Daily Current Affairs and GK | 31 August 2024

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. India’s largest Aero Lounge to be launched at Cochin Airport.

• Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate CIAL's new venture, 0484 AERO LOUNGE, at Cochin Airport on September 1.
• This Lounge will be at Terminal 2 of the Cochin Airport.
• Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) will have world-class airport experience at budget rates for its passengers.
• This AERO LOUNGE is a combination of the tradition, art, backwaters, landscape and flora that present the unique beauty of Kerala.
• It is spread over 50,000 square feet with 37 rooms, 4 suites, 3 boardrooms, and 2 conference halls.
• It has also a co-working space, gym, spa, library, an exclusive cafe lounge and a restaurant.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. Nepal Tourism Board has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award.

• Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) won this award in the category of Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project (STLRP).
• NTB has received a PATA award in community-based tourism for the third time.
• PATA Gold Award recognizes STLRP’s efforts in creating tourism employment opportunities.
• It also recognizes STLRP’s efforts in enhancing sustainable tourism development in all seven provinces of Nepal.
• NTB’s STLRP earlier won the PATA Gold Award in 2022 and 2023.
• In 2022, STLRP got recognition for Tourism Destination Resilience.
• In 2023, STLRP got recognition for its initiatives in women’s empowerment through tourism, sustainability, and social responsibility.
• Kerala Tourism of India has received the PATA Gold Award 2024 in the Digital Marketing category.
• Winning entry in this category was Kerala’s Department of Tourism online contest of Holiday Heist.
• PATA Gold Awards were presented on August 28 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• The Pacific Asia Travel Association is a not-for-profit membership-based association.

Topic: National Appointments

3. T.V. Somanathan took charge as Cabinet Secretary on 30 August 2024.

• He has served as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
• He took over as the Cabinet Secretary following the superannuation of Rajiv Gauba.
• He is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.
• He served as the Department of Expenditure's Secretary and Finance Secretary before joining as the Cabinet Secretary.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

4. An industrial City will be developed by Uttar Pradesh government between Jhansi and Kanpur.

• This city will be developed on an area of about 36 thousand acres to boost the industrial development in the region.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the city will get a special airport also.
• Incentives of about rupees 1300 crores have been distributed by the Chief Minister to over two dozen industrial units.
• Letters of Comfort certificates were distributed for 28 investment proposals worth Rs 10,715 crore.
• Chief Minister personally handed out certificates to 10 proposals with investments of more than Rs 4500 crore.
• A special programme to distribute incentives to the state’s industrial projects has been organised for the first time.

Topic: Sports

5. Avani Lekhara won India's first gold medal in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

• Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals.
• At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, she became the country's first female shooter to win a medal in shooting.
• She successfully defended her title, setting a Paralympic Games record with 249.7 points in the final standings.
• At the same event, Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal also won the bronze medal, finishing last with 228.7 points.
• Yunri Lee of the Republic of Korea team won the silver medal in this event.
• The Paralympic Games 2024 will take place in Paris from 28 August to 8 September.

Topic: Indian Economy

6. Indian economy grew by 6.7% in the April-June quarter, which is lower than the RBI's estimate.

• On August 30, as per the report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the Indian economy grew by 6.7% in real terms during the April-June quarter of the financial year 2024-25.
• This growth rate is lower than the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) forecast of 7.1%.
• India had recorded a growth rate of 8.2% during the same period last year.
• In terms of nominal GDP, the growth rate for the April-June quarter of 2024-25 was 9.7%, while it was 8.5% in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.
• The RBI has projected GDP growth of 7.2% for the full financial year 2024–25 during its recent monetary policy meeting.
• The central bank had forecast growth of 7.1% for the first quarter, with subsequent quarterly projections setting growth at 7.2% for the second quarter, 7.3% for the third quarter, and 7.2% for the fourth quarter.
• India's GDP grew by an impressive 8.2% in the financial year 2023-24, allowing it to maintain its position as the fastest-growing major economy.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July raised its forecast for India's 2024 growth to 7%.
• The World Bank also revised its forecast for India's GDP growth in 2024-25, raising it by 20 basis points to 6.6% from its earlier estimate of 6.4%.

Topic: National News

7. For the 2024–25 academic year, the Central government has reserved four MBBS seats especially for families affected by terrorism.

• Spouses and children of civilian victims of terrorism are entitled to these seats.
• The government aims to help people who have been affected by violent crimes by offering them support and educational possibilities.
• The reserved seats are present across three medical institutions given below. 
  • AN Magadh Medical College in Gaya, Bihar
  • Grant Medical College in Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Pt. JNM Medical College in Raipur, Chhattisgarh
• Pt. JNM Medical College has been allocated two seats.
• The MHA has specified a priority scheme for the distribution of the seats.
• Children who have lost both parents to terrorism are given priority, followed by those whose families have lost their sole breadwinner.
• Third on the MHA priority list are the wards of victims who suffered severe injuries or permanent impairments as a result of terrorist acts.
• The eligibility criteria for these seats are the same as those for regular MBBS admission.
• Candidates must be at least 17 years old by December 31 of the admission year and must be Indian nationals.
• Candidates can submit their applications to the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• The applications must be with all necessary documents attested by their state or UT Home Department.
• September 17, 2024 is the deadline for submission of applications.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. The Charter and an MoU for the setting up of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Secretariat in Colombo have been signed by four countries.

• These four countries are India, Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.
• Government of Sri Lanka hosted the signing ceremony in Colombo.
• The documents were signed on 30 August 2024 by the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the representatives of the Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka on behalf of the respective Member States.
• Core objective of CSC is to promote regional security through addressing transnational threats as well as challenges of common concern to the Member States.
• There are five pillars of cooperation under the CSC. The pillars are given below.
  • Maritime Safety and Security
  • Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation
  • Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime
  • Cyber Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology
  • Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
• On July 10, CSC’s eighth Deputy NSA-level meeting was held virtually.
• India, Mauritius, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka welcomed Bangladesh as the fifth member state of the CSC. Seychelles participated as an observer.

Topic: Defence

9. Indian Army launched Project Naman to support Veterans and their families.

• The Indian Army has launched the first phase of Project NAMAN.
• It will provide dedicated support and services to Defense pensioners, veterans, and their families.
• Under the first phase of Project NAMAN, 14 Common Services Centers have been established at different locations.
• Common Services Centres have been established at New Delhi, Jalandhar, Leh, Dehradun, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Bengdubi, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Secunderabad, Saugor, Guntur, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore.
• The project will expand significantly and aim to establish approximately 200 centres nationwide over the next 2 to 3 years.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Geography

10. Cyclone Asna formed over the Kutch coast in Gujarat.

• Cyclone Asna has formed over the Kutch coast in Gujarat and adjoining areas of Pakistan.
• Cyclone Asna has brought heavy rainfall to different places in Gujarat.
• This is the first cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea in August since 1976.
• Between 1891 and 2023, only three cyclonic storms formed in the Arabian Sea in August.
• Cyclone Asna is only the fourth such occurrence in August since 1891.
• The Arabian Sea’s current temperature of 27–28 °C is around the threshold temperature required for cyclone formation.

Topic: Sports

11. Bangladesh achieved a historic victory in the SAFF U-20 Championship football tournament.

• Bangladesh has been declared the new champion of the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Under-20 Championship football tournament.
• On 28 August, Bangladesh won the title by defeating hosts Nepal 4–1 in the final match held at the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) ground in Satdobato, Lalitpur.
• The first time in the history that Bangladesh has won this championship.
• Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Bhutan, also participated in the competition, which began on August 18, 2024.
• Earlier, India had won SAFF U-20 in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
• Organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), the SAFF Under-20 Championship is a biennial football championship for male footballers under the age of 20.
• In August 2015, this championship was held for the first time in Nepal.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

12. An MoU signed by India and Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral cooperation in public sector audit in Riyadh on 30 August.

• Shri Girish Chandra Murmu, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and Dr. Hussam Al-Angari, President of the Saudi General Court of Audit, signed the agreement.
• The objective of the MoU is to promote cooperation and facilitate exchange of expertise between the two countries in the field of public sector audit.
• Under this, key areas of cooperation include conducting joint training programs on financial, performance and compliance audit, as well as exchange of audit manuals and methodologies.
• The signing of this Agreement is expected to further strengthen the already close working relationship between the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Saudi General Court of Audit.
• This development is significant because Saudi Arabia is preparing to take over the chairmanship of the Association of Asian Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) from India next year.
• At present, India holds the Chair of ASOSAI.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. Pacific Islands Forum’s annual meeting was held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

• The annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) was started on 26th August in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.
• More than 1,500 delegates from around 40 countries have attended the meeting.
• Climate change and the China-US battle for influence over the strategic region issues and other issues were discussed.
• What is the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)?
  • The Pacific Islands Forum is an intergovernmental organization consisting of 18 countries located in the Pacific region.
  • Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest and largest countries in this forum.
  • Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands, etc. are also members of this forum.
  • The main aim of the forum is economic growth, enhanced political governance, and security for the region.
  • Its vision is for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity.

Topic: Banking System

14. Scheme for trading and settlement of sovereign green bonds (SGrBs) in IFSC has been introduced by RBI.

• The scheme covers investments in sovereign green bonds issued by the Government of India to eligible investors in the IFSC in India.
• Investors can take part in the primary auctions of securities carried out by the Reserve Bank.
• Investors can transact in the secondary market for securities in the IFSC.
• As part of the scheme, investors are not allowed to repackage or write any derivative instrument on underlying securities they hold.
• They also are not allowed to undertake repo transactions in such securities.
• Eligible IBUs are not allowed to take part in the primary auctions under the scheme.
• However, they are allowed to take part in the secondary market.
• IBUs (IFSC Banking Units) are banking units set up in the IFSC.
• Investors are allowed to conduct trade in the secondary market in the IFSC with other investors and eligible IBUs.
• However, transactions between two eligible IBUs are not allowed.
• Eligible IBUs are allowed to trade with investors such that the transactions will be carried out on a ‘back-to-back’ arrangement.
• As per the RBI, the scheme will come into force with immediate effect.
• IFSC Authority will issue the operational guidelines for participation in the scheme by entities in the IFSC.