Current Affairs 2024 – Daily, Weekly, Monthly And Yearly PDF
Day of the Year
National Airborne Day
- National Airborne Day has been marked every year since 2002, when it was established by then US President George W Bush and passed by the United States Congress. Following this, in August 2009, the US Senate offered its own recognition of National Airborne Day with Senate Resolution 235.
- The date chosen for the occasion is significant as it is the anniversary of the first official US Army parachute jump, on August 16, 1940.
Latest Updates
PM calls for ‘secular civil code’ in Independence Day speech
- In his 11th successive address to the nation from the Red Fort, Modi seeks to do away with a ‘communal civil code’ and end discrimination on the basis of religion, he flags issue of women’s safety, says forces of anarchy want to destabilise country
- The Supreme Court has repeatedly discussed a Uniform Civil Code in India. A large section of the country believes, and it is true that in the civil code, what we have is a communal civil code. The need of the hour is a secular civil code. Only then will we be free of discrimination on the basis of religion. It is our duty to fulfil the vision of our Constitution makers,” the Prime Minister said.
News Capsule
Centre launches new AI-based surveillance system to manage pests, connect scientists with farmers
- The Union government on Thursday launched the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) powered by artificial intelligence to help farmers to connect with agriculture scientists and experts by mobile phones on controlling pests.
- Launching the programme, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the aim was to reduce the dependence of farmers on pesticide retailers and to inculcate a scientific approach among them towards pest management. The NPSS will analyse latest data using AI tools to help farmers and experts in pest control and management.
- Releasing the system at an event at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Mr. Chouhan said, “All new developments in the field of agriculture should be beneficial for the farmers.
Digital boost to revive solar power installation scheme
With delays plaguing the ₹34,000-crore PM-KUSUM programme launched to boost solar energy infrastructure in agriculture, States have begun experimenting with alternative approaches to improve adoption. The Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) envisages setting up 100 GW of solar power plants in farmer-owned land, installing 14 lakh solar pumps, and solarising 35 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps.
As of June, only 256 MW of power plants, 3.97 lakh solar pumps and 13,500 solarised pumps have been installed. The low uptake has forced the government to push the scheme’s deadline to 2026.
An obstinate refusal to focus on welfare
The Union Budget has drawn stern criticism from several quarters of the populace for a variety of reasons. On the welfare front, the government has, yet again, failed to increase expenditure on critical welfare schemes that support the marginalised in the country. The government’s obstinate refusal to focus on welfare is perplexing to say the least, in a country where, according to the government’s own data, about 34% of the population survives on less than ₹100 a day and over 81 crore people require free foodgrains to get by. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) now, or NDA 3.0, appears to continue the trend the alliance set in its two previous terms by reducing welfare allocations — as shown in the analysis below based on Budget papers.
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Tiger Reserve employees reinstated in Arunachal
Fifty-seven casual employees of the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, India’s easternmost tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh, have been reinstated three months after their services were terminated. The reinstatement order said the “engagement” was following the approval of the annual operation plan of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for the financial year 2024-25 and was “contingent on the timely release of funds”. These employees were recruited under the NTCA’s Project Tiger during 2023-24 to strengthen the efforts to conserve the big cat and other fauna. They were laid off citing funds constraints on May 1. This had led to a series of protests by the sacked workers and their families.
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