1 Justice Sanjeev Khanna will be the next Chief Justice of the country, will take oath on November 11
Justice Sanjiv Khanna will be the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) . He will take oath as CJI on November 11. A day before this, on November 10, the current CJI DY Chandrachud will retire. DY Chandrachud took over as CJI on November 8, 2022. Justice Khanna’s tenure as CJI will be a little over six months. He will retire on May 13 next year.
2 13 partner countries were also added to BRICS
During the 16th BRICS Summit, 13 partner countries joined BRICS . It includes 7 Muslim majority countries including Algeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Turkey, Uzbekistan . Earlier last year, 5 new countries have entered BRICS, which include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia. After their arrival, it is now known as BRICS+. BRICS is an acronym for the group of the world’s five leading emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In 2001, British economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China . The group was formalized during the first meeting of BRIC foreign ministers in the year 2006. In December 2010, South Africa was invited to join BRIC, after which the group was abbreviated to BRICS .
3 Government launched gram panchayat level weather forecasting app in New Delhi
The government launched a Gram Panchayat-level weather forecast app to provide 5-day daily weather forecast and hourly weather forecast facility to Gram Panchayats in New Delhi . Aimed at empowering rural communities and enhancing disaster preparedness at the grassroots level, the initiative will directly benefit farmers and villagers across the country. The initiative will provide weather updates through e-GramSwaraj, Meri Panchayat app and Gram Map . The foundation stone of this initiative has been laid by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Earth Sciences and India Meteorological Department. Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that this initiative will prove to be a big step in the country’s economy.
4 NIEPVD signs MoU with 6 institutions dedicated to empowerment of persons with disabilities
On October 23, the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), Dehradun has signed important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 6 institutions dedicated to the empowerment of Divyangjan . These institutions also include non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The 6 institutions include Uttarakhand Open University (Haldwani) , National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) Haridwar , Max Hospital Dehradun , NGO Pratham (Mumbai) , National Association for the Blind (NAB) Delhi and Torchit Private Limited (Ahmedabad) . This partnership has been done for modern technology, artificial intelligence, psychological support, protection from online fraud, easy access to technology. It will also provide the use of modern teaching-learning and technical training for teachers working in special education.
5 Reliance and Nvidia will build AI infrastructure in India
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Nvidia, a leading US company in artificial intelligence computing, will build AI infrastructure in India . The two companies have signed an agreement to build AI computing infrastructure and an innovation center in India. This was announced by Jensen Huang, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nvidia during a chat session with Mukesh Ambani at the Nvidia AI Summit 2024 held in Mumbai. It is worth mentioning that Nvidia already has a presence in 6 places in India. Nvidia’s designing is done in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune. India is already world class in chip design. This announcement of Nvidia can increase it further.
6 Cabinet approves Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund to promote space startups
In a bid to strengthen India’s space sector, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a Rs 1,000 crore Venture Capital (VC) Fund , specifically designed to promote startups in the space sector . The fund will operate under IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) which works to encourage private sector participation in the country’s space sector. The fund will be used over the next five years, with an average amount of Rs 150-250 crore being invested each year depending on the needs of the startups and the investment opportunities. The move is a significant initiative towards growing India’s space economy, which is currently valued at $8.4 billion, and aims to reach $44 billion by 2033.
7 06 ‘hovercrafts’ will be purchased for Coast Guard, will be supplied in 33 months
The Defence Ministry on Thursday signed an agreement with Chougule & Company Pvt Ltd for the acquisition of 06 air cushion vehicles for the Indian Coast Guard . These amphibious ships, also known as ‘hovercrafts’, will be manufactured indigenously in India for the first time under the Aatmanirbhar initiative. This is being considered a significant step in terms of India’s growing capacity in the shipbuilding industry, as these hovercrafts are to be supplied in 33 months.
8 Central government’s gift, subsidy for setting up community radio station increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15.60 lakh
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has increased the subsidy for setting up a Community Radio Station (CRS) from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15.60 lakh . The subsidy amount has been increased to Rs 18 lakh if the CRS is headed by women or if a CRS uses green energy in its operations . The highest subsidy of Rs 21 lakh has been fixed for CRS that use green energy and are also operated by women. Community radios are small (low power) FM radio stations with a coverage area of about 10-15 km. It depends on the geography of the area. CRS plays an important role in issues related to agricultural information, government schemes for the welfare of farmers, weather forecast, etc. Not only this, community radio is also a powerful medium for the marginalized sections of the society to express their concerns.
9 Postal Department released commemorative postage stamp to mark the 200th anniversary of Kittur Vijayotsava
A commemorative postage stamp of historic Kittur Rani Chennamma was released on 23rd October 2024 at Kittur Fort premises on the 200th anniversary of Kittur Vijayotsava . This grand event was organized to commemorate Rani Chennamma’s glorious victory against the British rule on 23rd October, 1824. The commemorative stamp has an attractive portrait of Rani Chennamma fighting the British on horseback with drawn sword, which depicts her strength and valor. Behind her portrait is the fort which symbolizes the rich heritage of Kittur and the historic battle of Kittur. Designed by Shri Brahma Prakash , the stamp is made of vibrant colors. Chennamma was born on 23rd October 1778 in Kagati, a small village in the present Belagavi district of Karnataka . At the age of 15, she married Mallasarja , the king of Kittur , who ruled the province till the year 1816.
10 India is spending more on education than countries like China and Japan: UNESCO
According to a UNESCO report , India is spending more on education than countries like China and Japan . The report said that India is investing more in education in terms of both GDP percentage and government expenditure than other countries in Central and South Asia. India has set aside about 4.1 per cent to 4.6 per cent of its GDP between 2015 and 2024 to promote education in the country . The report also mentioned that India has made significant investments in education which is in line with international standards set by the United Nations Education 2030 Framework for Action . It recommends that every country allocates 4 to 6 per cent of its GDP to education .
11 Zimbabwe set the world record for the highest score in T-20
Zimbabwe scored 344 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs against Gambia on 23 October . This is the highest score by any team in a T-20 International match . The previous record was held by Nepal , which had scored 314 runs against Mongolia. This is the biggest win in terms of runs in T-20 International. Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza completed his century in 33 balls in the match. He scored 133 runs in 43 balls. This match was played in Nairobi as part of the T-20 World Cup Qualifiers. Zimbabwe’s batsmen hit 27 sixes in this innings and broke Nepal’s world record of 26 sixes. Sikandar Raza hit the maximum number of 15 sixes.
12 WTC: Ashwin becomes the highest wicket-taker in the history of ICC World Test Championship
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has surpassed Australian legend Nathan Lyon to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) . Ashwin achieved this feat during the second Test against New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune . During the game in the first innings, Ashwin has so far taken three wickets for 48 runs in 19 overs at an economy rate of 2.50. In 39 matches so far since the tournament began in the league format in 2019 , Ashwin has taken 189 wickets at an average of 20.71, with a best performance of 7/71 . He has taken four wickets nine times and five wickets 11 times in the competition. Ashwin surpassed Lyon (530 wickets in 129 matches) on the all-time Test cricket list and became the seventh-highest wicket-taker in the format, taking 531 wickets in 104 matches at an average of 23.75, with his best performance being 7/59. He has taken four wickets 25 times and five wickets 37 times in his career.