Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 December 2024

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. The 'Jamsetji Tata Award' has been given to Kiran Mazumdar for the biosciences movement in India.

• The Indian Society for Quality (ISQ) presented Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with the Jamsetji Tata Award.
• Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is chairperson of the Biocon Group.
• She has been given Jamsetji Tata Award in recognition of her leadership in the biosciences movement in India.
• At the ISQ Annual Conference 2024, which took place in Bengaluru, the award was presented.
• Janak Kumar Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of TQM International and President of ISQ, presented the prize to Mazumdar-Shaw.
• In 2004, the Jamsetji Tata Award was established. It honours business leaders who have significantly impacted Indian society.

Topic: National News

2. The Protected Area Regime (PAR) has been reimposed in Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

• This has been done in response to growing security concerns raised by the inflow from neighbouring countries.
• Foreigners will need to obtain prior authorisation and specific permissions to enter the three states.
• The relaxation has been withdrawn after 14 years.
• In the starting, the PAR was relaxed for a year in 2010 in the three states bordering Myanmar, and then the order was extended for five years.
• The most recent PAR order was issued on December 16, 2022, and was valid until December 2027.
• With the reimposition of the Protected Area Regime, the movements of foreign visitors to Manipur would be closely monitored.
• They must obtain the relevant Protected Area Permits (PAP) in line with the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958.
• Since May 3, 2023, ethnic warfare has erupted in Manipur between the tribal Kuki-Zo people and the Meitei group.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. First-ever Ganges river dolphin tagging has been conducted in Assam.

• As part of wildlife conservation, the first-ever Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) has been tagged in Assam.
• This initiative has been conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and Aaranyak, with funding from the National CAMPA Authority.
• This is the first tagging for this species and this milestone is a significant advancement of Project Dolphin.
• The tagging exercise will help in understanding their seasonal and migratory patterns, range, distribution, and habitat utilization.
• Ganges River Dolphin:
  • It is the National Aquatic Animal of India.
  • It is nearly blind and relies on echolocation for its biological needs.
  • 90% of this species' population resides in India.
  • It is found in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

4. Russia has developed an mRNA vaccine for cancer patients.

• This vaccine will be available from early 2025 and distributed for free to Russians.
• This announcement has been made by Andrey Kaprin, General Director of the Radiology Medical Research Center under the Russian Ministry of Health.
• This will only cure cancer patients, not prevent cancer.
• The cost of the vaccine will be around 300,000 rubles per dose.
• The pre-clinical trials of the vaccine have demonstrated its ability to suppress tumour growth and prevent metastases.
• The mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of messenger RNA into the body. It will prompt cells to produce a specific protein.
• RNA or Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions in living cells.
• The vaccine uses components of the patient's tumour to train the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells.

Topic: National Appointments

5. Rama Mohan Rao Amara has been appointed as managing director of the State Bank of India (SBI).

• Rama Mohan Rao Amara has been appointed as managing director in the bank for a period of three years.
• The SBI board is headed by a Chairman assisted by four managing directors.
• Rama Mohan Rao Amara was working as the Deputy Managing Director of SBI.
• This post had become vacant after the elevation of CS Shetty as chairman of the bank.
• Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended the name of Rama Mohan Rao Amara.

Topic: Space and IT

6. Japan and Indian startups have decided to study laser-equipped satellites to tackle space debris.

• Space startups in Japan and India have agreed to jointly study using laser-equipped satellites to remove debris from orbit.
• Tokyo-based Orbital Lasers and Indian robotics company InspeCity would study business opportunities for in-space services.
• They would study business opportunities for in-space services such as de-orbiting a defunct satellite and extending a spacecraft’s life.
• These companies said that they had signed a preliminary agreement to initiate the collaboration.
• InspeCity was founded in 2022 and raised $1.5 million last year while Orbital Lasers has raised 900 million yen.
• Both countries governments are working together on the joint Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, it could be launched as early as 2026.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. On December 17, Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior and Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati won top honors at The Best Awards 2024 in Doha, Qatar.

• Vinicius Jr. was awarded the FIFA Men's Player of the Year, while Bonmati received the FIFA Women's Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
• Vinicius Jr. scored 24 goals in 39 matches, helping the team win La Liga and the Champions League.
• Aitana Bonmati successfully retained the title of FIFA Women's Player of the Year.
• In October, Bonmati also won the Women's Ballon d'Or for the second time.
• Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti received the Best Men's Coach award.
• Emma Hayes was awarded Best Female Coach. Hayes led the US Women's National Team to a gold medal at the Olympics.
• Alejandro Garnacho received the Puskas Award for the best goal of the year.
• Marta of Brazil was awarded the first Marta Award. The Marta Award, named after her, recognizes the best goal in women's football.
• American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher of the Chicago Red Stars won the Best Female Goalkeeper award.
• Argentinean goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa won the Best Male Goalkeeper award.

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

8. Foreign Office consultations held for the first time by India and Liberia agreed to strengthen bilateral relations.

• On 17 December, the first round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Liberia was held in Monrovia.
• Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sevala Naik Mude, and Foreign Minister of Liberia, Sarah Besolo Nyanti, co-chaired the consultations.
• The two sides comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of India-Liberia bilateral relations.
• This covered key areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade, investment, mining, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, education, capacity building, and people-to-people exchanges.
• They agreed to further deepen and diversify bilateral relations in key areas of contemporary relevance such as digital public infrastructure, energy development, and development cooperation.
• Both sides appreciated that India and Liberia have agreed to support India’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council for the term 2028-29 on a reciprocal basis.
• Liberia has also been an active participant in the Voices of the Global South Summit hosted by India.

Topic: Personality in News

9. Singer and musician Pandit Sanjay Marathe passes away on 15 December.

• Famous classical singer and harmonium player Pandit Sanjay Ram Marathe passed away at the age of 68 in Maharashtra.
• He was the eldest son of the renowned musician Pandit Ram Marathe.
• He was highly respected for his expertise in harmonium and melodious singing.
• Pandit Sanjay Marathe, along with his younger brother Mukund Marathe, revived the famous Marathi musical play 'Sangit Mandarmala' to commemorate the centenary of their father.
• He received many prestigious awards and honors for harmonium playing and singing.

Topic: Sports

10. Legendary off-spinner R Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket.

• On December 18, the 38-year-old veteran made the announcement soon after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy ended in a draw.
• He played in only one of the first three Tests of the ongoing series against Australia, taking one for 53 in the day-night match in Adelaide.
• On 6 November 2011, he made his Test debut for India against the West Indies in Delhi.
• Ashwin is India's second-highest wicket-taker in international or Test cricket.
• In his illustrious career, he has taken 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, making him second only to Anil Kumble, who has taken 619 wickets.
• He has also scored six centuries and 14 half-centuries in Test cricket.
• Ashwin has also played 116 ODIs and 65 T20 Internationals for India, taking 156 and 72 wickets, respectively.
• Ashwin is set to continue playing in the T20 tournament and will represent the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Agriculture and Allied Sector

11. The annual funding to the agricultural sector has increased nearly six times over the past decade.

• The budget allocation for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has increased six-fold, from around Rs 21 thousand crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1 lakh 22 thousand crore in 2024-25.
• The major schemes being implemented for the welfare of farmers include Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has released a compilation of success stories of 75,000 farmers.
• They have more than doubled their income through the convergence of schemes run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and allied ministries.
• Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur said that farming is a state subject, hence, state governments need to take appropriate steps for the development of agriculture.
• However, the Government of India supports these efforts through appropriate policy measures, budgetary allocations, and various schemes.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Economy

12. SEBI tightens norms for Investment advisors.

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has mandated that a person giving investment advice must be qualified and registered under the Investment Advisor Regulations (IA Regulations), 2013.
• The amendment also throws light on the use of AI in providing investment advice.
• It also gives responsibility to investment advisors for the security, confidentiality, and integrity of client data and the accuracy of the advice generated.
• The proposed amendment also suggested key changes to the definition of ‘Investment Advice’.
• It also defined the qualifications for a person to be an investment advisor.

Topic: Personality in News

13. Tulsi Gowda, the Encyclopaedia of Forest, passed away at the age of 86.

• Padma Shri awardee Tulsi Gowda, known as the “tree goddess” by the Halakki tribal community, passed away from age-related ailments.
• She dedicated her life to nurturing nature, planting thousands of saplings, and conserving our environment.
• She was also known as the ‘encyclopedia of the forest’.
• She was an autodidact with extraordinary knowledge of forests.
• She directly supported afforestation efforts, preventing poaching, and mitigating forest fires that threatened local wildlife.
• She has planted and nurtured over 1 lakh trees across Karnataka.
• Her contributions have strengthened one community reserve, five tiger reserves, and 15 conservation reserves.