Current Affairs in English – September 24 2022

September 24 , 2022

National Events:

Leh district:

• Leh district of Ladakh has achieved 100 per cent digitization of banking operations. Leh district has completed the digitization of all the operating banks in a short span of a year.
• Leh is located at an average elevation of about 3500 metres. It was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor : Radha Krishna Mathur.

5 – member committee led by VK Paul:

• The central govt has formed a 5 – member committee led by VK Paul , member ( health ) of NITI Aayog , to consider a ” legally enforceable ” mechanism for regulating the marketing practices of pharmaceutical firms.
• Other members of the committee include S Aparna , Rajesh Bhushan , Nitin Gupta & a joint secretary from the Department of Personnel. It is expected to submit its report in 90 days.

Foreign exchange:

• India’s foreign exchange reserves declined $ 5.219 billion in the week ended on 16 Sept 2022 to stand at $ 545.652 billion. The foreign exchange reserves stood at $ 550.871 billion in the week ended on 9 Sept 2022.
• This is the lowest level since 2 Oct 2020. This fall is due to the RBI’s intervention in the currency market to prevent the rupee from depreciating more sharply against the dollar.

Bharat Lal:

• Bharat Lal , a retired Indian Forest Service ( IFOS ) officer of the Gujarat cadre , has been appointed as the Director General , National Centre for Good Governance ( NCGG ).
• The National Centre for Good Governance ( NCGG ) is an autonomous institute under the aegis of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Its head office is at New Delhi and the branch office at Mussoorie.

ICMR:

• Dr Rajiv Bahl has been appointed as Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR ) & Secretary of the Department of Health Research for a period of three years.
• Bahl is currently working at the World Health Organization in Geneva.ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation , coordination and promotion of biomedical research . ICMR Founded : 1911. HQ : New Delhi.

NSS:

• President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Service Scheme NSS Awards for 2020-21 on 24 September. A total of 42 awards were given. 2 Universities , 10 NSS Units , their Programme Officers , and 30 NSS Volunteers were awarded.
• NSS is a Centrally Sector Scheme that was launched in 1969 with the objective of developing the personality of the students through voluntary community service.

SymphoNE:

• Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy launched the two – day virtual conference ‘ SymphoNE ‘ on 24 September 2022. It is being organized from 24-27 Sept by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
• It aims to create a roadmap to showcase the unexplored part of North East India and boost the tourism Sector in North Eastern Region.

RTIS:

• Indian Railways has announced that it is installing Real – Time Train Information System ( RTIS ) , developed in collaboration with ISRO , on locomotives & trains.
• With this , Train Control will now be able to track the location & speed of RTIS – enabled locomotives / trains more closely , without any manual intervention. RTIS devices have been installed for 2700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds.

AIIMS:

• The Central Government on 23 Sept 2022 appointed Dr M Srinivas as the Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS ) , Delhi.
• Dr Srinivas who is Dean of ESIC Medical College and Hospital , Hyderabad , will succeed Randeep Guleria who has been holding the post since March 2017. His appointment is for a period of five years. AIIMS Delhi Established : 1956. First Director : Dr B.B Dikshit.

Gujarat Cattle Control ( Keeping and Moving ) in Urban Areas Bill , 2022:

• The Gujarat government withdrew the Gujarat Cattle Control ( Keeping and Moving ) in Urban Areas Bill , 2022. It was aimed at prohibiting the movement of stray cattle on roads and public places in urban areas of the state.
• It mandated that the cattle – rearers were required to o btain a licence to keep animals in cities and towns and get them tagged , failing which they they may face imprisonment.

Eastern and North – Eastern Zones Dairy Cooperative Conclave:

• Union Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Eastern and North – Eastern Zones Dairy Cooperative Conclave at Gangtok in Sikkim on 7 October 2022. It will be organized by the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India ( NCDFI ).
• The theme of the conclave is ” Resilient Eastern and North – Eastern Zones Dairy Cooperatives – Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities “.

Assam Government:

• The Assam government will engage 2.5 lakh Jal Doot in the State to create awareness on water preservation and related issues. 10 students of 9th to 10th standard would be engaged as Jal Doot against each scheme of the Mission.
• The selected students would undergo a two – day workshop on water , sanitation , and health along with community engagement.

DGRE:

• The Indian Army and the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment ( DGRE ) have jointly installed the Avalanche Monitoring Radar in North Sikkim.
• The radar , a first of its kind in India , has the capability to detect avalanches within three seconds of their trigger and will assist in saving the valuable lives of troops and civilians . Apart from avalanches , it can also detect landslides.

Hamar Beti – Hamar Maan:

• Chhattisgarh govt has announced the ‘ Hamar Beti – Hamar Maan ‘ campaign in the state keeping in mind the concern for women’s safety and their empowerment in society.
• Under this campaign , the girls will be taught about various necessary subjects , including their legal rights , good touch – bad touch , and sexual crimes. A helpline number will also be issued under the Hamar Beti Hamar Maan campaign.

International Events:

India & Nepal:

• India and Nepal have agreed to take forward the Sapta Kosi high dam project through further studies. This was decided at the 9th meeting of the Joint Committee on Water Resources ( JCWR ).
• Sapta Kosi High Dam is a multipurpose project proposed to be constructed on the Saptakoshi River of Nepal. It is aimed to control floods in south – east Nepal and northern Bihar and to generate hydropower.

APOA:

• The apex edible oil industry associations from five major palm oil importing countries of Asia have come together to form the Asian Palm Oil Alliance ( APOA ).
• The countries are India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , Bangladesh and Nepal. India is Asia’s largest importer of palm oil , accounting for 15 % of global imports , followed by China ( 9 % ) , Pakistan ( 4 % ) and Bangladesh ( 2 % ).

32 countries:

• 32 countries including India have called for urgent and comprehensive reforms in the UN Security Council in order to adapt the UN to contemporary world realities.
• In a Joint Statement , the countries said they stand united as a group of pro – reform like – minded States which are determined to work towards a more inclusive , responsive , and participatory international governance architecture.

Global Clean Energy Action Forum – 2022:

• Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh addressed the Roundtable on ” Net Zero Built Environment with Connected Communities ” in September. It was held at Global Clean Energy Action Forum – 2022 , Pittsburgh , US.
• He called for important actions like a global MoU with respect to enhancing the R & D Deployment related to demand – driven solutions to address the challenges of climate change.

Sports Events:

MotoGP World Championship:

• India will host its maiden MotoGP World Championship race at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida in 2023. It will be held from 2023-2024 to 2030-2031 and will be called the ‘ Grand Prix of Bharat ‘.
• An MoU has been signed for seven years to bring MotoGP to India between Dorna Sports & Fairstreet Sports. Riders from as many as 19 countries will participate in the premier event.

Dilip Tirkey:

• Dilip Tirkey , a former India hockey captain and member of the gold medal – winning team at the 1998 Asian Games , was unanimously elected as Hockey India president on 23 Sept 2022.
• First time in history , a former sportsperson and an Olympian has been elected as the head of Hockey India. Tirkey , 44 , has a record 412 international matches as a defender in his career spanning more than 15 years.