On what ground was Teesta Setalvad granted interim bail?

• He was referring to a provision that says being a woman is a possible ground for granting bail, even when otherwise it cannot be considered.
• Section 437 of the CrPC deals with bail in case of non-bailable offences.
• It says a person shall not be released on bail if there is reasonable ground to believe that he has committed an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment; or, if he has been previously been convicted for an offence punishable with death, life imprisonment, or for a term of seven years or more; or been convicted on two or more occasions on other offences with a term between three and seven years.
• However, it also contains exceptions in a proviso that says the court may grant bail even in these cases, “if such person is under the age of 16 or is a woman or is sick or infirm”.
• There are several provisions in criminal law that give special consideration to women.
• For instance, when a police officer requires the attendance of any person who he believes is acquainted with a case under investigation, the person has to appear before the officer (Section 160).
• However, no woman shall be required to do so at any place other than the place in which she resides.

Trade data flags testing time for goods exports

• India’s merchandise exports shrank 1.15% year-on-year in August to $33 billion, while inelastic imports of petroleum and coal continued to climb, lifting imports above the $60 billion mark for the sixth successive month.
• The country’s goods trade deficit moderated slightly sequentially from the record $30 billion in July, but remained the second highest on record at $28.68 billion, and widened sharply from the $11.7 billion in August 2021.
• Preliminary trade data for July had also shown a 0.8% dip in exports, which was revised to a 2.1% uptick. The last time India recorded a contraction in exports was in February 2021.
• Experts have attributed the dip in outbound shipments, which declined 9% sequentially, to a growing tendency among international buyers to seek deferrals in shipments of confirmed orders, as well as the gamut of measures taken by the government to try and curb elevated inflation.
• While goods exports have averaged $38.5 billion a month between April and August, adding up to $192.5 billion, Mr. Subrahmanyam forecast India’s total outbound shipments in 2022-23 would touch $470 billion, or at least $450 billion in a ‘worst case scenario’.

Nano urea fast-tracked for approval despite incomplete trials

• Nano urea, a product developed by the Indian Farmers and Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and heavily advertised by the Central government as a panacea to reduce farmer dependence on packaged urea, is yet to be fully tested despite having been fast-tracked for commercial application.
• Normally, three seasons of independent assessment by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is required for approving a new fertilizer, but in the case of nano urea this was reduced to two.
• Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid that contains nanoparticles of urea, the most crucial chemical fertilizer for farmers in India. A single half-litre bottle of the liquid can compensate for a 45 kg sack of urea that farmers traditionally rely on, it is claimed.

ISRO successfully demonstrates Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator technology

• Designed and developed by ISRO''s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), IAD is a game-changer with multiple applications for future missions including to Mars and Venus.
• The IAD was successfully test flown in a ''Rohini'' sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.
• Rohini sounding rockets are routinely used for flight demonstration of new technologies being developed by ISRO as well as by scientists from India and abroad.
• The IAD was initially folded and kept inside the payload bay of the rocket. At around 84 km altitude, the IAD was inflated and it descended through the atmosphere with the payload part of a sounding rocket.
• The IAD has systematically reduced the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag and followed the predicted trajectory.

Shumang Leela, the traditional form of theatre celebrated in All Manipur Shumang Leela Festival 2021-2022

• Shumang Leela is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur and the roles of female artists are all played by male actors and male characters are played by female artists in case of female theatre groups.
• In 2017, Shougrakpam Hemanta was conferred with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in recognition of his contribution in Shumang Leela. With this, he became the first person to receive the award for this art form.
• Shumang Leela Groups of the early stage attempted to preserve and promote humanism, tolerance, confidence, devotion, truth and justice through their performances.
• The present day Shumang Leelas have been trying to focus on the issues of moral values, unity and integrity. It has also been trying to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and friendship among various communities in the State.

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud appointed as the executive chairman of National Legal Services Authority

• Justice DY Chandrachud was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 13th May 2016. Earlier, he served as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
• National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) was formed in 1995 under the authority of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987.
• Its purpose is to provide free legal services to eligible candidates (defined in Sec. 12 of the Act), and to organize Lok Adalats for speedy resolution of cases.
• The Chief Justice of India is patron-in-chief of NALSA while the second senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court of India is the Executive-Chairman.
• There is a provision for similar mechanism at state and district level also headed by Chief Justice of High Courts and Chief Judges of District courts respectively.
• It was formed in 1995.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Union Education Minister Calls For Strengthening Cooperation In Education And Skilling With Indonesia And Australia

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called for strengthening cooperation in education and skilling with Indonesia and Australia.
• Pradhan held a bilateral meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Nadiem Anwar Makarim in Bali. The Ministers had fruitful discussions on further expanding the academic and skill development partnerships and also realising the full potential of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between both countries.
• Both the leaders explored opportunities for collaborations in education and skilling, especially in the areas of curriculum design, student exchange and research.
• Pradhan also held a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister of Youth of Australia Dr. Anne Aly. They had productive conversations about deepening engagements in the field of early childhood and school education between both countries.
• Pradhan said, India and Australia enjoy vibrant cooperation in higher education, research and skill development.

India''s First ''Night Sky Sanctuary'' To Be Set Up In Ladakh

• In a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has undertaken to set up India’s first-ever Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh. It will be completed within the next three months.
• The proposed Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle in Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. It will boost Astro tourism in India and will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes.
• A tripartite MoU was signed recently among the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council LAHDC Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, IIA, for launching the Dark Space Reserve.

India set to become 3rd largest economy by 2029

• A State Bank of India report said India will surpass Germany in 2027 and most likely Japan by 2029 at the current rate of growth.
• The report said that the country has undergone a large structural shift since 2014 and is now the 5th largest economy overtaking the United Kingdom.
• The path taken by India since 2014 reveals the country is likely to get the tag of 3rd largest economy in 2029, a movement of 7 places upwards since 2014 when India was ranked 10th, it said. The report is authored by Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, SBI.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, the International Monetary Fund''s own forecasts show India overtaking the UK in dollar terms on an annual basis this year. This has put India, the Asian powerhouse, just behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.