18 July 2024 Current Affairs

18 July 2024 Current Affairs

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National News

Haryana Government Announces Reservation And Age Relaxation For Agniveers In Police And Other Departments

Haryana government will provide 10 percent horizontal reservation to Agniveers in recruitment to certain posts in police, mining and jail departments. Announcing this in a press conference at Chandigarh, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that Agniveers will be provided 10 percent reservation in direct recruitment to the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and SPO in Haryana.

  • Reservation: 10% horizontal reservation for Agniveers in police, mining, and jail departments.
  • Positions: Direct recruitment for constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and SPO.
  • Age Relaxation: 3 years for Group D recruitment, 5 years for the first batch.
  • Additional Reservation: 5% in Group C and 1% in Group B posts.
  • Priority: Agniveers prioritized in government department, board, and corporation recruitments.

Haryana:

  • Capital: Chandigarh
  • Chief minister: Nayab Singh Saini
  • Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya


UGC’s ASMITA Project: 22,000 Indian Language Books to Transform Higher Education

The Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) unveiled an ambitious project aimed at enriching the landscape of Indian language literature in higher education. This ground-breaking initiative, known as ASMITA (Augmenting Study Materials in Indian Languages through Translation and Academic Writing), sets out to develop an impressive 22,000 books in Indian languages over the next five years.

  • Objective: Develop 22,000 books in Indian languages over five years to enrich higher education.
  • Collaborators: Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti.
  • Launch: Project unveiled by Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of Higher Education.
  • Alignment: Supports National Education Policy (NEP) goals of multilingual education.
  • Goals: Produce 1,000 books in each of the 22 scheduled languages.
  • Leadership: 13 nodal universities leading the project with regional collaboration.
  • SOP: Comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure for book-writing includes:
  • Identification of officers and authors
  • Allocation of titles and subjects
  • Writing, editing, and submission
  • Review, plagiarism checks, and finalization
  • Proofreading and e-publication.

Ministry of education: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan

Sawan Begins With Harela Festival In Uttarakhand 2024

July 16, marks the official beginning of Sawan accompanied by the vibrant Harela festival celebrated across Uttarakhand. This traditional festival holds deep significance for the region’s agriculture and culture, symbolising prosperity and overall well-being.

About Harela Festival

Harela is a significant Hindu festival observed in Uttarakhandand parts of Himachal Pradesh, particularly popular in the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand.

  • Celebrated with immense enthusiasm, Harela signifies peace, prosperity, and the celebration of nature.
  • This traditional festival holds deep cultural and environmental importance, symbolising prayers and hopes for abundant harvests and prosperity through divine blessings.
  • It also commemorates the ceremonial union of Shiva and Parvati.

Uttarakhand:

  • Capital: Dehradun (Winter)
  • Chief minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami
  • Governor: Gurmit Singh


International news

EAM S. Jaishankar Inaugurates India’s First Overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra In Mauritius

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated India’s first overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra in Mauritius yesterday. He was joined by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth during the inauguration. 

  • Accompanied By: Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
  • Objective: Fulfillment of a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Project Goal: Supply cost-effective, made-in-India medicines to enhance public healthcare and well-being.
  • Additional Inauguration: Mediclinic project at Grand Bois with Indian grant assistance.
  • Mediclinic Impact: Provides secondary health care for 16,000 people in the Grand Bois area.
  • Significance: Highlights India-Mauritius health partnership and prioritizes health consciousness.

Mauritius:

  • Capital: Port Louis
  • Currency: Mauritian Rupee
  • Prime minister: Pravind Jugnauth

Banking news

SEBI Introduces New Rules for Investments by Passively Managed Mutual Fund Schemes

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced new rules impacting investments by passively managed Mutual Fund (MF) schemes in the group companies of their sponsors.

Aim: To simplify and ease compliances by MF by streamlining norms related to passive schemes with respect to exposure to securities of group companies of the sponsor. A working group which was constituted by SEBI proposed amendments to SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 (hereinafter also referred to as “MF Regulations”).

  • Objective: Simplify and streamline compliance norms for passive mutual fund (MF) schemes regarding investments in group companies of their sponsors.
  • Regulatory Changes: Proposed amendments to SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 by a SEBI working group.

Key Changes:

  1. Investment Limit for Passive Mutual Funds: Passive MFs (excluding equity-oriented ETFs and index funds) are restricted to investing a maximum of 25% of their net assets in listed securities of the sponsor group companies.
  2. Investment Limit for Equity-Oriented ETFs and Index Funds: Equity-oriented ETFs and index funds based on widely tracked and non-bespoke indices can invest up to 35% of their NAV in the sponsor’s group companies, provided investments align with the weightage of the constituents of the underlying index.
  3. Definitions: Widely Tracked and Non-bespoke Indices: Indices tracked by passive funds or serving as primary benchmarks for actively managed funds with collective Assets Under Management (AUM) of Rs 20,000 crore and above.
  4. Approved Indices: The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) will update and publish a list of SEBI-approved indices biannually (April 15 and October 15) based on AUM data as of March 31 and September 30, respectively.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):

  • Chairman– Madhabi Puri Buch
  • Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Established– 1992

BranchX Becomes India’s 1st Neobank to Launch ONDC Loans for Financial Inclusion

Mumbai (Maharashtra) based BranchX India Private Limited, a leading neobank innovator, has launched India’s first personal loan solution through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which marks the significant step towards financial inclusion for India’s 1.4 billion people.

 It mainly focuses on the young professionals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs who face hurdles in acquiring loans from traditional ways, replaced with a paperless experience. The ONDC framework is an initiative by the Indian government to democratise digital commerce which forms the backbone of BranchX’s cutting-edge lending solution.

Award news

Sudarsan Pattnaik Wins Golden Sand Master Award at International Sand Sculpture Championship in Russia

Indian Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik Wins Golden Sand Master Award At International Championship In Russia Sudarsan Pattnaik (Odisha), Indian Sand Artist has won the Golden Sand Master Award with a gold medal at the International Sand Sculpture Championship/Festival 2024 held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

  • The International Sand Sculpture Championship, held between July 4th to 12th 2024, had a theme of ‘History, Mythology, and Fairy Tales’.
  • A total of 21 World Sand Masters around the world participated in the Championship, with Pattnaik being the sole participant from India.
  • Pattnaik has created a 12-foot depiction of a Sand Ratha (chariot) carrying Mahaprabhu Jagannath and his devotee Balaram Das, a 14th-century poet at the International Championship in St. Petersburg. He received a gold medal for his sculpture.
  • He has participated in more than 65 international sand art championships and festivals around the world.

Note: In 2014, he was awarded Padma Shri by Government of India(GoI) for his contribution in Sand Arts.

Appointment news

Paul Kagame Re-elected for Fourth Term as Rwandan President

President Paul Kagame has secured a decisive victory in Rwanda’s 2024 presidential election, capturing 99.15% of the votes, as reported by the National Electoral Commission. This marks his fourth consecutive term in office.

About Rwanda

  • Capital: Kigali
  • Currency: Rwandan franc
  • President: Paul Kagame

Books and author news

The Book ‘Wings To Our Hopes, Volume I,’ On President Droupadi Murmu’s 75 Significant Speeches Will Be Released In New Delhi 

The book ‘Wings to Our Hopes, Volume I,’ which compiles 75 significant speeches from the first year of President Droupadi Murmu’s tenure, will be released in New Delhi  Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will release the e-book in the presence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Publication Division has published this book. The book will be released in Hindi and English. 

Tim Walker’s “The Prisoner of Bhopal”: A Novel Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Tim Walker, an award-winning designer-turned-author, has recently published a historical fiction novel titled “The Prisoner of Bhopal.” This book, aimed at young readers, commemorates the 40th anniversary of one of India’s most devastating industrial disasters – the Bhopal gas tragedy.

  • Book Title: “The Prisoner of Bhopal.”
  • Genre: Historical fiction aimed at young readers.
  • Event: Commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
  • Purpose: Educates and engages readers about the significant industrial disaster.
  • Career Shift: Walker transitioned from graphic design to children’s literature at age 45.
  • Impact: Uses storytelling to address complex global issues.


Science and tech news

Serum Institute Rolls Out New High Efficacy Malaria Vaccine In Africa

A new high-quality malaria vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India and the University of Oxford is officially being rolled out in Africa. With this, Côte d’Ivoire has become the first country in West Africa to start administering R21/Matrix-M.

  • Vaccine Development: Created by Serum Institute of India and University of Oxford.
  • First Rollout: Côte d’Ivoire is the first West African country to administer R21/Matrix-M.
  • WHO Approval: Approved by the World Health Organization after rigorous evaluation.
  • Effectiveness: Found to be highly effective and affordable.
  • Production: Low-dose vaccine can be produced quickly and at scale.
  • Impact: Potential breakthrough in combating malaria.

Launch of NERACE App to Boost Agricultural Connectivity in North East Region

The Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER), launched the North East Region Agri Commodity E-Connect (NERACE) App and Web Portal (https://nerace.in/) to integrate farmers and sellers, enhancing agricultural connectivity in the North Eastern Region (NER).

  • The initiative aims to connect 50,000 farmers and 5,000 buyers over the next five years.
    • The launch took place during his visit to Shillong, Meghalaya, where he chaired a review meeting with Meghalaya’s Chief Minister (CM) Conrad Sangma and other state officials, focusing on regional development projects.

Note: NE region boasts 20 Geographical Indication (GI) products that are exotic, high- value, and rich in health benefits.

About NERACE App:

  1. It operates as a unique Farm to Business (F2B) marketplace, facilitating price negotiation, bookings, and real-time product availability cross over 50 crop categories.
  2. It promotes Northeast India as a reliable partner in the international agricultural value chain.
  3. It supports agricultural and horticultural products, enhancing profitability of high-value agro-horticultural products.

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