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02nd Nov 2021
PUNJAB POLICE TO DEDICATE GURU NANAK’S 550TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY TO PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Punjab Police’s ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) proposed that the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev to be declared as ‘World Pedestrian Day’.
Highlights:
- Aim: To spread awareness on road safety for Pedestrians.
- It will bring major changes in pedestrian safety and highlight the government’s commitment towards “Right to walk” or pedestrian rights, contributing towards sustainable development goals.
- The Indian Penal Code (IPC) enforces strict punishment in cases of rash or negligent driving under section 279.
- Section 304 talks about causing death due to negligence.
- Section 336 talks about endangering someone else’s life or personal safety.
- Sections 7 to 38 and 112 talks about speed limits and various licensing requirements needed to ensure lawful driving on the roads.
- Rule 8: The duty of the driver to slow down when approaching a pedestrian crossing.
- Rule 11: Mot to drive on footpath or cycle lane.
- Rule 15: No parking on footpath or pedestrian lane.
- It also talks about giving priority in “right of way” to pedestrians.
- Guru Nanak Dev was born on 15th April 1469. He was the founder of Sikhism.
- He became the first Sikh Guru and his spiritual teachings laid the foundation on which Sikhism was formed.
- Guru Nanak did not support monasticism and asked his followers to lead the life of honest householder.
- In his youth, he criticized the politically oppressive policies of the Mughal regime and the socially oppressive practices of casteism of the orthodox Brahmanical Hindu religion.
- His teachings were immortalized in the form of 974 hymns, which came to be known as ‘Guru Granth Sahib,’ the holy text of Sikhism.
- Since from childhood his interest towards divine subjects developed.
- He advocated “There is no Hindu and no Musalman.” It marked beginning of his teachings which culminate in the form of a new religion.
- Later he came to be known as Guru Nanak as he travelled far and wide to spread his teachings.
- He founded Sikhism, one of the youngest religions, through his teachings.
- The religion emphasizes on the importance of leading a spiritual life without embracing monasticism.
- It teaches its followers to escape the clutches of ordinary human traits, such as lust, rage, greed, attachment, and conceit (known as the ‘Five Thieves’).
- It also advocates justice and equality and urges its followers to serve mankind.
- He stated every human being can attain spiritual perfection which will ultimately lead them to God.
- He emphasized that God has created many worlds and created life.
- He urged them to lead a spiritual life by serving others and leading an honest life without indulging in fraud.
- He gave three pillars of Sikhism: ‘Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vand Chhako’ which contains the essence of all his teachings.
- He emphasized on the importance of equality of mankind.
- He condemned slavery and racial discrimination and termed everyone as equal.
- He contributed towards women empowerment in India.
- He appealed to his followers to respect women and to treat them as their equal.
- Without women there would be no creation on earth.
- Guru Nanak came up with a religion that supports the lifestyle of an average householder.
- He also taught his followers, the methods to attain salvation while leading a normal life within the society.
- He stressed on the importance of leading life with one’s family members.
- Researchers studied a meteorite that fell near the town of Katol in Nagpur, Maharashtra on in 2012.
- Meteorite shows presence of mineral bridgmanite, which is the most abundant mineral in the interior of the Earth, within Katol L6 Chondrite meteorite.
- This finding adds evidence to the Moon-forming giant impact hypothesis.
- The discovery of natural bridgmanite could help scientists better understand how materials are shaped and formed deep in the Earth.
- It could provide new insight into how substances are transformed by collisions between small objects in the solar system.
- Formerly known as silicate perovskite (Mg,Fe)SiO3, the mineral was named bridgmanite to honor Percy Bridgman, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1946.
- It can be found from the bottom of the transition zone of the Earth's mantle down to the planet's core-mantle boundary at depths between 670 and 2,900 kilometers.
- Bridgmanite is formed due to intense heat and pressure, as is found inside the Earth, which causes its atoms to arrange in a unique pattern.
- It was identified and studied in a meteorite that collided with the Earth 135 years ago.
- The giant impact hypothesis is also known as the Theia Impact or Big Splash.
- It suggests that the moon was formed when an object known as Theia collided with early Earth.
- After collision, vaporized parts of the planet's crust went into the space.
- Gravity bound the ejected particles together, creating a moon that is the largest in the solar system in relation to its host planet.
- The material that formed it came from the crust, while leaving the planet's rocky core untouched.
- As the material drew together around Theia's core, it would have centered near Earth's ecliptic plane, which is the moon orbits today.
- The new laws will require financial firms to explain how they would manage climate-related risks and opportunities, and the disclosure requirements will be based on standards from New Zealand’s independent accounting body the External Reporting Board (XRB).
- Those standards will be based on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and the disclosures will become mandatory for financial years beginning in 2023.
- National Sports Award is the collective name given to the six sports awards of the Republic of India.
- It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- They are presented by the President of India.
- The list of Awards that comes under the National Sports Award are:
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy
- It was instituted in the year 1956–1957.
- It is given to the university for "top performance in the inter-university tournaments" over last year.
- Arjuna Award
- It was instituted in the year 1961.
- It is given to sportspersons for "consistent outstanding performance" over the last four years.
- The award comprises "a bronze statuette of Arjuna, certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
- Dronacharya Award
- It was instituted in the year 1985.
- It is given to coaches for "producing medal winners at prestigious international events".
- The award comprises "a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna
- It was instituted in the year 1991–1992.
- It is given to sportspersons for "most outstanding performance by a sportsperson" over the last four years.
- The award comprises "a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh.
- Dhyan Chand Award
- It was instituted in the year 2002.
- It is given to individuals for "lifetime contribution to sports development".
- The award comprises "a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
- It was instituted in the year 2009.
- It is given to organizations (both private and public) and individuals for "playing a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development" over the last three years.
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy
- Developed By: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
- Green crackers emit pollutants at a 30% lesser rate than their conventional counterparts.
- Green crackers are made using less polluting raw materials.
- Their chemical formulation ensures reduced particle emission into the atmosphere by suppressing the dust produced.
- While regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound, green crackers’ emission rate is limitedto 110-125 decibels
- Manufacturers need to sign a deal with the CSIR in order to make fireworks using the green cracker formulation.
- There are three types of green crackers available in India - SWAS, STAR and SAFAL.
- Green crackers in many cases, use polluting chemicals like aluminum, barium, potassium nitrate and carbon, but the quantity is reduced which in turn lowers the emission by about 30 per cent.
- Gross GST revenue in October this year is ₹1,30,127 crore along with a 24% year-on-year jump and a 36% increase over October 2019.
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue in October surged to ₹1.3 lakh crore, the second-highest since the new tax was launched in July 2017.
- It is an indirect tax (or consumption tax) used in India on the supply of goods and services.
- It has subsumed several taxes including central excise duty, services tax, additional customs duty, surcharge and state-level value added tax.
- The tax came into effect from 1 July 2017 through the implementation of the One Hundred and First Amendment of the Constitution of India.
- The GST is imposed at every step in the production process, but is meant to be refunded to all parties in the various stages of production other than the final consumer and as a destination-based tax.
- Revenue shortfalls arising from the transition to the GST regime is being from a pooled GST Compensation Fund for five years that is set to end in 2022.
- Goods and services are divided into five different tax slabs for collection of tax: 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.
- Petroleum products, alcoholic drinks, and electricity are not taxed under GST and instead are taxed separately by the individual state governments.
- GST is spearheaded by the GST Council, which has 34 members and is headed by the Union Finance Minister.
- Central Goods and Service Tax: Tax levied on intra- State supplies of both goods and services by the Central Government and is governed by the CGST Act.
- State Goods and Service Tax: Tax levied on the same intra-State supply but will be governed by the State Governments.
- Integrated Goods and Service Tax: Tax levied on all inter-State supplies of goods and/or services and is governed by the IGST Act.
- India’s informal economy has shrunk around 15-20 % of the formal GDP as against 52 % three years ago following the adoption of GST.
- At least Rs 13 lakh crore has come into the formal economy through various channels over the last few years.
- Since 2016, certain measures, accelerated the digitisation of the economy and the emergence of the gig economy, have facilitated higher formalization at rates that are much faster than that of most other nations.
- Around 93 per cent of India’s workforce is part of the informal economy (NSSO 2014).
- The pandemic has impacted all sectors, it has been felt more by the informal sector.
- The informal size of the trade, hotels, transport, communication, and broadcasting sectors, is 40 per cent.
- The informal sector in construction is around 34 per cent, and in public administration around 16 per cent.
- Manufacturing sector has an informal component of around 20 per cent.
- The government’s formalization efforts have led to almost 100 per cent formalization in finance, insurance, and real estate.
- Since FY18, agriculture has been formalised by 20-25 per cent due to the increasing penetration of KCC credit.
- In the agriculture sector informal share is now in the range of 70-75 per cent.
- One of the sources to analyse the extent of formalization is the monthly EPFO payroll.
- It provides data on establishments remitting first ECR (Electronic Challan-cum-Return) in a particular month.
- It is the first national database of unorganised workers, on which 5.7 crore workers have registered until October 30.
- Top four states accounted for 72 per cent of total registrations, with West Bengal on top followed by Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
- 62 per cent of workers are in the 18-40 age group, and 92 per cent have a monthly income of less than Rs 10,000.
- Workers from the agriculture sector account for 55 per cent of registration, followed by the construction sector (13 per cent).
- Of the 5.7 crore registered workers, 81.2 per cent have bank accounts, but only 24 per cent of them have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
- E-Shram is a big step towards the formalization of employment.
- The rate of formalization of unorganised labour due to e-Shram is around 3 per cent of GDP in just 2 months.
- In agriculture, the usage of KCC cards has increased significantly.
- Around Rs 4.6 lakh crore formalization accounted only through KCC route, with more marginalized farmers coming under the banking sector ambit through such usage.
- The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- Scale up finance and promised to mobilise $100 billion annually through 2025.
- Stop financing overseas coal immediately, commit to energy transition that meets timeframes aligned with the Paris Agreement.
- In its climate action plan submitted under the Paris Agreement, India had promised to reduce its emissions intensity, by 33 to 35 per cent by the year 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
- India, at a climate meeting at UN General Assembly in New York in 2019, set up a target to take up its installed capacity of renewable energy to 450 GW by 2030.
- At that time, India’s publicly stated target was 175 GW by the year 2022.
- India does not plan to start any new coal power plants after 2022.
- As of 2021, India is already targeting 40 per cent electricity production through non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
- Apart from these, India has presented its 5 point roadmap at Conference of Parties 26 (COP 26), Glasgow, to combat climate change
- The world has warmed 1.1°C since industrialization in the 19th century.
- The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, has reached beyond 413 parts per million (ppm).
- Methane and nitrous oxide, also reached record levels of 262% and 123% of their preindustrial levels.
- The ocean absorbs on average 23% of the CO₂ that human emits.
- Carbon changes the ocean chemistry, making it more acidic.
- In 2020, greenhouse gas concentrations reached new highs.
- Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) were 413.2 parts per million (ppm), methane at 1889 parts per billion (ppb) and nitrous oxide at 333.2 ppb, respectively, 149%, 262% and 123% of pre-industrial levels. The increase has continued in 2021.
- More than 300 people died in flash flooding in China and losses reached almost $18 billion.
- Western Europe had record rain, flooding and landslides that killed more than 200 people.
- Much of subtropical South America experienced drought.
- Madagascar faces a historic drought-related malnutrition crisis.
- The global mean temperature for 2021 was about 1.09°C above the 1850-1900 average.
- 2021 will be between the 5th and 7th warmest year on record and 2015 to 2021 will be the seven warmest years on record.
- 2021 is less warm than recent years due to the influence of a moderate La Niña at the start of the year.
- La Niña has a temporary cooling effect on the global mean temperature and influences regional weather and climate.
- The imprint of La Niña was seen in the tropical Pacific in 2021.
- The upper 2000 m depth of the ocean continued to warm in 2019 reaching a new record high.
- Much of the ocean experienced at least one ‘strong’ Marine Heatwave in 2021.
- The Laptev and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic experienced “severe” and “extreme” marine heatwaves from January to April 2021.
- Open ocean surface pH has declined globally over the last 40 years and is now the lowest for at least 26,000 years.
- As the pH of the oceandecreases, its capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere also declines.
- Global mean sea level changes due to ocean warming via thermal expansion of sea water and land ice melt.
- Sea level continued to rise by 4.4 millimeters a year as water warms and expands, and higher temperatures melt glaciers.
- The mean global mean sea level rise was 2.1 mm per year between 1993 and 2002 and 4.4 mm per year between 2013 and 2021.
- This was mostly due to the accelerated loss of ice mass from glaciers and ice sheets.
- A warm, dry summer in 2021 in western North America resulted in melting of region's mountain glaciers.
- The Greenland Ice Sheet melt extent was close to the long-term average through the early summer.
- 2020 saw rain for the first time at the Greenland ice sheets and brought fire-inducing tropical temperatures to Western Canada.
- Following a peak in undernourishment in 2020 (768 million people), there is a decline in global hunger to around 710 million in 2021 (9%), but the numbers in many countries were already higher than in 2020
- This striking increase (19%) was mostly felt among groups already suffering from food crises or worse rising from 135 million people in 2020 to 161 million by September 2021
- People are facing starvation and a total collapse of livelihoods mostly in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Madagascar (584 000 people).
- Ecosystems are degrading at an unprecedented rate, which is anticipated to accelerate in the coming decades.
- The degradation of ecosystems is limiting their ability to support human well-being and harming their adaptive capacity to build resilience.
POSTED ON 02-11-2021 BY ADMIN
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