Uttarakhand to Start Plantation Drive in Other States to Clear Compensatory Afforestation Backlog

• The Uttarakhand Forest Department will soon start a plantation drive in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region and parts of Rajasthan.
• This has been decided by the forest department in order to clear the backlog for compensatory afforestation for next two years.
• Compensatory afforestation is done in the backdrop of transfer of forest land for non-forestry purposes.
• Non-forestry purposes include the development of dams, mining and the construction of industries or roads.
• Under the compensatory plantation, 1100 plants have to be planted spreading over an area of ​​one hectare.

About Uttarakhand

• Capital - Gairsain (summer), Dehradun (winter) CM - Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Governor - Baby Rani Maurya

Intel + Telangana Government → To Launch Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Center

• On the inaugural session of "all.ai 2020 Virtual Summit" Intel India announced the launch of an applied Ai research (IN AI) center in Hyderabad.
• The research center would be launched in collaboration with the Telangana government, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) which is the founding healthcare partner in the initiative.

About Telangana

• Capital - Hyderabad
• CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao
• Governor - Tamilisai Soundararajan

eSanjeevani Initiative recorded 5 lakh teleconsultations

• The eSanjeevani telemedicine initiative by the Union Health Ministry recently recorded the completion of 5 lakh teleconsultations.
• The government have stated that last one lakh tele consultations have been completed just 17 days.
• Top 3 states with highest teleconsultations are Tamil Nadu (1,69,977) Uttar Pradesh (1,34,992) and Himachal Pradesh.

Coal Ministry → Launched a Website to Promote R&D Activities in Coal Sector

• During the 56th meeting of Standing Scientific Research Committee of the Ministry, Anil Jain, Secretary, Coal Ministry launched a website (https://scienceandtech.cmpdi.co.in/) to disseminate and promote research and development (R&D) activities in the coal sector.
• The website was developed by Central Mines Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI), R&D arm of Coal India Limited (CIL).
• This website also promotes science and technology research in the coal and lignite sector.
• The website displays the guidelines to implement coal research projects with different formats so that anyone can submit proposals in an essential manner.

About Ministry of Coal

• Union Minister - Pralhad Joshi

GBS Sidhu wrote "The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to 1984 "

• GBS Sidhu, a former special secretary of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency authored a book titled "The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to 1984" that portrays the first person accounts on the facts and the roles of senior politicians in the creation and sustenance of Khalistan movement.
• The book narrates the series of events that resulted in the rise of the Khalistan movement, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the anti-Sikh violence.

INS Sahyadri & Kora were declared as the Best Ships in Fleet Award Function 2020

• INS Sahyadri and INS Kora were awarded the Best Ship trophies among the Capital Ships and Corvettes & similar classes of ships respectively.
• The awards were presented at the Fleet Award Function (FAF) 2020 organized by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam to mark the successful performance of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet.
• The FAF is organized every year to mark the resilience and perseverance of Indian Navy personnel appointed onboard ships of Poorvi Beda or Sword Arm of Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

About Indian Navy

• Navy Day 4th Dec Chief - Admiral Karambir Singh

C-DAC NSM Host Institutes Inked a MoU to establish Supercomputing Infrastructure Institutions Across India Premier

• The Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) Host Institutes to establish supercomputing infrastructure with assembly and manufacturing in India.
• To manufacture Critical Components at Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore, Indian Institutes of Technology (IT) (Kanpur, Roorkee, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Mandi, Gandhinagar), National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) Mohali and NSM Nodal Centers for Training in High-Performance Computing & Artificial Intelligence (HPC & Ai) at IIT (Madras, Kharagpur, Goa and Palakkad).
• To achieve complete self-reliance through developing India's own hardware enclosed with Exascale chip design, design and Manufacture of Exascale Server Board, Exascale Interconnects and Storage including Silicon-Photonics at C-DAC.

DRDO launched Nirbhay Cruise Missile but aborted Mission due to Technical Issue Mid-mission

• DRDO launched the Nirbhay Cruise Missile from Odisha's test facility, the mission was aborted due to technical issues cropping up after launch i.e. while the test missile was in the air.
• It was the maiden trial of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM).
• The subsonic missile can fly at a speed of 0.7 Mach, and has a range of 800 to 1,000 Kms.
• Nirbhay is India's first indigenously developed Cruise Missile.

About DRDO

• Chairman - Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
• HQ - New Delhi

World Bank says → School Closure due to COVID-19 may cost around USD 420 billion loss to India

• According to the World Bank Report titled "Beaten or Broken? Informality and COVID-19 in South Asia" the closure of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic in India will cause a loss of anywhere between USD 420 Billion & USD 600 Billion in Country's Future Earnings, in addition to learning losses.
• The report has been jointly prepared by the joint product of Office of Chief Economist for the South Asia Region (SARCE) and Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice.
• . The report includes South Asian countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• World Bank says → School Closure due to COVID-19 may cost around USD 420 billion loss to India

Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS)

• The World Bank has introduced the LAYS (Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling) concept to combine access and learning outcomes into a single measure.
• It combines quantity (years of schooling) and quality (knowledge of children at a given grade level) into a single summary measure of human capital in a society.
• Using the LAYS concept, the World Bank has projected the learning loss for the South Asian region is 0.5 years (has gone down from 6.5 LAYS to 6.0 LAYS due to Pandemic).

About World Bank

• President - David R. Malpass
• HQ - Washington D.C.
• MD & CFO - Anshula Kant

Britain's Prince William & Sir David Attenborough Launched "The Earthshot Prize"

• Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge along with Broadcaster and Naturalist Sir David Attenborough launched the Earthshot Prize, a new environmental prize with an aim to encourage change and support to repair the planet in the next 10 years (2030).
• The Earthshot Prize is described as the most prestigious global environment prize in history.
• This prize was inspired by the Moonshot project launched by former US President John F Kennedy in 1961.
• . The Earthshot prize comprises 5 prizes of 1 million pounds (around Rs. 9.5 crores) awarded each year for the next 10 years.
• The award aims to provide at least 50 solutions to the environmental issues by 2030.

Bangladesh cabinet approved Capital Punishment for Rape

• . Bangladesh Cabinet approved a draft law to include death penalty as the highest punishment for rape.
• This will be done by amending the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act-2000.

About Bangladesh

• Capital - Dhaka
• PM - Sheikh Hasina
• Currency - Taka

Exim Bank provided USD 310 million LoC to Republic of Zimbabwe for Repowering of Hwange Thermal Power station

• Export-Import (Exim) bank of India on behalf of the Government of India supported Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 310 million to the Republic of Zimbabwe to finance repowering of Hwange Thermal Power Station.
• For this purpose, Exim Bank had entered into an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe on February 24, 2020.
• Some related terms have been elaborated in the next slide.
• About Export-lmport (Exim) bank of India
• MD - David Rasquinha
• HQ - Mumbai

About Republic of Zimbabwe

• Capital - Harare
• President - Emmerson Mnangagwa
• Currency - Zimbabwean dollar

AIFF announced 'Indian Football- Forward Together as its new motto

• All India Football Federation (AIFF) - the apex body for football in India has announced the launch of a new motto - 'Indian Football. Forward Together
• The motto identifying the core values ​​of the organization - passion, respect, leadership, teamwork, integrity,professionalism and inclusivity.

About AIFF

• HQ-New Delhi
• President - Praful Patel
• VP - Subrata Dutta

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski named as UEFA Men's Player of the Year for 2019-20

• Robert Lewandowski (Poland) who represents the club Bayern Munich has been named as the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Men's Player of the Year 2020.
• It is a UEFA football awards given to footballers playing for men's football clubs in Europe.

About UEFA

• HQ - Nyon, Switzerland President - Aleksander ceferin
• Veteran Film-maker → B. Vijaya Reddy Passed Away

Veteran film-maker B. Vijaya Reddy, known as Vijay in the Kannada film industry passed away

• He made his debut as a director in Rangamahal Rahasya (1970)
• Carlton Chapman → Former Indian Football Captain passed away
• Carlton Chapman, former Indian football team captain passed
• Carlton Chapman was India's leading midfielder and played from 1995 to 2001.
• He was the captain of the Indian team when India won the South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup in 1997

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction → October 13

• The United Nations observe the International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13 annually.
• This day is also called as the World Calamity Control Day.
• The day is observed to spread awareness about how people and communities across the world are reducing their exposure to disasters.
• This year the day is being observed under the Theme: Disaster Risk Governance.
• In India, Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) would be celebrating the day like every year. HPSDMA would carry forward the 10th edition awareness campaign on disaster risk reduction called 'Samarth'.
• The United Nations had started observing the day in 1989. After that, the United Nations also adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.
• India had framed National Disaster Management Plan on the basis of Sendai Framework. It also constituted the Disaster Management Act, 2005.