Current Affairs: October 2022 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Justice Dinesh Sharma to head UAPA tribunal related to the ban on PFI 

• The government of India has appointed Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma of the Delhi High Court as the presiding officer of the tribunal for the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), related to the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates. Once an organisation is banned under the provisions of UAPA, a tribunal is set up by the government to adjudicate whether there are sufficient grounds for the decision. 
• The office memorandum, issued by the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry on October 3, mentioned that Justice Sharma’s time as head of the UAPA tribunal will count as “actual service”. Chief Justice S.C. Sharma of the Delhi High Court appointed Justice Sharma to head the tribunal that will examine the ban.

Ex-CJI named head of panel on SC status for Dalit converts 

• The Union Government has appointed a three-member commission, headed by former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, to consider the possibility of granting SC status to “new persons who have historically belonged to the Scheduled Castes’’ but have converted to religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. 
• According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the commission will also include retired IAS officer Dr Ravinder Kumar Jain and UGC member Prof (Dr) Sushma Yadav as members.  
• The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, stipulates that no person professing a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism can be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste. The original order under which only Hindus were classified was later amended to include Sikhs and Buddhists.

Indian Air Force raising day 2022: 8th October 

• Indian Air Force was raised on October 8, 1932, and it is completing 90 years today. The day and its observance is a matter of pride for Indians and inspire a patriotic zeal among the citizenry for the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-chief of the IAF. This time Air Force Day flypast is scheduled to take place over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh this afternoon 
• In a historic first, the parade and fly-past of Air Force day have been moved out of the national capital region by the Indian Air Force. President Draupadi Murmu and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be present on this occasion. Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the Royal Indian Air Force. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950. This time 75 aircrafts will participate in the flypast, while 9 aircrafts will be kept on standby mode. The light combat helicopter LCH which were recently inducted in the IAF will also showcase its air capabilities in the sky at Sukhna lake. Tejas, Sukhoi, MIG -29, Jaguar, Rafale, and Hawk will also be part of fly past. 

 India - New Zealand Navies sign White Shipping pact 

• The Royal New Zealand navy and the Indian navy have signed a contract on the exchange of White Shipping Information Exchange. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar and New 
• Zealand Navy Chief Rear Admiral David Proctor signed the contract. In order to encourage more openness in the Maritime Domain, the agreement was signed. 
• From September 29 to October 1, 2022, CNS Admiral Hari Kumar was in New Zealand. According to the Ministry of Defence, “during the visit, an agreement on White Shipping Information Exchange was inked. 
• The convergence viewpoints of both nations to encourage more openness in the maritime domain support closer collaboration for improving common maritime domain awareness. 
• The communication of previous knowledge regarding the location and identification of commercial, non-military merchant boats is known as the White Shipping Information.

World Bank lowers India’s FY23 growth forecast to 6.5%

• The World Bank cut its 2022-23 (FY23) real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for India to 6.5%, from an earlier estimate of 7.5%, while warning that spillovers from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and global monetary tightening will weigh on the economic outlook.
• In its twice-a-year report on South Asia, the World Bank said, “Private investment growth is likely to be dampened by heightened uncertainty and higher financing costs.” The international financial institution also noted that slowing global demand will impact the country’s exports. This is the third time the World Bank has revised its GDP growth forecast for India in FY23. In June, it had slashed its FY23 GDP growth forecast for India to 7.5%. Earlier in April, it had trimmed the forecast from 8.7% to 8%.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently cut the economic growth projection for the current fiscal to 7% from 7.2% estimated earlier on account of extended geopolitical tensions and aggressive monetary policy tightening globally. The RBI in April had cut GDP growth estimate to 7.2% from its earlier forecast of 7.8%.

Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid elected as new president of Iraq 

• The Iraqi Parliament chose Kurdish politician, Abdul Latif Rashid to lead the country. Rashid won more than 160 votes against 99 for the incumbent Saleh. Rashid, 78, is a British-educated engineer and was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010. Outgoing President Saleh reportedly walked out of the parliament building as the votes were tallied. 
• Rashid was born in 1944 in the northeastern Sulaymaniyah region of Iraq. He graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Liverpool in 1968. He went on to complete his engineering doctorate in 1976 from the University of Manchester.
• Rashid has a long history in Iraqi politics. He served as the minister of water resources from 2003 to 2010 and then as the senior adviser to the President. He can speak speaks Kurdish, Arabic and English. 
• Rashid is a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party. He was also the former spokesperson for the PUK in Britain. 

About Iraq:
Capital: Baghdad
Currency: Dinar
President: Abdul Latif Rashid
Prime Minister: Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani 

INS Arihant carries out successful launch of submarine launched ballistic missile

• INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) on October 14, 2022. The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated
• The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability. A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence‘ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Birth Anniversary:

• Avul Pakir Jainuladbeen Abdul Kalam born on 15th October 1931 was an Indian aerospace scientist and the 11th president of India. He served as the President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was known as the Missile Man of India for his works and development of ballistic missiles and launch vehicle technology. 
• He has spent more than four decades serving as a scientist and science administrator at Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He was constantly involved in the civil space program of India and military missile development. He was also the recipient of several prestigious awards which includes Bharat Ratna
• Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a man of many talents and has served the nation throughout his life. He has made efforts to improve and develop society. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s contribution has pushed society to achieve its progress. Here are a few significant contributions of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

RBI launches advanced supervisory monitoring system DAKSH 

• The Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das launched a new ‘SupTech’ initiative DAKSH – the bank’s Advanced Supervisory Monitoring System, which is expected to make the supervisory processes more robust. 
• In a statement, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it has been taking various initiatives in strengthening supervision, which among other initiatives include adoption of latest data and analytical tools as well as leveraging technology for implementing more efficient and automated work processes. 
• DAKSH means ‘efficient’ & ‘competent’, reflecting the underlying capabilities of the application. DAKSH is a web-based end-to-end workflow application through which RBI shall monitor compliance requirements in a more focused manner with the objective of further improving the compliance culture in Supervised Entities (SEs) like Banks, NBFCs, etc 
• The Reserve Bank of India performs this function under the guidance of the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS).The Board is constituted by co-opting four Directors from the Central Board as members for a term of two years and is chaired by the Governor.

Global Hunger Index 2022: India slips six places, ranked 107 of 121 countries  

• India ranks 107 out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index in which it fares worse than all countries in South Asia barring war-torn Afghanistan. India’s score of 29.1 places it in the ‘serious’ category. India also ranks below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99). Afghanistan (109) is the only country in South Asia that performs worse than India on the index.
• China is among the countries collectively ranked between 1 and 17 having a score of less than five. India’s child wasting rate (low weight for height), at 19.3%, is worse than the levels recorded in 2014 (15.1%) and even 2000 (17.15%), and is the highest for any country in the world and drives up the region’s average owing to India’s large population.
• India’s GHI score has decreased from a 2000 GHI score of 38.8 points, considered alarming, to a 2022 GHI score of 29.1, considered serious.
• India’s proportion of undernourished in the population is considered to be at a medium level, and its under-five child mortality rate is considered low.

PM Modi flags off 4th Vande Bharat Express train in Himachal's Una

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fourth Vande Bharat Express Train of India. He also launched a slew of development projects in Himachal Pradesh. PM Modi flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express Train from Amb Andaura to New Delhi. He also laid the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park
• In Chamba district, he laid the foundation stone of two hydropower projects and launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III in Himachal Pradesh.
• Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur highlighted the ninth visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Himachal Pradesh in five years
• The Vande Bharat Express Train launched in Himachal Pradesh is much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration

SpaceX launches Crew-5 mission for NASA, carrying astronauts to space station

• A SpaceX rocket soared into orbit from Florida carrying the next long-term International Space Station crew, with a Russian cosmonaut, two Americans and a Japanese astronaut flying together in a demonstration of US-Russian teamwork in space despite Ukraine war tensions. 
• SpaceX Crew5 astronauts, Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata pose for a photo as they leave the Operations and Checkout building before heading to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, for a mission to the International Space Station.
• The mission, designated Crew-5, marks the fifth full-fledged ISS crew NASA has flown aboard a SpaceX vehicle since the private rocket venture founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk began sending US astronauts aloft in May 2020. The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Endurance, lifted off into clear skies at noon from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The two-stage, 23-story-tall Falcon 9 ascended from the launch tower as its nine Merlin engines roared to life in billowing clouds of vapor and a reddish-orange fireball.

Pankaj Tripathi Becomes 'National Icon' Of Election Commission Of India

• Election Commission of India (ECI) in creating awareness amongst voters, Actor Pankaj Tripathi has been declared as the ‘National Icon’ of ECI. The actor was chosen for the honour by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar for keeping in view his commitment to the cause and wide appeal across the country. An event on the ‘Voter Awareness Program’, CEC Rajiv Kumar complimented ECI state icon, Pankaj Tripathi, for his association with ECI in creating voting awareness across citizens, and henceforth declared him as the National Icon for ECI.
• Interestingly: One of Pankaj’s most acclaimed roles involved the electoral process in the 2017 film Newton, for which he won the National Award. He played the role of a CRPF officer, who was tasked with conducting elections in a conflict-ridden zone in the jungles of Chhattisgarh. National Award-winner Pankaj Tripathi has been active in the industry for almost two decades. Some of his critically-acclaimed films include Omkara, Dharm, and Aakrosh among others. Further, he has also worked in various web series and other Over Top Content.

PM Modi launches Mission LiFE movement at Kevadiya in Gujarat

• Mission LIFE movement is launched by PM Modi in order to protect the environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern warning. After the global launch of Mission LiFE at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the PM addressed the crowd and asserted that lifestyle changes can help to mitigate climate change 
• The PM noted, reiterating India’s commitment to combating the threat of climate change, that a circular economy and reduce, reuse, recycle principles have been ingrained in Indian culture for thousands of years.
• India is the best example of economic progress and environmental protection.
• The PM referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of trusteeship and said that the Mission LiFE invites us to be environmental trustees 
• PM Modi praised Gujarat’s initiatives in the fields of environmental preservation and renewable energy. 

Fifth Khelo India Youth Games-2022 to be held in Madhya Pradesh in January-February next year  

• The 5th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Madhya Pradesh from 31st January to 11th February 2023. The event was felicitated by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur, and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
• Indigenous games will be a part of the upcoming Khelo India Youth Games. Madhya Pradesh has made the sport of Mallakhamb their state sport for supporting the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support Olympics sports and indigenous sports in the same manner
• Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur announced that the 5th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Madhya Pradesh.Khelo India Youth Games will be held in eight locations.
• More than 8500 athletes and sportspersons are expected that participate in the KIYG 2023.Khelo India Youth Games started in 2016 and since then, it has provided an effective platform for the youth of India to showcase their talents in sports.

Chandrayaan-3 pushed to 2023, launch to Moon likely in June

• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to launch its third lunar mission in the month of June 2023. The more capable lunar rover that will be carried by Chandrayaan-3, which is essential for future interplanetary explorations, according to S. Somnath, Chairman of the Indian Space Agency, ISRO. 
• According to S Somnath, the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III) will launch Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) in June of next year.
• ISRO is also working on the Gaganyaan mission, and the first abort test is scheduled for the new year.
• The mission will rely on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which is already circling the Moon; the Chandrayaan-3 rover is not a clone of its predecessor, according to the head of ISRO. “C-3 is now prepared

14th Edition of World Spice Congress to be held in Mumbai

• The 14th World Spice Congress will take place in the CIDCO Exhibition and Convention Centre in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, from February 16 to 18, 2023. Spices Board India in conjunction with a number of trade and export forums is hosting the World Spice Congress during India’s G20 presidency 
• The 14th edition of the World Spice Congress (WSC) is going to be all about and only about ‘SPICES,’ after announcing the subject. Vision 2030: SPICES (Sustainability- ProductivityInnovation- Collaboration- Excellence and Safety) has been selected as the subject for the current World Spice Congress (WSC).
• Over a thousand delegates from more than fifty nations are anticipated to attend the 14th WSC.
• Regulatory authorities from significant importing nations, ministers of trade, and industry associations from G20 member nations will all attend the event
• The World Spice Congress (WSC) event will also host an expo showcasing the advantages and skills of the Indian spice sector in addition to the business workshops.

Liz Truss resigns as U.K. Prime Minister

• Liz Truss, the British prime minister will step down from her position after only six weeks in office due to an economic plan that angered many members of her own party and rattled financial markets. Suella Braverman, Indian origin British interior minister, also resigned making her the second senior cabinet official to do so in the past week after finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng. Suella Braverman said that she left the Liz Truss administration due to a “technical” violation of government regulations and expressed her reservations about the government’s course while also criticising the premier. Grant Shapps, the country’s new interior minister, has taken Suella Braverman’s seat. 
• The Conservatives have a sizable majority in parliament and do not need to schedule a general election for another two years
• Rishi Sunak, a former finance minister, is most likely to face Penny Mordaunt in that race.

India, France re-elected as President, Co-President of International Solar Alliance 

• In the third assembly of ISA, Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh has been re-elected as the President of International Solar Alliance. France Minister of State for Development Chrysoula Zacharopoulou has been re-elected as Co-President.
• The Third Assembly of the International Solar Alliance has been attended by 34 ISA Members ministers. 53 Member countries and 5 Signatory and Prospective Member countries participated to the Assembly.  
• India and France were re-elected as the President and Co- President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a term of two years at the virtual meeting of the Third Assembly held on 14 October. Four new Vice-Presidents were also chosen to represent the four regions of ISA. The representatives of Fiji & Nauru for Asia Pacific Region; Mauritius & Niger for Africa Region; UK & Netherlands for Europe and others Region, and Cuba and Guyana for Latin America and Caribbean Region assumed the vice presidency.

ISRO designates Dr Sankarasubramanian as the Principal Scientist of the Aditya-L1 mission

• The Indian Space Research Organisation has designated Dr. Sankarasubramanian K as the Principal Scientist of the Aditya-L1 mission. Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. Sankarasubramanian has contributed to AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions of ISRO in several capacities. 
• Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system.
• A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses. This position provides a greater advantage of observing solar activities continuously.
•  Dr Sankarasubramanian K. is a senior solar scientist at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru. He obtained his PhD in Physics from Bangalore University through the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.  

About ISRO:
Chairman: S. Somanath
Foundation Date: 15th August, 1969
Founder: Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
Bangladesh: Youth from 70 countries to take part in Global Youth Climate Summit 

• Global Youth Leadership Center, an international non-profit organisation, is all set to embark on its journey from Bangladesh on October 20 with the inauguration of its first programme — the Global Youth Climate Summit. The three-day summit will be held at Ava Center in Khulna, one of Bangladesh’s most climate vulnerable regions, bringing together 650 youths from 70 countries to explore how today’s youth can lead the fight against climate change.
• Addressing the media in Dhaka, Ejaj Ahmad, the founder and chief executive officer of Global Youth Leadership Center, said, ‘Climate change is the biggest crisis facing humanity today. To address a complex challenge like climate change, we will all have to work globally and at scale.’
• Our mission is to expand the youth’s knowledge about climate science, equip them with leadership skills to take individual and collective action, and enable them to launch businesses that contribute to climate mitigation or adaptation,’ he said. To empower the youth to take climate action, he said 10 delegates at the summit will receive a grant of 1,000 US dollars each to implement their climate mitigation or adaptation project.

Sajan Bhanwal becomes first-ever Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win medal at U-23 World Championship 

• Sajan Bhanwal became the first-ever Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win a medal at the Under23 World Championship defeating Ukraine’s Dmytro Vasetskyi in the 77 kg bronze medal play-off at Pontevedra, Spain.
• The bout ended at 10-10 but since the Indian had scored the last point he was declared the winner on criteria.
• Six Greco-Roman wrestlers are participating in the championship along with two women and one free-style wrestler.

Bernard Dunne is Indian boxing's new high performance director 

• Former Irish professional boxer Bernard Dunne has been named the high-performance director (HPD) for Indian boxing. Dunne, who had a five-year (2017-2022) stint with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, replaces Santiago Nieva. During Dunne’s tenure with the Ireland team, Kellie Harrington emerged as World (2018, Delhi) and Olympic (2021, Tokyo) champion, while Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke won golds at this year’s World Championships in Istanbul and Aidan Walsh secured a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics
• The 42-year-old Dunne, who has bagged 13 national titles, has joined the Indian boxing elite programme at Patiala. He has won the WBA World Championship (2009) and the European Championship (2007), will take over the position which was left vacant after Santiago Nieva’s departure.

Cognizant hires former Infosys president Ravi Kumar to lead Americas market 

• Former Infosys president Ravi Kumar S, who resigned from the Bengaluru-based IT company last week, is joining as president of Cognizant Americas. Kumar will take on the position from January 16, 2023, and will be reporting directly to Brian Humphries, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cognizant. Kumar succeeds Dharmendra Kumar Sinha who retired from Cognizant last year. At present, Sinha is the president of the public cloud business unit in Rackspace Technology. Surya Gummadi will continue to hold the post of interim president for Cognizant Americas till Kumar joins, after which he will move to lead Cognizant’s $5-billion health sciences business
• In 2015, Kumar was one of the two presidents appointed by Infosys, and served in that position for almost seven years. He had been with Infosys for 20 years. Cognizant has also announced the appointment of former Bain executive Prasad Sankaran as head of the software and platform engineering (SPE) service line.

DY Chandrachud appointed 50th Chief Justice of India, to take oath on Nov 9 

• President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr Justice DY Chandrachud as the new Chief Justice of India. He will succeed the present Chief Justice of India Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. Justice Chandrachud’s appointment will come into effect from the 9th of next month. Justice DY Chandrachud would be the 50th Chief Justice of India. While Justice Lalit has a tenure of 74 days, Justice Chandrachud will serve as the CJI for two years. Justice Chandrachud will demit office on November 10, 2024.
• Born in 1959, Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud earned his LLB from Delhi University. After earning the coveted Inlaks Scholarship, he went on to study at Harvard University. He earned his Masters in Law (LLM) and Doctorate in Juridical Sciences at Harvard (SJD).
• His father Justice Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud was the 16th Chief Justice of India, serving from February 22, 1978, till July 11, 1985. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of India on August 28, 1972. He was the longest-serving Chief Justice in India’s history, having served for 7 years and 4 months.