DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: May 25, 2022

Centre launches Swachh Survekshan 2023 under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0

Tags: National Popular

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the 8th edition of Swachh Survekshan – SS-2023 under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.

• It was launched by Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in a virtual program in New Delhi on 24 May.

• The theme of the survey for this year is "Waste to Wealth", which is aligned to the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 and focuses on the central government's vision of 'waste free' cities.

• The survey will give priority to the principle of 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse,”.

• The 2022 edition of the survey had been completed and its results were being prepared.

• About Swachh Survekshan

• Launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• Its aim was to make India clean and free from open defecation.

• The first survey was conducted in 2016 and covered 73 cities.

• By 2020, this survey increased to 4242 cities and was said to be the world's largest cleanliness survey.

• Nodal Ministry  -  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

• About the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• Launched - on 2nd October 2014

• Launched by - Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• Aims  -  to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.

• Slogan - One step towards cleanliness

• It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.

• The first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.

• Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Govt allows duty-free import of 20 lakh tn per year of crude soyabean, sunflower oil

Tags: Economics/Business

The government on May 24 waived off customs duty and Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess on 20 lakh metric tonnes of annual import of crude soybean and sunflower oil to reduce domestic prices.

• Duty free import of 20 lakh metric tonnes per annum for crude soybean oil and crude sunflower oil will be applicable for two financial years i.e, 2022-23, 2023-24.

• It will help in reducing domestic prices and control inflation.

• Last week, to control inflation, the government cut excise duty on petrol and diesel and exempted import duty on some raw materials which are used in the steel and plastics industry.

• A rise in prices of all commodities from fuel to vegetables and cooking oil led wholesale price inflation to a record high of 15.08% in April, 2022 and retail inflation to an eight-year high of 7.79%.

• India mainly imports palm oil from two countries Malaysia and Indonesia.

• Whereas other oils such as soya and sunflower come from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia.

Govt imposes restrictions on sugar exports from June 1

Tags: Economy/Finance

The government on May 24 restricted the export of sugar with effect from June 1, aimed at increasing the availability of sugar in the domestic market and curbing price rise.

• As per notification of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Export of sugar (raw, refined and white sugar) is placed under restricted category from June 1, 2022 onwards. 

• These restrictions will not apply to sugar being exported to the EU and US under CXL and TRQ.

• A certain amount of sugar is exported to these regions under TRQ and CLX.

• The government has also decided to allow export of sugar up to 100 LMT (Lakh Metric Tonnes) during the sugar season 2021-22 (October-September) for maintaining domestic availability and price stability.

• With the specific permission of the Directorate of Sugar, Food and Public Distribution Department, export of sugar will be allowed.

• Exports of the sugar

• About 70 lakh metric tonnes have been exported against the target of 60 lakh metric tonnes in the sugar season 2020-21.

• In the current sugar season 2021-22, contracts for export of about 90 LMT have been signed, about 82 LMT sugar has been dispatched from sugar mills for export and about 78 LMT have been exported.

• Sugar exports are historically highest in the current sugar season 2021-22.

• This decision will ensure that the closing stock of sugar at the end of the sugar season is 60 to 65 LMT, which is the required 2 to 3 months stock for domestic use.

• Important facts

• Uttar Pradesh is the largest sugar producing state in India, followed by Maharashtra.

• Sugarcane is grown during Kharif season.

• Brazil is the world's largest sugar producer.

• India has second place in sugar production in the world.

• The first cooperative sugar factory was established in the year 1957 in district Nainital (presently in district Udham Singh Nagar).

Indian Navy – Bangladesh Navy Bilateral EX Bongosagar Commences

Tags: International Relations Defence

The third edition of the Indian Navy (IN) - Bangladesh Navy (BN) bilateral exercise 'Bongosagar' began on 24 May 22 at Port Mongla, Bangladesh.

• The harbor phase of the exercise is scheduled from 24-25 May followed by a sea phase in the North Bay of Bengal from 26-27 May.

• Indian Navy ships Kora, an indigenously built Guided Missile Corvette and Sumedha, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel, are participating in the exercise.

• The Bangladesh Navy is represented by BNS Abu Ubaidah and Ali Haider, both guided missile frigates.

• The harbour phase of the exercise

• This includes professional and social interactions and friendly sportings, besides strategic level planning discussions on the conduct of exercises at sea.

• The sea phase of the exercise

• It would facilitate ships from both the navies to participate in intensive surface warfare drills, weapon firing drills, seamanship evolutions and coordinated air operations in a tactical scenario.

• About Bongosagar bilateral exercise

• Its first edition was held in 2019.

• Its aim is to develop interoperability and joint operational skills through the conduct of a wide spectrum of maritime exercises and operations.

Qutub Minar not a place of worship: ASI

Tags: National Popular

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on 24 May  opposed a plea before a Delhi court seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities inside the Qutub Minar complex, saying it is not a place of worship and the existing status of the monument cannot be altered.

• The ASI pointed out that when Qutub Minar was first notified as a protected monument in 1914, the complex was not a place of worship.

• The ASI explained that the form or nature of a monument is decided on the date when it comes under protection.

• What is the case?

• The original suit claimed that 27 temples were demolished for the construction of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutub Minar complex.

• The petition was dismissed last year under the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

• The Additional District Judge (ADJ) has now reserved the order.

• The petitioner submitted that it was wrong to dismiss the original suit based on the 1991 Act.

• The Qutub Minar complex comes under the purview of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act of 1958.

• About Qutub Minar

• It is a soaring, 73 metre high victory tower, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom.

• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli region of South Delhi.

• It is a five-storied tower made of red sandstone.

• Its Surrounding there is the Alai-Darwaja Gate, a masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311).

• Its construction was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1193 and finished by Iltutmish.

• Qutub Minar and its monuments were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1993.

PARAM PORUL Supercomputer inaugurated at NIT, Tiruchirappalli

Tags: Science and Technology

PARAM PORUL, a state-of-the art Supercomputer  was inaugurated on May 25, 2022 at NIT Tiruchirappalli.

• It has been dedicated to the nation under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

• National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). 

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NIT Tiruchirappalli and Center for Development in Advanced Computing (C-DAC) on 12 October 2020 to set up this 838 Teraflops supercomputing facility under NSM.

• The system is equipped with a mix of CPU nodes, GPU nodes, high memory nodes, high storage and high performance Infiniband interconnects to meet the computing needs of various scientific and engineering applications.

• It is based on direct contact liquid cooling technology to achieve high power utilisation effectiveness and thereby reduce operating costs.

• This state-of-the-art computing system will prove to be of great importance to the research community.

• Under NSM, so far 15 supercomputers with compute capacity of 24 petaflops have been installed across the country.

• All these supercomputers are manufactured in India and are working with indigenously developed software stack.

The fourth edition of the State Level Shirui Lily Festival 2022 was held in Manipur

Tags: State News

The fourth edition of the State Level Shirui Lily Festival 2022 was held in Manipur from May 25 to 28.

• This annual festival is organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Manipur to create awareness about the Shirui Lily flower.

• The four-day festival was inaugurated by Manipur Governor La Ganesan and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in Shirui village of Ukhrul district.

• The festival is held around April and May as it is the blooming season of Shirui Lily.

• The four-day festival will host a variety of activities ranging from Manipur's rich cultural performances, sports, musical extravaganzas and entertainment, especially of the Tangkhul Naga community.

• During this, Shirui Lily Marathon is also being organised under the theme 'Say No to Drugs' in line with the Drugs Campaign of Manipur State Government.

• About Shirui Lily 

• It is the state flower of Manipur.

• Its scientific name is Lilium mackliniae.

• Shirui Lily is a species of ground lily found only around the Shirui Hills of Manipur. Tangkhul Naga tribe resides in this area.

• This flower was discovered in Manipur in 1946 by the English scientist Frank Kingdon-Ward.

• This flower is found only in Ukhrul district of Manipur and cannot be planted anywhere in the world.

A new venomous green snake species spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya

Tags: National

Recently a new venomous green snake species named 'Trimesurus mayai' or Maya pit viper has been spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.

• This snake-species is named in honour of the late mother of Colonel Yashpal Singh Rathi – 'Maya'.

• This new species is also relatively common in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Guwahati (Assam).

• Key Features of the Maya Pit Viper

• The length of this snake is about 750 mm.

• It is very similar to the Pope's pit viper in appearance, but its eye colour is different.

• Pit viper

• Pit vipers are found from deserts to rainforests.

• These can be terrestrial, arboreal or aquatic. Some of these species lay eggs and other species give birth to live young.

• Venomous pit viper species include the hump-nosed pit viper, mangrove pit viper and Malabar pit viper.

• Russell's Viper and Saw-scaled Viper are two of the most venomous viper species found in India, which is one of the four most venomous and deadliest snakes in India.

'Sambhav' portal

Tags: State News

The 'Sambhav' portal was launched by AK Sharma, Energy Minister of Uttar Pradesh Government to hear the complaints of electricity consumers.

• This portal has been prepared for continuous, efficient and effective monitoring of schemes, public grievances, departmental issues, projects and programs of the Urban Development and Energy Department.

• Sambhav Portal is a multi-modal platform, which will ensure speedy redressal and registration of public related problems. Through this the accountability of officers and employees will also be fixed.

• Sambhav stands for "Systemic Administration Mechanism for Bringing Happiness and Value".

• The portal will take up complaints and issues from various sources, including pending cases and complaints under the Chief Minister's Public Hearing / Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) system.

• About Uttar Pradesh

• Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in India by population and the second largest in terms of area.

• The state of Uttaranchal (present-day Uttarakhand) was carved out of the northwestern (mainly hilly) part of Uttar Pradesh by the Parliament of India on 9 November 2000.

• With the coming into force of the new constitution in 1950, on 24 January 1950, this United Province was named Uttar Pradesh and it became a state of the Indian Union.

• Foundation Day - 1 November 1956

• Member of Legislative Assembly - 404

• Lok Sabha Member- 80

• Legislative Council Member - 100

• State Bird – Stork or Kraunch

• State Tree - Ashoka

• State Flower – Palash or Tensu

• First Chief Minister - Govind Vallabh Pant

• First Woman Chief Minister - Sucheta Kriplani (also the first woman Chief Minister of India)

• Current Chief Minister - Yogi Adityanath

• Governor - Anandiben Patel

Gautam Adani in the list of 100 Most Influential People in Titans category

Tags: Person in news International News

Gautam Adani has been included in the list of 100 Most Influential People in Titans category along with personalities like Apple CEO Tim Cook and American host Oprah Winfrey.

• On behalf of India, Supreme Court advocate Karuna Nandi and eminent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez have also been included in this list.

• Karuna Nandi and Khurram Parvez have been ranked in the Leaders category along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

• In this list of Time magazine, US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tennis star Rafael Nadal, current Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Omar Ata Bandiyal have also been included in different categories. .

• This list is divided into six categories. These categories are Icons, Pioneers, Titans, Artists, Leaders and Innovators.

• Key persons nominated in different categories

• Titans- Gautam Adani, Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Kristyl Lagarde, Kris Jenner, Andy Jessie, Sally Rooney, Elizabeth Alexander, David Jaslav and Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sorbrunn and Alex Morgan.

• Leaders- Karuna Nandi, Khurram Parvez, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joe Rogan, Xi Jinping, Ursula von der Leyen, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk-yeol, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Abiy Ahmed, Kirsten Cinema, Gabrielle Boric, Valerie Jaluzhni, Lynn Fitch, Omar Ata Bandial and Sun Chunlan.

• Innovators - Taika Waititi, Miranda Lambert, Derrick Palmer and Chris Smalls, Josh Wardle, Michen Genre, Demna, Mike Cannon-Brooks, Bella Bajaria, Sevgil Musayeva, Francis Keir, David Velez, Michael Schatz, Karen Meiga, Evan Eichler and Adam Philippi .

• Artists - Simu Liu, Andrew Garfield, Joe Kravitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Seyfried, Quinta Branson, Pete Davidson, Channing Tatum, Nathan Chen, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Strong, Faith Ringgold, Ariana DiBose, Jasmine Sullivan and Michael R. Jackson.

• Icons- Mary J Blige, Dmitry Muratov, Isa Ray, Keanu Reeves, Adele, Rafael Nadal, Maya Lin, John Batista, Nadine Smith, Peng Shuai, Hoda Silent.

• Pioneers- Candace Parker, Frances Hogan, Ahmir 'Questalv' Thompson, Sonia Guzzara, Stephanie Bansell, Emily Oster, Eileen Gu, Nan Goldin, Meijen Darvish and Anwar Lal Bunny, Emmet Schelling, Christina Villarreal Velasquez and Ana Christina Gonzalez Velez and Gregory L. Robinson.

Global Travel and Tourism Development Index

Tags: International News

India has slipped to the 54th position this year in the Global Travel and Tourism Development Index as compared to the 46th position in the year 2019.

• India topped the list of South Asian countries.

• Japan tops the global list. It was followed by the USA, Spain, France, Switzerland, Australia, UK, Singapore and Italy respectively.

• 117 economies have been included in the Travel and Tourism Development Index.

• This index is released every two years by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

• According to the data between January 2021 and January 2022, the number of international tourists has increased in 2022 instead of 2021.

• About World Economic Forum (WEF) 

• The World Economic Forum is a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland.

• It aims to set a global, regional and industrial direction by bringing together leaders in the world's business, political, educational and other fields.

• Establishment- 1971

• Headquarters- Cologny, Switzerland

• CEO- Klaus M. Schwab