Today’s Current Affairs: 18th July 2024 for SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
NITI Aayog Launches GearShift Challenge to Accelerate Zero-Emission Truck Adoption in India:
- The NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) launched NITI GearShift Challenge as part of the e-FAST India initiative.
- This aims to foster innovative business models for the adoption of Zero-Emission Trucks (ZETs) in India.
- The challenge was launched in collaboration with Operations Management Club (OMC) of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore (Bengaluru, Karnataka), Smart Freight Centre India, CALSTART/Drive to Zero, and WRI India.
MDoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Launches NERACE Portal:
- The Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), launched the North East Region Agri Commodity E-Connect (NERACE) App and Web Portal (https://nerace.in/) to integrate farmers and sellers, enhancing agricultural connectivity in the North Eastern Region (NER).
MSDE Commemorates 10th Anniversary of Skill India Mission:
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India (GoI) commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Skill India Mission on 15th July, 2024.
- Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) Jayant Chaudhary attended an open house dialogue, “Kaushal Samwaad” organised by MSDE, to celebrate World Youth Skills Day(WYSD), coincided with anniversary of the Skill India Mission.
UN World Population Prospects 2024:
- According to the World Population Prospects 2024 published by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), India‘s population is expected to peak at about 1.701 billion in 2062 and then decline by 12% between January and July 2062.
16 lakh Indian Children Missed Vital Vaccines in 2023: WHO-UNICEF report
- The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released the ‘WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC)‘, stating that India’s national immunization program missed 1.6 million (16 Lakh) children for DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus) and measles shots in 2023.
India Signs MoU with Marshall Islands for 4 Community Development Projects in Marshall Islands:
- India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) on the annual Grant-In-Aid (GIA) for the Implementation of 4 Community Development Projects (CDPs) in the RMI, at the Embassy of India in Tokyo, Japan.
SEBI Introduced New Rules for Passive Mutual Fund Schemes to Reduce Sponsor Bias:
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced new rules impacting investments by passively managed Mutual Fund(MF) schemes in the group companies of their sponsors.
- Aim is to simplify and ease compliances by MF by streamlining norms related to passive schemes with respect to exposure to securities of group companies of the sponsor.
NABARD Launches Rs 750-Crore Agri-SURE Fund to Boost Agri Startup:
- The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), India’s apex development bank, unveiled an agri fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (Agri-SURE) to support start-ups and agripreneurs through investments in sector-specific, sector-agnostic, and debt AIFs.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Revamps Kotak811 Banking App with Enhanced User Interface & New Features:
- Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited(KMBL), a leading Indian private sector bank, has revamped its Kotak811 banking application with enhanced User Interface (UI) and introduced various new features for secure Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments, transaction monitoring, among others.
BranchX Becomes India’s 1st Neobank to Launch ONDC Loans For Financial Inclusion:
- Mumbai (Maharashtra) based BranchX India Private Limited, a leading neobank innovator, has launched India’s first personal loan solution through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which marks the significant step towards financial inclusion for India’s 1.4 billion people.
Indian Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik Wins Golden Sand Master Award At International Championship In Russia:
- Sudarsan Pattnaik (Odisha), Indian Sand Artist has won the Golden Sand Master Award with a gold medal at the International Sand Sculpture Championship/Festival 2024 held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
- The International Sand Sculpture Championship, held between July 4th to 12th 2024, had a theme of ‘History, Mythology, and Fairy Tales’.
Europe’s Ariane 6 Rocket Blasts off For the First Time:
- Ariane 6, European Space Agency(ESA)’s new heavy-lift rocket, has been launched into space for the first time from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, an overseas department of France in South America.
‘Habrocestum swaminathan and Habrocestum benjamin’: New Jumping Spider Species
- Two new species of jumping spiders discovered from Western GhatsA team of researchers from Christ College, Irinjalakuda (Thrissur, Kerala), have discovered 2 new species of litter-dwelling jumping spiders named, Habrocestum swaminathan and Habrocestum benjamin, from the evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats in Kerala.
PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) Scheme : Oppose
- After Punjab, West Bengal, and Delhi refused participation in the PM-SHRI scheme, the Education Ministry has stopped funds to the three states under the Centre’s flagship Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Jerdon’s Courser : Spotted
- Jerdon’s Courser, a critically endangered species, has not been visually spotted in over a decade.
- Jerdon’s Courser is a nocturnal cursorial (adapted for walking and running) bird endemic to the Eastern Ghats of India.
Late Blight Disease:
- The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) recently issued an advisory for potato farmers across the country, warning of a high risk of late blight disease in the crop due to changes in weather conditions.
ASMITA Project:
- The Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently unveiled the ASMITA Project, aimed at bolstering the availability of educational resources in Indian languages.
Bhojshala Complex:
- The existing structure at the Bhojshala complex constructed using remains of a temple that existed earlier at the site, said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in its scientific survey report.
World Bank Group Guarantee Platform:
- The World Bank Group (WBG) guarantee platform was opened for business.
- World Bank Group Guarantee Platform is housed at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and brings together products and experts from the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and MIGA for simplicity, efficiency and speed.
Chandipura Virus Infection:
- The Gujarat government said that six children have died of suspected Chandipura virus (CHPV) infection in the state since July 10.
- Chandipura Virus Infection is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, which also includes other members such as the lyssavirus that causes rabies.
