Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 August 2024
Main Headlines:
- 1. UPSC cancelled advertisements related to lateral entry into the bureaucracy.
- 2. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched online portal DRIPS (Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector).
- 3. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed inaugural session of 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave.
- 4. At 117 years old, Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in world, passed away.
- 5. Satya Prakash Sangwan appointed chef de mission at the Paris Paralympics.
- 6. On August 20, Portal for Online Monitoring Of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT) launched by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in New Delhi.
- 7. International Cricket Council has decided to move the ninth women's T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the UAE.
- 8. PM Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine on 21 August 2024.
- 9. BIS launched a hackathon to raise awareness about Indian standards.
- 10. National Geoscience Awards have been presented to 21 geoscientists.
- 11. India and Malaysia decided to elevate their Enhanced Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
- 12. On August 19, Vice President of Mauritius Marie Cyril Eddy Boissezon arrived in New Delhi to attend the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave.
- 13. Sadbhavna Diwas 2024: August 20.
- 14. Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military service from January 1 2025.
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Topic: National News
1. UPSC cancelled advertisements related to lateral entry into the bureaucracy.
- The advertisement related to lateral entry into the bureaucracy has been cancelled after receiving directions from the Department of Personnel and Training.
- UPSC issued an advertisement to appoint 45 Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in Central Ministries.
- The government has cancelled these planned recruitments due to a lack of quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
- What is Lateral Entry?
- Lateral entry means the recruitment of an individual from outside the traditional government service cadres to fill mid- and senior-level positions.
- It was formally introduced in 2018.
- It aims to resolve complex governance and policy implementation challenges by tapping into external expertise.
- The lateral entry was recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), established in 2005.
Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
2. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched online portal DRIPS (Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector).
- Quick resource deployment and identification would be possible with the help of the DRIPS portal.
- In the event of a disaster, the DRIPS portal would ensure that disturbances in the power sector are handled quickly and effectively.
- According to the Minister, the implementation of the DRIPS will facilitate the efficient, well-coordinated, and transparent operation of the nation's power sector in any unfavourable circumstance.
- For all of the authorised nodal offices of the power sector departments and other agencies in the impacted area, DRIPS will act as a single point of contact.
Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings
3. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed inaugural session of 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave.
- Creating One Future is the theme of the three-day conclave, which started on 20 August 2024 in New Delhi. It will continue till 22 August 2024.
- The focus areas of the conclave are trade, investment, infrastructure, healthcare, and technology.
- Over 11 hundred international delegates from 65 countries are taking part in the conclave. Out of these, 47 are African nations.
- 18th CII India Africa Business Conclave was held in June 2023.
- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India started the Africa Conclave on India-Africa Partnership in 2005.
Topic: Personality in News
4. At 117 years old, Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in world, passed away.
- On March 4, 1907, Branyas was born in San Francisco. In 1915, her family returned to Spain.
- In Olot, Catalonia, Spain, Branyas was living in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home. She passed away while sleeping.
- In January 2023, Guinness World Records formally recognised her as the oldest person in the world after the passing of French nun Lucile Randon.
- Tomiko Itooka of Japan is now the oldest living person in the world after Branyas's demise. Itooka was born on May 23, 1908.
- With 122 years and 164 days of life, Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment holds the record of the longest-lived person.
Topic: Sports
5. Satya Prakash Sangwan appointed chef de mission at the Paris Paralympics.
- On August 20, vice president Satya Prakash Sangwan of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) was appointed as the chef de mission of the Indian contingent at the upcoming Paris Paralympics.
- Sangwan has over a decade of dedicated service and experience in the Paralympic movement.
- As CDM, he will lead India's largest-ever contingent of 84 para-athletes competing across 12 sporting disciplines.
- Shri Satya Prakash Sangwan has been an integral part of the Indian Paralympic Committee for over a decade.
- The Paris Paralympics 2024 will be held from 28 August to 8 September.
Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
6. On August 20, Portal for Online Monitoring Of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT) launched by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in New Delhi.
- The launch of the PROMPT portal will enable transparent, coordinated and effective functioning in the power sector in the country.
- The newly launched PROMPT portal is designed to facilitate real-time tracking and analysis of thermal projects.
- This online platform enables project managers and stakeholders to make informed decisions, ensuring that potential delays and issues are identified early and resolved promptly.
- Key Features and Advantages of PROMPT:
Key Feature |
Advantages |
Real-Time Tracking and Analysis |
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Transparency and Accountability |
|
Resource Optimization |
|
Monthly Current Affairs eBooks | |
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July Monthly Current Affairs 2024 | June Monthly Current Affairs 2024 |
May Monthly Current Affairs 2024 | April Monthly Current Affairs 2024 |
Topic: Sports
7. International Cricket Council has decided to move the ninth women's T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the UAE.
- This will be the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
- The event will continue to be officially hosted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
- From October 3 to October 20, the Women's T20 World Cup will be held in Dubai and Sharjah, two locations in the United Arab Emirates.
- The event's dates are still unchanged. The event could not be held in Bangladesh as originally scheduled.
- Because of Bangladesh's political unrest, the event has been moved from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates.
- Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka also put forward bids to take over as hosts, but the UAE was chosen as the new location.
- 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was the 8th edition of ICC Women's T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in South Africa.
Topic: International News
8. PM Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine on 21 August 2024.
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He will hold talks with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. He will call on President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
- The fact that the Indian prime minister is visiting Poland for the first time in 45 years makes it a historic visit.
- Both countries are commemorating the 70th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations at the time of the visit.
- Additionally, PM Modi will pay homage to monuments honouring Poland's unique relationship with Jamnagar and Kolhapur.
- On August 23, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine formally at the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation.
- Since this will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine in almost 30 years since diplomatic relations were established, it is also a historic visit.
- Poland is a country in Central Europe. Its capital is Warsaw. Its currency is Zloty.
- Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia. Kyiv is its capital. Hryvnia is its currency.
Topic: National News
9. BIS launched a hackathon to raise awareness about Indian standards.
- The main aim of this hackathon is to raise awareness about Indian standards. It also aware people about its role in ensuring quality and safety.
- This hackathon has been launched for students across institutes that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
- Participants have been given the task of designing and developing a platform for online activities and games focused on Indian Standards.
- All entries have to be submitted by 23rd August.
- The online activities include various BIS activities to increase awareness and quality consciousness.
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):
- It is an Indian national standard body that works under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
- It is a statutory body that was established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
- Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
Topic: Awards and Prizes
10. National Geoscience Awards have been presented to 21 geoscientists.
- President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Geoscience Awards (NGA) for 2023 on 21 geoscientists.
- 12 awards were presented in geosciences, mineral exploration, and natural hazard investigations.
- The awards have been presented in three categories: National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement, National Geoscience Award, and National Young Geoscientist Award.
- Prof. Dhiraj Mohan Banerjee received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the fields of phosphorites, isotope geology, and organic geochemistry.
- Dr. Ashutosh Pandey received the National Young Geoscientist Award for his groundbreaking research on the geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Dharwar Craton.
- The amendments in the MMDR Act have empowered the central government to auction 24 critical and strategic minerals.
- The Ministry of Mines has recently introduced an exploration license for 29 deep-seated minerals.
Topic: MoUs/Agreements
11. India and Malaysia decided to elevate their Enhanced Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
- An agreements have been signed by India and Malaysia in the field of cooperation in labor and employment, Ayurveda and traditional medicine, digital technology, culture, tourism and youth and sports.
- The two countries also signed agreements on governance reform and mutual cooperation in the field of public administration.
- The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim in New Delhi.
- The Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries is about to complete 10 years and the last two years have brought new momentum and energy to their partnership.
- Prime Minister Modi also emphasized on enhancing cooperation in new technology areas such as Fintech, semiconductors, defence industry, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum.
Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting
12. On August 19, Vice President of Mauritius Marie Cyril Eddy Boissezon arrived in New Delhi to attend the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave.
- This visit marks another important milestone in the time-tested and enduring India-Mauritius relations.
- From August 20-22, the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave will be held in New Delhi.
- It is noteworthy that the objective of the 19th edition of CII India-Africa Business Conclave will be to serve as a vehicle for Africa's development and to highlight the role of India-Africa partnership in regional and global value chain integration.
- Besides, Liberia's Vice President Jeremiah Kappan Kong also arrived in Delhi to attend the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave.
Topic: Important Days
13. Sadbhavna Diwas 2024: August 20.
- The birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi is celebrated every year as Sadbhavana Diwas.
- It reminds the vision of a prosperous, united, and peaceful India.
- Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest prime minister of India. He was known for his innovative and open-minded approach to governance.
- Sadbhavana Diwas was first observed on August 20, 1992.
- Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister of India after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984.
- Sadbhavana Diwas is observed with a range of activities aimed for fostering peace and harmony.
Topic: International News
14. Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military service from January 1 2025.
- Croatia will reintroduce a two-month compulsory military service.
- This step has been taken amid heightened tensions in Europe after the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
- This decision marks a return of military service, which was suspended in 2008.
- The modernization of the Armed Forces of Croatia will be as per the agreement with allies and the NATO leadership.
- Last year, Latvia reinstated military conscription after the threat from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Other countries in Europe are considering for reintroducing mandatory military service.
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