ANSWER: C

• Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is organizing Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas across 280 locations in 28 states and Union Territories.
• Several local businesses have been invited to be part of the Mela to provide local youth with the opportunity to shape their careers through apprenticeship training. Participating companies will have the chance to meet potential apprentices on a single platform and choose applicants on the spot.
• Apprenticeship Melas are held on the second Monday of each month to increase the employability of India’s youth. Following the completion of the programmes, the company which is providing the training is likely to hire the student as an employee.
• Individuals can register for the Mela by visiting www.apprenticeshipindia.gov.in and to find the Mela’s nearest location.
• To be eligible to apply, the students must have a 5th to 12th-grade pass certificate, a skill training certificate, an ITI Diploma or a graduate degree to participate. Those who have already enrolled have been requested to reach the venue with all the relevant documents.
• Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Atul Kumar Tiwari said that, Apprenticeship Melas have a significant impact on the expanding numbers of apprenticeships and their successful execution across the country.
• He said, upgrading the Apprenticeship Act 1961 not only ensured that the programmes provide additional job opportunities for talented individuals, but also there is a smooth transition from school to work life for young adults, who join the workforce.
• The government is striving to train one million youth per annum through apprenticeship training and to fulfill this mission, Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela is being used as a platform to increase the participation of establishments and students.

ANSWER: D

• India will host diplomats of the UN Security Council along with other member states for a key meeting of Counter-Terrorism Committee in Mumbai and New Delhi on October 28-29. The Special Meeting will specifically focus on new and emerging technologies.
• India is currently the Chair of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee for the year 2022.
• India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj in her capacity as Chair of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, told reporters that this meeting will be a tribute and statement to the horrific 26/11 terror attacks.
• Members of the United Nations Security Council will place a wreath in memory of the victims of the attack. 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed more than 160 people.
• Kamboj said, an outcome document is expected after the special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.
• India’s two-year tenure as an elected non-permanent member of the 15-nation UN Security Council will end in December this year.
• India will also preside as President of the powerful UN organ in December.
• Current members of the Security Council are Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and UAE, along with five permanent members China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

ANSWER: C

• On Indian Air Force raising day, the Government has approved the creation of a new Weapon Systems branch in the Indian Air Force.
• The Chief of Air Staff said, the branch will enhance the war-fighting capability of the Force.
• The Ministry of Defence said the branch would encompass operators in four specialised streams of Surface-to-Surface missiles, Surface-to-Air missiles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft, and Weapon System Operators in twin-multi-crew aircraft.
• Terming this a historic step for the IAF, the Ministry said, creation of Weapon System branch would entail the unification of all weapon system operators under one entity.
• The IAF Chief of Air Staff also unveiled the new combat uniform for air force personnel.
• The new combat uniform is believed to borrow features that were unveiled earlier this year by the Army.
• This news uniform’s versatility also means it can be worn in different terrains – from the mountainous terrain of Kashmir to the vast coast of the peninsula.
• From the jungles of the northeast to the deserts of Rajasthan. With this, all three arms of the Indian military have upgraded to disruptive digital patterns for camouflage uniforms.

ANSWER: A

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared Modhera in Gujarat’s Mehsana district as India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village.
• PM Modi offered prayers at Modheshwari goddess Temple at Modhera. He also witnessed the beautiful 3d projection mapping and heritage light and sound show at iconic Modhera Sun temple.
• Modhera was well known for the Sun temple, now it will also be known as solar-powered village.
• The 80 crore rupees project in Modhera is the first solar-powered village is a joint effort by the central and state governments.
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has also been installed at nearby Sajjanpura village for the storage of solar power that can be utilised during night.

ANSWER: B

• The Election Commission has sent a communication to the Ministry of Law & Justice proposing that one candidate should be allowed to contest from one constituency only in a particular election.
• Sources in the poll panel said though this was not among the proposals sent to the Ministry on electoral reforms, the fresh move gained momentum after Rajiv Kumar was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner.
• The proposal was sent to the Law Ministry and the government is in discussion with the Commission regarding the proposed electoral reforms. A meeting between senior officials of the government and the Commission is likely to take place soon on the issue, they added.
• According to the existing provisions, a candidate is permitted to contest from two different constituencies in a general election or a group of bye-elections or biennial elections. If a person is elected from more than one seat, then the person can hold on to one of the seats.
• The Commission is of the view that when a candidate contests from two seats, it is imperative that he has to vacate one of the two seats if he wins from both. This, apart from the consequent unavoidable financial burden on the public exchequer and the manpower and other resources for holding bye-election against the resultant vacancy, would be an injustice to the voters of the constituency which the candidate is quitting from, it said.
• In 1996, the Representation of the People Act was amended to restrict a person from contesting polls from more than two seats. Before the amendment, there was no bar on the number of constituencies from which a candidate could contest.
• As per the proposal, the Commission has recommended that the law must be amended to provide that a person cannot contest from more than one constituency at a time for conduct and better management of elections.
• In case the provision needs to be retained, then there is a need for an express provision in law requiring person who contests and wins election from two seats, resulting in bye-elections from one of the two constituencies, to deposit in the government account an appropriate amount of money being expenditure for holding the bye-election, the EC has proposed.

Election Commission of India

• It is a permanent constitutional body.
• Article 324 of the constitution establishes the Election Commission of India.
• It was established on 25th January 1950.

The Chief Election Commissioner has suggested 6 key electoral reforms to the Union Law Ministry.

• Issue guidelines for the linking of Aadhaar with voter IDs.
• The election commission has asked the Powers to deregister political parties.
• Mandatory disclosure of all donations above Rs 2,000.
• Empowers the commission to register associations and bodies as political parties.
• Restrict the number of seats a candidate can contest from.
• Ban on exit polls and opinion polls

ANSWER: C

• To create cybersecurity awareness among all employees, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) observed the “Cyber Jaagrukta Diwas”.
• It is observed on first Wednesday of every month.
• Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), IREDA, inaugurated the event.
• Cyber Jaagrukta Diwas is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs that requires all government organizations to spread cybersecurity awareness.
• The purpose is to create awareness and sensitize the Internet users on safeguarding against cyber frauds and cybercrimes.

ANSWER: A

• The National Security Guard (NSG) is holding a multinational joint anti-terror exercise (JATE) at its campus at Manesar in Gurugram under the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) framework.
• The JATE “Manesar Anti-Terror 2022” is aimed at exchanging expertise and best practices and building synergy between the Counter Terrorism Forces of the SCO RATS member countries to enhance capabilities for conducting anti-terrorist operations and countering other security threats collectively, the NSG said in a statement.
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is one of the permanent organs of the SCO and is Headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• The objective of SCO RATS is to facilitate cooperation and coordination against Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism. India assumed the chairmanship of the Council of SCO RATS in Oct 2021. JATE is an annual Counter Terrorist Exercise held within the framework of the SCO RATS.
• The Stage 1 of the Exercise was conducted from July 27 to August 1 by the National Counter Terrorist Forces of SCO member countries in their respective territories.
• The Stage 2 of the Exercise is being conducted from October 8 to October 13, at NSG Manesar Garrison, in which eight representatives from National Counter Terrorism Forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation and NSG of India are participating.
• During the exercise, nuances of planning, preparation and conduct of Counter Terrorist Operations will be discussed and deliberated upon. The Exercise will be witnessed by four “observers” from the Executive Committee of RATS, SCO and one observer from the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan.
• The Exercise will provide a platform to the participating member countries to enhance their operational capabilities and exchange experience in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, which are common regional security challenges.
• The Exercise will culminate in a closing ceremony which will be attended by high-level delegations from EC RATS SCO including Permanent Representatives, delegates from SCO member countries, representatives of the diplomatic missions of the SCO member countries in India, representatives of International organisations collaborating with RATS SCO and national delegates from India.
• During the Closing Ceremony, besides presenting the outcome of Stage-1 and Stage-2 by all SCO Member Countries, tactical demonstrations highlighting the operational capabilities of NSG to mitigate the terrorist threats will be showcased.

ANSWER: B

• In billiards, India’s leading cueist, Pankaj Advani has claimed his 25th gold medal on the world stage, winning the 2022 IBSF World Billiards Championship in Kuala Lumpur. He outclassed compatriot Sourav Kothari 4-0 in a one-sided final to defend the title for the fifth time in a row.
• Advani’s last world title came over 12 months ago in Qatar where he won the IBSF 6-Red Snooker World Cup. With 25 world titles, Advani has extended his record-breaking success as India’s winner of the most gold medals in world championships across all sports.

ANSWER: C

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur has inaugurated a Water Sports Center in Koldam Barmana, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
• The centre will be dedicated to training athletes in water sports like Rowing, Canoeing and Kayaking.
• The Minister said, 40 players will be chosen who will take part in Rowing, Kayaking and Canoeing. There are state of the art equipments and boys and girls will get hostel and training facilities.
• The Water Sports Centre, the very first of its kind in Himachal Pradesh, has been jointly initiated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also exchanged between SAI and NTPC during the event.

ANSWER: C

• Four engineer friends have claimed to have innovated a giant swing backed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) which will provide an “impeccable” security to the jumpers with more than 100 “jump styles”.
• The swing was built under a startup incubated at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, and is claimed to be a first-of-its-kind in the world.
• Founded by four childhood friends who are also certified rock climbers and mountaineers, ‘ManaliSwing’ has completed its human jump trials and is in the process of filing patents — five in number — for concept and design.
• The team plans to launch the swing in Manali on coming New Year.
• One of the team’s members claimed that it has already been approached by the Dubai government to launch the swing in the country and is in conversation with interested agencies in Switzerland too.
• Soni said that the swing allows one to perform 100 possible jump styles with a 70-metre-free fall secured by AI.
• The plan is to launch it in Manali on New Year. The tourists will have to pay Rs 3,000 for each jump. The cost will include transportation from a certain point and professional photography and videography service,” he added.
• The startup conducted a full-scale trial of 1,000 dummy jumps followed by human jumps, all successful, under the presence of Industrial Rope Access Trade Association experts at IIT Hyderabad, the team member said.
• “The AI will also help track participants and Jump Master’s performance across millions of data points and deliver optimised approvals for jumping.
• Having a really intelligent AI will be an edge for a Jump Master and his team in ensuring no injury, incident, or causality happens on the site. For example, AI will not approve the jump if there is anything wrong with the jump protocol or international standards,” he said.
• The team, which has plans to launch a second swing in Goa and then take the technology to other countries, rued Indians’ dwindling interest in adventure sports, despite an increase of 178 per cent in adventure activity globally in the last three years.
• India, despite being the world’s youngest country with 50 per cent population below 25, stands at 96th position in global Adventure Tourism Competitive Index (ATDI) 2020. That too is consistently decreasing since the last four years. India ranks much lower than its neighbours, Bhutan (14th), and Nepal (67th).
• The project which was conceptualised five years back was commercially registered last year as a startup.