Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 12th September 2024

1. The Defence Aviation Expo will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. 

• Defence Aviation Expo is being organised at Jodhpur Air Force station. 
• This edition of IDAX is scheduled from 12-14 September 2024 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan. 
• It will have a grand participation from industry. It will host a wide range of products, technologies. 
• IDAX aims to show case indigenous skills and indomitable spirit of Indian Aviation Industries to a wide spectrum of decision-makers. 
• It also aims to showcase indigenous skills and indomitable spirit of Indian Aviation Industries to end users from Global Air Forces participating in Tarang Shakti 2024. 

2. A website containing technical terms in 22 official Indian languages was launched by the government. 

• Under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Education, the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) has launched a unique website that provides technical terms in all 22 official Indian languages. 
• The aim of the web portal ‘shabd.education.gov.in’ is to become a central repository of all terminologies prepared for Indian languages. 
• Apart from all the glossaries of CSTT, other institutions or agencies having such dictionaries are also able to submit their work in digital form on this platform. 
• Currently, a total of 322 glossaries containing around 22,00,000 words are available on searching the portal. 
• The ultimate goal is to have 450 glossaries available. 
• Through this platform, users are able to search equivalents of scientific and technical terminology in Indian languages and can also submit their responses to the equivalents already prepared by CSTT. 
• Established in 1961, CSTT aims to develop and define scientific and technical terms in Hindi and all Indian languages. 
• It regularly publishes a large number of text-books and monographs, besides it also publishes quarterly journals named ‘Vigyan Garima Sindhu’ and ‘Gyan Garima Sindhu’. 

3. PM Modi virtually addressed International Conference on Green Hydrogen. 

• Mr. Modi noted that the government had fulfilled its green energy commitments made in Paris before any other G20 countries. 
• He stated that these obligations were fulfilled nine years in advance of the 2030 target. 
• He also mentioned, in the previous ten years, India's potential to use non-fossil fuels had grown by around 300 percent. 
• He also mentioned, in the same time period, India's solar energy capacity grew by more than 3,000%. 
• India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission on 4th January, 2023. 
• The goal of the government is to establish India as a global centre for the production, use, and export of green hydrogen. 
• PM said that the national Green Hydrogen Mission is boosting infrastructure, industry, investment, and innovation. 
• The2ndInternational Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH 2024) is being organised from 11th–13th September 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Itis being organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, in association with Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Department of Science & Technology. 

4. Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has announced the appointment of RS Sharma as its non-executive chairperson. 

• He has held many important positions in his career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). 
• These positions include Director General and Mission Director of UIDAI, Chairman of TRAI, and CEO of the National Health Authority. 
• He was a member of the ONDC Advisory Council and the ONDC Technology &Strategy Review Council. 
• ONDC was incorporated as a Section 8 company in December 2021, with the Quality Council of India and Protean eGov Technologies Limited as Founding Members. 
• Its mission is to dramatically increase e-commerce penetration in the country. T Koshy is its MD & CEO. 

5. Nepal has become the 101st country to join as a full member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). 

• Nepal submitted its instrument of ratification to the ISA on 9 September in NewDelhi. 
• The ratification instrument was exchanged during a meeting between Nepal Foreign Minister Dr. Surendra Thapa and Abhishek Singh, Joint Secretary (ED &MER)in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative forum. 
• It aims to increase the deployment of solar energy technologies in its member countries as a means of enhancing access to energy, ensuring energy security, and promoting the energy transition. 
• India and France jointly launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 30 November 2015 at COP21 in Paris, France. 
• ISA isanintergovernmental organization whose headquarters is located in Gurugram, Haryana. 

6. PM Modi chaired the first governing board meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). 

• The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) was created by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act 2023. 
• In the meeting, several programs were introduced to bolster India’s scientific capabilities and global competitiveness. 
• Its main aim is to foster a strengthened research ecosystem across the country. 
• Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) program initiative was also announced. 
• This multi-institutional endeavour will facilitate collaboration between top-tier institutions. 
• The program aims to systematically enhance research excellence and efficiently spread research culture across institutions. 
• The Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas (MAHA) initiative was launched. 
• This mission-mode program will focus on priority-driven, solution-focused research in strategic areas. 

7. President presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards to nurses. 

• President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards 2024 to Nurses. 
• The National Florence Nightingale Award was instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1973. 
• This award recognises and honours the meritorious services rendered by outstanding nursing personnel. 
• It is given in remembrance of Florence J Nightingale. It is the highest national award in the field of nursing. 
• Thewinnerreceives a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a certificate and a medal. 

8. India’s first quantum computer 

• The National Quantum Mission has finally received the nod to speed up the growth of quantum technology in India. 
• Various start-ups in the field could receive grants of 10 to 50 crore. 
• The initiative also plans on launching India's first quantum computer with the power of 6 qubits within the next couple of months.
• The National Quantum Mission has a corpus of around Rs. 6,000 crores to fund the rise of quantum computing in India. 
• The goal of the mission is to establish a quantum computer with a computation of 20-50 qubits in the next three years. 
• Also, it will establish 50-100 qubits in the next five years and 50-1000 qubits in the next 10 years. 

9. Solar paraboloid technology 

• Solar paraboloid technology is the advanced approach to harnessing solar power.
• This technology uses parabolic dish-shaped reflectors to concentrate sunlight onto a small receiver, significantly improving energy efficiency. 
• The core of solar paraboloid technology lies in its ability to focus a large amount of solar energy onto a single point. 
• This concentrated solar power (CSP) method allows for higher temperatures and more efficient electricity generation compared to traditional solar panels. 
• Thetechnology can produce energy even in low-light conditions, making it a versatile solution for diverse environments.