Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 28 October 2023 | Download PDF

National and International News

• The Army has installed its first vertical wind tunnel (VWT) at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS) at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.
• This is done to augment the training infrastructure of special forces and combat free-fallers.

Key points

• The state-of-the-art wind tunnel is set to refine the combat free fall (CFF) skills of armed forces personnel
• Functioning as a freefall simulator, the VWT creates a column of air at specific velocities, orchestrating different CFF conditions. 
• The system offers a controlled environment, enabling trainees to enhance their skills by simulating real-life freefall conditions.

• According to the Census of Canada 2021, Canada is home to over 1.86 million people of Indian origin, i.e., about 5% of the country’s 36.99 million population, and 5.8% of the 32 million strong global Indian diaspora. 
• According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, 225,940 or over 40% of 549,260 total study permits to international students were issued to Indians in 2022.
• In 2022, India was Canada’s 10th largest bilateral trading partner (exceeding $13.7 billion). 
• Canada was India’s ninth largest partner, with exports up to $5.3 billion. 
• Similarly, visitors from India comprised Canada’s fourth largest international air travel market. Many of these traders and investors are members of the Indian diaspora in Canada. 
• In 2021, Canadians visiting India spent $93 million, and tourists from India exceeding 89,500, the highest from any single country, spent $3.4 billion in Canada.

• A study published in Nature indicates that 90 million people across 30 countries live in 1,089 basins containing glacial lakes. 
• Of these, one-sixth live within 50 km of a glacial lake and 1 km of potential GLOF runout channels.

Issues

• The Himalayan Region is susceptible to a range of hydro-meteorological, tectonic, climate and human-induced mountain hazards.
• The enormity of the challenge is seen in the National Remote Sensing Centre’s (NRSC) Glacial Lake Atlas of 2023. 
• Three major river basins, of the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, are host to 28,000 glacial lakes greater than 0.25 hectares in area, in five countries. 
• Of these, 27% are in India, in six States and Union Territories.

Multi-disciplinary effort for Mitigation

• NRSC’s atlases have provided high-resolution data via remote sensing, which allows for monitoring spatial change. 
• The Central Water Commission is conducting hydro-dynamic assessments of high-risk lakes, mapping water flow, height and routing simulations using digital elevation models. 
• The NDMA’s national guidelines (2020) provide States with a technical overview of the hazard and risk-zonation and suggest strategies for monitoring, risk-reduction and mitigation.

• India’s urban population is estimated to reach 675 million in 2035, the second highest in the world. 
• Although there is widespread recognition that cities have been fuelling India’s rapid rise to economic superpower status, almost all are failing their inhabitants in terms of delivering on health, environmental and equity targets.

Issues

• India’s urban inhabitants experience:-
  •  multi-scalar health risks including the world’s highest levels of air and noise pollution, limited greenery, 
  • lack of access to sidewalks and parks that limit active lifestyles, 
  • archaic modes of transport that contribute to air pollution, 
  • pernicious access to nutritionally dense unhealthy foods and 
  • unprecedented exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
• Unhealthy diets, reduced physical activity and air pollution in cities in India pose a greater risk to morbidity and mortality than most other risk factors combined including drugs, tobacco, alcohol and accidents.

• Amol Muzumdar, the domestic stalwart-turned-coach, has been appointed as the head coach of India women’s cricket team
• He was appointed by the BCCI.

About BCCI

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body of Cricket in India.
• Its headquarters is situated at the Cricket centre in Churchgate, Mumbai.
• The BCCI is the wealthiest governing body of cricket in the world.

• The Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) have been monitoring the gender earnings gap across various forms of employment from April-June 2019 to 2023
• The gender gap in earnings is still a persistent phenomenon.

Key facts

• Men earn more than women across all forms of work, the gap greatest for the self-employed. 
• In 2023, male self-employed workers earned 2.8 times that of women. 
• In contrast, male regular wage workers earned 24% more than women and male casual workers earned 48% more. 
• The gender gap has increased for self-employed workers, while falling for regular wage workers. 
• Male regular wage workers earned 34% more than women from 2019 to 2022, with the gap falling to 24% in 2023.

• Film director Himansu Khatua’s Odia documentary ‘The Sea & Seven Villages,’ is an official selection at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2023 in Goa.

Key Points:

• The documentary is included in the ‘Non-Feature Films’ category within the Indian Panorama, alongside 20 other films.
• The Sea & Seven Villages’ delves into the Satabhaya region of Odisha’s Kendrapada district, exploring the impact of climate change, rising sea levels, and erosion on the seven villages in the area.
• This documentary sheds light on the resilience and challenges faced by the people in confronting the relentless sea, and it has earned recognition at various international and Indian film festivals, including Lane Doc Fest in the United States and the Jagran Film Festival.

The Chatar Yatra of Goddess Manikeswari in Kalahandi district concluded recently.

About Yatra

• Chatar Jatra or Chatar Yatra is a traditional festival celebrated by the people of Kalahandi District, Orissa, India. 
• The festival involves Maa Manikeswari, the family goddess of the Kalahandi King’s family.
• Chhatra Jatra or Chatar Jatra or Chatar Yatra are meant to celebrate the Vijaya utsav with cheerful heart and splendid display. 
• The festival is being celebrated during the Mahastami of Durga puja festival. 
• The ritual practice of Khonds (Adivasis of Kalahandi Districts) Nabakalevar (the renewal of post-worship) is also performed during the festival.

Praveen Kumar and Unni Renu have won Gold and Bronze medals respectively in the Men’s High Jump – T64 event

About Asian Para Games

• The Asian Para Games, also known as Para Asiad, is a multi-sport event regulated by the Asian Paralympic Committee that’s held every four years after every Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. 
• The Games are recognised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Paralympic Games.
• The fourth Asian Para Games will continue until October 28.

Chief Minister approved for setting up of an Additional Civil Judge Court (Junior Division) and a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Deogarh.

key points

• The two courts will be set up at Barkote of the district.
• The Law Department has created 12 gazetted and non-gazetted posts required for the courts.
• A new Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) was also inaugurated at Rourkela to deal with cases under POCSO Act and Rape Cases.

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