25th July, 2022 Current Affairs
Archana Lakkavajula
NATIONAL
PM NarendraModi unveils India’s first Passenger Drone “Varuna”
- Prime Minister NarendraModi has unveiled Varuna, India’s first passenger drone. PM Modi is seen watching the demonstration of the drone. Prime Minister NarendraModi asserted that the current government has ensured last-mile delivery of services with the help of technology, including drones.
- The Prime Minister was there to address the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ which took place at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
- The makers of this indigenous pilot-less ‘Varuna’ drone startupSagar Defence Engineering demonstrated this in his presence.
- This ‘Varuna’ drone has been designed and developed by a startup and has the capacity to carry one person inside.
- Varuna, India’s first drone that can carry a human payload, has a range of 25 km. The drone can carry a 130 kg payload and has 25-33 minutes of flight time.
HP becomes the 1st Indian state to connect all registered commercial vehicles
- Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to connect all registered commercial vehicles equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) with Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). Now, these vehicles can be tracked anywhere in the country through VLTD. More than 9,423 vehicles have been registered and linked with ERSS. Now it will be monitored by both the police and the transport department.
- The Vehicle Location Tracking Device with Emergency Panic Button System and Command Control Center has been connected with Emergency Response Support System 112. When the panic button is pressed, a signal would be received through satellite to 112 and the person in distress would be connected and alert the police.
Science and Technology
China launches second space module to its permanent space station
- China has successfully launched the second space module to its permanent space station today. The 23-tonne Wentian laboratory module launched on the rocket, the Long March 5B, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan.
- Wentian separated from the rocket about 10 minutes after the launch. The launch was a complete success, a state-run television reported.
- The Wentian lab module will enable astronauts carry out scientific experiments, along with the other lab module.
- This is the second of the three space modules required for its permanent space station.
- First space module Tianhe was launched in April'2021. Third module, Mengtian, is expected to be launched in October and, like Wentian, is to dock with Tianhe, forming a T-shaped structure.
ECONOMY
India’s bioeconomy likely to reach $300 billion by 2030
- By 2025 and 2030, India’s bioeconomy is predicted to reach $150 billion and $300 billion, respectively. The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) released the India BioEconomy Report 2022 based on information about the economic contribution of the biotech sector. According to the analysis, the nation’s bioeconomy reached over USD 80 billion in 2021, representing an increase of 14.1% over USD 70.2 billion in 2020. It claimed that India would add USD 80.12 billion in bioeconomy in 2021, producing USD 219 million daily.
- In 2021, the industry spent more over USD 1 billion on R&D, with at least three biotech businesses being established on average each day (for a total of 1,128 biotech startups). The statement said, “A tripling within a year from USD 320 million to USD 1.02 billion.”
- According to the report, India provided 1.45 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, or about 4 million doses every day. The country also performed 1.3 million Covid-19 tests daily (total of 506.7 million tests).
SPORTS
Neeraj Chopra creates history by becoming the first Indian to win Silver medal at World Athletics Championships
- Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra created history by winning Silver medal in men's javelin throw event at World Athletics Championships.
- Grenadian javelin thrower Anderson Peters won the gold medal with a throw of 90.54 meters.
- Neeraj Chopra is the first ever Indian to win a silver medal at World Athletics Championships. He is the second Indian after former long jumper Anju Bobby George, who won a bronze medal in long jump at 2003 in Paris.
Egypt’s Seif Ahmed named as FIH acting president
- The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed Egypt’s Seif Ahmed as its acting president following Indian administrator NarinderBatra’s resignation from the post.
- Batra resigned as FIH president and also quit as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief. He also gave up his International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership which was directly linked with his IOA position.
- Executive Board has officially accepted Batra’s resignation and unanimously appointed Ahmed as its interim chief till fresh elections are held on November 5 during its two-day virtual Congress. Ahmed played for Egypt’s national team in 1968 and has a long association with the sport as an umpire and technical official. He is a member on the FIH Executive Board since 2001. The FIH is also concerned that Hockey India has been placed under a three-member Committee of Administrators by the Delhi High Court when the country is scheduled to host the 2023 World Cup.
REPORTS
Report titled “Digital Banks” released by NITI Aayog
- The “Digital Banks” paper from NITI Aayog presents a rationale for a licencing and regulatory framework for digital banks as well as a template and a path for implementing it. It focuses on preventing any regulatory or policy arbitrage and provides both incumbents and challengers with an even playing field. The report was released by SumanBery, CEO of NITI Aayog, ParameswaranIyer, Senior Advisor Anna Roy.
- The PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojana and India Stack have recently propelled India’s rapid advancements in financial inclusion.
- Credit penetration, however, continues to be a policy concern, particularly for the country’s 63 million or more MSMEs that contribute 30% to GDP, 45% to manufacturing output, 40% to exports, and provide employment for a sizeable portion of the population.
- Financial inclusion has become a reality for Indians over the past several years because to digitization, which was brought about by the Jan Dan-Aadhar-Mobile (JAM) trinity and Aadhaar.
- The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which has seen unprecedented acceptance, has only served to reinforce this. In October 2021, UPI counted more than 4.2 billion transactions totaling 7.7 trillion.
- The platform strategy the government used when designing UPI has led to the development of worthwhile payment products on top of it.
- Because of this, payments can now be made with a click both at retail locations and peer to peer, radically altering how money is transmitted between people.
Published date : 25 Jul 2022 05:31PM