Latest Current Affairs For Friday 29th October, 2021

Current Affairs in One Minute

1-China successfully launched a new satellite to test and verify space debris mitigation technologies. It was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province. 

2-Indian-American policy expert Neera Tanden, a close confidant of US President Joe Biden, has been named White House staff secretary, eight months after Republican lawmakers scuttled her nomination to another key post. 

3-Home Minister Amit Shah has announced roadmap for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. 

4-Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the inaugural Srinagar-Sharjah flight from the Sheikh Ul-Alam international airport, reviving the direct airlink between the valley and the UAE after 11 years. 

5-With the birth of first IVF calf of a Buffalo breed namely Banni in the country, India’s OPU - IVF work has reached to next level. 

6-Governor of Bihar, Phagu Chauhan felicitated the winners of IndiaSkills 2021 Regional Competition - East at Bapu Sabhaghar, Patna and awarded each of them a cash prize of Rs 21,000 along with a gold medal. 

7-The Jharkhand government plans to develop a new industrial corridor spread over 500 acres along the highway connecting Govindpur to Sahibganj in the city of Dhanbad. 

8-The Yogi Adityanath government decided to rechristen Faizabad junction as Ayodhya Cantt. 

9-The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that the Delta variant sub-lineage (Delta AY.4.2) was designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) on October 20, and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01. 

10-The Pilot Project on skilling of Design/ Commissioning technical personnel associated with application of geo-textiles in infrastructure projects (roads. highways, railways, water resources) has been approved by the Ministry of Textiles. 

SC appoints Panel to Probe Pegasus Use in India

Supreme Court has appointed three-member committee to look into allegations of unauthorized surveillance using Pegasus, a spyware developed by Israeli firm NSO Group.

Committee members: Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Prabaharan P, Ashwin Anil Gumaste.

It will be supervised by retired judge Justice R V Raveendran.

Justice Raveendran was part of the R M Lodha Committee appointed by the SC in 2015 to reform the BCCI.

Raksha Rajya Mantri flags off NIMAS multidimensional adventure sports

Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhatt has flagged off upcoming National Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports (NIMAS) multidimensional adventure sports expedition to Europe.

NIMAS will conduct this expedition in Chamonix, France in November 2021, which is considered the adventure capital of Europe.

Locations for expedition are: Alps Mountains; Chamonix; Normandy, English Channel. 

There will be hoisting/unfurling/displaying of Tricolour during in all these activities. 

Ministry of Education notifies Four Year ITEP from 2022-23

Ministry of Education has notified Four Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP).

It is a dual-major holistic bachelor’s degree offering B.A. B.Ed/ Sc. B. Ed. and B.Com. B.Ed. which is the major mandates of National Education Policy, NEP 2020 related to Teacher Education.

As per NEP, 2020, teacher engagement will be only through ITEP.

It will be offered in pilot mode initially in about 50 selected multidisciplinary institutions across the country.

ADB signs MoU with India for Integrated Urban Flood Management in Chennai

Govt of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed $251-million loan for climate-resilient, integrated urban flood protection and management in Chennai–Kosasthalaiyar basin to strengthen the resilience of Chennai city to floods.

It will help residents of Chennai–Kosasthalaiyar basin to cope with intensifying rainfall, a higher sea level rise, and a storm surge caused by cyclones, and protect lives, economy, and environment. 

Govt reconstitutes EAC-PM for two-year period under B Debroy as head

Govt has reconstituted economic advisory council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) for 2 years with Bibek Debroy as head.

Other part-time members:

Rakesh Mohan (Former deputy governor of RBI)

Poonam Gupta

TT Ram Mohan

J P Morgan

Sajjid Chenoy

Neelkanth Mishra

CEO Nilesh Shah

Council will analyses any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by PM, along with issues of macroeconomic importance. 

EAC-PM: independent body, set up in September 2017 with term of 2 years. 

Govt launches operational guidelines of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has launched operational guidelines of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) - Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 in New Delhi. 

SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 guidelines have been designed after multiple rounds of stakeholder consultations and feedback from them. 

Country had become Open Defecation-Free (ODF) in 2019 on the basis of third-party verification. 

AMRUT Mission was earlier covering only 500 cities, and will now expand to all the cities.

International Animation Day: 28th October

International Animation Day (IAD) is observed every year on 28th October to celebrate the art of animation and also recognize the artists. 

IAD was created in 2002 by Association Internationale du Film D' Animation (ASIFA). 

2021 marks the 20th International Animation Day. 

It honors the birth of animation, recognized as the first public performance of projected moving images: Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris, on 28th October 1892.

Expenditure Finance Committee approves Nag River revitalization project

Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) of Department of Expenditure has approved Rs 2,117 crore Nag River revitalization project in Nagpur, Maharashtra. 

It was conceptualized by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

This ambitious project includes construction of three STP projects, 500-kilometer sewerage network, a pumping station and community toilets.

This project is proposed to be completed in 8 years.

India signs MoU with ADB to promote an agribusiness network

Govt of India signs $100 million with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote an agribusiness network to boost farm incomes and reduce food losses in Maharashtra.

It will help small and marginal farmers, improving their post-harvest and marketing capacity, reduce food losses, and increase incomes through access to finance, capacity building, etc.

It will upgrade 16 existing post-harvest facilities and construct 3 new ones to provide individual farmers and FPOs.

Centre to set up two container-based mobile hospitals in Delhi, Chennai

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced to set-up two container-based mobile hospitals with all healthcare facilities under the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. 

It will be first of its kind in Asia. 

This type of hospitals can be rushed to any place, by rail or air to address health emergency.

These two hospitals will be placed in Delhi and Chennai with 100 beds each and each hospital unit would have 33 containers for emergency medical care. 

MSME Ministry launches ‘SAMBHAV’ Awareness Programme, 2021

Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched e-National Level Awareness Programme 2021 titled as ‘SAMBHAV’ to promote engagement of the youth in promoting entrepreneurship in New Delhi. 

It was launched by Union Minister of MSME, Narayan Rane. 

It is 1-month long initiative and will encourage students from different colleges/ITIs to take up Entrepreneurship. 

It will be conducted in more than 1,300 colleges across the country.

Civil Aviation Minister releases Krishi UDAN 2.0

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya has released Krishi UDAN 2.0, laying out the vision of improving value realization through better integration and optimization of Agri-harvesting and air transportation.

It proposes to facilitate and incentivize the movement of Agri-produce by air transportation.

It will open up new avenues of growth for the agriculture sector and help attain the goal of doubling farmers' income.

Krishi UDAN 2.0 will be implemented at 53 Airports. 

PM Modi addresses 16th East Asia Summit virtually

PM Narendra Modi participated virtually in the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS), during which he re-affirmed India’s focus on free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the principle of ASEAN Centrality in the region.

It was hosted under the Chairmanship of Brunei.

EAS is a regional forum and was held for the first time in 2005.

Members of EAS includes 10 ASEAN member states, and India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, US and Russia. 

India successfully test-fires surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Agni-5’

DRDO successfully test-fired surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-5 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.

Agni-5: It is a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which uses a three-stage solid-fueled engine.

It can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy. 

It is 17-metre long, 2-metre wide and has launch weight of around 50 tonnes and can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.