Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 June 2024

Topic: National News

1. NCERT made changes in the textbook on the Ayodhya dispute.

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) removed the references to the Babri Masjid demolition from the 12th-class political science textbook.
• NCERT has added emphasis to the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple movement.
• In chapter 8 of the Class 12 political science textbook, “What is the legacy of the Ram Janambhoomi movement and the Ayodhya demolition for the nature of political mobilisation?” sentence has been revised as “What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement?”.
• The most notable change in the textbook is the removal of the term "Babri Masjid," which has now been referred to as a "three-domed structure" in the new edition.
• NCERT said the change has been made ‘to bring the initial questions in synchronisation with internal latest changes made in the chapter.’
• NCERT has also removed a two-page table detailing the achievements of Mughal emperors including Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
• As per the latest update to Class 12 political science textbooks, students will also have to study the abrogation of Article 370.

Topic: International News

2. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit to India strengthens the India-US bilateral relationship.

• The purpose of Jake Sullivan’s visit is to expand key areas of cooperation between India and US.
• Sullivan briefed PM Modi on the progress made in various areas of bilateral cooperation, especially under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
• Sullivan is in Delhi from June 17 and 18 for bilateral engagements.
• He and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval co-chaired US-India tech initiative iCET.
• This was the second meeting of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) since its inception in January 2023.
• The inaugural India-US-ROK Trilateral Technology Dialogue held in Seoul in March was a key highlight of the meeting.

Topic: National News

3. The newly constructed Prerna Sthal in the Parliament House complex has been inaugurated.

• Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, inaugurated Prerna Sthal.
• He said the Prerna Sthal will inspire and motivate people.
• In Prerna Sthal, 15 statues of freedom fighters and Indian history icons have been relocated to a single location.
• The statues were earlier established in different parts of the Parliament campus.
• The Prerna Sthal aims to enhance visitor experience by use of modern technology such as QR codes to narrate the life stories of inspiring figures of Indian history.
• Prerna Sthal includes statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal and others.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. The scheme for digitizing patients' health records and linking them with ABHA ID has been extended by the centre by one year.

• Under the scheme, every hospital receives ₹20 per patient for digitizing their health record and linking them with Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Account (ABHA).
• The union government has also asked states and union territories to submit details on the utilization of funds received through the scheme.
• The scheme is focused on boosting adoption of digital healthcare services.
• It is also focused on encouraging public adoption of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
• The scheme was to end on 30 June 2024. Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS) has been extended till 30th June 2025 or till funds for DHIS are available, unless discontinued earlier.
• National Health Authority (NHA) monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of the scheme.
• It also makes changes with regard to its continuation, modification, and budget.
• About 633 million ABHA IDs have been created across the country.
• The aim is to develop ABHA IDs (digital health IDs) for every individual. ABHA ID is voluntary in nature.

Topic: Reports and Indices/ Rankings

5. In the Environmental Performance Index 2024, India ranked 176th in the list of 180 countries.

• India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has been ranked among the lowest countries in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) in terms of air quality, projected emissions and biodiversity and habitat.
• In the composite index released on June 5 by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia Center for International Earth Science Information Network, India is ranked 176th among 180 countries, just above Pakistan, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
• Under the three main heads of ecosystem vitality, environmental health, and climate change, the 2024 EPI comprises 58 indicators, such as biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste management, emission growth rate, anticipated emissions, etc.
• In these three items, India is not among the last ten countries only in the matter of climate change.
• In 2024, EPI introduced a Biodiversity and Habitats category to measure how well countries are protecting their existing biodiversity and ecosystems, and found that many of the countries’ protected areas are being encroached upon by buildings or agricultural land.
• India lags behind in several indicators, primarily due to its heavy dependence on coal, which not only contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also to high levels of air pollution.
• India ranks 177th in terms of air quality, above only Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, and 172nd in terms of projected emissions by 2025.

Topic: Books and Authors

6. A children picture book launched by Alia Bhatt.

• As a storyteller, Alia Bhatt has started a new chapter in her life.
• The actress has launched her first picture book for children, and says she is working on a whole series of books for the future.
• On June 16, Alia launched “Ed Finds A Home,” the first in a series of children's picture books, under her kid's wear brand Ed-a-Mamma.
• Ed Finds a Home is part of a children's book series that "aims to inspire a love of nature in the next generation."
• This is Ed-a-Mamma's first foray into publishing, collaborating with Puffin of Penguin Random House India.

Topic: Banking System

7. The licence of Purvanchal Co-op Bank, Ghazipur, has been cancelled by RBI.

• RBI has cancelled the licence as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.
• An order to wind up the bank has also been requested from the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Uttar Pradesh.
• The Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Uttar Pradesh has also been asked to appoint a liquidator.
• Following liquidation, each depositor will be eligible to get from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) the value of their deposit insurance claim, up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh.
• Approximately 99.51 percent of depositors are eligible to get their whole deposit amount from DICGC.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. An MoU has been signed between Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and State Bank of India (SBI).

• The MoU is for digital payment aggregation services by integration of SBIePay with eMigrate portal.
• Under the MoU, additional digital payment services of the SBI through payment gateway called SBIePay will be provided to Indian migrant workers, Recruiting Agents (RAs) and other users of the eMigrate portal.
• The MoU will be operational soon after successful integration of SBIePay with eMigrate portal.
• This MoU will enable the payment of various emigration-related fees with no transaction fees when using UPI, credit/debit cards, or NEFT through all Indian banks' net banking.
• The execution of this MoU would expand and improve the scope of safe and authorised migration for Indian migrant labourers.
• The eMigrate project has been supporting Indian workers seeking jobs in Emigration Check Required (ECR) nations since its inception in 2014.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. As per the UN, the world is falling behind on environmental, health and hunger goals.

• The U.N.’s annual Sustainable Development Report gives rank to the performance of its 193 member states in implementing SDG goals.
• The Sustainable Development Report found that none of the 17 goals were on course to be met by 2030.
• Most targets have shown “limited or a reversal of progress.". Political goals like press freedom have also seen a “reversal of progress.”
• Finland, Sweden and Denmark are the top countries for implementing SDG goals. China has also made faster-than-average progress.
• It urged countries to resolve the chronic funding shortfalls and revamp the U.N. system.
• Developing countries needed more access to international finance.
• The report identified tackling hunger and protecting biodiversity on land and water as areas of weakness.

Topic: State News/Jharkhand

10. Jharkhand government is considering waiving agricultural loans up to Rs 2 lakh.

• Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren said that his government is considering waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh.
• Earlier, the government waived off loans of Rs 40,000 to farmers and provided free electricity for up to 200 units.
• The state government is also committed to supporting unemployed youth by offering loans of Rs 25 lakh with a 40 per cent subsidy to start a business.
• On this occasion, the CM inaugurated and laid the foundation of 182 development projects worth Rs 152.76 crore.
• Jharkhand government has also started the construction and distribution of houses under Abua Awas Yojana for tribal masses.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

11. Gujarat has won the award for maximum wind power installed capacity.

• Gujarat won the “1st-rank” award at an event organised under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• The event was held to commemorate Global Wind Day on 15 June 2024.
• The event had a central theme of “Pawan–Urja: Powering the Future of India”.
• Gujarat had 11,823 MW of installed wind power capacity at the end of May 2024.
• Tamil Nadu had 10743 MW and Karnataka is ranked third with 6312 MW.
• Gujarat is second to Rajasthan (22,180 MW) in solar power with an installed solar power capacity of 14182 MW.
• Renewable energy capacity of Gujarat was highest among all states at the end of May 2024.  It stood at 28200 MW.
• Gujarat has a fixed target of achieving a cumulative 100 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Topic: Indian Economy

12. India’s textile exports have increased by 9.59% in May 2024.

• In May 2024, India’s textile exports have grown despite unfavorable conditions in major markets like EU, US and West Asian nations.
• India’s apparel exports have also grown by 9.84% in May 2024.
• In May 2024, cumulative exports of textiles and apparel grew by 9.70% over May 2023.
• India’s overall exports for May 2024 increased to 68.29 billion US Dollars.
• This was a year-on-year increase of 10.2% according to Commerce Ministry data released on 14 June.
• During April-May 2024, India’s textile exports showed a growth of 6.04% over the previous year.
• During the same period, apparel exports showed a growth of 4.46% over the previous year.
• The US, UAE, Netherlands, UK, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Germany, and France were among India’s top ten export markets.
• Merchandise exports increased 9.1% to USD 38.13 billion. Service exports increased 11.7% to USD 30.16 billion.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. RBI has bagged the ‘Risk Manager of the Year Award 2024’ by London’s Central Banking publication.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been awarded the "Risk Manager of the Year Award 2024".
• It is presented by Central Banking, London, United Kingdom.
• RBI has received this award for improving its risk culture and awareness.
• Executive Director Shri Manoranjan Mishra received the award on behalf of the RBI.
• RBI established a regulatory sandbox to facilitate controlled experimentation with new financial technology products and services.
• As part of its digital mission, the RBI also encouraged the use of AI and ML in key areas like infrastructure, payments, risk management, audit and analytics.

Topic: Important Days

14. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2024: 17 June

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated to spread awareness about the diminishing land cover on Earth.
• It is celebrated every year on June 17.
• This year it is being observed under the theme – United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future.
• It highlights the importance of collaborative action to preserve our planet’s vital land resources for future generations.
• In recent years, Droughts, land degradation, and desertification have become very common.
• In 2007, the UN declared the decade of 2010 to 2020 the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight Against Desertification.
• The United Nations created the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994.