22-10-21 Daily-Karnataka-KPSC Current Affairs

Karnataka is on the brink of a power crisis with five electricity supply companies (escoms) and the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPCL) yet to pay dues of Rs 1,600 crore to coal supply and companies.

The state has Rs1,000 crore pending bills with coal supply companies and Rs 600 crore with renewable energy supply companies.

With limited coal supply, companies like Singareni Collieries (SCCL) from Telangana have been seeking clearance of dues at the earliest. Sources said three thermal power stations in Karnataka — Ballari, Yermarus and Raichur — have stocks for just 2-3 days and there is a rush to secure more coal rakes. Last week, the State Government paid SCCL Rs 350 crore so that its coal supply is not affected.

Renewable energy companies backlogs have also piled up in the state with Hubli and Gulbarga electricity supply companies having dues owing to a large capacity of Solar Energy Plants being set up in the region.

As India reached the historic milestone of injecting 100 crores COVID vaccinations in one of the world’s largest and fastest vaccination drives, the Archaeological Survey of India of the Ministry of Culture is illuminating 100 monuments in tri-color around the country.

Highlights

The lighting is being done as a show of respect and gratitude to the corona fighters who have tirelessly helped to fight against the covid pandemic.

The India Internet Governance Forum’s (IIGF) curtain-raiser session ended with an insightful look into India’s digital transformation path. The event is a warm-upprecursor for the India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF), which will be held from November 8th to 11th, 2021, and will be conducted by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, NIXI, and the Multistakeholder Group.

Highlights

Empowering India via the Power of the Internet is the theme of the IIGF 2021. The event will feature interesting conversations on India’s digitization journey.

The three plenary sessions on the themes of India and Internet: India’s Digital Journey and Global Role, , Access & Quality High-speed Internet for All, and Cyber Norms and Ethics in Internet Governance will be the highlight of the event.

The approved the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan on 21 October, which includes a multi-modal connectivity implementation, monitoring, and support mechanism.

Highlights

On October 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a Rs 100 lakh crore national master plan for multi-modal connectivity, with the goal of developing Infrastructure to lower logistic costs and improve the economy.

Its goals include lowering logistic costs, increasing cargo handling capacity, and shortening turnaround times.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, which includes the institutional framework for implementing, monitoring, and supporting multimodal connectivity.

Barbados has elected its first president, removing Queen Elizabeth as the country’s head of state as it prepares to become a republic. Dame Sandra Mason, 72, will be sworn in on November 30, the country’s 55th anniversary of independence from the United Kingdom.

Highlights

Dame Sandra has been governor-general of Barbados since 2018. She was the first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals.

Last year, the government stated its intention to become a republic.

India is set to host young leaders under the new initiative called Gen-Next Democratic Network on 25 November.

Highlights:

The Initiative was planned by (ICCR) and will happen in November.

This is hosted for 5 to 7 young people under 35, invited from 75 different democratic countries from the ruling, opposition and other key parties.

The event will be inaugurated by Om, Brila, Lok Sabha speakers and will begin on 25 November.

The ICCR is trying to build relations with Gen Next of 75 countries, who will become future leaders of their countries.

Through this, the young mind will gain a comprehensive idea of the rich democratic culture in India. They will also go to at least one state with ICCR.

Gen-Next Democratic Network was launched in the wake of India taking a lead role in the geopolitics of democracies.

India, the US, UAE, and Israel formed a new Quad of sorts, with their first foreign Ministers meeting on 18 October.

Highlights:

The meeting happened between External affairs minister S Jaishankar, US secretary of state Antony Blinken from Washington, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid from Jerusalem, UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi.

This meeting is the first to bring four countries together on a single platform, which is a part of Indias efforts to build new plurilateral and multilateral partnerships, which focuses on cooperation in security, connectivity, and energy.

India, Israel, and the UAE have risen to trilateral cooperation, especially in trade and , after the US negotiated Abraham Accords in August 2020 between two West Asian countries.