20 Sept Current affairs

1.

Assam’s eco-friendly “Bamboo Boats.”

Ravi Jyoti Deka, the visionary behind this initiative and the proprietor of Akvotransiro Tech Pvt Ltd, India’s only startup dedicated to inland water transport and green water mobility solutions

Notably, it’s the world’s sole market-ready process for building modern, safe, and leak-proof boats using bamboo as the primary building material. These Bamboo Bio-composite boats boast a compressive strength of 130Mpa, weigh less than half the weight of their traditional wooden or fiberglass counterparts, and come at a cost only slightly higher than that of conventional wooden country boats.

Inquiries have poured in from countries as far-reaching as Switzerland, Ghana, Japan, and China, as well as from various Indian states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Kerala.

2.

Netflix documentary series, The Hunt for Veerappan

The documentary reveals an interesting fact related to Assam. His wife Muthulakshmi informs the media that she and Veerappan were planning to settle in Assam and lead a simple life after their marriage.

On 18 October 2004, notorious dacoit and smuggler Veerappan was killed by the Special Task Force of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu police forces. Veerappan had evaded the law for 30 years and was responsible for the deaths of over 180 people and over 900 elephants. The operation was code-named ‘Operation Cocoon’.

3.

Mukhyamantrir Atmanirbharshil Asom Abhiyan ( proposed)

As per the proposed scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to 2 lakh youths of Assam will be given to make them self-independent.

Registration process for the new scheme would begin on September 23-24.

4.

Women power in Assam legislative assembly is set for a tremendous boost as their numbers will rise “as nearly may be” to 42 once the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women is passed and the delimitation exercise based on the first census is completed.

The 126-member Assam house currently has six women legislators. Similarly, among the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, five will be reserved for women once the formalities are completed.
In the other northeastern states, the reservation will take up the number of women legislators to 20 each in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya, all of which have a 60-member assembly, and to 14 in Mizoram assembly, which has a strength of 40 members. The quota will not apply to Rajya Sabha.

Currently Tripura has the highest women legislators – nine – in the region while Mizoram has none

In Parliament, there are currently three women from the region in the Lok Sabha – one each from Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura while there is just one woman in Rajya Sabha – from Nagaland.

5.

G77+China summit

First established in 1964, G77 now has over 130 members, with its chairmanship rotating among member countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America based on regional principles.

Being the largest multilateral coordination organization among developing countries, G77’s member states account for more than 80 percent of the world’s population and over two-thirds of UN member countries.

China is not a member but has been supporting and cooperating with the group under the framework of “G77 and China.”

Highlighting the challenges faced by countries in the Global South, the summit underscored the need for a more balanced international order with greater attention to the Global South nations.

6.

Gandhi walk resumed in Johannesburg

The 35th edition of the annual Gandhi Walk in Johannesburg, South Africa took place recently. The event was organised after three years of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2,000 people joined the new format of a fun six-kilometre walk that ended with a wide range of entertainment. This walk started as a small fundraiser to complete the Gandhi Hall in Lenasia, which has since become a major venue for all Indian-community events.

A noteworthy presence at this year’s walk was Harivardan Pitamber, a striking look-alike of Mahatma Gandhi. Pitamber has been an integral part of the Gandhi Walk for many years, and his presence once again drew much attention.

7.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021 in news

The Bill amends the Constitution to allow states and union territories to prepare their own list of socially and educationally backward classes.

The 2021 Bill amends this to provide that the President may notify the list of socially and educationally backward classes only for purposes of the central government. This central list will be prepared and maintained by the central government. Further, the Bill enables states and union territories to prepare their own list of socially and educationally backward classes. This list must be made by law, and may differ from the central list.

8.

key takeaways from the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to meet a long-pending demand. If passed, it will provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

While introducing the bill, Union Minister Meghwal said that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in Lok Sabha will increase to 181.

The bill proposes that the above-mentioned reservation will continue for a period of 15 years and that within the reserved seats for women, there will be a quota for SC/STs.the reservation will come into effect only after the publication of the next census and the subsequent delimitation exercise.

9.

New iron curtain in Europe

The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused Brussels of trying to create a new “Iron Curtain” in Europe by imposing sanctions on ordinary Russian travellers to the EU. The ministry expressed concerns about measures such as banning direct flights and tightening visa policies, which it believes are aimed at making it extremely difficult for regular Russians to visit the European Union.

The term ‘Iron Curtain,’ originally coined by Winston Churchill, was used to describe the policies of the Soviet Union and its European allies, which severely restricted the movement of their citizens to the West.

10.

Nyukmadung Dairy in Arunachal Pradesh

A first of its kind ‘yak milk parlour’ has come up in Arunachal Pradesh as the ICAR-National Research Centre Yak (ICAR-NRCY) adds value to the milk of the bovine species.

The Nyukmadung Dairy was set up at the Nyukmadung yak farm of the institute in West Kameng district

ICAR-NRCY is working on preparing diversified products with value addition of yak milk – designer paneer, yak ghee, dahi, ripened and mozzarella cheese, ‘churkham’ etc.

Trivia:

India has some 58,000 yaks, found on the heights of Arunachal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. In Arunachal, their population is estimated to be around 24,000, found in Tawang, West Kameng and Shi Yomi districts.