Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12, 13 and 14 October 2024

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. November 26 will be commemorated as a “Constitution Glorification Campaign".

• Union Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution will be commemorated with a nationwide “Constitution Glorification Campaign".
• The 75th anniversary will be celebrated on November 26.
• Kiran Rijiju highlighted the government’s initiative to construct Constitution buildings in every district.
• Constitution Day is celebrated on November 26 every year to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1949.
• The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which came into effect on 26 January 1950.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

2. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd became 14th Maharatna CPSE.

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been upgraded to 14th Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprises.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved the up gradation of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to Maharatna CPSE.
• Its upgrade has been recommended by the Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the Finance Secretary and the Apex Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is a Department of Defense Production, CPSE.
• It has a turnover of 28 thousand 162 crore rupees and a net profit of over seven thousand five hundred crore rupees in 2023-24.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

3. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2024: 13 October

• Every year on 13 October, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is celebrated.

• The day is celebrated for raising awareness about how people around the world can reduce their exposure to disasters.
• The theme of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2024 is "Empowering the next generation for a resilient future".
• The theme highlights the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future.
• The primary focus this year is to empower children through education and enable them to protect themselves and become agents of change in their families and communities.
• It was started in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.
• Poverty, inequality, and discrimination are causes and consequences of increased disaster risk.
• According to current climate projections, the world will face approximately 560 disasters per year by 2030.
• An additional estimated 37.6 million people will live in extreme poverty by 2030 due to the impacts of climate change and disasters.
• A “worst-case” scenario of climate change and disasters would push an additional 100.7 million people into poverty by 2030.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

4. On 13 October, the 149th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union began in Geneva.

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is leading a parliamentary delegation to attend the 149th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva, which will be held from 13 to 17 October.
• During his visit, he will address the gathering on the theme of using science, technology and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future.
• During this, he will attend meetings of the Governing Council of the IPU, the highest decision-making body of the IPU.
• Apart from this, he will also meet his counterparts from other parliaments during the Assembly.
• The delegation includes Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh, general secretaries of both the Houses, and various other Members of Parliament.
• The IPU has 180 parliamentarians and 15 associate members.
• Its members include parliaments from large countries such as China, India and Indonesia, as well as smaller countries such as Cabo Verde, San Marino and Palau.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Telangana

5. Telangana became third state to launch caste survey.

• The process of the Comprehensive Household Caste Survey has been initiated by the Government of Telangana in the state with the aim of targeted and equitable resource distribution among all communities.
• With this, Telangana will become the third state after Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to conduct a caste-based census.
• State Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari issued orders, stating that the survey would be conducted door-to-door.
• The caste survey was also among the promises made by the ruling Congress for the Assembly elections in 2023.
• The survey is to be completed within 60 days, and the Planning Department has been designated as the nodal department for the survey.
• The aim of the survey is to plan and implement various opportunities, including social, economic, employment, educational and political, for the upliftment of OBCs, SCs, STs and other weaker sections of the state.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

6. India placed in the 'serious' category in the Global Hunger Index 2024.

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranks India 105, placing it in the "serious" category of analysis.
• The GHI is a tool used by international humanitarian agencies to measure and track hunger levels in 127 countries, with the GHI score based on malnutrition and child mortality indicators.
• The 19th edition of the 2024 report was released this week by the German charity organisation Welthungerhilfe and the Irish humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide.
• It highlights that absent much progress in measures to tackle the issue, hunger levels in many of the world's poorest countries will remain high for decades.
• India is among the 42 countries that fall in the "serious" category, along with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• While other South Asian neighbours like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka are listed in the "moderate" category, showing better GHI scores.
• With a score of 27.3 on the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India's hunger levels are serious.
• India's GHI score is based on the values ​​of four component indicators: 13.7% of the population is undernourished, 35.5% of children under five years of age are stunted, 18.7% of them are wasted, and 2.9% of children die before their fifth birthday.
• Globally, around 733 million people face hunger due to not getting enough food every day, while approximately 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.

Topic: National News

7. India has become third largest supplier of nutrition and health support to UNICEF.

• According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Indian suppliers rank third among the organization's global suppliers of health and nutrition support for children.
• Indian companies have given UNICEF over six billion dollars' worth of goods and services for its worldwide operations.
• In order to meet children's health and nutritional needs globally, this contribution comprises medications, vaccines, and nutrition supplies.
• Leila Pakkala, director of UNICEF's supply division, stated that Indian providers of children's life-saving products and services are essential to UNICEF's global mission for children.
• Leila Pakkala, the director of UNICEF's supplies division, was in India for the first time on her official visit.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Scheme Guidelines for implementation of innovative projects under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has been notified by Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

• Five hundred crore rupees have been set out under the scheme component Innovative Projects to promote developments in rooftop solar technologies, business plans, and integration strategies.
• This component looks for fresh concept pilots in companies, universities, and industries and help them with it.
• According to the Ministry, the National Institute of Solar Energy would be in charge of carrying out the Innovative Projects Component of the Scheme.
• Financial support for the chosen projects will be granted up to thirty crore rupees, or sixty percent of the project cost, whichever is less.
• In February of this year, the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana was approved by the Central Government.
• It was approved with the intention of empowering residential homes to produce their own electricity and raising the proportion of solar rooftop capacity.

Topic: State News/ Jammu and Kashmir

9. Government issued a notification to revoke the President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Before the appointment of the Chief Minister, the government revoked the President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
• President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir was imposed by then President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018.
• After 1996, it was the first time when the president rule had been imposed in the militancy-hit state.
• The National Conference-Congress alliance won the recent Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and is set to form the government.
• Omar Abdullah will be the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He has been elected as the leader of the alliance.
• The Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 on August 5, 2019.
• Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded a special status to the erstwhile state, was also abrogated on that day.
• President's rule is imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution of India.

Topic: Sports

10. India got the hosting rights for the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025.

• India has received the hosting rights of the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025 by the International Shooting Federation.
• A squad of 23 Indian shooters will take part in this event.
• The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president, Kalikesh Singh Deo, said that India's stature is growing in shooting.
• It has been a result of a focused and collaborative effort by all stakeholders who are creating a strong ecosystem.
• Hosting events like the ISSF World Cup Final will show India's ability to elevate shooting sport globally.

Topic: Personality in News

11. Nima Rinzee Sherpa became the youngest person to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.

• Nima Rinzee Sherpa, an 18-year-old Nepali climber, created a new world record by becoming the youngest person to climb all 14 of the world's peaks higher than 8,000 metres.
• His historic feat was completed on October 9, when he successfully climbed the 8,027-metre Shisha Pangma in Tibet, culminating his two-year expedition to conquer one of the most difficult mountains on earth.
• Sherpa, who began climbing high mountains when he was 16, climbed all eight thousand mountains in 740 days.
• The records of Nima Rinji:

Topic: New Development

12. Affordable device developed by IIT can detect cancer at one tenth of the cost of current methods.

• A compact device aimed at early detection of breast cancer has been introduced by IIT Indore, which is especially beneficial for women in rural and remote areas.
• This device has been developed by Professor Srivathsan Vasudevan from the Department of Electrical Engineering, which offers a significant breakthrough in cancer screening at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.
• The new device uses photoacoustic spectral response (PASR) technology, which combines optical and acoustic signals to identify abnormal tissue changes.
• It is incredibly affordable, making it cost approximately one-tenth the price of traditional diagnostic methods.
• This instrument uses a compact pulsed laser diode (PLD), which generates light that interacts with tissue.
• The resulting reaction is analyzed to determine whether the tissue is normal, benign, or malignant.

Topic: National Appointments

13. Noel Tata has been appointed Chairperson of Tata Trust.

• Noel Tata has been unanimously appointed Chairperson of Tata Trust, the philanthropic arm of the Tata Group.
• This decision was made during a board meeting following the passing of Ratan Tata at the age of 86.
• Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother, serves on the boards of several listed companies, including Tata Steel and Voltas.
• Tata Trusts have a 66% stake in Tata Sons, which controls Tata Trusts effectively and has a bigger role in the affairs of Tata Sons.
• Noel N. Tata has been associated with the Tata Group for 40 years and currently serves on the Board of various Tata Group Companies.
• Noel Tata is the chairman of Tata International, Tata Investment Corporation Ltd.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defense

14. Indian Army rolls out its first overhauled T-90 Bhishma tank.

• The Indian Army has rolled out its first overhauled T-90 Bhishma tank.
• It is known for its firepower, speed, and protection.
• This overhauling process showcases the indigenous maintenance and technical skills developed in the country.
• The T-90 Bhishma is 9.6 meters long and 2.8 meters wide and is approximately 47 tonnes.
• The T-90 Bhishma is equipped with a 125 mm smoothbore gun, which is capable of firing various types of shells.
• An anti-aircraft gun mounted on top of the tank can bring down targets within a two-kilometre range.