Today Current Affairs: 2nd September 2022 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
Table of Contents
International Whale Shark Day:
Delhi-based non-profit, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) launched ‘Save the Whale Shark Campaign’ along Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep in Mangaluru.
- August 30, 2022 is International Whale Shark Day, this year’s theme is “The Future of Sharks: Guardians of Our Seas.”
- The campaign will run along coastal Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands in collaboration with the Forest and Fisheries Departments of Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep administration.
- Further, the campaign aims to reduce accidental entanglements in fishing nets with fishermen releasing whale shark.
- A mobile application has been developed to record whale shark spotting and rescues for further conservation action
- The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish on Earth and a keystone species in marine ecosystems.
- It can grow to a length of approximately 18 metres and weigh as much as 21 tonnes.
- They are ovoviviparous – meaning they give birth to live young rather than lay eggs – and can reach sexual maturity at around 10 years old.
- Whale sharks are tropical ocean dwellers that feed on fish, squid and other small creatures.
- The whale shark is distributed all along the Indian coast.
- However, the largest whale shark aggregation is along the Gujarat coast.
- Status:
- The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
- IUCN Green Status Assessment: Largely Depleted.
Artemis I:
Artemis I will send a rocket without a crew on a monthlong journey around the Moon
- The programme aims to increase women’s participation in space exploration.
- In addition, the Artemis I mission will carry two mannequins designed to study the effects of radiation on women’s bodies so that NASA can learn how to protect female astronauts better.
- The Greeks and Romans associated Artemis with the Moon, and she has also become a modern-day feminist icon.
- Artemis was a major deity in ancient Greece, worshiped at least as early as the beginning of the first millennium B.C., or even earlier.
- She was a daughter of Zeus, the chief god of the Olympians, who ruled the world from the summit of Mount Olympus. She was also the twin sister of Apollo, god of the Sun and oracles.
- Her independence and strength have long inspired women in a wide range of activities.
- As the goddess of animals and the wilderness, Artemis has also inspired environmental conservancy programs, in which the goddess is viewed as an example of a woman exercising her power by caring for the planet.
Indian Navy Ensign:
The Prime Minister will unveil the new Ensign (flag) of the Indian Navy in Kochi to mark the launch of India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
- An Ensign is a national flag which is displayed on ships and aircraft, often with the special insignia of a branch or unit of the armed forces.
- The present ensign carries the Saint George’s Cross with the Tricolour in the canton (top left corner of flag).
- There had been a long pending demand for a change in the naval ensign.
- The original suggestion for change came from Vice Admiral VEC Barboza who retired from the Navy as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
- The present ensign is essentially a successor to the pre-Independence ensign of the Indian Navy which had the red George’s Cross on a white background with the Union Jack of the United Kingdom on the top left corner.
- After Independence, on August 15, 1947, the Indian defence forces continued with the British colonial flags and badges and it was only on Jan 26, 1950 that a changeover to Indianised pattern was made.
- The Navy crest and flag were changed but the only difference made to the flag was that the Union Jack was replaced with the Tricolour, and George’s Cross was retained.
Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022:
Ministry of Women and Child Development is celebrating 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022 from 1st to 30th September 2022.
- This year, with the main focus on “Mahila aur Swasthya” and “Bacha aur Shiksha”, Poshan Maah is to be started as Poshan Panchayat through Gram Panchayats.
- Pregnant and lactating women, children below six years of age and adolescent girls will be given special attention in this month-long Poshan Maah.
- Along with this, they will be made aware about the importance of nutrition through sensitization campaigns, outreach programs, and camps.
- Awareness activities will be conducted at the Panchayat level by the concerned District Panchayati Raj Officers, CDPOs, local officials.
- This time a national level toy manufacturing workshop will also be organized to promote the use of indigenous and local toys for teaching children in Anganwadi centers.
- Under this program, the importance of rainwater harvesting will be emphasized among women at Anganwadi centers as well as information related to traditional food items for healthy mother and child in tribal areas will be provided.
- Under the state level activities, ‘Amma ki Rasoi’ of traditional nutritious dishes will also be operated.
- Also, extensive efforts will be made to integrate traditional foods with local festivals during Poshan Maah.
Cyber Security Exercise “Synergy”:
Computer Emergency Response Team – India (CERT-In) successfully designed & conducted the Cyber Security Exercise “Synergy” for 13 Countries as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.
- The exercise was conducted as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group which is being led by India under the leadership of National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
- Synergy is a Cyber Security Exercise which is successfully designed & conducted by CERT-In in collaboration with Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).
- The exercise scenario was derived from real life cyber incidents, in which a domestic level (limited impact) ransomware incident escalates to a global cyber security crisis.
- Each State participated as a National Crisis Management Team having composition from different government agencies including National CERTs/CSIRTs, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), Communication & IT/ICT Ministry and Security agencies.
- Objectives:
- To Assess, Share and Improve strategies and practices among Member-States to build network resiliency against ransomware & cyber extortion attacks.
- Theme: Building Network Resiliency to Counter Ransomware Attacks.
Best Aspirational District : Haridwar
NITI Aayog has declared Haridwar city of Uttarakhand as the best aspirational district on the basis of five parameters. Haridwar has secured first position in Basic Infrastructure theme. Now an additional allocation of Rs 3 crore will be made to this city.
- The programme was launched in January 2018 aims to quickly and effectively transform some of most underdeveloped districts of the country.
- This scheme has been implemented along with the central and state schemes.
- In its successful implementation, there is important cooperation of the ‘in-charge’ officers of the central, state level and district collectors.
- The competition between these districts is maintained through equated monthly delta rankings, so that they are eager to make it a success.
- The ranking of aspirational districts combines innovative use of data with practical governance, placing the district at the center of inclusive growth.
- As per the norms for planning of aspirational districts, each district should prepare an action plan in consultation with the State and Central officers in charge, after which it should be sent to NITI Aayog for final approval of the Empowered Committee of Secretaries constituted for the programme.
Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS):
The Delhi government has started the “Delhi Model Virtual School” to provide opportunities to the students of the National Capital Region and beyond.
- It is an online platform, which will conduct completely online classes, and will help the students to complete their studies without visiting the school.
- This school will have special teachers who are trained to take online classes and aims to increase the enrollment ratio, especially for those who do not have access to physical schools.
- Any person who has studied at least up to class 8 from a registered school and is in the age group of 13 to 18 years can apply for admission to class 9 in this virtual school.
- The school will offer online classes including virtual lectures, recorded and live lectures, and skill-based courses as well as training for other competitive exams including JEE Main, NEET and CUET.
- There will be no option of physical classes in this school, it will be completely virtual.
- Apart from this, another great feature will be that if you miss class, or you are not able to take class someday, then you will also be able to see the recording.
- This school was started with the aim of providing education to the begging children on the streets, children from remote villages who do not have proper schools, girls from socially disadvantaged backgrounds living outside their neighbourhoods.
- This school will give opportunity to all those students who are not able to access education.
