Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 December 2024

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

1. Between January and September 2024, Uttar Pradesh saw 476.1 million visitors, setting new tourism records.

• The most popular tourist destination in the state is now Ayodhya, surpassing the Taj Mahal in Agra.
• According to the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, during this period, Ayodhya welcomed 3,153 foreign visitors and 135.5 million domestic tourists.
• By contrast, Agra received 125.1 million visitors, comprising 924,000 foreign visitors and 115.9 million domestic visitors.
• There were 184,000 foreign visitors and 62 million domestic visitors to Varanasi.
• Among the 68 million visitors to Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, were 87,229 foreigners. Prayagraj attracted 48 million visitors.
• While domestic visitor numbers fell by 193,000, Agra's overseas arrivals rose from 2.684 million in 2022–2023 to 27.70 million in 2023–2024.
• The number of visitors to the state's Buddhist circuit, which is based in Kushinagar, increased as well.

Topic: Important Day

2. World Meditation Day 2024: 21 December

• First World Meditation Day celebrated on 21 December 2024.
• The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution, declaring 21 December 2024 as the first World Meditation Day.
• The resolution, supported by countries such as Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mexico and Andorra, was unanimously adopted by the 193-member UNGA on December 6, 2024.
• The theme of the World Meditation Day 2024 is “Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony.”
• This global event aims to promote the benefits of meditation for mental health and well-being.
• On December 20, ‘Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony’ was organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York to mark the First World Meditation Day at the UN Headquarters.
• Meditation is an ancient practice with a history dating back to around 5,000 BCE, and has historical connections to ancient Egypt, China, and a variety of spiritual traditions including Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.
• Meditation offers numerous health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure, improving emotional health and self-awareness, improving sleep quality, and promoting positive thinking and well-being.

Topic: Sports

3. The 2025 Para Athletics World Championships will be hosted in Delhi.

• The Para Athletics World Championships will be hosted in Delhi in 2025, marking a historic first for India.
• The announcement was made by the global governing body WPA on December 19, 2024.
• The competition will be held from September 26 to October 5 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the World Para Athletics Grand Prix will also be held from March 11-13.
• The Para Athletics World Championships will be the 12th edition of the event and the fourth time it will be held in Asia.
• It is expected that over 1,000 athletes from more than 100 nations will participate, with the competition being served as a key event in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Paralympic Games 2028.
• The 2025 Para Athletics World Championships will be the biggest international para sporting event ever to be held in India.
• Additionally, hosting the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships is expected to provide a significant boost to India's bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Topic: Personality in News

4. Veteran Malayalam actor Meena Ganesh passed away at the age of 81.

• On December 19, 2024, Malayalam cinema and serial actor Meena Ganesh passed away in Kerala.
• Meena has acted in over 100 films, including Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum, Karumadikkuttan, Punaradhivasam, Meesha Madhavan, and Nandanam, among others.
• Meena started her career as a theatre artist at the age of 19.
• In 1976, she entered cinema with PA Backer's film Manimuzhakkam.
• She had received numerous awards, including the Guru Pooja Award from the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy.

Topic: Defence

5. A contract worth ₹7629 crore for the procurement of K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for the Indian Army signed by the Defence Ministry.

• On 20 December, senior officials of the Ministry and representatives of Larsen and Toubro Limited signed the contract in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi.
• The procurement of K9 VAJRA-T will boost artillery modernisation and enhance the overall operational readiness of the Indian Army.
• Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, this gun is capable of delivering lethal fire over long ranges with high accuracy and a high rate of fire.
• The project will generate employment of over nine lakh man days over a period of four years and will encourage active participation of various Indian industries, including MSMEs.
• This project will be a proud flag bearer of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in line with the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Agriculture and Allied Sector

6. The MSP of Copra for the 2025 season increased by the government to ensure better returns to farmers.

• Approval for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Copra for the 2025 season has been given by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• To provide remunerative prices to farmers, the Government had announced in the Union Budget 2018-19 that the MSP of all mandated crops would be fixed at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.
• The MSP for milling copra has been fixed at ₹11,582 per quintal and for ball copra at ₹12,100 per quintal for the 2025 season.
• This represents a significant increase of 121% and 120%, respectively, compared to the MSP of ₹5,250 (milling copra) and ₹5,500 (ball copra) per quintal in 2014.
• This decision will have a financial burden of Rs 855 crore on the government.
• The MSP of milling copra is Rs 422 higher than the MSP of the 2024 season, while for ball copra it is Rs 100 higher than the MSP of the 2024 season.
• For procurement of copra and de-husked coconut under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF) will continue to function as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs).
• State governments will have a big role in this, hence this purchase will be done in collaboration with state government corporations.
• Karnataka has the highest share in copra production at 32.7%, followed by Tamil Nadu at 25.7%.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

7. Warships Nilgiri and Surat were delivered to Indian navy.

• Nilgiri and Surat are two indigenously built warships.
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd has delivered Nilgiri and Surat to Indian Navy.
• Nilgiri is the first stealth frigate of the Project 17A class ship.
• Surat is the fourth stealth destroyer of the Project 15B class guided missile destroyer.
• The warships will now go through sea trials. They have been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
• They have been constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team, Mumbai.
• Nilgiri is Project 17A's First of Class (FoC) vessel.
• Surat is capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. 72% of P15B class destroyers are indigenous.

Topic: State News/Telangana

8. Bhu Bharati (Right of Records) Bill 2024 passed by Telangana state assembly.

• This bill is brought by the Telangana government to reform the revenue system and land records and registrations in the state.
• Additionally, the bill replaces the Dharani Portal, which was introduced by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and utilised for land registrations.
• The goal of the recently proposed Act is to provide every piece of land a unique identification number.
• Similar to Aadhar, this would be called Bhu Aadhar.
• It is expected that the unique identification number will facilitate improved land record management and identification.
• This is in line with the center's plan to introduce legislation for land titling based on longitudes and latitudes.

Topic: Personality in News

9. Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala passed away on 20 December 2024.

• He has been the Haryana CM five times. He was a seven-time MLA.
• He was former chief of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
• He was the son of former 6th deputy prime minister Devi Lal.
• He has served as the 7th Chief Minister of Haryana from the Indian National Lok Dal.
• He holds record of being oldest prisoner of Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
• Chautala was guilty of illegally recruiting unqualified teachers.
• He was first sworn in as the CM in December 1989. At that time, he was a member of the Janata Dal.

Topic: Miscellaneous

10. Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been made the brand ambassador of the first Kho-Kho World Cup.

• Salman Khan has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the inaugural Kho-Kho World Cup by the Kho-Kho Federation of India (KKFI).
• At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium's National Players Training Camp, the announcement was made in front of the media.
• From January 13 to January 19, 2025, New Delhi will host the Kho-Kho World Cup.
• This week-long competition will feature 20 women's and 21 men's teams.
• There will be 24 participating nations in the tournament and players from these countries will travel to India for the competition.

Topic: Sports

11. In the latest hockey rankings, the Indian Men's Team finishes the year in fifth place, while the Women's Team ranked in the top 10.

• As per the latest update released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on December 19, the Indian men's hockey team will end the year in fifth place in the FIH World Rankings, while the women's team is placed ninth.
• The Indian men's hockey team created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning two consecutive medals at the Games for the first time since the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
• Olympic champions the Netherlands lead the rankings with 3,267 points.
• England holds second place in the world rankings with 3,139 points, closely followed by Belgium in third with 3,124 points.
• In the women's world rankings, the Netherlands topped the 2024 women's hockey rankings, followed by Argentina in second and Belgium in third.
• India is ranked ninth in the women's hockey world rankings.
• Top 10 men’s and women’s hockey teams:

Topic: Important Days

12. International Human Solidarity Day 2024: 20 December

• International Human Solidarity Day is observed annually on 20 December to promote the spirit of sharing for eradicating poverty and celebrate unity in diversity.
• Solidarity is identified in the Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st Century.
• Solidarity means those who suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most.
• On December 20, 2002, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established a World Solidarity Fund to help counter global poverty.
• In 2005, the UN designated December 20 as International Human Solidarity Day to recognise this day.
• World Solidarity Fund was set up in February 2003 as a trust fund of the United Nations Development Programme.
• Its objective is to eradicate poverty and promote human and social development in developing countries, especially among the poorest sections of their populations.