Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 July 2024

Topic: Geography

1. Union Minister of Mines G Kishan Reddy launched landslide forecast system in Kolkata.

• He said Geological Survey of India (GSI) will offer forecasts on landslides from 20 July 2024 in Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal and Nilgiri in Tamilnadu.
• GSI will generate the forecast and transmit it to the state government, which will disseminate it to the district administration.
• District administration will spread the information among the people.
• The landslide forecast system will cover total 36 centres which are land-slide prone.
• The landslide forecast system will be made available all over India by 2030.
• Union Minister of Mines also inaugurated a portal and mobile app related to landslides.

Topic: Space and IT

2. On July 19, 2024, a huge IT outage disrupted computer systems for many hours.

• The major Microsoft software outage impacted millions of people worldwide.
• The hardest-hit industries included hospitals, banks, businesses, and airlines.
• This occurred as a result of a faulty software update released by US cyber-security company Crowdstrike that affected the Microsoft Windows operating system and rendered machines all across the world inoperable.
• CEO of Crowdstrike expressed regret for the inconvenience. An update to CrowdStrike's 'Falcon Sensor' was the reason behind the large Microsoft outage.
• Users are reporting unexpected system shutdowns or restarts due to the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error.
• The Microsoft services outage had no impact on the Indian finance and payments systems.
• According to the RBI, very few banks are using the CrowdStrike tool, and the majority of banks do not have their critical systems hosted on the cloud.
• Chief Executive of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Dilip Asbe, stated that there has been no impact on the nation's payment architecture, which includes the widely used Unified Payments Interface.

Topic: Personality in News

3. UPSC chairman Manoj Soni has resigned.

• He has resigned citing personal reasons before the end of his term in May 2029.
• He had tendered his resignation over a fortnight back. It is yet to be accepted.
• He took over as a member of the UPSC on June 28, 2017.
• He took oath as the UPSC chairman on May 16, 2023. His term was to end on May 15, 2029.
• He wants to devote more time to Anoopam Mission. Anoopam Mission is a branch of Swaminarayan Sect in Gujarat.
• He became a monk or nishkam karmayogi (selfless worker) in the Anoopam Mission after receiving diksha or initiation in 2020.
• UPSC is a constitutional body. It is headed by a Chairperson. It can have a maximum of 10 members.
• As on 19 July 2024, it had seven members besides the Chairperson.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. Global CSR & ESG Award 2024 presented to Sobha Group's Sri Kurumba Trust for Child & Women Development.

• The "Best Child and Women Development Initiatives of the Year 2024" award has been given to Sri Kurumba Educational and Charitable Trust, the CSR wing of the Sobha Group.
• On behalf of the organization, Mr. Nagarajan S, Project Vice President, Sobha Limited received the award.
• This prestigious honour was presented at the Global CSR, Sustainability and ESG Awards 2024 held at Hyatt Regency, Gurgaon.
• Marketing and brand honchos organized the event and brought together industry leaders and champions of social responsibility.
• This honour highlights the pioneering initiatives of Sri Kurumba Educational and Charitable Trust in empowering children and women through world-class education and community development programmes.
• The aim of the Global CSR & ESG Awards 2024 is to recognize and honour social and visionary leaders, organisations and individuals involved in humanitarian or social welfare work that brings about positive change or impact in society.

Topic: Miscellaneous

5. Eurosport India appointed Star India opener Shikhar Dhawan as its brand ambassador for MotoGP in India.

• Dhawan will play the lead role in Eurosport India's latest campaign 'Face Kar Race Kar'.
• The 'Face Kar Race Kar' campaign reflects the indomitable spirit of MotoGP, celebrates resilience and inspires fans to overcome challenges with determination.
• The 2024 MotoGP™ season has already featured nine races, with a further 11 to go across Europe, Asia and Australia, culminating with the BritishGP at Silverstone on 2 August.
• Eurosport is an Indian pay television sports channel owned by Warner Bros.

Topic: State News/ Assam

6. The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act was repealed by the Assam Government.

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Assam Cabinet on July 18 approved a bill to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act and Rules, 1935.
• The Act allowed underage marriages under specific conditions.
• By passing the Assam Repealing Bill 2024, Assam's government decided to repeal the 1935 Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules.
• The Repeal Bill 2024 will be introduced during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly.
• The act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not attained the legal age of 18 and 21 years.

Topic: International News

7. Ursula von der Leyen’s attempt for a 2nd five-year term as the European Commission’s president has been approved by the European Parliament.

• In the 720-seat chamber, Ursula von der Leyen of Germany received 401 votes.
• Von der Leyen received more votes than were required to keep her as the head of the European Commission, the EU's executive body.
• A total of 284 members voted against her in the secret ballot.
• Von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament and outlined her priorities for the next five years.
• She pledged to continue the European Green Deal, a key policy from her first term.
• By 2050, the European Green Deal aims to make Europe as the first climate-neutral continent.
• By 2040, she promised to cut emissions by 90%.
• She declared significant expenditures in industry and infrastructure, especially in energy-intensive sectors.
• Von der Leyen also promised that she will keep supporting Ukraine.

Topic: Miscellaneous

8. Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launched ‘The Future is Now’ as the theme for India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024.

• He also launched the Indian Mobile Congress 2024 application and Website, a unique interactive App for registration.
• The Minister also launched the Testing Scheme for Start-ups & MSMEs.
• The scheme is aimed at easing financial burdens for startups and Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the telecom sector.
• Under the scheme, up to 50 lakhs rupees per startup or MSE will be reimbursed for testing and certification costs essential for product quality and market access.
• With a total fund allocation of Rs. 25 crore, the application process will be completely online.
• The Minister oversaw the signing of MoU for between National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT) and IIT Jammu for capacity building in the areas of Cybersecurity.
• Department of Telecommunication announced conferment of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Excellence Awards 2023 to the following awardees.

• India Mobile Congress 2024 will be 8th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC).
• It will be co-hosted by the Department of Telecommunications and Cellular Operators Association of India.
• It will be held from 15th October at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
• India will also host World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly New Delhi 2024 (WTSA 2024) and Global Standards Symposium (GSS 2024) from 14-24 Oct, 2024 at the same venue.
• Five (05) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Excellence Awards are given annually.
• They are given to individuals, Institutions, and organisations for their exemplary and outstanding contributions in different areas over the past three years.
• Each award carries a shawl, citation and a cash of Rupees Two Lakh.

Topic: Indian Polity

9. Six new bills will be introduced by the government in the monsoon session of Parliament.

• According to a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on 18 July, the central government will introduce six new bills during the monsoon session of Parliament running from July 22 to August 12.
• On July 23, the Finance Bill, to be introduced along with the Union Budget, is one of the major bills of the monsoon session.
• Boilers Bill, Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024, and a amendment to the disaster management law are among the other bills.
• In order to facilitate business dealings, the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 aims to replace the Aircraft Act of 1934 and simplify laws pertaining to civil aviation.
• Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla nominated 14 members on July 18 to the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which Birla will chair.
• The committee's main role is to set the parliamentary agenda.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

10. “Utkrishtata ki Ore Badhte Kadam” event organized by MoHUA and awarded best performers under PM SVANidhi and DAY-NULM.

• On 18 July, an event named “Utkrishtata ki Ore Badhte Kadam: Celebrating Achievements, Inspiring Excellence” organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• It was organized to felicitate best performers under PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
• Launched on June 1, 2020, the PM Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It aims to provide working capital loans up to Rs 80,000 to urban street vendors without any collateral.
• On September 24, 2013, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Its aim is to reduce poverty and the vulnerability of urban poor households.
• Performance Recognition for Access to Financial Inclusion and Street Vendor's Empowerment (PRAISE) Awards (PM SVANidhi):

• Systematic Progressive Analytical Real Time Ranking (SPARK) Awards (DAY-NULM):

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Madhya Pradesh is the 'best performing state' under the PM SVANidhi Scheme.

• On July 18, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said Madhya Pradesh has secured the first position in the 'best performing state' category in the Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojana.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Narendra Modi government introduced the micro-credit plan for urban street sellers, offering collateral-free loans up to Rs 50,000.
• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presented the awards to the winners.
• Assam has been ranked second in the 'Best Performing State – Innovation and Best Practices Awards' category.
• In the 'Best Performing ULBs - Loan Performance with mega and million plus cities' category, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) secured first place.
• It was followed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in second place and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in third.
• The National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) awards were announced, with Kerala topping the chart in the 'Systematic Progressive Analytical Real Time Ranking (SPARK)' category.
• In this category, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan followed in second and third place, respectively.

Topic: Important Days

12. International Chess Day 2024: 20 July

• Every year on July 20, International Chess Day is celebrated by people around the world.
• The day highlights chess players like Viswanathan Anand, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhan, and Magnus Carlsen and their positive impact on society.
• UNESCO proposed the idea of celebrating 20 July as International Chess Day.
• The day is being celebrated since 1966 to commemorate the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
• The date of July 20 was chosen because the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded on this date in 1924 in Paris.
• On December 12, 2019, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared International Chess Day as an international event.
• The International Olympic Committee recognized FIDE in 1999.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

13. Ivory Coast joined the UN Water Convention as the 10th African country.

• Ivory Coast has become the 10th African country to join the United Nations Water Convention.
• Ivory Coast has joined the convention to enhance cooperative water management.
• It has also become the 53rd Party (country) of the 1992 UN Water Convention, which is also known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.
• This convention was established as a regional framework for the pan-European region.
• Under this convention, countries are required to cooperate for the sustainable management of transboundary waters.
• Ivory Coast is considered as the 40th “water insecure country in the continent”.
• Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe are in the final stages of accession and joining the convention.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Vinay Mohan Kwatra has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the U.S.

• Vinay Mohan Kwatra will be the next Ambassador of India to the United States of America. He will assume the office very soon.
• He is a 1988 batch officer who was appointed Foreign Secretary in April 2022.
• He has expertise in dealing with India’s neighbourhood as well as the U.S., China and Europe.
• He has served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020.
• He was also in the position of Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for two years, between October 2015 and August 2017.