DAILY GK 27-28 AUG 2024

 DAILY GK 27-28 AUG 2024 

1.       LAUSANNE DIAMOND LEAGUE 2024

·         Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished 2nd at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024 (also known as Athletissima) with his season’s best throw of 89.49 meter.

·         Lausanne Diamond League 2024, organised by World Athletics, was held at Pontaise Olympic Stadium in Lausanne, Switzerland.

·         Anderson Peters of Grenada won the event with a throw of 90.61m while Julian Weber of Germany finished 3rd with a throw of 87.08m.

·         The Diamond League is an annual series of track and field athletic competitions organised by World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

 

2.       INDIA LAUNCHED ITS 1ST REUSABLE HYBRID ROCKET “RHUMI-1” 

·         India successfully launched its 1st reusable hybrid rocket named “RHUMI-1”, developed by Space Zone India (SZI),Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) – based start-up, in partnership with Martin Group.

·         The rocket was lifted off from a mobile launchpad on East Coast Road (ECR), Thiruvidanthai in Chennai, TN.

·         It was carrying 3 Cube Satellites and 50 PICO Satellites and deployed them into a suborbital trajectory using a mobile launcher.

·         The Cube satellites will monitor and collect atmospheric conditions like: cosmic radiation intensity, Ultra Violet (UV) radiation intensity, and air quality.

·         RHUMI Mission comprises RHUMI series of rockets, including RHUMI-1, RHUMI-2, and RHUMI-3 which are designed specifically to cover a range of altitudes from 1 kilometer (km) to 500 km.

·         RHUMI-1  is 100% pyrotechnic-free and 0% Trinitrotoluene (TNT) rocket.

·         It uses hybrid propulsion system that combines solid fuel and liquid oxidizer technologies to improve efficiency and reduce



3.       CABINET APPROVES UNIFIED PENSION SCHEME (UPS)

·         The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).

·         Assured Pension Eligibility is 25 years of service.

·         Benefit: 50% of the average basic pay drawn in the last 12 months before retirement.

·         For Lesser Service Periods Proportionate pension for service between 10 to 25 years.

·         Assured Family Pension Benefit: 60% of the employee's pension before their death.

·         Minimum Pension Amount: Rs 10,000 per month  with Minimum 10 years of service.

·         Lump Sum Payment at Superannuation Calculation: 1/10th of monthly emoluments (pay + DA) for every six months of completed service.

 

4.       “MY STAMP – 165th INCOME TAX DAY”

·         Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF) released ‘My Stamp – 165th Income Tax Day’ to commemorate 165 years of income tax in India, in New Delhi, Delhi.

·         India annually celebrates Income Tax Day on 24th July commemorates the introduction of income tax in India by Sir James Wilson in 1860. 

 

5.       HIMACHAL INCREASES MINIMUM MARRIAGE AGE FOR WOMEN FROM 18 TO 21 YEARS

·         The Himachal Pradesh (HP) State Assembly passed a Bill increasing the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years in order to support gender equality and higher education.

·         The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced by Women Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil in the State Assembly during its ongoing monsoon session.

·         The Bill amends the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and other related Acts in their application in Himachal Pradesh.

 

 

6.       RBI CLEARS E-MANDATE FOR AUTO-REPLENISHMENT OF FASTAG & NCMC

·         The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) modified its electronic mandate (e-mandate) framework to include the auto-replenishment of balances in FASTag and the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC),effective immediately.

·         Previously, a 24-hour pre-debit notification was required and this is no longer necessary for auto-replenishment transactions.

·         Auto replenishment of balances in FASTag and NCMC triggers whenever the balance falls below a customer-defined threshold.

·         FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India and NCMC is a contactless smart card for multiple transportation systems and retail shopping across the country.

 

 

7.       GUJARAT REPLACED UP AS TOP INVESTMENT DESTINATION IN FY24 

·         According to a study by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) economists, Gujarat replaced Uttar Pradesh (UP) in attracting bank funds for projects in the state in the Financial Year 2023-24(FY24).

·         Gujarat received funds for total 154 projects which accounted 14.7 %( increased from 14% in FY23) of the total projects financed by the banks and Financial Institutions (FIs) in FY24.

·         The total cost of projects sanctioned by banks and FIs during the FY24, increased to a record high of Rs 3,90,978 crore (around Rs 4 trillion).

·         UP received funds for total 69 projects which accounted 7.6% (decreased from 16.2% in FY23) of the total funds financed by banks and FIs in FY24.

·         Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka were the others among top 5 states to get bank fund for projects in their respective states from banks and FIs in FY24.

·         According to the RBI study, Odisha dropped from 3rd spot (in FY23

 

8.       RBI IMPOSES PENALTY OF RS 1.25 LAKH ON VALSAD MAHILA NAGRIK SAHAKARI BANK

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 1.25 lakh on the Gujarat based Valsad Mahila Nagrik Sahakari Bank Limited for non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI.

·         The penalty has been imposed for income recognition, asset classification, provisioning and other related areas including Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs), membership of Credit Information Companies (CICs)

 

9.       WORLD WATER WEEK – 25 TO 29 AUGUST 2024

·         World Water Week (WWW), the leading conference on global water issues, is annually observed across the globe during the last week of August to address critical water-related challenges, including access to clean water, sanitation, water management, and sustainability.

·         World Water Week 2024 takes place from 25 to 29 August 2024.

·         The theme of the 2024 WWW conference is, “Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future”.

·         In 1991, Stockholm celebrated its clean waters with a public festival, which included the 1st Stockholm Water Symposium, gathering the world’s leading water scientists.

·         In 2001, the Stockholm Water Symposium was officially renamed the World Water Week in Stockholm, the premier annual meeting place for discussing freshwater issues.

·         Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) Headquarters– Stockholm, Sweden

·         Established– 1991

 

10.    MUMBAI RANKS 2ND IN PGCI Q2 2024;

·         According to the “Prime Global Cities Index (PGCI) Q2 2024” published by an international property consultant Knight Frank, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and New Delhi (Delhi) have secured the 2nd and 3rd positions respectively, among 44 cities globally in annual price rise of prime residential properties during the 2nd Quarter (Q2: April-June) of 2024 Calendar Year(CY24).

·         India’s financial capital city saw a Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) price rise of 13% in prime residences

·         Manila, the capital city of Philippines has topped the Knight PGCI Q2 2024, with a 26% annual increase during the June quarter. Wellington, New Zealand ranked last on the list.

·         Knight Frank Headquarters- London

 

11.    SEBI BARS ANIL AMBANI FROM SECURITIES MARKET FOR FIVE YEARS

·         India's market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has imposed a five-year ban on industrialist Anil Ambani and 24 others, including top executives of Reliance Home Finance Limited. (RHFL), from participating in the securities market.

·         SEBI has imposed a Rs 25 crore penalty on Anil Ambani and has barred him from holding any directorial or key managerial positions in listed companies or intermediaries registered with SEBI for 5 years.

 

12.    PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA COMPLETES 10 YEARS

·         The Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana (PMJDY), a National Mission for Financial Inclusion, launched on August 28, 2014 by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, completed 10 years (decade) of successful implementation.

·         PMJDY has brought 53.13 crore people into the formal banking system as of August 14, 2024, with 55.6% (29.56 crore) of Jan-Dhan account holders being women and 66.6% (35.37 crore) of accounts in rural or semi-urban areas.

 

13.    CHAIRPERSON OF NASSCOM

·         Sindhu Gangadharan, the Managing Director (MD) of SAP Labs India Private Limited(SLI) has been named as the Chairperson of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) with immediate effect.

·         Sindhu will succeed Rajesh Nambiar, who was appointed as the Chairperson of NASSCOM in September 2023.

·         Rajesh Nambiar has been named as the President Designate for NASSCOM.

·         NASSCOM is a non-profit organisation that represents and promotes the interests of the Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in India.

·         Headquarters – Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP)