Daily GK Update- 4th Nov, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Supreme Court Bans Two-Finger Test: The Supreme Court on 31 October, reiterated the ban on the “two-finger test” in rape cases, warning that persons using such tests will be deemed guilty of misconduct. Observing that the test was based on a patriarchal mindset that assumed that sexually active women could not be raped, the bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli regretted that such a method of examination was being used even today.

The bench, directing the Union Health Ministry to ensure that survivors of sexual assault and rape are not subjected to the two-finger test. “The probative value of a woman’s testimony does not depend on her sexual history. It is patriarchal and sexist to suggest that a woman cannot be believed when she states that she was raped merely because she is sexually active,” the bench added. The apex court’s remarks were made while deciding on an appeal filed against a judgment of the Telangana High Court which overturned the conviction recorded by a trial court in a rape case.

What Is the Two-Finger Test: A “per vaginal” or two-finger test is an explicitly intrusive physical examination wherein a doctor inserts two fingers inside the vagina of a rape survivor to check if the hymen is intact or not. It examines the laxity of vaginal muscles in order to determine if the woman has engaged in or has been subjected to sexual intercourse – a proof of virginity. In some cases, it is done by inspecting the size of a vaginal opening and for tears in the hymen.

Erstwhile Judgement Of SC: In May 2013, the Supreme Court had banned the two-finger test on rape victims on the grounds that it violates their right to privacy. The court had asked the government to provide better medical procedures in order to confirm sexual assault.

In 2018, United Nations (UN) Human Rights, UN Women, and the World Health Organization (WHO) had called for a ban on two-finger test in order to eliminate violence against women. They declared it a “medically unnecessary, often times painful, humiliating and traumatic practice that must end.”

 

2. Government approved Electronics Manufacturing Cluster at Ranjangaon: Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster is to be developed in the Ranjangaon area of Maharashtra. The Electronics Manufacturing Clusters will be developed for ₹500 crores. Electronics Manufacturing Clusters are expected to generate thousands of jobs in the coming years and will attract an investment of over ₹2,000 crores. Key Points:

a)      The Electronics Manufacturing Clusters project has joined Tamil Nadu, Noida, and Karnataka in making an aggressive pitch to emerge as a powerful electronic hub.

b)      The government to contribute ₹207.98 crores in the development of the Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in Ranjangaon.

c)       The overall cost of development of the EMC is likely to be ₹492.85.

d)      The Central Government will contribute ₹207.98 crores and the rest will be contributed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the State Industrial Agency of the Maharashtra Government.

 

3. UP’s Ranipur Tiger Reserve Becomes 53rd Tiger Reserve of India: Uttar Pradesh is set to have its fourth Tiger Reserve and 53rd tiger reserve in India. The tiger reserve is spread across over 529.36 sq km out of which the core area is 230.32 sq km and the buffer area is 299.05 sq km. Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate change Bhupendra Yadav confirmed the development. Key Points:

a)      Apart from Ranipur, Uttar Pradesh has three tiger reserves, Dudhwa, Pilibhit, and Amangarh.

b)      The UP government also approved the notification of the Ranipur Wildlife Protection Act 1973.

c)       Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also decided to establish the Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation along with sanctioning of requisite posts.

d)      Ranipur Tiger Reserve is covered by northern tropical dry deciduous forests and is home to mammals like megafauna tiger, leopard, bear, spotted deer, sambhar, and chinkara among others.

 

4. Arunachal Pradesh to get Northeast’s first fish museum: A fish museum, the first of its kind in the Northeast, would soon be built in Arunachal Pradesh, Fisheries Minister Tage Taki. The museum in the NorthEast region (NER), with all fish species across the district from Tawang to Longding, to attract tourists, fish lovers and the museum will also serve as a training centre for fish farmers.

The fish museum would be a part of India’s first Integrated Aqua Park (IAP), sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAHD). The existing Tarin Fish Farm (TFF), located at high-altitude Bulla village, would be upgraded as the IAP where the museum would come up. It will have all fish species of the state and serve as a training centre for fisherfolk. An amount of Rs 43.59 crores was sanctioned for the project in the current financial year as the first instalment.

Note: Arunachal Pradesh Governor: Dr B. D. Mishra; Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM): Pema Khandu;

 

5. Tata Steel Jamshedpur India’s first to achieve ResponsibleSteel certification: Tata Steel has received ResponsibleSteel certification for three of its production facilities in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The steel works, tubes division and cold rolling mill (Bara) have joined the group of other steel-producing sites around the world with the certification. This is a historic moment for Tata Steel and an important step in our sustainability journey. Globally, the steel industry is at a critical juncture and the larger impact of how we produce and consume steel needs to be addressed urgently.

About the ResponsibleSteel: ResponsibleSteel is the steel industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative that works with steel producers, consumers, and intermediaries towards building a sustainable steel industry by addressing pressing challenges including climate change, diversity, human rights and more.

Note: Tata Steel CEO: T. V. Narendran; Tata Steel Founded: 25 August 1907, Jamshedpur.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 103 million People Forcibly Displaced Worldwide, Reveals UNHCR Report: The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order globally surged to 103 million in the first half of 2022, meaning that one in 77 people on Earth is forcibly displaced, the UNHCR said in Geneva. Key Points in Report:

a)      According to the report, the total number of refugees and people in need of international protection worldwide rose by 24 per cent from 25.7 million at the end of 2021 to 32 million by mid-2022.

b)      At the end of June this year, more than half (56 per cent) of all refugees were Syrian, Venezuelan or Ukrainian.

c)       In mid-2022, the report showed, Turkey hosted 3.7 million refugees, the largest refugee population worldwide. Colombia was second with 2.5 million and Germany third with 2.2 million refugees, followed by Pakistan and Uganda (1.5 million each).

d)      The UNHCR report also showed that the number of asylum-seekers waiting for a decision had climbed to 4.9 million by mid-2022 from 4.6 million at the end of 2021.

e)      In the first half of this year, more than 9.6 million new displacements due to conflict and violence were reported. The vast majority were in Ukraine, which accounted for 74 per cent of all new internal displacements.

About UNHCR: The UNHCR, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, is a UN programme mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country.

Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

 

2. India’s Defence Ministry Is World’s Biggest Employer: ‘Statista’ report: India’s Ministry of Defence is the world’s biggest employer with 2.92 million people, which includes combined active service personnel, reservists and civilian staff, according to a report in ‘Statista’. A touch ahead of the United States equivalent, the Department of Defense.

The World Scenario: A close second to the Indian Defence Ministry is the US Department of Defense which employs 2.91 million people, according to the Statista infographic on employers with the largest workforces worldwide in 2022.

In China, the People’s Liberation Army, which doesn’t include civilian positions, employs around 2.5 million people, the Hamburg-based firm specializing in market and consumer data said.

Other Findings: According to the report, no company in the world has more employees than Walmart. “The latest information from the US retail giant put the figure at a massive 2.3 million. Not even the behemoth that is Amazon comes close, despite being in second place with a 1.6 million-strong workforce,” cites Statista.

About Statista: Statista is a Germany-based private organisation that provides data and statistics about various issues worldwide.

 

3. WHO Global TB Report 2022: The WHO released the Global TB Report 2022. The Report notes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, treatment, and burden of disease for TB all over the world. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken note of the WHO Global TB Report 2022 and clarified that India has performed far better on major metrics as compared to other countries over time. Key Findings of The Report:

a)      Over 10.6 million people fell ill because of tuberculosis in 2021. This is a 4.5 per cent increase when compared with 2020 figures.

b)      6 million people have lost their lives to tuberculosis. Of these, 187,000 are HIV patients.

c)       The burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) has risen by 3 per cent between 2020 and 2021. Last year, 450 000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) were recorded.

d)      COVID-19 pandemic and the on-going conflicts in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East are disrupting TB responses across the world. Due to challenges related to accessibility to essential TB services, many people with tuberculosis have not been diagnosed and treated.

e)      According to the report, the number of reported cases of TB fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020. The situation improved in 2021, with 6.4 million people reporting TB.

TB & India’s Performance:

a)      With 28% cases, India was among the eight countries accounting for more than two-third (68.3%) of the total TB patients’ count. The other countries were Indonesia (9.2% cases), China (7.4%), the Philippines (7%), Pakistan (5.8%), Nigeria (4.4%), Bangladesh (3.6%) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2.9%).

b)      India accounted for 36% of the global TB related deaths among HIV negative people.

c)       India was among the three countries (along with Indonesia and the Philippines) that accounted for most of the reduction in 2020 (67% of the global) and made partial recoveries in 2021.

d)      India’s TB incidence for the year 2021 is 210 per 100,000 population – compared to the baseline year of 2015 (which was 256 per 100,000 population).

e)      There has been an 18% decline (7 percentage points); better than the global average of 11% placing India at the 36th position in terms of incidence rates.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Formula-1 racing: Max Verstappen won Mexican Formula 1 GP 2022: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen finished in first place at the Mexican Grand Prix 2022 to claim his record-setting 14th win of the season. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished second and third respectively. Verstappen 14th victory of the season sees him pass Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for the most race wins in a single season in Formula One history. Verstappen is now the most successful driver in the history of the Mexican GP, having secured his fourth title. It was the 34th race win of his career & 14th win of the 2022 season.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. RIL Becomes First Indian Company to Post Earnings Call on Metaverse: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) posted the proceedings of its Q2 FY 2022-23 earnings call on the metaverse. This is the first time in the history of corporate India that a company has used metaverse to engage with its stakeholders. The RIL metaverse was produced in partnership with GMetri, a no-code metaverse creation platform. One doesn’t need to wear an AR/VR headgear to access it. Using it, analysts across the world tracking the company can toggle with slides and graphics placed on different screens as per the multiple buckets in the results presentation. They can also download the RIL Q2 22-23 media release and the transcript of the media and analyst call in PDF formats. The RIL metaverse also has a special section comprising quotations from RIL Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani.

Metaverse: Metaverse is a combination of the words ‘meta’ and ‘universe’. ‘Meta’ means ‘Beyond’. So metaverse is a universe that is beyond the universe as we know it. It exists in the virtual realm but feels just as real. Everything That need to know:

a)      Metaverse will include elements from both physical and virtual worlds.

b)      Nobody owns the metaverse like how nobody owns the internet. It is an open platform.

c)       A metaverse is a form of mixed reality i.e. a combination of augmented and virtual reality.

d)      Metaverse will support 3-D virtual spaces. 3D spaces in the virtual world will let you socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.

e)      Metaverse is expected to expand the internet to combine digital spaces like online gaming, social media, cryptocurrency, virtual reality, and augmented reality.

 

2. BPCL recognised as country’s most sustainable oil & gas company: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company has once again achieved the No.1 rank in the Indian oil and gas sector for its sustainability performance in the 2022 edition of the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) rankings. This is the 3rd consecutive year that BPCL is at the top of the DJSI Indices in India having achieved a score of 65 percentage points, against an industry average score of 31 which is far better than last year’s score of 59 against an industry average score of 39 on DJSI platform. Key Points:

a)      BPCL is creating a vibrant ecosystem for green energy transition and realize its aspirations for achieving Net-Zero emissions.

b)      BPCL is proactively taking various initiatives in implementing low-carbon product technologies such as 1G & 2G Bioethanol, Compressed Biogas, Biodiesel, EV charging corridor, Rainwater Harvesting, Addition of plantation using Miyawaki and seed bombing techniques, Solarization of 50 per cent retail outlets by 2025 and increase in renewable energy portfolio with target additions to reach 1 Gigawatt (GW) by 2025, and 10 GW by 2040 Etc.

Note: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Chairman: Arun Kumar Singh; Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Headquarters: Mumbai; Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Founded: 1952.

 

Awards and Honours

 

1. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina confers ‘Friends of Liberation War’ honour on Edward M Kennedy: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conferred the prestigious ‘Friends of Liberation War’ honour on former US Senator Edward M Kennedy posthumously in Dhaka for his contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh. The honour was handed over to his son Edward M Ted Kennedy Junior. Honour is given to Edward M Kennedy:

a)      Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recalled the great contribution of Edward Kennedy Senior with gratitude. She said that Kennedy Senior took a bold stand against the genocide committed by Pakistan on innocent Bengali people despite the US government’s role during the 1971 liberation war.

b)      Recalling the strong opposition mounted by Kennedy Senior against the US government policy of supplying arms to Pakistan, Prime Minister Hasina said that Kennedy worked hard to stop US military and economic aid to Pakistan till the end of the war. She recalled that Kennedy visited the refugee camps in West Bengal where a large number of people from the then East Pakistan had fled to escape from Pakistan army brutality.

 

2. 63 officers awarded with ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal’: 63 police officers from Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, and Jammu & Kashmir have been awarded the ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal’ for the year 2022. The award was given by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for four special operations conducted by them in areas of terrorism, border actions, arms control, prevention of narcotics smuggling, and rescue operations. Key Points:

a)      The medals were awarded at the ‘Run For Unity’ event to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

b)      The ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal‘ was constituted in 2018.

c)       It is conferred to state and union territory police forces, central police organizations, central armed police forces, and security organizations throughout India.

d)      The objective of the ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal’ is to recognize those operations, which have a high degree of planning, and high significance for the security of the country/state/UT.