Daily Current Affairs 8 June 2024

World Food Safety Day 2024

• World Food Safety Day 2024 is celebrated every year on 7 June.
• The theme for this year is “Prepare for the Unexpected,” emphasizing the importance of being ready for food safety incidents.
• The day aims to draw attention to these incidents and the potential health risks associated with food consumption.
• World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018.
• The initiative was a joint proposal by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The first observance took place on 7 June 2019.

Somalia wins non-permanent seat on UN Security Council

• Somalia has won a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, marking a significant step for the nation.
• This is the first time since the 1970s that Somalia, which descended into civil war over 30 years ago, has held this position.
• Somalia was elected along with Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, and Panama to serve for two years from January next year.
• It secured the seat allocated to the East Africa region unopposed and won 179 votes in a secret ballot in the 193-member General Assembly.

Location of Somalia – Easternmost part of Africa, on the Horn of Africa

Current President of Somalia – Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Current Prime Minister of Somalia – Hamza Abdi Barre

Official currency of Somalia – Somali shilling (SOS)

Capital of Somalia – Mogadishu

Haryana removed age cap on Farmer Aid Scheme

• The Haryana government has removed the age limit cap on the ‘Mukhyamantri Kisan Evam Khetihar Mazdoor Jeevan Suraksha Yojana,’ extending benefits to children under 10 and individuals over 65.
• Financial aid of Rs 37,500 to Rs 5 lakh will now be available for farmers, agriculture laborers, and market yard workers in case of death or disability while operating agricultural machinery.
• The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
• This step is expected to expand the safety net provided by the Haryana government.

Nagi and Nakti Sanctuaries in Bihar became international wetlands

• The Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries in Bihar’s Jamui district have been recognized as Ramsar Sites, marking them as wetlands of international importance.
• This recognition, announced on World Environment Day on June 5, 2024, brings India’s tally of Ramsar Sites to 82, equaling China. Both sanctuaries are man-made reservoirs located in the Jhajha forest range.
• They provide habitats for over 150 species of birds, mammals, fish, aquatic plants, reptiles, and amphibians, including globally threatened species.

BHEL gets over ₹3,500 crore order from Adani Power

• State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured an order worth over ₹3,500 crore from Adani Power Limited.
• The order, signed on 5 June, 2024, is for the supply of equipment (boiler, turbine, generator) and supervision of erection and commissioning for a 2×800 MW power project based on Supercritical Technology. The project will be set up at Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
• The boiler and turbine generator will be manufactured at BHEL’s Trichy and Haridwar plants, respectively. This substantial order led to a surge in BHEL’s shares by 9%.

C-DOT wins UN WSIS Award for Disaster Resilience Technology

• The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), India’s premier Telecom R&D center, has won the UN’s WSIS 2024 “Champion” Award for its project “Mobile-Enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting”.
• The award was presented at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum 2024, held in Geneva.
• C-DOT’s platform provides near real-time delivery of life-saving emergency information to mobile phones through cellular networks.
• This indigenous, cost-effective, and automated system supports geo-targeted multi-hazard alerting with multi-language support, enhancing disaster risk management activities.

Air India-Vistara merger approved by NCLT

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the merger of Air India and Vistara, creating one of the world’s largest airline conglomerates.
• The merger, announced in November 2022, will see Singapore Airlines owning a 25.1% stake in Air India.
• The combined entity, with a fleet of 218 aircraft, will become India’s largest international carrier and second-largest domestic carrier.
• The merger has received necessary approvals from shareholders, creditors, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Shri Kamal Kishore Soan takes over the charge of Director General, ESIC

• Shri Kamal Kishore Soan, a senior IAS officer from the Jharkhand Cadre, has taken over as the Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Ministry of Labour & Employment. The appointment was effective from May 31, 2024.
• Prior to this, he served as an Additional Secretary and Director General, Labour Welfare in the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• He has extensive experience in governance and management of various departments in Jharkhand, including Land Revenue Management, District Administration, Agriculture & Cooperation, Health, Building Construction, Transport, Finance, Energy, Water Resources, Social Justice & Empowerment, etc.

About Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
Statutory body – Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India
Founded: 1952
Headquarters: New Delhi, India

18th Mumbai International Film Festival

• The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) is scheduled to be held from 15 to 21 June 2024.
• The festival will take place in Mumbai, with parallel screenings across Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Pune.
• This year, MIFF received a record submission of over 1000 films from 38 countries across 65 languages.
• The festival will feature more than 25 masterclasses, panel discussions, and open forums on curated topics.
• The opening film, “Billy & Molly, an Otter Love Story,” will initiate the festival with screenings in all cities on 15 June 2024.

CSC signs MoU to convert 10,000 FPOs into CSCs

• The Centre for Development of Telematics (CSC SPV) and the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare have signed a MoU to convert 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) into Common Service Centres (CSCs).
• This initiative will enable FPOs to offer various services through the Digital Seva Portal. The training and capacity building of FPOs will be done by CSCs.
• This move is expected to increase the agriculture-related services of CSC and help FPOs become a nodal center for providing various services like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS), Crop Insurance Scheme (PMFBY), and fertilizer and seed inputs.

Uttarakhand unveils India’s first Astro-Tourism Initiative

• The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, in collaboration with Starscapes, has launched ‘Nakshatra Sabha’, India’s first Astro-Tourism initiative.
• The campaign aims to provide a comprehensive Astro Tourism experience, including stargazing, special solar observations, astrophotography contests, and camping under the stars.
• The inaugural event was held at George Everest in Mussoorie in early June 2024.
• The initiative will run until mid-2025, featuring immersive events at various locations across Uttarakhand.

3rd Indian Analytical Congress explores ‘Green Transitions’

• The 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) was inaugurated at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) in Dehradun.
• The theme of the conference was “Role of Science and Technology in Green Transitions”.
• The event, jointly organized by CSIR-IIP and the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS-Delhi Chapter), aimed to foster collaboration and innovation in analytical sciences.
• It addressed critical issues related to green transitions and advanced technological solutions in this domain.