Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 July 2024

Topic: Environment and Ecology

1. Ministry of Environment has approved the next phase of the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

• The next phase of the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican has been approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The government has allocated 56 crore for this next phase of the conservation plan.
• The plan includes habitat development, in-situ conservation, the completion of the conservation breeding centre, and releasing captive-bred birds.
• The conservation programme for critically endangered GIB and Lesser Florican has been running since 2016.
• As of now, around 140 GIBs and fewer than 1,000 Lesser Floricans are surviving in the wild.
• The Wildlife Institute of India will estimate the GIB population in Jaisalmer and in other states.
• The 2024–2029 phase will also target the development and implementation of artificial insemination techniques.
• Artificial insemination will help with genetic management and diversity.
• The bustard recovery project was started in 2016 and in July 2018, a tripartite agreement was signed between the MoEFCC, Rajasthan Forest Department and WII.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. 641 new species were added to Indian fauna in 2023.

• Among these were 442 completely new species and 199 species that had just been recorded in India.
• 339 new taxa were added to plant database of India. There were 13 infraspecific taxa and 326 species.
• Of these, 168 taxa are new distributional records from India, while 171 taxa are new to science.
• The majority of recently discovered animals were reported from southern India.
• Kerala was first on the list with 101 new species. West Bengal with 72 species and Tamil Nadu with 64 species followed Kerala.
• The invertebrate category is where the majority of these recent discoveries in fauna have been recorded.
• According to Animal Discoveries 2023, there were only 77 vertebrate species found in 2023, most of which were fish species.
• Animal Discoveries 2023 is an annual publication by the Zoological Survey of India.
• With 52 new taxa, West Bengal led the way in new plant discoveries, followed by Kerala and Uttarakhand.
• An annual publication, Plant Discoveries 2023 is produced by the Botanical Survey of India.
• 14% of all findings have come from hotspot regions like the Western Ghats and the Northeastern regions, according to the publication.
• Environment Minister launched the ‘Fauna of India Checklist Portal’.
• It includes 121 checklists with information on every known taxon, encompassing 36 phyla, and covering all 1,04,561 animal species found in India.
• The list also includes endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.

Topic: National Appointments

3. General Upendra Dwivedi took charge as 30th Indian Army chief on 30 June.

• General Upendra Dwivedi took charge from General Manoj Pande.
• Dwivedi was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984.
• He took over as the army’s vice chief in February 2024.
• He served as the Northern Army commander for two years.
• His overseas exposure includes tenures in Somalia and Seychelles.
• Lt. Gen. N. S. Raja Subramani is set to take over as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.
• He is the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command.
• Lt. Gen. Anindya Sengupta is set to take over from him as the Central Army Commander.

Topic: Books and Authors

4. PM Modi released three books on the life of former Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu.

• PM released the books on the eve of Venkaiah Naidu’s 75th birthday via video conferencing on 30 June.
• The books released by the Prime Minister are given below:
  • “Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service”
  • “Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India”
  • “Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu”
• “Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service” is the title of biography of the former Vice President. It is authored by Shri S Nagesh Kumar.
• “Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India” is a Photo chronicle.
• It is compiled by Dr I.V. Subba Rao, Former Secretary to Vice-President of India.
• “Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu” is a Pictorial biography in Telugu. It is authored by Shri Sanjay Kishore.
• M. Venkaiah Naidu served as the 13th vice president of India from 2017 to 2022.

Topic: Sports

5. India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup by winning all the matches.

• On 29 June, India won their second T20 World Cup title after defeating South Africa by seven runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
• The Rohit Sharma-led team has now achieved the distinction of winning the World Cup without losing a single match in the tournament.
• India played nine matches and won eight of them while one match was washed out due to rain.
• After winning the first Men's T20 World Cup in 2007, India is now the third team to win the tournament twice.
• Apart from India, West Indies have won two T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016 and England in 2010 and 2022.
• Indian captain Rohit Sharma became only the ninth player to win two T20 World Cup titles.
• Virat Kohli was named "Player of the Match" and Jasprit Bumrah was named "Player of the Tournament"
• Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have announced their retirement from T20 Internationals.
• BCCI announced to give prize money of Rs 125 crore to Team India for winning the T20 World Cup.
• The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 will see 20 international teams play 55 matches from June 1-29 in the West Indies and the USA.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Assam

6. Witness Protection Scheme was launched by Assam for the first time to provide better justice.

• On June 27, the state's first witness protection scheme approved by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure a fair justice delivery system.
• The Cabinet has approved the Assam Witness Protection Scheme, 2024 to ensure compliance with Section 398 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 to ensure the protection of witnesses against imminent threats during investigation and trial of any case.
• As per the scheme, any witness in any case can apply for witness protection in the prescribed form through the Member Secretary of the competent authority to obtain witness protection order.
• The competent authority in each district will be a standing committee, headed by the District and Sessions Judge.
• The witnesses will be classified into A, B and C categories based on the threat perception.
• A State Witness Protection Authority and a Witness Protection Fund will also be constituted for this purpose.
• Under the scheme, the security measures will include in-camera hearings, installation of security equipment at the houses of witnesses, tight security and patrolling near their houses, temporary change of residence, escort to and from court, provision of government transport on the date of hearing, etc.

Topic: Indian Polity

7. Three new criminal laws have come into effect from July 1.

• The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) were passed in Parliament in December 2023.
• They will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.
• Three new criminal laws received Parliament’s approval on December 21, 2023.
• President Droupadi Murmu gave assent on December 25, 2023.
• They will focus on justice rather than punishment. They are aimed at providing speedy justice.
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will have 358 sections (instead of 511 sections in the IPC).
• A total of 20 new crimes have been added to the bill. The imprisonment sentence has been increased for 33 of them.
• For 23 crimes, a mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced.
• The penalty of community service has been brought in for six crimes.
• To address sexual crimes, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has added a new chapter titled "Crimes against Women and Children."
• There is the provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment in all cases of gang rape and the new crime category of gang rape of a woman under 18 years of age.
• For the first time, Terrorism has been defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It has been made a punishable offence.
• There will be 531 sections in Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (instead of 484 sections in the CrPC).
• Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will have 170 provisions.

Topic: International News

8. On July 3, Japan will introduce new banknotes.

• On July 3rd, Japan will begin releasing new banknotes. 
• It is the world’s first use of state-of-the-art holography that makes the portraits of historic personalities appear to rotate in 3D.
• People who are blind or visually impaired will be able to feel and recognise the currency they are carrying due to new technology.
• For those who are blind or visually impaired, tactile markings will also help with recognition.
• Almost 7.5 billion new banknotes will have been printed by the end of March 2025.
• After the new banknotes are introduced, the current banknotes will still be accepted.
• Holography is a method of generating three-dimensional images.

Topic: Defence

9. India Navy developed one of the most powerful non-nuclear bombs.

• The Indian Navy has successfully developed and certified a new explosive bomb named, ‘SEBEX 2’.
• It is 2.01 times more powerful than standard TNT (Trinitrotoluene).
• The Navy has evaluated, tested, and certified it under its Defense Export Promotion Scheme.
• It will increase the potency and efficiency of weapons and ammunition in use.
• It was developed by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) under the Make in India initiative.
• Currently, the most powerful conventional explosive used in India has a TNT equivalence of about 1.50.
• Most warheads have a TNT equivalence ranging from 1.25 to 1.30.
• The Navy has also certified the company’s first thermobaric explosive, known as SITBEX 1.

Topic: Important Days

10. GST Day 2024: 1 July

• Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day is observed every year on 1 July.
• This day was first observed on July 1, 2018, marking the first anniversary of the GST tax system’s adoption.
• The Goods and Services Tax was first implemented on July 1, 2017.
• Parliament enacted the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act in 2016, which authorized the central government to charge and collect GST.
• The GST Council, comprising finance ministers from the central and state governments, supervises the implementation of the GST.
• GST is a destination-based tax structure that has replaced many indirect taxes levied by both the central and state governments, including excise duty, service tax, and value-added tax (VAT).
• In India, the GST system has five tax slabs: 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%.
• The idea of adopting GST was first suggested by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2000.
• The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) was set up as a private company in 2013 by the government.

Topic: Important Days

11. National Statistics Day 2024: 29 June

• National Statistics Day is celebrated every year on 29 June.
• This year, the 18th National Statistics Day was celebrated under the theme “Use of Data for Decision Making.”
• In 2007, National Statistics Day was first celebrated.
• National Statistics Day is celebrated on the birthday of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
• Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis was born on 29 June 1893.
• The day is celebrated in recognition of contributions made by him in the field of statistics and economic planning.
• He is often referred to as the father of Indian statistics. He founded Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).  He is famous for the Mahalanobis distance.
• Mahalanobis distance is a statistical measure. It is used to find the distance between a point and a distribution.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Sports

12. Shefali Verma became the fastest woman to score a double century in Test cricket.

• On June 28, India's opener Shafali Verma smashed the fastest double century in the history of women's Test cricket, surpassing Australia's Annabel Sutherland during the one-off Test against South Africa.
• Shafali completed her double century in just 194 balls, breaking the record of Sutherland, who had scored a double century in 248 balls against South Africa earlier this year.
• Shafali hit 23 fours and eight sixes during her aggressive innings.
• After a long gap of almost 22 years, Shafali also became the second Indian after former captain Mithali Raj to score a double century in Test cricket.
• In August 2002, Mithali scored 214 runs off 407 balls during the drawn second Test against England in Taunton.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. Vienna is the world's best city to live as per the Global Liveability Index 2024.

• Vienna, Austria, has secured first place in the Global Liveability Index for the third year in a row.
• The city has secured a 98.4 score on the Global Index.
• The Global Liveability Index gives ranking to 173 cities across five categories, including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
• The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the Global Liveability Index 2024.
• Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, Osaka in Japan, and Auckland in New Zealand are among the top ten most livable cities globally.
• Pakistan’s Karachi and Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka are amongst the least liveable cities in the world.
• The UK capital, London, was ranked as the 45th most liveable city in the world.

2024’s Global Liveability Index:

Topic: Awards and Prizes

14. Dr Usha Thakur received the 12th Vishwa Hindi Samman.

• Dr Usha Thakur received the 12th Vishwa Hindi Samman in a Hindi Samvad event.
• This Hindi Samvad event has been organized by the Embassy of India in Nepal.
• This award has been given by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
• She translated more than 40 literatures in Hindi and Nepali and strengthened Hindi language.
• The 12th World Hindi Conference was held in Fiji in 2023.

(Source: News on AIR)