Current affairs notes on October 9 - 14

 1. The Foreign Ministers of Nepal and China jointly certified the elevation of Mount Everest at 8,848.86 metres above sea level 86 cm higher than what was recognised since 1954.  Everest is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma in China.

2.National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT):Constituted under Companies Act, 2013. It hears appeals against the orders of: NCLT under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC. The Competition Commission of India (CCI). The President of the Tribunal and the chairperson and Judicial Members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

3. The cyber wing of the Maharashtra Police recently acquired software from Interpol that would help them track down child pornography uploaded online. ‘Operation Blackface’ is part of the larger action taken against CSAM across the country. Acting on the tip off provided by NCRB, Maharashtra Cyber cops forward complaints to the districts where FIR’s were registered against accused persons.

4. Inter-Ministerial Conference by Partners in Population and Development (PPD). India took part in it. It is an intergovernmental organisation for promoting south-south cooperation in the fields of reproductive health, population, and development. This POA, endorsed by 179 nations, stresses the need to establish mechanisms to promote development through the sharing of experiences in reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) within and among countries and to promote effective partnerships among the governments, NGOs, research institutions and the private sector.

5. 36th Charter Day anniversary of SAARC observed recently. The Charter establishing the Association was signed on December 8, 1985 by the SAARC Heads of States/Governments during first Summit meeting in Dhaka. Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005. The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.

6. The Union Cabinet has approved laying of undersea optical fibre cable to connect 11 islands of Lakshadweep with Kochi by May 2023, to help improve broadband connectivity in the Union Territory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the submarine cable connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands in August.

7. Public Wi-Fi plan ‘PM Wani’ gets cabinet approval. The move is aimed at helping accelerate the uptake of broadband Internet services. It was first recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017. This will allow setting up of public WiFi hotspots across the country via public data offices or public data offices (PDOs).

8. Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as ‘Mini Kaziranga’. It has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest concentration in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.

9. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment in formal sector and incentivize creation of new employment opportunities during the Covid recovery phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0. Under this, Government of India will provide subsidy for two years in respect of new employees engaged on or after 1st October, 2020 and up to 30th June, 2021.

10. Foundation stone of the new Parliament building. This took place nearly a hundred years after the foundation for the existing Parliament was laid by Duke of Connaught on February 12, 1921. The theme of the new building would celebrate the cultural diversity of the country.

11. HelpAge India has been presented the UN Population Award for 2020 (institutional category). For the first time in the history of the UN Population Award, the honour is being conferred on an Indian institution. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, the United Nations Population Award recognises contributions in the fields of population and reproductive health.

12. Koilwar Bridge constructed over Sone river in Bihar inaugurated.

13. The Maharashtra government this week presented a draft bill making changes to existing laws on violence against women and children. The Bill is proposed to be enacted as Shakti Act, 2020.

14. Fifteenth Finance Commission chairman N.K. Singh has called for a fresh look at the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule, which forms the basis for allocating subjects to the Centre and States.

15. The Chang’e-5, Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, putting China on course to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since the 1970s.

 

Thank You.