Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 August 2024

Topic: Personality in News

1. RN Agarwal, 'Father of Agni missile', passed away at 84.

• The father of Agni missiles, RN Agarwal, died at the age of 84. He died due to old-age-related ailments.
• RN Agarwal was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan.
• He had served as the Agni program director and also as the director of ASL (Advanced Systems Laboratory) in Hyderabad.
• The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMP) was launched by Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and Agni was a key program in it.
• Agni missile is a family of medium- to intercontinental-range ballistic missiles.
• Agni-I was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (lGMDP) and tested in 1989.
• Agni-5 can carry nuclear warheads and hit targets more than 5,000 km away. It uses a three-stage solid-fuel engine.

Topic: State News/Odisha

2. Odisha became the third state to announce menstrual leave for working women.

• Odisha has become the third state to announce menstrual leave for working women in both public and private sectors.
• The Odisha government announced that a one-day menstrual leave will be granted to female employees. It can be taken either on the first or second day of the menstrual cycle.
• The BJP government had promised to initiate a ‘Menstrual Health Policy’ in all government offices.
• Bihar and Kerala are the only other two states that provide menstrual leave to women.
• Bihar has a two-day leave policy for women employees, and the Kerala government also provides a three-day period of leave for women students.
• The Kerala government has fixed the attendance limit for female students at 73 percent.

Topic: Reports/Indices/Rankings

3. "Aattam" is named Best Film, while Rishab Shetty gets Best Actor for "Kantara" at the 70th National Film Awards.

• The 70th National Film Award ceremony was held in New Delhi on August 16.
• Rishab Shetty got the Best Actor prize for his role in the popular movie "Kantara."
• The film also won the award for 'Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment'.
• In the Best Actress category, this honour was jointly given to Nithya Menen and Manasi Parekh.
• Nithya was recognised for her powerful performance in the Tamil film 'Thiruchitrambalam', while Manasi impressed the audience with her role in the Gujarati film 'Kutch Express'.  

Other important Awards:

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. An MoU signed by public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Sansad Television in Parliament on August 16.

• The MoU was signed in the presence of Sansad TV CEO Rajit Punhani, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, and senior officials of both organizations.
• The MoU will facilitate sharing of resources, training of personnel and cross-channel promotion of each other's programmes.
• The MoU aims to share content and programs, broadcast Sansad TV on Prasar Bharati's OTT platforms, and use training facilities.
• Under this MoU, Prasar Bharati and Sansad Television will share and broadcast special coverage, exclusive content, interviews, documentaries, audio-visual content, live feeds, archives and other content produced by both the networks.
• They will also share human resources, technology and equipment.
• Prasar Bharati will provide PB-SHABD facilities to Sansad TV.
• The two networks agreed to promote each other's programmes and give advertisements.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. On 17 August, India hosted 3rd Voices of Global South Summit in virtual format.

• "An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future" was the theme of this summit.
• The Global South Summit has served as a platform to expand discussions held at previous summits on a variety of complex challenges affecting the world, such as conflict, food and energy security crises, and climate change.
• The summit discussed challenges, priorities and solutions for the countries of the global south, especially in the development sector.
• The inaugural session was at the Head of State and Head of Government level and was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Apart from this, the third round of India-Japan 2+2 Foreign-Defense Ministers' meeting is also scheduled to be held in Delhi on August 20.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Geospatial Decision Support System for Agriculture launched by the Government.

• On August 17, the Centre unveiled the Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS) portal, a satellite-based geospatial platform.
• This platform will provide farmers information about weather, groundwater level, soil health, reservoir storage levels etc. and will also include data like satellite images.
• Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary launched the portal developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Krishi-DSS was launched during the National Conference on Space Driven Solutions for Agricultural Transformation in India organised by the Ministry of Agriculture.
• The one-day conference is part of the events organised by the government to mark the first National Space Day 2024, which will be celebrated on August 23 to mark the first anniversary of India's moon landing.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

7. Five major infrastructure projects have been approved by Union Cabinet.

• These projects include three major metro rail projects along with two new airport facilities across India.
• Phase-3 of the Bangalore Metro Rail Project has been approved the Cabinet.
• The length of Bengaluru's metro network will be 220.20 kilometres when it is finished in 2029.
• Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project has also been approved.
• With an estimated cost of Rs. 12,200 crore, this 29-km ring corridor will have 22 stations.
• Phase 1 of the Swargate to Katraj underground extension will strategically expand Pune's metro system.
• This extension is expected to be finished by 2029 and integrate with the Swargate Multimodal Hub.
• The construction of a new civic enclave at Bihta, Bihar, is expected to relieve pressure on Patna Airport.
• The project involves constructing a modern Integrated Terminal Building at a cost of Rs. 1,413 crore.
• The construction of a new civil enclave at West Bengal's Bagdogra Airport, at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,549 crore, has been approved by the Cabinet.

Topic: International News

8. Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been elected by Thailand’s Parliament as country’s new Prime Minister.

• Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the youngest daughter of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
• Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party.
• Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the youngest prime minister of Thailand.
• The nomination of Paetongtarn came about as a result of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's dismissal on August 14, 2024, having served for less than a year.
• He was found guilty by the Constitutional Court of a serious ethical breach related to an alleged attempt at bribery.
• The progressive Move Forward party, which won the general election of the previous year, was dissolved by the same court last week.
• Paetongtarn is third leader from the Shinawatra family.
• Thailand is a Southeast Asian country. Its capital is Bangkok. Thai Baht is its currency.
• Type of government is unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

Topic: International News

9 BRICS partners launched a Centre for Industrial Competences.

• BRICS countries launched a Centre for Industrial Competences in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
• It will support the development of Industrial skills and capabilities.
• This centre will promote partnerships within the framework of the New Industrial Revolution (NIR).
• It will identify interests, challenges, and opportunities in the rapidly evolving industrial landscape.
• This centre will help in developing the industrial skills of its members.
• The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology joined its BRICS counterparts in the launch of this centre.
• Under the declaration, the members emphasized their commitment to cooperate on industrial policy in support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Topic: National News

10. Centre released rules to boost offshore mineral exploration & production.

• The central government introduced the Offshore Areas Mineral Trust Rules, 2024, to oversee mineral exploration and production in India's offshore areas.
• As per the new rules, offshore mine holders have to contribute to the Trust by paying 10 per cent of their royalty payments to the government. This amount will be deposited into India's public account.
• The regulations also set specific exploration norms for different deposits and minerals, including construction-grade silica sand, non-construction-grade calcareous sand, calcareous mud, phosphatic sediments, etc.
• The Ministry of Mines has identified 10 offshore mineral blocks for potential auction.
• As per the rules, the main objective of the trust is to promote sustainable exploration.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. An MoU signed to study augmenting water supply in Faridabad through sustainable groundwater development in Yamuna floodplains.

• An MoU was signed between Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) to address the projected water supply gap for Faridabad Smart City by 2031.
• This is an important step towards augmenting the city's water supply through sustainable development of groundwater resources in the Yamuna floodplains.
• The scope of this MoU includes a comprehensive study to assess the groundwater potential and quality in the Yamuna floodplains.
• This study will result in preparation of a comprehensive groundwater management plan.
• This will include strategies for artificial recharge and further development of groundwater resources within the specified study area in Faridabad district.
• The MoU is valid till March 31, 2025, and the study is expected to be completed by this period.

Topic: Indian Economy

12. In July, India's merchandise imports rose to $57.48 billion.

• In July this year, India's merchandise imports rose 7.4% to $57.48 billion compared to $53.49 billion in July last year.
• According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on August 14, imports of merchandise goods have increased due to surge in imports of crude oil, silver and electronic goods.
• India's merchandise export growth fell to an eight-month low in July, with exports declining 1.47% to $33.98 billion due to sluggish global demand, geopolitical challenges and falling crude oil, commodities and metal prices.
• On the services front, services exports are estimated at $28.4 billion in July this year, up 8% from $26.2 billion in the same month last year.
• Petroleum products, which account for over 15% of India's exports, fell 22% to $5.23 billion in July.
• Imports of petroleum and crude products rose 17.4% to $13.87 billion.
• In addition, Gold imports declined 10.65% to $3.13 billion in July.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

13. Government to include AYUSH in the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

• The Union Government has decided to include the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) package under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
• The package design, hospital onboarding, treatment guidelines, outcomes and financial implications are under discussion.
• AB PM-JAY provide health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• It will benefit 55 crore beneficiaries, corresponding to 12.34 crore families.
• Ministry of Ayush launched the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) in 2014.
• At present, the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) runs 110 Ayush Wellness Centers along with one Ayurvedic Hospital in India.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Govind Mohan has been appointed as the new Union Home Secretary.

• Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan was appointed as the new Union Home Secretary.
• He will succeed Ajay Kumar Bhalla, whose tenure will end on August 22.
• His appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Sandeep Poundrik assumes charge as Secretary, Ministry of Steel.
• He had previously served as an advisor to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).