PM to unveil the logo, theme and website of India’s G20 Presidency on 8th November

• G20 Presidency offers India an opportunity to contribute to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance.
• What is G20? G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
• Origin and Evolution:
  • The G20 was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit East Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. Its aim was to secure global financial stability by involving middle-income countries.
  • The first G20 Summit took place in 2008 in Washington DC, US.
• The members of the G20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
• Organizational Structure of G20
  • The G-20 operates without a permanent secretariat or staff.
  • The chair rotates annually among the members and is selected from a different regional grouping of countries.
  • The chair is part of a revolving three-member management group of past, present and future chairs referred to as the
• Working of G20: The preparatory process for the G20 Summit is conducted through the established Sherpa and Finance tracks that prepare and follow up on the issues and commitments adopted at the Summits.
  • The Sherpas’ Track focuses on non-economic and financial issues, such as development, anti-corruption and food security, while addressing internal aspects such as procedural rules of the G20 process.
  • The Finance Track focuses on economic and financial issues

Over 2 Years Since it Was Notified, Union Govt Appoints Law Commission Chairperson, Members

• The appointment comes after more than two years after the 22nd Law Commission was notified on February 24, 2020.
• Status: Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body and is constituted by a notification of the Government of India.
• Background:
  • The Charter Act 1833 which was enacted by the British Parliament provided for the establishment of a Law Commission for consolidation and codification of Indian Laws.
  • In 1835, Lord Macaulay was appointed as Chairman of the First Law Commission.
• Tenure: The tenure of Law Commission is for three years.
• Mandate:
  • The Law Commission shall, on a reference made to it by the Central Government or suo-motu, undertake research in law and review of existing laws in India for making reforms therein and enacting new legislations.
  • It shall also undertake studies and research for bringing reforms in the justice delivery systems for elimination of delay in procedures, speedy disposal of cases, reduction in cost of litigation etc.
• Composition & Eligibility: It has no fixed composition, no defined eligibility criteria for its chair and members, and no set functions.

Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Shri

• The Middle East Green Initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions from regional hydrocarbon production by more than 60%.
• It also plans to plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East and restore an area equivalent to 200 million hectares of degraded land. The initiative will help reduce global carbon levels by 2.5%.
• The first Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit was hosted by HRH Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister in Riyadh on 25 October 2021.
• It facilitated a first-of-its-kind regional dialogue on climate, with leaders in attendance from 28 countries agreeing to work together to tackle climate change.
• Saudi Arabia plans to rely on renewables for 50% of its electricity generation by 2030, , removing 44 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035.

President of India Presents National Florence Nightingale Awards 2021

• The National Florence Nightingale Awards were instituted in the year 1973 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a mark of recognition for the meritorious services rendered by nurses and nursing professionals to society.
• The award is given to outstanding Nursing personnel employed in central, State/UTs, Private, Missionary and Voluntary Organizations.

Florence Nightingale

• Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing.
• Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople.
• Her efforts to formalize nursing education led her to establish the first scientifically based nursing school—the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.

President’s greetings on the eve of birthday of Guru Nanak Dev ji

• It will be observed as the 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It is observed annually on the full moon date of the Kartik month or Kartik Purnima
• Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), also referred to as Baba Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
• He was born on April 15, 1469 in Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.
• Guru Nanak Dev spread the message of ‘Ek Omkar’ which means that God is one and is present everywhere.
• Guru Nanak Dev Ji believed one can connect to the almighty through sincere prayers. All his teachings are composed together to form the sacred book called Guru Granth Sahib - the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism.

MNRE notifies National Bio Energy Programme

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified the National Bioenergy Programme on November 2, 2022.
• The Programme has been recommended for implementation in two Phases. The Phase-I of the Programme has been approved with a budget outlay of Rs. 858 crore.
• The programme will aid the use of huge surplus biomass, cattle dung, and industrial and urban biowaste available in the country for energy recovery.
• The National Bioenergy Programme will include the three Sub-schemes:
  • Waste to Energy Programme (Programme on Energy from Urban, Industrial and Agricultural Wastes /Residues) to support setting up of large Biogas, BioCNG and Power plants (excluding MSW to Power projects).
  • Biomass Programme (Scheme to Support Manufacturing of Briquettes & Pellets and Promotion of Biomass (non-bagasse) based cogeneration in Industries) to support setting up of pellets and briquettes for use in power generation and non-bagasse based power generation projects.
  • Biogas Programme to support setting up of family and medium size Biogas in rural areas.

Over 1 lakh welfare projects completed in mining areas under PMKKKY so far

• The Ministry of Mines launched PMKKKY in 2015 for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining-related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).
• to implement various developmental and welfare projects in mining affected areas, complementing the existing ongoing schemes of State and Central Government;
• to minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts; and
• to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.
• It will be implemented by DMFs of the respective districts using the funds accruing to the DMF. The Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, mandated the setting up of DMFs in all districts in the country affected by mining related operations.
• The Central Government has notified the rates of contribution payable by miners to the DMFs.
  • In case of all mining leases executed before 12th January, 2015 miners will have to contribute an amount equal to 30% of the royalty payable by them to the DMFs. If mining leases are granted after 12.01.2015, the rate of contribution would be 10% of the royalty payable.
• Utilisation of Funds:
  • At least 60% of PMKKKY funds to be utilized for High priority areas such as Drinking water supply, Health care, Education, Environment preservation etc.
  • Up to 40% of the PMKKKY to be utilized for other priority areas such as- Physical infrastructure,Irrigation, Energy and Watershed Development etc.

Delhi air quality still in ''very poor'' category, smog continues to grip city

• Launched by the central government in 2014 as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, the AQI was to help simplify the common understanding of pollution.

• The AQI transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour. The pollutants measured include

  PM 10, PM 2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Carbon, etc.

• The colour-coded AQI index helps the public and the government understand the condition of the air and what subsequent measures are to be taken to combat the situation, based on its severity.

• Six categories of AQI:

  • ‘Good’ (0-50)
  • ‘Satisfactory’ (50-100)
  • ‘Moderately polluted’ (100-200)
  • ‘Poor’ (200-300)
  • ‘Very Poor’ (300-400)
  • ‘Severe’ (400-500)

• Calculation of the index:

  • There are six or eight pollutants in the affected air and each of these pollutants is given a weight based on a formula. That weight depends on the kind of impact it has on human health.
  • The worst of these weights is given as composite air quality, so instead of giving six different numbers, and six different colours, it throws up one single colour, one single number to denote the overall impact. Monitoring stations across the country assess these levels.

Implementation of Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler (BATS) for all Commercial Operations of All India Radio

• BATS can bring about transparency into the entire operations and make the entire commercial operations very efficient.
• It allows monitoring of booking, billing and payment receipts etc. at various stages and system can provide various reports which are very essential in taking many management decisions.
• BATS has the following important features:
  • To manage the scheduling and billing of advertising orders across multiple stations via one central database.
  • Increases operational efficiency and reduces cost.
  • Media Sales Traffic increases the efficiency of the organization by providing traffic team a flexible solution for planning, scheduling and billing of spots.
  • Ensures accurate billing by effectively managing account hierarchy, different Package and Products etc.
  • Payment processing and collections through integrated Payment Gateway of SBI.

DRDO launches testing and evaluation facility for Indian Navy''s Sonar systems at NPOL Kochi

• What is it? It is a state-of-the-art testing and evaluation facility for sonar systems developed for use by the Indian navy onboard various platforms, including ships, submarines and helicopters.
• Design and Construction:
  • The SPACE facility is based on the concept design and requirements projected by NPOL and has been constructed by M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Chennai.
  • The design and construction of the platform meet all the statutory needs of Indian Register of Shipping and the vessel classifying authority and strictly adhere to the inspection and registration criteria as per Kerala Inland Vessel Rules.
• Use: This will be mainly utilized for evaluating Sonar systems, allowing for quick deployment and easy recovery of scientific packages such as sensors and transducers.
• Feature: The uniqueness of this facility lies in the specially designed submersible platform, which can be lowered up to depths of 100 meters using a series of synchronously operated winches.