Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 October 2024

Topic: Defence

1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 2^nd edition of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in New Delhi.

• The Chanakya Defence Dialogue is flagship international seminar.
• He also launched the Indian Army’s Green Initiative 1.0 and Digitisation of IA 1.0.
• He delivered a keynote address on ‘India’s Vision for Development and Security’.
• He underscored the importance of comprehensive security in achieving Viksit Bharat in 2047.
• Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi also addressed the audience.
• The two-day event brings together policymakers, strategic thinkers, academics, defence personnel, veterans, and scientists.
• Prominent speakers from the United States, Russia, Israel, and Sri Lanka are also taking part in the dialogue.
• The dialogue will explore India’s strategic pathways towards Viksit Bharat in 2047.
• The Chanakya Defence Dialogue consists of six expert-led sessions.
• Each session focuses on critical aspects of comprehensive security.

Topic: National News

2. Government has launched two-year nationwide celebration for 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

• As per the government announcement, two-year long nationwide celebration will begin this year.
• Government has taken this decision to honour contributions of Sardar Patel.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that his pivotal role in unifying India from Kashmir to Lakshadweep remain indelible.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31 October 1875. He is known as Iron Man of India.
• He served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from 1947 to 1950.
• He is remembered as the "patron saint of India's civil servants".

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

3. Supreme Court upheld the States’ right to regulate industrial alcohol.

• A Constitution bench of nine judges with a majority of 8:1 upheld the States’ right to regulate industrial alcohol.
• Entry 8 gives States the power to regulate the production, manufacture, possession, transport, purchase and sale of intoxicating liquor.
• SC judges stated that the phrase ‘intoxicating liquor’ in Entry 8 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution would include industrial alcohol within its ambit.
• Entry 8 of List II seeks to enhance the scope of the entry beyond potable alcohol.
• The Supreme Court stated that Entry 8 was both an industry-based as well as a product-based entry in the State List.
• CJI stated that the term ‘intoxicating liquor’ in Entry 8 should have a broad definition as far as possible.
• Many states had challenged the Centre’s position that it had exclusive control over industrial alcohol.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Government integrated 12 schemes on the eShram portal.

• The Central Government’s ‘eShram-One Stop Solution’ portal aims to integrate information on welfare schemes for unorganised workers.
• It has integrated 12 schemes of different Central Ministries and Departments into the eShram portal.
• This portal was launched with the objective of creating a ‘National Database of Unorganised Workers’ and providing workers with a Universal Account Number (UAN).
• More than 30 crore unorganised workers have enrolled on the eShram portal.
• The Labour Ministry is offering services in some regional languages and is also conducting outreach programs. 

(Source: Labour Ministry)

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

5. RTI museum foundation stone has been laid in Beawar, Rajasthan.

• The foundation stone for the Right to Information Museum was laid in Beawar, Rajasthan. It is the birthplace of the RTI movement.
• A stone slab with the Preamble of the Constitution inscribed in Hindi and English was laid on the RTI museum’s land.
• The museum would act as a resource centre for reference and learning on rights-based movements.
• It will also serve as a central repository and archive all the documents, materials and film footage available with the MKSS and other organisations.
• About 13.5 lakh people in Rajasthan have been waiting for the release of their pensions.
• During the annual verification exercise, these people's pensions have been cancelled for reasons marked as ‘dead’ or ‘out of State’.
• “The Right to Information Act” was notified in the Gazette of India on 21st June 2005.
• The State of Tamil Nadu enacted the first Right to Information Act.

opic: Reports and Indices

6. According to the 'Travel Trends Report', Shillong surpasses Baku as the most popular destination for Indian travellers in 2025.

• 'Travel Trends Report' has been released by international travel service Skyscanner.
• The only city listed in the annual report is Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.
• Sixty-six percent of Indians intend to "travel more" in the upcoming year, according to the report.
• Known as the Scotland of the East, Shillong in India is followed by Baku, Azerbaijan and Langkawi, Malaysia.
• The report also mentions al-Ula in Saudi Arabia, Tromso in Norway, and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
• Additionally, a new list titled "Best Value Destinations category" has been released.
• This lists the places that offer the best value and have shown the most decrease in airline costs from India in the past 12 months.
• Almaty, Kazakhstan, is at the top of the list, with flight costs having decreased by 44%.
• Jakarta, Indonesia, comes in second with 27%, followed by Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia, with 19%.

Topic: Important Days

7. United Nations Day: 24 October

• United Nations Day is celebrated annually to commemorate the official creation of the United Nations on 24 October 1945.
• October 24th is United Nations Day. This day commemorates the anniversary of the UN Charter's adoption in 1945.
• After World War II, the United Nations was founded.
• Fifty government officials met in San Francisco on April 25, 1945, to draft the United Nations Charter.
• On June 25, this proposal was approved, and on October 24, the United Nations was formally established.
• Despite the fact that the charter was adopted in 1945, the United Nations did not officially recognise October 24 as United Nations Day until 1948.
• The UN General Assembly later suggested that member states declare it a public holiday in 1971.
• The phrase 'United Nations' was first used by former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• On January 1, 1942, it was first stated in the United Nations Declaration.
• There are currently 193 member states in the organisation, up from 51 at its founding.

Topic: International News

8. Israel has joined Asian Development Bank (ADB) as 69^th member.

• Israel is the newest non-regional member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• Israel’s entry was approved by the bank’s board of governors in April 2022.
• This was subject to completion of membership requirements.
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be the country’s representative.
• The bank now has 69 members. Japan and the United States are the major contributors to its capital.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB):
  • It is a regional development bank established in 1966.
  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
  • Current President: Masatsugu Asakawa

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

9. Kazan Declaration adopted at the BRICS summit.

• On October 23, the 16th BRICS summit concluded with the adoption of the Kazan Declaration, a comprehensive document outlining key areas of cooperation and the bloc's unified stance on global issues.
• The summit held in Kazan, Russia, saw useful discussions on strengthening multilateralism, combating terrorism, promoting economic growth and addressing concerns of the global south.
• The summit was attended by leaders from more than 20 countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
• Under the theme "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security," the Kazan Declaration stressed the importance of BRICS solidarity and strategic partnership.
• The declaration reaffirmed support for the aspirations of member states to become permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
• Cooperation in the financial sector was another element of the declaration, including elements such as payment settlement in national currencies.
• During the summit, climate change was also another area of ​​interest for all the leaders.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Andhra Pradesh

10. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is planning to make a new law to promote the youth population.

• Concerned about the ageing population in southern states, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged his state's citizens to have more children.
• He also said that his government is planning to bring a law under which only people who have more than two children will be eligible to contest local body elections.
• The government is considering giving incentives to families who have more children and encouraging couples to have more children.
• Naidu said that in many districts only elderly people are left in the villages as the younger generation has migrated to other parts of the country and abroad.
• India's average population growth has declined from 6.2% in the 1950s to 2.1% in 2021, and in Andhra Pradesh the number has declined to 1.6%.
• After 2047, the number of elderly people in Andhra Pradesh will be more than that of youth.

Topic: National News

11. The International Incoming Spoofed Call Prevention System launched by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi on 22 October.

• The system has been jointly developed by the Department of Communications and Telecom Services to identify and block international fraudulent calls coming to Indian telecom consumers.
• The system was rolled out and within 24 hours, about 1.35 crore international calls to Indian phone numbers were identified as fraudulent and blocked by telecom service providers.
• These fake calls are often used for financial scams, impersonating government officials, and to spread panic.
• Besides this, cases of threats of shutting down mobile numbers, fake digital arrests, sending drugs or narcotics in couriers, pretending to be police officers, arrests in sex rackets, etc. have also come to light under cybercrime.
• Those who have already lost money or become victims of cyber crime can report it on the cyber crime helpline number 1930 or on the website https://www.cybercrime.gov.in.

Topic: International Appointments

12. Luong Cuong elected as president of Vietnam.

• Luong Cuong is the member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat.
• On 21 October, Kuong was elected president at the ongoing 8th session of the 15th term National Assembly (NA) for a term until 2026.
• All 440 delegates present at the meeting, which was 91.67% of the total number of NA delegates, voted in favour of it.
• Kuong replaced Toh Lam, who was formally appointed secretary-general of the ruling Communist Party in August.
• The role of secretary-general is the most powerful position in Vietnam, while the presidency is mostly ceremonial and involves meeting foreign dignitaries.
• The current Prime Minister is Phạm Minh Chính of Vietnam. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi, and the currency is the Vietnamese đồng.

Topic: International Appointments

13. Justice Yahya Afridi has been elected as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.

• A special parliamentary committee has selected Justice Yahya Afridi as the next chief justice of Pakistan.
• The committee has selected Justice Yahya Afridi from among the three most senior Supreme Court judges.
• Recently, the 26th Constitutional Amendment has been passed.
• This amendment has introduced significant changes to the judiciary.
• Justice Yahya Afridi has been chosen over Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who was previously in line to become chief justice under the old system.
• The committee’s decision will now be presented to the prime minister and then to the president for final approval.

Topic: Sports

14. India will host the 16th Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram.

• India will host the 16th edition of the Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram, Haryana.
• 114 players from 31 nations, including 27 from India, will participate in this tournament.
• In 2016, Aditi Ashok made history as the first Indian to win the Women’s Indian Open.
• The Women’s Indian Open is India’s most prestigious women’s golf event. It was started in 2007.
• Indian stars Hitaashee Bakshi, Vani Kapoor, Gaurika Bishnoi, Amandeep Drall, and Ridhima Dilawari will participate in this tournament.