31st January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) In Shakti Vahini v. Union of India, 2018, the Supreme Court held that consensually choosing life partners is a manifestation of freedom of choice guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution
2) France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India, with a cumulative investment of USD 10.49 billion from April 2000 to December 2022.
3) In May 2023, SEBI estimated that FPI Assets Under Management (AUM) of around Rs 2.6 lakh crore may potentially be identified as High-Risk FPIs requiring additional disclosures based on data as of 31st March 2023
30th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) It is a popular belief that the Gyanvapi Mosque was built in 1669 by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb by demolishing the ancient Vishweshwar temple. Saqi Mustaid Khan’s Maasir-i-Alamgiri, a Persian-language chronicle, mentions the same.
2) Recently, the Digital University Kerala has introduced State’s maiden silicon-proven Artificial Intelligence (AI) chip—Kairali AI Chip. AI chips are built with specific architecture and have integrated AI acceleration to support deep learning-based applications
3) Total rooftop solar installed capacity is around 11.08 GW as of December 2023. Total solar power installed capacity in India has reached around 73.31 GW as of December 2023. Also, the country aims for 50% of electricity generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, having already reached 43%
29th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) For the year 2024, the Republic of Uganda holds the Chairmanship of the G-77
2) Indian Council of Medical Research issued ethical guidelines for AI in biomedical research and healthcare in June 2023
3) It is not mandatory that Bharat Ratna be awarded every year. There is no written provision that Bharat Ratna should be awarded to Indian citizens only. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year. The Award does not carry any monetary grant.
27th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) India has the world’s deadliest roads, with crashes killing and maiming over 800,000 people annually, according to the World Bank
2) India reported 1,332,207 cancer cases between 2012 and 2019. Approximately 3.2% and 4.6% of these cases were in the age groups 0-14 years and 0-19 years, respectively
25th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The 60 Parachute Field Hospital, Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2024 for its excellent work in disaster management
2) As per UNESCO, any language spoken by less than 10,000 persons is considered “potentially endangered”
24th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Workers going to conflict zones or places without sufficient labour protections are required to register with the Ministry of External Affairs’ ‘e-migrate’ portal
2) India is a bio-diverse country, with nearly 6.5% of the world’s known wildlife species. Approximately, 7.6% of the world’s mammals and 12.6% of the world’s birds are found in India.
3) Recently, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has introduced comprehensive guidelines to regulate coaching centers and manage the unregulated growth of private coaching centres. Coaching centers are prohibited from enrolling students below 16 years of age.
23rd January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) In India, Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO), Jamshedpur, was the first company to perform social audits in 1979 for measuring its social performance
2) Indian Nationals/PIOs who constitute less than 0.1% of Uganda’s population, contribute about 70% of Uganda’s direct taxes
3) NavIC or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations. There are a total of eight satellites however only seven remain active
22nd January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) India is the third-largest aviation market globally, trailing behind the United States and China.
2) The number of recognized Startups has grown at 120% (CAGR) over the last 7 years and stands at over one lakh Startups as of October 2023
3) India established the “Global Alliance for Global Good – Gender Equity and Equality” at the 54th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, gaining full support from WEF for promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality
19th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) As per the Forest Survey of India (FSI), there have been 2,050 incidents of forest fires between 16th October 2023 and 16th January 2024, but there were just 296 incidents of forest fires during the same period last year.
2) Gangasagar Mela, which takes place during Makar Sankrati (mid-January), is said to be India’s second largest pilgrimage gathering after the Kumbh Mela.
18th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh regions have seen a lack of rains or snow this winter, with a notable 80% rainfall deficit in December 2023 and 100% (no rain) deficit in January 2024 so far.
2) Over 70% of the global population, or five billion people, lack timely access to safe and affordable surgical care when needed
3) Klaus Schwab founded WEF in 1971, originally known as the European Management Forum. The European Management Forum was the first non-governmental institution to initiate a partnership with China’s economic development commissions, spurring economic reform policies in China.
17th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The ICDS scheme was launched in India on 2th October 1975. It was renamed as Anganwadi Services and the services are now offered as part of the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
2) Luxembourg has become the third-largest region for FPIs in India, surpassing Mauritius, with its Assets Under Custody (AUC) growing by 30% to ₹4.85 lakh crore
3) The brain comprises three primary components: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. Cerebrum is the largest part. Cerebellum is also called a “little brain” due to its similar but smaller structure than the cerebrum
16th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) India accounts for about two-third of Nepal’s merchandise trade and about one-third of trade in services.
2) The IUCN Red List includes the IUCN Green Status of Species, which assesses the recovery of species’ populations and measures their conservation success. There are eight Green Status Categories
3) Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.
15th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) As per the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, India is set to become the world’s largest producer of lentils (masoor) during the 2023-24 crop year on account of higher acreage
2) Recently, the World Bank (WB) has released its Global Economic Prospects Report, which shows that the global economy may witness a poor performance by the end of 2024, the slowest half-decade of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth in 30 years
3) A receptor-binding domain is a key part of a virus located on its ‘spike’ domain that allows it to dock to body receptors to gain entry into cells and lead to infection.
14th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Under the Pradhan Mantri AdarshGram Yojana (PMAGY), a total of 1834 villages have been Declared as Adarsh Gram during the current FY2023-24
2) The Government of India organizes the six-day mega event “Bharat Parv” from January 26-31, as part of the Republic Day celebrations. This alternative event takes place at the historic Red Fort.
3) The Serum Institute of India in 2023 launched an indigenous HPV vaccine known as CERVAVAC.
13th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Overall GST Collections grew by 11.7% in the first nine months of 2023-24 compared to the 2022-23.
2) Darjeeling Zoo has the only conservative breeding programme for snow leopards in India
3) Atal Setu is the longest bridge in India and also the longest sea bridge in the country
12th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)’s goal is to reduce average particulate matter (PM) concentrations by 40% by 2026 in 131 cities
2) Saffron fields in Pulwama, have witnessed a 60% decline in cultivation in the last 20 years due to cement pollution.
3) The Ministry of Minority Affairs is the nodal ministry to conduct Haj pilgrimage in India.
11th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) In Laxman Naskar v. State of West Bengal (2000), SC stipulated the factors that govern the grant of remission. In Epuru Sudhakar v. State of AP (2006), SC held that judicial review of the order of remission is available
2) As stated by the Finance Ministry, India’s public debt-to-GDP ratio is 81% in 2022-23. The 2018 amendment to the FRBM Act specified debt-GDP targets for the Centre, States and their combined accounts at 40%, 20% and 60%, respectively.
3) Tangail Saree, Garad Saree, Korial Saree, Kalo Nunia Rice and Sundarban Honey from West Bengal recently received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag
10th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The SCLSC (Supreme Court Legal Services Committee) was constituted under Section 3A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide “free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society”, in cases falling under the top court’s jurisdiction.
2) The Supreme Court formed the Justice Sapre Committee in March 2023 to probe potential regulatory failures after investors suffered significant losses due to market volatility following Hindenburg Research’s allegations against the Adani Group for share price manipulation and accounting fraud.
3) In June 2022, NSIL successfully completed its first demand-driven satellite mission, GSAT-24, which was fully secured by Tata Play, a satellite television service. Currently, NSIL manages and operates 11 communication satellites in orbit
9th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) The Indian toy industry exhibited remarkable growth between FY 2014-15 and FY 2022-23, marked by a substantial decline in imports by 52% and a significant rise in exports by 239%
2) Section 132 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, empowers the tax authorities to conduct searches and seizures of persons and properties, without any prior judicial warrant, if they have a “reason to believe” that the person has concealed or evaded income.
3) Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes. Its global headquarters is located in the Jodrell Bank Observatory, United Kingdom. India is a member
8th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) In 1990, the government’s Operation Bajrang resulted in the capture of a large number of ULFA rebels. Assam was labeled a ‘disturbed area,’ prompting the imposition of President’s rule and invoking the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
2) Recently, the Indigenous Seed Festival in West Bengal showcased a remarkable effort by farmers to conserve native seed varieties and exchange traditional knowledge, exemplifying a significant shift towards Sustainable Agriculture Practices. Sustainable agriculture refers to a holistic approach to farming and food production that aims to meet the current needs for food and fiber while ensuring the long-term viability of agricultural systems and preserving natural resources for future generations.
3) The Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) is a voluntary accreditation system established by the Ramsar Convention during the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) 12, 2015 to recognize cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands
5th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Biodiversity credits are a financial instrument designed to generate funding for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity-rich areas. They operate on a concept similar to Carbon Credits but with a distinct focus on biodiversity preservation rather than offsetting negative impacts
2) There is a significant decrease in crop yields when nano urea was used compared to conventional nitrogen fertilizers. Specifically, there was a 21.6% decrease in wheat yield and a 13% decrease in rice yield
3) The Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme (SSAS) is a small deposit scheme by the Ministry of Finance exclusively for a girl child and is launched as a part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign. At present, SSAS has several tax benefits and the highest rate of interest among all the Small Savings Schemes.
4th January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella programme launched under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Till November 2023, 15,045 km or 42% of the project has been completed
2) Around Rs 1-1.30 lakh crore is estimated to be lying in inoperative bank accounts. As of March 2023, around Rs 42,270 crore remains unclaimed in banks.
3) Gujarat’s ambitious project to reintroduce wolves bred in captivity to the wild is the first of its kind outside the United States, aiming to restock wolf populations and they can perform their role as biocontrol agents that keep the population of wild herbivores, like nilgai (blue bulls) and wild boars under control.
1st January #Edufacts: Important Facts of the Day for UPSC IAS Current Affair
1) Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is a nationwide campaign to raise awareness through outreach activities to achieve saturation of schemes of Govt. of India across the country covering all Gram Panchayats, Nagar Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies
2) XPoSat is only the world’s second mission dedicated to X-ray polarization in the medium X-ray band. NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), launched in 2021, was the first such mission by a space agency
3) Huntington’s disease is a severe neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system. Huntington’s disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, which means that a person only needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from either parent to develop the condition.
