International conference on “Exploring Consciousness- From Non- Locality to Non- Duality

• The conference is organized by India Foundation and NIMHANS and supported by Ministry of Ayush.
• The conference will bring together some of the most eminent researchers and inventors in the areas of physics, biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, quantum computing and allied fields as well as scholars and spiritual teachers of the major Indic Spiritual and psychological disciplines and doctrines.
• The Minister also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence project in the Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru as part of “AYURSWASTHYA YOJANA”, a flagship programme under Ministry of Ayush.
• The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will strengthen competencies of Ayush professionals in Education technology, Research & innovation and others.
• Main objectives of the CoE project at NIMHANS is to conduct clinical trials in four neuro-psychiatric disorders to establish efficacy, safety and proposed mechanism of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda treatment approaches.

NCC, UNEP sign MoU to tackle plastic pollution

• MoU was signed to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and achieve the universal goal of clean water bodies through Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and Tide Turners Plastic Challenge programme.
• It is aimed to synergise efforts toward engaging youth for promoting clean water bodies.
• The NCC had launched Puneet Sagar Abhiyan on 1st December last year. The aim of the campaign is to clean sea shores from plastic and other waste material and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness.
• Since the launch of Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, over 100 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected from nearly 1,900 locations by more than 12 lakh NCC cadets, alumni and volunteers.

SC appoints ex-judge Justice L Nageswara Rao for amending constitution of IOA

• A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said the ex-top court judge would ensure a fair and development-oriented approach for the future of the Olympics in the country.

• The apex court asked Justice Rao to prepare a road map for amending the constitution and holding elections by 15 December 2022.

• The Apex Court also gave its permission to Rajeev Mehta, who is currently the secretary general of IOA, and Adille Sumariwalla, vice president of IOA, to participate in the forthcoming meeting with the International Olympic Committee scheduled to be held on27th

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 8th September issued a final warning to IOA to resolve its governance issues and hold elections by December, failing which the world sports body will ban India.

• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets.

Meeting of I2U2 Sherpas on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York

• The I2U2 Group is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
• The group held its inaugural summit on July 14, 2022, in which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated.
• As an outcome of the summit, the leaders announced that the UAE will invest $2 billion "to develop a series of integrated food parks across India."
• The group also agreed to proceed with "a hybrid renewable energy project in India''s Gujarat State consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity complemented by a battery energy storage system."
• The group''s first joint statement, released on July 14, 2022, states that the countries aim to cooperate on "joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security."

Vice President to inaugurate 3rd edition of Lok Manthan programme at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati

• The theme of this year’s biennale is Lokparampara (Lok traditions) - and how lok traditions have kept our cultural consciousness intact and strengthened our feeling of National Selfhood.
• Lokmanthan is an event where artists, intellectuals, and academicians are drawn from different parts of the country converge and brainstorm on the questions that haunt the society.
• Besides, the three-day event will have discussions, seminars, cultural events and exhibitions which showcase the rich diversity of the nation.

The Supreme Court verdict on Haryana gurdwaras, and what it means for the Sikh community

• The verdict has cleared the way for the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to control all gurdwaras in the state.
• The gurdwaras covered by the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 are spread over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh, and are administered by Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Management Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).
• Until the Haryana Act came into force, the gurdwaras in Haryana were governed by the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
• The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act) was brought in based on a nearly two-decade old demand by a section of the Sikh community in Haryana to have a separate committee to manage gurdwaras in the state instead of SGPC.
• Upholding the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act), 2014, the Supreme Court said that since the affairs of the Sikh minority in the state are to be managed by the Sikhs alone, it cannot be said to be violative of any of the fundamental rights conferred under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

What is the draft Telecom Bill, and what changes it aims to bring

• Through the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, the Centre aims to consolidate and amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom networks and infrastructure, in addition to assignment of spectrum.
• The draft Bill consolidates three separate acts that govern the telecommunications sector — Indian Telegraph Act 1885, Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, and The Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950.
• One of the key changes is inclusion of new-age over-the-top communication services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram in the definition of telecommunication services.
• As per the draft law, providers of telecommunication services will be covered under the licensing regime, and will be subjected to similar rules as other telecom operators.

Defence Ministry signs contract with BrahMos Aerospace for dual-role Surface to Surface BrahMos missiles

• Induction of these dual-role capable Missiles is going to significantly enhance the operational capability of Indian Navy fleet assets.
• BAPL is a Joint Venture between India and Russia making a crucial contribution to augment the new generation of Surface-to-Surface Missiles with enhanced range and dual role capability for land as well as anti-ship attacks.
• This contract is going to give further boost to indigenous production of critical weapon system and ammunition with active participation of indigenous industry.

NASA spacecraft DART is set to crash into asteroid.

• The impact should be just enough to nudge the asteroid into a slightly tighter orbit around its companion space rock — demonstrating that if a killer asteroid ever heads our way, we’d stand a fighting chance of diverting it.
• The asteroid with the bull’s-eye on it is Dimorphos, about 7 million miles (9.6 million kilometers) from Earth.
• It is actually the puny sidekick of a 2,500-foot (780-meter) asteroid named Didymos, Greek for twin.
• Discovered in 1996, Didymos is spinning so fast that scientists believe it flung off material that eventually formed a moonlet. Dimorphos — roughly 525 feet (160 meters) across — orbits its parent body at a distance of less than a mile (1.2 kilometers).