Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 October 2024

Topic: Sports

1. Indian women’s team created history by winning bronze medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.

• The India team won the first-ever medal in the women’s team category at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.
• In the semifinals, India registered a 1-3 loss to Japan while in the other semifinal, China lost to Hong Kong by 3-0.
• In the semifinals, Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Miwa Harimoto by 2-3.
• Manika Batra however brought back India into the tie with a 3-0 win over Satsuki Odo.
• India defeated South Korea in the quarterfinals by 3-2 to secure the medal.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

2. Industrialist Ratan Tata passed away on 09 October 2024 at the age of 86.

• Renowned industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
• He was in critical condition. One-day state mourning has been announced by the Maharashtra government on 10 October 2024.
• He received Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He had previously received the Padma Bhushan in 2000.
• He was awarded Order of Australia in 2023. He received Assam Baibhav in 2021 for contributing towards cancer care in Assam.
• He was awarded Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 2014.
• He died at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, following age-related ailments.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

3. The integration of the UMANG app with DigiLocker has been announced by the National e-Governance Division.

• This has been done to provide citizens seamless access to a wide range of government services.
• With this collaboration, users will be allowed to manage multiple services through a single platform.
• The UMANG app is accessible to all Android users.
• Services of the UMANG app can be accessed through the DigiLocker app.
• DigiLocker is a flagship initiative under the Digital India program.
• It is aimed at providing secure cloud-based storage of documents.
• The UMANG app provides a single platform for all Indian citizens to access pan-India e-Government services, spanning from Central to Local Government organisations.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. A scholarship scheme for faculty members from academic institutions has been announced by RBI.

• Full-time faculty members teaching economics or finance at any UGC or AICTE-recognized university or college in India can apply under the scheme for short-term research.
• The scheme covers monetary and financial economics, banking, real sector concerns, and other themes of relevance to the RBI.
• The scheme aims to raise awareness of the RBI's activities among faculty and students while also providing exposure to various operational areas of the RBI.
• A maximum of five scholarships will be offered to candidates selected based on their curriculum vitae, a research proposal of no more than 1,000 words, and an interview with a selection panel.
• The deadline for submitting applications is the 5th of next month.

Topic: National News

5. National Marine Heritage Complex in Gujarat approved by Cabinet.

• On October 9, the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) approved by the Union Cabinet at Lothal, Gujarat.
• This flagship project will be implemented in two phases, aimed at preserving and showcasing India’s 4,500-year-old maritime heritage.
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the museum at Lothal will be the largest maritime heritage complex in the world.
• The implementation of Phase 1B and Phase 2 as part of the master plan has been approved by the Cabinet.
• Funds for these phases will be raised through voluntary contributions, with Phase 1B's Light House Museum being funded by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL).
• A separate society will be set up under the supervision of a Governing Council headed by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to manage the development and operation of future phases.
• Presently, Phase 1A is under construction, with more than 60% of physical work completed and a planned completion date of 2025.
• Both Phase 1A and 1B will follow the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) mode, while Phase 2 will involve land sub-lease and public-private partnership to transform NMHC into a world-class heritage museum.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. 70th National Film Awards presented to the winners of various categories by President Draupadi Murmu on 8 October.

• Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2022.
• Here is the important list of 70th National Film Awards 2024.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Continuation of the supply of fortified rice under all government schemes has been approved by the Union Cabinet.

• The schemes include the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare initiatives.
• This decision extends the program from July 2024 through December 2028.
• The fortified rice initiative will remain a central sector scheme.
• It will remain fully funded by the Government of India under PMGKAY’s food subsidy program.
• Following a decision made in April 2022 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), fortified rice started to be distributed nationwide.
• The objective of providing fortified rice through all government schemes had been successfully achieved by March 2024.
• India still faces a serious challenge of malnutrition.
• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which was carried out between 2019 and 2021, indicates that anemia is still common across a variety of age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds, especially in women and children.
• Apart from iron deficiency, the survey also reveals persistent deficits in vital minerals including folic acid and vitamin B12.
• One internationally accepted strategy to combat malnutrition is food fortification.
• It has worked especially well in India, where 65% of the population eats rice as a staple.
• Combining normal rice with Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enhanced with minerals like iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 results in fortified rice.

Topic: International News

8. ‘Study In India’ Campaign has been launched by India at UAE Education Show.

• Its ‘Study in India’ campaign has been officially launched by India at the 20th International Education Show in Sharjah.
• The campaign is organized by EdCIL, a Miniratna company under the Ministry of Education.
• It seeks to position India as a leading global education hub.
• Ahmed Mohamed Obaid Al Naboodah of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Yatin Patil, Deputy Consul General of India in Dubai inaugurated the India Pavilion at Expo Centre Sharjah.
• The ‘Study in India’ programme showcases over 590 Indian universities and institutions.
• Study in India portal is a centralized platform designed to streamline the entire application process for international students.
• India’s higher education sector is ranked as the second largest in the world.
• The International Education Show is organized in cooperation with the Sharjah Private Education Authority.
• It is organized by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).
• More than 100 universities and educational institutions from over 20 countries take part in the event.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded jointly to David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper.

• The Nobel Prize for 2024 in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker “for computational protein design” along with Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction”.
• David Baker led a team that developed a new protein using bespoke software methods in 2003.
• Hassabis and Jumper received the award for their role in developing an artificial intelligence model called AlphaFold 2.
• It could predict the structures of millions of proteins.
• This year’s chemistry prize also continued a new tradition in this category of the award going to non-chemists.
• In 2023, Nobel Prize in chemistry was given to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
• Baker works at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Hassabis and Jumper work at Google DeepMind in London.

Topic: International News

10. President Droupadi Murmu will be the first Indian president to visit Algeria, Mauritania, and Malawi.

• President Droupadi Murmu will be on a visit to three African countries—Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi from October 13-19.
• This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to these three African nations.
• After 39 years, She will be the first-ever President from India to visit Algeria at the level of head of state or head of government.
• The President will address the India-Algeria Economic Forum. She will also inaugurate the India Corner at Hamma Garden at Jardin d’essai. 
• She will also inaugurate an India centre at the Hamma Botanical Garden.

Topic: Indian Economy

11. Repo rate remained unchanged at 6.50% for the tenth consecutive time.

• On October 9, it was decided by the Reserve Bank of India to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50% for the tenth consecutive time.
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting was held on October 7, 8 and 9.
• As a result, the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate remains at 6.25% and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75%.
• The RBI has maintained status quo on the benchmark interest rate through February 2023.
• Additionally, the decision was taken by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to change the monetary policy stance to 'neutral' and clearly focus on sustainable alignment of inflation with the target while supporting growth.
• These decisions are in line with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation within a range of 2% plus or minus 4% while supporting growth.
• Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.7% in the first quarter of FY2024-25, driven by private consumption and investment.
• The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled from December 4 to 6, 2024.

Topic: Important Days

12. World Mental Health Day 2024: 10 October

• Every year on 10 October, World Mental Health Day is observed.
• It is observed to promote global mental health education and to spread awareness.
• It gives an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to discuss their work.
• The theme of the World Mental Health Day 2024 is “Mental Health at Work."
• On October 10, 1992, World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time.
• This day was started by Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Geography

13. Hurricane Milton is set to land Florida.

• The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Milton to land as an "extremely dangerous hurricane" in the US state of Florida.
• It could strike near the city of Tampa.
• It could cause torrential rain, flash flooding, and high winds.
• It is steadily moving eastwards, through the Gulf of Mexico.
• It has been placed in the most powerful hurricane category five.
• In recent years, Milton has been one of the most powerful storms to form in the North Atlantic.
• Hurricanes are a type of tropical storm that form in the North Atlantic.
• The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (Noaa) has predicted that the 2024 hurricane season will be more active than usual.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

14. WAZA suspended the membership of Delhi’s National Zoological Park for six months.

• The World Association of Zoos and Aquarium suspended the membership of Delhi’s National Zoological Park due to concerns related to the welfare of the African elephant Shankar.
• The World Association of Zoo and Aquarium (WAZA) raised the issue of the African elephant Shankar being in chains.
• This elephant is without a mate. India has made a pact with Botswana to ship a female elephant from there.
• WAZA is a non-governmental organisation that sets accreditation standards for zoos.
• A zoo being suspended means it cannot attend conferences or activities organised by WAZA.
• The Delhi Zoo is under a six-month suspension due to a breach of the WAZA Code of Ethics.
• The African elephant, Shankar, was gifted to then-President Shankar Dayal Sharma by Zimbabwe.