Today’s Current Affairs: 27th May 2023 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
Table of Contents
8th Governing Council Meeting Of NITI Aayog:
Prime Minister of India will preside over the eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog
- The theme of this meeting will be “Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India”.
- Discussions will be made on eight prominent themes including- Viksit Bharat@2047, MSMEs, infrastructure and investments, minimizing compliances, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development, and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure in the meeting.
- The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises-
- The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,
- Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with legislature,
- Lt Governors of other UTs,
- Ex-Officio Members,
- Vice Chairman,
- NITI Aayog; Full-Time Members,
- Special Invitees,
- It was reconstituted vide a notification in February 2021 by the Cabinet Secretariat.
- It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national priorities and strategies, with the active involvement of States, in shaping the development narrative.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2023 : Nomination
The Women and Child Development Ministry has invited nominations for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.
- The Government conducts the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar every year to give due recognition to children with exceptional abilities, who have achieved extraordinary recognition in the fields of Bravery, Sports, Social Service, Science & Technology, Environment and others.
- Age Limit is from 5 years to 18 years.
- It is given under two categories-
- Bal Shakti Puraskar To be given as recognition to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievement in the fields of innovation, scholastic, sports, arts & culture, social service and bravery.
- Bal Kalyan Puraskar : To individuals who have made an outstanding contribution towards service for children in the field of Child Development, Child Protection and Child Welfare for not less than 7 years.
- To institutions who have done exceptional work for the cause of children in any field of child welfare.
- Selection: A National Selection Committee, headed by Minister or Minster of state, Women and Child Development Ministry will finalize the names of the awardees.
- These Awards are given by the President in a special ceremony held in January every year.
- The awards carry a Cash prize of one lakh rupees, a medal and a certificate.
World Schizophrenia Awareness Day 2023: 24th May 2023
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) commemorated Schizophrenia to raise awareness and to reduce stigma around mental illness
- Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others.
- It mostly affects young adults in the productive age group.
- One in every 100 people experiences schizophrenia and men are twice as likely to develop this condition as compared to women.
- Schizophrenia symptoms can differ from person to person, but they generally fall into three main categories: psychotic, negative, and cognitive.
- Psychotic symptoms include Hallucinations, Delusions, thought disorder, Movement disorder.
- Negative symptoms include loss of motivation, loss of interest or enjoyment in daily activities, withdrawal from social life, difficulty showing emotions, and difficulty functioning normally.
- Cognitive symptoms include problems in attention, concentration, and memory.
- Schizophrenia sometimes runs in families. However just because one family member has schizophrenia, it does not mean that other members of the family also will have it.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter : European Space Agency
The European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) recently flashed an encoded message to Earth from its orbit around Mars.
- ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) is the first in a series of joint missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
- Goal is to gain a better understanding of methane and other atmospheric gases that are present in small concentrations in the Martian atmosphere.
- The orbiter’s sensitivity to hydrogen has also allowed it to search for water buried underneath shallow layers of Martian soil.
- It’s also meant to test technology for future missions.
- It was launched in March 2016and began operations after entering Mars orbit on Oct. 19, 2016.
- TGO carried the Schiaparelli landerwith it to Mars. However, it was crashed during landing.
- The spacecraft itself is a 3.2 meter by 2 meter by 2 meter box, fitted with one antenna to communicate with Earth and another to communicate with spacecraft on the surface of Mars.
- It is powered by a pair of solar arrays that protrude from its sides like wings, along with two small batteries to keep it running during eclipses, when it doesn’t receive any sunlight.
India’s New Parliament Building : Joint Statement Announcing Boycott
Twenty opposition parties recently issued a joint statement announcing a boycott of the inauguration of India’s new Parliament building.
- The new Parliament, constructed on the lines of the Central Vista buildings, is a triangular structure.
- It is built over an area of 64,500 square metres.
- It houses the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, the Central Lounge and offices of constitutional authorities.
- The Lok Sabha, based on the theme of the national bird ‘peacock’, will have a capacity of 888 seats.
- The revamped Rajya Sabha hall, based on the theme of our national flower ‘lotus’, will have a capacity to seat 384 people.
- In the new building, two members will be able to sit side by side on each bench in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Chambers.
- Each seat will be equipped with digital systems and touch screens.
- The new building will have a Constitution Hall for the purpose of showcasing India’s democratic heritage.
- It will have large committee rooms, with the latest audio-visual systems.
- There will be 92 rooms for the use of the Council of Ministers.
- The new Parliament complex is also ‘divyang-friendly’.
- With a focus on energy efficiency, the new complex is a “platinum-rated green building” and showcases India’s “commitment towards sustainable development.
Dal Lake : Thousand Of fish Died
Thousands of fish in the Dal Lake have died over the past few days with authorities blaming a sudden fluctuation in temperature in the region.
- Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
- It is surrounded by the Pir Panjal mountains.
- It is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
- Spread across an area of around 26 square kilometers, it is the second-largest lake in Jammu & Kashmir.
- The shore line of the lake, is about 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi), is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal era gardens, parks, houseboats and hotels.
- During the winter season, the temperature sometimes reaches −11 °C (12 °F), freezing the lake.
- The lake is part of a natural wetland which covers 21.1 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi), including its floating gardens.
- The floating gardens, known as “Raad” in Kashmiri, blossom with lotus flowers during July and August.
First G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRR WG) Meeting:
The First G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRR WG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency took place, where India highlighted the importance of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
- The G20 Disaster Risk Resilience Working Group has called upon governments to build a social protection system with an effective and preferred instrument for disaster risk financing.
- It emphasised the need for new-age Social Protection Systems that invest in local risk resilience to mitigate, prepare and recover from disasters.
- The five priorities outlined:
- Global coverage of Early Warning Systems
- Increased commitment towards making infrastructure systems disaster resilient
- Stronger national financial frameworks for DRR
- Strengthened national and global disaster response system
- Increased application of ecosystems-based approaches to DRR
- The G20 DRR WG intended to include considerations for the Sendai Framework’s mid-term review, renew multilateral cooperation at all levels, and inform future global policies and initiatives related to DRR.
Fourth Meeting Of National Level Steering Committee (NLSC) Of Atal Bhujal Yojana:
The fourth meeting of the National Level Steering Committee (NLSC) of the Atal Bhujal Yojana was held in New Delhi.
- Overall performance of the scheme is satisfactory and the achievements under Disbursement Linked Indicators are also noteworthy.
- The Committee decides Atal Bhujal Yojana should be taken up for continuation for another two years beyond 2025.
- Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) is being implemented as a Central Sector Scheme since April, 2020 in 8220 water stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative blocks/Talukas in 80 districts of seven States Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
- Implementation Period is for 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
- Goal is to demonstrate community-led sustainable ground water management which can be taken to scale.
- The major objective of the Scheme is to improve the management of groundwater resources in select water stressed areas in identified states.
- Total outlay of INR 6000 crores. Out of this, INR 3,000 crores will be as loan from the World Bank and INR 3,000 crores as matching contribution from the Government of India.
New Tax Rules For Online Gaming:
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has recently introduced new tax rules for online gaming platforms in India. These rules aim to bring clarity and establish guidelines for Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on winnings from online gaming
- Online gaming platforms will not be required to deduct tax at the source for a player if the net winning does not exceed Rs 100.
- This threshold provides relief for players with smaller winnings.
- Bonus, referral bonus, and incentives provided by the online gaming company are considered taxable deposits.
- These deposits will be subject to tax under Rule 133 of the Income-tax Act.
- Calculation of net winnings in the online gaming industry will consider each user account separately when a user has multiple accounts.
- The deposit, withdrawal, or balance in the user account refers to the total amount across all user accounts associated with the individual.
- Transfers between user accounts under the same online intermediary, belonging to the same user, will not be treated as withdrawals or deposits.
- However, if a withdrawal or deposit occurs between one user’s account and another user’s account, such transfers will be considered as withdrawals.
- The valuation of winnings in kind will be based on the fair market value, except when the online gaming intermediary has purchased the winnings before providing them to the user.
- If the online gaming intermediary manufactures items as winnings, the fair market value will be considered.
- To regulate online gaming transactions, the Finance Act 2023 introduced section 194BA in the Income-tax Act, 1961, requiring online gaming platforms to deduct income tax on net winnings in a user’s account.
- TDS at a rate of 30% will be applicable on the net winnings from any online gaming platform.
- Tax is required to be deducted at the time of withdrawal and at the end of the financial year.
Migration Partnership Agreement : India And Australia
India and Australia signed a migration partnership agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia.
- It is aimed at promoting two-way exchange of students, graduates, researchers, and business people, and expanding people-to-people ties.
- Their mobility will be facilitated through a new skilled pathway named MATES (Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early Professionals Scheme) specifically created for India.
- India announced the opening of a consulate in Brisbane, adding to its existing consulates in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.
- The India-Australia hydrogen task force was established, to explore opportunities in green hydrogen and address energy targets.
Computer Model Of Cosmic Dust Particles:
Indian scientists have created a computer model of cosmic dust particles that can imitate the unique way interstellar comet 2I/Borisov scatters light.
- By studying the way light scatters off these cosmic particles, they can better understand how comets behave.
- The model accurately reproduced the scattering of light seen in experiments and observations.
- It revealed the presence of a large number of porous cosmic dust particles.
- Cosmic dust particles are tiny solid particles that exist in outer space.
- They are composed of various materials, including minerals, metals, ice, and organic compounds.
- Shape From spherical to irregular or fractal-like structures.
- They contribute to the formation of stars and planetary systems by providing material for accretion. T
- hey also scatter and absorb light, affecting the radiation properties of celestial objects.
- These particles serve as building blocks for the formation of larger objects, such as asteroids, comets, and planets.
INS Sindhuratna : Reaches India
Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna reaches India after major refit in Russia.
- INS Sindhuratna (S59) (Jewel of the Sea) is a Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy.
- Eight of the Navy’s diesel-electric submarines are Kilo class or Sindhughosh class from Russia, sourced between 1984 and 2000 and INS Sindhuratna is among the oldest Kilo-class submarines in the fleet.
- It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 1988.
- Sindhughosh-class submarines are Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy.
- The Kilo Class is the NATO designation for a naval diesel-electric submarine made in Russia.
- The Kilo Class submarines are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters.
- The submarines have a displacement of 2,300 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 metres and a top speed of 18 knots.
- They are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of over 50.
ITF Transport Outlook 2023:
The decarbonization of transportation plays a crucial role in achieving the goals outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
- The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD recently released its highly anticipated ITF Transport Outlook 2023 report, highlighting the importance of adopting a mix of policies to promote sustainable choices in transportation.
- The report emphasizes the need for a comprehensive range of policies to encourage sustainable transportation choices.
- This approach includes investing in public transport infrastructure, supporting the transition to transport modes with higher occupancy or load factors, and promoting the development of more compact cities.
- By combining these measures, nations can create a sustainable and efficient transportation system.
- By prioritizing sustainable transportation options and reducing reliance on traditional road networks, countries can allocate resources more efficiently and invest in future-proof infrastructure.
- According to ITF projections, implementing ambitious policies for decarbonizing transportation would require 5% less investment in core infrastructure compared to following current policies.
