Current Affairs-November 4, 2022

 

INDIA

– PM launches new Complaint Management System portal of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)

– Ministry of Education releases Performance Grading Index for States/UTs for 2020-21; Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh attain Level -2 grading

 Gross Enrolment Ratio improves at all levels of school education in 2021-22: UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education Plus)

– President inaugurates Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) North Eastern Regional Campus at Aizawl

– Karnataka makes 10 min daily meditation compulsory in schools, pre university colleges

– MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches Ladli Laxmi 2.0 financial assistance scheme for girls

– Gujarat Assembly elections to be held in two phases on Dec 1, 5; result on Dec 8

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– Indian Army Registers ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’ of the New Design and Camouflage Pattern Uniform

– Finance Minister launches biggest ever coal mine auction of 141 mines

– Urban Mobility India Conference & Expo 2022 to be held in Kochi on Nov 4-6; organised by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with Govt. of Kerala

– Unemployment rate surges to 7.77% in Oct against 6.43% in Sept: CMIE

WORLD

– India abstains on Russia-sponsored draft resolution at UNSC for probe on Ukraine’s alleged bio weapons

– Grain ships leave Ukrainian ports after Russia resumes participation in UN-brokered deal

North India’s first Hyperscale Data Centre

 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently inaugurated Yotta D1 – India’s second and North India’s first hyper-scale data centre – in Greater Noida.

What is Yotta D1?

Yotta D1 is the first of the 6 data centre buildings currently being built in the Greater Noida data centre park. The first data centre was operationalized in just 20 months with an investment of around Rs.1,500 crore. The hyperscale data centre was developed by Yotta Infrastructure – an arm of the Hiranandani Group. It is situated at a strategic location close to important business hubs of India’s National Capital Region. This provides a major boost for the region’s digital economy.

The data centre spans across 3 lakh sq feet, having a ground floor and 7 other floors. It has an IT load capacity of 28.8 MW. It is capable of hosting 5,000 racks across 7 server floors. It offers fail-safe 48-hour power backup on full load.

What is Yotta Greater Noida Data Center Park?

Spanning across 20 acres, the Yotta Greater Noida Data Center Park is the first data park in the region. It will have 6 interconnected buildings, providing a total capacity of 30,000 racks, four dedicated fibre paths and an IT power capacity of 160 MW. The park is being developed at the cost of Rs.7,000 crore.

Investments by Yotta Infrastructure

Yotta Infrastructure announced that it will invest Rs 39,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh in the next five to seven years. This investment will be used for the construction of data centre campus and procuring IT equipment and other hardware by Yotta and its customers.

What are the challenges faced by the Yotta Data Centres?

Heatwaves

With heatwaves becoming more common and severe due to climate change, data centres are at risk of overheating. Greater Noida is experiencing a concerning level of heatwaves during summers.

To address this, Yotta Infrastructure’s data centres will be equipped with adiabatic cooling system, which will help the chillers to reduce heat. These chillers will not be used during winters since there will be natural cooling from the atmosphere. The Yotta has an automatic system that identifies whether the outer atmospheric temperature is lesser than the desired temperature in the data centre. During such instances, the chillers will automatically stop working and the external cool air will enter the centre to maintain the temperature in the internal environment.

Cybersecurity

Data centres are very attractive targets for to cyberattacks. With India rapidly shifting towards digital economy, data centres in the country are getting the attention of the threat actors. To address this concern, Yotta currently has around 20 services providing cybersecurity measures. It has also partnered with cybersecurity service providers and is involved in educating its consumers about these threats.

UNESCO: A Third of Glaciers in Word Heritage Sites will Disappear in 2050

 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned that several world heritage sites may become glacier-free by 2050.

What are the findings of the UNESCO survey?

• A survey of 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage Sites found that the glaciers at one-third of these sites will perish because of global warming regardless of the global efforts towards limiting the temperature rise.
• According to the report, all of Africa’s World Heritage Sites, including Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro National Park, will become ice-free in three decades.
• In Europe, some of glaciers of Pyrenees and Dolomites will also disappear. This holds true for glaciers in Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks in America.
• These glaciers have been depleting at a high rate since the year 2000 because of carbon emissions.
• Currently, glaciers are losing 50 billion tonnes of ice per annum. This is equal to the total water consumption by France and Spain. It has contributed to 5 per cent rise in the global sea level.
• According to UNESCO, there is a possibility of saving the remaining two-thirds of sites if the global temperature is maintained below 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial period. Countries have set a target of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2030. However, the current trend predict that this goal is unlikely to be reached.
• At the business-as-usual scenario, about half of the world heritage glaciers will completely disappear by the end of this century.
• The report stated that only rapid action to reduce emission levels will prevent the glaciers from completely melting and save the unique biodiversity that depends on them.
• It recommended local governments to make glaciers a priority area for policymaking. It also called for increasing monitoring and research focusing on glaciers.
• Currently, the fast-paced melting of ice is causing glacier lakes to get filled up. This may lead to the bursting of glacial lakes and cause devastating flooding downstream. Therefore, the report also recommended strengthening disaster risk reduction measures.

Quote of the Day September 23, 2022

 

“The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.”
Epicurus

“मूर्ख व्यक्ति की समृद्धता से समझदार व्यक्ति का दुर्भाग्य कहीं अधिक अच्छा होता है।”
एपिक्यूरस

September 21: International Day of Peace

 

Key facts

• The International Day of Peace is observed to strengthen the ideals of peace through the observance of 24-hours of non-violence and ceasefire.
• Its main objective is to create a world where compassion and empathy overcome suspicion and hatred.
• The theme for 2022 is “End racism. Build peace.” It aims to eradicate racism and put an end to race-based discrimination.
• It highlights the plights faced by people who were displaced by conflicts because of racism.
• It also recognized the issues faced by certain racial groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect on certain races during the economic crisis.
• This year, International Day of Peace was observed on September 16, 2022 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• The programme commenced with the traditional Peace Bell Ceremony at the Peace Garden

Background

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1981. In 2001, the UNGA adopted a resolution to designate this day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire.

About Peace Bell

The Peace Bell was donated by the United Nations Association of Japan in June 1954. It was created as a symbol of hope for peace. The bell was made from coin and medals donated by the representatives of member states, the Pope and people, including children from 60 countries. The bell tower was modelled based on the Hanamido (a temple decorated with flowers) that symbolizes the place where Buddha was born. It is rung twice a year – once at the Vernal Equinox and on the occasion of the International Day for Peace. It has an inscription on its side that reads “Long Live Absolute World Peace”.

Current Affairs- September 23, 2022

 International Day of Sign Languages to be celebrated on Sept 23

– 10th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum) Trilateral Ministerial Commission meeting held in New York

– 106 activists of PFI (Popular Front of India) arrested in raids by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 11 states over terror funding charges

– Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi unveils ‘Wall of Delhi’ mural depicting 75 historical sites

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– PSU REC accorded with ‘Maharatna’ company status

– UCO Bank becomes first lender to get RBI’s approval for rupee trade

– RBI cancels licence of Solapur-based Laxmi Co-operative Bank

– Over Rs 58,000 crore in taxes lost in 2019-20 due to illicit trade in FMCG, mobile, tobacco, alcohol industry: FICCI report

– First consignment of plant-based meat products under Vegan food category exported to USA from Gujarat

– Atul Chaturvedi elected as first chairman of Asian Palm Oil Alliance

WORLD

– Global Clean Energy Action Forum-2022 being held in Pittsburgh (US) on Sept 21-22

– International Space Station gets 3 new residents (I from US, 2 Russians) after Russian Soyuz rocket launch from Kazakhstan

– US Senate ratifies international climate deal (Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone pollution) to limit use of refrigerants

– Germany nationalises country’s largest gas importer Uniper for energy security against the backdrop of Russia’s gas supply freeze

– Ukraine announces high-profile prisoner swap that frees Ukrainian fighters who defended a steel plant in Mariupol during Russian siege

INDIA

– Defence Ministry signs deal for dual role (land as well as anti-ship) Surface-to-Surface BrahMos missile with BAPL (BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd)

– NCC (National Cadet Corps), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) sign MoU in New Delhi to tackle the issue of plastic pollution

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Applications are open till 27 September 2022

 For young, liberal-minded Indians, the Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections provides a rare chance to understand politics and elections in India. Campaigns, research, political strategy, and communications are just a few of the areas that the Fellowship intends to expose participants to in a way that is both unprecedented and practical. The Fellows might also get the chance to work in an election war room or in a senior politician's office.

The Fellowship will give Fellows the opportunity to build multidisciplinary expertise on a range of topics and industries that have an impact on societal development and the economy.

A 12-month, full-time program, the Fellowship will be situated in Hyderabad. The Fellows will be required to visit additional places as needed. Fellows will be paid a stipend of Rs. 75,000 per month.

Over the course of a year, fellows will work in a variety of departments inside a political consulting firm, such as campaigns, research, political strategy, and communications, to get practical experience.

An initial two-week training course will precede the Fellowship. Following training, fellows will work in three distinct capacities for six months (two months per function). Afterward, Fellows will spend the following six months specializing in one functional area of their choice. Fellows would have mastered the critical skills necessary to conceptualize, implement, and manage an election campaign at the end of the Fellowship, as well as a deeper understanding of how a political party handles elections.

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Application Deadline

The last date to apply for the fellowship is 27 September 2022.

Direct Link to Apply for Nehru Fellowship 2023

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Eligibility Criteria

The Fellowship's main objective is to give young Indians a platform to get involved in the planning and running of electoral campaigns.

The following eligibility requirements should be met by applicants:

• Must possess a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Must be younger than 30 years old (born after 03.09.1993 ).
• Must be a citizen of India.

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Selection Process

A two-stage evaluation procedure will be used to select Fellows.

Applicants will be shortlisted in the first round based on the data they supplied in their applications. A candidate's resume, employment history, and statement of purpose will all be taken into account.

The candidates that made the second round will be contacted for a video or in-person interview.

On the basis of the interview performance, final decisions will be made.

Source: The Telegraph, 22/09/22