NATIONAL NEWS

First 100% Landlord Major Port of India

• Jawaharlal Nehru Port has become the first 100 per cent Landlord Major Port of India having all berths being operated on PPP model.
• JNP is one of the leading container ports of the country and is ranked 26th among the top 100 global parts as per Lloyds List top 100 Ports 2021 report.
• Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced this project will improve the utilization in crane and berth productivity of the terminal.
• The total handling of JNPT will increase to 1.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) from the present handling capacity of 1.5 million TEUs in 2020-21.

Centre Forms Committee on MSP

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced that a committee has been constituted to make Minimum support price (MSP) more effective and transparent for the farmers.

• The committee will also aim to promote changing crop patterns and Zero-budget based farming, considering the changing needs of the country.

• Sanjay Agrawal, a former secretary for Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' welfare, will be the chairman of the committee. Ramesh Chand, a member of the NITI Aayog and renowned Agricultural Economist will be a member of the committee.
• The committee will consider Suggestion for programmes and schemes for value chain development, protocol validation and research for future needs and support for area expansion under the Indian Natural Farming System.

India’s First Digital Lok Adalat

• Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), Uday Umesh Lalit launched India’s First AI-powered end-to-end digital Lok Adalat in Rajasthan.

• The AI-based Lok Adalat was launched during 18th All India Legal Services Authorities’ Meet. It was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

• The digital Lok Adalat has been designed and developed by the technology partner Jupitice Justice Technologies of Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RSLSA 22).
• The Digital Lok Adalat will help in disposing off the pending disputes or disputes which are at the pre-litigation stage.

Syngenta Launches Unique Biodiversity Sensor Project

• Syngenta, a global agri-business major has launched a unique biodiversity sensor project to study the behavior of insects around farms, particularly bees and butterflies.
• It claimed to be the first such project in India.
• This project will monitor to identify and quantify insect life around farms to get real-time data on biodiversity through a sensor.
• Syngenta has launched this project in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, Punjab (IIT-R).
• The biodiversity monitoring will be done by a modem-like sensor that has cameras to capture real-time images of the bees and butterflies.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Fifth Round of Foreign Office Consultations

• The fifth round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Fiji was held in Suva.

• The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (East) in Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar and the Fijian side was led by Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Fiji Yogesh Karan.

• It is to strengthen bilateral relations covering political, economic, defence, cultural and consular matters and to further strengthen the close bilateral ties between India and Fiji.
• The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of interest and agreed to enhance their cooperation in the multilateral fora.
• The next round of consultations will be held in New Delhi.

Petersberg Climate Dialogue

• The 13th Petersberg Climate Dialogue began in Berlin.

• The two-day informal ministerial meet is being chaired by Germany and Egypt, hosts of 2022 annual climate meet (COP-27).

• It is to build agreement and provide political direction to resolve divergences aimed at improving implementation of climate action, the core goal of COP-27.
  The Petersberg Climate Dialogue will pave the way for a successful global climate conference in Egypt in November.
• Since its inception in 2010, the Petersberg Dialogue has served as a forum for ministers to build political agreement that help resolve differences on issues holding up progress in negotiations.

BANKING

Bank of India and PFRDA

• Bank of India (BoI) & Pension Fund Regulator & Development Authority (PFRDA) in association with K-fintech launched a digital platform that allows customers to open National Pension System (NPS) accounts using mobile phones.

• The digital process of account opening is simple, fast and completely paperless making it easier for customers to open a new account in just a few clicks.

• New subscribers can also make additional contributions through QR codes.
• K-fintech provides SaaS (Software as a Service) based end-to-end transaction management, channel management and compliance solutions.

SPORTS

Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship

• Fast-rising Indian lifter Harshada Garud won the women's 45kg gold at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent.

• She won the gold with a total lift of 157 kg, which includes 69kg in Snatch and 88 kg in the Clean and Jerk category.

• Soumya Dalvi bagged the bronze in the 45kg youth event.

AWARDS & PRIZES

World’s Best SME Bank by Euromoney

• Singapore based DBS bank has been recognised as the ‘World’s Best SME Bank’ by Euromoney for the second time.

• Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, DBS has applied emerging technologies to help SMEs, especially micro and small enterprises, manage their credit risk.

• DBS has developed algorithmic models powered by artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics that alerts the bank to potential signs of trouble faced by SMEs.
• Euromoney is a leading UK-based financial publication.

Japan awards Ex-PM Shinzo Abe

• The Japanese government announced that Shinzo Abe will receive Japan’s highest honor, the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum posthumously.

• Shinzo Abe will be the fourth former premier to receive the honor under the postwar Constitution.

• Shigeru Yoshida, Eisaku Sato and Yasuhiro Nakasone received the honor before.
• Emperor Meiji of Japan introduced the Grand Cordon of the Order in 1876. Later in 1888, the Collar of the Order was added to it.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Ombudsman and Ethics Officer of BCCI

• Former Supreme Court judge Vineet Saran has appointed as the ethics officer and ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

• Saran has succeeded Justice DK Jain, whose term ended in June 2021.
• Saran is a former Chief Justice of Odisha High Court. He also served as a judge in Karnataka and Allahabad High Court.

Chairman of KVIC

• Shri Manoj Kumar has been appointed as the Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
• Shri Manoj Kumar, who has worked as Expert Member (Marketing) at KVIC, has a vast experience in the areas of marketing and rural development.
• He succeeded Vinai Kumar Saxena.
• KVIC is a statutory body incorporated under the Parliament Act with the aim to develop Khadi in rural areas.

Executive Director of SEBI

• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has appointed Pramod Rao as its Executive Director.

• He will handle the Department of Debt and Hybrid Securities and Enquiry and Adjudication Department (EAD).

• Prior to this, Rao held the position of Group General Counsel at ICICI Bank and provided strategic oversight to the legal function for the ICICI group.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Kanpur Develops Bio-Inspired Artificial Muscle

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has developed a bio-inspired artificial muscle for next-generation space robots.

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has built a bio-inspired artificial muscle at its Smart Materials, Structures and Systems (SMSS) Lab.

• It will lead to the creation of a new class of space robots which will reinforce Indian Space Technology and can be used in smart buildings, automobiles and the aviation industry.

OBITUTARY

Veteran Singer Bhupinder Singh

• Renowned singer Bhupinder Singh passed away due to cardiac arrest. He was at the age of 82.
• Bhupinder Singh was a renowned Ghazal singer and some of his best-known songs included Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bulaya Hoga, Naam gum jayega,.
• Bhupinder Singh was born in Amritsar, Punjab.
• He began his music career by performing on All India Radio, Delhi as a singer and musician.
• Besides being a trained vocalist, he also learnt instruments like the violin and guitar.