Daily Current Affairs 24 June 2024, WBPSC Exam Current Affairs

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International

Hijab and Other "Alien Garments" Are Banned by the Tajikistani Government

• The Majlisi Milli, the upper house of the Tajikistan parliament, passed a law on June 19 that forbids wearing "alien garments," namely the headscarf and other traditional Islamic apparel.
• On May 8, the law was approved by the Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower house. The largely Muslim populace of Tajikistan, a strictly regulated former Soviet republic, is divided over this decision.

• According to Radio Liberty's Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, Sulaiman Davlatzoda, the head of the Religion Committee, has previously stated that children's holidays were prohibited from guaranteeing “proper education and ensuring their safety during Ramadan and Eid al-Adha”.
• The Majlisi Milli press center reports that during the meeting, they backed amendments to the legislation of Tajikistan about national holidays, customs, the role of educators in the training of children, and parental responsibilities.
• Regarding women's clothing, officials believe it is associated with Islamic extremists because these women have been traveling to Tajikistan from the Middle East in recent years. The bill has sparked discussion among the predominantly Muslim citizens of the strictly regulated former Soviet nation of Tajikistan.

• On May 23, Radio Ozodi said that the Tajikistani government had determined that the penalties for violators of these regulations will vary depending on the entity type.
• Companies may be punished up to 39,500 somonis, while individuals may be fined as much as 7,920 somonis. If found guilty, government officials and religious leaders may have to pay much more; fines for officials can reach 54,000 somonis, while those for religious leaders might reach 57,600 somonis.

• Capital: Dushanbe
• Currency: Tajikistani Somoni (TJS)
• President: Emomali Rahmon (in office since 1994)
• Prime Minister: Kokhir Rasulzoda

National

Government to Commence Partial Implementation of New Telecommunications Act on June 26, 2024

• In accordance with the authority granted by sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (44 of 2023), the Government of India notified on June 21, 2024, that the provisions of sections 1, 2, 10 to 30, 42 to 44, 46, 47, 50 to 58, 61, and 62 of the aforementioned Act will become effective on June 26, 2024.
• The 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act, of 1885, the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act (1950), and the Wireless Telegraph Act (1933) have all been repealed by the Act.
• Section 59 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 will take effect later and relates to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, 1997.

• During the winter session of the Parliament, on December 18, 2023, the then-Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, introduced the Act as the Telecommunications Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament). On December 20, 2023, the Act was passed by the Lok Sabha.
• Later, on December 21, 2023, the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) passed the bill.
• On December 24, 2023, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, signed The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 into law.

• The new Act stipulated that to create, run, maintain, or grow telecommunications networks, offer telecommunication services, or own radio equipment, prior authorization from the government is required.
• The TRAI Act, 1997 would be amended by the Act, allowing persons with at least 25 years of professional experience to serve as members and at least 30 years of experience to serve as chairpersons.
• The Act confers the authority to designate an adjudicating officer on the central government. He or she needs to be a joint secretary or higher in position.

• Union Minister- Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Constituency- Guna, Madhya Pradesh)
• Minister of State (MoS)- Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (Constituency- Guntur, Andhra Pradesh)

Economic

• As per the 2024 World Investment Report on Investment Facilitation and Digital Government published by UNCTAD, India had a 43% decline in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in 2023, from USD 49 billion in 2022 to USD 28 billion in 2023.

• As a result, India's position among FDI beneficiaries fell from eighth in 2022 to fifteenth in 2023.
• India's position in terms of FDI outflows improved from 23rd in 2022 to 20th in 2023.

• • In terms of foreign project finance arrangements as well as greenfield projects, India continues to rank among the top five countries for foreign direct investment.

• In 2023, India dropped a spot to claim the fourth-largest host economy for the announcement of greenfield projects. In terms of foreign project deals, India remained ranked second.

• Compared to 2015, there were 10% fewer investments made in industries related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in certain sectors, there were also fewer initiatives supported by foreign governments.
• With 86% of investment policy measures in developing nations being advantageous to investors in 2023, there is a global drive for investment facilitation.
• Since 2016, there has been a notable growth in the usage of digital tools such as information portals and online single windows for the facilitation of investments.
• It has more than doubled from 12 to 28 in rich economies, and it has nearly quadrupled from 13 to 67 in underdeveloped nations.

• Founded-30 December 1964
• Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
• Secretary-General- Rebeca Grynspan

Appointment

Sanjaya Mariwala as the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry's New President

• As the new president of the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMC), Sanjaya Mariwala has assumed the role. He takes over after Samir Somaiya, who has completed his tenure.

• • With a stellar career spanning more than 40 years, Mariwala offers a plethora of knowledge and experience to this new position.
  • He holds a dominant stake in TA Associates and serves as the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of OmniActive Health Technologies Ltd. One of the top producers of nutraceutical ingredients in the world is OmniActive.

• Through managerial and board positions, he has significantly impacted various sectors. Among them are Auto Hangar, VKL Spices, Kancor Ingredients, and Bombay Oil Industries Ltd.

• In addition, Mariwala is a member of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) of the Government of India's Nutraceutical Task Force and the founder president of the Association of Herbal and Nutraceutical Manufacturers of India (AHNMI).
• Among his previous leadership positions are those of President of the Indian Pepper and Spice Trading Association, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for Kerala, and All India Spices Exporters Forum.

• Head office:- Mumbai
• President :- Mr. Sanjaya Mariwala
• Vice President:- Ms. Sunita Ramnathkar

Science & Technology

• The 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G IA) and 6G Flagship at Oulu University, Finland have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) to further facilitate the development of reliable and secure telecommunications technologies, including robust supply chains.
• It is an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bharat 6G Alliance and the NextG Alliance of the United States of America (USA), which was signed in September 2023 by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS).
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is now reviewing 470 ideas on "Accelerated research on 6G" as part of the Bharat 6G Vision.
• The Ministry of Communications (MoC) and the Department of Technology (DoT) introduced the 6G Leadership and Innovation Awards (B6GA) in July 2023.

• • The purpose of the MoU is to coordinate research and development (R&D) efforts on 6G and related technologies by bringing together academic institutions, research organizations, and corporations in the European Union (EU) and India.

• It encourages collaborative research projects, runs 6G technology and use case pilots, works on 6G technology development together, and supports worldwide standardization efforts.

• The B6GA program is a collaboration of national research institutions, standards organizations, industry, and academics in India.

• By 2030, B6GA hopes to have 6G technology in place and serve as a significant force multiplier for India.
• It is in line with the Government of India's (GoI) Bharat 6G Mission, which aims to create, develop, and implement ideas and technologies that offer a smart, safe solution for citizens in India and around the world to live high-quality lives.

Award

• At the 36th One World Media Awards (2024) ceremony held at Curzon Soho in London, United Kingdom (UK), Bilan Media, the first and only all-women news team in Somalia, was awarded the 2024 One World Media (OWM) Press Freedom Award.
• Bilan was the first Somali media team to be honored with this award.
• This prize honors their brave work over the previous two years, covering several taboo topics and creating new opportunities for Somalian women journalists.
• Host: Ronke Phillips, Senior Correspondent, ITV News London, hosted the award presentation.

• The European Union (EU) has been providing funding for Bilan through UNDP since 2024. Bilan was founded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2021.
• The Dalsan Media Group hosts Bilan at its Mogadishu, Somalia, offices.
• The team, which is exclusively composed of women and enjoys complete editorial independence, has written about many significant topics, such as mistreatment of female orphans and prejudice against albino people.

• The OWM Awards are a yearly initiative of the non-profit OWM, situated in the United Kingdom.
• The award honors excellence in journalism and exceptional coverage of the global south in fifteen media categories, including print, broadcast, audio, digital, and multimedia.
• The OWM Awards were established in 1988 and have honored the efforts of more than a thousand journalists and filmmakers who have told compelling stories about a range of international concerns.

• An independent media organization located in the global south and the use of media to address social, cultural, political, and economic concerns are recognized by the OWM Press Freedom Award (previously the Special Award).
• The Award honors exceptional reporting that holds the powerful accountable, amplify local voices, informs the public, and creates a space for essential information.

Sport

Indian Compound Women’s Team Wins Hat-Trick of Gold Medals at Archery World Cup

• Priyansh had to settle for a silver medal, but the Indian compound women's archery team, consisting of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, and Parneet Kaur, continued their dominating form this season, winning a hat-trick of gold medals in the World Cup with a victory over Estonia.

• In the men's final, world number one Mike Schloesser defeated Priyansh by a small margin.
• The women's trio, who were ranked first going into the final, proved how good they were, as they easily defeated Lisell Jaatma, Meeri-Marita Paas, and Maris Tetsmann of Estonia 232-229 in the stage 3 event final.
• This season, the women's compound team has won all three World Cup stages, proving to be unbeatable.
• They were undefeated in the 2024 World Cup series after winning gold at stages 1 and 2 in Shanghai and Yecheon, respectively, in April and May.
• In the recurve finals, India wants to win three medals.

Miscellaneous

"Indiconema": A Novel Genus of Freshwater Diatoms Found in the Eastern and Western Ghats

• In India, scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) have identified a new genus called "Indiconema" that belongs to the Gomphonemataceae (diatom) family.
• In terms of symmetry and specific valve characteristics, the researchers find a closely related species from the Western Ghats that belongs to the Gomphonemataceae, and a novel astigmate gomphonemoid diatom from the Eastern Ghats.
• ARI is a Department of Science and Technology (DST) independent institute.

• Groups of distinct pore fields are found in both the apices and the headpole of the species found in the clean water river of the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats. The area containing the groups of pores is flattened and situated on the valve mantle.
• Within the Gomphonemataceae, the researchers have suggested a new genus called Indiconema for these species.
• The researchers propose that Indiconema is the sister taxon of the endemic East African genus Afrocymbella based on the morphological characteristics of this group.

• In India, diatoms are the earliest known microbes. It generates 25% of the oxygen in the world, or around one breath of oxygen per person.
• They serve as both the foundation of the aquatic food chain and reliable markers of the health of the water. "Striped caecilian": An Amphibian Without Limbs Discovered in Kaziranga National Park.
• During a herpetofauna survey conducted from June 14 to June 17, 2024, a team of herpetologists discovered the limbless 'Striped caecilian' (Ichthyophis spp.) in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Assam. This was the first time the species had been documented.

Obituary

• Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the revered head priest who was instrumental in the dedication of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, passed away early on Saturday morning.
• He was eighty-six years old. Dixit had been ill for the past few days, according to family sources.
• Manikarnika Ghat is where the last Dixit ceremonies are supposed to be held.

• Dixit had a significant impact, particularly on the January 22 consecration ceremony of Lord Ram's statue at the Ayodhya shrine, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended.
• Originating in the Maharashtra region of Solapur, Dixit was considered one of the cities of Varanasi's most illustrious professors; his family had been there for many centuries.
• Dixit led a group of 121 priests at the consecration ceremony on January 22. Dixit's lineage tradition (vansh parampara) dates back to the illustrious Kashi scholar Gaga Bhatt, who oversaw the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century.

Important Day

International Widow’s Day - 23 June

• International Widows Day (IWD), which is observed on June 23rd every year, is an important event devoted to bringing attention to the predicament of widows around the world and fighting for their rights and welfare.
• The United Nations initially recognized and commemorated this day in 2011, recognizing the struggles widows experience around the world and the need to address their particular social, legal, and economic concerns.

• The United Nations declared June 23, 2011, to be the inaugural International Widow's Day. Through a resolution, the UN General Assembly formally acknowledged the day and brought attention to the precarious position of widows, especially in poorer nations where they frequently face poverty, prejudice, and restricted access to resources.
• The Loomba Foundation, under the direction of Raj Loomba, was one of the groups who tirelessly worked to establish International Widows' Day.
• The charity fought for a specific day to raise awareness and encourage action, and worked hard to draw attention to the difficulties encountered by widows.

• Ever since its establishment, International Widow's Day has been commemorated on an annual basis.
• It functions as a forum to raise public awareness, gather resources, and promote legislative modifications and initiatives that enhance the quality of life for widows.
• The day serves as a reminder of the continued efforts required to solve the problems widows confront and build a more just and inclusive society for them.
• Numerous obstacles prevent widows from participating fully in society and promoting their well-being, particularly in developing nations.
• After their husbands pass away, they could experience prejudice, social exclusion, and financial difficulty. Inheriting property, getting access to healthcare and education, and entering the workforce are all frequent causes of obstacles.
• Numerous widows and their offspring find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of marginalization, vulnerability, and poverty.