Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 and 11 March 2024

Topic: International Appointments

1. Asif Ali Zardari became the 14th president of Pakistan.

• Asif Ali Zardari became Pakistan’s President for the second time by defeating PTI-backed candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
• He will replace Dr Arif Alvi, who stayed for five more months after completing his five-year term in September 2023.
• The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
• Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
• He secured 411 electoral votes in Parliament while Achakzai bagged 181 votes.
• Mr. Zardari served as the 11th president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013 and he has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.
• Iskander Ali Mirza was the first president of Pakistan, who assumed office on 23 March 1956.
• The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Topic: National Appointments

2. Devendra Jhajharia has been elected the President of Paralympic Committee of India.

• India’s sports ministry has recently removed the suspension of the Paralympic Committee of India.
• The committee was suspended by the ministry after it failed to conduct elections on time.
• Deepa Malik was the previous president of the committee. Malik assumed charge in 2020.
• The first-ever Para Shooting World Cup in India is being conducted in New Delhi from March 9 to 15.
• 50 countries with almost 500 athletes will be taking part in this event.
• Devendra Jhajharia won two gold medals for India at the Paralympics.
• He won his first Paralympics gold in Athens in 2004. He won the second one in Rio in 2016.
• He also won a silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. The benefits under the RoDTEP scheme have been extended by the centre to EOUs, units in SEZs and AA holders.

• Export oriented units (EOUs), units in special economic zones (SEZs) and Advance Authorisation (AA) holders will have these benefits.
• The extension of Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) benefits to additional sectors is currently till September 30, 2024.
• These additional and uncovered sectors form approximately 25% of India’s exports.
• RoDTEP scheme is a scheme for refunding embedded taxes and duties on exported products.
• It was started in January 2021. It has provided support of Rs 42,000 crore to more than 10,500 export items.
• In the current fiscal year, budget of the scheme is Rs 15,070 crore.
• RoDTEP has been announced for over 8,500 products.
• Under this scheme, Central and State duties, taxes and levies on input products are refunded to exporters.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. India has signed a $100 billion free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

• India will remove most significant tariffs on industrial items from four nations in return for the investment over 15 years.
• The EFTA includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, all non-European Union nations.
• The agreement is known as India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).
• India has signed trade deals with the United Arab Emirates and Australia in the past two years.
• According to Swiss government, India will remove, or partially lift, very high customs duties on 95.3% of industrial imports from Switzerland, excluding gold, either immediately or gradually.
• The agreement includes some new aspects such as intellectual rights and gender equity.
• The agreement cannot go into force until the countries have ratified it.
• India is fifth among EFTA's trading partners, following the US, the UK, China, and the EU.
• EFTA was formed in 1960. It was formed as a counterweight to the EU.
• It is a regional trade organization and free trade area. Its secretariat is in Geneva.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Oppenheimer received six awards at the Oscars, including Cillian Murphy for Best Actor and Christopher Maulan for Best Director.

• The film Oppenheimer was nominated in 13 categories. Robert Downey Jr. has received the Best Supporting Actor award for this film.
• Along with this, this film has also received awards for Best Film Editing, Cinematography, and Original Score.
• Emma Stone was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Bella Baxter in the film "Poor Things" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California for the 96th Oscars.
• On 10 March, the 96th Oscars award ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA.
• During the Oscars ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), paid tribute to Indian art director and production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai, who passed away on August 2, 2023.
• Here is the list of some important Awards: 

Topic: National News

6. On 11th March, the foundation stone of the MSME-Technology Centre, Sindhudurg, was laid by Union Minister Narayan Rane.

• On this occasion, the Sindhudurg Industrial Festival and Self-Employment Conference (Conclave) were also inaugurated by the Minister.
• The Government of India is setting up 20 new technology centers and 100 extension centers across the country to expand access to technology by micro, small, and medium enterprises.
• At an estimated cost of Rs 182 crore, the project of MSME-Technology Centre, Sindhudurg is being set up.
• This technology centre will focus on areas like general engineering and food processing.
• It will create new growth opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the surrounding areas by providing access to new technology, skills, and mentorship.
• As of 09 March 2024, out of 53.97 lakh MSMEs from Maharashtra registered on the Ministry's enterprise portal, about 38,000 enterprises are registered in Sindhudurg, providing employment to 1.25 lakh people in the district.
• The exhibition on PM Vishwakarma was also inaugurated by Shri Narayan Rane.
• 17 September 2023, PM Vishwakarma Yojana was launched by the Prime Minister.
• It is a holistic scheme that provides end-to-end support to artisans and craftsmen belonging to 18 trades.
• Till 10 March 2024, a total of 1.43 crore applications have been received under this scheme.

Topic: National News

7. India is now the world’s 2nd largest producer of mobile phones.

• As per India Cellular and Electronics Association, the sector has changed from being 78% import-dependent in 2014 to 97% self-sufficiency.
• Currently, imports account for just 3% of all mobile phones sold in India.
• India’s mobile phone manufacturing is almost at 20 lakh crore rupees.
• In ten years (2014-2024), India produced 2.45 billion mobile phones, against the target of 2.5 billion.

Topic Awards and Prizes

8. Krystyna Pyszkova has been crowned Miss World 2023 in Mumbai.

• Krystyna Pyszkova is from Czech Republic. Krystyna Pyszkova has been crowned the 71st Miss World in Mumbai.
• Krystyna Pyszkova competed against contestants from 115 countries.
• Miss World 2022 Karolina Bielawska crowned Krystyna as the 71st Miss World. Karolina Bielawska is from Poland.
• Yasmina Zaytoun was crowned the First Runner-Up. Yasmina Zaytoun is from Lebanon.
• Krystyna Pyszková is a student, volunteer, and international model.
• She previously was crowned Miss Czech Republic 2022.
• She is 2nd woman representing the Czech Republic to win Miss World.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. As per the latest survey of the primate, 7,396 golden langurs in India.

• The Primate Research Centre NE India (PRCNE), Assam Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), and Conservation Himalayas have completed the survey in two phases.
• The golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) is found in the Manas Biosphere Reserve and all fragmented forests in the western part of Assam.
• The second phase of the survey was focused on the habitats of golden langurs in the Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, and Dhubri districts of western Assam.
• The survey method is very simple, cost-effective, and robust for arboreal and small-group living primates.
• The survey found 7,720 golden langurs in 706 unique groups and 31 lone males or floating males.
• The population of golden langurs is divided into two major sub-populations.
• The northern population of the primate with the golden sheen is about 5,566 in 534 groups.
• The population of the southern fragments was estimated at 1,830 langurs in 173 groups.
• In the earlier estimation, 6,000 golden langurs were reported in India.

Topic: Sports

10. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty win Doubles title at French Open badminton tournament.

• Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their second French Open Men's doubles Badminton title.
• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the men's doubles final by 21-11 and 21-17.
• Satwik and Chirag had earlier won the title in 2022.
• Indian pair had finished runners-up in the French Open in 2019 before winning the title in 2022.
• This year, the Indian duo ended in second position at Malaysia Super 1000, and India Super 750.

Topic: Personality in News

11. Sudha Murthy has been nominated to Rajya Sabha by President Murmu on Women's Day.

• Sudha Murthy serves as the Chairman of the Murthy Trust and is also the author of several books.
• Murthy is the wife of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy.
• In 2006, she received the Padma Shri award and the Padma Bhushan award in 2023.
• Murthy started her career as a computer scientist and engineer, becoming the first female engineer to be appointed to Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO).
• The President of India nominates twelve members to the Rajya Sabha for a six-year term in recognition of their contributions to the arts, literature, science, and social services.
• According to the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India (Articles 4(1) and 80(2)) this power has been provided to the President.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

12. On March 8, the first National Creator Awards presented by PM Modi at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

• The National Creator Awards is an effort to recognize excellence and its impact in areas including storytelling, social change advocacy, environmental sustainability, education, and gaming, among others.
• The National Creator Awards have witnessed exemplary public participation.
• Over 1.5 lakh nominations were received in the first round across 20 different categories.
• Subsequently, around 10 lakh votes were cast for digital creators in various award categories in the voting round.
• Subsequently, 23 winners, including three international creators, were decided.
• Here is the list of winners:

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

13. ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024’ campaign has been launched by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

• The fifth edition of the campaign has been launched under the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’.
• This campaign will be implemented till the 30th of November, 2024.
• It has been launched to recognize and appreciate the role of women in water management, conservation and sustainability.
• The campaign includes water conservation and rainwater harvesting, enumerating, geo-tagging and inventory of all water bodies.
• The campaign includes setting up of Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts; intensive afforestation; and awareness generation among the masses.
• Its main aim is to establish a powerful connection between the ‘Nari Shakti’ and the sustainable management of water resources.
• Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also launched two books namely, “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: 2019 to 2023” and “101 Water Champions of Jal Jeevan Mission”.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

14. Nepal’s Fonepay Payment Service and NPCI International Payments signed an agreement.

• The agreement is for cross-border UPI transactions between India and Nepal.
• The agreement will facilitate QR-code-based, person-to merchant (P2M) UPI transactions between India and Nepal.
• In the first phase, Indian consumers will be able to make UPI payments across business stores in Nepal to merchants on the Fonepay Network.
• Fonepay is a Payment System Operator (PSO). It is a subsidiary of the F1Soft Group.
• It is regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). It is Nepal’s first mobile payment network, which is licensed as a PSO.
• A week ago, NPCI International signed a MoU with Greece-based Eurobank S.A.
• This MoU was signed to streamline cross-border payments between Greece to India using UPI.