Current Affairs 2024

Passport Index

• India's rank in the Henley Passport Index 2024 is 80.
• Indian citizens can travel to 62 countries without a visa.

Australian Open

• Jannik Sinner won the men's single title at the Australian Open 2024.
• Aryna Sabalenka won the women's single title.

Bridges

• The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as Atal Setu, is India's longest sea bridge.
• It was inaugurated by PM Modi.
• The bridge is a six-lane trans-harbour bridge with a total length of 21.8 km.

BRICS Summit

• The 16th BRICS Summit 2024 will be hosted by Russia.
• The BRICS group consists of 10 countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

Finance Commission

• Arvind Panagariya was appointed as the chairman of the 16th Finance Commission.
• The Finance Commission is constituted by the President of India under Article 280.
• It defines the financial relations between the Central Government and state governments.

Black Tiger Safari

• Odisha will establish the world's first Black Tiger Safari.
• The safari will be located near the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

Bharat Ratna Award

• L.K. Advani and Karpoori Thakur were awarded the Bharat Ratna Award 2024.
• The Bharat Ratna Award is India's highest civilian award, established in 1954.

Electric Vehicle Company

• Ola Electric is the first Indian EV company to receive the PLI (Production Linked Incentive) nod.
• The PLI scheme was introduced under the 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' (Self-Reliant India Initiative) to boost the manufacturing sector.

Khelo India Youth Games

• The Khelo India Youth Games 2024 were hosted by Tamil Nadu.
• The games were held in four cities in Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, and Coimbatore.

SKAO Project

• India has approved ₹1250 crore for the SKAO (Square Kilometre Array Observatory) project.
• The SKAO project is the world's largest radio telescope project, being built in Australia and South Africa.

Dark Sky Park

• Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra has become India's first Dark Sky Park.
• The park aims to protect the night sky and prevent light pollution.

Music

• Prabha Atre was a renowned Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana.
• She was awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.

Ambedkar Statue

• The world's tallest Ambedkar statue, the Statue of Social Justice, has been unveiled in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
• The statue is 206 feet tall.

PM-JANMAN Scheme

• PM Modi released the first instalment of ₹540 crore for the PM-JANMAN Scheme.
• The scheme aims to provide pucca homes to the socio-economically weaker sections of society.

Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana

• PM Modi launched the Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana, also known as the Sunrise Scheme.
• The scheme aims to install solar panels in 10 million households.

Ayodhya Ram Temple

• The Ayodhya Ram Temple was inaugurated by PM Modi on January 22, 2024.
• The temple is located in Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Swachh Survekshan Awards

• Indore and Surat were jointly declared the cleanest cities in India in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023.
• Maharashtra was declared the cleanest state.

Snow Leopard Population

• The population of snow leopards in India is 718.
• The Snow Leopards Population Assessment in India report was released by Bhupendra Yadav.

Republic Day Parade

• Odisha won the Best State Tableau Award at the Republic Day Parade 2024.
• The theme of the tableau was "Woman Empowerment in Viksit Bharat".

Corruption Perceptions Index

• India's rank in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 is 93.

Filmfare Awards

• The film "12th Fail" won the Best Film Award at the Filmfare Awards 2024.
• Ranbir Kapoor won the Best Actor (Male) award for his film "Animal".

Asian Winter Games

• China will host the 2025 Asian Winter Games.

National Youth Day

• National Youth Day is celebrated on January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Ramlala Darshan Scheme

• The Chhattisgarh government launched the "Ramlala Darshan" Scheme.
• The scheme offers free Ayodhya pilgrimage to 20,000 residents per year.

Wings India 2024

• The Wings India 2024 event was hosted in Hyderabad.
• The event is Asia's largest civil aviation event.Here are the study notes for the text:

Summit

• The Sea Dragon Exercise 2024 was conducted in Guam, a US Island in the Pacific Ocean.
• Participating countries: India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the US.
• India participated with P8I Aircraft.

Awards

• Changi Airport, Singapore, won the title of World's Best Airport for 2023.
• Padma Awards 2024:
  • 132 awards were given, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri.
  • Recipients included Ustad Rashid Khan (Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana), Gabriel Attal (France), and more.

Appointments

• Sanjay Kumar was appointed as CEO of Indian Olympic Association.
• P Santhosh was appointed as MD of NARCL (National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd).
• Sanjiv Khanna was appointed as Executive Chairman of NALSA (National Legal Services Authority of India).

Schemes

• Prerana program was launched by the Ministry of Education to empower students with leadership qualities.
• Mahtari Vandana Yojana 2024 was launched by the Chhattisgarh government to provide economic assistance to women.
• PRITHVI Vigyan Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences to enhance earth system sciences and provide crucial services for environmental and economic well-being.

Inaugurations

• India's first All-Girl Sainik School, Samvid Gurukulam, was inaugurated in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• The first Hygienic Food Street, Prasadam, was unveiled in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Technology

• India's first Generative AI platform, BharatGPT, was launched by CoRover.ai.
• XPoSat (X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite) was launched by ISRO to study bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions.

Days and Themes

• National Voters Day is celebrated on January 25 every year.
• Republic Day 2024 was celebrated on January 26, with Emmanuel Macron, President of France, as the chief guest.### Joe Biden
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Republic Day

• Observed on 26 January
• Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950

INDOL OGUS

• Various questions and answers related to current events, including awards, appointments, schemes, and more.

Awards and Honors

• Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2024: Lionel Messi
• “Indian of the Year Award” for 2023: Team ISRO
• Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award: Savita Kanswal
• Nritya Kalanidhi award: Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari

Appointments

• Secretary General of BIMSTEC: Indra Mani Pandey
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff: Dinesh K Tripathi
• Executive Director, Asian Development Bank: Vikas Sheel
• New secretary of Railway Board: Jaya Varma Sinha (first female)

Schemes and Initiatives

• Operation Sarvashakti: launched by Indian Army to eliminate terrorists
• Operation AMRITH (Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention for Total Health): launched by Kerala government to combat antimicrobial resistance
• Yuva Nidhi’ Scheme: launched by Karnataka government to provide unemployment assistance to graduates and diploma holders
• LABHA Scheme: launched by Odisha government to empower tribal primary collectors
• Panchayat Se Parliament Tak’ programme: launched by Om Birla (Loksabha Speaker) for women representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions

Environment

• Cyclone Alvaro: hit Madagascar
• Atpadi Conservation Reserve: new conservation reserve in Maharashtra
• Hanumangarhi `Laddu’ of Ayodhya: got GI tag recently
• Wancho Wooden Craft of Arunachal Pradesh: got GI tag recently
• New plant species, Polygonum Chaturbhujanum, discovered from Pench Tiger Reserve
• Hatti community granted ST (Schedule Tribe) status by Himachal Pradesh government

Defence and Space

• INSAT-3DS satellite to be launched by ISRO
• ‘Sahyog Kaijin’ exercise conducted by India and Japan
• ‘Drishti-10 UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle) manufactured by Adani Defence and Aerospace
• Ugram’ Assault Rifle introduced for Indian Army