3rd December, 2022 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL
India assumes the Presidency of UN Security Council for the month of December

India has assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of December. It is the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council that India has assumed the Presidency of the Council. India had earlier assumed the Presidency of the UNSC in August 2021.
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said, during India’s December Presidency of the UN Security Council, two high-level signature events will take place on 14th and 15th December on ‘Reformed Multilateralism and Counter-Terrorism and it will be chaired by External Affairs Minister.
A bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be inaugurated at the United Nations during India’s Presidency of the UN Security Council and it will be unveiled by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres.

Govt advises FM radio channels not to broadcast content glorifying alcohol, drugs, weaponry, gangster and gun culture

Centre has asked FM radio channels to not play songs or broadcast content glorifying alcohol, drugs, weaponry, gangster and gun culture. Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in an advisory that the broadcast of such songs or content is in violation of the AIR Programme Code.
It said Grant of Permission Agreement, GOPA provides that the permit holder shall follow the same Programme and Advertisement codes as followed by All India Radio.
The Advisory stated that any violation shall entail penal action in accordance with the terms and conditions laid down in the GOPA. It said such content affects children of impressionable age and gives rise to a culture of gangsters.

NADA to develop Apps to assist athletes verify medicines with prohibited substances

The National Anti-Doping Agency of India (NADA) is developing Apps to assist athletes to verify medicines with prohibited substances.
NADA Director-General and CEO Ritu Sain said that anti-doping program is inclusive and athletes with disabilities remain at the core.
Anti-doping cannot be ignored while the country is striving for excellence in sports. NADA India is also in process of sensitising 20 Dope Control Officers to specialise in collecting samples of Athletes with Disabilities in keeping with the different needs.

>> Download Current Affairs PDFs Here

Download Sakshi Education Mobile APP

INTERNATIONAL
World Bank to finance USD 250 million to Bangladesh for environment management

The World Bank on Friday approved USD 250 million financing to help Bangladesh strengthen environment management and promote private sector participation in green investment. Successful implementation of the Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and Transformation (BEST) Project will help the country tackle key pollution issues, benefitting over 21 million people living in Greater Dhaka and beyond.
The project will help construct four vehicle inspection centres using private-public partnership modality to inspect about 46,000 vehicles annually. An E-waste management facility will be set up to process 3,500 metric tons of e-waste annually. The project will help reduce over 1 million metric tons of GreenHouse Gas emissions from targeted sources.
The project will also set up a first-ever network of 22 continuous surface water quality monitoring stations to start monitoring of water quality of Dhaka rivers and targeted international rivers in real time. It will also establish continuous water quality monitoring stations to ensure environmental compliance of selected industrial effluent treatment plants.
World Bank Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Dandan Chen said that Bangladesh’s rapid economic growth and urbanisation have come at a high environmental cost in terms of pollution. Chen said pollution is not only impacting the country's health, but it is also eroding Bangladesh’s economic competitiveness. He said this project will strengthen the country’s environmental institutions to better control pollution and promote sustainable development.
World Bank Senior Environment Specialist and task team leader for the project Jiang Ru quoted a World Bank estimate that shows that in 2019 air pollution and lead exposure were responsible for more than one-fifth of the deaths in Bangladesh, costing about 12 percent of the country’s GDP.
The credit is from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which provides concessional financing. It has a 30-year term with a five-year grace period.

Russia refuses to give Pakistan 30-40pc discount on crude oil

Russia has refused to provide Pakistan with a 30-40 percent discount on Russian crude oil after the Pakistani delegation asked for a reduction in price during talks in Moscow. Earlier this week a Pakistani delegation asked for a discount on oil during talks in Moscow. Pakistan's official delegation was on a three-day visit to Moscow starting on the 29th of November. The talks ended with Russia said that it could not offer anything right now as all volumes were committed.
The Russian side asked Pakistan to first honour its commitment to the flagship project of the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline to be laid down from Karachi to Lahore.

US, Japan announce fresh sanctions on North Korea after ballistic missile tests

The United States and Japan have announced fresh sanctions on North Korea, in response to Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile tests.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said, the Office of Foreign Assets Control today sanctioned three North Korean senior officials who have led organizations linked to the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
It said, these individuals have provided support to North Korea in the development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. On other hand, Japan imposed sanctions on three entities and one individual for their ties with the nuclear and missile programs. These measures come in the wake of Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch on November 18, marking its eighth ICBM launch this year. Meanwhile, Pyongyang said, its missile tests were in response to provocations by the US and its regional allies, South Korea and Japan.

ECONOMY
India's Coal production increases by 17.13 % during Apr to Nov 2022

Coal Ministry on Friday said there has been record coal production and despatch during April to November this year. Coal production increased by 17.13 percent to 524.20 Million Ton during the period as compared to 447.54 Million Ton production during the same period of the previous year. Coal India Ltd reported coal production of 412.63 MT up to November as compared to 353.41 MT during the same period of the previous year. This is an increase of 16.76 percent.
With an objective to enhance coal production capacity, Coal Ministry has put 141 new coal blocks for commercial auction. It has been engaging regularly with various coal companies in the country and monitoring their production. The all-around efforts made to increase domestic production and despatch have shown extremely good results. India is the world’s third-largest energy-consuming country and the demand for electricity is growing by about 4.7 percent annually.
Coal Ministry is taking steps to augment rail connectivity infrastructure for all major mines under PM Gati Shakti to ensure faster transportation. The total coal despatch was 557.95 MT during April to November this year as compared to 519.26 MT during same period last year. This is a growth of 7.45 percent which shows steady and efficient amount of coal despatch to various sectors across the nation.

Govt approves Production Linked Incentive scheme for drones and drone components with an outlay of 120 crore rupees

The government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components for implementation during 2022-23 to 2024-25 with an outlay of 120 crore rupees. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The objective of this scheme is to incentivize the manufacturing of drones and drone components in the country with a focus to make the indigenous' industries globally competitive. The Ministry also said that support under the scheme will be provided only to companies engaged in the manufacturing of drones and drone components in India.
According to the guidelines, the minimum annual sales turnover for claiming the benefit of PLI must be two crores rupees for drones and 50 lakh rupees for a component segment for MSME and Startups. While non-MSMEs are required to have an annual sales turnover of four crore rupees for drones and one crore rupees for the component segment.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID gets CDSCO approval for restricted use in emergency situations

The world’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above.
India’s efforts through Mission COVID Suraksha has not only strengthened Atmanirbhar Bharat but also bolstered India’s status as a worldwide vaccine development and manufacturing center. There is a decision to merge the 14 societies of Biotechnology Institutes into a single society in the interest of convenient functioning, cost-effectiveness and integrated working.

SPORTS
F1 cancels 2023 Chinese Grand Prix due to Covid-19 restrictions

Formula 1 has cancelled the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in the country.
The sport was due to return to China for the first time since 2019 in what was scheduled to be the fourth round of a record 24-race season in April next year. However, with China continuing to implement a zero-Covid policy, which has led to heavy restrictions and continued lockdowns, F1 has decided it is not feasible to hold a race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The cancellation reduces the schedule to 23 rounds, although a 23-race calendar would still be a record for F1. Formula 1 in a statement said, it is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.

Published date : 03 Dec 2022 05:59PM