Table of Content
- 1. Protection of Health Workers from Violence
- 2. Foreign Exchange Management (Amendment) Rules
- 3. Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS)
- 4. Decarbonization of Maritime Shipping
- 5. India Exports via Cape of Good Hope Route
- 6. IIA Study Can Facilitate Space Weather Forecasting
- 7. Place in News: Vietnam
- 8.Also in News
Also in News
Posted 17 Aug 2024
8 min read
Cabinet Secretary
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of new Cabinet Secretary with a 2-year tenure starting from Aug 30, 2024.
About Cabinet Secretary (CS)
- Appointed by the ACC on seniority-cum-merit basis.
- Responsible for administration of Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961.
- Functions: Ensures inter-ministerial coordination, irons out differences among ministries and departments, etc.
- CS is also the ex-officio Chairman of Civil Services Board (CSB).
- CS has no authority over working departments, as CS is regarded as primus inter pares among secretaries of Union Government.
- Tags :
- Cabinet Secretary
- Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
- GoI (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961
- GoI (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961
- Civil Services Board
NBFC-P2P Leading Regulation
RBI issued a master circular to tighten norms for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) – P2P lending platforms.
- P2P lending involves individual lending and borrowing money directly through digital platforms, without the involvement of traditional financial institutions like banks.
Key Regulation
- NBFC—P2P lending platforms are supposed to act as an intermediary for P2P lending participants.
- Limiting exposure of a lender across all P2P platforms to Rs.50,00,000
- Prohibits P2P platforms from promoting P2P lending as an investment product and cross-selling any insurance product.
- Tags :
- RBI
- NBFC P2P
- Peer to Peer Lending Platforms
Agni Missile
Shri R.N. Agarwal, the father of the Agni missile and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, passed away recently.
- He served as the Agni program director and also as the director of the Advanced Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad.
About Agni Missile
- Agni was conceived under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of DRDO.
- Agni misslies are surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.
- They are fuelled by Solid propellant and mainstay of India's nuclear launch capability.
- They have medium- to intercontinental-range ballistic missiles.
- Agni Prime is the latest missile while other missiles are Agni 1-5.
- Tags :
- DRDO
- IGMDP
- Agni Missile
- Advanced Systems Laboratory
Guam Island
After participating in world's largest Multinational Maritime Exercise RIMPAC 2024, INS Shivalik reached Guam, an island territory of the United States.
About Guam Island
- Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands chain, situated in the North Pacific Ocean.
- Formed by two former volcanoes, it’s a tropical island.
- In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Guam to the US.
- Indigenous people: Chamorros
- Endemic Bird Species: Guam kingfisher, Rota white-eye, and the Guam rail.
- Tags :
- RIMPAC 2024
- Pacific Ocean
- INS Shivalik
- Guam Island
- Guam kingfisher
Eri Silk
North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation successfully obtained Oeko-Tex Certification for its Eri Silk.
- Oeko-Tex certification is standard that ensures textiles are tested for harmful substances and produced in environment friendly conditions.
About Eri Silk
- Renowned as world’s only vegan silk as moth inside the cocoon is not killed. Instead moth naturally exits the cocoon.
- It is produced by silkworm Philosamia ricini which is multivoltine and reared indoors 5-6 times a year.
Note: India produces all the five types of silk: Mulberry, Eri, Tropical & Temperate Tasar, and Muga.
- Tags :
- Eri Silk
- Oeko-Tex Certification
Articles Sources
Serosurvey
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been conducting serosurvey since last year to determine exposure to Mpox among India’s high-risk population.
About Serosurvey
- It is the collection and testing of blood (or proxy specimen such as oral fluid) from a specimen of a defined population over a specified period of time.
- Objective: To estimate prevalence of IgG antibodies against an infectious pathogen as an indicator of exposure to a pathogen.
- Significance: Can be used to estimate prevalence of infection, immunity gap, key parameters for infectious disease modeling, etc.
- Tags :
- ICMR
- Serosurvey
- IgG Antibodies
National Film Awards
70th National Film Awards for the year 2022 have been announced.
About National Film Awards
- Established in 1954 and were initially called ‘State Awards’ and 2 President’s Gold Medals, 2 certificates of merit, and 12 silver medals for regional films were presented in the earlier years.
- Awards have been administered by the Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.
- Awards are given in 3 categories: Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, and Best Writing in Cinema.
- Most Film Friendly State award is also given, along with the National Film Awards, to a State of India that has been helpful in furthering the growth of the film industry.
- Tags :
- National Film Awards
- Directorate of Film Festivals
Articles Sources
World’s Oldest Calendar
World’s oldest calendar, dating back nearly 13,000 years was discovered at Göbekli Tepe, an ancient site in Turkey.
- Carvings on stone pillars reveal a sophisticated solar-lunar calendar, possibly created to track time and celestial events, including a comet strike around 10,850 BCE.
- The discovery challenges previous beliefs about early human technological development, showcasing advanced astronomy long before written language.
Göbekli Tepe
- It has round-oval and rectangular megalithic structures erected by hunter-gatherers in the pre-pottery neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE.
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Tags :
- UNESCO
- World’s Oldest Calendar
- Göbekli Tepe
- Neolithic Age
News Today (Aug 17, 2024)