1st September, 2021 Current Affairs

Om Birla

NATIONAL
LS Speaker inaugurates Parliamentary Outreach Programme

• Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla, inaugurated a parliamentary outreach programme to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Programme was inaugurated at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
• Now, arrangements will be by Lok Sabha secretariat to conduct capacity-building programmes for representatives of PRIs in the UT.
• Empowered panchayats under the programme will help in making democracy stronger and increase confidence of people.

IIT Madras to Develop Online Marketplace called e-Source

• IIT Madras is in process of developing an online platform called e-Source that will be used to tackle electronic wastes (e-waste).
• E-Source will be used to tackle e-waste by linking stakeholders of the formal and informal economy.
• e-Source will act as an exchange platform to serve as an online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
• It will also act as a formal supply chain between several stakeholders, including buyers and sellers.
• This initiative is being headed by Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS).
• According to IGCS team, problem of e-waste can be resolved by connecting buyers and sellers of Used and Waste electronic equipment without compromising their interests.

INTERNATIONAL 
Indian Navy’s First Exercise with Algerian Navy

• The Indian and Algerian navies conducted their first ever naval exercise off the coast of Algeria on August 29, 2021.
• The exercise reflects increased maritime cooperation among two countries.
• Stealth ship INS Tabar represented India while Algeria was represented by its naval shipANS Ezager.
• As part of the exercise, activities like communication procedures, coordinated maneuvers, and past steam were carried out between Indian and Algerian warships.
• This naval exercise opened up the possibility for both the navies to understand theconcept of mutual operations, enhance interoperability, and increase future interaction and cooperation.

Sri Lanka declares Food Emergency

• Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency over food shortages on August 31, 2021 after private banks in the country ran out of foreign exchange to finance imports.
• Sri Lanka is suffering from a hard-hitting economic crisis. Following the crisis,President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered emergency regulations to counter the hoarding of sugar, rice and other such essential foods.
• President also named a top army officer as “Commissioner General of Essential Services to coordinate the supply of paddy, rice, sugar and other consumer goods”.
• This move followed sharp price rises for sugar, rice, onions and potatoes. Price rise was supplemented by long queues outside stores because of shortages of milk powder, cooking gas and kerosene oil.
• Government also increased penalties for food hoarding.
• But shortages of food come as Sri Lanka battles a fierce coronavirus wave, claiming more than 200 lives a day.

8th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC Countries held

• 8th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Countries was hosted by India on August 31, 2021.
• Meeting was attended by Agricultural Ministries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and Thailand.
• During this meet, Chairman highlighted the UN Food System Summit 2021 and transformational aspects that are happening across agriculture and food systems globally.
• He asked to enhance engagement and deepen cooperation amongst BIMSTEC Member States in the field of agriculture and allied sectors by encouraging exchange of students, experts, knowledge and germplasm.
• He further stressed on addressing biosafety and biosecurity concerns and promoting digital agriculture and trade of technologies in order to develop resilient agriculture, food systems & value chains.
• BIMSTEC Member States also appreciated greater engagement of India in offering six slots of scholarships for Master and PhD programmes in agriculture and other initiatives for capacity development & training.

SPORTS 
Mariyappan, Sharad win silver and bronze respectively in men's high jump

• MariyappanThangavelu has won silver medal while Sharad Kumar clinched bronze. With this, India's medal tally at the Paralympics touched an unprecedented 10.
• Singhraj Adana won bronze medal in the 10-metre Air Pistol SH1 shooting at the Asaka Shooting Range

Published date : 02 Sep 2021 11:58AM