Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 September 2024

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

1. 19^th India Australia Joint Ministerial Commission Meeting in Australia will be attended by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

• He will co-chair the meeting with Minister of Trade and Tourism of Australia Don Farrell on 25 September 2024.
• At the meeting, ways to further elevate bilateral economic engagement will be discussed by both countries.
• The strong and expanding commercial and investment links between Australia and India would be further strengthened by the visit.
• After the bilateral Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was finalised, trade and investment connections between Australia and India were strengthened.
• The visit will foster cross-sector strategic alliances and business-to-business interaction.
• Union Minister Piyush Goyal also participated virtually at the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework meeting.

Topic: Science and Technology

2. India’s first CO2-to-methanol pilot plant will be set up in Pune.

• The foundation stone for India’s first CO2-to-methanol pilot plant was laid at Thermax Limited in Pune, Maharashtra.
• This is a significant step towards advancing carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies.
• The foundation stone was laid by Abhay Karandikar, Secretary to the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The plant has capacity of 1.4 tons per day (TPD). The project is implemented as a public-private partnership (PPP) between Thermax Limited and IIT-Delhi.
• The project is having an estimated cost of ₹31 crore and supported by the DST under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The findings from this pilot plant will demonstrate decarbonisation potential in coal-based thermal power sectors.
• Coal-based thermal power sectors account for 30 per cent of India’s carbon emissions.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. EPFO recorded the highest number of net members in July.

• Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) added a record 19.94 lakh net members in July 2024.
• It is the highest recorded increase since payroll data tracking began in April 2018.
• The net member enrolment under EPFO was 16.70 lakh in June 2024.
• The youth group (18-25 age group) recorded the highest-ever net payroll additions at 8.77 lakh.
• Around 3.05 lakh new female members joined EPFO in July 2024.
• In July 2024, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Gujarat’s share was 59.27 per cent of the total net member additions.
• Maharashtra led among the States/UTs with a contribution of 20.21 per cent of the total new members.
• 38.91 per cent of net additions came from expert services.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

4. U.P., Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded highest number of atrocities cases on Dalits.

• Around 97% of all cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes in 2022 were reported from 13 States.
• Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of atrocities cases on Dalits.
• Out of the total cases, Uttar Pradesh recorded 23.78% of the total cases with 12,287, followed by Rajasthan at 8,651 (16.75%) and Madhya Pradesh at 7,732 (14.97%).
• Bihar with 6,799 (13.16%), Odisha with 3,576 (6.93%), and Maharashtra with 2,706 (5.24%) are the other states with a significant number of cases of atrocities against SCs.
• These six States accounted for nearly 81% of the total cases of atrocities cases on Dalits.
• Among the SC-related cases, 60.38% led to charge sheets being filed while 14.78% were concluded with final reports.
• Among ST-related cases, 63.32% resulted in charge sheets being filed while 14.71% ended with final reports.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

5. Climate Finance Action Fund will be launched by Azerbaijan.

• The host country of Climate Conference 2024, Azerbaijan, has decided to launch a new fund to finance climate action in developing countries.
• The new fund, the “Climate Finance Action Fund” (CFAF), will receive annual contributions from fossil fuel producing countries and companies.
• The initial fundraising goal is $1 billion, with members committing to annual contributions of a fixed amount or based on production volume.
• The fund, based in the capital Baku, will target climate projects in developing countries.
• It will finance the next generation of national climate plans to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and tackle the consequences of disasters caused by climate change.
• The CFAF is part of a larger package of proposals that Azerbaijan has prepared to be included in the final outcome of COP29.
• COP29 is the 29th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• The conference is scheduled to be held in the country's capital, Baku, from November 11 to 22.
• The main agenda of COP29 is to finalise the agreement on climate finance, including the amount of money that developed countries will have to mobilise to help developing countries fight climate change in the post-2025 period.

Topic: Miscellaneous

6. 25^th edition of the IIFA Awards will be hosted by Jaipur.

• The 25th International Indian Film Academy Awards will be held from March 7 to March 9, 2025, in Jaipur.
• The IIFA and the Rajasthan Tourism Department inked a MoU for the IIFA Awards' silver jubilee celebrations, which will take place in the state capital in 2025.
• The MoU was signed by Commissioner Tourism V.P. Singh on behalf of the Tourism Department and Vice President STJ Global Entertainment and Media Suresh Iyer on behalf of the Academy.
• He said IIFA 2025 will boost tourism in Rajasthan.
• This is the second time the event is being held in India, and the first such event was held in Mumbai in 2019.
• The 2025 ceremony will also hold the first IIFA Digital Awards, honouring the best performances across digital entertainment, films and OTT content.
• In 2000, the first IIFA Awards were held in London. Since then, IIFA has been held in 14 different countries and 18 different cities.
• The 24th IIFA Awards ceremony will conclude on September 29, 2024 at Yas Island.

Topic: National News

7. Computer Security Incident Response Team-POWER facility inaugurated by Union Minister Manohar Lal.

• On September 23, the Computer Security Incident Response Team-POWER (CSIRT-POWER) facility was inaugurated at the Northern Regional Electricity Board, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi.
• The CSIRT Power Facility is a vital step in the mission to protect our power infrastructure – one of the most critical components of the national infrastructure.
• The primary objective of CSIRT-Power is to build and enhance cyber security resilience in the Indian power sector through a structured and coordinated approach.
• Cyber-attacks have emerged as a serious and growing concern, capable of causing significant disruptions with far-reaching consequences.
• The power sector, being at the heart of the national infrastructure, is a prime target for such attacks.
• The existing sub-regional Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) lack the legal authority, resources and skilled professionals required to effectively deal with cyber security incidents.
• CSIRT-POWER is a proactive response to these challenges.

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

8. World Audio-Visual and Entertainment Summit will be hosted by India in 2025.

• The World Audiovisual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) will be hosted by the Central Government from February 5 to 9, 2025, to promote the country's media and entertainment industry and enhance its global influence.
• This will be the first global summit to cover the entire gamut of aspects of the media and entertainment industry.
• The aim of the WAVES is to become a leading platform that fosters dialogue, business collaboration and innovation within the emerging industry landscape.
• The summit will bring together industry leaders, stakeholders and innovators to explore opportunities, address challenges, attract business to India and shape the future of the sector.

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

9. Pune Airport to be rename as Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Pune International Airport.

• Maharashtra government state cabinet has approved the renaming of Pune Airport as Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Pune International Airport.
• This proposal will be sent to the central government for approval.
• A Guaranteed Progression Scheme for Children's Homes Observatory staff has been also approved by the state cabinet.
• The government has also decided to add three Kunbi sub-castes to the Other Backward Classes list.
• Sant Tukaram:
  • He was a prominent saint and spiritual poet during the Bhakti movement.
  • He was born in Lohegaon in the 17th century in Dehu village, where Pune International Airport is located.
  • He is best known for his devotional poetry, which is called ‘Abhanga’.
  • He propagated Bhagwat Dharma through the Warkari community.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. Indian parliament hosted the 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India Region Conference in New Delhi.

• A two-day 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference was held in New Delhi.
• This conference was chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. It was held on 23-24 September.
• Forty-six Presiding Officers, 25 Speakers and 14 Deputy Speakers of Legislatures from States and Union Territories attended the conference.
• Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, and accompanying officers also attend the conference.
• ‘The Role of Legislative Bodies in the Attainment of Sustainable and Inclusive Development’ was the theme of the conference.
• Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region was created in 2004.
• It has 31 Member Branches, including the Parliament of India and 30 State and Union Territories Legislatures.
• This is the second time that the CPA India Region Conference was held in New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. 75 Technology Transfer Agreements (TTAs) signed by ISRO, IN-SPACe and NSIL with Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs).

• On 20 September, five TTAs were signed at IN-SPACe, Bengaluru.
• The agreements were signed with Anabond Limited, Salvo Industries Private Limited, Micropack Private Limited and Astra Microwave Products Limited.
• The Center announced space reforms in mid-2020.
• Following space reforms in India, there have been a significant number of collaborations between ISRO and various-NGEs.
• The objective of TTA is to provide private players an opportunity to access developed technologies available with ISRO.
• This will enable them to use space-related technology for commercial applications in space as well as other sectors such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure, defence, telecom and cyber security.
• This initiative is in line with India's space reforms aimed at promoting private sector participation in the space industry.

Topic: Important Days

12. International Day of Sign Languages 2024: 23 September

• Every year on September 23, the International Day of Sign Language is observed.
• International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of sign language for deaf people.
• The UN General Assembly adopted September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages to mark the establishment of the World Federation of the Deaf.
• The theme of International Day of Sign Languages 2024 is "Sign up for Sign Language Rights."
• According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are more than 70 million deaf people worldwide and more than 80% of them live in developing countries.
• They collectively use more than 300 different sign languages ​​to communicate.
• The International Week of the Deaf was first celebrated in September 1958.

Topic: International Appointments

13. Anura Kumara Dissanayake elected as the new president of Sri Lanka.

• Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka's presidential election by securing 42.31 percent of the vote.
• Dissanayake sworn in takes place at the Presidential Secretariat.
• In the recent election, the voter turnout was 76 percent, with 17 million Sri Lankans eligible to cast their ballots.
• Sajith Premadasa secured second place with 32.76 percent of the vote.
• Ranil Wickremesinghe stood in third place with 17.27 percent of the vote.
• The election was widely seen as a referendum on Wickremesinghe's leadership during Sri Lanka’s fragile economic recovery.
• Sri Lanka’s economy remains in a precarious state, despite some improvements since its default in 2022.

Topic: Art and Culture

14. ‘Laapataa Ladies’ selected as India’s official entry for Oscars 2025.

• The Film Federation of India has declared the ‘Laapataa Ladies’ movie as India’s official entry for Oscars 2025.
• The 13-member select committee headed by Assamese Director Jahnu Barua unanimously elected ‘Laapataa Ladies’.
• It was produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Kiran Rao.
• It has been named in the Best Foreign Film Category for the Oscars 2025.
• Laapataa Ladies is the story of two young newlywed brides, who get exchanged during a train ride to their husband’s homes.
• 12 Hindi films, 6 Tamil films, and 4 Malayalam films were among the 29 films competing for being India’s official entry for the 97th Oscar ceremony.