Today's Current Affairs-4th August 2022

INTERNATIONAL

UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution that recognised everyone’s right to a healthy environment. It was stated that the action is a crucial one in halting the alarming decline of the natural environment. India supported the resolution but abstained from one of the resolution’s key clauses. It expressed dissatisfaction with the resolution’s methodology and content.
• The UNGA recognises the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right, according to the resolution’s operative paragraph 1.
• Ashish Sharma, a counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, asked that this comment be recorded in the meeting’s official records.
• Globally, our natural world is changing. Many species have reached an alarming point, and many are close to being extinct.
• For instance, habitat loss and climate change have made the migratory monarch butterfly an endangered, threatened species, according to the most recent IUCN Red List.

About UN General Assembly:

Headquarters: New York, United States

President: Abdulla Shahid

NATIONAL

Andhra Pradesh tops in Utilisation of Agriculture Infrastructure funds

• When it comes to using cash for agricultural infrastructure, Andhra Pradesh comes out on top (Agri Infra Fund). By placing a strong emphasis on infrastructure development at the farm gate, it has become the best state. At a ceremony in New Delhi, Union Minister of Agriculture and Family Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar presented B. Srinivasa Rao, CEO of State Rythu Bazars, with the award for the best state in the nation in terms of utilising Agri Funds in the fiscal year 2021–22.
• Many states are falling behind in using agri-infra funding, according to Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, but Andhra Pradesh has surpassed all others by doing so and building extensive infrastructure at the rural level.
• The state government is building extensive infrastructure at the farm through multi-sponsored centres with the goal of tripling farmers’ revenue.
• PACS has installed 4,277 godowns, including 2,977 dryers, 101 yellow polishers, 60 buffer godowns for the AP Civil Supplies Corporation, 830 cleaners for primary processing, and 4,277 drying platforms at RBK level.

About Andhra Pradesh:

Capital: Amaravati

Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan

Chief Minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Founded: 1 November 1956

Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of six NH projects worth Rs 2300 crore in Indore, Madhya Pradesh

• In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 6 National Highway projects totaling 119 km and costing Rs. 2300 crore were formally opened and the foundation stone was laid by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari. Speaking at the event, Shri Gadkari stated that the projects being launched will facilitate progress by improving connectivity in Indore and the state.
• Shri Nitin Gadkari said that the Rau Circle traffic problem will be solved and that things would become less congested. Craftspeople, students, and businesspeople in the surrounding areas will have increased chances with simple access from Indore.
• The villages in the Indore-Harda segment will be better connected to Indore. He stated that the expansion of the Dhar-Pithampur Industrial Corridor would result in more job opportunities.
• According to the Minister, travel times between Tejaji Nagar (Indore) and Burhanpur and Indore and Harda will be shortened, saving fuel. He claimed that travellers heading to Omkareshwar and Khandwa will have easy access to the routes.

About Madhya Pradesh:

Capital: Bhopal (Executive Branch)

Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel

Govt withdraws Data Protection Bill 2021, will present new legislation

• Indian government has withdrawn the Personal Data Protection Bill from Parliament as it looks to come up with a “comprehensive legal framework” for regulating online space including separate legislation on data privacy, the overall internet ecosystem, cybersecurity, telecom regulations, and harnessing non-personal data for boosting innovation in the country.
• According to IT Ministry sources, the government is targeting the winter session of Parliament to introduce the new legislation.
• This comes after nearly four years of the Bill being in the works, where it went through multiple iterations including a review by a Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP), and faced pushback from a range of stakeholders including tech companies and privacy activists.
• It set the rules for how personal data should be processed and stored, and lists people’s rights with respect to their personal information. The Bill sought to establish a Data Protection Authority in the country for the protection of digital privacy of individuals.

 SPORTS

Saurav Ghosal makes history with maiden singles medal in CWG squash

• India’s Saurav Ghosal has clinched the bronze medal in squash men’s singles by beating James Willstrop of England 11-6, 11-1, 11-4 to take India’s Commonwealth Games 2022. This was also India’s first-ever medal in squash singles at the Games. He had lost the men’s singles semi-final 3-0 (11-9 11-4 11-1) to New Zealand’s Paul Coll.
• Saurav Ghosal (born 10 August 1986, in Kolkata, West Bengal) is a professional squash player from India and reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 10 in April 2019. In 2013, Saurav became the first Indian to reach the Quarterfinals of the World Squash Championship at Manchester, England.[1] In 2004, he became the first Indian ever to win the coveted British Junior Open Under-19 Squash title, defeating Adel El Said of Egypt in the final at Sheffield, England.

 CWG 2022: Tejaswin Shankar won India's first medal in High Jump

• Tejaswin Shankar won India’s first medal in athletics at the Commonwealth games 2022, by clinching a historic bronze in the men’s high jump final. Tejaswin, competing for India for the first time in four years nailed a landing of 2.22m to secure a podium finish. He did not have trouble clearing 2.5m and 2.10m in the opening two jumps. Then 2.19m and 2.22m quite easily on the first try. He though failed to clear 2.25 but clinched the bronze medal after being quicker to jump 2.22m against the fourth-placed athlete. He attempted 2.28m on his last jump but failed.
• Tejaswin Shankar (born 21 December 1998) is an Indian athlete who competes in the high jump event. He holds the high jump national record of 2.29 metres set in April 2018. Shankar won the gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia, setting a Games record of 2.14 metres. He won silver at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati with a leap of 2.17 metres. Due to a groin injury, he finished sixth at the Asian Junior Championships and missed the 2016 Worl

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

UU Lalit To Be Next Chief Justice As Name Formally Shared, Will Have 74-Day Tenure

• Senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice U U Lalit, who is in line to become the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). He has been part of several landmark judgements including the one which held the practice of divorce through instant ‘triple talaq’ among Muslims illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Lalit is in line to become the 49th CJI of India on August 27, a day after incumbent Justice N V Ramana demits the office.
• If appointed, Justice Lalit will become the second CJI who was directly elevated to the apex court Bench from the Bar. Justice S M Sikri, who became the 13th CJI in January 1971, was the first lawyer to be elevated directly to the top court bench in March 1964.
• Justice Lalit, who was a renowned senior advocate, was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court on August 13, 2014.

Govt appoints Suresh N Patel as new Central Vigilance Commissioner

• Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N. Patel was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. He has been working as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) since June this year. He was sworn in as the chief of the Central Vigilance Commission by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
• Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Kothari had completed his term as the CVC on June 24 last year.

About the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC):

Formed: February 1964

Jurisdiction: Government of India

Headquarters: New Delhi

First executive: Nittoor Srinivasa Rau

Appointer: President of India

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India observes Chabahar Day with emphasis on linkage with Central Asia

• 31 July was designated Chabahar Day in Mumbai by the Ministry of Port, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) to commemorate the Chabahar – Link to International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – Connecting Central Asian Markets. According to the MoPSW press release, Sonwal mentioned in his talk that India’s ambition is to turn Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar into a transit centre and connect it to INSTC to reach out to Central Asian countries.
• Sarbananda Sonowal stated that India anticipates enterprises and logistics firms taking use of the Shahid Beheshti Port and Chabahar Free Trade Zone‘s incentives.
• According to the statement, the Union Minister further invited all representatives and stakeholders to submit ideas to further cut down on transit time and costs in order to create a more affordable, expedited, and dependable route from India to Iran and Central Asia.
• The announcement stated that during the occasion, the representatives from the Central Asian nations highlighted how the connection between Chabahar and INSTC may significantly increase EXIM trade in their regions and have the ability to further accelerate development in the landlocked nations.

 RANKING

LIC breaks into Fortune 500 list, Reliance jumps 51 places

• Indian statutory insurance and investment corporation, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has broken into the latest Fortune Global 500 list. The nation’s biggest life insurer with revenue of USD 97.26 billion and a profit of USD 553.8 million, was ranked 98th on the just released Fortune 500 list. This is the first outing of LIC on the list, which ranks listed companies by sales.
• Reliance Industries jumped 51 places to 104 on the 2022 list. Reliance, with revenue of USD 93.98 billion and a net profit of USD 8.15 billion in the latest year, has been on the list for 19 years.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) rose 28 places to 142nd rank while Oil and Natural Gas
• Corporation (ONGC) climbed 16 places to 190.
• The list had two Tata group firms — Tata Motors at 370 and Tata Steel at 435th spot. Rajesh Exports at 437th rank was the other private Indian company on the list.
• State Bank of India (SBI) climbed 17 places to rank 236th and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd 19 places to 295.

About LIC:

Chairperson: M R Kumar

Founded: 1 September 1956

Headquarters: Mumbai

Founder: Government of India