National News

1. Third edition of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign set for August 9-15

The third edition of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, aimed at fostering patriotism and national pride by encouraging citizens to display the national flag at their homes, will run from August 9 to August 15.
This initiative has seen significant public participation in the past two years, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging citizens to continue the tradition.

All about ‘’Har Ghar Tiranga’’ initiative

The campaign was launched in 2022 under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ program.
This initiative was a huge hit among the citizens of India. The participants represented diverse communities all over India.
In its launching year, more than 23 crores have taken part and around 6 crore selfies along with the flag were uploaded. Next year around 10 crore selfies were uploaded for the campaign.
The initiative was successful by including participation from all the states and Union territories.

2. Ambani family’s wealth 10% of India GDP: Barclays-Hurun India report

According to report released’ 2024 by Barclays Private Clients Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses List’ the Ambani family’s combined wealth valuation of Rs 25.75 trillion was equivalent to around 10 per cent of the Indian gross domestic product (GDP).
The Ambani family remains the richest business family in India, followed by the Bajaj and Birla families.
According to the report, the top three business families -Ambani, Bajaj, and Birlas- are valued at $460 billion, which is equivalent to Singapore’s GDP.
The Ambani family is followed by the Bajaj family in the second position with a valuation of Rs 7.13 trillion. The Pune-based automobile business is headed by Niraj Bajaj, a third-generation leader, as per the report.
The Birla family ranks third at Rs 5.39 trillion, led by fourth-generation Kumar Mangalam Birla. The business primarily focuses on metals, mining, cement, and financial services.
The list further features the Sajjan Jindal-led family, valued at Rs 4.71 trillion in fourth place, and the Nadar family with a value of Rs 4.30 trillion in fifth place. The Nadar family’s Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the only woman in the list of top 10 family businesses.
The 2024 Barclays Private Clients Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses list does not include first-generation families. However, the Adani family, set up by current chairman Gautam Adani, has emerged as the most valued first-generation family business with a value of Rs 15.44 trillion.
The list further includes the Poonawalla family, the owners of Serum Institute of India, valued at Rs 2.37 trillion in the second position. Third on the list is the Divi family, another pharma major, with a valuation of Rs 91,200 crore.

3. HCLTech unit to acquire French software firm Zeenea for 24 mn euros

HCLSoftware, the software business division of Indian IT services giant HCLTech, will acquire Zeenea, a Paris-based firm providing data catalog and governance solutions, for Euro 24 million (around Rs 218 crore).
The acquisition is expected to close in September 2024.
The acquisition will strengthen its data and analytics business called Actian.
Actian has seen strong growth in hybrid data management and integration in the last few years. Adding metadata management, data catalog and governance capabilities will help Actian customers.

4. GoI constitutes a committee to monitor the current situation on Indo-Bangladesh Border

The Government of India has constituted a committee to monitor the current situation on the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB).
The committee will maintain communication channels with their counterpart authorities in Bangladesh to ensure the safety of Indian citizens and people belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh.
The Committee will be headed by ADG, Border Security Force (BSF), Eastern Command and will have IG, BSF Frontier HQ South Bengal, IG, BSF Frontier HQ Tripura, Member (Planning & Development), Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), and, Secretary, LPAI, as its members.

Recent Committees

5. Committee on Appointment of VC in Bengal; chaired by – UU Lalit

6. To review and suggest reform in the examination process (restructuring NTA) – Chaired by Dr. Radhakrishnan

7. RBI set up a committee to Mitigate Payment Fraud; chaired by AP Hota

8. SEBI sets up committee to review ownership, economic structure of clearing corporations; chaired by Usha Thorat

9. Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee – Justice Hima Kohli

State News

Odisha launches India’s first ‘Rice ATM’

The Odisha government has introduced India’s first round-the-clock grain ATM, also known as the ‘rice ATM,’ to revolutionise the Public Distribution System (PDS) for ration cardholders.
This machine, installed at a warehouse in Mancheswar, was launched by Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.
The machine, developed in partnership with the World Food Programme, operates around the clock, providing beneficiaries with consistent access to their entitled food grains.
The Annapurti Grain ATM, as it is officially known, is capable of dispensing up to 50 kg grain in just five minutes, with an error rate of only 0.01%.
Initially launched in Bhubaneswar, the rice ATM will be introduced in all 30 districts of Odisha. It will potentially be expanded to other states under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme.

How to use the rice ATM

Enter your ration card number on the touchscreen display.
Complete biometric verification (fingerprint or iris scan).
The ATM will dispense the rice (up to 25 kg) after successful verification.

About Odisha

Capital – Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister – Mohan Charan Majhi (replace Naveen Patnaik)
Deputy CM – KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida
Governor – Raghubar Das
Legislative Assembly Seat – 147

Appointment

10. Goritsa Gruncharova-Kozhareva appoints new caretaker PM of Bulgaria

Goritsa Gruncharova-Kozhareva has been sworn in as Bulgaria’s caretaker prime minister, leaving her to oversee an interim government that has held power in the country since the resignation of former prime minister Nikolai Denkov in March.
She replaces Dimitar Glavchev, who was appointed on 9 April.
Kozhareva was appointed by Bulgaria’s head of state Roumen Radev, who added that he saw 20 October as a suitable date for holding another parliamentary election.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

PM of Tunisia – Kamel Madouri
Head of Bangladesh’s interim government – Muhammad Yunus
President of Iran – Masoud Pezeshkian
President of Venezuela – Nicolas Maduro (3rd time)
PM of Estonia – Kristen Michal
President of Rwanda – Paul Kagame (4th time)

Science and technology news

11. Sankhyiki Portal

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has launched the e-Sankhyiki portal.
It aims to streamline the sharing of official statistics through a comprehensive system designed to enhance ease of access and analysis.
It provides real-time access to data, helping with better planning and decisionmaking.

12. ‘India’s Energy Storage Landscape’ Report

India had a cumulative installed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity totaling 219.1 MWh as of March 2024.
Capacity installations in Q1 2024 is totalled at 120 MWh (40 MW).
Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems combined with battery energy storage systems (PV + BESS) was accounted for 90.6% of the total installed capacity.
The highest BESS capacity was installed in Chhattisgarh, accounting for 54.8% of cumulative installed capacity.
The country’s operational pumped hydro storage capacity is totalled at 3.3 GW as of March 2024.
early 76% of the country’s operating capacity is in Telangana and West Bengal.

13. NITI Gearshift Challenge

NITI Aayog has announced the launch of the NITI Gear Shift Challenge as part of the e-FAST India initiative.
This hackathon aims to foster innovative business models for the adoption of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in India.
It was addressing the nation's pressing economic and environmental challenges.
The Road freight was accounting for a staggering 55% of India’s annual diesel consumption and nearly 40% of CO2 emissions from road transport.

14. Dual-tower solar thermal plant – China

China has unveiled the world’s first dual-tower solar thermal power plant.
It utilises an innovative design to significantly improve energy efficiency.
The plant features two 200-meter-tall towers, each surrounded by nearly 30,000 mirrors that form overlapping circles to focus sunlight onto the towers.
The mirrors in the overlapping area can be utilized by either tower.
The concentrated sunlight heats water inside the towers, generating steam that drives turbines to produce electricity.

Miscellaneous news

15. Organ donation in India - 2023

The number of women living donors was 9,784 last year compared to 5,651 men.
A lone transgender contributed an organ to save the life of another human being.
The total number of living donors in the country in 2023 rose to 15,436.
The total number of organ transplants, taking into account both living and deceased donors, was 18,378, the highest ever.
The Number of deceased donors was much higher among men, with 844 persons donating their organs, while women accounted for 255 such donations.
The total (living and deceased) number of kidney transplants from January to December was 13,426.
It was followed by liver and heart transplants at 4,491 and 221, respectively.
Telangana topped the country in organ donation with 252 cadaver donors, followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with 178 cases each.
In the number of kidney transplants, Delhi stood ahead of others with 2,576 cases while Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reported 1,633 and 1,305 cases.
Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of heart transplants, with 70 cases last year.

16. SAFAL Test Cycle 2024

The CBSE has started a new test cycle that promises to take the exam pressure off.
It will assess students of Classes 5 and 8 on "core concepts" rather than rote learning.
It is also through a "no-preparation required" exam.
It is named as SAFAL - Structured Assessment For Analyzing Learning.
After a pilot run, this year, it extended with 11,000 plus schools and over 10 lakh students joining the July-August cycle.
2025 is likely to see the SAFAL test go to all 29,000 odd CBSE schools.

17. WBG guarantee platform

The World Bank Group Guarantees consolidates all guarantee products and experts from across the World Bank Group institutions at Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.
It provides a simplified and comprehensive menu of guarantee solutions, enabling clients to select the instrument that best suits their needs.
The platform streamlines processes, removes redundancies, and provides greater accessibility by de-risking investments in developing countries.
Its goal is to boost the WBG’s annual guarantee issuance to $20 billion by 2030.

18. PM to release 109 climate resilient crop seeds: Minister

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed high-yielding, climate resilient and biofortified varieties of crop seeds, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release these 109 crops for the farmers on Sunday morning.
Addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Saturday, Mr. Chouhan said, "Recently, 109 new varieties of crop seeds were prepared. Our scientists have researched and developed these less water-consuming and high-producing seed varieties. I am happy to inform you that tomorrow at 11 a.m., Prime Minister Narendra Modi will issue them fc farmers.”

Report news

19. SEBI chief had stake in funds tied to Adani report: Hindenburg

Almost 18 months after Hindenburg Research flagged allegations of malfeasance and stock price manipulation at the Adani group of companies, the U.S.-based short seller on Saturday alleged that the Chairperson of India's stock market regulator, in charge of probing these issues, herself had a stake in obscure offshore entities used in what it alleged was 'the Adani money syphoning scandal'.
Citing documents from a whistleblower, Hindenburg Research alleged that Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband, Dhaval Buch, held stakes in offshore Bermuda and Mauritius funds through complex structures. Weeks ahead of her appointment as a wholetime SEBI member in 2017, Mr. Buch had written to a Mauritius fund administrator to make him the "sole person authorised to operate the accounts", it alleged.
It also cited an account statement dated February 26, 2018, addressed to what it alleged was Ms. Bush's private email account, that pegged the value of their stake in a fund called "GDOF Cell 90 (IPE plus Fund 1)" under the aegis of Global Dynamic Opportunities Fund Ltd (GDOF), operated by IIFL Global, at over $8

Sports

20. Aman Sehrawat breaks Sindhu record to be Youngest Medallist at Olympics

Aman Sehrawat became the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal after he won a bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 57 kg wrestling event at the Paris Olympics.
Aman Sehrawat broke the record of PV Sindhu, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics at the age of 21 years, 1 month, and 14 days.
The youngest Indian to win an Olympic Medal is wrestler Aman Sehrawat. He won the medal at the age of 21 years and 24 days.

21. Oldest Indian Medal Winner at Summer Olympics

The Oldest Indian to win a medal at the Summer Olympics is Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. He won a silver medal in the double trap shooting event at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 34 years, 6 months, and 19 days.
The Oldest Indian woman to win a medal at the Summer Olympics is boxer Mary Kom. Kom won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 29 years, 8 months, and 15 days.

Flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also announced that PR Sreejesh, along with Manu Bhaker, will be the flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sharath Kamal and PV Sindhu were the Indian flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

Awards News

22. AIFF awards 2024

All India Football Federation (AIFF) held its annual awards after a gap of seven years.
Lallianzuala Chhangte from Mumbai City FC has secured the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year award for the second consecutive time.
Indumathi Kathiresan became the first player from Tamil Nadu to win the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year award.

Important day

23. 10 August – World Lion Day

World Lion Day is celebrated annually on August 10th.
Objective – To raise awareness about these conservation issues and promote efforts to protect lions. The day provides an opportunity to educate people about the challenges lions face and to celebrate their vital role in ecosystems and cultural heritage worldwid
World Lion Day was first established in 2013 by Big Cat Rescue, the world’s largest accredited sanctuary dedicated to lions, and was co-founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert.

24. 9 August – Nagasaki Day

Nagasaki Day is observed every year on 9 August. This year marked the 79th Anniversary of Nagasaki Day.
On August 9, 1945, a U.S. B-29 bomber named Bockscar dropped an atomic bomb codenamed “Fat Man” on the city of Nagasaki.
This event occurred just three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, making it the second and, to date, the last use of nuclear weapons in warfare.
The atomic bomb “Fat Man” dropped by a US B-29 bomber on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, killed as many as 70,000 people, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima killed more than 140,000.
Thousands of people were killed in the next two to four months due to the radiation effects of the bombing. Although the exact number of casualties is unknown, the atomic bombs dropped by the US are estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people.

25. 10 July – World Biofuel Day

World Biofuel Day is observed on August 10 annually.
Objective – To create awareness about the importance of biofuels that are made from biological materials like agricultural waste, animal waste, algae, trees, crops, or even grass.
Theme 2024 – Sustainable Biofuels: Reducing Waste, Feeding Energy.
August 10 was designated as World Biofuel Day because it was on this date in 1893 that German Inventor Sir Rudolf Diesel successfully operated his diesel engine with peanut oil.
Later, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in India started celebrating World Biofuel Day from 2015 onwards. In India, biofuels like biodiesel, bioethanol, and bio-CNG are increasingly being used.

26. National Javelin Day 2024 - August 07

The Athletics Federation of India designated this date to honour Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal win in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics.
This celebration recognises his achievement and promotes the sport of javelin throwing across the nation.
On August 7, 2021, Neeraj Chopra made history by throwing the javelin 87.58 meters in the men's Javelin Throw final at the Tokyo Olympics.
This victory marked India's first-ever gold medal in track and field events at the Olympics.

Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 11th August 2024