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Why in news?

Chemistry Nobel 2021 was awarded to German scientist Benjamin List and Scotland-born scientist David W.C. MacMillan who independently developed a new way of catalysis – asymmetric organocatalysis in 2000.

What are catalysts?

• When two or more compounds react to form new compounds, the process is often aided by other chemicals that do not change themselves, but help speed up the reaction. Such chemicals are called catalysts.
• Till around 2000, only two kinds of chemicals were known to act as effective catalysts - heavier metals and enzymes.
• Heavier metals - Heavier metals are expensive, difficult to mine, and toxic to humans and the environment.
• Also traces remain in the end product affecting the purity of compound like medicines.
• Metals required an environment free of water and oxygen, which was difficult to ensure on an industrial scale.
• Enzymes- Enzymes work best when water is used as a medium for the chemical reaction but that is not suitable for all kinds of chemical reactions.

What is asymmetric organocatalysis?

• Substances having same chemical composition and molecular formula but different properties are known as isomers.
• Two molecules could be exactly the same, except that they are mirror images of each other which are often referred as left-handed or right-handed molecules.

• List and MacMillan discovered that by using a natural compound like an amino acid as a catalyst, only one specific mirror image of the end-product could be obtained. This was named as asymmetric catalysis.

Why is the discovery so significant?

1)  World Post Day: 09 October

•World Post Day is celebrated each year on October 9 globally. The purpose of World Post Day is to create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people’s and businesses’ everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries. The theme of 2021 World Post Day is “Innovate to recover.”

2)  World Migratory Bird Day 2021: 09 October

•Every year, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is officially celebrated twice in a year since it started in 2006. Firstly it is held on the Second Saturday of May and again on the Second Saturday of October. In 2021, the WMBBD falls on May 08, 2021, and October 09, 2021. The theme for 2021 WMBD is “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!”

3)  India’s Newest Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh

•National Tiger Conservation Authority has approved the Chhattisgarh government’s proposal to declare the combined areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park & Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve. It is located in the northern part of the state, bordering Madhya Pradesh & Jharkhand. This is the 4th Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh (Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar, Indravati).

4)  UNESCO launches 2021 State of the Education Report for India

•On the Occasion of the World Teachers’ Day (5th October), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its 2021 State of the Education Report (SOER) for India: “No Teacher, No Class”. This publication is the annual flagship report of UNESCO New Delhi and it is based on extensive research. This third edition of the State of Education Report focused on the theme of teachers, teaching and teacher education. Access to the internet in schools is 19 per cent all over India.

5)  India Joins High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People

•India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 (30×30). India is the first of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc of major emerging economies to join the HAC.

•India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting in China from October 11 to 15. India joining the High Ambition Coalition is a real game-changer and will boost our multilateral efforts. Stating that India is a major player for biodiversity protection, the French ambassador informed that this coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % the of world’s land and ocean by 2030.

6)  Maharashtra Government launches ‘Mission Kavach Kundal’

•The state government of Maharashtra has launched a special Covid-19 vaccination drive named as Mission Kavach Kundal, with the target of inoculating 15 lakh people everyday. The week-long drive has been organised from October 08 to October 14, 2021. The drive is in line with Centre’s target of reaching 100 crore vaccination mark till 15 October 2021.

•Meanwhile, the country reported 22,431 new cases in the last 24 hours. The active caseload is presently 2,44,198, which is the lowest in 204 days. Maharashtra reported 2,876 new Coronavirus positive cases, 90 fatalities and 2,763 discharges, a state health department bulletin.

7)  First Malaria Vaccine Approved by W.H.O.

•World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya & Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019.

•The vaccine is developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Many vaccines exist against viruses and bacteria but this was the first time that the WHO recommended broad use of a vaccine against a human parasite. The vaccine acts against Plasmodium falciparum, one of five parasite species and the most deadly. The symptoms of malaria are fever, headaches, and muscle pain, then cycles of chills, fever, and sweating.

8)  India-UK Joint Company Level Military Exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ begins

•The 6th Edition of India–UK Joint Company Level Military Training EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand. The exercise is part of an initiative to develop interoperability and sharing expertise with friendly foreign nations. Armies would familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques, etc.

•The troops of the two countries will also share the experiences that they have learnt during the conduct of several military operations in their respective countries and overseas engagements. The exercise will conclude with a gruelling 48 hours exercise to validate the performance of both armies in conducting joint military operations in a semi-urban environment.

9)  IFSCA launches Global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘I-Sprint’21’

•The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has launched the global FinTech Hackathon Series ‘I-Sprint’21’. The first Sprint of the series is “Sprint01: BankTech”, which focuses on FinTechs for the Banking sector. Sprint01: BankTech is organised jointly by IFSCA and GIFT city in collaboration with NITI Aayog.

•The Partners to the Hackathon are ICICI Bank, HSBC Bank, iCreate, Zone Startups and Invest-India. The hackathon will be conducted virtually and is open for all eligible FinTechs from across the Globe. The Price money for this hackathon is Rs 24 lakh.

10)  Wrestler Anshu Malik becomes 1st Indian woman to win World Championships Silver

•At the 2021 World Wrestling Championships, Indian wrestler Anshu Malik created history as she became the first Indian women finalist at the World Championship, and also the first female player from India to claim a silver medal. The 19-year old Anshu settled for a silver medal after losing to 2016 Olympic champion Helen Lousie Maroulis of the United States in a 57kg freestyle bout.

•Till date, Indian women wrestlers Alka Tomar (2006), Geeta Phogat (2012), Babita Phogat (2012), Pooja Dhanda (2018) and Vinesh Phogat (2019) have been able to win a bronze each. Wrestler Sushil Kumar (2010) is the lone wrestler from India to win World Championship till date. Besides this, Sarita Mor claimed her maiden medal by winning bronze in the 59kg category at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships being held at Oslo, Norway from October 02 to 10, 2021.

📰 Simple, but brilliant: on Nobel Prize for Chemistry

NCERT Economy MCQs For UPSC Prelims Exams PDF

1)  Indian Air Force Day observed on 08 October

•Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Air Force on the 8th of October. This year Indian Air Force celebrated its 89th anniversary. Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the Royal Indian Air Force. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950.

2)  World Egg Day 2021: 08 October

•World Egg Day is celebrated worldwide on the ‘Second Friday of October’ month each year since 1996. This year’s World Egg Day will take place on Friday 8 October and will mark the 25th anniversary of the event. The 2021 celebration will centre around the brilliant versatility of the egg and its multitude of benefits to people at every stage of life. The theme for 2021 World Egg Day is “Eggs for all: Nature’s perfect package”.

•World Egg Day was established at Vienna 1996, when it was decided to celebrate the power of the egg on the second Friday in October each year. The day helps to raise awareness of the benefits of eggs and their importance in human nutrition.

3)  World Investor Week 2021: October 04-10

•The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is preparing to launch its fifth annual World Investor Week (WIW) from 4 to 10 October 2021. The World Investor Week (WIW) is an initiative promoted by the IOSCO to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection and highlight the various initiatives of securities regulators in these two critical areas.

•The key messages of the IOSCO WIW campaign in 2021 will be based on two themes: 1) sustainable finance and 2) frauds and scams prevention. The IOSCO WIW campaign continues to gain support among a growing number of jurisdictions, stakeholders and major international organizations.

4)  PM Narendra Modi dedicates to nation 35 PSA Oxygen Plants

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 35 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants to the nation through video-conferencing, during an event at AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. These 35 PSA Oxygen Plants have been established under PM CARES, across 35 States and Union Territories. Now all districts of the country will now have commissioned PSA Oxygen Plants.

•As per the data, a total of 1,224 PSA oxygen plants have been funded under the PM-CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation) fund across the country till date and of these, more than 1,100 plants have already been commissioned providing an output of over 1,750 MT oxygen per day.

5)  PL Haranadh takes charge as Chairman of Paradip Port Trust

•P L Haranadh, an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer of the 1994 batch, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Paradip Port Trust (PPT). Haranadh has worked in various capacities, during his 27 years of service, which includes 22 years in the Indian Railways and 5 years in the Ministry of Shipping. Paradip Port Trust (PPT) is the lone major port in Odisha.

6)  RBI Monetary Policy: Status Quo on rates

•The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged in the fourth bi-monthly policy meet for the financial year 2021-22 headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has maintained the status quo. The Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent. The reverse repo rate will continue to be 3.35 per cent. The meeting was held between October (6 to 8). The remaining will take place in December (6 to 8) and February (7 to 9, 2022).

7)  A book title “Economist Gandhi” by Jaithirth Rao

•The World Bank has estimated India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the current fiscal year 2021-22 to grow by 8.3% in its latest economic update for South Asia. India’s economy, South Asia’s largest, is expected to grow by 8.3 per cent in the fiscal year 2021-22, aided by an increase in public investment and incentives to boost manufacturing,”. The World Bank said in its update on South Asia, titled ‘Shifting Gears: Digitization and Services-led Development.

The GDP growth projection for India in three fiscal years as per World Bank is as follows:

•2021-22 (FY22): 8.3%

•2022-23 (FY23): 7.5%

•2023-24 (FY24): 6.5%

8)  The Nobel Peace Prize 2021 announced

•The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”. Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines. Dmitry Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.

•The Norwegian Nobel Committee is convinced that freedom of expression and freedom of information are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protection against war and conflict. The 2021 peace prize laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.

9)  Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes India Rich List 2021

•The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped the Forbes India Rich list for 2021, released. The list ranks India’s 100 richest Indians. He has retained his position as the wealthiest Indian for the 14th consecutive year on the Forbes India list, since 2008.

•The tycoon added $4 billion to his net worth in 2021, to bring his total fortune to $92.7 billion. The total fortune of Forbes India 100 Richest Indian in 2021 is recorded at US$775 billion. India’s 100 richest are now worth $775 billion. The second spot has been retained by Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, with a net worth of $74.8 billion. Tech tycoon Shiv Nadar acquired the third spot with net worth of $31 billion.

10)  India slips 6 ranks on Henley Passport Index 2021

•India’s rank has slipped by six places from last year to 90 on the Henley Passport Index 2021, which lists the world’s most travel-friendly passports Japan and Singapore hold the first rank on the passport index. The index covers 227 destinations and 199 passports. The index comes at a time when countries are easing travel restrictions for international visitors after almost two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rankings are based on the survey of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.

11)  Fitch cuts India’s FY22 GDP growth forecast to 8.7%

•Fitch Ratings has cut India’s economic growth forecast to 8.7% for the current fiscal but raised GDP growth projection for FY23 to 10%, saying the second COVID-19 wave delayed rather than derail the economic recovery.

•Fitch Ratings said India’s ‘BBB-/Negative’ sovereign rating “balances a still-strong medium-term growth outlook and external resilience from solid foreign- reserve buffers, against high public debt, a weak financial sector and some lagging structural factors”.

12)  Tata Group wins bid for Air India

•Tata Group, the progenitor of the Air India airline, reclaimed it, nearly 60 years after it was nationalised. Tata Sons bid ₹180 billion for the government’s 100% stake in Air India. The government is seeking to sell 100 per cent of its stake in the state-owned national airline, including Air India’s 100 per cent shareholding in AI Express Ltd and 50 per cent in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd.

•The stake sale process, which begun on January 2020, faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In April 2021, the government asked potential bidders to put in financial bids.

📰 Indian forces to carry out exercise with U.K.

📰 India, Nepal to conduct joint patrols for controlling trans-border crime