News for the Day (19th July, 2024)

Current Affairs


 19-Jul-2024

Current Affairs 

 UTKRISHTATA KI ORE BADHTE KADAM 

Why in the News? 

  • The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organised an event named Utkrishtata ki Ore Badhte Kadam: Celebrating Achievements, Inspiring Excellence. 
  • The event felicitates the best performers under PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). 

PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana 

  • It was launched on 1st June 2020. 
  • It is a Central Sector Scheme i.e., fully funded by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.  
  • Objectives 
    • To facilitate working capital loan; 
    • To incentivize regular repayment; and 
    • To reward digital transactions 

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) 

  • It was launched on 24th September 2013 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. 
  • It aims to uplift urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development. 
  • It is Centrally Sponsored Scheme.  
    • Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.  
    • For Northeastern and Special Category – the ratio will be 90:10. 
  • It has mobilized more than 8.4 million urban poor women across India, forming over 8,31,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in over 4,000 towns till 2023. 

INDIAN NAVAL SHIP (INS) TABAR 

Why in the News? 

  • Indian Navy’s frontline frigate, INS Tabar arrived at Hamburg, Germany for professional interactions between the Indian Navy and German Navy. 
  • The crew of INS Tabar would also offer community service at Old Age Home.  
  • On departure from Hamburg, the two Navies will also undertake Maritime Partnership Exercise at sea. 

About INS Tabar (F44) 

  • Also called as Battle Axe is the third of the Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy.  
  • The frigate was commissioned on 19th April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia.  
  • Current Commanding Officer (CO): Captain Mahesh Mangipudi. 
  • It reached in India on 31st July 2004. and is assigned to Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command, head-quartered in Mumbai. 
  • It is a well-equipped warship that has the ability to handle air/surface/sub-surface missions or defending herself operating either independently on maritime missions or supporting a larger naval task force. 

Note

1. Frigate is a medium size square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries.

2. They are smaller and faster than ships of the line (the principal vessels of naval warfare) and served as scouts or as escorts protecting merchant convoys. 

INS Tabar 

CHINA CALCUTTA SERVICE (CCS) 

Why in the News? 

  • Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata) in alliance with Pacific International Lines (PIL) inaugurated the China Calcutta Service (CCS) at the Kolkata Dock System (KDS). 

About 

  • The CCS will feature three vessels – Kota Ria, Kota Rukun and Kota Rakiyat, each with an average parcel load of 622 TEUs, specially tailored to navigate lower draft conditions. 
  • The port rotation for the route includes Xiamen, Shekou, Singapore, Kolkata, Singapore and Xiamen. 
  • Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata) 
  • Kolkata Port, officially known as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust (Formerly Kolkata Port Trust) is the oldest operating port in India. 
  • It was constructed by the British East India Company in 1870. 
  • It is a freshwater port with no variation in salinity. 
  • The port has two distinct dock systems — Kolkata Docks at Kolkata and a deep-water dock at Haldia Dock Complex, Haldia. 
  • Governance: It is an autonomous body under the ministry of shipping, Government of India administered through Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. 
  • Location: It is the only riverine Major Port in India, situated 232 kms up-stream from the Sandheads and has longest navigational channel in the world. 

Syama Prasad Mukherjee 

  • He was an Indian politician, barrister and academician. 
  • He served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. 
  • He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, in 1951. 

MASHCO PIRO TRIBE 

Why in the News? 

  • Rare photos have surfaced of the Mashco Piro tribe deep in the Peruvian Amazon. 
  • The images show tribe members emerging from their traditional territory in Peru’s southeastern province bordering Brazil. 
  • The images show tribal people relaxing near a riverbank in the Madre de Dios region. 

Members of the Mashco-Piro tribe gathered on the banks of the Las Piedras river in Monte Salvado 

About 

  • They are also known as Cujareño people and Nomole. 
  • They are believed to be the world's largest isolated tribe.  
  • They are an indigenous tribe of nomadic hunter-gatherers who inhabit the remote regions of the Amazon rainforest.  
  • They live in Manú National Park in the Madre de Dios Region of Peru.  
  • Historically, they have actively avoided contact with non-native peoples.  
  • They speak a dialect of the Piro language. 

Members of the Mashco-Piro tribe 

SIX NEW EXOPLANETS 

Why in the News? 

  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has discovered six new exoplanets. 

About 

  • They are named as HD 36384 b, TOI-198 b, TOI-2095 b, TOI-2095 c, TOI-4860 b, and MWC 758 c. 
  • This brings the total number of exoplanets outside our solar system to 5,502. 
  • The discovery marks an advancement in the understanding of the universe and the potential for life beyond Earth and the Solar System. 

Characteristics of the Discovered Exoplanets 

  • HD 36384 b: A super-Jupiter orbiting an M giant star nearly 40 times the size of the Sun. 
  • TOI-198 b: Potentially rocky, located on the inner edge of its star’s habitable zone. 
  • TOI-2095 b and TOI-2095 c: Hot super-Earths orbiting the same M dwarf star. 
  • TOI-4860 b: A rare “hot Jupiter,” completing an orbit every 1.52 days around an M dwarf star. 
  • MWC 758 c: A giant protoplanet orbiting a young star with a protoplanetary disk, offering insights into early planetary formation. 
  • Exoplanets 
  • They are planets that orbit other stars and are beyond our solar system.  
  • The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992. 
  • They come in a host of different sizes. 
  •  They can be gas giants bigger than Jupiter or as small and rocky as Earth.  
  • They are also known to have different kinds of temperatures - boiling hot to freezing cold. 

General Knowledge

YUVAJANA SRAMIKA RYTHU CONGRESS PARTY (YSRCP) 

  • Founded: 12th March 2011 
  • Founder: Siva Kumar 
  • Current President: Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy 
  • It is a regional political party of Andhra Pradesh. 
  • Opposition: Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Indian National Congress (INC) 
  • Schemes:  
    • Amma Vodi Scheme 
    • Rajiv Arogya Shri Scheme 
    • Rythu Bharosa 
    • Jagananna Vidya Deevena 
    • Indiramma houses 
    • 2 rupees of rice 

YSRCP Party Symbol  

THANGKA ART  

  • Origin: 7th century AD in Tibet, influenced by Indian and Nepalese Buddhist art. 
  • Meaning: Something that is unrolled or Scroll Painting. 
  • Presently, it belongs to the Indian States of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh region and Arunachal Pradesh. 
  • It is a traditional form of Tibetan Buddhist painting used as a medium of reverence that evoked the highest ideals of Buddhism.    
  • Thangkas are painted on a base of cotton canvas with paints made from natural vegetable dyes or mineral dyes. 
  • Famous Artists: Patrul Rinpoche, Khyentse Wangpo, Karma Tenzin and Pema Lama 

Thangka Painting 

FOREIGNERS TRIBUNAL 

  • The Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, established these tribunals.  
  • The Central government enacted this order under the powers granted by the Foreigners Act of 1946. 
  • They are quasi-judicial bodies in India. 
  • Members: Chairperson (usually a retired judge) and legal experts appointed by the state or central government. 
  • It decides whether individuals are citizens or foreigners, particularly in the context of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and other immigration matters. 
  • Under the provisions of Foreigners Act 1946 and Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964, only Foreigners Tribunals are empowered to declare a person as a foreigner. 
  • The Order applies to the whole of India, yet it exists only in Assam as of now. 
  • Types of Cases: Citizenship status, detention appeals and NRC exclusions. 
  • Key Cases:  
    • Assam NRC 2019 
    • Sarbananda Sonowal vs. Union of India (2005) 
    • Hussain Mohammad vs. Union of India (2019) 

Office of the Foreigners Tribunal  

UNIVERSAL IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME (UIP) 

  • Launched: 19th November 1985 
  • It is a national health program designed to provide free vaccines to all children and pregnant women in India to protect against major vaccine-preventable diseases. 
  • Two major milestones of the UIP have been the eradication of polio in 2014 and the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2015. 
  • It provides vaccination free of cost against 11 diseases nationally and one disease sub-nationally. 
  • In 2014, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission Indradhanush to vaccinate all unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children under the UIP. 
  • Key Vaccines: BCG, OPV, DTP, Td, Hib, Hepatitis B, Measles-Rubella, Rotavirus, PCV, JE 
  • Recent Developments: New vaccines, Expansion, COVID-19 integration, Cold chain improvements 

BANGLADESH 

  • Location: South Asia, bordered by India and Myanmar 
  • Capital: Dhaka 
  • Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy 
  • Legislature: Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) 
  • President: Mohammad Shahabuddin 
  • Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina  
  • Currency: Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 
  • International Organizations: Member of United Nations, South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund. 
  • 21st February was declared to be International Mother Language Day by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 17th November 1999. 
    • It has been observed throughout the world since 21st February 2000.  
    • The declaration came up in tribute to the Language Movement done by the Bangladeshis (then the East Pakistanis).   
  • On 17th September 1974, Bangladesh became a full member of the United Nations. 
  • It is an active partner in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Prime Minister of Bangladesh - Sheikh Hasina 

Historical Background 

  • Ancient History: Region part of the Bengal Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. 
  • British Colonial Period: Under British rule as part of Bengal from the 18th to mid-20th century. 
  • Partition of Bengal: In 1947, Bengal was divided between India and Pakistan. 
  • Independence: Liberated from Pakistan in 1971 after a nine-month war. 

India-Bangladesh Relations 

  • It shares borders with five Indian states: Assam, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura. 
  • India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers, but only two treaties have been signed so far of Ganga Waters Treaty and The Kushiyara River Treaty. 
  • It seeks Indian support in persuading Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas. 
  • It imports nearly 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from India. 
  • Key Agreements:  
    • Land Boundary Agreement, 2015 
    • Framework Agreement on Cooperation, 2020 
    • Teesta Water Sharing Agreement 

Map of Bangladesh