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Current Affairs 29 August 2024

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

5th Anniversary of Jal Jeevan MissionJal Jeevan Mission Marks 5th year Anniversary 15th August 2024 marks the 5th Anniversary of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Har Ghar Jal, the flagship scheme of Government of India implemented by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), in partnership with States.

  • During the 78th Independence Day (15 August 2024) address, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister (PM) of India emphasized the success of the JJM in ensuring clean drinking water for 15 crore beneficiaries.
  • The Jal Jeevan Mission was launched by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister (PM) of India, on 15 August 2019 (73rd Independence Day of India) at the Red Fort in New Delhi, Delhi.

Key Points:
i.As of 12th August 2024, JJM has successfully provided tap water connections to 11.82 crore additional rural households. The total coverage has increased to 15.07 crore households, accounting 77.98% of all rural households in India.
ii.188 districts, 1,838 blocks, 1,09,996 Gram Panchayats and 2,33,209 villages have reported to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ status as of 14th August 2024.
About the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS):
Union Minister–  C R Paatil (Constituency- Navsari, Gujarat)
Ministers of State (MoS)- V. Somanna (Constituency- Tumkur, Karnataka); Raj Bhushan Choudhary (Constituency- Muzaffarpur, Bihar)
>> Read Full News

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completes 10 years of Successful ImplementationPradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) — National Mission for Financial InclusionThe Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), a National Mission for Financial Inclusion, launched on August 28, 2014 by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, completed 10 years (decade) of successful implementation.

  • As the largest initiative of its kind globally, PMJDY has integrated millions into the formal banking system, empowering marginalized communities and enhancing financial security.
  • PMJDY has brought 53.13 crore people into the formal banking system as of August 14, 2024, with 55.6% (29.56 crore) of Jan-Dhan account holders being women and 66.6% (35.37 crore) of accounts in rural or semi-urban areas.

>> Read Full News

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Inaugurates 10m Air Pistol Shooting Range in Gwalior Named After Manu BhakerUnion Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates shooting range in GwaliorUnion Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ministry of Communications (MoC) inaugurated a 10 meters (m) air pistol shooting range at Jiwaji Club in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh(MP), named after Indian Shooter Manu Bhaker, who won 2 bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics(France).

  • The new facility honours Bhaker’s achievements as the 1st Indian athlete (post-independence) to win 2 medals in the same Olympics.

Key Points:
i.The 10m air pistol shooting range is a standardised facility used for competitive air pistol shooting events (indoor).
ii.The target is typically an electronic scoring system or paper target with concentric scoring rings.
iii.Competitors use 4.5-millimeter (mm) (.177 caliber) air pistols, which are powered by compressed air or Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Manu Bhaker’s Achievements at the Paris Olympics 2024:
i.She won her 1st bronze in the women’s individual 10m air pistol event, becoming the 1st Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal.
ii.She won her 2nd bronze, along with Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh (Haryana), in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event by defeating South Korea 16-10.

  • It was India’s first-ever shooting team medal.

iii.Manu Bhaker also joined an elite group of Indian athletes with multiple individual Olympic medals:

  • Badminton player Pusarla Venkata Sindhu of Telangana(Silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics (Brazil); and a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Japan) in the women’s singles Badminton.
  • Wrestler Sushil Kumar of South West Delhi (bronze at the 2008 Brijing Olympics (China); and a silver at the 2012 London Olympics (the United Kingdom-UK) in the 66 kilograms (kg) Men’s freestyle wrestling category.

Additional info: Norman Gilbert Pritchard, a British-Indian athlete won Silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles events while representing India in the 1900 Paris Olympics (France). He is also often described as the 1st Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal.

ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperative Management in FisheriesICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperative Management in FisheriesOn 26th August 2024, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Education (ICAR-CIFE) and the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote collaboration in cooperative management within the fisheries sector.

  • This partnership aligns with the vision of establishing 2 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Dairy, and Fishery Cooperatives in every Panchayat.

Key People:
Dr. Ravishankar CN, Director and Vice Chancellor of ICAR-CIFE, and Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM were present during the signing ceremony held at ICAR-CIFE campus in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Aim:
To enhance integration and reach of advanced technology as well as promotion of value addition in fishery cooperatives.
Key Points:
i.VAMNICOM and ICAR-CIFE will collaborate to explore opportunities in fishery education, research, capacity building, and consultancy, with a focus on fish cooperatives and the fisheries ecosystem.
ii.The MoU aims to enhance cooperative management practices within the fisheries sector by fostering synergies between the two institutions. Their partnership will prioritize research, training, and development to improve strategies and practices in fishery cooperatives.
iii.Notably, India’s fisheries sector supports 14.46 million livelihoods.
About Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM):
It is a National Institute under Ministry of Cooperation having training a core mandate for stakeholders in farm and nonfarm sectors focusing livestock, dairy & fisheries sector.
Director– Dr. Hema Yadav
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra

Spices Board Launches SPICED Scheme to Boost Spice Exports and ProductivitySpices Board Launches SPICED SchemeThe Spices Board of India, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI), has launched a transfomative scheme called SPICED – “Sustainability in Spice Sector through Progressive, Innovative, and Collaborative Interventions for Export Development” , with a budget of Rs 422.30 crore.

  • Programmes launched under the SPICED will be implemented during the remaining period of the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (till FY2025-26).

About SPICED Scheme:
i.Aim: To significantly boost spice exports, enhance productivity, and upgrade the post-harvest quality of spices.
ii.This will facilitate value-addition and drive innovation and sustainability in the spice sector by introducing sub-components like Mission Value Addition, Mission Clean and Safe Spices, promotion of GI (Geographical Indication) spices.
iii.This will also support entrepreneurship through Spice Incubation Centres.
iv.The scheme focuses on empowering farmer groups, including Farmer Producer Companies, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with targeted assistance for post-harvest improvement and creation of exportable surplus in spices.
v.Applications for assistance under the SPICED scheme will be accepted online starting September 20, 2024.
Points to note:
i.Specific programs are designed to increase the productivity of small and large cardamom through replanting, quality planting material production, water source development, and micro-irrigation adoption.
ii.The scheme includes components for market expansion, trade promotion, and technological interventions, providing support for processing, value-addition, infrastructure, product development, and food safety mechanisms.
iii.Programs are also designed to enhance participation in international fairs, buyer-seller meets, and promote GI -tagged spices in domestic and global markets.
About Spices Board of India:
It was constituted on 26th February 1987 under the Spices Board Act 1986 (No. 10 of 1986) with the merger of the erstwhile Cardamom Board (1968) and Spices Export Promotion Council (1960).
Chairman– Amardeep Singh Bhatia
Headquarters– Kochi, Kerala

MoRD Signed MoU with MicroSave to Optimise Community Investment Funds  
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MicroSave Consulting (MSC), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh-UP)-based global consulting firm, to optimise the utilisation of Community Investment Funds (CIF) and enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).

  • The MoU was signed by Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, Rural Livelihoods, MoRD, and Manoj Kumar Sharma, Managing Director (MD), MSC, in the presence of senior officials from both the organisations.

i. As part of this partnership, MSC will conduct a detailed analysis and provide strategic interventions to optimise CIF disbursement and utilisation by Cluster Level Federations (CLFs).
ii.It focuses on strengthening CLFs’ financial and management frameworks under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
iii.It aims to transform selected CLFs into microcredit institutions that can provide Self Help Groups (SHG) members with efficient financial services.

  • MicroSave will identify the challenges faced by SHG members in accessing timely credit and recommend measures to enhance products and processes at the CLF level.

iv.This collaboration will improve CBOs by facilitating more fund allocation and strategic disbursement.

BANKING & FINANCE

Yes Bank Partners with Newtap Finance to Offer Financing SolutionsYes Bank ties up with Newtap Finance to Offer Financing SolutionsIndia’s Private Sector Bank (PSB), Yes Bank Limited (YES Bank) has forged a co-lending partnership with Newtap Finance Private Limited (formerly known as Parfait Finance and Investments Private Limited), registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as a non-depositing taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), to offer personalized financing solutions to creditworthy individuals on payment platform CRED.
Key Points:
i.As per this strategic partnership arrangement, Bengaluru(Karnataka)-based fintech company, Dreamplug Technologies Private Limited (DTPL), which operates CRED, will serve as the Lending Service Provider (LSP) for both YES Bank and Newtap Finance.
ii.The collaboration with Newtap Finance and CRED is in alignment with YES Bank strategy of fostering fintech partnerships to promote quality growth.
iii.The collaboration will benefit the members of CRED by offering them competitive rates and a superior,digital-1st experience, designed to be intuitive and frictionless.
HDFC Bank Ties up with Zeta for its Credit Line on UPI Offerings
On 26th August 2024, Zeta, a provider of next-generation banking technology to financial institutions globally has announced its partnership with India’s leading PSB, HDFC Bank Limited, to power its Credit Line on UPI (CLOU) offerings.
Key Points:
i.The partnership with Zeta which is powered by state-of-the-art Digital Credit as a Service (DCaaS) solution, will empower the HDFC Bank to launch innovative credit products on National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)’s CLOU scheme.
ii.The Credit Line on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) scheme was announced by NPCI in 2023, which allows banks to connect pre-approved credit lines directly to the UPI user base.

  • This enables easier credit access for individuals and businesses while facilitating banks access to a broader audience through the established UPI ecosystems.

iii.According to Zeta estimates, it is expected that CLOU will grow to a USD 1 trillion opportunity for banks by 2030.
About Yes Bank Limited:
Managing Director(MD)& Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Prashant Kumar
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline- Experience our expertise
Established- 2004
About HDFC Bank Limited :
Managing Director(MD)& Chief Executive Officer (CEO)-Sashidhar Jagdishan
HeadquarterMumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline We Understand Your World
Established1994

RBI Cancels Registration of Margdarshak Financial Services Over High Net NPAs & Repayment Defaults
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the Certificate of Registration (CoR) issued to the Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, UP)-headquartered Margdarshak Financial Services Limited (MFSL) due to high net Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) and repayment defaults to lenders.
i.As of March 31, 2021, the company failed to maintain the required Net Owned Fund (NOF) of Rs 5 crore and a minimum Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 15% stipulated for the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)-Micro Finance Institution (MFI).
ii.As per the Statutory Audit, as of March 31, 2021, the company was facing cash flow issues and defaulted on Rs 49.27 crore in repayments to its lenders.
iii.The company’s significant losses (Rs 187 crore) and high net NPAs (Rs 82.37 crore) raised doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern.
Note: The company can no longer operate as a Non-Banking Financial Institution (NBFI) under Section 45-I(a) of the RBI Act, 1934.

PayU Partners with Amazon Pay Later to Offer Instant Digital Credit to Indian Shoppers
PayU, one of India’s leading Payment Gateways, has partnered with Amazon Pay Later, a popular Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) service, to extend instant digital credit access to millions of Indian shoppers.

  • Amazon Pay Later will be integrated into PayU’s advanced checkout infrastructure, empowering online merchants to offer instant, flexible credit lines, driving better business revenues.

i.This partnership aims to close this significant credit gap by democratizing access to quick, legitimate online credit for consumers.
ii.PayU will introduce Amazon Pay Later service on its Offers Engine Platform, enabling merchants to create customized offers at checkout across various payment modes.
iii.This integration will enhance customer loyalty and increase transaction sizes, benefiting both consumers and businesses.
Note: PayU received an in-principle authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator (PA) in April 2024.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Gujarat Replaced UP as Top Investment Destination in FY24 : RBI StudyGujarat replaces UP as top investment destination in 2023-24According to a study by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) economists, Gujarat replaced Uttar Pradesh (UP) in attracting bank funds for projects in the state in the Financial Year 2023-24(FY24).

  • Gujarat received funds for total 154 projects which accounted 14.7 %( increased from 14% in FY23) of the total projects financed by the banks and Financial Institutions (FIs) in FY24.
  • The total cost of projects sanctioned by banks and FIs during the FY24, increased to a record high of Rs 3,90,978 crore (around Rs 4 trillion).

Key Findings:
i.UP received funds for total 69 projects which accounted 7.6% (decreased from 16.2% in FY23) of the total funds financed by banks and FIs in FY24.

  • However, UP continued to be among top 5 states to attract project funding from banks and FIs.

ii.Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka were the others among top 5 states to get bank fund for projects in their respective states from banks and FIs in FY24.

  • The combined value of projects in these 5 states accounted for about 55% of the total cost of projects sanctioned during FY24.

iii.According to the RBI study, Odisha dropped from 3rd spot (in FY23 during which it accounted for 11.8% of total projects cost) to 6th spot (in FY24 accounted for just about 7.6% of total projects cost).
iv.The study showed that the infrastructure sector attracted a major share of envisaged capital investments, led by ‘Roads & Bridges’ and ‘Power’  sectors, which reflects the government’s more inclination towards infrastructure development.

  • The study noted that the substantial increase in envisaged capital investment of private corporate, based on the projects sanctioned by banks and FIs during FY24, indicates to upbeat investment cycle.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Governor- Shaktikanta Das (25th Governor of RBI)
Headquarter- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Established- 1 April, 1935

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Becomes Youngest ICC Chairman, Replacing Greg BarclayBCCI’s Jay Shah becomes youngest ICC chairmanJay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been elected unopposed as the next Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with effect from 1st December 2024. At 35, Shah has become the youngest-ever chairman in the history of the ICC.

  • He will succeed incumbent chairman Greg Barclay of New Zealand, who decided not to seek a 3rd consecutive 2-year term after the conclusion of his tenure in November 2024.

Points to Note:
i.Shah will leave his current position as BCCI secretary, during the Board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held at the end of September 2024 or in October 2024.
ii.He became the 5th Indian to assume a role at the ICC and 3rd Indian to assume the role of ICC Chair. The other 4 Indians are:

  • Late Jagmohan Dalmiya, ICC President (1997 – 2000);
  • Sharad Pawar, ICC President (2010 – 2012);
  • N Srinivasan, ICC Chair (2014 – 2015); and
  • Shashank Manohar, ICC Chair (2015 – 2020).

About Jay Shah:
i.Jay Shah, son of Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), started working in Cricket Administration at the District and State level in 2009.
ii.Initially, he worked as an Executive with the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad (CBCA) and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) in Gujarat. In 2013, he became the Joint Secretary of the GCA.
iii.In 2019, he was selected as the BCCI’s representative for the future ICC Chief Executive Committee (CEC) meetings.
iv.He has been serving as the BCCI Secretary since 2019 and President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) since 2021.

  •   He had become the youngest-ever BCCI secretary at the age of 31.
  • In 2024, his term as the president of the ACC was unanimously extended by 1 year, making him the youngest administrator to be reappointed as the ACC President.

v.In 2022, he became a member of the Board of the ICC. By 2022, he also led the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) Committee.
About the International Cricket Council (ICC):
The ICC was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965 and changed as International Cricket Council in 1987.
Chairman– Greg Barclay
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Geoff Allardice
Headquarters– Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Founded – 1909

ACC Approves Appointment of Satish Kumar as Chairman and CEO of Railway BoardSatish Kumar named new Chairman and CEO of Railway BoardOn August 27 2024, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) officer, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Railway Board(IRB) under the Ministry of Railways (MoR). Kumar is the first person from the Scheduled Castes(SC) or Dalit community to hold this position in the IRB history.

  • Satish assumes charge with effect from September 1 2024, till the date of his superannuation and his re-employment on contract basis, from January 1 till August 31, 2025, on usual terms and conditions, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
  • He succeeds Jaya Varma Sinha, who is set to superannuate on August 31 2024. He will join the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) as an administrative member after her retirement.

About Satish Kumar:
i.Satish Kumar is a 1986-batch officer of Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME).
ii.He began his career in Indian Railways in March 1988 and has held various
positions which includes the General Manager (GM) of North Central Railway (NCR), the Senior Deputy GM and Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at North Western Railway (NWR) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
iii.He has served as the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) for the Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, UP) Division of Northern Railway from 2017 to 2019.
iv.He was appointed Member (Traction & Rolling Stock – M/TRS) in Railway Board in the Ministry of Railways in January 2024.
v.He has made significant contributions to the development and modernization of the railways which includes Fog Safe Device, an innovation that enhances train safety during foggy conditions.
About Indian Railways (IR):
Indian Railways (IR) was established in 1853, and nationalized in 1951.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Jaya Varma Sinha (till August 31, 2024)
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO’s SAC Signed MoU with AlphaMERS To Combat Marine Pollution Using AI ISRO and AlphaMERS Join Forces To Combat Marine Pollution Using Artificial IntelligenceIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Space Applications Centre (SAC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AlphaMERS Limited to develop an Artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect and profile marine pollution in India’s coastal waters, with an emphasis on macro plastics and oil spills.
Key Points:
i.The partnership aims to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of identifying pollutants using remote sensing technology.
ii.It also facilitates better monitoring and management of marine environments.
iii.It highlights a key step towards environmental conservation and technological advancement in the fight against marine pollution.
About ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC):
The SAC is a Research and Development (R&D) centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Director – Nilesh M. Desai
Headquarters – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Established – 1972
About AlphaMERS Limited:
Founder and Director – D Chandrasekhar
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Incorporated – 2010

Axiom Space & Nokia Partners To Bring 4G Technology in NASA’s Lunar Spacesuits
Texas(The United States of America- USA)-based Axiom Space, Inc. has partnered with Finland based Nokia Corporation to integrate advanced 4G/LTE (Long-Term Evolution) communication technology into their next-generation spacesuits which will be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)‘s Artemis III lunar mission. 
i.High-speed cellular-network capabilities will be incorporated in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) Spacesuit. This will enhance space exploration by allowing crew-to-crew contact and the transmission of real-time High-Definition (HD) video from the lunar surface to the Earth.
ii.The integration of 4G/LTE will serve as a link between astronauts and mission control, allowing essential data transmission over long distances on the Moon.
iii.Nokia plans to build the first cellular network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines’ (IM)-2 mission, which is set to arrive at the launch site in 2024.
iv.Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), which was pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs’ research and innovation, will be used during IM-2 and will be further developed for use in the AxEMU spacesuit.

ENVIRONMENT

Cleistanthus Deekshabhoomiana: New Plant Species Discovered in Maharashtra Researchers discover new plant species in AmbagadThree botany professors from Nagpur (Maharashtra) have discovered a new species of the Cleistanthus Collinus plant, named Cleistanthus Deekshabhoomiana, during a taxonomic field exploration in Ambagad forest, Bhandara district, Maharashtra.

  • It will be the 9th species of Cleistanthus Collinus discovered in India and the 135th in the world. Of the 9 species in India, 6 are endemic.

Research Findings:
i.The research findings were published in the ‘Indian Forester’, a journal that has been dedicated to forestry research since 1875.
ii.The study was published by Jagannath Gadpayale, an Associate Professor for Botany at SN Mor College of Arts and Commerce and GD Saraf Science College, Tumsar; Subhash Somkuwar, Head of the Department (HoD) of Botany, Dr Ambedkar College, Nagpur, and Alka Chaturvedi, ex-HoD of botany, Nagpur University.
About Cleistanthus Deekshabhoomiana:
i.Cleistanthus Deekshabhoomiana was locally called ‘Garadi’. Cleistanthus belongs to the family Phyllanthaceae.
ii.This plant species has been named after Deekshabhoomi, an important heritage site in Nagpur.
iii.It was discovered growing in the dry, hilly deciduous forest of Ambagad village. Its flowering season begins in February and fruiting from March to July.
iv.It has unique features, such as red fruits and branches which makes it different from the local Garadi species, which has green fruits about the size of plums.
v.It acts as a natural biopesticide, as the birds and animals avoid its fruits.
vi.The research team has set up a seed bank for the species and is working on its conservation.
About Maharashtra:
Chief Minister (CM) – Eknath Sambhaji Shinde
Governor – C. P. Radhakrishnan
Zoological Parks – Jijamata Udyan Zoo, Maharajbagh Zoo
Airports – Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Pune International Airport

SPORTS

India won Silver in Maruhaba Cup at Asian Surfing Championships 2024: Secured 1st-Ever Surfing Spots for Asian GamesAsian Surfing Championships 2024 India clinch silver medalIndian surfing team featuring Kamali Prakash; Ajeesh Ali; Srikanth D; and Sanjay Selvamani, won the silver medal at the Team Challenge Maruhabaa Cup at the Asian Surfing Championships (ASC) 2024 held in Thulusdhoo, Maldives. The Indian team recorded a score of 24.13.

  • In Maruhabaa Cup, Japan won the gold medal with a score of  58.40 while Chinese Taipei won the bronze medal with a score of 23.93. China finished 4th with a score of 22.10.

Asian Surfing Championship 2024:
i.The 3rd edition of ASF Asian Surfing Championships(2024), organised by the  Asian Surfing Federation (ASF), was held from 18th to 24th August 2024 in Thulusdhoo, Maldives.
ii.This is a qualifier for the Asian Games 2026. The 1st edition was held in 2019 & the 2nd edition was held in 2023.
India secured its first-ever Surfing spot in the Asian Games: 
i.India secured its 1st ever surfing quota for the 2026 Asian Games which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

  • Indian men’s and women’s surfing teams will compete in the 2026 Asian Games.

ii.The quota was secured based on the ranking points accumulated by Indian surfers in the 2024 Asian Surfing Championship.
Highlights of ASF Asian Surfing Championships 2024 
i.Eight Indian surfers competed in the ASF Asian Surfing Championships 2024 across individual categories like Open Men; Open Women; Under-18(U18) boys and U18 girls, and the Maruhabaa Cup (team event).
ii.Harish Muthu became the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals at the Asian Championship. He competed in the Open Men’s category.
iii.Kishore Kumar reached the semi-finals in the U-18 Boys category
About Asian Surfing Federation (ASF):
President– Atsushi Sakai(Japan)
Headquarters– Tokyo, Japan

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Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)

Current Affairs 29 August 2024
5th Anniversary of Jal Jeevan Mission
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completes 10 years of Successful Implementation
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Inaugurates 10m Air Pistol Shooting Range in Gwalior Named After Manu Bhaker
ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperative Management in Fisheries
Spices Board Launches SPICED Scheme to Boost Spice Exports and Productivity
MoRD Signed MoU with MicroSave to Optimise Community Investment Funds  
Yes Bank Partners with Newtap Finance to Offer Financing Solutions
RBI Cancels Registration of Margdarshak Financial Services Over High Net NPAs & Repayment Defaults
PayU Partners with Amazon Pay Later to Offer Instant Digital Credit to Indian Shoppers
Gujarat Replaced UP as Top Investment Destination in FY24 : RBI Study
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Becomes Youngest ICC Chairman, Replacing Greg Barclay
ACC Approves Appointment of Satish Kumar as Chairman and CEO of Railway Board
ISRO’s SAC Signed MoU with AlphaMERS To Combat Marine Pollution Using AI 
Axiom Space & Nokia Partners To Bring 4G Technology in NASA’s Lunar Spacesuits
Cleistanthus Deekshabhoomiana: New Plant Species Discovered in Maharashtra 
India won Silver in Maruhaba Cup at Asian Surfing Championships 2024: Secured 1st-Ever Surfing Spots for Asian Games

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