Daily Current Affairs 16 July 2024, MPSC Exam Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs for MPSC Exam

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International

K p Sharma Oli appointed Nepal’s prime minister for the fourth time

• At the swearing-in ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in Kathmandu, Nepal, on July 15, 2024, 72-year-old Khadga Prasad (KP) Sharma Oli, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) (CPN-UML), took the oath of office as the Prime Minister (PM) of Nepal.
• It is his fourth tenure as Nepal's prime minister. The President of Nepal, Ram Chandra Paudel, nominated him for the position.
• He takes over for Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who was ousted on July 12, 2024, due to a lack of confidence.
• Additionally, he is appointed as Nepal's first prime minister after the country's first general election under the country's new constitution.

• On July 3, 2024, PM Prachanda requested a vote of confidence after the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) withdrew its support for the administration.
• To establish a majority in the 275-member parliament, about 138 votes are required.
• 63 lawmakers voted in favor of Prachanda, 194 opposed, and one abstained.
• As a result, the new government was established by Article 76(2) of the Nepalese Constitution.
• KP Sharma Oli accompanied his claim to the position with the signatures of 166 legislators.

• On February 22, 1952, KP Sharma Oli was born in Nepal's Terhathum district.
• 1966 he began his political career, and in February 1970, he joined the Communist Party of Nepal.
• He was detained in 1973 and held captive for 14 years because he opposed the Panchayat government, which was despotic. 1987 saw his release.
• Before this, KP Sharma Oli was Nepal's prime minister from October 2015 to August 2016, followed by February 2018 to May 2021 and May 2021 to July 2021.
• The Supreme Court of Nepal invalidated his appointment in 2021 because it was unconstitutional.
• In addition, he held the positions of Home Minister in 1994–1995 and Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 2006 interim administration.

• Capital- Kathmandu
• Currency- Nepalese Rupee
• President- Ram Chandra Poudel

National

Nitin Gadkari dedicates to the nation a 6-lane access-controlled 7 km road project on NH-166S in Goa

• A 7-kilometer (km) 6-lane access-controlled road project with elevated viaducts from Manohar International Airport (Mopa International Airport (GOX)) to Dhargal on NH-166S in Goa was dedicated to the country on July 11, 2024, by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. This project will improve modern road connectivity in Goa.
• Goa's Chief Minister Pramod Sawant presided over the event, which was attended by senior officials, Sadanand Tanavade, a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assembly (MLA) members, and Union Minister of State (MoS) Shripad Naiki.

• The 7 km, Rs 1183 crore project is anticipated to improve access to Manohar International Airport, enabling more reasonable and easy travel.
• It is anticipated that this expansion will enhance tourism and multi-modal connectivity, hence reducing logistical expenses.
• Additionally, it seeks to ensure safer and more efficient traffic flow, which will save fuel consumption and travel time.
• Additionally, the project is anticipated to enhance general socioeconomic growth, which will improve the standard of living for residents and the local economy.
• Additionally, Nitin Gadkari declared that a 45-kilometer bypass from Wadgaon to the Karnataka border would be built in Goa at Rs 3500 crore.
• Additionally, he mentioned that NH-748's Panaji-Belgaum segment would be 4-laned. This project will cost Rs 4000 crore and cover 52 km.

• Capital :- Panaji
• Chief Minister (CM) :- Pramod Sawant
• Governor:-  P. S. Sreedharan Pillai

Economic

Jio Financial Services gets RBI's nod to become a core investment company

• Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL) has been permitted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to become a Core Investment Company (CIC) instead of a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC).
• A CIC is a specialized kind of NBFC with assets larger than Rs 100 crore, per RBI norms.
• On August 21, 2023, the energy-to-telecom behemoth Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) formally debuted on the stock exchanges as Jio Financial Services.

• CICs are financial firms that do not accept deposits. Jio Financial's primary focus as a CIC will be on managing and investing in its subsidiary businesses.
• Specialized financial companies known as CICs are regulated by the 1934 RBI Act.
• At least 90% of JFSL's net assets must be invested in bonds, debentures, equity shares, preference shares, debt, or loans within its group of firms.
• JFSL would be able to distinguish between the operations and financials of each subsidiary thanks to the CIC structure, which would improve value discovery for investors.
• The JFSL can concentrate on its primary investment activity without having to provide other financial services since it has more operational flexibility as a CIC.
• Because of this structure, JFSL can diversify its investment portfolio, investigate new markets, and adjust to changing market conditions.

• JFSL was originally incorporated on July 22, 1999,
• Headquarters:- Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO :- Hitesh Kumar Sethia

Appointment

Government Appoints Robert J Ravi as New CMD of BSNL

• As the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Robert Jerard Ravi, the Deputy Director General (DDG) (Standards Research & Innovation SRI) at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communication (MoC), assumes additional responsibility.
• Pravin Kumar Purwar, whose term as BSNL's CMD ends on July 14, 2024, will be replaced by Ravi.
• In addition, Ravi assumes leadership as CMD of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for a six-month term beginning on July 15, 2024, and ending on January 14, 2025, or until further directives are given.
• Since July 2019, Pravin Kumar Purwar has held the position of CMD of BSNL. The Department of Tourism declined his request to prolong his employment.
• It has been decided by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) that Pravin Kumar Purwar will not serve as the Chief Executive Officer of BSNL past July 14, 2024.

• Robert Jerard Ravi is an Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer with thirty-four years of telecom industry experience.
• He was also employed by the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and by the Government of Uganda as Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• He has held the position of Advisor at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for Customer Affairs and Quality of Services.

• BSNL was incorporated in September 2000
• Headquarters New Delhi, Delhi
• Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) - Robert Jerard Ravi

Award

Prince Harry presented with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPYS

• At the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards in Los Angeles, the United States of America (USA), Prince Harry was presented with the Pat Tillman Award 2024 for Service.
• He received recognition for founding The Invictus Games Foundation, which provides a sporting arena for ill, injured, and wounded service members.

• The athlete who shows the greatest willingness to serve is honored with the Pat Tillman Award.
• It was given that name in honor of former NFL player Pat Tillman, who gave an example of how to live before he was tragically slain in Afghanistan in 2004.
• Damar Hamlin gave the Buffalo Bills training staff the Pat Tillman Award in 2023 for saving his life during a game.

Science & Technology

France, Germany, Italy, and Poland agree to jointly develop long-range cruise missiles

• A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed on July 11, 2024, by France, Germany, Italy, and Poland to work together to build Long Range Cruise Missiles, which have a range of more than 500 kilometers (km).
• During the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which took place in Washington, D.C., USA, the LoI was signed.
• This seeks to close the defensive vacuum in Europe left by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

• The Lol seeks to foster collaboration in the creation of a vital deep-impact capacity as well as future joint efforts on targeted steps to eliminate gaps, cut costs, and shorten lead times.
• This partnership will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and the joint acquisition of missiles that are currently under development.
• By the end of 2024, the long-range missile's first draft is expected to be revealed; specifications will be worked out later.

• To support Ukraine's drone supply, Poland also joined the drone coalition during the NATO meeting.
• Leading the charge to provide one million First Person View (FPV) drones to Ukraine is the United Kingdom (UK) and Latvia's Drone Coalition. Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine are members of the coalition.
• But without NATO's approval, Poland will not take part in shooting down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory.

Sport

Barbora Krejcikova and Carlos Alcaraz won the 2024 Wimbledon tennis championship

• The 2024 Wimbledon Tennis Championships saw Carlos Alcaraz of Spain win the men's singles championship and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic win the women's. Barbora Krejcikova's first Wimbledon singles title and Carlos Alcaraz's second consecutive Wimbledon singles win were achieved.
• The All-England Championship, often known as the Wimbledon Championship, celebrated its 137th edition from July 1–14, 2024, at Wimbledon in England.
• Following the French Open and Australian Open, it is the third Grand Slam competition of the year.
• The Wimbledon championship is the only Grand Slam competition held on real grass.

• The men's singles final in 2024 was a rematch of the year before, with Carlos Alacaraz, the eventual winner, facing Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
• Similar to last year, on July 14, 2024, 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated 37-year-old Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in two hours and 28 minutes.
• Alcaraz had already won the US Open in 2022, the French Open in 2024, and Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024. This was his fourth Grand Slam singles championship.
• The legendary Serbian player was aiming to tie Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon men's singles championships with his eighth Wimbledon victory.
• The record for most Grand Slam singles titles won is currently held by Novak Djokovic. He's won 24 titles in singles.

• Alcaraz's victory at Wimbledon this year set several records.
• He is the first Spaniard to win the Wimbledon singles championship twice in a row.
• He becomes the fourth tennis great, after Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, and Bjorn Borg, to win four Grand Slam titles at age 21 or under.
• Among players who have won consecutive Wimbledon singles titles in the open era, he is the third youngest, behind only Boris Becker (18 years, 227 days, in 1985–86) and Bjorn Borg (21 years, 26 days, in 1976–77).
• He is the sixth person to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year.

Barbora Krejcikova Wins Her Second Grand Slam Singles Title :-

• On July 13, 2024, Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championship, earning her second Grand Slam singles victory.
• Barbora Krejcikova had previously won the women's singles title at the French Open in 2021; the 2024 Wimbledon championship was her first Wimbledon solo victory.

Index

Kerala retains top rank in NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index 2023-24; Bihar worst performer

• The fourth iteration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and dashboard for 2023–24 was unveiled in New Delhi, Delhi, on July 12, 2024, by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog).
• Kerala has maintained its top spot among states for the fourth time in a row, according to the report. However, with a combined score of 79 points, Kerala and Uttarakhand are tied for first place this time.

• According to the SDG India Index 2023–24, Bihar (scoring 57 points) is the state that is performing the lowest, followed by Jharkhand (62) and Nagaland (63).
• Chandigarh topped the ranking among Union Territories (UTs), followed by Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Puducherry, Andaman Nicobar Islands, and Delhi.
• India's SDG score increased from 66 points in 2020–21 to 71 points in 2023–24 overall. This increase can be attributed to the noteworthy advancements in the areas of economic growth, poverty reduction, climate action, and land life.

• Established in: - 2015
• Headquarters: - New Delhi, Delhi
• Chairperson: -Prime Minister Narendra Modi
• Vice-Chairperson :- Suman Bery
• CEO :- B.V.R. Subrahmanyam

Miscellaneous

Indian Sand Artist Sudarshan Bags Gold Medal In International Sand Sculpture Championship

• Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on July 12, won the Golden Sand Master award at an international championship in Russia. The event, International Sand Sculpture Championship was organised from July 4-12 in St Petersburg at the iconic Peter and Paul Fortress. The world’s 21 master sculptors participated in the event.

• Born in Puri, Odisha, on April 15, 1977, Sudarsan Pattnaik is an Indian sand artist. For his beachside sand artwork, the Indian government honored him in 2014 with the Padma Shri, the nation's fourth-highest civilian honor.
• For his contributions to sand arts, the Government of India granted him the Padma Shri in 2014—the Fourth Highest Civilian Award in India.
• 2014's Sand Sculpting World Cup in Atlantic City, US, awarded the People's Choice Award.
• At the International Scorrano Sand Nativity event, which took place in Lecce, Italy from November 13 to 17, an Indian was the first to receive the Italian Sand Art Award in 2019.
• A Padma Shri recipient, Pattnaik has represented India in over 65 international sand art competitions and festivals, winning numerous honors. His sand paintings aim to communicate various social ideas.

Obituary

Camlin founder Subhash Dandekar dies

• Subhash Dandekar, also known as Dadasaheb Digamber Dandekar, the founder of Camlin Fine Science and chairman emeritus of stationery manufacturer Kokuyo Camlin, died on Monday at the age of 85 following an illness.
• After selling the popular artwork brand to Japan's Kokuyo, Dandekar was serving as the chairman emeritus of Kokuyo Camlin.

• Founded :- 1931
• Headquarters:- Mumbai, India