Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 July 2024

Topic: Science and Technology

1. Indian scientists created infrared star catalogue tool for thirty meter telescope.

• A team of Indian scientists has made a significant contribution to the field of astronomy.
• Indian scientists develop open-source tool to generate infrared star catalogue for Thirty Meter Telescope.
• Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is one of the largest ground-based telescopes set to be operational in the next decade.
• This innovative tool will create a comprehensive catalogue of Near Infrared (NIR) stars, which will be crucial for the telescope's Adaptive Optics (AO) system.
• Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) along with the Giant Magellan Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope are the future of ground-based astronomy.
• India’s participation in the TMT collaboration involves three institutes: the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, and the Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital.
• The TMT's Adaptive Optics System (AOS) is also known as the Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS).

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

2. WHO launched an online platform for information on medical devices.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the ‘Medical Devices Information System’ (MeDvlS).
• It is an online platform for information on medical devices.
• MeDvlS has been designed to help decision-maker of governments, regulators, and users in selecting, procuring and utilising medical devices for diagnostics.
• The MeDevIS platform includes 2,301 medical device types covering a range of health issues, including reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health.
• This is the first time WHO has developed such a global repository on medical devices.
• The MeDevIS platform will be useful to update national lists for the procurement of health technologies.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. Bangladesh welcomed as fifth member in Colombo Security Conference.

• On June 10, regional security grouping Colombo Security Conference (CSC) officially welcomed Bangladesh as its fifth member state.
• The announcement was made during the 8th Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) level meeting hosted virtually by Mauritius.
• Bangladesh was warmly welcomed by the existing members – India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Maldives, while Seychelles participated as an observer state.
• In 2020, the Colombo Security Conference was established, when India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to expand the scope of their trilateral meeting on maritime cooperation.
• During the virtual meeting, Member States reviewed the progress of activities outlined in the CSC Roadmap for 2023-2024.
• They also discussed decisions taken at previous high-level meetings, including the 7th DNSA level meeting hosted by Maldives in July 2023 and the 6th NSA level meeting held in Mauritius last December.
• India was represented by Deputy National Security Advisor (Internal Affairs) Pankaj Kumar Singh.
• The member countries agreed that the 7th NSA level meeting of the Colombo Security Conference will be held in India later this year.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. GRSE Accelerated Innovation Promotion Scheme (GAINS-2024) launched by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth.

• On July 10, 2024, the “GRSE Accelerated Innovation Incentive Scheme (GAINS-2024)” of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth in Kolkata.
• This is an innovative scheme which seeks to find solutions to shipyard related problems and promote technology development by utilizing indigenously created and nurtured start-ups.
• It enables MSMEs and start-ups to be encouraged to develop innovative solutions for further technological advancement.
• This initiative is in line with the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Start-up India’ policies of the Government of India.
• 'GAINS' is a unique national scheme to encourage and enable MSMEs and Start-ups to develop innovative solutions which can be implemented by GRSE for further technological advancement.
• It aims to achieve the objectives of self-reliance by leveraging the vast ecosystem of MSMEs and Start-ups to address existing and emerging challenges in the ship design and construction industry.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Miscellaneous

5. Adani Group became major sponsor of Team India at Paris Olympics.

• On July 10, Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, announced that the group will sponsor the Indian team heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.
• As the Indian contingent is in the final stages of its preparations for the 2024 Olympics, the Adani Group has pledged its full support to the country’s champions through a campaign themed #DeshkaGeetAtOlympics.
• The campaign focuses on the athletes who have trained for hours and years to achieve victory and hear the national anthem after a victory.
• The Indian athletes are training hard before leaving for Paris for the Olympic Games to be held from July 26 to August 11.
• India had won a record 7 medals in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
• Since 2016, the Adani Group has supported over 28 athletes in sports such as boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, sprinting, archery, etc.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

6. In March 2024, India's energy storage capacity reached 219 MW.

• India has installed a total battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity of over 210 MW by March 2024.
• According to a report by Mercom India Research, the country is expected to add 1.6 gigawatt-hours of standalone battery energy storage systems and 9.7 gigawatts of renewable projects and energy storage by 2027.
• In 2013, India started adding energy storage capacity with small pilot projects.
• As of March 2024, cumulative installed energy storage capacity stood at 219.1 MWh (approximately 111.7 MW), with 120 MWh (40 MW) added in Q1 2024 alone.
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems combined with BESS (PV+BESS) accounted for 90.6% of the total installed capacity.
• The highest BESS capacity was installed by Chhattisgarh, accounting for 54.8% of the total installed capacity.
• As per the data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the country's operational pumped hydro storage capacity as of March 2024 totaled 3.3 gigawatts, of which nearly 76% is located in Telangana and West Bengal.
• As of March 2024, India has 1.6 GW (about 1 GW) of standalone BESS, 9.7 GW of renewable energy projects and energy storage, and 78.1 GW of pumped hydro projects in various stages of development.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points meeting was held virtually on 09 July 2024.

• During the meeting, the progress in trilateral cooperation as per the Joint Roadmap agreed in February 2023 was discussed.
• The areas of cooperation are the economy, infrastructure, innovation, energy, environment, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
• This was the Second India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points Meeting.
• The first such trilateral dialogue was held in February 2023. It was attended by Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
• The trilateral initiative was formally established in September 2022 at the meeting of the three nations’ foreign ministers at the UN General Assembly in New York.
• The trilateral initiative aims to foster international stability and prosperity.

Topic: Important Days

8. World Population Day: 11 July

• Every year on July 11, World Population Day is observed to spread awareness about population issues around the world.
• The theme of World Population Day 2024 is "Leave no one behind, count everyone".
• The then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme established World Population Day in 1989.
• The Day was established as an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.
• The Day was first marked on 11 July 1990. In December 1990, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) decided to continue observing World Population Day.
• World's population crossed five billion on July 11, 1987.
• The Dr KC Zachariah, a senior demographer at the World Bank, suggested the idea of World Population Day.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. 12^th meeting of the India-UAE Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) concluded in Abu Dhabi.

• The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad, while the UAE delegation was headed by Brigadier General Staff Jamal Ebrahim Mohamed Almazrooqi.
• They discussed various aspects of collaboration, including training cooperation, joint military exercises, defence industrial partnerships, and research and development initiatives.
• Both sides also discussed the exchange of subject matter experts and experiences.
• Regional security concerns, particularly maritime security issues were discussed during the meeting.
• On the sidelines, the navies and armies of both countries held separate talks.
• This meeting is expected to further reinforce the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
• India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) was established in 2006 and serves as a platform for advancing India-UAE defence relations.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

10. IAF's Su-30 MKIs to participate in the 'Exercise Pitch Black' in Australia.

• The India Air Force Su-30 MKIs are set to participate in the biennial multinational aerial warfare exercise Pitch Black in Australia.
• ‘Exercise Pitch Black 2024’ will be conducted from July 12 to August 2.
• "Exercise Pitch Black” is the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) most significant flying activity for strengthening international engagement and enhancing cooperation.
• It was first held at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales in June 1981.
• 20 countries with 4435 personnel and more than 140 aircraft will take part in this exercise. It will be the biggest in its 43-year history.
• IAF will also participate in Ex Udara Shakti 24 from 05 to 09 Aug 24 at Kuantan, Malaysia.

Topic: Committee/Commission/Taskforce

11. A five-member Advisory Council constituted by the 16th Finance Commission.

• On 9 July, an Advisory Council consisting of five members constituted by the Sixteenth Finance Commission to advise the Commission on any Terms of Reference (ToR) or related matters.
• Poonam Gupta, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, has been appointed the convener of the Advisory Council.
• Other members include economists D.K. Srivastava, Neelkanth Mishra, Pranjul Bhandari and Rahul Bajoria.
• The role and functions of the Advisory Council will include assisting the Commission in preparing papers or research studies and monitoring or evaluating studies ordered by the Finance Commission.
• This will enhance the Commission's understanding of the issues involved in its rules of engagement.
• Among the Terms of Reference (ToR) approved by the Cabinet are distribution of the net proceeds of taxes between the Union and states under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution and the allocation of the respective shares of such proceeds between states.
• Another ToR relates to the principles governing grants-in-aid for States' revenues from the Consolidated Fund of India and the amounts to be paid to the States as grants-in-aid for their revenues.

Topic: Sports

12. ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2024 given to Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

• On July 9, the International Cricket Council announced the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June 2024.
• Recently, Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant bowling performance helped the Indian men's cricket team win the ICC T20 World Cup.
• Bumrah took 15 wickets in 8 matches alone during the World Cup, making him the Player of the Tournament.
• On the other hand, the ICC named Indian women's team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana as the ICC Women's Player of the Month for June.
• Smriti won this title on the basis of her brilliant batting against South Africa.
• ICC had introduced the ICC Player of the Month awards in January 2021.
• It recognizes the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat to start on July 11 in New Delhi.

• The 2nd Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat will begin on July 11.
• S. Jaishankar will host his BIMSTEC counterparts at this event from July 11–12, 2024.
• The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023.
• Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC countries will discuss ways to broaden and deepen cooperation across various sectors in the fields of security, connectivity, trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, etc.
• BIMSTEC is a grouping of seven South and Southeast Asian countries for multifaceted cooperation.
• BIMSTEC comprises seven countries– Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

14. India and Taiwan's agreement to facilitate trade in organically produced goods came into force on July 8.

• This mutual recognition agreement (MRA) will ease the export of organic products by avoiding dual certifications.
• It will reduce compliance costs and will simplify compliance requirements.
• This pact will pave the way for the export of major Indian organic products such as rice, processed food, green/black and herbal tea, and medicinal plant products to Taiwan.
• India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Taiwan's Agriculture and Food Agency are the implementing agencies of this pact.
• Under this pact, agricultural products are produced and handled organically in conformity with the National Programme for Organic Production.