Today's Current Affairs-7th September 2022

INTERNATIONAL

Sri Lanka at critical juncture: UN report urges progress on accountability, institutional and security sector reforms

• The United Nations Human Rights Council on May 27 passed a deeply flawed resolution on Sri Lanka that ignores calls for an international investigation into alleged abuses during recent fighting and other pressing human rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said. The council held a special session on May 26 and 27, 2009, on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, a decade after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by government forces.
• The resolution passed with 29 votes in favor, 12 against, and 6 abstentions. It largely commends the Sri Lankan government for its current policies and fails to address serious allegations of violations of human rights and humanitarian law by government forces, focusing only on the abuses committed by the LTTE.
• Human Rights Watch said that Brazil, Cuba, India, and Pakistan led efforts to prevent the passage of a stronger resolution that was put forward by the 17 members of the council that convened the Special Session: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom.

About United Nations:

Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States

Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

Secretary General: António Guterres

About Sri Lanka:

Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

President: Ranil Wickremesinghe

Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

Prime Minister: Dinesh Gunawardena

Official languages: Sinhala, Tamil

NATIONAL

Pudhumai Penn scheme launch in Tamil Nadu

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on September 5 launched the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance scheme titled 'Pudhumai Penn' at a function in Chennai, in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
• During the event held at Bharathi Women’s College in Chennai on Teachers’ Day, Mr. Kejriwal also unveiled 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools set up by the Tamil Nadu government emulating the model by his AAP government in Delhi.
• Kejriwal termed 'Pudhumai Penn' a "revolutionary scheme" which was "going to prove pathbreaking and revolutionary in the times to come." Under Pudhumai Penn scheme, girl students, who studied from Class V to Class XII in state government schools would be paid a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 till they complete their graduation or diploma.
• During his first visit to Tamil Nadu as the chief guest for the inauguration of a State government scheme, Mr. Kejriwal said, "We might belong to different political parties, but there is so much of good work that each government in each State is doing. And it is extremely important that we learn from each other."

About Tamil Nadu:

Governor: R. N. Ravi

Capital: Chennai

Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin

NGT slaps Rs 3500 cr fine on Bengal govt for waste management failure

• The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Bengal government to pay Rs 3,500 crore as “compensation” for violating the norms for the management of solid and liquid waste, a sum an environmental lawyer described as a national record 10 times over.
• The Bengal government has the option to seek a review by the tribunal or move the Supreme Court. Although the bench used the word “compensation”, the money will be spent entirely on waste management in Bengal. On Saturday evening, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim told The Telegraph: “We have to check the order in detail before taking a decision. But as I understand, this is actually not a fine — the amount has to be kept separately for use in solid waste management alone.”
• The bench has asked the state to deposit the amount within two months in a “separate ring-fenced account” dedicated to solid waste management. The account will be operated according to the directions of the chief secretary (currently, waste management is the domain of the urban development secretary), the bench said.

About National Green Tribunal (NGT):

Enacted: 5 May 2010

Bill published on: 31 July 2009

Citation: Act No. 19 of 2010

Committee report: 24 November 2009

About West Bengal:

Capital: Kolkata

Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee

Governor: Shri La. Ganesan

 OBITUARY

Carnatic vocalist T.V. sankaranarayanan passed away

• Renowned Carnatic musician TV Sankaranarayan (77) has passed away. He was the torch-bearer of the Madurai Mani Iyer style of Carnatic music. With his death six decades-long music career has ended. Sankaranarayan was also the son-in-law of Mani Iyer. He was the son of musicians Tiruvalangal Vembu Iyer and Gomati Ammal.
• He was born in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu in 1945. His family came to Mayiladuthurai from Chennai during World War II. The family returned to Chennai in the 1950s. Although he studied law, he devoted his life to music.
• Sankaranarayan had shared several stages with Madurai Mani Iyer. He won the Madras Music Academy’s Sangeeta Kalanidhi Award in 2003 and was honored with the Padma Bhushan by the country in the same year. Musicians Amrita Sankaranarayanan and Mahadevan are his children.

About Tamil Nadu:

Governor: R. N. Ravi

Capital: Chennai

Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin

About Padma Bhushan:

First awarded: 1954

Established: 1954; 68 years ago

Last awarded: 2022

Total: 1287

Next (higher): Padma Vibhushan

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Actor Kiccha Sudeep appointed brand ambassador for Karnataka govt scheme

• The Karnataka government has appointed Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep as the brand ambassador for “Punyakoti Dattu Yojana’ a cattle adoption scheme. The announcement was made by Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu B Chavan. The minister also said that the actor has decided not to charge for being the ambassador of the scheme, which is aimed at encouraging adoption by the public for the purpose of rearing cattle in ‘goshalas’ (cow shelters).
• Sudeep is known for his remarkable role in films such as ‘Pailwan’, ‘Eega (Makkhi)’, ‘Vikrant Rona’, ‘Sparsha’, ‘Huchcha’ and ‘No 73 Shanthi Nivasa’. Sudeep started his career with Thayavva film in 1997. He has since starred in several popular Kannada films. Apart from that, he is one of the few Kannada actors who has appeared in movies in other language films as well, with appearances including Rakta Charitra, Baahubali: The Beginning, Eega, and Dabangg 3.

About Karnataka:

Chief Minister: Basavaraj Somappa Bommai;

Capital: Bengaluru.

Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Clean Air for blue skies 2022: 7^th September

• The International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is observed globally on September 07 to promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality. It focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution highlighting the need for collective accountability and collective action. It is an UN-recognised day that aims to raise public awareness at all levels (individual, community, corporate and government) that clean air is important for health, productivity, the economy and the environment.
• This year’s theme of “The Air We Share” focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution, stressing the need for collective accountability and action. It also highlights the need for immediate and strategic international and regional cooperation for more efficient implementation of mitigation policies and actions to tackle air pollution.
• The United Nations commemorates the International Day Of Clear Air For Blue Skies by hosting summits with member states. Attendees put forth their perspectives and discuss the data on the impacts of air pollution and air quality around the globe.

About United Nations:

Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States

Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

Secretary general: António Guterres

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India to start CEPA talks with Bangladesh: PM Narendra Modi

• Following a meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). “We both believe that by taking lessons from the Covid pandemic and recent global developments, we need to make our economies stronger,” Modi said.
• Notably, the talks on CEPA began informally in 2018, against the backdrop of increasing Chinese investments in Bangladesh. It also received greater attention given that existing regional free trade arrangements, like the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), have become dysfunctional. To date, the countries have run a joint study after agreeing to terms of reference.
• The proposed CEPA between Bangladesh and India has three dimensions, namely trade in goods, trade in services, and investment.
• It recognizes the significant benefits of bilateral economic and commercial ties. According to an official statement released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

About South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA):

Establishment: 2004

About Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):

Establishment: January 1, 2010; 12 years ago

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Kattil Thekkethil wins Nehru Trophy boat race

• Pallathuruthy Boat Club, Mahadevikadu Kattil Thekkethil Chundan has scripted its maiden triumph in the Nehru Trophy boat race for snake boats at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha. The club, led by Santhosh Chacko, completed a hat-trick of wins. A total of 77 boats, including 20 snake boats, competed in this year’s Nehru Trophy. Nadubhagom, rowed by Kumarakom-based NCDC Boat Club, and Veeyapuram, powered by Punnamada club, finished second and third, respectively. Police Boat Club’s Chambakkulam came fourth. The top nine finishers will fight it out in next year’s Champions Boat League.

About Kerala:

Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan

Capital: Thiruvananthapuram

Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

 RANKING

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat Top States In Implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan Scheme: NITI Aayog’s Report

• Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have been ranked as the top three states among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of the Centre’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan, according to a Niti Aayog report. Sikkim was the best performer among the small states. The report titled ‘Preserving Progress on Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyan in Pandemic Times’ further said that 12 out of 19 large states had an implementation score of over 70 per cent. While Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu topped among Union Territories (UTs), Punjab and Bihar were the lowest performers among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of Poshan Abhiyaan, as per the government think tank report.
• However, it said, coverage remained low in Bihar (65 per cent pregnant women, 62 per cent lactating women, and 52 per cent children), Punjab (78 per cent pregnant women, 76 per cent lactating women, and 65 per cent children), Sikkim (84 per cent pregnant women, 84 per cent lactating women, and 77 per cent children) and Jammu and Kashmir (49 per cent pregnant women, 51 per cent lactating women, and 54 per cent children).
• Noting that overall fund utilisation under Poshan Abhiyaan is low, with less than 50 per cent of funds utilised in 23 states and UTs, the report said.

About NITI Aayog:

Formed: 1 January 2015

Headquarters: New Delhi

Chairperson: Narendra Modi

Founder: National Democratic Alliance

Digital India Mission: Uttar Pradesh is one top ranks

• Uttar Pradesh, with 9.12 million cases, ranks at the top in the number of disposal and entry of cases through the e-Prosecution portal managed by the Union government under its Digital India Mission. According to the figures till the end of August, Madhya Pradesh followed in second spot at 2.31 million, Bihar with 859,000, Gujarat with 487,000 and Chhattisgarh with 383,000 cases. UP also ranks at the top in disposal of online cases on this portal, with about 470,000 entries, followed by 170,000 for MP and 125,000 for Gujarat. The portal launched by states two years ago is an initiative of the home, IT and law ministries for helping courts and the prosecution system in accelerating criminal trials in heinous crimes.
• Under the system, officials ensure that witnesses are informed through SMS about their day of appearance in court, reach out to the concerned government advocates and help in prompt disposal of cases, with the entire database of the case structured to help the prosecution, an official said. The portal provides for e-communication between the police department and the prosecution directorate under the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) that enables transfer of data among courts, police, jails and forensic science laboratories.
• In the next 100 days, the department aims at securing conviction of 1,000 convicts under POCSO Act and crimes against women. It is also planned to ensure conviction in crimes under POCSO Act within one month, and ensure punishment in at least 90 per cent of the decided cases under the Arms Act. The e-Prosecution Mobile app is also being developed which will incorporate digitisation of all judicial procedures of prosecutors in courts. According to Additional Director General of Police Ashutosh Pandey, the Prosecution department is conducting a 100-day special campaign under the Mission Shakti for women empowerment.

About Uttar Pradesh:

Capital: Lucknow (Executive Branch) 

Governor: Anandiben Patel

Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath