CURRENT AFFAIRS 30 July, 2024

CURRENT AFFAIRS 30 July, 2024

1. PARLE REMAINS INDIA’S MOST-CHOSEN FMCG BRAND FOR 12TH YEAR –

• Parle, the biscuit brand owned by Parle Products, continues to be India’s top FMCG brand. According to the latest edition of Brand Footprint, Kantar World panel’s annual ranking of the most chosen consumer brands in India. In fact, seven of the top 10 brands are owned by homegrown companies.
• Out of nearly 445 brands, Parle with 7.98 billion CRP has been on the top since the launch of its brand footprint twelve years ago followed by Britannia that had CRP of 7.93 billion.
• Both these brands gained 6% and 16% each. Hindustan Unilever’s shampoo brand Clinic Plus was the only non-food exception in the top five brands although it declined 5% to 4.14 billion.
• “Consumer choice is a very reliable strength test for a brand across market conditions and Brand Footprint has been a widely acclaimed ranking system to measure this for over a decade now.
• As we see over the years, consumers are making increasing trips for purchase and that adds their options and in-turn, their choice. This is reflected in the constant increase in CRP’s,” said K Ramakrishnan, managing director- South Asia, World panel Division at Kantar.

2. VENEZUELA’S NICOLAS MADURO BECOMES PRESIDENT FOR THIRD TIME –

• Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on July 29, that Nicolas Maduro has won the presidential election once again and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031. Notably, it will be Nicolas Maduro’s third time as Venezuela’s President.
• He was born 23 November 1962 is a Venezuelan politician and the president of Venezuela since 2013. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000.
• He was appointed to a number of positions under President Hugo Chávez, serving as President of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2006, as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2013 and as the vice president from 2012 to 2013 under Chávez. After Chávez’s death was announced on 5 March 2013, Maduro assumed the presidency.

3. HISTORIC BRONZE WIN FOR MANU BHAKER AND SARABJOT SINGH AT PARIS OLYMPICS –

• In a remarkable display of skill and precision, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh has secured a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the Paris Olympics.
• The Indian pair triumphed over South Korea’s Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho, bringing home the second medal for India at these Games. This victory is particularly notable as it marks the second bronze for Manu Bhaker at the Paris Olympics, making her the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games since Independence.
• Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, both hailing from Haryana, have demonstrated their prowess in shooting by previously winning the 10m air pistol mixed team gold at the 2022 National Shooting Championship held at the Madhya Pradesh Academy in Bhopal. Their latest achievement at the Paris Olympics adds to their illustrious careers and brings immense pride to India.

4. 628 TIGERS DIE IN INDIA DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS –

• A total of 628 tigers died in India during the past five years due to natural causes and other reasons, including poaching, according to government data. Meanwhile, 349 people were killed in tiger attacks during this period, with Maharashtra alone recording 200 deaths.
• According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), 96 tigers died in 2019, 106 in 2020, 127 in 2021, 121 in 2022, and 178 in 2023. The number of tiger deaths in 2023 is also the highest since 2012, the data revealed. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said on July 25 that 49 people each were killed in tiger attacks in 2019 and 2020, 59 in 2021, 110 in 2022, and 82 in 2023.
• Uttar Pradesh recorded 59 human deaths in tiger attacks while Madhya Pradesh reported 27. The number of tigers in India stood at 3,682, around 75% of the global wild tiger population, in 2022, according to the latest government data. Maharashtra alone recording 200 deaths.

5. 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEP 2020 CELEBRATED AT AKHIL BHARTIYA SHIKSHA SAMAGAM 2024 –

• The Ministry of Education celebrated the 4th anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam (ABSS) 2024, held at the Manekshaw Centre Auditorium in New Delhi.
• The event, attended by key ministers, officials, academicians, and students, featured the release of books and lecture notes by the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Division.
• The celebration also included the launch of several significant initiatives and a series of thematic sessions on various NEP 2020-related topics.