queen’s health started
to deteriorate after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021.
She saw 14 Prime Ministers of UK during her reign, from Winston Churchill to Liz
Truss. In a first, she appointed Liz Truss in Balmoral in Scotland as she was too ill to
return to London.
In 2015, Queen Elizabeth became the longest-serving British monarch, surpassing
her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria. This year, she became the world’s
second longest reigning monarch.
Upon the Queen’s death, her eldest son Charles, Prince of Wales, immediately
acceded to the throne as King of the United Kingdom and fourteen other
Commonwealth realms.
Plans for the Queen’s death and the accession of Charles, 73, to the British throne
are code named Operation London Bridge and Operation Spring Tide respectively.
September 9 : International Day to Protect Education from Attack
United Nations observed the International Day to Protect Education from attack on
September 9, 2022.
Key Points
First ever ‘International Day to Protect Education from Attack’ was observed by
United Nations on September 9, 2020.
This day was established by the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 74/275.
This resolution was presented by the State of Qatar and 62 co-sponsoring countries.
Co-facilitators of the day
In order to recognize the importance of raising awareness on the need to preserve
education and protect it from any attack, UN resolution has designated UNESCO and
UNICEF to serve as co-facilitators of the observance of this day annually. The resolution
also asks stakeholders to keep this issue at the top international agenda and ask them to
act for alleviating the plight of students affected by armed conflicts.
Why this day is observed?
This day is observed to raise awareness on the need to protect education from attack. The
becomes significant because in most of the countries with armed conflicts, military uses
schools and other educational institutions. As a result, students are deprived of their right
of accessing quality education and teachers are deprived from the ability to deliver
learning adequately.
Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA)
In past six years, GCPEA has collected over 13,400 reports of attacks on education or
military use of educational facilities across the world. In such conflicts, more than 25,000
students, teachers, and academics got injured, killed, or harmed.
Kerala: Expert committee to study human rabies deaths
Recently, Kerala Health Minister Veena George has issued orders to set up an expert
committee to study human rabies deaths in Kerala following a rise in cases of stray dog
bites in Kerala.
Key Points
The minor was bitten on August 14 when she had gone out to buy milk and had six
wounds, including one on her face. He died during treatment at the Kottayam
Medical College Hospital. The thing to note here is that this girl had also been
vaccinated against rabies, yet she died.
The stray dog bite case was not the first as the number of such cases is increasing in
Kerala, following which two petitioners, Father Gevarghese Thomas and Sabu
Stephen, moved the court.
According to the Kerala Health Ministry data, more than 95,000 people were bitten by
dogs in eight months this year and 14 people died compared to 11 last year. Of the
14 deaths, five had taken the rabies vaccine.
The figures for the last five years also show that the cases in the state have been
rising steadily: from 1,48,899 in 2019 to 1,21,529 as of August 2022. Rabies deaths are
also on the rise: from nine cases in 2018 to 14 deaths in August 2022
Mission Rabies
It is a charity, initially founded as an initiative by Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS). It is
a United Kingdom-based charity group which assists animals. Mission Rabies works with
‘One Health approach’ which is driven by research to eliminate dog bite transmitted
rabies disease. It was launched in September 2013 with the objective of vaccinating 50,000
dogs against rabies in India. Rabies has estimated to kill 59,000 people annually. Mission
Rabies teams have vaccinated 968,287 dogs since 2013. Organisation has worked in the
states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa,
Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Assam.
About Rabies
As per WHO, Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that occurs in about 150
countries and territories. Dogs act as the source of majority of human rabies deaths. Dogs
are responsible for contributing up to 99% of rabies transmissions to humans. In Asia and
Africa regions, low awareness regarding the need of health care after dog bite takes lives
of about 55000 people per year. India is endemic for rabies with the burden of 36% of
world’s deaths. 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India occur in children aged
under 15 years because bite often go unrecognized and unreported.
What is ‘Human Organ Transportation Drone’?
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently inaugurated the
country’s first prototype drone for transporting human organs to facilitate quick
transplantation in hospitals.
Key Points
With this innovation, it will take much less time to transport the transplanted organs
from airport to hospital. At present, this facility has been started by MGM Healthcare
Hospital located in Chennai.
This drone can be used to carry the organ box up to a distance of 20 km. For this, an
agreement has been signed with a city-based drone company.
This experiment will prove to be a milestone in the direction of seamless transport of
organs after transplantation in this service.
India ranks third in the world after United States and China, with a maximum of
17,000-18,000 solid organ transplants every year. And to defend such circumstances,
the human organ transportation drone can be a boon.
Organ Transplantations in India:
Globally, Spain has the highest organ donation rate at about 34 donors per million, while
India has nearly 0.03 donors per million. In India, Tamil Nadu has a highest number of
organ donations.
India needs an estimated 6 lakh kidney donations annually, only 6,000 kidney transplants
take place. The number of heart transplants is just inching close to 500.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the ministry of health
and family welfare was setup in 2014 to oversee the process of Organ transplantation.
Under NOTTO two organizations are present, namely, Regional Organ and Tissue
Transplant Organization (ROTTO) and SOTTO (State Organ and Tissue Transplant
organization)
September 10, 2022
Neeraj Chopra becomes Diamond League champion
Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has become the first Indian to win the
prestigious Zurich Diamond League Final 2022 in Switzerland.
Key Points
Neeraj Chopra started with a foul but rose to the top spot with a throw of 88.44m –
the fourth best of his career – in his second attempt, and it turned out to be his
winning effort. He did 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m and 83.60m in his next four throws.
Chopra was also awarded the Diamond Trophy, prize money of US$30,000 and a wild
card for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Czech Olympic silver medalist Jakob Vadlge finished second with a best throw of
86.94m, which he recorded in his fourth attempt. Germany’s Julian Weber finished
third with 83.73m.
Neeraj Chopra
He is an Indian track and field athlete competing in javelin throw. He has become the first
track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for India and second Olympic
athletics to win for India after Norman Pritchard, who won two silver medals at 1900
Summer Olympics for India.

He was inducted as Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in Rajputana Rifles of Indian Army
in 2016. He made his debut at 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Asian Games, where
he was the opening flag-bearer. In both the games, he won gold medals.
September 10: World Suicide Prevention Day
World Suicide Prevention Day was observed on September 10, 2022.
Key Facts
The day is observed annually to highlight several ways by which suicide can be
prevented.
It was first marked on September 10, 2003, as an initiative by the International
Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with the World Health
Organization (WHO).
IASP and WHO collaborated to create this day to spread an important message that
“suicides are preventable”.
Following the first successful year, WHO formally agreed in 2004 to co-sponsor the
event again and made it an annually recognized day.
In 2011, around 40 countries organised the awareness events to mark this occasion.
IASP organizes several events or programs across 60 countries to mark this day.
Cases of Suicide
Suicide is an act of intentionally taking one’s life. It has become a major public health issue
in the time of Covid-19 pandemic and periods of lockdowns. As per report, every 40
seconds someone take their life in world. Around 75% of the cases are reported from low
and middle-income countries. In 2019, 1.3% of deaths were due to suicide. According to
the World Health Organization, suicide is a global phenomenon, which was the 17th
leading cause of death in 2019.
International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)
IASP is an international suicide prevention organization, which was founded by Erwin
Ringel and Norman Farberow in 1960. The organization is dedicated to prevent suicidal
behaviour and provide a forum for mental health professionals, suicide survivors, crisis
workers and other people affected by suicidal behaviour. It comprises of professionals
and volunteers from 50 countries.
Inauguration of 'Kartavya Path'
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the road ‘Kartavya Path’ between
Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. Rajpath is the route where the 26 January parade takes
place.
Key Points
From Rajpath to Kartavya Path, a 15.5 km long walkway has been made of red
granite on both sides of this road. Also 16 bridges have been built in the canal area
of 19 acres.
There will be a seating arrangement on both sides of this duty path spread over 3.90
lakh square meters. This will also be completed with a completely green area.
It is a living path of India’s democratic past and all-time ideals. When the people of
the country come here, Netaji’s statue, National War Memorial, all these will give
them a great inspiration, will inculcate a sense of duty in them.
The renaming of Rajpath is said to be in line with PM Modi’s Independence Day
commitment to “remove traces of colonial mindset”.
According to the government, it marks a shift from territory to duty, public
ownership and empowerment as a symbol of power.
Rajpath
The Rajpath witnessed the dawn of India’s independence, and hosts the annual Republic
Day celebrations. This ceremonial boulevard running from Raisina Hill Complex to India
Gate was first known as Kingsway, a landmark in the city of ‘New’ Delhi, built after the
British Raj shifted its capital from Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1911. Then after independence
its name was changed to ‘Rajpath’. And now its name will be ‘Kartavya Path’.
Fortune India Rich List 2022
Asia’s richest man Gautam Adani has surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the
third richest person in the world, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list.
Highlights
Few days back Gautam Adani became the richest person in Asia. Then he left behind
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. After this, his dominance in the list of top-10
billionaires kept increasing.
Talking about the difference between the wealth of the world’s third richest person
Gautam Adani and the fourth richest person Jeff Bezos, there is a difference of USD
12.1 billion in their total wealth.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk leads the list of the rich with a net worth of USD 253
billion, followed by French business magnate Bernard Arnault, who has a net worth
of USD 154.9 billion.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s wealth has also increased. With this,
his net worth has increased by USD 2.3 billion to USD 94.6 billion. With this, he has
come from number nine in the list to number eight.
Talking about other billionaires, Bill Gates is the sixth richest person with USD 106
billion and Warren Buffett is the seventh richest person with USD 96.4 billion.
Apart from this, Larry Page is ninth with USD 91.9 billion and Sergey Brin is in 10th
place with a net worth of USD 88.1 billion.
Adani Group
An Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad, was established by
Gautam Adani in 1988. It was founded as a commodity trading business under name
Adani Enterprises Limited. Its diverse businesses include port management, airport
operation, mining, electric power generation & transmission, renewable energy, natural
gas, food processing and infrastructure. The group is carrying operations at 70 locations
in 50 countries. Group became third Indian conglomerate to cross USD 100 billion in
market capitalization in April 2021.
UNDP Human Development Index

India has been ranked 132 out of 191 countries in the recently released Human
Development Report 2021-22 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Last
year the country was ranked 131st
Highlights
This year’s report is titled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping Our Future in a
Transforming World”.
India’s HDI value during 2021 was 0.633, lower than the world average of 0.732. In
2020 also, India recorded a decline in its HDI value (0.642) as compared to the pre-
Covid level of 2019 (0.645).
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: India’s GNP per capita (2017 PPP) at
$6,590.
India’s Life expectancy at birth: In 2021, India’s life expectancy at birth was
recorded at 67.2 years.
India’s Life expectancy at birth: The decline in India’s HDI from 0.645 in 2018 to
0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy at birth.
Access to knowledge: The expected years of schooling in India is 11.9 years and the
average years of schooling is 6.7 years.
Top 5 countries
Switzerland has been ranked first in the report of the United Nations Human Development
Index. It is followed by Norway, then Iceland, Hong Kong and Australia in fifth place.
India’s Neighbours
Sri Lanka has been ranked 73rd in the Human Development Index. With this China is
ranked 79th, Bhutan 127th, Bangladesh 129th, Nepal 143rd and Pakistan 161st.
About Human Development Index
The HDI is an average measure of basic human development achievements in a country
measured by UNDP. It is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three
basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge
and a decent standard of living.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will propose the appointment of Austria’s Volker
Turk as the next High Commissioner for Human Rights. He will succeed Michelle Bachelet
of Chile, whose term ended on August 31.
Highlights
Traditionally, the UN chief consults with the permanent members of the UN Security
Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – before
selecting a High Commissioner.
The appointment of Volker Turk must be approved by the United Nations General
Assembly in New York.
Other candidates for the position included career diplomat Federico Villegas from
Argentina and Adama Dieng of Senegal.
Who is Volker Turk?
Volker Turk holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna and
a Master of Law from the University of Linz, Austria.
He is proficient in many languages. He has good command over English, French and
German languages along with a working knowledge of Spanish.
Turk has held several key positions during his career. He also served as Director of
the Department for International Security from 2009 to 2015, including as the United
Nations High Commissioner for the UNHCR Agency.
Volker Turk currently works in the office of Antonio Guterres as Under-Secretary-
General for Policy.
Prior to this, Turk was the Assistant High Commissioner for Security at the United
Nations Refugees, UNHCR in Geneva, where he played a key role in the development
of the historic Global Compact on Refugees.
UN Human Rights High Commissioner
The High Commissioner is the principle official who speaks out for human rights
across the whole UN system. It strengthens human rights mechanisms, enhance
equality & fight discrimination in all its forms. The Office was created in 1993.
It also strengthens accountability & the rule of law and widens the democratic space
& protecting the most vulnerable from all forms of human rights abuse.
He/she is mandated to promote and protect the universal exercise and full
realization of human rights, across the world, as established in UN Charter.
TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan ‘Ni-kshay 2.0’ portal
President Draupadi Murmu recently launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat
Abhiyan’ and the Nikshay 2.0 portal to eliminate TB by 2025 through a virtual event.
Key Facts
Under this campaign, any person, any representative or organization can adopt TB
patients and the adopted patients will be taken care of.
More than 66 percent TB patients currently undergoing treatment in the country
have given their consent for adoption under this campaign.
Under this scheme, more than 62 lakh TB patients have received financial assistance
of Rs 1,651 crore since 2018. This involves a direct transfer of Rs 500 to the patient’s
bank account.
Nikshay 2.0 Portal
The NIKSHA 2.0 portal provides additional patient support to TB patients to take
advantage of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities to improve
treatment outcomes, enhance community participation and fulfill India’s
commitment to TB eradication by 2025.
The people and institutions who come forward to take care of the patients will be
called “Nikshay Mitras”.
The period of Nikshay Mitra support can be chosen from one year to three years.
They can also choose the state, district, block, health facilities.
Around 13.5 lakh TB patients are registered in the NIKSHA portal, out of which 8.9
lakh active TB patients have given their consent for adoption.
The digital portal Nikshay will provide a platform for community support to TB
patients.
Under this initiative, individuals, organisations, corporates, cooperative
organisations, elected leaders and NGOs can provide support to persons suffering
from TB by adopting them. You can also login to Nikshay 2.0 Portal.
As part of the programme, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will adopt 15
of the 87 patients who have given their consent for adoption in his home town
Palitana in Gujarat.
According to official sources, out of the total 13,51,611 TB patients currently in the
country, 8,95,119 had given their consent for adoption by September 7.
About TB Free India Campaign
The TB Free India Campaign was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eliminate
Tuberculosis in India. This campaign seeks to achieve the target of eliminating TB by 2025,
as a part of sustainable development goals. However, goal of eliminating TB by 2025, is 5
years ahead of global target of eliminating TB by 2030.
September 12, 2022
September 12: International Day for South-South Cooperation
The International Day for South-South Cooperation is observed on September 12, every
year by the United Nations. The day highlights the efforts made by United Nations for
cooperation among the developing countries. It is an initiative for the economic, social
and political developments of the countries located in Southern region.
What is South-South Cooperation?
Basically, the South-South cooperation refers to “technical cooperation” between
developing countries in the Global South.
Technical cooperation among countries of Global South started as a pioneering
effort to strengthen diplomatic and international negotiating power among the
nations, with the help of political dialogue.
South-South collaboration helps the developing nations to share knowledge,
expertise, skills, and resources in order to meet their development goals by
concerted efforts.
Significance of the day
According to United Nations, for South-South Cooperation, this initiative clearly shows the
solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes for well-being the
wellbeing of the nation. It also shows the national & collective self-reliance of the people
and attainment of internationally agreed development goals as well as the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development.
Buenos Aire Plan of Action (BAPA)
The day also commemorates the adoption of “Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA). BAPA
was adopted in 1978 to promote and implement technical cooperation among developing
countries by 138 member states.

Objectives of South-South Cooperation
South-South Cooperation was started with the objective of:
1. Enhancing self-reliance among developing countries and finding out creative
solutions for their development problems.
2. Promoting self-reliance by exchanging experiences.
3. Recognising and responding to the problems and requirements of the least
developed countries in order to enable them to achieve a greater degree of
participation in international economic activities.
What is Operation London Bridge?
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Operation London Bridge became active in Britain.
This is a protocol that has been in place since the announcement of the Queen’s death by
Buckingham Palace on 8 September.
What is Operation London Bridge?
Operation London Bridge is the planning of events in the UK following the death of
the head of state. Under this operation, the Prime Minister in Britain will first issue a
statement on the news of the death from the government. After that she will address
the public.
After this, King Charles of Britain will address the name of the country. The
background of the Royal Family website will be darkened. This would in a way
confirm the death of the Queen. At the same time, a black banner will appear on all
UK government websites and social media pages.
The plan describes the day after the Queen’s death as D+1 and the day of her funeral
as D+10. During this period, the British Parliament adjourns business for these 10
days by sending condolence messages.
The next day the Queen’s body is brought to Buckingham Palace. The Queen has
died in Scotland, so Operation Unicorn will continue until her body is sent to London.
Condolences will be brought to Westminster Hall between the third and fifth days.
Charles would then begin his tour of Britain as the new king.
After this, the body of Elizabeth II will be kept in Westminster Hall for three days.
Here common people will be able to pay tribute to her. The tribute program will run
for 23 hours a day.
Taragiri: Third stealth frigate under Project 17A
Project 17A’s third stealth frigate ‘Taragiri’ was recently launched by Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
About Taragiri
Taragiri is the third stealth warship to be built under Project 17A.
The 149 m long and 17.8 m wide ship is powered by a combination of two gas
turbines and two main diesel engines. They are designed to achieve speeds in excess
of 28 knots at a displacement of 6,670 tonnes.
The ship is expected to be delivered by August 2025.
The ship is being launched with an estimated launch weight of 3,510 tonnes.
The ship is designed by the Bureau of Naval Design, the in-house design
organization of the Indian Navy.
The ship was named by Charu Singh, President, Naval Wives Welfare Association
(Western Zone) and Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-
in-Chief, Western Naval Command, wife of the Chief Guest.
The steel used in the hull construction of the P17A frigate is indigenously developed
DMR 249A, a low carbon micro-alloy grade steel manufactured by the Steel Authority
of India Limited.
Project P17A
Under project P17A, first two ships were launched 2019 and 2020. First ship was launched
at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. On the other hand, second ship was launched at
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited. On May 17, 2022, the third ship named
Udaygiri was launched at MDL and is expected to start sea trials during the second half of
2024. All the ships under project P17A have been designed in-house by Directorate of
Naval Design (DND) of Indian Navy.
Gayaji Dam: India’s longest rubber dam on Falgu river
Recently, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the country’s largest rubber dam
and a steel bridge over the Falgu river near Vishnupad temple in Bihar. CM Nitish Kumar
had laid its foundation stone on 22 September 2020.
Key Facts
The Gayaji Dam has been constructed by Rubina Company of Austria in collaboration
with Nagarjuna Construction Company of Hyderabad on the advice of experts from
IIT Roorkee.
Apart from the rubber dam, the banks along the Falgu River have also been
developed and a steel bridge has been built for pilgrims to visit Sita Kund.
The rubber dam is made of 17 mm thick rubber. This dam is 400 meters wide and 3
meters high. After the construction of the dam, its water will be stored for about two
and a half kilometers.
The height of Bar Dam has been kept at three meters. It will hold water up to three
meters. If there is more water than this, the water from the top of the rubber dam
will flow downwards i.e. in the north direction. In special circumstances,
arrangements have been made to release water from the rubber dam.
It is bulletproof and experts claim that it will not deteriorate for 100 years. This
rubber dam, built at a cost of about 312 crores, will keep water throughout the year
in the Falgu river.
This will facilitate people to take bath, pind daan and perform tarpan. Here people
not only from the country but also from abroad come to offer sacrifices to the
ancestors for salvation.
Falgu River
Falgu River originates in the Palamu district of Jharkhand. This river passes through the
holy city of Gaya in Bihar and has significance in Hindu and Buddhist religions. The length
of the Falgu river in Bihar is about 135 km. This river starts near Gaya at the confluence of
Lilajan River and Mohana River and finally joins Punpun River.
US Open Tennis Tournament 2022- Winners
The 2022 US Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie
Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the overall 142th edition of the US Open, the
fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year 2022.
Men’s Singles Title
Carlos Alcarez has won the men’s singles title of the US Open 2022.
Spain’s 19-year-old Carlos defeated 23-year-old Casper Rood of Norway 6-4, 2-6,
7-6(1), 6-3 in a four-set match in the title match.
Carlos has also created history with this victory. He has become the youngest player
to reach the first position in the ATP rankings.
Apart from this, he is the youngest US Open winner since Pete Sampras in 1990.
Women’s Singles Title
In the final Grand Slam US Open tennis of the year, world number one Iga Swiatek of
Poland has won the women’s singles title. She defeated Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6
in the final.
Swiatek is the first Polish female player to win the US Open title.
She has won 10 titles including three Grand Slam titles in his career so far.
Men’s Double Title
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury defeated No. 2 seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neil Skupski
7-6(4), 7-5 to capture the men’s doubles championship and successfully defend their title
at the 2022 US Open.
Women’s Double Title
The Czech pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated Americans Katie
McNeely and Taylor Townsend to win the women’s doubles title.
Mixed Doubles Title
In mixed doubles, the Australian pair of Storm Sanders and John Pearce defeated
Kirsten Flipkens and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 to win the title.
For the first time in 21 years, an Australian pair has won the mixed doubles title at
the US Open.
US Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test
Recently US Air Force Global Strike Command successfully test-fired Minuteman III
(Minuteman III ICBM) missile equipped with three test re-entry vehicles. The missile was
launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Key Facts
The Minuteman III missile is part of the Strategic Deterrence Force under the US Air
Force Global Strike Command.
Its full name is LGM-30G Minuteman-III. The L in LGM stands for Silo Launch Missile,
G stands for Ground Attack and M stands for Guided Missile.
It is one of America’s most powerful missiles capable of carrying out a nuclear attack.
The purpose of this test was to verify the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness
of the weapon system.
Minuteman III missile can hit a range of more than 10000 km.
The US also test-fired the Minuteman-3 missile on 16 August. However, preparations
were made to conduct its second test 12 days ago, but it was postponed due to
China-Taiwan tensions.
About Minuteman III
The program was started in 1966. The missile is armed with 170 kilo tons of TNT. Airborne
Launch Control System is a part of the missile. When Minuteman was first discovered the
Soviet had no target to counter it. However, they gained pace after a few years. The
airborne launch system offers a survivable launch capability to the US air force.
Indian Army Exercise Parvat Prahar
Army Chief General Manoj Pande recently visited the Ladakh sector to review Exercise
Parvat Prahar and was briefed about the operational preparedness on the ground by the
commanders. The exercise saw the deployment of an all new major induction of the Army.
Key Points
This exercise named Parvat Prahar is being conducted by the One Strike Corps of the
Indian Army. ‘
The strike corps means that if China or Pakistan act anywhere, they will first enter
and eliminate it.
Parvat Prahar is a 20-day long exercise of the Indian Army.
The exercise comes as India and China are separating from the Gogra-Hot Springs
(PP-15) in eastern Ladakh, as announced on September 8.
This dissolution process follows the 16th round of talks between the Corps
Commanders of India and China held at the Chushul Moldo meeting point on July 17,
2022.
It is believed that from the above place the Indian Army may withdraw its forces
towards Karam Singh Hill, while the Chinese Army may return to Chinese territory in
the north.
The exercise involved high altitude infantry personnel, T-90S and T-72 tanks,
mechanized infantry, K-9 Vajra, Bofors and M-777 howitzers, helicopters and aircraft.
Chinook heavy lift helicopters and all-terrain vehicles carried by K9-Vajra howitzers
were used in the exercise.
Indian Army
Land based Indian Army is the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The
President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Army. Indian Army is professionally
headed by Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Indian Army in its
current form was founded on February 26, 1950.
NITI Aayog: Approval of beneficiaries under PLI Scheme
The Empowered Committee headed by NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer recently
approved the first distribution of incentives for mobile manufacturing.

Key Facts
This production-linked incentive scheme will give India a competitive position in the
field of electronics manufacturing.
The plan includes manufacturing of mobile phones and manufacturing of specialized
electronic components.
This initiative will also promote the vision of a self-reliant India. Under this, 10
companies will be given the benefit of the scheme for mobile manufacturing. This
includes five domestic and five foreign companies.
Under this initiative, a domestic company, Paget Electronics Pvt Ltd, is the first
beneficiary company to receive incentives under mobile manufacturing.
This is the first time that a mobile manufacturing unit has been selected under the
PLI scheme.
This scheme extends an incentive of 4% to 6% on net incremental sale of
manufactured goods, to boost electronics manufacturing and attract large scale
investments.
The scheme is expected to generate additional generation of Rs 10,69,432 crore and
employment for 700,000 people.
What is PLI Scheme?
PLI scheme aims to provide incentives to the companies on the basis of incremental sales
from products manufactured in domestic units. It invites foreign companies to set up their
units in India as well as encourage local companies to expand or set up manufacturing
units.
September 13, 2022
Kibithu military garrison named after Gen Bipin Rawat
A military station and a major road near the Lohit Valley on the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) with China were recently named after the country’s first CDS General Bipin Rawat.
Key Points
Kibithu is a small village on the banks of the Lohit Valley in the eastern part of India.
Kibithu is considered an important place from military and strategic point of view.
General Rawat commanded his battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Kibithu as a colonel
from 1999-2000 and contributed significantly in strengthening the security structure
of the area.
Chief Minister Khandu named the 22 km long road from Walong to Kibithu as
‘General Bipin Rawat Marg’. A life-size mural of General Rawat was also unveiled on
the occasion.
About General Bipin Rawat
He is an infantry officer from the 5/11 Gorkha Rifles. Prior to this appointment, he
was the Vice Chief of the Army. He has held key appointments in the Army
headquarters and with the UN peacekeeping force.
He hails from Uttarakhand and had received the ‘sword of honour’ when he passed
out from the Indian Military Academy in 1978.

General Rawat has tremendous hands on experience of serving in combat areas and
at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades.
He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along
the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, LAC (Line of Actual Control) with China and in
the North-East.
National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition
The two-day National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition began on September 11,
2022 in Kota, Rajasthan.
Key Facts
Defense equipment including T-90 and BMP-2 tanks, artillery guns, various types of
sniper and machine guns and military bridges are on display at the exhibition.
Young innovators, start-ups and MSMEs in the defense sector are also showcasing
their products. More than 50 companies, start-ups and MSMEs working in the
defense sector are participating in this event.
Drone light shows and live concerts are the highlights of the event. Defense Conclave
and Exhibition is being organized for the first time in Rajasthan.
More than 50 companies, start-ups and MSMEs working in the defense sector
displayed their more than 100 defense equipment in the event.
On the second day of the event, Startup Expo was organized on 12th September. In
this, the country’s leading start-up experts provided every basic information related
to start-up. In this, information was given to the youth about how to start a start-up,
funding, marketing of products and services, among other things.
MSME Industry in India
The MSME sector has contributed significantly to the country’s socio-economic
development. The sector has grown in importance in India as a result of its contribution to
the country’s exports and GDP. This sector has also made significant contributions to
entrepreneurship growth, particularly in India’s semi-urban and rural areas. As per data,
India has around 6.3 crore MSME industries.
India’s Retail Inflation in August 2022
India’s retail inflation has reached 7 per cent in August 2022 – well above the RBI’s
comfort level of 6 per cent.
Key facts
India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation has returned to 7% in August
2022.
In July 2022, the retail inflation had reduced to a five-month low of 6.71%, after
spending the three months above 7%.
The retail inflation stayed above 6% for eight consecutive months.
It had spent the 35 consecutive months above the RBI’s medium-term target of 4 per
cent.
With average retail inflation at 6.3 per cent in January-March and 7.3 per cent in April-
June, the retail inflation must reduce to at least 4.1 per cent in September for July-
September average to come under 6 per cent.
According to the RBI, the inflation is expected to average at 7.1 per cent in July-
September.
The return to the 7% level in August is mainly because of the surge in food prices.
Inflation in food basket has spiked to 7.62% in August – a significant increase from
3.11% in August 2021.
Food inflation accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the CPI basket.
The surge is largely because of increase in prices of essential crops such as wheat,
rice and pulses caused by a record heatwave.
There is a 10% increase in the inflation rate of vegetables, spices, footwear and fuel
and light on annual basis.
However, the prices of eggs have reduced and inflation in protein-rich meat and fish
have flattened in the August.
What is retail inflation?
Retail inflation or the CPI-based inflation is the increase in prices of goods and services
purchased by households for daily consumption. It is measured in Consumer Price Index
(CPI), which is the weighted average of prices of a basket of goods and services that are
sold in retail prices. The CPI measures changes in the retail prices of essential goods like
food, fuel etc., as well services such as healthcare, transportation and others.
FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have
jointly published a report titled “Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM)
report”.
Highlights
Food insecurity: Around 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are experiencing moderate
to severe acute food insecurity. It is expected to worsen if required social aid and job
opportunities are not provided.
Inflation: The severe macroeconomic crisis has resulted in acute shortages and
surging prices of essential goods such as food, agricultural inputs, fuel and medicine.
In August 2022, the year-on-year food inflation rate was about 94 per cent.
Agricultural production: Production of paddy rice, the main staple food, is
estimated to be 3 million mt in 2022 – the lowest since the 2017 drought-affected
harvest. The low yield is mainly because reduced application of fertilizers.
Animal husbandry: The production of maize (used as animal feed) is some 40 per
cent below the past 5-year average, causing adverse impact on poultry and livestock
production
Causes: Almost 50 per cent decline in production is due to two consecutive seasons
of poor harvest. Significant foreign exchange constraints reduced imports of food
grains.
Forecast: Food insecurity is expected to worsen especially from October 2022 to
February 2023 lean season because of poor harvests of staple foods and the on-
going economic crisis.
Recommendations: Provide immediate cash-based or food assistance to vulnerable
people like pregnant and lactating mothers, women-headed households and
persons with disabilities. Provide immediate assistance like agricultural inputs and
promote home gardens by providing fuel, transportation and other facilities.
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis
Sri Lanka currently owes USD 51 billion in foreign debt, more than half of which must be
paid by 2027. The severe shortage of foreign reserves has caused a surge in prices of fuel,
cooking gas and other essential commodities while power cuts and high food inflation
worsened the financial burdens in households.
Reintroduction of Cheetahs at Kuno National Park
The first batch of cheetahs are currently being brought from Namibia to be introduced
into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister Modi would release 8
cheetahs into the national park on September 17.
Key Facts
The Government is planning to reintroduce cheetahs, which became extinct in India
in 1952.
Asiatic cheetahs became extinct in India because of habitat loss, shrinking prey base,
climate change and growing human population.
Currently, Iran is the only country in the world to have living population of Asiatic
cheetahs.
India has been planning to introduce cheetahs since the 1960s and 1970s.
However, this plan never came to fruition as Tehran refused to part with the critically
low population of Asiatic Cheetahs.
African cheetahs are slightly larger than their Asian counterparts. They are found all
across Africa and are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN’s Red List.
The first batch of African cheetahs would comprise of four females and four males.
Cheetahs would be released and monitored within a 500 hectares of land that would
be enclosed by an electrical fence.
In about 15 years after the introduction, the cheetah population in India is expected
to rise to a maximum of 21.
Kuno National Park
Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was established in 1981 as wildlife sanctuary and
was later given the status of national park in 2018. It was named after Kuno River, one of
the major tributaries of the Chambal River. This river flows through the entire length,
bisecting the national park. It was chosen by Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of
India as a possible habitat for the reintroduction of cheetahs. It was also chosen as a
possible site to implement the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, which seeks to establish
a second lion population in India.
Decline in Per Capita Government Spending on Healthcare

According to the recently released National Health Accounts 2018-2019, public spending of
health has declined to 1.28 per cent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Key Facts
The National Health Accounts 2018-2019 revealed that the public spending on
healthcare has fallen from 1.35 per cent in 2017-18 to 1.28 per cent in 2018-19.
This is significantly lesser than the goal set by the National Health Policy 2017, which
sought to increase the government’s healthcare spending to 2.5 per cent by 2025.
The government spent Rs.1,815 per capita on health in 2018-19 as against Rs.2,155
per capita out-of-pocket spending during the same period.
The total health expenditure in 2018-19 was Rs.5,96,440 crore. The government
spending accounted for 40.61 per cent of this amount. This is 4.81 per cent of the
General Government Expenditure during that period.
The corresponding share of out-of-pocket expenditure is 48.2 per cent. This is nearly
half of all health spending and higher than the government spending.
Over 28.69 per cent of health expenditure was in private hospitals. This is higher than
the health expenditure in government hospitals, which accounted for 17.34% in the
health expenditure.
Much of the spending went into impatient curative care, which accounted for 34.55%
of the expenditure.
The latest figures are in line with the current trend of a decline in out-of-pocket
expenditure as a share of total health expenditure. In 2013, it accounted for 64.2 per
cent of the total health expenditure.
However, the household out-of-pocket expenditure on health continues to dominate
as it stood at Rs. 2,87,573 crore in 2018-19.
The private health insurance expenditure accounts for just 6.57 per cent of the total
health spending and has been stagnating for years.
This is mainly because of the rigid conditions and inequities put by the private
insurance firms.
“Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” report
The 2021 Global Estimates for Modern Slavery, which was recently released by the
International Labour Organization (ILO), revealed a spike in the instances of forced labour.
Highlights
In 2021, 50 million people were living in modern slavery, of which 28 million were in
forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage.
The number of people in modern slavery has increased exponentially in the past five
years.
Compared to the 2016 global estimates, 10 million more people have been trapped
by modern slavery.
Women and children are disproportionately vulnerable to modern slavery.
Modern slavery occurs in almost all countries across the world, regardless of
differences in ethnicity, culture and religion.

Forced Labour: 52 per cent of all forced labour are found in upper-middle or high-
income countries. 86 per cent of forced labour are found in private sector. Forced
labour in sectors other than commercial sexual exploitation accounts for 63 per cent
of all forced labour.
Forced marriage: An addition of 6.6 million people are victims of forced marriage in
2021 when compared to 2016 global estimates. More than 85 per cent of forced
marriage is caused by family pressure. Its prevalence is highest in Arab states.
Migrant workers are more than three times likely to be in forced labour than non-
migrant adult workers. This is because of poorly governed migration or unethical
recruitment practices.
Recommendations: Improving and enforcing laws and labour inspections, ending
state-imposed forced labour, social protection, and promoting fair and ethical
recruitment and targeted support for women, girl and vulnerable communities.
ILO
The ILO is a UN agency involved in the promotion of social and economic justice by setting
up international labour standards. It was founded in October 1919 under the League of
Nations, the predecessor of the UN.
Dr Renee Wegrzyn appointed as the director of ARPA-H
The US President Joe Biden appointed Dr Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of the
ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health) and detailed her role during his
speech on the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot speech in Rice
University
Key facts
Dr Renee Wegrzyn, a biologist and former government scientist, was appointed as
the first ever director of the newly created Advanced Research Projects Agency for
Health (ARPA-H).
The ARPA-H Director’s tenure would last for five years.
The purpose of the ARPA-H is to seek innovative solutions to biomedical problems.
It would support highly risky but rewarding researches in the life sciences.
It was established to emulate the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), which had played a key role in the rapid development of defence
technologies by awarding contracts to risky projects, which can be withdrawn
abruptly if the researchers do not meet the desired milestone.
Dr Renee Wegrzyn served as the programme manager at the DARPA for more than 5
years, working in projects that used synthetic biology to counter infectious diseases
and boost biosecurity.
Though ARPA-H has a new director, the agency’s foundational details are currently
lacking.
The US Congress had allocated ARAP-H just 1 billion USD for 2022. The Biden
Administration had requested a budget of 6.5 billion USD.
The agency also lacks a backing by the legislation specifically authorizing its creation.
60th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Moonshot Address
President Kennedy gave his famous Moonshot Speech on September 12, 1962 at Rice
University, Houston. During his speech, the President recommitted the US’ Moon landing
goal that was proposed in May 1961 to land astronauts on the lunar surface before the
end of the decade and returning them safely back to the Earth.
HDFC – first to issue electronic bank guarantee
The HDFC Bank, the largest private sector bank in India, became the first bank in the
country to issue an Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG).
Key facts
The HDFC bank recently launched the first-ever Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in
collaboration with the National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
e-BG removes the need for the paper-based time consuming process, which often
takes 3 to 5 days for complete due to the need for physical pick up from the bank,
delivery of courier to the beneficiary, stamping and reverification.
e-BG boosts efficiency and security, while enabling the beneficiary to instantly view a
bank guarantee on the NeSL portal.
The e-BG would be issued on the NeSL portal through an API-based digital workflow.
Digitisation of the overall bank guarantee process ensures ease of doing business for
MSMEs, who are the major applicants for bank guarantees.
The e-BG was developed in consultation with the NeSL, CVC-CBI committee and
Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
NeSL
The National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) is India’s first Information Utility. It is
registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) under the aegis of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. It was set up by leading banks and public
institutions and is incorporated as a union government company. It serves as a repository
of legal evidence having information about debt or claim submitted by the financial or
operational creditor and verified by parties to the debt.
Naga Mircha Festival
The inaugural edition of the Naga Mircha festival was organized in Seiyhama village of
Kohima district in Nagaland.
Key facts
The first-ever Naga Mircha (King Chilli) Festival 2022 was organized in the village hall
of Seiyhama village in Kohima district.
The event was sponsored by the Nagaland Horticulture Department.
Last year, the Seiyhama village reported a total income of Rs.27 lakh through the
cultivation of Naga Mircha and this year’s estimation of income from this activity is
Rs.1 crore.
It is one of the major provider for self-employment opportunities in the village.
Of the 361 households in the Seiyhama village, 200 cultivate Naga Mircha, providing
them with a sustainable income source.

Each of these households are expected to earn a minimum income of Rs.60,000 to
Rs.70,000 and large-scale cultivators are expected to earn nearly Rs.4 to 5 lakh this
year.
Income from the Naga Mircha cultivation has supported education of children.
During the inaugural Naga Mircha Festival, Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative
was promoted.
Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative was launched by the Nagaland government
to ease credit access required for undertaking economic activities in the agriculture
and allied sectors, including MSMEs.
Naga Mircha
Naga Mircha is popularly known as Raja Mircha (King Chilli). It is one of top five hottest
chillies on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) list. It received GI tag to Nagaland in 2008. It is
also known as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper. It belongs to genus Capsicum of family
Solanaceae. It is 60 to 85 mm long and has wrinkled skin. The spiciness of this species is
1,041,427 SHU.
Climate tipping point
A new research has revealed that an increase of 1.5 from pre-industrial levels would
trigger multiple climate tipping points. Presently, some parts of West Antarctic ice sheets,
an important marker, have already passed tipping point.
Key facts
Climate tipping points (CTPs) are indicators of a large climate system, which when
triggered beyond a threshold, perpetuate warming on its own.
Some CTPs triggers include substantial sea level rise caused by melting ice sheets,
shrinking of Amazon Rainforest or corals and warming caused by carbon released
from the melting permafrost.
A new study analysed 9 previously-identified tipping elements and their
corresponding timescale and impacts of tipping.
The researchers increased the list of potential tipping points from 9 to include other
possible tipping points.
They revealed that human emissions have already pushed the tipping point to
dangerous levels, some of which are irreversible.
Thus, the goal set by the UN’s Paris Agreement to limit warming at 1.5 to 2°C will not
be able to avoid the adverse consequences of the climate change as several of the
climate tipping points have already been triggered.
Tipping points can be triggered even at 1.5°C, which is not a safe level of warming
but better than the 2°C mark.
Even a few tenths of a degree of excessive temperature could trigger new tipping
points.
If it goes beyond 1.8°C, ocean convection in the Labrador and Irminger Seas in the
North Atlantic would collapse and Europe and North America would witness extreme
weather conditions. There will also be a shift of subtropical monsoon patterns to new
positions, especially in West Africa.
In the scenario of 4°C rise, the wider Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
would collapse and severely disrupt the monsoon systems across the world.
This would cause major changes in the Atlantic, with significant decline in sea ice and
abrupt shifts in the boreal forest position worsening the rising temperature and
causing significant changes in weather patterns.
2022 SCO Summit
The 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit will be organized in
Uzbekistan from September 15 to 16, 2022.
Key Facts
The 2022 SCO Summit would be held in Samarkand – a city in Uzbekistan on the
ancient trade route of Silk Road that connects China with the Mediterranean.
The SCO summit in Uzbekistan would focus on reviewing the grouping’s activities
over the past two decades and identifying areas having potential for multilateral
cooperation.
The discussions would also focus on the geopolitical crisis caused by the Russian
invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
This is the first in-person summit since 2019 SCO summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
This summit would witness the first in-person meeting between Prime Minister Modi
and Chinese President Xi Jinping after their meeting at Brasilia on the side-lines of
the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in 2019.
The 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of the State of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) would witness the attendance of leaders of SCO member states,
observer states, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional
Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), President of Turkmenistan and others.
During the summit, Iran is expected to be formally admitted into the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization.
After the Samarkand summit, India would take up the SCO presidency.
India will hold the presidency of SCO until September 2023. It would host the SCO
summit next year.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and
security grouping founded on June 15, 2001. It is headquartered in Beijing. Its members
include China, Russia, India and Pakistan as well as 4 Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. It is the world’s largest regional grouping, covering
about 60 per cent of the area of Eurasia, 40 per cent of the global population and more
than 30 per cent of global GDP.
September 14, 2022
Advocate Mukul Rohatgi reappointed as Attorney General for India
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi is set to become the Attorney General for India for the
second time.
Key facts
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi is set take up the post of the top law officer in India
from October 1.
The tenure of the current Attorney General K.K. Venugopal will end on September 30
and he refused second term in the office because of his advanced age.
Venugopal, age 91, was appointed as the Attorney General for India on June 30, 2017
and was given several extensions.
Mukul Rohatgi served as the Attorney General for three years from 2014 to 2017.
He is the son of former Delhi High Court Judge Justice Awadh Behari Rohatgi.
Mukul Rohtagi was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General in 1999, when
Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
He represented the Gujarat Government in the 2002 riot cases at the Supreme Court.
As the Attorney General, he defended the National Judicial Appointments
Commission Act and the 99 t h Constitution Amendment, which enabled the
establishment of the National Judicial Appointments Commission to appoint judges
of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
While defending the use of biometric data in the Aadhaar Case, he advocated that an
individual does not have absolute right over his or her own body.
After his tenure as AG ended, Rohatgi challenged the constitutionality of Article 377,
which criminalized same sex offences and held that the sexual orientation is natural
and innate to a person’s identity.
He was unsuccessful in defending the Maharashtra law introducing job and
admission quota for the Maratha community.
He defended the founder of the Republic TV Arnab Goswami after his arrest by
Maharashtra Police.
He recently represented the Uttar Pradesh government to oppose a petition
challenging the denial of sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath in 2007
case for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech.
Attorney General for India
Attorney General for India is the Indian Government’s chief legal advisor and its principal
advocate before the Supreme Court. Article 76 of the Indian Constitution allows the Indian
President to appoint a person, qualified to be appointed as a SC Judge, as the Attorney
General for India.
National List of Essential Medicines
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently released the revised National List of
Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022.
Key facts
The revised National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022 has deleted 26 drugs,
which include common gastrointestinal medicines ranitidine and sucralfate.
384 drugs are currently part of the National List of Essential Medicines 2022, with the
addition of 34 drugs.
The medicines have been categorized into 27 therapeutic categories.
Drugs in the list are deleted from the list if medicines with better efficacy or
favourable safety profile and better cost-effectiveness are available as their
alternative.
If a specific disease is no longer a national burden, medicine for that disease would
be deleted from this list.
If anti-microbial drugs become ineffective due to high resistance, they are also
deleted from the list.
Concerns regarding safety profiles of the drugs and those that are banned in India
are also deleted.
Four drugs that are still under patent have been included in the list. These are
bedaquiline and delamind used in the treatment of multiple drug-resistant
tuberculosis, dolutegravir used for treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infection, and daclatasvir used in treating viral infections such as Hepatitis C.
Several anti-cancer drugs have been included in the list to make them affordable and
reduce out-of-pocket expenditure in cancer treatment.
Cardiovascular medicines dabigatran and tenecteplase are also included in this list.
The diabetes section has been expended by including teneligliptin and insulin
glargine.
National List of Essential Medicines
The National List of Essential Medicines was compiled for the first time in 1996. It was
revised thrice since in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The drugs in the NLEM are included in the
Schedule category and their price is regulated by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority.
September 14: Hindi Diwas
Hindi Diwas is observed every year on September 14 to commemorate the adoption of
Hindi as the official language of India.
Key Facts
On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi as the
official language along with English.
Article 343 of the Indian Constitution recognizes Hindi in Devanagari script as the
official language.
On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the importance of Hindi is promoted and various
cultural festivals are organized to celebrate and honour Hindi literature.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to create the Hindi Diwas on
September 14, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha,
who played a major role in making Hindi India’s official language.
Hindi Diwas was celebrated for the first time in 1953.
Mahatma Gandhi was the first to advocate for making Hindi the national language of
India in Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in 1918.
As of 2022, Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world, with about 602.2
million people speaking the language.
On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated second All
India Rajbhasha Sammelan.
While the National Hindi Diwas is celebrated on September 14, the World Hindi Day
(Vishwa Hindi Diwas) is celebrated on January 10 every year to promote the use of
Hindi language across the world.
Currently, Hindi is spoken in countries such as Fiji, New Zealand, Singapore,
Mauritius etc.
Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan
The Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan (All India Official Language Conference) was
held for the first time in 2021. The two-day conference will be organized by State
Language Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Discussions will be held on the
importance of Hindi during this conference.
IRCTC to launch Navratri Special Tourist Train
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) – a public sector
undertaking under the Railways Ministry – announced that it would launch the Navratri
Special Tourist Train for Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra with the newly launched Bharat
Gaurav tourist train on September 30.
Key facts
Similar the Ramayana Circuit, the IRCTC Ltd has announced the launch of Navratri
Special Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra Tour in the Bharat Gaurav Tourist train.
The maiden journey of the Special Tourist Train would commence on September 30,
2022 for Katra – a city in Jammu and Kashmir situated in the foothills of the Trikuta
Mountains, where the holy shrine of the Vaishno Devi is located.
The Vaishno Devi temple is one of the most visited shrines in the country, with over
millions of people visiting it every year, especially during festivals like Navratri.
The train journey would last for four nights and five days.
The train would start its journey to Katra from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station.
This tour package targets tourists from of Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar,
Saharanpur, Ambala, Sirhind, and Ludhiana.
It addresses the usual problem of the lack of confirmed train availability due to the
overcrowding by lakhs of devotees visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and
Kashmir.
The overall price of this tour package covers train journey, night stay at AC hotels,
meals, all transfers and sight-seeings in buses, travel insurance and services of the
guide.
It mandates all guests aging 18 and above to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Bharat Guarav Train
The Bharat Gaurav trains were launched by the Railways Ministry to be operated in places
having touristic importance and promote theme-based tourism. This fully air-conditioned
train is known for its aesthetic interior design that provides comfort for passengers. In
June 2022, the maiden journey of the Bharat Gaurav train took place to promote the
Ramayana Yatra circuit.
Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav
Union Health Minister will launch the Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav – a nationwide voluntary
blood donation drive.
Key facts
Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav is a nationwide voluntary blood donation drive that will be
organized from September 17 to October 1 this year.
This special blood donation drive would be organized as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav.
Registration for this mega drive can be made using E-Raktkosh portal and Aarogya
Setu app.
October 1 is observed as the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day and Raktdaan
Amrit Mahotsav is scheduled to conclude on this occasion.
The nationwide drive aims to collect up to 1 lakh units of blood from voluntary blood
donors on a single day.
One unit of blood is equal to 350 ml. A normal healthy individual has 5 to 6 litres of
blood and can donate blood every 3 months.
Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav seeks to raise public awareness about the importance of
regular non-remunerated voluntary blood donations.
Its main purpose is to create a repository of voluntary donors so that can be easily
accessed and the need for replacement of blood donation is reduced.
As part of this drive, every blood bank in the country is encouraged to organize at
least one blood donation camp.
Currently, India has more than 3,900 blood banks having sufficient storage capacity
and facilities for processing it.
Till date, 3,600 blood banks are linked with the e-Raktkosh portal and efforts are
being made to link the rest with the portal.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is the Indian Government’s initiative that celebrates India’s 75
years of independence and its history, culture and achievements. It was launched on
March 12, 2021, which started a 75-week countdown to the 75th anniversary of the Indian
independence. It will conclude on August 15, 2023.
Damodaran Committee to boost PE/VC investments
The Union Finance Ministry recently set up an expert committee headed by former SEBI
chief M. Damodaran to assess and recommend ways to solve regulatory issues to boost
investments by private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) in Indian startups.
Key facts
Other members of the Damodaran Committee are former member of SEBI and
executive director of RBI G. Mahalingam, former member of CBIC D.P. Nagesh
Kumar, former principal chief commissioner of IT Ashish Verma, Director General of

NCAER Poonam Gupta, and the director of Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial
Management Prabhat Ranjan Acharya.
Setting up of this committee was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman in her FY23 budget speech.
The expert committee would be involved in assessing regulatory policies and
taxation to identify challenges and potential accelerants to facilitate ease of investing
in India.
It would review issues concerning compliances and suggest ways to accelerate the
growth of alternative capital to boost participation in the VC/PE industry.
It will also suggest measures to further boost investments into start-ups and sunrise
sectors and provide recommendations for future-ready regulatory practices and
adoption of international best practices.
This will give a major boost to India’s start-up ecosystems, one of the fastest growing
in the world.
India’s VC/PE sector
Private equity and venture capital has invested more than Rs.5.5 lakh crore in 2021 to
promote the growth of start-ups in India. Private equity and venture capital funds invested
77 billion USD in Indian companies in 2021. This is a 62 per cent increase over the previous
year. There was a 37 per cent growth to 1,266 transactions. The total PE/VC investments in
start-ups accounted for 37 per cent of the overall funding of 28.8 billion USD. The year
2021 witnessed an addition of 44 unicorns (Start-ups valued above $1 billion).
MeitY Startup Hub and Meta launch XR startup program
The XR Startup Program was jointly launched by MeitY Startup Hub and Meta to create the
next generation startups focusing on Extended Reality Technologies.
Key facts
The XR Startup Program is an accelerator program aimed at supporting and
accelerating extended reality (XR) startups in India.
This newly launched initiative would focus on skilling and building technological
capabilities for metaverse and help promote emerging technologies such as
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in India.
This initiative would provide assistance to 40 early-stage startups working in the
extended reality technologies by providing a grant of Rs.20 lakh each.
A Grand Challenge would be organized to encourage early-stage innovators in
sectors such as education, learning and skills, healthcare, gaming and
entertainment, agri-tech and climate action and tourism and sustainability.
It would also support startups and innovators by establishing consumer connections,
partnership opportunities and fundraising.
Innovators would be provided assistance to upscale from the research and
development phase to create workable products and services.
Under this initiative, 80 innovators would be shortlisted to attend a bootcamp. Of
these 16 would be provided grants to develop minimum viable products/prototypes.

The program would be implemented by International Institute of Information
Technology – Hyderabad Foundation, Hyderabad, Telangana (CIE IIIT-H); AIC SMU
Technology Business Incubation Foundation (AIC-SMUTBI), Rangpo, Sikkim; Gujarat
University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC), Ahmedabad, Gujarat and
Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, New Delhi.
It would be financially backed by Meta’s XR Programs and Research Fund – a two-
year investment in programs and research with industry partners, civil rights groups,
governments, NGOs and academic institutions.
MeitY Startup Hub
MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & Information
Technology (MeitY), aims to achieve the Indian Government’s goals of promoting
technology innovation, startups and creation of intellectual properties. This nodal agency
would act as a national coordination, facilitation and monitoring centre that will integrate
all incubation centres, startups and innovation-related activities of the MeitY.
JIMEX 2022
The sixth edition of the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX 22) was kicked off on
September 11, 2022.
Key facts
The JIMEX 2022 is currently being hosted by the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal.
India is being represented by three indigenously designed and built warships.
These are Sahyadri (a multi-purpose stealth frigate) and two Anti-Submarine Warfare
Corvettes Kadmatt and Kavaratti.
Guided Missile Destroyer Ranvijay, Fleet Tanker Jyoti, Offshore Patrol Vessel Sukanya,
submarines, MIG 29K fighter aircraft, Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft and ship-
borne helicopters are also participating in this exercise.
The Japanese side is being represented by Izumo, a Helicopter Carrier, and
Takanami, a Guided Missile Destroyer.
The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) vessels are commanded by Rear
Admiral Hirata Toshiyuki, Commander Escort Flotilla Four and the Indian Naval ships
are commanded by Rear Admiral R Adm Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding
Eastern Fleet.
The joint naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the JMSDF involves two phases
– the sea phase and the harbour phase.
The harbour phase will be hosted in Visakhapatnam, Kerala.
This edition marks the 10th anniversary of JIMEX, which took place for the first time in
2012 in Japan.
It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between India and Japan.
This exercise takes place just few days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to
Tokyo to attend the 2+2 India-Japan ministerial dialogue with his Japanese
counterpart Yasukazu Hamada.

The aim of this bilateral exercise is to improve interoperability between the two
countries’ maritime forces through exercises in the surface, sub-surface and air
domains.
It also seeks to streamline seamanship and communication procedures between the
two countries.
It is part of a larger effort to improve the safety and security of international
shipping and trade in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
UP builds highest number of Amrit Sarovars
Uttar Pradesh has constructed largest number of lakes under the Indian Government’s
ambitious Mission Amrit Sarovar.
Key facts
Uttar Pradesh has constructed 8,462 Amrit Sarovars (lakes) under the Modi
Government’s ambitious Mission Amrit Sarovar, which aims to conserve water for
the future generation.
The other top performers under this mission are Madhya Pradesh (1,668 lakes),
Jammu and Kashmir (1,458 lakes), Rajasthan (898 lakes) and Tamil Nadu (818 lakes).
Within Uttar Pradesh, Lakhimpur Kheri was the top performer with the construction
of 256 Amrit Sarovars.
This is followed by Pratapgarh (244 lakes) and Pratapgarh (231 lakes).
Currently, Uttar Pradesh is planning to construct 1.20 lakh Amrit Sarovars.
The state had developed 7,500 Amrit Sarovars as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav.
Under the first phase of Mission Amrit Sarovar, the UP Government sought to
develop 75 Amrit Sarovars in 75 districts of the state under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
This goal was completed ahead of the schedule.
In the second phase, the government is planning to develop a minimum of 2 Amrit
Sarovars in 58 gram panchayats, which is a total of about 1.20 lakh lakes.
The large-scale construction of Amrit Sarovars is providing jobs for a large section of
the rural population in the state and increased their income as well.
It had minimised the irrigation issues faced by farmers in the state.
Currently, the fully completed Amrit Sarovars are being used by farmers for fish
farming as an additional source of income.
Amrit Sarovar Mission
The Amrit Sarovar Mission was launched by the Indian Government on April 24, 2022 to
promote water conservation by developing and rejuvenating water bodies in all districts
across India. Under this initiative, 50,000 water bodies of the size of about an acre will be
created. The overall mission is expected to be completed by August 15, 2023. Each of the
Amrit Sarovar would be around 1 acre with 10,000 cubic meters of water capacity.
For more updates.

For more updates.
Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program

The Ministry of Environment of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
have jointly launched the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme.
Key facts
The GEF Small Grants Programme provides financial and technical assistance to
projects focusing on conserving and restoring environment while also enhancing the
lives of local communities.
2022 marks the 7th operational phase of this programme.
The grants under this programme are given to non-governmental organizations and
other institutions working in specific landscapes.
The aim of this project is to build local communities’ capacity to take collective action
towards conserving the environment and achieving sustainable development.
It focuses on three regions in India – highlands of the North East, Central semi-arid
region and Indian coastal region.
It would promote participatory landscape planning and management approach that
would improve socio-ecological resilience through innovative livelihood
opportunities.
It seeks to strengthen community institutions to promote participatory governance
and upscale successful community initiatives.
It would also promote participatory monitoring and evaluation at the community
level.
GEF Small Grants Programme
The GEF Small Grants Programme was launched for the first time in 1992 at the Rio
Summit. It works based on the belief that global environment solutions would remain
sustainable only if communities are actively involved in it and directly benefit from it. It
works based on the principle “thinking globally, acting locally”. It aims to create a balance
between human requirements and environment imperatives through community
participation. Grants under this initiative are given to local citizens from the civil society
organization sector, including non-governmental organizations, academic and scientific
institutions, women groups, indigenous groups etc.
September 15, 2022
Hughes-ISRO satellite internet service
Hughes Communications India (HCI) and ISRO has jointly launched India’s first high-
throughput satellite (HTS) broadband service.
Key facts
HCI – a joint venture company of US-based Hughes Network Systems and Indian
telecom operator Bharati Airtel – launched the first high throughput satellite
broadband internet service in India.
This service would provide satellite internet to remote parts of India by using ISRO’s
GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites.
ISRO launched the GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 in 2018 to provide higher bandwidth
satellite connectivity to Indian clients in the space enterprise. The GSAT-11 is capable
of providing up to 14 Gbps through satellite network.
The newly launched HTS broadband service aims to provide high-speed broadband
in regions that are inaccessible for terrestrial networks.
For the past one year, this high-speed internet service was tested in several regions
such as Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, which lack terrestrial
connectivity because of challenges posed by terrains.
The newly launched satellite internet service is capable of providing internet
connectivity bandwidth of up to 100 Mbps – about 2GB data per day.
It supports services such as Wi-Fi hotspots for community internet access, SD-WAN
solutions, backhaul to extend mobile network reach and satellite internet for small
businesses.
The application of this satellite connectivity is currently limited to fringe markets
such as remote locations.
India currently does not have the market for very high bandwidth satellite internet in
such regions and high bandwidth internet are already served by terrestrial network
in other places that are having high demands for internet services.
The Hughes’ HTS service already has clients like Reliance Jio, State Bank of India and
others.
Jio utilizes Hughes’ service for 4G backhaul to provide services to remote locations
for its terrestrial telecom networks.
SBI uses this satellite internet service for providing connectivity to remote bank
branches and automated teller machine (ATM) outlets.
High-throughput satellite
High-throughput satellite (HTS) is a satellite connectivity that provides higher bandwidth,
which increases the amount of data that can be transferred between a satellite and a
ground station. A conventional satellite connectivity has low bandwidth and high latency
of connectivity – time taken to transfer data between a sender and receiver. The HTS seeks
to address this issue.
Exercise Kakadu 2022
Exercise Kakadu 2022 commenced in Australia’s Darwin on September 12, 2022.
Key facts
The Exercise Kakadu 2022 (KA22) is a multinational exercise hosted by the Australian
Navy in Darwin – the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory.
It will be held from September 12 to 24 this year by the Royal Australian Navy with
the support from the Royal Australian Air Force.
This two-week long biennial maritime exercise brings together around 3,000
personnel, 15 warships and more than 30 aircraft from 22 countries.
The Indian Navy is being represented by INS Satpura and P8 I Maritime Patrol
Aircraft.
The theme of this international exercise is ‘partnership, leadership and friendship’.

It would cover both sea phase and the harbour phase.
The harbour phase would witness participants being involved in operational
planning interactions and supportive activities.
It would also include a Fleet Commanders and Senior Leaders’ Conference, cultural
events and social functions.
The inaugural edition of the Exercise Kakadu was held in 1993.
Over the past 3 decades, countries that have participated in this exercise are
Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Japan, South Korea, France, India, Pakistan, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Tonga,
Hong Kong (UK), Canada, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Fiji, US, UAE, Cook
Islands, Sri Lanka, Chile, China and Vanuatu.
The KA22 kicked off less than a week after the conclusion of Exercise Pitch Black – a
biennial exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It featured 100
aircraft and 2,500 military personnel from 17 countries.
Exercise Pitch Black 2022 witnessed the largest international contingent for the first
time, with the involvement of Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore,
Thailand, UAE, the UK, and the USA.
INS Satpura
INS Satpura is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate that has better stealth and land
attack capabilities than the Talwar-class frigates. The stealth frigate was built at the
Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai. It was inducted the Eastern Naval Command
headquartered at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Inclusion of tribes from 5 states in ST category
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gave nod for the
inclusion of tribes of five states in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Key facts
The Union Cabinet has approved the inclusion of tribes from Chhattisgarh, Himachal
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh in the ST category.
It has included 12 communities to the ST list.
Among them is the Hattee Community living in the Trans-Giri region in Sirmaur
district of Himachal Pradesh.
This community is named based on its traditional occupation of selling home-grown
crops, vegetables, meat and wool at small-town markets called haats.
It has been demanding ST status since 1967, when the status was granted to people
living in Jaunsar Bawar area in Uttarakhand, which shares a border with the Sirmaur
district.
Other communities that were recently granted ST status were Gond along with their
five sub-castes in Bhadohi District of Uttar Pradesh, Betta-Kuruba community in
Karnataka, Binjhia in Chhattisgarh and Narikuravan and Kuruvikaran in Tamil Nadu.
The Narikuravans and Kuruvikarans in Tamil Nadu have been demanding ST status
since 1965 based the recommendations by the Lokur Panel. They were earlier
recognized as the Most Backward Community.
This community is mostly involved in traditional occupation of hunter-gathering and
selling of bead necklaces.
The Union Cabinet has included the Betta-Kuruba community as synonym of “Kadu
Kuruba” in the ST list.
Betta-Kuruba tribe in Karnataka’s Chamarajnagar, Kodagu and Mysuru districts have
been demanding ST status for the past 3 decades but have not been granted
because of spelling errors and similar sounding names.
The newly listed communities in the ST list would benefit from existing schemes
targeting the Scheduled Tribes in the country.
Some of these benefits include post-matric scholarship, overseas scholarship and the
national fellowship, concessional loans from the National Scheduled Tribes Finance
and Development Corporation, and hostels for students.
Members of these communities would also benefit from reservations in services and
admissions in educational institutions.
Norway’s central bank digital currency
Norway’s central bank – Norges Bank – recently hit a major milestone in its digital
currency development efforts by releasing the open source code for the country’s CBDC
sandbox based on the Ethereum technology.
Key facts
Norway’s CBDC sandbox, which is accessible on GitHub, was created to provide user
interface (UI) for engaging with the test network.
It has features like minting, burning and transferring ERC-20 tokens.
The current version of the open code is only accessible to people with necessary
credentials.
It does not support popular Ethereum wallet Meta Mask.
The second phase of the project would involve making the source code accessible to
the public.
The sandbox has a unique frontend, necessary smart contracts and access controls
and network monitoring tools such as BlockScout and Grafana.
The frontend displays a filterable overview of the network transactions.
The usage of Ethereum cryptocurrency system provided the basic infrastructure
required for the creation, transfer and destruction of digital central bank money
(DSP).
In November last year, the Norges Bank released a working paper referring to
possible CBDC designs, including those based on blockchains like Ethereum, Bitcoin
and Bitcoin SV.
One of the key issues faced by the bank was the interoperability while considering
various technical solutions.
The main objective of Norges Bank’s current testing is to study whether DSP is
required to ensure that the payment system in Norwegian kroner is secure, efficient
and attractive for the local population.
CBDCs
The Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are an electronic form of central bank-backed
fiat money. They work based on blockchain networks. However, they do not need to be on
a blockchain. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 97 countries or more
than 50 per cent of all global central banks are developing CBDCs. Presently, only Nigeria
and The Bahamans have fully launched the CBDCs.
FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup 2022
The Union Cabinet has approved the signing for hosting the FIFA Under-17 Women’s
World Cup 2022 in India.
Key facts
The 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is the 7th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s
World Cup.
It is scheduled to be held from October 11 to 30, 2022.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is held every two years.
It is organized by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) since 2008.
It is contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA.
Traditionally, it has been held in even-numbered years.
India was to host the 2020 edition, which was cancelled because of the COVID-19
pandemic.
The 2022 edition is the second time that India hosts a FIFA tournament after the
men’s2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and first time that the country hosts a FIFA women’s
football tournament.
Financial outlay of Rs.10 crore to All India Football Federation (AIFF) will be provided
by the government from the budgetary allocation for the Scheme of Assistance to
National Sports Federations (NSFs).
It will be used for maintenance, stadium power, energy and cabling and stadia and
training site branding.
In this tournament, Spain would be the defending champion. It had won its first title
in 2018 during the 6th edition that was held in Uruguay.
Morocco, Tanzania and India would be making a debut in this tournament.
The tournament would be held in three venues – Bhubaneshwar, Navi Mumbai and
Goa.
FIFA
FIFA is an international governing body of association of football, beach football and
futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competitions among national
associations. Currently, FIFA has 211 national associations. These associations must be a
member of one of the six regional confederations of Africa, Asia, Europe, North and
Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania and South America. Russia was suspended in
2022.
First Anniversary of Shoonya campaign
NITI Aayog has recently hosted the inaugural edition of Shoonya Forum in Delhi to
commemorate the first anniversary of Shoonya Campaign.
Key facts
At the Shoonya Forum, 25 Shoonya partners have announced their commitment to
accelerate India’s transition to Electronic Vehicles and improve air quality for citizens
in the country.
They have shared their success stories and commitment towards fleet electrification.
The forum provided opportunities for partners to share their know-hows and
experiences and promoted potential collaborations.
Focused discussions were held on challenges faced by corporates while scaling their
electric vehicle fleets.
The event was attended by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog CEO Param Iyer,
MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh, Delhi Government Principal Secretary Ashish Kundra,
Mahindra Electric Mobility CEO Suman Mishra and others.
During this event, a three-report series highlighting the economic benefits of
indigenous battery industry in India was released.
The National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Energy Storage (Part III)
report highlighted India’s 2.5 billion USD production linked incentive (PLI) scheme
for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) energy storage’s key role in meeting the estimated
cumulative battery demand of 106 to 260 GWh by the end of this decade.
The PLI scheme would play a major role in India’s EV adoption and grid
decarbonisation.
This is critical since urban freight vehicles account for 10% of freight transportation-
related carbon dioxide emissions in India and these emissions are expected to spike
by 114% by 2030.
The EVs, on the other hand, emit 15-40% less carbon dioxide than their internal
combustion engine counterparts and have lesser operational cost during the
manufacturing process.
Shoonya Campaign
Shoonya Campaign aims to promote the use of EVs for ride hailing and delivery services
and minimise air pollution caused by these services. The campaign has 130 industry
partners, including ride-hailing, delivery and EV companies.
NCERT’s guidelines for early identification of mental health problems in students
Recently, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) issued the
guidelines for “Early identification and intervention for mental health problems in school
going children and adolescents”.
Key facts
The guidelines were released after a nationwide survey found that exams, results
and peer pressure has caused an increase in stress and anxiety levels among school
students.
The guidelines require every school or groups of schools to set up a mental health
advisory panel.
This panel should be chaired by the principal and must include parents, teachers,
students and alumni as members.
This panel would be involved in raising awareness and implementing age and
gender-appropriate school mental health programme every year.
The guidelines also require schools to identify behavior, substance abuse and self-
harm, depression and developmental concerns among students.
Teachers are mandated to be informed and trained to identify early warning signs as
they are the primary caregivers.
They will be trained to identify early signs of attachment issues, separation anxiety,
school refusal, communication issues, anxiety patterns, depressive state, conduct-
related issues, excessive internet use, hyperactivity, intellectual disability and
learning disabilities.
The teachers are also required to raise awareness about bullying among students
and create confidential means for students to report such incidents.
Mental health issues among students
A recent study conducted by the NCERT involving 3 lakh students from across India has
found that about 81 per cent of students suffer anxiety because of exams and studies.
Such mental health issues may be caused the large-scale suicide cases reported among
students by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Mental health issues are found to
occur during early stage of life. Over 50 per cent of mental health conditions occur at the
age of 14 and three-fourth occur by the age of 25.
MEE-ZOO Report 2022
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had recently released the
Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE-ZOO) report 2022, which was created based
on the survey of zoos across India.
Key highlights
India currently has 147 recognized zoos, which are categorized as large (17), medium
(23), small (33), mini-zoos (60) and rescue centres (14).
The recent MEE-ZOO evaluated the 39 zoos under the categories large and medium.
The zoos were evaluated by a committee of 15 independent experts based on six
elements – context, planning, input, process, output and outcomes.
Top performers of large zoo category: Vandalur Zoo was rated “Very Good” after it
scored 82 per cent in the MEE score. It was the top performer in three of the six
elements, including planning, input and output. Other top performers under the
large zoo category are Karnataka’s Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens and
Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoological Park.
Top performers of medium zoo category: West Bengal’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan
Zoological Park achieved the highest MEE score of 83 per cent and was rated “Very
Good”. It was followed by Alipore Zoological Garden in West Bengal and Madras
Crocodile Bank Trust/Centre for Herpetology.
Top performers in context element: Alipore Zoological Garden, National Zoological
and Nawab and Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden.
Top performer in planning element: Vandalur Zoo scored 80% in this category.
Top performers in Input element: Vandalur Zoo, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan
Zoological Park and Mysore Zoo have scored 85%.
Top performers in Process element: Kanpur Zoological Park and Mysore Zoo have
scored 82%.
Top performers in Output element: Vandalur Zoo and Padmaja Naidu Himalayan
Zoological Park have scored 85%.
Top performer in Outcome element: Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
scored 85%.
About Vandalur Zoo
The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, also known as Vandalur Zoo, is a zoological garden
situated in Vandalur, in the southwestern part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was established
in 1855 as the first public zoo in India.
Armenia and Azerbaijan clash at Lachin corridor
More than 100 Armenian soldiers and 50 Azerbaijani soldiers have been killed during the
recent clashes at the border.
Key facts
The two former soviet republics have been engaged in long-running conflicts over
the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The disputed territory has been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but
is currently under the control of Armenian separatists.
The recent clashes took place along the Lachin corridor that links Armenia to
Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Lachin Corridor is part of the Lachin District of Azerbaijan, but was under the
control of the Russian peacekeeping force as per the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh
armistice agreement.
The Lachin District returned under the control of Azerbaijan on August 26, 2022.
The recent clash is the deadlines to break out between Armenia and Azerbaijan since
the 2020 clashes.
A peace deal brokered by Russia ended the 2020 war between the neighbors and
resulted in Armenia withdrawing its troops from some of the occupied territories
within Azerbaijan.
In the latest skirmish, Azerbaijan launched combat drones and started shelling from
artillery and mortars near the Sevan Lake.
The Armenian side shelled Azerbaijan forces in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts in
the separatist Narogno-Karabakh regions.
Nagorno-Karabakh region
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus within the Karabkh
mountain range. It is currently under the control of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh,
which declared itself to be independent with the help of Armenia in 1991.
Russia’s interests
Russia has traditionally supported Armenia, which hosts its military base. Azerbaijan has
close diplomatic ties with Turkey in the areas of defence, culture and politics. However, the
presence of oil in Azerbaijan is forcing Russia to develop closer ties with the country.
Moscow is currently urging both sides to refrain from further escalation of the conflict.
September 15: National Engineer’s Day
The National Engineer’s Day is observed every year on September 15 every year to
recognize and pay tribute to achievements of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.
Who was Sir M Visvesvaraya?
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in Karnataka.
He is noted for setting up Mysore Soap Factory, Bangalore Agricultural University,
State Bank of Mysore, Mysore Iron and Steel Works, Government Engineering
College and several other industries.
He was the recipient of Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) and was
recognized as the Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire.
He served as the Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918.
He is credited for the creation of block systems.
He patented and installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at a reservoir
near Pune to increase storage capacity.
This irrigation system was later installed at the Khadakvasla Reservoir as well as at
Tigra Dam at Gwalior and Krishnaraja Sagara Reservoir Dam in Mysuru.
Sir M Visvesvaraya is also known as the “precursor of economic planning in India”.
He published two books – “Reconstructing India” and “Planned Economy of India” in
1920 and 1934 respectively.
He passed away in the year 1962.
Significance of the day
The National Engineer’s Day gives recognition to all engineers in India and raise
awareness about their contributions towards the development of the country. India
currently has the second largest number of engineers in the world. This day is celebrated
India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. It honors the contributions made by Sir M Visvesvaraya.
September 16, 2022
World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022
The International Water Association’s World Water Congress and Exhibition was organized
in Denmark from September 1 to 15.
Key facts
The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition is organized every few years across the
world to bring together experts to share insights, network and do business.
It provides opportunity to focus on current issues and trends and reflect on the
strengths of the location in which the event is being organized.
The 2022 edition was organized in Copenhagen based on the theme ‘Water for Smart
Liveable Cities’.
It showcased the best practices in Denmark and other Nordic countries as well those
from the rest of the world.
The latest edition is the largest and most comprehensive till date.
It included contributions from Denmark, South Africa and several cities.
During the event, India and Denmark launched the Joint Whitepaper on ‘Urban
Wastewater Scenario in India’.
The whitepaper was jointly prepared by Indian government team consisting of
partners from Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Jal Shakti Ministry and NMCG,
international agency Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK) and academia Indian
Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB).
What is ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’?
The Whitepaper on ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ aims to comprehensively
capture the present status of wastewater treatment in India. Its purpose is to create
opportunities for future treatment structures, co-creation and collaborations. This comes
as the result of the Indo-Danish Bilateral Green Strategic Partnership, which has focus
areas like green hydrogen, renewable energy and water management.
About Indo-Danish Bilateral Green Strategic Partnership
The Indo-Danish Bilateral Green Strategic Partnership came into existence during the
virtual summit between Prime Minister Modi and his Danish counterpart in 2020. It builds
on the existing agreement that established a Joint Commission for Cooperation between
the two countries and provide the mutual benefit in economic growth, job opportunities,
green transition, implementation of the Paris Agreement and achieving the UN
September 15: International Day of Democracy
International Day of Democracy is observed every year on September 15 across the world
to strengthen democracies and highlight their importance.
Key facts
The International Day of Democracy 2022 focused on highlighting the key role played
by media freedom in safeguarding the democracy, maintaining peace and achieving
2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
It was observed with the theme “Protecting Press Freedom for Democracy”.
This is significant as, according to the UNESCO, 85 per cent of the global population
are experiencing a deterioration in press freedom in their country over the past five
years.
Background
The International Day of Democracy was created after a resolution was passed by the UN
General Assembly in the year 2007. This UNGA resolution sought to strengthen and
consolidate democracy. The International Day of Democracy was celebrated for the first
time in 2008.
Why this day is observed?
The International Day of Democracy is celebrated to uphold and honor the democratic
values at the international level. Democracy is a form of government in which the
government is directly elected by the people. This day gives the opportunity to review the
state of democracy across the world. It aims to achieve ideal democracy, which can be
realized only when everyone from everywhere are benefited from democracy. This can be
achieved only through full participation of people and support from international
community, national governing bodies, civil societies and individuals.
Key findings of the Democracy Index 2021
1. In the Democracy Index 2021, which was released by Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU), Asia was ranked fourth, behind North America, West Europe and Latin
America.
2. India, with a total score of 6.91, was ranked at 46th position under the category of
flawed democracies.
3. India received the lowest rating of 5 for political culture and the highest rating of
8.67 for pluralism and electoral process.
4. It was scored 6.18 for civil liberties, 7.22 for political engagement and 7.50 for
effective government.
Jharkhand increases reservations for SCs, STs, Others
The Jharkhand Government recently approved a proposal to grant 77 per cent reservation
in the state government jobs for people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes,
backward classes, OBC and other economically weaker sections.
Key facts
The state government of Jharkhand has approved a bill to amend the Jharkhand
Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Act, 2001.
The amendment bill provides 77 per cent reservation to SC, ST, BC, OBCs and
economically weaker sections.
It has increased the OBC reservation to 27 per cent from the present 14 per cent.
It provides quota of 12 per cent for people belonging to local SC communities and 28
per cent for local ST communities.
The extremely Backward Class people are given 15 per cent reservation and OBCs
are given 12 per cent reservation.
Economically backward individuals who are not included in other reserved categories
are given 10 per cent reservation.
The reservations in the government jobs would curtail migration of people to other
states across India.
Increasing reservation limits, especially for other backward classes (OBCs) has been
a long-pending demand in Jharkhand.
The state government also approved the “Jharkhand definition of local persons and
for extending the consequential, social, cultural and other benefits to such local
persons Bill, 2022”.
This bill considers people whose ancestors have their name in the 1932 khatiyan
(land records) or before as local inhabitants of Jharkhand.
Those who are landless or do not have their or their families’ names in the 1932
Khatiyan, respective gram sabha would have the power to certify them based on
language and customary traditions.
This decision comes after the tribes demanded that the last land survey conducted
by the British in 1932 must be used for determining who the local inhabitants were.
The State Government has decided to request the Central Government to include the
bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
World’s largest museum of Harappan culture in Rakhigarhi
The world’s largest museum on Harappan culture is currently being set up in Rakhigarhi,
Haryana.
Key highlights
The museum on Harappan culture in Rakhigarhi would showcase some 5,000-year-
old artefacts belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization.
This world class museum would display photographs depicting Rakhigarhi’s history.
The museum, which is currently under construction, would give recognition to
Rakhigarhi at the international and national levels and increase job opportunities for
the local communities.
A special zone is being created in the museum for children to make them aware of
the history in a recreational manner.
The museum would also house an open-air theatre and a library.
About Rakhigarhi
The village of Rakhigarhi was part of the Indus Valley Civilization from 2600 to 1900 BC.
The two villages Rakhi Khas and Rakhi Sahapur currently host the archeological remains of
the Indus Valley site. It was excavated for the first time in 1969. It is currently the largest
settlement of the Indus Valley Civilization. Since 1998, 56 skeletons have been discovered
in the site. Among them, two women were found in mound number 7. They are estimated
to be 7,000 years old. The presence of shell bangles in the site provides evidence of trade
links to faraway places such as Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Jewelry
trade is among the most prominent in this site. People in this civilization are known to
melt precious metals like copper, carnelian, agate and gold to make garlands of beads.
Development of 5 Iconic Sites
During the Union Budget 2020, the Central Government announced the development of
five iconic sites – Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Shivasagar (Assam),
Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu). Museums will be developed in these
sites with a total outlay of Rs.2,500 crore.
Kantar BrandZ India 2022
Kantar BrandZ India 2022 was released recently to broadly assess the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on Indian brands, with the focus on FMCG, non-FMCG and technology
brands.
Key Highlights
According to the report, India’s top 75 brands together are worth USD 393 billion,
equal to 11 per cent of India’s national GDP.
The growth rate of top 75 most valuable Indian brands surpasses that of the rate of
growth posted by other major markets across the globe.
The Tata Consultancy Services, with the value of 45.5 billion USD, is the most valuable
brand in India.
Earlier, HDFC held this position since 2014, when the ranking was first launched.
The TCS witnessed rapid growth because of increased global demand for automation
and digital transformation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top 10 most valuable Indian brands together contribute to just over 50 per cent
of the ranking’s total value.
Two brands have entered the top 10 for the first time. These are Infosys (3rd rank)
and ICICI Bank (9th rank)
The State Bank of India has risen four places to 6th
According to the recent report, there are brands from 23 different categories in the
2022 Indian top 75.
There are a total of 14 new entrants from 11 categories, including online gaming,
education, apparel and real estate.
Technology and banking brands account for over 50 per cent of the total value of the
Indian brands.
6 B2B tech brands and 11 consumer tech brands accounted for 35 per cent of the
total value of the ranking.
On an average, B2B brands are almost 3 times as valuable as B2C brands.
6 banking brands contribute to 19 per cent of the total value.
57 of the brands in the 2022 top 75 have been in the ranking since 2018.
Roger Federer Retires
On September 15, 2022, Roger Federer announced his retirement from the international
tennis.
Key facts
The Laver Cup, which is set to commence on September 23, will be Roger Federer’s
final tournament.
He will retire at the age of 41.
The current net worth of Federer is around 550 million USD. 1 billion USD came after
endorsements of brands and wearing their clothing.
About 130 million of Federer’s earnings came from official prize money – the second
highest in tennis after Djokovic’s 152 million USD.
He was the first person in the world to win 20 grand slam titles.
These are 8 Wimbledon, 6 Australian, 5 US Open and a solitary French title.
He held the world’s top spot in the ATP ranking for more time than any other player
except Novak Djokovic.
Federer has been in 31 major finals, 1 less than Djokovic, including a record 10 in a
row.
He spent 310 weeks as the world number 1, with 237 of them held consecutively.
He was nominated for the Sportsmanship Award for a record of 13 times and has
won ATP Fan’s Favourite for 17 consecutive years.
He was named the ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion 5 times.
He holds the record of being the only individual to win the BBC Overseas Sports
Personality of the Year award 4 times.
He is also known for becoming the oldest ever World Number 1 at the age of 36.
This legendary tennis player was born on August 8, 1981 in Basel, Switzerland.
In his teens, he trained at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens, Switzerland.
His career took off in 2001, when he faced off against seven-time Wimbledon
champion Sampras.
European Parliament: Hungary no longer a full democracy
The European Parliament has adopted a report that declared Hungary to be no longer a
democracy.
Key facts
The European Parliament has recently adopted a parliamentary report that declared
Hungary to be “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.
It concluded that the European values are currently under threat in Hungary and
thus, it is no longer a democratic country.
The recent motion at the European Parliament is symbolic disapproval from the EU
towards Hungary, that has witnessed years of opprobrium over the rule-of-law
issues under the regime of the current populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
However, this adoption may not lead to any specific punishment targeting Hungary.
The recently adopted report listed a range of concerns about the country’s electoral
system, judicial independence, academic and religious freedom and the overall
rights of the vulnerable population.
In 2018, the European Parliament had launched a procedure against the risk posed
by Hungary to EU’s democratic values.
In theory, this mechanism could result in Hungary losing its right to vote in the EU
Council, where the critical decision-making takes place for the European bloc.
However, it requires action from rest of the 26 EU members, who have shown little
interest in antagonizing Hungary.
The EU countries are wary of such a move since Hungary’s approval is critical for
major decisions.
Hungary is currently having close ties with Russia and it is involved in blocking
further European sanctions on Moscow for its involvement in Ukraine crisis.
The European parliament’s recognition of Hungary as electoral autocracy comes
based reports from bodies belonging to the Council of Europe as well as case law
from the EU’s court of justice and others.
The verdict by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was
also cited for this conclusion.
In April 2022, the OSCE held that Hungary’s election that returned Orban to power
for the fourth consecutive term was tainted by the lack of level playing field.
It had sent a full-fledged mission to Hungary, an almost unprecedented step for an
EU member state.
ANGAN 2022
A three-day international conference ANGAN 2022 is organized by Indo-Swiss Building
Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP).
Key facts
ANGAN 2022 (Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-habitat) is an
international conference organized by Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project
(BEEP).
It is organized based on the theme “Making the Zero-Carbon Transition in
Buildings”.
It is the second edition of the Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-habitat.
Around 75 eminent speakers, representing more than 15 countries and international
organizations, have come together to discuss ways to reduce carbon emission and
improve energy efficiency in buildings.
More than 500 delegates consisting of architects, engineers, builders, building
material industries, teachers, students, researchers, central and state government
officials are participating in this conference.
Discussions were held on critical issues such as “Unlocking Finance for Low-Carbon
Buildings and “Thermal Comfort and Climate Resilience in Residential buildings”.
It had special session on “Women in the Resource Efficiency Conversation”.
The purpose of this conference is to promote a healthy ecosystem as mentioned at
the COP26 by Prime Minister Modi on LiFE (Lifestyle And Environment) and
Panchamrit, which aims to make India Net Zero by 2070.
The conference promoted various low carbon products, technologies and
innovations that can be used in the building sector.
This conference-cum-exhibition event is expected to boost international and national
strategic collaboration, partnership, network and information exchange for the
creation of low carbon, energy efficient habitat.
BEEP
Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) is a collaborative project between the
Indian Government and the Swiss Government. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE),
which comes under the Indian Government’s Ministry of Power, is providing the technical
support for this project. It had helped formulate Eco-Niwas Samhita (energy conservation
building code for residential buildings), designed around 50 buildings and trained more
than 5,000 building sector professionals.

E-Baal Nidan portal revamped
The NCPCR has revamped the E-Baal Nidan portal to include more features that would
ease the tasks of complainants as well as NCPCR and SCPCRs in dealing with the
complaints.
What is E-Baal Nidan Portal?
“E-Baal Nidan” is an online complaint mechanism launched in 2015 to enable
individuals to report violations committed against a child and track the progress of
the redressal of the complaint in the Commission.
The portal eases the process of making a complaint to the NCPCR and ensures
transparency in the redressal process.
It ensures a timely disposal of cases by the NCPCR.
Currently, the NCPCR is providing access to all State Commission for Protection of
Child Rights.
It will be providing user IDs and passwords for the State Commissions to enable
them to view complaints registered on the portal and take necessary steps as
mandated by the law.
The portal also provides an option to transfer the registered complaints from the
NCPCR to the concerned State Commission.
It also gives option of joint inquiry if the State Commission wants the NCPCR to be
involved.
The portal segregates complaints based their subject matters like juvenile justice,
PSCSO, child labour, education etc.
NCPCR
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body of the
Indian Government set up under Section 3 of the Commission for the Protection of Child
Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. Its purpose is to protect the child rights and other related matters
in India. It is also involved in the monitoring of the implementation of Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015 and Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. It is also
involved in examining and reviewing the safeguards provided by and under any law for
the protection of child rights and recommend ways to improve their implementation.
Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill
The ‘Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill’ was recently passed by the
state legislative council.
Key facts
Karnataka’s anti-conversion bill was passed by the legislative assembly in December
2021.
The bill bans forced religious conversions by direct or indirect means.
It gives specific procedures for undertaking a religious conversion.
This bill gives penalty to anyone who forcibly convert minor, woman, SC/ST, or a
person of unsound mind with 3 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs.50,000.

Mass conversion (two or more people) could result in 3 to 10 years of imprisonment
and Rs.1 lakh fine.
Under this legislation, any individual seeking to convert their religion must submit a
declaration at least 30 days before the conversion to the District Magistrate.
The religious convertor is also required to submit a form to the DM at least 30 days
before the intended conversion.
After these submissions, the DM would notify the proposed religious conversion on
the notice board of the offices of DM and Teshsildar.
Within 30 days of the public notice, anyone can file an objection to the conversion.
If any such objection occurs, the DM is required to conduct an inquiry to investigate
the intension, purpose and cause of the proposed conversion.
Any conversion that occurs while not following the procedure will be considered
illegal and void.
Anti-conversion bills
Besides Karnataka, other states have also passed similar legislations. Their purpose is to
ban unlawful religious conversions, protect those who are forced to convert from one
religion to another through misinterpretation, force, undue influence, coercion,
allurement, promise of marriage or any other fraudulent means. Other states that
introduced anti-conversion bills are Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and
Jharkhand.ma
September 17, 2022
September 16: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed every year on
September 16.
Key points
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is also known as World
Ozone Day.
It is observed to raise awareness about the importance and need of the ozone layer.
The theme for 2022 is ‘Global Cooperation Protecting Life on Earth’.
This theme recognizes the impact of Montreal Protocol and highlights the
importance of collaboration, partnership and development of global cooperation to
address challenges posed by the climate change and protect life on earth for the
future.
Background
September 16 was designated as the World Ozone Day in December 1994 by the UN
General Assembly. This day coincides with the signing of the Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. It was observed for the first time in
1995.
Significance
The World Ozone Day aims to raise awareness about the role played by ozone layer in
protecting life on Earth from UV rays emitted by the Sun. It also aims to stop the use of
substances that damage ozone layer and get rid of them completely.
What is Ozone Layer?
The ozone layer is a thin layer of Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs almost all of the Sun’s
Ultraviolet rays. It is one of the layers of the stratosphere, the second layer of the Earth’s
atmosphere. It can trap the harmful UV light, which can penetrate living organisms’ skin
and damage DNA molecules in plants and animals. The ozone layer is currently getting
damaged because of ozone depleting substances.
About Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that aims to protect the ozone layer by
phasing out the production of various substances cause ozone depletion. It regulates the
production and consumption of nearly 100 manmade chemicals. This multilateral treaty
currently has nearly 200 signatories.
UNEP launches Green Fins Hub
The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the UK-based charity Reef-
World Foundation have launched the Green Fins Hub to boost sustainable marine tourism.
Key features
The Green Fins Hub is first-ever global marine tourism industry platform that would
help diving and snorkelling operators across the world to make simple, cost-efficient
changes in their daily practices by implementing international best practices that
promotes sustainability of marine tourism.
The platform would enable operators keep track of their yearly improvements and
communicate with their communities and customers.
It was developed by The Reef-World Foundation in collaboration with the UNEP.
It would help spread awareness about the global best practices to protect the coral
reefs and their fragile marine ecosystems.
The Green Fins Community Forum in this platform would enable operators to
discuss environmental issues, share best practices and raise the industry needs to
the governments, non-profits and the overall industry.
The Green Fins Solutions Library provides some 100 proven environmental
solutions to solve daily operational challenges.
The Action Plan Tracker would enable members to receive annual sustainability
action plan with specific goals.
The platform serves two types of membership – Digital Membership and Green Fin
Certified Members.
The Digital membership would be available for snorkel and liveaboard operations
across the world. Throughout the one-year membership, operators will receive
environmental scores based on an online self-evaluation. This would enable them to
assess their progress on their action plans.
The Green Fins Certified Members will be assessed annually and be trained in
person at their operation. The assessment would be made using a scoring system, in
which low score implies low impact of a business on coral reefs. A minimum
threshold of 200 or below of environmental impact score is required for becoming a
Green Fins Certified Member.
The new digital platform is expected to reach from 700 operators across 14
countries.
Varanasi nominated as the first SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital
The temple city of Varanasi was nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural
Capital during the recently held SCO Summit.
Key facts
During the 22nd Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of
Heads of State held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Varanasi was nominated as the first-
ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the period of 2022-23.
This would promote tourism, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India
and other SCO member states.
Under this framework, various events will be organized in Varanasi in 2022-23.
These events bring together musicians, authors, scholars, Indologists and artists as
well as other invited guests.
The regulations for the nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital were
adopted at the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021.
The purpose of this initiative is to promote cooperation between the SCO members
in the area of culture and tourism.
It also highlights India’s ancient civilizational links with SCO members, especially
those from the Central Asia.
Background
During the 2019 Bishkek Summit, President of Uzbekistan suggested the establishment of
an annual SCO tradition of nominating a city in the country presiding the SCO as the SCO
tourism and culture capital. The objective of this proposal is to realize the tourism
potential of cities and promote the cultural and historic heritage of the SCO member
states.
Varanasi
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh dates back to the 11th century BC. It is considered to be the
“spiritual capital” of India. It hosts some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath. It is
situated at the left bank of River Ganga in the middle-Ganges valley.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a political, economic and security alliance
established in 2001. It is headquartered in Beijing. Its members are China, India,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan
became members in 2017. The SCO is currently the world’s largest regional organization.
India Discrimination Report 2022

The non-profit Oxfam India recently released the India Discrimination Report, 2022
Key highlights
Labour force participation rate (LFPR) of women in India is just 25 per cent in 2021 –
lesser than the figure of 42.7 per cent in 2004-05 and the lowest among the BRICS
countries.
Gender discrimination is the main reason behind the 98 per cent employment gap
between males and females in India.
Lack of education and work experience are contributing to the lesser wage for
women.
The average earning of a man is about 2.5 times that of a woman.
The report concluded that, while there is a decline in discrimination within the Indian
labour market over a decade, there still remains high gender inequality.
There is a high probability that women’s employment in decent jobs have no bearing
on their endowments.
Women’s educational qualifications have little impact on their employment status.
Due to this, gender discrimination in labour market is almost total in India.
In 2019-20, 60 per cent of all men aging 15 and above have regular salaried and self-
employed jobs. During the same period, only 19 per cent of women in that age group
had jobs.
The report also found that a large number of qualified women are unwilling to join
the workforce because of “family responsibilities” and the need to conform to social
norms.
Apart from gender-based salary gaps, the report also found differences in income
among castes.
The mean income of regular employed persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes
or Scheduled Tribes in urban regions was Rs.15,312. This is lesser than Rs.20,346
earned by those belonging to the General Category.
This means that general category’s earnings is 33 per cent higher than SC/ST
communities.
Similar gaps are found for self-employed workers from the two categories.
Sova virus in India
CERT-In has given advisory on SOVA virus – a novel mobile banking “Trojan” virus that is
currently targeting Indian customers.
Key features
Sova virus is capable of stealthily encrypting an android phone for ransom.
It can add false overlays to a range of apps and mimic over 200 banking and
payment applications to con the android users.
The latest version can hide itself within fake android applications that show up with
the logo of a few famous apps like Chrome, Amazon, NFT platform etc., to deceive
users into installing them.
This malware is distributed through smishing (phishing via SMS) attacks like most
Android banking Trojans.
After the installation of the fake android application, it sends the list of all application
installed on the device to the command and control server (C2) of the threat actor so
as to obtain targeted applications.
Then, the C2 sends back to the malware the list of addresses for each targeted
applications and stores this information inside an XML file.
These targeted applications are then managed through the communication between
the malware and the C2.
It is capable of collecting keystrokes, steal cookies, intercept multi-factor
authentication tokens, take screenshots and record video from a webcam and
perform gestures like green click, swipe etc., using android accessibility service.
It is also capable of intercepting actions that seek to uninstall the malware from
setting or pressing the icon.
It is a major threat to privacy and security of sensitive customer data and can cause
large-scale financial frauds and cyberattacks.
CERT-In
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In is a nodal agency of the
Indian Government involved in addressing cyber security threats like hacking and
phishing. It comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.
KRITAGYA 3.0
KRITAGYA 3.0 was launched by ICAR to promote “speed breeding” for crop improvement.
Key facts
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research along with its National Agricultural
Higher Education Project (NAHEP) and Crop Science Division is organizing a
hackathon KRITAGYA 3.0 aimed at promoting speed breeding for the improvement
of crops.
This initiative would give opportunities for students, faculties, entrepreneurs,
innovators and others to demonstrate innovative approaches and technological
solutions for the crop improvement.
Besides achieving desired solutions in the crop sector, it would also encourage wider
adoption of technology-enabled solutions in agriculture sector.
The KRITAGYA stands of KRI for Krishi, which means agriculture; TA for Taknik,
meaning technology; and GYA for Gyan meaning knowledge.
In this hackathon, students can collaborate with local startup-ups, students from
technology institutions and can win a maximum of Rs.5 lakhs.
It will provide an opportunity to learn, innovate and solve problems faced in the crop
sector and boost employability and entrepreneurship in the country.
It was launched in line with the National Education Policy, 2020.
The earlier hackathons focused on innovation in farm mechanization and animal
science.
These events witnessed the participation of more than 3,000 individuals and winners
received a cash prize of Rs.9 lakhs.
They extended support for the winners to expand their concept propositions, their
scalability and future plan to collaborate with Agri Business Incubators, MSMEs and
other investors through support of ICAR.
About NAHEP
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research launched the National Agricultural Higher
Education Project (NAHEP) in November 2017 with the assistance from the World Bank. Its
main objective is to assist participating agricultural universities and ICAR in providing high
quality education to students. It was set up with a total outlay of 165 million USD for five
years from 2017-18. The cost of this project is equally shared between the World Bank and
the Indian Government. It is implemented by the Education Division of the ICAR.
KVIC launches 72 units under PMEGP
The Union MSME minister Narayan Rane recently inaugurated 72 units assisted under the
PMEGP and disbursed margin money subsidy to 720 PMEGP beneficiaries.
What is PMEGP?
The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a flagship
scheme of the Union MSME ministry.
It was launched in 2008 by subsuming the erstwhile Rural Employment Generation
Programme (REGP) implemented by KVIC and Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojana (PMRY)
implemented by District Industries Centers.
Its purpose of this credit linked subsidy scheme is to boost jobs through the
establishment of micro enterprises and factories in rural and urban regions of India.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is the nodal agency involved in
the implementation of this scheme at the national level.
The maximum cost of the project eligible for subsidy under this scheme in
manufacturing sector is Rs.50 lakh and in service sector, it is Rs.20 lakh.
Till September 15, 2022, the KVIC has sanctioned around 25,100 projects and released
more than 802 crore margin money. It has generated around 2 lakh jobs.
The KVIC is currently geo-tagging all PMEGP units to as to verify the actual physical
status of the units and monitor their performance during a specific period of time.
Till date, more than 1 lakh PMEGP units have been geotagged, enabling anyone to
locate the unit using a mobile application.
The role of the District Level Task Force Committee has been removed for approving
the PMEGP projects. The approvals are directly given by the state directors of the
KVIC and are sent to the banks for loans.
About KVIC
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body set up in 1957
under the MSME ministry to promote, facilitate and assist in the establishment and
development of khadi and village industries in rural India. Its purpose is to boost jobs in
rural regions and achieve self-reliance amongst people and build a strong rural
community spirit.
National Logistics Policy
Prime Minister Modi recently launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP).
Key features
The National Logistics Policy aims to promote smooth movement of goods across
India and boost competitiveness of the Indian goods in the domestic and
international markets.
It aims to bring down the logistics cost, which in turn would improve efficiency of
various sectors of the economy, boosting value addition and economic growth.
The policy was announced for the first time in Union Budget 2020.
Its focus areas are Integration of Digital System (IDS), Unified Logistics Interface
Platform (ULIP), Ease of Logistics (ELOG) and System Improvement Group (SIG).
The IDS will integrate 30 different systems of seven different departments, such as
customs, aviation, road transport, railways, international trade and commerce
ministries.
The ULIP aims to ensure continuous monitoring of cargo movement.
The ELOG would seek to simplify procedures and achieve ease of doing business.
The SIG would monitor all projects related to logistics in a regular basis and ensure
the removal of hurdles faced in the sector.
An empowered group of secretaries (EGoS) has been constituted under the PM Gati
Shakti to monitor and review the implementation of the NLP.
India’s logistics sector
India’s logistics sector provides jobs for more than 22 million people. The sector is
complicated, as it is regulated by more than 20 government agencies, 40 partner
government agencies, 37 export promotion councils, 500 certifications etc. India’s current
logistics cost as a proportion of the GDP is some 13-14 per cent. The Indian Government is
planning to decrease it to single digit. The sector’s present market size is 160 billion USD.
Its improvement can ensure a 10 per cent decrease in indirect logistics cost and increase
the growth of exports by 5 to 8 per cent.
September 17: World Patient Safety Day
World Patient Safety Day observed on September 17, 2022.
Key points
The objective of the World Patient Safety Day is to raise global awareness about
different safety measures that need to be taken to ensure patient safety.
It aims to increase public engagement in patient safety and create action plans to
address issues that cause harm to patients.
On this occasion, patients, caregivers, doctors, healthcare workers, healthcare
leaders and advocates take part in events that increase public awareness about
patient-centric care and encourage patient safety at the international level.
The World Patient Safety Day came as the result of the 72nd World Health Assembly’s
adoption of a resolution on “Global Action on Patient Safety” in 2019.

The aim of the resolution was to strengthen global healthcare systems.
2022 marks the 4th edition of the World Patient Safety Day.
The theme for this year is ‘Medication Safety’, with the slogan being ‘Medication
Without Harm’.
The theme focuses on raising awareness about the medication error and unsafe
medication practices, which would cause adverse health consequences, disabilities
and deaths.
Significance
World Patient Safety Day seeks to promote drug safety and the create awareness
about the burden caused by medical errors and unsafe medications.
This is significant as unsafe medication practices and medication errors are costing
approximately 42 million USD worldwide every year.
In low and middle income countries, including the WHO South-East Asia Region,
patient harm caused by unsafe care has resulted in around 134 million adverse
events a year, resulting in about 2.6 million deaths.
Medication errors are caused by weak healthcare systems and human factors like
fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages.
To address this issue, the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 was adopted to
promote policies, strategies and actions to remove avoidable risks and harm to
patients and healthcare workers.
INSPIRE Awards conferred to 53,021 students across India
Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has recently provided
financial aid to around 53,000 students under the INSPIRE Scheme.
What is INSPIRE Scheme?
The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme has been
implemented by Indian Government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST)
to encourage people aging 10 to 32 years to pursue science and a career in research.
Its purpose is to attract talent to science at an early age and create the required
resource pool for strengthening the science and technology system and research
and development base in the country.
It has three components – Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent (SEATS), Scholarship
for Higher Education (SHE) and Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC).
About INSPIRE Award – MANAK
The Indian Government confers INSPIRE Award – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting
National Aspiration and Knowledge) every year under the SEAT Program.
Under the INSPIRE AWARDS – MANAK Scheme, students across India are encouraged
to send original and creative technological ideas or innovations that can solve
common problems.
The chosen ideas will be provided with complete incubation support required to
promote the entrepreneurial journey of students.
This scheme has attracted 6.53 Lakh ideas and innovations from across India in
2020-21 – the highest till date.
It represented ideas and innovations from 702 districts (96%) in India.
This includes 123 of the 124 aspirational districts, 51 per cent representation from
girls, 84 per cent from schools in rural regions and 71 per cent of schools run by
state/UT governments.
Of the 6.53 lakh students, 53,021 students have been provided with the financial
support of Rs.10,000 to help them develop prototypes for the ideas they submitted.
September 19, 2022
Nine District Disability rehabilitation centres upgraded across India
The upgraded district disability rehabilitation centres (DDRC) have speech, visual therapy
and psychologists.
Key facts
The upgraded model DDRCs are situated in Badaun, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Balaghat,
Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati, Kullu and Rampur.
They were virtually inaugurated by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
In these model DDRCs, services like hearing aids testing lab, speech therapy room,
visual therapy room, psychologist room, physiotherapist room, gait practice parallel
bar and telemedicine/tele-therapy facilities are provided.
They will also assist persons with disabilities to register in the Unique Disability ID
portal.
The model DDRCs are established to provide effective rehabilitation services to
persons with disabilities.
They were upgraded by the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disability,
which comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
About DDRC
The District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC) is an initiative of the Union Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment that aims to provide comprehensive services to Persons
with Disabilities (PwDs) in rural parts of India. They have been operating across India for
the past 20 years. These centres have rehabilitation professions providing services like
identifying Persons with Disabilities, creating awareness, early detection and intervention,
Providing, fitting and repairing Assistive Devices and facilitating disability certificates, bus
passes and other concessions/facilities targeting PwDs. These centres were set up and
funded under the Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
2016 (SIPDA).
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 was passed by the Indian Parliament to
fulfil its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, which was ratified by India in 2007. This Act replaced the Persons With
Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
International Equal Pay Day

The International Equal Pay Day is observed on September 18 every year.
Key facts
The International Equal Pay Day is observed to highlight the issue of gender pay gap
and raise awareness about the same at the international level.
It seeks to put an end to the problem of women getting lesser salaries than their
male counterparts.
It builds on the United Nations’ commitment towards promoting human rights and
fighting all forms of discrimination, including those targeting women and girls.
Background
International Equal Pay Day was observed for the first time in 1996 by the National
Committee on Pay Equity – a coalition of women’s and civil rights organizations involved in
the elimination of gender and race-based wage discrimination. It was officially recognized
by the Equal Pay International Coalition in 2019 and in 2020, it got recognition from the
United Nations. The inaugural edition of the UN-recognized International Equal Pay Day
was observed on September 18, 2020.
Significance
The International Equal Pay Day provides global platform for women to raise the issue of
gender pay gap through various campaigns. It encourages people across the globe to
come together and identify strategies to achieve the goal of equal pay. Ensuring equal pay
for both men and women can contribute towards a just society where everyone have
equal opportunities. Businesses will also benefit from providing equal pay as it could
improve their productivity and efficiency by attracting the best talent and reduce the risk
of staff turnover. It would be a critical step towards achieving women empowerment in
patriarchal societies.
About Equal Pay International Coalition
The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) is an international initiative led by the
International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Women and others. Its aim is to reduce
gender pay gap and make equal pay for work of equal value a reality across all sectors in
all countries.
Poland opens new canal across the Vistula Spit
Poland has opened a new sea waterway to enable ships to sail from the Baltic Sea and the
Bay of Gdansk to ports of Vistula lagoon without relying on Strait of Pilawa in Russia.
Key facts
The new canal was opened on the 83rd anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland
during the Second World War.
This was done to symbolically demonstrate the end of Russia’s influence on the
country’s economy and development.
The new canal cuts across the Vistula Spit, east of Gdansk, enabling ships sailing to
travel from the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Gdansk to Elblag and other ports of the
lagoon without getting authorization to travel through Russia’s Strait of Pilawa.
It also reduces the Baltic-to-Elblag route by some 100 km.

Currently, while the smaller ships and yachts can use this route, cargo ships cannot
sail through until the approach to the Port of Elblag is deepened to 5 meters. This is
expected to cost 21 million USD.
The overall cost of this project is 2 billion USD.
About Vistula Spit
The Vistula Spit is an Aeolian sand spit or a peninsular stretch that separates the Vistula
Lagoon from the Gdansk Bay in the Baltic Sea. Its tip is separated from the mainland by
the Strait of Pilawa. This spit is politically divided between Poland and Russia as the border
between Poland and Kaliningrad Oblast (semi-exclave belonging to Russia) passes
through it.
Strait of Pilawa
Situated in Kaliningrad Oblast, the Strait of Pilawa is a waterway that connects the Baltic
Sea with the Vistula Lagoon – a brackish water lagoon separated from the Gdansk Bay by
the Vistula Spit. The strait is a major shipping route connecting Russian ports of Baltiysk
and Kaliningrad in the northeastern lagoon and the Polish ports like Elblag, Braniewo,
Frombork etc., with the open sea.
Amendment of Foreign Trade Policy of India for Rupee Settlement
The Central Government has made changes to the Foreign Trade Policy of India to activate
the RBI’s mechanism facilitating trade in the Indian Rupee.
Key facts
The recently amended Foreign Trade Policy of India allows international trade
invoicing, payment and settlement in the Indian Rupee.
It enables Indian importers to make payments in rupees via the special Vostro
accounts of the partner country bank against the invoices for the purchasing of
goods or services from the overseas seller or supplier.
The new mechanism can be used by the banks after getting the approval from the
Reserve Bank of India.
This gives effect to RBI’s mechanism that was unveiled in July to settle international
trade in rupees to counter the depreciation of global currencies.
The RBI mechanism aims to promote trade with Russia, which also uses a similar
mechanism to settle payments with Iran that is currently facing sanctions from the
Western countries.
It is one of the major steps taken by India to achieve capital account convertibility.
What is a vostro account?
A Vostro account is an account held by a domestic bank on behalf of another foreign bank
in the domestic bank’s currency. In Latin, the word “Vostro” means “Yours”. The bank
holding the funds acts as a custodian for the account of a foreign counterpart.
About capital account convertibility
Capital Account Convertibility is a feature of a country’s financial regime that provides
freedom to conduct investment transactions without any constraints. It removes all
restrictions on the amount of domestic currency that can be converted into foreign
currency to enable the acquiring of any foreign asset. India currently has a partially
convertible capital account policy. A fully convertible capital account ensures increased
stock market returns, reduction in transaction cost due to free rupee convertibility and a
boost in savings and investments.
India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline
The Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is expected to complete the
construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline by the end of 2022.
What is India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline?
The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project (IBFPP) aims to connect Siliguri in
West Bengal, India with Parbatipur in Bangladesh’s Dinajpur district.
The total outlay of this project is Rs.346 crore.
The capacity of this under-construction 130 km pipeline will be 1 million metric per
year.
The pipeline’s construction commenced after the formal inauguration in March 2020.
The project is jointly implemented by the Numaligarh Refinery Limited of India and
Meghna Petroleum Limited of Bangladesh.
Initially, Bangladesh would buy some 2.5 lakh tonnes of diesel. It would then be
increased up to 4 to 5 lakh tonnes in the following years.
Under the contract, Bangladesh will import diesel for 15 years from the day when
supply commences.
Significance
Once completed, the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline would help provide a stable
supply of diesel in all 16 northern districts under Rangpur and Rajshahi in Bangladesh. It
will ensure fast-paced delivery of fuel at a minimum cost. Currently, imported diesels are
supplied to these regions via wagons and trawlers from the Chattogram and Mongla
ports. It costs around $8 for each barrel of fuel to be transported from the port city. The
pipeline would reduce the cost to around $5 per barrel. It will also reduce the
transportation time to just one hour as opposed to the current situation of taking several
days to transport diesel via wagons and trawlers.
About Numaligarh Refinery Limited
The Numaligarh Refinery Limited is a government of India enterprise based in Assam. It is
a group company of the Oil India Limited. During the FY 2021-22, it achieved the highest
ever sales turnover of Rs.23,546 crore, which is 26.95 per cent higher than the previous
year.
UAE to launch its first lunar rover in November
The UAE is expected to launch the Rashid rover in November this year aboard a Falcon 9
SpaceX rocket.
Key facts
The United Arab Emirates will launch its first lunar rover named Rashid from
Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in November 2022.
The rover would reach the Lunar surface aboard the Hakuto-R lander of Japan’s
ispace sometime in March next year.
If this lunar mission is successful, the UAE and Japan will rank among the US, Russia
and China as being the only countries to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface.
Its destination the Lacus Somniorum – the Lake of Dreams – situated close to the
lunar equator.
The Rashid rover will study the lunar surface, mobility on the surface of the moon
and how different surfaces interact with the particles on the moon.
The rover weighs 10 kg. It would carry two high-resolution cameras, a microscopic
camera, a thermal imagery camera, a probe and other devices.
The rover is named after Dubai’s former ruler Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum,
who is credited for the transformation of Dubai from a small cluster of settlements
near the Dubai Creek to a modern port city and commercial hub.
It was built at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.
Earlier, the UAE launched the Hope Mission to Mars – the Arab world’s first
interplanetary mission.
It was also developed by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
The Arab country is currently planning to achieve the ambitious goal of building a
human colony on Mars by 2117.
About HAKUTO-R lander
The HAKUTO-R lander was built by the Japanese company ispace. The Rashid rover would
be the first Moon trip for HAKUTO-R, which has been under development for more than 10
years.
9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar recently
inaugurated the 9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which is being held in New Delhi from
September 19 to 24 this year.
Key facts
The Governing Body convened as per Article 19 of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)
It focuses on aspects concerning general policy and implementation of the
international treaty and the administrative and budgetary matters.
The event was set to take place in 2021 but was postponed because of the COVID-19
pandemic.
It is currently being organized under the theme “Celebrating the Guardians of Crop
Diversity: Towards an Inclusive Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”.
The theme aims to give recognition to the world’s small farmers in the effective
management of plant genetic resources for food and nutritional security.
During the event, Union Agriculture Minister highlighted the importance of the
protection of pant genetic resources, which are currently threatened because of

habitat loss and climate change. Plant genetic resources are critical to solve breeding
challenges.
On this occasion, India proposed an Awareness, Outreach and Capacity Building
Programme that would promote farmers’ rights across the globe.
About ITPGRFA
The ITPGRFA is a legally binding multilateral agreement signed during the 31st session of
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome in 2001. The treaty
took effect on June 29, 2004. It currently has 149 contracting parties, including India. It was
created in lines with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its objective is to achieve food
security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA), equitable sharing of profits from the use of
PGRFA and the recognition of farmers’ rights.
Global Registry of Fossil Fuels
Global Registry of Fossil Fuels is the world’s first public database on fossil fuel reserves,
production and emissions.
Key features
The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels is the “first-ever fully transparent” public database
that tracks fossil fuels across the world.
It was launched by the Carbon Tracker and Global Energy Monitor.
It was released to coincide with the two important international climate talks – the
UNGA, which is set to commence in New York on September 13 and COP27, which
will be organized in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November.
This inventory has data from more than 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries.
This accounts for 75 per cent of global production.
Prior to the release of the Global Registry of Fossil Fuels, it was very difficult to access
data concerning these fossil fuel fields for investors, experts and activists.
The inventory would help remove gaps on knowledge about global supply of oil, gas
and coal and enable policymakers to better manage their phase out.
Human activities since the Industrial Revolution has resulted in temperature
reaching just under 1.2°C, causing severe drought, floods and storms as well as the
rising sea levels.
According to this inventory, burning of the world’s remaining fossil fuels would
release 3.5 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. This is seven times the
remaining carbon budget to keep global temperature at 1.5 °C.
The United States and Russia have enough fossil fuel underground and untapped to
exhaust the remaining carbon budget.
What is carbon budget?
Carbon budget refers to the remaining carbon the world can afford to emit before the
1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement is missed. According to the estimates of
the United Nations, the Earth’s remaining carbon budget is around 360 billion tonnes of
CO2 equivalent or nine years at the current emission levels.

Indian Government to set up panel to study status of SC converts to Islam and Christianity
The Central Government will constitute a national commission to study the social,
economic and educational status of members of Scheduled Castes or Dalits who have
converted to religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Key facts
This proposed commission is significant as several petitions are currently pending
before the Supreme Court seeking SC reservation benefits for Dalits who have
converted to Christianity or Islam.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 under Article 341 states that no
individual belonging to religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism can be
recognized as a member of the Scheduled Caste.
The original order classified SC members belonging to only Hinduism. It was later
amended in 1956 to include Sikhs and in 1990 to include Buddhists.
The proposed commission would have 3 to 4 members with its chairman being a
Union Cabinet Minister.
It will be involved in the comprehensive analysis of the changes in status and
situation of Dalits who have converted to Christianity or Islam.
It will also study the impact of adding more members into the current SC list.
It will not include members of STs and OBCs who have converted to Islam and
Christianity.
This is because the STs receive benefit regardless of their religion and several
Christian and Muslim communities are already benefited by being part of the central
and states’ lists of OBCs.
SCs are currently given 15 per cent reservation for direct recruitment in central
government jobs.
Ranganath Misra Commission
The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by the former
Chief Justice of India Justice Ranganath Misra was set up in 2004 to recommend ways to
ensure welfare of socially and economically backward sections among linguistic and
religious minorities in India. This commission recommended the complete delinking of SC
status from religion and make it religion-neutral like STs. This recommendation was not
adopted as it did not have sufficient backing from field studies.
Market-Based Economic Dispatch (MBED) mechanism
The Union Ministry of Power is currently calling for the Market-Based Economic Dispatch
(MBED) mechanism – a radical shift from the current decentralized, voluntary pool-based
electricity market.
What is the MBED mechanism?
The MBED mechanism envisages a centralized scheduling for dispatching the entire
yearly consumption of electricity of around 1,400 billion units.
It proposes a centralized scheduling of power dispatches both at the inter-state and
intra-state levels.
This will interfere in the autonomy of states in managing their electricity sector,
including their own generating stations.
It will make distribution companies, mainly owned by the state governments,
completely dependent on the centralized mechanism.
This mechanism will remove the states’ freedom to decide their own electricity
requirements and prevent them from effectively managing seasonal and local
demand trends.
The Central Government is advocating for the new model to deepen power market in
line with the ‘One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency, One Price’ formula and to
minimise the cost of generating electricity across India.
According to experts, the new mechanism goes against the Indian Constitutional
provisions, the current legal framework and market structure.
It will also create complications in the overall grid management.
Power currently belongs to the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution, with the
electricity grid divided into state-wise autonomous control areas managed by the
State Load Dispatch Centres (SLDCs), which comes under the supervision of the
Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCs) and the National Load Dispatch Centre
(NLDC).
Each control area is in charge of balancing the demands with generation resources
in real time.
The MBED seeks to change this by replacing it with a central market operator to
dispatch inter-state and intra-state generation plants.
It will minimise the options currently available under the voluntary market design, as
it makes day-ahead contracts redundant.
The new model can clash with the emerging market trends as the rapid transition to
EVs and renewable energy requires greater decentralization of markets and
voluntary pools for the effective management of grid.
September 20, 2022
Congo Basin Forests - State of the Forests 2021
The report titled “Congo Basin Forests – State of the Forests 2021” was released recently
by the Central African Forests Commission.
Key findings
Increased investment and research is required for the protection of peatlands in
central Congo basin, which are currently under threat because of hydrocarbon
exploration, logging, palm oil plantation, hydroelectric dams and climate change.
There is also an urgent need to strengthen institutions and frameworks at the
national level for the effective application and implementation of international
agreements and commitments focusing on the conservation of these vulnerable
regions.
The conservation of these peatlands is critical as they are capable of storing around
30 gigatones of carbon in a peat. This is equal to the above-ground biomass of trees
in the entire Congo basin forest.
Also known as the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, the peatlands in the central Congo
basin span across the Democratic Republic OF Congo as well as the Republic of
Congo.
They cover an area of 145,500 square kilometres.
They are capable of storing carbon worth of about 20 years of fossil fuel emissions of
the United States.
The two countries hosting the Cuvette Centrale peatlands will require an increased
funding in the near future for researching more about these high-carbon and
biodiversity-rich peatland regions.
Currently, very little knowledge exists about these ecosystems, including the
activities of communities in the region.
What are peatlands?
Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystem formed because of the accumulation of
partially decomposed plant remains over thousands of years. The plants are only partially
decomposed as waterlogged conditions prevent the complete decomposition. Peatlands
are critical for carbon storage as well as the storage and cycling of water and nutrients.
They can reduce the risk of climate change and flooding, provide drinking water and
safeguard the livelihoods of local communities. International agreements such as Ramsar
Convention, United Nations Environmental Assembly Resolution and the Brazzaville
Declaration on Peatlands are promoting their sustainable management and conservation.
Lassa fever in Nigeria
171 people have died because of Lassa fever in Nigeria despite the government’s
measures to reduce the spread of the viral infection across the country.
Key facts
Nigeria currently has the total of 917 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, with 6,660
suspected cases recorded since the start of this year.
With the death toll reaching 171, the case fatality rate is 18.6 per cent. This is lower
than that of the same period in 2021, which was 23.3 per cent.
The viral infection is mainly affecting people aging 21 to 30 years, with male-to-
female ratio of confirmed cases being 1:0.8.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) is currently distributing medical
response commodities across the country to control the spread of the viral infection.
About Lassa fever
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus, which belongs the
family Arenaviridae. It was first discovered in Nigeria in 1969. Humans get infected with
this pathogen after being exposed to contaminated food or household items
contaminated with urine or faeces of the infected Mastomys rats. This virus is found
among the rodent population in several parts of West Africa. It is endemic in African
countries such as Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria.
About 80 per cent of people who are infected with Lassa fever are asymptomatic. 1 in 5
cases are severe, with the pathogen infecting several organs like liver, spleen and kidney.
The early stage of this infection can be treated using the antiviral drug ribavirin.
Symptoms
Mild symptoms include slight fever, fatigue, weakness and headache. Serious symptoms
include bleeding, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, pain in chest, back and abdomen,
swelling of face and shock. Death occurs two weeks after the onset of symptoms. It mainly
occurs because of multiple organ failure.
World’s First Cloned Arctic Wolf
Scientists in China have successfully cloned wild Arctic Wolf for the first time
Key facts
A Beijing-based gene firm had succeeded in cloning the Arctic Wolf to prevent the
endangered species from going extinct.
The newly cloned wolf was named Maya, which means good health.
The donor cell of the wolf came from a skin sample of a wild female Arctic Wolf. Its
oocyte was obtained from a dog.
The cloning process involved the construction of 137 new embryos from enucleated
(process of removing nucleus from the cell) oocytes and somatic cells.
85 embryos were transferred to the uteri of seven beagles.
The beagle was chosen as the surrogate mother since this dog breed is found to
share genetic ancestry with ancient wolf.
What is cloning?
Cloning is the process of producing living organisms, including cells, tissues etc., with
identical genetic materials ether through natural or artificial means. In nature, some
organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. Artificially, the first animal to be
cloned was a sheep named Dolly. It was created in 1996 by a Scottish scientist using an
udder cell from an adult sheep. Recently, in July 2022, Japanese scientists have succeeded
in producing cloned mice using freeze-dried skin cells. This new breakthrough makes it
possible to practice bio-banking, which involves saving animal cells and creating clones
from them.
About Arctic Wolf
The Arctic Wolf is also known as white wolf or polar wolf. It is native to the High Arctic
tundra of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands. It is a subspecies of the grey wolf. This
medium-sized wolf is smaller than the Alaskan timber wolf. Since the 1930s, there has
been a significant decline in the size of the Arctic wolf’s skull because of the wolf-dog
hybridization.
77th session of the United Nations General Assembly
th
The 77 session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) opened on September
13 and will include a high-level debate organized from September 20 to 26 this year.
Key facts
The theme of the UNGA 77 is “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to
interlocking challenges”.
The theme recognizes the shared roots of global crisis like COVID-19, climate change
and conflict and highlights the importance of building global sustainability and
resilience.
The event is being organized at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Discussions will be held among the world leaders on crisis in Ukraine, climate
change, food security, access to education and gender equality.
All 193 UN members will be represented at this event.
Brazil will be the first UN member state to speak at the annual general debate. It has
remained the first speaker for nearly 7 decades since the 10th UNGA in 1955.
The US, which will host the event, will be the second member state to speak.
After the first two speeches, the speaking order is set based on the factors like level
of representation, the rank of the representatives, preferences and geographical
balance.
About UNGA
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the United Nations’ main policy-making
and representative organ. It was set up in 1945. It meets every year between September
and December and again between January and August. Each of the 193 UN member states
has an equal vote at the General Assembly, where important decisions of the United
Nations take place, like appointment of the UN Secretary General, approval of the UN
Budget and electing non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC). It also adopts resolutions to make recommendations. However, these resolutions
are not enforceable.
RBI asks large UCBs to set up Board-approved policy, compliance function
The RBI has directed urban cooperative banks (UCBs) belonging to tier 3 and tier 4
categories to create a Board-approved policy and compliance function.
Key facts
The central bank has asked the urban cooperative banks with more than Rs.10,000
crore deposits (tier 4 category) to create a board-approved compliance policy and a
compliance function, including the appointment of a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO),
by April 1, 2023.
Tier 3 UCBs i.e., those having more than Rs.1,000 crore and up to Rs.10,000 crore
deposits are given the deadline of October 1,2023.
The board approved Compliance Policy should give clear outline on the
implementation of compliance philosophy, expectations on compliance culture,
structure and role of the Compliance Function, the role of the CCO and the processes
for the identification, assessment, monitoring, management and reporting on the
compliance risk.
The framework requires the Senior Management of these UCBs to undertake
Compliance Risk Assessment every year.

It also mandates the setting up of the Compliance Function, which shall ensure strict
observance of all statutory and regulatory requirements for the UCBs, including
standards of conduct, management of conflict of interest, fair treatment of
customers and providing suitable customer service.
While the organizational structure of the Compliance Function can be chosen by the
UCBs, it should be independent and well-resourced. Its operations must be regularly
reviewed by an independent entity.
Who is CCO?
The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) would head the Compliance Department. The tenure
of the CCO should last for at least 3 years. He/she will directly report to the MD and CEO
and/or Board or Board Committee. The CCO will have the authority to communicate with
any staff member and access all records or files required to undertake the entrusted
responsibilities with regards to compliance risks.
IDMC-ADB report: southwest monsoon lasting longer, displacing millions in South Asia
The recently released joint report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised concerns regarding long southwest
monsoon causing large-scale displacement of masses in South Asia.
Key findings
The report found that southwest monsoon is lasting longer than its season and
overlapping with the northeast monsoon, causing more severe downpour, flooding
and storms in South Asia.
While the southwest monsoon reached the peninsular India on time, it had stayed
beyond seasonal boundary of September.
In 2021, it had lasted until October, overlapping with the northeast monsoon
This report assessed the forced movement within a country boundary and
displacement due to natural disasters during the period of 2010-21.
It found that disasters displaced about 61.4 million people in south Asia during this
period. of this, 58.6 million were displaced because of weather-related disasters.
Floods and storms caused about 90 per cent of the total displacement.
Floods caused the displacement of 37.4 million and storm, including major tropical
cyclones, caused 21 million internal displacements.
El Nino Southern Oscillation variation has played a major role in the increased
instances of flooding and storms.
Climate change is also causing prolonged and unpredictable monsoon seasons.
In the overall Asia-Pacific region, about 225 million individuals were displaced during
the 2010-2021 period.
This means that nearly 19 million people were displaced because of disaster each
year.
This is more than 75 per cent of the total global figure on displacement.
95 per cent of all disaster displacements in Asia Pacific are caused by monsoon rains,
floods and storms.

The disaster displacement risks are mainly worsened by rapid urbanization,
socioeconomic vulnerability and population growth in hazard-prone areas.
About IDMC
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is an international non-governmental
organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It was established in 1998 by the Norwegian
Refugee Council – a humanitarian NGO that works towards protecting rights of people
who are displaced.
NASA’s Perseverance finds organic matter on Mars
The Perseverance Rover has collected samples having high concentration of organic
matter from the Martian surface.
Key facts
The Perseverance Rover has collected several organic rock samples from an ancient
river delta on Mars.
These samples are currently stored for collection by future Mars missions that would
return them back to the Earth.
These rock samples have large concentration of organic matter, the highest
concentration since the start of the mission.
With the latest collection, the rover has now collected a total of 12 samples.
One of the rocks the Perseverance collected was nicknamed as Wildcat Ridge. This
rock was likely formed when mud and sand settled in a saltwater lake as it
evaporated billions of years ago.
An instrument aboard the rover called SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments
with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) found that these samples
contain a class of organic molecules that correlate with those of sulfate minerals.
Sulfate minerals found in layers of sedimentary rock can provide insights into the
watery environment on which the rock samples were discovered.
The instrument’s analysis revealed that the organic materials may possibly be
aromatics or stable molecules of carbon and hydrogen, which are connected to
sulfates.
This suggests that when the lake was evaporating, both sulfates and organic
molecules deposited, preserved and concentrated in the region.
About Perseverance Rover
Perseverance Rover was launched as part of the NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Its
objective is to explore the Martian surface and detect the signs of past and present life on
the planet. Its landing site is Jezero Crater.
Jezero Crater
Jezero Crater spans across 45 km. it is a fan-shaped geological feature that is suspected to
have hosted an ancient lake. It is believed that this site hosts evidences of Martian history
in sedimentary rock, which formed when particles fused together in the previously water-
filled environment.
InSight lander detects space rocks hitting Mars

NASA’s InSight lander has detected seismic and acoustic waves caused by the impact of
four meteoroids and found the location of the craters left by these space rocks.
Key facts
For the first time, scientists were able to calculate the locations of craters left by
meteoroids on the Martian surface based on seismic and acoustic waves.
The researchers confirmed the calculations made by InSight Lander using the NASA’s
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The recent seismic measurements provide a new tool for the better investigation of
the Mars and other planets where seismometer can be landed.
One of the space rocks detected by the InSight Lander hit the Martian surface in 2020
and the rest landed in 2021. They have left craters of up to 7.2 meters wide.
They landed between 85 km and 290 km from the InSight’s location.
Mars is close to the solar system’s asteroid belt, which makes it highly vulnerable to
impacts by space rocks.
Its atmosphere is just 1 percent as thick as Earth’s. Hence, meteoroids pass through
it without disintegrating unlike when they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere.
However, this is the first time that InSight captured the sound of the space rock
hitting the Red Planet.
According to researchers, the past impacts may have been undetected because of
the noise from wind or by seasonal changes in the atmosphere.
It is possible that more such seismic and acoustic waves may be hidden within the
lander’s nearly four years of data.
About InSight Mission
The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport
(InSight) mission is a robotic lander that aims to study the deep interior of the Red Planet.
This three-legged instrument landed on the Martian surface in 2018 on a vast and
relatively plain surface north of the Martian equator called Elysium Planitia.
India’s presidency of AIBD extended for one year
The Asia-pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) has unanimously extended
India’s presidency for one more year.
Key facts
The member countries of the AIBD have decided to extend India’s presidency at the
two-day General Conference of the Institute that was held in New Delhi.
The General Conference of the AIBD was inaugurated by the Union Minister of
Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports.
It was organized from September 19 to 20 this year.
The conference focused on theme “Building a Stronger Future of Broadcasting in
post pandemic era”.
During the event, all participating countries and member broadcasters have
committed to work together for creating sustainable broadcasting environment,
promoting latest technology know-how, quality content creation and various

cooperative activities.
A five-year plan for cooperative activities and exchanges programmes were finalized
during the conference.
About AIBD
The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) was set up in 1977 with the
support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). It is a regional intergovernmental organization that brings together countries
of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-
ESCAP) to collaborate in the field of electronic media development. Its objective is to
achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia Pacific region
through policy formulation and resource development. It currently has 26 countries that
are full members. These countries are represented by 43 organizations and 52 affiliate
members.
UN-ESCAP
The UN-ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the UN Economic and Social
Council. It was established in 1947 to boost economic relationship between countries in
Asia and the Far East as well as other regions across the globe. It currently has 53 member
states and 9 associate members, mostly from Asia and Pacific. It also includes countries
such as France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Soviet Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov passes away
Valery Polyakov, who held the record for the achieving the longest single stay in space,
has passed away at the age of 80.
Key facts
Valery Polyakov’s record of 437 days in space started on January 8, 1994.
While aboard the Soviet Space Station Mir, he orbited the Earth more than 7,000
times before returning back to Earth on March 22, 1995.
He trained as a physician and demonstrated the human body’s capacity to withstand
extended period in outer space.
Earlier, Polyakov spent 288 days in space on a mission that took place in 1988-89.
This was his first mission into space. He returned to Earth in the year 1989 after 8
months.
He served as the Deputy Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow.
He held this position even after formally retiring from being a cosmonaut in 1995
and simultaneously served as a deputy chair of the commission responsible for
certifying Russian cosmonauts.
He participated in an experiment SFINCSS-99 (Simulation of Flight of International
Crew on Space Station) in 1999.
His 430-day flight helped understand how human body reacted to micro-gravity
environment during the long-duration missions to Mars.
The data from this mission has been used for determining if humans are capable of
maintaining healthy mental state during long-duration space flights.

It helped researchers conclude that a stable mood and overall functioning can be
maintained during the long-duration spaceflights like crewed missions to Mars.
Polyakov’s longest record of 678 days in space has been surpassed in 1999 by
cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev, who stayed in space for 747 days
About Mir Space Station
Mir Space Station was operated from 1986 to 2001 by Soviet Union and later by Russia. It
was the first modular space station. Assembled from 1986 to 1996, this space station had
greater mass than any other previous spacecraft. During its time, Mir was the largest
artificial satellite in orbit. The International Space Station succeeded the Mir Space Station
after its orbit decayed.
September 21, 2022
Centre notifies new medical device rules
The Medical Devices (Amendment) Rules, 2022 were notified by the Union Cabinet
recently.
Key facts
The new rules require online registration of all manufacturers of all class A medical
devices.
Class A medical devices are those having low-to-moderate risk to patient or user.
These include surgical dressings and others.
All class A and B manufactures are required to transition to new licensing regime by
October 1.
Under the new regime, it is mandatory for the manufacturer to give an undertaking
that affirms that the proposed device is Class A medical device – non-sterile and/or
non-measuring.
The manufacturer is required to self-certify that the medical device complies the
essential principles checklist for safety and performance as well as the Medical
Devices Rules, 2017.
This information must be provided in the Online System for Medical Devices for
receiving the registration number of the medical devices.
Under the new rules, the importer of medical devices is required to upload his name
and address and the manufacturing site, as well as the details about the medical
devices. The self-attested copy of the registration of foreign manufacturing site
issued by the competent authority must also be included.
The new rules mandate record maintenance by the manufacturer or the importer
about manufacturing, import, sales and distribution.
These records must be disclosed if any licensing authority requires it.
Licensing authorities can access these records at any point of time to investigate the
quality of these devices and assess the safety-related failures or complaints.
The registration number may be cancelled or suspended if the manufacture or
importer do not comply with the new medical devices rules.
Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022

The Home Affairs Ministry has notified the rules governing the implementation of the
Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022.
Key facts
The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 repeals the Identification of
Prisoners Act, 1920, whose scope was limited to collecting finger impressions,
footprint impressions and photographs of the convicted persons and certain
categories of arrested and non-convicted persons based on the order from the
Magistrate.
The new law enables police and central investigating agencies to collect, store,
analyse physical and biological samples like retina and iris scans of arrested
individuals.
The rules do not mention the procedure for convicted persons.
Measurements of individuals detained under preventive detention laws should not
be taken unless they are associated with a serious offence or ordered by a court.
Measurements here include finger-impressions, palm-print, foot-print, photographs,
iris and retina scan, physical, biological samples and their analysis, behavioural
attributes including signatures, handwriting or any other examination. They are
mentioned in Section 53 and Section 53A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1974.
The rules allow the storing and preservation of the measurements in a secured and
encrypted format as per the Standard Operating Procedure by the NCRB from “time
to time”.
Illegal access, distribution or sharing of data collected under the Act shall be
punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Information Technology Act,
2000.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will direct the states on how to collect
and store the measurements.
It will give details on what equipment or devices to be used for taking
measurements, provides specifications for digital and physical format of the
measurement and the method of handling and storing measurements to make them
compatible with the NCRB database.
About NCRB
The National Crime Records Bureau comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is
responsible for collecting and analysing crime data under the Indian Penal Code and
Special and Local Laws. It acts as the repository of information on crime and criminals that
enables investigators to link crimes to the right perpetrators.
New Framework for Social Stock Exchange
The SEBI has unveiled a framework for the SSE, which was notified in July 2022.
Key facts
Under the new rules, the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) will be a separate segment
from existing stock exchanges.
Social enterprises eligible to participate in the SSE must be not-for-profit

organizations and for-profit social enterprises having social intent and impact as
their primary goal.
These enterprises must focus on eligible social objectives for the development and
welfare of undeserved and less privileged populations or regions.
The new framework specifies the minimum requirements of the not-for-profit
organizations (NPOs) for registering with the bourse as well as the disclosure
requirements.
The NPOs must disclose funds raised through the issuance of zero-coupon zero-
principal instruments.
The Listed NPOs are mandated to submit a statement of utilization of funds to the
SSE within 45 days from the end of quarter.
Social enterprises raising funds using SSEs are also required to provide Annual
Impact Report within 90 days from the end of financial year.
This report must highlight the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the social
impact created by the NPOs. If possible, it must also capture the impact generated
by the project or solutions for which funds were raised on SSE.
What is SSE?
The idea of social stock exchange (SSE) was first introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman during the 2019-20 budget speech. It is the public listing of Not for Profit
Organization (NPO) on stock exchanges. The NPOs are establishments involved in the
welfare of society or community. They are set up as charitable organizations. The SSE aims
to provide them with alternative fund-raising instrument. The investors can claim tax
benefits for making contributions via the SSE. Similar mechanism is available in countries
like the United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil.
“The Merge” of the Ethereum
Ethereum – the world’s second largest blockchain – has transitioned from the legacy
“proof-of-work” to a “proof-of-stake” consensus mechanism.
Key facts
The Ethereum Merge is an upgrade that changes how new crypto transactions take
place on the blockchain.
The Ethereum Merge is the joining of the Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) Beacon
Chain with the Ethereum Mainnet.
Before this update, the Ethereum operated on a proof-of-work mode, which required
nodes (computers that are part of a large network) to compete with one another to
solve complex math problems. The successful ones are able to mine the next block of
a transaction and create new coins.
Through this method, crypto consumed power that is nearly equivalent to that of
Finland, while its carbon footprint is almost comparable to Switzerland.
The proof-of-stake model does not require the need for mining nodes to compete for
block rewards.
Rather, it requires node operators to stake 32 Ether (ETH) as collateral to become

network validators to earn rewards.
In the PoS model, users lock up their Ether in a pool through the process called
staking.
They are then randomly chosen to validate transaction.
The nodes are chosen through an algorithm that has a preference for nodes having
more of a network’s currency.
This means that nodes’ “stake” is rewarded rather than the computer power as seen
in the proof-of-work model.
This model ensured a 99.95 per cent reduction in the consumption of energy by
Ethereum. This amount of energy almost equivalent to the early energy consumption
by New Zealand.
About Ethereum
Ethereum is a decentralized, open-sourced blockchain. Ether is the native cryptocurrency
of this platform. It is currently the second most popular after Bitcoin. The Ethereum
blockchain powers the innovations in crypto ecosystem such as Non-Fungible Tokens
(NFTs).
ECI seeks restrictions on cash donations to political parties
The Chief Election Commissioner has written to the Union Law Ministry to limit
anonymous political donations. He has provided several recommendations reduce
election funding via black money.
Key recommendations
Disclose donations above Rs.2,000: Under the current rules, political parties are
required to disclose all donations above Rs.20,000 through their contribution report.
The EC recommends disclosure of all donations above Rs.2,000.
Capping Cash Donations: The EC also found that while donations reported by some
political parties were nil, their audit accounts statement revealed that they received
large amount of money via cash, below the threshold of Rs.20,000. It recommended
capping cash donations at 20 per cent or at maximum of Rs.20 crore of the total
funds received by a party, whichever is less.
Mandatory digital/cheque transactions: EC called for mandating digital
transaction or account payee cheque transfers for all expenses above Rs.2,000 to a
single entity/person.
Separate account for election finances: While maintaining separate bank account
for poll expenditure is already part of the instruction, the EC wants this to become
part of Rule 89 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. This would require the
candidate to maintain a separate account for recipient and payments related to
elections. This has to be disclosed to the EC as an account of election expenditure.
Transparency in foreign donations: The EC also sought electoral reforms so that no
foreign donations can penetrate into the political funding as speculated under the
Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951 and the Foreign Contribution Regulation
Act (FCRA), 2010. Currently, there lacks a mechanism segregating foreign donations
at the initial stages and the current format of the contribution report is not capable
of gaining this information.
About Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established to conduct and
regulate elections in India. Article 324 of the Constitution provides the EC to power to
organize the elections to parliament, state legislatures, and offices of president and vice
president.
Bru Agreement
The Central Government has agreed to extend the deadline for the resettlement of Bru
while reviewing the implementation of the Bru agreement.
Key facts
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the implementation of the Bru agreement
with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha.
They found significant progress being made in the resettlement process of Bru
people, who were displaced from Mizoram, in Tripura.
Under the agreement, the Bru community currently living in temporary relief camps
in Tripura will be settled in the state.
The Bru, who returned to Mizoram in the eight phases of repatriation since 2009,
cannot return to Tripura under this agreement.
The beneficiaries under this agreement will receive housing assistance and they will
be settled in four clusters.
The agreement seeks the closure of temporary camps within 180 days after the
signing takes place.
This deadline has been extended since the August 31 target has passed without
many being resettled.
The number of rehabilitated families is 6,959, with the total population being 37,136.
Till date, 3,696 families have been resettled and the rest are in the process of
resettlement.
Houses have been constructed for 2,407 families so far.
Who are bru?
Bru is an indigenous community in the North East India. Also known as Reang, they are
concentrated mainly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognized as a
Particularly Vulnerable Tribe. In Mizoram, they have been targeted by various groups that
do not consider them indigenous to the state. In 1997, over 37,000 Bru were displaced
from Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram. They were forced to settle in relief
camps in Tripura. Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in 8 phases of repatriation
and the rest have remained in 6 relief camps in North Tripura and are being resettled by
the Tripura government.
September 21: International Day of Peace
September 21 is observed as the International Day of Peace.
Key facts
The International Day of Peace is observed to strengthen the ideals of peace through
the observance of 24-hours of non-violence and ceasefire.
Its main objective is to create a world where compassion and empathy overcome
suspicion and hatred.
The theme for 2022 is “End racism. Build peace.” It aims to eradicate racism and put
an end to race-based discrimination.
It highlights the plights faced by people who were displaced by conflicts because of
racism.
It also recognized the issues faced by certain racial groups during the COVID-19
pandemic and the effect on certain races during the economic crisis.
This year, International Day of Peace was observed on September 16, 2022 at the UN
Headquarters in New York.
The programme commenced with the traditional Peace Bell Ceremony at the Peace
Garden
Background
The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in
the year 1981. In 2001, the UNGA adopted a resolution to designate this day as a period of
non-violence and ceasefire.
About Peace Bell
The Peace Bell was donated by the United Nations Association of Japan in June 1954. It was
created as a symbol of hope for peace. The bell was made from coin and medals donated
by the representatives of member states, the Pope and people, including children from 60
countries. The bell tower was modelled based on the Hanamido (a temple decorated with
flowers) that symbolizes the place where Buddha was born. It is rung twice a year – once
at the Vernal Equinox and on the occasion of the International Day for Peace. It has an
inscription on its side that reads “Long Live Absolute World Peace”.
India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) receives UN Award
‘2022 UN Interagency Task Force, and WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care
Award’ was conferred to India for its India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI).
Key facts
The UN award was conferred at the UN General Assembly side event that was held
on September 21, 2022 in New York.
The India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) is a joint initiative of the Union
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), state governments and World Health Organization-India.
It was launched in 2017 and expanded in a phased manner to cover more than 130
districts across 23 states in India.
It was given recognition for its ability to prevent and control non-communicable
diseases and delivering integrated people-centric primary care.
The initiative controlled hypertension at the primary healthcare system level,
minimising the deaths caused by heart attacks, stroke and kidney failures.
Under this initiative, existing healthcare delivery system was strengthened and steps
were taken to improve interventions under National Health Mission.
Under this initiative, more than 34 lakh people with hypertension were treated in
government health facilities like Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centres (HWCs).
The initiative covered simple drug-dose-specific standard treatment protocol,
providing sufficient quantity of protocol medications, decentralization of care with
follow-ups and refills of medicines in health wellness centres etc.
Data was collected to keep track of patients to control their blood pressure and
maintain follow-ups.
Under this initiative, nearly 50 per cent of those who were treated had blood
pressure under control.
This initiative complements the National Programme for Prevention and Control of
Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) implemented by the Union
Health Ministry.
About hypertension
Hypertension is a health condition caused when the force of blood against the artery walls
is high. While it is asymptomatic, it can cause conditions like heart disease and stroke if
left untreated. It can be prevented through the consumption of healthier diet with less
salt, regular exercise and medication.
ADB releases updated Asian Development Outlook
The updated Asian Development Outlook predicts that developing economies will faster
than China.
Key findings
For the first time in 30 years, rest of developing Asia will grow at faster pace than
China.
Previously, when China’s growth fell to 3.9 per cent in 1990, the GDP of the rest of
Asia witnessed a 6.9 per cent growth.
The report has cut the growth predictions of Asia’s developing economies because
China’s zero-COVID-19 policy.
The ADB has slashed its 2023 forecast for China’s economic growth to 4.5 per cent
from 4.8 in April. This is mainly because of the falling external demand minimising
investment in manufacturing.
Asia’s economy is recovering because of revival of the tourism sector. However,
external factors are slowing the overall growth.
It is estimated that the Asian economies would grow by 4.3 per cent in 2022 and 4.9
per cent in 2023. This is fall from the previous estimation of 4.6 per cent and 5.2 per
cent respectively.
The latest Outlook also predicted that the pace of rising prices rise to 4.5 per cent in
2022 and 4 per cent in 2023. This is an increase from July’s 4.2 per cent and 4.5 per
cent respectively.
The central banks in the region are increasing their policy rate in response to the
inflation spiking above the pre-pandemic levels. This has caused tightened financial
conditions amid a slow economic growth and accelerated monetary tightening by
the Federal Reserve.
About Asian Development Outlook
The Asian Development Outlook is published every year by the Manila-based Asian
Development Bank to provide economic analysis and forecasts as well as the social
developmental aspects for countries in Asia. It is published in March or April with an
update published in September and brief statements published in July and December.
Global Fintech Fest 2022
The Global Fintech Fest 2022 is organized to provide a platform to discuss ways to achieve
sustainable finance.
Key facts
The GFF 2022 is jointly organized by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI),
the Payments Council of India (PCI) and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC).
It is being organized from September 19 to 22 this year with the theme “’Creating A
Sustainable Financial World – Global, Inclusive, Green.
This event seeks to showcase India as a global thought leader in financial technology
and demonstrate India’s fintech ecosystem at the international level.
During the event, 3 key initiatives were launched – RuPay Credit Card on UPI, UPI
LITE and Bharat BillPay Cross-Border Bill Payments.
These initiatives have the potential to make digital payment systems more inclusive
by bringing in new users from India and abroad.
They will help ease the entry of the next 300 million users on the digital payments.
The linking of RuPay Credit Card on UPI will ensure more opportunities for
consumers to use credit cards. It will also help merchants increase sales by being
part of the credit ecosystem.
The UPI LITE integrated with the BHIM App enables users to make low-value
transactions in a near-offline mode. This will reduce the debt load on the core
banking system and improve the success rate of transaction, while also improving
the user experience significantly.
Bharat BillPay Cross-Border Bill Payments will ease the payment of bills for people
living in foreign countries who are maintaining a house in India. This will enable non-
residential Indians to pay utility, water and telephone bills on behalf of their families
living in India.
India’s Federal Bank and UAE’s Lulu Exchange will be first to allow the Bharat BillPay
Cross-Border Bill Payments.
September 22, 2022
First Advance Estimates of production of major kharif crops
The Central government has released the first-ever advance estimates of production of
major Kharif crops.
Key facts
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the advance estimates
of production of major Kharif crops for 2022-23.
The recently released estimates predict the production of 149.92 million tonnes of
food grains in the country.
This is lesser than the target of 163.15 million tonne for the Kharif 2022-23 season
and the production of 156.04 million tonnes during the last kharif season (2021).
During the last kharif season, the total kharif foodgrain production was 150.58
million tonnes.
The rice production is expected to be 104.99 million tonnes, which is higher by 4.40
million tonnes than the average production of Kharif rice in the last five years from
2016-17 to 2020-21.
However, it is 6 per cent lesser than the production of 111.76 million tonnes during
the last season.
The kharif rice production is expected to be lesser than the target of 112 million
tonnes set for the current season and 105.21 million tonne figure of 2020-21.
Nutri/coarse cereals production is expected to stand at 36.56 million tonnes, which is
higher by 2.92 million tonnes than the average production of 33.64 million tonnes.
The total pulses production is expected to reach 8.37 million tonnes and tur
production is predicted to be at 3.89 million tonnes.
The maize production is expected to reach 23.10 million tonnes. This is higher by 3.21
million tonnes than the average maize production of 19.89 million tonnes.
The oilseeds production is expected to stand at 23.57 million tonnes, groundnuts are
predicted to be at 8.37 million tonnes and soybean at 12.89 million tonnes.
Other crops like cotton stood at 34.19 million bales and jute and mesta at 10.09
million bales.
The total production of sugarcane in 2022-23 is expected to reach 465.05 million
tonnes – higher by 91.59 million tonnes than average sugarcane production of 373.46
million tonnes.
Ambedkar Circuit
The Indian Government is looking to use special AC train to promote the proposed
Ambedkar Circuit that covers various places in India associated with B.R. Ambedkar.
Key facts
The Union Tourism Minister, while inaugurating a 3-day conference of state tourism
ministers in Dharamshala, announced the launch of a special train to cover the
Ambedkar Circuit.
The Ambedkar Circuit was first proposed in 2016 by the Central Government.
It includes Janma Bhoomi (Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh), Deeksha
Bhoomi (place in Nagpur where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism), Mahaparinirvan
Bhoomi (the place in Delhi where he passed away) and Chaitya Bhoomi (the place of
his cremation in Mumbai).
The proposed Ambedkar Circuit will be similar to the recently launched Ramayana
Circuit and Buddhist Circuit.
Currently, special trains are available for the Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East
Circuits.
Now, the Ambedkar circuit is expected to be the fourth.
It aims to attract wider tourist base besides Dalit community, who frequent these key
destinations as a pilgrimage.
The journey would cover meals. Ground transportation and entry to historic sites
concerning Ambedkar.
About Swadesh Darshan scheme
The Swadesh Darshan scheme was launched by the Tourism Ministry in 2014-2015 to
achieve the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. Under this central
sector scheme, the government identified 15 tourist circuits. These include Ramayana
Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage, North East,
Himalayan, Sufi, Krishna, Rural, Tribal, and Tirthankar Circuits. Until March 2022, the
government has sanctioned 76 projects in these 15 circuits. These projects seek to ensure
a comprehensive development of all sites related to the theme-based circuit, like
infrastructure, visitor facilities, road and rail connectivity. Its overall aim is to promote jobs
in tourism sector across the country by integrating schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,
Skill India, Make in India etc.
Nanoplastics in human food chain
A new study published in the journal Nano Today revealed that nanoplastics travel up the
human food web via plants, insects and fish.
Key facts
Nonplastics are plastic debris particles that are smaller than 1,000 nanometre, which
is equal to one billionth of a metre.
Because of their miniscule size, nanoplastics are capable of passing through
physiological barriers and enter different organisms through the food chain.
These particles were detected and measured in organisms by researchers from the
University of Eastern Finland.
The researchers used a novel metallic fingerprint-based method to a model food
chain that has three tropic levels.
Tropic level is the position an organism occupies in the food chain.
For this research, lettuce (primary producer), black soldier fly larvae (primary
consumer) and an insectivorous fish (secondary consumer) were used.
Researchers exposed lettuce plants to nanoplastics from commonly found plastic
wastes in the environment – polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride nanoplastics –
through contaminated soil.
This lettuce was harvested and fed to black soldier fly larvae, which is used as a
source of protein for children and cattle in many countries.
The black soldier fly was then fed to the roach (fish), which is commonly found in
fresh and brackish waters and sometimes consumed or used as a bait.

From this experiment, researchers have found that nanoplastics from the
contaminated soil have travelled from the lettuce plant to the fish.
The nanoplastics stayed in mouth and gut of black soldier fly despite allowing it to
empty it guts for 24 hours.
This shows that nanoplastics pose significant health hazard to herbivores and
humans by entering into their bodies and staying there.
Currently, agricultural soil is receiving microplastics from various sources like
atmospheric deposition, irrigation using wastewater, usage of sewage sludge for
agricultural purposes, and use of mulching film.
SCALE app
The SCALE (Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees) app was launched by the
Minister of Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan during his visit to the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Leather Research Institute
(CLRI) on September 20, 2022.
Key facts
The newly launched app provides a one-stop service for skilling, learning,
assessment and job opportunities for the leather industry.
The application was developed by the Leather Skill Sector Council (LSSC).
It provides online live streaming classes from a studio at the LSSC’s office.
These classes can be accessed by anyone interested in the leather crafts.
India’s leather sector
India’s leather sector is predicted to produce a total of 2.39 million new jobs from 2017 to
2022. This includes 0.88 million full-time workers, 0.77 million employed in small
businesses and 0.74 million self-employed or daily wage workers like cobblers. This sector
has one of the youngest and most productive workforce. More than half of the labourers
in this industry are below the age of 55. India is currently the second largest producer and
consumer of footwear in the world. About 13 percent of leather hides and skins are
produced in the country. India’s leather sector produces about 3 billion square feet of
leather every year. 9 percent of all footwear produced in the world is from India.
About LSSC
The Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) is a non-profit organization established to assist
India’s leather sector meet the demands for qualified workers. It was set up in 2012. It is
responsible for the creation of skilled ecosystem in India’s leather industry through
capacity building measures. Its objectives include the creation of skilled workforce in the
leather and leather goods industry and ensuring the availability of trained and skilled
labour across industrial segments and organizational levels. Currently, the National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) recognizes it as one of the important sector skills
councils.
300 in Wipro fired for moonlighting
Wipro has sacked employees who were involved in moonlighting.
What is Moonlighting?
Moonlighting is the term used to describe an individual taking up a second job or
multiple other work assignments besides his full-time job.
The practice of working for multiple organizations while committing to one primary
workplace has been taking place without the employer’s knowledge.
Moonlighting has become popular in the IT industry as working from home became
a norm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This has been opposed by companies as it might affect the employees’ productivity.
Companies like Infosys have warned their employees against this practice without
letting them know, failing which could result in the termination of the employment.
It is believed that moonlighting could cause conflict of interest if the employee is
working with multiple rivalling companies.
It could also create ethical issues related to non-disclosure, breach of data or
confidentiality.
There are also concerns that the employees would work directly with the clients and
significantly reduce the organizations’ profits.
Moonlighting is not a new concept, with employees using it to either earn extra
money or follow their passion, improve their skills, expand their network and find
more exciting career opportunities.
However, moonlighting could be considered cheating if the employee’s contract
specifically calls for non-compete and single employment. The is mentioned in
majority of conventional employment contracts.
Under the Factories Act, 1948, dual employment is banned. However, IT companies
are exempt from this rule in several states across India.
There is no specific statute concerning moonlighting in the Indian labour laws.
Dual employment or overemployment is technically permissible in the US and the UK
from a tax perspective. The US tax regime functions based on the idea of self-
assessment and voluntary reporting.
Export Promotion Council (EPC) for Medical Devices
The Indian Government has decided to set up a separate Export Promotion Council (EPC)
for Medical Devices.
Key facts
The new EPC would have headquarters in Yamuna Expressway Industrial
Development Authority (YEIDA), Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh and regional offices in
Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.
An initial funding of Rs.3 crore will be provided by the government for setting up the
headquarters at the upcoming Medical Devices Park Common Facility Centre (CFC).
The regional office in Andhra Pradesh will be set up by 2023 and the one in
Telangana will be set up by 2025.
It will come under the aegis of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, which is a part of
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
It will be overseen by a committee of administration, which will have both nominated

and elected members from the government and medical devices industry.
The EPC will help in the promotion of export of medical devices at the global market
through various initiatives that ensure their promotion.
These initiatives may include conducting international trade fairs, buyer-seller meets
etc., which are in line with the foreign trade policy of India.
The EPC will also be involved in organizing awareness campaigns about the
assistance provided for the MSME exports by various government schemes.
It will also help ensure coordination among ministries to boost export and
investment in the sector.
The new policy would increase export and investment potential of over around
Rs.80,000 crore for the manufacturing of medical devices for the international
market.
It will also make India one of the top five most preferred supplier base of medical
devices.
India had exported Rs 23,766 crore worth of medical devices in FY22. This is an
increase from the previous year’s figure of Rs 19,736 crore.
India’s medical devices market
Indian medical devices market is the fourth largest in Asia. It is among the top 20 markets
in the world. About 80 per cent of the market are dominated by imported medical devices,
significantly affecting profits of many small-scale manufacturers of medical devices in the
country.
Virtual autopsy
Comedian Raju Srivastava’s post-mortem was conducted using a novel technique called
virtual autopsy.
What is virtual autopsy?
Virtual autopsy or virtopsy is a new technique of post-mortem that does not include
dissections.
The post-mortem is done using high-tech digital X-rays and CT-scans.
This technique requires lesser time when compared to the traditional method of
post-mortem.
This novel method is capable of detecting even minute fractures like hairline or chip
fractures in bones along bleeding, which are signs of antemortem injuries (injuries
received by body before death).
This is not often possible in the traditional method of autopsy.
Virtopsy also enables the accurate finding of the depth of foreign body, which is not
often possible with conventional autopsy.
The findings made by virtopsy can be documented in the form of X-ray films, which
can be used as evidence in court.
The disadvantage of virtopsy is that the lack of the use of physiological senses of an
anatomical pathologist like smell, texture, and color due to the lack of direct contact
with the cadaver.

It is also difficult to be used in underdeveloped countries where advanced
technology is not prevalent.
However, it does away with the ethical disadvantages of the conventional autopsy as
many cultures and traditions do not accept mutilation of body for the sake of
autopsy.
Currently, AIIMS Delhi is the only institute doing virtual autopsy in Southeast Asia for
the past two years.
Who was Raju Srivastav?
Raju Srivastav was an Indian comedian, actor and politician from Uttar Pradesh. He passed
away after suffering a massive cardiac arrest while on the treadmill. Cardiac arrests during
exercise are caused when the blockages in the blood vessels are ignored or are
undiagnosed. Sometimes, workouts can trigger electrical disturbances in the heart,
causing cardiac arrests. They can also cause rupturing of fatty plaques, resulting in the
heart attack.
Draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, 2022
Draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, 2022 was unveiled recently by the Department of
Telecommunications for stakeholders’ comments.
Key features
The objective of the draft bill is to consolidate and make changes to existing laws for
the development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom
networks and infrastructure in India.
It merges three Acts that govern the Indian telecom sector. They are Indian
Telegraph Act 1885, Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, and The Telegraph Wires,
(Unlawful Protection) Act 1950.
The draft bill proposes to include over-the-top (OTT) communication services like
WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram under the definition of telecommunication services.
This means that OTT communication services will be subjected to rules followed by
telecom operators, which forces operators to incur high costs of licensing and
spectrum. Currently, OTT players are providing free services due to the lack of this
provision.
The draft bill also amends the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act to dilute
TRAI’s function to being just recommendatory body. Currently, the telecom
department is mandated to seek TRAI’s recommendation before issuing a license to
a service provider. The Bill also removes legal provision requiring TRAI to request the
government to provide necessary information or document to make this
recommendation.
The draft bill also proposes that the Central Government can gain control of the
spectrum assigned to a telecom entity that is going through bankruptcy or
insolvency. Currently, there is no specifications on whether the spectrum owned by a
defaulting operator belongs to the Central Government or if the banks can take
control of it.
The draft bill provides the Central Government the power to postpone, convert into
equity, write off or grant relief to any licensee under extraordinary circumstances like
financial stress, consumer interest and maintaining competition etc.
It also proposes to replace the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) with the
Telecommunication Development Fund (TDF). The USOF is a fund generated by
charging 5 per cent Universal Service Levy upon all telecom fund operators on their
Adjusted Gross Revenue. This fund has been used for providing rural connectivity.
The purpose of the TDF seeks to expand the scope of USOF to include undeserved
urban regions, research and development, skill development etc.
Gujarat Government withdraws Cattle Control Bill
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly had unanimously withdrawn the Cattle Control Bill after
protests from cattle-rearing communities across the state.
Key facts
The proposed legislation sought to ban the movement of stray cattle on roads and
public places in the urban regions of Gujarat.
It covered 8 major cities – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar,
Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Junagadh as well as 162 towns in Gujarat.
The Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) In Urban Areas Bill mandated the
cattle rearers to obtain licence to keep animals like stray cows and bulls in cities and
towns and get them tagged.
If the owner of the cattle fails to tag the cattle in 15 days, he would be punished with
imprisonment that may extend up to 1 year or be fined with Rs.10,000 or both.
The legislation also prohibits feeding of fodder to cattle in non-designated places in
cities as it creates nuisance in public places, especially on the roads.
Any individual who assaults officials or create hurdles during cattle catching
operations by civic officers, he will face one year imprisonment and must incur a
minimum fine of Rs.50,000.
The bill was introduced as the practice of keeping cows, buffaloes, bulls and goats in
urban regions are causing issues for people living in cities when these animals stray
on roads and other public places.
Issue of stray cattle in India
The issue of stray cattle is faced by many states across India. In August, Haryana
government informed that about 900 deaths occurred because of road accidents caused
by stray cattle in the last 5 years. While over 1 lakh stray animals have been rehabilitated
during 2020-21 and 2021-22 to various shelters, around 3,000 people have been injured. In
July, the UP government sought to provide shelter to at least 10 stray cows every day in all
75 districts. This state has the largest number of stray cattle in India.
FSSAI releases draft notification on Indian Nutrition Rating
The FSSAI has recently issued a draft notification on Indian Nutrition Rating (INR)
modelled on the health star-rating system.
Key facts
The draft notification issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) makes changes to the Safety and Standards (Labelling & Display)
Regulations, 2020.
It requires packaged food to display the prescribed format of INR by assigning a
rating from ½ star (least healthy) to 5 starts (healthiest).
The INR will be calculated based on the contribution of energy, saturated fat, total
sugar, sodium and the positive nutrient per 100 gram of solid food or 100 ml of liquid
food.
The star rating must be displayed close to the name or brand name of the product
on the front of the pack.
Several food products like milk, milk-based products, egg-based deserts, infant
formula, vegetable oil and fat, fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, fresh and frozen
meat, fish, salads, sandwich spreads and alcoholic beverages are exempted from this
rule.
Carbonated beverages without any energy or sugar are also exempted from this
system.
The star rating system is opposed by public health experts as it gives false positive
connotation and make it difficult to identify harmful products.
Instead, they recommend the inclusion of warning labels like an octagonal “stop”
symbol that has proven to minimise sales of unhealthy food and beverage products.
This system is used in Chile to reformulate the products and remove large amounts
of sugar and salt.
About FSSAI
The FSSAI comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This
statutory body is responsible for regulating food industry and setting up standards for
ensuring the safety of food. It is responsible for providing licence to food businesses,
developing safe food practices, testing, capacity building etc.
September 23, 2022
Global Financial Centres Index
nd
New York topped the 32 edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 32) as the
most favoured financial centre in the world.
Key findings
The top three most favored financial centres in the world are New York, London and
Singapore.
New York has retained the top position for the past four years.
Singapore has overtaken Hong Kong to the third rank.
Hong Kong, on the other hand, was ranked at the fourth position.
San Francisco was stood at the fifth position in this ranking.
Paris has returned to the top 10 by replacing Tokyo.
Moscow has fallen 22 places to the 73rd rank because the Russian invasion of Ukraine
and the diplomatic crisis caused by it.

Performance in the Asia-Pacific centres was balanced, with 50 per cent of these
centres maintaining or improving their rank and the rest falling in their rankings.
In China, the financial centres’ rankings are improving. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing
and Shenzhen are among the top 10 performers. Guangzhou, Chengdu and Qingdao
are among the top 50 global financial centres.
In India, New Delhi and Mumbai are ranked 68th and 70th ranks respectively.
Cities like Seoul, GIFT-City-Gujarat (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) and Kigali
are expected to grow significantly in the next two years.
The average rating of centres in GFCI 32 has improved 4.83 per cent from the
previous edition, regaining the average ratings last recorded in GFCI 27 in March
2020.
This means that there is confidence in financial centres themselves despite economic
and energy instability, inflation and Russian war in Ukraine.
About Global Financial Centres Index
The Global Financial Centres Index compares the competitiveness of the leading financial
centres across the world. It ranks these financial centres based on insights from online
questionnaire and over 100 indices from organizations like the World Bank, the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Economist
Intelligence Unit. The inaugural edition was published in March 2007. It is published twice
a year. Since 2015. It has been jointly published by Z/Yen Group in London and the China
Development Institute in Shenzhen. The latest edition rated 119 centres using 66,121
assessments from 11,038 financial professionals.
US Senate ratifies Kigali Amendment
The US lawmakers recently voted to ratify the Kigali Amendment, making this the first
time in 30 years for the US to adopt an international climate treaty.
Key facts
The US Senate voted ratify the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol
climate treaty and phase down the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), which are popular chemicals used in air conditioning and refrigeration.
The HFCs are thousand times more capable of trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
Their emissions are thus worsening the global warming.
Phasing out of these chemicals can prevent global temperature increasing by 0.5°C.
The US had witnessed a spike in the emission from HFCs between 2018 and 2019
because of the increased demand for air conditioning and refrigeration amid the
record rise in the temperatures in the country.
In 2020, the Congress passed the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to
allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the HFCs and stop their
production and imports by 85 per cent over 15 years.
Currently, more than a dozen states have either banned or restricted HFCs.
With these laws enacted and businesses already looking for alternative green
technologies, the recent ratification makes little changes in the country.

However, under this treaty, if nations do not ratify the Kigali Amendment, they will
have restricted access to international markets from 2033. This secures the US’
businesses in the future.
The ratification gives American-made products more access to global market and
enables the federal government to prevent illegal Chinese dumping of HFCs in the
United States.
The US now joins 136 other nations and the European Union in ratifying the
amendment.
About Kigali Amendment
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is a legally binding international pact that
aims to gradually phase out the consumption and production of HFCs. It is designed to
create rights and obligations under the international law. Under this amendment,
developed countries like the US and EU must reduce the production and consumption of
HFCs to about 15 per cent of the 2012 levels by 2036. Majority of other countries like China,
Brazil and all of Africa must halt the HFC use by 2024, reducing it to 20 per cent of 2021
levels by 2045. A small group of world’s hottest countries like India, Pakistan, Bahrain,
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait must stop using HFCs by 2028 and reduce it to about 15 per
cent of 2025 levels by 2047.
REC Limited accorded Maharatna status
The REC Ltd. has been accorded the status of ‘Maharatna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise.
Key facts
The REC Ltd., is the 12th company to be given the Maharatna Status.
The Maharatna status provides the state-run company’s board more power while
making financial decisions.
The board of a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise can make equity
investments to be involved in financial joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries
and undertake mergers and acquisitions in India and abroad.
This power is limited to a ceiling of 15 per cent of the net worth of CPSE concerned,
limited to Rs.5,000 crore in one project.
The board can also structure and implement schemes related to personnel and
human resource management and training.
The Maharatna status enables the REC to be involved in technology joint ventures
and other strategic alliances.
This comes at a time when the Central Government is planning to give REC the status
of development finance institution to enable it to boost global climate funding and
net zero investment in India.
What is Maharatna Status?
Introduced in 2010, the Maharatna status is given to the CPSEs by the Central Government
to make these enterprises global giants. This status is granted to CPSE that recorded
more than Rs. 5,000 crore of net profit for three consecutive years, an average annual
turnover of Rs.25,000 crore for three years and recording an average net worth of
Rs.15,000 crore for three years. It should also have footing in the international market and
be listed on an Indian stock exchange.
About REC
The non-banking finance company (NBFC) REC Ltd. was incorporated in 1969. Its purpose
is to focus on the development and financing of India’s power sector. It provides financial
aid to state electricity boards, state governments, central or state utilities, independent
power producers, rural electric cooperatives and private sector utilities. In FY22, it had
made its highest ever net profit of Rs.10,046 crore and reached a net worth of Rs.50,986
crore. This feat was achieved mainly because of the cost-effective resource management
and strong financial policies. It had played a major role in the successful implementation
of schemes like DDUGJY and SAUBHAGYA and ensured electrification of village and
households across the country.
September 23: International Day of Sign Languages - Update (September, 2022)
The International Day of Sign Language is observed on September 23 every year.
Key facts
The International Day of Sign Language is observed to promote the global
awareness about the importance of sign language and make information and
communication more accessible to people relying on sign language.
The day commemorates the founding of the World Federation of Deaf in the year in
1951.
The theme for this year is “Sign Languages Unite us”.
This theme recognizes sign languages as an essential human right of deaf people.
It aims to promote different national sign languages across the globe by bringing
together deaf communities, governments, civil societies and others.
Background
International Day of Sign Language was observed for the first time in 2018 as part of the
International Week of Deaf. The inaugural edition of the International Week of the Deaf
was observed in the year 1958. This event has become a global movement for deaf unity
and concerted problems related to raising awareness about the regular challenges faced
by deaf people.
Significance
The International Day of Sign Languages raises awareness about the sign languages that
are recognized as human rights of deaf people. It promotes linguistic identity and cultural
diversity of people using sign language. Around 72 million people are deaf in this world
and more than 80 per cent of them live in developing countries and use more than 300
different sign languages. Many of these sign languages are not recognized by the
governments. For instance, Indian Sign Language is not recognized as an official language
in India. This day aims to promote these languages at the official level and make them
popular among wider communities.
About World Federation of Deaf
The Finland-based World Federation of Deaf is an international NGO that promotes
human rights of deaf people across the globe and promote the use of sign language. It is
currently a member of the International Disability Alliance.
Sri Lanka's inflation spikes to 70.2%
Sri Lanka recorded 70.2 per cent inflation rate for August 2022.
Key facts
Sri Lanka’s inflation has increased to 70.2 per cent in August. In July, the country
recorded 66.7 per cent.
The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) has increased 2.5 per cent in August, as
the food prices increased 1.7 per cent and prices of non-food products increased 3.2
per cent.
The non-food inflation increased to 57.1 per cent in August from 52.4 per cent in July.
This mainly because of the increase in electricity tariffs.
However, the monthly prices have decreased to 3.2 per cent from the July’s 6.7 per
cent.
Core prices, without including volatile items like food, energy and transport, have
surged from 57.3 per cent in July to 60.5 per cent in August.
Prices of food items have spiked by 84.6 per cent, an increase from July’s 82.5
percent.
However, changes in the prices measured in monthly basis has declined from 4.6 per
cent in July to 1.7 per cent.
It is forecasted that, if the global commodities prices remain stable, inflation in Sri
Lanka will reach the highest in September before easing thereafter.
Economic situation in Sri Lanka
In mid-April this year, Sri Lanka declared its international debt default because of the
foreign exchange crisis. The country currently owes 51 billion USD in foreign debt, of
which USD 28 billion must be paid by 2027. Sri Lanka is among top five countries having
the highest food price inflation. It is behind Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Turkey. Sri Lanka’s
22 million people are facing shortages of essential goods like food and medicines after
forex dropped to record lows and halted imports. Its economy has contracted by 8.4 per
cent in the three months to the end of August. The current economic crisis in the country
is attributed to financial mismanagement and adverse impact of COVID-19 on tourism
sector.
Convergence Portal between AIF, PMFME scheme & PMKSY
A convergence portal was jointly launched by the Union Ministry of Food Processing
Industries (MoFPI) and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to increase the
potential of India’s agriculture and food processing sector.
Key facts
The convergence portal brings together Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
scheme, Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Enterprises Upgradation Scheme (PMFME) and
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).

A standard operating procedure (SOP) was also issued to provide maximum benefits
under these three schemes.
It aims to boost the concept of “Vocal for Local”.
The convergence portal aims to ensure effective collaboration between all ministries
and departments and improving access to these schemes and creating positive
impact for farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs of the food processing industry.
The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) is a financing facility launched in 2020 to
improve post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets
through benefits like 3 per cent interest subvention and credit guarantee support.
Under this, Rs.1 lakh crore funds are provided from 2020-21 to 2025-26 and interest
subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be provided until 2032-33.
The AIF has the facility of convergence with other schemes implemented by states
and central government, enabling the optimization of multiple government schemes
for a specific project.
The PMFME scheme was launched to provide financial, technical and commercial
assistance for the upgradation of micro food processing enterprises across India. It
will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The total outlay for this scheme is
Rs.10,000 crore. It uses the One District One Product (ODOP) approach to boost
procurement, avail common services and marketing of products.
The PMKSY is a centrally sponsored scheme launched to boost infrastructure to
improve supply chain management from farm to retail outlets. It aims to create
mega food parks, improve cold chain and value addition infrastructure, food safety
and quality assurance infrastructure, agro-processing clusters etc.
Defence ministry contract for BrahMos missiles
The Indian Government has inked a Rs.1,700 crore contract with BrahMos Aerospace Pvt
Ltd for procuring BrahMos missiles.
Key facts
The contract was signed by the Defence Ministry to purchase 35 combat and 3
practice BrahMos supersonic dual-role surface-to-surface cruise missiles.
The range of these missiles is 290 km and they are capable of both land attack and
anti-ship strikes.
Their speed is 2.8 Mach, which is almost three times the speed of sound.
These missiles will be equipped in two P-15B class stealth guided missile destroyers
of the Indian Navy.
This is expected to significantly boost India’s naval capabilities.
They are brought under Buy-In category, which aims to boost indigenous production
of critical weapon systems and ammunitions with active participation of indigenous
defence industry.
What is BrahMos Missile?
BrahMos is the fastest supersonic missile and the fastest anti-ship cruise missile in the
world. It was developed by BrahMos Aerospace – a joint venture between DRDO and
Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. The missile was named after Brahmaputra river in India
and Moskva river in Russia. In 2016, since India entered into the Missile Technology
Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia decided to develop a new generation of
Brahmos missiles with a range of 400 km and then increase it to 600 km. The extended
range version has been tested from warships, including from INS Visakhapatnam.
About Project 15B
Under the Project 15B, four stealth guided missile destroyers are being constructed at the
cost of Rs. 29,643.74 crore. These destroyers are improved versions of Kolkata-class
destroyers. These four vessels are named after major cities from all four corners of India.
These are Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat. While INS Visakhapatnam was
commissioned in 2021, the rest were launched into waters. They were designed by the
Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by the Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai. These vessels will be equipped with state-of-the-art
weapons and sensors, including BrahMos and Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles.
Committee for pharma marketing practices
A high-level committee has been set up to regulate the promotion of pharmaceutical
products.
Key facts
The Government has set up a five-member committee chaired by Dr VK Paul, NITI
Aayog member (health) to create a legal mechanism to address the issue of
pharmaceutical companies giving incentives to promote their drugs and products.
The members of this committee include department of pharmaceuticals S Aparna,
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
chairman Nitin Gupta.
The joint secretary (policy) from the department of pharmaceuticals is the member
secretary of this committee.
The committee was set up based on the recommendation of the Union Minister of
Health and Family Welfare, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya.
This committee will examine the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing
Practices (UCPMP), Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002 and CBDT rules, which
are involved in the regulation of marketing practices of pharma companies.
The UCPMP, which was unveiled in 2015, aims to prevent unethical practices of the
pharma companies by regulating their marketing, including sample distribution and
gifts. The code also governs hospitality and cash or monetary grants to physicians
and their families. It is voluntary and not enforceable.
The Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002 details misconduct by medical
professionals, including accepting gifts from drug companies and commissions from
laboratories.
The CBDT rules require pharma companies to file details on how much they spend
to promote their products. The Supreme Court had held that gifts to medical
practitioners by pharmaceutical companies is not allowable expenditure under the

Income Tax Act, 1961.
The Committee will look to harmonize all codes, rules and regulations concerning the
malpractices in the pharmaceutical sector.
These rules are currently implemented by different entities of the government.
It will also examine the requirement of legally enforceable mechanisms to regulate
marketing practices by studying global best practices.
The high-level committee will be submitting its report in 90 days.
Breakthrough Prizes 2023- Winners
2023 Breakthrough Prizes conferred to individuals who made key contributions in the
scientific growth.
Key facts
The Breakthrough Prizes are international awards conferred under three categories
– mathematics, fundamental physics and life sciences.
These awards give recognition to scientific advances in these fields.
The awards were created in 2010 by a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs – Milner
(venture capitalist), Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan of Facebook and
Sergey Brin of Google.
The Breakthrough Prizes were conferred for the first time in 2012 and the ceremony
was hosted by Morgan Freeman.
Awardees receive 3 million USD each in prize money, which is higher than the 1
million USD received by Nobel laureates.
These prizes are conferred at a televised award ceremony that is organized to
celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists.
This year, three prizes were conferred in the life sciences category, one for
mathematics and one for fundamental physics.
The total prize received by all these awardees are more than 15 million USD.
Who are the winners?
Life Sciences: Clifford Brangwynne and Anthony Hyman received the prize for
discovering a new mechanism of cellular organization. Demis Hassabis and John
Jumper were recognized for the development of AlphaFold, which predicts the
structure of proteins. The prize was also given to Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi
Yanagisawa for the discovery of causes of narcolepsy – the chronic sleep disorder
characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep.
Mathematics: Daniel Spielman of Yale University was given recognition for multiple
discoveries in theoretical computer science and mathematics. He has been a
professor of applied mathematics and computer science at Yale University since
2006.
Fundamental physics: The prize was shared by Charles Bennett, Gilles Brassard,
David Deutsch and Peter Shor for their research in quantum information.
September 24, 2022

SRESTHA- Gujarat Project
USD 350 million in aid has been approved by the World Bank for the “Systems Reform
Endeavors for Transformed Health Achievement” in Gujarat or the SRESTHA-G project.
What is the total cost of this project?
This project will be costing USD 500 million and the World Bank is providing USD 350
million to support this project and the rest will be borne by the state government. The
funding be provided by International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD),
with a maturity of 18 years, including a grace period of 5.5 years.
What is the key focus area of this project?
This project aims on transforming key health delivery systems in Gujarat. This programme
will also be focusing on the key areas of improving equity, quality, and inclusiveness of
primary healthcare services for all adolescent girls in the state. It will also focus on the
disease surveillance systems’ capacity. The project will also be aiming to increase the
state’s quality of psychiatric and non-communicable disease services, and the quality of
nutrition services for children and mothers. Special focus will also be given towards
boosting health and nutritional status of adolescent girls and boys, especially in 14
districts where more than 70 per cent of adolescent girls suffer from anemia.
Which organization will be implementing this project?
This project will be implemented by the state government of Gujarat through the Health
and Family Welfare Department of the state.
What initiatives will be undertaken by the state government under the SRESTHA-Gujarat project?
Under this project, the state government will be undertaking several initiatives to improve
the state’s health system quality by expanding the health services to the urban as well as
the rural population of the state. The government is also looking to strengthen the state’s
epidemic prevention system.
Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020
The Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020 was released recently by the
Registrar General of India (RGI).
Key findings
The SRS Statistical Report 2020 revealed that there is a significant decline in infant
mortality rate (IMR), Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR), Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR)
in India since 2014 and the country is currently in line towards achieving Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The Infant Mortality Rate has declined by 2 points to 28 per 1,000 live births in 2020
from 30 per 1,000 live births in 2019. The annual rate of decline is 6.7 per cent. The
rural-urban difference has been reduced to 12 points.
Under 5 mortality rate for females is higher than males. There was a decrease of 4
points in male U5MR and 3 points in female U5MR.
Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka achieved the highest decline of U5MR of 5 points.
The Neonatal Mortality Rate fell by 2 points from 22 per 1,000 live births in 2019 to 20
per 1,000 live births in 2020. This is an annual decline of 9.1 per cent.
Six states and union territories have already attained UN SDG targets of NMR of less
than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030.
These include Kerala (4), Delhi (9), Tamil Nadu (9), Maharashtra (11), Jammu and
Kashmir (12) and Punjab (12).
11 states have achieved the UN SDG target of U5MR of less than 25 deaths per 1,000
live births by 2030. The achievers are Kerala (8), Tamil Nadu (13), Delhi (14),
Maharashtra (18), J&K (17), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), West Bengal (22), Telangana
(23), Gujarat (24), and Himachal Pradesh (24).
About SDG 3.2
The SDG 3.2 seeks to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under the age of
5. Countries are currently looking to reduce neonatal mortality to at least 12 deaths per
1,000 live births and under 5 mortality rate to at least 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Registrar General of India
The Registrar General of India was founded in 1961 to conduct and assess results
obtained from demographic survey in the country, including the Census of India and the
Linguistic Survey of India. This office comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
India exports first contingent of plant-based meat products
The APEDA has facilitated the export of first contingent of plant-based meat products
under vegan food category from Gujarat to California, US.
Key facts
Vegan food products are highly popular in the developed countries because of their
rich fibre, high nutrient content and lesser cholesterol levels.
India’s first contingent of plant-based meat products were exported by Greenest
Foods, an Indian company based in Gujarat.
This feat was achieved through the collaboration between Greenest Foods and
Wholesome Foods.
This makes plant-based meat and vegan food products a new highly potential
addition to India’s export basket.
Smart protein and plant-based meats have become highly popular amidst the
emergence of the conscious consumerism, especially among the younger
generations.
The largescale adoption of vegan lifestyles can promote the growth of plant-based
meat products, giving India the potential to become a key supplier to the
international market.
APEDA is currently targeting to export these products in countries such as Australia,
Israel, New Zealand and others in the coming months.
The promotion of these products will be done without disrupting the conventional
animal-based meat export market.
According to APEDA, India’s plant protein market is expected to reach 400 to 450
million USD in the next five years and the country has a huge potential towards
providing for the demands at the national and international markets.

India’s popular consumer goods companies like ITC and Tata Consumer Products
are investing in this industry.
It is expected to grow to 1 billion USD in value by the end of this decade.
India’s plant-based food products are very popular category in the international
markets because of their ethical and value additions from food service operators and
retailers.
APEDA
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is
an apex government body involved in the promotion of export trade. Its objective is to
make India the “supplier of choice” of agro and value added food products in the global
markets. It integrates all stakeholders involved in the export trade in the country.
QUAD inks HADR Partnership Guidelines
The QUAD countries have signed the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
partnership guidelines recently.
Key facts
The recently signed the HADR partnership guidelines ensures expansion of scope of
the QUAD alliance.
The signing took place during the QUAD foreign ministers’ meeting held at the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The HADR partnership was announced during the Quad Leaders’ Tokyo Summit on
May 24, 2022 as part of the grouping’s shared vision of free and open Indo-Pacific.
These guidelines trace their origins to the 2004 ad hoc Tsunami Core Group, which
sought to strengthen international response during the aftermath of the 2004
tsunami.
These guidelines aim to respond to disasters occurring in the Indo-Pacific region.
The partnership will act as a dedicated framework for QUAD countries and help them
boost coordination during disaster response operations.
It will improve the QUAD countries’ capacity and capability, interoperability and
operational synergy during the disaster response.
This partnership allows the QUAD alliance to provide joint or coordinated individual
assistance in crisis preparation, crisis response or post-crisis review phases of the
disaster response.
These joint initiatives will be undertaken with respect to the sovereignty, territorial
integrity and national unity of the disaster-hit countries.
The QUAD alliance is also looking to coordinate in areas such as STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fellowship, an economic framework with
other partners and a maritime domain awareness initiative.
The next foreign ministers’ meetings will be held in 2023.
About QUAD
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or QUAD is a strategic security dialogue involving
India, the United States, Australia and Japan. It was initiated in 2007 by Japanese President
Shinzo Abe. It ceased to exist in 2008 after Australia’s withdrawal and later revived again
during the 2017 ASEAN Summit in Manila.
Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries
The Indian Government announced the launch of the Innovation Roadmap of the Mission
Integrated Biorefineries at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum 2022 in Pittsburgh, US.
Key facts
The Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries developed using co-
leads and active inputs from Brazil, Canada, European Commission and the UK.
It aims to enhance global collaboration and funding for energy research,
development and demonstration (RD&D) during the next five years.
It will focus on the development of bio-based sustainable fuels, chemicals and
materials, which are vital to reduce GHG emissions, strengthen and diversify supply
chain and help the world to achieve the net-zero targets and 2030 sustainable
development goals.
The roadmap will identify gaps and challenges in current biorefining value chains
and take required actions to support the mission goals.
What is Integrated Biorefineries Mission?
Integrated Biorefineries Mission is a joint initiative of India and the Netherlands, with the
inclusion of Brazil and Canada as core members and the UK and the European
Commission as supporting members. It aims to develop and demonstrate innovative
solutions to accelerate the commercialization of integrated biorefineries. It aims to
replace 10 per cent of fossil fuel-based, chemicals and materials with bio-based
alternatives by the end of this decade. It is the sixth mission launched by the Mission
Innovation.
About Mission Innovation
Mission Innovation is an intergovernmental platform that supports RD&D to make clean
energy affordable, competitive and accessible in the present decade. It was launched
alongside the Paris Agreement in 2015. Its objective is to promote clean energy innovation
through action-oriented cooperation. It has 23 members, including India, the Netherlands,
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Denmark, the UK, US, the EC etc. These
countries together provide about 90 per cent of global public investment in clean energy
innovation. They have boosted their annual investments by 5.8 billion since 2015.
Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA)
Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA) was formed at the Globoil Summit organized in Agra on
September 21.
Key facts
The APOA brings together the apex edible oil industry associations from India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, which are the major importers of palm
oil.
Atul Chaturvedi, Director of Adani Wilmar Ltd and President of SEA, was elected as
the first chairman of the alliance during the first general body meeting.
The secretariat of the APOA would initially be managed by the Solvent Extractors’
Association of India (SEA).
The newly formed alliance would protect the economic and business interests of
palm oil importing countries and create level playing field for all fats and oils used in
food, feed and oleo-chemicals in Asia.
It aims to create collective bargaining power and make imports sustainable.
It will also work towards boosting consumption of sustainable palm oil in member
countries.
The alliance will act as a forum for discussing common problems, interests and
aspirations of global palm oil industry and significantly boost demand for palm oil
through awareness creation.
Asia currently accounts for 40 per cent of global palm oil consumption and the
Europe accounts for 12 per cent of palm oil trade.
The alliance is expected to be further expanded to include major producers of oil, like
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The next meeting of the AOPA is expected to be held in Indonesia in 2023.
India’s palm oil import
India is the largest palm oil importer in Asia. It imports around 13 to 14 million tonnes of
palm oil each year. About 8 million tonnes of palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Other oils like soya and sunflower comes from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia. India
accounts for 15 per cent of global imports. Other top importers are China, Pakistan and
Bangladesh.
China discovers new type of mineral on Moon
A new type of crystal was discovered by researchers in China from the near side of the
Moon.
Key facts
The newly discovered crystal was named Changesite-(Y) after the Chinese moon
goddess Chang’e.
This small and transparent crystal was found among the volcanic debris of the near
side of the moon.
It is more than a billion years old and its width is almost comparable to human hair.
It has a unique composition and is related to other minerals found only found on the
lunar surface or in meteors.
The crystal was found among the 1.8 km of lunar rocks brought back by Chang’e-5
mission in 2020.
These samples are the first to the delivered to the Earth from Moon since 1976 and
the first ever lunar samples collected by China.
The Changesite-(Y) crystal is the sixth new mineral to be discovered on the Moon and
the first identified by China. The previous 5 discoveries were made by either the
United States or Russia.
The lunar samples from Chang’e-5 also had helium-3, a version of helium that is
extremely rare on Earth but highly abundant on the Moon.
It is seen as a potential source of fuel for nuclear fusion, as it is known to emit lesser
radiation and nuclear wastes than other elements.
It is found in abundant quantities as it was deposited directly onto the lunar soil for
billions of years by solar wind.
The availability of Helium-3 on Earth is few and far between. Hence, its discovery has
triggered a potential lunar resource race.
Several space-faring nations and private companies are looking to mine the moon
for Helium-3, including the US and China.
About Chang’e-5 Mission
The Chang’e 5 is China’s first lunar sample-return mission launched in November 2020. It
is China’s fifth lunar exploration mission. It returned the sample back to Earth in
December 2020. It is the first lunar sample-return mission since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24
in 1976. With Chang’e 5 mission, China became the third country after the US and the
USSR to return lunar samples to the Earth.
September 25, 2022
Fridays for Future Campaign
Fridays for Future activists have launched climate change protests in Germany and other
countries.
Key facts
About 280,000 people in over 270 cities and towns across Germany are taking part in
demonstrations as part of the Fridays for Future movement.
One of the biggest rallies took place in Berlin, where over 36,000 people gathered to
conduct climate demonstrations.
These protesters are calling for the stopping of global warming and demanding the
German government to set up a 100 billion euro funding to expand renewable
energy use.
They are also demanding the cancellation of financial and climate debts to
developing countries.
These protests were organized 6 weeks before the start of the UN Climate Summit
(COP27), which is set to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Countries like Italy, South Korea, the United States and the Democratic Republic of
Congo have also witnessed similar protests.
What is Fridays for Future Movement?
Fridays for Future is an international student movement that aims to push towards an
immediate climate action through active campaigning and advocacy. It was chosen as the
Champion of the Earth because of its role in creating awareness about the adverse impact
caused by climate crisis. This movement was inspired by Greta Thunberg, who sat in
protest in front of the Swedish Parliament for three weeks to bring political attention
towards climate emergency. Now, this global movement has spread to over 100 countries
across the globe. It has played a major role in starting the international conversation
about climate change at a time when the window of opportunity to avoid the adverse
impact of increasing global temperature is closing.
Champions of the Earth
Champions of the Earth is a flagship environmental award conferred by the United
Nations. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2005. It
recognizes individuals and organizations involved in the protection of environment and
addressing climate change.
Banking System Liquidity turns to deficit mode
Banking system liquidity has turned into a deficit mode for the first time since May 2019.
Key facts
On September 20 this year, the banking system liquidity situation has turned into
deficit mode of Rs.21,873.4 crore.
On the same day last year, the liquidity surplus was Rs.6.7 lakh crore.
The deficit was caused because of increased bank credit, advanced tax payments by
corporates, interventions by the Reserve Bank of India into the foreign exchange
market and incremental deposit growth not keeping pace with the credit demand.
The RBI’s persistent interventions to stop the fall of rupee against the US dollar is
one of the causes of the deficit.
As of August 26, the outstanding bank credit was Rs 124.58 lakh crore. This is a 4.77
per cent increase when compared to March 2022.
However, the deposit growth was just 3.21 per cent during the same period.
If the banking system liquidity is in deficit mode, it could cause a rise in the
government securities yields and consequently result in an increase in interest rate
for consumers.
The short-term rates would increase at a faster pace if the liquidity is tight.
An increase in repo rate would result in banks increasing their repo-linked lending
rates and their funds-based lending rate, to which loans are linked to.
About banking system liquidity
Liquidity in banking system refers to the readily available cash the bank requires to meet
the short-term business and financial needs. If the banking system is a net borrower from
the RBI under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), the banking system liquidity is said
to be deficit. If the bank is the net lender to RBI, the system liquidity is surplus. Liquidity
Adjustment Facility (LAF) is a tool used by the central bank to inject or absorb liquidity into
or from the banking system in the country.
September 26, 2022
Sign Learn – Indian Sign Language Dictionary
The Central Government has launched the Sign Learn to make Indian Sign Language
usage more widespread.
Key facts
Sign Learn is a mobile application-based Indian Sign Language Dictionary having
10,000 words.
The application was launched by the Minister of State for Social Justice and
Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik.
It was developed based on the Indian Sign Language Dictionary of the Indian Sign
Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC).
In the application, all the words can be searched either in Hindi or English.
The purpose of this mobile application is to make Indian Sign Language (ISL) more
accessible for the general public.
All sign videos in the application can be shared via social media.
It was launched on the occasion of Sign Language Day.
On this occasion, ISL e-content of NCERT textbooks of class 6 and Indian Sign
Language versions of selected books of ‘Veergatha’ series were launched.
The e-content was developed after an MoU was signed in 2020 for converting NCERT
textbooks for classes 1 to 12 into digital ISL format to make them more accessible for
children having hearing disabilities.
What is Sign Language Day?
The Sign Language Day was celebrated on September 23 as part of the Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav. Its theme was “Sign Languages Unite Us”. The theme was chosen to declare
the support for sign language as a human rights for deaf people. The event was approved
by the National Implementation Committee (NIC), which was chaired by Home Minister.
The event was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities,
which comes under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
About ISLRTC
The ISLRTC is an institute focusing Indian Sign Language teaching and research. It was
established under the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). Earlier, it existed as an autonomous
center of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi. Later, in 2015, it
became a society under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
Food Barons 2022 report
The Food Barons 2022 report released ahead of the Committee on World Food Security.
About Food Barons 2022 report
The report titled “Food Barons 2022 — Crisis Profiteering, Digitalization and Shifting
Power” was released by Canada-based global research firm ETC Group
It was created based on the 2020 sales and analysis of three annual reports of
several agro-food companies.
Key finds of the report
Macroeconomic findings
The report revealed that large corporations have profited from the COVID-19
pandemic, climate change and war.
Small-scale operators in food sector are adversely impacted because of the
strategies used by agri-food giants to consolidate and expand their dominion over
global food systems.
Food prices are surging because of the structural inequality and corporate
concentration in this sector.
Food delivery sector
According to this report, India’s major food delivery platforms have been ranked
among top 10 e-commerce-based food delivery companies.
The top 3 performers in this sector Chinese food platform named Meituan, Deliveroo
in the UK and Uber Eats in the US.
In majority of countries across the globe, the delivery workers are treated as
independent contractors and not employees, making them ineligible for social
security, personal injury, settlements and other benefits.
Several governments are looking to reform their labour laws to address this trend.
New York became the first city to pass a law to regulate food delivery sector,
mandating minimum pay and social security for gig workers.
The food delivery sector is currently facing the major issue of an increased trash
from takeaways using single-use packaging.
Several food delivery platforms faced significant losses and were forced to shift
towards grocery delivery.
Grocery sector
Walmart receives 30 per cent of consumer spending across the world.
The Indian companies are not among the top 10 meat companies or in the global
grocery retail sector. Small grocery stores are currently dominating the retail market
in the country.
India currently has over 20 million grocery stores or kirana stores. During the
pandemic, these stores have been digitized to retain the customer base.
Currently, big corporations like Amazon, Walmart, Reliance and others are looking to
consolidate these kirana stores into a single value chain.
India’s retail market is expected to grow nearly 1.5 trillion USD by 2030 and these
corporations are looking to profit from it.
Agrochemicals sector
China’s Syngenta Group dominates a quarter of the global market of agrochemicals
like seeds, pesticides and fertilizers.
Syngenta and German-based Bayer and BASF Agricultural Solutions, and Corteva in
the United States account for 62.3 per cent of global market share.
China is the leading manufacturer of off-patent and generic pesticides.
India’s UPL Limited is the fifth largest agro-chemical firm in the world. In 2020, it had
7.9 per cent of the global market share with 4,900 million USD sales. 71 per cent of
revenue came from generic pesticides.
Farm sector
In the commercial seed market, 10 companies controlled 40 per cent of global
market 25 years ago. Now, only two firms have 40 per cent of the market share.
These firms made use of intellectual property laws, mergers and acquisitions and
new technologies to take control of this market.
In the farm equipment sector, which includes tractors, farming tools and machines, 6
companies account for nearly half of the international market share.
India’s Mahindra and Mahindra is the sixth largest firm in this sector, with 2 per cent
market share at the international level. Over 40 per cent of the Indian market is
dominated by this firm. It reported a 31 per cent rise in domestic sales in June 2021
when compared with the previous year.
Companies are currently investing in drone technology in agriculture sector.
IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022
IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022 was released recently.
Key findings
1,103 individuals from 122 Indian cities have cumulative wealth of Rs.1,000 crore
wealth – a 62 per cent increase in the last five years.
Cumulative wealth has surged by 9.4 per cent, while average wealth has fallen by 1
per cent.
602 individuals have witnessed their wealth increase or stay at constant. Of these,
149 were new entrants.
415 people have witnessed their wealth decline and 50 have dropped out from this
list.
Number of billionaires in India has dropped to 221.
Chemicals and Financial Services have the largest number of new entrants and the
pharmaceutical sector is the largest contributor of wealth creation and it has
contributed towards 126 entrants.
The pharmaceutical sector has 36 rich entrepreneurs, followed by chemicals and
petrochemicals with 23 entrepreneurs and software and services with 21
entrepreneurs.
Gautam Adani and family has topped the list with an estimated daily wealth of at Rs.
1,612 crore, which is 116 per cent increase when compared to 2021.
Other top performers are Mukesh Ambani, Cyrus S Poonawalla, Shiv Nadar and
others.
The average age of the individuals on this list was 63.
The youngest in the list is Bengaluru-based Kaivalya Vohra, who at the age of 19,
became the self-made rich individual with the grocery delivery application Zepto.
Last year, the youngest in the list was 23-years old.
The youngest self-made woman entrepreneur in this list is Neha Narkhede – an
Indian-American from Pune.
Other prominent women in this list include Rekha Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and family in
the 34th position and Radha Vembu of Zoho Corp at the 50th
About IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List
The report was jointly released by Hurun India and IIFL Wealth. The 2022 list is the 11th
annual ranking of the richest individuals in India. It focuses on individuals residing or born
and bred in India. It gives a comprehensive overview of factors that contributed towards
the increasing wealth in the country.
Real-Time Train Information System
Indian Railways is installing Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS) to automatically
track train movements in real-time
What is RTIS?
The RTIS was jointly developed by the Indian Railways and Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
It is currently being executed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS),
an organization under the Railways Ministry that designs, develops, implements and
maintains most of the important information systems of the Indian Railways.
The RTIS-enabled trains are equipped with an application software that can
determine train movement events like arrival, departure, run-through stations etc.,
based on predefined logic applied to spatial coordinates. The train speed is received
continuously from the GSAT satellites having GPS Aided Geo-Augmented Navigation
System (GAGAN) receiver.
ISRO launched the GSAT satellites having GAGAN payloads for tracking the real-time
movement of trains and relying the information down to the Central Location Server
(CLS) of CRIS, which then transmits to the National Train Enquiry System (NTES).
The NTES transfers this information to the public information dissemination systems
in websites, mobile applications, 139 railway helpline number and others.
The train speed information is continuously delivered every 30 seconds.
The RTIS enabled trains’ locations will be automatically plotted on the control charts.
The RTIS enables speedy transmission of emergency messages between loco driver
and control office. The control office will be able to track the location and speed of
the RTIS enabled train without requiring manual interventions.
The health of the loco device is monitored using the configuration management
system (LMCS).
RTIS devices have been installed in 2,700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds.
As part of the second phase of this project, 6,000 additional locomotives across 50
loco sheds will be covered using ISRO’s satellite communication (Satcom) hub.
Currently, GPS transmission from 6,500 locomotives are fed directly into the Control
Office Application, enabling the automatic charting of trains and real-time
information dissemination to passengers.
September 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed on
September 26.
Key facts
The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed to
increase public awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons and the importance
of their total elimination.

It provides the opportunity to educate general public and governments about the
positive outcomes of eliminating the weapons of mass destruction and the social and
economic costs of maintaining them.
The aim is to achieve total elimination of nuclear weapons, which is one of the oldest
goals of the United Nations.
The day involves UNGA member states, civil societies, academia, parliamentarians,
mass media and individuals creating awareness about the adverse impact of nuclear
weapons.
Background
Nuclear disarmament was the focus of the UNGA’s first resolution in 1946, which
established the Atomic Energy Commission with the mandate to make specific proposals
for the control of nuclear energy and eliminate Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Atomic
Energy Commission was dissolved in 1952. In 1959, the UNGA endorsed the objective of
complete nuclear disarmament. In 1978, the Special Session of the General Assembly
Devoted to Disarmament recognized that nuclear disarmament should be a priority in the
field of disarmament. The resolution to declare the International Day for the Total
Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by the UNGA in December 2013, as a follow
up to the high-level meeting of the UNGA on nuclear disarmament held on September 26,
2013. It has been observed since 2014.
Nuclear weapon disarmament status
The world currently hosts over 12,705 nuclear weapons. Countries hosting these weapons
have well-funded, long-term strategies to modernize these weapons. More than 50 per
cent of the global population are living in countries that either have these weapons or are
members of nuclear alliances. Not even one nuclear weapon has been physically
destroyed according to a disarmament treaty. There are no nuclear disarmament
negotiations taking place presently.
Rhino Memorial in Kaziranga National Park
Memorial made of ashes collected from rhino horns were unveiled recently at the
Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
Key facts
The memorial having three rhino sculptures was named “Abode of the Unicorns”.
It has one male rhino, a female rhino and a calf.
It also has three statutes of forest guards, created using different materials.
The male rhino is 10.5 feet long and 6 feet tall, the female is 11 feet long and 5.6 feet
tall and the calf is 3.5 feet long and 1.5 feet tall.
The rhino statues were created using ashes collected from around 2,500 rhino horns
that burnt to flames by the Assam Government.
On the occasion of World Rhino Day (September 22) last year, rhino horns were
burnt cinders remotely using drones at the Kaziranga National Park.
They were collected or seized over the past 40 years.
The statues were made using around 128 kg of ash obtained from these burnt horns.
They were created by sculptors Biju Das.
The statues of the forest guards were sculpted by Biren Singha.
It took four months to create these statues.
The memorial was unveiled by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The estimated cost of this project is Rs.10 to 12 lakh.
About Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park in Assam hosts the world’s largest population of one-horned
rhinos. It is situated at the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots – Golaghat
and Nagaon districts. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1985.
According to the latest State of Rhino Report, the national park hosts 2,613 rhinos – the
highest in India.
State of Rhino Report
According to the State of Rhino Report 2022, released by the International Rhino
Foundation, one-horned rhinos’ population in India, Nepal and Bhutan has increased
while the population of rhinos in Africa and Indonesia either fell or saw only a slight rise.
The estimated population of one-horned rhinos is 4,014. The population is surging mainly
because of efforts of governments of India and Nepal towards expanding the natural
habitats and anti-poaching activities.
Operation Megh Chakra
The CBI launched the Operation Megh Chakra to combat the spread of Child Sexual Abuse
Materials online.
Key facts
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched Operation Megh Chakra on
September 24, 2022 to conduct searches at 56 locations across India as part of a
nationwide drive against the circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material
(CSAM).
This operation was launched after the CBI received intelligence from Interpol’s
Singapore special unit based on the information received from authorities in New
Zealand.
The CBI has filed two cases accusing that large number of Indian nationals of being
involved in online circulation, downloading and transmission of CSAM using cloud-
based storage.
The searches were conducted in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu and others.
The raids witnessed the seizure of electronic devices, like mobile phones and laptops,
that belonged to suspects.
Through these raids, a large quantity of child pornography material was found.
50 suspects are currently being questioned about the identity of child victims and the
abusers.
Similar exercise was launched by CBI last year under the code name Operation
Carbon.
13 states and 1 Union Territory were raided and the CBI filed 24 cases involving more
than 80 people.
The raids under Operation Carbon was conducted in 76 locations across India.
Cases were filed against the suspects under the relevant provisions of the Indian
Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, for allegedly being part of the
syndicate involved in uploading, circulation, selling and viewing of CSAM through
various social media platforms and online groups.
Based on the investigations under the operation, the CBI has urged countries to
share and gather information about these syndicates under the Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaties (MLATs).
Apart from Indian nationals, suspects also included individuals from countries like
Pakistan, Canada, US, UK, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia
etc.
National Conference of Environment Ministers
Prime Minister Modi virtually inaugurated the National Conference of Environment
Ministers held in Gujarat.
Key facts
National Conference of Environment Ministers of all States is a two-day event held at
Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 23 and 24 this year.
The objective of this conference is to promote cooperative federalism through the
promotion of synergized working of central and state governments on issues
pertaining to the environment and climate change.
The conference will include 6 thematic sessions with topics focusing on LiFE,
Combating Climate Change (Updating State Action Plans on Climate Change for
Mitigation of Emissions and Adaptation to Climate Impacts); PARIVESH (Single
Window System for Integrated Green Clearances); Forestry Management; Prevention
and Control of Pollution; Wildlife Management; Plastics and Waste Management.
What is LiFE?
LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) was launched on June 5, 2022 on the occasion of World
Environment Day to harness the power of individual and collective action to address the
global climate crisis. It was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP26 in
Glasgow, Scotland. This concept advocates for a mindful and deliberate utilization of
resources as opposed to “mindful and wasteful consumption”. It aims to create a global
movement towards the adoption of simple and specific climate-friendly behaviours in
daily life. The LiFE seeks to make such daily actions an integral part of collective social
norms and promote sustainable development of the overall global community. It will
deploy behavioural techniques like nudges, social and behaviour change communication
to achieve its goals.
What is PARIVESH?
PARIVESH (Pro Active Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental
Single window Hub) is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and
Climate Change. It provides single window clearance mechanism for those seeking
Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ Clearances from Central, State and district level
authorities. It enables citizens to interact with scrutiny officers, generate online clearance
letters, online mailers and alerts to state government officials in case of delays in the
processing of applications.
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan
Guidelines for ‘Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan- Ranking of Cities’ was released during the
National Conference of Environment Ministers. The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan ranks 131
cities across India for the implementation of City Action Plans prepared as part of National
Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for the reduction of air pollution up to 40 per cent by
2025-26. The cities are categorized into three groups based on population. The first group
has cities with population more than 10 lakh, the second has population between 3 to 10
lakh and the third has population less than 3 lakh. The ranking is based on the annual self-
assessment of the cities based on the framework provided in the government portal.
About National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
The NCAP is a long-term strategy that aims to achieve 20-30% reduction in Particulate
Matter Concentration by 2024, with 2017 as the base year for comparison of the
concentration. Specific plans were created for each city. These plans include
strengthening of monitoring network, reducing vehicular/industrial emissions, awareness
creation etc. The implementation of these plans are regularly monitored by Committees at
Central and State levels.
Swachh Toycathon Competition
Swachh Toycathon Competition was recently launched by Central Government.
Key facts
Swachh Toycathon was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under
the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav.
It is being hosted on MyGov’s Innovate India portal.
The knowledge partner of this initiative is Center for Creative Learning, IIT
Gandhinagar.
This competition integrates the National Action Plan for Toys (NAPT) and Swachh
Bharat Mission Phase II to explore solutions to make toys using waste materials.
This competition is open to groups and individuals capable of providing innovative
toy designs using dry wastes.
The focus will be on efficient designs that can be replicated for mass production.
These toys must comply with minimum safety standards and aesthetics.
The objective of this competition is to promote innovation and circularity in design
and packaging of games and toys.
It also seeks to promote prototypes of toys and packaging that can revolutionize the
toy industry.
It also looks for ideas or working model for a sustainable and climate-friendly toy
value chain like innovative material choices, packaging design and reuse-reshare
models.
Winning start-ups will be provided with incubation support from IIT Kanpur.
Innovative designs will be given links to local urban bodies and toy industry for
scaling up.
About National Action Plan for Toys (NAPT), 2020
The National Action Plan for Toys (NAPT) 2020 was unveiled by the Indian Government to
promote domestic toy industry, which includes traditional handicrafts, handmade toys and
others. Its end goal is to make India an international hub for toy manufacturing. The
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and 14 other ministries
are involved in the implementation of various aspects of this action plan. It covers
incentives, establishment of production clusters, research and development, promotion of
local toys, integration of games with education, toy repository centres etc.
September 27, 2022
Make in India completes 8 years
The Indian Government’s Make India initiative has completed eight years.
Key facts
The government’s flagship initiative has helped 27 sectors to make significant
progress, including manufacturing and services sectors.
It has doubled the annual foreign direct investment to 83 billion USD. With this, India
is expected to attract 100 billion USD in FDI this fiscal. 101 countries have made
investments across 31 states and union territories in 57 sectors.
With this initiative, the Indian manufacturing sector is witnessing an increase in
domestic value addition and local sourcing, increased focus on research and
development, innovation and sustainability measures.
The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes were launched under the Make in
India initiative across 14 key manufacturing sectors. Under these schemes, incentives
are provided to strengthen domestic manufacturing sector, improve resilience of
supply chains and make Indian companies more competitive and have export
potential.
The flagship initiative has been complemented with minimising compliance burdens
through amendment of laws, liberalization of guidelines and regulations and
ensuring ease of doing business in the country.
The National Single Window System (NSWS) was launched to provide a single digital
platform for investors requiring approvals and clearances. This portal has been
integrated with existing clearance systems of various government entities. This has
boosted investment inflow into the country.
The PM Gati Shakti Programme has improved the logistical efficiency in the country,
enabling an increased access to Indian markets, hubs and job opportunities at a
reduced logistical cost.

The One District One Product initiative, created based on the vision of the Make in
India initiative, boosted the production of indigenous products from each district in
India, increasing exposure of artisans and manufacturers of handlooms, handicrafts,
textiles, agricultural processed products and other products.
About Make in India initiative
The Make in India initiative was launched on September 25, 2014 to make India a global
manufacturing hub by promoting investments, innovation, enhanced skill development,
intellectual property rights and infrastructure development. It is being implemented by
the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
September 27: World Tourism Day
World Tourism Day is observed on September 27.
Key facts
The World Tourism Day is observed every year to promote tourism and spread
awareness about its importance.
The theme for this year is “Rethinking Tourism”.
It focuses on the post-pandemic initiatives and developments concerning tourism
sector.
It aims to put people and the planet first and promote the shared vision for a more
sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector.
It seeks to make people understand the joy of exploring the world.
Indonesia is the host country for the 2022 celebrations. The events were kicked off in
Bali and across the globe.
Background
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) initiated the World Tourism
Day in the year 1979. The official celebrations of this international day commenced in
1980. It commemorates the adoption of the Statutes of UNWTO. The UNWTO has decided
in 1997 that events concerning the World Tourism Day would be celebrated in different
host countries each year. The day comes at the end of the high season in the northern
hemisphere and the start of the season in the southern hemisphere. The theme for the
inaugural edition of the World Tourism Day in 1980 was “Tourism’s contribution to the
preservation of cultural heritage and to peace and mutual understanding”. India hosted
the 2019 celebrations with the theme “Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all”.
About UNWTO
UNWTO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes responsible,
sustainable and universally accessible tourism across the world. Headquartered in Madrid,
it acts as a global forum for international collaboration in the tourism sector and a source
of knowledge on tourism related topics.
India’s tourism sector
The latest edition of the Economic Impact Report by World Travel and Tourism Council
(WTTC) estimates that the tourism sector’s contribution to the overall growth of the Indian
economy could be higher than the pre-pandemic levels, with year-on-year growth at 20.7
per cent. The report expects the sector’s contribution to reach around 215 billion USD.
This is 1 per cent higher than the 2019 levels. Jobs in this sector is also expected to grow to
almost 35 million, which is 8.3 per cent higher than the previous year.
Italy’s first female premier
Giorgia Meloni is set to become the first female prime minister of Italy.
Key facts
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right political party Brothers of Italy, is set to
become the first female premier of Italy.
The recent vote to the political party with neo-fascist origins brings in the most right-
wing government Italy has witnessed since the Second World War and the fascist
leader Benito Mussolini.
The recent near-final results of the Italian elections revealed that the right-wing
coalition won 44 per cent of the parliamentary vote, with Meloni’s party making its
biggest win of 26 per cent.
The competing center-left Democratic Party and its allies won over 26 per cent
support, while populist 5-Star Movement, which gained the highest vote in 2018
elections, won just 15 per cent votes.
Meloni is one of the co-founders of Brothers and has led this political party since
2014.
She has been the President of the European Conservatives and Reformist Party since
2020.
She has opposed abortion, euthanasia and to partnership, marriages and parenting
by same-sex couples.
She also opposed receiving of non-European migrants and multi-culturalism and has
been accused of xenophobia and Islamophobia.
She advocated for a naval blockade to prevent migrant boats from leaving North
African shores and proposed screening potential asylum seekers in Africa instead of
Europe.
She supports NATO but favored close ties with Russia before the 2022 Ukrainian
crisis.
She condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has pledged to provide military aid
to Ukraine.
She is a critic of the European Union for its bureaucratic red-tapism. She vowed to
put Italy’s national interest first if it clashes with the policies of the European Union.
About Brothers of Italy
Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, traces its origins to the post-war neo-fascist Italian
Social Movement. This political party has remained popular since it was founded in 2012.
Its opinions on immigrations, economy, jobs and living standards have been highly
popular among the Italian public. It is known for expressing euroskeptic proposals in the
past and advocating for Italy’s exit from the Euro. However, this stance has softened in
the recent years. It is currently advocating for the primacy of the Italian laws in the
domestic issues.
Khosta-2
Khosta-2 variant of coronavirus found in Russian bats in Sochi National Park.
Key facts
A team of American researchers have found the Khosta-2 in Russian bats.
The zoonotic virus is capable of infecting humans.
This is unlike the Khosta-1, which is also found in Russian bats but cannot easily
spread to humans.
Khosta-2 has been classified as sarbecovirus, a member of the coronavirus family.
It is related to SARS-CoV-2, which is causing a worldwide pandemic.
Khosta-2 was discovered in bat samples obtained from Sochi National Park between
March and October 2020, when the world was struggling to contain the spread of the
SARS-CoV-2.
The pathogen is capable of infecting human cells similar to SARS-CoV-2. It attaches to
the ACE-2 entrance enzyme, which is located on the surface of the human cells with a
spike-like protein on the surface.
While its method of infection is similar to SARS-CoV-2, Koshta-2 is not effective.
Scientists have combined the Khosta-2 with serum obtained from individuals
vaccinated against COVID-19. They found that the antibodies in the serum were not
able to neutralize the pathogen.
Similar results were found when the virus was combined with the serum from people
who have recently recovered from Omicron infection.
It is also found to be completely resistant to all coronavirus vaccines currently
available on the market.
It does not have the genes that can increase the severity of the disease like the
Omicron Variant. However, this can eventually change if it mixes with the genes of
the SARS-CoV-2.
About sarbecovirus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus or sarbecovirus is an enveloped
positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that enters the host cells by latching on to the
ACE2 receptor. It is capable of infecting humans, bats and other mammals.
Sochi National Park
Sochi National Park is UNESCO world heritage site in Russia. Established in 1983, it is the
oldest national park in Russia. It is situated in Western Caucasus, close to the city of Sochi.
It is bounded by rivers Shepsi and Magri in the northwest, Abkhazia in the southeast, Black
sea coast and Main Caucasian ridge in the north and south.
Bathukamma
Bathukamma is being celebrated in Telangana from September 25 to October 3 this year.
Key facts
Bathukamma is observed as the state festival of Telangana since the state’s
inception in 2014.
It is a flower festival celebrated mainly in Telangana and several parts of Andhra
Pradesh.
This 9-day festival is celebrated based on Sathavahana calendar and it usually falls on
September or October, during the latter half of monsoon, before the onset of winter.
This festival begins with Mahalaya Amavasya, also known as Engili Poola
Bathukamma.
Bathukamma means ‘Goddess of Life’. It is a collection of flowers stacked one layer
at a time and rising in a series of concentric circles like the gopuram in South Indian
temples.
It is made using locally grown flowers like Gunugu puvvu (Celosia), Thangedu
puvvulu (Cassia auriculata), Gummadi puvvulu (Cucurbita), Vaama puvvulu (Ajwain),
Banthi puvvu (Marigold), Chamanthi puvvulu (Chrysanthemum) etc.
During the first seven days of this festival, women make symbolic images of
Bodemma (Goddess Gauri) using clay and small Bathukammas.
The final day of this festival, called Saddula Bathukamma, involves the preparation of
huge Bathukammas on a special plate and womenfolk singing and dancing around
it.
Bathukammas are then taken out in a procession to be immersed a river or any
nearby waterbody.
The flowers used in Bathukamma are capable of purifying water in ponds and tanks.
The festival concludes a day before the Dasara Festival.
The Union Ministry of Culture has announced that this festival would be celebrated
at the India Gate for the first time.
The celebrations will be in line with the Telangana/Hyderabad Liberation Day
celebrations that were organized earlier this month, when the national flag was
hoisted in Hyderabad by Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, the Telangana government has started the distribution of 1 crore
Bathukamma sarees for this festive occasion.
The initiative was started by the Telangana government in 2017 to support weavers
in the state.
ADB to provide 14 billion USD aid for food security in Asia Pacific
The Asian Development Bank announced a $14 billion assistance to fight food insecurity in
Asia Pacific.
Key facts
The funding to address food insecurity in Asia Pacific was announced as part of the
55th ADB annual meeting.
It will be used to combat food crisis caused by climate change and Russian war in
Ukraine.
The financial aid will be provided for the period of 2022-2025.
While 3.3 billion USD will be spent in 2022, 10.7 billion USD will be used from 2023 to
2025.
In 2022, USD 2.5 billion of this assistance will be used to repurpose and strengthen
the existing projects and launch new projects in agriculture, natural resources and
rural development.
800 million USD will be used by private sector for finance operations of trade and
supply chain, direct agribusiness lending, microfinancing programmes and lending
to financial institutions.
This comprehensive initiative will ensure long-term food security in Asia and Pacific
by strengthening food systems and making them resilient to climate crisis and
biodiversity degradation.
The latest funding would complement the existing aids targeting food security in the
region.
Food security situation in Asia Pacific
The food insecurity in the region is being exacerbated by floods, droughts, global
warming, diseases and other factors that are adversely impacting the food production.
Currently, around 1.1 billion people do not have access to healthy diets because of scarcity
and food inflation in the region. Some countries in Asia Pacific are vulnerable to food
shocks because of their high dependence on imported staples and fertilizers. This makes
nutritious food unaffordable in several of low-income countries in the region. The Russian
invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the supply of these vAital goods and worsened the
situation.
About Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank is a Manila-based regional development bank established in
1966. Its aim is to promote the social and economic development of Asia and the Pacific. It
is owned by 68 members, of which 49 are from Asia Pacific region.
Honeybees capable of parity categorization
Honeybees are the only non-humans found to be capable of learning parity
categorization.
Key facts
Parity classification is the categorization of numbers as either odd or even.
It is used when dealing with real-world objects that can be paired. If an element
cannot be paired in a group, then the number of objects are odd.
Previous studies have shown that honeybees are capable of learning the order of
quantities, performing simple addition and subtraction, matching symbols with
quantities and relate size and number concepts.
A new research has found that they were also capable of parity classification.
Till date, only humans were found to be capable of this task.
Honeybees were successfully trained to undertake this task as part of an experiment.
The scientists separated honeybees into two groups.
One group trained to associate even numbers with sugar water and odd numbers
with quinine (bitter-tasting liquid).
Another group was trained to associate odd numbers with sugar water and even
number with quinine.
The training was given using comparisons of odd versus even numbers with cards
presenting 1 to 10 printed shapes.
The group that associated odd number with sugar water learned more quickly than
the other group.
This shows that honeybees’ learning bias is different from humans, who categorize
even numbers more quickly.
The bees were then tested with new numbers that were not shown during the
training.
They were able to categorize the new numbers of 11 or 12 elements as odd or even
with 70 per cent accuracy.
They may have been able to achieve this feat either by finding unpaired element,
performing division calculations or counted each element and applied odd or even
categorization rule to the total number of elements.
This novel experiment, if used in other animal species, would help improve the
understanding on how mathematics and abstract thoughts emerged in humans.
Mega fair on research and development
23 IITs are collaborating to organize a mega fair on research and development on October
14 and 15 this year.
Key facts
IInvenTiv is a mega fair on research and development that aims to promote
innovation-led growth and development of affordable technologies in line with
government’s flagship initiatives like Make in India and Digital India.
23 Indian Institutes of Technology are collaborating to organize this event.
th
It is being organized as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75
anniversary of Indian independence.
The mega fair will provide an opportunity for universities, institutions and industries
to collaborate in the research and development.
The event will be overseen by a steering committee headed by Dr. Pawan Goenka,
Chairman, Board of Governors IIT-Madras and Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman,
Board of Governors, IIT-Hyderabad and IIT-Roorkee.
It would involve participation of students and administrators from institutions in tier
2 and 3 cities as well as representatives from CII, FICCI and NASSCOM.
During this event, 75 projects will be showcased across 20 themes, which include
defence and aerospace, healthcare, environment and sustainability, smart cities and
infrastructure, robotics, sensors and actuators.
The 75 projects were chosen based on their future potential and technology
readiness level (TRL) – which is used to measure their potential for commercial
expansion.
Most notable of these projects is the IIT Bombay’s Bahubhaashak (polyglot) project,
which enables speech-to-speech translation. It is being developed in line with the

National Education Policy, 2020. It has been developed over 10 years to promote
regional languages in schools and higher education institutions.
Other presentations will include 5G Core and allied technologies, climate change,
agriculture, rural technologies, sanitation, affordable healthcare technology, EV etc.
The objective of this mega fair is to make technologies more affordable and promote
self-reliance as per the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
TamiraSES project
TamiraSES project is being jointly implemented restore Thamirabarani river.
Key facts
TamiraSES project is jointly implemented by the district administration of Tirunelveli
in Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru-based NGO Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and
the Environment (ATREE).
The project involves the use of “hyper-local” approach to restore one Thamirabarani
river.
Its objective is to restore the social ecological systems of the Thamirabarani river’s
riverscape, covering head-waters, estuaries and surrounding areas to enable the
native conditions of the biodiversity to thrive.
It will restore Thamirabarani as well as all the waterbodies in the riverscape.
Under the first phase of this project, five social ecological observatories will be set
up. These will act as pilots to help the project expand further.
This phase will be limited to the borders of Tirunelveli district.
It was launched as an experimental project since it focuses mainly on community
engagement instead of the relying solely on technical and nature-based solutions as
was done in national and international river restoration projects.
About Thamirabarani river
The Thamirabarani river originates from Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills in Western
Ghats. It is the only perennial river in Tamil Nadu. Its source is the confluence of the
tributaries of Kodayar River – Kothai and Madhumalai. This 128 km-long perennial river
flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. It
drains into the Gulf of Mannar – a shallow bay that forms part of the Laccadive Sea in the
Indian Ocean. Thus, it originates and ends in Tamil Nadu. It supports wildlife like the
Nilgiri marten, slender loris, lion-tailed macaque, white spotted bush frog, galaxy frog, Sri
Lankan Atlas moth and the great hornbill. This river also holds historic significance. It was
mentioned in Sangam literature. It is recognized as a holy river in famous Sanskrit
literatures like Puranas, Mahabharata and Ramayana.
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill was tabled at the Karnataka
Legislative Assembly.
Key facts
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill gives preference to
Kannadigas in government jobs and provides reservations to locals in private jobs

generated in the state.
The Bill defines Kannadigas as individuals whose parents have resided in Karnataka
for a minimum of 15 years with the knowledge of reading and writing Kannada.
Under this Bill, practical and functional knowledge of Kannada will be taught in
higher, technical and professional education courses.
Students who have studies in Kannada Medium schools will get reservations in
higher education.
It will deny land concession, tax rebates and other incentives to private companies
that do not recruit at least a minimum percentage of Kannadigas.
Government jobs in the state will be provided only if a Kannada language exam is
passed. This exam is not required for individuals who have passed Class 10 with
Kannada as first or second language.
The Bill proposes the use of Kannada language for all official and administrative
correspondences in the state and by local authorities. Earlier, the state government
was criticised for using only English language for correspondence.
Kannada is also made mandatory in subordinate courts, tribunals, banks and other
financial institutions.
Shops, industries and commercial establishments who violate this proposed
legislation will incur a fine of Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000, including suspension of license.
Sarojini Mahishi Committee
The Sarojini Mahishi Committee had provided 58 recommendations to provide job security
for Kannadigas in Karnataka. However, these recommendations were not adopted
because they were highly stringent. Among them are the 100 per cent reservation for
Kannadigas in all public sector units, 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in group C
and D jobs in central government departments and PSUs in Karnataka and minimum 80
per cent and 65 per cent reservation in Group B and A jobs respectively. These
recommendations were not adopted as they may cause several constitutional challenges
and violate fundamental rights.
New Target under National Clean Air Programme
A new target has been set under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Key facts
The Indian Government has set a new target of 40 per cent reduction in the
particulate matter concentration by 2026 in cities under the NCAP.
This is an update of the earlier goal of 20 to 30 per cent reduction of particulate
matter concentration by 2024.
The city-specific plans under NCAP are being upgraded to make them on par with
the new goals.
According to the Environment Ministry, 95 of the 131 non-attainment cities covered
under the NCAP have reduced their PM10 levels in 2021 when compared with the
2017 levels.
Non-attainment cities are those that have fallen short of the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for over 5 years from 2011 to 2015.
20 cities have met the national standards for annual average PM10 concentration,
which is 60 micrgrams per cubic meters.
Cities that showed an overall improvement in PM10 concentration since 2017 are
Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh,
Dehradun, Patna, Nagpur, Pune, Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly, Firozabad, Moradabad,
Kanpur, Varanasi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Raipur
and others.
About NCAP
The NCAP was launched in 2019 as the first-ever national framework for air quality
management with time-bound reduction target. It aims to bring down the concentration
of PM10 and PM2.5 across India with 2017 as the base year for the comparison of
concentration of the pollutants. Under NCAP, city-specific action plans have been created
to include measures to strengthen the monitoring network, reduce pollution from
industries and vehicles etc. It also aims to improve capacity to management air pollution
and raise public awareness about the harms caused by the air pollution.
September 28, 2022
JALDOOT App
The Indian government recently launched the JALDOOT App and JALDOOT App e-
brochure.
Key facts
The JALDOOT application was jointly developed by union ministries of Panchayat and
Rural Development.
This app can be used by Gram Rojgar Sahyak to measure the water level in a well
twice a year before and after monsoon.
It enables the systematic collection of data on ground water levels and storing them
in central digital database for analysis.
This data can be used for the implementation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan
and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Using this app, water levels of 2 to 3 wells in a village will be captured.
The water levels in open wells will be measured twice a year – from May 1 to 31 as
pre-monsoon water level and again from October 1 to 31 as post-monsoon level.
Jaldoots (officers involved in measuring the water levels), will upload the geo-tagged
photograph through the app on every occasion of measurement.
The application would work both online and offline mode. In the offline mode,
Jaldoots will be able to capture the water level even without internet connections and
the captured date will be stored in the mobile. When the app comes online, the data
will be uploaded and synchronized with the central server.
The data in this application will be stored in the National Water Informatics Centre
(NWIC), which will help in the creation of various reports through comprehensive
assessment and analysis.

About National Water Informatics Centre
National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) is the central repository that stores data
regarding the availability of water resource across India. Set up in 2018, it comes under
the aegis of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Department of Water Resources. This central
repository enables the data-based sustainable development and management of water
resources in India.
Extension of Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 - Update (September, 2022)
The current Foreign Trade Policy has been extended by six months due to currency
volatility and global uncertainty.
Key facts
Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 has been extended for the period of six months until
March 2023.
This extension will come to effect from 1st of October 2022.
It is being extended in view of the volatile global economic situation.
Currently, there are fears of recession in major economies like the United State and
Europe.
This has resulted in the rapid withdrawal of investments and foreign funds outflow in
India.
Geopolitical crisis caused by the Ukraine war, inflation and monetary policy
tightening are weakening the rupee against the US dollar.
Currently the USD is at a 22-year high and the Indian Rupee has hit an all-time low of
81.6 against the dollar.
Hence, the current geo-political situation is not favorable for the adoption of long-
term foreign policy FTP 2022-27.
The Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 provides the framework for increasing exports of
goods and services and focuses on improving ease of doing business in India.
It was earlier meant to continue until 2020. However, it was extended several time
because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.
About Foreign Trade Policy (2022-27)
The Foreign Trade Policy (2022-27) was announced in 2020 but its adoption was deferred
because of disruptions and economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It
was expected to be launched on October 1, 2022. However, the extension of the FTP
2015-20 delayed the adoption again. The objective of FTP 2022-27 is to provide strategy to
increase India’s share in the global trade to 10 per cent by 2047 and 3 per cent by 2027
from the existing 2.1 per cent. It also envisages building 100 Indian brands as global
champions and gain 10 per cent share in creative economy and niche products.
Pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, marine and agriculture, textiles, leather,
engineering goods, electronics and telecom products and chemicals will be focus sectors
of this policy.
AVGAS 100 LL
Indigenously developed special aviation fuel AVGAS 100 LL was launched by the Indian
Government.
Key facts
AVGAS 100 LL was indigenously developed by the Indian Oil Corporation for the
piston engine aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles.
It is used to power aircraft having spark-ignition piston engines, in which combustion
process of the air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark from a spark plug.
This indigenously developed fuel is a blue aviation gasoline with a high octane
number, which measures the fuel’s ability to resist compression without bursting.
The IOC’s newly developed aviation fuel would provide for the requirements of
India’s aviation industry, which is witnessing an increased footfall in airports,
increased number of aircraft and Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) for pilot
training.
It will be produced in Indian Oil’s refinery in Vadodara, Gujarat.
It has been certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – the apex
body regulating the civil aviation industry in India.
This higher-octane aviation fuel that has superior performance quality standards
than the imported aviation gasoline.
India is currently importing the special aviation fuel from the European countries.
The demand for air transport is expected to further increase in the future.
The aviation gasoline market is predicted to grow from the present 1.92 billion to
2.71 billion by 2029.
Self-reliance in aviation gasoline will save India around Rs.20,000 to Rs.30,000 per kilo
liter.
India consumes around 3,000 kilo liter each year, which are all imported from foreign
countries.
The Vadodara refinery currently has the capacity to cater to the domestic needs as
well the export requirements.
What is Avgas?
Avgas or aviation gasoline is an aviation fuel that powers spark-ignited combustion
engines in aircraft. It is different conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles as it
contains tetraethylead, which is a highly toxic substance used to prevent engine knocking
(premature detonation). AVGAS 100LL has lesser lead than the Aviation Gasoline 100.
Livestreaming of Constitutional Bench Proceedings
For the first time, India’s apex court livestreamed the three separate constitutional bench
proceedings simultaneously in YouTube.
Key facts
More than 8 lakh people viewed the proceedings before the three Constitution
Benches.
The livestreaming was closely monitored by technical support teams of the court to
ensure the smooth proceedings.

The cases heard by these benches are the challenge to 10 per cent quota for
economically weaker sections of the society, the scuffle between Maharashtra Chief
Minister Shinde’s faction and the Uddhav Thckeray camp over who was the “real”
Shiv Sena Party and the challenge to the All India Bar Examination post enrollment
for lawyers.
This initiative aims to bring the judiciary close to the citizens living across India,
especially the important hearings having constitutional significance.
The initiative was result of the meeting of the Supreme Court Judges on September
20.
In the future, the apex court would use a dedicated platform for livestreaming the
hearings.
Background
Swapnil Tripathi judgment of September 2018 upheld the plea demanding livestreaming
of the Supreme Court proceedings. In this judgement, the apex court held that
livestreaming provides the opportunity of the general public to witness the live
proceedings, which is otherwise difficult due to logistical challenges and infrastructural
restrictions. The court held that livestreaming of court proceedings was part of the right to
access justice under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Article 21 provides the right to
life and personal liberty. Live telecast of court proceedings will help realize the “open
court system” which envisages a universally accessible judiciary. In the 2018 judgement,
several conditions were laid out by the Supreme Court for livestreaming. The
livestreaming of apex court proceedings happened for the first time in August 2022, when
a ceremonial bench said farewell to the outgoing Chief Justice of India N V Ramana. The
High Courts of Gujarat, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Patna and Madhya Pradesh have
been livestreaming their proceedings through their own YouTube channels since the early
2020.
Popular Front of India
The Central Government has banned the Popular Front of India for 5 years.
Key facts
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) and
its associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their links with
terrorist groups and subversive activities.
The ban was imposed based on the recommendations from the state governments
of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat.
Now, the PFI has joined the LeT, JeM, al Qaida, SIMI and other extremist groups on
the “banned” list.
8 organizations that are operating as affiliates to the PFI have also been banned.
These include Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India
Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization
(NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and
Rehab Foundation, Kerala.

The ban does not include the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which was
formed within the PFI to focus on the political issues. The SDPI is not banned since it
is a registered political party and comes under the purview of the Election
Commission of India.
The MHA banned PFI and its associates citing links with terrorist groups like Jamat-ul-
Mujahideen Bangladesh and obtaining funding and ideological support from
external sources.
It was also involved in killings, dismembering of body parts and obtaining explosives
for targeting prominent people or public property.
What is PFI?
The PFI was founded in 2007 as a result of the merger of the three Muslim organizations –
the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the
Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu. It was founded by members of the banned
Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). It was created after the SIMI was banned by
the Indian Government in 2001. Its works are similar to that of Hindu right-wing outfits
groups Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It was
involved in the social work for Muslims as well as for the marginalized, minorities and
Scheduled Caste communities.
September 28: International Day for Universal Access to Information - Update (September, 2022)
UNESCO observes the International Day for Universal Access to Information on September
28 every year.
Key facts
The International Day for Universal Access to Information advocates for the right to
seek, receive and distribute information.
It raises awareness about the importance of expanding laws concerning information
and preserving the right to freedom of expression.
The theme for this year is “Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to
Information”.
A global conference based on this theme will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
It will include a high-level inter-ministerial roundtable on the Access to Information
and Artificial Intelligence with global experts.
Background
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has
declared September 28 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information on
November 17, 2015. It was observed for the first time in 2016. The United Nations General
Assembly has also adopted this day in 2019. This was done to promote access to
information as a fundamental human right and a critical step towards the attainment of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Significance
The International Day for Universal Access to Information advocates that it is the
fundamental right of everyone to access and disseminate information. Right to

information ensures that media obtains and imparts the information to ensure that
people make informed decisions. Hence, it is an integral part of the right to expression.
The right to information increases transparency in the government and strengthens the
democratic values. It also plays a crucial role in the battle against corruption and achieving
press freedom. It is also important for achieving SDG 16.10, which calls for the promotion
of the access to information and public freedom. It enables people to obtain the
knowledge of how they are governed, enabling them to hold governments accountable
for their decisions and actions.
HAL’s Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility
President of India Droupadi Murmu recently inaugurated the Integrated Cryogenic Engine
Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru.
Key facts
An MoU that was signed between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 2013 for the establishment of a facility
for the manufacturing of Cryogenic Engine modules at HAL, Aerospace Division.
This MoU was amended in 2016 for the setting up of the Integrated Cryogenic Engine
Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) with an investment of Rs.208 crore.
This state-of-the-art facility spans across an area of 4,500 square meters.
It hosts over 70 high-tech equipment and testing facility for manufacturing cryogenic
(CE20) and semi-cryogenic (SE2000) engines for Indian rockets.
Semi-cryogenic engine uses refined kerosene instead of liquid hydrogen, which is
used by cryogenic engines. Refined kerosene is lighter than liquid fuel and can be
stored in normal temperature.
The ICMF will cater to the entire rocket engineering manufacturing requirements of
ISRO under one roof.
It will boost self-reliance in manufacturing of High-thrust rocket engines.
The indigenous development of these engines is critical for the development of
rockets used for launching heavy satellites.
Cryogenic Engine Modules are expected to be released by March next year.
Currently, the HAL Aerospace Division manufactures liquid propellant tanks and
launch vehicle structures of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MK-II, GSLV Mk-III and stage integration for GSLV Mk-
II.
What is cryogenic engine?
Cryogenic engine makes use of cryogenics, which is an outcome of the production of and
behaviour of materials at an extremely low temperature. It is also called liquid-propellant
rocket engines since it makes use of gases liquefied at a very low temperature. The
cryogenic engine stage is the final stage of space launch vehicles. It makes use of
cryogenics to store its fuel and oxidizer as liquids. The fuels are burned using oxidizer due
to the lack of oxygen in space. India was able to indigenously develop this technology only
in 2014. It successfully tested the cryogenic engine in 2003. In the 1990s, the US, Japan,
Europe and China have stopped Soviet Union from sharing this technology with India.
Redevelopment of 3 major railway stations
The Centre has approved the proposal to redevelop three major railway stations across
India.
Key facts
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, has given a go-ahead for a
proposal concerning the redevelopment of three major railway stations – New Delhi,
Ahmedabad and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai.
The overall investment of this redevelopment project is nearly Rs.10,000 crore.
Under this, these stations will be equipped with modern infrastructure and have
improved facilities.
The main purpose of the redevelopment is to cater to the increasing footfalls in
these stations.
The stations will be redeveloped using green building techniques, with solar energy,
water conservation and recycling and improved tree cover.
They will be integrated with other modes of transportations like metro and bus and
equipped with passenger amenities like recreational facilities, retail and cafeteria.
The Ahmedabad redevelopment redesign will be based on the Modhera Sun Temple
in Gujarat.
The CSMT’s heritage building will remain untouched while the nearby buildings will
be redeveloped.
It is expected to take about 2 to 3.5 years for this redevelopment project to complete.
Currently, redevelopment of 199 railway stations across India are already underway.
The first phase of the project is covering stations having footfalls of 50 lakhs and
above each year.
The overall cost of the redevelopment of these 199 stations as well as the New Delhi,
CSMT and Ahmedabad railway stations is Rs.60,000 crore.
Special focus will be given towards the development of Divang-friendly facilities.
Passenger mobility within the station will be eased through the segregation of
arrival/departures, clutter-free platforms, improved surfaces and fully covered
platforms.
About CSMT railway station
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Mumbai.
It was built over 10 years from 1878 in High Victorian Gothic design based on late
medieval Italian models. It is an example of Victorian Gothic Architectural Revival in India.
The building was designed by F W Stevens.
Ayushman Utkrishta Awards 2022
Ayushman Utkrishtata Awards conferred to the top performers in the implementation of
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
Key facts
The National Health Authority, the implementing agency of the AB PMJAY, presented
the Ayushman Utkrishtata Puraskaar (Ayushman Excellence Awards).
They were conferred on the occasion of the Arogya Manthan 2022, which marks 4-year
completion of AB PMJAY and one-year implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital
Mission (ABDM).
The awards recognized the top performing states, Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras
(PMAMs) and public hospitals under the AB PMJAY.
They was also conferred to states/UTs, districts, private & government health
facilities and digital health solutions under the ABDM.
Winners of Ayushman Utkrishtata Puraskar 2022
Top Performing State/UT: Andhra Pradesh
Top Performing District: Andhra Pradesh’s Parvathipuram Manyam
Top Performing Government Facility: District Hospital Dharwad in Karnataka
Best Performing States: Kerala, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Manipur, Jharkhand,
Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh
Best Performing UTs: Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir
Top government integrator with highest number of health records linked to
ABHA: National Informatics Centre
Best private integrator with the highest number of health records linked to
ABHA: Eka Care
About AB PMJAY
AB PMJAY was launched on September 23, 2018. It is the largest government-funded
health insurance scheme. This completely cashless and paperless scheme provides up to
Rs.5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary healthcare hospitalizations. This
scheme provides assistance for 10.74 crore vulnerable families across India. It is
implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA).
What is Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA)?
Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) is a unique health ID launched by the National
Health Authority (NHA). It uses a 14-digit identification number that is generated using
Aadhaar card or mobile number. It allows users to digitally share their health records with
hospitals, clinics, insurance providers and other concerned stakeholders.
Extension of PMGKAY Scheme
PM-GKAY scheme has been extended for 3 more months until the end of December 2022.
This scheme was scheduled to end on September 30.
Overview:
The decision to extend this scheme comes ahead of the festive season.
The government will distribute 122 lakh metric tonnes of food grains under the
seventh phase this scheme from October to December 2022.
Rs.44,762 crore will be spent as subsidy for this phase.
The allocation of grains for the seventh phase is around 1,121 Lakh Metric Tonnes
(LMT).
The government has spent around Rs 3.45 Lakh crore in the sixth phase of the PM-
GKAY.
The total expenditure of this scheme is expected to reach Rs 3.91 lakh crore.
It has been implemented over 25 months since 2020.
About PMGKAY
In March 2020, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government
had announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) welfare scheme.
Initially, the scheme was planned for a period of 3 months but since then, it has been
extended several times. This scheme looked to provide every individual covered under the
National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) with an additional 5 kg of grains (rice or wheat)
free of cost, along with the 5 kg of subsidized food grain that is already being provided
through the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS). It covers people belonging to
Below Poverty Line – Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH)
categories. It also covers other vulnerable people like widows, terminally ill, elderly,
landless agricultural labourers, primitive tribe households, informal sector workers etc.
More than 81.35 crore people are benefiting from this scheme. Wheat has been allocated
for 6 states and union territories and rice has been provided for the rest. This
supplements the monthly entitlements under the NFSA.
September 29, 2022
Lt. General Anil Chauhan becomes next CDS
Lt. General Anil Chauhan was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Key facts
The Central Government appointed the former Eastern Army Commander Lt.
General Anil Chauhan (retired) as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The post of Chief of Defence Staff was vacant for over 9 months since the death of
the first CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat lost his life in a helicopter crash in December 2021.
General Anil Chauhan has over 40 years’ experience as he held several key
command, staff and instrumental appointments.
He was involved in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and
Northeast India.
Lt Gen Chauhan was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla
and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
He served as part of the 11th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army.
In the rank of Major General, he commanded the Infantry Division in Baramula
sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
When he became Lieutenant General, he commanded a Corps in the North East and
later went on to become the Eastern Army Commander in September 2019.
He headed the Eastern Army Command until his retirement on May 31, 2021.
After his retirement, he became the Military Advisor in the National Security Council
Secretariat (NSCS) in October 2021.
Apart from holding commanding posts, he also served as the Director General of
Military Operations.
About CDS
The post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was created in December 2019. The CDS would act
as the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister and the Permanent Chairman of
Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). He is the ex-officio secretary of the Department of
Military Affairs (DMA), which was created as the fifth department of the Ministry of
Defence. The age limit for the CDS is 65 years of age without any fixed tenure.
Encyclopedia of Tribes in Odisha
Encyclopedia of Tribes in Odisha was released by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Key facts
With the release of the five volumes of “Encyclopedia of Tribes in Odisha”, Odisha
became the first state in India to start an encyclopaedia on tribal communities and
document their historic and unique traditions.
The encyclopaedia was published by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) and Odisha State Tribal Museum.
It has 418 research articles focusing on tribal communities, including 13 particularly
vulnerable groups.
This 3,800-page scholarly book came as a result of research contributions from
numerous scholars and eminent anthropologists.
The purpose of this book is to preserve the rapidly changing cultural identity of tribal
communities in the state.
It brings together both published and unpublished data regarding the tribes’
ethnography and development over the years, covering their past as well as the
present.
Tribes in Odisha
Tribal population account for 22.85 per cent of Odisha’s total population. This state has
the most diverse tribal communities in India. It hosts 62 tribes. In 2018, the state
government unveiled a tribal atlas having 60 plates of maps featuring the distributional
aspects of the Odisha’s tribal population, ecological settings of the tribal habitats and the
tribes’ socio-cultural characteristics like linguistic or dialectical affinity, sex composition
and literary levels.
About SCSTRTI
SCSTRTI is the oldest tribal research institute in India. It was established as the Tribal
Research Bureau (TRB) in 1952 and was later renamed as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) in 1994. It has been consistently
publishing its 61-year-old research journal titled “ADIVASI”. The main purpose of SCSTRTI
is to conduct empirical research on various aspects concerning the tribes and evaluate
various developmental programmes targeting tribal communities. It also conducts ethnic
studies of various communities that are calling for the inclusion in the ST or SC lists.
DRDO successfully tests VSHORADS missile

The VSHORADS missile have been successfully tested at the Integrated Test Range in
Chandipur, Odisha.
Key facts
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted two
successful tests of Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile in
Odisha recently.
The VSHORADS is a man portable air defence system (MANPADS) designed and
developed by DRDO in collaboration with the Indian industry partners.
It was developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat (RCI) along
with other DRDO facilities and private entities.
This missile is capable of neutralizing low-altitude aerial threats at short range.
It is designed in way that the missile can be easily moved from place to place.
This missile integrates numerous novel technologies, including a miniaturized
Reaction Control System and integrated avionics.
It is propelled by a dual thrust solid motor.
Very Short Range Air Defence Missiles are critical for defending major cities and
strategically important locations.
It is the last line of defence from low-flying aerial assets like fighter jets, helicopters
and drones.
The Indian Army currently has Air Defence Guns L-70 and ZU-23 for this purpose.
They are over 40 years old and are completely redundant in face of modern warfare
technologies.
The Indian Army also does not have modern radar network capable of aiding and
guiding air defence missiles while they engage with adversary fighter jets or
helicopters.
About MANPADS
Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) are portable surface-to-air missile capable
of attacking low-flying fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. They can be fired while being
mounted on an individual’s shoulder or on a tripod. They were developed in the 1950s to
protect troops from attacks by jet aircraft. The United States and the USSR were the first to
introduce these weapons.
September 29: World Heart Day
World Heart Day is observed on September 29.
Key facts
World Heart Day is observed across the globe to raise awareness about the growing
concerns regarding heart health, cardiovascular illnesses, the adverse effects of
over-exercising on the heart etc.
It also highlights the importance of heart care and its positive outcome on health.
The theme for World Heart Day 2022 is “Use Heart for Every Heart”.
The phrase “use heart” means to think differently, make the right choice and act
with courage to improve heart health and “for every heart” means to serve others
suffering from heart ailments.
The theme aims to bring the global community together to fight the cardiovascular
diseases.
Background
The World Heart Day was jointly created by the World Heart Federation (WHF) and the
World Health Organization (WHO). The idea to observe this international day was given by
Professor of Cardiology Antoni Bayés de Luna, who served as the President of the World
Heart Federation from 1997 to 1999. This day was observed for the first time on
September 24, 2000. Until 2011, it was observed on the final Sunday in September. Later,
September 29 was chosen to be the exact date for the celebration of World Heart Day. It is
being observed every year by more than 90 countries across the world.
Significance
World Heart Day aims to create worldwide awareness about the ways to prevent
cardiovascular diseases. It highlights the risks posed by the tobacco consumption,
unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. All of these have caused around 80 per cent of
premature deaths from heart diseases like stroke. This day also encourages people to
adopt healthy-heart lifestyle.
About World Heart Federation
The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva,
Switzerland. It was formed in 1972. It acts as the principal representative body for
cardiovascular community, which includes national and international cardiology scientific
societies and foundations. It brings together scientific, medical and professional
communities as well as patients and charitable organizations.
SC-ST Hub Conclave
The MSME ministry organized a national SC-ST hub conclave in Gujarat.
Key facts
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) organized the event on
September 28 to raise awareness about the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) scheme and
other schemes of the union ministry.
The event witnessed the participation of more than 300 entrepreneurs from
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) like National Thermal Power Corporation
Ltd., Food Corporation of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Indian Oil
Corporation Limited also took part in this event.
They held presentations on their vendor empanelment process and the list of
products or services to be procured.
Financial institutions like State Bank of India (SBI) and Yes Bank also attended this
event. They provided details about various lending schemes targeting MSME sector.
Other government agencies like Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC),
GeM, Rural Self-Employment Training Institutes and others also presented their
schemes for MSMEs.

The conclave provided facilitation desks for UDYAM Registration and GeM
registrations.
About NSSH scheme
National Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme was launched by the
MSME ministry to promote an inclusive economy and entrepreneurship among SC/ST
community. It is implemented by the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) – a
public sector undertaking under the MSME ministry. Its purpose is to fulfil the obligations
under the Central Government Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises
Order 2012. The hub provides professional aid to the SC/ST enterprises to help them to
effectively participate in the public procurement process. It leverages the Stand Up India
programme. Under this scheme, selected entrepreneurs would be provided with support
and mentoring by industry experts, CPSEs and incubators. Its other focus areas include
vendor development, building reliable database, credit facilitation, capacity building,
technology upgradation, marketing support and special subsidies.
Kerala’s Draft Industrial Policy
Kerala recently unveiled a draft industrial policy.
Key features
The new industrial policy would be released in January 2023 and it will be effective
from April 1 of the same year.
The draft industrial policy focuses on upgradation of skills required for the jobs of
future, industries and technologies of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and promotion of
sustainable and responsible investments.
Its priority sectors are artificial intelligence, graphene, space sector, Ayurveda,
biotechnology, designing, electronic system design and manufacturing, electric
vehicles, engineering and research and development and food technology.
Other areas of focus include high-tech farming, high value-added rubber products,
logistics, medical equipment, nanotechnology, renewable energy, retail, robotics,
tourism and hospitality, 3D printing and marine cluster.
The policy provides incentives such as investment subsidy on fixed capital,
reimbursement of state GST and apprenticeship incentives for manufacturing sector.
In order to encourage MSMEs to get funds through non-traditional routes instead of
loans, existing and new MSMEs will get 50 per cent reimbursement of expenses
incurred on floating Public Issue through the National Stock Exchange (NSE) or the
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This incentive is subject to a maximum limit of Rs.1
crore. It is applicable only if the funds raised are used for setting up or expanding
the enterprise within the state.
100% electricity duty exemption will be provided for MSMEs for five years as well as
100% waiver of stamp duty and registration charges for setting up manufacturing
units in industrial parks.
Non-MSMEs will get 10% investment subsidy for a maximum of Rs.10 crore. They will
also get 100% state GST reimbursement for capital investment for five years.
New MSMEs will get 50% reimbursement (maximum of Rs.1 crore) of the
expenditure.
20% reimbursement (maximum of Rs.25 lakh per unit) on cost of software, including
big data analytic tools and machinery for upgrading manufacturing units.
Uttar Pradesh’s fourth tiger reserve
The fourth tiger reserve has been notified by the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Key facts
The state cabinet has approved the notification of Uttar Pradesh’s fourth tiger
reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in Chitrakoot district under the Wild
life (Protection) Act of 1972.
While this wildlife sanctuary does not host tigers of its own, it is often frequented by
tigers from the neighbouring Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Panna Tiger Reserve and the RWS are situated close to each other and the latter is an
important corridor for the movement of tigers.
A 2018 survey by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) revealed that
Ranipur hosts three tigers.
The Ranipur Tiger Reserve will span across 529.89 square kilometres, with 299.58 sq
km as buffer zone and the rest is the core area, which was already notified as the
RWS in 1977.
The new tiger reserve has tropical deciduous forests and hosts fauna like tigers,
leopards, sloth bears, spotted deer, sambhar and chinkara.
It also houses numerous birds and reptiles.
This is the fourth tiger reserve in the state, after Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Amangarh
(buffer of Corbett Tiger Reserve).
This is the first tiger reserve in Bundelkhand region, which spans across the states of
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The state government is now planning to set up Ranipur Tiger Conservation
Foundation to protect tigers in the region.
According to the NTCA’s 2018 estimates, India hosts nearly 3,000 tigers.
Uttar Pradesh houses 173 tigers, with Dudhwa National Park having the highest
population.
Tiger Reserves in India
India currently has 53 tiger reserves. They are governed by Project Tiger, which comes
under the jurisdiction of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Project Tiger
was launched in 1973 to protect Bengal tiger population in its natural habitat.
Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian has hit the US state of Florida.
Key facts
Category 4 storm Ian hit Florida’s southwestern coast.
As one of the most powerful storms in the US history, it has torn apart homes and
buildings, leaving some residents stranded.

It made landfall near Cayo Costa with the maximum sustained wind speed of 150
mph, only 7 mph slower than a Category 5 – the highest status of the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale of Hurricane Intensity.
Much of the coastal regions in southwest Florida faced power outages because of
this devastating storm, which caused high-speed winds and flooding.
It is expected to adversely affect millions of people in the US states of Florida,
Georgia and South Carolina.
Earlier, this storm has caused complete power outage in Cuba, after hitting the
country as Category 3 storm.
At least two people have lost their lives because of this storm in Cuba.
About Category 5 Hurricanes
Category 5 hurricanes have a maximum sustained winds of 157 miles per hour or more.
Their occurrence is rare in the United States. They have occurred only four times in the
country’s history, all of which hit the Gulf Coast. One of these storms hit Mississippi and
the rest have made landfall in Florida. These storms are capable of destroying a large
percentage of framed homes, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and
power poles will cause isolation of residential areas. The power outages will last for weeks,
if not months. Most of the affected regions will become uninhabitable for weeks or
months. Currently, climate change is rapidly intensifying the storms. While climate change
may intensify the storms, wind speed and precipitation, the total number of storms will
not be increased.
NASA’s DART hits asteroid
DART spacecraft has hit an asteroid on September 27.
Key facts
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft hit the asteroid Dimorphos,
which is orbiting around primary asteroid Didymos.
The mission has succeeded in deflecting the trajectory of the pair of space rocks.
The objective of this mission was to change the path of Dimorphos using the kinetic
impact technique or kick technique.
The kinetic technique has the potential to prevent large asteroids from hitting the
Earth by changing their trajectory.
While the auto-rickshaw-sized DART spacecraft weighed just 600 kg, Dimorphos, with
the size equivalent to football stadium, is approximately 5 billion kg in mass.
The tiny DART spacecraft was able to crash at a very high speed of 23,760 km per
hour.
This momentum was able to change the angular momentum of Dimorphos, making
it speed up and move closer to Didymos.
This has reduced the orbital period and the time taken for Dimorphos to revolve
around the primary asteroid.
The recent collision and its consequences are currently being observed by a high-
resolution camera called DRACO (Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for
Optical navigation).
A toaster sized Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube), which was
deployed two weeks before the impact, is hovering 50 km from the asteroid. It is
currently observing the plume of debris ejected after the collision.
Significance of kick technique
The kick technique, besides providing defence against fatal asteroids travelling towards
the Earth, also provides a potential for space mining. Rare earth elements are mined with
a huge environmental impact. High penalty for polluting can make space mining a viable
solution in the future. Kick technique can be used to move small asteroids into convenient
positions for space mining. Rare earth elements are critical for the adoption of renewable
energy technologies like electric vehicle, solar panels, wind turbines and energy storage
devices.
Duare Ration Scheme declared void
The Calcutta High Court has recently held that West Bengal Government’s Duare Ration
Scheme is illegal.
Key facts
A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court held that the Duare Ration Scheme ultra
vires the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).
It called the scheme illegal as it coincides with the National Food Security Act, 2013.
It held that the West Bengal transgressed the limit of delegation by obliging the fair
price shop dealers to undertake doorstep delivery of rations since there are no
provisions specifying the same in the NFSA.
Doorstep delivery of foodgrains can be provided only if the Act is amended by the
Central Government for the doorstep delivery or to provide such power to the state
government.
Earlier, the vires of the Duare Ration Scheme was upheld by two single judge orders
in the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya upheld the scheme in December 2021 by stating that
a reform in the targeted distribution system and a welfare scheme to provide food
and nutritional security is critical.
Justice Krishna Rao was also of the similar view and held that the NFSA, 2013 and the
rules and statutory orders issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act,
1955 do not specify that the state government is not entitled to extend the benefit to
the beneficiaries under the NFSA, 2013.
About Duare Ration Scheme
Duare Ration Scheme was launched by the state government of West Bengal to provide
foodgrains under the public distribution system (PDS) at the doorstep of the entire
population of the state. Under the scheme, around 21,000 ration dealers were provided
with the financial assistance of Rs.1 lakh each to purchase vehicles for delivering the
rations at the doorstep. A similar scheme was launched by the Deli Government but it was
halted by the Delhi High Court.

September 30, 2022
WHO, ILO global guidelines on mental health
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)
have jointly issued guidelines to address mental health issues faced by global workforce.
Key facts
The guidelines called for addressing the threat to mental health issues among the
workforce like high work burden and negative behaviours.
Depression and anxiety account for 12 billion lost workdays each year, costing the
global economy around 1 trillion USD.
5 per cent of the working-age population had mental illness and only 35 per cent of
countries have national programmes focusing on work-related mental health
promotion in place.
The WHO recommendations called for promoting manager training to avoid stressful
work settings and assist distressed employees.
The guidelines were issued at a time when there has been an increase in the
prevalence of quiet quitting and quiet hustling.
Quiet quitting means labourers working within the defined work hours and engaging
only in activities within those hours. It also involves doing only those tasks related to
their jobs and nothing else.
Quiet hustling means taking up additional jobs or side business apart from their
primary jobs, causing stress and anxiety.
The pandemic has caused a 25 per cent raise in anxiety and despair and it has shown
the issue of persistent lack of mental health resources across the world.
Across the world, only 2 per cent of government’s health budgets are allocated to
mental health in 2020. It is much lower in lower middle income countries, which
allocate less than 1 per cent of the budget.
Unhealthy work culture can cause broader socio-economic issues like inequality and
discrimination, causing adverse effect on mental well-being.
One of the most common workplace harassment is bullying or psychological assault.
Revealing these issues in the workplace is often frowned upon, discouraging the
workforce and the management from combating such issues.
The guidelines called for reshaping of working environment that can put an end to
this stigma and social exclusion.
It also called for improved approaches to meet the needs of workers with mental
health disorders and prescribed interventions to promote their return to work.
Vande Bharat 2.0
Prime Minister Modi launched the new and upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express
between Gandhinagar and Mumbai.
Key facts
The latest version has cost over Rs 115 crore – Rs 15 crore higher than the previous
version.
The new train can reach the maximum speed of 160 km per hour in 129 seconds,
around 16 seconds faster than the other Vande Bharat trains.
It needs to run almost a km less to reach the maximum speed.
It weighs just around 392 tonnes, 38 tonnes lighter than the previous version.
This train has improved riding index of 3.26 at 180 km per hour from the earlier 3.87.
A lower riding index means better comfort and steadiness provided by the train
while in motion.
It is equipped with Kavach, an automatic anti-collision system. This is not available in
the previous versions of the Vande Bharat trains.
The coaches have disaster lights and their battery backup lasts for 3 hours. The
previous version has only one-hour battery backup.
The new train is higher, providing protection against floods up to 650 mm, an
increase from 400 mm.
The exterior has 8 flatform-side camera and the passenger guard communication
facility in coach has automatic voice recording feature.
All seats in this train are recliner seats, as opposed to the previous versions having
fixed backseats in lower class.
Executive coaches have the additional feature of 180-degree rotating seats.
Internal air is filtered through photo catalytic ultra violet air purification system with
UV lamp that deactivates 99 per cent of germs. Earlier versions do not have these air
purifiers.
The new coaches have a centralized coach monitoring system through CCTV cameras
and the internal network supports data at 1 gigabyte per second. This helps improve
the quality of streaming audio-visual information.
Vande Bharat Express
Two Vande Bharat trains are currently operational – one from New Delhi to Varanasi and
the other in New Delhi to Katra. The first Vande Bharat Express train was launched in 2019
on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route. The government is planning to
develop a total of 400 of these trains in the next three years.
R Venkataramani: New Attorney General of India
R Venkataramani, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, has been appointed as the
Attorney General of India for a period of three years.
Key facts
R Venkataramani is a lawyer having an experience of 42 years of practice in the apex
court of India.
He enrolled in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1977 and joined the chambers of PP
Rao, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court in 1979.
In 1982, he had set up an independent practice in the Supreme Court and was
designated as Senior Advocate of the SC in 1997.
He practiced various branches of laws, like constitutional law, law of indirect taxes,
human rights law, civil and criminal law, consumer law and laws relating to services.
He was invited to speak at the workshop jointly organized by the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights and International Commission of Jurists at
Geneva in 2001.
This workshop sought to submit report to the Human Rights Commission, on the
Optional Protocol to the International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR), 1966.
Senior Advocate Venkataramani was also involved in the activities of International
Court of Justice in the Afro-Asian region, especially those concerning ICESCR.
He became a member of the Law Committee in 2010 and again for another term in
2013.
Now, he is set to succeed K K Venugopal as the Attorney General of India.
Attorney-General of India
Attorney-General of India is appointed by the President of India under Article 76 of the
Indian Constitution. He is the highest law officer in India. Attorney General of India must
be eligible for becoming a Supreme Court Judge. There is no specific tenure for Attorney-
General and he holds the office during the pleasure of the President of India. The
Constitution does not specify the grounds or procedure for his dismissal and he can be
removed by the President at any time.
World’s first CNG terminal
Prime Minister Modi laid foundation stone for the world’s first CNG terminal in Gujarat.
Key facts
The world’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) terminal will be set up close to
Gujarat’s Bhavnagar port.
The terminal will be built by a private consortium of Mumbai-based Padmanabhan
Mafatlal Group and the UK’s Foresight Group.
This large terminal can handle 1.5 million metric tonnes each year.
The project will be supported by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), which is
currently managing the Bhavnagar Port.
It is being implemented using a public-private-partnership approach.
Besides the CNG terminal, the private consortium will equip the Bhavnagar Port with
additional facilities like ultra-modern container terminal, multipurpose terminal (LPG
and Chemical), a Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) terminal for cargo ships that can load and
unload wheeled objects such as trolleys and cars, and a liquid cargo terminal.
It will also have the fourth largest lock gate system in the world. This is necessary
since the high tides can reach around 10 meters and Bhavnagar creek attracts a
large amount of sediment in the form of silt. The lock gate system has been set up to
stop these sediments from entering into the port basin. This reduces the cost of
dredging inside the port.
The terminal will have direct doorstep connectivity to the existing roadway and
railway network connecting to the large industrial zones, dedicated freight corridors
and India’s northern hinterland.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs.4,000 crore and Rs.1,300 will be invested in the
first phase of the project.
The construction of this terminal is expected to start in the first quarter of next year
after the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) gives the nod to the detailed project report.
The terminal will start operations in 2026.
India Tourism Statistics 2022
The Indian Tourism Statistics 2022 report was released by the Vice President of India
Jagdeep Dhankhar on the occasion of World Tourism Day (September 27, 2022).
Key facts
The union tourism ministry’s report revealed that Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
witnessed the highest number of visits by foreign tourists in 2021.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in India in 2021
has fallen to 1.52 million. This is a 44.5 per cent decline when compared with the 2.74
million in 2020.
India witnessed 677.63 million domestic tourist visits in 2021. This is a 11.05 per cent
increase from 2020’s figures.
Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Qutub Minar are the top 3 most visited sites in India in
2021-22.
Taj Mahal reported a 3.29 million visits or 12.65 per cent of total footfall in 2021-22
from domestic visitors.
Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu was the most visited centrally-
protected monument by foreigners in 2021-22.
In 2021-22, the total number of domestic visitors recorded a 98 per cent year-on-year
growth.
The total number of foreign visitors to the country during the same period declined
by 23.4 per cent on year.
While the foreign tourist arrivals recorded negative growth rate in 2021, non-resident
Indians and international tourist arrivals witnessed positive growth. The arrivals of
NRIs increased 52.6 per cent from 2020 to 2021.
The top 15 countries that sourced foreign tourist arrivals to India were the US,
Bangladesh, the UK, Canada, Nepal, Afghanistan, Australia, Germany, Portugal,
France, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Russia, Iraq and the Netherlands.
These countries accounted for around 80.9 per cent of the total foreign tourist
arrivals in India.
Foreign exchange earnings from tourism sector in India in 2021 were USD 8.797
billion, which is a 26.4 per cent increase from 2020.
Global Innovation Index 2022
The Global Innovation Index 2022 was released recently by World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO).
Key findings
Switzerland topped the Global Innovation Index for the 12th consecutive year. It leads
the world in innovation outputs and specifically in patents by origin, software
spending, high-tech manufacturing and production as well as export complexity.
The second position was held by the United States, followed by Sweden, the United
Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The ranking of the most innovative economies takes into consideration
infrastructure and technology outputs, human and capital research, business
sophistication etc.
India has climbed 6 positions to 40th rank in the GII due to improvements in several
parameters.
India’s performance is above average among the upper middle-income countries
group in almost all innovation pillars, with exception to infrastructure, where the
country scored below average.
India is the top performer among the South Asian countries.
It is the innovation leader in the lower middle-income group and it continues to lead
the world in the information and communication technology (ICT) services exports.
It is the top performer in indicators like venture capital receipt value, finance for
startups and scaleups, graduates in science and engineering, labour productivity
growth and domestic industry diversification.
According to the report, India and Turkiye entered the top 40 for the first time, with
Turkiye being ranked at 37th position.
India has overtaken Vietnam (48th rank) as the top lower middle-income economy for
innovation.
The index held that middle-income countries China, Turkiye and India are changing
the innovation landscape and Iran and Indonesia have the potential to boost
innovation.
China was ranked at 11th position in this index.
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the specialised agencies of the
UN. It is involved in the promotion and protection of intellectual properties at the
international level through collaborations with governments and international
organizations. It started operating in 1970 after the 1967 Convention Establishing the
World Intellectual Property Organization came into effect.
State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in South Asia and the HKH Region
“State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in South Asia and the HKH Region” report
was released by the ICIMOD on September 29, 2022.
Key findings
The newly released report assessed the state of gender equality and climate change
in climate-affected sectors like agriculture, water and energy.
It focused on 10 countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Limited government interventions: The report found that governments of
countries in South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) are doing very little to
mitigate the adverse impact caused by climate change on women. However, these
countries’ national policy recognize that women are more vulnerable to climate
change.
Migration: China, India, Nepal and Pakistan are witnessing climate change-induced
migrations of men. While men leave in search of better job opportunities, they leave
behind women, children and elderly. This has increased the workload on female
population.
Informal employment: Women are involved as informal workforce in the
agriculture sector. There are no regional and national policies to protect these
women labourers.
Government policy limitations: policy documents of governments in South Asia
and HKH regions do not focus on the gender-based pay gap. They also do not
address women’s lack or limited access to or control over resources required for
agricultural activities. Their needs are not considered while creating policies on
groundwater or irrigation since such policies are tied to land rights, which are mostly
held by men.
NDCs and NAPCC categorized as gender-sensitive: Nationally Determined
Contributions and National Action Plan for Climate Change are gender sensitive
since they recognize climate change-related gender problems. India’s NDC
acknowledges the importance of gender equality and women empowerment.
However, it does not provide measures to achieve it. India’s NAPCC, 2008 recognizes
that women are more vulnerable to climate crisis but does not provide measures to
address this issue.
Recommendations: The report calls for conducting of gender equality and social
inclusion-sensitive assessments. It also recommends monitoring and evaluating
interventions in the agriculture, energy and water sector to make policies more
gender-inclusive. It also calls for guaranteeing the meaningful participation of
women and vulnerable groups in policy dialogues. Strengthening of knowledge
sharing mechanisms was also recommended.
SC Order on Legal Abortion
The Supreme Court recently held that women, regardless of their marital status, are
entitled to safe and legal abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Key facts
The apex court held that any differentiation between a married or unmarried woman
under abortion law was “artificial and constitutionally unsustainable”.
It held that abortion for unmarried and single woman whose pregnancies are
between 20 to 24 weeks cannot be denied.
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 does not allow abortion for
unmarried pregnant women between 20 to 24 weeks after consensual sex.
The court held that Rule 3B of the MTP Act is unconstitutional since it deprives
unmarried women the right to access safe and legal abortions after 20 weeks if they
face a change in their maternal circumstances similar to married women.
Rule 3B gives only rape survivors, minors, women whose married status changed
during the pregnancy, mentally-ill women or women with foetal malformation the
right to abortion.
If the pregnancy involved consensual sex, termination of pregnancy is allowed only
until 20 weeks. This distinction was held by Supreme Court as a violation of the Right
to Equality.
The bench held that the right of reproductive autonomy, dignity and privacy is
provided by the Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. This provides unmarried
women the right to choose whether or not to bear a child, just as married women do.
This judgement is significant as it is the first ever legal recognition of marital rape,
although within the limited purview of abortion. The SC held that the meaning of
rape should also include marital rape, solely for the purpose of the MTP Act and
related rules.
MTP Act
The MTP Act allows legal abortion in two stages. Termination of pregnancy is allowed up
to 20 weeks under the opinion of a registered medical practitioners. For pregnancies
between 20 to 24 weeks, the law provides certain criteria to avail termination. It also
requires opinion or two registered medical practitioners.
Icaria: new catfish species
A new catfish species has been discovered by ICAR-NBFGR.
Key facts
The new species of catfish belongs to the genus Pangasius.
It was found in Mettur Dam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, by the ICAR-National
Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR).
It was discovered when a team of scientists headed by director of ICAR-NBFGR
visited the Mettur Dam to study the difference between the species of catfish found
upstream and downstream of the River Cauvery.
The researchers made detailed morphological analysis, skeleton radiography and
advanced molecular markers as well as the species delimitation computational
techniques.
Through this study, they found that Pangasius specimens from the river Cauvery are
different from other species of the genus Pangasius.
The newly discovered species has been christened Icaria after the ICAR-NBFGR’s
parent organization ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research).
The newly species is edible and the locals call it aie keluthi in Tamil.
The holotype of this species is registered at the National Fish Museum and
Repository of ICAR-NBFGR in Lucknow.

The name of this species is registered in ZooBank – the online registration system of
the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
The new species is different from other species of catfish by its small rounded
vomerine and palatine tooth plates, longer maxillary and mandibular barbels, more
vertebrae and smaller caudal peduncle depth.
Catfish has high commercial value in aquaculture and wild capture fisheries.
The discovery of the new species helps improve the strategy to manage, conserve
and utilize this fish.
About Mettur Dam
The Mettur Dam is the largest dam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated
across the Cauvery River. It was built in 1934. It took over 9 years to complete this dam
having the maximum height of 214 feet and width of 171 feet. It is the main source of
irrigation in the Cauvery Delta Region in Tamil Nadu.
RBI Monetary Policy Committee Meeting – Highlights
The MPC has lowered the GDP forecast and increased the repo rate by 50 basis points.
Key Highlights
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.90
per cent, which is a three-year high.
This makes funding expensive for existing and new borrowers. For existing
borrowers, all home, car, personal and education loans on floating rates will become
costly.
It will also cause huge burden on household expenses due to rise in prices of almost
goods and services.
The spike in repo rate is a consequence of high inflation, Ukraine crisis, aggressive
global central bank policies and crisis in financial markets caused by macroeconomic
uncertainties.
This is the fourth consecutive rate hike after a 40 basis points increase in May and 50
bps increase each in June and August.
The central bank has increased the benchmark rate by 1.90 per cent since May to
bring down domestic retail inflation, which is staying above the tolerance limit of 6
per cent each month.
The rates for the standing deposit facility and the marginal standing facility have also
been hiked by 50 basis points to 5.65 per cent and 6.15 per cent respectively.
The growth of India’s gross domestic product or GDP in April-June was among the
highest in the world.
However, the Monetary Policy Committee forecasts a decline in the real GDP growth
for the current year from the earlier prediction of 7.2 per cent to 7 per cent.
The GDP growth in July-September is estimated to be at 6.3 per cent and for October-
December it is estimated to reach 4.6 per cent.
The GDP growth in January-March is forecasted to be at 4.6 per cent and for the first
For more updates.

For more updates.
quarter of the next financial year, it is expected to be at 7.2 per cent.

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Current Affairs Articles Compilation [PDF] - September, 2022

Published by: https://www.gktoday.in/ebooks/ | © 2022 GKToday | All Rights Reserved

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successfully test-flown by VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) on a Rohini-300 sounding

¬– PM addresses inauguration ceremony of ‘Kalam no Carnival’ Book Fair organised by

– Centre fixes total number of seats in Municipal Corporation of Delhi at 250

– IIM-Bangalore declared India’s best B-school in Financial Times (FT) Masters in

September 15, 2022

– Congress leader and ex-Union Minister Manikrao Gavit passes away at 87 in

– 94 people killed in border clashes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

– IAS officer Rajendra Kumar appointed ESIC Director General

to showcase technological breakthroughs & innovations of CSIR (Council of Scientific and

– Labour & Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav releases report on employment

help to optimize technical manpower, infrastructural facilities, financial resources.

cent to Rs 34.41 lakh crore in the April-June quarter this year.

Under this program, the importance of rainwater harvesting will be emphasized

What happens in the Nuakhai Festival?

promote, coordinate and harmonize coconut developmental activities of the Asian

Meghalaya : Rural Backyard Piggery Scheme

passenger and goods vehicles. These modifications included specific requirements

time period during which this calculation was done.

get rid of old technologies and machines.

environmental matters continue, then more fines will be imposed.

they do not have to go far for studies.

3 Indian Cities in UNESCO Network of Learning Cities

Moody's retains India's Baa3 rating with stable outlook

He is popularly known as Sudhakantha, which means Nightingale.

actions by individual entities.

Summer Olympics for India.

UNDP Human Development Index

countries by 138 member states.

approved the first distribution of incentives for mobile manufacturing.

out from the Indian Military Academy in 1978.

Decline in Per Capita Government Spending on Healthcare

differences in ethnicity, culture and religion.

them with a sustainable income source.

Kumar, former principal chief commissioner of IT Ashish Verma, Director General of

these 16 would be provided grants to develop minimum viable products/prototypes.

counterpart Yasukazu Hamada.

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Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program

The theme of this international exercise is ‘partnership, leadership and friendship’.

than 5,000 building sector professionals.

person of unsound mind with 3 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs.50,000.

India Discrimination Report 2022

adoption of a resolution on “Global Action on Patient Safety” in 2019.

International Equal Pay Day

It also reduces the Baltic-to-Elblag route by some 100 km.

protection of pant genetic resources, which are currently threatened because of

CO2 equivalent or nine years at the current emission levels.

Compliance Risk Assessment every year.

floods and storms.

InSight lander detects space rocks hitting Mars

promoting latest technology know-how, quality content creation and various

maintaining healthy mental state during long-duration space flights.

Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022

Social enterprises eligible to participate in the SSE must be not-for-profit

Rather, it requires node operators to stake 32 Ether (ETH) as collateral to become

fresh and brackish waters and sometimes consumed or used as a bait.

It will be overseen by a committee of administration, which will have both nominated

with the cadaver.

and the diplomatic crisis caused by it.

technologies, the recent ratification makes little changes in the country.