Current Affairs (10th July, 2024)

Current Affairs


 10-Jul-2024

Current Affairs

AXIOM-4 MISSION

Why in News?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shortlisted two of its four trained Gaganyaan astronauts for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

About Axiom-4 Mission

  • Aim: To dock with the ISS for a fourteen-day duration.
  • To be launched in August 2024.
  • Venue: Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

About International Space Station (ISS)

  • It is a large, permanently crewed laboratory that orbits Earth, 400 kilometers () above its surface.
  • It is home to astronauts and cosmonauts and serves as a unique science laboratory.
  • It's a collaboration between fifteen countries and five space agencies.
  • The space agencies that collaborate are:
    • NASA (United States)
    • Ros cosmos (Russia)
    • ESA (European Space Agency)
    • JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
    • CSA (Canadian Space Agency)

About ISRO

  • It is the space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India.
  • Headquarter: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
  • Aim: To harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration.

About NASA

  • It is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
  • Established under the National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958
  • Headquarter: Washington, DC, USA

JOINT DEFENCE COOPERATION COMMITTEE 

Why in News?

  • The 12th edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between India and UAE was held in Abu Dhabi on July 09, 2024. 

Agenda of Meeting

  • To enhance defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
  • Detailed discussions on topics such as training, joint military exercises, defence industrial cooperation, expert exchanges, and research and development.
  • The conversation also covered the regional security situation, including maritime security.
  • They agreed on the mutual exchange of training opportunities in specialized areas.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION INDEX

Why in News?

  • Financial Inclusion Index rises to 64.2 in March 2024.

About

  • It is a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal as well as the pension sector.
  • It was developed by the RBI in 2021, without any ‘base year', and is published in July every year.

Aim

  • To capture the extent of Financial Inclusion across the country.
  • It is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services and quality of services.
  • It consists of 97 indicators.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

  • It was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  • Since nationalisation in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the Government of India.

Functions of RBI

  • Monetary Authority
  • Regulator and Supervisor of the Financial System
  • Manager of Foreign Exchange
  • Issuer of Currency
  • Developmental Role
  • Financial Inclusion
  • Banker to the Government
  • Banker to banks

Important Reports by RBI

  • Financial Stability Report
  • Monetary Policy Report
  • Report on Financial Review

GLOBAL ENERGY INDEPENDENCE DAY

  • Celebrated on 10th July every year.
  • Goal: The day focuses on promoting renewable energy sources, energy diversification, and technological advancements in sustainable energy solutions. 
  • Theme 2024: Energy Transition Now: Embrace the Future.
  • It marks a pivotal moment for countries striving to achieve energy self-sufficiency and sustainability.

General Knowledge

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SEBI)

  • It is a statutory body
  • Established on: April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
  • The basic functions of the SEBE are:
    • To protect the interests of investors in securities.
    • To promote and regulate the securities market.

Functions of SEBI

  • It is a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body which can draft regulations, conduct inquiries, pass rulings and impose penalties.
  • It functions to fulfil the requirements of three categories:
    • Issuers – By providing a marketplace in which the issuers can increase their finance.
    • Investors – By ensuring safety and supply of precise and accurate information.
    • Intermediaries – By enabling a competitive professional market for intermediaries.

CHIEF MINISTER

  • The governor is the head of the state while the Chief Minister (CM) is the head of the government.
  • The position of the CM at the state level is analogous to the position of prime minister at the Centre.

Appointment

  • Article 164 of the Constitution envisages that the CM shall be appointed by the governor.
  • A leader of the party that has got the majority share of votes in the assembly elections, is appointed as the CM of the state.

Note: A person who is not a member of the state legislature can be appointed as CM for six months, within which time, he should be elected to the state legislature, failing which he ceases to be the CM.

Term of the CM

  • The term of the CM is not fixed and he holds office during the pleasure of the governor.
  • He cannot be dismissed by the governor as long as he enjoys the majority support in the legislative assembly.
  • The State Legislative Assembly can also remove him by passing a vote of No confidence against him.

GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA

Location

  • It is officially called the Russian Federation.
  • Continent: Located in both Eastern Europe and Northern Asia
  • Russia Shares Land Borders With: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea.

Total Area

  • Largest country
  • This immense size constitutes about 11% of the world's land area.

Topography and Landscape

  • Russia's geographic diversity is impressive, featuring vast plains, rugged mountains, dense forests, and arid deserts.
  • The Ural Mountains serve as the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia, dividing the country into two distinct regions.
  • The European part of Russia is characterized by broad plains, while the Asian part includes extensive taiga forests and tundra.

Water Bodies of Russia

  • The majority of Russia's coastline is on the Arctic Ocean.
  • The eastern coastline of Russia lies on the Pacific Ocean and its seas, including the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and a portion of the Sea of Japan.
  • Western Russia has short coastlines along the Baltic Sea (in northern Europe) and the Black Sea (an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia), both of which are seas of the Atlantic Ocean.

Inland Lakes

  • Caspian Sea
    • It is a saltwater lake and the largest inland body of water in the world.
    • The Caspian is held in a vast land depression with no outlet to any ocean.
    • Although many rivers drain into it, water escapes only through evaporation.
    • The Caspian Sea salinity results from accumulated salts.
  • Lake Baikal
    • Located in Siberia, Russia.
    • The deepest lake in the world.

Ural Mountains

  • It extends from the Kara Sea to the Kazakh Steppe along the border of Kazakhstan.
  • Geographically this range marks the northern part of the border between Europe and Asia.
  • They are an example of Old Fold Mountains.