Daily Current Affairs 29 April 2024, OPSC Exam Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs for OPSC Exam

Bambi Bucket, being used by an IAF helicopter to fight Nainital forest fires

• Indian Air Force’s MI 17 V5 helicopter was deployed on Saturday (April 27) to extinguish the raging forest fires in Nainital district, Uttarakhand , according to the state’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
• The helicopter used a “Bambi Bucket” , also known as helicopter bucket or a heli bucket , to collect water from Bhimtal lake, located near Nainital, and poured it over the burning forests. Here is a look at what a Bambi Bucket is and how it was invented.

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What is a Bambi Bucket?

• Bambi Bucket is a specialised aerial firefighting tool which has been in use since the 1980s . It is essentially a lightweight collapsible container that releases water from underneath a helicopter to targeted areas. The water is released by using a pilot-controlled valve.
• One of its key features is that it can be quickly and easily filled. The bucket can be filled from various sources, including lakes and swimming pools , which allows firefighters to swiftly refill it and return to the target area.
• Bambi Bucket is available in a variety of sizes and models, with capacities ranging from 270 litres to more than 9,840 litres.

How was the Bambi Bucket invented?

• The Bambi Bucket was invented by Don Arney, a Canadian business, in 1982. Arney came up with the idea after he realized that the aerial firefighting water buckets in use at the time were not efficient and had a high failure rate.
• These water buckets were generally made of “solid fibreglass,plastic, or canvas with metal frames ” and were “too rigid to fit inside the aircraft” and had to be “trucked to fire sites or flown in on the hook of a helicopter thereby slowing the aircraft down,”according to the National Inventors Hall of Fame’s website.
• It was an instant success and began to be widely used for firefighting. Today, Bambi Bucket is used in more than 115 countries around the world by more than 1,000 helicopter operators, according to SEI Industries Ltd — a company, established by Arney, which manufactures the tool.

How frequent are forest fires in India?

• The forest fire season in India lasts between November to June. Factors like temperatures, precipitation, vegetation, and moisture contribute to the scale and frequency of these fires.
• According to experts, three factors cause the spread of forest fires — fuel load, oxygen and temperature. Dry leaves are fuel for forest fires. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) website states that nearly 36 per cent of India’s forests are prone to frequent fires.
• Higher fire incidents are reported in March, April and May.
• An FSI analysis in ISFR 2021 also found that states in northeastern India showed the highest tendency for forest fires. Parts of western Maharashtra, southern Chhattisgarh, central Odisha and regions in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnatak a also showed patches of extremely and very highly fire-prone zones.

ADIF and IIT Guwahati incubation center sign MoU to boost startup ecosystem

• The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) has signed an MoU with I IT Guwahati Technology Incubation Centre (IIT Guwahati TIC) to promote entrepreneurship and provide support to technology startups.
• On the other hand, IITG TIC will assist ADIF members through mentoring, market linkages, pitching support, networking events and acceleration programs.
• Under the agreement, ADIF will provide alliance membership to IITG TIC’s portfolio startup companies, giving them access to ADIF’s startup toolkit of discounted services, resources and mentorship opportunities.

NIPFP forecasts India’s FY25 GDP growth at 7.1%

• Economic think-tank National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) has estimated India’s GDP growth at 7.1 per cent for the current fiscal , using high-frequency models.
• NIPFP, in a series of tweets, said the Centre is on a fiscal consolidation path through buoyancy in taxes and revenue expenditure compression.
• While NIPFP’s forecast stands at 7.1%, other entities such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Fitch Ratings estimate a growth rate of 7%. In contrast, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), S&P Global Ratings, and Morgan Stanley project a slightly lower growth rate of 6.8% for FY25, indicating varying perspectives on India’s economic trajectory.

NABARD unveils Climate Strategy 2030

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) unveiled its Climate Strategy 2030 document on the occasion of Earth Day.
• The comprehensive strategy aims to address India’s escalating need for green financing.
• Despite the pressing demand, where India requires approximately $170 billion annually to reach a cumulative total of over $2.5 trillion by 2030, current green finance inflows are critically insufficient.

NABARD’s Climate Strategy 2030 is structured around four key pillars to address this demand:

1. Accelerating Green Lending across sectors
2. Playing a broader Market-Making Role
3. Internal Green Transformation of NABARD
4. Strategic Resource Mobilization.

About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):

• Founded – 12 July 1982
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – K V Shaji
• NABARD established on the recommendations of B. Sivaramman Committee

Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced India legend Yuvraj Singh as an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador.
• Yuvraj, who famously hit 36 runs in an over during the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007 which he and India ultimately won.
• He joins Chris Gayle and Usain Bolt as the first ambassadors to be announced, who will each add to the
• The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be played from 1-29 June with co-hosts USA taking on Canada in the opening fixture at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas.
• A total of 55 matches will be played by 20 teams across 9 venues, culminating in the final on 29 June in Barbados.

• MS Dhoni – French carmaker Citroen
• Sanjana Sanghi – SPACE India
• Neeraj Chopra – Eveready Batteries
• Nayanthar – Slice (the popular mango-flavored drink)
• Neeraj Chopra – BPCL’s Speed Petrol Variant

Sana Mir named Ambassador of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the appointment of Pakistan cricket legend Sana Mir as the ambassador for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.
• Mir represented Pakistan in 226 international games, with 137 of them as captain, will bring her invaluable experience to the event.

• The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket.
• It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa.
• It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1987.
• Formation – 15 June 1909
• Headquarters – Dubai, UAE
• Chairman – Greg Barclay (New Zealand)
• Deputy Chairman – Imran Khwaja (Singapore)
• CEO – Geoff Allardice (Australia)
• General Manager – Wasim Khan
• Membership – 108 members

The Winner’s Mindset authored by Shane Watson

• Shane Watson witnessed one of cricket’s greatest tragedies unfolding on the field. He was one of the players at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Phillip Hughes was felled by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match in late 2014.
• The talented opener, who played for Australia in 26 Tests and 25 ODIs, died at a hospital two days later.This is no autobiography, though. It is, if you want to be precise, a self-help book. But to call it just that would be unfair.
• Watson feared it could happen to him, too. All it could take is just one ball. Watson overcame that trauma. He became an even better cricketer than he was before, in fact. In the book, The Winner’s Mindset, he tells us how.

• Before I forget – M K Raina
• Heavenly Islands of Goa – P.S. Sreedharan Pillai (Goa Governor)
• A Game of Fire – Navdeep Suri & Nanak Singh
• Just a Mercenary?, Notes from My Life and Career – Former RBI head Duvvuri Subbarao
• Knife – Salman Rushdie
• The Law and Spirituality: Reconnecting the Bond – Raman Mittal and Dr. Seema Singh

60-Year-Old Argentinian Wins Miss Universe Buenos Aires Pageant

• A 60-year-old lawyer Alejandra Rodríguez created history by winning the Miss Universe Buenos Aires title in Argentina.
• Rodríguez was contesting the pageant with 34 other contestants aged between 18 to 73 years of age.
• According to a report on Hola, Rodriquez thought she had surpassed the age limit for global beauty pageants, but her perspective shifted with the revised regulations.
• Initially, Miss Universe contestants had to be unmarried and childless, aged between 18 and 28, since its establishment in 1952. However, the pageant’s recent decision permits women aged 18 to 73 to participate, disregarding previous criteria.

• Newsweek’s 2024 list of the ‘World’s Best Hospitals’ – Medanta Gurugram
• World Press Photo of the Year award 2024 – Mohammed Salem
• CIDC Vishwakarma Award for Social Development and Impact – Puravankara Limited,
• International Fellowship by the Engineering Academy of Japan – Kaushik Rajashekara
• Earns Frost & Sullivan’s 2023 Indian Company of the Year Award – STT GDC India

World Veterinary Day

• World Veterinary Day is celebrated every year on the last Saturday of April. This year it will fall on April 27, 2024.
• The day aims to mark the importance of veterinary doctors who work on improving animal lives.
• It provides an opportunity to recognise and appreciate the veterinarians towards animal health, welfare, and the general well-being of society.
• Theme 2024 – Veterinarians are essential health workers

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

• International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed every year on 26 April.
• The day is dedicated to remember the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
• It creates awareness about the catastrophic accident, in which approximately 8.4 million people were exposed to the harmful nuclear radiations.
• The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded on 26 April 1986, spreading a radioactive cloud over the Soviet territory now comprising Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia . The explosion devastated the area, causing extensive damage to crops, plants, and other infrastructure.
• In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for international cooperation in addressing and mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. This marked the beginning of the United Nations’ involvement in the Chernobyl recovery.

World Healing Day

• World Healing Day (WHD) is celebrated every year on the last Saturday of April. This year, it is celebrated on 27 April.
• World Healing Day is dedicated to promoting the benefits of mind-body practices and the emerging medical research on the subject.
• The day grew out of the founding event of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day.
• World Healing Day was initially started by World Tai Chi & Qigong Day organizers in many countries, and it soon became a platform for teachers, groups, and organizations of various mind-body arts to showcase their work.

What if NOTA had won Surat Lok Sabha seat

• In an unprecedented turn of events, Mukesh Kumar Dalal, the BJP candidate from Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, became the first candidate to be elected to the 18th Lok Sabha after he was declared “elected uncontested ” much before polling took place in Gujarat.
• This happened after all the candidates in the fray, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate, withdrew their nominations.
• Lakhs of voters didn't get a chance to hit the EVM button and hear the sweet beep of democracy. Neither could they post pictures with inked fingers.
• Dalal (62) , a resident of Adajan in Surat city and associated with the textile industry, was the only candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha seat after 8 other candidates withdrew on the last day of withdrawal of nominations.
• Effortless victory.
• The most recent case is that of Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav. The wife of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,Dimple was declared elected unopposed from the Kannauj Lok Sabha Seat after two candidates in the fray against her withdrew their nominations for the bypoll.That was in 2012.
• What is interesting is that NOTA hadn't appeared as a candidate yet .It was in September 2013 that the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of integrating the ‘none of the above’ option in elections.
• The court asked the Election Commission to include a button for NOTA in all electronic voting machines (EVMs) .So, what would have happened had the election in Surat taken place between the BJP candidate, Mukesh Dalal (now declared winner), and NOTA?
• It has been argued that NOTA does not have ‘the right to reject’ all candidates standing in the election , but instead ‘the right to register a negative opinion’.
• This option is based on the principle that “consent requires the ability to withhold consent in an election”.

DOES NOTA VOTE COUNT?

• The Election Commission clarified that votes cast as NOTA are counted, but are considered ‘invalid votes’. Therefore, votes made to NOTA will not change the outcome of the election. For example, as the former Chief Election Commissioner pointed out: “Even if there are 99 NOTA votes out of a total of 100, and candidate X gets just one vote, X is the winner, having obtained the only valid vote. The rest will be treated as invalid or no votes.”

THEN, WHAT IS THE USE OF NOTA?