• \Ministry of Labour and Employment has extended the public utility service status of three industries:
• Industries engaged in the manufacture or production of mineral oil (crude oil), motor and aviation spirit, diesel oil, kerosene oil, fuel oil, diverse hydrocarbon oils and their blends including synthetic fuels, lubricating oils;
• Industries engaged in food stuffs;
• And the iron and steel industry.
• These industries are covered under the first schedule of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (14 of 1947).

About public utility service

• Public Utility are those organizations, company or corporations which provide the essential services to the public.
• The undertakings which supply the basic necessary services such as electricity, water, gas, power, transport etc. comes under the purview of the public utility services.
• These public utility services are maintained and regulated by the government vis local, state and national government according to their respective level of authority.

• Deputy Commissioner Raghav Sharma inaugurated a solar power plant which will operate the solid waste management plant in Ajouli panchayat of Una subdivision.
• With this, Ajouli has become the first panchayat in the district to have a solar power-operated waste management plant.
• About six years ago, Ajouli became the first panchayat in Una district to have an electricity-operated solid waste management plant, having three separate machines to cater to plastic, bio degradable and bio medical waste.
• The DC said the plant was working on electricity and the monthly bill was Rs 12,000-13,000, leading to financial constraints.

• In the backdrop of climatic changes affecting many parts of the Himalayas, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is resuming studies of the mass balance of the Hampta Glacier in Himachal Pradesh from this year to assess and analyse the loss of snow cover.
• The mass balance of a glacier describes the amount of snow and ice received, retained or lost and the volumetric changes it undergoes over a period of time. It is one of the most important aspects of glacier studies which help to understand the prevailing climatic conditions and their impact.
• As per the guidelines of Temporary Technical Secretariat (TTS), some of the selected glaciers should be monitored for mass balance studies for a few decades. Therefore, another five years study will make Hamptah glacier mass balance data complete for full two decades; which is an essential requirement.
• The glacier is located in the Chenab catchment and is 6 km long and about half a km wide. It is also a popular destination for adventure tourists for trekking.
• Mass balance studies on Hamptah Glacier began in 1999-2000 and continued till 2016-17. Since then, the glacier has consistently shown a negative mass balance, implying that it is reducing in volume.
• According to GSI data, between 2000 and 2016, the glacier has receded by 169 meters, with the average rate of recession being 10.5 metre per year.
• It shows that Hamtah Glacier has a consistent retreating trend, which could be caused by gradual increase in the temperature, related to global warming phenomenon and also possible changes in climatic condition.
• This would also help in understanding the trend of the loss of the glacier mass in terms of volume and fluctuation of the snout in space and time.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) is to raise its first unit of indigenously made Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) in October. The LCH is made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• The move comes weeks after Army Aviation Corps inducted the LCH in July this year. The unit is being prepared for deployment in the Northeast.
• The IAF will be inducting 10 LCHs in the first batch.
• The IAF operates the three-decade-old Russian Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters. One of the squadrons of the Russian-made copters is to be phased out while another one is going for a midlife upgrade. The process of induction of 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters has been completed.
• Meanwhile, the Army that started the LCJ induction process plans to acquire 95 LCHs, each having 10 helicopters. These will be deployed in the mountains.
• In March, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved procurement of 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) variants of the LCH at the cost of Rs 3,887 crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 crore. Of the 15 helicopters, 10 are for the IAF and five for the Army.

• Crimes against women rose 15 per cent in India in 2021 and Delhi is the most unsafe metropolitan city.
• Rajasthan reported the highest number of rape cases and Maharashtra topped the list when it comes to most suicides.
• These are just some of the takeaways of the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report which covers crimes against women, kidnappings, suicides, and traffic accidents in India and sheds some key insights:
• The year 2021 also witnessed a spike in the rate of crimes against women (number of incidents per one lakh population) from 56.5 per cent in 2020 to 64.5 per cent
• Amongst the majority of the crimes against women, 31.8 per cent were cases registered under ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’, 20.8 per cent cases were ‘assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’, kidnapping and abduction accounted for 17.6 per cent cases and 7.4 per cent were rapes.
• With 56,083 cases, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of crimes against women, followed by Rajasthan (40,738) and Maharashtra (39,526).
• According to the NCRB data, Nagaland reported the lowest number of crimes against women with 5.5 per cent rate in 2021. The north eastern state also had the lowest number of actual cases (54) last year.
• As many as 31,677 rape cases were registered in 2021 as compared to 28,046 cases in 2020 in the country.

Rajasthan logged the most rape cases among the states in 2020 and 2021.

• The official figure stood at 5,310 in 2020 which increased to 6,337 the next year. The state also had the highest number of rapes of minor girls in 2021 with 1,453 cases.

Delhi is the most unsafe metro city for women.

• Delhi accounted for the highest rate of crimes against women in 2021 among the Union territories, showed NCRB data. The number of cases surged over the past three years from 13,395 in 2019 to 14,277 in 2021.
• Crimes against women in the National Capital accounted for 32.20 per cent of total crimes in the 19 metropolitan cities, followed by Mumbai (12.76 per cent) and Bengaluru (7.2 per cent

Two minor girls were raped every day last year in Delhi.

• The National Capital logged 13,892 cases of crimes against women in 2021, a 40 per cent jump from 2020 when the official figure was 9,782.
• Of a total of 8,664 instances in various categories of crimes against women in 19 cities across the country with a population exceeding two million, Delhi recorded 4674 cases of cruelty by husbands, abduction and kidnapping of women stood at 3,948 cases.

Suicide rates up, Maharashtra tops list.

• As per the latest NCRB report, India reported 1,64,033 suicide cases in 2021, with Maharashtra (22,207) topping the list. The states that followed Maharashtra on the list are Tamil Nadu (18,925), Madhya Pradesh (14,965) and West Bengal (13,500).

17.3 lakh killed in traffic accidents.

• Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of deaths (24,711) in traffic accidents. Around 4,22,659 traffic accidents were reported in the country which killed 1.73 lakh people.

Jammu and Kashmir recorded highest UAPA cases.

• Jammu and Kashmir registered the most Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cases under the ‘special and local laws’ in 2021, as per NCRB data.
• Of the total 814 cases under the UAPA in India, J&K lodged 289 cases last year, followed by Manipur (157), Assam (95), Jharkhand (86) and Uttar Pradesh (83).

Jharkhand reports most communal riots.

• Jharkhand and Maharashtra filed the highest cases of communal riots last year with 100 and 77 cases respectively, as per NCRB’s 2021 report.
• Most caste conflict violence was reported in Bihar with 201 cases last year.

• The Union Social Justice Ministry received 402 applications online from across the country for benefits under the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified, Nomadic, Semi-nomadic (SEED) Tribes.
• The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) in 2022 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities.
• More than 10 crore Indians from 1,400 communities belong to these groups, show the latest estimates available with the government.
• The scheme aims to provide free competitive exam coaching to students, health insurance and financial assistance for housing and uplift clusters of these communities through livelihood initiatives.
• The Ministry has been allocated ₹200 crore for this scheme to be spent over five financial years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• At the time of the launch, the Ministry announced that the scheme would be implemented through an online portal that would issue a unique ID to each applicant to apply and track the status of the application online.

The De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes

• These are communities that are the most vulnerable and deprived.
• DNTs are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminals’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.

• • These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in l952, and these communities were “De-Notified”.

• A few of these communities which were listed as de-notified were also nomadic.

• • Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living in one place all the time.

• Historically, Nomadic Tribes and De-notified Tribes never had access to private land or home ownership.
• While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST)and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC, ST or OBC categories.

• International Whale Shark Day is observed on August 30.
• It is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of whale sharks and their conservation. Started in 2008, at the International Whale Shark Conference in Isla Holbox, International Whale Shark Day has grown popular over the years.
• On the International Whale Shark Day, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is launching ‘save the whale shark campaign’ in Karnataka, Kerala, and Lakshadweep.
• The campaign aims to bring together marine fisher folks, village communities and students for conservation awareness on the whale shark. Additionally, a mobile app has also been developed to further the conservation efforts.
• Whale sharks are the largest shark species of fish on the planet. They usually prefer to swim in shallow depths and are known for their slow and gentle behavior. This makes them an easy prey to humans.
• The whale shark market has led to an approximate 50% decline in the fish’s population, leading them to be placed in the endangered species list. ‘Save the whale shark’ campaign aims to reinstate the beautiful creature to its former glory.

• The largest religious monument in the world, the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in West Bengal, which will serve as the headquarters of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), will also have the world’s biggest dome. The Vedic Planetarium will offer guests a tour of the various parts of the cosmic creation.
• The Temple of Vedic Planetarium is ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada’s vision and is apparently inspired by the design of the Capitol building in the United States. Srila Prabhupada stated his preference for the temple’s exterior style in July of 1976.
• The Temple of Vedic Planetarium is in West Bengal’s Mayapur in the Nadia district and, once completed, it will be larger than the Taj Mahal and St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Vatican. The temple will open in 2024, following a two-year delay brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will purportedly replace Cambodia’s 400-acre-large Angkor Wat temple complex as the largest religious monument.

Onam 2022: Day-Wise Significance

• Day 1, Atham: The first day is Known as Atham, which marks the beginning of the festival. It is believed that Asura King Mahabali’s annual visit from Patala Lok to every Malayali home and meet people on Tiruvonam day.
• Day 2, Chithira: The second day is known as Chithira. On this day, another layer of a carpet of flower called Pookalam is added. They welcome Bali by burning lamps and singing traditional Onam songs to him.
• Day 3, Chodhi: The third day is called Chodhi Pookkalam when another layer is added to the carpet of flowers. People buy new clothes, jewellery and also gift each other on this day and it is known as Onakodi.
• Day 4, Visakam: It is the fourth day of this festival on which the preparation related Onasadhya or Onam feast begins.
• Day 5, Anizham: The fifth day is called Anizham which is exclusively earmarked for the famous boat race. This race begins from Aranmula, a small town in Pathanamthitta.
• Day 6, Thriketa: The sixth day is known as Thriketa, on which day the holidays for the festival begins and people spend most of their time celebrating the festival.
• Day 7, Moolam: On the seventh day, Moolam temples organize elaborate pujas. This day also marks the beginning of Ona Sadya and cultural performances.
• Day 8, Pooradam: The eighth day is called Pooradam. On this day, the idols of King Mahabali and Vamana are installed at home and the King visits the home of Malayali people on this day.
• Day 9, Uthradom: The ninth day is called Uthradom. On this day, Mahabali arrives at Kerala. Traditional meals are prepared at home and fresh vegetables are bought as well.
• Day 10, Thiruvonam: It is the tenth day, which is known as Thiruvonam. This is when King Mahabali is greeted with a warm welcome by the people of Kerala. People take bath early in the morning and in homes, Thiruona Sadya (Special meal for Onam) is prepared.

About

• Onam is a major harvest festival in Kerala and is celebrated to honour the home-coming of Asura king Mahabali who brought about peace and prosperity in Kerala.
• It is one of the three major festivals of Kerala, celebrated during the month of Chingam, the first month in the Malayalam calendar, Kollavarsham.
• The other two major festivals of the state are Vishu and
• The 10-day harvest festival begins on Atham (first day of Onam) and concludes on Thiruvonam (last day).
• Onam is celebrated by making Pookkalam (the flower rangolis). Other rituals are also performed which includes-Vallam Kali (the boat races), Pulikali (the tiger dances), Kummattikali (mask dances), Onathallu (martial arts), among others.
• The main attraction is the traditional Onam sadhya(grand feast).

• The Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) has revealed that four of its startups have been selected by MeitY to represent India at the G20 Digital Innovation Network (DIN).
• T-AIM is an initiative of the state Government supported by NASSCOM. The four startups – Arficus, Edubuk, Eunimart, and MayaMD supported by Revv Up programme.
• The program has been supporting 80 startups built on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Revv Up is a free-of-equity-or-cost acceleration program by T-AIM that is exclusively designed for early-stage AI startups.
• The G-20 DIN will be held during 2nd September-4th September 2022 at Bali International Convention Center, Bali, Indonesia.
• These startups have been receiving mentorship and knowledge sessions from industry experts, access to global pathways, and technology and IP resources to build scalable businesses.