MPSC Current Affairs 21 August 2024, Maharashtra Current Affairs

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International

WHO declared Monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

• After a spike in mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African nations, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), named the disease a "public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)." This is the second time that the WHO has classified mpox as a PHEIC. In July of 2022, the WHO designated it as PHEIC.
• The WHO changed the monkeypox disease to mpox in November 2022 in response to concerns from nations claiming that the disease's previous name was "racist and stigmatising" in some regions of the world.
• To date, no such cases of Mpox have been found in India.

• The highest alert level recommended by the WHO for a disease is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

• The WHO's international health laws, which were created in 2005 to outline nations' responsibilities and rights when managing cross-border public health incidents, serve as its foundation.

• The WHO defines PHEIC as "a serious, sudden, unusual, or unexpected situation that may necessitate immediate international action and has implications for public health beyond the borders of the affected country."

• The WHO's member nations are required by law to react to the PHEIC and take the necessary action.

• When a disease is classified by the WHO as a "public health emergency of international concern," the goal is to attract international funding for the purpose of preventing the sickness and developing a vaccine or treatment.

• Additionally, it will aid in raising public awareness of the illness.

• The viral zoonotic disease mpox, which was initially discovered in monkeys, is endemic to tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa.

• The reason it is considered a zoonotic illness is that it was spread from animal to human.

• Prolonged contact with an infected person might spread the mpox virus from one person to another. In addition, it can be spread by sexual intercourse, animal lesions, bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, and infected objects like bedding.

• Monkeypox cannot be prevented with a vaccination, yet the World Health Organization reports that vaccines used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox.

• Founded :- 7 April 1948
• Headquarters:- Geneva, Switzerland
• Director General of WHO:-  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

National

Lok Sabha Speaker constitutes six new parliamentary committees for 2024-25

• The new leaders of six parliamentary committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), have been revealed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

• Chairperson: K.C. Venugopal (Congress MP)
• Role: Examines government expenditure, appropriation accounts for railways, defense services, P&T department, and reviews CAG reports.

• Chairperson: Baijyant Panda (BJP MP from Kendrapara, Odisha)
• Role: Reviews reports and accounts of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), assesses their performance and impact on the economy and citizens.

• Chairperson: Faggan Singh Kulaste (BJP MP from Mandla, Madhya Pradesh)
• Role: Focuses on welfare measures and reviews issues concerning Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

• Chairperson: Ganesh Singh (BJP MP from Satna, Madhya Pradesh)
• Role: Considers reports from the National Commission for Backward Classes and reviews welfare measures for Other Backward Classes.

• Chairperson: Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal (BJP MP)
• Role: Reviews budget estimates for administrative departments and suggests improvements for efficiency and administrative reform.

• PAC: Traditionally chaired by the largest opposition group in the House.
• Established Committees: The Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes was established in 2012.

Economic

RBI toughens norms for NBFC-P2P leading platforms to enhance transparency, compliance

• Non-banking financial companies that operate peer-to-peer (NBFC-P2P) lending platforms have received a warning from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stating that they are not allowed to advertise P2P lending as an investment product that offers features like liquidity alternatives and tenure-linked guaranteed minimum returns.
• It is not permitted for an NBFC-P2P to use lender funds to replace another lender.
• There are 26 NBFC-P2P lending platforms available in India right now.For a list of the 26 NBFC-P2P.

• Regulatory Compliance: Based on its 2017 Master Directions, which certain platforms have broken by endorsing P2P lending as an investment, providing liquidity choices, and functioning as deposit takers or lenders, the RBI has issued directives.
• Pricing Policy and Fee Disclosure: NBFC-P2P platforms must have an objective pricing policy and disclose fees at the time of loan. Fees must be fixed and unaffected by the borrower's repayment; they should either be a fixed sum or a fixed percentage of the debt.
• Prohibition on Matching or Mapping Users: It is not allowed to match or map users within a restricted user group, including users sourced by affiliates or external agencies.
• Lender's Risk and Disclosure: As part of their fair practices code, NBFC-P2P platforms are required to appropriately communicate the risk of principle or interest loss, which shall be carried by the lender.
• Limitations on Cross-Selling: NBFC-P2P platforms are only permitted to cross-sell insurance products that are particular to loans; they are not permitted to market goods that improve or guarantee credit.
• Lending Exposure Cap: A lender's total exposure to all borrowers on P2P platforms is limited to ₹50 lakhs. Should a lender's exposure surpass ₹10 lakhs, they must obtain a certificate from a practicing chartered accountant certifying that they have a minimum net worth of ₹50 lakhs.
• Identity Disclosure: In all user interfaces, marketing materials, and communications, NBFC-P2P platforms must prominently show their registered name in addition to any brand names.

Appointment

Shri Ashok Kumar Singh takes over the charge of Director General, ESIC

• Shri Ashok Kumar Singh, IAS took over the charge of Director General of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India at its Headquarters in New Delhi.

• Shri Ashok Kumar Singh is an IAS Officer of 1999 batch of Kerala cadre. Earlier, he has worked as a Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department, Govt. of Kerala. He has got vast experience of governance and management of District and State level organisations.
• At the centre level, he has served as the Executive Director in the National Mission for Clean Ganga, as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Defence and as Director in Ministry of Finance in the Govt. of India also.
• Shri Singh, holds an M. Phil from National Defence College, New Delhi and is a Graduate in Mechanical Engineering from IIT, Kanpur.

Miscellaneous

India and Japan to hold third 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi on August 20

• On August 20, 2024, the Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministers of India and Japan convened for the third India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi. The 2+2 Dialogue provides a forum for both nations to talk about important bilateral, regional, and international concerns. In order to strengthen and expand India and Japan's defense and security cooperation, it was initiated in 2019.
• India and Japan have strong diplomatic ties, and in 2024 they will commemorate the tenth anniversary of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

• In order to strengthen and institutionalize bilateral security and defense cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to hold a 2+2 meeting of their foreign and defense ministers during the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit in October 2018 in Japan.
• In November 2019, the first India-Japan 2+2 dialogue took place in New Delhi.
• September 2022 saw the second 2+2 dialogue between Japan and India take place in Tokyo, Japan.

• The third India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue was hosted by Indian Ministers of Defense Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar. Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa led the Japanese delegation.
• Both parties examined their bilateral collaboration during the discussion and looked into potential new projects to deepen their ties.
• Additionally, they discussed mutually interesting regional and global concerns. An open Indo-Pacific area was agreed upon.
• Subsequently, Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held separate meetings.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh releases centenary commemorative coin honoring M. Karunanidhi

• On August 18, Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi's centennial commemorative coin was unveiled in Chennai by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister praised the late leader highly and called him one of Indian politics' heroes.

• Indian writer and politician Muthuvel Karunanidhi led Tamil Nadu as chief minister for nearly 20 years, covering five terms in office from 1969 to 2011. Because of his contributions to Tamil literature, he is known by the terms Kalaignar (Artist) and Mutthamizh Arignar (Tamil Scholar).

• At 6,863 days in office, he held the longest stint as Tamil Nadu's chief minister. In addition, he served as the Dravidian movement's longtime leader and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party's tenth president.

• It was because in large part to Kalaignar that the value of federalism in democracies was recognized. According to Mr. Singh, the DMK patriarch was the one who in national politics connected with Tamil Nadu's voice.

• The Union Minister stated, "Karunanidhi is one of our nation's most revered leaders," during his speech. a guy whose impact went well beyond Tamil Nadu's boundaries. In addition to being a cultural icon and unwavering supporter of social justice, Karunanidhi was a giant of Indian politics.

Sport

Meghalaya’s Riiohlang Dhar to supervise in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

• FIFA, the body that oversees international football, has chosen Riiohlang Dhar of Meghalay to serve as an assistant referee for the eighth U-17 Women's World Cup, which will take place in the Dominican Republic.
• From October 16 to November 3, 2024, the Dominican Republic will host the eighth FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
• In 2022, Spain won the seventh FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, held in India, after defeating Colombia in the championship match.

• The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup assistant referee, 34-year-old Riiohlang Dhar, is the second Indian after Uvena Fernandes.
• In Jordan, at the 5th FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2016, Uvena Fernandes assisted with the refereeing.
• FIFA has chosen 38 match officials for the 8th U-17 Women's World Cup, including Riiohlang Dhar.
• Before retiring in 2009, Riiohlang Dhar, a police officer in Meghalaya, was an active player in football. After that, she decided to become a referee. She recently competed in the Indonesian 2024 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup. She served as an official for a semifinal and the game that determined the third-place playoff.

• The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be held in the Dominican Republic for the first time. There are 16 teams competing in the 8th FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, split into four groups.
• Group A: Nigeria, Ecuador, New Zealand, and the Dominican Republic
• Group B: Colombia, South Korea, USA, and Spain
• Group C: Kenya, Mexico, North Korea, England,
• Group D: Brazil, Zambia, Poland, Japan
• The championship match is scheduled for November 3, 2024.

• FIFA is the world governing body of men’s and women’s football.
• Headquarters of FIFA: Zurich, Switzerland.
• President: Gianni Infantino .

Award

President Murmu presents National Geoscience Awards 2023

• 21 academics and professionals from across the nation received the National Geoscience Awards-2023 from President Droupadi Murmu in recognition of their contributions to the geosciences.
• Emeritus Scientist of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Prof. Dhiraj Mohan Banerjee, received the National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is recognized for his outstanding and innovative contributions to the fields of organic geochemistry, isotope geology, and phosphorites in Indian Precambrian sedimentary rocks. Throughout his career, he has conducted significant research that has advanced our knowledge of the global genesis of phosphorites and the intricacies of the Himalayas.
• The study of Earth, its seas, atmosphere, rivers, lakes, ice sheets, glaciers, soils, complex surface, rocky interior, and metallic core is known as geoscience, sometimes known as Earth science.

• The Ministry of Mines established the National Geoscience Awards in 1966.
• The National Mineral Awards were the previous name of these honors.
• Beginning in 2009, the awards' scope was broadened, and the name was changed to the National Geoscience Awards (NGA).
• Its purpose is to recognize people and groups for their remarkable accomplishments and contributions across a range of geoscience disciplines.

• Mineral Exploration and Discovery
• Fundamental Geosciences
• Geosciences in Application
• Sustainable mineral development, mining, and mineral beneficiation.
• The Award is open to any Indian national who has made a noteworthy contribution to any area of earth sciences.

• The National Geoscience Award for Outstanding Lifetime Performance (One)
• Tenth National Geoscience Award
• Award for National Young Geoscientist (One).
• Up to 240 nominations for the National Geoscience Awards-2023 were received under several award categories, and they were reviewed through a three-step screening procedure.
• The Ministry of Mines ultimately chose 12 awards total after careful consideration, consisting of three team honors and nine individual medals.
• The National Young Geoscientist Award and the National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement are among the other nine individual honors.

Obituary

World’s oldest person Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera dies at 117

• Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in the world, passed away at the age of 117. She was born in the US in 1907 and survived two world wars.
• In a post, Branyas, who had spent the previous 20 years living in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the northeastern Spanish town of Olot, expressed concern that she felt “weak”.

• Following the death of French nun Lucile Randon in January 2023 at the age of 118, Guinness World Records formally recognized Branyas as the oldest person on Earth.
• Following Branyas's passing, the US Gerontology Research Group reports that Tomiko Itooka of Japan, who was born on May 23, 1908, and is currently 116 years old, is the oldest living person in the world.

• On March 4, 1907, in San Francisco, Branyas was born, not long after her family immigrated to the US from Mexico.
• Due to the first world war breaking out in 1915, the family as a whole made the difficult decision to sail across the Atlantic and return to their home country of Spain.

Important Day

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism – 21 August

• The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is observed globally on August 21st of each year.

• On December 20, 2017, the UN General Assembly passed a historic resolution (72/165) designating December 20 as the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. The overwhelming agreement that supported this resolution highlights the whole community's commitment to opposing terrorism and supporting those who are affected by it.
• There is special significance to the choice of August 21 as the selected date. This day serves to remember the victims of the horrific attack of the UN building in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was among the 22 people who died in the attack.

• Honoring and commemorating those impacted by terrorist activities is the solemn purpose of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. It also provides a forum for restating the international community's steadfast commitment to fighting terrorism and defending everyone's fundamental liberties and human rights.
• Governments, groups, and people from all over the world unite every year to plan a variety of events that pay tribute to the victims of terrorism and increase public awareness of the need to combat this menace. These celebrations include educational workshops, candlelight vigils, and memorial services.
• The world community has a unique chance to come together on this day to show support for victims and survivors of terrorism. It also demands a fresh dedication to the continuous fight against terrorism, with the ultimate objective being the establishment of a world in which everyone lives in peace and security.