Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 June 2024

Topic: National Appointments

1. Chandrababu Naidu took oath as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.

• Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu took oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for a fourth term.
• PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah attended the oath-taking ceremony.
• Jana Sena Party President Pawan Kalyan will be the Deputy Chief Minister in the Andhra Pradesh government.

• Nara Lokesh and 22 others also took the oath as ministers in the TDP-led government. The total strength of the Cabinet is 25.

• Chandrababu Naidu first became the chief minister in 1995.

• In 2014, Naidu was the first chief minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh.

• In the 2024 assembly election, the Telugu Desam Party won 135 seats, and the Jana Sena Party won 21 seats.

• Bharatiya Janata Party has won 8 seats, while Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party has won 11 seats.
• There are a total of 175 seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

2. Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others were killed in a plane crash.

• Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said there were no survivors of the crash.
• The wreckage of the military plane was located in a mountainous area in the north of the country.
• The aircraft carried Vice President Chilima and former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, among others.
• It vanished from radar during flight from capital city, Lilongwe, to Mzuzu in the north.
• The plane was redirected away from Mzuzu's airport due to poor visibility and adverse weather conditions.
• Air traffic controllers redirected it and instructed to return to Lilongwe. The contact with the aircraft was abruptly lost.
• Malawi is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west and Tanzania to the north and northeast.
• It is bordered by Mozambique to the east, south and southwest.

Topic: National Appointments

3. Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi will be the next Chief of Army Staff.

• Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi will assume charge from 30th June.
• General Manoj C Pande is the present Chief of the Army Staff. He will demit office on 30th June.
• In 1984, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles) of the Indian Army.
• He was General Officer Commanding in Chief (Headquarters Northern Command) from 2022 to 2024.
• After this, he was appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
• He is an alumnus of the Sainik School, Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College.
• He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

4. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary will become the second home for cheetahs.

• Madhya Pradesh government has completed the preparations at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Teams from South Africa and Kenya had visited Gandhi Sagar and assessed the conditions for the reintroduction of cheetahs.
• Prey animals were relocated from Kanha, Satpura and Sanjay tiger reserves to Gandhi Sagar.
• Under cheetah reintroduction project, 8 Namibian cheetahs (5 females & 3 males) were released at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of MP on September 17, 2022.
• 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023.
• Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is in Mandsaur district.
• A meeting of the state wildlife board was chaired by CM Mohan Yadav.
• During the meeting, CM directed officials to carry out a study on the possibilities of bringing rhinos and other rare and endangered wild animals to the forests of MP.

Topic: Science and Technology

5. Sustainable method for the removal of heavy metal contaminants from groundwater developed by IISc researchers.

• A novel treatment process for removing heavy metal contaminants such as arsenic from groundwater has been developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
• According to IISc, this is a three-step method, which is patent pending.
• This also ensures that the removed heavy metals are disposed of in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner, rather than sending untreated heavy metal-laden sludge to landfills, where they can potentially re-enter groundwater.
• According to reports, 113 districts in 21 states of India have arsenic levels above 0.01 milligrams per litre, while 223 districts in 23 states have fluoride levels above 1.5 milligrams per litre.
• This is beyond the acceptable limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• These contaminants can significantly affect human and animal health, so their efficient removal and safe disposal is essential.
• With two NGOs, INREM Foundation and Earthwatch, the researchers are working to deploy and test these systems in rural areas such as Bhagalpur in Bihar and Chikballapur in Karnataka.

Topic: International News

6. United Nations said that 2025 will be designated the “International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.”

• The initiative will be “year-long” and “worldwide,” and will be celebrated “through activities at all levels aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of quantum science and applications.”
• The announcement is the result of a proposal presented by Mexico in May 2023, which was soon joined by other countries.
• In May 2024, Ghana, with the support of more than 70 countries, presented a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, calling for an official declaration. The General Assembly accepted it on 7 June.  
• Next year will mark a century since German physicist Werner Heisenberg published a famous paper that reinterpreted classical mechanics to address emerging quantum phenomena.
• This work laid the foundation for quantum mechanics.
• In April 2023, the Government of India announced the 'National Quantum Mission' at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, to be implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) from 2023 to 2031.
• The inaugural ceremony of "International Year of Quantum Science and Technology" is expected to be held on 14 January 2025 in Berlin.

Topic: Indian Economy

7. IBBI has proposed simplifying the forms that resolution professionals (RPs) submit for the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP).

• Earlier this week, a discussion paper with the proposed changes was released.
• The changes will ease the burden of compliance, as recommended by the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has proposed switching to a monthly compliance reporting framework.
• In this framework, on the last day of every month, insolvency professionals would report the status and progress of the CIRP.
• Insolvency professionals would do so by filing the applicable forms by 10th day of the following month.
• As of now, the timelines for filing CIRP forms are connected to several events.
• These events include appointment of RPs, the insolvency commencement date, public announcement, and issue of information memorandum.
• IBBI has proposed to eliminate certain forms, such as the pre assignment form and CIRP Form-6.
• CIRP Form-6 details interim finance, commencement of insolvency resolution process of guarantors of the company.

Topic: National News

8. Indian universities have been allowed to offer admissions twice a year by University Grants Commission (UGC).

• For the upcoming academic year, the UGC has permitted biannual admissions for Indian universities.
• Biannual admissions aim to increase student enrollment while reducing wait time for enrollment.
• Now, admissions will be open in July/August and January/February.
• Students who skip the first cycle because of personal reasons, health problems, or delays in board results will have more opportunities as a result.
• In the past, the UGC allowed biannual admissions for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online modes.
• The policy has now been expanded to include regular mode programmes by the UGC.
• Biannual admissions will increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio.
• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions India as a "Global Study Destination," and biannual admissions will help achieve this goal.

Topic: Defence

9. Japan India Maritime Exercise 2024 (JIMEX-24) started at Yokosuka, Japan.

• Indian Navy's indigenous Stealth Frigate INS Shivalik reached Yokosuka, Japan participated in the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2024 (JIMEX 24).
• It is the eighth edition of JIMEX-24, which started in 2012.
• Japan is being represented by the Guided Missile Destroyer, JS Yugiri.
• The exercise includes both harbour and sea phases. In the harbour phase, professional, sports and social interactions will be conducted.
• Navies of both countries will show their warfighting skills at sea and will improve their interoperability through complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface, and air domains.
• It will help in learning from each other's best practices and facilitates operational interactions between IN and JMSDF.
• It will also help in enhancing cooperation for maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

10. Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary to be the fifth tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh.

• After the evidence of the tiger population, Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary will be established as the fifth tiger reserve of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is spread over the districts of Balrampur, Shravasti, and Gonda.
• This announcement was made during the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
• Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government approved the 4th Tiger Reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Amangarh Tiger Reserve, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, and Pilibhit Tiger Reserve are the other tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh.
• As of March 2024, 55 protected areas have been designated as tiger reserves.
• Suhelva Sanctuary is spread over an area of 452 square kilometres. It received the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1998.

Topic: Sports

11. Max Verstappen won the third consecutive Canadian Grand Prix.

• For the third year in a row, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen emerged victorious at the Canadian Grand Prix, marking his 60th Formula 1 triumph, and sixth in nine races this year.
• Max Verstappen has 50 wins in the last 75 F1 races.
• Verstappen finished 3.879 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in the 70-lap race on the 2.71-mile (4.36-kilometer) road course.
• With Russell and seven-time Montreal winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes took the third and fourth positions, respectively.

Topic: Defence

12. "Vidyut Rakshak" unveiled by the Indian Army for better monitoring and control of generators.

• “Vidyut Rakshak” has been developed by the Army Design Bureau (ADB).
• On June 10, it was launched by Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS).
• 'Vidyut Rakshak' is an Internet of Things-enabled system designed to monitor, protect and control generators.
• This innovation reflects the Indian Army's dedication towards adopting advanced technologies for operational efficiency.
• This system will apply to all generators existing in the Indian Army, irrespective of their type, make, rating or age.
• Moreover, it will also predict and prevent errors, and automate manual operations with a user-friendly interface, thereby saving manpower.
• An MoU for innovation production was signed during Aero India 2023 by the Indian Army and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi.
• Vidyut Rakshak is the first innovation launched under this MoU.

Topic: Space and IT

13. ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft captured solar fury.

• Solar fury has been captured by ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft’s two onboard remote sensing instruments.
• The Solar Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) and the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) have captured the dynamic activities of the Sun in May.
• These instruments recorded X-class and M-class flares associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
• These flares produced a major geomagnetic storm on May 11.
• ISRO released the Sun images acquired by the SUIT payload on May 17.
• Large solar flares may originate in these active regions due to changes in magnetic field.
• India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, reached the Lagrangian point (L1) on January 6, 2024. This mission was launched in September 2023.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Inder Pal Singh Bindra has been appointed as CCI Secretary.

• Inder Pal Singh Bindra has been appointed Competition Commission of India (CCI) secretary for a term of three years.
• He will replace Anupama Anand, who has resigned after being appointed in September 2023.
• Before the appointment, Bindra was posted as an officer in the income tax department.
• The Secretary is the nodal officer on behalf of the commission for making or receiving all statutory communications.
• Competition Commission of India (CCI):
  • It was formed on 14 October 2003, under the Competition Commission Act, 2002.
  • It has a chairperson and six members. It is a quasi-judicial body.
  • The chairperson and members are appointed by the Central government
  • It aims to eliminate practices that affect competition in the Indian market and protect the interests of consumers.