DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: May 28, 2022

Uttarakhand sets up expert panel for Uniform Civil Code implementation

Tags: State News

The Uttarakhand government on May 27 constituted a panel of experts, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state.

• The Uniform Civil Code includes a review of laws governing marriage, divorce, maintenance, succession, adoption and other personal laws.

• The committee will examine all laws and matters relating to personal law in communities and draft a Uniform Civil Code.

• Uttarakhand will be the second state in the country after Goa to do so if the Uniform Civil Code comes into force.

• Name of panel head and its members

1. Retired judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (current head of the Delimitation Commission will chair the committee)

2. Retired judge Justice Pramod Kohli

3. Social worker Manu Gaur (Head Taxpayers Association of Bharat)

4. Retired IAS officer Shatrughan Singh 

5. Surekha Dangwal, Vice Chancellor of Doon University 

• What is Uniform Civil Code?

• Uniform Civil Code means one law for the whole country, which is applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.

• Article 44 of the Constitution talks about securing a Uniform Civil Code for every citizen of the country.

• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).

• Article 37 of the Constitution makes it clear that the DPSP "shall not be enforced by any court".

• Article 37 of the Constitution makes it clear that the DPSP "shall not be enforced by any court"but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.

• The Supreme Court for the first time directed the Parliament to frame a uniform civil code in the year 1985 in Shah Bano case.

India's first semi-high speed freight train Gati Shakti likely to run by year-end

Tags: National

Indian Railways has set a target of launching the country's first semi-high speed freight  train by December 2022.

• The 16-coach 'Gati Shakti' train based on the Vande Bharat platform will be able to run at a speed of 160 kmph.

• The manufacture of the train will be done by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

• In order to implement this initiative in a focused manner, Railways has created a separate Directorate in Railway Board with its branches in Khurda, Bilaspur, Delhi and Bengaluru divisions.

• Each train will also have refrigerated wagons at the rear and front for carrying perishable goods like milk products, fish, fruits and vegetables.

• Each coach will have two wide doors for loading and unloading of containers.

• Indian Railways is aiming to increase its share in freight traffic from the current 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030 through better infrastructure and business development plans.

• Indian Railways has identified 74 new 'Gati-Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)' across the country, of which 20 are in South Indian states.

• India’s e-commerce market

• As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, with a turnover of USD 50 billion in 2020, India has become the eighth largest market for e-commerce.

• India's e-commerce market is expected to reach US$ 111 billion by 2024 and US$ 200 billion by 2026.

• It is expected to reach USD 350 billion by 2030.

• The 'Gati-Shakti Multi Modal Cargo Terminal' policy was launched in 2021 to promote investment in the development of additional terminals for handling rail cargo.

• About PM Gati Shakti initiative

• It is a transformative approach to economic growth and sustainable development.

• It was launched on 13 October 2021 to provide multimodal connectivity infrastructure to various economic zones.

• PM GatiShakti National Master Plan was implemented on 21st October 2021.

• The approach of PM Gati Shakti is driven by 7 engines-

1. Railways

2. Roads

3. Ports

4. Waterways

5. Airports

6. Mass Transport

7. Logistics Infrastructure

A monkey found in Arunachal Pradesh named after the strategic Sela Pass

Tags: State News

A new species of Old World monkey has been found in Arunachal Pradesh which is named after the strategic hill Sela Pass which is situated at an altitude of 13,700 feet above sea level.

• Sela macaque ( Macaca selai)

• The monkey is named Sela Macaque (Macaca sellai)

• The new primate was identified and analysed by a team of experts from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the University of Calcutta.

• The study is published in the latest edition of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

• The study revealed that the Sela macaque was geographically separated from the Arunachal macaque ( Macaca munzala) of Tawang district by Sela.

• According to the study, this mountain pass hindered the migration of these two species for about two million years. 

• The Sela macaque is genetically close to the Arunachal macaque in the study.

• According to villagers, sela macaque is a major cause of crop damage in West Kameng district of the state.

• About Sela Pass

• It is a high altitude mountain pass located on the border between Tawang and West Kameng districts in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Its elevation is 4170 metres and it connects the Indian Buddhist city of Tawang with Dirang and Guwahati.

• The pass carries National Highway 13 and connects Tawang to the rest of India.

• The pass is home to rare vegetation and is usually covered with snow to some extent throughout the year.

• The foundation stone of Sela Tunnel was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 9, 2019.

Rajnath Singh undertakes sortie in submarine INS Khanderi at Karwar Naval base

Tags: Defence

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a sea flight on the Scorpene-class submarine INS Khanderi at Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka on May 27.

• The Scorpene class submarine INS Khanderi was built at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai and was commissioned in September 2019.

• The Indian Navy is operating four submarines of this class, of which two others are expected to be inducted by the end of 2023. 

• Indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant will soon be inducted to strengthen the country's maritime security and guarantee peace and security in the Indian Ocean region.

• During the sea flight, the combat capability and offensive prowess of the submarine was demonstrated to the Defence Minister.

• About INS Khanderi

• It is the second of six submarines being built as part of Project 75 of the Indian Navy.

• The first was Kalvari.

• It is a diesel-electric attack submarine that was designed by the French naval defence and energy company DCNS.

• It is manufactured at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.

• It can perform a variety of missions, such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance, etc.

• Khanderi is named after the island fort of the Maratha forces, which played an important role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.

Govt launches Indian Business Portal - e-commerce marketplace

Tags: Economics/Business

launched the Indian Business Portal – an international trade hub for Indian exporters and overseas buyers.

• About the Portal

• The Portal is designed and developed by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) in partnership with GlobalLinker.

• It is a B2B digital marketplace to empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) exporters, artisans and farmers to identify new markets for their products and increase their sales globally.

• It will support MSME and encourage greater exports of products Made in India.

• The portal will act as an e-commerce marketplace to help Indian exporters gain global visibility.

• Objectives of the Portal

• Digitising Indian exporters and helping them enable online search

• Promoting exports from all Indian states

• Demonstrate India's strength in wide range of products and services

• Encouraging virtual meetings between buyers and sellers

• To provide a trusted network from Indian Exporters to Foreign Buyers

AKRUTI Program to start in Kudankulam

Tags: National

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is preparing to launch the AKRUTI program in villages around the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).

• About AKRUTI Program

• Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is helping unemployed youth living near Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) through Aakriti program.

• AKRUTI stands for Advanced Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation (AKRUTI) Program.

• Water, food processing, agriculture and waste management in rural areas are covered under this  program.

• The aim of this scheme is to empower the villages by implementing various technologies.

• Through this scheme, there will be sustainable development of rural areas in the whole country.

• Objective of the programme

• To provide information and mechanism for implementation of BARC technologies in rural areas so as to achieve the goal of holistic rural development.

• About Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP)

• It is the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. 

• Construction on the plant began on 31 March 2002.

• It has six reactors with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.

• It has been made in collaboration with Russia's state-owned company Atomstroyexport and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

India's first Lavender Festival' at Bhaderwah, J&K

Tags: State News

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated 'India's first Lavender Festival' at Bhaderwah, J&K on 26 May 2022 under Aroma Mission 2 of the Government.

• Bhaderwah in Jammu and Kashmir is the birthplace of India's Violet or Lavender Revolution.

• Scientists, technologists, progressive farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs from different parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir participated in the Lavender Festival at Bhaderwah.

• Violet Revolution was launched in 2016 to promote lavender cultivation under the Aroma Mission of CSIR-IIIM through the Ministry of Science and Technology.

• The mission aims to increase the cultivation of lavender to 1500 hectares by 2024.

• The country's first National Institute of High Altitude Medicine is being built in Bhaderwah.

• Some Major Revolutions and Related Areas

Money spider, ant-mimicking spider discovered at Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Tags: State News

A money spider found in European grasslands has been spotted in the Muthanga range of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary for the first time in the country by researchers from Christ College (Kerala).

• Researchers have also discovered ant-mimicking spiders belonging to the group of jumping spiders from the Muthanga range.

• About Money Spider

• The money spider belongs to the family of dwarf spiders under the genus Prosoponoides.

• It has been named Prosoponoides biflectogynus.

• So far only six species of spiders belonging to this genus have been identified worldwide.

• Male and female money spiders are usually 3 mm to 4 mm long.

• Both males and females are dark brown in colour with irregular silver and black spots on their oval belly.

• Females build triangular webs between dry tree twigs and feed on small insects, while males prefer to hide under dry leaves.

• Two or more males can be found in the web of a single female spider.

• About Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

• It was established in 1973.

• Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India to be included in the UNESCO-designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2012.

• Other wildlife parks that come under this reserve include Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley.

• The Kabini River (a tributary of the Kaveri River) flows through this sanctuary.

• Other major sanctuaries that have been in discussion recently

• Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan) - 52nd Tiger Reserve of the country has been declared.

• Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary (Gujarat) - designated as a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

• Aravalli Biodiversity Park (Haryana)- India's first “Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures” (OECM) site has been declared.

• Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) - India's first hot air balloon wildlife safari launched.

GRSE launches Indian Navy survey vessel ‘INS Nirdeshak’

Tags: Defence

'Nirdeshak', the second of the four Survey Ship (SVL) projects under construction for the Indian Navy, was launched on 26 May 2022 at Kattupalli, Chennai.

• Nirdeshak is the second ship in the four survey vessel project under construction by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in association with L&T Shipbuilding.

• The first class ship 'Sandhyak' was launched on 5 December 2021 at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

• Of the four SVL ships, three are being partially constructed at L&T at Kattupalli under a collaborative approach between GRSE and L&T Shipbuilding.

• The ship was launched by Sarbani Dasgupta, wife of Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

• It is named after the erstwhile Nirdeshak , who retired from the Indian Navy in December 2014 after 32 years of illustrious service.

• These ships are built from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel by Hull Steel Authority of India Limited.

• With the capacity to carry four survey motor boats and an integrated helicopter, the primary role of the ships will be to undertake full scale coastal and deep water hydrographic surveys of ports and shipping channels.

• About Indian Navy 

• The Indian Navy was organised in the year 1612 AD as the war-fighting army of the East India Company under the name Indian Marine.

• In 1685 AD, it was renamed as "Bombay Marine".

• On 8 September 1934, the Indian Legislative Council passed the Indian Naval Discipline Act and the Royal Indian Navy emerged.

• Navy Chief - Admiral R Hari Kumar

• Deputy Chief of Naval Staff- Vice Admiral Satish Namdev Ghormade

• Indian Navy Day - 4th December

• Recently the Navy's indigenous warships INS Surat and INS Udayagiri have been launched at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai.

Delhi Customs launches Project ‘Nigah’ at ICD Garhi Harsaru, Gurugram

Tags: State News

Chief Commissioner, Delhi Customs Zone, Surjit Bhujbal inaugurated the project 'NIGAH (NIGAH)' at ICD Garhi Harsaru, Gurugram.

• Project Nigah is an initiative to track containers using ICTM (ICD Container Tracking Modulus) which will aid in better visibility of container movement within the ICD.

• It will also help in monitoring the timely clearance of long awaited containers to enhance ease of doing business while ensuring key containment checks.

• ICTM (ICD Container Tracking Modulus) has been developed in collaboration with M/s GRFL as a custodian.