Daily Current Affairs for State Exams: 07 April 2022

Daily Current Affairs 07 April 2022

Important News: India

De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribes

Why in News

• Recently, a standing committee of Parliament has criticised the functioning of the development programme for de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.
• The Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, headed by BJP Lok Sabha MP Rama Devi, tabled its 31st report in Parliament.
• The report said the “Committee are constrained to note that the Scheme for economic empowerment of DNT communities formulated to provide coaching, health insurance, facilitate livelihood and financial assistance for construction of homes for the members of DNT, with total outlays of Rs 200 crore for the period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 and the Department could not spend even a single rupee in 2021-22.

Key Points

De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribes:

• These are communities who are the most vulnerable and deprived.
• Denotified tribes (DNTs) are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminal’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
• Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living at one place all the time.

Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT):

• A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2006 by the then government.
• It was headed by Balkrishna Sidram Renke and submitted its report in June 2008, in which it said, “It is an irony that these tribes somehow escaped the attention of our Constitution makers and thus got deprived of the Constitutional support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”
• The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74 crore based on Census 2001.
• A new Commission constituted in February 2014 to prepare a state-wise list, which submitted its report on January 8, 2018, identified 1,262 communities as de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic.
• While a number of these tribes are categorised under SC, ST and OBC, many are not.
• The standing committee report in Parliament has cited a statement by the Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, that 269 DNT communities are not covered under any reserved categories.

About Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC):

• The government set up the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC) under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the purpose of implementing welfare programmes.
• The DWBDNC was constituted on February 21, 2019 under the chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate.

Source: Indian Express

Government accords ‘In-Principle’ approval for five new sites for locating nuclear power plants

Why in News

• Recently, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said in Lok Sabha that the Government has accorded ‘In-Principle’ approval for five new sites for locating nuclear power plants in future.

Key Points

• The Government has accorded administrative approval and financial sanction for construction of 10 indigenous 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) to be set up in fleet mode.
• On progressive completion of the projects under construction and accorded sanction, the nuclear capacity is expected to reach 22480 MW by 2031.
• There are presently 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6780 MW in operation and one reactor, KAPP-3 (700 MW) has been connected to the grid on January 10, 2021.

Note:

• The requirement of uranium for domestic safeguarded nuclear reactors is met by indigenously mined and produced uranium.
• Moreover, Natural Uranium Ore Concentrate (UOC) is being procured from countries having Inter Governmental Agreement for supply of nuclear fuel.
• Efforts have been made to procure nuclear fuel from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Canada.

Source: newsonair

Digital Dashboard for District Ganga Committee Performance Monitoring System

Why in News

• Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the ‘Digital Dashboard for District Ganga Committees (DGCs) Performance Monitoring System’ (GDPMS).

Key Points

• DGC Digital Dashboard will go a long way in establishing a people-river connect and will play an important role in the success of Namami Gange Programme.

About District Ganga Committees:

• District Ganga Committees were constituted in the districts on the Ganga River basin for putting in place a mechanism at the district level to ensure people’s participation in management and pollution abatement in river Ganga and its tributaries.
• The DGCs are mandated to ensure proper utilization of assets created under Namami Gange, monitor drains/sewage falling in River Ganga and its tributaries, create strong connect of people with Ganga rejuvenation.       

Source: PIB

Important News: Economy

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

Why in News

• So far, India has signed 13 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners, including the 3 agreements, namely India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA) signed during the last five years.
• This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in the Lok Sabha recently.

Key Points

• The economic impact assessment of FTAs undertaken both in terms of data analysis and stakeholder consultations from time to time, has revealed that there has been growth in both exports and imports with FTA partners.

The list of FTAs signed by India:

 Source: PIB

Important News: State

Punjab-Haryana dispute over rivers waters and SYL Canal

Why in News

• The Haryana Vidhan Sabha has passed a resolution seeking completion of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, bringing back into focus the contentious issue of sharing of river waters between Haryana and Punjab.

Key Points

The river waters:

• The canal, once completed, will enable sharing of the waters of the rivers Ravi and Beas between the two states. The issue dates back to 1966 at the time of reorganisation of Punjab and formation of Haryana. Punjab was opposed to sharing the waters of the two rivers with Haryana, citing riparian principles.

The shares:

• A decade before the formation of Haryana, the water flowing down Ravi and Beas was assessed at 15.85 million acre feet (MAF) per year. The Union government had organised a meeting in 1955 between the three stake-holders — Rajasthan, undivided Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir — and allotted 8 MAF per year to Rajasthan, 7.20 MAF to undivided Punjab and 0.65 MAF to J&K.

The canal:

• On April 8, 1982, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched the construction of the SYL Canal with a groundbreaking ceremony in Kapoori village in Patiala district. A stretch of 214 km was to be constructed, out of which 122 km was to cross Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. But the Akalis launched an agitation in the form of Kapoori Morcha against the construction of the canal. Then in July 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Akali Dal chief Sant Harchand Singh Longowal signed an accord agreeing for a new tribunal to assess the water.

Punjab’s argument:

• As per a state government study, many areas in Punjab may go dry after 2029. The state has already over-exploited its groundwater for irrigation purposes as it fills granaries of the Centre by growing wheat and paddy worth Rs 70,000 crore every year.

Haryana’s claim:

• Haryana has been staking claim to the Ravi-Beas waters through the SYL Canal on the plea that providing water for irrigation was a tough task for the state. In southern parts, where underground water had depleted up to 1700 feet, there was a problem of drinking water.

Source: Indian Express

Important News: Defence

9th Edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise culminated

Why in News

• The 9^thEdition of the India – Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise which commenced on 25 Mar 2022 at Special Forces Training School, Bakloh (HP) culminated on 06 April 2022.

Key Points

• Over the past two weeks, Special Forces contingents from India and Kyrgyzstan shared their expertise and best practices of tactics, techniques and procedures to counter existing and emergent threats across the entire spectrum of conflict.
• Besides sharing special skills and techniques between participating Special Forces contingents, the joint training further strengthened the existing bond between India and Kyrgyzstan that has fostered over years of mutual respect for strategic autonomy, democratic values and zero tolerance for terrorism.

Facts about Kyrgyzstan:

• Capital: Bishkek
• President: Sadyr Japarov
• Currency: Kyrgyzstani som

Source: PIB

Important News: Science

ICMR-NIV scientists find presence of IgG antibodies against Nipah in 51 bat samples from southern India

Why in News

• Scientists at Pune’s Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) were able to detect the presence of IgG antibodies against Nipah virus infection (NiV) in 51 bats that were captured from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Key Points

• Nipah virus (NiV) is one of the priority pathogens with a pandemic potential. Though the spread is far slower than SARS-CoV-2, case fatality is the biggest concern.
• The first human infection with NiV was identified during an outbreak of severe encephalitis in Malaysia in 1998–1999.
• Both animal-to-humans and human-to-human transmission has been documented during different outbreaks.
• More than 700 human cases of Nipah virus infections were reported from Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Singapore and Philippines during 1998− 2018.

Antibody:

• Antibody, also called immunoglobulin, is a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance, called an antigen.
• A wide range of substances are regarded by the body as antigens, including disease-causing organisms and toxic materials.
• Antibodies recognize and attack onto antigens in order to remove them from the body.

Different Types of Antibodies:

• IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, IgE

Source: Indian Express

Important News: Appointment

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India's ambassador to Nepal, appointed new foreign secretary

Why in News

• Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the ambassador to Nepal, has been appointed the new foreign secretary of India.

Key Points

• Kwatra will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who will retire at the end of April.
• He has been serving as Ambassador of India to Nepal from March 2020.
• Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been in foreign service for over 32 years, has also served as Ambassador to France.

Source: HT

Important News: Important Days

April 7, World Health Day

Why in News

• World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7 April to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.

Key Points

• The theme for World Health Day 2022 is ‘Our Planet, Our Health’.

History:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) convened the first World Health Assembly in 1948, which called for the establishment of a "World Health Day."
• The first World Health Day was held on April 7, 1950, and it has been observed on that date every year thereafter.

Source: India Today

Download Daily Current Affairs 07 April 2022 English PDF Here

Download Daily Current Affairs 07 April 2022 Hindi PDF Here

State PCS के लिए Complete Free Study Notes, अभी Download करें

Download Free PDFs of Daily, Weekly & Monthly करेंट अफेयर्स in Hindi & English

NCERT Books तथा उनकी Summary की PDFs अब Free में Download करें 

Daily, Weekly, Monthly Current Affairs Digest, Daily Editorial Analysis, Free PDF's & more, Join our Telegram Group Join Now