DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Jan. 20, 2025

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inaugurates National-level Khadi Exhibition

Tags: National News

Why in the news?

• Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Shri Manoj Kumar, inaugurated the National-level Khadi Exhibition at the Mahakumbh,  at Sector-1, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, in Kumbh Nagri, Prayagraj.

Important points:

• A total of 152 stalls set up, with 98 stalls showcasing Khadi products and 54 showcasing products from village industries

• The exhibition features products from more than 20 States across India, including items from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to Nagaland. 

• The Chairman urged the pilgrims and visitors to visit the Khadi exhibition and embrace indigenous products, thereby promoting the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative.

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar launches the toolkit for 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan

Tags: National News

Why in the news?

• The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar,  launched the toolkit for 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS).

Important points:

•  For the year 2024, a special category - Super Swachh League has been introduced creating a separate league of cities excelling in cleanliness. 

• India’s cleanest cities move into a newly created Super Swachh League.

• The cities who have been in the top 3 in at least 2 years in the last 3 years (2021-2023) have made the cut.

Cities in Super Swachh League:

• Very Small Cities (< 20,000 population) – Panchgani, Patan.

• Small Cities (20,000 – 50,000 population) - Vita, Sasvad.

• Medium Cities (50,000 – 3 Lakh population) – Ambikapur, Tirupati, New Delhi Municipal Council.

• Big Cities (3 – 10 Lakh population) – Noida, Chandigarh.

• Million Plus Cities (> 10 Lakh population) - Navi Mumbai, Indore, Surat.                                                                                                                                                                     

• The introduction of the Super Swachh League in this year’s survey serves dual purposes: it encourages top-performing cities to strive for higher aspirational standards, while also motivating other cities to improve and aim for top ranks.”

•  For the very first time, the cities have been classified into 5 population categories: Very Small, Small, Medium, Big, and Million-Plus.

• Each category will be assessed based on population and parameters tailored to its specific size and needs. 

• Awards will be given to clean cities in each category. This makes the new Swachh Survekshan 

About  Swachh Survekshan (SS):

• The world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, initially launched by MoHUA in 2016, Swachh Survekshan drives urban sanitation improvement through citizen participation and third-party validation.

• “Swachh Survekshan stands as a remarkable testament to collaboration and collective responsibility, reflecting the nation’s commitment to making cleanliness a way of life. 

New Sanchar Saathi Mobile App brings telecom security tools directly to the fingertips of every citizen

Tags: Government Schemes

Why in the news?

• In a landmark move to enhance telecom accessibility, security, and empowerment across India, the Union Minister of Communications, Sh. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia,  launched a suite of citizen-focused initiatives.

Important points:

• Key highlights of the event included the launch of the Sanchar Saathi Mobile App,National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 and the inauguration of the Intra Circle Roaming  facility at DBN Funded 4G Mobile Sites.
  The Sanchar Saathi Mobile App is a user-friendly platform designed to fortify telecom security and empower citizens.

• The Sanchar Saathi Mobile App, available for both Android and iOS platforms,provides users with critical tools to secure their telecom resources and combat telecom frauds. 

• With over 90 crore smart phone users in the country, the Sanchar Saathi Mobile App aims to ensure that every individual has access to these vital services with just a few taps on their smartphone.

• The primary objective of NBM 2.0 is to connect the remaining 1.7 lakh villages across the country and to achieve ambitious milestones.

• “Our goal is to ensure that at least 60 out of every 100 rural households have access to broadband connectivity.

•  Additionally, we aim to achieve a minimum fixed broadband download speed of 100 Mbps, creating a robust digital infrastructure for rural India.

INDIAN NAVAL SHIP MUMBAI TO PARTICIPATE IN MULTI-NATIONAL EXERCISE LA PEROUSE

Tags: Defence

Why in the news?

• The indigenously designed and built guidedmissile destroyer INS Mumbai is participating in the fourth edition of the Multinational Exercise LA PEROUSE

Important points:.

• This edition will witness participation of personnel/ surface and sub-surface assets from various maritime partners including Royal Australian Navy, French Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy, Indonesian Navy, Royal Malaysian Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy and Royal Canadian Navy.

• The exercise aims to develop common Maritime Situational Awareness by enhancing the cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction operations and air operations along with the conduct of progressive training and information sharing. 

• The exercise provides an opportunity for like-minded navies to develop closer links in planning, coordination and information sharing for enhanced tactical interoperability.

• The exercise will witness complex and advanced multi-domain exercises including surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air-defence, cross deck landings and tactical manoeuvres, as also the constabulary missions such as VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) operations.

• Participation of the Indian Navy in the exercise showcases the high levels of synergy, coordination and interoperability between the like-minded navies and their commitment to a rules-based international order in the maritime domain.

• This visit is in consonance with India's visionof SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) to enhance maritime cooperation and collaboration for safer and secure Indo-Pacific Region.          

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025

Tags: National News

Why in the news?

• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiinaugurated the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the largest mobility expo in India, today at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Important points:

• The Indian Auto industry has grown by nearly 12%,the export was rising driven by the mantra of “Make in India and Make for the World”. 

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi remarked that the sale of approximately 2.5 crore cars in a year demonstrates the continuously growing demand in India. 

• “India is currently the world's fifth-largest economy and the third-largest passenger vehicle market”.

• He remarked that as India ascends to become one of the top three economies globally, the country's auto market will witness unprecedented transformation and expansion.

• The Prime Minister highlighted that the automotive industry was driven by innovation and technology. 

Background

• The Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 is being held from 17-22 January, 2025 across three separate venues: Bharat Mandapam & Yashobhoomi in New Delhi and India Expo Center & Mart, Greater Noida. 

• Expo will host over 9 concurrent shows, 20+ conferences and pavilions. In addition, the Expo will also feature state sessions to showcase policies and initiatives in the mobility sector to enable collaboration between industry and regional levels.

• Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 aims to unite the entire mobility value chain under one umbrella.  

• This year’s expo has a special emphasis on the global significance with participation from across the globe as exhibitors and visitors. 

• It isan industry-led and government-supported initiative and is being coordinated by Engineering Export Promotion Council of India with the joint support of various industry bodies and partner organizations