Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 August 2024

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

1. Scientists discovered human body’s natural killer cells that protect from cancer.

• Scientists at the University of Southampton made a groundbreaking discovery in cancer research.

• It has discovered how the body’s natural killer cells can identify and target cancer cells.
• As per scientists, the human body’s immune system recognizes and attacks cancer cells. Killer cells are an emerging form of immunotherapy.
• As per the research team, a peptide derived from the XPO1 protein attracts natural killer cells which triggers the body’s immune response against cancerous cells.
• Patients with cancer who had both active killer cells and high levels of XPO1 showed significantly better survival rates.
• It will help in developing targeted therapies that will use the body’s own immune system.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. Government launched the Retired Sportsperson Empowerment Training (RESET) Programme.

• “Retired Sportsperson Empowerment Training” (RESET) Programme was launched by the Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on National Sports Day.
• RESET Programme aim is to empower retired sportspersons who have brought immense laurels to the nation.
• The programme will support retired athletes on their career development journey by empowering them with the necessary knowledge and skills and making them more employable.
• RESET programme will bridge the gap between generations.
• It will help retired sportsperson to share their unique skills to the aspiring athletes of the new generation.
• Retired sports person aged between 20-50 years and have been winners of an International Medal/participants in international events or have been National medallists/State medallists/participants in competitions are eligible for this programme.
• Initially, the programmes will be implemented on two levels based on educational qualifications: Class 12th and above and Class 11th and below.
• Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) will be the lead institute in implementing the programme.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. India's GDP growth forecast for FY24 raised to 7.2% by Moody's Ratings.

• Moody's Ratings has raised its real GDP growth forecast for India, estimating a robust 7.2% growth for FY24, compared to the previous estimate of 6.8%.
• The New York-based global rating agency also raised its growth projections for 2025 to 6.6% from 6.4%.
• The revised projections have been attributed by the report to robust and widespread growth, which has been fuelled by resilient private consumption and improved business conditions.
• Moody's said that despite tight monetary policy and fiscal consolidation efforts, the Indian economy grew 7.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024.
• It also highlighted that both the industrial and services sectors are flourishing, as evident by the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) remaining above 60 since the beginning of the year.
• Apart from this, the report highlighted the expected strengthening of the capital expenditure (capex) cycle, supported by rising capacity utilisation and continued government infrastructure spending.

Topic: State News/Bihar

4. Sports University inaugurated in Rajgir by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

• On the occasion of National Sports Day on August 29, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated a state-of-the-art sports academy, sports complex, and sports university in Rajgir.
• The sports complex also has a 24-bed hospital equipped with modern treatment facilities for sports injuries.
• This will be the first such sports venue in the country where there will be a sports complex and sports university at one place.
• The Rajgir Sports Complex has facilities to host 24 types of indoor and outdoor games.
• Three Centers of Excellence for wrestling, weightlifting, and athletics have been set up on the campus to promote new talent.
• This Sports University will offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses with specialisation in sports management, sports nutrition, and sports science technology.
• It is going to have the largest sports library in the country, after the National Institute of Sports, Patiala.

Topic: State News / Maharashtra

5. Mega projects and fintech innovation launched in Maharashtra by PM Modi on August 30.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Maharashtra on August 30.
• He laid the foundation stone of the Vadhavan Port project costing around Rs 76,000 crore in Palghar and also addressed the Global Fintech Fest 2024 in Mumbai.
• The Vadhavan Port Project will be one of the largest deep-water ports in India and will enhance India's maritime connectivity and strengthen its position as a global trade hub.
• The Global Fintech Fest (GFF) provides a platform to showcase India's progress in the world of Fintech and brings together key stakeholders in the sector.
• The Payments Council of India, National Payments Corporation of India, and Fintech Convergence Council collaborated to jointly organise the GFF.
• In addition, 218 fisheries projects worth around Rs 1,560 crore were also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone by Prime Minister Modi.
• It aims to boost the infrastructure and productivity of the sector across the country.
• Apart from these, the National Roll Out of Ship Communication and Assistance System was launched by the Prime Minister at a cost of approximately Rs 360 crore.
• Under this project, 1 lakh transponders will be installed on mechanised and motorised fishing vessels in 13 coastal states and union territories in a phased manner.

Topic: Report and Indices/Ranking

6. Hurun India Rich List is topped by Gautam Adani with Rs 11.6 lakh crore, followed by Mukesh Ambani.

• On July 27, the Hurun India Rich List 2024 was released, highlighting significant changes in the wealth rankings of India's top industrialists.
• Adani Group founder Gautam Adani topped this year's list, surpassing Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.
• Adani's wealth increased to nearly Rs 11.6 lakh crore, an increase of 95% compared to last year.
• At the same time, Ambani and his family are in second place with a total wealth of Rs 10.1 lakh crore.
• The Shiv Nadar family is third on the list, followed by Cyrus S. Poonawala of the Serum Institute of India and Dilip Sanghvi of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.
• Over the past five years, six individuals have consistently featured in India's top 10: Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, Shiv Nadar, Cyrus S Poonawala, Gopichand Hinduja, and Radhakishan Damani.
• The total number of Indian billionaires has increased to 334, with a combined wealth of Rs 159 lakh crore.
• The youngest billionaire on the list is 21-year-old Kaivalya Vohra, co-founder of quick commerce startup Zepto, while the youngest self-made woman entrepreneur is 42-year-old Neha Bansal, co-founder of eyewear retail company Lenskart.
• While China saw a decline in the number of billionaires, India saw a 29% increase, taking the number of billionaires to a record 334.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. ASSOCHAM Environment and Carbon Conference has been inaugurated by Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh in New Delhi.

• ‘Fostering a collaborative ecosystem for achieving net zero by 2070’ is the theme of the conference.
• Speaking at the conference, Mr. Singh stated that although climate change and its effects are currently a global issue, the government is taking many measures to safeguard the nation against them.
• The goal of the government, according to Minister, is to reach net zero by 2070.
• According to Minister, the government is also striving to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vikshit Bharat 2047 goal.
• Mr. Singh emphasised the impact of the water crisis on rural India, saying that farmers and other rural residents are now happy since the Jal Jeevan Mission program has resolved their issues.
• According to the Minister, the government is dedicated to giving businesses and other stakeholders all the help they need to address the nation's environmental problems.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. She-Box portal has been launched by the government to make workplaces safer for women.

• The portal has been launched by Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi in New Delhi on 29 August 2024.
• She-Box portal is a centralized platform for the purpose of monitoring and registering complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.
• This platform offers the facility to register complaints, monitor their progress, and guarantee that internal committees process them within a certain amount of time.
• This effort, according to WCD Minister Annpurna Devi, is a crucial step towards offering a more effective and secure forum for handling complaints of sexual harassment at work.

Topic: Defence

9. Goa shipyard launched India's first pollution control vessel, Samudra Pratap.

• India's first pollution control vessel, Samudra Pratap, for the Indian Coast Guard, has been designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL).
• It is the first time that pollution control vessels are being designed and constructed indigenously.
• Two pollution control vessels for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is also being constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd.
• This pollution control vessel will help the Coast Guard in carrying out dedicated oil spill response operations in the EEZ.
• It has a length of 114.5 m, a breadth of 16.5 m and would displace 4170 T.
• This project has more Indigenous content of more than 60%.
• The launch of Samudra Pratap is an example of the nation's ship-building capability.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. FACE has been approved by RBI as the first fintech SRO.

• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) as the first self-regulatory organization in the FinTech sector.
• The RBI received three applications for fintech SRO. Of the remaining two applications, one has been returned by the RBI.
• The recognition of FACE as an SRO marks a standard for self-regulation in India's rapidly evolving fintech space.
• In May 2024, the RBI finalised the framework for establishing SROs within the FinTech industry.
• The framework defined FinTech entities as those who provide FinTech entities.
• The SRO-FT will play a key role in aligning its members with regulatory priorities.

Topic: Defence

11. Army ordered 73,000 more SIG716 rifles from US Company SiG Sauer.

• Upon completion, the Indian Army will have 145,400 of these rifles in service.
• In 2019, the Ministry of Defence gave SiG Sauer a contract for 72,400 SIG716 rifles.
• The US Armed Forces and those of other European nations are using the rifles.
• The 5.56x45 mm INSAS rifle and AK-47s of Russian origin are in use by the Indian Armed Forces.
• The purpose of the SiG Sauer rifles was to supply a modern 7.62X51mm assault rifle to replace the 5.56X45 mm INSAS weapon that was currently in use.
• At a plant in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, India and Russia are also working together to produce AK-203 rifles.

Topic: National News 

12. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has introduced the Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program (VVMP).

• The VVMP or Vehicle Scrapping Policy (VSP) has been introduced to create an ecosystem for phasing out unfit polluting vehicles all over the country.
• The VVMP or VSP will be implemented through a network of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) and Automated Testing Stations (ATSs).
• Manufacturers of passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle have expressed a willingness to provide discounts for a set amount of time of two years and one year, respectively.
• There are currently over sixty (60+) RVSFs operating throughout 17 States and UTs and over seventy-five (75+) ATSs operating throughout 12 States and UTs.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare organized the 7th Anubhav Awards.

• The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare organised the 7th Anubhav Awards Ceremony in New Delhi.
• It has been organized to recognise the contribution made by Government employees in service.
• Secretary Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare V. Srinivas conferred five Anubhav awards.
• 10 Jury Certificates to employees from nine different departments and ministries have been also conferred.
• Out of 15 Awardees, 5 were women pensioners, the highest number in a single ceremony.
• The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare held the 11th Nationwide Pension Adalat under the chairmanship of Mr. V. Srinivas.

Topic: Science and Technology

14. Ministry of Science & Technology developed a new composite membrane called Mixed Matrix Membrane.

• The Ministry of Science & Technology has developed a newly developed composite membrane made from two or more materials called Mixed Matrix Membrane (MMM).
• It will help in the detection of ammonia or other amine leaks in laboratories or industrial settings.
• Ammonia and other aliphatic amines are hazardous for human beings. They are used as raw materials for chemical, fertilizer, and food industries.
• They are highly toxic and corrosive and become dispersed in the environment.
• The detection of ammonia is essential for effective environmental and water monitoring.
• It is extremely important for preventing onsite gas leakage and disasters.
• The researchers used these to fabricate a mixed matrix membrane of MOF nanosheet that showed a naked-eye colour change in the presence of NH3 and aliphatic amines.
• The MMM showed fabricated remarkable colour change when exposed to vapours of different amines.