Today's Current Affairs - 3rd November 2022

INTERNATIONAL

Sharjah International Book Fair opens under the theme ‘Spread the Word’

• Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi has opened, the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which is taking place from November 2 to13 at the Expo Centre Sharjah, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM). Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, was also present at the inauguration of the event, which is organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, under the theme ‘Spread the Word.’
• This year’s SIBF edition features 2,213 publishers from 95 countries, including 1,298 Arab and 915 foreign publishing houses. Around 150 prominent Arab and foreign writers, thinkers, innovators, and artists from 15 countries will participate in the fair’s activities, across 1,500 events and various dialogue sessions, including 200 cultural events.
• The Sharjah Ruler took a souvenir photo with the scholars who contributed to the project of the ‘Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language’ from linguistic academies in the Arab world.
• He also honoured the cultural personality for this edition, the Sudanese historian, Professor Yusuf Fadl Hasan.

 NATIONAL

New Delhi: Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya to inaugurate India Chem 2022 on 2nd November

• Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate India Chem 2022 on the 2nd of November at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The theme of the event is “Vision 2030: Chemicals and Petrochemicals Build India”.
• India Chem 2022 will showcase the Government’s policy for sustainable growth in the sector and provide a platform for national and international players to interact, exchange knowledge and forge alliances. The event will also highlight the investment opportunities, especially in Petroleum, Chemical, and Petrochemical Investment Regions and focus on the “Make in India” initiative for making the country Atmanirbhar in the sector.

 Goa hosts CANSO Asia Pacific conference

• Goa to host three days Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Conference from 1st to 3rd November 2022. In these three days, delegates and exhibitors from the Asia Pacific region and beyond will discuss and collaborate on the key issues that will help shape the future of Asia’s aviation industry.
• The CANSO aims to turn the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) Global Council’s vision for the skies of 2045 into a reality. The event will be felicitated by Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, General Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and Road Transport and Highways, Simon Hocquard, Director General, CANSO, and Rajiv Bansal, Secretary of Civil Aviation.
• CANSO Director, Asia Pacific Affairs, informed that with air travel recovering, it is now time to look beyond COVID-19 and to the future.
• Building on that CATS vision, Asia Pacific Air Navigation Service Providers can step up collaboration and tackle crucial subjects such as sustainability, and embracing and exploiting technology.

India gives USD 2.5mn to UN agency for welfare of Palestinian refugees

• India presented the second tranche of aid of USD 2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for the financial year 2022-2023.
• India’s Representative Office in Ramallah said this will support the agency’s core programs and services, including education, healthcare, relief and social services.
• “The Government of India presented USD 2.5 million (second tranche of a total contribution of USD 5 million for the Financial Year 2022-2023) to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in support of the Agency’s core programmes and services, including education, healthcare, relief and social services,” Representative Office of India Ramallah said in a statement.
• “The financial contribution was presented to Ms Xuran Wu, Associate Donor Relations and Projects Officer, Department of External Relations, UNRWA at the Representative Office of India in Ramallah, Palestine,” the statement added.
• Poverty, unemployment and despair are in high doses across the country, severely hitting the Lebanese people, Syrian and Palestine refugees. This comes amid one of the worst economic crises in recent history, compounded by the Beirut blast in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, poor governance and an almost total collapse in basic services.

 OBITURY

Women's rights activist & SEWA founder Ela bhatt passed away

• Renowned women’s rights activist Ela Bhatt, the founder of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), died here on Wednesday due to age-related issues, her associates said.
• Bhatt, 89, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was a pioneer in the field of women empowerment and had received international recognition due to her work.
• “It is with profound grief that we announce the passing away of our beloved and respected founder, Smt. Elaben Bhatt, a pioneer in advocating for women workers’ rights, we strive to carry her legacy forward,” SEWA Bharat tweeted.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Cabinet approves signing of a MoU between India and Denmark on cooperation in the field of Water Resources Development and Management

• The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Denmark on cooperation in the field of Water Resources Development and Management.
• The areas of cooperation envisaged in the MoU are digitalization and ease of information access; integrated and smart water resources development and management; aquifer mapping, groundwater modelling, monitoring and recharge; efficient and sustainable water supply at household level; river and water body rejuvenation; water quality monitoring and management; climate change mitigation and adaptation among others.
• “The MoU will broadly strengthen cooperation in the field of water resources development and management; rural water supply; and sewage/wastewater treatment through direct collaboration between officials, academics, water sectors and industry in the areas under scope of cooperation," the Cabinet said in a press release.
• In September 2020, the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a Joint Statement on establishment of Green Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Puneeth Rajkumar posthumously conferred 'Karnataka Ratna' award at rain-hit event

• The Karnataka government honored the late actor with the Karnataka Ratna award on 1st November 2022. The late Kannada Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar‘s last film, Gandhada Gudi, was released on 28th October 2022. Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar’s wife, received the state’s highest civilian award on her husband’s behalf.
• The event was also attended by Shiva Rajkumar, Appu’s elder brother. Puneeth Rajkumar became the ninth recipient of the prestigious award with his posthumous honor. The award was presented by renowned actors Rajnikanth and Junior NTR, along with the Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murthy.
• Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on October 29, 2021, at the age of 46, after suffering a cardiac arrest. The news of his untimely death had sent shock waves across the country. The Sandalwood actor first starred in the 1976 film Premada Kanike as an infant. He was only six months old when he was cast in this thriller film, directed by V. Somashekar. After kickstarting his career as a child artist, he received a national award in 1985 for his performance in the film Bettada Hoovu.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Indian Exim Bank inks pact with Southern Africa’s leading bank to boost India-Africa trade

• Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) has concluded a Master Risk Participation Agreement for supporting trade transactions with FirstRand Bank (FRB) Limited. The agreement was signed in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the India – Southern Africa Regional Conclave.
• Africa has positioned itself as a key partner in the global arena, a global investment and trading hub, a US$ 2.2 trillion market and a population base of over 1 billion, Africa offers a great market potential.
• With a largest arable landmass in the world, housing 30% of global minerals reserves, and 8% of the world’s oil reserves , the continent offers promising long-term sustainable growth prospects which would be further enhanced by deeper integration of Africa into the global economy.
• In fact, in the coming years, Africa is to benefit from strong fundamentals including a young and growing population, the world’s fastest urbanization rate, and accelerating technological change .
• The continent’s young population with a growing labour force is a highly valuable asset in an ageing world. By 2034, Africa is expected to have the world’s largest working-age population of 1.1 billion.
• Urbanisation is a common feature of most economies in Africa, according to estimates, an addition of 187 million Africans are expected to live in cities.

Centre ‘doubles’ fertilizer subsidy as prices see a surge

• To insulate farmers from the sharp increases in the prices, the Centre announced a doubling of fertiliser subsidy to Rs 2.15 trillion from the budgeted level for FY23. The move was necessitated by a sharp spike in global prices of urea, DAP and MoP in the last one year.
• “Despite rising fertiliser prices globally, we have protected our farmers from such price hikes. In addition to the fertiliser subsidy of Rs 1.05 trillion in the Budget, an additional amount of Rs 1.10 trillion is being provided to further cushion our farmers,” the Finance Minister said.
• The Centre said the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) rates for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the kharif season (April-September, 2022) will be Rs 60,939 crore, as against Rs 57,150 crore for the whole of last year. These soil nutrients are largely imported.
• The budget outgo on fertiliser subsidy was at Rs 1.6 trillion in FY22. Retail prices of phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers, including DAP were ‘decontrolled’ in 2010 with the introduction of a ‘fixed-subsidy’ regime as part of NBS mechanism. However, the subsidy on DAP saw an increase to 60% of cost in FY22, from a little over 30% previously.
• According to fertiliser ministry data, imported urea prices have risen by more than 145% to $930 a tonne in April 2022 from $380 a tonne a year ago. Similarly, prices of DAP and MoP have risen by 66% and 116% to $924 a tonne and $590 a tonne in April 2022, respectively, compared to the year-ago period.

India Post Payments Bank conducts India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), stablished under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by the Government of India, conducted India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp with an initiative called ‘Niveshak Didi’ to promote Financial Literacy ‘By the women, for the women’, in Srinagar, J&K today.
• India, being a large & growing economy, still finds it challenging to spread financial literacy across demography, as an enormous share of population still resides in rural areas. IPPB created a new legacy with the help of world’s largest postal network to extend its reach to the last mile and bridge financial inclusion gaps.
• In a pursuit to carry the GoI mandate, IPPB initiated Financial Inclusion journey to resurgent rural India where reach and communication always remained a barrier. Right from the inception, Postmen/ Gramin Dak Sevaks have been reaching out to the masses in every corner of the country, offering digital banking services at their doorsteps.
• To take the Financial Literacy drive ahead, IPPB, in collaboration with Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the aegis of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), launched the initiative called ‘Niveshak Didi’ to promote Financial Literacy “By the women, for the women” concept. ‘Niveshak Didi’ initiative is based on the ideology of women for women as rural area women feel more comfortable to share their queries with a female itself.
• Three representatives ‘Niveshak Didi’ from the Kashmir valley were given certificates during the recent IEPFA Conference in Srinagar, J&K, by the Union Minister of State for Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh and the Member of Parliament (Srinagar), Dr. Farooq Abdullah along with Smt. Anita Shah Akella, CEO IEPFA & JS MCA & other dignitaries from IEPFA, Department of Posts, India Post Payments Bank, CSC e-governance, Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Central Reserve Police Force.