NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Amit
Shah inaugurates ‘Gatha Swaraj Ki’ gallery in Scindia Museum, Gwalior: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated a gallery-cum-exhibition
depicting the history of prominent Maratha commanders at the sprawling Jai
Vilas Mahal of Scindias, the erstwhile rulers of Gwalior. Shah was in Gwalior
to lay the foundation for the terminal building and expansion of the Rajmata
Vijayaraje Scindia Airport. Shah visited the museum in the palace and
inaugurated the ‘Gatha Swaraj ki-Maratha Gallery’ depicting the history of the
main Maratha rulers including the Scindias, Gaikwads, Holkars, Nevalkars,
Bhosales and the Pawar.
About the
Jai Vilas Palace: Jai Vilas Palace was built in 1874 by Jayajirao
Scindia, the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior in the British
period. The major portion of the palace is now called the “Jiwajirao Scindia
Museum”. A large portion of the palace is still the residence of some of his
descendants including Jyotiraditya Scindia.
2. India
Stands 3rd in the World in Terms of Fish Production: Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Dr.
L Murugan has recently said that India stands third in the world in terms of
fish production. India is the 3rd largest fish producing and 2nd largest
aquaculture nation in the world after China. He said, India stands third in the
world in terms of fish production. Making specific reference to Karnataka, the
Union Minister said that 734.77 crore rupees was allocated to the state under
the flagship scheme of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) from
2020-21 till date for the development of infrastructure facilities. Pradhan
Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY):
a) The vision is to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and
responsible development of fisheries sector.
b) The main motto of PMMSY is ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’in the fisheries
sector. Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and
Dairying is the implementing agency.
c) The PMMSY is an umbrella scheme with two separate components – Central
Sector Scheme and Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
3. Times Higher Education Rankings
2023: IISc tops among Indian Universities: Times Higher Education Rankings
2023 has been announced. This year, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
has secured the top place among Indian universities. Five Indian universities
made it into the world’s top 500 varsities. IISc has been placed under the
251-300 bracket. The complete list of the top 10 Indian Universities is
enlisted below.
In total, 22 Indian universities made it
below rank 800 – three of which were debutant entries. DTU, Graphic Era
University, IIT Indore, IIIT, Delhi, Jamia Hamdard University, JNU,
Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, and KIIT University also have
been put under the 601-800 bracket. Top 10 Indian universities:
|
Bracket |
Name of the Institute |
|
251-300 |
IISc |
|
351-400 |
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research |
|
351-400 |
Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences |
|
401-500 |
Alagappa University |
|
401-500 |
Mahatma Gandhi University |
|
501-600 |
IIT Ropar |
|
501-600 |
International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad |
|
501-600 |
Jamia Millia Islamia |
|
501-600 |
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences |
|
601-800 |
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) |
Globally: Globally, the
University of Oxford continued to retain the top spot for the seventh
consecutive year, while the University of Cambridge jumped to joint third from
joint fifth last year. The US is the most-represented country overall with 177
institutions in the overall ranking list. A record number of 1,799 universities
from 104 countries and regions are ranked, 137 more than last year. The number
of US universities represented in the top 100 continues to fall, from a peak of
43 in 2018 to 34 this year.
4.
Justice DY Chandrachud named as 50th Chief Justice of India: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr Justice DY Chandrachud as the
new Chief Justice of India. He will succeed the present Chief Justice of India
Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. Justice Chandrachud’s appointment will come into
effect from the 9th of next month. Justice DY Chandrachud would be the 50th
Chief Justice of India. While Justice Lalit has a tenure of 74 days, Justice
Chandrachud will serve as the CJI for two years. Justice Chandrachud will demit
office on November 10, 2024.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. NATO
announced its annual nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon”: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also called the North
Atlantic Alliance announced had started its annual nuclear exercise code-named
“Steadfast Noon”. The week-long exercise is taking place over Southern Europe
and involves aircraft and personnel from 14 NATO countries. Steadfast Noon
involves training flights with dual-capable fighter jets, as well as
conventional jets, backed by surveillance and refuelling aircraft. No live weapons
are used. This exercise helps to ensure that NATO’s nuclear deterrent remains
safe, secure and effective.
Notably: Steadfast Noon, as the exercise is known, runs from October 17 to
October 30 and will involve 14 countries and up to 60 aircraft of various
types, including fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets, as well as
surveillance and tanker aircraft. Key Points:
a) As in previous years, US Air Force B-52 long-range bombers will take
part. This year, they will fly from Minot Air Base in North Dakota. Training
flights will take place over Belgium, which is hosting the exercise, as well as
over the North Sea and the United Kingdom.
b) The nuclear bases in southern Europe have received several upgrades
during the past few years. This includes adding additional security perimeters
to strengthen the protection of the nuclear weapons stored at the bases. Two of
these bases – Aviano in northeast Italy and Incirlik in southern Turkey, were
upgraded over the past five years.
c) The second nuclear base in Italy – Ghedi near Brescia – that might be
part of Italy’s hosting of this year’s Steadfast Noon exercise, is currently
undergoing several important nuclear weapons-related modernizations that are
intended to serve the NATO nuclear strike mission for years.
2. Global Hunger Index 2022: India
ranks 107th out of 121 countries: India ranks 107 out of 121 countries on
the Global Hunger Index in which it fares worse than all countries in South
Asia barring war-torn Afghanistan. India’s score of 29.1 places it in the
‘serious’ category. India also ranks below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81),
Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99). Afghanistan (109) is the only country in
South Asia that performs worse than India on the index.
China is among the countries collectively
ranked between 1 and 17 having a score of less than five. India’s child wasting
rate (low weight for height), at 19.3%, is worse than the levels recorded in
2014 (15.1%) and even 2000 (17.15%) and is the highest for any country in the
world and drives up the region’s average owing to India’s large population.
3. World
Osteoporosis Day: 20th October: World
osteoporosis day is a global healthcare event observed every year on 20
October. The day is observed to promote the early diagnosis of osteoporosis,
its treatment and preventive tips for strong bones. The campaigns are mainly
focused on encouraging people to take preventative measures for their bone
health to avoid any risk of osteoporosis and associated complications in the
future. This year 2022, the World Osteoporosis Day theme is “Step Up For Bone
Health”, intending to encourage people around the world to check for bone
density and bone health status regularly (especially people above 50) and
inculcate healthy lifestyle to strengthen the bone health.
World
Osteoporosis Day History: The first occurrence of
World Osteoporosis Day was noticed on October 20, 1996, held by the United
Kingdom’s National Osteoporosis Society with the collaboration of the European
Commission. Later on, in 1997 International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF)
organized World Osteoporosis Day (WOD).
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which bones become very weak
and brittle. In the case of osteoporosis, the bone becomes so fragile that a
fracture can occur with a minor fall, bump or sudden movement.
Note:
International Osteoporosis Foundation Headquarters location: Nyon, Switzerland;
International Osteoporosis Foundation Founded: 1998; International Osteoporosis
Foundation President: Prof. Cyrus Cooper.
4. World
Statistics Day: 20th October: World
Statistics Day 2022 is celebrated annually on October 20th to recognize the
importance of statistics in our daily lives. The United Nations Statistical
Commission has been at the forefront of advocating for the use of statistics to
track progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme of
Statistics Day, 2022 is “Data for Sustainable Development”.
History
of World Statistics Day: The United Nations
Statistical Commission proposed celebrating 20 October 2010 as World Statistics
Day. The General Assembly adopted on 3 June 2010 resolution 64/267, which
officially designated 20 October 2010 as the first-ever World Statistics Day
under the general theme “Celebrating the many achievements of official
statistics. In 2015, with resolution 96/282, the General Assembly decided to
designate 20 October 2015 as the second World Statistics Day under the general
theme “Better data, better lives,” as well as to celebrate World Statistics Day
every five years on 20 October.
Note: United
Nations Statistical CommissionFounded: 1947; United Nations Statistical
Commission Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council;
United Nations Statistical Commission Chair: Shigeru Kawasaki (Japan).
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Women
Asia Cup 2022: Indian Women’s Team Beats Sri Lanka by 8 Wickets: India defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the finals of the Women’s Asia
Cup 2022. India has bagged the position for the 7th time. Sri Lanka won the
toss and opted to bat first. Sri Lanka made 65 runs in 20 overs losing 10
wickets. India chased the target in 8.3 overs making 71 runs with a loss of
only 2 wickets. Smriti Mandhana made 51 runs not out in 25 balls. Renuka Singh
Thakur claimed three wickets against Sri Lanka while Rajeshwari Gayakwad and
Sneh Rana claimed two wickets each. The final match of India vs Sri Lanka Asia
Cup 2022 took place in Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet.
2. ICC
tie-up with UNICEF to promote gender equality: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and UNICEF have launched a
global partnership to empower women and girls and promote inclusion and gender
equality through cricket. The initiatives to drive greater gender equity along
with advocacy campaigns involving some of the world`s best players will form
the basis of the partnership, which aims to mobilise the “power of cricket to
driving positive social change”. Key Points:
a) UNICEF and ICC will also launch `Criiio 4 Good`, a
cricket-for-development curriculum giving girls and boys the opportunity to
have a fun first experience of the game whilst learning gender-based
life-skills essential for gender equity.
b) The Criiio 4 Good programme will be an eight-week lesson plan on the
fundamentals of batting, bowling and fielding. Each lesson plan has a
life-skill module attached to teach participants core life skills that will
promote greater gender equity.
c) These skills include leadership, problem-solving, self-esteem, negotiation,
empathy, decision-making, teamwork and goal-setting.
d) The ICC will also use its global platform to drive greater awareness of
the importance of empowering women and girls and gender equity, giving some of
the world`s best players the opportunity to get involved in driving greater
social change.
Note: ICC
Founded: 15 June 1909; ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay; ICC CEO: Geoff Allardice; ICC
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
UNICEF Founded:
1946; UNICEF Headquarters: New York City, USA; UNICEF Director General:
Catherine M. Russell; UNICEF Membership: 192.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Bandhan
Bank ropes in Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador: Bandhan Bank has announced that it has roped in Sourav Ganguly as it’s
Brand Ambassador. Sourav Ganguly will help amplify the brand message of the
Bank and endorse the products and services of the Bank. Ganguly led the
transformation of the Indian cricket team in the early 2000s, just like Bandhan
led the transformation of not-so-privileged households in rural and semi-urban
India. Both are iconic brands that have origins in Eastern India.
Another
appointment: The Indian Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara,
has been roped in by the fantasy sports platform, Fantasy Dangal, as its brand
ambassador. In this development, Pujara will be seen in forthcoming campaigns
of Fantasy Dangal and promote the platform.
Note: Bandhan
Bank Founded: 2001; Bandhan Bank CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh; Bandhan Bank
Headquarters: Kolkata.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. India’s
WPI inflation falls to 10.7% in Sep from 12.41% in Aug: India’s WPI inflation falls to 10.7% in Sep: Inflation based on the
Wholesale Price Index(WPI) decreased to 10.70% in September. According to
official figures, the WPI-based inflation rate was 12.41% in August. High-speed
diesel (HSD) saw the highest inflation rate at 65.96%. (YoY). It was followed
by price increases of 44.72 percent for crude oil and natural gas and 49.79
percent for potatoes.
Key
Points:
a) Only the category of fuel and power experienced an increase in inflation
month over month (MoM). The prices fell in all the others.
b) Inflation was also down in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) Food Index.
c) The index for this important group dropped from 178.6 (provisional) for
the month of August 2022 to 176.2 (provisional) in September 2022, a (-1.34%)
decrease.
d) When compared to August 2022, food item prices rose by 0.28 percent in
September 2022.
e) In September 2022 compared to August 2022, prices for non-food items
dropped by 3.60 percent, crude oil and natural gas prices dropped by 6.38
percent, and the price of minerals dropped by 6.45 percent.
2. Piyush
Goyal: India to achieve USD 2 trillion export target by 2030: Piyush Goyal, the minister of commerce and industry, expressed
confidence that the nation will reach its goal of 2 trillion USD in products
and services exported by 2030. The Union Commerce and Industry minister was
addressing at the Chennai-based Exporters Conclave.
Piyush
Goyal Predicts the Growth of Economy and Exports:
a) Piyush Goyal stressed the need of maintaining the export momentum and
expressed his confidence that Indian exports will be able to weather the global
challenges and will far outpace export growth.
b) Piyush Goyal predicted that the nation’s economy will reach USD 30
trillion by 2047, with exports accounting for 25% of total output.
c) He predicted that India’s exports will reach USD 2 trillion by 2030.
d) The government has promised to resolve the problems brought up by the
industry participants.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. YSR
Lifetime Achievement Awards recipient announced: The State Formation Day, November 1, will mark the presentation of the
YSR Lifetime Achievement and YSR Achievement-2022 Awards, according to the
State government. The Dr. YSR Achievement Award comes with a cash award of Rs.
5 lakh, a souvenir, and a commendation letter, while the Dr. YSR Lifetime
Achievement Award comes with a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh, a bronze figurine of
Dr. YSR, and these items. YSR lifetime achievement awards recipient:
Recipients
a) Mouktika, representing the Amrutha Phala Producers Company, Sabbavaram,
Anakapalle district; and Kattaman will receive the YSR Achievement Awards in
Agriculture.
b) The recipients of the YSR Lifetime Achievement Awards in Fine Arts and
Culture are veteran film director K. Viswanath and veteran actor and director
R. Narayana Murthy.
c) Stage artist Nayudu Gopi, kalamkari saviour Pitchuka Srinivas, and Shaik
Gousia Begum from Udayagiri received YSR Achievement Awards in Fine Arts and
Culture for their contributions to the development of wooden kitchen utensils.
d) The recipients of the YSR Lifetime Achievement Awards in Literature are
Visalandhra Publishing House, Emesco Publishing House, and author Dr. Santi
Narayana.
e) The Siireesha Rehabilitation Center in Vuyyuru and Sunita Krishnan of
the Prajwala Foundation have been recognised with the YSR Lifetime Achievement
Awards in women’s empowerment and safety.
f)
Five Disha police officers—Ravada Jayanti, S.V.V.
Lakshminarayana, Rayudu Subrahmanyam, Hajtraiah, and P. Srinivasulu—have
received joint YSR Achievement Awards.
g) The recipients of the YSR Achievement Awards in Education include the
Rishi Valley Educational Institution in Madanapalli, the Jawahar Bharati
Educational Institution in Kavali, and personality development trainers B.V.
Pattabhira and Dastagiri Reddy from Nandyala who trained thousands of
applicants for bank jobs.
h) The recipients of the YSR Lifetime Achievement Awards in Journalism are
M.E.V. Prasada Reddy, Satish Chandra, Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao, and Mangu
Rajagopal.
i)
The recipients of the YSR Lifetime Achievement
Awards in Medical and Health are B. Nageswara Reddy of the Asian Institute of
Gastroenterology, Varaprasada Reddy of Shanta Biotech, Krishna Yella and
Suchitra Yella of Bharat Biotech, Pratap C. Reddy, founder-chairman of Apollo
Hospitals, and Gullapalli Nageswara Rao from LV Prasad Eye Institute.
2. Telangana’s
Hyderabad honoured with AIPH ‘World Green City award 2022’: The city of Hyderabad, Telangana, has been honoured as the Grand winner
of the AIPH (International Association of Horticultural Producers) World Green
City Awards 2022, the most prestigious award of the Inaugural AIPH World Green
City awards (2022 edition), for its initiative titled “Green Garland to the
State of Telangana”. Hyderabad also won the award under the ‘Living Green for
Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth’ category.
Hyderabad has
been awarded for its initiatives relying on greater use of plants and nature to
create better city environments and helps fulfil local aspirations for improved
economic, social and environmental resilience. The award acknowledged
Telangana’s programme of ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haram’s largescale
treeplanting program taken up from 2015-2016.
The program aims
to increase the tree cover of the state from 24% to 33% of total area of the
state. Other Awards: 6 Category-wise winners:
|
Category |
Winners |
|
Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth |
Green Garland to the State of Telangana, City of Hyderabad, India |
|
Living Green for Biodiversity |
Reverdecer Bogotá, Bogota D.C, Colombia |
|
Living Green for Climate Change |
Mexico City’s Environmental and Climate Change Program, Mexico City,
Mexico |
|
Living Green for Health and Wellbeing |
Transforming degraded land into Urban Micro Parks, City of Fortaleza,
Brazil |
|
Living Green for Water |
The Phytotechnology Stations at the Montréal Botanical Garden / Space
for Life, City of Montreal, Canada |
|
Living Green for Social Cohesion |
OASIS Schoolyard Project, City of Paris, France |
