Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 July 2024

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

1. 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial conference on civil aviation will be hosted by India on September 11 and 12.

• The conference will be jointly organised by the Government of India and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Asia-Pacific.
• In February 2018, the first conference was organized in Beijing.
• In this conference, around 40 countries, including Australia, Singapore, France, the US, the UK, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pakistan and Japan, will participate.
• The Asia Pacific region is hosting the second ministerial conference to enhance regional collaboration and foster a culture of innovation and safety.
• The Asia Pacific region accounted for over 33% of total global flight departures in 2023.
• The Asia Pacific region is an example of this growth, where India is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets globally.
• India is currently the third largest market in the domestic sector.
• In the last decade, the number of aircraft in India has increased from 400 to more than 800 and the number of airports has also increased rapidly from 74 to 157.

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

2. 'Saushrutam 2024' successfully organised by All India Institute of Ayurveda with live surgical demonstrations.

• The 2nd National Seminar Saushrutam Shalya Sammelan successfully organized by the Department of Shalya Tantra at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi on the auspicious occasion of Sushruta Jayanti-2024.
• Every year on 15th July, Sushruta Jayanti is celebrated in honour of the great physician Sushruta, who is considered the father of surgery.
• The seminar began on 13 July and concluded on 15 July.
• Professor Sandeep Kumar, Founding Director, AIIMS Bhopal was the chief guest of the inaugural ceremony.
• In the first two days, 25 direct complex surgical procedures were successfully performed.
• This live demonstration gave the participants an opportunity to observe and learn various surgical techniques performed by renowned surgeons.
• During the live surgical workshops, operations were performed on patients suffering from Fistula-in-Ano, Piles, Pilonidal Sinus, Gallstones, Hernia etc. using modern techniques like VAAFT, Laparoscopy and Laser as well as conventional surgical methods.
• In the last one year, around 1500 patients have benefited through AIIA's surgical procedures.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. Philippines will host the board of the "Loss and Damage" fund.

• The Philippines has been selected to host the board of the "Loss and Damage" fund.
• It is an important step towards providing financial help for countries to recover and rebuild from the impact of global warming.
• U.N. "loss and damage" fund was established in COP27 in Egypt in 2022.
• This fund is dedicated to addressing irreparable climate-driven damage from drought, floods and rising sea levels.
• The Philippines also has a seat on the fund's board.
• World Bank will act as an interim host of the fund for four years.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. India’s wholesale inflation rate reached a 16-month high of 3.36 percent.

• India's wholesale inflation reached 3.36 per cent in June. 
• Inflation has surged due to an increase in the price of food articles, crude petroleum & natural gas, mineral oils, other manufacturing item, etc.
• In May 2024, wholesale inflation was at 2.61 per cent.
• The rate of inflation based on the WPI Food Index increased from 7.40 per cent in May 2024 to 8.68 per cent in June 2024.
• Inflation for food articles stood at 10.87 per cent in June compared to 9.82 percent in May.
• The inflation rate for the primary articles has increased from 7.20 per cent in May to 8.80 per cent in June.
• Fuel and power inflation was at 1.03 per cent in June as compared to 1.35 per cent in May.