Daily Current Affairs and GK | 23 February 2024
Main Headlines:
- 1. President has appointed A S Rajeev as Vigilance Commissioner.
- 2. Mineral Production rose by 5.1% in December 2023.
- 3. In Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi unveiled development initiatives valued at over 13,000 crore rupees.
- 4. India and Denmark have decided to work together to explore new fields for mutual collaboration.
- 5. Manohar Joshi passed away at the age of 86.
- 6. World's largest snake discovered by Scientists in the Amazon rainforest.
- 7. The first private industry Commercial American spacecraft landed on the Moon.
- 8. Cabinet approves Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) for 2021-26.
- 9. The Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana launched as part of the Skill India Mission by Dharmendra Pradhan.
- 10. Railway Ministry has launched the Annual Capacity Building Plan.
- 11. India’s largest drone pilot training organisation has been launched by IIT Guwahati.
- 12. M R Kumar has been appointed as part time non official Director and non-executive Chairman of Bank of India (BOI).
- 13. Uttar Pradesh to establish its first ‘turtle conservation reserve' in Sarju river.
- 14. World Thinking Day: 22 February
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Topic: National Appointments
1. President has appointed A S Rajeev as Vigilance Commissioner.
- Former Bank of Maharashtra Chief Executive A S Rajeev has been appointed as Vigilance Commissioner.
- Under the CVC Act, the Central Vigilance Commission is a three-member body with a Central Vigilance Commissioner and two Vigilance Commissioners.
- Praveen Kumar Srivastava has been serving as Central Vigilance Commissioner since May 2023.
- Central Vigilance Commission:
- It is an apex anti-corruption government body in India.
- It was established in 1964 on the recommendation of the K. Santhanam Committee.
- It was granted statutory status in 2003 under the Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003.
- The CVC Act does not lay down specific "eligibility criteria" for the appointment of commissioners.
Topic: Indian Economy
2. Mineral Production rose by 5.1% in December 2023.
- In December 2023, mineral production has grown by 5.1% as compared to December 2022.
- For the period April to December 2023-24, the cumulative growth of Mineral Production was 8.5 per cent higher than the corresponding period of last year.
- Magnesite, Lignite, Limestone, Coal, Natural Gas, Zinc, Manganese, Lead, Copper and Bauxite have shown positive growth during December 2023.
- Production level of important minerals in December 2023 were: Coal 929 lakh, Lignite 40 lakh, Petroleum (crude) 25 lakh, Iron ore 255 lakh, Limestone 372 lakh tonnes.
- Petroleum (crude) (-1.0%), Gold (-29.9%), Chromite (-30.8%), Phosphorite (-31.2%) and Diamond (-74.4%) showed negative growth in December 2023.
Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh
3. In Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi unveiled development initiatives valued at over 13,000 crore rupees.
- The main development projects are the silk fabric printing common facility center for weavers, and the Banas Kashi Sankul milk processing unit in UPSIDA Agro Park Karkhiyaon.
- The main developmental projects also include different infrastructural works at UPSIDA Agro Park Karkhiyaon.
- In Varanasi, he laid the foundation stone for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and new medical college.
- Additionally, he laid the foundation stone for BHU's National Center of Ageing.
- He opened the District Rifle Shooting Range and Phase 1 of Sigra Sports Stadium.
- The Shivpur-Pulwaria-Lahartara Marg was inspected by PM.
Topic: International News
4. India and Denmark have decided to work together to explore new fields for mutual collaboration.
- These fields include new technology, security, and defense.
- At the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.
- During their meeting, the two Ministers discussed issues of mutual interest that were bilateral, regional, and international.
- The two ministers launched a combined logo in honor of the 75th anniversary of India and Denmark's diplomatic relations in 2024.
- Ministers praised the noteworthy results achieved under the Indo-Danish Green Strategic Partnership.
- They decided that the Green Strategic Partnership's mid-term assessment will be completed as soon as possible in 2024.
- Additionally, both parties agreed to explore the potential for a Danish contribution to the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
- They decided to work toward improving the Comprehensive Green Strategic Partnership's strategic perspective after the current Joint Action Plan ends in 2026.
- They signed a mobility and migration partnership agreement between India and Denmark.
Topic: Personality in News
5. Manohar Joshi passed away at the age of 86.
- He served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999.
- He served as Lok Sabha speaker from 2002 to 2004.
- He was a Rajya Sabha member from 2006 to 2012.
- He served as Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises from 1999 to 2002.
- He was one of the important and famous leaders of the Shiv Sena.
Topic: Environment and Ecology
6. World's largest snake discovered by Scientists in the Amazon rainforest.
- In an unprecedented discovery, researchers have discovered an unknown species of giant anaconda in the Amazon.
- This anaconda can reach a length of up to 7.5 meters and weigh about 500 kilograms.
- The researchers collaborated with the indigenous Waorani community and conducted the study in the Baihuaeri Waorani region in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
- Anaconda is a group of large snakes of the Eunectes species.
- This new species holds the record of the largest and heaviest snake ever recorded.
- Earlier, only four species of anaconda were recognised, with the green anaconda being the world’s heaviest snake and among the longest.
- It is commonly found in tropical regions of South America, such as the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo river basins.
- These anacondas are famous for their fast movements and suffocating methods of wrapping themselves around their prey and swallowing it whole.
- However, a recent study spanning several decades has shown that the green anaconda comprises two distinct genetic species.
Topic: Space and IT
7. The first private industry Commercial American spacecraft landed on the Moon.
- A Houston-based company has landed America's first spacecraft on the Moon in more than 50 years. Odysseus spacecraft is built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines.
- It is part of a new fleet of unmanned commercial robots, funded by NASA.
- Its purpose is to pave the way for astronaut missions later this decade.
- The aim of the mission is to explore the Moon's south pole, study environmental conditions, harvest ice for drinking water and rocket fuel, and contribute to the development of a broader lunar economy.
- Although flight controllers confirmed they had received a light signal, it is not clear whether the lander Odysseus is fully functional.
- The hexagon-shaped craft approached the moon's south pole at a slow speed of 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) per hour at 2323 GMT.
- Images from the external "EagleCam", which were to have been shot during the final seconds of the spacecraft's descent, may have been released.
- Odysseus was launched on February 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It has a new type of supercooled liquid oxygen, liquid methane propulsion system.
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Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
8. Cabinet approves Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) for 2021-26.
- The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation's proposal to continue the FMBAP with a total outlay of Rs 4,100 crore has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
- The Flood Management Programme (FMP) component and the River Management and Border Areas (RMBA) component are the two parts of the scheme.
- The State Governments would get central assistance for undertaking key works relating to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, and anti-sea erosion, under the FMP component of the FMBAP with an outlay of Rs 2940 crore.
- Under the FMBAP's RMBA component, erosion control and flood control on shared border rivers with neighboring nations will be taken up. It has an outlay of Rs 1160 crore.
- The work under the RMBA component will be completed with 100% central assistance.
- Primary responsibility of flood management lies with the State Governments.
- Union Government has decided to supplement the State Governments’ efforts in flood management.
- Under the Scheme, the States which implement flood plain zoning will be incentivized.
- Flood plain zoning is a non-structural measure for flood management.
Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
9. The Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana launched as part of the Skill India Mission by Dharmendra Pradhan.
- In Sambalpur, Odisha, Union Minister of Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana.
- Nine cities saw a virtual launch of the campaign. Bhopal, Kanpur, Indore, Varanasi, Bharatpur, Shillong, Silchar, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati are these cities.
- This National Entrepreneurship Development Project is designed exclusively for PM SVANidhi scheme participants.
- It emphasizes the government's unwavering dedication to supporting employment providers all over the country.
- Its goal is to give them thorough training in entrepreneurship.
- The aim of this project is to improve the competitiveness and adaptability of workers in an era of disruptive technologies by reskilling and upskilling them.
- Over the course of 22 weeks, complete training in entrepreneurship will be provided under the National Entrepreneurship Development Project.
- The training will be provided through offline, online and hybrid modes.
- The PM SVANidhi Yojana participants will benefit from the National Entrepreneurship Development Project.
- It will enable street vendors and small business owners advance their skills.
- Flipkart and the Indian government are working together to train small business owners and street vendors.
- Ten major cities' street vendors will receive training and a stipend as part of the pilot program to help them grow their businesses.
- The project will initially focus on ensuring 40% participation by women.
Topic: National News
10. Railway Ministry has launched the Annual Capacity Building Plan.
- Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the Annual Capacity Building Plan for his Ministry.
- The annual plan has been drafted to ensure capacity building and holistic development of manpower.
- This capacity-building plan has been prepared in association with the Railway Board.
- The Annual Capacity Building Plan aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of railway employees. It will increase efficiency and improve service delivery.
- This plan will focus on the development of organisational capabilities, including the implementation of new technologies, improving customer service, and promoting a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
- As of Feb 2023, Indian Railways has a strong workforce of over 11.75 lakh employees.
Topic: National News
11. India’s largest drone pilot training organisation has been launched by IIT Guwahati.
- IIT Guwahati, in collaboration with EduRade, launched India’s largest Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO).
- EduRade is a brand owned by RC HobbyTech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and is incubated at IIT Guwahati Research Park.
- It is spread over 18 acres and boasts the capability to fly nine medium-class drones simultaneously.
- The main objective of this pilot training organisation is to promote drone technology in India.
- A DGCA-Certified Medium Class Drone Pilot Training Course will be introduced by the RPTO.
- It will help in enhancing the skills of youth in the North East and other regions of India.
- This Pilot Training Organization will also provide training to women from self-help groups (SHGs) engaged in agriculture and identified under the Namo Drone Didi Yojna.
- After completion of the course from this training organisation, students will get a Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) sanctioned by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Topic: National Appointments
12. M R Kumar has been appointed as part time non official Director and non-executive Chairman of Bank of India (BOI).
- He has been appointed for the post in Bank of India for a term of three years. He is former LIC Chairman.
- Srinivasan Sridhar has been appointed as part time non official Director and non-executive Chairman on the Board of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).
- Sridhar has been appointed for a term of three years. His appointment is subject to the condition that he resigns from the Board of Bank of Baroda.
- Aravamudan Krishna Kumar has been appointed as part time non official Director and non-executive Chairman on the Board of UCO Bank.
- He has been appointed for a period of three years. His appointment is subject to his resignation from the Board of Suraksha Asset Reconstruction Limited.
Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh
13. Uttar Pradesh to establish its first ‘turtle conservation reserve' in Sarju river.
- Uttar Pradesh’s forest department is set to establish a turtle conservation reserve in the Sarju River.
- Sarju River, a tributary of Ghaghra, in the Gonda district is known for "rich turtle diversity".
- A 2 km stretch of river Sarju has been proposed for the reserve. It is also rich in species of plants, birds, fish, and water snakes.
- Sarju is the only river in India where nine turtle species are found. Eight of these are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
- A management plan for an initial period of 10 years will be implemented for not only conserving turtles but also 30 species of fish and 50 species of birds.
- The management plan will also lay special emphasis on protecting the river stream from pollution.
- The population of the endangered crowned river turtle has decreased drastically in the past two decades.
Topic: Important Days
14. World Thinking Day: 22 February
- It is celebrated annually on February 22 to celebrate friendship, sisterhood, and empowerment of women.
- It provides a platform for raising funds for the development of 10 million Young Girl Guides and Young Lady Scouts globally.
- The theme of World Thinking Day 2024 is 'Our World, Our Thriving Future'.
- The theme is focused on creating a sustainable and inclusive world where girls have the potential to flourish.
- It is a day to honour the courage, strength, and determination of girls and women worldwide.
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