Current Affairs 2024

Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh takes over as DG NCC [27 Sep 2021]

Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh took over as the 34th Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC) on September 27, 2021. Lt Gen Singh was commissioned into The PARACHUTE REGIMENT in 1987. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun as well as NCC, he attended the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, the Higher Command Course in Mhow and the National Defence College Course in New Delhi.

Successful Maiden Flight Test of Akash Prime Missile [27 Sep 2021]

A new version of the Akash Missile – ‘Akash Prime’ has been successfully flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha on 27 September 2021. The missile intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft, in its maiden flight test after improvements. In comparison to the existing Akash System, Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy. Other improvements also ensure more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes. A modified ground system of the existing Akash weapon system has been used for the current flight test. The range stations of ITR comprising Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS), and Telemetry stations monitored the missile trajectory and flight parameters.

PM launches Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission [27 Sep 2021]

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission through a video conference. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform that will enable interoperability within the digital health ecosystem. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will now connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country with each other. Under the New Mission, every citizen will now get a digital health ID and their health record will be digitally protected.

Hamilton wins 100th Formula One race with victory in Russian GP [26 Sep 2021]

Lewis Hamilton has become the first Formula One driver to win 100 races with victory in the Russian Grand Prix to retake the championship lead from Max Verstappen.

NHPC’s 510 MW Teesta-V Power Station, Sikkim conferred with ‘Blue Planet Prize’ [24 Sep 2021]

NHPC’s 510 MW Teesta-V Power Station located in the Himalayan State of Sikkim has been conferred with the prestigious Blue Planet Prize by International Hydropower Association (IHA), a London based non-profit membership association operating in 120 countries. The power station has been built, owned and being operated by NHPC. The award for Teesta-V Power Station was announced yesterday during the World Hydropower Congress, 2021. The award had been conferred to Teesta-V Power Station based on its sustainability assessment undertaken by a team of accredited lead assessors of IHA in 2019 using the Operation Stage tool of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) of IHA.

Sony India to buy Zee, country’s largest listed TV network [22 Sep 2021]

Sony Group Corp.’s Indian unit signed a non-binding deal to buy the country’s largest publicly-traded television network Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., pouncing on a beleaguered company whose shareholders have sought removal of key officials. Zee shares jumped 20% following the deal announcement, giving it a market value of $4 billion. About 53% of the merged entity would be owned by Sony India shareholders and the rest by Zee’s holders, the companies said. Sony shareholders will inject capital into its unit so that it will have about $1.58 billion of funds at closing, and a majority of the board would be nominated by Sony.

Charanjit Singh swearing-in as new CM of Punjab [18 Sep 2021]

Charanjit Singh Channi took charge as the Chief Minister of Punjab, following his oath-taking ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Amritsar central MLA Om Prakash Soni took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers along with Channi. Both the deputy CMs are from the Majha region of Punjab.

Ms. Alka Nangia Arora Assumes Charge as CMD, NSIC [17 Sep 2021]

Ms. Alka Nangia Arora has assumed the additional charge of the post of Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD), The National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC) on 14th September 2021. On this occasion, she interacted with senior officers of NSIC and encouraged all employees to continue giving their best performance during 2021-22. Ms. Alka Arora is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in diverse activities across the country.

PFC issues India’s first-ever Euro Green Bond [16 Sep 2021]

Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), the leading NBFC in the power sector, has successfully issued its maiden Euro 300 million 7-year Euro Bond issuance on 13.09.2021. The pricing of 1.841% achieved is the lowest yield locked in by an Indian issuer in the Euro markets. It is the first-ever Euro-denominated Green bond issuance from India. Moreover, it is the first-ever Euro issuance by an Indian NBFC and the first Euro bond issuance from India since 2017. The issuance saw strong participation from institutional investors across Asia and Europe with participation from across 82 accounts and was oversubscribed 2.65 times.

Medvedev wins first major, beats Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in final [13 Sep 2021]

Daniil Medvedev lifted his first Grand Slam trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and sixteen minutes in the US Open men’s singles final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The second seed ended his opponent’s bid for a calendar slam and a 21st major by dominating from start to finish.

Bhupendra Patel sworn-in as new Gujarat Chief Minister [13 Sep 2021]

The Patidar face who is a first-time MLA became the 17th CM of Gujarat as he succeeded Vijay Rupani as the next chief minister, two days after his sudden resignation from the post. Patel, 59, was unanimously elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader on September 12 and was sworn in as Gujarat’s new Chief Minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a low-key ceremony held in Gandhinagar.

Raducanu wins first Grand Slam, beats Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in final [12 Sep 2021]

Two unseeded players - Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez - faced each other in the US Open women’s singles final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York with the former prevailing 6-4, 6-3 in the end. Raducanu created history by becoming the first-ever qualifier and the first British woman since 1977 to win a Grand Slam. She didn’t drop a single set in the entire tournament, winning all 20 of them.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury beat Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray to win men’s doubles title [11 Sep 2021]

American Rajeev Ram and British Joe Salisbury overcame a slow start to beat Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the US Open men’s doubles final. Ram and Salisbury struggled with their serve in the opening set, with a collective four double faults as they got in slightly more than half of their first serves, as Murray and Soares took advantage with only one unforced error.

Ex-M&M MD Pawan Goenka appointed chairperson of In-SPACe [11 Sep 2021]

Former managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Pawan Kumar Goenka has been appointed as the chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion Authorization Centre (In-SPACe). IN-SPACe functions as an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space, Government of India. Goenka's appointment at the helm of the space agency was reportedly cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet earlier this week.

Prime Minister chairs 13th BRICS Summit [09 Sep 2021]

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 13th BRICS Summit virtually. The Summit saw the participation of all other BRICS Leaders - President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

SJVN has been conferred with Dun & Bradstreet – Corporate Award 2021 [03 Sep 2021]

SJVN has been conferred with the prestigious Dun & Bradstreet – Corporate Award 2021 in the category of Best Growth Performance-Power. The award has been presented at a virtual conference titled India’s Top 500 Companies 2021. The event was attended by Guest of Honour Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), and Special Guest Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The event showcased the performances of front runners among Indian Corporates.

Hansa New Generation (NG) aircraft, designed and developed by CSIR-NAL [03 Sep 2021]

Hansa New Generation (NG) aircraft, designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore a constituent lab of CSIR, has successfully made its maiden flight on 3 September 2021. Capt. Amit Dahiya, the test pilot, who has flown the maiden flight has expressed his happiness and told that all the flight parameters were found normal and it is a Text Book flight. The unique features of Hansa-NG are a glass cockpit with cabin comfort, high efficient digitally controlled engine, electrically operated flaps, Long endurance, low acquisition, and Low operating cost.CSIR-NAL has already received 72 Letters of Intent from various Flying Clubs and the aircraft will be certified within the next 4 months before it gets inducted into service. The flight was monitored in telemetry by senior officers and scientists/engineers from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), and CSIR-NAL.

Powergrid Wins the Prestigious global ATD Best Award [02 Sep 2021]

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), a Maharatna CPSU under the Ministry of Power, Government of India has been awarded the coveted “Association for Talent Development (ATD) 2021 BEST Award” securing 8th rank among the 71 organizations from around the globe, thus becoming the only PSU to win this award and one of the only two companies of India in Top 20. The Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD) is the world's largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations and ATD’s BEST Award is the talent development industry’s most rigorous and coveted recognition. The global program recognizes organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success through talent development.

Chandigarh Railway Station awarded 5-Star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification by FSSAI [02 Sep 2021]

Indian Railways’ Chandigarh Railway Station has been awarded a 5- star 'Eat Right Station' certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. This certification is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices. The 'Eat Right Station' certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers. The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5. The 5-star rating indicates exemplary efforts by stations to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.

Sumit Antil wins F64 Javelin Throw gold medal [30 Aug 2021]

Sumit Antil set three world records on his way to winning the men’s Javelin Throw F64 gold medal on debut in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He dominated the competition with the four best throws by any competitor, finally writing the world record at 68.55m with his fifth attempt.

Avani Lekhara becomes the first Indian woman in history to win a Paralympic Gold medal in shooting [30 Aug 2021]

Avani Lekhara, 19-year-old para shooter, made history by winning the elusive Tokyo Paralympic Games gold. Competing in her maiden Paralympics, Avani shot 249.6 points in the R2 women’s 10m air rifle SH1 category for a Paralympic Record and equal the World Record. Earlier, Avani who works as an Assistant Conservator of Forests in Rajasthan and trains at the JDA Shooting Range in Jaipur, shot 621.7 points to finish seventh in qualification and secure a place in the final. She has been wheelchair-bound since a road accident in 2012. The school topper believes life is not about holding good cards but playing well with those one holds.

Tokyo Paralympics: India's Bhavinaben Patel wins silver medal [29 Aug 2021]

Indian table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel has won a historic silver medal in her maiden Paralympic Games. With this medal, the Indian team opened its account at the Tokyo Games.

Tokyo Paralympics: Nishad Kumar wins silver in men’s high jump T47 event [29 Aug 2021]

India’s Nishad Kumar clinched a silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event in the Paralympics with an Asian record effort. The 21-year-old Kumar cleared 2.06m to win the silver and set an Asian record.

Rohit Chamoli clinches gold for India in Asian Junior Boxing Championships [29 Aug 2021]

National champion Rohit Chamoli (48kg) defeated Mongolia’s Otgonbayar Tuvshinzaya in an intense final to clinch the gold in the Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai.

Vinod Kumar wins bronze medal [29 Aug 2021]

India’s Vinod Kumar bagged the bronze medal in men’s discus throw F52 event in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, adding a third medal to the country's tally. Vinod Kumar, too, set an Asian record with a throw of 19.91m.

Sabri Named New PM of Malaysia [20 Aug 2021]

Malaysia's king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the Prime Minister on August 20, 2021, returning the job to a party tainted by graft accusations as the southeast Asian nation grapples with a Covid-19 surge and an economic slump. Ismail Sabri replaces Muhyiddin Yassin, who stepped down on August 16, 2021, after coalition infighting cost him his majority, but the new PrimeMinister's backing by the same alliance raises concerns that he will also lead an unstable government.

AL-MOHED AL-Hindi-2021 - 1st Ever Naval Exercise Between India and Saudi Arabia [10 Aug 2021]

The maiden naval exercise 'AL-MOHED AL-Hindi-2021 between the Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Forces commenced on August 9, 2021. INS Kochi, the flagshipDestroyer of the Indian Western Fleet, arrived at the Portal-Jubail, Saudi Arabia representing India. A number of shores and sea-based drills were scheduled to take place between the two navies. INSKochi is the 2nd ship of the Kolkata class Stealth GuidedMissile Destroyer, built indigenously by Mazgon DockLimited (MDL) in Mumbai.

PM launches Ujjwala 2.0 from Mahoba Uttar Pradesh [10 Aug 2021]

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana - PMUY) by handing over LPG connections, at Mahoba Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing. During the event, the Prime Minister interacted with beneficiaries of the Ujjwala.

Indian PM Modi Presides Over UN Security Council Open Debate, Calls for Cooperation in Maritime Security [09 Aug 2021]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 9, 2021chaired a high-level United Nations Security Council open debate on enhancing maritime security and the need for international cooperation in this field. First Indian PM to Preside Over UNSC MeetModi is the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate, according to the Prime Minister's office.

Neeraj Chopra wins a historic gold medal Tokyo Olympics 2020 [07 Aug 2021]

Neeraj Chopra won a historic gold medal in an athletics event at the Tokyo Olympic Games as he topped the men’s javelin throw final. He has become India's first Olympic medalist from athletics in the finals of the men's javelin throw at Tokyo Olympics 2020. He has also joined Abhinav Bindra as India's only second Indian athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event.

Career Opportunities in Sports Management

IntroductionAre you passionate about sports but don't see yourself as an athlete? Do you find the business side of sports fascinating? A career in sports management could be your winning ticket! This field combines business, sports, and management, offering dynamic roles that go far beyond the field →

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Foundation Date: December 8, 1991 Headquarters: The Republic of Belarus Executive Secretaries: Sergei Lebedev Member Countries: 12 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established on December 8, 1991, and the leaders of the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine signed an a →

What is Bitcoin?

In 2009, an unknown programmer by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto put forward a whitepaper that proposed a creation of new form of digital currency - cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency functions the same way as regular currencies do in that its used as a means of exchange, unit of account and a store of va →

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

Headquarter: New Delhi Function and Objective of the Organization: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food-related issues in various Ministries →