Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 December 2024

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. Ayodhya’s Ram Temple won the ‘Sword of Honour’ award for safety excellence.

• The Ram temple project in Ayodhya received the prestigious ‘Sword of Honour’ award from the British Safety Council.
• The award recognises the Ram temple project’s commitment to maintaining stringent safety protocols during its construction.
• The construction of the first and second floors, including the temple's “Shikhar”.
• The Ram temple has been constructed by using about 15 lakh cubic feet of Bansi Paharpur stone sourced from Rajasthan.
• The British Safety Council conducts a comprehensive audit of processes and practices.
• The Sword of Honour award is one of the highest accolades in safety management.
• This firm had earlier received the ‘Golden Trophy’ from the National Safety Council for its exemplary safety measures at the temple site.

Topic: International News

2. In recognition of his Italian ancestry, the Italian government awarded citizenship to Argentine President Javier Milei.

• Because of his ancestry, Javier Milei, whose grandparents immigrated to Argentina from Italy, was awarded Italian citizenship.
• The ruling has drawn criticism, especially from those who oppose Italy's citizenship policy.
• The contradiction of awarding citizenship to people with distant Italian heritage but refusing it to children of immigrants born in Italy is cited by critics.
• In contrast to the US, Italy does not immediately award citizenship to children born within its boundaries, regardless of whether the parents are lawfully present.

Topic: National Appointments

3. Preeti Lobana was named Google's new vice president and country manager for India.

• She takes over from Sanjay Gupta, who recently moved up to a more senior position at Google as President of the Asia Pacific division.
• Lobana will be crucial in determining Google's approach to enabling all users to benefit from artificial intelligence's (AI) revolutionary potential.
• Roma Datta Chobey, who served as the interim country manager, will be Lobana's close collaborator in her new position.
• Roma Datta Chobey will remain in her position as Managing Director of Digital Native Industries at Google India.
• Lobana, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, has demonstrated success in implementing change in large organisations.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

4. Giving alms to beggars will be a crime in Indore from January 1.

• Indore District Administration has announced that from January 1, 2025, FIR will be registered if anyone is caught giving alms to beggars.
• This rule was initially implemented only for child beggars. This approach has now been extended to include the elderly as well.
• This initiative is part of the administration's broader goal of making Indore a beggar-free city.
• The administration will launch a public awareness campaign this month about the disadvantages of donating to beggars.
• From January 1, the government will take strict action against those who continue to give alms.
• Officials believe that discouraging the giving of money will help break the cycle of begging.
• The city is working to identify beggars and help them find other ways to support themselves.
• Ongoing efforts include rescuing child beggars and placing them in government shelters, with over 35 children rescued since July.

Topic: National News

5. India has become the third-largest smartphone exporter in the world.

• India, which was ranked 23rd in 2019, has now become the 3rd largest exporter of smartphones in the world.
• According to data submitted by companies and data compiled from industry associations, the country's smartphone exports have also crossed the Rs 20 thousand crore mark in a single month in November 2024.
• The country's smartphone exports reached 20,395 crore rupees last month, marking an impressive 92% increase compared to the same month last year, when the exports were 10,634 crore rupees.
• This achievement is much more than the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme’s commitment to export 70-75% of the production value in FY 2024-25.
• In November, Apple emerged as the leader with exports worth Rs 14,000 crore, the highest ever for the company in India.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

6. Eco-Creativity and Innovation Hackathon was organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in New Delhi.

• The hackathon aims to encourage young people to use creativity and technology to address regional environmental challenges.
• 35 creative projects from 14 different states participated in the hackathon.
• Leena Nandan, the secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, presented prizes to students in recognition of their creative solutions and innovative initiatives.
• On June 5, 2024, the Pi Jam Foundation, in collaboration with Amazon Future Engineer, and with funding from MoEFCC through Environment Education Program (EEP), conducted a hackathon on the Code Mitra platform.

Topic: Science and Technology

7. India’s first of its kind anti-pesticide bodysuit, Kisan Kavach, launched by Science and Technology Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh.

• Kisan Kavach is designed to protect farmers from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure.
• Kisan Kavach is washable and offers protection against pesticide-induced toxicity.
• Pesticide-induced toxicity often leads to health complications like breathing disorders, and vision loss.
• Dr Singh said that the Kisan Kavach is a groundbreaking solution towards farmers’ safety.
• During the event, the first batch of Kisan Kavach suits was also distributed to farmers.

Topic: National News

8. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated India’s first Geo Science Museum in Gwalior.

• Vice President Dhankhar inaugurated the first ultramodern Geo Science Museum by unveiling the plaque and cutting the ribbon at the museum’s entrance.
• The National Science Museum Council has prepared India’s first ultramodern and amazing Geo Science museum in collaboration with the Gwalior Municipal Corporation.
• The museum provides solutions of geology-related queries.
• The GeoScience Museum has attractively presented information about geology through two galleries with light effects.
• The development of mankind and human civilization has been displayed in the second gallery of the GeoScience Museum. It also shows the origin and extinction of dinosaurs on Earth.
• The pictures, artefacts, and information related to geology have been displayed in various galleries of the museum.

Topic: Geography

9. Cyclone Chido landed in Mozambique after leaving a trail of destruction in France.

• Cyclone Chido, a Category 4-Storm, made landfall in Pemba in northern Mozambique.
• Chido formed from a tropical disturbance southeast of Diego Garcia that was first noted on 5 December 2024.
• Chido made landfall at Agaléga in Mauritius on 11 December.
• After passing through northern Madagascar, Chido briefly weakened.
• Chido killed 34 in Mozambique, 22 in Mayotte and seven in Malawi.
• Chido intensified with winds exceeding 155 mph (249 km/h).

Topic: Defence

10. Joint naval exercise SLINEX 2024 between India and Sri Lanka started from December 17.

• The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will conduct SLINEX 2024, the bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka, off the Visakhapatnam coast from December 17 to 20.
• The exercise will take place in two phases: the Harbour Phase, from December 17 to 18, and the Sea Phase, from December 19 to 20.
• The SLINEX, initiated in 2005, is a significant series of bilateral naval exercises that have enhanced maritime cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.
• Indian Naval Ship INS Sumitra, a naval offshore patrol vessel of the Eastern Fleet, along with a Special Forces team, will participate on behalf of India.
• SLNS Sayura, an offshore patrol vessel with an embarked Special Forces team, will join on behalf of Sri Lanka.
• The aim of the 2024 edition of SLINEX is to further strengthen the strong maritime ties between India and Sri Lanka, as well as promote a safe, secure, and rules-based maritime environment.

Topic: Important Days

11. International Migrants Day 2024: 18 December

• Every year on 18 December, International Migrants Day is celebrated to create awareness regarding the plight of migrants across the world.
• The theme of International Migrants Day 2024 is ‘Honouring the Contributions of Migrants and Respecting Their Rights.’
• It is observed to mark the anniversary of adopting the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990.
• UNGA had proclaimed 18 December as International Migration Day on 4 December 2000.
• International Migrants Day was created to commemorate the importance of strengthening international cooperation and migration bilaterally, regionally, and globally.
• Established in 1951, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is the lead United Nations agency working in the field of migration and assists millions of migrants every year.
• More than 281 million people were international migrants in 2020, while more than 59 million were internally displaced by the end of 2021.
• The world's largest immigrant population lives in the United States.
• According to the UN World Migration Report 2024, India tops the list with the largest number of indigenous people living abroad, which is around 18 million.

Topic: Science and Technology

12. ISRO successfully conducted a sea level hot test of the CE20 cryogenic engine.

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the sea level hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine.
• The test was carried out at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri Tamil Nadu.
• Both the engine and facility performance were normal during the test.
• The required engine performance parameters were achieved as expected.
• The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of ISRO has developed the indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine.
• It power the upper stage of the Launch Vehicle Mark -3 (LVM3) and has been qualified to operate at a thrust level of 19 tonnes.
• This engine has successfully powered the upper stage of six LVM3 missions.

Topic: Indian Polity

13. 'One Nation, One Election' Bill has been sent to JPC.

• The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 have been tabled in the Lok Sabha.
• The bills propose implementing 'One Nation, One Election,' or simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
• These bills have been sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
• 269 members of Lok Sabha voted in favour while 196 members voted against the bill.
• Union law Minister Meghwal also introduced a separate bill to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
• These bills aim to align assembly elections in Delhi, Jammu Kashmir, and Puducherry with the proposed simultaneous elections.