28th August, 2023 Current Affairs

28th August, 2023 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Indian Air Force Makes Its Debut In Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23 In Egypt

• An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent has embarked on a significant journey, marking the first-ever participation in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23.
•  This biennial multilateral tri-service exercise is taking place at Cairo (West) Air Base in Egypt, spanning from August 27 to September 16, 2023. The participation of the IAF in this exercise underscores a new chapter of cooperation and collaboration among nations.
• The participation of the Indian Air Force in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23 further solidifies the exceptional relationship between India and Egypt. This relationship dates back to the 1960s when the two nations embarked on joint endeavors in the development of aero-engines and aircraft. Moreover, Indian counterparts played a pivotal role in the training of Egyptian pilots, exemplifying the deep-rooted cooperation and shared expertise between the two nations.

INTERNATIONAL
Emmerson Mnangagwa Wins Second Term As President Of Zimbabwe

• Emmerson Mnangagwa has been declared the winner of Zimbabwe’s presidential election, securing a second term as the nation’s leader.
• The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced Mnangagwa as the victor with 52.6% of the vote, while his closest rival, Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), trailed behind at 44%.

ECONOMY
3rd India-EU High Level Dialogue on Trade and Investment held

• The 3rd High Level Dialogue (HLD), co-chaired by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri PiyushGoyaland the European Commission Executive Vice-Presidentfor an Economy that Works for People& Trade Commissioner Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis, was held on 26thAugust, 2023.
• The HLD is an outcome of the decision taken at the 15th India-EU Leader’s Summit held in July 2020, with an objective for a Ministerial level guidance towards the bilateral trade and investment relations.
• During the discussion, in the HLD, the Ministers took stock of ongoing three negotiations between India and EU i.e. India-EU Free Trade Agreement; a standalone Investment Protection Agreement; and a Geographical Indications Agreement. The Ministers acknowledged that both sides have made good progress inthe ongoing three negotiations.
• The Ministers broadly discussed about the market access issue of both sides and review the progress made so far under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council. The upcoming MC-13 matters were also briefly discussed during the meeting.

Zepto is first Indian unicorn of 2023, raises $200 million at $1.4 billion valuation

• Online grocery delivery startup Zepto has successfully raised $200 million in a Series-E funding round, achieving a valuation of $1.4 billion. This achievement marks Zepto as the first unicorn of 2023. The funding was led by StepStone Group, a US-based private markets investment firm, and is StepStone Group’s inaugural direct investment in an Indian company.
• Zepto, established in response to the pandemic, was founded in 2021 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, both dropouts from Stanford University.
• Apart from winning the presidential election, Mnangagwa’s party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), secured 136 seats in the parliamentary elections. In contrast, the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) secured 73 seats. However, Zanu-PF fell short of achieving a two-thirds majority, which would have granted the party the ability to make constitutional amendments.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Somatic genetic variants: A genomic revolution hiding inside our cells

• Somatic genetic variants play an important role in the development of cancers. We now know that somatic changes can cause a cancer to develop and that cancers can accelerate the development of somatic changes. So they can help with early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis.
• Somatic genetic variants, also known as somatic mutations or somatic alterations, are genetic changes that occur in the cells of an organism’s body (somatic cells) during its lifetime.
• These mutations are distinct from germline mutations, which are inherited from parents and are present in every cell of an individual’s body.
• Somatic mutations are acquired after conception and are not passed on to future generations.
• Somatic mutations can occur due to various factors, such as exposure to environmental mutagens (like radiation or chemicals), errors in DNA replication, and other cellular processes.
• These mutations can affect the DNA sequence of specific genes, leading to changes in protein production or function.

SPORTS
Neeraj Chopra Makes History as First Indian to Secure Gold at World Athletics Championships

• Neeraj Chopra made history by winning the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.
•  He became the first-ever Indian athlete to achieve this feat, marking a significant milestone for Indian athletics. Neeraj’s exceptional performance was highlighted by a remarkable throw of 88.17 meters during his second attempt. This outstanding achievement showcased his skill and dominance in the event, solidifying his position as a global contender.

REPORTS
Ministry of Jal Shakti Releases the 6th Census Report On Minor Irrigation (MI) Schemes

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation today released the report on the 6th census on minor irrigation schemes.
• As per the report, 23.14 million minor irrigation (MI) schemes have been reported in the country, out of which 21.93 million (94.8%) are Ground Water (GW) and 1.21 million (5.2%) are Surface Water (SW) schemes. Uttar Pradesh possesses the largest number of MI schemes in the country followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Leading States in GW schemes are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In SW schemes Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and Jharkhand have the highest share. GW schemes comprise dugwells, shallow tube wells, medium tube wells and deep tube wells. The SW schemes comprise surface flow and surface lift schemes.
• There has been increase of about 1.42 million in MI schemes during 6th MI census as compared to 5th Census. At the national level, both GW and SW schemes have increased by 6.9% and 1.2%, respectively. Dug-wells have highest share in MI schemes followed by shallow tube-wells, medium tube-wells and deep tube-wells.
• Maharashtra is the leading State in dug-wells, surface flow and surface lift schemes. Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab are the leading States in shallow tube-wells, medium tube-wells and deep tube-wells, respectively. Out of all MI schemes, 97.0% are ‘in use’, 2.1% are ‘temporarily not in use’ whereas 0.9% are ‘permanently not in use’. Shallow tube-wells and medium tube-wells lead in the category of ‘in use’ schemes.
• A majority of MI schemes (96.6%) are under private ownership. In GW schemes, the share of private entities in the ownership is 98.3% whereas in SW schemes the respective share is 64.2%.
• For the first time, the information about gender of the owner of MI scheme was also collected in case of individual ownership.
• Out of all the individually owned schemes, 18.1% are owned by women.
• Around 60.2% schemes have single source of finance whereas 39.8% schemes have more than one source of finance. In single source of finance, majority of schemes (79.5%) are being financed by own savings of individual farmer.

Published date : 28 Aug 2023 05:01PM