DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Dec. 9, 2024

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches "Amrit Gyaan Kosh" Portal.

Tags: National News

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh   launches "Amrit Gyaan Kosh" Portal.

Why in the news?

  • Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Dr. Jitendra Singh today launched "Amrit Gyan Kosh" Portal to strengthen governance training.

Important points:

  • The Minister also inaugurated"Advanced Case Writing and Teaching Workshop"  organized under the aegis of the Capacity Building Commission in partnership with the Stanford Leadership Academy for Development and the Asian Development Bank Institute.
  • The workshop is alandmark initiative to strengthen governance training and capacity building for public administrators in India.
  • During the address, the Minister unveiled a significant milestone—thelaunch of the dedicated portal for Amrit Gyaan Kosh on the iGOT platform, jointly developed by the Capacity Building Commission and Karmayogi Bharat. 
  • This comprehensive repository, launched in August this year, curates best practices from across India, aligning with 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encompassing diverse policy themes such as health, education, agriculture, and digital governance.
  • The workshop emphasizes the importance of case-based approaches in governance training. Participants will learn to develop structured case studies, enhance their teaching methods, and contribute new material to Amrit Gyaan Kosh. 
  • The curated resources enable faculty to align their teaching with global standards while addressing India's unique administrative challenges.



Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launches LIC’s Bima Sakhi Yojana

Tags: National News

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launches LIC’s Bima Sakhi Yojana

Why in the news?

  • The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today launched the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ of Life Insurance Corporation, in line with his commitment to women empowerment and financial inclusion, in Panipat, Haryana. 

What is The ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana?

  • The ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ initiative of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is designed to empower women aged 18-70 years, who are Class X pass.
  • They will receive specialized training and a stipend for the first three years to promote financial literacy and insurance awareness. 
  • After training, they can serve as LIC agents and the graduate Bima Sakhis would have the opportunity to qualify for being considered for Development Officer roles in LIC.
  •  

India's first Hyperloop train test track completed by IIT Madras.

Tags: Science and Technology

India's first Hyperloop train test track completed by IIT Madras.

Why in the news?

  • IIT Madras has successfully completed India's first Hyperloop train test track, marking a significant milestone in futuristic transportation. This groundbreaking achievement brings the vision of vacuum-based train travel closer to reality.

Key points:

  • In a major leap forward for transportation technology, IIT Madras has completed a 410-meter Hyperloop test track, marking a significant milestone in India’s journey toward futuristic transport systems. 
  • "Bharat’s first Hyperloop test track (410 meters) completed. Team Railways, IIT-Madras’ Avishkar Hyperloop team, and TuTr (an incubated startup).

COLLABORATION :

  • The project is being led byIIT Madras’s Avishkar Hyperloop team in partnership with TuTr, a startup incubated at the institute.
  • The Hyperloop concept, originally popularised by Elon Musk in 2012, is now gaining traction worldwide, and this development takes India closer to adopting cutting-edge transportation technology.
  • The Avishkar Hyperloop team comprises 76 undergraduates and postgraduate students from IIT Madras.

Features:

  • Hyperloop trains are designed to reachspeeds of up to 1,100 km/h, with an operational speed of around 360 km/h.
  • The system operates within a vacuum-sealed, frictionless environment, offering faster travel and higher energy efficiency.

MUMBAI-PUNE HYPERLOOP PROJECT:

  • The first full-scale Hyperloop project in India is planned for the Mumbai-Pune corridor.
  • This ambitious system aims to cut travel time between the two cities to just 25 minutes, though it is still in the early stages of development.

WHAT IS HYPERLOOK TECHNOLOGY?

  • Hyperloop is ahigh-speed transportation system in which pods, functioning as pressurised vehicles, travel at incredible speeds through low-pressure tubes.
  • Each pod, capable of carrying 24-28 passengers, will travel directly between destinations without stops, making it a highly efficient and promising solution for point-to-point travel.
  • India's Hyperloop initiative marks a significant step toward adopting next-generation transportation systems, promising faster connectivity and groundbreaking technology.


'COMMANDERS' CONFERENCE-2024 WESTERN AIR COMMAND.

Tags: Defence

'COMMANDERS' CONFERENCE-2024 WESTERN AIR COMMAND.

Why in the news?

  • Atwo day Commanders' Conference of Western Air Command (WAC) of the Indian Air Force was held at New Delhi, with Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) as the chief guest. 

Important points:

  • During the conference, the CAS interacted with the Commanders of the WAC AoR, and discussed the need to pursue training for ensuring the capability to fight and win multi-domain warfare.
  •  The theme for this year "Bharatiya Vayu Sena - Sashakt, Saksham, Atmanirbhar", and sought the collective capability, capacity and commitment of all commanders to take the IAF to even greater achievements. 
  •  Emphasis was  on the need to achieve focused progress in various areas, which include increasing operational capability through better training and planning; early operationalisation of newly inducted equipment; safety and security, and nurturing leaders by empowering individuals at all levels to turn into a future ready and cohesive force. 
  • The CAS in his address, complimented WAC for being the first responders to calls for HADR, both within India and abroad; maintaining high operational excellence to ensure an always ready' formidable fighting force, and always keeping IAF core values of 'Mission, Integrity and Excellence' foremost.

 



Maize flour ‘Himbhog’ produced via natural farming to be launched by Himachal Pradesh.

Tags: State News

Maize flour ‘Himbhog’ produced via natural farming to be launched by Himachal Pradesh.

Why in the news?

  • Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu y said that the state government would soon introduce maize flour produced through natural farming under the brand name ‘Him Bhog.’

Key points:

  • He said that more than 4,000 quintals of maize had been procured from 1,506 farmer families practising natural farming in the state, with the exception of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts. 
  • The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh was the first state in India to offer the highest minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and maize.
  • “The government is providing Rs 40 per kg for wheat and Rs 30 per kg for maize produced through natural farming. 
  • The government is promoting natural farming on 35,000 hectares, benefiting 1.98 lakh farmers.
  • Sukhu said that free certification had been provided to over 1.5 lakh farmers and an additional 36,000 farmers were being connected with natural farming. 
  • He said that the government was also focusing on linking agriculture with employment through phase-III of the Rajiv Gandhi Start-Up Yojana that had been started with a budget of Rs 680 crore.

About Maize:

  • Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. 
  • It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. 
  • Native Americans planted it alongside beans and squashes in the Three Sisters polyculture.


Marburg Virus.

Tags: Science and Technology

Marburg Virus.

Why in the news?

  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning for theMarburg virus, a kin to the Ebola virus, along with Mpox and Oropouche fever, that it is spreading in 17 countries.

About Marburg Virus:

  • “The Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) is a rare animal-borne disease that can cause fatal outbreaks with high mortality rates.
  •  Earlier outbreaks were reported due to laboratory work with African green monkeys from Uganda.” 
  • According toWHO, the average fatality rate is around 50%.
  • This virusoriginated by spending time in mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus fruit bat colonies.
  • Once a human is infected, transmissions can occur via bodily fluids, such as urine, saliva, faeces, vomit, breastmilk, amniotic fluid or semen.
  • It can also be passed on via objects that are contaminated with body fluids from an infected individual.


Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became Namibia’s first female president.

Tags: International Relations

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became Namibia’s first female president.

Why in the news?

  • Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has made history as  Namibia’s first female president-elect securing 57% of the vote in the November 27, 2024, election. 

Important points:

  • Representing the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed Namibia since its independence in 1990, she defeated her closest rival, Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), who received 26% of the vote.

About  Nandi-Ndaitwah:

  • Born on October 29, 1952, in the northern village of Onamutai, Nandi-Ndaitwah is the ninth of thirteen children in her family.
  •  Her father was an Anglican priest, and her early life was marked by political activism.
  • At just 14, she joined SWAPO during Namibia’s fight for independence from South African rule.

Education and early career:

  • Nandi-Ndaitwah pursued higher education in Zambia, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, earning advanced degrees in International Relations and Public Administration.
  • After Namibia gained independence in 1990, she returned to play a key role in nation-building, holding several significant ministerial positions throughout her career.

Advocacy and leadership

  • Nandi-Ndaitwah is a vocal advocate for women’s rights. She was instrumental in passing the Combating of Domestic Violence Act in 2002 and has consistently pushed for gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated political sphere.

About Namibia:

  • Namibia, a country insouthwest Africa, is distinguished by the Namib Desert along its Atlantic Ocean coast.
  • The country is home to diverse wildlife, including a significant cheetah population. The capital, Windhoek, and coastal town Swakopmund contain German colonial-era buildings such as Windhoek's Christuskirche, built in 1907.
  •  In the north, Etosha National Park’s salt pan draws game including rhinos and giraffes.

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