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By admin: Sept. 27, 2022

Supreme Court orders to stop all commercial activities within 500-metre of iconic Taj Mahal

Tags: National State News

The Supreme Court has directed the Agra Development Authority,Uttar Pradesh  to immediately stop all commercial activities within a 500-metre radius from the peripheral wall of the Taj Mahal.

 A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and AS Oka told the Agra Development Authority to ensure the compliance with its order delivered on 27 September 2022.

The Apex Court was hearing an application seeking direction to the authorities to prohibit commercial activities within the 500-metre radius of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The 500m-radius of the 17th-century white marble mausoleum is a no-construction zone. Besides, there are also strict regulations on vehicular movement around the monument. There is also a ban on burning of wood near the monument, and municipal solid waste and agriculture waste in the entire area.

The top court is hearing the matter since it was filed in 1984 related to the protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal and its surroundings.

The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631.

Supreme Court starts live streaming of its proceedings

Tags: National

The Supreme Court has started the live proceedings of its proceedings on YouTube from 27 September 2022. At present only the proceedings of the constitutional bench are being live streamed. 

However this was not the first live streaming of Supreme Court proceedings. On 26 August 2022 the proceedings of the ceremonial bench headed by the then Chief Justice N.V, Ramana with the present Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit and Justice Hima Kohli was live streamed on the National Informatics Centre (NIC) webcast portal.

This was a customary bench which was constituted to give a farewell to CJI Ramana who retired on that day.

Instances of Live Proceedings of Court 

In the Swapnil Tripathi Vs Supreme Court of India 2018 case the Supreme Court had authorized live streaming of court proceedings.

The Supreme Court set up an e-committee headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud to work out the modalities for live streaming of the Supreme Court proceedings.

Gujarat High Court the first Court to allow live streaming 

The Gujarat High Court became the first court in India to allow live streaming of its proceedings. It started streaming on YouTube on 26 October 2020.

Since then, high courts of Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Patna, and Madhya Pradesh have also set up their own YouTube channels to live stream proceedings. 

Colombia and Venezuela reopen border crossing after 7 years

Tags: International News

Colombia and Venezuela on 26 September 2022 reopened their border after years of impasse and also re-established diplomatic relations.

The reopening was a key campaign promise of the left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who assumed office last month. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and the Venezuelan delegation accompanied the first cargo truck to cross the Simon Bolivar bridge that connects both the countries.

Why were the Border crossing closed ?

The Simon Bolivar Bridge had officially been closed to trade for nearly seven years. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered border crossings closed in 2015 as a crackdown on smuggling.

In 2019, tensions between the two countries rose after the right wing government in Colombia attempted to deliver aid to the right wing Venezuelan opposition who are opposed to the left wing President Maduro.

Colombia 

It is located in North West South America.

Colombia is the world’s largest producer of emeralds and one of South America’s largest producers of gold.

Capital: Bogota

Currency: Colombian peso 

President: Gustavo Petro

Venezuela 

 It is located at the northern end of South America.

World’s highest waterfall, Angel Fall (979 meters) is in Venezuela. 

Capital: Caracas 

Currency: bolívar soberano

President: Nicolás Maduro

ICAO sign agreement with International Solar Alliance to promote solar use in Aviation sector

Tags: International News

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with International Solar Alliance (ISA) to reduce the growth of carbon dioxide emissions in the international aviation sector. The agreement was signed in Montreal, Canada on 27 September 2022. 

With the headquarter of ISA being in Gurugram, the agreement was received by the Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia as a host country of ISA.

Under the MoU the ICAO and ISA will scale up the deployment of solar energy solutions for aircraft, airports, and other aviation-related applications.

ICAO has become the latest International organisation to Join ISA. In September 2022, Bhutan  became the 86th country to ratify  the ISA agreement . 

The International Solar Alliance was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President Emmanuel Macron in 2015 to implement the Paris agreement on climate change.

It promotes the use of sun energy so as to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

It is a specialised agency of the United Nations which was set up on 4 April 1947.

The ICAO is dedicated to developing safe and efficient international air transport for peaceful purposes and ensuring a reasonable opportunity for every state to operate international airlines. 

Headquarters; Montreal, Canada 

Members: 193 countries 

ICAO Secretary General: Juan Carlos Salazar

DRDO successfully tests Very Short Range Air Defence System Missile

Tags: Defence

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful test flights of Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles on 27 September 2022 from a ground based portable launcher at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. 

VSHORADS is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD) designed and developed indigenously by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry Partners.

MANPAD is being developed by the DRDO for the Indian Army. . VSHORAD is the soldier’s last line of defence against enemy combat aircraft and helicopters in the multi-layered air defence network.

The Army, which has for long been looking for new portable air defence systems, has inducted a small number of Igla-S systems recently bought from Russia under emergency procurement.

Indian Navy participates in multinational ‘Kakadu 2022’ exercise in Australia

Tags: Defence

The Indian Navy participated in the Multinational Maritime Exercise Kakadu 2022 hosted by Royal Australian Navy in Darwin from 12 to 25 Sep 2022.

The Navy’s Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I and Frigate INS Satpura participated in the exercise.

34 aircraft from over 20 nations participated in the exercise. 

P81 Planes 

12 P8I planes have been bought by India from the United States of America. It has been manufactured by Boeing.

P8I is an aircraft designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

13th FICCI Global Skills Summit 2022 inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan

Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits Economics/Business Person in news

Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the 13th FICCI Global Skills Summit 2022 in New Delhi on 27 September 2022.

The two-day (27-28 September) Summit has been organised by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Skills.

Theme of the 13th FICCI Global Skills Summit 2022:  “Education to Employability - Making It Happen.” 

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

It is a business lobby group of top business houses in India which was founded by Ghanshyam Das Birla.

It was set up in 1927

It articulates the views and concerns of industry and tries to influence the government to make policy which is in favour of the industry and business.

Headquarters: New Delhi

President: Sanjiv Mehta 

President Murmu unveils foundation stone for ICMR-National Institute of Virology, South Zone at Bengaluru

Tags: place in news National Science and Technology State News

President Droupadi Murmu unveiled the foundation stone for ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, South Zone at Bengaluru in virtual mode, in presence of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar on 27 September 2022.

The setting up of the zonal campus of the National Institute of Virology, Pune is part of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM)) of the central government.

Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM))

• The  Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission
• was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi  in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh  on 25 October 2021.
• The total outlay on the scheme is Rs 64,180 Crore and the duration of the scheme is from 2021-22 to 25-26.
• The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is one of the largest pan-India schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country.
• Its objective is to fill gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas. 
• It will provide support for 17,788 rural health and wellness centers in 10 high-focus states. 
• Further, 11,024 urban health and wellness centers will be established in all the States.
• Under the scheme, a national institution for one health(set up in Nagpur), four new regional centers of the national institutes for virology, a regional research platform for WHO South East Asia Region, nine biosafety level-III laboratories, and five new regional national centre for disease control will be set up.
• For the first time in Asia, two container-based hospitals with comprehensive medical facilities will be kept ready at all times, which can be rapidly deployed via rail or air to deal with any disaster or calamity in the country.

National Institute of Virology (NIV)

The National Institute of Virology is one of the major Institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

 It was established at Pune, Maharashtra State in 1952 as Virus Research Centre (VRC) under the auspices of the ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), USA. Now it is fully funded by ICMR.

NIV is also the National Centre for Hepatitis and Influenza. 

NIV has been designated as one of the collaborating laboratories of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Chairman: Dr Priya Abraham  

Axis Bank launches cashback credit card with Samsung

Tags: Economy/Finance

India's third largest private sector bank, Axis Bank has launched a co-branded cashback credit card with Samsung India on 26 September 2022.  Samsung is a South Korean Multinational company primarily engaged in the business of electronics and consumer durable goods.

The users of the credit card will receive 10% cashback on Samsung products over and above existing offers, on both equated monthly installments (EMI) and non-EMI transactions.

Axis Bank is the fourth largest issuer of credit cards in India. 

According to the RBI data as per the month of August 2022, the largest issuer of credit cards in India are HDFC Bank, followed by ICICI Bank, SBI.

Axis Bank 

It started its business as UTI bank in 1993. Its name was changed to Axis Bank in 2007.

Headquarters of Axis Bank : Mumbai, Maharashtra 

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer : Amitabh Chaudhary. 

Tagline : Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

Sahar Al Rumaih becomes the first women deputy governor of Kuwait’s Central Bank

Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news International News

Kuwait has appointed  Sahar Al Rumaih as the deputy governor of its central bank, Central Bank of Kuwait.

It is for the first time that a woman has been appointed to this post in the country.

The first woman deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India was KJ Udeshi . She was appointed for this post in 2003.

Basel A. Al-Haroon is the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait.

Kingdom of Kuwait 

It is an Arab country situated in the Arabian Peninsula along the Persian Gulf in West Asia.

It is a small Kingdom/Emirate, situated between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Capital: Kuwait city 

Currency: Kuwaiti Dinar 

King/Emir: Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Prime Minister:  Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al-Sabah

OECD expects India’s growth rate at 6.9% in 2022-23

Tags: Economy/Finance

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has retained its projection of 6.9% growth in India's GDP for the current financial year 2022-23.

 OECD expects the Indian growth rate to be at 5.7% in the next fiscal year 2023-24. 

The global rating agency Standard and Poor(S&P) has also maintained its forecast of a 7.3% growth rate of the Indian economy for the financial year 2022-23.

In its report titled Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q3 2022 report, has forecasted India’s growth rate to be 6.5% in 2023-24.

Earlier in a report released in September the  Asian Development Bank had reduced the growth rate forecast for India to 7% for 2022-23. 

RBI has forecasted a growth rate of 7.2% for the Indian economy in 2022-23.

The Indian economy grew by 8.7% in 2021-22 and in the first quarter of the current financial year (April-June 2022) it grew by 13.5%.  

Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

It was set upon 16 December 1960 by 18 European countries and the United States, Canada. It is a think tank which support free market economy.

The OECD publishes economic reports, statistical databases, analyses, and forecasts on the outlook for economic growth worldwide.

At present it has 38 member countries from Europe, South America, Asia and North America.

India, China are not members of OECD.

Headquarters: Paris, France.

Union Commerce Ministry extends Foreign Trade Policy by six months till March 2023

Tags: Economy/Finance

The Union ministry of commerce has decided to extend the validity of the current Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for another six months till March 2023. The government had planned to release the FTP on September 29 and it was to come into force from 1 October 2022.

The validity of the current FTP was for 2015-2020 and has been extended by three times till September 2022. This was done by the government in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, to provide policy stability and help the exporters.

According to the commerce ministry this has been done after demands from various industry associations and state-backed export promotion councils due to the uncertain external environment.

Reasons for extending FTP 

According to the government the export bodies in India wanted the government to implement the policy from the start of a financial year and not in the mid-year.

The external situation is presently very uncertain due to the situation in Ukraine, currency volatility and fear of recession in the major markets of the United States of America and Europe.  Government hopes that the external situation will become clearer in the next six months.

The latest extension will lend predictability to the policy regime for exporters and enable them to continue to get incentives under a clutch of extant programmes.

Foreign Trade Policy 

The Foreign Trade Policy is formulated by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The policy provides a set of guidelines regarding the Import and export of goods from India.

The Foreign Trade Policy is normally of five year duration. 

The FTP is administered by DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade)

Trade Data of India 

The total export of goods from India in 2021-22 was $417.81 billion

The total export of goods from India in April to July 2022 was $ 253.84 billion.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goel

Asha Parekh to be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, 2020

Tags: Awards

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has on 27 September announced that the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2020 will be accorded to legendary actress Asha Parekh.

Important facts

• The award will be presented at the National Film Awards ceremony in New Delhi.

• Asha Parekh is a renowned film actress, director and producer and an accomplished Indian classical dancer.

• Starting her career as a child artist, she started her career as the lead heroine in Dil Deke Dekho and acted in more than 95 films.

• She has acted in famous films like Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo, Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Aan Milo Sajna, Mera Gaon Mera Desh.

• She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992.

• She has also served as the head of the Central Board of Film Certification from 1998-2001.

Five members from the film industry selected for 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke award 

1. Asha Bhosle

2. Hema Malini

3. Poonam Dhillon

4. T. S. Nagabharana

5. Udit Narayan

About Dadasaheb Phalke Award

• Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema.

• Rajinikanth was honoured with this award in 2019.

• The award is given in the memory of Dadasaheb Phalke, who is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Cinema'.

• He made the first Hindi movie, Raja Harishchandra.

World Tourism Day

Tags: Important Days

World Tourism Day is celebrated across the world on 27 September every year.

Important facts

• This day is observed every year to focus on promoting tourism in various parts of the world.

• The theme of Tourism Day 2022 - "Rethinking Tourism".

• The theme provides an opportunity to rethink how the tourism sector can be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient.

• The purpose of this day is to make people around the world aware of tourism.

Background of the day

• It was initiated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 1980.

• The reason for celebrating this day is that on this day in the year 1970 the statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) were adopted.

• UNWTO was established in 1975 and five years after this, World Tourism Day started.

• In 1997, at its fifth session in Istanbul, Turkey, the UNWTO decided that one country would host World Tourism Day every year.

• The hosting of World Tourism Day, 2022 has been handed over to Indonesia.

President inaugurated ₹208-crore rocket engine manufacturing facility in Bengaluru

Tags: Defence Science and Technology National News

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Integrated Cryogenic Engines Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru on 27 September.

Important facts

• The facility will promote self-reliance in manufacturing high-thrust rocket engines and will fulfil ISRO's desire to manufacture rocket engines.

• It has been constructed over a 4,500 square metre space and houses over 70 high-tech tools and testing facilities for the production of cryogenic (CE20) and semi-cryogenic (SE2000) engines for Indian rockets.

• This facility (ICMF) will complete the entire rocket engine manufacturing for ISRO under one roof.

• An MoU was signed with ISRO in 2013 for setting up a Cryogenic Engine Module production facility in the Aerospace Division of HAL.

• It was later amended to set up ICEMF in 2016 with an investment of Rs 208 crore.

• This was later updated in 2016 to allow setting up of ICMF with an investment of ₹208 crore.

• HAL has said that it will start production of the module by March 2023.

Manufactured by HAL Aerospace Division

• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), 

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-II), 

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk-III), 

• Stage integration for GSLV Mk-II

Cryogenic engines 

• Cryogenic engines are the most commonly used engines in launch vehicles worldwide.

• Only France, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have mastered cryogenic technology because of the complexity of the cryogenic engine.

• India became the sixth country to develop a cryogenic engine in 2014, when GSLV-D5 was successfully flown using a cryogenic engine.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) 

• It was set up as Hindustan Aircraft Limited by Walchand Hirachand in 1940 at Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka.

• It was taken over by the government of India and merged with Aeronautics India limited and was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964.

• Its main business is to design, develop, manufacture, repair and overhaul of aircraft, helicopters, engines and related systems like avionics, instruments and accessories.

• It comes under the Ministry of Defence.

• Headquarters: Bengaluru

INS Tarkash at Port Gentil, first-ever visit by an Indian Navy ship to Gabon

Tags: Defence International News

The Defence Ministry said on 26 September that INS Tarkash has visited a port in Gabon as part of an ongoing deployment in the Gulf of Guinea for anti-piracy patrols.

Important facts

• This marks the first visit by any Indian Naval Ship to Gabon.

• During its stay in port, the ship and its crew will participate in official and professional interactions as well as sport fixtures.

• Their professional interactions will include discussions and exercises on firefighting and damage control, medical and casualty evacuation issues, and dive operations.

• Apart from this, yoga sessions and social interactions are also planned.

About INS Tarkash

• INS Tarkash is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.

• It is built by Yantar Shipyard at Kaliningrad, Russia.

• It is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all three dimensions.

• The ship incorporates the latest stealth features such as low radar, infra-red, acoustic and magnetic signatures, making it difficult to detect at sea.

• The ship is part of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.

About Gabon

• It is a country on the west coast of Central Africa.

• Prime Minister - Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda

• President - Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba

• Capital - Libreville

• Official Language     - French

S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of Defense LIoyd J Austin in Washington

Tags: International Relations International News

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar met US Secretary of Defense LIoyd J Austin in Washington on 26 September.

Important facts

• Jaishankar said defence and security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership.

• The two leaders noted continued progress in policy exchange, interoperability, defence trade, services and military-industrial cooperation.

• They also exchanged their perspectives on the Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific development, maritime challenges and regional issues.

• Jaishankar also met US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. 

• The main topics of interaction were - Resilient Supply Chain, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, High Technology Cooperation, Semiconductors and Trade Promotion.

• The External Affairs Minister began his Washington DC program with a round table organized by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

• The session covered technical security, credible research and talent development.

• S Jaishankar is in the US on a 10-day visit to hold bilateral consultations with several US cabinet ministers.

Rohini RH-200 Rocket

Tags: Defence Science and Technology

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning the 200th consecutive successful launch of the Rohini RH-200 sounding rocket.

About Rohini RH-200 Rocket

• The RH-200 is a two-stage rocket capable of climbing to an altitude of 70 km.

• The first and second stages of the RH-200 are driven by solid motors.

• The '200' in the name refers to the diameter of the rocket in mm.

• Other Rohini variants - RH-300 Mk-II and RH-560 Mk-III.

• Over the years, the RH-200 rocket used a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based propellant.

• The first RH-200 to use a new propellant based on hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) was successfully flown from TERLS in September 2020.

• Since the inception of the RH200 rocket, both solid stages are processed using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based propellants.

About Sounding Rocket

• These are one- or two-stage solid propellant rockets used for exploration of the upper atmospheric regions and for space research.

• Rockets are used to launch instruments 48 to 145 km above the Earth's surface.

• The first sounding rocket to be launched from Thumba was the American Nike-Apache, which was launched on November 21, 1963.

• The ISRO launched its own version, Rohini RH-75 in 1967.

• ISRO has so far launched more than 1,600 RH-200 rockets.

Karnataka govt’s new Bill to promote Kannada language

Tags:

The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill was tabled in the state Assembly of Karnataka recently.

Important facts

• The Bill, tabled by Minister for Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar on September 22.

• The Bill classifies residents whose parents or guardians have been residing in Karnataka for at least 15 years and are able to read and write Kannada.

Features of the Bill

• The new bill proposes that Kannada be taught in higher education and technical courses.

• It also proposes reservation in higher education for students who have studied Kannada medium from class 1 to 10.

• Karnataka Industrial Policy 2020-25 mandates companies to give 70% reservation for Kannada people and 100% for Group D employees. This new bill proposes not to give any kind of benefit to those companies which do not comply with it.

• The Bill also proposes to constitute an Official Language Commission.

• Employees of banks and other financial institutions in Karnataka will use Kannada.

• The bill proposes that Kannada be used in subordinate courts and tribunals in the state.

About Karnataka State 

• Formation - 1 November 1956

• Capital- Bengaluru

• Governor- Thawar Chandra Gehlot

• Chief Minister- Basavaraj Bommai (BJP)

• Legislative Assembly seats- 224

• Lok Sabha seats- 28

• Jog Falls (Garsoppa) located in Karnataka is the highest waterfall in India which is on Sharavathi River.

• Yakshagana is the main folk dance of Karnataka.