Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 December 2024

Topic: Corporates/Companies

1. Nissan and Honda announced a merger, set to be completed by August 2026.

• Japanese auto majors Honda Motor Company (Honda), Nissan Motor (Nissan) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (Mitsubishi Motors) joined hands to co-develop future products.
• Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to formally begin talks to deepen the partnership.
• Both Nissan and Honda will operate as fully owned subsidiaries of this company.
• They aim to become a “world-class mobility company” with sales revenue exceeding 30 trillion yen and operating profit of more than 3 trillion yen.
• Honda and Nissan plan to complete the talks by June 2025. They will establish a joint holding company through a joint share transfer.
• Due to a decline in sales in China and the US, Nissan Motor has been struggling to reduce costs by USD 2.6 billion in the current fiscal year.

Topic: Sports

2. Shahu Tushar Mane won Gold medal at senior national shooting championship in Bhopal.

• At the 67th National Shooting Championship, Shahu Tushar Mane clinched the gold medal in the men’s 10m Air Rifle competition.
• He defeated Dhanush Srikanth who bagged the silver medal.
• Yash Vardhan clinched the bronze medal, finishing ahead of Rudrankksh Patil.
• In the men’s junior national final, Rudrankksh Patil clinched the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle category.
• Abishek Sekhar of Karnataka bagged the silver, while Haryana’s Himanshu won the bronze medal.
• In the men’s 10m Air Rifle Youth event, Madhya Pradesh’s Yash Pandey won the silver medal, while West Bengal’s Abhinav Shaw won the bronze medal.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

3. India has jumped from 60th position to 49th position in the 'Network Readiness Index'.

• India has achieved significant advancements in technology and innovation, climbing 11 positions to secure the 49th spot in the Network Readiness Index 2024 (NRI 2024) compared to the previous year.
• Released by the Washington DC-based Portulans Institute, the Index assesses countries on their utilization of technology to improve governance, foster citizen engagement, and create a broader impact.
• In the Network Readiness Index 2024, the USA ranked first with a score of 78.96, followed by Singapore in 2nd place with a score of 76.94 and Finland in 3rd place with a score of 75.76.
• Sweden ranks fourth with a score of 74.99, and the Republic of Korea ranks fifth with a score of 74.85.
• In 2023, India's position has advanced by 11 places, rising from 60th with 49.93 points.
• In 2024, the country improved the ranking and also improved its overall score to 53.63, reflecting its continued efforts in advancing technology, research, and digital infrastructure.
• India's progress in areas such as artificial intelligence, mobile networks, and broadband has been helpful in achieving this growth.
• The country is leveraging these technologies for global research and also using them to make the lives of its citizens easier.

Topic: National Appointment

4. V. Ramasubramanian appointed as the Chairperson of the NHRC.

• On December 23, retired Supreme Court judge V. Ramasubramanian was appointed the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
• Justice Ramasubramanian has been appointed by President Droupadi Murmu.
• Priyank Kanoongo and Dr. Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (Retd.) have also been appointed as members of the commission.
• Justice Ramasubramanian was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court on September 23, 2019, and will retire on June 29, 2023.
• The appointment comes months after former Supreme Court judge (retired) Arun Kumar Mishra ended his term as NHRC chairperson on June 1 this year.
• Following Mishra's retirement, Vijaya Bharti Sayani became the acting chairperson of the human rights panel.

Topic: Space and IT

5. SpaDeX mission is set to be launched by ISRO on December 30.

• India will launch its SPADEX mission, which aims to develop and demonstrate the technology required to dock and undock spacecraft in space.
• For this, India will use PSLV-C60 from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
• The SPADEX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstration mission to demonstrate 'in-space docking' using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV.
• This technology is essential for India's space ambitions, such as India's journey to the Moon, bringing back samples from the Moon, and the construction and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).
• In-space docking technology is very important when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.
• With this mission, India is poised to become the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology.
• The SpaDeX mission consists of two small spacecraft, each weighing about 220 kg.
• PSLV-C60 will launch this spacecraft independently and simultaneously into a 470 km circular orbit at a 55° inclination, with a local time cycle of about 66 days.

Topic: Important Days

6. National Consumer Day: 24 December

• National Consumer Day is celebrated every year on 24th December to highlight the importance of the consumer movement.
• This day is also celebrated to spread awareness about the rights and responsibilities of every consumer.
• The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted on 24th December 1986 (replaced by Consumer Protection Act 2019 from 20th July 2020).
• This year, the theme of National Consumer Day is “Virtual Hearings & Digital Access to Consumer Justice”.
• As per the Consumer Protection Act, every Indian consumer has got six rights.
  • Right to security
  • Right to Information
  • Right to choose
  • Right to have a say
  • Right to grievance and redressal
  • Right to education of consumer rights

Topic: National News

7. Total 15 tableaux have been selected from various states and UTs for Republic Day Parade 2025.

• According to Ministry of Defence, the theme of tableaux for Republic Day 2025 will be ‘Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas’.
• Fifteen states and UTs include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadar Nagar Haveli and Daman, and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka and among others.
• 11 Ministries and the Department of Union government have also been selected for Republic Day Parade 2025.
• The selected tableaux would showcase India’s diverse strengths.

Topic: National News

8. 16 states and 2 UTs, including Delhi, have already done away with the no-detention policy for classes 5 and 8.

• ‘No detention policy’ for class 5 and 8 students will apply to 3,000 schools of the Central Government, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools.
• As per the notification, if a child fails to fulfil the promotion criteria, then he/ she will get additional opportunities through re-examination within two months.
• If a child fails in the re-examination, he/she will be held back in the same class.
• However, the government has notified that no child shall be expelled from any school till completion of elementary education.
• 16 states and 2 UTs, including Delhi, have already done away with the no-detention policy for classes 5 to 8.
• Under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the government is aiming to improve the learning outcomes among students.

Topic: Personality in News

9. Film director Shyam Benegal passed away in Mumbai.

• Acclaimed film director Shyam Benegal passed away in Mumbai at the age of 90.
• He has won several National Awards for movies, including Manthan (1976), Bhumika: The Role (1977), Junoon (1978), Arohan (1982), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004), and Well Done Abba (2010).
• During his career spanning around six decades, he won several awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the National Film Awards, Padma Shree, and Padma Bhushan.
• He also worked as a teacher at the Film and Television Institute of India and served as its chairman twice.
• He had also served as Director of the National Film Development Corporation.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

10. Madhya Pradesh has been recognized as one of the ‘Go-To Global Destinations for 2025’ by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

• The honour highlights the state's rich heritage, unique wildlife and exceptional natural beauty.
• This global recognition reinforces Madhya Pradesh's position as a world-class tourist destination.
• With UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Tiger Reserves and vibrant cultural experiences, our state offers unique experiences for every traveller.
• The renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites Khajuraho, Panna and Bandhavgarh, known for their cultural significance, thrilling wildlife encounters and breathtaking landscapes, have been featured in WSJ's recognition.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Committee/Commission/Taskforce

11. A committee was formed by the government to look into the overall capability development of the IAF.

• Amid the growing airpower of China and Pakistan and the shortage of fighter jets in the Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry has set up a high-level committee.
• The committee, headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, will focus on overall capability development of the Air Force through indigenous design, development, and acquisition projects.
• The Indian Air Force made detailed presentations to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Air Force Commanders' Conference in the national capital in November 2024, leading to the formation of the committee.
• In the next two to three months, the committee is expected to submit its report to the Defence Minister, containing a detailed assessment of the force's requirements.
• The Indian Air Force has been able to induct only 36 new Rafale jets under the 4.5 plus generation fighter aircraft.
• It aims to get an adequate number of these jets mainly to deal with the threat posed by China, which is also providing weapons and equipment to the Pakistan Air Force.
• The Indian Air Force's plan to acquire over 110 4.5-plus generation fighter aircraft has been pending, and the committee may propose addressing this need through indigenous development.

Topic: Indian Economy

12. 'Track and Trace Mechanism' has been approved by GST Council.

• The GST council has approved a proposal to implement the 'Track and Trace Mechanism' for specified evasion-prone commodities.
• The GST Council will track cigarettes and pan masala to stop tax evasion.
• A unique code will be placed on these products. It will help the government follow the products.
• World Health Organization (WHO) has also supported such mechanisms under the Convention on Tobacco Control and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
• European Union, the UK, and Turkey use this type of system to monitor the supply chain and reduce illegal trade.
• In these countries, all entities involved in manufacturing, importing, storing, selling, or transporting tobacco products must register and use unique IDs.
• This will reduce tax leakages and improve compliance in the tobacco and related industries.

Topic: Personality in News

13. Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American entrepreneur, has been appointed by Donald Trump.

• U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named Sriram Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence.
• He will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
• He will focus on American leadership in AI and will help shape and coordinate AI policy across the government.
• He has been an insightful thinker and influential commentator in the artificial intelligence realm.