Daily Current Affairs for State Exams 03 October 2022

दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 03 अक्टूबर 2022

Important News: International

Kazakhstan changes its capital’s name from Nur-Sultan back to Astana

Why in News:

Kazakhstan's capital Nur Sultan has been renamed Astana by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

key points:

In the latest step by Kazakhstan's president to break with his predecessor's legacy, a law has been signed to limit the presidential terms and return the Central Asian country's capital's old name.
The capital of Kazakhstan was renamed as Nur-Sultan in March 2019 in honor of the outgoing President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Astana or Nur Sultan is the second largest city in the country, being the capital of Kazakhstan.
The city of Astana is surrounded on all sides by Akmola Province, but administratively it has the status of a separate federal city.
Astana was also known as Akmola’s during the Soviet Union until 1961, and then Tselinograd until 1990.
After the independence of Kazakhstan, Astana was known as Akmola until 1998.

Source: Indian Express

Important News: National

Mastercard to launch 'Carbon Calculator' for Indian consumers

Why in News:

The carbon calculator features will be launched by Mastercard, a global payments and technology company.

key points:

The Mastercard Carbon Calculator, which was introduced in 2021 and is now used in more than 25 countries, was created in partnership with the Swedish fintech Dokongy.
The Carbon Calculator Tracking Tool may be embedded by banking partners on their websites or mobile applications.
The Carbon Calculator Tracker can calculate a month's worth of carbon footprint data for a number of different spending categories.
Access to information and statistics about environmental impact is another element of the carbon calculator.
Consumers can get an overview of the overall effect of carbon footprint across several expenditure categories in a month using Carbon Calculator, a customizable carbon footprint tracker.

Source: Livemint

Important News State

Delhi Winter Action Plan

Why in News:

The Delhi government has unveiled a winter action plan to combat air pollution.

Key Points:

The national capital's air quality will be improved through the 15-point Delhi Winter Action Plan.
The strategy entails working with IIT Kanpur to carry out a study on the volume of pollution and its source over a specific time period.
In accordance with this plan, farmers who choose to spray the bio decomposer on the crop stem as opposed to burning the crop debris receive it free of charge.
Under the Delhi Winter Action Plan, vehicles having a Pollution Control (PUC) certificate will be assessed for diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.
In accordance with this program, volunteers who have registered as Paryavaran Mitras will be involved in promoting environmental conservation.
The Delhi Winter Action Plan calls for the creation of alternate routes for heavily travelled roads in order to reduce car pollution.
Along with the entire prohibition of firecracker exploding, the plan also forbids the production, storage, distribution, and sale of firecrackers.
The Delhi government has selected 13 areas as pollution hotspots, and these areas will be actively watched as well as given special attention.

Source: Indian Express

World’s largest safari park to be developed in Gurugram

Why in News:

The world's largest safari park will be set up in an area of about 10,000 acres falling in the Aravalli Mountain range of Gurugram and Nuh districts of Haryana.

key points:

Currently the largest curated safari park outside Africa is in Sharjah, which opened in February 2022 with an area of about two thousand acres.
The project will be the largest such project in the world, the proposed plan will include a large serpentarium, aviary/bird park, four zones for Big Cats, a large area for herbivores, an area for exotic animals and birds.
After the implementation of Jungle Safari scheme, tourism will get a big boost in NCR and employment opportunities will be created for the local people.
The Jungle Safari Project of Haryana will be a joint project of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and Government of Haryana.
The Aravalli Mountain range is a cultural heritage site, home to many species of birds, wild animals, butterflies, etc.
According to a survey conducted a few years back, the Aravalli Mountain range is home to 180 species of birds, mammals, 15 species of mammals, wildlife, 29 species of reptiles and 57 species of water living creatures and butterflies.

Source: Times of India

Important News: Science & Tech

5G launch

Why in News:

On October 1, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally launched the nation's 5G services, ushering in an era of ultra-high-speed mobile internet.

Key Points:

After 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, 5G is the next generation of mobile networks and is a new global wireless standard.
A new kind of network made possible by 5G is intended to connect almost anything, including machines, objects, and equipment.
A number of ground-breaking technologies, including 5G, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and data analytics, can create opportunities with the expanding start-up community, open up new vistas, and intensify and strengthen digital engagement, according to India's National Digital Communications Policy 2018, which highlights the importance of 5G.
According to the Prime Minister, India has focused on 4 pillars in four directions at once, which include-
- Gadget/device cost.
- digital connectivity.
- data cost.
- The concept of "digital first".

Source: The Hindu

Important Awards

Indian Women’s rights activist Srishti Bakshi wins ‘Changemaker’ award

Why in News:

Srishti Bakshi, a women's rights activist from India has been presented with the 'Changemaker' award at the United Nations SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) Action Awards held at a ceremony in Bonn, Germany.

key points:

The award has been conferred with the aim of recognizing Srishti Bakshi's efforts to raise awareness about gender-based violence and inequality.
Srishti Bakshi, a marketer women's rights activist and founder of the Crossbow Miles movement, embarked on a 3,800-km walk through 12 Indian states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
During her journey, Srishti Bakshi has passed through the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
More than 100 workshops focused on women's safety have been organized by Srishti Bakshi, which aims to shed light on the causes of violence against women and measures to empower women.
The UN SDG Action Awards ceremony celebrates the people and initiatives that mobilize, inspire and connect people every day, proving that each of us has the power to take transformative action.
The finalists of the United Nations SDG Action Awards were selected from over 3,000 applications from 150 countries and the winners were announced during a live event on 27 September 2022.

Source: The Hindu

Important Days

NPS Day

Why in News:

A campaign has been started by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', under which 1 October 2021 will be celebrated as National Pension System Day (NPS Day).

key points:

NPS Day has been promoted by PFRDA on its social media platforms with the hashtag #npsdiwas.
Government aims to promote pension and retirement planning through NPS Day for an assured 'free' retirement.
The objective of NPS Day is to spread awareness about the pension scheme among the public.
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority is the regulatory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India for overall supervision and regulation of pensions in India.
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act was passed on 19 September 2013 and was notified on 1 February 2014.

Source: PIB

International Day of Older Persons celebrates on 1st of October

Why in News:

October 1 is observed as the International Day of Older Persons in the world.

key points:

The day was started by the United Nations General Assembly with the aim of honoring the contribution of older persons and looking into the problems faced by them.
The theme of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons for the year 2022 is "The Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World".
The theme will be celebrated by the NGO Committees on Aging in New York, Geneva and Vienna.
International Day of Older Persons aims to highlight the resilience of older women to the face of environmental, social, economic and lifelong inequalities, and to raise awareness of the importance of improving data collection across the world, based on age and gender.
On 14 December 1990, 1 October was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Older Persons.
This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Aging, which was adopted by the World Assembly on Aging in 1982 and also ratified by the United Nations General Assembly later that year.
In 1991, the United Nations Principles for Older Persons was adopted by the General Assembly.

Source: Indian Express