Current Affairs in English – October 27 2022

National Events:

IRDAI:

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India ( IRDAI ) has allowed foreign reinsurance branches to repatriate up to 20 % of the excess assigned capital to allow free movement of capital.
The applicant’s NOF ( net owned funds ) should not be less than the prescribed amount of 500 crore at any time and should infuse a minimum assigned capital of 100 crore into the branch office.

President Dr. KR Narayanan’s birth anniversary : 27 October:

27 October 2022 marked 102nd birth anniversary of former President of India Dr. KR Narayanan. He served as the 10th President of India from 1997 to 2002 and 9th Vice President of India from 1992 to 1997.
He was also the first person from the Dalit community to hold the post. He began his career in India as a member of the Indian Foreign Service in the Nehru administration.

Infantry day:

The Indian Army celebrated the 76th Infantry Day on 27 October 2022. Infantry day is celebrated to mark the day when the infantry of the Indian army , led by 1st battalion of the Sikh Regiment , made its way into the Srinagar airfield in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.
As part of the Infantry Day celebrations of 2022 , a ‘ Wreath Laying ‘ ceremony was organised at the National War Memorial.

GEAC:

For the first time in 16 years , the Genetical Engineering Appraisal Committee ( GEAC ) , the authority to approve trials and release of genetically modified ( GM ) crops , has approved GM mustard for commercial cultivation.
GM crops are plants whose DNA is genetically engineered to develop suitable traits. Bt cotton ( approved in 2006 ) is the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated and sold in India.

Blue Flag:

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on 26th Oct 2022 announced that 2 Indian beaches , Minicoy Thundi beach & Kadmat beach , located in Lakshadweep , have received the International eco – label ‘ Blue Flag ‘.
After this , India now has 12 Blue Flag beaches , an eco – label given to the cleanest beaches in the world. It is awarded by the Denmark – based non – profit Foundation for Environmental Education.

UNSC:

A special meeting of the UN Security Council’s ( UNSC ) Counter – Terrorism Committee will be hosted in Mumbai & Delhi on 28th & 29th of October , 2022. Theme : ‘ Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes ‘.
India is currently the Chair of the UN Security Council Counter – Terrorism Committee for the year 2022. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN : Ruchira Kamboj.

ASEAN – India:

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on 26th Oct 2022 co – chaired the 7th ASEAN – India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry.
During the meeting , the member countries reviewed the activities under the medium – term action plan of ASEAN – India Cooperation ( Year 2021-25 ).
ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) Membership : 10 Countries. Chairmanship : Cambodia.

‘ Women – Friendly Tourism ‘:

The Kerala government has launched a ‘ Women – Friendly Tourism ‘ project to ensure safe and hygienic destinations for women. The project will be implemented ensuring the participation of women from all sections of society.
The mission will provide training to selected women to work as tour coordinators , storytellers , community tour leaders , auto / taxi drivers ( guest Handling ) , homestay operators etc.

‘ Har Ghar Jal ‘:

Gujarat has achieved 100 % household tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission & has been declared as a ‘ Har Ghar Jal ‘ state. It means all households in rural areas have access to safe drinking water through taps in the state.
Motto of the Jal Jeevan Mission : ‘ no one is left out ‘. Launched in 2019 , this mission targets to provide potable tap water to all the villages in the country by 2024.

ER:

Union government in Oct 2022 approved the Terai Elephant Reserve in Uttar Pradesh. It will cover 3,049 sq km area & will be developed in the joint forest areas of Dudhwa & Piliphit tiger reserves located in the Lakhimpur and Pilibhit districts.
Centre approved three elephant reserves in the country in 2022. The other two reserves are Lemru ER in Chhattisgarh and Agasthyamalai ER in Tamil Nadu.

International Events:

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage : 27 October:

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is celebrated on October 27 every year. The day highlights and promotes the importance of recorded images , motion pictures and sounds which give us insights into people’s lives , cultures , languages , communities and the global flora and fauna.
” Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusive , just and peaceful societies ” is the theme for 2022.

Antarctic ozone hole:

The Antarctic ozone hole reached an average area of 23.2 million square kilometres between September 7 and October 13 , 2022 ,according to NASA. The depleted area of the ozone layer over the South Pole was slightly smaller than 2021.
The ozone layer – the portion of the stratosphere that protects earth from UV rays – thins to form an ozone hole above the South Pole every September.

COP27:

The 27th annual UN meeting on climate , COP27 ( Conference of Parties ) will take place in Sharm – el – Sheikh , Egypt from 6-18 November 2022. This will be the fifth time a Climate Conference is being hosted in Africa.
COP27 will focus on three main areas , reducing emissions , helping countries to prepare and deal with climate change and securing technical support and funding for developing countries.

German Government:

The German Government on 26th Oct 2022 approved the proposal that will allow state – licensed & controlled commercial cultivation & distribution of cannabis.
Acquiring & possessing up to 20 to 30 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption would also be made legal.
It would make Germany the 2nd European Union country to legalise cannabis after Malta. Chancellor of Germany : Olaf Scholz.

Sports Events:

BCCI:

In a historic move , BCCI has announced equal pay for all centrally contracted men and women Team India cricketers.
According to the current system , women team will earn match fees of ₹ 15 lakh per Test , 6 lakh per ODI and 3 lakh per T20I , the same as men team.
The Indian women’s team recently won India’s first – ever medal in cricket at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier in 2022.