Daily Current Affairs 3 August 2021 – Gkseries

August 3, 2021

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 3 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 3 August 2021

SN Ghormade took charge as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff

Vice Admiral SN Ghormade recently assumed charge as the new Vice Chief of the Navy.

He succeeds Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar who retired on July 31, 2021, after more than 39 years of illustrious service.

The Flag officer SN Ghormade was commissioned in the Indian Navy on January 01, 1984.

He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) on January 26, 2017, and Nausena Medal (NM) in 2007 by the President of India, and a Commendation by the Chief of the Naval Staff in 2000.

Meenakashi Lekhi leaded Indian delegation at G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting

The Minister of State for Culture of India, Meenakashi Lekhi leaded India in the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting on behalf of the Government of India.

The two-day meeting was hosted by Italy on July 29 and 30 July 2021, during their ongoing Presidency of G20 in 2021.

The main topic of discussion were: Protection of Cultural Heritage; Addressing the Climate Crisis through Culture; Building Capacity through Training and Education; Digital Transition and New Technologies for Culture; and Culture and Creative Sectors as drivers for growth.

At the end of the discussions, the G20 Ministers of Culture adopted the G20 Culture Working Group Terms of Reference.

Effective efforts to ensure stability along LAC in Western Sector

India and China have agreed to continue their effective efforts in ensuring stability along the LAC in the Western Sector.

After the 12th Round of India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting held at the Chushul-Moldo border. Both the countries also agreed to jointly maintain peace and tranquility.

This round of meeting was held following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and People’s Republic of China on 14th July in Dushanbe and the 22nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held on 25th June.

The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.

Culture Ministry launched unique programme to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Culture Ministry recently launched a unique programme to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on Independence Day.

The initiative, connected with the National Anthem, has been taken up by the Ministry to instill pride and unity among all Indians.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an intensive, country wide campaign which will focus on citizen participation, to be converted into a ‘Janandolan’, where small changes, at the local level, will add up to significant national gains.

5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Papua

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region.

Indonesia experiences frequent quakes due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Papua is Indonesia’s easternmost province, encompasses the western half of New Guinea and several other islands.

The Ring of Fire is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring of Fire is not a single geological structure.

Multi-disciplinary team to monitor Zika virus situation

The Government of India has rushed a multi-disciplinary team to Maharashtra to monitor the Zika virus situation.

The three-member Central team consists of a public health expert from the Office of Regional Director, Pune, a gynecologist from Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi and an entomologist from National Institute of Malaria Research, ICMR, New Delhi.

Zika virus disease is mainly spread by mosquitoes. For most people it’s a very mild infection and is not harmful.

But it may be more serious for pregnant women, as there’s evidence it causes birth defects – in particular, abnormally small heads (microcephaly). Zika does not naturally occur in the UK.

There’s no vaccine or specific treatment for it. Instead, the focus is on relieving symptoms and includes rest, rehydration and acetaminophen for fever and pain.

World Sanskrit Day 2021

World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on Shraavana Poornima, which is the Poornima day that is on full moon day in the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar.

Sanskrit Day is an annual event focused around the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit that incorporates lectures about the language and is aimed to promote its revival and maintenance.

The Sanskrit language was declared as the second official language of Uttarakhand. The Sanskrit language has the largest vocabulary of about 102 arab 78 crores 50 lakh words.

World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas was the first time celebrated in 1969. It is celebrated to spread awareness, promote and revive the ancient India Language. It attributes the rich culture of India.

Sanskrit Diwas comprises several events and full-day seminars that talked about the importance of Sanskrit language, its impact, and promote this beautiful language Sanskrit.

Initiatives of Government in ensuring Safety in Online Education

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a ‘Cyber Security Handbook’ to ensure safe and healthy digital habits among students.

This module covers topics in cyber safety, such as cyber bullying, including social exclusion, intimidation, defamation, and emotional harassment, online sexual abuse, cyber radicalisation, online attack and frauds, and online enticement.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also issued advisory to all secretaries at school education department of all states to ensure safety of students in online classes.

PRAGYATA guidelines for school heads and teachers describe the need assessment, planning and steps to implement digital education while ensuring cyber safety and privacy measures.

National Webinar on Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education

Ministry of Education is organising a series of theme-based webinars on different aspects of National Education Policy, 2020.

Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education being one of the biggest thrust area of NEP, University Grants Commission organised a National Webinar on Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education.

The Webinar on Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education provided an opportunity to bring members of the committee on draft NEP, educationist, scientists and educational administrators on one platform.

The webinar provided an opportunity to bring members of the committee on draft NEP, educational administrators, scientists, educationists, on a single platform.

Academic Programmes to Cater to Rising Demand for New-Age Technologies

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee recently launched seven new academic programmes to Cater to Rising Demand for New-Age Technologies.

The programmes, which include six postgraduate degree programs and one five-year integrated program, would be offered to students from the next autumn session (2021-2022).

They aim to facilitate quality education in new and emerging areas that are becoming more and more relevant today.

The new programmes involve the transmission of relevant knowledge and using the knowledge we produce. They are inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary and also in line with National Education Policy 2020.

Parliament passed landmark ‘Inland Vessels Bill, 2021’

Parliament recently passed the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021, that aims to replace over 100 years old Inland Vessels Act, 1917 and usher a new era in the inland water transport sector to make the Legislative framework user friendly and promote ease of doing business.

The Inland Vessels Act of 1917 was conceived to be a pure consolidating legislation having limited applicability and purposes.

This Act had undergone several amendments and last major amendments done in 1977 and 2007.

This Act had provisions forrestrictive movement of mechanically propelled vessels within the jurisdiction of the State Government, requirement of endorsements, limited applicability and validity of certificates, non- uniform standards and regulations that varied from one State to another led to hindrances and hurdles in seamless navigation across States and development of the sector.

Virtual Training of Trainers Programme on Forest Rights Act, 2006

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated ‘Virtual Training of Trainers Programme on Forest Rights Act, 2006’.

The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.

The objective of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 are:

It is enacted to recognize the forest rights of the Scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers.
It also aims to protect the culture of the schedule tribes living in these areas.
The act also provides the right to occupation to them.

Indian Navy to deploy 4 frontline warships in next edition of Malabar exercise

The Indian Navy is planning to deploy a naval task group comprising four frontline warships to the South China Sea, Western Pacific and South East Asia in a significant move aimed at enhancing its profile in the strategically key sea lanes.

It will be the second consecutive year when navies of all four member countries of Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition will carry out the mega naval wargame.

China has been suspicious about the purpose of the Malabar exercise as it feels that the wargame is a part of efforts to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Commander Madhwal said the naval task group comprises guided-missile destroyer Ranvijay, guided-missile frigate Shivalik, anti-submarine corvette Kadmatt and guided-missile corvette Kora.

The ships are also scheduled to carry out bilateral exercises with the navies of Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.

UNESCO added 33 new cultural, natural sites to World Heritage List

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed 33 new cultural and natural sites to its World Heritage List recently.

A prehistoric solar observatory in Peru, an ancient Harappa city in India, and a railway connecting the Caspian Sea with the Persian Gulf were among the sites added to the list during the extended 44th session of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee.

In 2021, the committee inscribed 33 properties on the coveted list which includes 28 cultural and 5 natural sites.

The list of the newest World Heritage Sites:

Arslantepe Mound (Turkey)
Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex (Peru):
Colonies of Benevolence (Belgium/Netherlands)
The Great Spa Towns of Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Cordouan Lighthouse (France)
Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera (France)
Dholavira: a Harappan City (India)
Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana (India)
Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt (Germany)
ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz (Germany)
Frontiers of the Roman Empire — The Lower German Limes (Germany/the Netherlands)
Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles (Italy)
The Porticoes of Bologna (Italy)
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences (Spain)
Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (China)
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape (Romania)
Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)
The work of engineer Eladio Dieste: Church of Atlántida (Uruguay)
Trans-Iranian Railway (Iran)
Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat (Iran)
Ḥimā Cultural Area (Saudi Arabia)
Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (Japan)
Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (Japan)
Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands (Georgia)
Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (South Korea)
Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (Thailand)
As-Salt – The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality (Jordan)
Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region (Chile)
Sudanese style mosques in northern Côte d’Ivoire (Côte d’Ivoire)
The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design (Slovenia)
The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales (United Kingdom)
Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea (Russia)
Ivindo National Park (Gabon)

Cyrus Poonawalla to receive Lokmanya Tilak Award

Serum Institute founder Cyrus Poonawalla has been named as a recipient of the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021.

Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman of the Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), has been selected for the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021.

He has been named for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, by manufacturing the Covishield vaccine. He will receive the award on August 13. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a memento.

The Lokmanya Tilak national award is given annually since 1983 on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, by the Lokmanya Tilak Trust. However this year the date has been changed due to the coronavirus situation.