Current Affairs 21 & 22 August 2022

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala Chaired 9th Governing Body Meeting of NFDBUnion Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, presided over the 9th governing body meeting of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), which was held in New Delhi, Delhi.
The meeting was attended by Dr L. Murugan, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Vice Chairman of the governing and Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, MoS, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

Highlights
i. During the event, Parshottam Rupala released a book titled “Super Success Stories from Indian Fisheries” published by NFDB.
ii. He also unveiled the online marketplace feature “Aqua Bazar” in the “MatsyaSetu” mobile app developed by ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) with funding from NFDB under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). [ICAR stands for Indian Council of Agricultural Research].

• The app will assist fish farmers and other stakeholders in discovering the inputs needed for fish culture, such as fish seed, feed, medications, and services. It will connect various stakeholders involved in the aquaculture sector.

National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) was established in 2006 as an autonomous body under the administrative supervision of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Objective: To increase fish production and productivity in India, as well as to coordinate fishery development in a holistic and integrated manner.
This will be accomplished by utilizing cutting-edge research and development technologies to explore the fishing industry’s immense potential for inland and marine fish culture, fish capture, processing, and marketing, hence accelerating the sector’s overall development.
NFDB is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana

Organizational Structure of NFDB
i. The NFDB is headed by the Chief Executive.
ii.The Board is divided into two committees: The Governing Body and the Executive Committee. Meetings of the Executive Committee are held on a quarterly basis, while the Governing Body convenes once a year.
iii. Chairman of the Governing Body – The Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. Under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Minister, the NFDB has held 8 Governing Body meetings till date.
iv.Chairman of Executive Committee – Secretary in charge of the Department of Fisheries

Note:

• The states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab have immense potential for shrimp cultivation.
• Andhra Pradesh accounts for over 52% of inland fish production.

Home Minister Amit Shah Inaugurated the National Security Strategies Conference 2022 in New Delhi

On 17th August 2022, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah inaugurated a 2-day National Security Strategies (NSS) Conference 2022 in New Delhi, Delhi. The NSS Conference 2022 was attended by 600 officers from across India, physically and virtually.

• He also inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) developed by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• This system will support in quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralised fingerprint database. 
• The NCRB manages it at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB) in New Delhi. It assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
• Note: Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to identify a deceased person through NAFIS in April 2022

Participants: 
Home Secretary, Ajay Bhalla; Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA); Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police (DGsP/ IGsP) of all States and Union Territories (UTs) and Director Generals (DGs) of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) attended the conference. 
NSS Conference 2022:
i.The NSS conference 2022 has brought a unique mix of the top leadership by addressing National security. 
ii.Home Minister Amit Shah brought out the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi “to ensure a safe and secure nation” by strengthening all aspects of national security mechanisms.
iii.The Conference deliberated on various aspects of national security, including counter-terrorism, radicalisation, cryptocurrencies, counter rogue drone technology, and difficulties faced due to Maoist outfits. 
iv.Home Minister also emphasised the importance of human intelligence in countering terrorism, highlighting the vital role of District Level Police officers in identifying emerging terror hotspots.

Mercom India Research Report: India Adds a Record of 7.2 GW of Solar in the First Half of 2022

India adds a record breaking 7.2 gigawatt (GW) of solar installations in the first half of 2022, as per the report released by Mercom India Research.
i.Large-scale solar accounted for 90% of the installations, and rooftop accounted for the remaining 10% during the reporting period (2022).
Raise in the Numbers of Solar Installation: 
The solar sector witnessed the highest ever quarterly and half-yearly solar capacity addition.
i.Increase of 7.2 GW during the first half of 2022 paved way for the raise in solar capacity installations in the country by 59 percent, compared to 4.5 GW installed during the same period in 2021.
ii.India installed over 3.9 GW of solar capacity in the second quarter (Q2) of the calendar year (CY) 2022, an increase of 18% compared to 3.3 GW installed in the previous quarter 2021.
As there is a raise in solar capacity by 59%, India’s cumulative installed solar capacity now stands at 57 GW.
Top Performing states in Q2 of 2022 in Solar Installations:
Rajasthan: 
Rajasthan became the first state to cross 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations at the end of March 2022.
i.Cumulative large-scale solar installations in Rajasthan reached almost 13 GW as of June 2022.
ii.It accounts for almost 27% of the total installations in the country.
iii.Rajasthan topped the large-scale solar installations during the Q2 of 2022 with 53% followed by Gujarat ( 14%) and Maharastra (9 %).

• Even though there are lots of challenges in the solar production, Q2 2022 is considered as the best quarter for solar to date in India.

Note:
India has a utility-scale projects development pipeline of over 57 GW, with another 37 GW of tendered projects awaiting auction.

Maharashtra’s Hydrogen Startup Gets Indian Government’s Financial Aid of Rs 3.29 crore

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh announced the financial aid of Rs 3.29 crore to the Hydrogen startup from Maharashtra for indigenous development of Hydrogen Sensing & Analysis Technology.
Aim:
The aim of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) is to help the government in meeting its climate targets and make India a green hydrogen hub.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) launched on India’s 75th Independence Day, paved the way for Hydrogen Startup funding.
• The target is to produce 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030.

MoU Signed:
With the guidance of Jitendra Singh, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Technology Development Board (TDB) under DST and Multi Nano Sense Technologies Pvt Ltd, Maharashtra to support the manufacturing of Hydrogen sensors indigenously.
i.Through this MoU the patented hydrogen gas sensor and the analyser will be conceptualised, developed, manufactured and serviced entirely in India.

• As of now, all the core sensor elements are imported from China, the USA, the UK, Japan and Germany.

ii.TDB supports startup, ‘M/s Multi Nano Sense’ to develop and produce highly advanced leakage detection sensors to detect hydrogen leakage, and to enhance safety and security of the systems”.
About the Hydrogen Sensor:
These sensors do not face any cross interference from other combustible or reducing gases.

• It is designed to function in air as well as inert/ vacuum background and can perform analysis from 1 Parts Per Million (PPM) to 100% pure Hydrogen.
• The Portable detectors can operate continuously up to 36 hours on single charge; non-corrosive; and long life of 5 years.

India’s Vow at COP26 Summit, Glasgow:
In search of alternate fuel, India is marching towards the green hydrogen economy (Hydrogen fuel) to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2070 (Discussed by PM of India in COP26 summit, Glasgow, Scotland) with the help of NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘Harnessing Green Hydrogen: Opportunities for Deep Decarbonisation in India’.

ONGC & ExxonMobil signed HoA for Deepwater Exploration in Indian East and West coasts

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with ExxonMobil Corporation for an exploration of oil and gas in the deep sea on India’s East and West coasts. 
They would focus on the Godavari – Krishna basin on the East coast and Kutch – Mumbai basin on the West coast.
The pact on signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2019, to undertake joint studies between these two firms is included in this work on deepwater.

Vice Adm. Biswajit Dasgupta inaugurated India’s 1st CISR at INS Karna 

India’s first Composite Indoor Shooting Range (CISR) was launched by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, a serving Flag officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC), at Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karna on the Eastern Seaboard, near Bheemili, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh(AP).

• The Competent Authority in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been accepted and approved by the CISR.
• The first in the Navy and the only Military unit in the country to set up CISR is INS Karna.
• CISR is a state-of-the-art, self-contained, 25m, 6 lane, live firing range for all Primary and Secondary weapons in the Indian Navy (IN).

TDB-DST supports its 1st Aquaculture Project for Production of Tilapia Fish

Technology Development Board (TBD), a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), supports Fountainhead Agro Farms Private Limited (FAFPL), Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra for ‘Advanced, Intensive, All Male Tilapia Aquaculture Project with Israeli Technology’.

• The TBD supports this project inspired by Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, and to bring ‘Blue Revolution’.
• TBD has signed an agreement to provide loan assistance of Rs. 8.42 crores to FAFPL. The total cost of the project is Rs. 29.78 crores. 

This is TDB’s first ever aquaculture project using the state-of-the-art Israeli Technology from Aquaculture Production Technology Limited (APTIL), Israel, for the production of Tilapia fish. FAFPL aims to set up a complete production line, from breeding to full fish, in Mudhol, Karnataka.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IAF Visits Australia to Participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2022

An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent of over 100 air warriors has arrived in Australia to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2022, with 4 Sukhoi-30 MKI (Su-30 MKI) fighters and 2 C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft.

• Pitch Black 2022 is scheduled to take place in Darwin, Australia, from August 19 to September 8, 2022.

i. Pitch Black is a biennial three-week multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
ii.The exercise in Australia’s Northern Territory comprises over 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from 17 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates(UAE), Singapore, Thailand, United States (US), and United Kingdom (UK).
iii. The IAF contingent, led by Group Captain Yesh Pal Singh Negi (YPS Negi), will conduct multi-domain air combat missions in a challenging environment while exchanging best practices with the other participating air forces.
About Australia:
Prime Minister – Anthony Albanese
Capital – Canberra
>> Read Full News

Indian Navy Warships on Sail to 6 Continents to Celebrate 75 years of Independence

In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Indian Navy Ships(INS) (warships) set sail to 6 continents – North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia – as a part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence of India (“Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”).

• The navy warships are in the process demonstrate sailors operational potential and diplomatic outreach.

Indian warships berthed in San Diego in the United States of America(USA)(North America), in Rio De Janerio in Brazil(South America), Mombasa in Kenya (Africa), Muscat in Oman and Singapore (Asia), London in the United Kingdom(UK)(Europe), and Perth in Western Australia(Australia).
>> Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

Central Bank of India Forms a Co-Lending Partnership with Protium Finance & Incred Financial Services

Central Bank of India, a Public Sector Bank (PSB), has formed co-lending partnership with Protium Finance and InCred Financial Services Limited (IFSL) [Formerly “KKR India Financial Services Limited”] in order to provide loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) borrowers.

• The collaboration will enable the bank and these players to broaden their portfolios.

Key Points:
i. According to the Central Bank of India, Protium Finance would generate and handle MSME proposals under the priority sector in accordance with jointly developed credit parameters and eligibility standards.

• Under mutually agreed-upon terms, the Central Bank of India will record 80 % of the loans to MSMEs in the priority sector.
• Protium Finance Limited will provide loan account servicing throughout the course of the loan.
• As of July 31, 2022, Protium Finance had a branch network in 11 states and Assets Under Management (AUM) of 1,671 crore, with a customer franchise of 1,08,447.

ii.Similarly, Incred Financial Services Limited (IFSL) will prioritize MSME loan origination and processing, with the Central Bank of India booking 80 % of such loans.

• IFSL will service the loan account throughout the life cycle of the loan.
• IFSL, which has operations in nine states, provides consumer loans, education loans, and MSME lending.

About Central Bank of India:
MD & CEO – Matam Venkata Rao
Establishment – 1911
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline – Central to you since 1911

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

MCA Announces Winners & Honourable Mentions of National CSR Awards 2020

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs(MCA) has announced the winners and honourable mentions of the National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards 2020 which recognises the businesses that have contributed to the improvement of society through their creative and sustainable CSR activities.
National CSR Awards 2020:
i.National CSR Awards 2020 was presented to 20 winners and 17 Honourable Mentions across the three main categories,

• Corporate Awards for Excellence in CSR – recognition based on total eligible CSR spend
• CSR Awards for CSR in Aspirational Districts / Difficult Terrains – recognition based on their CSR efforts in Aspirational Districts, difficult terrains/ disturbed areas, challenging circumstances etc.
• CSR Awards for contribution in National Priority Areas – recognition based on the contribution of CSR projects in National Priority Areas.

About Ministry of Corporate Affairs(MCA):
Union Minister- Nirmala Sitharaman(RajyaSabha- Karnataka)
Minister of State– Rao Inderjit Singh(Constituency- Gurugram, Haryana)
>> Read Full News

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

MCA Secretary Rajesh Verma appointed as Secretary to the President Murmu

Rajesh Verma, a 1987-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer has been appointed as the Secretary to the President of India Droupadi Murmu by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). 

• Rajesh Verma currently serves as Ministry Corporate Affairs Secretary (MCA).
• Rajesh Verma will replace the incumbent Kapil Dev Tripathi, a 1980-batch IAS officer.
• Previously Rajesh Verma served as the Principal Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Principal Secretary of the Energy Department, Government of Odisha.

SPORTS

FIFA Suspends AIFF over Third-Party Influences 

On 16th August 2022, The Bureau of the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) Council has decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to third-party interference, which is a violation of FIFA’s statutes. 

• Following the suspension, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 which is scheduled to be held in India on 11-30 October 2022, cannot be held in India as planned. 
• The suspension will be lifted after an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee have been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs.

Other countries banned by FIFA over 3rd party influence includes Iraq(2008) Nigeria(2014), Guatemala(2016), Kuwait & Indonesia(2015), Pakistan(2017 & 2021) and Kenya (2022). 

BOOKS & AUTHORS

NETAJI: Subhas Chandra Bose’s Life, Politics and Struggle authored by Late MP Krishna Bose unveiled

A new book titled “NETAJI: Subhas Chandra Bose’s Life, Politics and Struggle” penned by late scholar & former Member of Parliament (MP) Krishna Bose was unveiled on the eve of 76th Independence Day. The book was edited and translated (to English from Bengali) by Indian political scientist Sumantra Bose, son of Krishna Bose. 

• The book is published by Picador India imprint of Pan Macmillan India. 
• The book, an anthology, includes 18 essays written by Krishna Bose, wife of Netaji’s nephew Sisir Bose, over four decades. 
• The book features the insights of Subhas Chandra Bose’s political motivations, his personal relationships, and the epic and daring military campaigns undertaken to secure India’s Independence. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Mosquito Day 2022 – August 20World Mosquito Day is annually observed across the globe on 20th August to honour British doctor Sir Ronald Ross who discovered the relationship between mosquitoes and the transmission of malaria between humans.

• World Mosquito Day also aims to create awareness about the cause and prevention of Malaria.

Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery:
i.Sir Ronald Ross discovered that the Anopheles mosquitoes (female mosquitoes) are responsible for the transmission of malaria parasites to humans.
ii.In his discovery, he declared the 20th August of every year as World Mosquitoes Day.

• Since then the 20th August of every year has been observed as World Mosquitoes Day.

>> Read Full News

Sadbhavana Diwas 2022 – August 20

Sadbhavana Diwas is annually celebrated across India on 20th August to mark the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister (PM) of India Rajiv Gandhi. The Sabhavana Diwas literally means “Harmony Day” is dedicated to promote national integration, social peace and harmony among the people of all religions and Languages.

• The Sadbhavana Diwas 2022 marks the 78th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi (born on 20th August 1944).
• His birth anniversary is also celebrated as Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas. 

Background:
The day was first observed in 1992, a year after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in a suicide bomb attack on 21st May, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

• The 21st May has been declared as National Anti Terrorism Day.

About Rajiv Gandhi:
i.Rajiv Gandhi was born on 20th August 1944 in Bombay(now Mumbai) as the second son of  Feroze Gandhi(Indian politician) and Indira Gandhi (former PM).
ii.He became the PM of India after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then PM Indira Gandhi.
iii.At the age of 41, Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest PM of India and served from 31st October 1984 to 2nd December 1989. He was one of the youngest elected heads of Government in the world.

• The Indian government honoured him with Bharat Ratna (posthumously) in 1991. 

Reforms during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as PM:
i.Rajiv Gandhi is popularly known as the “Father of Information Technology (IT) and Telecom Revolution of India”. He is also hailed as the Architect of Digital India.
ii.In 1986, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited(MTNL) was established to support the distribution of the telephone network.
iii.Under his leadership, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 under the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act 1989.
iv.In 1986, his government introduced a new National Policy on Education which called for special emphasis on the removal of disparities and equalise educational opportunity.
Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award:
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) of the Indian National Congress(INC) instituted the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award in 1992 to recognise the people who contribute towards the promotion of communal harmony, national integration and Peace.

STATE NEWS

GoI to Collaborate with Arunachal Govt. to Develop ‘District Good Governance Portal’

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, the Government of India (GoI), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Arunachal Pradesh Government (Govt.) to create a “District Good Governance Portal” to track and assess the performance of each district in the state on a monthly basis.
i. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, organized a 2-day regional conference on ‘Bringing Citizens and Government Closer Through Administrative Reforms’ on August 18-19, 2022 in Itanagar, in partnership with the Arunachal Pradesh Govt.
ii The DARPG has established a District Good Governance Index, a first for NE States, in partnership with the Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh & the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad (Telangana), to improve the efficiency of governance across districts.

• DARPG will support the state in gradually upgrading from e-office version 5.6 to e-office version 7.0.

About Arunachal Pradesh:
Governor – Brigadier (Dr.) B. D. Mishra (Retd)
Festivals – Chalo-Loku Festival; Longte Yullo Festival; Oijale/Oriah
>> Read Full News

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• List of Current Governors in India – AUGUST 2022
• List of Current Chief Ministers in India – AUGUST 2022

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