1. NITI Aayog hosts first Shoonya Forum
Tags: National National News
NITI Aayog on 14 September hosted the first Shoonya Forum to commemorate the first anniversary of India’s zero pollution e-mobility campaign in Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- On the occasion, over 25 zero partners announced their commitment.
The partners pledged to accelerate India's clean mobility story with electric vehicles to improve air quality for Indian citizens.
A three-report series highlighting the economic opportunities presented to India by an indigenous battery industry was released during the event.
Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog, said that the Zero campaign is an effective collaboration between industry, government and citizens that is helping electric mobility in India.
Shoonya initiative :
NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India launched the Shoonya Campaign in September 2021.
It promotes zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and industry.
The campaign aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the urban delivery segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution.
Urban freight vehicles account for 10 percent of freight-related carbon dioxide emissions in India, and these emissions are expected to increase to 114 percent by 2030.
2. NITI Aayog hosts first Shoonya Forum
Tags: National National News
NITI Aayog on 14 September hosted the first Shoonya Forum to commemorate the first anniversary of India’s zero pollution e-mobility campaign in Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- On the occasion, over 25 zero partners announced their commitment.
The partners pledged to accelerate India's clean mobility story with electric vehicles to improve air quality for Indian citizens.
A three-report series highlighting the economic opportunities presented to India by an indigenous battery industry was released during the event.
Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog, said that the Zero campaign is an effective collaboration between industry, government and citizens that is helping electric mobility in India.
Shoonya initiative :
NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India launched the Shoonya Campaign in September 2021.
It promotes zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and industry.
The campaign aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the urban delivery segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution.
Urban freight vehicles account for 10 percent of freight-related carbon dioxide emissions in India, and these emissions are expected to increase to 114 percent by 2030.
3. William Ruto sworn in as Kenya's president
Tags: Person in news International News
William Ruto was sworn in as president on September 13, following the elections held on August 9 in Kenya, which has been facing political instability for the past few years.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Ruto defeated longtime Leader of the Opposition Raila Odinga by a narrow margin in the election held on 9 August.
Odinga is a very popular leader in Kenya and he has contested the presidential election 5 times and this time he has to face defeat.
Odinga was the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013.
Ruto was the Vice President during the tenure of outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Ruto takes power in a debt-ridden country that will challenge his efforts to fulfill promises made to Kenya's poor.
About Kenya :
President - William Ruto
Capital - Nairobi
Official Languages -Swahili, English
Currency - Kenyan shilling
4. Digital Quality of Life Global Index - 2022
Tags: International News
The British Virgin Islands' based VPN service company released its Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2022 on 12 September which included 110 countries.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Denmark topped the index for the second year in a row while the five worst-ranked countries are Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala and Angola.
Of the ten countries with the highest scores in the index, six are European countries.
India ranks 59th in the overall parameters of the index.
China has jumped 16 places to 22nd. Pakistan is at 97th position while Bangladesh is at 103rd position.
Five digital parameters :
Internet affordability - It measures how much time people have to spend to buy an internet connection. India has ranked 47th on this parameter.
Internet quality - The survey measures the speed and stability of mobile and broadband internet connectivity in a country. The report places India at 67th rank.
Electronic infrastructure - The survey measures the development and inclusion of electronic infrastructure in a country. India ranks 91st on this parameter.
Electronic security - This parameter assesses how prepared a country is to combat cyber crimes and protect one's online privacy. India is on the 36th spot on this parameter.
Electronic government - It seeks to gauge how modern and digitized a country's government services are by measuring the government's online presence and the use of artificial intelligence technology for the public good. India has ranked 33rd on this parameter.
5. Emmy Awards - 2022, Lee Jung-jae won the title of Best Actor
Tags: Awards International News
The 74th Emmy Awards - 2022, held in Los Angeles, USA, were announced on 13 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Actor Lee Jung-jae won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama for his performance in Netflix's hit South Korean series “Squid Game”.
"Squid Game" producer Hwang Dong-hyuk became the first Asian director to win the Drama Series category and also the first director to win for a non-English language series.
Lee took the title, beating veterans Jason Bateman (Ozark), Brian Cox (Succession), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Adam Scott (Severance) and Jeremy (Succession).
He has also won the SAG Award for 'Squid Game' earlier this year as well.
The series revolves around a competition where 456 players, all of whom are facing a deep financial crunch.
About Emmy Award :
It annually recognizes excellence in leading television programming produced outside the US.
It is also called the American Television Award.
The Emmy Awards are created by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
The National Academy was formed in 1946 and the Emmy Award was presented for the first time in 1949.
6. India to invite Bangladesh and other friendly as guest country during its G-20 presidency
The Ministry of External Affairs on 13 September 2022, said that India will invite a number of friendly countries and International Organisation to the G-20 summit as Guest countries to the G-20 Summit meeting being hosted by India on 09 and 10 September 2023 in New Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Guest Countries :
- India will invite Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as Guest Countries.
International Organisations to be invited :
- India will invite the United Nations, International Monetary Fund(IMF),World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO),World Trade Organization (WTO),International labour organization(ILO),Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Financial Stability Board(FSB), Head of African Union, International Solar Alliance ,Association of South-east Asian Nation(ASEAN) , African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD ) CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and ADB (Asian Development Bank).
- The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises 19 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA and the European Union (EU).
7. Right to contest election is not a fundamental right: Supreme Court
Tags: National
The Supreme Court on 13 September 2022 has ruled that the right to contest an election is neither a fundamental right nor a common law right but a right conferred by statute. It was giving its ruling on a Special Leave petition filed by Mr Vishwanath Pratap Singh challenging Delhi High Court judgment which had dismissed a similar petition.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Vishwanath Pratap Singh Vs Election Commission of India 2022 case :
- The petitioner Vishwanath Pratap Singh wanted to contest the Rajya Sabha election to be held in June 2022. He said he had collected the nomination form but was not allowed by the Election Commission to file his nomination without a proper proposer proposing his name.
- The petitioner claimed that since his candidature without the proposer was not accepted, his fundamental right to free speech and expression and his right to personal liberty was infringed.
- The Delhi High Court had in its Judgment dismissed his petition that his fundamental right was infringed.
Supreme Court Judgment :
- A two judge bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia while referring to earlier judgments viz Javed v. State of Haryana, (2003) and Rajbala v. State of Haryana (2016) , dismissing his plea observed that the right to contest election was neither a fundamental right nor a common law right. It is a right conferred by a statute."
- The bench noted that the petitioner did not have any right to contest election to the Rajya Sabha in terms of the law made by Parliament.
- The Court said that "The Representation of People Act, 1950 read with the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 has contemplated the name of a candidate to be proposed while filling the nomination form,".
- "Therefore, an individual cannot claim that he has a right to contest an election and the said stipulation violates his fundamental right, so as to file his nomination without any proposer as is required under the Act," the bench observed.
- The Supreme Court dismissed the petition with a cost of ₹ one lakh and said the cost be paid to the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee within four weeks.
Proposer and Seconder :
- To discourage non-serious candidates from contesting elections, the law provides that a candidate who wants to contest election will have to file a nomination paper which has to be signed by proposer and endorsed by seconder.
- The person who is a proposer cannot become an endorser.
- The proposer and seconder are the voters who are eligible to vote for the particular post which is being contested.
The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Acts 1952 provides for the proposer and seconder for the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls.
They are as follows :
Post | Proposer | Seconder |
President | 50 electors | 50 electors |
Vice President | 20 electors | 20 electors |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
For Parliament and State Legislature elections
- According to the section 33 (1) of Representation of People Act, 1951 , a candidate who belongs to a recognised political party, needs only 1 proposer (voter of the constituency from where the candidate is fighting election) for filing nomination to contest Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha or Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council election.
- If the candidate is from an unrecognized political party or Independent then the proposer requirement is 10.
8. Government launches national list of essential medicines
Tags: National National News
The Health Ministry has released a new National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), in which 384 medicines have been included.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- In the list of 384 medicines, 34 new medicines have been included in the list of essential medicines.
The NLEM 2022 contains 384 medicines as compared to 376 in NLEM, 2015.
The drugs are now classified into 27 therapeutic categories.
What is National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) ?
Essential medicines are those that meet the primary health care needs on the basis of efficacy, safety, quality and total cost of treatment.
The primary objective of NLEM is to promote rational use of drugs considering three important aspects viz., cost, safety and efficacy.
It is based on the concept that a limited list of carefully selected drugs will improve the quality of health care, provide cost-effective health care and better manage medicines.
9. Government launches national list of essential medicines
Tags: National National News
The Health Ministry has released a new National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), in which 384 medicines have been included.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- In the list of 384 medicines, 34 new medicines have been included in the list of essential medicines.
The NLEM 2022 contains 384 medicines as compared to 376 in NLEM, 2015.
The drugs are now classified into 27 therapeutic categories.
What is National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) ?
Essential medicines are those that meet the primary health care needs on the basis of efficacy, safety, quality and total cost of treatment.
The primary objective of NLEM is to promote rational use of drugs considering three important aspects viz., cost, safety and efficacy.
It is based on the concept that a limited list of carefully selected drugs will improve the quality of health care, provide cost-effective health care and better manage medicines.
10. India to assume G20 Presidency for one year from December 2022
Tags: International News
As per the Ministry of External Affairs India will chair the G20 meeting for one year starting from December 1, 2022 to November 20, 2023.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- A total of 200 G20 meetings are likely to be held under the chairmanship of India.
The G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September 2023.
India is part of the G20 Troika :
India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, past and upcoming G20 presidencies) which includes Indonesia, Italy and India.
During India's Presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil would form the troika.
This will be the first time that the troika will include three developing countries and emerging economies, which will give them a boost.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
G-20 Group :
Group of 20 or G-20 is a multilateral organisation which was set up in 1999.
It consists of the world's major developed and developing countries.
It consists of 19 countries and the European Union. The member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
Italy was the President of the G-20 in 2021. Indonesia is the President for 2022 and India will be the President in 2023.
The first Summit meeting of the leaders of the G-20 was held in 2008 at Washington, United States.
The G20 has no permanent secretariat.
G-20 members constitute 60% of the world population, 80% of the World economy and 75% of world trade.
