Current Affairs Today - Latest Current Affairs Questions 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme. Under this scheme, up to 300 units of free electricity will be provided to one crore houses. More than ₹75,000 crore will be spent on this scheme. The plan to install solar panels was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the interim budget of 2024-25.

National Women's Day is celebrated every year on 13 February in India. This day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. This time the 145th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu is being celebrated. Sarojini Naidu is known as 'Nightingale of India'.

The Education Ministry signed an agreement with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to promote the game of football at the school level in the country. Under this, the Education Ministry will distribute 11 lakh footballs across the country in a phased manner. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had distributed footballs in 1,260 schools in 17 districts of Odisha under the Football for Schools (F4S) program on February 9.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the statue of India's first Chief of Defense Staff, late General Bipin Rawat, in Dehradun. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present on this occasion. The first Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, took charge on 1 January 2020.

Recently Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy inaugurated the foundation stone of the Digital National Archives of India at the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad. Managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, the museum aims to digitize one lakh ancient inscriptions from different periods and languages, aligning with the India Shared Repository Initiative. Reddy lauded the development as a significant progress in the Modi government's “development also heritage also” commitment, underscoring the role of technology in providing universal access to cultural heritage and highlighting the transformative potential of the museum for scholars.

Australian researchers have recently developed a solution to the lupus defect. Lupus, an autoimmune disease, causes the immune system to damage organs and tissues, causing inflammation of the skin, joints, blood, and vital organs such as the kidneys and heart. Its origin is unknown, thought to be caused by a mixture of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. Lupus mainly affects women. Variants include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, subacute cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus, and rare neonatal lupus associated with maternal antibodies in newborns.

The 800 MW unit Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant in Yamunanagar, Haryana is scheduled to be completed in 57 months. A tender worth Rs 6900 crore was given to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited by Chief Minister Manohar Lal in the meeting of the High Power Workers Purchase Committee. The plant's ultra-supercritical unit will increase capacity by 8%, thereby reducing coal consumption and power costs. In line with ‘Make in India’, it uses indigenous technology, ensures uninterrupted power supply and features advanced, small-sized components for faster, environment-friendly power generation.

Fitch Ratings estimates India's fiscal deficit to reach 5.4% in 2025-2026 (FY25-2026), higher than the government's 5.1% target. Fitch's forecast is due to more conservative revenue forecasts for FY25. Fitch also expects the central government's fiscal deficit to be 5.4% and state deficit to be 2.8% of GDP in FY2015. Fitch says India's public finances could be affected by the slow pace of fiscal consolidation after the pandemic if major economic shocks occur.

The Sipahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura has recently welcomed new additions including two Royal Bengal Tigers, two leopards, four golden pigeons, a silver pigeon, two peacocks and four mountain mynas. Established in 1972, the sanctuary is spread over 18.5 sq km, with sections for a variety of animals. It has diverse flora with 456 plant species and diverse fauna, including primates, leopards, clouded leopards and a reintroduced crab-eating mongoose. The sanctuary also has a rich bird population with species like winged stork and white ibis.

Repo rate is the interest rate at which banks borrow funds from the RBI to address short-term liquidity gaps.