Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 30th September 2024

 

1. Government proposed 2022-23 as the new base year for GDP computation. 

• The Statistics Ministry will publish GDP (Gross Domestic Product) with the new base year of 2022-23 in February 2026. 
• The base year will be also changed for retail inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index and factory output growth, based on the Index of Industrial Production. 
• At present, the base year is 2011-12 for the GDP calculations. 
• The Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics (ACNAS) was constituted under the Chairmanship of Biswanath Goldar will complete the exercise by early 2026. 
• The government is making several adjustments to improve the GDP calculations. 
• The proposed shift in the GDP base year in India is a step towards improving the accuracy and relevance of economic data. 
• Last base year revision for GDP was conducted in 2015 at that time it was changed to 2011-12 from 2004-05.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a key economic indicator that measures the total value of goods and services produced within a country's borders. 

2. Udhayanidhi Stalin became deputy CM of Tamil Nadu. 

• Udhayanidhi Stalin has been appointed as the deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu. 
• Four other Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers. 
• The swearing ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. 
• He was serving as the minister for youth welfare and sports development. 
• Under his new role, he will also oversee the planning and development portfolio. 

3. Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji won Best Actor awards at the 2024 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards. 

• The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2024 was held in Abu Dhabi. 
• On September 27, the three-day festival began with IIFA Utsavam and concluded on September 29. 
• The complete list of winners for IIFA 2024:

4. New National Cricket Academy inaugurated in Bengaluru by BCCI. 

• On September 29, the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) was inaugurated in Bengaluru by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 
• This facility, which spans more than 40 acres, aims to become India's centre for developing cricket talent and promoting sports science. 
• According to the BCCI, the Centre of Excellence has a total of three grounds and 86 pitches, including both indoor and outdoor areas, indicating its capability to provide comprehensive training facilities. 
• Ground A, the main venue, features an 85-yard boundary with 13 Mumbai red soil pitches.
• It is equipped with advanced floodlights and modern broadcasting facilities, allowing for night matches and live telecasts. 
• Grounds B and C serve as dedicated practice grounds with 75-yard boundaries, featuring 11 Mandya soil pitches and 9 Black Cotton soil pitches from Kalahandi, Odisha, respectively. 

5. The dominance of fossil fuels in electricity generation will end by 2030. 

• According to the latest report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it has estimated that the dominance of fossil fuels in power generation will end by the end of the decade. 
• The central bank estimates that renewable energy will contribute more than 50% of global electricity generation as part of a significant energy transition. 
• The report highlights the acceleration in the transition to clean energy, noting unprecedented levels of growth in the deployment of and capital investment in clean technologies. 
• In addition, the RBI stressed that increasing clean energy generation provides an opportunity to tackle “hard-to-abate” sectors such as steelmaking and aviation, where low-carbon alternatives are still being developed. 
• The RBI pointed out that for every dollar invested in fossil fuels in the coming years, approximately three dollars should be allocated to renewable energy. 
• This represents a significant change from the current investment ratio, where both sectors receive equal funding. 
• Tripping renewable energy capacity by 2030 is considered essential to achieve net-zero emissions targets by mid-century. 
• Additionally, the estimated cost of establishing a fully decarbonized global energy system by 2050 will reach approximately US$215 trillion, as indicated by the RBI. 

6. India won seven medals at the Junior World Wushu Championships 2024. 

• The Indian team won seven medals including two gold, one silver and four bronze medals at the Junior World Wushu Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. 
• Aryan of India won the gold medal by defeating Gong Huanran of China in the boys group junior 48kg weight category. 
• Shaurya won another gold medal in the boys' 48kg (kids) category by defeating his Iranian opponent Alireza Zamani. 
• A 24-member Indian team participated in this tournament. 

Athlete Medal Category 

7. U.K. backs permanent seat in UNSC for India 

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the leaders of the U.S. and France in backing India's bid for a permanent seat on the UNSC to make it a more representative body that is not "paralysed by politics". 
• During his speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, Mr. Starmer called for reforms to ensure the global multilateral system is "more representative and more responsive". Besides permanent representation for India, Africa, Brazil, Japan and Germany, the U.K. also made a pitch for more seats for elected members of the Security Council. 
• "So we will make the case not just for fairer out-comes, but fairer representation in how we reach them; and this also applies to the Security Council. It has to change to become a more representative body, willing to act not para- lysed by politics. We want to see permanent African representation on the Council, Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members, and more seats for elected members as well," he said. 

8. Hurricane Helene’s destruction across the southeastern United States has left 93 people dead. 

• Deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. 
• Hurricane Helene was a large, fast-moving tropical cyclone. 
• It was the strongest on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida. 
• This is the fifth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. 
• Helene developed from a broad low pressure area, the Central American gyre, in the Western Caribbean Sea in late September. 
• A cyclone is called a ‘hurricane’ in the American continent. In Japan, it is called a ‘typhoon’. 
• A cyclone is a very low-pressure system with very high-speed winds revolving around it. 

9. Government released new draft guidelines on passive euthanasia. 

• Union Health Ministry released a new draft of guidelines on passive euthanasia. 
• The new guidelines suggest that doctors should make considered decisions on withdrawing life support for terminally ill patients based on specific conditions. 
• The guidelines aim to ensure that decisions have been taken in the best interest of patients by considering factors like brainstem death and informed refusal by the patient or their kin. 
• The ‘Draft Guidelines for Withdrawal of Life Support in Terminally Ill Patients’ also states that doctors should not consider the decision to not start a life-supporting measure in a terminally ill patient that is unlikely to benefit the patient. 
• The Union ministry has invited feedback and suggestions from the stakeholders on the draft by October 20.
• The draft document states that many patients in the ICU are terminally ill, and not expected to benefit from life-sustaining treatments (LST). 

10. Gulveer Singh won the gold medal at the World Athletics Continental Tour.

• An Indian athlete Gulveer Singh won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race at Japan's World Athletics Continental Tour. 
• He set a new national record with a time of 13 minutes and 11.82 seconds. 
• This broke his previous record of 13 minutes and 18.92 seconds in California. 
• He crossed the finish line in 27 minutes and 41.81 seconds. 

11. Women in space leadership programme has been launched by India to boost gender equality. 

• The programme has been launched as part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). 
• It has been launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in collaboration with the British Council, on September 24, 2024.
• The aim of the initiative is to strengthen gender-inclusive practices within institutions to increase women's leadership in space sciences by the development of a strategic leadership framework.
• The program's goal is to increase 250 early-career researchers' potential for leadership. 
• By incorporating a female perspective into important fields like astrophysics and telecommunications, the initiative seeks to improve scientific innovation and establish long-lasting mentoring networks. 

12. Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) inaugurated by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. 

• Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) has been inaugurated along the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway-44 in Nagpur, Maharashtra. 
• Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) is an eco-initiative. 
• It has been developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). 
• It has been developed near Jamtha, along the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway-44. 
• The park covers a total area of 8.23 hectares, including 2.5 hectares dedicated to social forestry. 
• The park is designed to serve as a natural bird habitat. 
• It is also designed to serve as a recreational space for locals and tourists. 
• The project integrates environmental sustainability and recreational facilities. 
• The project was formally approved in March 2023 with a development cost of ₹14.31 crores. 

13. PK Gupta reappointed as Chairman of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank 

• Reserve Bank of India has approved the reappointment of Parveen Kumar Gupta as Non-Executive Chairman of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. 
• Gupta retired as a Managing Director of State Bank of India, after working for 38 years in India and abroad. 
• He was also associated with Bank of Baroda as a senior advisor post-retirement. 

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector 

• MD and CEO of Federal Bank – KVS Manian (replace Shyam Srinivasan) 
• Executive Director of TamilNad Mercantile Bank – Vincent Menachery Devassy (for three years) 
• Chief Compliance Officer of CIFDAQ – Muthuswamy Iyer 
• MD and CEO of IDFC First Bank – V Vaidyanathan (reappointment for three years) 
• CCO of Airtel Payments Bank – Amar Kumar Kakarlapudi 

14. 8th edition of India -Kazakhstan military EX KAZIND 2024 begins in Auli 

• India -Kazakhstan joint military exercise KAZIND -2024 commenced at the mountainous Surya Foreign Training node in Auli, Uttarakhand. 
• The 8th edition of KAZIND-2024 will be held in Auli from 30 September to 13 October 2024. 
• The last edition of the annual bilateral military exercise was held in Otar, Kazakhstan, from 30 October to 11 November 2023. 
• For the first time, the Air Forces of both countries and the Airborne Assault Forces of Kazakhstan participated. 
• The Indian Armed Forces, comprising 120 personnel, are being represented by a battalion of the KUMAON Regiment of the Indian Army, along with other arms and services, as well as personnel from the Indian Air Force. The Kazakhstan contingent will be represented mainly by personnel from Land Forces and Air Borne Assault Troopers. 
• The aim of the Joint Exercise is to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. 
• The bilateral India-Kazakhstan KAZIND was first held in 2016. It is an annual military exercise held alternately in both countries. 

15. Kamal Chawla clinches Gold in IBSF World 6 Red Snooker Championship 

• In snooker, Indian veteran Kamal Chawla has clinched his maiden IBSF World 6-Red title with a commanding 6-2 victory over Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal in the final at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 
• This triumph marks a significant turnaround for Chawla, who was the runner-up in the 2017 edition of the tournament. India also won three more bronze medals through Malkeet Singh, Vidya Pillai, and Keerthana Pandian. 
• In the women’s category, India’s Vidya was unable to defend her title, finishing with a bronze medal after a hard-fought semifinal loss to Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee, with the scoreline at 2-4. 

16. BCCI inaugurates state-of-the-art ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Bengaluru 

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially opened the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, now named the BCCI Centre of Excellence. 
• This state-of-the-art facility, envisioned by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, aims to cultivate the next generation of cricket talent while promoting advancements in sports science across India. 
• Spanning over 40 acres, the Centre of Excellence is equipped with three cricket grounds and a total of 86 pitches, offering both indoor and outdoor training options. 
• The main ground, Ground A, features an 85-yard boundary and 13 meticulously maintained pitches made from Mumbai red soil, ready for action. 

17. Gulveer Singh breaks his 5000m National Record in Japan 

• Gulveer Singh broke his national record in the men’s 5000m event by clocking 13:11.82 to win gold at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Niigata, Japan. 
• Gulveer, in June this year, had broken Avinash Sable’s record at the 2024 Portland Track Festival by clocking 13:18.92. 
• The 26-year-old surpassed Avinash’s record of 13:19.30 set at the Sound Running On Track Fest 2023 in LA to secure a personal best. 
• The 26-year-old missed the Paris Olympic qualification mark by over 13 seconds. 

18. 28 September – World Rabies Day 

• World Rabies Day is observed every year on September 28. 
• Objective – To raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease. 
• Theme – Breaking Rabies Boundary 

What is Rabies? 

• Rabies is a viral infection that gets transmitted from animals to humans and is also considered a zoonotic disease. 
• Rabies infection is caused by the rabies virus that belongs to the Lyssavirus genus. 
• Rabies is present on all continents and affects over 150 countries. The disease is responsible for around 60,000 human deaths worldwide. 

19. 29 September – World Heart Day 

• World Heart Day is celebrated annually on September 29th. 
• Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of heart health and preventing cardiovascular diseases. 
• Theme 2024 – Use Heart for Action 
• The day brings people together to increase awareness, engage communities and advocate for universal access to cardiovascular disease prevention, detection and treatment. 
• The concept of World Heart Day was inspired by Antoni Bayes de Luna, who served as WHF president from 1997 to 1999. While it was first established in 1999, the first celebration did not take place until September 24, 2000. 

20. 30 September – International Translation Day 

• International Translation Day is celebrated on September 30th every year to honor the work of translators and interpreters.
• Objective – To promote dialogue and understanding between people from different cultures and linguistic backgrounds. 
• Theme 2024 – Translation, an Art Worth Protecting: Moral and Material Rights for Indigenous Languages. 
• Established by the United Nations in 2017, International Translation Day serves as a tribute to the tireless efforts of translators and interpreters in promoting dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding among individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds,” according to UNESCO. 

21. 29 September – International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction 

• The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) is celebrated on September 29th each year. 
• The day’s goal is to raise awareness about food loss and waste, and to encourage action to reduce it. 
• Theme 2024 – Climate Finance for Food Loss and Waste Reduction 
• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – specifically SDG 12, Target 12.3 – calls for halving per-capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains. 

22. Celebrated poet and former intelligence officer Keki N Daruwalla dies 

• Poet, writer and former IPS officer Keki N Daruwalla, whose magic with words gained him national and international repute, has died at the 87. 
• Daruwalla published his first volume of poetry in 1970, titled Under Orion, followed by Apparition in April (1971), Crossing of Rivers (1976), The Keeper of the Dead (1982) – for which he won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1984 – and The Scarecrow and the Ghost (2004), among others. 
• Apart from poems, Daruwalla was also a short story writer and a novelist – and Love Across the Salt Desert, a collection of short stories published in 2006, is one of his notable works, along with his novel Pepper and the Christ (2009).

23. Navy chief holds talks on strategic ties with officials in Greece 

• India and Greece discussed avenues for cross-training in niche technologies and advanced courses, as well as ways to strengthen strategic and operational ties, during Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi's just-concluded visit to Greece. 
• Adm. Tripathi, who was in Greece from September 26 to 29, held talks with General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, at the Salamis Naval Base. "Discussions focused on strengthening strategic and operational ties, enhancing bilateral military cooperation, and tackling evolving maritime challenges through a collaborative approach towards a stable and secure Mediterranean and Indian Ocean Region," the Navy said in a statement. 
• His talks with Greece's Deputy Minister of Defence Ioannis Kefalogiannis focused on the criticality of open sea trade routes. They laid the groundwork for advancing Indo-Greek defence collaboration with a focus on strategic naval opportunities, capacity building, shared training initiatives, and enhancing interoperability, the Navy added. 
• The Navy chief was received in Athens by Vice- Adm. Dimitrios E. Kataras, Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, with a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Papagos Camp and also held talks with Vice-Adm. Polychronis Koulouris, Commander-in-Chief of the Hellenic Fleet. "Discussions focused on enhancing operational interactions and interoperability. He was also briefed on the Hellenic Fleet's capabilities and evolving security challenges, reinforcing the shared commitment to maritime security, the navy said. 24. 92% of workers cleaning urban sewers, septic tanks from SC, ST, OBC groups: survey 
• In a first-of-its-kind attempt to enumerate people en gaged in the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in India's cities and towns, government data gathered from over 3,000 urban local bodies in 29 States and Union Territories shows that 91.9% of the 38,000 workers pro filed so far belong to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or other backward class (OBC) communities. 
• Of the profiled workers, 68.9% were SC, 14.7% were OBC, 8.3% were ST, and 8% were from the general category. 
• Between 2019 and 2023, at least 377 people across the country have died from hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, according to government data tabled in Parliament. 
• The profiling of sewer and septic tank workers (SSW) is being carried out by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as part of its NAMASTE programme, a scheme to mechanise all sewer work and prevent deaths due to hazardous cleaning work. In 2023-24, this scheme was brought in to replace the Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS). 
• The Union government's rationale is that manual scavenging as a practice has ended across the country and what needs to be fixed now is the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. This distinction is based on a technical difference in how manual scavenging and hazardous cleaning are defined in the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act. 
• The NAMASTE programme targets "workers directly associated with sewer and septic tank cleaning including drivers of desludging vehicles, helpers, machine operators and cleaners", the Ministry says. 
• Its goal is to profile such workers in a nationwide enumeration exercise, give them safety training and equipment, and offer capital subsidies that could turn sewer and septic tank workers into "seniorpreneurs", or entrepreneurs. sanitation 
• Since the scheme begana year ago, 3,326 urban local bodies (ULBs) have begun the process and profiled around 38,000 SSWs. So far, 283 ULBs have reported zero SSWs, and 2,364 ULBs have reported less than 10 SSWs each. 
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs estimates that there are 100 core sanitation workers for an urban population of five lakh. 
• Based on this, the government used decadal growth rates to estimate that as of 2021, there are likely to be one lakh SSWs employed by India's 4,800 ULBs. The NAMASTE programme intends to profile all SSWis across the country and create a central database. 
• Twelve States and UTs, including Kerala, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir, have completed the profiling process, while the exercise is still under way in 17 States, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, and West Bengal are among the States that have yet to begin the profiling process. Tamil Nadu and Odisha are running their programmes for SSWs, and are not reporting data to the Centre under this programme. 
• States such as Kerala and Karnataka are holding formation, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns to profile workers at special camps. In Andhra Pradesh, ULBs are visiting workers' homes and workplaces to profile them, with State data showing that around 30% of their profiling was done this way 
• By the end of the 2023-24 financial year, 31,999 SSWs had been validated, the Ministry's annual report said. Capital subsidies amounting to 12.26 crore have been given to 19t beneficiaries and their dependants for alternative self-employment projects, while 413 sanitation workers and dependants have received capital subsidies of 10.6 crore for sanitation-related projects, the report said. 
• Under the previous SRMS scheme, the government had identified 58,098 manual scavengers till 2018. Since then, it has insisted that no other manual scavengers have been identified, claiming that none of the 6,500-plus complaints reporting manual scavenging could be verified. 
• Of the identified manual scavengers, the government said it had data on the social categories of 43,797, showing that 97.2% of them were from SC.com munities. The share of STs, OBCs, and others were each around 1%. records
• Ministry showed that all the 58,098 people identified as manual scavengers till 2018 had been given a one-time cash transfer of 140,000 While 18,880 of them had opted for skills training in alternative occupations, 2,051 had opted for loans under the scheme's subsidies to start alternative businesses as of 2022.