Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 9th September 2024

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana : Changes

The government recently made changes to the rules of the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, which are planned to come into force from the 1st of October 2024.

New Rules:

• In case of accounts opened under the guardianship of grandparents (who are other than legal guardians), the guardianship shall be transferred to a person entitled under the law in force, that is, to the natural guardian (alive parents) or Legal Guardian. If it is not done, the account will be closed and this will be a permanent closure.
• Families with more than two SSY accounts will face closures of excess accounts, deemed to be in violation of scheme rules.

SSY :

• It is a savings scheme launched in 2015 under the Government of India’s ” Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” campaign, which aimed to promote the education of girl children.
• SSY is a small-deposit scheme tailored specifically for the girl child.
• This scheme enables guardians to open a savings account for their girl child with an authorised commercial bank or India Post branch.
• The girl must be an Indian resident.
• The account can be initiated by the parent or legal guardian of the girl child.
• The girl child must be below the age of 10at the time of opening the account.
• Only one SSY account is allowed per girl child.
• A family is limited to opening a maximum of two SSY scheme accounts.
• NRIs are not eligible to open these accounts.
• The girl must operate the account once she attains the age of 18 years.
• The minimum and maximum deposits that can be made in an account in a financial year are 250 and Rs.1.5 lakh, respectively. The deposits can be made in multiples of 100.
• Deposits towards the scheme should be made for a period of 15 years. However, the scheme matures after 21 years.
• No interest will be payable once the account completes twenty-one years from the date of opening.
• Withdrawal up to a maximum of 50%of the amount in the account at the end of the financial year preceding the year of application for withdrawal shall be allowed for the purpose of education of the account holder.
• Such withdrawal shall be allowed only after the account holder has attained the age of 18 years or has passed the 10th standard, whichever is earlier.

Fath-360 Missile:

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Iran has delivered short-range ballistic missiles, including the Fath-360, to Russia.

• The Fath-360, or Fateh-360, is an Iranian short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) known for its precision and mobility.
• It is designed to carry out tactical strikes against various targets, including military installations and infrastructure.
• Launch weight: 787 kilograms
• It travels at speeds ranging from Mach 3 to 4.
• It is equipped with a solid-fuel engine, which allows for rapid deployment and quick launch times, making it a highly effective weapon on the battlefield.
• It has a range of approximately 120 to 300 kilometers.
• It carries a 150-kilogram warhead.
• It also boasts a relatively small and maneuverable design, making it more difficult for air defense systems to intercept.
• The guidance system consists of a combination of inertial guidance system and satellite navigation to achieve an accuracy of 30 m.
• The Fath-360 missile system utilizes a truck-mounted Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) designed to carry and launch multiple missiles.

Sugamya Bharat App:

More than 1,400 complaints related to accessibility have been lodged through the Sugamya Bharat mobile application since its launch in 2021, with approximately 75 percent of those resolved, according to official data.

• Sugamya Bharat App is an initiative of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Designed to aid people with disabilities and the elderly, the Sugamya Bharat app allows users to report accessibility problems in public infrastructure, transportation and buildings.
• Identification of issues/complaints from the public related to accessibility at public places (Need to capture location of the place through Google Maps).
• Uploading geotagged pictures: To understand and identify which type of public place is having issues related to accessibility for disabled people.
• Any person facing difficulty or issue related to accessibility in India can raise their concerns/grievances on the App.
• Only accessibility-related issues pertaining to Buildings, Transportation Systems and ICT (websites and TV viewing) can be registered at the App.
• Complaints are filed by uploading photos, which are then forwarded to relevant authorities.
• To enhance the app’s features, the government plans to redesign it with AI capabilities.
• The upgraded version will include an AI-powered chatbot and multilingual interface, improving its overall functionality.
• A partnership has been established with the NGO Mission Accessibility and the research institute I-STEM to develop the AI-enabled app.

Yudh Abhyas:

India-U.S. bilateral Army exercise Yudh Abhyas is set to commence at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan.

• Yudh Abhyas is a joint military exercise conducted annually between India and USA.
• It has been ongoing since 2004.
• It is designed to promote cooperation between the two militaries while sharing training, cultural exchanges and building joint operating skills.
• The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, USA.

Yudh Abhyas 2024:

• It marks the 20th edition of the
• Location: Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan
• It is designed to enhance interoperability and strengthen the operational capabilities of both forces.
• It will feature a range of advanced military tactics and coordinated manoeuvres aimed at improving the readiness of both armies in high-stakes scenarios.
• It is going to feature one of the largest U.S. contingents at the exercise with around 600 personnel and the U.S. Army is also set to deploy Stryker infantry vehicles and the M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
• These advanced rocket systems, which have gained prominence for their use in Ukraine, can deliver precision strikes over extended ranges.

Russian Missile Strike:

At least 51 people have been killed and 271 others injured in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine.

• Poltava is a city in east-central Ukraine.
• It is located 300 kilometres (189 miles) east of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
• It lies along the Vorskla River.
• Archaeological evidence dates the city from the 8th to the 9th century, although the first documentary reference is from 1174 when it was variously known as Oltava or Ltava.
• Destroyed by the Tatars in the early 13th century, it was the centre of a Cossack regiment by the 17th century.
• In 1709, Peter I the Great inflicted a crushing defeat on Charles XII of Sweden outside Poltava after Charles had laid siege to the town for three months in the Great Northern War.
• The battle ended Sweden’s status as a major power and marked the beginning of Russian supremacy in eastern Europe.
• The modern city of Poltava is largely new, having been reconstructed after it suffered severe damage during World War II.
• It is the focus of a fertile agricultural region and has a range of industries processing farm produce.

Teal Carbon:

India’s first study on ‘teal carbon’, undertaken at Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, has highlighted the significance of wetland conservation to address the challenges of climate adaptation and resilience.

• Teal Carbon refers to carbon stored in non-tidal freshwater wetlands, encompassing carbon sequestered in vegetation, microbial biomass and dissolved and particulate organic matter.
• These ecosystems are considered to be more effective at carbon capture and storage than terrestrial forest ecosystems and can store and sequester more carbon than any other type of terrestrial ecosystem.
• The concept of teal carbon is a recent addition to the environmental science pertaining to organic carbon in inland fresh wetlands.
• It is a colour-based terminology reflects the classification of organic carbon based on its functions and location rather than its physical properties.
• At the global level, the storage of teal carbon across the ecosystems is estimated to be 21 petagrams of carbon (PgC), which is a unit to measure carbon.
• Peatlands, freshwater swamps and natural freshwater marshes account for a significant amount of this storage.
• Though these wetlands play a crucial role in regulating greenhouse gases, they are vulnerable to degradation from pollution, land use changes, water extraction and landscape modifications.

Swachh Vayu Survekshan Award:

The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change presented the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Award 2024 on the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

• Swachh Vayu Survekshan Award is an initiative by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to rank cities on the basis of the implementation of activities approved under the city action plan and air quality in 130 NCAP cities.
• In September 2022, the MoEF&CC released guidelines on ‘Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan- Ranking of Cities’ under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).\
• The aim of launching Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is to give a ranking to 130 cities in the country for implementing City Action Plans prepared as part of NCAP for reducing air pollution by up to 40% by 2025-26.
• Objectives is to create awareness among all sections of the society,Inform citizens about the health impacts related due to exposure,Comparing air quality conditions at different locations/cities, To achieve the goal of NCAP “Clean air for all”.
• All 130 cities covered under NCAP are assessed based on information submitted under ranking framework by cities/ULBs on the PRANA portal (dashboard to capture progress under the NCAP programme).
• Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards 2024 were presented to the best performing NCAP cities under
  • Category-1 (population over 10 Lakhs) to Surat, Jabalpur and Agra;
  • Category-2 (population between 3 and 10 Lakhs) to Firozabad, Amravati and Jhansi; and
  • Category-3 (population under 3 Lakhs) to Raebareli, Nalgonda and Nalagarh.

BepiColombo Spacecraft:

The BepiColombo spacecraft gave scientists their first clear view of Mercury’s south pole.

• BepiColombo spacecraft is a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission to Mercury.
• The mission was named after Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, an Italian mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the understanding of Mercury’s orbit.
• It was launched on October 20, 2018, and is an ambitious and complex mission designed to study Mercury’s surface, composition, magnetic field and its interaction with the solar environment.
• The BepiColombo spacecraft consists of two main components:
• Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) is primarily provided by ESA and is responsible for mapping and studying Mercury’s surface, as well as its composition and topography.
• Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) is provided by JAXA and focuses on studying Mercury’s magnetic field and magnetosphere.
• Objectives is Investigating Mercury’s surface and composition to better understand its geological history and formation processes,Studying Mercury’s magnetic field and magnetosphere to gain insights into its internal structure and how it interacts with the solar wind,Measuring Mercury’s exosphere (a thin atmosphere) and understanding its composition and dynamics.

National Memorial for Queen Elizabeth II Announced for St James’s Park:

The British government has announced plans to erect a national memorial for Queen Elizabeth II in St James’s Park, London. This site was chosen due to its historical significance and its close connection to the late monarch, who passed away on September 8, 2022, after over seven decades on the throne.

5th UN International Day to Protect Education from Attack:

The 5th Observance of the UN International Day to Protect Education from Attack is set to take place on September 9, 2024, in Doha, Qatar. This crucial event will be held at the QNCC Auditorium 3, featuring a High-Level Panel led by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

First Indian President of Olympic Council of Asia:

Randhir Singh, a veteran sports administrator, was elected as the president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). This momentous event took place during the 44th General Assembly of the continental body in New Delhi.

Moeen Ali Announces Retirement from International Cricket:

Moeen Ali, the versatile England all-rounder, has officially announced his retirement from international cricket. This decision comes in the wake of his omission from the upcoming white-ball series against Australia, signaling the end of an era for English cricket.

Algerian President Tebboune Wins Second Term with 95% Vote:

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected for a second term with 95% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral authority, ANIE. The official results indicate that Tebboune received 94.65% of the vote, while his opponents, Abdelaali Hassani Cherif and Youcef Aouchiche, garnered 3% and 2% respectively.

New Finance Secretary:

The Indian government has appointed Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a 1987-batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, as the new Finance Secretary. This decision was made on September 7, 2024, following the appointment of T.V. Somanathan as the Cabinet Secretary, which created a vacancy for the finance role.