31st October, 2022 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL
India’s Per Capita Greenhouse Gas Emissions Below World Average: UNEP

At 2.4 tCO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent), India’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions were far below the world average of 6.3 tCO2e in 2020, according to a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme October 27.
The “Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window”, released ahead of the UN Climate Change conference (COP27) in Egypt next month, also said the international community is still falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius in place.
To address climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015 to limit global temperature rise in this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
World average per capita GHG emissions (including land use, land-use change, and forestry) were 6.3 tCO2e in 2020. The US remains far above this level at 14 tCO2e, followed by 13 tCO2e in the Russian Federation, 9.7 tCO2e in China, about 7.5 tCO2e in Brazil and Indonesia, and 7.2 tCO2e in the European Union.”
“India remains far below the world average at 2.4 tCO2e. On average, least developed countries emit 2.3 tCO2e per capita annually

Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi appointed as Chair of C20

Spiritual leader Mata, Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) has been appointed the Chair of the country’s Civil 20 (C20), an official engagement group of the Group of 20 (G20), by the union government.
The G20 is the premier inter-governmental forum for the world’s developed and emerging economies to address financial stability on a global basis. The C20 is its platform for civil society organisations (CSOs) to bring forth non-government and non-business voices to the G20 leaders.
India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.

Viswas Swaroopam, a Shiva statue, installed in the Rajasthani town, Nathdwara

On October 29, a 369-foot-tall Shiva statue called “Viswas Swaroopam” that has been built in Nathdwara, Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, will be dedicated.
In the presence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, and others, preacher Morari Bapu will officially unveil Viswas Swaroopam, what is said to be the highest Shiva statue in the entire world.
The Viswas Swaroopam statue was built by Tat Padam Sansthan and is located 45 kilometres from Udaipur.

ENVIRONMENT
Centre approves Terai Elephant Reserve in Uttar Pradesh

The Centre has approved the setting up of the Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) at Dudhwa-Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. The Terai Elephant Reserve is the 3rd Elephant Reserve in India which is spread over 3,049 sq km. The Terai Elephant Reserve includes protected areas, forest areas, and corridors for the conservation of wild elephants.
The Terai Elephant Reserve will be developed in the joint forest areas of Dudhwa and Piliphit tiger reserve. This will cover the conservation of four wild species including tiger, Asian elephant, swamp deer, and one-horned rhinoceros.

INTERNATIONAL
India to Hold Mega ‘Yudh Abhyas’ Military Drill With US Near China Border

Indian and US militaries to conduct the battalion-level “Yudh Abhyas” exercise between 15th November 2022 to 2nd December 2022. The Yudh Abhyas will be held at Auli in Uttarakhand which from just 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The member countries of the “Quad” will conduct the Malabar exercise off Yokosuka in Japan between 8th November 2022 to 18th November 2022. The “Quad” member countries include India, Australia, Japan, and the US. The Quad has declared that it would “deter” any “coercion” in the Indo-Pacific. “Yudh Abhyas” will include high-altitude warfare drills.
In the Yudh Abhyas military drill around 350 soldiers from each country are expected to participate.
The soldiers will witness the employment of integrated battle groups in mountains and extremely cold climates, along with heliborne elements in cold climates.
In August, the US and Indian forces conducted the “Vajra Prahar” exercise at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.
The “Vajra Prahar” involved the special forces of the two countries.
India to conduct the “Autra-Hind” infantry combat exercise at the Mahajan range in Rajasthan between 28th November 2022 to 11 December 2022.

SIMBEX 2022 maritime exercise between Singapore and India

From October 26 to October 30, 2022, Visakhapatnam will play home to the 29th Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX). The two phases of SIMBEX-2022 are the Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam and the Sea Phase in the Bay of Bengal. On October 25, 2022, RSS Stalwart (a Formidable Class Frigate) and RSS Vigilance (a Victory Class Corvette), two ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy, arrived at Visakhapatnam to take part in the exercise.
Exercise Lion King was the original name for the SIMBEX series of exercises, which debuted in 1994.
Over the past two decades, the exercise’s complexity and scope have significantly increased to incorporate cutting-edge naval training that encompass a variety of maritime missions.
The drill is a prime example of India and Singapore’s intense maritime cooperation. It also emphasises the two countries’ dedication and support for boosting marine security in the Indian Ocean region.

Garuda VII air exercise, jointly conducted by France and India

At Air Force Station Jodhpur, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) are taking part in the bilateral exercise “Garuda VII” from October 26 to November 12, 2022. FASF is taking part in this exercise with a troop of 220 people, one A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, and four Rafale fighter aircraft.
The IAF is taking part with fighter aircraft including the Su-30 MKI, Rafale, LCA Tejas, and Jaguar as well as helicopters like the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Mi-17.
Combat enabling assets including AWACS, AEW & C, and flight refuelling aircraft will also be part of the IAF contingent.
This collaborative exercise will give both nations a platform to improve operational capacity and interoperability while also exchanging best practises.
The bilateral exercise is currently in its seventh edition. At the Air Force Stations at Gwalior, Kalaikunda, and Jodhpur, respectively, the first, third, and fifth editions were held in India in 2003, 2006, and 2014, respectively.
In France, the second, fourth, and sixth editions took place in 2005, 2010, and 2019.
The IAF and FASF’s participation in this exercise will foster professional engagement, experience sharing, and the improvement of operational knowledge in addition to fostering bilateral ties between the two nations.

ECONOMY
India’s forex reserves hit a new low, RBI forced to spend $118 billion to defend INR

For the week ending October 14, India’s foreign exchange reserves (Forex Reserves) further declined to a level not seen in more than two years as the country’s central bank, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) continued to defend the rupee’s decline while disregarding the serious threat posed by dwindling foreign exchange reserves
According to information made public by the Reserve Bank of India, the third largest economy in Asia’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by $3.85 billion to $524.52 billion for the week ending October 21.
The spot foreign exchange reserves have decreased from their peak of $642.45 billion on September 3 of last year, which set a record, and from a low of $607 billion at the end of March.
The currency reserves have now run out for 11 of the last 12 weeks. For the week ending October 7, when increases in gold reserves had increased the forex reserves by merely $204 million, it was the only time it was fortunate.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Indian scientists develop first indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer

Indian scientists developed an indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer, one of the most accurate Magnetometers extensively used in all magnetic observatories around the world. The Overhauser Magnetometer will make way for reducing the cost of sampling, according to the Ministry of Science & Technology.
The sensor installed at Alibag Magnetic Observatory (MO) can reduce dependence of India on commercial OVH Magnetometers for performing geomagnetic field measurements.
OVH Magnetometers are known for their higher accuracy, higher sensitivity, and efficient power consumption.
The Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), an autonomous research institution under DST, has developed the Magnetometers.
A team from IIG’s instrumentation division used various spectroscopic tools and theoretical simulations to understand the working.
They also performed various control experiments which includes varying the sensor composition and examining the sensor’s performance.
The examinations helped them to optimize the sensor parameters and its associated electronics.

HEALTH
WHO Releases First-Ever List of Fungal Infection, Flags Global Health Threat

The World Health Organisation (WHO) released the first-ever list of fungal infections — “priority pathogens”. The fungal priority pathogens list (FPPL) includes 19 fungi that represent the greatest threat to human health. The UN body warned that some strains are increasingly drug-resistant and are growing at an alarming rate.
The WHO said that fungal infections are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment and can be dangerous to mankind due to a lack of focus, lack of surveillance, treatments and diagnostics. “Emerging from the shadows of the bacterial antimicrobial resistance pandemic, fungal infections are growing, and are ever more resistant to treatments, becoming a public health concern worldwide,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Assistant Director-General, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The WHO FPPL is divided into three categories — critical, high and medium priority. These fungal pathogens are ranked in each priority category based on their impact on public health and/or emerging antifungal resistance risk. The critical group includes Candida auris, which is a highly drug-resistant fungi, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Candida albicans. The high priority group includes a number of other fungi from the Candida family as well as others such as Mucorales, a group containing “black fungus“, an infection which rose rapidly in seriously ill people, particularly in India, during Covid-19. The medium priority group lists a number of other fungi, including Coccidioides spp and Cryptococcus gattii.

Published date : 31 Oct 2022 03:43PM