Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 23rd August 2024

1. Offshore Areas Mineral Trust Rules 2024 

• It will be establishing the first-ever framework to oversee mineral exploration and production in India's offshore areas. 
• Under the new rules, holders of production leases of offshore mines are required to contribute to the Trust by paying 10 per cent of their royalty payments to the government. 
• This sum will be deposited in the Public Account of India, providing a financial backbone for the Trust's initiatives. 
• The primary objective of the Trust is to promote sustainable exploration, while ensuring environmental conservation and community welfare. 

2. New Method to Predict Solar Cycle Amplitude 

• Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have found a new method to predict the amplitude of the upcoming solar cycle.
• The astronomers have discovered a new correlation using 100 years of solar data from the IIA’s Kodaikanal Solar Observatory. 
• Space weather is concerned with the varying conditions within the solar system and its heliosphere influenced by the sun and solar wind. 
• The main components of space weather are the solar wind, coronal mass ejection and solar system. 

3. VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurates 19th CII India-Afria Business Conclave

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi.
• The theme of the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave is– Creating One Future. he Conclave will explore the role of the India-Africa partnership in regional and global value chain integration. 
• he 19th Conclave will focus on some of the key areas of the India-Africa partnership and emerging opportunities in Agriculture, Food Processing, Defence, Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Digital Partnership, Power and Energy, Financial Partnership, Infrastructure, Quality Ecosystem, Skill Capacity Development, and others.
• The first edition of the CII India Africa Business Conclave was held in 2005. 

4. Jagdeep Dhankhar in News

• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the Prerna Sthal in Parliament Complex
• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit in Delhi
• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated a year-long pan-India campaign ‘Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman’. 
• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace in New Delhi. 

5. Manohar Lal Khattar launches 3 Online Plateform to Boost Power Sector Efficiency & Transparency 

• Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar has launched three online platforms to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness of power sector in New Delhi.
• The portals are named as Portal for Online Monitoring of Projects– Thermal (PROMPT), Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector (DRIPS) and JAL VIDYUT DPR. 
• All these online portals have been developed by the Central Electricity Authority under the Union Ministry of Power. NTPC helped the Central Electricity Authority in developing the PROMPTplatform. 

About PROMPT Portal

• The PROMPT (Portal for Online Monitoring of Projects—Thermal) will facilitate real-time analysis and tracking of thermal power projects under construction in India online. This is expected to quickly identify and resolve the issue that leads to delays in the construction of thermal power plants. 

About DRIPS portal 

• The Disaster Resource Inventory for Power Sector (DRIPS) online portal has been built to quickly identify power disruptions in the country due to natural disasters like cyclones, earthquakes, flooding etc. 
• It will link the designated nodal officers of all the departments of the power sector and other agencies in the affected districts and states so that necessary steps are taken to quickly restore power in the affected areas. 

About JAL VIDYUT DPR Platform

• The JAL VIDYUT DPR (Monitoring Survey and Investigation Activities of Hydroelectric Projects and Pumped Storage Projects) will provide the real-time status of Hydroelectric pumped storage projects under construction in various parts of the country. 
• This will ensure better management and coordination for the construction of the pumped hydroelectric plants. 

6. Ola becomes only EV maker to secure PLI certification for four electric scooters 

• Ola Electric’s S1 X 3 kWh and S1 X 4 kWh scooters have received certification for compliance with the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the automobile and auto components sector. 
• This certification, awarded by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), comes after Ola Electric successfully met the minimum localisation criteria of 50% as mandated by the Ministry of Heavy Industries. 
• The company stands to receive incentives ranging from 13% to 18% of the determined sales value of compliant products for up to five consecutive financial years starting from Fiscal 2024. 
• With this Ola Electric has become the only EV maker to get PLI compliance certification for four products: S1 Air, S1 Pro, and S1 X models in both 3 kWh and 4 kWh versions. The S1 Air received PLI certification earlier at the Auto PLI Conclave held in January 2024. 

About PLI Scheme 

• The PLI scheme, unveiled by the government in 2021 with a budgetary outlay of INR 25,938 crore, aims to boost domestic manufacturing of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) products and attract investments in the automotive manufacturing value chain. 
• The scheme focuses on Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), such as Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, by providing financial incentives to automobile OEMs and component makers. JGU to establish India’s First Constitution Museum for 75th Anniversary of Constitution 
• P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is set to launch India’s first Constitution Museum, marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. 
• The museum, named “The Constitution Academy and The Rights & Freedoms Museum,” will be inaugurated on November 26, 2024, at the JGU campus. 
• The museum aims to “demystify the Constitution and make it accessible to wider audiences.” The museum will feature a Children’s Corner with interactive installations and educational materials designed to introduce young visitors to the Constitution in an engaging manner. 
• The Constitution Academy will feature sections dedicated to different parts of the Constitution and their significance. It will include profiles of Constituent Assembly members, debates, and deliberations that shaped the Constitution. The museum will use various formats, including textual, audio-visual, and experiential, to engage visitors. 

7. Deepti Gaur Mukherjee assumes charge as MCA Secretary 

• Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, a 1993 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has assumed charge as Secretary to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). 
• She has succeeded Manoj Govil, who has assumed charge as the Expenditure Secretary. Prior to this appointment, Mukherjee was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority. 
• She takes over as the top official of MCA at a time when the Ministry is working on a slew of legislations and reforms that may be introduced in the next few months. 

Other Important Points 

• Foreign Secretary– Vikram Misri (replace Vinay Mohan Kwatra) 
• Home Secretary– Govind Mohan (replace Ajay Kumar Bhalla) 
• Cabinet Secretary– T V Somanathan (replace Rajiv Gauba)
• Secretary of DPIIT– Amardeep Singh Bhatia. 
• Revenue Secretary– Sanjay Malhotra 
• Defence Secretary– Giridhar Aramane 
• Economic Affairs Secretary– Ajay Seth 
• Finance Secretary– V. Somanathan 
• MoSPI Secretary– G. P. Samanta 

8. 21 August– World Senior Citizens Day 

• World Senior Citizens Day is observed every year on 21 August. This day aims to raise awareness of the issues being faced by older adults like health deterioration and elder abuse. 
• It is also celebrated to acknowledge their contributions towards society. 

9. 23 August– International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition 

• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is observed annually on August 23. 
• This day raises awareness about the horrifying nature of the slave trade and reminds people about the transatlantic slave trade and its implications. 
• The transatlantic trading patterns were established in the mid-17 century. It involved trading ships from Europe, sailing from Europe with manufactured goods to the west coast of Africa, where the goods would be exchanged for people captured by African traders.
• More than 480,000 people were enslaved in the British Colonies by the 1790s. Enslaved people were forced to toil on plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas. These plantations produced products such as sugar or tobacco meant for consumption in Europe. 

10. Former Meghalaya CM Salseng Marak passes away 

• Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Salseng C Marak passed away at the age of 82. 
• Marak became the first chief minister of the state to complete a five-year term in 1993. 
• He also held the office of the CM for the shortest time– 12 days– in 1998 when the Congress-led coalition collapsed.
• He also served as the state Congress chief in 2003. 

11. In July, India surpassed China to become the world's largest importer of Russian oil. 

• July saw a record import of 2.07 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude. This accounted for 44% of India's total imports. This is a 4.2% increase from June and a 12% increase from the same month last year. 
• That was more than China's 1.76 million barrels per day of oil imports from Russia through pipelines and shipments in July. Since Russia started its war against Ukraine in February 2022, India's trade with Russia has grown, mainly as a result of imports of oil and fertiliser. Last month, Iraq remained India's second-largest oil supplier, followed by Saudi Arabia and UAE. 
•  India's crude purchases from Middle East increased by 4% in July, bringing the region's share in India’s overall mix to 40% from 38% in June. 

12. TheUnionMinister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal launched skilling program at Jawaharlal Nehru Port. 

• The Minister also inaugurated beautification and rejuvenation projects in the vicinity of Jawaharlal Nehru Port. He further inaugurated three significant water bodies aimed at enhancing the ecological balance in the region. 
• Letters of Intent for the recently e-auctioned Phase 7 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, JNPA, Special Economic Zone were issued by the minister to the concessionaires. In the presence of Minister, two key Memoranda of Understanding were signed. 
• The first MoU was between JNPA, Vadhvan Port, and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC). This MoU wasfor loan disbursement to support various infrastructure projects. Another MoU was between Gateway Terminals India and JNPA. 
• This MoUwasforimplementing shore power supply for vessels. Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Vadhvan Skilling Program’s WhatsApp ChatBot. This has been developed by JNPA. This tool is designed to provide information about Vadhvan Port and facilitate access to skilling programs. Vadhvan Port is a proposed deep sea port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra. 

13. Beginning on October 1, Sri Lanka will grant free visa access to 35 nations, including India. 

• 34 other countries are included in the list in addition to India. The United States, United Kingdom, China, Israel, New Zealand, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Australia are a few of the well-known countries. 
• On September 21, Sri Lankans will cast ballots to choose a new president. Following the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe took office as Sri Lanka's eighth President in July 2022. In July, he declared his candidature for the presidential elections. 
•  But the largest party in parliament, SLPP, chose not to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Instead, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) nominated a candidate of their own. 

14. Karnataka has the highest number of public electric vehicle charging stations (PEVCS) in India. 

• As per a recent report by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Karnataka has the highest number of public electric vehicle charging stations (PEVCS) in India. There are 5,765 PEVCS in Karnataka, of which 4,462 are in Bengaluru Urban. The energy department is working to develop model EV cities across Karnataka. Karnataka was the first state to introduce EV policy in 2017. 
•  The charging stations have been funded through the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme and other sources. The state government proposed the establishment of nearly 2,500 new EV charging stations across the state in the 2024 budget. The government is also planning to invest Rs 35 crore in setting up 100 charging centres. 

15. National Space Day 2024: August 23 

• The first National Space Day was celebrated in India on August 23, 2024. On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission completed the safe and soft landing of the Vikram lander on the lunar surface. President Draupadi Murmu inaugurated the main function, which was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. 
•  The theme of National Space Day 2024 is "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga." More than a thousand events were organised across the country in the last one month to celebrate National Space Day. 
• Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon and ISRO Robotics Challenge were organised as part of the celebrations. Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium organised a series of events to celebrate National Space Day to commemorate India's soft landing of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander on the Moon's south polar region. On this occasion, painting, pick and speak, JigSaw puzzle and walk in quiz were also organised for children. 

16. Nepalwill export 251 MW additional hydropower to India from 12 new projects. 

• Export of additional 251 MW power from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal was approved by India's designated authority for cross-border trade. For the first time, Nepal will export electricity to Bihar through a medium-term power sales agreement. With this approval, the total sanctioned quantity has increased from 690 MWfrom16projects to 941 MWfrom28projects. 
• Even before the approval of this 251 MW, Nepal had become a net exporter of electricity, earning net revenue of 16.93 billion Nepalese rupees by selling electricity in the last financial year. In October 2021, for the first time, India approved the export of 39 MW of electricity from Nepal. In less than three years, this figure has increased more than 24 times. 
• Nepal Electricity Authority has also signed medium term power sales agreements with distribution companies of Haryana and Bihar. The long-term power agreement between India and Nepal envisages sale of up to 10,000 MW of power from Nepal to India over the next 10 years. 

17. Paytm has decided to sell the entertainment ticketing business to Zomato. 

• Zomato will acquire movie and event ticketing businesses from Paytm worth Rs 2,048 crore. Paytm says it will strengthen its focus on core payments and financial service distribution. The transfer will also include 280 existing employees from the entertainment ticketing business at the company. 
• Paytm built movie ticketing and acquired TicketNew and Insider for Rs 268 crores between 2017 and 2018. This is the second-largest acquisition by Zomato after the acquisition of Blinkit in 2021.