Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 July 2024

Topic: Art and Culture

1. World's oldest cave painting has been discovered in Indonesia.

• Scientists have discovered artwork depicting three human-like figures interacting with a wild pig on the ceiling of a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
• The researchers have used a new scientific approach to find the minimum age of the painting inside the Leang Karampuang cave.
• This painting is the world's oldest cave painting, which is at least 51,200 years old.
• This painting has a pig measuring around 36 inches by 15 inches, standing upright, along with three smaller human-like figures.
• It is painted in a single shade of dark red pigment. There are other images of pigs in the cave as well.
• The researchers have interpreted the painting as a narrative scene.
• Until now, the oldest-known cave painting is one at Leang Tedongnge Cave, which is around 45,500 years old.

Topic: National News

2. Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network.

• He said that there is an urgent need to create simple, affordable diagnostic tools for the identification of various stages of fatty liver.
• On July 5, 2024, at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi, Dr. Singh said this during the launch of the Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network.
• Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network aims to prevent and cure metabolic liver illnesses.
• The Minister highlighted that the goal of this network is to address important problems associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a common metabolic liver disorder.
• He said that fatty liver is present in one-third of Indians and is a precursor to type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

Topic: Banking System

3. Punjab National Bank was fined a total of Rs 1.32 crore by RBI.

• Penalty have been imposed for breaking Know Your Customer (KYC) as well as loans and advances related norms.
• Two corporations owned by the state government were granted working capital demand loans by PNB.
• These loans were granted against amounts receivable from the government by way of subsidies, refunds, or reimbursements.
• PNB failed to keep the records related to the identification of customers and their addresses. 
• These records were obtained during the course of the business relationship in certain accounts.

Topic: National Appointments

4. Justice Sheel Nagu has been appointed Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

• His appointment is with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
• Supreme Court Collegium has recommended his name after the retirement of Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha. Jha retired on October 13, 2023. 
• He was serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
• Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva is the new Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
• Justice BR Sarangi was appointed as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on July 3.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

5. An MoU signed by IRA Mumbai and IIT Bombay on advancing maritime security.

• On 5 July, an MOU was signed by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) aimed at advancing maritime safety through the development of a ship trajectory prediction tool.
• Trajectory prediction of disabled ships is an important aspect of maritime safety, facilitating early warning and rescue operation planning.
• Accurately predicting the movement of disabled ships and drifting objects in the open ocean, influenced by local environmental conditions, is vital for timely and effective rescue efforts.
• As part of the collaborative effort, the proposed work will focus on developing trajectory prediction tools for disabled ships and floating objects.
• This tool will enable quick response to detect drifting vessels, as well as to change the path of nearby vessels to improve maritime safety.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

6. ISI mark made mandatory for stainless steel and aluminium utensils by the government.

• The Government of India has taken a significant initiative towards enhancing kitchen safety, quality and efficiency by making the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guidelines mandatory for stainless steel and aluminium utensils.
• According to the quality control order issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on March 14, ISI mark will be mandatory for such utensils.
• According to BIS, the order prohibits the manufacture, import, sale, distribution, storage or display of any stainless steel or aluminium utensils that do not bear the BIS standard mark.
• Non-compliance is punishable, reflecting the government's commitment to consumer safety and product purity.
• BIS has developed the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) mark, assuring of product quality and safety.
• This development is in line with the recent comprehensive standards framed by BIS for kitchen utensils, including IS 14756:2022 for stainless steel and IS 1660:2024 for aluminium utensils.
• Standards include material requirements, design specifications, and performance parameters.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Vadodara and Airbus signed an agreement for aerospace education and research.

• After the signing of the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) in September 2023, a definitive agreement was signed at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and IT, and other officials witnessed the signing of the agreement.
• The agreement includes a full scholarship program for 40 GSV students throughout the program.
• The agreement also includes the establishment of the Airbus Aviation Chair Professor post and the Centre of Excellence at GSV.
• Additionally, GSV and Airbus will collaborate to provide working professionals in the aviation industry with executive training.
• Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) Vadodara was set up through an Act of Parliament in 2022.
• It was set up for creating best in class manpower and talent for the transportation and logistics sectors.
• This is a Central University and is sponsored by the Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India.
• Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and IT is its first Chancellor.

Topic: International News

8. Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran's presidential runoff election.

• Pezeshkian is a member of Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.
• Pezeshkian defeated Saeed Jalili, Saeed Jalili, a critic of the nuclear accord.
• Masoud Pezeshkian is a reformist politician. He favors reviving Iran’s nuclear deal and improving relations with the West.
• In Iran, snap election was called after Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May.
• This was Iran’s 14th presidential election. The election recorded the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979.
• The capital of Iran is Tehran. Its currency is rial. Type of government is unitary presidential theocratic Islamic republic.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

9. Union government reconstituted eight Cabinet committees.

• The Cabinet Committee on Security remains unchanged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet also remained unchanged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah.
• The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet is responsible for the appointment of bureaucrats.
• HD Kumaraswamy and Lalan Singh have been added as members of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs takes decisions related to industrial policies and finalizes big-ticket investment proposals and major infrastructure projects.
• The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will be headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. It will have nine other ministers.
• Cabinet Committees on investment and growth and on skill, employment and livelihood will be headed by the Prime Minister.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

10. Bajaj launched the world’s first CNG-powered bike.

• Bajaj Auto, the world’s leading manufacturer of two-wheelers and three-wheelers, launched the world’s first CNG motorcycle.
• The Bajaj Freedom CNG motorcycle provides a range of over 200 km on just 2 kg of CNG fuel.
• It will also have a 2-litre petrol tank, which will give a range of 130 km.
• The Bajaj Freedom motorcycle produces 26.7 percent less CO2 emissions than petrol motorcycles.
• CNG vehicles emit 85 percent lower non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and 43 percent less nitrogen oxide (NOx).
• Bajaj Auto fitted the CNG tank and kit within a trellis frame.
• The new Bajaj Freedom is available in three variants.

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

11. On July 6, Nano-fertilizer subsidy scheme for farmers launched in Gujarat by Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

• Under the AGR-2 scheme of the government, the scheme will provide 50% assistance to farmers for the purchase of nano-fertilizers for the financial year 2024-25.
• Shah unveiled the scheme during the 'Sahakaar se Samriddhi' conference in Gandhinagar, which was organized to mark the 102nd International Day of Cooperatives.
• Along with this, Shah initiated payments to three farmers at the event and demonstrated the immediate implementation of the scheme.
• International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) since 1923.
• It is an annual celebration of the cooperative movement around the world.
• Incidentally, this year the International Day of Cooperatives was celebrated on July 6, which was also the third foundation day of the Union Ministry of Cooperation.
• The theme of the 102nd International Day of Cooperatives is - “Cooperatives build a better future for all.”
• In June 2024, the year 2025 has been declared as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2025) by the United Nations General Assembly.

Topic: Indian Economy

12. An 80% concession in licensing fees for women entrepreneurs was announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

• Important fee concessions and safety measures for the petroleum and explosives sector has been unveiled by Union Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi during the Stakeholder Consultation.
• On 3 July, the Stakeholder Consultation was organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• The objective of the program was to enhance efficiency within the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and improve communication with industry stakeholders.
• During the event, Goyal announced a concession of 80% in license fee for women entrepreneurs and 50% for MSMEs for licenses granted by PESO.
• These incentives are expected to increase the participation of these important sectors of the economy.
• He directed PESO to prepare guidelines to outline safety measures in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG).
• This will allow retail outlets for petrol pumps to function in cases where there is habitation within 30–50 metres.
• The aim of this initiative is to strike a balance between public safety and industry operations.

Topic: International News

13. After election results, Keir Starmer is set to be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.

• Keir Starmer is all set to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• Labour Party secured over 412 seats out of 650 in the elections, which ended the rule of 14 years of Conservative government.
• 326 seats are required to form the government in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party won 121 seats.
• The Liberal Democrats party won 71 seats. The Scottish National Party faced substantial loss.
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will formally step down after the Labour Party's landslide election victory.
• King Charles III will formally invite the Labour Party leader to form a new government.
• There are 650 constituencies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—the four countries in the UK.
• Voters of each constituency make one choice from a list of candidates. The candidate with the most votes wins the seat in the House of Commons.
• The party with the second-highest number of seats become the official opposition party.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Defense News

14. India’s defence manufacturing sector witnessed a 16.7% increase.

• India’s defence manufacturing sector registered a 16.7% increase in the fiscal year 2023–24.
• It is the highest-ever growth in the country’s defence production value.
• The total value of defence production has reached a record high of Rs 126887, up from the previous year’s figure of Rs 1,08,684 crore.
• The defence PSUs and other PSUs accounted for approximately 79.2 percent of the total production value in FY 2023–24.
• The private sector contributed 20 percent to the total production value.
• The central government has set a target of achieving indigenous defence manufacturing worth Rs 1,75,000 crore by the fiscal year 2024–25.
• India’s defence exports have increased by 32.5% from Rs 15,920 crore to Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023–24.