Current Affairs – 26 October 2022

Accession Day in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022

• J&K Accession Day is a regional public holiday in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir observed on October 26th.
• Maharaja Hari Singh was the last monarch to govern the union-territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• India’s first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family and traces his roots back to the community.
• The word ‘Kashmiriyat’ is used to describe the culture of the valley. The name is often used to denote the communal harmony between the different religions, patriotism, and pride for the mountains borne by the residents.
• The Jawala Mukhi or the Jawalaji Temple in Khrew, Pulwama, hosts an annual fair called the ‘Jwalamukhi Mela’ which is celebrated by both Hindus and Muslims.

J-K govt tells Mehbooba Mufti to vacate Fairview residence

• The Jammu and Kashmir Government has asked PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to vacate her Fairview residence by or before November 15, saying the reply furnished by her in response to the eviction notice served to her on October 15 doesn’t justify retaining of the accommodation.
• under sub-section (1) of section 5 of The Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1988, I, hereby, order that Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, ex-chief minister and all persons who may be in occupation of scheduled premises or any part thereof to vacate the scheduled premises on or before 15.11.2022.
• provisions of sub-section (2) of section 5 of The Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1988 shall be invoked against you and every such person occupying the scheduled premises.
• Section 3(C) of The Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature Members’ Pension Act, 1984 where under Ex-Chief Ministers were entitled to various facilities including “Rent free Residential Accommodation” stands omitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, (Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs) in “Jammu & Kashmir
• Reorganization (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020” issued vide Notification S.O. No. 1229(E) dated 31, March 2020, which means you are no longer entitled to retain the government accommodation in the capacity of ex-chief minister.

India becomes 3rd-Largest Export Market

• The Netherlands has emerged as India’s third-largest export destination, ahead of China and Bangladesh.
• It has moved up two spots in the list of India’s top ten export destinations since FY22, thanks to a 106% surge in dispatches until August this fiscal from a year before to $7.5 billion.
• Brazil, which occupied the 21st spot in FY22, is now India’s 8th biggest export market.
• Similarly, Indonesia has moved up seven notches to grab the 7th position.
• However, amid a demand slowdown, only two European nations—the Netherlands and the UK–are among India’s top ten markets, against 4 in FY22. Germany and Belgium, which featured in the list last fiscal.

Odisha’s Jeypore Airport gets license from DGCA

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted Jeypore Airport the license to carry out commercial flight operations under the regional connectivity scheme.
• The Ministry of Civil Aviation has described it as a milestone.
• The airport is 33km northwest of Koraput town and 500km southwest of Bhubaneswar.
• The DGCA granted a license to Jeypore Airport to carry out commercial flight operations.
• The Jeypore Airport of Odisha gets a license to carry out scheduled air operations under the UDAN.
• The license authorizes the aerodrome to be used as a regular place of landing and departure.
• The license would be liable to suspension, modification, or withdrawal of the provisions of the aircraft act, and the aircraft rules were violated.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik praised the growth of airports in Odisha and said that it will fulfill people’s aspirations and give a boost to connectivity.

Karnataka cabinet increased reservations for SC, ST community

• The files related to the reservation will be submitted to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot for approval.
• The hike in the reservation will benefit the 103 communities classified as SCs and 56 communities among STs.
• The initiative to increase the reservation for SC/STs by the state government implies that reservation will cross the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent limit and go up to 55 per cent in Karnataka.
• The BJP government in Karnataka decided to increase the quota based on a report prepared by a community headed by retired High Court Judge H.N. Nagmohan Das.
• The Karnataka cabinet decided to promulgate an ordinance to raise reservations for Scheduled Caste (SCs) by 2 per cent and for Scheduled Tribe (STs) by 4 per cent.
• The Karnataka cabinet is chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. 

‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ programme

• ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ will be organized by the Ministry of Education next month.
• The ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ is a month-long program that will be held from the 16th of the next month.
• The ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ aims to rediscover the centuries-old bond of knowledge and ancient civilizational linkage between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu.
• The Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the media and informed more than 2400 Tamil people in 12 groups.
• He addressed a huge and diverse section of society including academics, philosophy, agriculture, entrepreneurship, arts, etc.
• These 12 groups will visit Kashi for eight days to get familiarised with the ancient knowledge shared by these two ancient cities.
• These groups of people will come from Rameshwaram, Chennai, and Coimbatore by train.
• During this time, seminars, lectures, and discussions will be held during the program.
• On this occasion, Mr. Pradhan also launched a website for the registration process for this month-long event.
• The program will be organized under the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The hosting partners of this event will be IIT- Madras and Banaras Hindu University.

Ukrainian people wins EU’s 2022 Sakharov freedom prize

• The European Parliament has awarded the people of Ukraine its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to honour their fight against Russia’s invasion.
• European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the 2022 laureate in the Strasbourg plenary chamber, following a decision by Parliament’s Conference of Presidents.
• The award comes with prize money of 50,000 euros ($49,100), which will be distributed to representatives of Ukrainian civil society.
• Last year the award was given to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny for his efforts to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
• Other past winners include South African President Nelson Mandela, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and the democratic opposition of Belarus.

Also read the Article about Russia- Ukraine Conflict

Trees Beyond Forests initiative launched in Assam

• The “trees outside forests in India (TOFI)” programme was introduced by the Assam government and the US Agency for International Development (USAID)with the goal of bringing together farmers, businesses, and private institutions to increase the number of trees in the State’s non-traditional forests.
• The Trees outside forests in India, the new programme aims to increase carbon sequestration, aid local populations, and boost agriculture’s climate resilience, supporting global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.
• Assam has given increasing the tree cover outside of forest regions great priority, as evidenced by the State Action Plan on Climate Change and the recent creation of the Assam Agroforestry Development Board (AADB).
• The goal is to add 2.8 million hectares of tree cover outside of traditional forests, helping India reach its nationally set contribution target of adding 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in additional “carbon sinks” by 2030.
• TOFI would increase farmers’ income in Assam while enhancing the resilience of farming systems, according to Ravi Shankar Prasad, the State’s Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Environment and Forest.
• TOFI would use India’s private sector to promote and grow tree-based businesses and the sale of carbon credits, helping to increase incomes, generate jobs, and assist Assamese households in overcoming the financial effects of the pandemic.

National Intellectual Property Award won by IIT Madras for 2021 and 2022

The national award for intellectual property was given to the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) for 2021 and 2022. The prize was established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.