Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 and 21 October 2024

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

1. Government to set up a committee to reduce the disparity between farm-gate prices and retail costs of horticulture produce.

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the government will establish a committee to reduce the farm-gate prices and retail costs of horticulture produce.
• Farmers sell vegetables at 5 rupees a kilo and consumers purchase it in 50 rupees.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan also outlined a two-pronged approach to tackle price volatility.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also unveiled a plan to launch ‘Krishi Chaupal’.
• It is an initiative aimed to bidge the lab-to-land gap in agricultural research.
• Agriculture is India’s economic backbone and no progress is possible without strengthening this sector.
• He emphasised upon the need to optimise the functioning of over 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across India.

Topic: International News

2. India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) will be introduced in Maldives.

• President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided to introduce India’s UPI in the Maldives.
• This step will bring benefits to the Maldivian economy.
• These benefits include increased financial inclusion, improved efficiency in financial transactions and enhanced digital infrastructure.
• With this, Indian tourists will be able to make transactions in Indian rupees on UPI-enabled apps.
• They will not be required to go through the hassle of converting currency.
• It has been decided by President Muizzu to form a consortium in order to implement UPI in the Maldives.
• He also recommended that the consortium include national banks, telecommunications firms, state-owned enterprises, and fintech firms.
• In August 2024, two nations have signed an MoU to implement the Unified Payments Interface in the Maldives.

Topic: National Appointments

3. Abhyuday Jindal has taken over as president of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

• ICC has announced his appointment as its new President at its annual plenary session held in New Delhi.
• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was the chief guest at the session.
• Jindal is a Boston University graduate with a background in Economics and Business Management.
• As the Managing Director (MD) of Jindal Stainless, he has led significant improvements in the company.
• Brij Bhushan Agarwal, vice chairman and managing director of Shyam Metalics, was appointed as the senior vice president of ICC.
• Parthiv Vikram Neotia, executive director of Ambuja Neotia, assumed the role of vice president.

Topic: Defence

4. Indo-Oman conducted bilateral naval exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr.

• INS Trikand and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft took part in the exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr with the Royal Navy of Oman Vessel Al Seeb off Goa from 13 to 18 October 24.
• The exercise was carried out in two phases. The harbour phase lasted from 13 to 15 October 24.
• The harbour phase was followed by the sea phase (16 to 18 October 24).
• Under harbour activities, personnel from both Navies engaged in professional interactions.
• During the sea phase, both ships carried out various evolutions, including manoeuvres, and Replenishment at Sea Approaches (RASAPS).
• The integral helicopter undertook cross-deck landings and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) with RNOV Al Seeb.

Topic: Sports

5. New Zealand women's team won the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup title.

• On 20 October, New Zealand created history by winning their first Women's T20 World Cup title by defeating South Africa by 32 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
• It was the first time that New Zealand had won either the men's or women's World Cup title.
• Chasing the target of 159 runs given by New Zealand, South Africa scored 126 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the stipulated twenty overs.
• Amelia Kerr was named player of the series and player of the match.
• Earlier, New Zealand played the finals in 2009 and 2010 but failed to cross the final hurdle.
• The first edition of the Women's T20 World Cup title was held in England in 2009.
• As of 2024, a total of nine editions have been held, with Australia, who have won the tournament a record six times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023), being the most successful team.
• In addition, England (2009), West Indies (2016) and New Zealand (2024) have won one title each.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: State News/ Assam

6. Mission Basundhara 3.0 launched in Guwahati by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

• Its objective is to provide land rights to indigenous people.
• Under this, steps will also be taken to digitize various land related services and publish maps for the benefit of the people of the state.
• The Chief Minister also launched the Revenue Department's DigiDoc, a digital directory for non-registrable and optionally registrable documents.
• This directory will streamline services, reduce processing time, and enhance public convenience and improve accessibility and efficiency.
• The Chief Minister said that soon after assuming office, his government decided to grant land rights to indigenous communities in Assam, a move first taken after 75 years of Independence.
• For this purpose, Mission Vasundhara was started in 2021.
• The Assam government has resolved eight lakh applications in nine months under Mission Basundhara 1.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launched the eShram in New Delhi on 21 October 2024.

• eShram is a One Stop Solution for Unorganized Workers.
• It will act as a mediator to make sure that unorganized workers get easy access to various government schemes.
• The initiative's primary aim is to efficiently integrate data regarding recipients of all social security and welfare programs intended for unorganised workers onto a single platform.
• This initiative will assist in making unorganised labourers aware of the schemes available to them.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. On 21^st October 2024, the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) completed eight years of its launch.

• Ministry of Civil Aviation had launched the scheme on 21st of October, 2016.
• Improving unserved air routes in underprivileged areas of the nation is the main goal of the UDAN program.
• On April 27, 2017, PM Modi launched the first RCS-UDAN flight under the scheme.
• More than 600 UDAN routes have been operationalised since the scheme's launch.
• Over one crore forty-four lakh passengers have taken flights since the launch.
• Thus far, the plan has linked 34 Indian states and union territories.
• Under the scheme, two heliports and 10 airports have been operationalised in the Northeast.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated a project worth 6,700 crore rupees in Varanasi.

• Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the expansion of the Airport runway and the construction of a new terminal building and Allied works at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.
• He also laid the foundation stone of the New Civil Enclave at Agra Airport in Uttar Pradesh.
• Prime Minister also inaugurated tourism development works in Buddhism-related areas in Sarnath.
• He also launched many other initiatives, like tourism development works at Banasur Temple and the Gurudham Temple and beautification and redevelopment of parks.
• He also inaugurated the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital in Varanasi.
• Under the Khelo India scheme and the Smart City Mission, the Prime Minister inaugurated Phases 2 and 3 of the redevelopment of the Varanasi Sports Complex.

Topic: Indian Geography

10. Cyclonic Storm 'Dana' is expected to land in Odisha.

• Odisha is preparing for the potential impact of severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana'.
• It is expected to hit the Coast of Odisha. The cyclonic storm will form over the east-central Bay of Bengal.
• It will land with a wind speed of 100 to 120 km per hour along the Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
• Cyclonic circulation originated over the Andaman Sea and is moving northwest, and a low-pressure area is likely to form in the east-central Bay of Bengal.
• A cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a strong centre of low atmospheric pressure.

Topic: National Appointment

11. Srinivas got additional charge of CEO of the public procurement portal GeM.

• L Satya Srinivas, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, has been given the additional charge of CEO of public procurement portal GeM by the government.
• P K Singh, the last CEO of Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Renewable Energy.
• Hence, Srinivas has been given additional charge.
• On August 9, 2016, the GeM portal was launched for online purchases of goods and services by all central government ministries and departments.

Topic: Banking System

12. Navi Finserv and three other NBFCs barred by RBI from sanctioning and disbursing loans.

• Four non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), including two microfinance institutions (MFIs), have been barred by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from sanctioning and disbursing loans for charging exorbitant interest rates from borrowers.
• These four entities are: Ashirvad Microfinance, Arohan Financial Services (also an MFI), and DMI Finance, which provides loans for personal consumption and micro, small and medium enterprises.
• Apart from this, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal's Navi Finserv, which provides home and personal loans.
• This restriction will come into effect from October 21 to facilitate the closing of transactions that are in the pipeline.
• This action is based on material supervisory concerns observed in the pricing policy of these companies in respect of their weighted average lending rate (WALR) and interest spread charged on their cost of funds, which have been found to be excessive and not in conformity with the regulations.

Topic: International News

13. India and Germany will sign a pact on labour mobility and skill recognition.

• India and Germany will sign a pact on labour mobility and skill recognition to facilitate the movement of workers.
• Under this agreement, skilled professionals will be hired by German industries.
• It will be the first agreement under the G20 “Skills-based migration pathways” framework.
• Under this framework, the top 20 economies of the world have recognized that integrated skill-based migration pathways will expand job opportunities for skilled professionals.
• It will also open an avenue for skilled Indian professionals to migrate to Germany.
• This agreement will focus on introducing a digital visa by the end of 2024.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

14. Mohanji received the Humanitarian Award at the 2024 Conscious Companies Awards in Johannesburg.

• Mohanji, a renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader, received special recognition for his global humanitarian leadership at the 9th Conscious Companies Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• The prestigious annual event celebrates ethical and visionary leaders who demonstrate conscious leadership within their organizations.
• The Conscious Companies Awards are given to individuals and organizations that promote ethical behaviour and sustainable practices.
• Mohanji is a globally recognized humanitarian and philanthropist. He devoted his life to guiding people from selfishness to selflessness.