Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 18th September 2024

National News

1. PM Modi inaugurates and lays the foundation stone for multiple development projects in Ahmedabad 

• The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects of railways, road, power, housing, and finance sectors worth more than Rs 8,000 crore in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 
• Modi inaugurated India’s first Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Ahmedabad and Bhuj earlier. He also flagged off several Vande Bharat trains on routes– Nagpur to Secunderabad, Kolhapur to Pune, Agra Cantt to Banaras, Durg to Visakhapatnam, Pune to Hubballi, and the first 20-coach Vande Bharat train from Varanasi to Delhi. 
• Further, he launched the Single Window IT System (SWITS) of the International Financial Services Centres Authority. 
• The Prime Minister mentioned the announcement of a special PM package worth Rs 2 lakh crore which will benefit more than 4 crore youth. He stated that the government will also pay the first salary for the first job in companies if they hire the youth. He also mentioned increasing the limit of Mudra loans from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. 
• The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of several key projects, including the quadrupling of the Samakhiali– Gandhidham and Gandhidham– Adipur railway lines, the development of iconic roads in AMC, Ahmedabad, and the construction of flyover bridges over Bakrol, Hathijan, Ramol, and Panjarpol Junction. 
• The Prime Minister inaugurated a 30 MW solar system, a 35-Megawatt BESS Solar PV Project at Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station, Kutch and 220 Kilovolt substations at Morbi and Rajkot. 
• The Prime Minister launched the Single Window IT System (SWITS) of the International Financial Services Centres Authority, designed to streamline financial services. 
• The Prime Minister sanctioned more than 30,000 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin and released the first installment for these homes. He also launched the construction of houses under the PMAY Scheme and handed over completed houses under both the Urban and Rural segments of the PMAY to the beneficiaries of the state. 

2. PM Modi launches ‘SUBHADRA’– the largest women-centric scheme in Bhubaneswar 

• The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi launched ‘SUBHADRA’, the flagship Scheme of the Government of Odisha, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 
• It is the largest, single women-centric scheme and is expected to cover more than 1 crore women. The prime minister also initiated the fund transfer into the bank accounts of more than 10 lakh women. 
• Under the SUBHADRA scheme, all eligible beneficiaries between the age of 21-60 years would receive Rs. 50,000/ over 5 years between 2024-25 to 2028-29. An amount of Rs 10,000/- per annum in two equal installments will be credited directly to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-enabled and DBT-enabled bank account. 
• Modi also laid the foundation stone dedicated to the nation’s Railway Projects worth more than Rs 2800 crore and laid the foundation stone for National Highway Projects worth more than Rs 1000 crore. 
• The Prime Minister released the 1st installment of assistance to nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries under PMAY-G of around 14 states, took part in Grih Pravesh celebrations for 26 lakh beneficiaries of PMAY (Gramin and Urban) from across the country and handed over house keys to PMAY (Gramin and Urban) beneficiaries. 
• Further, he launched Awaas+ 2024 App, for a survey of additional households for PMAY-G, and the Operational Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana– Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0. 

3. Nirmala Sitharaman launches NPS Vatsalya for Minors 

• Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has launched the NPS Vatsalya scheme for minors in New Delhi. 
• The event was attended by schoolchildren and was held simultaneously in 75 locations across the country. She also distributed the Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) cards to new minor subscribers. 
• Nirmala Sitharaman announced the NPS Vatsalya scheme in her 2024-25 union budget speech. 
• The NPS Vatsalya will be regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). 

About NPS Vatsalya 

• National Pension System (NPS) Vatsalya is for minors under 18 years of age and who are residents of India. 
• The NPS Vatsalya account is not for non-resident Indians (NRI). 
• AnNPS-Tier II account will be opened in the name of the minor. 
• A Tier-II account is a voluntary savings pension scheme linked to the subscriber’s Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN). 
• Each National Pension System subscriber is provided with a unique 12-digit alphanumeric PRAN number that remains with the subscriber until the end. 
• The minimum contribution under the NPS Vatsalya scheme is Rs 1000 per year, with no maximum limit. 
• The parents can contribute on behalf of the minor. 
• The lock-in period is three years. After three years, the subscriber can partially withdraw 25 per cent of the corpus (the invested amount plus the return on the amount) for education, specified illness, and disability. 
• The partial withdrawal is allowed only three times the duration of the scheme. 

4. India will soon launch its carbon market. 

• India will launch its carbon market after the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme comes into force. 
• It will set emissions targets for emitters and allow overachievers to sell their excess emission cuts. 
• In the carbon market, underachievers will have to purchase Carbon Credit to meet their goals. 
• The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) is a market-based mechanism to reduce or limit emissions. 
• India, one of the NDC’s targets, is to reduce the “emissions intensity of its GDPby45percent from 2005 levels by 2030.”. 
• India had also declared the target of becoming a net-zero emitter by 2070.
• Developing countries, like China and Indonesia, have developed carbon markets. 

International news 

5. A centre has been opened in New Delhi by the University of Melbourne. 

• The Melbourne Global Centre– Delhi will serve as the University’s central hub in India. 
• It will make cooperation and information sharing easier between the community, industry, research, and education. 
• The Melbourne Global Centre is not intended to be an off-campus learning environment or for teaching. 
• The Melbourne Global Centre in Delhi represents firm commitment to help India achieve its long-term goals in research and academia. 
• The University of Melbourne is a government-run institute in Australia. It is ranked number one in Australia. 

6. Ukraine, Gaza war figure in India-U.S. discussion before Modi's visit for Quad summit 

• Senior Indian and U.S. officials discussed global issues, including the Russia Ukraine conflict and Israeli operations in Gaza, during a "2+2 intersessional dialogue" in New Delhi, as defence officials and diplomats met ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. this week. 
• Mr. Modi will attend the Quad summit in Wilmington, hosted by President Joseph Biden for leaders of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia on Saturday, which a Senior State Department official said will be "historic", 
• During the meeting on Monday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Jedidiah Royal met with their Indian counterparts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary for the Americas Nagaraj Naidu, and Ministry of Defence Joint Secretary for International Cooperation Vishwesh Ne gito, to discuss "bilateral strategic and defence priorities, alongside regional and global issues", the MEA said on Tuesday. 
• "The officials discussed a range of issues, across the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, including support for a just and durable peace in Ukraine, as well as support for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza," the U.S. State Department said. 
• While it is unclear whether the issues in Ukraine and Gaza will find mention in the joint state- ment after the leaders meet, as the Quad focuses on "Indo-Pacific" issues, it is likely that the leaders will hold discussions on the way forward on both. The meeting in Delaware, Mr. Biden's home State, will also be a farewell, as both Mr. Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is going to step down in the next few months, while Mr. Albanese faces a general election in Australia in 2025. It also follows Mr. Modi's visit to Russia and Ukraine, and India's possible role in negotiations are expected to be discussed. 
• According to sources, the leaders are also expected to focus on strengthening cooperation on semi conductors and building a "more secure environment in the region through critical and emerging technologies. They would also speak about enhancing Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) mechanisms, including possible joint operations in the oceans in the future. New Delhi has reiterated that the Quad is not a "security framework", unlike other recent U.S. initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region, including the AUKUS arrangement for nuclear submarines with the U.K. and Australia, and other structures with U.S. allies South Korea, Philippines, and New Zealand. 

7. Judicial reform bill– Mexico 

• Senators in Mexico have approved the controversial Judicial reform bill. 
• Under the new measures, Mexico will become the world’s first country to allow voters to elect judges at all levels– including the country’s Supreme Court. 
• Judges for the top court have typically been affirmed by the Senate from a shortlist submitted by the president. 
• It has slashed the number of Supreme Court judges to nine from 11, reduced the length of their terms to 12 years. 
• It also abolished a minimum age requirement of 35 and halved necessary work experience to five years, among other things. 

State news 

8. Health Minister JP Nadda unveiled the logo and brochures for the GFRS 2.0 in New Delhi. 

• The 2nd edition Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS 2.0) will be organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India from the 19th to the 21st September in New Delhi. 
• Delegates from over 70 countries are likely to take part in GFRS 2.0. 
• They will discuss and prepare strategy on key regulatory issues. 
• The aim of the summit is to promote knowledge-sharing and international collaborations on food safety and regulatory issues. 
• Over 5,000 people will attend GFRS 2.0. More than 1.5 lakh people will join it virtually. 
• The FSSAI is going to introduce a new portal called 'Food Import Rejection Alert' during the event. 
• Additionally, it will initiate the food import clearance system 2.0. This will be aimed at improving food safety standards and streamlining import procedures. 
• The State Food Safety Index 2024, which evaluates the performance of States and Union Territories in terms of food safety, will also be introduced by the FSSAI. 
• The first edition of Global Food Regulators Summit was held in July 2023 in India. 

9. Kejriwal exits, Atishi to become Delhi CM 

• Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi is set to become Delhi's third woman Chief Minister, with party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal submit- ting his resignation to Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena on Tuesday. 
• Ms. Atishi, who was elected leader of the AAP Legislature Party earlier in the day, submitted a quest to the L-G claim to form the ment. Currently, she is a Cabinet Minister and holds several portfolios, Revenue, Education, and Public Works department. 
• Calling Mr. Kejriwal her "guru", Ms. Atishi told the media that "there is only one Chief Minister of Delhi and the CM's name is Arvind Kejriwal". She underlined that she would be the CM only till the next Assembly poll. The election is due in February but AAP has requested the Election Commission to hold it along with the Maharashtra poll in November. Ms. Atishi said the party's and her priority would be to make sure that Mr. Kejriwal would be elected Chief Minister again. 
• On Sunday, Mr. Kejriwal announced that he would resign as Chief Minister and he would not return until he got the people's mandate as a certificate of his honesty. 

Appointment News

10. Senior IPS officer Amrit Mohan Prasad appointed as Chief of SSB 

• Senior IPS officer Amrit Mohan Prasad has been appointed as the Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). 
• Prasad, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Odisha cadre, is presently working as Special Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). 
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Prasad’s appointment to the post of Director General, SSB for a tenure up to the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2025. 
• The vacancy necessitated after SSB chief Daljit Singh Chaudhary was appointed as the DG of Border Security Force (BSF) on August 28. 
• The SSB guards the country’s frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. 

Recent Appointment in Defence Sector

• DG of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)– Rajwinder Singh Bhatti 
• Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit 
• Deputy Chief of Air Staff– Air Marshal Tejinder Singh 
• DG of Project Seabird– Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar (replace Tarun Sobti) 
• DG of National Security Guard (NSG)– B Srinivasan (replace Nalin Prabhat) 
• Additional DG of ITBP– Sanjeev Raina 

11. Saleema Imtiaz becomes first Pakistan woman to be nominated as International Umpire 

• Saleema Imtiaz became the first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the ICC international panel of development umpires. 
• Imtiaz’s nomination on the panel means she is now eligible to officiate in women’s bilateral international matches and ICC women’s events. 
• Imtiaz joined the PCB’s women’s umpires panel in 2008 and has officiated in several Asian Cricket Council tournaments over the last three years. 
• Imtiaz’s first on-field appointment in a bilateral series will see her officiate the three-match T20 series between Pakistan women and South Africa women which begins at Multan. 

About International Cricket Council (ICC) 

• The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. 
• It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. 
• It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1987. 
• Formation– 15 June 1909 
• Headquarters– Dubai, UAE 
• Chairman– Jay Shah (replace Greg Barclay) effect from 1 Dec 2024 
• Deputy Chairman– Imran Khwaja (Singapore) 
• CEO–Geoff Allardice (Australia) 
• General Manager– Wasim Khan 
• Membership– 108 members 

12. Santosh Kashyap appointed new head coach of Indian women’s football team 

• All India Football Federation (AIFF) has appointed Santosh Kashyap as the new head coach of the national senior women’s team, replacing former international player Chaoba Devi at the helm of affairs. 
• Kashyap’s first assignment will be the SAFF Women’s Championships to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from October 17 to 30.
• A former India international, Kashyap has almost a decade of coaching experience in the I-League, managing clubs like Mohun Bagan, Aizawl FC and Mumbai FC among others. 
• The 58-year-old has also been the assistant coach of NorthEast United FC, and most recently of Odisha FC, in the Indian Super League. 
• Kashyap will have Priya PV as his assistant coach and Raghuvir Pravin Khanolkar as the goalkeeper coach. 

Recent Appointment 

• Chief Minister of Delhi– Atishi (Arvind Kejriwal) 
• President of International Hockey Federation– Tayyab Ikram 
• Chairperson of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) RS Sharma 
• Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Official Language-Amit Shah 
• Chairperson of Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR– Rajesh Verma 

13. Manu Bhaker appointed brand ambassador for MoPSW 

• India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has appointed Manu Bhaker, the double Olympic medal winner, as a brand ambassador. 
• Bhaker, the shooting ace who won Medals in shooting in the recent Summer Olympics held at Paris, is the daughter of a Marine Engineer. 
• Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)– Sarbananda Sonowal 

Recent Brand Ambassador 

• Alia Bhatt– French cosmetic maker L’Oreal Paris 
• Salman Khan– GRM Basmati Rice 
• Dinesh Karthik– SA20 league 
• Shikhar Dhwan– MotoGP India 
• Aditya Roy Kapur– Bisleri Limonata 
• PV Sindhu– Green day’s Better Nutrition 
• PV Sindhu– Tobacco Control 

14. Samir Kumar appointed as Amazon India's new country manager. 

• Amazon’s leader, Samir Kumar, took over as country manager for India by replacing Manish Tiwary. 
• Manish Tiwary has stepped down from his role in August.
• Samir Kumar will take India's responsibility in addition to his current charter of leading Amazon’s consumer businesses in the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey. 
• Samir Kumar joined Amazon in 1999. 
• He was among the key executives who came to India in 2013 to set up Amazon's business. 
• He will assume operational responsibilities for India starting October 1. 

Defence News

15. National Symposium ‘Exercise AIKYA’ on Disaster Management begin in Chennai 

• A two-day national symposium of the National Disaster Management Authority and the Army Southern Command entitled Exercise AIKYA begin
• The primary aim of the exercise is to enhance disaster preparedness and foster robust collaboration among key stakeholders. 
• The exercise will feature simulations, technology discussions and expert insights into various roles of disaster management. 
• Representatives from Railways, transport, civil aviation, health, environment and climate change departments State and National disaster management authorities and the Indian army will be present. IMD officials, National Remote sensing centres, the Central Water Commission and the Forest Survey of India will also participate in the symposium. 

16. No progress in resolution of Demchok and Depsang friction points in 2 years 

• There has been much hype over External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's comments that 75% of disengagement has been completed by India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and the Chinese response that both sides have undertaken dis-engagement from four areas in the border areas. 
• However, the fact remains that both sides have undertaken mutually agreed and verified disengagement from five friction points while two more friction points, Demchok and Depsang, remain and there has been no progress towards their resolution in the past two years. 
• The widespread optimism, once again, of a possible breakthrough between the two countries in achieving further disengagement in the four-year-long stand-off, comes in the run-up to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, Chi- na, and South Africa) Summit in October, which both 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to attend. This is akin to a similar situation last year before the BRICS Summit in August. 
• Speaking in Geneva on September 12, Mr. Jaishankar said "roughly" about "75% of disengagement problems are sorted out". "We still have some things to do," he said, adding that "there is a bigger issue that both of us have brought forces close up and in that sense, there is a militarisation of the border." "There has been no change in the ground situation since the last disengagement two years back," a defence official noted. 
• No head way: Last disengagement was a result of understanding reached during the 16th round of military talks in 2022. AFP 
• Both sides have stated that after disengagement from the friction areas, they would undertake de-escalation, though the phrase "restoration of status quo ante" is being heard less and less. However, there is expectation of a possible disengagement from Dem chok, though there is no clarity on any immediate Corps Commander-level talks. 
• 'Generally stable' Responding to questions on National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, at a regular press conference on September 13, said, "In recent years, frontline armies of the two countries have realised disengagement from four areas in the western sector of the China-India border, including the Galwan Valley. The China-India border situation is generally stable and under control." 
• With disengagement undertaken from five of seven points, as stated by officials on several occasions, it is statistically around 71.5%, quite close to 75%, and also withdrawal of forces was acknowledged and verified on the ground, each time, by both sides. Since the Corps commander-level talks in 2020, the two sides have so far undertaken disengagement from five friction points from Galwan after the violent clash in June 2020, from the North and South Banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021, from Patrolling Point (PP) 17 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in August 2021 and PP15 in September 2022. The last disengagement, from PP15, was a result of the understanding reached during the 16th round of Corps Commander-level military talks on July 17, 2022. 

Sports News

17. India wins Men’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy for record 5th time 

• The Indian men’s hockey team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, defeated host China 1-0 in the final to win the Men’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy for a record fifth time. 
• The final match of the 8th Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 was played at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir City. 
• Defending champion India had earlier won the trophy in 2011,2016,2018 and 2023. 
• In the final, Jugraj Singh scored the only winning goal of the match in the 51 minutes. 
• India was the only team in the 8th Men’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy to defeat all its opponents and remain unbeaten in the tournament.
• In the league stage, India defeated China 3-0, Japan 5-1, Malaysia 8-1, South Korea 3-1 and Pakistan 2-1. 
• In the semi-final match, India defeated South Korea 4-1 to reach its sixth final of the Men’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy. 
• This was the first tournament the Indian hockey team was playing without its legendary goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, who retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

18. Award winners of the 8th Men’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 

• Top scorer of the tournament- Yang Jihun (South Korea; 9 goals) 
• Promising goalkeeper of the tournament- Kim Jaehan (South Korea) 
• Best goalkeeper of the tournament- Wang Caiyu (China) 
• Rising star of the tournament- Shahid Hannan (Pakistan) 
• Player of the tournament- Harmanpreet Singh (India) 
• Manof the final match- Lin Changliang (China) 

19. Anmol Kharb won her first individual international badminton title. 

• India's emerging player Anmol Kharb secured her maiden international title at the senior level by winning the Belgian International 2024 badminton women’s singles title. 
• She defeated Denmark's Amalie Schulz by 24-22, 12-21, 21-10 in a hard-fought final. 
• In the semi-finals, Anmol defeated Kaloyana Nalbantova of Bulgaria by 21-13, 24-26, 21-19. 
• In the men’s singles, Darshan Pujari reached the quarter-finals.
• Earlier, Anmol became the women’s singles national badminton champion at the age of 16. 

Important day 

20. 16 September– International Day for Interventional Cardiology 

• The International Day for Interventional Cardiology is observed annually on September 16. 
• This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the critical field of interventional cardiology and its pivotal role in treating heart diseases through minimally invasive procedures. 
• As cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death globally, the importance of this specialized field cannot be overstated. 
• The first coronary angioplasty was performed by Dr. Andreas Grüntzig on 16 September 1977. Since then angioplasty has been the procedure that has saved the most grams of myocardium at risk worldwide. 

21. 18 September– World Bamboo Day 

• World Bamboo Day is observed every year on 18 September. 
• Objective– To increase the awareness of bamboo globally to promote cultivation and usages of bamboo as well as traditional uses locally for community and economic development. 
• Theme 2024– Next Generation Bamboo: Solution, Innovation, and Design 
• The World Bamboo Organization (WBO) proclaimed September 18 as World Bamboo Day in 2009, during the eighth World Bamboo Congress in Bangkok. It was decided upon with the unanimous consent of delegates from almost 100 nations. 
• This celebration was initiated by Kamesh Salam, former President of WBO. Since then, this day is a world-wide event gathering hundreds of thousands of people to manifest the importance of bamboo as a plant companion for humanity. 

Awards news 

22. Aishwarya Rai wins Best Actress at SIIMA 2024. 

• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Critics) for her performance in Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2. 
• She received the award from director Kabir Khan. 
• Aishwarya Rai played two roles in Ponniyin Selvan 2- as Nandini and Mandakini Devi. 
• SouthIndian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) 2024 ceremony was held in Dubai. 
• It is given for the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. 
• It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli. 
• The Award nominees are selected by a jury of senior artistes and professionals and voted for by public polling. 

Science and technology news 

23. SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission was completed recently. 

• The billionaire Jared Isaacman led the mission. 
• After five days of travel, the mission came to an end, marking numerous important turning points in the history of private space exploration. 
• "Resilience," the Crew Dragon capsule, made a safe return to Earth. 
• Along with pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, the Polaris Dawn crew comprised SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. 
• On September 12, the crew conducted the first-ever commercial spacewalk. 
• During the spacewalk, SpaceX's newly built EVA suits were tested by Isaacman and Gillis as they went outside the capsule. 
• With a total duration of more than 20 minutes, this spacewalk is considered a crucial step towards upcoming deep space missions. 
• Apart from the spacewalk, the crew carried out around forty scientific investigations, examining the impact of microgravity on the human body and evaluating advanced medical technologies. 
• Testing SpaceX's Starlink satellites for communication was another main part of the mission. 

24. Infosys has been selected by LIC to develop its NextGen digital insurance platform project. 

• It will be an integrated end-to-end digital insurance solution. 
• The digital platform will be modular, flexible, and cloud-native. 
• It will have platform driven architecture that will be capable of quickly integrating new features, products, and cutting-edge technology. 
• It will serve as the foundation for the development of high-value business applications including LIC's digital branch, portals, and super apps for sales and customers. 
• Infosys declared that it will work with LIC to lead the DIVE (Digital Innovation and Value Enhancement) digital transformation program. 
• Additionally, LIC's digital platform will function as an open platform, facilitating quick integration with partners in bancassurance and fintech. . 

25. Earth will get a temporary mini-moon, which will be named 2024 PT5. 

• An asteroid named 2024 ON recently passed by Earth without causing any damage, and another asteroid, which may appear to be a mini-moon, is heading toward Earth. 
• This asteroid named 2024 PT5 is just 33 feet long and is traveling in space. 
• It will soon be dragged into an eccentric orbit by Earth's gravity. 
• This means that the 2024 PT5 asteroid will travel halfway around the planet in a horseshoe-shaped orbit before continuing on its cosmic journey. 
• The asteroid that cannot escape Earth's gravity is called a mini-moon. 
• Asteroid 2024 PT5 is not technically a mini-moon, as it will not make a full revolution around Earth but instead will orbit the planet for more than 56 days. 
• The 2024 PT5 asteroid, first discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System on August 7, will make a full orbit around Earth from September 29 to November 25. 
• It will then break free from our planet's gravitational pull and continue its journey. 

26. India’s second largest butterfly species 

• India’s second largest butterfly species, Southern Birdwing, has been found in Madurai district. 
• India’s largest butterfly species, the Golden Birdwing is widely found in the Himalayan region. 
• TheSouthern Birdwing can be seen in Western and Eastern Ghats regions. 
• These species are found in abundance in Sirumalai hills near Dindigul. 

27. India’s first study on ‘teal carbon’ 

• India’s first study on ‘teal carbon’ was undertaken at the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district. 
• The pilot project had sought to develop holistic nature-based solutions to address climate change. 
• Teal carbon refers to carbon stored in the non-tidal freshwater wetlands, encompassing carbon sequestered in vegetation, microbial biomass, and the dissolved and particulate organic matter. 
• Teal carbon’ being a colour-based terminology reflects the classification of the organic carbon based on its functions and location rather than its physical properties. 
• As opposed to teal carbon, black and brown carbon are primarily produced by incomplete combustion of organic matter from sources such as wild fires, fossil fuel combustion, and industrial activities.