Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 24th September 2022

International Conference On Consciousness:

Union Minister of Ayush inaugurated the international conference on Consciousness with the theme, “Exploring Consciousness- From Non- Locality to Non- Duality: The Man- Machine Debate” at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.

• The conference is organized by India Foundation and NIMHANS and supported by Ministry of Ayush.
• The conference will bring together some of the most eminent researchers and inventors in the areas of physics, biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, quantum computing and allied fields as well as scholars and spiritual teachers of the major Indic Spiritual and psychological disciplines and doctrines.

Ayurswasthya Yojana:

• The Minister also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence project in the Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru as part of “AYURSWASTHYA YOJANA”, a flagship programme under Ministry of Ayush.
• The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will strengthen competencies of Ayush professionals in Education technology, Research & innovation and others.
• Main objectives of the CoE project at NIMHANS is to conduct clinical trials in four neuro-psychiatric disorders to establish efficacy, safety and proposed mechanism of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda treatment approaches.

Puneet Sagar Abhiyan:

National Cadet Corps (NCC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a MOU in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.

• MoU was signed to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and achieve the universal goal of clean water bodies through Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and Tide Turners Plastic Challenge programme.
• It is aimed to synergise efforts toward engaging youth for promoting clean water bodies.
• The NCC had launched Puneet Sagar Abhiyan on 1st December last year.
• The aim of the campaign is to clean sea shores from plastic and other waste material and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness.
• Since the launch of Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, over 100 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected from nearly 1,900 locations by more than 12 lakh NCC cadets, alumni and volunteers.

Lok Manthan Programme In Guwahati:

Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, inaugurated the third edition of the Lok Manthan programme in Guwahati.

• The theme of this year’s biennale is Lokparampara (Lok traditions) – and how lok traditions have kept our cultural consciousness intact and strengthened our feeling of National Selfhood.
• Lokmanthan is an event where artists, intellectuals, and academicians are drawn from different parts of the country converge and brainstorm on the questions that haunt the society.
• Besides, the three-day event will have discussions, seminars, cultural events and exhibitions which showcase the rich diversity of the nation.

I2U2 Group:

India-Israel-UAE-USA, I2U2 Sherpas met on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York on 20th of this month. The group agreed to continue to work closely in line with the outcome of the Leaders’ Summit in July this year.

• The I2U2 Group is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
• The group held its inaugural summit on July 14, 2022, in which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated.
• As an outcome of the summit, the leaders announced that the UAE will invest $2 billion “to develop a series of integrated food parks across India.”
• The group also agreed to proceed with “a hybrid renewable energy project in India’s Gujarat State consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity complemented by a battery energy storage system.”
• The group’s first joint statement, released on July 14, 2022, states that the countries aim to cooperate on “joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.”

PM-CARES Fund:

Ratan Tata, KT Thomas (former SC judge) and Kariya Munda ( former deputy speaker) have been appointed as trustees of the PM CARES Fund

• PM CARES ( PM Citizens’ Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund) was launched in 2020, following COVID-19 to combat, and containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic-like situations in the future.
• Contribution is voluntary ( no budget support)
• PM is ex-officio Chairman
• Contribution to it qualifies under tax benefits
• It has been created not by law, not by notification
• Minimum donation accepted is Rs 10

BrahMos Missiles:

Ministry of Defence signed a contract with M/s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited BAPL for acquisition of additional dual-role capable Surface to Surface BrahMos missiles at an overall approximate cost of 1700 Crore rupees under Buy-Indian Category.

• Induction of these dual-role capable Missiles is going to significantly enhance the operational capability of Indian Navy fleet assets.
• BAPL is a Joint Venture between India and Russia making a crucial contribution to augment the new generation of Surface-to-Surface Missiles with enhanced range and dual role capability for land as well as anti-ship attacks.
• This contract is going to give further boost to indigenous production of critical weapon system and ammunition with active participation of indigenous industry.