Current Affairs 13 July 2024

Current Affairs 13 July 2024

01. Who is the convenor of the five-member advisory council of the 16th Finance Commission?
(a) D.K. Srivastava
(b) Neelkanth Mishra
(c) Pranjul Bhandari
(d) Poonam Gupta

Ans : D

• The Sixteenth Finance Commission has formed a five-member advisory council to advise on its Terms of Reference (ToR) and related subjects.
• Poonam Gupta, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, is the convenor of the council.
• Members include economists D.K. Srivastava, Neelkanth Mishra, Pranjul Bhandari, and Rahul Bajoria.

02. What is the name of the fund that the government will launch to support agricultural start-ups and agripreneurs?
(a) AgriBoost
(b) AgriSURE
(c) AgriVenture
(d) AgriFund

Ans : C

• Fund Name: Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE).
• Total Corpus: ₹750 crore (Category-II Alternative Investment Fund).
• Funding Breakdown :
  • ₹250 crore from NABARD.
  • ₹250 crore from the Ministry of Agriculture.
  • ₹250 crore from other institutions.
• Objectives
  • Support Start-Ups: Targeting agri-startups and agripreneurs in agriculture and allied sectors.
  • Promote Innovation: Encourage innovative approaches to enhance financing in agriculture, benefiting small and marginal farmers.
  • Enhance Value Chain: Focus on improving the agricultural value chain and rural infrastructure.
  • Generate Employment: Create job opportunities and support Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs).
  • Encourage IT Solutions: Promote IT-based solutions and machinery rental services for farmers.
• Key Features
  • Equity and Debt Support: Offers both equity and debt investments for high-risk, high-impact agricultural activities.
  • Duration: Designed to operate for 10 years, with possible extensions of two or more years.
• Launch Event
  • Location: NABARD Headquarters, Mumbai.
• Key Attendees:
  • Ajeet Kumar Sahu (Joint Secretary, DA&FW).
  • Shaji K.V. (Chairman, NABARD).
  • Govardhan Singh Rawat (DMD, NABARD).
  • Dr. Ajay Kumar Sood (DMD, NABARD).
• AgriSURE Greenathon 2024
  • Purpose: Address key agricultural challenges through innovation.
  • Problem Statements:
  • Smart Agriculture on a Budget: Reducing costs of advanced technologies for farmers.
  • Turning Agri-Waste into Profitable Opportunities: Transforming agricultural waste into business ventures.
  • Tech Solutions for Regenerative Agriculture: Making regenerative agriculture economically viable.

03. What is the name of the Chinese rocket that failed shortly after launch, resulting in the loss of three weather satellites?
(a) Falcon 9
(b) Hyperbola-1
(c) Long March 5
(d) Xiahui 9

Ans : B

• Hyperbola-1 is a 24-metre high solid-fuel rocket produced by the Chinese start-up iSpace.
• The rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China’s Gobi Desert.
• Although the rocket’s first, second, and third stages flew normally, the fourth stage suffered an anomaly, resulting in the mission’s failure.
• The mission aimed to place three satellites into orbit for global weather forecasting and earthquake prediction.

04. In which state is the world’s largest Ramayan temple, Viraat Ramayan Mandir, being constructed?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Bihar
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Madhya Pradesh

Ans : B

• The Viraat Ramayan Mandir is being constructed in East Champaran district of Bihar.
• Once completed, it will be three times bigger than the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
• The temple will be built at a cost of ₹500 crore and will feature the world’s largest shivling.
• The architecture of the temple is inspired by the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram, and the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai.

05. Which state became the first to prepare Peoples Biodiversity Registers (PBR) with the help of local communities?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Karnataka
(c) Andhra Pradesh
(d) Kerala

Ans : D

• First State: Kerala is the first state in India to prepare Peoples Biodiversity Registers (PBR) for all local self-government (LSG) bodies with community involvement.
• NGT Deadline: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) set a deadline of January 31, 2020, for all states to prepare PBRs; Kerala completed this by early December 2019.
• Scope of PBR:
• Records local biological resources and traditional knowledge.
• Includes data on wild, aquatic, urban, and agro biodiversity, such as trees, crops, animals, and medicinal plants.
• Coverage: Out of 1,040 LSGs, 1,037 successfully prepared PBRs, covering various biodiversity aspects.

06. Which two organizations signed a multi-year partnership to enhance banking services through AI integration?
(a) BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank
(b) BNP Paribas and Mistral AI
(c) Mistral AI and Credit Suisse
(d) BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs

Ans : B

• BNP Paribas has signed a multi-year agreement with Mistral AI, a start-up valued at $6 billion, to implement AI commercial models across all business lines.
• The agreement provides BNP Paribas access to current and future Mistral AI models, focusing on large language models (LLMs) for various business use cases.
• Olivier Osty, head of Global Markets at BNP Paribas, highlighted the partnership’s potential to enhance client offerings in sales, trading, and research, aligning with the bank’s digital strategy.
• Sophie Heller, COO of commercial banking, emphasized that the deal supports the development of hyper-personalized digital services, including 24/7 virtual assistants for customer inquiries.

07. As per NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani, what is the estimated growth rate of the Indian economy for the fiscal year 2024-25?
(a) 6%
(b) 6.5%
(c) 7%
(d) 7.5%

Ans : C

• NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani estimated the Indian economy to grow around 7% in the fiscal year 2024-25.
• He mentioned that the Indian economy is on track to maintain a similar growth rate for several years.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also pegged the FY25 GDP growth rate at 7.2%.
• Virmani discussed challenges such as the decline in private consumption expenditures, which is now recovering post-pandemic.

08. Which of the following countries did NOT sign the pact to enhance military mobility in July 2024?
(a) Romania
(b) Bulgaria
(c) Greece
(d) Turkey

Ans : D

09. Who stepped down as the Sri Lanka T20 captain ahead of the India series?
(a) Dasun Shanaka
(b) Kusal Perera
(c) Angelo Mathews
(d) Wanindu Hasaranga

Ans : D

• Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down as the Sri Lanka T20 captain.
• His resignation comes ahead of the three-match T20 series against India.
• The T20 series will be played on July 26, 27, and 29 at the Pallekele International Stadium.
• Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officially announced Hasaranga’s resignation from the captaincy.

10. Which state approved the IT Saksham Yuva Scheme to provide jobs to 60,000 youths from poor families?
(a) Punjab
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Haryana
(d) Gujarat

Ans : C

• The Haryana Cabinet approved the IT Saksham Yuva Scheme, 2024, targeting 5,000 jobs in the first phase.
• The scheme aligns with ‘Mission 60,000’ from the 2024-25 budget, aiming to employ 60,000 youths from poor families.
• Graduates and postgraduates from IT backgrounds will be eligible after completing a minimum three-month Haryana IT programme.
• Employed participants will receive ₹20,000 per month for the first six months and ₹25,000 thereafter.
• Unemployed participants will get an allowance of ₹10,000 per month if not deployed.
• Training agencies include HARTRON, HKCL, and SVSU, with SVSU issuing completion certificates.
• The cabinet also approved the takeover of Amarnath Bhagat Jairam Girls College in Kaithal, transferring its assets to the Department of Higher Education.