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- Madhav Gadgil Gets ‘Champion Of The Earth’ Award; World Record For Gita Recitation In MP; Railway Amendment Bill 2024 Passed in Lok Sabha
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Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the Smart India Hackathon. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 passed by Lok Sabha. At the same time, India won 55 medals in the 10th Asia-Pacific Deaf Games.
Information about some major current affairs, which are important for students preparing for government jobs…
Award (AWRD)
1. 6 people including Madhav Gadgil received the ‘2024 Champion of the Earth’ award: The United Nations on December 10 honored ecologist Madhav Gadgil with the 2024 Champion of the Earth award. This award is the highest environmental honor of the United Nations. Gadgil received this award for his work in the Western Ghats, one of the four global biodiversity hotspots of India.
Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil is among the six winners who have been awarded the Champion of the Earth 2024 title by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
- Recipients of the Champion of the Earth award include Brazil’s first Indigenous Minister Sonia Guajajara, United States tribal rights advocate Amy Bowers Cordalis, Rome’s environmental defender Gabriele Paun, and Chinese scientist Lu Qi.
- Madhav Gadgil has been given the award in the Lifetime Achievement category of UNEP.
- Madhav Gadgil was the Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel created by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2010.
- In its report submitted to the government in 2011, the committee had recommended that 75% of the 129,037 square kilometer area of the Western Ghats should be declared a sensitive area because of its dense evergreen forest and endemic species.
- This entire area should be divided into Ecological Sensitive Zones (ESZ 1, 2 and 3).
- The panel also recommended a ban on mining, quarrying, new thermal power plants, hydro power projects and large-scale wind power projects in the ESZ 1 zone. However, these recommendations faced opposition from state governments, industry and local communities.
NATIONAL
2. Railways (Amendment Bill, 2024) passed in Lok Sabha: The Railways (Amendment Bill, 2024) was passed in the Lok Sabha on 11 December. This bill was passed by voice vote. ‘Railway Amendment Bill-2024’ has been created by combining two old laws to make the operation of railways more simple and convenient as well as to give more power to the officials at the local level.
The Union Railway Minister had introduced the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha on December 4.
- There is a provision in this bill for the Central Government to decide the number of members of the Railway Board.
- Also, the qualifications, experience and conditions of service as well as the manner of appointment of the Chairman of the Railway Board and the members of the Board will be determined by the Central Government.
- This bill repeals the Act of 1905 and incorporates its provisions into the Railways Act, 1989. This will reduce the need to refer to two laws.
- Under the Railway Board Act, 1905, the powers and functions of the Central Government in relation to the Railways are vested in the Railway Board.
- The Bill retains the existing organizational structure of the Indian Railways.
- The first passenger railway service in India started in the year 1853 and the Railway Act was enacted in the year 1890.
- Railways was initially a part of the Public Works Department.
- In the year 1905, it was separated from the Public Works Department and a new Railway Board was formed.
- A new Railway Act was enacted in 1989, but the Railway Board Act of 1905 was not integrated into it.
- Voting is generally done in 4 ways in parliamentary democracy. The first method is voice vote, the second is counting, the third is division of votes through automatic vote recorder and the fourth method is to go to the lobby and stand for or against.
3. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 introduced in Lok Sabha: Today i.e. on 11th December, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in the Lok Sabha for consideration. The purpose of this bill is to amend the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha.
- Under the 2005 Act, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and State Executive Committees (SEC) were responsible for assisting the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA) in the preparation of disaster management plans.
- The Bill proposes that NDMA and SDMA should prepare their own national and state disaster management plans, bypassing NEC and SEC.
- NDMA’s responsibilities will also be expanded to include periodic assessment of disaster risks.
- The Bill calls for the creation of a comprehensive disaster database at both the national and state levels. This database will cover aspects like disaster assessment, fund allocation, expenditure, pre-disaster preparedness and risk register.
- At present the Central Government appoints officers and employees in NDMA.
- Whereas, the new Bill allows NDMA to determine its own appointment requirements and appoint experts with the approval of the Central Government.
- The bill proposes Urban Disaster Management Authorities (UDMA) for state capitals and big cities except Delhi NCR and Union Territory Chandigarh.
- These authorities will be headed by Municipal Corporation Commissioners and District Collectors, who will be focused on urban disaster management planning and implementation.
- Additionally, the Bill empowers state governments to create State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs) to enhance local capacities.
INAUGURATION
4. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Smart India Hackathon: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan virtually inaugurated the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon (SIH 2024) today i.e. on 11th December. SIH is a nationwide initiative that gives students a platform to manage problems faced in daily life and come up with product innovations.
This is the 7th edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH), which has started simultaneously at 51 nodal centers across the country.
- Its software version will run non-stop for 36 hours, while the hardware version will continue from December 11 to 15, 2024.
- In the Smart India Hackathon, teams of students work on problems given by various ministries, departments or industries.
- In the Smart India Hackathon, student teams present their ideas in the Student Innovation category on issues of national importance.
- Teams of more than 1300 students are participating in it.
RECORD
5. Guinness record of Geeta recitation made in MP: On the occasion of Geeta Jayanti on 11th December in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 7 thousand participants created a Guinness Book of World Record by collectively reciting Geeta. These included 3,721 Acharyas and Batuks. In the state level program organized at Motilal Nehru Stadium, the recitation of the third chapter of Geeta ‘Karma Yoga’ started at around 11.30 am and continued for 9 minutes.
Guinness Book of World Records educator Vishwanath announced the record, after which the Guinness Record certificate was handed over to CM Yadav.
- A band was worn on the hand of every Acharya and participant who came to the ground of Motilal Nehru Stadium to create a world record.
- There is a QR code in this band, through this the participants reciting Geeta were counted.
- Geeta Jayanti is celebrated on the next day of Dashami Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month of Hindi calendar. Mokshada Ekadashi fast is also observed on this day.
Sport
6. India won 55 medals in the 10th Asia-Pacific Deaf Games: The Indian team has won a total of 55 medals in the 10th Asia-Pacific Deaf Games. The 68-member Indian contingent, comprising 42 men and 26 women, won a total of 55 medals. These include 8 gold, 18 silver and 29 bronze medals. India finished fifth in the 21-nation competition.
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya honored the players, coaches and support staff of the Indian contingent at his residence in Delhi.
- Earlier in the year 2015, in the Asia Pacific Deaf Games held in Taiwan, the Indian team had won only 5 medals (2 gold and 3 silver) and stood ninth.
- This time not only the number of players increased, but their performance also showed tremendous improvement and the team won 11 times more medals.
- The 10th Asia-Pacific Deaf Games was held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
- The Asia-Pacific Deaf Games were first held in 1984.
- Athletics- 28 medals (5 gold, 12 silver, 11 bronze)
- Badminton- 6 medals (3 silver, 3 bronze)
- Chase- 3 medals (1 silver, 2 bronze)
- Judo- 7 medals (2 gold, 5 bronze)
- Table Tennis- 3 Medals (1 Silver, 2 Bronze)
- Wrestling- 8 medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 6 bronze)
TODAY’S HISTORY
History of 11 December: On this day in 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 was passed in the Rajya Sabha. There were 125 votes in favor of this bill and 99 against it. The next day on 12 December 2019, it got the approval of the President. The bill became law after being passed by both the Houses amid huge protests across the country.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on December 9, 2019.
- In 1687, the East India Company formed the Municipal Corporation in Madras.
- In 1882, Tamil poet and journalist Subramaniam Bharati was born.
- Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee was born in 1935.
- In 1922, the great actor of Indian cinema, Dilip Kumar was born.
- Osho Rajneesh was born in 1931.
- In 1941, Germany and Italy started war against America in the Second World War.
- In 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected President of the Constituent Assembly of India.
- In 1946, the European country Spain was suspended from the United Nations.
- UNICEF of the United Nations was established in 1964.
- In 1969, Indian chess player Vishwanathan Anand was born.
- In 1983, General HM Ershad declared himself President of Bangladesh.
- In 2001, China got entry into the World Trade Organization.
- In 2002, December 11 was declared International Mountain Day.
- In 2012, Bharat Ratna awarded famous sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away.
Also read previous current affairs…
1. Current Affairs 10 December: Sanjay Malhotra will be the 26th RBI Governor; ‘INS Tushil’ inducted into Indian Navy; Former Union Minister SM Krishna passes away
ICC bans America’s National Cricket League. Former Chief Minister of Puducherry M.D.R. Ramachandran passed away. At the age of 9, Arit Kapil became the first Indian to defeat a 66-year-old grandmaster. Read the full news…
2. Current Affairs 9 December: PM Modi launches ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’; Bangladesh wins Under-19 Asia Cup, Foreign Secretary visits Dhaka
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reached Dhaka on a 1-day visit to Bangladesh. Union Minister of State Jitin Prasad launched the fourth edition of the India Internet Governance Forum. At the same time, Bangladesh won the second consecutive Under-19 Asia Cup. Read the full news…