Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 3rd March 2022

NEWS

The Indian FMCG industry witnessed a consumption slowdown in urban markets and degrowth in rural areas in 2021 as the sector was hit hard by higher inflation levels forcing companies to go for successive price increases, according to data analytics firm NielsenIQ

FMCG

FULL FORM  - Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector

WHAT –

• Products in the market sold quickly and at a reasonably low price
• Examples - meat, vegetables, dairy products, fruits, processed foods, soft drinks

PROPERTIES -

• Lifespan is very short
• Products have usually been sold or replaced within short time
• Although sales profitability is weak in FMCG products relative to others, net profit is still higher as they are sold commercially in a large quantity

IN INDIA -

• 4th largest sector in the Indian economy
• Household and Personal Care accounting for 50% of FMCG sales in India
• Growing awareness, easier access and changing lifestyles have been the key growth drivers for the sector

NEWS

Central government to launch the electronic bill (e-Bill) processing system under the Digital India eco-system and ease of doing business

DETAILS

• Announced in the Budget
• Launched at 46th Civil Accounts Day
• Implemented across all departments and central ministries
• Benefits – Enhance efficiency, transparency, and a paperless- faceless payment system.
• Contractors and suppliers will be able to submit their claim online and it will be trackable on a real-time basis

WHAT IS ELECTRONIC BILLING – It is a way of paying and sending bills electronically rather than through the use of paper. Customers can get bills online, via email, or in machine-readable data forms when billed electronically.

NEWS

World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on the 3rd of March since 2013

DETAILS

BY – UNGA resolution also designated the CITES Secretariat as the facilitator for the global observance of World Wildlife Day.

OBJECTIVES OF THE DAY –

• Provide opportunity to recognize the many beautiful and diverse species of wild fauna and flora
• Promote awareness of the numerous advantages that their conservation brings to humans
•  Serves as a reminder of the critical need to ramp up efforts to combat wildlife crime and human-induced species extinction, both of which have far-reaching economic, environmental, and societal implications

2022 CELEBRATIONS

• THEME - “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”
• seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them

THE HINDU QUIZ ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAY

1. Why did the UN choose March 3 as the WWD?

• Opportunity to recognize the many beautiful and diverse species of wild fauna and flora
• Promote awareness of the numerous advantages that their conservation brings to humans
• Serves as a reminder of the critical need to ramp up efforts to combat wildlife crime and human-induced species extinction, both of which have far-reaching economic, environmental, and societal implications

2 Sudan, who passed away in March 2018, was at the time of his death, one of only three living members of this endangered species and the last known male. Which subspecies was Sudan?

SUDAN WAS SPECIES OF NORTHERN WHITE RHINO

3 Thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago, these species of fish were discovered living off the coast of South Africa in 1938. As a result, there are now two extant species that are rare and endangered. Name the 'living fossil'.

COELACANTHS

4 What is the common name for the threatened species of flora called 'Pterocarpus santalinus' that is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mountain range of South India? RED SANDERS

5 What connects the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Spix's Macaw, Splendid Poison Frog, Smooth Handfish, and Jalpa False Brook Salamander? ALL ARE EXTINCT

6 Found in the northern Gulf of California, this animal is the world's rarest marine mammal and is on the edge of extinction. Name this critically endangered species. VAQUITA

7 According to the WWF, which is the most trafficked mammal in the world? PANGOLINS

NEWS

The State of India’s Environment Report, 2022 of the Centre for Science and Environment was released recently

DETAILS

Released by Centre for Science and Environment

India

• Ranking has slipped due to substantial challenges in 11 SDGs like zero hunger, healthiness and wellbeing, gender equality, and sustainable cities and communities.
• Did poorly in quality education and quality of life on the ground.
• Struggled the previous year to finish hunger and achieve food security, realize gender equality and make resilient infrastructure, market inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and nurture innovation.
• On the 17 Sustainable Development Goals assumed as a part of the 2030 Agenda by 192 United Nations member states in 2015, India has dropped three places from last year's ranking of 117 to 120.
• According to the newest rankings, India has fallen behind all other South Asian countries, except Pakistan, ranked 129th.
• Bhutan is ranked 75th, Sri Lanka is 87th, Nepal is 96th, and Bangladesh is 109th among South Asian countries.
• The overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) score of India was 66 out of 100.

State-wise Rankings

• According to the report, the least prepared states to satisfy the SDGs by 2030 are Jharkhand and Bihar.
• The report also stated that among the states, Kerala topped, with Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh coming in second and third, respectively.
• Karnataka, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh tied for third place.
• Union Territory Rankings
• According to the report, Chandigarh topped among the Union Territories, followed by Delhi, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep in second place, and therefore the Andaman & Nicobar Islands within the third position.

NEWS

India’s indigenous INS Visakhapatnam was dedicated to the Visakhapatnam city formally

INS VISAKHAPATNAM

• P15B stealth guided missile destroyer
• Commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on 2021
• Named after the historic city of Andhra Pradesh on the east coast, Visakhapatnam, the ‘City of Destiny’
• Indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai
• Measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India
• Propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots
• Has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) achieved through efficient shaping of hull, full beam superstructure design, plated masts and use of radar transparent materials on exposed decks

• Maintenance amount awarded in favour of wife under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, cannot be enhanced by a magistrate court by invoking the provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC), which allows altering allowances awarded for maintenance of wife or children or parents of a person, said the High Court of Karnataka.
• Invest4iDEX is an event that will be organized during the Defence Expo 2022. In this event, start-ups will be able to pitch their ideas in front of a live audience of reputable investors and venture capitalists.
• The Zero Discrimination Day was first launched in December 2013, by Michel Sidibe who was the director of UNAIDS.  It was first observed on March 1, 2014. UNAIDS led the way to ease the life of people living with HIV/AIDS who face discrimination because of their ailment. The theme for Zero Discrimination Day 2022 is ‘Remove Laws That Harm, Create Laws That Empower.’