Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 March 2024

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

1. Obesity levels in Indians have increased steadily, according to a New Lancet study.

• In the last 32 years, Obesity levels have increased not only in adults but also in children.
• In India, the obesity rate increased from 0.1% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2022 for girls and from 0.1% to 3.9%, for boys.
• At the same time, the prevalence of undernutrition has also remained high in the country.
• As per the New Lancet study, the lack of access to affordable and nutritious food is responsible for the prominence of undernutrition and obesity.
• The obesity rate increased from 1.2% in 1990 to 9.8% in 2022 among women while it has increased from 0.5% in 1990 to 5.4% in 2022 among men.
• The total number of children, adolescents and adults living with obesity has crossed one billion around the world.
• In the obesity category for girls and boys, India has been ranked 174th position in the world in 2022.
• The study found that 13.7% of women and 12.5% of men were underweight. Thinness in Indian girls was found highest in the world.
• Undernutrition persists in extremely remote and rural parts of poorer states.

Topic: Personality in News

2. Sub-inspector Suman Kumari became the first woman sniper of BSF.

• Suman Kumari has become the BSF's first woman sniper after completing ‘rigorous’ training at CSWT Indore.
• She completed an eight-week sniper training at the Central School of Weapons and Tactics (CSWT) in Indore.
• She decided to take the sniper training after witnessing the threat of cross-border sniper assaults while leading a platoon in Punjab.
• She was the only female in the sniper course with 56 male peers.
• She is from a modest family in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district.

Topic: International News

3. France became the first country to include the right to abortion in its constitution.

• In France, members of both houses of Parliament voted in a special session to amend the country's 1958 constitution.
• Of them, 780 voted in favour and 72 voted against. This amendment has ensured freedom of abortion in France.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said that the government will organize a special ceremony on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8 in connection with the passage of this amendment.
• France has a long history of supporting abortion rights.
• It became the 25th amendment to the founding document of modern France and the first since 2008.
• There, a law was made in 1975 to legalize the provision of voluntary termination of pregnancy. The law has been updated nine times since 1975.
• This law was made in the name of the then Health Minister Simone Veil, who supported it. This law allowed abortion for up to ten weeks.
• Later in 2001, it was increased to 12 weeks, and in 2022 it was increased to 14 weeks.
• This procedure has been included in the French national health care system since 1980.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Telangana

4. On 5 March, various projects worth over Rs 6,800 crore inaugurated at Sangareddy near Hyderabad in Telangana by PM Modi.

• Civil Aviation Research Organisation (CARO) Centre, costing over Rs 350 crore, dedicated to the nation by PM.
• CARO has been built by the Airports Authority of India to upgrade and enhance the Research and Development activities in the civil aviation sector.
• Multi-Modal Transport Service (MMTS) Phase-2 and Indian Oil Paradip-Hyderabad Product Pipeline were also inaugurated by PM Modi.
• MMTS Phase-2 includes six new station buildings as well as doubling and electrification of the Sanathnagar-Maula Ali rail line.
• The entire 22 km route of the project has been commissioned with automatic signalling.
• The doubling and electrification work has paved the way for the introduction of passenger trains for the first time in this section.
• MMTS train service from Ghatkesar-Lingampalli via Maula Ali-Sanathnagar was flagged off by the Prime Minister.
• The Indian Oil Paradip-Hyderabad product pipeline was also inaugurated by Mr Modi.
• One thousand two hundred and 12 km long product pipeline with a capacity of 4.5 MMTPA passes through the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
• It will ensure safe and economical transportation of petroleum products from Paradip Refinery to delivery stations at Visakhapatnam, Achutapuram, Vijayawada, and Malkapur near Hyderabad.
• Two National Highway projects were inaugurated by the Prime Minister and the foundation stone of three more National Highway projects was also laid.
• This includes four-laning of the 40 km long Kandi to Ramsanpalle section of Highway 161 and an upgraded 47 km long stretch from Miryalaguda to the Kodad section of Highway 167.

Topic: International News

5. A Five-day faculty exchange program of BIMSTEC started on 3 March.

• For the first time in Dhaka, a five-day exchange program for the faculties of foreign service academies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member states started.
• During program, proposals on ways to enhance mutual cooperation between the Foreign Service Training Institutes of the South and South East Asian sub-regional platforms will be presented by diplomats from BIMSTEC member countries.
• In the program, 13 faculty from foreign service academies from seven BIMSTEC countries are participating.
• In addition to enhancing the training capacities of member nations, BIMSTEC countries will organize short courses for officials to enhance overall cooperation.
• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations.
• Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are the member countries. It was founded in 1997.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

6. International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2024: 5 March

• The second International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness was celebrated on 5 March, 2024 across the world.
• The day aims to raise public awareness and understanding of disarmament issues, especially among young people.
• Kyrgyzstan had proposed to the international community to declare March 5 as the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness.
• On March 5, 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force.
• In 2022, global military spending reached $2.24 trillion. 12,500 nuclear weapons are a threat to humanity.
• On December 7, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously supported Kyrgyzstan's initiative and adopted a resolution declaring March 5 as the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness.

Topic: National News

7. India's 1^st Green Hydrogen Plant in the Stainless Steel Sector has been inaugurated at Jindal Stainless Limited, Hisar, Haryana.

• It has been inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
• This will be the world’s first off-grid Green Hydrogen plant for the stainless steel industry.
• This will be the world’s first Green Hydrogen plant with rooftop and floating solar.
• It will cut down carbon emissions by about 2,700 Metric Tons per annum.
• It will cut down 54,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during the next two decades.
• While speaking on the occasion, Union Minister highlighted that India has evolved from a net importer to net exporter and aims to become world's largest producer of crude steel.
• The National Green Hydrogen Mission was launched in 2023.
• It was launched with an outlay of about twenty thousand crore rupees.
• It was launched to make India a Global Hub for the production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.

Topic: Sports

8. B Sai Praneeth has announced his retirement from international badminton.

• B Sai Praneeth is an Indian shuttler. In his 24-year-long career, he won a World Championships bronze medal.
• He also represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
• He has also won the 2017 Singapore Open.
• After retirement, he will be the head coach of the Triangle Badminton Academy in the US.
• After Prakash Padukone in 1983, he became the first male Indian shuttler in 36 years to earn a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in 2019. In 2019, he received the Arjuna Award.

Topic: Indian Polity

9. Supreme Court ended immunity for lawmakers taking bribes for voting.

• In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court ended immunity for lawmakers taking bribes to vote.
• The Supreme Court ruled that Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) couldn’t get any immunity from prosecution for taking bribes for casting a vote.
• A seven-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud overruled the 1998 judgment of the SC in P.V Narasimha Rao v. State.
• The Supreme Court ruled that “Bribery is not protected by parliamentary privileges”.
• Article 105(2) of the Indian Constitution deals with the immunity of MPs from prosecution. Article 194(2) grants protection to MLAs.
• These provisions were made to ensure that MPs and MLAs can work without the fear of legal action being taken against them.
• In the Narasimha Rao case, allegations were made that legislators of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had accepted bribes for voting in favour of the government during a no-confidence motion.
• In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that MPs and MLAs were immune from prosecution in bribery cases as long as they fulfilled their end of the bargain.
• As per the latest judgment of the Supreme Court, accepting a bribe is a separate crime that is not linked to the actions or words of a lawmaker within the Parliament or legislative assembly.

Topic: Defence

10. Indian Navy will commission a new base in the Minicoy Islands of Lakshadweep.

• On March 6, the Indian Navy will commission Naval Detachment Minicoy as INS Jatayu in Lakshadweep.
• The Naval Detachment Minicoy was set up in the 1980s under the operational command of the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Lakshadweep).
• This new base will give India a stronghold in the Indian Ocean. It will also help in keeping an eye on military and commercial activities.
• INS Jatayu will be the second naval base in Lakshadweep after INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti.
• It will help in capacity building and the comprehensive development of the island territories.

Topic: State News/ Telangana

11. Indiramma housing scheme will be launched by the Telangana government on March 11.

• In the first phase of its implementation, financial assistance will be provided for the construction of 3,500 houses in each assembly constituency.
• Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that the Indiramma scheme is one of the six guarantees announced by the Congress ahead of the assembly elections.
• Under the scheme, the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to eligible beneficiaries who already have a house plot to build their own house.
• Those who do not have a house will be provided a piece of land along with Rs 5 lakh.
• Revanth directed the officials to ensure that all eligible persons get the benefits of the housing scheme and finalize the guidelines for its implementation.
• However, under this, priority will be given to those who have applied for houses under the Praja Palan Programme.

Topic: Important Days

12. National Security Day 2024/ National Safety Day 2024: 4 March

• Every year on 4 March, National Security Day or National Safety Day is commemorated in India by the National Safety Council.
• The day was first celebrated on the foundation day of the National Safety Council in 1972.
• The theme for National Safety Day 2024 is "Focus on Safety Leadership for ESG Excellence".
• The main objective of National Security Day is to implement safe practices at the workplace by taking safety measures to prevent accidents.
• It is dedicated to all security forces of India for their contribution to maintaining peace and security.
• It is observed to honour the sacrifice of all security forces, including policemen, para-military forces, commandos, guards, army, etc.
• National Safety Council (NSC):
  • It was founded on March 4, 1966, by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as a self-financing non-governing body.
  • In 2000, the NSC was established as a public trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950.
  • Its headquarters is in Navi Mumbai.
  • It was founded to develop and implement a voluntary routine in the areas of safety, health, and the environment.

Topic: National News

13. Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya launched the AYUSH-ICMR Advanced Centre in New Delhi.

• The AYUSH-ICMR Advanced Centre has been launched in New Delhi for Integrated Health Research at AIIMS.
• By using traditional Indian wisdom and modern medicine together, the AYUSH-ICMR Advanced Centre's goal is to provide holistic healthcare to patients.
• These centres will be set up in AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Nagpur, and AIIMS Rishikesh.
• It will focus on important research areas to develop comprehensive treatment plans and guidelines.
• Dr Mansukh Mandaviya also launched Indian Public Health Standards to ensure better healthcare quality.
• He also revealed plans for a large study on anaemia at multiple locations.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

14. The first edition of the Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2024 will commence from 5^th March.

• The first edition of the Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2024 is scheduled to commence from 5th March.
• Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, will address the Naval Commanders during this conference.
• The conference will be held for three days in the Hybrid format.
• The Chief of Defence Staff, along with the Chiefs of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force will also take part in this conference.
• Naval Commanders during the conference will discuss the coordination of tri-service forces in the face of the evolving national security situation in the region.
• They will also explore avenues to enhance tri-service synergy and readiness in defence of the nation and India's national interests.
• Geopolitical dynamics, regional challenges, and volatile maritime security situation will be also discussed.