Current Affairs – 27 September 2022

World Tourism Day 2022

World Tourism Day 2022 is observed on 27 September globally. This day is celebrated every year to focus on promoting tourism in various parts of the world. It was initiated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

The theme of World Tourism Day 2022 is ‘Rethinking Tourism’. Everyone will focus on understanding the growth of the tourism sector and reviewing and redeveloping tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chandigarh airport to be named after Bhagat Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the Chandigarh airport will be renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter. Punjab & Haryana governments had last month (Aug 2022) agreed to name the airport after freedom fighter Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.

The Rs 485-crore airport project is a joint venture of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the governments of Punjab and Haryana.

Amit Shah to Inaugurate Dairy Cooperative Conclave in Gangtok

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is likely to inaugurate a daylong dairy cooperative conclave of the eastern and northeastern zones in Sikkim on October 7. The conclave is being organised by the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI).

NCDFI Chairman Mangal Jit Rai said Shah’s office has confirmed his participation at the conclave to be held in Gangtok. Sikkim Chief Minister P S Tamang will be the guest of honour at the function.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy launched Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ to boost Tourism Sector

Union Minister for DoNER, Tourism & Culture, G. Kishan Reddy has launched the two-day virtual conference ‘SymphoNE’. The Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ is being organized on 24th & 27th of September 2022 by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region on the occasion of World Tourism Day. North East India is blessed with amazing food, culture, stunning landscapes, heritage and architecture and ranks among the most beautiful places on the earth. But, there are grand opportunities that can be filled to boost Tourism Sector in the Region.

Indian government introduces “Sign Learn” smartphone app

The Center released the “Sign Learn” smartphone app, a 10,000-word lexicon for Indian Sign Language (ISL). Pratima Bhoumik, minister of state for social justice and empowerment, introduced the app.

The 10,000-word Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) lexicon serves as the foundation for Sign Learn. All the terms in the ISL dictionary can be searched using Hindi or English on the app, which is accessible in Android and iOS versions.

• Notably, on October 6, 2020, ISLRTC and the NCERT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conversion of NCERT textbooks from classes 1 through 12 into Indian Sign Language (digital format) in order to make the textbooks accessible to children with hearing impairments.
• The official said, that ISL e-content for class 6 NCERT textbooks was introduced this year.
• A few volumes from the National Book Trust’s “Veergatha” series had ISL translations released by the Center as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• ISLRTC and NCERT collaborated to launch 500 academic words in Indian Sign Language for the“Sign Learn” smartphone app.
• These academic terms, which are frequently used in history, science, political science, and mathematics, are utilised at the secondary school level.

Indian Railways installed RTIS system developed by ISRO

Indian Railways is installing a Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on locomotives “for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival and departure or run-through”.

• Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with ISRO, is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival & departure or run-through.
• They get automatically plotted on the control chart of those trains in the Control Office Application (COA) system. RTIS devices have been installed for 2700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds. As part of Phase-II rollout, 6000 more locomotives across 50 loco sheds shall be covered by utilizing ISRO’s Satcom hub.
• Meanwhile, the newly launched Chatbot of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is getting a remarkable response from train passengers during the beta launch as over 1 billion people have used it.

President gives the National Service Scheme Awards 2020-21

On September 24, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Service Scheme NSS Awards for the 2020–21 academic year, according to a release from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 42 prizes in total were given out. The recipients of the honours were two institutions, ten NSS units, their programme officers, and thirty NSS volunteers.

Asha Parekh to be bestowed with 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke award

Veteran actress Asha Parekh has been declared the recipient of the 2020 Dadasaheb Phalke award, making her the 52nd awardee of the honour. Union Minister for Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur announced her name.

She worked in more than 95 films and was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification from 1998-2001. She is also a recipient of the Padma Shri, awarded to her by the Government of India in 1992 for services to cinema.

Assam to use portable device ‘SAANS’ to stop neonatal deaths

The Assam government has decided to use SAANS, an air pressure machine developed by a Bangalore-based start-up, in the state-run hospitals across the state. ‘SAANS’ is a portable neonatal Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) system that can provide lifesaving breathing support to infants in hospital settings as well as during travel.

• More than 50 SAANS devices have been deployed across medical colleges in Assam to date with more deployments underway to district hospitals.
• For the development of the machine, InnAccel Technologies, incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), joined hands with the SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility to strengthen respiratory support for newborns and paediatric populations in Assam.
• SAMRIDH is a multi-stakeholder innovation and financing platform supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global.
• The partnership between InnAccel, C-CAMP and SAMRIDH with support from the National Health Mission, Assam and the Government of Assam will help deploy 307 units of SAANS in the state.

CBI raids nationwide against Child Abuse material under Operation Megha Chakra

CBI hunts for Child Sexual Abuse Material Online Circulation Cases in 20 States & UTs. As part of Operation Megha Chakra, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched 56 locations across 20 States and Union Territories in relation to cases of the internet distribution of child sexual abuse material.

• Cloud storage was used to perform searches against sellers of Child Sexual Abuse Material on the Internet after obtaining input from Interpol and intelligence gathered during Operation Carbon last year.
• In November 2021, the CBI carried out Operation Carbon, which involved conducting raids at 76 different locations around the nation and making multiple arrests.

Telangana festival begins across state, PM greets everyone

Telangana festival Bathukamma: The state floral festival known as Bathukamma has started in Telangana, and ladies are taking part in it in great numbers. The state’s nine-day official celebration got underway on the 25th. On the auspicious anniversary of Bathukamma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked everyone, especially the Nari Shakti of Telangana. PM Modi expressed his desire in a tweet that this event will strengthen our ties to nature and pique our interest in flowers.