Current Affairs 12 October 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 12 October 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

PM Launched Indian Space Association; OneWeb Entered into Arrangement with NSIL In October 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA), a private industry body to help boost space technology in India.

• ISpA will participate and work with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other stakeholders of both government and its agencies, on the issue of policy around space domain and technology.
• Its founding members include Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries, and Ananth Technology Limited among others.
• It will act as a single-window and independent agency on matters related to space technology

OneWeb Entered into Arrangement with NSIL to Launch Satellite 
OneWeb (a venture backed by Bharti Airtel), has entered into an arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, to use Indian-built PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and the heavier GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) – MkIII as potential platforms to launch OneWeb’s satellites in India from 2022.

• The arrangement was made through a non-binding letter of intent (LOI); could be converted into a binding one after board approval.

About NewSpace India Limited (NSIL):
Establishment –  6 March 2019
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
CMD – G. Narayanan
>>Read Full News

Coal Crisis in India: Govt Enabled Imported Coal Power Plants to Sell  Un-requisitioned Power; Allowed 50% Sale of Coal from Captive MinesEven though being the world’s 2nd largest producer and consumer of coal (after China), currently India is facing a coal crisis.

• As per the data of the Ministry of Power, coal stocks of the 135 thermal power plants of India reduced to an average of 4 days worth of stock.
• India consumed 124 billion units of power in August 2021 compared to 106 billion units of power in August 2019 (Prior to COVID-19).

-Govt Enabled Imported Coal Power Plants to Sell Un-Requisitioned Power 
Union Minister of Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy R K Singh approved certain guidelines over the provisions of National Tariff Policy, 2016 and enabled imported coal-based plants (having sufficient coal) to operate and sell the un-requisitioned power in the power exchange.

• The provisions will apply for both the power plants whose tariff has been determined under Section-62 and those having PPA (power purchase agreement) under Section-63 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
• If the procurer does not requisition (demand) power from the power plant with which he has signed the PPA, 24 hours in advance prior to midnight of the day of delivery of power, the generator could sell the un-requisitioned power in the power exchange.

-Coal Ministry Amended Mineral Concession Rules to Allow 50% Sale of Coal from Captive Mines
The Ministry of Coal has amended the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 to allow the lessee of a captive mine to sell up to 50 percent of the total coal or lignite (on payment of additional amount) produced in a financial year.

• The lessee could sell the coal or lignite only after meeting the requirement of the end-use plant that is linked with the mine and this condition is applicable for both the private and public sector captive mines.
• Background: In March 2021, the centre amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 named ‘MMDR Amendment Act, 2021’ to this effect.

About Ministry of coal:
Union Minister – Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi (Constituency – Dharwad, Karnataka)
Minister of State – Raosaheb Dadarao Danve (Constituency – Jalna, Maharashtra)
>>Read Full News

India, Nepal collaborate to boost cross-border train servicesIndia and Nepal have signed two agreements worth USD 3.15 billion, aimed at boosting cross-border train services and to improve regional connectivity and trade.

• The proposed rail line as counter to China’s bid to expand railways upto Kathmandu.
• A total of 136 to 198 km rail line will be laid to connect Raxual and Kathmandu.
• The construction of the Jaynagar-Kurtha railway line was funded by India.
• India and Nepal are mulling at least five different cross-border railway lines.

About Nepal
President – Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese rupee
>>Read Full News

Indian Navy to Host its Largest Exercise Ex Milan in February 2022India’s largest Naval exercise, Ex Milan, was scheduled to be hosted by the Indian Navy in February 2022. 46 countries have been invited to attend the exercise.

• The exercise will include the participation of all Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) countries.
• The Quad countries include India, USA, Australia, and Japan in which the USA is being invited for the 1st

About Ex Milan:
i.It is a biennial multilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and it was first started in 1995 to bring together the Navies of all the countries in the Indian Ocean region.
ii.Shift in Place: So far the exercise was conducted in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar and now, it is being shifted to Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (for more space and infrastructure).
iii.The invitees include all Indian Ocean littoral states and countries from South East Asia among others.
iv.The 11th edition of the exercise was scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam in March 2020, but it was postponed due to COVID-19. The 10^th edition was conducted in 2018 at Andaman and Nicobar.
v.The exercise includes cooperation in the areas of capacity building, marine domain awareness, training, hydrography, technical assistance, and operational exercises.
About Indian Navy:
Commander-in-Chief of Armed forces – President Ram Nath Kovind
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi

NMCG & WASH Institute Signs MoU For Septage Management and Capacity Building In Faecal SludgeThe  National Mission of Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute (WASH Institute) to conduct a series of training to enhance the quality of service of officials in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).The MoU was signed between Binod Kumar, Director Coordination, NMCG and Rajesh Pai, Senior Technical Advisor, WASH Institute and others.

• The project will be funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Training Programmes are planned in the Ganga basin states – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and also in Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Udaipur, Pune, Aurangabad, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Objective-

• To efficiently address and improve preparedness towards FSSM (faecal sludge and septage management) and Wastewater Management in Indian towns and cities.

Highlights
i.Under the Swachh Bharat Mission initiative, more than 62 lakh toilets were built across the country. Half of these toilets rely on an on-site sanitation system (OSS).
ii.This MoU is also to efficiently address FSSM issues in towns and cities of the Ganga basin.
iii.WASH institute will help build a skilled workforce in the area of water and sanitation management.
India’s achievements in sanitation
i.Universal access to toilets was achieved in urban India with the construction of 66 lakh household toilets and more than 6 lakh community and public toilets.
ii.After achieving the target of ‘Open-Defecation-Free’ (ODF), India has now moved towards becoming ODF+ and ODF++.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga
Director General– Rajiv Ranjan Mishra

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India slips 6 ranks on Henley’s Passport Index Q4-2021 to 90^th; Japan & Singapore Topsi.According to the ‘Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2021’ released by Henley and Partners, India’s ranked has slipped by 6 places to 90th from 84th in Q2 2021 allowing its passport holders to travel 58 countries without visa.
ii.The index has been topped by Japan and Singapore as they allowed travel visa-free to 192 countries to their passport holders.
ii.Notably, this for the 3 consecutive years that Japan has grabbed the top spot.
iv.The toppers are followed by South Korea and Germany at 2nd position with travel visa to 190 countries.
About Henley & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Dr. Juerg Steffen
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
>>Read Full News

Around 1.26 bn people at High Ecological Risks: 2^nd ETR 2021 by IEPi.On October 7, 2021, the 2^nd edition of ‘Ecological Threat Report (ETR) 2021: Understanding ecological threats, resilience and peace’ was released by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). As per it, around 1.26 billion people across 30 countries are suffering from both extreme ecological risk and low levels of resilience.
ii.The 11 countries with the worst ETR score are Afghanistan, Niger, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Guatemala, Mozambique, Pakistan, Angola and Yemen.
iii.By 2050 the global demand for food is expected to increase by 50%.
About Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP):
Founder & Executive Chairman– Steve Killelea
Headquarters– Sydney, Australia
>>Read Full News

UNHRC Declares Access to a Clean, Healthy Environment a Human RightIn October 2021, High Commissioner for United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Michelle Bachelet addresses the Human Rights Council and recognised access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right.

• Triple planetary threats of climate change, pollution, and nature loss are described by her as the single greatest human rights challenge and recognizes the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
• The council encouraged States to adopt policies for the enjoyment of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and invited the General Assembly to consider the matter.
• The new resolution was proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland and passed with significant support of 43 votes. Russia, India, China and Japan abstained from voting.
• As per the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), 24 percent of all global deaths, ~13.7 million deaths a year, are linked to the environment, due to risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.

About United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC):
The HRC replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Establishment – 15 March 2006
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
President – Nazhat Shameem Khan

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS  

David Card, Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science 2021The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science which is formally known as the ‘Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2021′ to David Card for his empirical contributions to labour economics and Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.

• The prize for economic science consists of a gold medal and a cash prize of 10 million Swedish kronor (SEK).
• The academy has decided to award one half of the prize(5 million SEK) to David Card(½) and the other half jointly to Joshua D. Angrist(¼) and Guido W. Imbens(¼), 2.5 million SEK each.

About Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences:
i.The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was established by Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden, in memory of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prize.
ii.The prize is based on the donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from the bank on its 300th anniversary.
iii.The prize is awarded according to the principles of the Nobel prize.
iv.The first ever Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.
>>Read Full News      

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS 

President Ram Nath Kovind Approved Appointment of CJ of 8 High Courts & Transfer of 5 CJs

Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, has approved the appointment of the chief justices(CJ) to 8 high courts(HC) across India. He has also approved the transfer of 5 chief Justices to different high courts.

• The appointments have been made in the exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
• The new appointments and transfers were recommended by the Supreme court of India.

>>Read Full News         

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Reliance New Energy Solar to acquire 40% stake in Sterling & Wilson Solar

On October 10, 2021, Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd (RNESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary  of Reliance Industries Ltd signed definitive agreements with Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Private Ltd (SPCPL), Khurshed Daruvala and Sterling & Wilson Solar Ltd (SWSL) to acquire 40% stake post-money in SWSL through a series of transactions for approximately Rs 2,845 crore.
Steps of Acquisition by RNESL:
i.As the first step of the deal, RNESL will get a preferential allotment of 2.93 crore equity shares at a price of Rs 375 per share for approximately Rs 1,100 crore.
ii.Then it will acquire 1.84 crore equity shares or 9.7% post preferential share capital from SPCPL at a price of Rs 375 per share.
iii.Thirdly it will go for public offer to acquire up to 4.91 crore equity shares, representing 25.9% in accordance with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) takeover regulations.
Key Points:
i.This acquisition by RNESL is on the lines of Reliance Industries’ green energy initiative to make India as a clean energy manufacturing hub globally.
ii.Recently, Reliance Industries acquired Norway-headquartered solar module maker REC Solar Holdings for an enterprise value of US$ 771 million from China National Bluestar.

SPORTS

Valtteri Bottas wins Turkish Grand Prix 2021, Verstappen tops F1 championshipValtteri Bottas wins the Turkish Grand Prix 2021 which was held in Istanbul Park, Turkey. The victory was his first since Russia in September 2020.

• His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and lost the Formula One championship lead to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
• Verstappen finished second with 14.584 seconds behind Bottas at a wet Istanbul Park.
• Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished third with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth.
• Spaniard Carlos Sainz was voted driver of the day for going from the back of the grid to eighth for Ferrari.
• The US Grand Prix in Texas is the next race on October 24.

About Valtteri Viktor Bottas
Country: Finland
Race: Formula One
Team: Mercedes
About Turkish Grand Prix 2021
It is a Formula One motor race
Hosted: Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey
About Turkey
President – Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Capital – Ankara
Currency – Turkish lira

Anshu Malik becomes the first Indian woman to win silver at WWCAnshu Malik becomes the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships (WWC). The 17^th edition of World Wrestling Championship was held in Nye Jordal Amfi stadium at Oslo, Norway from 2 to 10 October 2021.

• Anshu Malik lost the final to Olympic medallist Helen Maroulis 4-1, in the women’s 57 kg division.
• Earlier, Anshu made her debut in the Olympics and has now become the first woman in history to win silver in the Wrestling Worlds.
• Anshu Malik is a two Asian Championship medalist, which includes gold and a Ranking Series silver medallist.

Sarita Mor wins bronze in 59kg category
Sarita Mor bags the bronze medal in the 59kg category at the World Wrestling Championships by defeating Sweden’s Johanna Lindborg with 8-2.

• With this win, she became the sixth Indian woman wrestler to win a bronze medal at the World Championships.
• The other bronze medallists — Alka Tomar in 2006, Geeta Phogat 2012, Babita Phogat 2012, Pooja Dhanda 2018 and Vinesh Phogat 2019.

Note: Till date, Sushil Kumar is the only Indian to win world champion wrestling in 2010.
About 2021 World Wrestling Championship
It is the 17^th edition of the championship
Host– Oslo, Norway
Held- October 2-10, 2021
About Norway
Prime Minister- Erna Solberg
Capital – Oslo
Currency – Kroner

India Topped Medal Tally in 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru2021 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun held in Lima, Peru from 27th September to 10th October 2021.
India finished the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championships at the top with 43 medals which include 17 gold, 16 silver and 10 bronze.

• The United States of America(USA) ranked 2nd in the medal tally with 21 medals followed by Italy with 10 medals, France with 9 and Germany with 10.

Highlights:
i.Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar(20-year-old) broke the junior finals world record with a score of 463.4 points and won the gold medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Junior
ii.Naamya Kapoor(14-year-old)  won the gold medal in the 25m Pistol Women Junior and became the youngest to win a medal at the ISSF Junior World Championships 2021.
iii.Air Rifle Team Men Junior consists of Dhanush Srikanth, Rajpreet Singh Singh and Makhija Paarth won the gold medal.

• Dhanush Srikanth from Hyderabad became the 1st Indian and the only shooter in the world with hearing and speech impairment to win a gold medal in the regular ISSF World Championship.

iv.25m Pistol Women Junior team consists of Rhythm Sangwan, Naamya Kapoor, and Manu Bhaker won the gold medal. This is Manu Bhaker’s 4th gold of the competition and for the Naamya Kapoor this is the 2nd Gold of the championship.
About International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF):
President– Vladimir Lisin
Secretary-General– Alexander Ratner
Headquarters– Munich, Germany
>>Read Full News  

India Won 1st-ever medal in FIDE World Women’s Team Chess Championship 2021

India won its first ever medal in the FIDE (International Chess Federation) World Women’s Team chess championship 2021. It was organised in Sitges, Spain. India clinched a silver medal after losing to Russia in the final match by  3-1 (second round).
Key points
i.After losing the first match 1.5.-2-5 despite a brilliant win for D Harika on the board, the Indians were outclassed 3-1 in the second as a strong Russian team stormed to a title triumph.
ii.In the second match, Harika held Goryachkina to a draw as did R Vaishali (Elo 2149) against the higher rated Alexandra Kosteniuk (Elo 2517).
About FIDE
President – Arkady Dvorkovich
Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland
Founded- 1924, Paris

OBITUARY

Iran’s first President Abolhassan Banisadr dies in Paris

Abolhassan Banisadr, who became Iran’s first president following the country’s 1979 revolution, has died in Paris, France, where he lived for decades after fleeing his country. He was 88-years-old.

• Banisadr was born in 1933 in Hamedan province in western Iran.
• He was impeached by the newly formed Islamic parliament in June 1981.
• He lived in hiding for some time and later he was smuggled out of the country.

About Iran
President – Ebrahim Raisi
Supreme leader – Ali Khamenei
Capital – Tehran
Currency – Iranian rial

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Sujeet Sarkar authors a book named  ‘Quest for a Stable Afghanistan: A View from Ground Zero”

A book ‘’Quest for a Stable Afghanistan: A View from Ground Zero” was authored by Sujeet Sarkar, published by Rupa Publications. It provides a detailed account of how the haggard and faulty policies of the West have put Afghanistan on the deeper and increasingly worrisome crisis
Key points
i.It provides a daring new outlook denouncing several myths that colour common global perception of this war-ravaged country.
ii.The war in Afghanistan has been raging for 20 years three times more than the duration of World War II.
iii.Sujeet Sarkar also authored another  book named  ‘’In Search of a New Afghanistan‘’ in the same genre.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Mental Health Day 2021 – October 10 World Mental Health Day is annually observed on October 10th to create awareness about the issues of mental health and educate the general public on the importance of Mental Health.

World Mental Health Day is a global initiative supported by the World Health Organisation(WHO), World Federation for Mental Health(WFMH) and its member organisations.

• The green ribbon is a symbol of mental health.
• The theme of World Mental Health Day 2021, as per WFMH, is “Mental Health in an Unequal World”.
• The slogan of the WHO’s World Mental Health Day Campaign is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”.

Background:
i.The world Mental Health Day was first started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then Deputy Secretary-General Richard Hunter.
ii.World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time on 10 October 1992.
 Mental Health Awareness Week 5^th to 10^th October 2021:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) has launched the Mental Health Awareness Week which started on 5th October and culminated on 10th October 2021(World Mental Health Day).
Green Ribbon Campaign:
i.Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, launched the Green Ribbon initiative to create awareness on mental health as a part of the activities of Mental Health Week 2021.
ii.The initiative was launched during the event organised by the MoHFW in partnership with the Hansraj College, Delhi.
About World Federation for Mental Health(WFMH):
President– Ingrid Daniels (South Africa)
Founded in 1948
Headquarters– Texas, United States of America
>>Read Full News

International Day of the Girl Child 2021 – October 11 The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of the Girl Child has been annually observed across the globe on October 11th to highlight the need to address the challenges faced by girls across the globe.

• The day also promotes the empowerment and fulfilment of the human rights of girl children.
• The day is celebrated by the UN Women along with other UN Agencies, civil societies and girls across the globe.

The International Day of the Girl Child 2021 is celebrated under the theme “Digital generation. Our generation”. 
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/66/170 on 19th December 2011 and proclaimed the 11th October of every year as the International Day of the Girl Child.
ii.The first ever International Day of the Girl Child was observed on 11th October 2012.
>>Read Full News

Territorial Army Celebrates its 72nd Raising DayOn October 9, 2021 the Territorial Army (TA) commemorated its 72nd Raising Day by organising a cycle rally in New Delhi.This rally was flagged off by Director General of TA, Lieutenant General Preet Mohindera Singh from India Gate.
Highlights
i.The idea of the cycle rally was to spread the message of ”Swasth Bharat Abhiyan”.
ii.It signifies the importance of healthy living and sporting activities especially in times of global pandemic.
 About Territorial Army (TA)
It was established by Territorial Army Act on August 18, 1948. It was formally raised by the first Governor General C Rajgopalachari on 9 October 1949. Since then it has been celebrated as Territorial Army Day.
Director General – Preet Mohindera Singh
Motto- Savdhani Va Shoorta ( Vigilance and Valour)

STATE NEWS

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Launched ‘Desh Ke Mentor’ Programme to Provide Career Guidance to Students 
Arvind Kejriwal Chief Minister(CM) of Delhi, has launched the “Desh Ke Mentor” programme, which enables the citizens who are successful in respective fields to provide guidance on career choices to the students of Delhi government schools.
Actor Sonu Sood is the brand ambassador of the “Desh Ke Mentor” Programme.

• As a part of the initiative, interested citizens can adopt 1 to 10 students of Delhi government schools and mentor them in an interested field.

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