Today’s Current Affairs: 1st May 2023 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
Table of Contents
70th Anniversary Of The Washington Declaration:
The 70th anniversary of the Washington Declaration was commemorated.
- Washington Declaration is a security alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
- 26th day of April, 2023 marked the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK Alliance.
- The Alliance commits to engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence including through enhanced dialogue and information sharing regarding growing nuclear threats to the ROK and the region.
- The two Presidents announced the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and manage the threat to the non-proliferation regime posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
- The Alliance will work to enable joint execution and planning for ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency and improve combined exercises and training activities on the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.
- In keeping with the Presidents’ commitments, the Alliance has established a new bilateral, interagency table-top simulation to strengthen our joint approach to planning for nuclear contingencies.
United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues:
India’s representative at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) faced criticism from Adivasi rights activists for stating that the concept of ‘indigenous people’ was not applicable in the Indian context.
- The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which India has ratified, recognizes the rights of Indigenous people, including their right to self-determination, and the government’s position goes against this international declaration.
- Every year, on 9 August, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is marked.
- UNPFII est in 2000; HQ: New York
- It is the UN’s central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world’s indigenous peoples.
- It is to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights
- Function is to promote the integration and coordination of activities relating to Indigenous Peoples’ issues within the UN system, and promote respect for and full application of the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and follow up on its effectiveness
Credit Guarantee Fund Trust For Micro And Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) Scheme:
The Union Minister for MSME recently launched the revamped Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) Scheme.
- CGTMSE Scheme was launched in 2000 by the Government of India (GoI) to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprise sector.
- Both the existing and the new enterprises are eligible to be covered under the scheme.
- The corpus of CGTMSE is contributed by the GoI and SIDBI in the ratio of 4:1 respectively.
- The Ministry of MSMEs, and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) established a trust named Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) to implement the CGTMSE Scheme.
- While launching the revamp of CGTMSE, it was announced that CGTMSE will collaborate with National Institute for MSME, Hyderabad for setting up a Centre of Financial Inclusion.
- The Centre is expected to provide financial literacy and credit counselling to MSEs, thus helping them to better utilize the benefits of the CGTMSE Scheme.
- The revamped version of the CGTMSE Scheme has been provided with an additional corpus support of ₹9,000 crore in the Union Budget for FY 2023-24 to provide a guarantee for an additional ₹2 lakh crore to MSEs.
- Other major changes made is
- Reduction in guaranteed fees for loans up to ₹1 crore by 50%.
- Raising of ceiling for guarantee from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore.
- Raising the bar for claim settlement without taking legal action from the previous limit of Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 10 lakhs.
Fabry Disease:
The Lysosomal Storage Disorders Support Society sought the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s immediate intervention for the treatment of Fabry Disease patients.
- Fabry Disease is a rare inherited disorder of glycosphingolipid (fat) metabolism resulting from the absent or markedly deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme, alpha-galactosidase A (α-Gal A).
- It belongs to a group of diseases known as lysosomal storage disorders.
- This enzymatic deficiency is caused by alterations (mutations) in the α-galactosidase A (GLA) gene that instructs cells to make the α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) enzyme.
- Lysosomes function as the primary digestive tract of cells.
- Symptoms: Numbness, tingling, burning or pain in the hands or feet, extreme pain during physical activity and heat or cold intolerance etc.
- The first indication of a problem may be kidney failure or heart disease.
- The patients are treated by intravenously administered enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) or Oral Chaperone Therapy
Bihan Mela : Odisha
The members of the Kondh tribe in Odisha’s Nayagarh district celebrates Bihan Mela.
- Bihan Mela is known as the seed festival and the event is participated by the farmers.
- Preparations begin as soon as farmers have harvested Kharif crops, which include both hybrid and indigenous varieties of paddy, millets, maize and sorghum.
- Women are at the helm of this festival and carefully collect seeds of the indigenous varieties and store them in earthen pots.
- On a designated day in December, they decorate the pots with red and white motifs, place them in a bamboo basket and carry it on their head to the village where the fair is being organised.
- This was introduced to help farmers return to their traditional ways of farming like mixed cropping.
- Kondh tribe are a tribal group found in the hills and jungles of Orissa in eastern India.
- They have several sub-tribes, for instance, the Dongria, Kovi, Kuttia, Languli, Penga, and Jharnia. Raj Konds etc.
- These tribal people speak languages called Kui and Kuvi.
- These belong to the Dravidian language family and have strong similarities to Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada.
- The language has no script of its own, with the Oriya script used for writing Kui, and the Telugu script used for Kuvi.
Unified Logistics Interface Platform:
The Secretary of, the Ministry of Coal chaired a meeting on the integration of the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) with the digital systems of the Ministry of Coal.
- Unified Logistics Interface Platform was launched in 2022 as a part of the ‘National Logistics Policy (NLP)’.
- It is designed for enhancing efficiency and reducing the cost of logistics in India by creating a transparent, single-window platform to provide real-time information to all stakeholders.
- It was emphasized that the solution should have visibility of multi-modal transport and all the existing systems should be integrated with the ULIP system to create a National Single Window Logistics Portal.
- It will provide real-time monitoring of cargo movement and ensure the confidentiality of data with end-to-end encryption.
Achanakmar Tiger Reserve : Tigress Captured After It Killed Two Person
A tigress that had been captured after it killed two persons and injured another in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district was recently released into Achanakmar Tiger Reserve.
- Achanakmar Tiger Reserve is located in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
- It was declared a tiger reserve in 2009.
- It is a part of the huge Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve.
- Maniyari River flows right from the centre of this reserve, which is the forest’s lifeline.
- It has a corridor connecting to Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger reserves and plays a critical role in the dispersal of tigers among these reserves.
- Vegetation: Tropical deciduous forest.
- Flora: Sal, bija, saja, haldu, teak, tinsa, dhawara, lendia, khamar and bamboo bloom here along with over 600 species of medicinal plants.
- Fauna: Wild fauna includes the tiger, leopard, bison, flying squirrel, Indian giant squirrel, chinkara, wild dog, hyena, sambar, chital and over 150 species of birds.
National Green Hydrogen Mission:
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways recently said that as per the National Hydrogen Mission of the country, Green Hydrogen/Ammonia bunkers and refuelling facilities will be established in all major ports by 2035.
- National Green Hydrogen Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on 4 January 2022.
- Aim is to make India a Global Hub for the production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
- The mission outcomes projected by 2030 are:
- Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country;
- Over Rs. Eight lakh crore in total investments;
- Creation of over Six lakh jobs;
- Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore;
- Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions;
Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India : Change In Rules
The Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India (TRAI) recently announced to change the rules regarding fake, promotional calls and SMS to customers.
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a regulatory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
- It is the regulator of the telecommunications sectorin India.
- It consists of a Chairperson and not more than two full-time members, and not more than two part-time members.
- The chairperson and the members of TRAI are appointed by the Central Government, and the duration for which they can hold their office is three years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
- TRAI is not a completely independent telecom regulator.
- Under section 25 of the Act, it has the power to issue directions which are binding on TRAI.
- The TRAI is also funded by the Central Government.
