Daily Current Affairs and GK | 16 October 2024

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. Rajkumar Hirani received the National Kishore Kumar Award.

• Popular film Producer and director Rajkumar Hirani has been conferred the National Kishore Kumar Award in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
• On the occasion of the 37th death anniversary of Kishore Kumar, the award is given to Rajkumar Hirani.
• Rajkumar Hirani reached the Samadhi of Kishore Kumar and paid tribute to him before receiving the award.
• Many famous Bollywood actors, writers, and producer-directors have received this award to date.
• Khandwa is the birthplace of Kishore Kumar.
• The award has been given every year to an eminent artist by the Directorate of Culture, Madhya Pradesh Government since 1997.

Topic: International News

2. World Health Organization (WHO) has got $1 billion in pledges for next budget, covering the period 2025-28.

• Of this, fresh financing commitments from European nations, foundations, and organisations totalled close to $700 million.
• Concurrently, $300 million came from renewed financial pledges.
• The funding was announced during the WHO Investment Round Signature Event.
• This event was held at the World Health Summit in Berlin.
• With an additional $260 million in voluntary assistance, Germany committed to around $400 million over a four-year period.
• A US$50 million donation was made by the UK-based philanthropic organisation Wellcome.
• The World Diabetes Foundation, Resolve to Save Lives, and the Institute for Philanthropy each contributed $10 million.
• A noteworthy commitment of US$ 50 million was also made by the WHO Foundation, with assistance from the business community.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

3. Islamabad will host 23^rd SCO Meeting on 16 October.

• Islamabad will host 23rd Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) on October 16.
• The meeting will mainly focus on strengthening trade and economic cooperation among member states.
• The SCO CHG meeting is held annually. It focusses on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation.
• At the 23rd Meeting of the SCO, Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the CHG meeting.
• Other attendees will be Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, and the heads of government from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will represent Iran.
• Mongolia’s Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai will attend as an observer.

Topic: State News/Kerala

4. A resolution urging the central government to withdraw the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is passed by the Kerala Assembly.

• The central government has been unanimously recommended to withdraw the 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill by the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
• The government's resolution was presented by State Minister for Minority Welfare, Waqf, and Hajj Pilgrimage, V. Abdurahiman.
• He alleged that the union government's proposed amendments are a violation of federalist principles.
• He alleged they are against the rights and values guaranteed by the nation's Constitution.
• The resolution accused the proposed bill of violating democracy, federalism, secularism, right to belief, and fundamental rights.
• The Joint Parliamentary Committee is now considering the proposed law.
• The resolution stated that the proposed measure contradicts the federal principles of the Indian Constitution and also aims to take away the states' authority to pass laws pertaining to the Waqf.
• The resolution stated that the Waqf Act was put in place to guarantee adherents of the relevant faith that Waqf Endowments and institutions' properties would be protected in accordance with Article 26 of the Constitution's rights.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. IAF World Space Award presented to ISRO Chairman S. Somnath for the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3.

• On October 14, 2024, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath received the prestigious World Space Award of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) for the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3.
• He received the award during the opening ceremony of the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, Italy.
• On August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan-3's historic landing near the Moon's south pole marked India the first country to achieve this feat, joining an elite group of countries capable of lunar landing.
• In June 2024, The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) had announced the award for outstanding contributions to space science and space technology.
• In 2023, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) had presented this award to Elon Musk for his contribution in the field of space science as the head of SpaceX.

Topic: National News

6. Three AIs Centres announced to boost research, innovation and economy.

• On October 15, three Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (AI-CoE) focused on healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities were announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
• These centres will be established in AIIMS Delhi, IIT Ropar and IIT Kanpur.
• The centre at AIIMS Delhi will work in collaboration with IIT Delhi in the field of health, the centre at IIT Ropar will work in the field of agriculture and the centre at IIT Kanpur will work for sustainable cities.
• These centres will play a key role in promoting research, innovation and economy and ensuring public welfare.
• These three Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence will be led by top academic institutions in collaboration with industry partners and startups.
• They will conduct interdisciplinary research in these three areas, develop cutting-edge applications, and build scalable solutions.
• The setting up of these centres was announced in the Budget 2023-24 as part of the vision to build AI in India and make AI workable for India.

Topic: State News/ Jammu And Kashmir

7. Omar Abdullah took oath as Chief Minister of J&K.

• Omar Abdullah is a leader of National Conference. He took the oath as the Chief Minister of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 16 October 2024.
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath to him along with Council of Ministers at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
• Mr. Abdullah was invited to form the government after his party won in the recent Assembly Elections, which were held after the gap of 10 years.
• The J&K Legislative Assembly held its last Assembly Elections in 2014.
• His party secured 42 out of 90 Assembly seats in the recently held elections.
• NC’s pre-poll ally, Congress, won six seats. CPI (M), Aam Aadmi Party, and Independent Legislators, have confirmed support for the NC-Congress alliance government.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. PM Modi Inaugurated India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024.

• IMC 2024 is the eighth edition of India Mobile Congress. It is a four-day event.
• It started from 15 October and will conclude on 18 October. It is taking place at Pragati Maidan.
• At IMC 2024, popular Meta RayBan XR glasses will also be showcased. 
• PM Modi said India has democratised digital technology.
• PM Modi also inaugurated the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) 2024.
• WTSA is organised by the International Telecommunication Union, a specialised agency of the United Nations.
• "India has installed optical fibres spanning an eight-fold distance between Earth and the moon in the last ten years," stated Modi.
• "We introduced 5G at the India Mobile Congress two years ago, and now there is 5G coverage in every district in the nation," Modi stated. 
• In just 22 months, we have deployed 5G in all 36 states and union territories, covering 98 percent of our districts and 80 percent of our people, according to Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Topic: Space and IT

9. Nasa launched the Europa Clipper to search for life on Jupiter’s moon.

• Nasa launched the Europa Clipper to search for life on Jupiter and its moon, Europa.
• It was launched from a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
• Nasa's spacecraft has been designed to study Jupiter's Europa moon's icy surface and the subsurface ocean believed to exist beneath.
• Europa Clipper will not directly search for life, but it will examine whether Europa's environment could support it or not.
• Its findings may pave the way for future missions aimed at detecting life.
• Europa is one of Jupiter’s 95 known moons. It is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon.
• It is covered by an ice sheet estimated to be 10 to 15 miles (15 to 24 km) thick.
• Scientists believe that a vast ocean exists under this frozen surface. This ocean could be a rich environment for life due to the presence of water.
• The Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft Nasa has built for planetary exploration.

Topic: Defence

10. Navy’s 2nd VLF radar station foundation stone has been laid in Telangana.

• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for the Indian Navy’s second Very Low Frequency (VLF) Naval Station in Vikarabad district.
• This facility will be operational by 2027. It will enhance the Indian Navy’s communication with ships and submarines.
• After the VLF station becomes operational, it will significantly support the armed forces.
• A robust military communication system will be crucial for securing the transmission of command orders to the field.
• It is India’s second such station — the first, INS Kattabomman, has been operational in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, since 1990.
• A naval township with essential amenities such as schools, hospitals, banks and markets will also be developed.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. Odisha won Best State Award at 5^th National Water Awards 2023.

• On October 14, the 5th National Water Awards 2023 were announced in New Delhi.
• In the best state category, Odisha bagged the first prize, while Uttar Pradesh got the second position.
• Gujarat and Puducherry jointly secured the third position.
• On October 22, the 5th National Water Awards 2023 will be presented by President Draupadi Murmu in New Delhi.
• The awards will be presented to a total of 38 winners, including joint winners in nine categories.
• Each award winner will receive a citation and a trophy as well as a cash prize in some categories.
• To create awareness among people about the importance of water and to motivate people to adopt best water use practices, the 1st National Water Awards were instituted in 2018 by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• The National Water Awards (NWA) focus on the good work and efforts done by individuals and organizations across the country towards realizing the Government’s dream of a ‘Water Prosperous India’.
• These awards are meant to create awareness among people about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt best water use practices.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointment

12. Manoj Kumar Dubey assumed charge as CMD & CEO of IRFC.

• Manoj Kumar Dubey appointed as its Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the of the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC).
• Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) is a schedule a miniratna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways.
• Prior to this, Dubey was serving as Director (Finance) and Chief Financial Officer of Container Corporation of India (Concor).
• IRFC has total assets of Rs 50,755 crore and over 51 lakh shareholders - the highest for any company in India.
• With a market capitalisation of over Rs 2 lakh crore, IRFC ranks among the top public sector companies and undertakings in the country.
• Established in 1986, IRFC raises funds from both domestic and international markets to meet the extra budgetary resource (EBR) requirements of Indian Railways.

Topic: Science and Technology

13. Union Ministry of Earth Sciences installed X-band radar in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

• After devastating floods and landslides, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences installed X-band radar in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
• This device will also perform high temporal sampling, which will allow it to spot particle movements happening in shorter spans of time.
• In the early 1950s, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) started using radar for weather applications.
• This new radar at Wayanad will monitor the movements of particles, such as soil, to inform landslide warnings.
• Radar uses radio waves to determine the distance, velocity, and physical characteristics of objects around the device.
• Weather radar, also known as Doppler radar, is a common application of this device.
• In the X-band radar network, India has both wind-finding and storm-detecting radars.
• The initiative to install an X-band radar in Wayanad includes installing a C-band radar (4-8 GHz) with an observational range of 250 km in Mangaluru.
• NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are currently developing a satellite called NISAR.

Topic: Important Days

14. World Food Day: 16 October

• World Food Day is observed every year worldwide on October 16.
• World Food Day is observed to raise awareness about the importance of good food and nutrition.
• This day was established by FAO in 1979.
• It is observed to mark the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945.
• This year World Food Day has been observed under the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future”.
• According to the Global Hunger Index 2024, Somalia, Yemen, Chad, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the five countries which are mostly affected from hunger and malnutrition.
• More than 2.8 billion people in the world are unable to afford a healthy diet.