NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Centre extends AFSPA in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for further 6 months: The Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, has been applied to 12 districts in Nagaland
and Arunachal Pradesh for an additional six months, according to the federal
government. In order to aid the military forces in carrying out the
anti-insurgency operations, it has also been expanded in some areas of five
more districts of the two northeastern states. Key Points:
a)
The
AFSPA will be extended for six months starting in nine districts of Nagaland:
Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Zunheboto.
b)
The
AFSPA will be also extended for six months starting in 16 police station areas
in four additional districts: Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, and Wokha.
c)
This
was announced in a notification by the Home Ministry.
d)
On
March 31, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur
would no longer use the AFSPA as of April 1.
About AFSPA: The Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), passed by the Indian Parliament in 1958, gives
the Indian Armed Forces special authority to uphold law and order in disturbed
areas. The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act of 1976 states that once an
area is designated as “disturbed,” it must remain that way for at least six
months. One such law, which was passed on September 11, 1958, applied to the
Naga Hills, which were then a part of Assam. It gradually expanded to the other
Seven Sister States in northeastern India during the next decades.
2.
Telangana government hikes ST reservation 6% to 10%: The Telangana
government issued an order to increase the reservation for the Scheduled Tribe
communities from 6 percent to 10 percent. The order issued by the Tribal
Welfare Department informed that the enhanced reservations would apply in the
educational institutions and to services under the state government with
immediate effect. Key Points:
a)
In
2017, the Telangana Assembly passed a bill enhancing the reservation of the ST
population to 10 percent. In the same year, the bill was sent to the Government
of India for the assent of the President. After six years it was still pending
despite several representations from the state government.
b)
The
state government ordered to enhance the reservation to be brought to force with
immediate effect.
c)
The
latest order has increased the reservation for various sections in the state up
to 54 percent.
d)
Chief
Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced the increase of the ST Quota to 10
percent.
e)
The
reservation report, highlights the fact that the ST population has risen more
compared to others since 1986 when 6 percent reservation was announced.
3.
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra topped destinations for foreign tourists 2021: As per a report
by Union Tourism Ministry, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had the highest numbers
of foreign tourist visits, with 1.26 million and 1.23 million, respectively in
2021. The over 280-page report titled ‘India Tourism Statistics 2022’ was
released by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on World Tourism Day at Vigyan
Bhawan in New Delhi. India received 677.63 million domestic tourist visits in
2021, an increase of 11.05 per cent from 610.22 million in 2020, the report
said.
Some key points in the report:
a)
The
report said due to restrictions related to COVID-19, “the number of foreign
tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2021 decreased to 1.52 million as
compared to 2.74 million in 2020, registering a negative growth of 44.5 per
cent”.
b)
The
total number of foreign visitors for 2021-22 was 3,18,673, declining 23.4 per
cent on year from 4,15,859 in 2020-21, according to the data.
c)
Sharing
data about the footfall at various sites under the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI), the report said the Taj Mahal was the most popular
centrally-protected ticketed monument for domestic visitors in 2021-22, while
the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu was the most visited
centrally-protected ticketed monument for foreign visitors during the same
period.
d)
The
two states with the most domestic tourists visiting are Tamil Nadu and Uttar
Pradesh with 140.65 million and 86.12 million, respectively.
e)
The
Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site, was among the 10 most popular
centrally-protected ticketed monuments for domestic visitors in 2021-22,
according to the report.
f)
While
the Mughal-era mausoleum ranked first, the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar, both
UNESCO-recognised sites in Delhi, were the second and third most visited sites,
respectively, for the period.
4.
Shashi Tharoor explores different strands of Ambedkar’s life: Shashi Tharoor, a
congress leader announced to write a biography of BR Ambedkar next month. The
book will be published by Aleph and it will provide insights into the legendary
leader’s life and times.
Key Points: The book will show the leader’s
disputes with the legendary politicians and freedom fighters, namely,
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. The book will be known as “Ambedkar: A
Life”. Shashi Tharoor claims to answer the question of whether Ambedkar was the
greatest Indian of modern times or not through the book. The book will
emphasize the “Humiliation and hurdles” faced by Ambedkar to overcome in
society.
5. Sunil Barthwal
take charges as Secretary in Department of Commerce: Senior IAS officer, Sunil
Barthwal assumed charge as the commerce secretary. Barthwal, a 1989-batch
officer of the Bihar cadre, previously served as the labour and employment
secretary. He replaced Subrahmanyam, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the
Chhattisgarh cadre, who was appointed as chairman and managing director, of the
India Trade Promotion Organisation on a contract basis for a period of two
years following his superannuation.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Vladimir Putin Declares Annexation of 4 Ukrainian Regions by Russia: Vladimir Putin
has declared the Annexaton of 4 Ukrainian regions by Russia namely Donetsk,
Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. The West has denounced the annexation of
occupied Ukrainian territory by Russia as an illegitimate land grab after
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties. The president of Ukraine,
Zelenskyy responded by unexpectedly submitting an application to join the NATO
armed alliance. Vladimir Putin ‘s action and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s
signature of what he called an expedited NATO membership application sent the
two leaders hurtling toward each other, raising the possibility of a full-scale
battle between Russia and the West. Key Points:
a)
At
a Kremlin signing ceremony, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his warning to use “all
possible means” to safeguard the recently acquired parts of Ukraine.
b)
Vladimir
Putin again raged angrily against the West, charging that the United States and
its allies wanted to destroy Russia.
c)
Zelenskyy
then organised his own signing ceremony in Kyiv and made a video of him signing
what he claimed to be a legitimate application for NATO membership.
d)
Vladimir
Putin has made it quite obvious that any possibility of Ukraine joining the
military alliance is one of his red lines and has used it as justification for
his invasion, which has been going on for eight months and is the largest land
conflict in Europe since World War II.
2. Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 1st to 31st
October: Every year Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM)
is observed in the month of October, from 01 to 31. The annual international
health campaign aims to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds
for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The
pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. An annual
campaign to raise awareness of this complex disease and fund research into its
causes, treatment, and cure. Since 1985, individuals, businesses, and
communities have come together every October to show their support for the many
people affected by breast cancer.
Breast
Cancer Awareness Month History: Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, held in October every year, was created in 1985, and founded
by the American Cancer Society and the Imperial Chemical Industries
Pharmaceuticals (later part of AstraZeneca).
3. World Teachers’ Day: 5th October: World Teachers’ Day or International Teachers’ Day is observed every
year on October 5. This is a day to celebrate, thank and honour teachers for
their contributions to their students. On this day, many also come together and
organise meetings, conferences and such to identify problems being faced by
teachers of the country as well as globally and find solutions to those issues.
This year marks the 28th anniversary of World Teachers’ Day and the theme is
“The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers”.
World
Teachers’ Day History: Set up in 1994 after the UNESCO Recommendation
concerning teachers, the day celebrates the marking of “teaching in freedom” in
1996. October 5 was proclaimed as World Teachers’ Day by UNESCO in 1994, with
the aim of honouring the adoption of UNESCO/ILO Recommendation. After the
adoption of this recommendation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared October 5 to be World Teachers’ Day.
World Teachers’ Day acknowledges the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966
International Labour Organization (ILO)/United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (Unesco) recommendation concerning the status of
teachers. The recommendation concerning the status of higher education teaching
personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 recommendation.
Note:
Director-General International Labour Organization (ILO): Gilbert Houngbo;
International Labour Organisation Founded: 1919; International Labour
Organisation Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Airtel Payments Bank rolling out 1.5 lakh micro
ATMs this fiscal: Airtel Payments Bank has started rolling out 1.5
lakh micro ATMs in a phased manner across tier 2 cities and semi-urban regions
to facilitate cash withdrawal for its customers. The Bank will gradually expand
its service to cover more banking points in a phased manner. The bank will
leverage its strong network of over 5 lakh banking points across India to give
users access to easy cash withdrawals through this initiative, it added. The
company has plans to finish the rollout of 1.5 lakh micro ATMs by the end of
the current fiscal. Airtel Payments Bank is now integrated with the National
Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) – National Financial Switch (NFS) to
facilitate micro ATM transactions. Benefits of Micro ATMs:
a) Airtel Payments Bank customers will be able to withdraw up to Rs 10,000
per transaction through the Micro ATMs.
b) The micro ATMs will be handled by Banking Correspondents (BCs) who will
initiate the transaction by entering the withdrawal amount.
c) The customer will then insert their debit card into the device and enter
the PIN to confirm the transaction.
d) The BC will authorise the transaction by entering their MPIN to complete
the transaction.
Note: Airtel
Payments Bank Founded: January 2017; Airtel Payments Bank Headquarters: New
Delhi; Airtel Payments Bank Managing Director & CEO: Anubrata Biswas.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Amazon launches ‘AmazeWIT Circles’ to upskill
women in technology: Amazon India has launched ‘AmazeWIT Circles’, to
reiterate its commitment to upskilling and providing meaningful career
opportunities to women in the technology space. The ‘AmazeWIT Circles’ is a
dedicated networking event to educate women and make them industry ready for
careers in technology. The ‘AmazeWIT Circles’ is curated for tenured Software
Development Engineers and is led by technology leaders at Amazon who cover
topics relevant to technical upliftment and sustained career development. Key
Points:
a) The ‘AmazeWIT Circles’ is a cohort-based connect that helps women to
refine their skills and address the challenges faced by working women.
b) The ‘AmazeWIT Circles’ program includes leadership sessions from
technical experts at Amazon and women leaders.
c) The program focuses on topics ranging from data structures, coding,
algorithms, and more.
d) Women will also women Amazonians to emulate and carry forward in their
careers.
2. Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani listed on
Time’s 100 Emerging Leaders’: Reliance Jio
Chairman Akash Ambani, son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has been named by TIME
magazine in the TIME100 Next list that recognises “rising stars from across
industries and around the world. Significantly, he is the only Indian to be
featured on the list this year. However, there is another Indian-born American
business leader, subscription social platform OnlyFans’ Indian-origin CEO
Amrapali Gan, on the list as well.
Other
listed persons: The list highlights 100 emerging leaders who are
shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health,
science and activism, Time said. The list also features the likes of American
singer SZA, actress Sydney Sweeney, basketball player Ja Morant, Spanish tennis
player Carlos Alcaraz, actor and television personality Keke Palmer, and environment
activist Farwiza Farhan.
3. Top 25 startups in India listed by LinkedIn: The world’s largest online professional network, LinkedIn has released
its 2022 LinkedIn Top Startups List for India, revealing the top 25 startups
that have shown resilience in an uncertain market environment, and are
continuing to innovate in 2022. To compile this year’s list, LinkedIn looked at
platform data from July 2021 to June 2022 across four pillars: employee growth;
jobseeker interest; member engagement within the company and its employees; and
how well these startups pulled talent from its flagship LinkedIn Top Companies
list. Key Points:
a) Topping this year’s list is the unified payment interface CRED (#1).
Valued at $6.4 billion, this young startup maintained its podium position on
the LinkedIn Top Startups list, moving from #3 in 2021 to #1 in 2022.
b) The next highest placing businesses on the list include upGrad (#2), one
of India’s largest online higher education companies that curates vast
upskilling opportunities for professionals and college students, followed by
Groww (#3), an online investment platform that provides an objective evaluation
of various investment opportunities through stocks and mutual funds.
Here’s a list of
the 25 companies that made it to the LinkedIn Top Startups 2022 India list, in
order of ranking:
|
Sr. No. |
Company |
Sr. No. |
Company |
|
|
1 |
CRED |
13 |
Simpl |
|
|
2 |
upGrad |
14 |
Rapido |
|
|
3 |
Groww |
15 |
Classplus |
|
|
4 |
Zepto |
16 |
Park+ |
|
|
5 |
Skyroot Aerospace |
17 |
BlissClub |
|
|
6 |
MBA Chai Wala |
18 |
DealShare |
|
|
7 |
Spinny |
19 |
Ultrahuman |
|
|
8 |
The Good Glamm Group |
20 |
Living Food |
|
|
9 |
GrowthSchool |
21 |
FamPay |
|
|
10 |
BluSmart |
22 |
AgniKul Cosmos |
|
|
11 |
ShareChat |
23 |
Stanza Living |
|
|
12 |
Ditto Insurance |
24 |
Pocket FM |
|
|
25 |
Zypp Electric |
DEFENCE
1.
Domestically built LCH Prachanda officially introduced in the IAF by Raksha
Mantri:
At a ceremony conducted at Air Force Station, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Defence
Minister (Raksha Mantri) Rajnath Singh officially admitted the locally produced
Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) Prachanda into the Indian Air Force (IAF). LCH
would join the 143 Helicopter Unit after being inducted. Prachanda is the name
given to LCH. Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri stated
that the addition of Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) not only strengthens the
Air Force’s combat capabilities but also represents a significant step towards
the achievement of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Key Points:
a)
LCH
is a product of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). It is a cutting-edge
contemporary combat helicopter that was particularly created for use in
high-altitude environments.
b)
The
Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) assault helicopter is the only one in the world
that can land and take off at 5,000 metres while carrying a sizable load of
ammunition and fuel.
c)
Two
Shakti engines power this helicopter, which also has crash-worthy landing gear,
stealth characteristics, all-weather combat capabilities, armour protection,
and night assault capabilities.
d) Due to its thin fuselage and tandem cockpit design, Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) is incredibly nimble and manoeuvrable. Its stealth characteristics, such as a small radar cross section and a low infrared signature, enable it to sneak behind enemy lines and launch a targeted strike.
