Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 August 2024

Topic: Indian Polity

1. Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill introduced in Lok Sabha.

• On 31 July, the Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu introduced the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 in the Lok Sabha, which will replace the Aircraft Act of 1934.
• In 1934, the Aircraft Act was established and has undergone several amendments over the years.
• Amendments were incorporated into the Act in a piecemeal manner.
• The Civil Aviation Minister said that this has created confusion in the Act and to remove this confusion, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak has been brought.
• The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak gives the Central Government the authority to enact laws that govern design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export or import of any aircraft or class of aircraft and for securing the safety of aircraft operations.
• The Bill aims to empower the Government to make rules for the investigation of any air accident or incident.
• The proposed law will move the Radio Telephone Operator Restricted (RTR) certificate and licence testing process from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to the DGCA.
• The process will be simplified for pilots as they will be able to obtain all their certificates from a single authority.

Topic: Corporates and Company

2. With $120 million in new funding from WestBridge, Rapido became a unicorn.

• Rapido has become a unicorn after raising approximately $120 million (₹1,000 crores) in its most recent Series E investment round from its existing investor WestBridge Capital.
• This is because Rapido can expand its auto and cab services to new cities across India.
• Unicorn means a privately owned startup valued at more than $1 billion and Rapido competes strongly with players like Ola, Uber and Namma Traveller.
• Now, Rapido wants to use the fresh funding to develop its tech stack and expand into new markets, which were previously dominated by Ola and Uber.
• In 2015, Rapido was founded by Arvind Sanka, Pawan Guntupalli and Rishikesh SR.
• Rapido is the third company to become a unicorn this year, after Perfeos and Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal's Krutrim AI.
• In 2023, there were only two new unicorns—Zepto and InCred Wealth.

Topic: Corporates and Company

3. Shriram Group has received RBI's approval to enter the asset reconstruction business.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given the Chennai-based conglomerate Shriram Group approval to enter the asset reconstruction (ARC) market for the current fiscal year.
• The group had announced in November 2023 that it plans to enter the ARC and wealth management businesses.
• Shriram Capital's subsidiary Shriram Credit will take charge of the wealth management business, and Shriram Capital will manage the asset reconstruction division.
• Shriram Capital Pvt Ltd is the holding company of the Shriram group’s financial services business.
• Headquartered in Chennai, Shriram Group was founded on 5 April 1974 by R. Thyagarajan, AVS Raja, and T. Jayaraman.

Topic: Personality in News

4. Anshuman Gaekwad passed away in Vadodara while battling cancer.

• He is an Indian cricketer and former coach, and selector.
• From 1975 to 1987, he played 40 Test matches and 15 ODIs for India.
• He scored 1985 runs in Tests. His highest score is 201 against Pakistan.
• He was appointed India coach in October 1997. He continued till September 1999.
• In June 2018, he was awarded CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
• CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honour given by BCCI to a former player.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. The Women Entrepreneurship Program has been introduced by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

• The purpose of this program is to address the unique challenges that women face while launching and expanding their own businesses.
• Along with providing financial grants, the program would partner with Britannia Industries Limited and showcase their goods and services on the Skill India Digital Hub.
• This program seeks to address the obstacles that women face while starting their own business by providing essential training, knowledge, and networking opportunities.
• The program has been started with the launch of self-learning basic entrepreneurship courses available on the Skill India Digital Hub in different languages.
• Participants will get a co-branded certificate from NSDC, Britannia Industries, and National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) upon completion of these courses.
• The goal of this program is to empower about 25 lakh Indian women.
• The program will conclude with a grand finale in which a distinguished panel will hear the business ideas of the top 50 contestants.
• Ten of the top competitors will get cash incentives from Britannia Industries, each worth ten lakh rupees.

Topic: Important Days

6. World Breastfeeding Week: 1 to 7 August

• Every year, World Breastfeeding Week is observed in more than 120 countries from the 1st to the 7th of August.
• It is celebrated to promote the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and the baby.
• The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2024 is " Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all".
• World Breastfeeding Week was started in 1992. World Breastfeeding Week honours the Innocenti Declaration. This declaration was signed in August 1990.
• In 2018, a resolution of the World Health Assembly endorsed World Breastfeeding Week as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy.
• Breast milk contains colostrum. Colostrum protects the newborn and children from sickness. It imparts them with immunity. It reduces breast and ovarian cancer risks in mothers.
• Breastfeeding also serves as a baby’s first vaccination. It protects them from many common childhood ailments.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. The 30^th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was organised in New Delhi on 31^st July 2024.

• In the meeting, Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Gourangalal Das.

• Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Hong Liang led the Chinese delegation.
• The current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was reviewed by the two side with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues.
• The 29th WMCC meeting was organised on 27 March 2024 in Beijing.
• India and China hold Corps Commander level and the WMCC talks under efforts to resolve the stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
• The 21st round of Corps Commander talks were held in February.

Topic: Defence

8. India will hold "Tarang Shakti 2024" its first multinational air exercise.

• This exercise will be held in two phases starting on the sixth of next month at Sular, Tamil Nadu.
• Approximately thirty nations will take part in this exercise, ten of which will participate in this exercise with their fighter aircraft.
• The exercise will demonstrate India's military might and give the participating armies a forum to promote interoperability.
• The first stage is scheduled to take place at Sular, Tamilnadu from August 6–14.
• The second stage will take place in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from August 29 to September 14.

Topic: National Appointment

9. Chandra Lal Das appointed additional secretary of the Ministry of Steel.

• Chandra Lal Das, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, has been given the additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Steel.
• He was given this additional charge after the retirement of Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary of the Ministry of Steel.
• Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy is the Minister of Heavy Industries and the Minister of Steel.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

10. On July 30, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived in India on his three-day state visit.

• The visit of the Prime Minister of Vietnam will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
• Several high-level delegations consisting of several ministers, deputy ministers and business leaders accompanied the PM.
• Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was on a visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Apart from this, he also held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi.
• India and Vietnam have centuries-old historical and civilisational ties, which were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Vietnam in September 2016.
• Furthermore, India considers Vietnam a key pillar of its Act East policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

11. The world's first postage stamp based on Lord Rama of Ayodhya was issued by Laos.

• A special postage stamp set has been released by the South-East Asian country Laos which includes a stamp on Lord Ram.
• This is the world's first postage stamp depicting 'Ram Lalla of Ayodhya'.
• This was part of a special commemorative stamp issued by Laos, reflecting its deep civilizational ties with India.
• On July 27, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart Salimxay Kommasith jointly inaugurated it in Laos.
• The stamp set contained two stamps, the second stamp featuring the Buddha from Luang Prabang city, the ancient capital of Laos.
• The ties of Buddhism have tied India and Laos together for millennia.
• The Ramayana (in Laos called the Ramakien or Phra Lak, the story of Phra Rama) is revered in Laos as in India, and is performed on auspicious occasions.
• The theme of the stamp set is “celebrating shared cultural heritage of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and India”.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

12. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his wife Anjali Pichai receive top honours from IIT Kharagpur.

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his wife Anjali Pichai were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by their alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, at a ceremony in San Francisco.
• Sundar Pichai was honoured with the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) award, while his wife Anjali Pichai was honoured with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
• Sundar Pichai has been awarded an honorary doctorate for his "contribution towards digital transformation, affordable technology and pioneering innovations".
• President Draupadi Murmu conferred the degree of Doctor of Science (Honorary Degree) on Pichai in his absence at the 69th convocation of IIT-Kharagpur in December 2023.
• Pichai joined Google in 2004 and Pichai was appointed CEO of Google In August 2015.

Topic: Defence

13. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched ‘Suvidha Software Version 1.0’.

• ‘Suvidha Software Version 1.0’ has been launched by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) during the ‘Annual Operational Sea Training Conference’ at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• This software has been designed to enhance training protocols and ensure consistency across all ICG platforms.
• The conference saw active participation from senior officers from various ICG regions.
• It provided a valuable platform for discussing best practices, sharing insights, and aligning strategies to address the dynamic maritime security landscape.
• Indian Coast Guard Raising Day is celebrated on February 1, 2022.
• The Indian Coast Guard is the world’s fourth-largest Coast Guard. Its motto is Vayam Rakshamah (We Protect).

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

14. E-SeHAT Tele-consultancy has been launched by the Indian Army.

• The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has launched the Electronic Services e-Health Assistance and Tele-Consultation (E-SeHAT) module.
• It will enable ECHS beneficiaries to obtain online Tele-consultation for medical treatment from their homes without visiting the ECHS Polyclinic.
• Its main aim is to provide health care services through safe and structured video-based clinical consultations.
• This pilot project has been launched at 12 ECHS polyclinics, including the remote locations of Baramulla, Imphal, Churachandpur, Dimapur and Aizawal.
• The E-SeHAT initiative is aligned with the Digital India vision of the Government of India.
• It will transform healthcare delivery for veterans, ensuring timely and quality medical attention from the comfort of their homes.