DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: July 5, 2023

India won the title of SAFF Championship 2023

Tags: Sports

India won the final of the South Asian Football Federation Championship 2023.

An Overview of the News

• The Indian men's football team beat Kuwait 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout.

• The win secured India's 9th title in the SAFF Championship out of 14 editions.

• The final took place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

• At that time India's FIFA ranking was 100th.

• This victory follows their previous victory in the Intercontinental Cup.

India's journey in SAFF Championship 2023

• India served as the host of the tournament.

• India remained undefeated throughout the championship.

• Group Stage Performance:

  • Defeated Pakistan and Nepal.

  • Draw against Kuwait.

• Semifinals:

  • Defeated Lebanon in the penalty shootout.

• Final:

  • Defeated Kuwait in a thrilling penalty shootout.

SAFF Championship 2023 Prize Winners:

• Fairplay Award: Nepal Football Team

• Best Goalkeeper: Anisur Rahman Zico

• Top goal scorer: Sunil Chhetri (6 goals)

• Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sunil Chhetri

• Runner-up: Kuwait football team

About SAFF (South Asian Football Federation Championship)

• The SAFF Football Championship is a biennial international football tournament in South Asia.

• It aims to promote and develop football in the region.

• The inaugural edition took place in 1993 in Lahore, Pakistan.

• India became the champion by defeating Pakistan in the final.

• This tournament is held every two years.

• Participating countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

• Its primary objective is to enhance the development of football in South Asia.

Dharma Chakra Day - 3rd July

Tags: Important Days

During the Dharma Chakra Pravartan Divas celebrations (3rd July), the President of India emphasized the significance of Buddha's teachings and urged the youth to find inspiration in them.

An overview of the news

• The President highlighted the importance of embracing Sheel (morality), Sadhachar (good conduct), and Pragya (wisdom) to empower the younger generation and make a positive contribution to society.

• Additionally, the contract for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini, Nepal, was successfully awarded.

What is Dharma Chakra?

• The dharma chakra, also known as the wheel of dharma, holds significant symbolism in various Indian religions, including Hinduism, Jainism, and notably, Buddhism.

• Within Buddhism, the dharma chakra symbolizes the Buddha's teachings and the universal moral order known as Dharma.

About Dharma Chakra Day

• Dharma Chakra Day is celebrated to commemorate Buddha’s first teaching after attaining enlightenment.

• It is observed on the full moon day of Asadha in the Indian sun calendar. It is also observed as Guru Purnima.

• Organized by - Ministry of Culture in partnership with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC)

• Significance - Second most sacred day for Buddhists after Buddha Poornima (Vesak)

• The day marks the beginning of the Rainy Season retreat for monks and nuns.

• Other Names - Asadha Poornima (India); Esala Poya (Sri Lanka); Asanha Bucha (Thailand)

• Guru Purnima - Falls on a full-moon day in the Hindu month of Ashadh. Dedicated to Maharshi Veda Vyasa, editor of the Vedas and creator of Hindu scriptures.

Gutti Koya tribe

Tags: State News

In the Gutti Koya tribe, stone memorials are erected to honour the passing of their three key figures: the physician, the priest, and the village leader.

An Overview of the News

• In the Red Corridor along the A.P.-Chhattisgarh border, the Gutti Koya tribe keeps their customs and memories alive through their traditional practices.

• It is the tribespeople’s custom to place a stone in memory of a deceased dignitary of the settlement to express their gratitude for their services.

• “They bury the bodies of only three persons in their village - Vejji (physician), poojari (priest) and the community head. When others die, their bodies are cremated in the forest,”

About Gutti Koya tribe:

• The Koya population is primarily concentrated in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

• They communicate using the Koya language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family.

• The significant festival celebrated by the Koya community is the Sammakka Saralamma Jatra, held once every two years on the full moon day of Magha Masam (January or February) in the village of Medaram, located in Mulug taluk of Warangal district.

• The Koya people engage in the Podu form of shifting cultivation, which is a survival-oriented practice adopted by several tribal groups in forest regions.

• While they are recognized as Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Chhattisgarh, they have not been granted the same status in the states where they have migrated, such as Telangana.

• Their livelihood primarily revolves around animal husbandry and the collection of minor forest produce.

Water level in 75% reservoirs in India less than 40% of their capacity: CWC data

Tags: Reports

Recent data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) reveals that 110 out of the 146 monitored reservoirs have water levels at or below 40% of their total capacities.

An Overview of the news

Based on data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the following observations have been made:

• Around 33% of the 717 districts with available data have experienced deficient rainfall till July 4, while for an additional 10% of districts, the situation is even worse.

• As of June 30, the water levels in reservoirs across 10 states are lower than their respective 30-year average levels.

• The deficiency in water levels ranges from 11% to 80% in states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Tripura, and Nagaland.

• However, it is worth noting that the current water levels are comparatively better than the average levels observed over the past 10 years.

About Central Water Commission:

• The organization is a prestigious technical institution in India that specializes in the field of water resources.

• Currently, it operates as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, which falls under the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation of the Government of India.

• Headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.

Functions of Central Water Commission:

• General responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for the purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development.

• The Commission is responsible for conducting investigations, as well as overseeing the construction and execution of various schemes as needed.

• The Commission's work is organized into three wings: Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing, and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.

• Each wing is headed by a full-time Member who holds the position of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

Member countries of the SCO should collaborate to fully capitalize on the potential of the Chabahar Port: PM Modi

Tags: International Relations Defence International News

The Prime Minister has suggested that the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should collaborate to fully capitalise on the potential of the Chabahar Port, especially with Iran's recent accession to this major regional organisation.

An Overview of the News

• During a virtual summit hosted by India, Iran was formally inducted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

• The induction took place within the influential SCO, with the virtual summit serving as the forum for this announcement.

Chabahar Port:

• Location and Access: The Chabahar Port is located in Iran's Sistan-Balochistan province, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.

• It provides direct access to the Indian Ocean and is situated outside the Hormuz Strait.

• Importance and Potential: As Iran's only seaport, the Chabahar Port has the potential to become a significant commercial hub in the region.

• Its strategic proximity to countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, along with its role in the International North-South Transport Corridor, contributes to its importance.

Chabahar Project:

• Tripartite Agreement: In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a tripartite agreement to develop the Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar.

• This marked India's first foreign port project.

• Objectives: The agreement aimed to establish an International Transport and Transit Corridor at Chabahar.

• Key highlights of the project include the construction of the Chabahar Port and a rail line connecting it to Zahedan.

• Bypassing Pakistan: The Chabahar Port provides India with an alternative route to access Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan.

• This offers increased trade and connectivity opportunities.

International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):

• Description: The INSTC is a multimodal transportation route that connects the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea. 

• It further extends to northern Europe through St. Petersburg, Russia.

• Components: The corridor encompasses seaports in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian region, as well as road and rail networks.

• Objective: The primary aim of the INSTC is to reduce transportation costs and transit time between India and Russia. 

• Once fully functional, it is expected to significantly decrease transit time by nearly half.
  
  
  

India handed over torch of Startup 20 to Brazil

Tags: International News

The Startup 20 Gurugram Summit, organized by the Startup 20 Engagement Group under the India G20 chairmanship, concluded in Gurugram on 4 July 2023.

Important Points:-

• During the closing ceremony, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, President of Startup20, officially handed over the torch to Brazil as Brazil is to chair the G20 next year.
• The two-day summit served as a platform to foster innovations, collaborations, knowledge sharing and strategic alliances within the global startup ecosystem.
• Underlining the importance of Startup20, Saudi Arabia's Prince Fahd bin Mansour announced an ambitious allocation of $1 trillion per year to the startup ecosystem by 2030.
• Saudi Arabia became the first country to provide support for global startups to reach $1 trillion.
• This initiative of Saudi Arabia will be helpful in strengthening startups for global welfare.
• The Startup20 Gurugram Summit serves as an important platform for the startup ecosystem, ecosystem builders, industry experts, government, policy makers and thought leaders to collaborate and shape the way for startups globally.

Brazil:

• Capital: Brasilia
• President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
• Currency: Brazilian Real

Shreyanka Patil becomes the first Indian cricketer to be a part of WCPL

Tags: Sports News

Shreyanka Patil became the first Indian cricketer to be signed for the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).

An Overview of the News

• She is the first Indian player to get a contract in a foreign league before making her international debut.

• He has been selected to represent the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the WCPL, which will take place from 31 August to 10 September.

• Shreyanka Patil was awarded the title of 'Player of the Tournament' in the Women's Emerging Asia Cup held in Hong Kong.

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed Indian women cricketers to participate in overseas cricket leagues.

• Senior players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh have played in leagues like the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) and The Hundred.

• On 14 March 2022, Cricket West Indies announced the first ever women's Caribbean Premier League to be held alongside the men's tournament.

About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

• It is the national governing body of cricket in India.

• The headquarters of the BCCI is located at the Cricket Center near the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

• The BCCI is responsible for the administration and organisation of cricket activities in India at both the national and international levels.

Establishment - December 1928

President - Roger Binny

CEO - Hemang Amin

Vice President - Rajeev Shukla

Men's Coach - Rahul Dravid

Lebanese Armed Forces on visit to Indian Southern Naval Command

Tags: Defence

A five-member training delegation of the Lebanese Armed Forces led by Brigadier General Hussain Bazzi is on a visit to Southern Naval Command, Kochi and Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala from 3 to 8 July 2023.

An Overview of the news:-

• During the visit, the delegation interacted with Rear Admiral Upal Kundu, Chief Staff Officer (Training) and discussed issues of interoperability and cooperation between the two services in the field of training.
• The delegation visited Headquarters Maritime Training (HQST) and interacted with Rear Admiral Sushil Menon, Flag Officer Sea Training.
• Business interactions were held on various aspects of Operational Sea Training.
• The delegation also visited various training establishments of the Southern Naval Command at Kochi and observed demonstrations regarding state-of-the-art training infrastructure, facilities and simulators.
• On completion of the visit to Kochi, the delegation will proceed to INA Ezhimala to explore avenues of mutual cooperation in the field of naval training.

Lebanon:

Capital: Beirut (largest city)

President: Michel Naeem Ouen (until October 2022)

Prime Minister: Najib Azmi Mikati

Currency: Lebanese pound

Vietnam's Justice Minister Le Thanh Long's visit to India

Tags: International Relations

On July 2, 2023, a bilateral meeting between Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal and Vietnam's Justice Minister Le Thanh Long was held in New Delhi.

An Overview of the news: -

• The meeting was also attended by a delegation from both sides, which included senior officials from the respective Ministries.
• Bilateral meeting between Minister of State for Law and Justice India and Vietnam

Opportunities for cooperation between the two countries:

• The Union Law Minister recalled the close friendly relations that the two countries have developed over the last more than 50 years.
• Appreciated Vietnam for being a key partner of India's 'Act East Policy'.
• Both sides used the occasion to discuss measures for cooperation in various fields of law and justice.
• This will take bilateral relations to new heights commensurate with the status of a Comprehensive Strategic Partner.
• The meeting proved fruitful in efforts towards the possibility of signing an MoU to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of law and justice.
• The two sides have also agreed to hold consultations at the official level to take forward discussions on wide-ranging areas of cooperation in the field of law and justice, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Vietnam:

• It is located in the eastern part of the Indochina Peninsula of Southeast Asia.
• It is bordered by the South China Sea to the east, China to the north, Laos to the northwest and Cambodia to the southwest.
• Capital: Hanoi
• Prime Minister: Pham Minh Chinh
• Currency: Vietnamese dong