Daily Current Affairs – January 31, 2024
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Daily Current Affairs - Banking - January 31, 2024
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National News
Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Labour & Employment jointly organised an event titled Women in the Workforce for Viksit Bharat” in New Delhi
- Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Labour & Employment jointly hosted the event titled – “सक्षम नारी सशक्त भारत – Women in the Workforce for Viksit Bharat” at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
- The event was chaired by the Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani, and the Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav in the presence of Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, Ministry of Women & Child Development and AYUSH.
- The event aimed to chart a path for women-led development by adopting a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach.
- This collaborative effort sought to envision and promote a coordinated strategy that integrates the strengths and initiatives of both Ministries, fostering an environment conducive to women’s empowerment and development ensuring the progression towards a Viksit Bharat.
- The event was graced with the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Education and representatives from the network of Industry organisations- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), ASSOCHAM, PHDCII, SCOPE, and UN organisations -UNICEF, UNWomen and ILO.
- The event drew an extensive virtual audience, with over 2.5 lakh participants from both the industry and various States/Union Territories tuning in via webcast.
- The event witnessed the Ministry of Labour & Employment releasing an advisory to employers, promoting gender equality and women’s workforce participation to strengthen women empowerment.
- Additionally, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, along with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, issued advisories for women workforce participation and safety in the building, construction, and highways sectors.
- The event also served as a platform for the launch of employer rating survey within the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation.
- These advisories will indeed act as a guiding force for employers to create a supportive environment that facilitates women’s participation in the economy.
India nominates 12 forts of Marathas for UNESCO World Heritage List
- India has nominated the “Maratha Military Landscapes”, a network of forts that showcase the strategic military powers of Maratha rule, for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list for 2024-25.
- The 12 components of this nomination are the forts of Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
- The “Maratha Military Landscapes”, which developed between 17th and 19th centuries, represent an extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers.
- This extraordinary network of forts, varying in hierarchies, scales and typological features, is a result of integrating the landscape, terrain and physiographic characteristics distinctive to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian Peninsula.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – 16/11/1945 (Founded) – Paris, France (HQ) – Audrey Azoulay (Director-General)
Amit Shah launches computerisation of ARDBs, RCS offices
- Union Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah had launched computerisation programmes for agriculture and rural development banks (ARDBs) and offices of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) at an estimated cost of ₹225 crores.
- Digitisation efforts will help improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in the working of ARDBs and offices of RCS.
- The computerisation projects will modernise and enhance the efficiency of the cooperative sector by standardising business procedures through a Common Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System (MIS) and bringing the entire ecosystem on a digital platform.
- the plan is to link these ARDBs to PACSs to facilitate long-term loans to farmers smoothly.
- The computerisation of 63,000 PACS has been going on under the supervision of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).
- Out ₹225 crores, as much as ₹95 crores has been earmarked for the computerisation of RCS offices and remaining for ARDBs.
- Under the first phase, 1,851 branches of ARDBs, currently present in 13 states, will be computerised and linked to Nabard through common software.
State News
Nitin Gadkari lays several foundation stones of National Highway projects in Madhya Pradesh
- Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stones of 15 National Highway projects costing ₹8,038 crores with total length of 499 km in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 9 National Highway projects costing ₹2,367 crores and total length of 225 km in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
- Among the projects inaugurated, a 1.5 km long bridge has been constructed on Jamni river on Tikamgarh-Jhansi road at a cost of ₹43 crores.
NABARD pegs priority sector credit potential for Telangana at ₹2.80 lakh crore
- The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has pegged a credit potential of ₹2.80 lakh crore for the priority sector for the financial year 2024-25, showing a whopping growth of 51 per cent over the last year’s projections.
- This includes a credit potential of ₹1.33 lakh crore for agriculture.
- Of the total estimates, crop loans constituted 29 per cent, MSME (46 per cent) and Agri ancillary activities (7 per cent).
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) – 12/07/1982 (Founded) – Mumbai (HQ) – Shri. Shaji K V (Chairman)
Banking and Finance
RBI to make available additional ₹5,000 crores to Standalone Primary Dealers under Standing Liquidity Facility
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to make available an additional aggregate amount of ₹5,000 crores to Standalone Primary Dealers (SPDs) under the Standing Liquidity Facility at the prevailing repo rate starting from January 31, 2024.
- The central bank took this decision based on an assessment of the prevailing and evolving liquidity conditions.
- The incremental limit for individual SPDs is being conveyed to them separately.
- The repo rate (the interest rate at which banks draw liquidity from the RBI to overcome short-term liquidity mismatches) is at 50 per cent.
- The banking system has been facing a liquidity deficit since September 2024, with the deficit standing at about ₹2.68 lakh crore as of January 29, 2024.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) – 01/04/1935 (Founded) – Mumbai (HQ) – Shaktikanta Das (Governor)
Business and Economy
IMF raises India's FY24 growth forecast to 6.7% from 6.3%
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised India’s GDP growth forecast
- to grow by 7% in FY24 as against 6.3% forecast made in the October 2023 update of its report.
- For FY25 and FY26, India’s GDP growth is seen steady at 5%.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) – 27/12/1945 (Founded) – Washington DC (HQ) – Kristalina Georgieva (MD)
Centre slashes import duty on mobile phone components from 15% to 10%
- Ministry of Finance announced reducing the import duty on parts used to manufacture mobile phones to 10 per cent from 15 per cent
- The components on which the duty has been reduced include battery covers, main lens, GSM Antenna, SIM socket, screw, back cover, and other mechanical items of plastic and metal, among others.
- According to the industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), import duties on mobile phone components in India, such as camera modules and chargers, currently range from 5 per cent to 20 per cent.
Agreements and MoUs signed
NSRCEL IIM Bangalore signed MoU with SIDBI launch pre-seed deep tech accelerator fund for start-ups in deep tech and emerging businesses area
- IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL and SIDBI have collaborated to establish a pre-seed fund, specifically for start-ups in the deep tech and emerging businesses area.
- The MoU signed between the two organizations laid the foundation for a multi-year relationship to nurture startups and lead them towards scaling up their business activities.
- Over the past twenty years, NSRCEL has been supporting early-stage ventures in India, incubating more than 1600 start-ups and mentoring many more.
- The organization’s singular focus has been on supporting founders who are building disruptive solutions in their early stages.
- It provides support to startups and entrepreneurs through various programs, including incubation, mentorship, and educational initiatives.
- The center aims to create an ecosystem that nurtures and accelerates the growth of early-stage ventures.
- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) – 02/04/1990 (Founded) – Lucknow,UP (HQ) – Sivasubramanian Ramann (Chairman & MD)
Nature
Scientists discover new kangaroo lizard species from Western Ghats
- The biodiverse forests of Western Ghats have thrown up yet another marvel of evolution – a new species of tiny lizards, which researchers have described as a “diminutive dragon.”
- Agasthyagama edge or the northern kangaroo lizard, which belongs to the Agamidae family, is known to have a maximum snout-vent length of 3 cm.
- A group of scientists from various institutions in India and abroad discovered the new species from the southern Western Ghats at Kulamavu in Idukki.
- The species is the second one of the Agasthyagama genus after beddomii or Indian kangaroo lizard that has been previously reported from Sivagiri hills in Tamil Nadu.
- The findings have been reported in the Vertebrate Zoology, a scientific journal published by the Senckenberg Museum in Germany.
First ever survey puts India’s snow leopard count at 718
- India has an estimated 718 snow leopards in the wild, according to a first-of-its kind, four-year long estimation exercise, the results of which were made public.
- Known to be an elusive cat and located in mountainous terrain that is hard to access, the numbers for the first time mark a base threshold for the animal’s numbers in India.
- The maximum number of cats were estimated to be in Ladakh (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).
- The current estimate puts the number of Indian snow leopards from 10-15% of the global population.
- The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) began in 2019 and involves the World Wide Fund for Nature-India and the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
- The snow leopard is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and faces threats such from free ranging dogs, human wildlife conflicts, and poaching.
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – 1982 (Formed) – Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change (Under)
Appointments
Malaysia welcomes new king Sultan Ibrahim
- Sultan Ibrahim, the wealthy and outspoken ruler of Malaysia’s southern Johor state, was sworn in as the country’s new king in a ceremony.
- Malaysia practices a unique rotational form of monarchy, in which the heads of the country’s nine royal families take turns to be king for a five-year reign.
- The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role, but has become more influential in recent years due to prolonged political instability during which the king has wielded rarely used discretionary powers.
- 9 of Malaysia’s 13 states are headed by a traditional ethnic Malay ruler, mostly known as the sultan, in one of the world’s largest monarchy systems.
- The constitutional monarchy was established after Malaysia’s independence from Britain.
- Every five years, the nine rulers elect one among themselves to be Malaysia’s king through a secret ballot.
- Sultan Ibrahim, 65, hails from the southern state of Johor whose sultanate can be traced back to the 16th century.
- Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur (Capital) – Ringgit (Currency) – Sultan Ibrahim (Monarch) – Anwar Ibrahim (Prime Minister) – Malay (Language)
Comoros President Azali Assoumani was re-elected
- Azali Assoumani was re-elected as Comoros President for fourth term.
- Assoumani, 65, a former military officer who came to power in a 1999, has now served two non-consecutive terms as president, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2016 to the present.
- A 2018 constitutional referendum that paved the way for his re-election.
- Comoros – Moroni (Capital) – Comorian franc (Currency) – Azali Assoumani (President) – Comorian, French & Arabic (Language)
Members of the Sixteenth Finance Commission
- Finance Commission is a constitutional body for the purpose of allocation of certain revenue resources between the Union and the State Governments.
- Sixteenth Finance Commission was formed under Article 280 of the constitution for determining the sharing of tax revenues between Union Government of India and States for five-year period starting from April 1 2026.
- The tenure of each Finance Commission is five years.
S.No
Name
Position
1
Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog and Professor, Columbia University
Chairman
2
Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, Joint Secretary Ministry of Finance
Secretary
3
Ajay Narayan Jha, former member, 15th Finance Commission and former Secretary, Expenditure
Full time Member
4
Annie George Mathew, former Special Secretary, Expenditure
Full time Member
5
Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, Executive Director, Artha Global
Full time Member
6
Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India
Part time Member
Ranks and Indices
India ranks 93 in Global Corruption Index
- The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International shows that most countries have made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption.
- Over two-thirds of the 180 ranked countries scored below 50 on the scale, indicating a prevalence of corruption.
- The CPI evaluates nations based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption, ranging from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
- The report highlighted minimal progress in addressing public sector corruption, as the global average for CPI remained stagnant at 43 for the twelfth consecutive year.
- India secured the 93rd position with a score of 39, according to the Transparency International report.
- India’s overall score remained relatively stable, as it was 40 in 2022, securing the 85th
- Meanwhile, Pakistan, with a score of 29, and Sri Lanka (34) grappled with their respective debt burdens and ensuing political instability.
- Afghanistan and Myanmar scored 20, China scored 42, Japan scored 73 and Bangladesh scored 24.
- For the sixth consecutive year, Denmark secures the top position on the index with a score of 90 due to its “well-functioning justice systems”.
- Following closely, Finland and New Zealand hold the second and third positions with scores of 87 and 85, respectively.
- This year, the top 10 countries on the index include Norway (84), Singapore (83), Sweden (82), Switzerland (82), the Netherlands (79), Germany (78), and Luxembourg (78).
- Taking the bottom spots in the index are Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13), and Yemen (16).
- These countries are all affected by protracted crises, primarily armed conflicts.
Awards and Recognitions
69th Filmfare Awards
- The 69th edition of the renowned Filmfare Awards took place Gandhinagar, Gujarat was hosted by Karan Johar, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Maneish Paul and presented by The Times Group.
- Animal won a leading six awards, while 12th Fail won five awards.
- The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.
- It was awarded for the first time in March 21, 1954.
Category
Winner
Best Film
12th Fail
Best Director
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (12th Fail)
Best Film Critics’
Joram (Devashish Makhiya)
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male)
Ranbir Kapoor (Animal)
Best Actor Critics’
Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female)
Alia Bhatt (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani)
Best Actress Critics’
Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway), Shefali Shah (Three of Us)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Vicky Kaushal (Dunki)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Shabana Azmi (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani)
Best Lyrics
Amitabh Bhattacharya (Tere Vaaste – Zara Hatke Zara Bachke)
Best Music Album
Animal (Pritam, Vishal Mishra, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Jaani, Bhupinder Babbal, Ashim Kemson, Harshwardhan Rameshwar, Gurinder Seagal)
Best Playback Singer (Male)
Bhupinder Babbal (Arjan Vailly – Animal)
Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shilpa Rao (Besharam Rang – Pathaan)
Best Story
Amit Rai (OMG 2), Devashish Makhija (Joram)
Best Screenplay
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (12th Fail)
Best Dialogue
Ishita Moitra (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani)
Best Background Score
Harshavardhan Rameshwar (Animal)
Best Cinematography
Avinash Arun Dhaware (Three of Us)
Best Production Design
Subrata Chakraborty, Amit Ray (Sam Bahadur)
Best Costume Design
Sachin Lovelekar, Divvya Gambhir, Nidhhi Gambhir (Sam Bahadur)
Best Sound Design
Kunal Sharma (MPSE) (Sam Bahadur) Sync Cinema (Animal)
Best Editing
Jaskunwar Singh Kohli- Vidhu Vinod Chopra (12th Fail)
Best Action
Spiro Razatos, Anl Arasu, Craig MacRae, Yannick Ben, Kecha Khamphakdee, Sunil Rodrigues (Jawan)
Best VFX
Red Chillies VFX (Jawan)
Best Choreography
Ganesh Acharya (What Jhumka? – Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani)
Best Debut Director
Tarun Dudeja (Dhak Dhak)
Best Debut Male
Aditya Rawal (Faraaz)
Best Debut Female
Alizeh Agnihotri (Farrey)
Lifetime Achievement Award
David Dhawan
Sports News
Khelo India Winter Games 2024 mascot ‘Sheen-e She’ (Shan) revealed
- The mascot and logo of Khelo India Winter Games were launched.
- The first part of the Winter Games, a mouth-watering event for winter sports athletes, will be held in Union Territory of Ladakh for the first time from February 2-6.
- The second portion is scheduled in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir from February 21-25.
- The mascot of the Khelo India Winter Games 2024 is a snow leopard and has been named ‘Sheen-e She’ or Shan in Ladakh region.
- The logo of the Games, prominent with the Indian tricolor, reflects the uniqueness of the picturesque land and the many sports that’s on the cards.
- The Games logo is complete with a Dharmachakra (turning wheel of Dharma) on a hilltop in Chanspa in Leh, the venue of the Games.
- The Khelo India Winter Games 2024 is the fourth edition of the annual event in the Khelo India calendar.
Khelo India Youth Games Tamil Nadu’s Keerthana rewrites National youth record in girls’ 81kg
- Tamil Nadu weightlifter P. Keerthana broke the National youth record in snatch, clean & jerk and overall to clinch the gold in girls’ 81kg category of the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai.
- Keerthana lifted a total of 188 kgs, including 85kg in snatch and 106kg in clean & jerk to finish ahead of state-mate K. Oviya (184kg).
- The previous record in snatch (81kg), clean & jerk (104kg) and overall (185kg) were held by Srilakshmi of Andhra Pradesh in the National youth championships 2023 in Nagercoil.
Important Days
World NTD Day 2024
- World NTD Day or World NTD (Neglected Tropical Diseases) Day is annually observed on January 30.
- It is an awareness day for addressing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
- Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
- They are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms (helminths).
- These diseases are contrasted with the “big three” infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria).
- The day was first observed in
International Zebra Day 2024
- International Zebra Day is annually observed on January 31.
- The Day provides a vital forum for bringing attention to the zebra’s conservation requirements and their significance for preserving ecological balance on a worldwide scale.
- here are currently three different species of zebra living in the wild: Grevy’s zebra, plains zebra and mountain zebra.
- The Grevy’s zebra is critically endangered according to the Red List of Threatened Species.
Daily Current Affairs - January 31, 2024 - Consolidated
- Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Labour & Employment jointly organised an event titled Women in the Workforce for Viksit Bharat” in New Delhi
- India nominates 12 forts of Marathas for UNESCO World Heritage List
- Amit Shah launches computerisation of ARDBs, RCS offices
- Nitin Gadkari lays several foundation stones of National Highway projects in Madhya Pradesh
- NABARD pegs priority sector credit potential for Telangana at ₹2.80 lakh crore
- RBI to make available additional ₹5,000 crores to Standalone Primary Dealers under Standing Liquidity Facility
- IMF raises India’s FY24 growth forecast to 6.7% from 6.3%
- Centre slashes import duty on mobile phone components from 15% to 10%
- NSRCEL IIM Bangalore signed MoU with SIDBI launch pre-seed deep tech accelerator fund for start-ups in deep tech and emerging businesses area
- Scientists discover new kangaroo lizard species from Western Ghats
- First ever survey puts India’s snow leopard count at 718
- Malaysia welcomes new king Sultan Ibrahim
- Comoros President Azali Assoumani was re-elected
- Members of the Sixteenth Finance Commission
- India ranks 93 in Global Corruption Index
- 69th Filmfare Awards
- Khelo India Winter Games 2024 mascot ‘Sheen-e She’ (Shan) revealed
- Khelo India Youth Games Tamil Nadu’s Keerthana rewrites National youth record in girls’ 81kg
- World NTD Day 2024
- International Zebra Day 2024
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