DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Sept. 21, 2024

Sri Lanka's Wellalage and Samarawickrama Named ICC Players of the Month for August 2024

Tags: Sports News

The ICC announced Dunith Wellalage and Harshitha Samarawickrama from Sri Lanka as the Players of the Month for August 2024.

An Overview of the News

• This marks a rare double win for Sri Lanka in the ICC awards.

• Wellalage performed exceptionally in a home ODI series against India.

• Samarawickrama showcased outstanding form during a tour of Ireland.

• The only other instance of players from the same country winning in the same month occurred in June 2024, with Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana.

Dunith Wellalage

• Performance: Key player in a home ODI series against India, leading Sri Lanka to a 2-0 series victory.

• Award Context: This is the fifth time a Sri Lankan player has won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month.

• Past Winners: Previous Sri Lankan winners include Angelo Mathews, Prabath Jayasuriya, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Kamindu Mendis.

Harshitha Samarawickrama

• Performance: Impressive run during the tour of Ireland, becoming the third Sri Lankan woman to score a century in ODIs.

• Award Context: Only the second Sri Lankan woman to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award; Chamari Athapaththu has won it three times.

Anurag Garg Appointed New Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau

Tags: Person in news

Anurag Garg, an IPS officer of the 1993 batch, has been appointed as the new Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

An Overview of the News

• Before this appointment, Garg served as the Additional Director General in the Border Security Force (BSF) at its headquarters in New Delhi.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an order stating that Garg's appointment is on a deputation basis, effective until May 23, 2026, or until further orders.

Background of NCB

• The Narcotics Control Bureau, established in 1986, operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, focusing on combating drug trafficking and illegal substance use in accordance with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Related Appointments

• Brijendra Pratap Singh has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO).

• Manoj Kumar has been given additional responsibilities as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.

• Satyendra Kumar’s tenure as Director in the Ministry of Environment has been extended until December 24, 2024.

• Kim has been appointed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for a five-year term.

• Birendra Kumar Mishra is now Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying until March 31, 2028.

EaseMyTrip Introduces ScanMyTrip.com, India’s First Travel Marketplace on the ONDC

Tags: National News

EaseMyTrip, a leading online travel aggregator, has launched ScanMyTrip.com, entering the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

An Overview of the News

• This makes EaseMyTrip the first Online Travel Agency (OTA) to offer and purchase travel services through the ONDC network.

• ScanMyTrip.com is a marketplace for travel services, allowing OTAs, MSMEs, travel agents, and homestays to list and access services such as flights and accommodations.

Vision and Goals

• EaseMyTrip aims to enhance digital infrastructure for businesses in the travel and tourism sector.

• Rikant Pittie, cofounder of EaseMyTrip, highlighted that the platform is designed to support travel service providers like homestays and MSMEs, helping them compete in a digital market.

• The goal is to provide advanced digital tools for businesses of all sizes to scale and reach more customers.

Financial Performance and Share Movements

• EaseMyTrip reported a net profit of INR 33.9 Crore for Q1 FY25, up 31% year-on-year.

• Quarterly revenue increased by 23% to INR 152.6 Crore, driven mainly by air ticket sales.

• Despite the financial growth, its shares closed 1.8% lower, at INR 41.08 on the BSE.

Dhruvi Patel Crowned Miss India Worldwide 2024

Tags: Person in news

Dhruvi Patel from Gujarat, India, a computer information systems student in the US, won the Miss India Worldwide 2024 title.

An Overview of the News

• The pageant ceremony was held in Edison, New Jersey.

• First runner-up: Lisa Abdoelhak from Suriname.

• Second runner-up: Malvika Sharma from the Netherlands.

Mrs India Worldwide Winners

• Suann Mouttet from Trinidad and Tobago won the Mrs India Worldwide title.

• First runner-up: Sneha Nambiar from Britain.

• Second runner-up: Pawandip Kaur.

Miss Teen India Worldwide Winners

• Sierra Suret from Guadeloupe won the Miss Teen India Worldwide title.

• First runner-up: Shreya Singh from the Netherlands.

• Second runner-up: Shradha Tedjoe from Suriname.

About the Pageant

• The beauty pageant is organized by the India Festival Committee, based in New York.

• It has been running for 31 years and is the longest-running beauty pageant outside India.

• The pageant is led by Indian Americans Neelam and Dharmatma Saran.

• Dhruvi Patel previously won the Miss India New England title and was a contestant in the Miss World America pageant.

Kerala Tops State Food Safety Index 2024 for the Second Consecutive Year

Tags: INDEX State News

Kerala has topped the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) for the second year in a row, as announced in the SFSI 2024 report.

An Overview of the News

• The index was released during the Second Edition of Global Food Regulators Summit 2024 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Previous Rankings:

• Kerala first topped the index in 2023.

• In 2022, Kerala held the second position, with Gujarat ranking first.

Criteria for Ranking:

• The State Food Safety Index measures performance based on five parameters:

• Human Resources and Institutional Data

• Compliance

• Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance

• Training & Capacity Building

• Consumer Empowerment

Top Ranking States:

• Following Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, and Gujarat secured second, third, and fourth places, respectively.

• Special Mention for Nagaland:

  • Nagaland received special recognition for improving its food safety ecosystem compared to the previous year.

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh Appointed Chief of Air Staff

Tags: Person in news

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, currently Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will become the next Chief of Air Staff.

An Overview of the News

• He will succeed Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari on the afternoon of September 30.

• Singh was commissioned into the fighter pilot stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1984 and has nearly 40 years of distinguished service.

• He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College.

• Singh is a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot, with over 5,000 hours of flying experience on various fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

Other Key Appointments

• Nehal Vora: MD & CEO of Central Depository Services (India).

• Swati Vijay Kulkarni: India’s Next Ambassador to Algeria.

• RS Sharma: Non-Executive Chairperson of ONDC.

• R. Ravindra: India’s Next Ambassador to Iceland.

• Rajesh Verma: Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR.

• Dr. Vinay Goyal: State Mission Director for National Health Mission.

• Manish Kumar Gupta: New Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh.

• Air Marshal Tejinder Singh: Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.

• Subhasri Sriram: MD & CEO of Shriram Capital.

• Dr. T.V. Somanathan: New Cabinet Secretary of India.