CURRENT AFFAIRS 28th August, 2024

CURRENT AFFAIRS 28 August, 2024

1. THE PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA (PMJDY) HAS COMPLETED A MILESTONE 10 YEARS –

• “Jan Dhan Yojana has been paramount in boosting financial inclusion and giving dignity to crores of people, especially women, youth, and the marginalized communities.
• PMJDY was announced by PM Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2014.
• In its 10 years since commencement, PMJDY has led to a total of 53.13 crore accounts.
• Of these 53 crore accounts, 55.6 per cent or 29.56 crore Jan-Dhan account holders are women and 66.6 per cent or 35.37 crore Jan Dhan accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas, as per a statement from the Ministry of Finance.
• Deposit balances under PMJDY account stand at ₹2,31,236 crore — this is a 15x increase as of August 14, 2024.
• The average deposit per account, according to the finance ministry stood at ₹4,352, as of 14 August 2024 -an 4x increase.
• Over 36.06 crore RuPay debit cards have been issued under PMJDY.
• As many as 89.67 lakh point-of-sale (PoS/mPoS) machines have been installed under PMJDY.
• Total number of digital transactions has risen from 2,338 crore in FY19 to 16,443 crore in FY24.
• Total number of UPI transactions has increased from 535 crore in FY19 to 13,113 crore in FY24.
• Total number of RuPay card transactions at PoS and e-commerce has increased from 67 crore in FY18 to 96.78 crore in FY24.

2. JAY SHAH ELECTED AS NEW INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL CHAIRMAN –

• Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the new Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC), succeeding Greg Barclay. This appointment marks a significant moment in cricket administration, as Shah becomes the youngest person ever to hold this prestigious position.
• Shah is presently serving as the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will officially begin his new role as ICC Chair on December 1, 2024.

The election process unfolded as follows-

• Greg Barclay, who had served two terms since 2020, confirmed he would not seek a third term.
• The ICC board of directors had until August 27 to file nominations for the next chair.
• An election would have been held only if multiple candidates were nominated.
• Shah emerged as the sole nominee, resulting in his unopposed election.

3. WILL INDIA BAN TELEGRAM –

• The Indian government has launched a comprehensive investigation into Telegram, the widely-used encrypted messaging platform. This probe comes in the wake of allegations that the app is being misused for various criminal activities, most notably extortion and gambling.
• The investigation has gained additional significance following the recent arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, in Paris. This article explores the nuances of the ongoing investigation, its potential impact on Telegram users in India, and the global reactions to these developments.
• The investigation into Telegram’s operations in India is being spearheaded by two key government entities: the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). These bodies are working in tandem to scrutinize the platform’s alleged involvement in facilitating criminal activities.

4. MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR GIRLS RAISED TO 21 YEARS IN HP, BILL PASSED IN VIDHAN SABHA –

• Minimum age of marriage for girls raised to 21 years in HP, bill passed in Vidhan Sabha
• Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has passed Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill 2024 for raising minimum age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21 years in the state.
• Bill was presented in Assembly by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil. Bill was passed by voice vote. Himachal Pradesh has become first state in the country to pass such a bill to raise minimum age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21.
• Now this bill will be sent to Governmnor for approval who may sent it to President of India.

5. CENTRE APPOINTS B SRINIVASAN AS NEW NSG DIRECTOR GENERAL –

• The Centre on Tuesday appointed 1992 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer B Srinivasan as the new director general of National Security Guard (NSG).
• Srinivasan, a 1992 batch Bihar cadre IPS officer, takes over as NSG director general after Nalin Prabhat’s departure to being deputed as Jammu and Kashmir’s Special Director General of Police.
• “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Srinivasan as Director General, NSG, from the date of joining the post and up to August 31, 2027 i.e., the date of his superannuation,” said a Ministry of Personnel order.