Current Affairs of September 2024
Here you will be able to find the compilation of monthly current affairs of Assam, India, International events etc. for the month of September, 2024. We covering important national, international, economic, environmental, and sports events. The current affairs compilation will help you for preparation APSC Exam, ADRE Exam and various other Assam Govt. competitive recruitment exams.
- GLOBAL AI GOVERNANCE:
- The Council of Europe (COE) Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, the first legally binding international treaty on AI, was opened for signature.
- The Framework Convention was initiated in 2019, when the ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) was tasked with examining the feasibility of such an instrument.
- Steps taken to regulate AI in India
- National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (NSAI): NITI Aayog launched the #AIforAll strategy to harness AI in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and education.
- Principles for Responsible AI: NITI Aayog released “Principles for Responsible AI,” focusing on ethics and accountability, followed by “Operationalizing Principles for Responsible AI,” which provided actionable steps for implementation by the government and private sector.
- National Program on AI (India AI): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) initiated the India AI program to foster AI innovation, skill development, and address ethical concerns.
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act: Enhances data protection for individuals and address AI-related privacy concerns.
- Global Partnership on AI (GPAI): India is a GPAI member, participating in global discussions on responsible AI and aligning its strategies with international standards.
- UNIFIED PENSION SCHEME:
- It is based on the recommendations of V. Somanathan Committee (2023). Persistent demands for Old Pension Scheme (OPS) led to its formation.
- 23RD LAW COMMISSION CONSTITUTED:
- President approves the constitution of the 23rd Law Commission for a three-year term, that is, from 1st September, 2024 to 31st August, 2027.
- RECENT MILITARY EXERCISES
- Exercise Varuna: Indian Navy’s P8I Poseidon Aircraft is on 1st-ever deployment in Europe to participate in 2024 edition of ‘Exercise Varuna’. o Exercise Varuna is bilateral naval exercise between India and France. 2024 edition was conducted in Mediterranean Sea.
- Exercise Eastern Bridge VII: The 7th edition of the Exercise Eastern Bridge between Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) concluded. It was held at Masirah (Oman).
- EXERCISE AL NAJAH V: Indian Army Contingent participated in 5th edition of INDIA- OMAN Joint Military Exercise AL NAJAH V at Rabkoot Training Area in Salalah, Oman.
- Yudh Abhyas: India-US Bilateral Army Exercise.
- Tarang Shakti: Multilateral Air Exercise involving countries like Australia, Greece, Sri Lanka, etc.
- Malabar Naval Exercise: Involving India, Australia, Japan and the US.
- Indra: Bilateral exercise between India and Russia.
- OPERATION SADBHAV
- India launched Operation Sadbhav to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) to Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
- The operation was launched in the wake of disasters caused by Typhoon Yagi.
- VADHVAN PORT
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Vadhvan Port in Maharashtra’s Palghar.
- It will be established as the 13th Major port in the country.
- It will be the country’s largest container port and one of India’s largest deep-water ports.
- Indian Maritime Sector contributes to 95% of India’s trade by volume and 70% by value.
- According to World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, India ranks 22nd in the International Shipment category,
- PM E-DRIVE SCHEME
- Ministry of Heavy Industries has notified PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme.
- PM E-DRIVE Scheme builds upon previous initiatives such as the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-I), 2015 and FAME-II (2019) programs.
- Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024 (EMPS-2024) has been also subsumed under it. EMPS 2024 was launched in July 2024 for faster adoption of electric two-wheeler (e-2W) and three-wheeler (e3W).
- Objective: Expedite the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) by providing upfront incentives for their purchase, as well as by facilitating the establishment of essential charging infrastructure for EVs.
- Also, it aims to promote EVs to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and improve air quality
- Fund Allocation: Rs 10,900 crore
- Time Period: 2024-26
- Support e-2Ws, e-3Ws, and e-buses
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Heavy Industries.
- VOLUNTARY VEHICLE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
- Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) launched the Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program or Vehicle Scrapping Policy.
- Program aims to create an ecosystem for phasing out unfit polluting vehicles across the country through a network of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) and Automated Testing Stations (ATSs).
- Previously, Union Government announced Vehicle Scrapping Policy in 2021 to gradually phase out the vehicles which are more than 15-20 years old to reduce air pollution, improve road safety, and boost vehicle sales.
- Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers offer discounts up to 3% of the ex-showroom price.
- Passenger Vehicle Manufacturers offer discounts of 1.5% of the ex-showroom price.
- BHASKAR INITIATIVE FOR INDIA’S STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
- DPIIT will launch Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) initiative for India’s Startup Ecosystem.
- Its primary goal is to build world’s largest digital registry for stakeholders within startup ecosystem.
- SPICED SCHEME:
- The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently approved SPICED Scheme
- ‘Sustainability in spice sector through progressive, innovative and collaborative interventions for export development’ (SPICED) is a Spices board scheme.
- OPERATION CHAKRA III:
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) successfully dismantled a virtual asset and bullion-supported cybercrime network through Operation Chakra III (phase 3).
- SECOND ARIHANT-CLASS SUBMARINE ‘INS ARIGHAAT’ COMMISSIONED INTO INDIAN NAVY
- MISSION MAUSAM:
- Mission Mausam is envisaged to be a multi-faceted initiative to tremendously boost India’s weather and climate related science, research, and services.
- SWACHH BHARAT MISSION:
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has completed 10 years of its launch.
- AYUSHMAN BHARAT PM-JAY:
- Union Cabinet approved health cover for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
- Eligibility Criteria: All senior citizens aged 70 and above regardless of their income.
- BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACES (BCIS):
- Recently Neuralink’s ‘Blindsight’, a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) implant, received “breakthrough device” status by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- QUANTUM NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (QNLP):
- QNLP has emerged as a field of research with potentially profound implications for large language modeling (LLM).
- ENVIRONMENTAL COMPENSATION GUIDELINES FOR BATTERY WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Guidelines, issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, aim to promote proper battery waste management practices and enhance environmental sustainability across the country.
- PHRYNARACHNE DECIPIENS
- Phrynarachne decipiens has been recorded for the first time in the country from Assam’s Kamrup district and Kokrajhar district.
- Popularly known as the bird dung or bird-dropping crab spider.
- SWACHH BHARAT MISSION:
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has completed 10 years of its launch.
- Swachh Bharat Diwas 2024 was celebrated to commemorate 10 years with theme ‘Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskaar Swachhata’ built around three core pillars:
- NEW INDIA LITERACY PROGRAMME (NILP):
- Also known as ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society).
- Targets all non-literates of age 15 years and above, with more focus on females and educationally backward states.
- VISHVASYA: NATIONAL BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY STACK
- It offers Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) with a geographically distributed infrastructure designed to support various permissioned Blockchain based applications.
- VENUS ORBITER MISSION (VOM)
- VOM, to be accomplished by Department of Space, is envisaged to orbit a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of planet Venus.
- ISRO will be responsible for development of spacecraft and its launch, which is scheduled in March, 2028.
- CHANDRAYAAN-4:
- It will achieve the foundational technologies capabilities eventually for an Indian landing on the moon (planned by year 2040) and return safely back to Earth.
- VISHANU YUDDH ABHYAS:
- Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas, a mock drill on Pandemic Preparedness conducted under National One Health Mission (NOHM).
- Stakeholders: Involved multiple national and state agencies including ICMR, AIIMS Jodhpur BSL-3 Lab, state administrations etc.
- PORT BLAIR RENAMED AS SRI VIJAYA PURAM
- Port Blair, the capital of the Union Territory Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands, is renamed as Sri Vijaya Puram.
- Assam govt has signed MoUs with Visva Bharati University to set up Srimanta Sankardeva chair.
- Expansion of PM Jan Arogya Yojana:
- The Union Cabinet announced the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to provide health coverage to “all senior citizens aged 70 years and above—irrespective of their income”.
- TAPI Pipeline:
- Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline.
- Start from The Galkynysh gas field of Turkmenistan.
- Sixth QUAD leaders summit
- Quad Leaders’ Summit 2025 to be held in India.
- Semiconductor Plant for security:
- India and the US have entered into an agreement to establish a semiconductor fabrication plant.
- The fabrication unit will be titled “Shakti”.
- These semiconductors are critical components for national security devices
- BioE3 Policy:
- The Indian government has recently unveiled the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment) policy.
- Setting up enzyme-manufacturing facilities to support 2G (second-generation) bio-ethanol plants.
- E-AMRIT Portal: The e-AMRIT portal offers various resources to help ease the migration to electric vehicles.
- Other Measures taken by the Government to promote use of EVs:
- Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024
- It is a time-bound scheme from April 1, 2024, to July 31, 2024.
- The scheme primarily focuses on promoting the faster adoption of electric two-wheelers (e2W) and three-wheelers (e-3W).
- Battery Swapping Policy
- Battery swapping is an alternative which involves exchanging discharged batteries for charged ones and provides flexibility to charge them separately.
- Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024
- E-AMRIT Portal:
- The e-AMRIT portal offers various resources to help ease the migration to electric vehicles.
- Mission 50K-EV4ECO
- Recently announced by SIDBI to boost the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in the country.
- Tax benefits on EV by Union and State government.
- Electric Vehicle policy of Assam govt Targets of New Electric Vehicle policy
- Two lakh electric vehicles
- 1 lakh two-wheelers
- 75,000 three-wheelers
- 25000 4 wheelers either under personal or commercial use by 2026.
- 25% registration of new vehicles must be of electric vehicles by 2026
- In next one year the government will be looking to run only electric or CNG buses run by ASTC in Guwahati. Later on the private bus operators will also be encouraged to switch to CNG or electric vehicles
- Target to convert 100% of the public transport into electric buses by 2030. Similar target for all Government vehicles
- Monetary incentive- in form of tax rebate on buying Electric Vehicles.
- Two lakh electric vehicles
- Recently 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2024) was held at Gandhinagar Gujarat.
- Bamboo to Methanol plant at Panchgram
- The Assam State government has decided to utilize the land of the defunct Cachar Paper Mill, a unit of the Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC) at Panchgram, for setting up a bambooto-methanol (BTM) production plant.
- Escalation matrix and eChitha:
- Escalation Matrix: With the Escalation Matrix time-frame will be set for handling and disposing of the matters contained in Assam Right to Public Service Act.
- e-Chitha: With the help of e-Chitha through ‘sewa setu portal’, land buyers will get the facility to get into the history of any piece of land like the names of its owners in Assam for the purpose of buying land.
- Hoolock Gibbon sanctuary is in Jorhat
- Orunodoi:
- The Orunodoi Scheme is a flagship welfare initiative launched by the Government of Assam on December 1, 2020.
- Monthly financial assistance of ₹1,250 per month
- Exclusion criteria: Families with government employees, income tax payers, or vehicle ownership (except two wheelers).
- Sualkuchi (Assam) is among the 36 villages awarded in the Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024 by the Ministry of Tourism. Sualkuchi won the award in the Craft category.
- Port Blair renamed as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’
- Onam Festival: It is a rice harvest festival of Kerala
- PRADHAN MANTRI ANNADATA AAY SANRAKSHAN ABHIYAN (PM-AASHA):
- Recently, Union Cabinet has converged the Price Support Scheme (PSS) & Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) schemes in PM AASHA to serve the farmers and consumers more efficiently.
- RETIRED SPORTSPERSON EMPOWERMENT TRAINING (RESET) PROGRAMME:
- It aims to empower retired sports persons with knowledge and skills for career development and increased employability.
