Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 December 2024

Topic: Sports

1. Ladakh to host Khelo India Winter Games in January 2025.

• The Ladakh will host the ice events from January 23 to 27, 2025 while Jammu & Kashmir will host the snow events from February 22 to 25, 2025.
• The Winter Games will start with Khelo India season with the Youth & Para Games scheduled to be held in Bihar in April 2025.
• The Khelo India Winter Games started in 2020. Almost 1000 athletes, including 306 women, took part in the inaugural edition.
• More than 1350 athletes in 2021 and 1500-plus in 2022 highlighted the growing attraction of the Games in J&K.
• This will be the second year running that UT Ladakh will host a portion of the Khelo India Winter Games.
• 700 athletes, 141 support staff, 113 technical officials, 250-plus volunteer and sports-specific volunteers participated in the 2024 iteration of KIWG.
• Ladakh will host a portion of the Khelo India Winter Games for the second time.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

2. An umbrella agreement was signed by Nicaragua and India to carry out Quick Impact Projects (QIPs).

• Sumit Seth, the Indian ambassador to Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and Valdrack Jaentschke, the foreign minister of Nicaragua, inked the deal in Managua, the country's capital.
• The goal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is deliver tangible benefits to Nicaraguan local communities.
• It will concentrate on important sectors including social infrastructure, which includes healthcare, education, and sanitation, as well as physical infrastructure, which includes community centres and roads.
• Under this framework, each QIP will receive grant assistance from the Indian government.
• Through collaborations that are adapted to the needs of local communities, this project highlights India's proactive role in promoting global development.
• Since diplomatic relations were established in March 1983, India and Nicaragua have maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship.
• Nicaragua's Embassy in Tokyo is simultaneously accredited to India, whereas India's Embassy in Panama is also concurrently accredited to Nicaragua.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. Ecologist Madhav Gadgil is one of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s six ‘Champions of the Earth’ for the year 2024.

• He has been honoured in the Lifetime Achievement category.
• Other awardees are Brazil’s Sonia Guajajara, Amy Bowers Cordalis from USA, Gabriel Paun from Romania, Lu Qi from China and SEKEM, a sustainable agriculture initiative.
• Guajajara has been honoured in the Policy Leadership category.
• Guajajara is Brazil’s first Minister of Indigenous Peoples and the first female Indigenous minister.
• Cordalis was honoured in the Inspiration and Action category.
• She is an Indigenous rights advocate. She worked for Yurok tribe and the Klamath River in the United States.
• Paun was honoured in the Inspiration and Action category. He is a Romanian environmental defender and the founder of non-profit Agent Green.
• Lu Qi, a Chinese scientist, was honoured in the Science and Innovation category.
• SEKEM was honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category.
• The United Nations' highest environmental prize, the Champions of the Earth award, honours pioneers who are leading the charge to safeguard people and the environment.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

4. The first human gene therapy for Haemophilia A in India developed by DBT and CSCR.

• Providing hope to nearly 136,000 haemophilia A patients in India, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in collaboration with the Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore has achieved a significant breakthrough.
• They announced the successful carrying out of the first human gene therapy using lentiviral vectors for the disease.
• Haemophilia is a serious bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of clotting factor VIII, resulting in spontaneous internal and external bleeding.
• Although rare, India has the world’s second-highest burden of haemophilia.
• Current treatments require frequent factor VIII replacement therapy, which faces challenges such as high cost, intravenous (IV) access in children, and low patient acceptance.
• According to scientists involved in the research, the single-center study, which included five participants aged 22 to 41, produced transformative results.
• This study is important because patients with moderate to severe hemophilia A may experience 12 to 40 bleeding events each year.
• The gene therapy approach developed by the CSCR involves the use of a lentiviral vector to introduce a normal copy of the factor VIII gene into autologous hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).

Topic: National News

5. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), India has achieved a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.0.

• Under the National Population Policy 2000 and the National Health Policy 2017, it meets the targets set, aiming for a TFR of 2.1.
• To achieve this goal, the government has implemented many schemes under the family planning programme.
• Contraceptive options provided include condoms, oral contraceptive pills, emergency contraception, intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs), and sterilization.
• Additional options, such as the Antara injectable contraceptive and Chhaya, a centchroman pill, have also been introduced.
• Initiatives like Mission Parivar Vikas focus on improving access to contraceptive and family planning services in seven high priority states and six north-eastern states.
• Beneficiaries who undergo sterilization are provided financial compensation.
• Post-pregnancy contraceptive measures, including post-partum IUCD, post-abortion IUCD, and post-partum sterilization, are also part of the programme.
• 16,586 health facilities have received National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification.
• These standards aim to ensure quality in public health facilities.

Topic: Indian Economy

6. Asian Development Bank (ADB) reduced India’s FY25 GDP growth forecast from earlier estimate of 7% to 6.5%.

• ADB reduced the growth forecast due to lower-than-expected growth in private investment and housing demand.
• As per the latest edition of Asian Development Outlook (ADO), changes in US trade, fiscal, and immigration policies could increase inflation in developing Asia and the Pacific.
• In 2024, Asia and the Pacific's economies are expected to grow 4.9 per cent in 2024.
• ADB has also lowered India's growth forecast for 2025-26 financial year to 6.6 per cent from 7.2 per cent earlier.
• India's GDP growth fell to a 7-quarter low of 5.4% in July-September of FY25 as against RBI's projection of 7%.
• Southeast Asia's growth outlook has been upped to 4.7% this year from earlier forecast of 4.5%.

Topic: Important Days

7. International Mountain Day: 12 December

• International Mountain Day is observed every year to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life.
• It is also observed to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development.
• It is a call for action to protect mountains from serious threats. These threats include deforestation, mining, climate change, and unsustainable tourism.
• This year, the theme of International Mountain Day is Mountain Solutions Innovation Adaptation and Youth for a Sustainable Future.
• International Mountain Day celebrated since 2003 through Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
• Mamta Sauda is the first citizen of Haryana to conquer Mount Everest twice.

Topic: Science and Technology

8. IIT Ropar’s iHub AWaDH launched cost-effective Bluetooth Low Energy Gateway.

• AWaDH’s Bluetooth Low Energy Gateway and Node System has been developed by IIT Ropar with funding of ₹110 Crore under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
• This is a first-of-its-kind cost-effective system that connects Bluetooth-enabled sensors to cloud platforms.
• It will enable seamless data transmission, real-time environmental monitoring, and advanced analytics in different sectors.
• It has been designed to support scalable IoT deployments, the BLE Gateway system reinforces AWaDH’s commitment to sustainable and technology-driven advancements.
• It will offer 4G, WiFi, and LAN compatibility for flexible networking.
• It will support data transmission up to 1 km in line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2024 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida.

• India’s premier construction, mining, and infrastructure trade fair, bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2024 has been inaugurated at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida.
• It brought top industry leaders, policymakers, and global delegates to one platform.
• Cutting-edge machinery, sustainable technologies, and live demonstrations of next-generation construction equipment have been showcased during this event.
• 1,000 exhibitors, 20,000+ products, and live equipment demonstrations have been part of this event.
• CONEXPO INDIA 2024 is India’s largest platform for the construction, mining, and infrastructure industries.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Personality in News

10. Poet Nikki Giovanni passed away at the age of 81.

• Giovanni is an award-winning U.S. poet. Giovanni is regarded as one of the most prolific African-American poets.
• Giovanni received a Grammy nomination for her work on civil rights, gender and race issues.
• Giovanni was at the forefront of the Black Arts Movement.
• Giovanni’s most famous poems include 'Knoxville, Tennessee' and 'Nikki-Rosa'.
• The Black Arts Movement flourished between 1965 and 1974.
• Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Audre Lorde were among the authors who promoted Black literature and culture during the Black Arts Movement.
• She was honoured with the NAACP Image Award, the Rosa Parks Award and the Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters.
• 'The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection' was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Flipkart signed a MoU.

• DPIIT signed the MoU to invest in and mentor Indian startups.
• The partnership between DPIIT and Flipkart is aimed at encouraging the growth of entrepreneurs and innovators.
• The partnership further builds on existing efforts as part of the Flipkart Leap and Ventures initiative with its USD 100 mn fund.
• Flipkart has invested in 20 companies. It continues to identify startups with high growth potential.
• Startups will have access to government-published industry reports, research papers, datasets, and other studies for market research thanks to the partnership.

Topic: Indian Polity

12. Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 has been passed by Lok Sabha.

• The bill seeks to amend the Railways Act 1989 which will enhance the power of the Railways Board.
• It will aim to improve the functioning and independence of the Railway Board.
• This bill will grant authority to the central government to determine the composition of the Railway Board, including the number of members, their qualifications, experience, and terms of service.
• All the provisions of the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905, are proposed to be incorporated into the Railways Act, 1989, through this Bill.
• The Railways Act, of 1989 had replaced the Indian Railways Act, 1890, but the Railway Board continued to operate without statutory sanction.

Topic: Indian Economy

13. RBI's Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF) on Macroeconomic Indicators has lowered the Real GDP growth for FY25 downward to 6.80%.

• In the previous round (October), real GDP growth for FY25 was kept at 6.90%.
• The SPF panellists reduced their forecasts for FY26 real GDP growth from 6.7% in the previous round (October) to 6.6%.
• According to the RBI-conducted Survey of SPF, they projected GDP growth to be between 6.1 and 7.7% for FY25 and between 6.0 and 7.2% for FY26.
• For FY25, real gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) and real private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) are predicted to expand by 7.9% (unchanged) and 6.2% (6.5% in the previous round), respectively.
• The real gross value added (GVA) growth estimate was slightly lowered by the survey panellists to 6.7% for FY25 and 6.4% for FY26.
• According to the regular survey, annual headline inflation based on CPI-Combined is anticipated to be 4.8% in FY25 (compared to 4.5% in the previous survey) and 4.3% in FY26 (compared to 4.4% in the previous survey).
• The RBI's updated estimate of 4.8% CPI inflation for FY25 is in line with the SPF's revised estimate.