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By admin: Oct. 15, 2022

Piyush Goel addresses the valedictory session of the National Intellectual Property Conference 2022

Tags: place in news Summits

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal while addressing the Valedictory Session of National Intellectual Property Conference 2022 said that India aims to be among the top 10 nations in the Global Innovation Index (GII).

He said that India had made massive gains, jumping from the 81st rank in 2015 to the 40th rank in 2022. Giving protection to the creator of the intellectual property will further innovations in India.  He expressed confidence that collective efforts of government, academia, industry, legal fraternity and technology ecosystem will help us achieve this goal.

Organiser of the National Intellectual Property Conference 2022 

The National Intellectual Property Conference 2022 was organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on 14 and 15th October.

Theme of the conference 

The Theme of the National Intellectual Property Conference 2022 : Strengthening IP Ecosystem for Catalyzing the growth of Knowledge Economy

The objective of the conference is to bring the IP Officers, Creators and Practitioners on one platform to discuss futuristic IP challenges related to developmental issues.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons/companies over the creations of their minds. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. For e.g.  Development of a new software or discovery of new medicine.

Some of the important types of Intellectual Property Rights 

Patent

A patent is a government-granted monopoly to the inventor to build, sell, and use an invention and prevent others using it without the permission of the patent holder.  Normally a patent granted to an inventor is for 20 years.  After 20 years patents expire and anybody can copy that invention. 

Trademarks

A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or combination of these things that identifies a person or company's goods or services in the marketplace. A trademark is used for goods; a “service mark” is used for services.

Copyrights

Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as paintings, photographs, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, blog posts, movies, architectural works, and plays. 

World Intellectual Property day is celebrated around the world on 26 April. 

Rudrankksh Patil bags gold medal at ISSF World Championship in Egypt, Qualify for Paris Olympic

Tags: Sports Person in news

18 year old Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil won the gold medal in men's 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Championship on 14 October 2022.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships Rifle/Pistol is being held in Cairo, Egypt from 12 -25 October 2022.

In the gold medal match, he defeated Italy's Danilo Dennis Sollazzo 17-15 and also booked a place at the 2024 Paris summer Olympics. 

He is only the second Indian to achieve the feat after Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, who had won the gold in this event in 2006 in Zagreb, Croatia.

International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)

It is an international body which governs International shooting.

It was founded in 1907 as International Shooting Union and later renamed as ISSF in 1998.

Headquarters: Munich, Germany

President: Vladimir Lisin 

Global Handwashing Day

Tags: Important Days

The Global Handwashing Day is observed on 15 October every year around the world. It is an attempt to raise awareness amongst the people and the countries to the benefits of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

 The habit of washing hands at the right time in the right way prevents many diseases including diarrhoea, covid, stomach infections  and encephalitis.

Background to the Day 

Global Handwashing Day was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership.  The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008, when over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries on 15 October. Since then it has been observed around the world.

Theme of the Global Handwashing Day 2022 

The 2022 Global Handwashing Day theme is “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.” 

Benefit of washing hand with soap 

Elaborating the benefits of washing hands with soap the Global Handwashing Partnership says that “Germs that can cause diseases lodge in dirt, grease, and the natural oils on hands. Water alone does not dislodge them, but soap helps break down germ-carrying oils. Soap also facilitates rubbing and friction which can remove germs from the hands, and so that germs can be rinsed away with water. Using soap also adds to the time spent washing and ensures a more effective wash. With proper use, all soaps are equally effective at removing germs that cause disease.”

61st National Open Athletics Championships 2022 starts at Bengaluru

Tags: place in news Sports

The 61st Senior National Open Athletics Championships 2022 was inaugurated by the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai at the Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru on 15 October 2022. The Senior National Open Athletics Championships 2022 is being organised by the Athletics Federation of India.

The five day championships which will be held from 15-19 October 2202 will see participation of over 800 participants from across the country competing in 47 medal events.

Speaking on the occasion the Chief Minister said that the Karnataka government said that as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav the state government will train 75 athletes for the next summer Olympics to be held in Paris France in 2024.

Athletics Federation of India 

It is the apex sports body for athletics in India. It conducts various athletics championships in the country and is a member of the World Athletics and Asian Athletics.

It was set up in 1943.

It was earlier called as Amateur Athletic Federation of India

President: Adille Sumariwalla 

Headquarters: New Delhi 

Rajnath Singh calls for an open and rule based maritime border at the 18th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting 2022

Tags: place in news Defence Summits

Addressing the 18th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in New Delhi on October 15, 2022, Defence minister Rajnath Singh reaffirmed India’s resolve for open, free and rule-based maritime borders in the Indo-Pacific region.

Organiser of the 18th HACGAM 2022

The 18th HACGAM is being organised by the Indian Coast Guard in coordination with HACGAM secretariat from October 14-18, 2022 in New Delhi. 

The 17th HACGAM was hosted by Vietnam Coast Guard virtually in 2021. The 1st HACGAM was hosted by Japan Coast Guard in 2004 at Tokyo. 

Minister’ speech 

Speaking on the occasion the minister said that oceanic space should be respected as a global common for the benefit of all humanity in an environmentally sustainable way.  The minister stressed that India’s shared vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth of All in Region), Sustainable Development Goals and ‘Rule Based Order at Sea’ complement the focused Indian approach of inclusive growth and lasting collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Participants  of the meeting

A total of 55 representatives from 18 countries and two International Organisations - Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) & United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime- Global Maritime Crime Programme (UNODC-GMCP) - are participating in the meeting.

Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM)

The HACGAM is a multilateral forum of 23 countries; Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, France,  India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos ,Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, Vietnam and one Region i.e. Hong Kong (China). 

Additionally, two international organisations Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) & United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime- Global Maritime Crime Programme (UNODC-GMCP) are its members.

Indian Coast Guard 

It was set up in 1977 and it comes under the Ministry of Defence 

Director-General: Virender Singh Pathania

NGT impose a fine of Rs 2900 crore on Karnataka government for damaging the environment

Tags: Environment Science and Technology State News

A National Green Tribunal (NGT) bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has held the Karnataka government guilty of causing harm to the environment by its failure in management of solid and liquid waste.

The bench has fined the government Rs 2,856 crore for its failure in liquid waste/sewage management and Rs 540 crore for its failure in solid waste management. 

The NGT said that the state government having already deposited Rs 500 crore the state will have to deposit Rs 2900 crore as fine in a separate fund within two months.

The fund will be under the Chief Secretary of the Karnataka government and will be utilized for the restoration of the environment. 

The NGT in recent months has imposed fines on a number of states like Telangana, Punjab, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Delhi for their mismanagement of municipal waste.

The NGT is monitoring compliance with the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and other environmental aspects by the states and Union territories.

The National Green Tribunal was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010. It deals with matters related to environmental protection and conservation of forest. 

Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

Chairperson of NGT : Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel

International Day of Rural Women 2022

Tags: Important Days

International Day of Rural Women is celebrated on 15 October every year.

Important facts

• This day is dedicated to lakhs of women who live in remote rural areas.

• This day is celebrated to celebrate and make people aware of their achievements and contribution towards rural development and agriculture.

• The day focuses on gender equality and women empowerment in rural areas.

• These women include women from rural areas who contribute to the production of food and building agriculture and rural development around the world.

• This day reminds us that the world cannot be progressive if rural society is neglected.

• The theme for International Day of Rural Women 2022 - "Rural Women, key for a world free from hunger and poverty."

Background of the Day

• The United Nations has been working since 1945 in the direction of maintaining peace and friendship in all the countries of the world.

• In the year 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, China.

• The main topic of discussion in this was women empowerment.

• On 18 December 2007, the United Nations announced that 15 October would be observed annually around the world as the International Day of Rural Women.

• Since then this day is celebrated globally.

India wins the Women’s cricket Asia Cup for the seventh time beating Sri Lanka

Tags: place in news Sports

The Indian women’s  cricket team led by Harmanpreet Kaur crushed  Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the final of the 8th Women’s Asia Cup 2022 and won it for the 7th time. The final was played at the Sylhet International cricket stadium, Sylhet in Bangladesh on 15 October 2022.

Bangladesh was the host of the 8th women’s Asia Cup cricket 2022, held from 1 October to 15 October 2022.

Bangladesh is the only other country apart from India which has won the Asia cup in 2018.

Seven teams, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates participated in the 8th women’s Asia Cup which was played in the T 20 format. 

Thailand's team created history when they defeated Pakistan to reach the semi-final of the tournament.  

Brief Score in the final 

Sri Lanka: 69 for 9 wickets in 20 overs 

India: 71 for 2 in 8.3 overs

Awards 

Women of the player in the final: Renuka Singh of India for taking 3 wickets for 5 runs.

Women of the series: Deepti Sharma for scoring 94 runs and taking 13 wickets in the tournament.

Women Cricket Asia cup 

The first Asia Women’s cup was held in 2004 in Sri Lanka which was won by India.

The 2004, 2005-06, 2006 and 2008 editions were held in 50 over format.

2012, 2016, 2018, 2022 were held in T 20 format.

India has won it 7 times and Bangladesh once in 2018.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC)

It was set up in 1983 at New Delhi as Asian Cricket Conference to promote cricket in Asia. In 1993 the Asian Cricket Conference became the Asian Cricket Council.

The full member countries of ACC are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, UAE

Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chairman: Jay Shah

Global Hunger Index 2022

Tags: Economics/Business International News

India ranked 107 out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022 that was released on 14 October 2022. 

India's Performance

• India is in a worse position than all the countries of South Asia except war-torn Afghanistan.

• Hunger levels in India have been placed in the "severe" category with a score of 29.1.

• Neighbouring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar have been ranked 99, 64, 84, 81, and 71 respectively – all countries above India.

• The wasting rate (underweight by height) of children in India is 19.3%, worse than the levels recorded in 2014 (15.1%).

• The prevalence of undernutrition in India has increased from 14.6% in 2018-2020 to 16.3% in 2019-2021.

• It is estimated that 224.3 million people in India are malnourished, out of a total of 828 million people who are malnourished globally.

• India has shown improvement in two indicators – child stunting has declined from 38.7% to 35.5% between 2014 and 2022, and child mortality has fallen from 4.6% to 3.3% in the same period.

• In 2021, India ranked 101 out of 116 countries, while in 2020, India stood at 94th position.

Global Scenario

• According to the index, there are 44 countries that currently have "severe" or "alarming" levels of hunger.

• Globally, progress against hunger has largely stalled in recent years.

• For the world a GHI score of 18.2 in 2022 is considered "moderate", but 18.2 in 2022 represents a slight improvement from 19.1 in 2014.

• This is due to conflicts, climate change, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as crises such as the Ukraine War, which have increased global food, fuel and fertilizer prices and are expected to worsen in 2023.

About Global Hunger Index

• GHI is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger across nations.

• It is an annual report jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.

• It was first released in 2006, it is released every year in the month of October. Its 2022 edition refers to the 17th edition of the GHI.

• It is calculated on the basis of four indicators –

1. Undernutrition - a population with insufficient caloric intake

2. Child wasting – Children under the age of five, who are underweight for their height, show acute malnutrition.

3. Child stunting - children under the age of five who are underweight for their age, indicating malnutrition

4. Child Mortality Rate - Mortality rate of children under five years of age

India set to become 3rd largest economy in the world by 2027-28: IMF

Tags: Economy/Finance

According to the World Economic Outlook Report 2022 released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 11 October 2022, India is expected to become the third largest economy in 2027-28 by overtaking Japan. Earlier SBI in its report had predicted that India will become world's 3rd largest economy  by 2028-29.

India still 6th largest economy in the world

However India is still the 6th largest economy in the world after the United Kingdom in 2021-22. The Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 2021-22 was $ 3.18 trillion while the United Kingdom GDP was $ 3.19 trillion.

 According to the IMF India will overtake the UK in 2022-23. India would become a $3.47-trillion economy in 2022-23, while the UK’s would be $3.2 trillion in the same period.

Earlier, a Bloomberg report stated that India has overtaken the UK in the fourth quarter of 2021-22, basing it on IMF data. However, that comparison was made on quarterly data and not on yearly data.

Future Projection of Indian Economy 

According to IMF projections, the Indian Economy will be equal to the German economy in 2025-26 and will become the 4th largest in the world.

India’s economy will not be able to achieve the $5 trillion mark as hoped by the Finance Ministry by 2026-27 but it will be a $4.94 trillion economy. 

In 2027-28 the India economy is expected to be at the $5.36-trillion mark, higher than Japan’s at $5.17 trillion. That year, India would become the third-largest economy.

According to the IMF, the United States was the largest economy in the world followed by China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. 

Managing Director of IMF: Kristalina Georgieva

IMF headquarters: Washington D.C, United States of America

Coconut Community Farmers' Conference

Tags: Economy/Finance Summits National News

On October 14, 2022, the 'Coconut Community Farmers' Conference' was organised in Coimbatore.

Important facts

• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Conference. 

• Tomar said that the government would continue to provide all possible assistance to the farmers in the coastal states to promote coconut cultivation in the country.

• Efforts made in the field of research and development in recent years have resulted in the development of new technologies in farming and processing as well as improvements in existing technologies.

• With the increase in the number of coconut based industries in the country, new products and employment opportunities are also increasing.

• The contribution of coconut cultivation in the agricultural economy is very important. India is a leader in coconut cultivation.

Coconut production in India

• India is one of the third largest producers of coconut in the world.

• Tamil Nadu ranks first in coconut processing activities.

• Coimbatore ranks first in terms of area under coconut cultivation, where coconut is cultivated in an area of 88,467 hectares.

• Support is being provided for setting up 537 new processing units in India with a processing capacity of 3,638 million coconuts per annum, of which 136 are in Tamil Nadu.

• Indonesia is the world's leading coconut producer, The Philippines is the world's second largest producer of coconuts.

IRDA fines Axis Bank Rs 2 crore and Max Life Insurance company Rs 3 crore

Tags: Economy/Finance

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has imposed a fine of Rs 3 crore penalty on Max Life Insurance company and Rs 2 crore on the Axis Bank on 14 October 2022, for  violation of its  rules in the Axis Bank-Max Life deal.

The insurance regulatory body stated that 2021 financial  transactions between Axis Bank and Max Financial are in violation of IRDAI code.

What was the case? 

According to the IRDAI” Axis Bank sold its stake of 0.998 per cent shares of Max Life in March 2021 to MFSL (Max Financial Service Ltd) and MSI (Mitsui Sumitomo International.) at Rs 166 per share. 

Later, in March-April 2021, Axis Bank and its Group entities acquired 12.002 per cent shares from MFSL at a price range of Rs 31.51-Rs 32.12 per share. This is not in compliance with the directions issued by the Authority."

Hence IRDAI fined Axis Bank Rs 2 crore for making undue gains of substantial amounts by way of transactions in shares of Max Life Insurance and in violation of other norms.

Max Life Insurance Company was also fined Rs 3 crore in the same case for violating the IRDAI norms.

Currently, Axis Bank and its two subsidiaries -- Axis Capital Ltd and Axis Securities Ltd -- collectively own 12.99 percent of Max Life Insurance post approval of the deal in April last year.

Max Life Insurance Company is a joint venture between Max India limited and Axis Bank.  The New Delhi based Insurance Company started its operation in 2001. 

Prashant Tripathi is the CEO of the Max Life Insurance company.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI)

It is the regulator of the Insurance sector in India. 

It was set up in 1999. It was made a statutory body in April 2000 under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority act 1999.

IRDAI was set up on the recommendation of the RN Malhotra committee on Insurance reform. The Malhotra committee was set up in 1993.

Headquarters: Hyderabad 

Chairperson: Debasish Panda

World Students' Day

Tags: Important Days

World Students Day is celebrated every year on 15 October to mark the birth anniversary of former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Important facts

• The day is celebrated to pay tribute to Kalam's selfless contribution towards the development of education in the society.

• He was so devoted to teaching that he went back to his teaching profession the very next day after completing his term as the 11th President of India.

• Kalam always encouraged his students to become the best. He said "If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means 'First Attempt In Learning'.

• The day reiterates the importance of education and recognizes the Fundamental Right to Education.

• Theme for World Teachers’ Day 2022  - “the transformation of education begins with teachers”.

About APJ Abdul Kalam

• Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.

• He served as the 11th President of India from the year 2002 to the year 2007.

• Dr. Kalam joined the 'Indian Space Research Organisation' in 1962 and there he got the credit of making India's first indigenous satellite (SLV-llll) missile as a project director.

• Abdul Kalam is considered the father of India's missile program.

• Dr. Kalam was awarded honorary doctorates by 48 universities and institutions in India and abroad.

• He also served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister from 1992 to 1999.

• Dr. Kalam was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 1981, the Padma Vibhushan in the year 1990 and the 'Bharat Ratna' in the year 1997.

• He died of cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015 during an event at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.

Dr. Abdul Kalam also wrote many books, the main ones are -

• India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium (1998)

• Wings of Fire: End Autobiography (1999)

• Ignited Minds: Unlearning the Power Within India (1999)

• Mission India

Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 on October 17

Tags: Economy/Finance Government Schemes National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 on 17th October, 2022 at Mela Ground, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Pusa in New Delhi.

Important facts

• On this occasion, the Prime Minister will release Rs 16,000 Crores under the PM-KISAN flagship scheme as 12th instalment through Direct Benefit Transfer.

• The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Agri Start-up Conclave and Exhibition.

• He will also inaugurate 600 PM Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PM-KSKs) of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

• On this occasion he will also launch Bharat Urea Bags, India’s biggest move in fertilizers-One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme for Farmers.

• During this event, the Prime Minister will launch an international weekly fertilizer e-magazine Indian Age.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

• It was launched on 24 February, 2019 by PM Modi to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers.

• Under the scheme financial benefit of Rs 6000 per year in three equal instalments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

• It is a central sector scheme with 100% funding by the Government of India.

• It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

• So far, eligible farmer families have received benefits of more than Rs 2 lakh crore under PM-KISAN through 11 instalments.

British PM Liz Truss sacks Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng, Jeremy Hunt appointed new Treasury chief

Tags: Person in news International News

British Prime Minister Liz Truss sacked Finance Minister Quasi Quarteng on October 14, 2022, ahead of the announcement of the economic package.

Important facts

• In his place, former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt has been appointed finance minister.

• For the past several days, there was a demand to remove Quarteng from this post, he remained in this post for about a month.

• Tax cuts were announced during his tenure, this caused a sharp drop in the pound's exchange rate.

• Recently, the Mini Budget of the Liz Truss government was presented, which proved to be a failure in controlling inflation in the country.

• After this, MPs gave an ultimatum to Truss that if Finance Minister Kwasi Quarteng is not removed, he may face a rebellion.

• Quasi became the shortest-serving chancellor in Britain since 1970, a position he held for just 38 days.

ISRO to launch 36 satellites of UK’s global communications network OneWeb

Tags: Defence Science and Technology

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 36 satellites of OneWeb, the UK's global communications network, on October 23, 2022.

Important facts

• The name of the rocket is LVM3, it was earlier called GSLV Mk III.

• It is India’s heaviest satellite, and is being facilitated by Space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

• NSIL has signed two launch service contracts with OneWeb for launching the firm’s LEO (low Earth orbit) broadband communication satellites onboard the GSLV-Mk3.

• The space PSU has at least six commercial missions planned in the next few months.

• This is the first time that India’s heaviest rocket is being used for a commercial launch.

What is OneWeb?

• It is a global communications company that aims to distribute broadband satellite Internet worldwide through a fleet of LEO satellites.

• The OneWeb satellites are built at a OneWeb and Airbus joint venture facility in Florida that can produce two satellites a day.

• The launch roll-out of the satellites has been facilitated by the French company Arianespace using Russian-made Soyuz rockets.

• Moreover, this will be the first time that a rocket other than India's workhorse – the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is being used for a commercial launch.