Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 and 30 September 2024

Topic: Indian Economy

1. Government proposed 2022-23 as the new base year for GDP computation.

• The Statistics Ministry will publish GDP (Gross Domestic Product) with the new base year of 2022-23 in February 2026.
• The base year will be also changed for retail inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index and factory output growth, based on the Index of Industrial Production.
• At present, the base year is 2011-12 for the GDP calculations.
• The Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics (ACNAS) was constituted under the Chairmanship of Biswanath Goldar will complete the exercise by early 2026.
• The government is making several adjustments to improve the GDP calculations.
• The proposed shift in the GDP base year in India is a step towards improving the accuracy and relevance of economic data.
• Last base year revision for GDP was conducted in 2015 at that time it was changed to 2011-12 from 2004-05.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a key economic indicator that measures the total value of goods and services produced within a country's borders.

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

2. Udhayanidhi Stalin became deputy CM of Tamil Nadu.

• Udhayanidhi Stalin has been appointed as the deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
• Four other Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
• The swearing ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
• He was serving as the minister for youth welfare and sports development.
• Under his new role, he will also oversee the planning and development portfolio.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji won Best Actor awards at the 2024 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.

• The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2024 was held in Abu Dhabi.
• On September 27, the three-day festival began with IIFA Utsavam and concluded on September 29.
• The complete list of winners for IIFA 2024:

Topic: Sports

4. New National Cricket Academy inaugurated in Bengaluru by BCCI.

• On September 29, the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) was inaugurated in Bengaluru by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• This facility, which spans more than 40 acres, aims to become India's centre for developing cricket talent and promoting sports science.
• According to the BCCI, the Centre of Excellence has a total of three grounds and 86 pitches, including both indoor and outdoor areas, indicating its capability to provide comprehensive training facilities.
• Ground A, the main venue, features an 85-yard boundary with 13 Mumbai red soil pitches.
• It is equipped with advanced floodlights and modern broadcasting facilities, allowing for night matches and live telecasts.
• Grounds B and C serve as dedicated practice grounds with 75-yard boundaries, featuring 11 Mandya soil pitches and 9 Black Cotton soil pitches from Kalahandi, Odisha, respectively.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

5. The dominance of fossil fuels in electricity generation will end by 2030.

• According to the latest report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it has estimated that the dominance of fossil fuels in power generation will end by the end of the decade.
• The central bank estimates that renewable energy will contribute more than 50% of global electricity generation as part of a significant energy transition.
• The report highlights the acceleration in the transition to clean energy, noting unprecedented levels of growth in the deployment of and capital investment in clean technologies.
• In addition, the RBI stressed that increasing clean energy generation provides an opportunity to tackle “hard-to-abate” sectors such as steelmaking and aviation, where low-carbon alternatives are still being developed.
• The RBI pointed out that for every dollar invested in fossil fuels in the coming years, approximately three dollars should be allocated to renewable energy.
• This represents a significant change from the current investment ratio, where both sectors receive equal funding.
• Tripping renewable energy capacity by 2030 is considered essential to achieve net-zero emissions targets by mid-century.
• Additionally, the estimated cost of establishing a fully decarbonized global energy system by 2050 will reach approximately US$215 trillion, as indicated by the RBI.

Topic: Sports

6. India won seven medals at the Junior World Wushu Championships 2024.

• The Indian team won seven medals including two gold, one silver and four bronze medals at the Junior World Wushu Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
• Aryan of India won the gold medal by defeating Gong Huanran of China in the boys group junior 48kg weight category.
• Shaurya won another gold medal in the boys' 48kg (kids) category by defeating his Iranian opponent Alireza Zamani.
• A 24-member Indian team participated in this tournament.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Three villages in Madhya Pradesh have been awarded the title of ‘Best Tourism Village’ by the central government.

• The names of villages are Pranpur, Sabarvani, and Ladpura Khas.
• Pranpur is located in Ashoknagar district. It has received the title in the Craft category.
• Sabarvani in Chhindwara district and Ladpura Khas in Niwari district have received the title in the Responsible Tourism category.
• The three villages have been recognized as part of the Best Tourism Villages competition 2024, organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
• In 2023, the effort was started to find and highlight villages that preserve their natural and cultural heritage by using sustainable techniques.
• This year, 36 villages were recognized across eight categories.
• Best Tourism Villages Competition was launched in 2023.
• In first edition of the Best Tourism Villages Competition in 2023, applications were received from 795 villages.
• The second edition of the Best Tourism Villages Competition saw 991 applications from 30 States and UTs.

Topic: Geography

8. Hurricane Helene’s destruction across the southeastern United States has left 93 people dead.

• Deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
• Hurricane Helene was a large, fast-moving tropical cyclone.
• It was the strongest on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida.
• This is the fifth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
• Helene developed from a broad low pressure area, the Central American gyre, in the Western Caribbean Sea in late September.
• A cyclone is called a ‘hurricane’ in the American continent. In Japan, it is called a ‘typhoon’.
• A cyclone is a very low-pressure system with very high-speed winds revolving around it.

Topic: National News

9. Government released new draft guidelines on passive euthanasia.

• Union Health Ministry released a new draft of guidelines on passive euthanasia.
• The new guidelines suggest that doctors should make considered decisions on withdrawing life support for terminally ill patients based on specific conditions.
• The guidelines aim to ensure that decisions have been taken in the best interest of patients by considering factors like brainstem death and informed refusal by the patient or their kin.
• The ‘Draft Guidelines for Withdrawal of Life Support in Terminally Ill Patients’ also states that doctors should not consider the decision to not start a life-supporting measure in a terminally ill patient that is unlikely to benefit the patient.
• The Union ministry has invited feedback and suggestions from the stakeholders on the draft by October 20.
• The draft document states that many patients in the ICU are terminally ill, and not expected to benefit from life-sustaining treatments (LST).

Topic: Sports

10. Gulveer Singh won the gold medal at the World Athletics Continental Tour.

• An Indian athlete Gulveer Singh won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race at Japan's World Athletics Continental Tour.
• He set a new national record with a time of 13 minutes and 11.82 seconds.
• This broke his previous record of 13 minutes and 18.92 seconds in California.
• He crossed the finish line in 27 minutes and 41.81 seconds.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

11. Women in space leadership programme has been launched by India to boost gender equality.

• The programme has been launched as part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
• It has been launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in collaboration with the British Council, on September 24, 2024.
• The aim of the initiative is to strengthen gender-inclusive practices within institutions to increase women's leadership in space sciences by the development of a strategic leadership framework.
• The program's goal is to increase 250 early-career researchers' potential for leadership.
• By incorporating a female perspective into important fields like astrophysics and telecommunications, the initiative seeks to improve scientific innovation and establish long-lasting mentoring networks.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

12. Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) inaugurated by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

• Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) has been inaugurated along the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway-44 in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) is an eco-initiative.
• It has been developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• It has been developed near Jamtha, along the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway-44.
• The park covers a total area of 8.23 hectares, including 2.5 hectares dedicated to social forestry.
• The park is designed to serve as a natural bird habitat.
• It is also designed to serve as a recreational space for locals and tourists.
• The project integrates environmental sustainability and recreational facilities.
• The project was formally approved in March 2023 with a development cost of ₹14.31 crores.

Topic: Important Days

13. World Heart Day: 29 September

• World Heart Day is an international event observed annually on September 29.
• It is observed to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and promote heart health.
• From 2024 to 2026, the campaign will focus on the theme "Use Heart for Action”.
• World Heart Day was started by the World Heart Federation (WHF) in 1999 in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Around 18.6 million deaths occur annually due to cardiovascular diseases.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

14. RBI organized a conference on the governance of small finance banks.

• A day-long conference for the directors of Small Finance Banks (SFB) has been organized in Bengaluru.
• The theme of the conference was ‘Governance in SFBs: Driving Sustainable Growth and Stability’.
• RBI Deputy Governor Mr Swaminathan J to encourage directors to be vigilant and proactive in identifying and mitigating emerging risks.
• He also highlighted the importance of sustainable business models.
• Technical sessions on the ‘Governance and Assurance Functions’, ‘Business Risk – Regulatory and Supervisory Expectations’ and ‘IT Systems and Cybersecurity’ were also part of this conference.