• In Wrestling, ace Indian wrestler and Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia captured a bronze medal in the men’s 65 kg category at World Wrestling Championships yesterday.
• He defeated Puerto Rico’s Sebastian C Rivera by 11-9. This is Punia’s fourth medal at the Championships, starting his journey with bronze in 2013.
• He went on to win silver in the 2018 Championships and followed it with another bronze in 2019. Now, he has four championship medals.
• This is India’s second medal at the ongoing edition of the World Wrestling Championships.
• Indian wrestler and Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medalist Vinesh Phogat captured a bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg category at the ongoing World Wrestling Championships 2022 in Belgrade.

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineering Limited (GRSE),Kolkata, has been awarded with the ‘Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar’ by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. GRSE was awarded by the Government of India for the best implementation of official language under public sector undertakings in region ‘C’ for the year 2021-22.

GRSE 

• The ‘Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar’ was presented to Shri Ajay Kumar Mishra, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Home.
• The award was presented during the Hindi Diwas Celebration organized at Surat.
• The Hindi Diwas Celebration was organized under the chairmanship of Shri Amit Shah, Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs and Corporation.
• The event was facilitated by Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Nishith Pramanik, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, and other Union and State Cabinet Ministers, MPs, and MLAs were also present.
• GRSE has received the ‘Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar’ for the best official language Implementation during2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017.
• The ‘Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar’ is the highest award given by the government of India in the field of official Language Implementation.
• GRSE is the only Defence, and public sector undertaking in Kolkata to receive this award.

• IAF’s Project Cheetah: The Israeli Heron drones would be equipped with strike capabilities as part of the Indian Air Force’s Project Cheetah under the Make in India programme.
• The Project Cheetah aims to improve the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles with stronger communication capabilities and long-range missiles that can hit enemy sites.

IAF’s Project Cheetah:

• The project was supposed to be finished with Israeli armament makers, as planned.
• The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is the key driving force behind the project that will also see the Israeli Navy and Army’s drones upgraded with strike capabilities and enhanced surveillance and reconnaissance pods.
• The three services have relied for years on Searcher II and Heron UAVs from the Israeli Air Force for surveillance and reconnaissance.

IAF’s Project Cheetah: Benefits of the Project

• The forces on the ground would be able to gather precise intelligence regarding hiding places in regions where men must participate in operations with the improvement in surveillance capabilities.
• The modifications would also make it possible for the ground stations to fly these planes from afar and control them via a satellite communication network.
• The surveillance capabilities of the UAVs that are expected to be enhanced would be comparable to those that the Indian Army and IAF have already acquired.
• As a result, the emergency acquisition powers that the government provided to the forces in response to the continuing military standoff.

• Varanasi city has been nominated as the first cultural and tourism capital during 2022-2023at the 22nd meeting of the SCO council in Samarkand.
• The 22nd meeting of the SCO council in Samarkand was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2022 was the first in-person meeting of the regional group after the Covid-19 pandemic which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Key Points related to Varanasi

• Varanasi will get a boost in tourism and cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and SCO member countries after it is nominated as the first SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital.
• It will emphasize India’s ancient civilizational links with member states of SCO.
• Various events will also be organized under the framework of a major cultural outreach program in Varanasi during 2032-2023.
• During the culture several guests will be invited to participate from the SCO Member State.

About Varanasi

• Varanasi is also known as Banaras or Kashi. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. The city is known for Hindu mythology and history. The city is linked with spiritualism, yoga, Hindu mythology, culture, and the Sanskrit language.

• Typhoon Nanmadol has recorded furious winds and rainfall in several parts of Japan. Typhoon Nanmadol is one of the biggest storms to hit Japan in years. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has delayed his departure to New York, where he is due to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), has advised people to be highly vigilant and prepared for heavy rains, high waves, gales, and storm surges.

About Typhoon Nanmadol:

• Typhoon Nanmadol is the14th typhoon in Japan.
• Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall near Kagoshima city and later the typhoon took over the western island of Kyushu and the main island of Honshu.
• Till now, the death of one person is recorded due to a flooded river in the typhoon Nanmadol, and 69 people were injured.
• About 3,40,000 households were without electricity during the typhoon.
• The Kyushu Railway Co halted operations in Kyushu.
• Japan Airlines Co Ltd and ANA Holdings canceled about 800 flights.

• The GeM Seller Samvad has been held in Mumbai today wherein numerous beneficiaries spoke about how their business has grown overwhelmingly with the help of the online portal.
• Earlier, GeM’s Business Facilitator for Maharashtra and Daman and Diu, Mr. Nikhil Patil explained how the Government e-Marketplace works as a one-stop online procurement portal for all Central and State Governments, their Ministries and Departments, and Public Sector Undertakings too. Highlighting the advantages for small and medium-scale enterprise vendors, Mr. Patil said, such companies can get loans if required for fulfilling an order received via GeM.
• He added that close to two thousand minor and about 500 major functionalities have been introduced on the GeM portal in the last two years for increasing the ease of doing business.
• Launched in August 2016, GeM has facilitated over one crore transactions valued at over 3.02 Lakh Crore Rupees. Notably, the portal had surpassed the milestone of One Lakh Crore rupees of procurement value in the last fiscal.
• The portal has 62 thousand registered government buyers and 50.90 lakh sellers, from large conglomerates to MSMEs and women Self Help groups. Currently, GeM has about 300 service categories and over ten thousand product categories.

• In Kargil Ladakh, over 2000 runners have participated in Kargil International Marathon. Kargil Hill Council and Ladakh Police have organized the marathon in collaboration with Sarhad Pune. Runners have participated in the full, half, 10K, and 5K categories in the event. The marathon is being organized with the slogan ‘Run for Apricot’, to celebrate the International market entry of Ladakh Apricots.
• Jigmet Namgial and Disket Dolma won the 42 KM Full Marathon in the Men and Women Category respectively.
• CEC LAHDC Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan said, Kargil and UT Administrations are focused on developing the region as an ultimate destination for adventure tourism and leisure tourism as well. He said, the Kargil International Marathon will be organised on the 17th and 18th of September every year.
• He said, such events are also an opportunity for children to excel in sports and make healthy individuals.
• UT Advisor Umang Narula said, the Administration is promoting Ladakh for Marathon Runs in both Kargil and Leh districts.

• Andaman Nicobar Islands becomes India’s first state/UT to achieve a cent percent coverage of precautionary dose. To date, more than 2,87,216 beneficiaries aged 18 have been vaccinated with a precautionary dose.
• The rate of vaccination has seen a spike after the 15th of July when Government decided to provide precautionary doses free of cost under ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• To intensify the campaign, healthcare workers reached households and numerous camps have organized in urban and rural areas, which received a good response, at last, the set target have been achieved before the set time limit of the 30th of Sept.
• First, the Nicobar district has been fully vaccinated with a precautionary dose. Afterward, the North and Middle Andaman and South Andaman districts were fully covered. Corbevax along with Covishield have been administered as a precautionary dose in the islands.
• Apart from this, the set target of youths under 15-18 yrs and 12-14 yrs age category have been also fully vaccinated.
• A&N Islands have achieved this milestone in all the above three categories. The vaccination drive continues to go on in the islands.

• The state’s first dragon fruit processing plant will be set up in Behad Vitthal village of Gagret subdivision in Una district.
• The Horticulture Department has given the nod for the letter of intent given by Riva Sood, a woman entrepreneur.
• A sum of Rs 1.65 crore will be spent on the unit, while the promoter will get a 35-per cent subsidy on the overall cost.
• As per a government press release, the cultivation of dragon fruit is being promoted in Una district and the provisions of MGNREGA have been detailed to provide benefit to farmers taking to the cultivation of the exotic fruit.
• Quoting Riva Sood, the press release said the climate of Una district was suitable for the cultivation of dragon fruit and many farmers had begun its cultivation.
• Consequently, the processing unit will help address the marketing issues of the farmers.
• The unit will provide direct employment to 15 persons, while about 50 more will be able to earn their livelihood as supply chain links and in nursery rearing.
• The farmers will be able to diversify their agriculture pattern and earn more by switching to cultivation of exotic fruits.
• Dragon fruit has a longer shelf life as compared to many other fruits and fetches Rs 300 to 400 per kg.
• Deputy Commissioner Raghav Sharma said 2,700 dragon fruit saplings have been planted in different parts of Una district through MGNREGA, of which 2,100 have been planted in Bangana subdivision, while the remaining 600 have been planted in Oel village of Gagret subdivision.
• The DC said job card holders of MGNREGA, who are interested in the cultivation of dragon fruit, can contact their respective Block Development Officers or panchayat secretaries.

• The University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, confirmed that cherry trees in the Baghi region in the upper Shimla were being infected by a rare disease phytoplasma, which generally attacks stone fruits.
• Director, Research, of the university Sanjeev Chauhan said, “Samples collected from the affected trees were tested in laboratory”.
• The presence of phytoplasma was confirmed through fluorescence microscopy.
• The spread of this pathogen is through the insect leaf hopper.
• The cherry farmers from the Baghi region had apprised the university a week back of an unknown disease due to which several cherry trees had dried up.
• The university had sent an expert team to inspect the trees. Dr Chauhan said the university would organise awareness camps in September and October to apprise the farmers about the management and control the spread of the disease.
• The university has also issued an advisory of management practices to control the disease.
• “The disease spreads slowly, giving the farmers time to control and curb it.
• It can be controlled if the growers follow the protocols that the university have suggested,” said a scientist requesting anonymity.
• This is not the first time the disease has been detected in the state.
• Phytoplasma was had affected peach trees in Rajgarh of Sirmaur district two decades ago. A farmer of Rajgarh, Prakash Chauhan, said, “Rajgarh was known as the peach bowl of Asia before phytoplasma came.
• The disease was like a slow poison. It destroyed a majority of the peach tree in the region.”
• Deepak Singha, the president of the Plum Growers Association, said immediate steps should be taken to contain the disease.
• “An effective spray schedule should be designed, and the pesticides needed to control the disease should be made on subsidised rates”.

Remedial measures:

• Drench the plants with jeevamrit 2-3 times at weekly intervals.
• Avoid the use of bud sticks from symptomatic trees.
• Use only healthy planting material for raising disease-free nurseries.
• Remove and destroy diseased twigs/branches while pruning.
• Restriction on movement of planting material, including bud sticks, from the affected area.