This is the current affairs of 24 to 27 October 2024. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. What is digital arrest?
a. Method of arrest on video call under Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS)
b. Method of arrest on video call under Indian Justice Code (BNS)
c. Method of action against those selling narcotics
d. Method of cyber fraud, in which thugs, for illegal recovery, intimidate people by impersonating investigation officer and threaten to arrest them on video call
Answer: d. Method of cyber fraud, in which thugs, for illegal recovery, intimidate people by impersonating investigation officer and threaten to arrest them on video call
What is Digital Arrest?
– Digital arrest is essentially a new form of cyber fraud in which scammers impersonate police, CBI, ED, customs, income tax, or narcotics officials and call the victim, accusing them or their close ones of being involved in illegal activities. After this, the scammer immediately demands a video call to resolve the matter and threatens to arrest them over the call or video call. This method is an attempt at illegal extortion.
The Prime Minister Warned About “Digital Arrest” Fraud
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned about “digital arrest” fraud during the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program in October 2024.
– He stated that investigative agencies are working with state governments to address this issue, but he also emphasized the importance of awareness to protect oneself from such scams.
– “Be cautious of digital arrest fraud. There is no provision for digital arrest under the law. No government agency will ever contact you for such an investigation via phone or video call.”
– “Fraudsters disguise themselves as police, CBI, narcotics, and sometimes RBI officials. By using various labels, they speak with great confidence as fake officials.”
– The PM urged people to join the fight against cyber fraud, asking schools and colleges to run campaigns and raise awareness.
What to Do in Case of a Digital Arrest Situation?
1. Stop, think, act. First, remain calm and do not panic. If possible, record or screen record the interaction.
2. Remember that no government agency will threaten you online.
3. Take action by dialing 1930 to connect with the National Cyber Helpline and inform the police about such crimes.
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2. In which country was the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in the year 2024?
a. Samoa
b. Australia
c. Rwanda
d. Sri Lanka
Answer: a. Samoa
– The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting took place from October 21 to 26, 2024, in Samoa.
– King Charles III of the United Kingdom attended this meeting.
Subject:
– A Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.
– Leaders from across the Commonwealth gathered to discuss significant global issues, including climate change, equitable international trade, and the unique challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Samoa
– Samoa is an island nation located in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Nearby countries include Fiji, Tonga, – New Caledonia, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
– Capital: Apia
– Head of State: Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoa Sualauvi II
– Prime Minister: Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa
– Currency: Tala
– Population: 200,000
– Area: 2,831 square kilometers (approximately the size of Bhopal city)
About the Commonwealth
– The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member countries.
– Most of these countries were former colonies of Britain.
– All member countries have signed agreements on democracy, gender equality, international peace, and security.
– This organization operates with the consent of the member states.
History of the Commonwealth
– The Commonwealth was established in 1931, but its origins date back much earlier.
– It began with Queen Victoria’s efforts to maintain control over her colonies.
– In 1867, Canada requested independence from Queen Victoria.
– The Queen largely accepted this request and granted Canada Dominion status.
– Dominion meant that Canada would have self-governance, but Britain would retain some control over Canadian policies.
– A few years later, British colonies like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa also received Dominion status.
– After World War I, nationalism surged in these independent countries.
– As a result, in 1926, Britain and the Dominion countries agreed to recognize each other as equals.
– This agreement led to the establishment of the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1931.
– As of 2024, the Commonwealth has 56 member countries.
India’s Position on the Commonwealth
– India was present in Commonwealth discussions but continued to emphasize full independence.
– In 1949, when India was invited to join the Commonwealth, then-Prime Minister Nehru agreed with a significant condition.
– He stipulated that India would not take an oath of loyalty to the Queen.
– This proposal was accepted, and the following year, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka joined the Commonwealth.
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3. Who led the Indian delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the year 2024?
a. Narendra Modi
b. S. Jaishankar
c. Kiren Rijiju
d. Amit Shah
Answer: c. Kiren Rijiju
– Union Minister Kiren Rijiju represented India at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in October 2024.
– This meeting took place in Samoa.
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4. In the meeting of which international organization, pressure was put on King Charles III of the United Kingdom to pay compensation for the history of slavery?
a. United Nations
b. G20
c. Commonwealth
d. BRICS
Answer: c. Commonwealth
– The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in October 2024 in Samoa.
– During this meeting, King Charles III of the UK had to hear quite a bit about his country’s past.
– In fact, Commonwealth countries demanded compensation from Britain for its horrific past. The issues of slavery and imperialism were heavily debated during the summit of Commonwealth countries.
– Leaders from 56 Commonwealth nations participated in the summit held in Samoa, most of which are former colonies.
Demands Raised During the Conference
– This summit was organized to unite on issues such as climate change, but it was King Charles III’s first summit as king, overshadowed by the past.
– Several African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries demanded that Britain and other European powers pay financial reparations for their historical enslavement.
– During the summit, Prime Minister Philip Davis of the Bahamas stated that discussing the past is very important. He said, “It is time for us to talk about these historical wrongs. The horrors of slavery have left a deep, generational wound in our communities, and the fight for justice is not over.”
UK Government Rejected the Demand
– However, the UK government, struggling with an economic crisis, wants to prevent any attempts at reparations.
– UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly rejected calls for reparations, and his colleagues have refused to apologize during the summit.
King Charles Stated – No One Can Change the Past
– Commonwealth countries want discussions on the issue of reparations. They have also called for the British royal family, which has benefited from slavery for centuries, to apologize.
– During this time, King Charles III said, “After hearing from people across the Commonwealth, I understand that the most painful aspects of our past still resonate today. None of us can change the past, but we are wholeheartedly committed to learning from its lessons and addressing inequalities.”
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5. The central government approved a fund of Rs 8,240 crore for the development of ISRO’s new re-usable rocket, name it?
a. MSLV
b. BGLV
c. NGLV
d. SGLV
Answer: c. NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle)
– The Union Cabinet has approved the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) at a cost of ₹8,240 crores by ISRO.
NGLV
– NGLV: Next Generation Launch Vehicle
This rocket will have a recovery mode known as Return to Launch Site (RTLS), meaning that after launch, the rocket will return to the landing station on Earth and can be reused.
– It will be a significant step towards the government’s vision of establishing and operating the Indian Space Station by 2028 and developing the capability for an Indian crew to land on the Moon by 2040.
– NGLV will have three times the payload capacity compared to LMV3 and 1.5 times lower cost.
Why Does ISRO Need a New Launch Vehicle Option?
– In recent years, the space industry has seen the emergence of private companies like SpaceX, Planet Labs, Kymeta, and Astroscale.
– These companies are conducting satellite and space-related activities at very low costs.
– Such cheaper alternatives pose a challenge to ISRO’s commercial activities.
– Generally, ISRO has launched numerous satellites for customers worldwide using its launch vehicle (PSLV).
– However, now ISRO needs cheaper options to compete with these new space companies to establish its presence in the commercial industry.
Types of Launch Vehicles in India
– Launch vehicles are used to transport spacecraft into space.
– PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) are the two main types, each with several variants.
– GSLV has a greater capacity to place heavier payloads into Earth’s orbit compared to PSLV.
– PSLV can carry satellites weighing up to 1,750 kg to an altitude of 600 km, while GSLV can carry payloads up to 5,000 kg to 36,000 km.
– PSLV is less expensive compared to GSLV.
– GSLV-3 has been renamed LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3).
NGLV Design
– The design of NGLV will be quite straightforward.
– ISRO is working on developing a three-stage heavy-lift vehicle with a payload capacity of ten tons in Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
– The payload capacity in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will be doubled.
– NGLV will use semi-cryogenic propulsion for its booster stage, with refined kerosene as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer.
Potential Uses of NGLV
– The potential applications of NGLV will include launching communication satellites, deep space missions, future human spaceflights, and cargo missions.
Future of PSLV
– According to ISRO Chairman S. Somnath, PSLV will eventually have to retire, but it will be operated until there is commercial demand for it.
About PSLV
– PSLV is India’s third-generation launch vehicle.
– It was first used in 1994.
– So far, PSLV has launched at least 345 foreign satellites from 36 countries.
– Its most notable flight was the 2017 PSLV-C37 mission, which sent 104 satellites into orbit (of which 101 were foreign commercial satellites).
– At that time, it set a record that was later broken by SpaceX.
First Commercial Use of GSLV Mark 3
– India’s most powerful rocket, GSLV Mark 3, had its first commercial use on October 23, 2022.
– On this day, 36 satellites from the ‘OneWeb Communication’ company were launched into space simultaneously.
– Prior to this, ISRO primarily used GSLV for the Indian space program.
– It was mainly created for launching the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT), which we use for telecommunications, broadcasting, and meteorology.
ISRO
– Chairman: S. Somnath
– Headquarters: Bengaluru
– Established: August 15, 1969 (53 years ago)
Current Launch Stations: 2
– Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
– Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
New Launch Center to be Established:
– Kulasekharapatnam Launching Station, Kulasekharapatnam, Tamil Nadu
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6. In which year, ISRO aims to launch a scientific mission to Venus, for which the Union Cabinet approved Rs 1,236 crore?
a. 2027
b. 2028
c. 2029
d. 2030
Answer: b. 2028
Scientific Mission for Venus
– The Venus Orbiter Mission is expected to be launched in March 2028, with a cost of ₹1,236 crores.
– With this mission, scientists hope to study the planet’s harsh surface and atmosphere to understand how different planets in the solar system have evolved.
About Venus
– Venus is the second planet closest to the Sun.
– It is a terrestrial planet. There are only four terrestrial planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
– They are called terrestrial because they have a compact, rocky surface similar to Earth’s terra firma.
– The radius of Venus is slightly less than that of Earth.
– The radius of Venus is 6,051.8 kilometers, while that of Earth is 6,378.1 kilometers.
– One year on Venus is equivalent to 225 Earth days.
– Venus has the densest atmosphere among terrestrial planets, primarily composed of carbon dioxide, covered by thick, global sulfuric acid clouds.
– Its average surface temperature is 464 °C, and the atmospheric pressure is 92 times that at sea level on Earth.
– These extreme conditions compress carbon dioxide on Venus’s surface into a supercritical state.
Internally, Venus has a core, mantle, and crust.
– It is believed that in the early history of Venus, it had a habitable environment with liquid water on its surface, before an uncontrolled greenhouse effect caused all water to evaporate, transforming Venus into its current state.
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7. By which year does ISRO aim to launch Chandrayaan-4, which will bring samples of soil and rock fragments from the Moon?
a. 2027
b. 2028
c. 2029
d. 2030
Answer: a. 2027
– Chandrayaan-4 will be a sample-return mission.
– It will occur in two phases, meaning it will be launched on two separate LVM-3 launch vehicles.
– The mission will dock in Earth’s orbit before heading to the Moon and will land near the location of Chandrayaan-3.
– There, it will collect samples of lunar soil and rock and send them back to Earth in a special canister.
– The mission is expected to be launched by 2027, with a cost of ₹2,104 crores.
Joint Lunar Mission with Japan
– The Union Cabinet has also approved a joint lunar mission with Japan.
– This mission is called the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX).
– For LUPEX, ISRO is developing a separate lunar lander distinct from the one used for Chandrayaan-3, and it is hoped that this lander can be used in future crewed lunar missions.
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8. The central government approved Rs 27,000 crore for the third phase of Space Based Surveillance (SBS), how many spy satellites will be launched under this?
a. 50
b. 51
c. 52
d. 55
Answer: c. 52
– The Union government’s Security Affairs Committee has approved the launch of 52 surveillance satellites at a cost of ₹27,000 crores to enhance space monitoring.
Third Phase of the SBS Mission
– On October 11, 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs approved the third phase of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS) mission.
– For this phase, ISRO will develop 21 satellites, while private companies will build 31 other satellites, with a total cost of ₹26,968 crores.
– This marks a significant improvement compared to the four satellites launched for SBS-1 in 2001 and the six satellites launched for SBS-2 in 2013.
SBS Launched in 2001
– SBS-1 (Space-Based Surveillance) was approved for the first time during the Vajpayee government in 2001, under which four surveillance satellites were launched. Subsequently, six such satellites were launched under the second phase in 2013.
Importance of Space-Based Surveillance
– India is facing security concerns along its western border with Pakistan, northern border with China, and the increasing maritime surveillance by Chinese spy ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region.
– The new fleet of satellites will be based on artificial intelligence (AI) and will be able to “interact with each other in space to collect ge-intelligence information on Earth.”
– “We will have communication between satellites so that if a satellite detects something at an altitude of 36,000 km in GEO (Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit), it can request another satellite in low Earth orbit (at an altitude of 400-600 km) to investigate more carefully and provide us with more information.”
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9. When is World Polio Day celebrated?
a. 25 October
b. 24 October
c. 23 October
d. 22 October
Answer: b. 24 October
– To raise awareness about polio, this day is celebrated worldwide every year.
– World Polio Day is celebrated on the birthday of Jonas Salk.
– He was an American virologist who helped create the world’s first safe and effective polio vaccine.
– Dr. Jonas Salk presented the polio prevention vaccine to the world on April 12, 1955.
– Polio often spreads through the feces of infected individuals, which can come into contact with others through contaminated food and water, poor sanitation, etc. Therefore, people are also informed about the importance of vaccination, handwashing, boiling drinking water, and exclusively breastfeeding infants under six months of age.
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10. In which state in 2024, for the first time since 2011 in India, a child was found to have polio symptoms, which was type-1 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV)?
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Meghalaya
d. Manipur
Answer: c. Meghalaya (in West Goro Hills district)
Polio in India
– Vaccination against polio began in 1972 and was expanded as a nationwide Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) in 1985.
– The tagline for the polio vaccination – “Two drops of life” – is still memorable.
– The last reported case of polio in India was in Howrah, West Bengal, in January 2011.
– After that, it was believed that polio had been eradicated from India.
– However, in 2024, symptoms of polio were found in a two-year-old boy in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
– The WHO-recognized ICMR-NIV lab confirmed that the polio case found in Meghalaya was due to a type-1 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).
– Since the child’s immunity was not compromised, the polio was caused by the live, weakened type-1 virus strain used in the bivalent oral polio vaccine, which had mutated and gained the ability to cause polio in a child who was not fully vaccinated. This does not pose a threat to other children.
– However, the WHO has been cautious about publishing details regarding this case.
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11. When is the United Nations Day celebrated?
a. 25 October
b. 24 October
c. 23 October
d. 22 October
Answer: b. 24 October
– United Nations Day is celebrated every year on October 24 to mark the anniversary of the implementation of the United Nations Charter.
– This day has been observed since 1948, and in 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that member countries celebrate it as a public holiday.
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12. When is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage celebrated?
a. 26 October
b. 27 October
c. 28 October
d. 29 October
Answer: b. 27 October
– UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) have declared this day for audiovisual heritage.
– The purpose of this day is to raise awareness among individuals about audiovisual sounds.
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13. Name the Prime Minister of Spain who is visiting India in October 2024?
a. Francois Hollande
b. Pedro Sanchez
c. Mariano Rajoy
d. Felipe Suarez
Answer: b. Pedro Sanchez
– The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, visited India from October 27 to 29.
– He inaugurated a factory of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus in Vadodara, Gujarat, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
– This facility is established for the manufacturing of the military transport aircraft C-295.
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14. India’s first private sector factory for which military transport aircraft (TASL) is located in Vadodara, which was inaugurated by PM Modi and Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez?
a. IL-76
b. F-16
c. AN-32
d. C-295
Answer: d. C-295
Who Owns Airbus?
– Airbus has shareholdings from the French government (10.83%), the German government (10.82%), the Spanish government (4.081%), and other private companies.
Aircraft to be Manufactured in India
– Under the agreement, 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the Vadodara plant, while the aviation giant Airbus will directly supply 16 aircraft.
– Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is responsible for manufacturing 40 (old order) + 12 (new order) aircraft, and this facility is the first final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft in the private sector in India.
– In addition to Tata, leading defense public sector units like Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small, and medium enterprises, will contribute to this program.
Features of the C-295 Transport Aircraft
– Unlike other transport aircraft, it does not require 4 or 5 crew members, but only two pilots.
– It can carry 73 soldiers, 48 paratroopers, or 12 stretchers.
– It can land and take off easily on short runways.
– It can take off from a runway as short as 844 meters and land on a runway of 420 meters.
– In-flight refueling is possible.
– It can carry up to 7650 liters of fuel at once.
– It can transport a weight of up to 9250 kilograms.
– Its height is 28.5 feet.
– It is equipped with two six-blade engines.
– It can fly at an altitude of 13,000 feet with one engine.
– Its range varies from 1277 kilometers to 4587 kilometers, depending on the aircraft’s weight.
– It can reach an altitude of 13,533 feet with one engine, and up to 30,003 feet with both engines operational.
– Some weapons can also be mounted on it.
Which Aircraft Will It Replace?
– The C-295 aircraft will replace the IL-76 and AN-32.
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15. When is Jammu and Kashmir Accession (Merger) Day celebrated?
a. 20 October
b. 21 October
c. 24 October
d. 26 October
Answer: d. 26 October
– This day is celebrated remembering October 26, 1947.
– On this day, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, which included Jammu and Kashmir into the Dominion of India.
– Accession Day is a public holiday in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Note: After the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, this day officially became a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in 2020.
Jammu and Kashmir
– Capital: Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter)
– Chief Minister: Omar Abdullah
– Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
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