Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 6th August 2024

 

1. Textile Ministry kick starts ‘VIRAASAT’ exhibition to celebrate 10th National Handloom Day 

• The Textile Ministry is organising a fortnight-long exhibition called “VIRAASAT,” to celebrate the 10th National Handloom Day, which commenced at Handloom Haat in Janpath. 
• The National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC), an arm of the Textiles Ministry is organising this handloom expo. 
• Handloom products drawn from some of the exotic locations of India were on display and sale at the exhibition. 
• During the event, several activities will be organised at the Handloom Haat like 75 stalls for handloom weavers and artisans to directly retail the products, a Curated theme display of exquisite handloom of India, Workshops on natural dyes, Kasturi cotton, Design and exports, Live loom demonstration, Folk dances of India, Delicious regional cuisines, etc. 
• The first National Handloom Day was held on 7th August 2015 by PM Modi in Chennai. 

2.India & World Bank sign $500 million agreement for Green National Highway Corridor project 

• The Government of India and the World Bank have signed an agreement for the construction of Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP) in an aggregate length of 781 km for the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
•  The total project cost is estimated at $1.29 billion (Rs. 7,662.47 crore). 
• Scheduled for completion by May 2026, the GNHCP includes several innovative approaches to reduce carbon emissions and conserve natural resources throughout its lifecycle. 
• The GNHCP will provide smooth, all-weather motorable roads, enhancing connectivity and socio-economic development in the region. 

3. Government releases commemorative stamps for the 33rd Paris Olympics 

• Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya have released a set of four commemorative postage stamps to celebrate the 33rd Olympics Games currently going on in Paris. 
• 10-meter air pistol mixed team medalist, Sarabjot Singh, Steeplechase Athlete, Sudha Singh and Former Cricketer Akash Chopra also attended the event. 
• These stamps represent sports such as Javelin Throw, Field Hockey, Sailing and Table Tennis. 

4. India to host first BIMSTEC Business Summit in New Delhi 

• India will host the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation – BIMSTEC Business Summit in New Delhi. 
• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will inaugurate the three-day Business Summit along with key note addresses from Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal and other leaders. 
• The event will also feature several ministers of the BIMSTEC Member States along with high-ranking Government officials, policy makers, entrepreneurs and industry associations. 
• BIMSTEC Business Summit will bring together more than 300 key stake holders from across the Bay of Bengal region to facilitate economic collaboration and explore ways ahead in focus areas such as trade facilitation, regional connectivity. 

5.About Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) 

• Founded – 6 June 1997 
• Headquarters – Dhaka, Bangladesh 
• Membership – 7 (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka &Thailand)
• Secretary General – Indra Mani Pandey (India) 

6.Bharat Forge arm gets license to make defence products 

• Bharat Forge, wholly-owned subsidiary of Kalyani Strategic Systems (KSSL), has been granted defence license for manufacture of various defence products specially designed for military application at its Jejuri unit.
• The license has been granted by the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade under The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951.
• This will allow company to participate in potential defence programs in future by KSSL. 
• Bharat Forge manufactures an extensive array of critical and safety components for several sectors including automobiles (across commercial & passenger vehicle), oil & gas, aerospace, locomotives, marine, energy (across renewable and non-renewable sources), construction, mining and general engineering. 

7.Preamble dropped from several NCERT Class 3, 6 textbooks 

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has dropped the Preamble to the Constitution from several Class 3 and Class 6 textbooks issued this year. 
• In the newly published textbooks for Class 6, the NCERT has dropped the Preamble from the social science textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond. The book mentions the fundamental rights and fundamental duties. The Preamble is present in the science text-book, Curiosity, and the Hindi textbook, Malhar. 
• In the old textbooks, the Preamble was printed in the English book, HoneySuckle, the science book, the Hindi textbook, Durva, and all three social science books Our Pasts-I, Social and Political Life-I and The Earth Our Habitat. 
• The new English textbook, Poorvi, has the National Anthem, while the Sanskrit textbook, Deepakam, has both the National Anthem and the National Song, but not the Preamble. The earlier Sanskrit book, Ruchira, also did not have the Preamble. 
• The new Class 3 text- books for Hindi, English, mathematics and World Around Us (which replaces EVS) do not have the Preamble. The old EVS book, Looking Around, and the Hindi book, Rimjhim 3, carried the Preamble. "The allegations regarding removal of the Preamble from textbooks do not have a sound basis," Professor Ranjana Arora, Head of the Department of Curriculum Studies and Development at NCERT, said. 

8.'Nearly 36,000 people got govt. jobs in J&K in 5 years’ 

• Nearly 36,000 people got government jobs in the past five years in Jammu and Kashmir after the special status of the former State was read down on August 5, 2019 under Article 370 of the Constitution, government sources said. No such recruitment was however done in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Since August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir received *5,600 crore private investment, while ₹7,000 crore investment is expected in the future, a source added. 
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the "transformative decision" [revocation of Article 370] has ushered in a new era of empowerment for marginalized sections and strengthened grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh."The region's youth have driven socio-economic growth and cultural revival, making the Modi government's efforts to foster peace and comprehensive development a grand success. We thank Modiji for this landmark decision and reaffirm our dedication to advancing the region's aspirations and transformative progress," Mr. Shah said on social media platform X. 

9. The production of 200 Astra missiles has been approved by Air Force. 

• The DRDO and the BDL have received clearance from Indian Air Force (IAF) to produce 200 Astra air-to-air missiles for its Su-30 and LCA Tejas fighter aircraft. 
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the development agency for the project, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is the production agency for it
• Defence Acquisition Council had cleared the programme for IAF and Indian Navy. 
• Under this, 248 missiles were expected to be produced for IAF and Indian Navy in 2022-23. 
• The Astra Mark 1 missile is a predecessor to the Mark 2. It has already been inducted into the IAF and the Navy. Astra Mark 1 missile has a range of up to 100 kilometres.First test of Astra Mark 2 missiles is expected soon. 

10.NPAS on Mudra loans have come down in 2023-24, says Nirmala

•  The non-performing assets (NPA) associated with Mudra loans given out by public sector banks have come down in the current financial year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. 
• She said in 2023-24, the NPAS on Mudra loans had declined to 3.4%, a significant improvement from 4.77% in 2020-21, 4.89% in 2019-20, and 3.76% in 2018-19. Replying to a supplementary question by Congress leader S. Senthil during the Question Hour, Ms. Sitharaman said Mudra loan NPAs in private sector commercial banks was at 0.95% in 2023-24 from a peak of 1.77% in 2020-21 and 0.67% in 2018-19.
• In response to a question regarding depositors' money in the Sahara group, she said the Serious Fraud Investigation Office was carrying out a detailed probe. It is also looking into the reason behind a sizable number of investors not coming forward to claim the invested money in the company, she said. 

11.Film Academy re-elects Janet Yang as president 

• Film producer Janet Yang has been re-elected as the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a third time.
•  Apart from her, several other people have been elected for board officer positions, including Lesley Barber, Vice President (chair, Membership Committee), DeVon Franklin, Vice President (chair, Equity and Inclusion Committee), Donna Gigliotti, Vice President/Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee), Lynette Howell Taylor, Vice President (chair, Awards Committee) and Howard A Rodman, Vice President/Secretary (chair, Governance Committee). 
• Yang has been a member of the Producer’s Branch since 2002, and her credits include South Central, The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zero Effect, Saviour, The Weight of Water, High Crimes, and Over the Moon, which was nominated for an Oscar. 

12.Dinesh Karthik appointed SA20 league ambassador 

• Former India wicketkeeper Batter Dinesh Karthik was appointed the league ambassador of the SA20 League. 
• Karthik, who is the first Indian player to be associated with the South African tournament, retired from all forms of cricket earlier this year.
• Karthik will be working very closely with fellow SA20 ambassador AB de Villiers and the management team to help strengthen the league’s global fan base and reinforce brand awareness across key strategic markets in India and the United Kingdom. 
• The SA20 comprises six franchises — MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, Durban Super Giants, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, all of which are owned by the owners of IPL teams. 

Recent Brand Ambassador 

• Shikhar Dhwan – MotoGP India 
• Aditya Roy Kapur – Bisleri Limonata 
• PV Sindhu – Greenday’s Better Nutrition 
• PV Sindhu – Tobacco Control 
• Shah Rukh Khan – Muthoot Pappachan Group
• Kareena Kapoor Khan – UNICEF India National Ambassador 

13.President Droupadi Murmu Conferred “Companion of the Order of Fiji” in Capital Suva 

• President Droupadi Murmu was conferred the Companion of the Order of Fiji, the highest honour of Fiji by the President of Fiji. 
• President Murmu addressed the Fijian Parliament where she recalled the 75 years diplomatic association between the countries. 
• President Droupadi Murmu was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by the Fiji Military Force upon her arrival in Suva. 

About Fiji 

• Capital- Suva 
• Currency- Fijian dollar 
• President – Wiliame Katonivere 
• Prime Minister- Sitiveni Rabuka 

Recent Award 

• V Venkayya Epigraphy Award 2024 – V. Vedachalam 
• Global Water Tech Award for environmental initiatives – Delhi Metro Rail Corporation 
• Customised Gold Coins by Paris’ Grevin Museum – Shah Rukh Khan 
• Olympic Order by IOC – Abhinav Bindra
• International Excellence Award – CA Arpit Jagdish Kabra (for his significant contributions to forensic auditing) 

14.Memoir of geologist, mountaineer Sudipta Sengupta to release 

• A new book chronicling the work and adventures of Sudipta Sengupta, a pioneering geologist-mountaineer and one of the first Indian women to set foot in Antarctica in 1983. 
• “Breaking Rocks and Barriers”, published by HarperCollins India, narrates Sengupta’s adventures as a geologist studying and doing fieldwork in remote areas across the world – from encounters with snakes in the mines of Bihar and trekking across a ‘black glacier’ in Norway to being engulfed by a thundercloud in Sweden and being greeted by a flock of penguins in Antarctica. 
• Sengupta was part of the Third Indian Expedition to Antarctica that ran from December 3, 1983, to March 25, 1984. 

Recent Book

•  Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi’ – Dr R Balasubramaniam
•  I have the Streets – R Ashwin & Sidharth Monga 
• Gateways to the Sea – launched by Governor of Maharashtra Ramesh Bais 
• The Adventures of Ed-a-Mamma: Ed Finds A Home – launched by Alia Bhatt 
• India’s Trade Policy; The 1990’s and beyond – Arvind Panagariya 

15. 6 August – Hiroshima Day 

• Hiroshima Day is observed on 6 August every year. This is the day when the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 
• On this day in 1945, the detonation of an atomic weapon caused the immediate loss of thousands of lives, making Hiroshima the first city to endure such a devastating nuclear attack. Today, we mark the 76th anniversary of this tragic event.
• The historical context of 1945 reveals that the United States dropped two atomic bombs, known as ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man,’ on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, respectively. 
• The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 led to the devastating loss of approximately 39 percent of the city’s civilian population. 
• The immediate and profound impact of this attack marked one of the most tragic events in history, resulting in extensive casualties and widespread destruction. 

16.The Digital Shakti Centre has been inaugurated by the National Commission for Women in New Delhi to fight cybercrimes against women. 

• In partnership with the Cyber Peace Foundation, National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Ms. Rekha Sharma inaugurated the Digital Shakti Centre. 
• The centre aims to increase public awareness of cyber crimes. It will offer crucial technical assistance for filing and handling complaints.
• The commission highlighted how important this program is to giving women the confidence to use technology safely and effectively. 
• It stated that the facility will provide professional advice to guarantee prompt and efficient resolution of cybercrime concerns, based on the success of its Digital Shakti program. 
• In 2018, the Digital Shakti program was introduced. 
• According to Ms. Sharma, the number of cybercrime cases in India has increased, going from 52,974 in 2021 to 65,893 in 2022. 
• She noted that more complaints about cybercrimes against women had been received by the NCW. 

17.A Moon crater has been named after Pasang Lhamu Sherpa. 

• Lhamu Pasang Sherpa is the first Nepalese woman to reach on the Mount Everest summit.
• Nepal celebrated the naming of a crater at the Moon’s South Pole in honor of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa. 
• The US Geological Survey as well as topographic and hydrological features of Earth has named this cater after Sherpa. 
• The Government of Nepal has honored her by declaring Pasang Lhamu a National Luminary.

18. Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 

• The Union Civil Aviation Ministry present the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 Bill (Aircraft Bill) in Parliament. 
• This new legislation aims to overhaul India's aviation regulations, replacing the outdated Aircraft Act of 1934 from the British era.
• Since 1934, 21 amendments have been made in this act. 
• The bill includes provisions to regulate the design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export or import of any aircraft or class of aircraft. 
• One of the significant changes in the bill is the updated definition of "aircraft." 

19. 2nd Largest Aluminum Producer 

• India is ranked as the 2nd largest Aluminium producer, 3rd largest lime producer and 4th largest iron ore producer in the world. 
• The primary aluminium production reached a record level of 41.6 lakh tonnes (LT) in FY 2023-24. 
• In FY 2023-24, iron ore production reached 275 million metric tons (MMT), while limestone production hit 450 MMT. 

20. Magnetism to mind-control Mice 

• In a world-first experiment, researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability to control specific brain regions in mice using magnetic fields. 
• This breakthrough is known as Nano-MIND (Magnetogenetic Interface for Neuro Dynamics) technology. 
• The Nano-MIND technology allows for wireless, remote, and precise modulation of specific deep brain neural circuits using magnetism. 
• It opens up new possibilities for understanding and manipulating complex brain functions such as cognition, emotion, and motivation. 

21. Indian gene-editor

•  The Scientists from the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, have developed an enhanced genome-editing system.
• It can modify DNA more precisely and more efficiently than the existing CRISPRbased technologies. 
• Researchers are exploring Cas9 enzymes from Francisella novicida bacteria. 
• While this Cas9, called FnCas9, is highly precise, it has a low efficiency as well. 
• To enhance it without compromising its specificity modified and engineered new versions of FnCas9. 
• Currently, Using CRISPR-Cas9, researchers can add, remove or alter specific DNA sequences in the genome of animals. 

22. State of the World’s Mangroves' report 2024 

• It is produced by the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA). 
• It maps 147,256 km² of mangroves in 2020, adding data for six new territories. 
• Despite of the efforts, only 40% of the world's remaining mangrove forests are in protected areas. 
• Some countries, like Malaysia and Myanmar, have less than 5% protection. 
• Southeast Asia holds about one-third of the world's mangroves, with Indonesia alone accounting for 21%.
• Over 5,700 plant and animal species, across 21 phyla, have been recorded in Indian mangroves alone. 
• In India, West Bengal holds the largest mangrove area followed by Gujarat, majorly located in the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat. 
• India have perhaps the highest record of biodiversity of any country, with a total of 5,746 species. Of these, 4,822 species (84%) are animals. 
• The Global Mangrove Alliance aims to double the protection to 80% by 2030. 

23. Officer for ‘external cooperation’ ee 

• The Kerala Government has recently decided to appoint IAS officer K Vasuki as ‘state’s secretary in charge of matters concerning external cooperation’. 
• The seventh schedule, list 1 - Union list, item 10, specifies that foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country, are the sole prerogative of the Union Government. 
• Article 253 lays that, the Parliament has power to make any law for implementing any treaty with any other country or any decision made at any international conference, etc. 
• Article 293 provides territorial limits on borrowing power of the states. 

24. LS passes Bill to allow expenditure for FY 2024-25 

• The Lok Sabha on Monday approved about 140 lakh crore in expenditure demands by different Ministries, completing two-thirds of the legislative approvals needed for the full Budget for 2024-25.
• The Lower House approved the Demands for Grants as well as the Appropriation (No 2) Bill 2024, which authorizes the government to use certain sums out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2024-25.
•  This followed a guillotine being applied after taking up a discussion on Demands for Grants for four Ministries. 

25. Karnataka government formed a task force to clear encroachments in forests and Western Ghats. 

• Karnataka government has formed a 'forests and western ghats encroachment clearance task force'.This task force has been formed to clear illegal resorts, homestays and all forest encroachments in the entire Western Ghats. 
• This task force has been formed under the leadership of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force.The forest department's additional chief secretary issued orders for the removal of all forest encroachments in Western Ghats region. 
• This decision has been taken after seeing the tragedies caused by landslides at Wayanad.Landslides are continuously occurring in the Western Ghats regions including Shiradi Ghat, and Charmadi Ghat.Section 64A of the Karnataka Forest Act deals with encroachment of forest land and ways to evict encroachers.