Current Affairs 8th May

National Affairs

1. Ex Agni Daman-23: Civil–Military Agencies Combat Fire Together

On 28th April 2023, A common firefighting Activity named ‘Agni Daman-23’ was

directed to bring issues to light and prepare the workforce of both common and military

organizations on firefighting at 29 Field Ammo Stop, Dehu Street under the aegis of

Settle Southern Order, Pune (Maharashtra).

The activity exhibited cooperation of all the firefighting assets accessible with

the Military and Common Foundation in Pune.

The purpose of this Exercise:

The fire hazard factor has significantly increased as a result of the extremely high temperatures in and around Pune. As a result, this exercise, which utilized the capabilities of all agencies, including the military and civil, to jointly combat fire, was held in order to overcome this disastrous situation.

Participants:

The exercise saw the participation of 56 firefighting columns, 32 of which belonged to civil organizations like the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), Fire Department Pimpri Chinchwad, Nagar Parishad Chakan, Tata Motors Ltd., Mahindra Vehicle Ltd., and Bajaj Auto, among others.

Key Points:

During the activity drills and methods including quick reaction procedures against

a wide range of fires were practised in an organized way.

It gave combatants, including central and state agencies, the ability to coordinate firefighting efforts and provide as much assistance as possible to save lives and valuable assets in affected areas.

2. BEL signs MoU with Emjay Contro Systems to Manufacture ElectroMechanical Bollards

Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Emjay Control Systems Pvt. Ltd., based in Bengaluru (Karnataka), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly manufacture and develop business for cutting-edge electro-mechanical bollards for use in a variety of export, defense, homeland security, and paramilitary projects.

The Bollard’s Key Features:

The bollards would defend imperative establishments by pre-empting the unapproved

passage of weighty vehicles.

The bollards are constructed to withstand the impact of IED-laden vehicles weighing between 24,000 and 1,50,000 kg and traveling at alarming speeds of 80 and 100 kilometers per hour.

In accordance with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat policies of the government, the company developed the bollards internally.

What does a bollard do?

A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post that is put up to control traffic on the road and prevent cars from hitting pedestrians and buildings.

An electric motor moves the piston in the cylinder of an electric bollard to raise and lower it.

3. Union Govt Constitutes 11-member Committee to Restructure 94-years-old ICAR 

Sanjay Garg, Additional Secretary (AS) of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DPRE) and Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is the chairman of an 11-member high-level committee that the Union Government has set up to reorganize the 94-year-old ICAR, which was established in 1929, in order to meet the goal of Amrit Kaal.

On April 24, 2023, the committee was established, and it was scheduled to submit the report within 30 days.

Backdrop:

Under Dr. MS Swaminathan and Dr. RA Mashlekar, the committees were initially established by the union government. However, their suggestion was never carried out.

Dr. K Ramasamy, a member of ICAR-Academic Infrastructure and a former Vice Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, also recommended restructuring ICAR recently. As a result, the ICAR’s new 11-member committee was established.

Terms of Reference (Pinnacle): The committee would offer suggestions for ICAR’s rationalization and right-sizing in order to make it a dynamic, efficient, and lean organization.

Members besides:

The Financial Adviser to ICAR, the Deputy Director General (DDG) (Natural Resource Management) of ICAR, the DDG (Fisheries Science), the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and the Department of Fisheries will each have a representative on the committee in the form of an officer or Joint Secretary.

Dr. Neelam Patel, a senior adviser at the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), and Dr. P.K. Joshi, an agricultural economist, are also members of the committee. The position of Member Secretary of the Committee has been given to ICAR’s Joint Secretary (Administration).

Kaal Amrit:

On 15 August 2021, on the occasion of the 75th year of Autonomy, Prime

Serve Narendra Modi involved the term Amrit Kaal interestingly. He additionally spread out

a guide for India for the following 25 years, the Amrit Kaal.

As a result, Amrit Kaal refers to the next 25 years as an opportunity for India to achieve self-sufficiency, economic stability, and youth aspirations.

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)’s mission is to it is an independent organization that falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’s Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).

Established on July 16, 1929, as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 in response to the Royal Commission on Agriculture’s report under the name Imperial Council of Agricultural Research.

Being perhaps of the biggest public agrarian framework on the planet, at present has

111 organizations and 71 agrarian colleges under it.

4. Transactions by CA & CS for Clients are Now Under the ambit of Money Laundering Law 

On 4th April 2023, the Union Ministry of Finance notified changes in the Prevention of

Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, widening its ambit to include the financial

transactions facilitated by the Chartered Accountants(CA), Company Secretaries(CS),

and Cost and Works Accountants (CWA).

Following the changes, the financial transitions by these professionals including

operating and managing their client firms and trusts, and buying and selling

business entities will be now covered under the anti-money laundering law.

Details of the changes in PMLA 2002:

The changes have been made in the sub-clause (vi) of clause (sa) of sub-section (1)

of Section 2 of the PMLA, which defines ‘relevant persons’ and firms covered under

the anti-money laundering law

5. BMC & MGL Partners to set up Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai; to Treat 1,000 Tonnes of Wet Waste Daily

The Brihanmumbai Civil Partnership (BMC) and the Mahanagar Gas Restricted

(MGL), a Public Area Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India Restricted (GAIL), are

holding hands to set up Asia’s biggest bio-gas plant in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 1,000 tons of wet waste will be processed daily at the upcoming plant.

The proposed plant will reuse clammy, natural, and degradable waste, which

represents 3,500 tons of the 6,000 tons of strong waste created everyday in

Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The plant will actually want to treat almost 33% of the ordinary wet waste

created in Mumbai.

The separated wet waste will be delivered to the plant by the BMC, where it will be treated by MGL to produce gas and delivered back to Mumbai.

The land parcel will be provided by the BMC, and MGL will pay for the capital expenditure.

International Affairs

1. GRFC 2023: People Facing Acute Hunger in 58 Food Crisis Countries Rise to 258 Million in 2022

The lead distribution of the Worldwide Organization Against Food Emergencies (GNAFC), ‘Worldwide Report on Food Emergencies (GRFC) 2023’, gauges that almost 258 million individuals (for example 22.7% of the examined populace) in 58 food-emergency nations/domains were confronted intense food uncertainty at emergency or more awful levels (IPC/CH Stage 3-5) in 2022, up from 193 million individuals in 53 nations and regions in 2021.

This is the biggest number in the 7-year history of the GRFC.

The seventh edition of the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) annual report, GRFC 2023, was launched by GNAFC, an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union, and governmental and non-governmental organizations working together to address food crises.

The Report’s Key Findings:

In 2022, IPC/CH analyses revealed that 253 million people were in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) in 41 countries and territories. In 39 nations and territories, approximately 35 million people were in Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) status.

The report says that just five countries had more than 40% of the population in IPC/CH Phase 3 or higher: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory, or FCT), and Yemen.

About GNAFC, or the Global Network Against Food Crises:

At the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), the Global Network Against Food Crises was launched by the European Union, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors committed to addressing the underlying causes of food crises and advancing long-term strategies to end hunger.

2. WHO launched PRET to be careful and prepared for future pandemics

To ensure that the world is prepared for future outbreaks like the Covid-19 pandemic, a new initiative known as PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats) was launched on April 26, 2023.

Objective: to assist nations around the world by supplying direction on integrated planning for responding to respiratory pathogens and supporting their recovery through the strengthening of systems and capacities.

Spunky is a Source of inspiration to speed up readiness for pandemics and arising

dangers universally.

The PRET Drive’s most memorable module centers around respiratory microorganisms, including flu, Covids, and respiratory syncytial infection.

The Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 24-26, 2023, saw the announcement of the PRET initiative.

Framework:

An assortment of responsibilities that the nations expected to follow up on and accomplish by

December 2023 were portrayed in the PRET checking Structure as follows:

Up-to-date preparedness plans that emphasize important actions ii. Through systematic coordination, enhance shareholder connectivity in pandemic preparedness planning.

Funding and checking of pandemic readiness with a unique spotlight on

spanning the holes featured during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Key Points:

PRET is a collection of the most recent tools and methods for shared learning and collective action that were developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies.

The WHO claims that the PRET Initiative is an evolution of WHO’s core activities to help all member states improve their health emergency preparedness, prevention, response, and resilience (HEPR), and that it helps usher in a new era of pandemic preparedness.

It additionally expects to help with operationalising the points and arrangements of the Pandemic Accord, which is presently being haggled by WHO Part States.

The Functioning Gathering of WHO was additionally dealing with the Corrections connected with consistence, execution, and general wellbeing reactions.

Banking and Finance

1. BharatPe Rebrands Multi-Brand Loyalty Program PAYBACK India as ‘Zillion’

On May 4, 2023, the fintech startup BharatPe Group announced that its multi-brand loyalty program, PAYBACK India, would be renamed “Zillion.” The new brand identity for Zillion, which can be found at https://zillionrewards.in/, is in line with BharatPe’s goal of making Zillion an integral part of India’s loyalty and rewards programs.

Zillion aims to appeal to customers of all ages and enhance their overall shopping experience across brands and categories.

Customers will be able to earn and redeem Zillion points at a wide range of partners across India.

Across the network of offline and online partners, customers will be able to earn “Zillion coins” for things like groceries, fuel, entertainment, travel, apparel, and more.