13th June, 2022 Current Affairs
NATIONAL
Presidential Election 2022 to be held on 18 July
- The election to choose the next President of India will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced on July 21, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced.
- The term of President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24. Ram Nath Kovind had received over 65% votes in 2017. Electoral College for President’s Election comprises 776 MPs and 4033 MLAs, Total 4809.
- President is elected by an Electoral College, which consists of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all the States and Union Territories.
- Under Article 58, a candidate should fulfil the following eligibility conditions to contest the election to the Office of President: –
- Must be a citizen of India,
- Must have completed 35 years of age,
- Must be eligible to be a member of the LokSabha,
- Should not be holding any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.
India’s first COVID-19 vaccine for animals ‘Anocovax’ launched.
- Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar has launched the country’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine “Anocovax” for animals, developed by Haryana-based ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (NRC).
- Anocovax is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Delta (COVID-19) vaccine for animals. The immunity induced by Anocovax neutralises both Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.
- The vaccine contains inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (Delta) antigen with Alhydrogel as an adjuvant. It is safe for dogs, lions, leopards, mice and rabbits, it added.
- The COVID-19 vaccine for animals, Anocovax, is effective and capable of neutralising both Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurates IN-SPACe
- The Indian National Centre for Space Promotion and Authorization (IN-SPACe) was established in Ahmedabad by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, was also present at the ceremony.
- PM Narendra Modi said that India is all poised to increase its share in the global space industry from existing 2%. Inaugurating the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) headquarters in Bopal, Ahmedabad. The PM termed the launch as a 'watch this space' moment for the Indian space industry as it would be a precursor to many development and opportunities.
INTERNATIONAL
World’s First ‘Right to Repair’ Law For Digital Electronics Passed by New York Legislature
- New York state legislature is a world first, to pass the law for Digital Electronics.
- The “right to repair” bill enacted by the requiring digital electronics makers to make parts, tools, information, and software available to customers and independent repair businesses. After government pressure to safeguard customers’ rights to repair and refurbish their purchased products, the “Fair Repair Act” was enacted.
- This is tremendous news for independent repair shops, since they will now be allowed to compete with manufacturers, opposing the repair market concentration that manufacturers have established by limiting access to parts and tools.
- Without the approval of the ‘Right to Repair,’ 59 percent of independent repair firms claimed they could have to close their doors, according to a recent poll.
- This bill covers most electrical equipment, however there are a few significant exceptions.
Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland Elected to the UNSC
- Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland were elected to the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members for the 2023-2024 term, and took over the horseshoe table from India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway on January 1, 2023.
- India has been at the vanguard of the 15-nation Council’s reform efforts for years.
- India’s two-year stint as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council will finish in December 2022, when it will simultaneously hold the Presidency of the powerful UN body.
- India has been at the vanguard of the 15-nation Council’s reform efforts for years, claiming that it is entitled to a permanent seat on the body, which in its current configuration does not reflect the geopolitical realities of the twenty-first century.
- On the question of “categories of membership,” the G4 nations of Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan have stated that the Council’s decisions can only reflect the interests of the entire membership if permanent seats are enlarged.
ECONOMY
European Central Bank to increase interest rates for first time in more than 11 Years in July
- The European Central Bank (ECB) has said that it intends to raise interest rates for the first time in more than 11 years next month.
- ECB President Christine Lagarde yesterday said, the hike will be of 0.25 percentage points and will take place in July. The bank also intends to end its bond-buying stimulus programme on 1st of July.
- The bank said, the ECB's main policy interest rate is currently at -0.50 per cent and it could be back at zero or above by the end of September. The last time it raised interest rates in the eurozone was in 2011.
- The ECB also cut its growth forecast for the eurozone from 3.7 per cent to 2.8 per cent for 2022 and from 2.8 per cent to 2.1 per cent for 2023.
- Several other central banks have already started raising interest rates as they try to slow inflation that has been accelerating amid surging energy costs.
S&T
China releases world’s most detailed map of the moon
- China has released a new geological map of the moon, which it says is the most detailed to date, registering even finer details of the lunar surface than mapped by the US in 2020.
- The new map, which has details of craters and structures not charted before, will assist in further research of the moon.
- The world’s most detailed map of the moon released by China is expected to make a great contribution to the scientific research, exploration, and landing site selection on the moon.
- The new comprehensive geological map of the moon released by China is to a scale of 1:2,500,000. It is the most detailed moon map to date.
- The moon map includes the 12,341 impact craters, 17 rock types, 81 impact basins, and 14 types of structures.
- The new significant details of moon map have provided abundant information about the geology of the moon and its evolution.
APPOINTMENTS
N J Ojha appointed as MGNREGA ombudsman
- N J Ojha has been appointed as ombudsman for a two-year term under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Ojha has the power to investigate allegations by MGNREGA staff, consider them awards within 30 days of receipt of the complaint.
- An ombudsman has the power to receive complaints from MGNREGA workers, consider such complaints, pass awards within 30 days from the date of receipt of complaint and issue direction for conducting spot investigation and also initiate proceedings ‘suomotu’ if there are any grievance including on issues related to delayed payment of wages or non-payment of unemployment allowance.
- National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 or NREGA, later renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA in 2009, is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’.
Indian diplomat Amandeep Singh Gill appointed as UN Chief’s envoy on technology
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed senior Indian diplomat Amandeep Singh Gill as his envoy on technology to coordinate programmes for international digital cooperation.
- The UN describing him as a “thought leader on digital technology” who has a solid understanding of how to leverage the digital transformation responsibly and inclusively for progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Amandeep Singh Gill has been India’s permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from 2016-to 2018. He is now the chief executive officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.
SPORTS
Saanapathi Gurunaidu clinches Gold medal in men's 55 kilogram event at IWF Youth World C'ships
- Indian weightlifter Saanapathi Gurunaidu clinched Gold medal in men's 55 kilogram event at the IWF Youth World Championships in Leon, Mexico. Two other Indian weightlifters Vijay Prajapati and Akansha Kishor Vyavhare clinched silver medals on the opening day of the event.
- Saanapathi won Gold medal in men's 55 kilogram event with total lift of 230 kilogram. He lifted 104 kilogram in Snatch winning Silver while 126 kilogram lifting in Clean and Jerk to finish on the top to grab the Gold medal.
- Vijay finished second in the Men's 49 kilogram event with a total lift of 175 kilogram. Vijay lifted 78 kilogram in Snatch and 97 kilogram in the Clean and Jerk category.
- Akanksha won the medal in the Women's 40 kilogram category. She finished first in the Snatch portion of the event, lifting 59 kilogram , and third in the Clean and Jerk section, lifting 68 kilogram, earning her the silver medal with a total of 127 kilogram.
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