Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 June 2024

Topic: State News/ Assam

1. ‘Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina’ Scheme has been launched by the Assam government.

• To combat child marriage and empower girl children, the ‘Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina’ (MMNM) Scheme has been launched by the Assam government.
• This scheme will benefit around 10 lakh girl students. The main objective of the scheme is to prevent child marriage.
• Under the MMNM scheme, girls in the higher secondary first year will receive Rs. 1,000 on the 11th day of each month.
• Rs 1200 per month will be given to girls enrolled in three-year or four-year degree courses.
• Post-degree and B.Ed. girl students will be granted Rs. 2500 per month.
• Financial assistance will not be given to students from private colleges and universities. The scheme is not available to married girls up to degree level.
• The Assam government has allocated Rs. 300 crore for the implementation of this scheme.

Topic: State News/Uttarakhand

2. Joshimath has been renamed as Jyotirmath and Kosiyakutoli as Kainchi Dham.

• Uttarakhand government’s proposal to rename Joshimath tehsil in Chamoli district as Jyotirmath, and Kosiyakutoli tehsil in Nainital district as Pargana Shri Kainchi Dham has been approved by the Central government.
• After Adi Guru Shankaracharya visited it in the 8th century, the Joshimath region was originally called Jyotirmath.
• Joshimath is considered the gateway to Badrinath Dham.
• Kosiyakutoli in Nainital will now be known as Pargana Shri Kainchi Dham tehsil, after Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj’s ashram.
• Kainchi Dham has also been included in the Manaskhand Mandirmala Mission.

Topic: Banking System

3. Aurionpro Payments' plea to become an online payments aggregator has been approved by the RBI.

• On June 13, Aurionpro Payment Solutions said its payment gateway brand, AuroPay, has received RBI approval under the Payments Settlements Act, 2007 to operate as an online payments aggregator.
• The approval from RBI enables the company to act as an online payment aggregator to provide digital payment services to merchants across the country.
• The Navi Mumbai-based technology solutions company caters to the needs of banking, mobility, payments, and government sectors.
• Shares of Aurionpro Solutions closed on June 13 at Rs 2,669.40 apiece on the BSE, up 4.94% from their previous close.
• Aurionpro was founded on October 31, 1997.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. A mobile App ‘NCRB Sankalan of Criminal Laws’ launched by NCRB.

• This mobile app will serve as a comprehensive guide, providing complete information about the new criminal laws at one place.
• The New criminal laws will come into force from the 1st of July.
• This app is a compilation of new criminal laws namely Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.
• Apart from this, there has also been a corresponding chart for section-wise comparison between old and new laws, with a search and linking facility for quick information retrieval.
• This app is useful for general public, Court officials, Advocates, law students as well as Police officers to increase the knowledge about new criminal laws.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Books and Authors

5. Cricketer R Ashwin's autobiography released on June 10.

• India's off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has collaborated with author Siddharth Monga to write his autobiography "I Have the Streets: A Kutty Cricket Story".
• The book is published by Penguin Random House India.
• In this book, Ashwin's life before becoming a cricket star has been depicted in a subtle and clear manner.
• The book is based on his struggle with health issues in his childhood, the constant support he received from his middle-class family and the joy of growing up in a cricket-loving area of ​​Chennai.
• The 37-year-old cricketer, who was part of the 2011 World Cup winning team, is also the winner of two Indian Premier League titles and a Champions League T20 trophy.
• Ashwin has achieved several notable feats, including becoming the fastest bowler to reach 300 Test wickets.

Topic: Important Days

6. World Blood Donor Day 2024: 14 June

• Every year on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of blood and blood products, the need for blood donation and the safety of blood transfusion.
• The theme of World Blood Donor Day 2024 is “20 years of celebrating giving: thank you blood donors!.”
• This year, the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day is being celebrated to thank blood donors around the world for their life-saving donations over the years.
• The day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, who discovered and classified the ABO blood groups.
• In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) established World Blood Donor Day.
• It was officially designated as an annual event by the World Health Assembly in 2005.
• In 1919, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was established.
• Its goal was to increase global awareness of the need for healthy people to donate blood safely.
• Blood is a connective tissue that delivers essential substances like oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells. An average person has about 5 litres of blood.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

7. National Security Adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval, has been reappointed by the Centre.

• His reappointment is co-terminus with PM Modi’s term or until further orders.
• P.K. Mishra has also been reappointed by the Centre as the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary. He has been reappointed with effect from 10 June 2024.
• His appointment too is co-terminus with PM Modi’s term or until further orders.
• The appointment of Ajit Doval as National Security Adviser has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) with effect from 10 June 2024.
• In the Table of Precedence, Mr. Doval will be assigned the rank of the Cabinet Minister for the duration of his tenure in office.
• Mr Mishra will also be assigned the rank of a cabinet minister in the table of precedence during his term in office.
• The appointment of Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor as advisers to the PM has also been approved by ACC.
• The appointments of both officers will be for two years with effect from 10th July or until further orders, whichever is earlier. 
• Ajit Doval is a former IPS officer from Kerala cadre. He is 5th National Security Advisor of India. He assumed office on 30 May 2014.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. Adani Defence and EDGE Group have signed a cooperation agreement.

• The agreement is to establish a global platform leveraging the defence and aerospace capabilities.
• Under the partnership, collaboration will be explored in key product areas.
• These areas include missiles, weapons, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and cyber technologies.
• Under the agreement, establishment of R&D facilities in India and the UAE will also be explored.
• Setting up of development, production, and maintenance facilities of defence and aerospace solutions will also be explored.
• Adani Defence & Aerospace is an arm of Adani Enterprises.
• EDGE Group is one of the leading advanced technology and defence groups in the UAE.

Topic: Defence

9. Indian Army received an indigenous Man-Portable Counter Drone System.

• AXISCADES Technologies Ltd. has developed the first-of-its-kind Man Portable Counter Drone System (MPCDS).
• AXISCADES Technologies Ltd. had received an order for MPCDS worth Rs 100 crore from the Indian Army.
• The Man Portable Counter Drone System (MPCDS) will help to strengthen India’s defence capabilities.
• The MPCDS is compact and portable and operates on battery and main power.
• It can detect and jam different varieties of drones within a range of up to 5 kilometres.
• In the man-portable category, this is the first counter-drone system being inducted into the Indian Army.
• This system is being deployed at different locations across various commands in the Indian Army.

Topic: Defence

10. Indian Navy commissioned the ‘Missile Cum Ammunition Barge’, LSAM 13 (Yard 81)’.

• The fifth ship of the 08 x 'Missile Cum Ammunition’ Barge has been built by the MSME Shipyard, SECON Engineering Projects Pvt. Ltd. (SEPPL), Visakhapatnam.
• This missile cum ammunition ship 'LSAM 13 (Yard 81)' was undertaken into waters on June 10, 2024.
• The launching ceremony was headed by Cmde Manish Vig, General Manager (QA).
• The induction of these barrages into the Navy will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Navy by facilitating the transportation of goods/ammunition, the loading of logistics, and the embarkation and disembarkment of other ships at smaller dams and ports.
• These barges have been indigenously designed and built under relevant Naval Rules and Regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
• Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, has conducted model testing of the barge during the design stage.
• On February 19, the contract for constructing the 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barge was signed between MoD and M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd, Visakhapatnam.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

11. On June 13, PM Modi departed for his first overseas tour of the third term to participate in the G7 conference in Italy.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 50th G7 Leaders' Summit.
• This is his first international visit after assuming office for the third term.
• Italy invited India to participate in the G-7 Summit on June 14 as an outreach country.
• Prime Minister Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni will have a bilateral meeting during the summit.
• As the current chair of the G-7, Italy is hosting the meeting of the group of seven major advanced economies, including the European Union as well as Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• The summit, to be held from June 13 to 15 at the posh Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy's Apulia region,
• It is expected to focus on global challenges including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• India has participated in ten G7 summits prior, with PM Modi making his fifth consecutive appearance.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

12. India is the second largest emitter of nitrous oxide in the world.

• Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere more than carbon dioxide, and India is the second-largest source of this gas in the world.
• India accounted for about 11% of such global man-made emissions in 2020, topped only by China at 16%.
• According to a global assessment of N2O emissions published in the journal Earth System Science Data on June 12, the major source of these emissions is fertilizer use.
• The study says the concentration of atmospheric N2O reached 336 parts per billion in 2022, which is about 25% above the levels seen before the industrial age.
• In comparison, the concentration of carbon dioxide was 417 parts per million in 2022.
• This means that current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a thousand times greater than nitrous oxide, making carbon dioxide reduction a major priority among countries trying to stop climate change.
• In the last four decades, N2O emissions from human activity have increased by 40% (or three million metric tonnes of N2O per year).
• Growth rates between 2020 and 2022 is higher than they have ever been since reliable measurements started in 1980.
• The top five emitting countries by volume of anthropogenic N2O emissions in 2020 were China (16.7%), India (10.9%), the United States (5.7%), Brazil (5.3%), and Russia (4.6%).

Topic: State News/Tamil Nadu

13. Tamil Nadu government launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom’ scheme.

• The ‘Chief Minister’s Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom’ scheme was launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to improve soil health.
• Under this scheme, ₹20 crore would be spent for the preservation of soil fertility through the use of green manure. A total ₹206 crore will be spent on the scheme.
• Green manure seeds will be distributed in the first phase of the scheme in 2024–25.
• Nutrients in the soil will increase by preserving the soil and protecting the microorganisms.
• M.K. Stalin also inaugurated a scheme to rent out tractors and agricultural equipment to farmers at nominal fees. This scheme was announced by the state government in the 2023–24 budget.
• For this scheme, the agricultural engineering department has procured machinery, including 90 tractors, 90 rotavators, harvesters etc. at a cost of ₹10.25 crore.
• Skill development training workshops to operate tractors and harvesters will be established at Vellore, Coimbatore, Trichy, Tiruvarur, Madurai and Thirunelveli.

Topic: International Appointments

14. Lt Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman has been appointed as the new Army chief of Bangladesh.

• Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman will be the new Army chief of Bangladesh.
• He will assume the charge on June 23 for three years.
• Zaman is currently serving as Chief of General Staff of the Bangladesh Army. He would succeed General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed.
•  Waker-Uz-Zaman was commissioned as an Infantry Corps officer in 1985.
• Zaman will oversee military operations, military intelligence, United Nations peacekeeping affairs, and budget, alongside other military-related issues.
• He also headed the Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention as chairman.
• He is an alumnus of the Bangladesh Defence Services Command.