Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 July 2024

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.