Today's Current Affairs - 1st November 2022

INTERNATIONAL

Lula defeats Bolsonaro to again become Brazil's president

• Brazil’s electoral authority said that Luiz Incio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker’s Party defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to become the country’s next president. With 98.8 per cent of the votes tallied in the runoff vote, da Silva had 50.8 per cent and Bolsonaro 49.2 per cent, and the election authority said da Silva’s victory was a mathematical certainty. Da Silva’s inauguration is scheduled to take place on January 1, 2023.
• Da Silva the country’s former president from 2003-2010 has promised to restore the country’s more prosperous past, yet faces headwinds in a polarised society. His victory marks the first time since Brazil’s 1985 return to democracy that the sitting president has failed to win reelection. His inauguration is scheduled to take place on January 1.

 NATIONAL

Tata Steel Jamshedpur India’s first to achieve Responsible Steel certification

• Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur steel plant has become India’s first to achieve Responsible Steel certification. A company statement issued on Monday claimed that the steel major “received Responsible Steel certification for three facilities in Jamshedpur”.
• “Tata Steel today placed India on the global decarbonisation and sustainability map with three of its production facilities in Jamshedpur receiving the coveted Responsible Steel Certification. The company’s Steel Works, Tubes Division and Cold Rolling Mill (Bara) in Jamshedpur have joined an exclusive group of steel producing sites around the world to receive the Responsible Steel Certification, which also includes some of the other renowned steel manufacturers in the world,” the statement read.
• Responsible Steel is the steel industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative that works with steel producers, consumers, and intermediaries towards building a sustainable steel industry by addressing pressing challenges including climate change, diversity, human rights and more.

Govt approves 42 proposal for telecom products under PLI scheme

• The government has granted approval to 42 companies, including 28 MSMEs, under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom and networking products, entailing total committed investment of ₹4,115 crore by the firms, according to an official statement.
• Of this, 17 companies have applied for additional incentive of 1% under the design-led manufacturing criteria.
• "Ministry of Communications granted approval to 42 companies including 28 MSMEs under PLI Scheme for Telecom and Networking Products. Out of which 17 companies have applied for additional incentive of 1% under design-led manufacturing criteria," the release said.
• These 42 companies have committed investment of ₹4,115 crore. This is expected to generate additional sales of ₹2.45 lakh crore and create additional employment of more than 44,000 over the scheme period.
• The list of approved applicants include Flextronics Technologies (India), Samsung India Electronics, Nokia Solutions and Networks India, Jabil Circuit India, Dixon Electro Appliances, HFCL Limited, ITI Limited, Tejas Networks, Rising Stars Hi-Tech, among others.

The World’s Largest Employer Is India’s Defence Ministry, According To A Statista Report

• India’s Ministry of Defence is the world’s biggest employer with 2.92 million people, which includes combined active service personnel, reservists and civilian staff, according to a report in ‘Statista’. A touch ahead of the United States equivalent, the Department of Defense.
• Statista is a Germany-based private organisation that provides data and statistics about various issues worldwide.
• “At the top of the ranking for the world’s largest employers is India’s Ministry of Defence. Combining active service personnel, reservists and civilian staff, the total headcount comes to 2.92 million – a touch ahead of the United States equivalent, the Department of Defense,” the report said.
• A close second to the Indian Defence Ministry is the US Department of Defense which employs 2.91 million people, according to the Statista infographic on employers with the largest workforces worldwide in 2022.

 SPORTS

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022: Spain Successfully Defend The World Cup Title By Defeating Colombia 1-0

• Spain, defending champions won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against the first-time finalists Colombia. Spain won the match after an own goal in the 82nd minute of the finals by Colombian defender Ana María Guzmán Zapata. The final match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was played between Spain and Colombia in the Patil Sports Stadium. Spain won by 1-0 in the finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against Colombia.
• Spain took the lead with Christina’s goal; however, it was rebounded by the Colombian goalkeeper.
• The score remained 0-0, until the own goal from Colombia in the prime time of the game.
• The two teams played against each other in the group phase in which Spain won by 1-0.
• FIFA President Gianni Infantino along with other officials of the Asian Football Federation and All India Football Federation (AIFF) was also present during the finals.
• India was the host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup this year and unfortunately team India was not able to clear the group stages after losing three matches.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Vegan Day 2022: 01^st November

• World Vegan Day is celebrated every year on November 1 to encourage people to follow the vegan lifestyle and spread awareness about veganism. The day is dedicated to the practice of abstaining from use of animal products and exploitation of animals. All across the world, World Vegan Day is celebrated a day after Halloween. Halloween falls on October 31, and a day after is celebrated as World Vegan Day to advocate the benefits of avoiding and banning the exploitation of animals, extending our love and care to other species and the natural environment.
• According to World Vegan Day, this year’s theme will be based on the animal rights-focused campaign ‘Future Normal’.
• Veganism is said to have existed for more than 2000 years. Prominent figures like Pythagoras, the famed Greek mathematician, and philosopher believed in veganism which commits to not harming animals ever.
• World Vegan Day originated in England in 1994, when vegan animal rights activist Louise Wallis established the day to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Vegan Society.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

ECI to host two day International Conference on ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of Election Management Bodies’

• Election Commission will host a two-day international conference beginning 31st of October in New Delhi on the theme ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of Election Management Bodies’. The conference will be inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. The concluding session will be chaired by Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey.
• ECI leads the Cohort on Election Integrity – which was established as a follow on to the ‘Summit for Democracy’ held in December last year. Nearly 50 Participants from Election Management Bodies from 11 countries are expected to join the event. These include Armenia, Mauritius, Nepal, Cabo Verde, Australia, Chile, Federal States of Micronesia, Greece, Philippines, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the US. Many more countries will be represented by their Missions in New Delhi.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Ex-ISRO chief K Sivan among 67 to get Rajyotsava Award

• Former ISRO Chairman K Sivan, actors Dattanna, Avinash and Sihi Kahi Chandru are among 67 personalities who will be awarded Rajyotsava Award this year, by the Karnataka government. The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a gold medal and a citation, will be distributed on November 1, the state formation day.
• This is the first time that the Karnataka government formed an expert committee to identify achievers from various fields for the awards given on November 1. Previously, the selection was made from a list of applicants. There has been criticism from some sections that awards are given to those with affiliations to the BJP and right-wing groups.
• The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as the Kannada Rajyotsava.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI to launch pilot project of digital rupee in wholesale segment

• The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) will launch the pilot project of Digital Rupee in the wholesale segment today. Digital Rupee will be used for settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities. In a statement, RBI said that use of E-Rupee is expected to make the inter-bank market more efficient. Settlement in central bank money will reduce transaction costs by pre-empting the need for settlement guarantee infrastructure or for collateral to mitigate settlement risk.
• RBI said that based on the learnings from this pilot, other wholesale transactions, and cross-border payments will be the focus of future pilots. Nine banks - State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank and HSBC have been identified for participation in the pilot. The first pilot use of Digital Rupee in the retail segment is planned for launch within a month in select locations in closed user groups comprising customers and merchants.

 HDFC ERGO launches first of its kind arm yield insurance policy

• HDFC ERGO on Monday announced the launch of a technology backed farm yield insurance policy for farmers.
• “This is a first-of-its-kind insurance solution, where a satellite-based index will be used to provide localized farm level coverage. It will provide comprehensive cover across the crop life cycle from sowing to harvesting, basis satellite-based data." the company said in a press release.
• The product is targeted at farmers under corporate/farm input company (FIC) contracts and is valid for food, oilseed, commercial or horticulture crops.
• “A threshold Index value is calculated for every yield by using the historical satellite imaging data of the specific crop and a remote sensing mechanism available in the public domain. The threshold/benchmark index will be then compared with the actual index value arrived at by the reference satellite for the insured crop, to determine if the yield is at loss," the company added.