Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 12 August 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
Daily Current Affairs 12 August 2021
Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021
The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020 was circulated first time for comments of all stakeholders viz. State Governments, Union Territories, State Maritime Boards (SMBs) and major ports.
The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 proposes to leave the management and administration of the major ports to the Board of Major Port Authority for each port, constituted by the Major Ports Authorities Act, 2021 and to State Maritime Boards for the management and administration of all non-major ports in each State/UT.
It require every coastal State and Union Territory to constitute a State Maritime Board, if it does not already exist through State statutes and, which empower the said State Maritime Boards with uniform powers and functions including planning, development, supervisory, administrative and adjudicatory powers and functions.
India and China disengage in Gogra in eastern Ladakh
India and China have withdrawn troops from the friction Patrolling Point (PP) 17A in Gogra along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
It has taken 12 rounds of military-level talks to see both sides disengage and put in place buffer zones in the Galwan Valley, the site of the June 2020 clash that marked the worst violence since 1967, Pangong Lake, and now Patrolling Point 17 in Gogra.
The disengagement process at PP17 took place on August 4 and 5, with a return to permanent bases.
The next round of talks will discuss PP15 in Hot Springs. Demchok, where China has transgressed in relatively smaller numbers than the deployments seen in Pangong Lake, also remains unresolved.
Beijing has appeared unwilling to discuss the strategically significant Depsang plains, where the Chinese side has been blocking Indian patrols.
PM greeted all those passionate about lion conservation on World Lion Day
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has greeted all those passionate about lion conservation on World Lion Day (August 10).
Lions, listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, have lost a vast majority of their habitat — and resultantly their population — primarily because of conflict with humans, poaching, and trophy hunting.
Seeing this rapid decrease in their population, a group of non-profits and tourism companies created World Lion Day to celebrate the animal and redirect the world’s attention towards them.
Organisations such as Panthera and National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative support World Lion Day.
The Asiatic lions of India are a distant cousin of the much bigger African lions.
After seeing a decline for some time, the Asiatic lion population has increased steadily in Gujarat’s Gir forest and the larger Saurashtra protected region. Their population has gone up from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020.
National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE)
Union Minister for Power Raj Kumar Singh informed Rajya Sabha about the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
NMEEE consists of four initiatives to enhance energy efficiency in energy intensive industries which are as follows:
Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme aims at reducing Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) i.e. energy use per unit of production for Designated Consumers (DCs) in energy intensive sectors, with an associated market mechanism to enhance the cost effectiveness through certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.
Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE) aims for accelerating the shift to energy efficient appliances in designated sectors through incentives and innovative business models.
Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP) was launched to provide a platform to interact with Financial Institutions (FIs) and project developers for implementation of energy efficiency projects.
Framework for Energy Efficient Economic Development (FEEED) was designed for development of fiscal instruments to promote energy efficiency.
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment formulated SMILE scheme
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”.
The focus of the scheme is on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, basic documentation, education, skill development, economic linkages of the persons found to be engaged in begging.
Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 1.50 crore to National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC) for conducting skill development programmes for the persons engaged in begging. So far, 514 persons engaged in Begging have been provided skill development training.
GEF-MNRE-UNIDO launched loan interest subvention scheme
GEF-MNRE-UNIDO launched loan interest subvention scheme for demonstration of innovative industrial organic waste to energy biomethanation projects and business models.
The industrial organic waste-to-energy bio-methanation projects are generally capital intensive and financially sensitive to both operating costs, including waste availability, and revenue, particularly biogas yield and its utilization scenario.
The loan scheme provides financial assistance to beneficiaries to reduce the financial burden on account of interest on the loan component faced by such demonstration projects.
Measures taken to promote Hydro Power in India
The Government had taken several policy initiatives in the past for hydropower development in the country viz., National Electricity Policy 2005, National Tariff Policy 2016, National Rehabilitation & Resettlement Policy 2007 and Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.
Subsequently, the Government has also issued measures to promote Hydro Power Sector on 8th March, 2019 under which the following provisions have been made:
- Declaring Large Hydro Projects (>25 MW) as Renewable Energy source.
- Tariff rationalization measures for bringing down hydropower tariff.
- Budgetary Support for Flood Moderation/ Storage Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs).
- Budgetary Support to Cost of Enabling Infrastructure i.e., roads/bridges.
Subsequently, the Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) trajectory, for the period 2021-22 to 2029-30 has also been notified by the Government on 29.01.2021.
New low-cost capsule that can convert the paddy stubble into bio-manure
Government of India recently took some steps for awareness about the new low-cost capsule which can convert the paddy stubble into bio-manure.
IARI has licensed this technology to 12 companies for mass multiplication and marketing of the Pusa Decomposer. In addition, ICAR – IARI, New Delhi has produced about 20000 packets of Pusa decomposer at its own facility for use by the farmers.
A weekly You Tube channel of IARI named Pusa Samachar also regularly ran the programme on “Pusa Decomposer Technology” for the benefit of farmers.
Parties get 48 hours to publish candidates’ criminal records
The Supreme Court warned Parliament that the nation is losing patience with the advent of criminals in politics even as it imposed fines on major political parties for covering up from voters the criminal past of the candidates they had fielded in the Bihar Assembly polls last year.
The court had directed political parties to publish the criminal history, if any, of their election candidates on the homepage of their websites under the caption ‘Candidates with criminal antecedents’ within 48 hours of their selection.
The court said it did not take political parties much time to flout its February 2020 judgment, which directed them to prominently publish the criminal antecedents of their candidates in newspapers and on social media accounts, including Twitter and Facebook.
The court further ordered the Election Commission of India to launch a dedicated mobile app for voters to get details of the criminal history of the candidates at the touch of a button. The Commission should also form a separate cell to monitor political parties on their compliance with the court’s judgment.
Constitution amendment bill to restore states’ rights on OBC list
The Lok Sabha recently passed the Constitution (127th) Amendment Bill to restore the states’ power to make their own OBC lists.
The Bill seeks to restore the power of State governments to identify OBCs that are socially and educationally backward after a Supreme Court order in May 2021 empowered only the Centre to do so.
The amendment was thought necessary because the SC, in its order on Maratha reservation, upheld the 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act.
It inserted Articles 338B and 342 A (with two clauses) after Article 342, which said the President of India, in consultation with the Governors, would specify socially and educationally backward classes, taking away the powers of State governments to do so.
The bill should be considered as the 105th Constitution Amendment bill after being renumbered.
International Youth Day 2021
International Youth Day is observed on August 12 each year to recognise and bring attention to the problems faced by the youth.
Each year, the United Nations decides a theme that is relevant to all global communities and citizens. This year’s theme is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”.
In 1999, the United Nations decided to commemorate International Youth Day every year on August 12.
It was based on a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon to the UN General Assembly.
The day is celebrated through various awareness campaigns, community concerts, and events to bring to notice the socio-economic and socio-political issues that the youth in every nation face.
World Elephant Day 2021
World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 each year to spread awareness about the plight of elephants and recognize the importance of elephants in our ecosystem.
Over the years, the initiative gained extensive support from celebrities, politicians and others. In 2020, then Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu pledged their support to the cause.
On August 12, 2012, the first World Elephant Day was observed, highlighting the plight of Asian and African elephants.
The Thai-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, in collaboration with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims, organized the event for the day. And since 2012, The Sims has been a leader in World Elephant Day.
According to recent data of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), there are roughly 440,000 elephants left on the planet.
The WWF also revealed that every year around 15,000 elephants are hunted by poachers. It is not only our responsibility to take measures for their conservation but also create awareness about the possible ‘Elephant Extinction.’
Several Indian cities likely to sink due to rising sea level
According to a report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), nearly 12 coastal cities of India sitting on the bank of the Indian coastline are likely to face the wrath of going underwater due to the increased risk of rising sea levels.
The coastal cities including Chennai, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, and Mumbai face high risk and can go underwater by three feet by the end of the century.
The Sea Level Change Team at NASA has created a sea-level projection tool that makes extensive data on sea-level rise in the future from the IPCC easily accessible to the public.
Besides, a study published in the journal, Nature Communications, in 2019 had also predicted a similar threat for Mumbai, saying it is at the risk of being submerged by 2050.
The increase in sea levels will also adversely increase the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and will directly or indirectly affect over a billion people.
ISRO launched its earth observation satellite GISAT-1
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its earth observation satellite GISAT-1.
Geo Imaging Satellite or GISAT is an Indian imaging satellite class for geostationary orbit with a high temporal resolution, meant for providing near real time imaging with fast revisit capability and real time monitoring.
Two identical satellites will provide resolution in the range of 42 to 318 m. It will carry multi-spectral multi-resolution (42 to 318 m) imaging instruments.
Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1 onboard GSLV-F10 was planned to launch on 5 March 2020, but launch was deferred due to some technical reasons.
GeM organized 5th edition of National Public Procurement Conclave
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) organized 5th edition of National Public Procurement Conclave on the theme “Technology enabled Government Procurement – Towards Efficiency, Transparency, and Inclusiveness”.
The conference featured an overview session on GeM which took participants through the platform’s key features and functionalities.
The Conclave alsohad an eclectic range of panel discussions ranging from promotion of MSMEs in public procurement to how fintech can enable access to credit for sellers and service providers doing business with the Government.
Government e Marketplace is an online platform for public procurement in India. The initiative was launched on August 9, 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the objective to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.