Daily Current Capsules

15 June 2023

First Janjatiya Khel Mahotsav (JKM)

• The Prime Minister has expressed happiness on the organization of the first Janjatiya Khel Mahotsav at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar.
• Organised by Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar.
• Supported by – the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha.
• Participants – With over 6,000 tribal participants and more than 1,000 coaches and managers representing 25 states of India
• Objective – JKM 2023 aims to inspire tribal sportspersons and personnel like never before. JKM will serve as a platform to highlight the rich and indigenous sporting traditions of India’s tribal communities. It is a unique opportunity to celebrate their athletic prowess, promoting their cultural heritage and traditional sports on a national stage.

NH-334B

• In a major initiative, the National Highways Authority developed a 40.2 km stretch on NH-334B from Baghpat near the UP-Haryana border to Rohna, Haryana using sustainable materials such as plastic waste and fly-ash.
• During its construction, NHAI prioritized the utilization of sustainable materials such as plastic waste and fly ash, resulting in both cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness.”
• This project significantly enhances connectivity between Uttar Pradesh Haryana, and Rajasthan, serving as an alternative route to bypass traffic congestion in Delhi.
• It facilitates seamless access for neighbouring towns villages, and industries to NH-44, eastern & western peripheral expressways, while also enabling direct travel between Chandigarh and Delhi

Quality Control Orders

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry has hailed the Quality Control Orders for the leather industry as a game changer for the sector.
• QCOs will establish the brand of India and enhance the value of Indian products.
• The Industry leaders from various Leather sector associations welcomed the Quality Control Orders (QCOs), saying that they will work towards the adoption of QCOs.
• The Minister emphasized that the QCOs will be implemented in letter and spirit with effect from 1st July 2023 for the 24 products.

Know! about QCO

• The main aim of the QCO is to control the import of sub-quality and cheaper items and to ensure that customers get quality products.
• QCOs cannot be challenged at WTO if they are imposed on grounds of health, safety, environment and deceptive trade practice, or national security.
• BIS certifies it for International and domestic products.
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India is engaged in the activities of Standardization, Conformity Assessment and Quality Assurance of goods, articles, processes, systems and services.
• The Indian Standards established by BIS forms the basis for the Product Certification Schemes, which provide Third Party Assurance of Quality, Safety and Reliability of products to consumers.

The Global 2000

• NTPC Limited, India’s largest power generation company, has climbed 52 positions to secure the 433rdrank in Forbes’ “The Global 2000” List for 2023.
• Rising from 485th rank in the list in the year 2022, the climb of 52 positions in just one year demonstrates NTPC’s emergence as a strong force in the global market.
• It is evidence of the company’s steady expansion, sound financial condition, and persistent dedication to excellence.

Know! about the Global 2000

• The Global 2000” List recognizes the world’s largest companies based on four key metrics: sales, profits, assets and market value.
• Considering Indian companies, NTPC has climbed up one place to secure the 10th rank among the largest Indian companies in the 2023 List. This ranking further solidifies NTPC’s status as a leading player in India’s corporate sector.

IGSTC (Indo-German Science and Technology Centre).

• Ten women researchers from India and Two from Germany were awarded under the ‘Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research’ (WISER) programme to promote women researchers in India/Germany to participate and collaborate in ongoing R&D and innovation projects on the occasion of 13 Foundation day of IGSTC (Indo-German Science and Technology Centre).
• They will receive financial assistance and will not need to apply for fresh project grants in partnering countries.
• IGSTC celebrated its 13^th Foundation Day event on 14^th June 2023 to highlight its achievements and its role in promoting Indo-German Science and Technology partnerships since its inception in the year 2010.

Know! about Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC)

• The Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC),  a bilateral institution established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Government of Germany to promote Science and Technology collaboration with a focus on applied research and technology development
• The main focus of IGSTC over the years has been to provide a networking platform between the Indian and the German researchers/Industry personnel and has connected around 6300 + researchers / Industry personnel through its various programmatic activities.

Know! about Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER)

• The scheme aims to build scientific capacity, and retain and promote women researchers in India & Germany by utilising complementary expertise in science, technology, innovation and research partnerships. The schemes intends to bring gender equity and inclusion in STEM research.
• Programme Type: Women’s Schemes
• Ministry / Department: Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt of India
• Focus Area: All Science Disciplines
• Target Audience: All Science Disciplines
• Funding Agency: Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India
• Eligibility: Women researchers/entrepreneurs holding regular positions in academic/research institutions/industrial research organisations in India/Germany may apply to be a part of an ongoing R&D project of interest with acceptance from the host team. There is no age limit and preference is given to Early & Mid-career researchers.
• Purpose: Capacity Building, Research
• Duration: Up to 3 years
• Fellowship / Financial Assistance: The grant covers basic project assistance for the awardee in the parent country and one month research stay in the host country. The maximum grant for three years will be up to ₹ 39 lakhs/€ 48000. The tenure is for a period of 3 years or till completion of the project whichever is earlier and covers one visit per year for a short stay of up to one month.

IIAS Annual Conference 2025

• India expressed its willingness to host the 2025 IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Sciences) Annual Conference at Kochi, Kerala, in February 2025.

Know! about IIAS

• The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) is an international non-profit organization with scientific purposes.
• IIAS is a federation of member states, national sections and academic research centres jointly elaborating public administration solutions to the policy challenges of the day.
• It has been established in 1930 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
• The International Institute of Administrative Sciences is a worldwide professional association in the field of governance.
• IIAS is committed to practising and promoting the highest standards of service for ourselves, our members and our partners.
• The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances is an institutional member of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences IIAS since 1998.
• As an institutional member of IIAS, India has contributed significantly to the deliberative democracy, research publications, and fiscal processes of budget/ audit through the institutional mechanisms of the Council of Administration and the Finance Committee.
• In accordance with India’s governance model, the theme for the 2025 IIAS Annual Conference at Kochi is proposed as “Next Generation Administrative Reforms – Empowering the Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile”

Annecy International Animation Festival

• India is participating in the Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF) for the first time this year.

Know! about the Annecy International Animation Film Festival

• It was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998.
• It is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) awareness programme

• Department of Telecommunications (DoT) organised an Electromagnetic Field (EMF) awareness programme through Webinar
• In this webinar, various aspects of EMF radiation was presented by DoT and health-related queries and myth about the harmful effect of EMF radiation from mobile towers was also clarified by a medical expert
• EMF radiation is RF/Electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile tower antennae and mobile handsets are non-ionizing having very low energy.
• Based on scientific evidence, studies and reports available, it is found that there is no conclusive evidence of the stated danger of EMF radiation from mobile towers.
• EMF emissions from a mobile tower, which are below the safe limits prescribed by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO), have no convincing scientific evidence of causing adverse health effects.

Know! about International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)

• The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is an international commission specialising in non-ionizing radiation protection.
• The organization’s activities include determining exposure limits for electromagnetic fields used by devices such as cellular phones.
• ICNIRP is an independent non-profit scientific organization chartered in Germany.
• It was founded in 1992 by the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA)
• The mission of ICNIRP is to screen and evaluate scientific knowledge and recent findings toward providing protection guidance on non-ionizing radiation, i.e. radio, microwave, UV and infrared.

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TEAM CL/GKP