Current affairs notes on October 9 – 14
1. The Foreign Ministers of Nepal and China jointly
certified the elevation of Mount Everest at 8,848.86 metres above sea level 86
cm higher than what was recognised since 1954.
Everest is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma
in China.
2.National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT):Constituted
under Companies Act, 2013. It hears appeals against the orders of: NCLT
under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Board of India under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC. The
Competition Commission of India (CCI). The President of the Tribunal and the
chairperson and Judicial Members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed
after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
3. The cyber wing of the Maharashtra Police recently
acquired software from Interpol that would help them track down
child pornography uploaded online. ‘Operation Blackface’ is part of the larger
action taken against CSAM across the country. Acting on the tip off provided by
NCRB, Maharashtra Cyber cops forward complaints to the districts where FIR’s
were registered against accused persons.
4. Inter-Ministerial Conference by Partners in Population
and Development (PPD). India took part in it. It is an intergovernmental
organisation for promoting south-south cooperation in the fields of
reproductive health, population, and development. This POA, endorsed by 179
nations, stresses the need to establish mechanisms to promote development
through the sharing of experiences in reproductive health (RH) and family
planning (FP) within and among countries and to promote effective partnerships
among the governments, NGOs, research institutions and the private sector.
5. 36th Charter Day anniversary of SAARC observed recently. The
Charter establishing the Association was signed on December 8, 1985 by the
SAARC Heads of States/Governments during first Summit meeting in Dhaka. Afghanistan
became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005. The Headquarters
and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.
6. The Union Cabinet has approved laying of undersea
optical fibre cable to connect 11 islands of Lakshadweep with Kochi
by May 2023, to help improve broadband connectivity in the Union
Territory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the submarine cable
connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands in August.
7. Public Wi-Fi plan ‘PM Wani’ gets cabinet approval. The
move is aimed at helping accelerate the uptake of broadband Internet services. It
was first recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
in 2017. This will allow setting up of public WiFi hotspots across the country
via public data offices or public data offices (PDOs).
8. Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is also known
as ‘Mini Kaziranga’. It has the highest density of one-horned rhinos
in the world and second highest concentration in Assam after Kaziranga National
Park.
9. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for Atmanirbhar
Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment in formal sector and
incentivize creation of new employment opportunities during the Covid
recovery phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0. Under this, Government
of India will provide subsidy for two years in respect of new employees
engaged on or after 1st October, 2020 and up to 30th June, 2021.
10. Foundation stone of the new Parliament building. This
took place nearly a hundred years after the foundation for the existing
Parliament was laid by Duke of Connaught on February 12, 1921. The theme
of the new building would celebrate the cultural diversity of the country.
11. HelpAge India has been presented the UN Population
Award for 2020 (institutional category). For the first time in the history
of the UN Population Award, the honour is being conferred on an Indian
institution. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, the
United Nations Population Award recognises contributions in the fields of
population and reproductive health.
12. Koilwar Bridge constructed over Sone river in Bihar
inaugurated.
13. The Maharashtra government this week presented a
draft bill making changes to existing laws on violence against women and
children. The Bill is proposed to be enacted as Shakti Act, 2020.
14. Fifteenth Finance Commission chairman N.K. Singh has
called for a fresh look at the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule, which
forms the basis for allocating subjects to the Centre and States.
15. The Chang’e-5, Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and
soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, putting China on course
to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since
the 1970s.
Thank You.