Current Affairs Daily Digest – October 22 2019
1. Assam: No Govt. jobs for people with more than 2 children
On October 21, 2019, the Assam Cabinet decided that no Government jobs will be provided to persons with more than 2 children after 1 January 2021. In September 2017, the Assam government had passed the “Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam”. Under the policy, job candidates with two children alone would be eligible for government employment and the existing government staff were to strictly follow the two children family norms.
2. India’s highest bridge inaugurated
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the highest bridge in India. The bridge was named after the “Lion of Ladakh” Col Chewang Rinchen. It stands at 14,650 feet across the Shyok river.
Features of the bridge
- It is located at 45km from India’s border from China.
- It connects Leh’s Darbuk with Daulat Beg Oldi. The bridge is said to reduce the travel time by half-an-hour.
- The bridge is an all-weather permanent bridge. Some bridges in the Ladakh, Siachen regions become inaccessible in winter.
- It is located in the Sub-Sector North
3. India’s Nex-Gen Hypersonic Missiles: DRDO begins manufacturing
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) begins manufacturing of hypersonic missiles. These missiles are five times faster than the speed of sound. DRDO is set to operate a wind tunnel to test and fine tune the technology
4. A new Catalyst: To Convert Carbon Dioxide into Natural Gas
The Engineers at the Stanford University have developed a new catalyst that helps to turn carbon dioxide from cars into fuels like propane or natural gas.
About the Research
Catalysts induce chemical reactions without being used up in the reaction. In this new research scientists have combined ruthenium and iron oxide nano particles to form the new catalyst. The ruthenium nuggets sit in the core of the catalyst surrounded by an outer sheath of iron. This arrangement activates the hydrocarbon formation from Carbon-Dioxide.
5. AYUSH, Defence ministry inks MoU to provide traditional medicine
Union Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) and Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for integration of AYUSH under health establishments of Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) i.e. to provide traditional medicine services at the armed forces’ hospitals and dispensaries.
6. Hunar Haat to be held in November
Ministry of Minority Affairs is to organize Hunar Haat from 1 November to 10 November 2019 at North Central Zone Cultural Centre in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It will be inaugurated by Union Minority Affairs Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Aim:
The Government aims to provide employment and employment opportunities to lakhs of craftsmen, artisans, and traditional culinary experts through Hunar Haat in the next five years.
7. President Kovind attended the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito
The enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito was held on 22 October 2019. The President Ram Nath Kovind attended the Ceremony in Tokyo, Japan. This visit by President Kovind is the first presidential visit to Japan after a gap of 19 years.
The last visit was in 1990 by the then president, Ramaswamy Venkatraman. He attended the enthronement ceremonies of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who stepped down in 2018.
8. India-Bangladesh Stakeholders Meet begins in Guwahati
The two-day India-Bangladesh Stakeholders Meet has begun in Guwahati. Assam and Tripura Chief Ministers, Commerce Minister of Bangladesh Tipu Munshi, Road Transport and Highway Minister of State V K Singh took part in the inaugural ceremony among others.
9. Uttar Pradesh most unsafe for women: NCRB 2017 data
In a grim reminder of how unsafe Indian cities are for women and children, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) ranks Uttar Pradesh as most unsafe for women, while listing Madhya Pradesh as the rape capital.
The statistics highlight the poor law and order situation in the country with 3.59 lakh cases of crime reported against women in 2017. Uttar Pradesh recorded the maximum number of crimes against women with 56,011 cases in 2017, while Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of rape cases at 5562.
10. Amazon launches Storyboxes to bring its sellers closer to customers
Amazon India launched Storyboxes on Monday to bring its 5.5 lakh sellers closer to its customers. An India-first innovation, Amazon Storyboxes is a packaging initiative that aims at showcasing inspiring stories of its sellers to millions of people who shop on the Amazon.in marketplace.
With every delivery, Amazon brings these stories, narrated by the sellers themselves to the customers’ doorstep, giving sellers an opportunity to interact with customers and share their success stories on Amazon.
11. Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals becomes fastest to reach one million container handling milestone
Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT), the facility run by Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai, handled its one millionth twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last week, becoming the fastest to reach the feat for a terminal in India.
12. After 214 births, government to boost ‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme
A government scheme that offers cash assistance to encourage Parsi couples to have children has resulted in 214 births over the last five years through assisted reproductive techniques (ART), according to officials aware of the development.
Did you Know?
Maharashtra has the highest Parsi population in the country, followed by Gujarat.
13. Dharmendra Pradhan to visit Russia, Japan from October 22-26
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will visit Russia and Japan between October 22 and 26 to boost energy ties with the two nations. The visit is a follow-up to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vladivostok, Russia, for the Eastern Economic Forum last month, an official statement said here.
