Daily Current Affairs Quiz: September 20, 2024

Answer: B

Observed on September 21

• Dedicated to building a culture of peace and non-violence around the world.
• Theme : Cultivating a Culture of Peace
• Established in 1981 and in 2001, the General Assembly adopted a resolution to established 21 September as International Day of Peace of non-violence and cease-fire.

Answer: D

Current Context : Union Cabinet approves Bio-RIDE scheme to boost biotechnology research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Launched by India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Bio-RIDE combines two existing schemes — Biotechnology Research and Development (R&D) and Industrial and Entrepreneurship Development (I&ED)
• It includes a new component, ‘Bio-manufacturing and Bio-foundry’,”
• The scheme will offer grants and incentives for cutting-edge research and development in areas such as synthetic biology, bio-pharmaceuticals, bio-energy, and bio-plastics.

OBJECTIVES:

• Fostering Innovation: It supports pioneering research in fields like synthetic biology, biopharmaceuticals, bioenergy, and bioplastics.
• Promoting Bio-Entrepreneurship: Provides seed funding, incubation, and mentorship for startups in biotechnology.
• Industry-Academia Collaboration: Encourages partnerships to facilitate the commercialization of research and bio-based products.
• Sustainable Biomanufacturing: Aligns with India’s environmental goals through sustainable practices in biomanufacturing.

Answer: A

Current Context : Central government approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ – aligning polls for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,

• The committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind
• The committee had recommended 15 amendments to the Constitution of India — in the form of both new provisions and changes to existing provisions to enable the holding of simultaneous polls in the country.

WHAT IS ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION?

• One Nation, One Election’ basically means holding elections to Lok Sabha, all the state assemblies, and local bodies – municipalities and panchayats, together.
• It aims to ensure that elections are held every five years, simultaneously across the country.

POLLS BEEN HELD BEFORE

• India held simultaneous elections in 1951-52, 1957, 1962, and 1967 for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
• This synchronisation was disrupted due to political instability, including the rise of regional parties and frequent use of Article 356 (President’s Rule) in state assemblies.

BENEFITS:

• Cost Efficiency
• Administrative Ease
• Governance Stability
• Curbing Policy Paralysis

Answer: D

Current Context : Cabinet approves budget of ₹2,104.06 crore for Chandrayan 4 mission.

About Chandrayaan-4

• It will be a remote mission seeking to retrieve samples of the lunar surface.
• Aim : to collect rocks and soil from the lunar surface and ensure their safe return to Earth.
• Focus on a soft landing on the Moon’s surface.
• Launch Year : 2027.
• Technological Advancements: It will build on Chandrayaan-3, incorporating advanced technologies such as:
• Lunar docking.
• Precision landing.
• Sample collection.
• Safe return of the collected samples to Earth.

Answer: C

Current Context : Union Cabinet approved  ₹1,236 crore for Venus Orbiter Mission.

ABOUT VENUS ORBITER MISSION (VOM)

• It is a project of ISRO, also known as
• Launch Year: Scheduled for March 2028
• Budget: ₹1,236 crore (~$149 million), with ₹824 crore for spacecraft development.​

MISSION GOALS:

• Study Venus’s surface, subsurface, and atmosphere.
• Investigate the effects of solar radiation on Venus’s thick atmosphere.
• Understand the planet’s evolutionand its extreme greenhouse conditions​

Answer: B

Current Context : The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan with a total outlay of Rs 79,156 crore for improving the socio-economic condition of tribal communities.

• Objective: To improve the socio-economic status of tribal communities through comprehensive development initiatives.
• Budget: ₹79,156 crore (₹56,333 crore from the Centre and ₹22,823 crore from states)​
• Coverage: Targets 63,000 villages across 549 districts, benefitting 10.45 crore Scheduled Tribe (ST) people.
• Key Focus Areas: Housing, healthcare, education, skill development, and village infrastructure.
• Implementation: Coordinated by 17 ministries, monitored via the PM Gati Shakti portal.

Answer: B

Current Context : Union Minister Amit Shah unveiled ‘White Revolution 2.0’, a comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering women farmers and creating job opportunities.

ABOUT WHITE REVOLUTION 2.0 

Focus Areas:

• Empowering women farmers through increased participation in the dairy sector.
• Enhancing local milk production by improving cattle breeds and dairy practices.
• Strengthening dairy infrastructure by setting up new and upgrading existing district cooperative societies and PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies).
• Boosting dairy exports by improving the quality and quantity of milk and dairy products.

MILK PROCUREMENT GOAL:

• Aims to increase milk procurement by 50% over the next five years, primarily through dairy cooperative societies.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT:

• The plan involves establishing and strengthening 100,000 district cooperative societies and multi-purpose cooperative societies across India. 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT:

• Interest-free cash credit will be provided to dairy farmers using RuPay-Kisan Credit Cards, with micro-ATMs distributed to dairy cooperative societies, enabling easier access to banking services at the farmers’ doorstep.

IMP. FACT 

• First White Revolution or Operation Flood, launched in the 1970s by Dr. Verghese Kurien, which made India the world’s largest milk producer.

Answer: C

Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released India’s mutual evaluation report on combating terror financing and anti-money laundering regime, and placed the country in “regular follow-up” category.

• It gave top rating to India, lauding national efforts to tackle illicit finances.

ABOUT

• FATF is an intergovernmental organisation.
• Founded in 1989
• Objective : to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
• It sets international standards and promotes measures to ensure effective implementation of these standards by member countries.
• Membership: 39 members, including major economies and international organizations like the IMF and the World Bank.
• Headquarter : Paris, France