Union Home Minister’s “Special Operation Medal” for the year 2022 awarded for 4 Special Operations

• The medal was constituted in 2018 with the objective to recognize those operations, which have high degree of planning, high significance for the security of the country/State/UT and have significant impact on the security of larger sections of the society.
• The award shall be conferred for Special Operation in the areas such as counter terrorism, border action, arms control, prevention of narcotics smuggling and rescue operations.
• All recommendations for the award is sent to the MHA within three months of the special operation.
• It is announced on 31st of October every year.
• In a year, normally 3 Special Operations are considered for the award and in extra ordinary circumstances; the award may be given up to 5 Special Operations to encourage State/UT Police.

Actress called Samantha Ruth Prabhu diagnosed with Myositis

• What is myositis? It is a rare condition that causes muscles to become weak, painful and tired. Myo means muscle, itis means inflammation. When muscles are inflamed, they may be swollen and susceptible to pain.
• Causes: It is usually caused by a problem with the immune system, where it mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In most cases, the exact cause of myositis is unknown and therefore considered idiopathic.
• Prevalence: Around 4-22 cases per one lakh population. Myositis can affect both children and adults. With the exception of one type of myositis, women are more likely to be affected by this disease than men.
• Types of myositis:
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Inclusion-body myositis
  • Juvenile myositis
  • Polymyositis
  • Toxic myositis
• Symptoms: The general symptoms may include muscle pain and soreness, fatigue, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing.
• Treatment: Since there is no one medical treatment that fits all, immunosuppressant drugs are recommended along with physical therapy, exercise, stretching, and yoga which can help keep muscles strong and flexible and prevent muscle atrophy.

PM announces ex-gratia from PMNRF for the victims of mishap in Morbi

• Prime Minister''s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established entirely with public contributions and does not get any budgetary support.
• The corpus of the fund is invested in various forms with scheduled commercial banks and other agencies. Disbursements are made with the approval of the Prime Minister.
• PMNRF has not been constituted by the Parliament. The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
• PMNRF accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions etc.
• All contributions towards PMNRF are exempt from Income Tax under section 80(G).
• The resources of the PMNRF are utilized to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc.
• Assists partially to defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgery, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment of needy people and acid attack etc.

Amur falcons begin to arrive in Manipur after travelling over 20,000 km

• Migration Journey:
  • Locally known as Akhuipuina, the bird arrives mainly in Manipur and Nagaland on its southbound migration from breeding grounds in North China, Eastern Mongolia and far-east Russia en-route to its wintering grounds in South Africa.
  • The one-way journey via India is about 20,000 km long and the birds do this twice a year.
• Conservation efforts:
  • Amur falcon is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and included under its Schedule IV.
  • Hunting of the birds or possessing its meat is punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine up to Rs 5,000.
  • In 2018, the forest department started a conservation programme by radio-tagging the birds to study their migratory route.
• IUCN status is Least Concern.

Prime Minister praises plantation drive of Central Reserve Police Force jawans

• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the premier central police force of the Union of India for internal security.
• It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India.
• Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central para military forces (now termed as Central Armed Police Force).
• CRPF was raised as a sequel to the political unrest and the agitations in the then princely States of India following the Madras Resolution of the All-India Congress Committee in 1936 and the ever-growing desire of the Crown Representative to help the vast majority of the native States to preserve law and order as a part of the imperial policy.
• It became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28th December 1949.

Duties performed by the CRPF are

• Crowd control, Riot control
• Counter Millitancy / Insurgency operations, Dealing with Left Wing Extremism
• Overall co-ordination of large scale security arrangement specially with regard to elections in disturbed areas.
• Protection of VIPs and vital installations.
• Checking environmental de-gradation and protection of local Flora and Fauna
• Fighting aggression during War time
• Participating in UN Peace Keeping Mission
• Rescue and Relief operations at the time of Natural Calamities.

PM Modi inaugurates Maze Garden and Miyawaki Forest at Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar

• The Miyawaki Forest is named after the technique developed by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki to plant saplings of various species close to each other to develop a dense urban forest.
  • Through the Miyawaki method, a forest can be developed in just two to three years while it takes at least 20 to 30 years through the traditional method.
  • The growth of plants is ten times faster using this method and as a result, the forest developed is thirty times denser.
  • The Miyawaki Forest will include a Native Floral Garden, Timber Garden, Fruit Garden, Medicinal Garden and a Digital Orientation Centre.
• Maze garden: Sprawling over three acres with a pathway of 2,100 metres, this is the largest maze garden in the country. It has been designed in the shape of a ‘Shriyantra’, which is believed to bring positive energy to the place.

IMD predicted moderate rain in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe from 30 October-3 November.

• IMD was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects.
• The Director General of Meteorology is the Head of the India Meteorological Department.
• There are 6 Regional Meteorological Centres, each under a Deputy Director General with headquarters at Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Calcutta, Nagpur and Guwahati.
• Its headquarter is in New Delhi.
• At present IMD is under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• IMD Mandate:
  • To take meteorological observations and to provide current and forecast meteorological information for weather-sensitive activities like agriculture, shipping, aviation, offshore oil explorations, etc.
  • To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, norwesters, duststorms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves,,
  • To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration and other nation-building activities.
  • To conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.

Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will convene to formulate its response to the Government of India about the high rate of inflation in the country.

• Under the “inflation-targeting” regime that began in 2016, the central bank is required to target an inflation rate of 4 per cent, with a leeway of 2 percentage points on either side.
• Retail inflation which is calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been outside the RBI’s comfort zone for three consecutive quarters beginning January.
• Under the RBI Act, 1934, if the central bank fails to meet the inflation target for three consecutive quarters, it is required to provide the following information to the government:
• reasons for the failure to achieve the inflation target;
• remedial actions proposed to be taken; and
• an estimate of the time period within which the inflation target shall be achieved pursuant to timely implementation of the proposed remedial actions.

MPC

• Under Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member MPC to determine the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target. The first such MPC was constituted on September 29, 2016.
• Functions: MPC shall determine the Policy Rate required to achieve the inflation target”, and that “the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee shall be binding on the Bank”.
• Members:
  • RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson, the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, an officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board, and three persons to be appointed by the central government.
  • The last category of appointments must be from “persons of ability, integrity and standing, having knowledge and experience in the field of economics or banking or finance or monetary policy”.

Kanye West says he was beaten to pulp after outrage over his anti-Semitic rants

• Anti-Semitism refers to any form of prejudice against the Jewish people. However, the term itself is a misnomer as Semitic designates a language group, not a race.
• Though anti-Semitism can linguistically be used to describe a prejudice against speakers of the Semitic languages (including Arabs and Ethiopians,) in practical terms, it is commonly used specifically to pertain to Jews.
• Racial anti-Semitism, most commonly associated with the Nazis, stems from a belief that Jews are a distinct, inferior race with inherent genetic traits. This form usually manifests in the belief that Jews need to be exterminated altogether.
• Religious anti-Semitism traces its roots to the early days of Christianity and is accompanied by a notion that Jews should be converted to other faiths.
• Social anti-Semitism is a form of exclusion of Jews from social situations. For example, a practice was reported in 1959 which claimed that Jews in America were routinely excluded from golf and sports clubs.
• Economic anti-Semitism posits that Jews have a disproportionate degree of control over global and national financial institutions, and that their stronghold over those institutions ought to be diminished.
• Political anti-Semitism is the attempt to keep Jews out of power. It is often conflated with anti-Zionism, a movement that denies the Jewish right to a national homeland

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day 2022

• National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is celebrated on October 31, every year since 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• This year marks the 147th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai merged 565 princely states to make India one nation. This is the reason why National Unity Day is celebrated on his birth anniversary.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was appointed as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from 1947 to 1950.
• He was so influenced by Gandhiji''s ideas that in the year 1920 in the non-cooperation movement, he adopted indigenous Khadi items and started boycotting foreign clothes.
• Patel led the Satyagraha movement in Nagpur in 1923 against the British law of banning the hoisting of the Indian Flag.
• He was the second candidate for the post of President after Mahatma Gandhi at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress in 1929.
• In the year 1950, the health of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel started deteriorating and on 15 December 1950, he said goodbye to the world.
• Ahmedabad''s airport has also been named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
• In 2013, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Sardar Patel''s memorial in the Narmada district of Gujarat. It was named the Statue of Unity.