Daily Current Affairs 18 May 2024

1. DPIIT organized ONDC Startup Mahotsav in New Delhi

At Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi, on 17 May, 2024, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) hosted the “ONDC Startup Mahotsav.”
The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Startup India initiative, two of DPIIT’s major projects, were celebrated and collaborated upon at the event.
An opportunity for Indian companies to take use of the potential that ONDC has unlocked is the ONDC Startup Mahotsav.
A special partnership between the ONDC and the Startup India initiative is the “ONDC Startup Mahotsav.” Over five lakh merchants have registered on the marketplace, with over seventy percent of them being small or medium-sized sellers.

2. World Telecommunication Day 2024

Every year, World Telecommunication Day is observed on 17 May.
In observance of the International communications Union’s founding anniversary and to commemorate the importance of communications, World Telecommunication Day is celebrated annually.
The first Indian Telegraph Convention was signed in 1865, marking the founding of the International Telecommunication Union.
The World Summit on the Information Society requested in 2005 that May 17 be recognized annually as World Telecommunication Day by the UN.

3. IICA organised roundtable consultation on R&D expenditure by top 1,000 listed companies in India

With assistance from the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, the School of Business Environment, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) held a roundtable consultation on 17 May, 2024, in New Delhi, regarding the “Research & Development (R&D) Expenditure by top 1,000 listed companies in India.”
This roundtable was arranged as a component of the ongoing study to bring together corporate perspectives on R&D spending and to raise awareness of the need of R&D investment for the long-term sustainability and growth of the business.
The aim of the roundtable consultation was to get insights and feedback from business executives regarding the preliminary results of an IICA research study on the nation’s R&D environment.

4. 2nd edition of India – Australia – Indonesia Trilateral Maritime Security Workshop (TMSW)

The 2nd edition of India – Australia – Indonesia Trilateral Maritime Security Workshop (TMSW) was conducted from 15 to 17 May 2024, at INS Dronacharya, Kochi, India.
The Theme of the workshop was ‘Indian Ocean Region: Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Regional Maritime Security’.
The Workshop was conducted under the aegis of Headquarters Southern Naval Command and witnessed participation of delegates from the three participating Navies.

5. 12th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group meeting to bolster bilateral defence ties held in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar hosted the 12th Joint Working Group (JWG) conference between the Indian and Mongolian defense ministries from May 16–17, 2024.
Joint Secretary of Defense of India, Shri Amitabh Prasad, and State Secretary of Defense of Mongolia, Brigadier General Gankhuyag Davagdorj, co-chaired the meeting.
They discussed ways to further strengthen collaboration in these sectors and articulated efforts in this regard. They also assessed the status of key bilateral defense cooperation initiatives. Each party also discussed the state of the geopolitical scenario at the moment.

6. Ministry of Law and Justice to organised 2 days Conference titled ‘India’s Progressive Path in the Administration of Criminal Justice System’

The Indian government has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to do away with antiquated colonial laws and replace them with laws that are focused on the needs of citizens and a healthy democracy.
In light of this, three new laws have recently been passed in an effort to reform the nation’s criminal justice system.
The former criminal laws, the Indian Penal Code of 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, are replaced by the new laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2030.
The purpose of the conference is to highlight the key provisions of the three new criminal laws and to arrange productive dialogues through Q&A and technical sessions.

7. Senior IPS officers A Y V Krishna N Venu Gopal appointed additional directors in CBI

A Y V Krishna and N Venu Gopal, two seasoned IPS officers, have been named as new directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
As an Inspector General in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Krishna is an Assam-Meghalaya cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 1995 batch.
He was appointed as CBI’s additional director, effective 6 August 2028.
Venu Gopal, a member of the Himachal Pradesh cadre and Krishna’s batchmate, is currently employed with the CBI as a joint director.

8. Kapil Sibal elected as the President of Supreme Court Bar Association

Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), a position he has held thrice in the last three decades.
The 75-year-old veteran lawyer, who completed 50 years at the Bar last year defeated incumbent Vice President of the SCBA Pradeep Rai.

9. Mahindra to invest ₹12000 crore in EV business till FY27

Over the next three years, M&M plans to invest ₹12,000 crore in the EV sector. Additionally, it has set aside ₹14,000 crore for its traditional IC-engine business.
The company’s robust performance in its main automotive division, which saw standalone net profit for the auto and agricultural business rise 32% to ₹2,038 crore for the quarter ended in March compared to the same period last year, is what prompted the ₹26,000-crore capital expenditure drive.
The carmaker reported that during the quarter, it sold 126,000 utility cars, setting a record.

10. IMD sounds ‘severe heatwave’ alert for parts of north India from 18 to 20 May

A severe heatwave is expected to cover parts of northern India, including Punjab and Delhi, from 18 to 20 May 2024, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said in its forecast.
Severe heatwave conditions are very likely in some parts of west Rajasthan during 17 to 20 May and in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during 18 to 20 May.

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