Current Affairs search results for tag: national-news

1. Russian Court fines Meta and Google

Tags: International News

• A court in Moscow slapped Google with an unprecedented fine of nearly USD 98 million(7.2 billion rouble), while Meta (formerly Facebook) received a penalty of  USD27 million(1.9 billion roubles) for  not moderating their content properly and interfering in the country’s affairs.
•  These Social media giants were held guilty of  repeatedly failing to delete illegal content, remove materials that incite religious hatred and promote views of “extremist and terrorist organisations” from their sites 

Russian Currency is Rouble.

Capital of Russia : Moscow

President of Russia : Vladimir Putin 

2. Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square Statue removed

Tags: International News

• A famous statue which showed the piled-up corpses at the University of Hong Kong marking the Tiananmen Square massacre was removed on 23rd December.
• The Pillar of Shame was created by Danish artist Jens Galschiot as a tribute to the victims of China’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

3. Tagging of Olive Ridley turtle resumed in Rushikulya ,Odisha

Tags: National News

• Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India in association with the Odisha Forest and Environment Department started tagging of the olive ridley turtle in Rushikulya nesting place on Odisha coast.
• The tagging of the Olive Ridley turtle started in January 2021 after a gap of 25 years
• The tagging exercise is being carried out at  the three nesting places of the Olive Ridley at  Gahirmatha, Devi River mouth and Rushikulya in Odisha .
• The coast of Odisha is the largest nesting place of Olive Ridley in the world .
• The main aim of the tagging exercise is to identify the migration path and places visited by the marine reptiles after congregation and nesting.
• The metal tags affixed to turtles are non-corrosive and they do not harm their body. It can be removed later. The tags are uniquely numbered containing details such as the name of the organisation, country-code and email address. 
• The scientists  intend to tag 30,000 turtles over a period of 10 years

 Headquarters of Zoological Survey of India : Kolkata 

4. US President Joe Biden bans import of goods from China's Xinjiang province to prevent use of forced labour

Tags: International News

• United States (US) President Joe Biden has  signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that bans import of goods from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China into the US made with forced labour. 

What is the law 

• The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,  bans all imports from China’s Xinjiang region into the United States unless companies can show the U.S. government “clear and convincing evidence” their supply chains have not used the labor of ethnic Muslims enslaved in Chinese camps.

What is the issue 

• United States accuses China of genocide against the  Muslim Uyghur who are kept in a concentration  camp by Chinese authorities violating their basic human rights and are forced to work without any labour rights .
• The Chinese government describes the camps as "re-education" facilities aimed at combating terrorism.  The Chinese government accuses many Ughyer of being a part of radical Islmaic movement which threaten China .
• An East Turkestan Independence Movement led by the East Turkestan Liberation Organisation  seeks to establish an Independent country for the Ugyhers in the Xinjiang region of China. To crush the separatist movement China has kept a large number of Uygher who it feels are sympathetic to the East Turkestan Movement  in special camps denying them basic human rights . 
• To put pressure on China on its human right issues the United States  and its allies Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. 
• The players of these countries will participate in the Beijing Olympics but these governments will not send their  official  delegation to China to protest China's poor human rights record  and its handling of minorities like Ugyer muslims and Tibetaines.

 What is the Economic and Environmental cost to the US 

• However many American companies are against the act as more than  than 40% of the world’s polysilicon supply comes from Xinjiang. Polysilicon is  used as a raw material by the solar photovoltaic and electronics industry. If it is banned from China then the prices of these products will rise in the United States leading to  costly goods for the American consumer .
• It will also hamper US commitment to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels as the solar energy cost will rise. It will have an adverse effect on the US commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emission.

5. President Unveils the statute of P.N. Panicker

Tags: National News

President of India Mr Ram Nath Kovind unveiled the  statue of late Mr.P.N. Panicker at Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram Kerala .

• Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker  is also known as the Father of the Library Movement in India.
• He started   Granthashala Sangam  with about 50 small libraries in 1945  in Kerala which grew into a large network of thousands of libraries.
• Today in the remotest corner of Kerala there is a library.One of the main reasons for the success of the Kerala government’s  “Sakshara Keralam” to make Kerala fully literate was the availability of library in the remotest corner of Kerala .
•  To honour and acknowledge P.N.Panicker ,Kerala Government declared June 19, his death anniversary, as Vayanadinam (Reading Day) in  1996
• In  2017,   Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared June 19 his death anniversary  as National Reading Day in India. The following month is also observed as National Reading Month in India.

6. Winter Session, 2021 of Parliament adjourned sine die, a day ahead of schedule

Tags: National News

• The Winter Session, 2021 of Parliament has been adjourned sine die on Wednesday, 22nd December 2021. 
• The Session was curtailed 1 day earlier than scheduled on completion of Essential Government Business. .
• 11 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament which includes one Appropriation Bill relating to the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021- 22 
• One Bill namely the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament and five Bills are being referred to Standing Committees.

Detailed

Termination of Parliament Session:

• A sitting of Parliament can be terminated by adjournment or adjournment sine die or prorogation or dissolution (in the case of the Lok Sabha).
• Adjournment: It suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks.
• Adjournment sine die: It means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period. In other words, when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly.
• The power of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die lies with the presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman) of the House.
• Prorogation: The word Prorogation means discontinuing without dissolving. The President issues a notification for prorogation of the session after the business of a session is completed and the presiding officer declares the House adjourned sine die. 
• The President can also prorogue the House while in session.
• Dissolution: Only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution. Rajya Sabha, being a permanent House, is not subject to dissolution.
• A dissolution ends the life of the existing House, and a new House is constituted after general elections are held. The President is empowered to dissolve the Lok Sabha.

Appropriation Bill

• A Money Bill passed annually (or at various times of the year) providing for the withdrawal or appropriation from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India, of moneys, voted by  Lok Sabha and moneys charged on the Consolidated Fund for the services of a financial year or a part of a financial year. 
• It is passed by Lok Sabha, transmitted to Rajya Sabha and will be deemed to have been passed by both Houses after expiry of 14 days under Article 109(5).

7. Cabinet approves Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Copra for 2022 season

Tags: National News

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2022 season. 
• The decision is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)
• It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit as one of the important and progressive steps towards making possible doubling of farmers' incomes by 2022.
• Copra refers to the dried sections of the meet of coconut from which coconut oil is expelled. The MSP declared is for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of both ball copra and milling copra (for coconut oil).

Detailed

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

• MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers.
• MSP is a “minimum price” for any crop that the government considers as remunerative for farmers and hence deserving of “support”.
• MSP is fixed twice a year separately for Kharif and Ravi Seasons.
• MSP doesnt have any legal backing.
• The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane.
• CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• The mandated crops are-

• Cereals - Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Sorghum, Pearl millet, Barley, Ragi
• Pulses - Chickpea / Gram, Tur, Moong, Urad, Lentil
• Oilseeds - Peanut, Rapeseed, Soyabean, Sesame, Sunflower, Safflower, Niger seed
• Commercial crops - Copra, Sugarcane, Cotton, Raw jute

• Factors for Recommending the MSP:

     The CACP considers various factors while recommending the MSP for a commodity, including cost of cultivation.

• The supply and demand situation for the commodity, 
• Market price trends (domestic and global) and parity vis-à-vis other crops
• Implications for consumers (inflation)
• Environment (soil and water use) and 
• Terms of trade between agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.

8. Local Brand from North East - “Namdapha Goodness”

Tags: National News

• Launched by - North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Meghalaya in collaboration with Changlang Community Resource Management Society (CCRMS), Arunachal Pradesh
• NERCRMS is a registered society under the aegis of North Eastern Council (NEC) and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Govt. of India
• It is named after iconic Namdapha National Park located in the Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Aim - To boost the sale of locally produced goods of the Community Based Organization (CBO) members and to generate sustainable employment opportunities among the village communities and unemployed youths through the manufacturing, marketing and distribution related activities

Detailed-

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER)

• Established in 2001
• It is the nodal Department of the Central Government to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight States of Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim
• Minister of Development of North Eastern Region is G. Kishan Reddy

North Eastern Council (NEC) 

• It is a statutory advisory body constituted under the North Eastern Council Act 1971.
• The eight States of Northeast India viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, are members of the council.
• Chief Ministers and Governors of each state represents them.
• The headquarters of the council is situated in Shillong , Meghalaya.
• Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER)
• It acts as the regional socio economic planning body since 2002.

Namdapha National Park

• It lies at the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is the only Park in the World to have the four species of big cat namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa).
• Hoolock Gibbons, the only ‘ape’ species found in India is found in this National Park.

9. Tolkāppiyam translated into Hindi

Tags: National News

• Translated by - Central Institute of Classical Tamil
• Released by  - Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar
• Aim - To provide accessibility and wider readership to the Classical Tamil texts.
• Tolkappiyam is the most ancient text of Tamil grammar and poetics. It is part of the Sangam Literature that flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandya kings of Madurai around 3rd Century BC to 3rd Century AD.

Detailed-

Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar released the Hindi translation of Tolkāppiyam and the Kannada translations of 9 books of Tamil Sangam literature.

Tolkappiyam

• Tolkappiyam is the most ancient Tamil grammar text and the oldest work of Tamil literature. 
• Some in the Tamil tradition place the text in the mythical second sangam, variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier. 
• Tolkappiyam, a unique work on grammar and poetics, in its three parts of nine sections each, deals with Ezhuttu(letter), Col (word) and Porul (subject matter). 
• Almost all levels of the human language from the spoken to the most poetic lie within the purview of Tolkappiyar’s analysis as he treats in exquisitely poetic and epigrammatic statements on phonology, morphology, syntax, rhetoric, prosody and poetics.

Tamil Literature

• Tamil writing systems dates back to 250 BCE.
• According to the Tamil legends, there were three Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) held in the ancient South India popularly called Muchchangam.
• The First Sangam, is believed to be held at Madurai, attended by gods and legendary sages. No literary work of this Sangam is available.
• The Second Sangam was held at Kapadapuram, only Tolkappiyam survives from this.
• The Third Sangam was also held at Madurai. A few of these Tamil literary works have survived and are a useful sources to reconstruct the history of the Sangam period.
• Tamil sangam poetry contains 2381 poems in Tamil composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous.
• Most scholars suggest the historical sangam literature era to be among the finest of world literature. 
• Out of the large body of literature, only a grammatical work in verse called Tolkāppiyam, the eight anthologies (Ettuttokai) and Ten Songs (Pattuppattu) have survived the ravages of time. 

Union Minster of Education - Dharmedra Pradhan

Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) 

• CICT formerly known as the Centre of Excellence for Classical Tamil (CECT) is a body established by the Government of India with a view to promoting the cause of Classical Tamil. 
• Headquarters - Chennai.
• It awards the Kural Peedam Award, a lifetime achievement presidential award given to eminent scholars of classical Tamil since 2005.

10. National Oxygen Stewardship Program

Tags: National News

·Nodal Ministry - Union Health Ministry

·Launched by - Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare

• Aim - Repurpose, Re-orient and Upskill the existing manpower to ensure rational utilization and avoid any wastage of medical Oxygen and to be prepared for any upcoming Covid Surge without creating any undue stress on the health system.
• Identify and train at least one “Oxygen Steward” in each district across the country on Oxygen therapy and management

Detailed-

• Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the National Oxygen Stewardship Program of the Union Health Ministry, at AIIMS New Delhi.
• The initiative aims to train all healthcare workers engaged in Oxygen management and administration with the essential knowledge and skills to ensure rational utilization and avoid any wastage of medical Oxygen, especially in resource constraint times. 
• It envisages to identify and train at least one “Oxygen Steward” in each district across the country. These trained professionals would be responsible for leading the training on Oxygen therapy and management in their respective districts and also support audit of oxygen delivery and preparedness for a surge scenario.
• Thus this program aims to “repurpose, re-orient and upskill the existing manpower” in order to make sure that any unforseen incident arising due to the pandemic gets managed professionally without any undue stress on the systems.

Government’s efforts in ensuring increased oxygen availability-

• Government of India has sanctioned more than 1500 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants of which 1463 have been commissioned. It includes 1225 PSA plants which have been installed and commissioned under PMCARES Fund in every district of the country.
• The States have also been asked to install PSA plants in public and private health facilities.
• The recently launched ‘Oxycare’ dashboard is another important initiative towards oxygen administration.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare - Mansukh L. Mandaviya

Union Health Secretary - Rajesh Bhushan

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