Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: November 7, 2022
Scoring well in the Current Affairs portion is not difficult if we have a sound preparation plan. Candidates can ace the current affairs section of any exam by using the right tools and daily news analysis. We have selected the best of the most current news and put it together in Embibe’s Current Affairs series.
Current Affairs: Economy
Cabinet Approves Nutrient-Based Subsidy Rates
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of the “Department of Fertilizers” for per kilogram rates of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) for various nutrients, that is, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers for Rabi Season – 2022-23.
What is a nutrient-based subsidy?
All Non-Urea based fertilisers are regulated under NBS Scheme.
The nutrient-based subsidy scheme has been implemented since April 2010.
Under the NBS policy, a fixed rate of subsidy (in ₹ per kg basis) is announced on nutrients, namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) by the government on an annual basis.
The per kilogram subsidy rates on the nutrients are converted into per tonne subsidy on the various P&K fertilisers covered under the policy.
NBS policy intends to increase the consumption of P&K fertilisers so that the optimum balance (N:P:K=4:2:1) of NPK fertilisation is achieved.
It is implemented by the “Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers”.
Benefits:
This will enable the smooth availability of all P&K fertilisers to the farmers during Rabi 2022-23 at the subsidised / affordable prices of fertilisers and support the agriculture sector.
The volatility in the international prices of fertilisers and raw materials has been primarily absorbed by the Union Government.
Financial Outlay:
The subsidy approved by the cabinet for the NBS Rabi-2022 (from 01.10.2022 to 31.03.2023) will be ₹51,875 crores, including support for indigenous fertiliser (SSP) through freight subsidy.
Question:
NBS policy intends to increase the consumption of P&K fertilisers so that the optimum balance of NPK is achieved in the ratio of
A. 3:2:1
B. 4:3:1
C. 4:3:2
D. 4:2:1
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Reports and Indexes
Performance Grading Index
The Ministry of Education recently released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for 2020-21, an evidence-based, comprehensive analysis of school education systems across States and Union Territories.
About PGI:
It is a unique index for evidence-based, comprehensive analysis of school education systems across States and UTs.
The PGI structure comprises 1,000 points across 70 indicators grouped into two categories –Outcomes, and governance management.
These categories are further divided into five domains, viz., Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure & Facilities (IF), Equity (E) & Governance Process (GP).
Objective:
The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policymaking and highlight course correction to ensure quality education for all.
Major Outcomes:
As per the index, a total of seven States and Union Territories, namely Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh, have attained Level-2 grading in 2020-21.
Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh are the new entrants with the highest achieved level.
Union Territory Ladakh has made significant improvements in PGI from Level-8 to Level-4 in 2020-21.
PGI 2020-21 classified the States and UTs into ten grades, of which the highest achievable Grade is Level-1 for the states scoring more than 950 points out of a total of 1000 points.
The lowest grade is Level-10, which is for a score below 551.
Question:
Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States/UTs for 2020-21 is recently released by
A. Ministry of Personnel and Training
B. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
C. Ministry of Education
D. Ministry of Women and Child development
Answer: C
Current Affairs: National
India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), established under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by the Government of India, recently conducted India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp with an initiative called “Niveshak Didi” to promote Financial Literacy “By the women, for the women”, in Srinagar, J&K.
What Is Niveshak Didi Initiative?
Niveshak Didi, a female dakiya having a deep social connection to rural masses, will be able to collaborate and resolve their queries in a comfortable environment, at the same time enhancing financial awareness, especially for the women.
It is based on the ideology of women for women, and as a rural area, women feel more comfortable sharing their queries with a female herself.
It is launched by IPPB in collaboration with the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
How This Will Lead to Financial Literacy
The session covered topics ranging from banking and financial products, the importance of joining the mainstream financial services offered by regulated entities and protection against various types of risks involved with investments and measures of fraud prevention.
Through Niveshak Didi, IPPB will attain the next milestone surpassing the challenges faced by rural masses in terms of language and their basic understanding of financial products and services.
Question:
Which of the following states or UT recently conducted India’s first floating financial literacy camp?
A. Andhra Pradesh
B. Assam
C. Jammu and Kashmir
D. Goa
Answer: C
Current Affairs: National
Indian Army, TATA Power Collaborate to Set Up EV Charging Points
The Indian Army has collaborated with Tata Powers to set up 16 charging stations for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in line with their “Go Green Initiative”.
The charging stations have been set up at various locations in Delhi Cantonment.
About The Initiative:
This is a unique initial step by the Indian Army and TATA Power towards the implementation of the Government of India’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and the Indian Army’s ‘Go-Green’ Initiative.
How Will This Work?
Through its EZ charge smartphone app, which is available across all platforms, TATA Power has made it simple and user-friendly for customers to access the charging stations.
It provides a number of features that give EV users a smooth EV charging experience, such as e-payment and the location of the closest EV charging station. T
His collaboration between the Indian Army and TATA Power will help the country’s push for sustainable mobility even further.
Army to Go Electric:
In October this year, the Indian Army disclosed its plan to induct Electric Vehicles in Ladakh.
According to Army officials, approximately 25% of light vehicles, 38% of buses and 48% of motorcycles of selected units were to be changed to EVs with adequate charging infrastructure.
Reportedly, the Army will also equip a few units in peace stations with EVs depending on the necessity and employability of the vehicles.
Question:
Indian Army and TATA Power recently collaborated and set up EV charging points in which of the following states/UT?
A. Jammu and Kashmir
B. Delhi
C. Sikkim
D. Rajasthan
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
World Heritage Glaciers to Disappear by 2050: UNESCO
A third of global glaciers located at World Heritage sites will disappear by 2050, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned recently.
Major Findings:
A UNESCO report found that glaciers in a third of UN World Heritage sites will melt within three decades.
Mount Kilimanjaro’s last glaciers will vanish, as will glaciers in the Alps and Yosemite National Park in the US.
The authors say they will melt regardless of the world’s actions to combat climate change.
Vanishing glaciers threaten Europe’s water supply.
Ice and sled-dogs disappear as Greenland warms up.
The world’s glaciers are melting at a faster pace.
Some World Heritage Sites Listed As Having Glaciers That Will Disappear by 2050 Are:
Hyrcanian Forests (Iran)
Durmitor National Park (Montenegro)
Yellowstone National Park (United States of America)
Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest (Kenya)
Kilimanjaro National Park (Tanzania)
Yosemite National Park (United States of America)
The Dolomites (Italy)
Virgin Komi Forests (Russia)
Recommendations:
The report stated that only rapid action to reduce emission levels would prevent the glaciers from completely melting and save the unique biodiversity that depends on them.
It recommended that local governments make glaciers a priority area for policymaking. It also called for increased monitoring and research focusing on glaciers.
Question:
Which global organisation recently warned that a third of global glaciers at World Heritage sites will disappear by 2050?
A. United Nations Environment Programme
B. World Meteorological Organization
C. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
D. Greenpeace
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Person in news
Ela Bhatt
Ela Bhatt, prominent Gandhian and the founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad on 2nd November 2022. She was 89 years old.
About Ela Bhatt and Achievements:
Born in Ahmedabad in 1933, she studied law and joined the legal cell of the Majur Mahajan Sangh or the Textile Labour Association (TLA).
Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972, which has since worked to empower women in various ways.
She was also a Member of the Rajya Sabha and the Planning Commission of India in the 1980s.
She served as a World Bank advisor and addressed the UN General Assembly.
Awards:
Padma Shri
Padma Bhushan
Ramon Magsaysay Award
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
What Is SEWA?
Self-Employed Women’s Association, meaning “service” in several Indian languages, is a trade union based in Ahmedabad, India, that promotes the rights of low-income, independently employed female workers.
With over 1.6 million participating women, SEWA is the largest organisation of informal workers in the world.
Founded: 1972
Headquarters: Ahmedabad
Affiliation: International Trade Union Confederation
Question:
Ela Bhatt, a prominent Gandhian who recently passed away, was the founder of which of the following organisations for women’s empowerment?
A. Helpage India
B. SEWA
C. Durga Vahini
D. Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Answer:B
Current Affairs: National
Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh recently flagged off the dispatch of a 1,600-metric tonne processed steel slag railway rack from Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur plant to the Border Road Organisation’s (BRO) ‘Project Arunank’ in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
About The Project:
The project is being carried out by CSIR-CRRI along with Tata Steel and BRO, in which processed steel slag aggregate—a by-product of steel manufacturing—will be used in the construction of steel slag road stretches in strategic areas.
Facts:
The first steel slag road in India was built in Surat under the ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative.
India is currently the world’s second-largest producer of crude steel, producing over 118 million tonnes of crude steel.
Of this, around 20% of steel slag is generated as solid waste, and its disposal is a big challenge to steel industries.
This solid waste will now be used in road construction. “This project is a perfect example of ‘waste to wealth’”.
Project Arunank was set up in 2008.
Question:
Under the ‘Project Arunank’, the processed steel slag is used to build a border road by Border Road Organisation recently made a such road in which of the following States/UT?
A. Jammu and Kashmir
B. Rajasthan
C. Arunachal Pradesh
D. Uttarakhand
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Days and Events
The International Day for Biosphere Reserves
The ‘International Day for Biosphere Reserves’, which started in 2022, was observed on 3rd November.
What are Biosphere Reserves?
Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over a large area of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof and representative examples of bio-geographic zones/provinces. UNESCO has introduced the designation ‘Biosphere Reserve’ for natural areas to minimise conflict between development and conservation.
A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation.
The management authority to ensure the involvement/cooperation of local communities to bring a variety of knowledge and experiences to link biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development while managing and containing the conflicts.
Structure and Functions of Biosphere Reserves:
Core Zone: The core zone must contain suitable habitats for numerous plant and animal species, including higher-order predators and may contain centres of endemism.
Buffer Zone: The buffer zone adjoins or surrounds the core zone, and uses and activities are managed in this area in ways that help in the protection of the core zone in its natural condition.
Transition Zone: The transition area is the outermost part of a biosphere reserve. This includes settlements, croplands, managed forests and areas for intensive recreation and other economic uses and characteristics of the region.
What is The World Network of Biosphere Reserves?
The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was formed in 1971 as a backbone for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and living in harmony with nature.
There are now 738 properties in 134 countries, including 12 in India, four in Sri Lanka, and three in the Maldives.
Facts:
The Hurulu Biosphere Reserve in Sri Lanka was South Asia’s first biosphere reserve.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal are yet to have biospheres.
Nilgiris stretching over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, was the first biosphere reserve of India designated by UNESCO in 2000.
Spain has a maximum of 53 biosphere reserves.
Governments alone decide which areas to nominate. Before approval by UNESCO, the sites are externally examined.
Question:
Consider the following statements:
The ‘International Day for Biosphere Reserves’, which started in 2022, was observed on 3rd November.
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