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 4 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 4 August 2021
Eco tourism as one of the Niche Tourism areas for development in the country
Ministry of Tourism has identified Eco tourism as one of the Niche Tourism areas for development in the country.
Eco Circuit and Wildlife Circuit are among the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
Eco-tourism means ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
The Ministry of Tourism has accordingly formulated a Draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism with focus on ecotourism.
Ministry of Tourism, under its Swadesh Darshan scheme, is developing theme-based tourism circuits in the country. Eco Circuit and Wildlife Circuit are among the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the scheme.
SBI launched ‘SIM Binding’ feature in YONO and YONO Lite
State Bank of India has launched a new and enhanced security feature – ‘SIM Binding’ in YONO and YONO Lite to safeguard the interest of its customers.
The new version of these platforms will protect customers from various digital frauds.
With the SIM Binding feature, YONO and YONO Lite will work only on those devices which have SIM of mobile numbers registered with the Bank.
To access to the new version of YONO and YONO Lite, users will have to update their mobile app and complete the one-time registration process on these Apps. The registration process verifies the SIM of the Registered Mobile Number (RMN) with the bank in order to complete the registration.
Human conflict with ‘big cat’ minimal in Uttarakhand
The incidents of human-wildlife conflict with tigers are far lesser than human-leopard and human-elephants, despite registering an increase of 263 tigers between years 2008-2018 in Uttarakhand.
Between the terai and the mountains, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flaunted the tiger range from an elevation of 1,181 ft (360 m) to 12,073 ft (3680 m) as a testimony of Uttarakhand’s success in tiger conservation.
The tiger’s usual range is under 6,000 ft (below 1,800 ft, think Kasauli). That makes its presence above 12,000 ft — the elevation of the Kedarnath temple — rare. But tigers have shown up before a strategically placed motion-triggered camera at higher altitudes.
Records of high-altitude tigers getting somewhat routine have alarmed a section of conservationists. Warming induced by climate change, they argue, is making the higher mountains tolerable for tigers.
But the fact that tigers are found roaming the snow indicates that their upward movement is not deterred by the cold.
Indian Bank signed MOU with Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Indian Bank recently signed a MoU with Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) for extending exclusive credit facility to Start-ups and MSMEs.
SINE, IIT, Bombay is the forerunner in setting up joint R&D with industries and supporting start-up incubation.
SINE, IIT, Bombay provides support to the MSME sector by providing joint research and development arrangements and technical and financial support for incubation and acceleration of high-end technology products.
The Bank will extend loans of up to 50 crore rupees to these start-ups for their working capital requirements or purchase of machinery and equipment.
Pakistan finalises Bill to grant new status to Gilgit-Baltistan
India clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.
Gilgit was part of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir, but was ruled directly by the British, who had taken it on lease from Hari Singh, the Hindu ruler of the Muslim-majority state.
On November 1, 1947, a political outfit called the Revolutionary Council of Gilgit-Baltistan had proclaimed the independent state of Gilgit-Baltistan. On November 15, it declared it was acceding to Pakistan.
In 1974, Pakistan adopted its first full-fledged civilian Constitution, which lists four provinces —Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan were not incorporated as provinces.
One reason ascribed to this is that Pakistan did not want to undermine its international case that the resolution of the Kashmir issue had to be in accordance with UN resolutions that called for a plebiscite.
In 2009, Pakistan brought in the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order, 2009, replacing the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) with the Legislative Assembly, and the Northern Areas were given back the name of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Vice President witnesses presentation on AICTE tool
The Vice President witnessed a demonstration by the AICTE officials on a unique tool that translates English language content into 11 different Indian languages.
The ‘AICTE Translation Automation Artificial Intelligence Tool’ translates English language online courses into eleven different languages- Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese and Odia.
The tool is capable of translating complex formulae, English books, research journals, Government documents and English videos.
Preventive detention a necessary evil only to prevent public disorder
The Supreme Court held in a judgment that preventive detention, the dreaded power of the State to restrain a person without trial, could be used only to prevent public disorder.
Preventive detention is a necessary evil only to prevent public disorder.
The court must ensure that the facts brought before it directly and inevitably lead to a harm, danger or alarm or feeling of insecurity among the general public or any section thereof at large, a Bench, led by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, observed.
The State should not arbitrarily resort to “preventive detention” to deal with all and sundry “law and order” problems, which could be dealt with by the ordinary laws of the country.
Preventive detention must fall within the four corners of Article 21 (due process of law) read with Article 22 (safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention) and the statute in question.
West Bengal govt to release 63 life convicts to decongest prisons
The West Bengal government has decided to release 63 life convicts in an attempt to decongest its prisons. However, civil rights activists have raised questions on why no political prisoners are being released.
One of the reasons for the crowding of prisons in West Bengal is that the State accounts for highest number of foreign convicts in its correctional homes.
As per Prison Statistics of India, 2019 West Bengal had reported the highest number of foreign inmates (2,316) compared to 5,608 foreign national lodged in prisons of the country.
‘Prisons/persons detained therein’ is a State subject under Entry 4 of List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.
Article 39A of the Constitution directs the State to ensure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.
Lok Sabha passed Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021
The Lok Sabha recently passed the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 amidst din without any discussion.
The Bill seeks to replace the Ordinance promulgated in June this year. The Bill allows the central government to prohibit strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs in units engaged in essential defence services.
It amends the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 to include essential defence services under public utility services.
The Bill replaces a similar Ordinance promulgated in April this year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the bill for consideration and passage.
Nitin Gadkari called for quick roll-out of flex-fuel vehicles
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari recently called for a quick roll-out of flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on 100 per cent ethanol and gasoline in Indian automobile sector.
A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank.
Modern flex-fuel engines are capable of burning any proportion of the resulting blend in the combustion chamber as fuel injection and spark timing are adjusted automatically according to the actual blend detected by a fuel composition sensor.
Flex-fuel vehicles are distinguished from bi-fuel vehicles, where two fuels are stored in separate tanks and the engine runs on one fuel at a time, for example, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen.
Anurag Thakur launched theme song for Tokyo Paralympics
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launched the theme song for Tokyo Paralympics in New Delhi.
Indian para-athletes have performed consistently in the International para-sports competitions and brought laurels for the country.
The song “Kar De Kamaal Tu” is composed and sung by a Divyang cricket player Sanjeev Singh.
Kiren Rijiju to attend 8th meeting of Ministers of Justice of SCO
Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju is going to attend the eighth meeting of Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on 6th of August.
SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
It was created in 2001. The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003. The SCO’s official languages are Russian and Chinese.
Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
Shanghai Five (1996) emerged from a series of border demarcation and demilitarization talks which the four former Soviet republics held with China to ensure stability along the borders.
Following the accession of Uzbekistan to the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO. India and Pakistan became members in 2017.
Deepika Kumari completed Golden hat-trick at Archery World Cup
Deepika Kumari recently completed her hat-trick of Gold at the Archery World Cup Stage III in Paris as she won the Recurve individual event by 6-0.
She is an Indian athlete who competes in the event of Archery and is currently ranked world No. 9. Deepika Kumari is a former world number one.
Deepika Kumari won Gold Medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the women’s individual recurve event.
She had also won gold in the same competition in the women’s team recurve event along with Bombayala Devi and Dola Banerjee.
The Archery World cup 2021 is the 15th edition of the International Archery Circuit organized annually by the World Archery.
The 2021 Archery World Cup consists of four events and it will run from April 19 to September 2, 2021.
China is certified malaria-free by WHO
China is certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organisation, following a 70-year effort to eradicate the mosquito-borne disease.
China is the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3 decades. Other countries in the region that have achieved this status include Australia (1981), Singapore (1982) and Brunei Darussalam (1987).
Globally, 40 countries and territories have been granted a malaria-free certification from WHO – including, most recently, El Salvador (2021), Algeria (2019), Argentina (2019), Paraguay (2018) and Uzbekistan (2018).
Quad special forces to wargame off Guam in Indo-Pacific
The Quad special forces are going to conduct amphibious operations involving special forces, live firing and anti-submarine warfare operations off the coast of Guam in the Indo-Pacific as part of the Malabar 2021 exercise.
The Malabar port stage exercise is scheduled to be scheduled for August 21-24, while the annual sea stage exercise will be held on August 25-29.
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is the informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
The idea of Quad was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.
In December 2012, Shinzo Abe again floated the concept of Asia’s “Democratic Security Diamond” involving Australia, India, Japan and the US to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.
In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending “Quad” Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).
