Daily Current Affairs and GK | 7 March 2024

Topic: National News

1. Average daily Domestic traffic increased by 3.78%, as per the Ministry of Civil Aviation's data.

• The average daily domestic air traffic has increased by 3.78 per cent. Around 439,464 passengers travelled through Airplane in February.
• As per the data, the average daily international air traffic decreased by 3.07 per cent MoM to 205,946 passengers in February.
• Out of six major carriers four recorded load factors of more than 90 per cent in February. 
• In February, the average daily load factor was highest for Spice jet (94.54).
• India’s domestic air passenger traffic hit a record high in 2023.
• India is the third-largest and fastest-growing aviation market in the world.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

2. ‘Women, Business and the Law 2024’ report has been released by the World Bank Group.

• According to this report, legal rights for women around the world are significantly lower than initially perceived.
• Women enjoy less than two-thirds or 64 per cent of the rights enjoyed by men.
• Earlier, it was estimated that women had 77 per cent of the rights enjoyed by men.
• This report highlights an in-depth analysis of the challenges obstructing women’s entry into the global workforce.
• The index measures performance on legal frameworks across 10 indicators: Safety, mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets and pension.
• No country in the world ensures equal opportunities for women.
• India’s rank has improved to 113 with a score of 74.4 per cent.  India’s rank had declined from 125 in 2022 to 126 in 2023.
• As compared to men, Indian women have 60 per cent of the legal rights.
• India has performed better than other South Asian countries, where women have only 45.9 per cent of the legal protections enjoyed by men.
• In the indicator evaluating laws impacting women’s pay, India received the lowest score.
• The gender gap is very wide around the world and there is a substantial implementation gap.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. In the 5^th National Youth Parliament Festival 2024, Yatin Bhaskar Duggal from Haryana won the first prize.

• Vaishna Pichai of Tamil Nadu won the second prize and Kanishka Sharma of Rajasthan won the third prize.
• On 6 March, the National Youth Parliament Festival concluded in New Delhi.
• The National Youth Parliament 2024 was organized based on the theme of 'Young Voices: Engage and Empower for Nation’s Transformation’.
• It was organized across the country from 9 February 2024 to 6 March 2024. This Youth Parliament was organized at three levels covering 785 districts of the country.
• District Youth Parliament was organized from 9 February 2024 to 14 February 2024.
• The winners of District Youth Parliament-2024 participated in the State Youth Parliament from 19 to 24 February 2024.
• 87 state-level winners participated in the finals of the National Youth Parliament-2024 to be held on 5th and 6th March 2024.
• 87 state winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners) participated in the National Youth Parliament, out of which 29 (1st place holders of each SYP) spoke on given topics.
• The remaining 58 participated in the National Youth Parliament as listeners.
• The first National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF)-2019 was held from 12 January to 27 February 2019.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is organizing Youth Parliaments (District Youth Parliament, State Youth Parliament, and National Youth Parliament) through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and the National Service Scheme (NSS).
• The objective of these Youth Parliaments is to strengthen the roots of democracy, develop healthy habits of discipline, and tolerance towards the viewpoint of others, and enable the youth to learn about the practices and procedures of Parliament.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Indian Economy

4. According to NSO data, India's unemployment rate is expected to fall to 3.1% in 2023.

• On 4 March, the latest employment-unemployment indicators report was released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
• The report showed that India's unemployment rate is expected to decline from 3.6% last year to 3.1% in 2023, reflecting continued improvement in labour markets.
• During the calendar year 2023 (CY23), the unemployment rates in both rural and urban areas are expected to decline to 2.4% and 5.2% respectively from 2.8% and 5.9% in 2022.
• The unemployment rate for rural women (1.9%) in 2023 was lower than that of rural men (2.7%), while in urban areas, the rate was higher for women (7.5%) than men (4.4%).
• The unemployment rate under the so-called 'usual status' for persons aged 15 and above over the one year has seen a decline for the second consecutive year since 2021.
• The latest survey also showed that the labour force participation rate (LFPR) increased significantly to 59% in 2023 from 56.1% in 2022 at the national level.
• Rural LFPR in 2023 was 63.4%, significantly higher than 58.5% in 2022, while its urban counterpart increased from 50% to 51.4% over the same period.

Topic: National News

5. The government will sell a 7% stake in NLC India through offer-for-sale.

• On 6 March, an official said that the government will sell a 7% stake in state-run lignite producer NLC India through the offer-for-sale (OFS) route, including a green shoe option of 2%.
• A green shoe option is a provision in the IPO underwriting agreement that gives the underwriter the right to sell more shares than originally planned.
• Even government sells a 7% stake at the floor price, it will get about ₹2,058 crore.
• The OFS for non-retail investors opened on March 7, while retail investors can place bids on March 11.
• The floor price for the offer has been set at ₹212 per equity share, a discount to the closing price of the company's shares on BSE on March 6 (Rs 226.7 per share).
• The government sold 69,331,830 equity shares of face value Rs 10 each to non-retail investors only on March 7, which is 5% of the total paid-up equity share capital.
• In addition, the government proposes to sell 27,732,732 equity shares, representing another 2% stake, to retail investors and those non-retail investors who choose to put forward their unallotted bids.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

6. South Eastern Coalfield Limited's Gevra mine, a subsidiary of Chhattisgarh-based Coal India, is set to become Asia's largest coal mine.

• Environmental clearance has been granted to increase the production capacity of this mine from the present 52.5 million tonnes to 70 million tonnes per annum.
• The Ministry of Coal has made this possible through its herculean efforts in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in obtaining environmental clearance for the production of 7 crore tonnes in record time.
• The decision was taken keeping in mind the role of Gevra Coal Mine as one of the mega projects of SECL in meeting the energy needs of the country.
• Gevra is one of the mega projects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited and last year it became the largest coal mine in the country.
• Its annual production reached 52.5 million tonnes for FY 22-23 and the coal mine has been contributing to the energy security of the country for more than 40 years.
• The strike length of this mine is about 10 kilometers and its width is four kilometers.
• This mine is equipped with environment-friendly blast-free mining technology in the form of surface miner, and ripper mining.
• It also has first-mile connectivity equipped with conveyor belts, silos and rapid loading systems for quick and environment-friendly coal evacuation.

Topic: National News

7. Minister of Railways and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw launched NITI Aayog’s 'NITI For States' platform.

• It is a cross-sectoral knowledge platform. It is designed to become a Digital Public Infrastructure for Good Governance and Policy.
• He also inaugurated Viksit Bharat Strategy Room at NITI Aayog. It will enable effective decision-making.
• The platform includes a multi-sectoral live repository of 7,500 Best Practices, 5,000 Policy documents and 350 NITI publications.
• The knowledge products on the platform include 10 sectors across two themes- Gender and Climate Change.
• These ten sectors include Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health, Livelihoods and Skilling, Manufacturing, MSME, Tourism, Urban, Water resources & WASH.
• The platform is accessible through many devices including mobile phones.
• The platform will equip government officials with actionable knowledge and insights.
• It will provide district collectors and block-level functionaries access to best practices across various States and UTs.

Topic: Sports

8. The athletes from Khelo India have now been made eligible for government jobs.

• The eligibility criteria for athletes applying for government jobs have undergone progressive revisions, according to the Department of Personnel and Training and the Sports Ministry.
• According to Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, this move makes medal winners from the Youth, University, Para, and Winter Games of the Khelo India Games eligible for government jobs.
• Additionally, games and events have been clearly defined to ensure inclusivity across various sports.
• Achievers in the School Games Federation of India will also continue to have their eligibility for these positions.
• In the updated guidelines, clear criteria for national and international chess competitions have been established.
• Those who have competed successfully in junior national tournaments or represented their country or a state in international or national competitions will be qualified for employment.
• The Khelo India Games are now considered national events and can be counted with other prestigious championships and tournaments.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ to ease farmers’ warehousing logistics.

• The ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ with the help of technology will ease farmers’ warehousing logistics. It will also help farmers to receive fair prices for their produce.
• The Security deposit charges at WDRA registered warehouses to be soon reduced from 3% to 1%.
• The ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ with its no collateral, extra security deposit policy will prevent farmers from selling their produce at cheaper rates.
•  “Digital Gateway” initiative is an important step towards making farming attractive.
• WDRA's initiative to provide an online platform for warehouse registration has seen a significant increase year-on-year.
• With the ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ and e-NAM, farmers will utilize the technology of an interconnected market, which benefits them in selling their produce to the government at MSP.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

10. Uttar Pradesh government approved the green hydrogen policy.

• The Uttar Pradesh government approved a green hydrogen policy for setting up two units of 800 MW in Anpara.
• These units will be set up in association with NTPC at Rs 8,624 crore.
• The policy aims to produce 1 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen in the next four years.
• The green hydrogen policy has been created for the next five years. Industries setting up in the next five years will receive subsidies and other incentives.
• These industries will get subsidies of 10 to 30 per cent on capital expenditure. The first five industries will get a discount of up to 40 per cent.
• The green hydrogen policy includes provisions for energy banking, offering a 100 per cent rebate on intrastate electricity charges and billing.
• The initiative aims to support the startup ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh and is projected to generate approximately 1.20 lakh jobs over the next five years.
• The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) will be the nodal agency for implementing the Green Hydrogen policy.
• To facilitate the establishment of green hydrogen projects, Public sector entities will be granted land at a nominal rate of Rs 1 per acre per annum.
• UPNEDA will integrate the single-window portal with Nivesh Mitra to streamline administrative processes for investors.

Topic: Banking System

11. The RBI’s UDGAM platform for unclaimed deposits now has 30 banks registered.

• According to the RBI, 30 banks are enabling customers to use the UDGAM platform to look up their unclaimed funds or accounts.
• RBI said that the onboarding procedure for the remaining banks is now underway.
• In terms of value, the 30 banks account for around 90% of the unclaimed deposits in the RBI's DEA Fund.
• UDGAM (Unclaimed Deposits-Gateway to Access inforMation) is an online portal. It has been developed by RBI.
• It makes it easier for registered customers to centrally search unclaimed deposits and accounts from several banks in one location.
• The UDGAM platform allows users to search all unclaimed deposits and accounts included in the RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund.
• The total amount of unclaimed deposits was Rs 42,270 crore as of March 2023.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

12. BSF delegation is attending the 54th DG-level BGB-BSF Border Conference in Dhaka.

• The Border Security Force (BSF) delegation has nine members. It is led by Director General (DG) Nitin Agrawal.
• The conference is being organised from 5th March to 9th at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters in Dhaka.
• Indian delegation was welcomed by the Border Guard Bangladesh DG Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka.
• The BSF delegation paid tribute to the martyrs of the Great Liberation war at ‘Simanto Gourab’ in Pilkhana area of Dhaka.

Topic: Indian Polity

13. The government has raised the minimum age for the postal ballot to 85.

• For the upcoming Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, the minimum age for the postal ballot will be 85 years.
• The government has amended the rule to increase the eligible age from the limit of 80 years to 85 years.
• The Union Law Ministry amended the Conduct of Elections Rules-1961 to change the age limit for postal ballots.
• This rule enables postal ballot voting for a “notified class of electors”, including essential services workers, persons with disabilities, Covid-19-infected or suspected cases, and senior citizens.
• Out of the total 96.88 crore electors, 1.85 crore are over the age of 80.
• If a person opts for the postal ballot facility, then officials visit the home. The whole procedure is done after informing the political parties and through videography.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

14. Dr S Jaishankar co-chaired the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission meeting in Seoul.

• To enhance bilateral cooperation, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, along with Cho Tae-yul co-chaired the 10th India - South Korea Joint Commission Meeting in Seoul.
• They discussed issues related to bilateral ties and cooperation in the fields of defence, science and technology, business, and trade.
• They also discussed ways to enhance people-to-people exchange and cultural cooperation.
• Both ministers also exchanged views on developments in the Indo-Pacific and global issues of mutual interest.
• The Gimhae- Ayodhya connection is a testament to the shared cultural heritage and longstanding people-to-people relations.

(Source: News on AIR)