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Journalism of Courage
The 70th Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Prelims examination is scheduled for 13th December 2024. The preliminary exam will be two hours long and will include objective questions totaling 150 marks. Negative markings of 1/3rd mark will be applied for incorrect answers, similar to the marking pattern of UPSC. In 150 questions, current affairs comprise around 25-30 questions. It is important to note that many UPSC aspirants also appear for state civil service exams like BPSC. The current affairs section in both exams forms a crucial part of the Prelims.
Here are a few topics from different areas that are worth looking at before you appear for BPSC Prelims this year.
— Five languages – Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali – are accorded the status of ‘classical language’. Now, the total ‘classical language’ in India is 11. This new category of language was created in 2004.
— Prakrit refers to a group of closely related Indo-Aryan languages. Ardhamagadhi is a dialect of Prakrit. Jain agamas and the Gatha Saptashati are written in Ardhamagadhi.
— Pali is a form of Sanskritised Magadhi Prakrit. It was the language of the Theravada Buddhist Canon — the Tipitakas.
— Prakrit and Pali are the two Classical languages that are not mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
— The PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme, launched on 6th November, is a new Central Sector scheme that seeks to provide financial support to students.
— Under the scheme, any student who gets admission to a Quality Higher Education Institution (QHEIs) will be eligible to get collateral-free and guarantor-free loans from banks and financial institutions to cover the full amount of tuition fees and other expenses related to the course.
— The National Pension System Vatsalya (NPS Vatsalya) scheme was launched by the Finance Minister on 18th September.
— It is a new pension scheme for children in the age group of 0 to 18 years. A parent can deposit a minimum of 1000 per month and a maximum with no limit.
— In September 2024, the Union Cabinet approved “Mission Mausam”, with a budget of Rs. 2000 crores, to enhance India’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.
— Under the initiative, a first-of-its-kind cloud chamber is being established at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
— The government has launched the Ayushman Vaya Vandana card under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to provide health coverage to people aged 70 years and above, regardless of their income and economic status.
— It was launched on October 29, which is being observed as the 9th Ayurveda Day.
— The Union Cabinet has approved an outlay of Rs 79,156 crore (Central Share: Rs.56,333 crore and State Share: Rs. 22,823 crore) for the PM JUGA, a new tribal welfare scheme.
— The core objective of the scheme is to ensure saturation coverage and implementation of central schemes for improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities.
— The Union Cabinet approved the Rs 2,817-crore Digital Agriculture Mission for the creation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the farm sector on September 2, 2024.
— Three major components of DPI are envisaged under the Digital Agriculture Mission: AgriStack, Krishi Decision Support System (DSS), and Soil Profile Maps.
— Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh has been notified as the 56th Tiger Reserve of India.
— Ratapani Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh has been notified as the 57th Tiger Reserve of India. As of 4th December 2024, there are 57 Tiger Reserves in India. Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran was the only tiger reserve in Bihar.
— India has added three new Ramsar sites taking the total number of Ramsar sites to 85.
| Ramsar Sites | State | River | Description |
| Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | River Noyyal | Home to species like the Eurasian coot, spot-billed duck, migratory bird species, and many types of herons. |
| Kazhuveli Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | It is connected to the Bay of Bengal in the north via Uppukalli Creek. | It is the second-largest brackish lake in Peninsular India. It is home to many globally endangered species, like the black-headed ibis and greater flamingo. |
| Tawa Reservoir | Madhya Pradesh | Tawa River | It is a man-made wetland, located within Satpura Tiger Reserve. |
— IMD declares a heatwave when the normal maximum temperature recorded over at least two localities in plains touches 40 degree Celsius or exceeds 4.5 degree Celsius from normal.
— In hilly and coastal regions, the heatwave is declared when temperatures cross 30 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius respectively.
— A severe heatwave is declared if the temperature departure exceeds 6 degrees Celsius from normal.
— The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched three significant initiatives aimed at enhancing regulatory processes and improving access to financial services: the PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation and Authorisation) portal, the retail direct mobile app, and a fintech repository.
— Economic Survey 2023-24 was tabled in Parliament on 22nd July by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
— Economic Survey conservatively projects a real GDP growth of 6.5–7 per cent in FY 2024-25.
— 55% of the tax collected accrued from direct taxes and the remaining 45% from indirect taxes.
— The current account deficit for FY24 is around 0.7% of GDP.
— Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2024 on 23rd July.
— The focus is on four major castes: ‘Garib‘ (poor), ‘Annadata’ (farmers), ‘Yuva’ (youth), and ‘Mahilayen’ (women).
— The theme of the Budget: Employment, Skilling, MSMEs, and Middle Class.
— The Budget presented 9 priorities for generating ample opportunities for all: (1) Productivity and resilience in Agriculture, (2) Employment & Skilling, (3) Inclusive Human Resource Development and Social Justice, (4) Manufacturing & Services, (5) Urban Development, (6) Energy Security, (7) Infrastructure, (8) Innovation, Research & Development and (9) Next Generation Reforms.
— Angel taxes for all classes of investors have been abolished.
— The major source of revenue for the government: Borrowing and Other Liabilities (27%) > Income Tax (19%) > GST and Other Taxes (18%) > Corporation Txa (17%) > Non-Tax Receipts (9%).
— The major expenditure of the government: States’ share of taxes and duties (21%) > Interest Payments (19%) > Central Sector Scheme (16%).
— Expenditure on Key sectors: Defence (4,54,773 ₹ Cr) > Rural Development (2,65,808 ₹ Cr) > Agriculture and allied activites (1,51,851 ₹ Cr) > Home Affairs (1,50,983 ₹ Cr) > Education (1,25,638 ₹ Cr).
— The TATA Advanced System Ltd. (TASL)-Airbus Final Assembly Line (FAL) facility has been inaugurated in Vadodara’s Harni area.
— It is the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India. It will manufacture the C-295 medium-lift tactical transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
— US President Joseph R. Biden hosted the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware on September 21.
— QUAD Cancer Moonshot: The QUAD has launched it as a collective effort to leverage public and private resources to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in the Indo-Pacific, with an initial focus on cervical cancer.
— Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI): The purpose is to monitor and secure Indo-Pacific waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behaviour. The inaugural MAITRI workshop will be hosted by India in 2025.
— It also launched the Quad maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific.
— COP, or Conference of Parties, is the annual meeting of the members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — an international agreement, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations.
— COP3 in Kyoto, 1997: The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in this COP. It placed obligations on the set of rich and industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by assigned amounts. It did not last long as the rich and powerful countries were not happy with its provisions.
— COP21 in Paris, 2015: It led to the landmark Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty to limit global temperatures to below 2 degree Celsius, and preferably below 1.5 degree Celsius. The parties also agreed to submit their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), by 2020.
— COP26 in Glasgow, 2021: The Glasgow pact made a commitment to “phase down” the use of coal (this language was weakened from “phase out” late in the negotiations) and to phase out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”. This was the first time that a UN climate agreement explicitly mentioned coal.
— COP28 in Dubai, 2023: A Loss and Damage fund was officially launched in Dubai. The fund is meant to provide financial help to countries struck by climate disasters.
— COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, 2024: Developed countries have committed to fund $300 bn a year for developing countries by 2035.
— The world’s first wood-panelled satellite named Lignosat was launched into space by Japanese spacecraft to test the reliability of timber as a renewable building material for future space travel.
— It is developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry.
— The private space company Agnikul has successfully launched the world’s first fully 3-D printed engine indigenously built rocket, Agnibaan, from ISRO’s Sriharikota facility.
— Japan is preparing to construct a groundbreaking ‘zeta-class’ supercomputer, projected to be 1,000 times faster than today’s most advanced machines.
— Development of the machine, known as “Fugaku Next,” will begin in 2025, led by Japanese firms RIKEN and Fujitsu.
— Europa Clipper is a NASA spacecraft that is the first mission designed to conduct a detailed study of Jupiter’s moon Europa. It was launched on October 14, 2024, and will reach Jupiter in April 2030.
— The First Asian Buddhist Summit (ABS) is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in New Delhi from 5th – 6th November, 2024.
— The summit theme is ‘Role of Buddha Dhamma in Strengthening Asia’.
— World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3, highlights the vital role of journalism in society.
— This year, the Government of Chile and UNESCO hosted the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago.
— The theme for 2024 is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.”
— The first ‘sunken’ museum of India has been opened at the Humayun’s Tomb Complex. Sunken museums are nothing but museums that take visitors underground to present their exhibits.
— The Centre has renamed Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as Sri Vijaya Puram.
— K Sanjay Murthy, a 1989-batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS officer, is the new Comptroller and Auditor General of India. He has succeeded Girish Chandra Murmu.
— President Droupadi Murmu on 24th October appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India.
— Anil Pradhan, co-founder of Young Tinker Foundation, a non-profit organisation working on hands-on STEM education in underserved areas, was awarded the third Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development.
— The Centre has appointed Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar as the ninth chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). She will succeed Rekha Sharma.
— 20-year-old Rachel Gupta from Jalandhar has become the first Indian to win the prestigious Miss Grand International 2024 crown.
— 21-year-old Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark was crowned the 73rd Miss Universe, marking Denmark’s first-ever victory in the prestigious beauty pageant’s history.
— Sub-Lieutenant Anamika B Rajeev has made history by becoming the Indian Navy’s first woman helicopter pilot. She received the prestigious “Golden Wings” at a passing-out parade held at a naval air station in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu.
— Major Radhika Sen, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), was awarded the prestigious ‘2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
— Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin became the first women doctor to hold the position of the Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).
— Mike Pandey, a renowned filmmaker and conservationist has been awarded the 2024 Jackson Wild Legacy Award.
— India-born aviator and commercial pilot Gopi Thotakura made history as the first space tourist from India. He, along with five other space tourists, embarked on a short recreational trip to space aboard a spacecraft operated by Blue Origin, a leading private space company offering such experiences.
— Folk legend Sharda Sinha, known for her repertoire of songs in Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi, Sanskrit, and Hindi, passed away, on 5th November 2024, at the age of 72.
— Often referred to as “Bihar Kokila (cuckoo)”, she was known for songs that would be played at Chhath, weddings, and several other rituals. She also lent her voice to songs in movies such as Maine Pyar Kiya and Gangs of Wasseypur.
— Sinha was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2018 for her distinctive work in bringing folk poets’ creations out of obscurity.
— Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi, passed away on 13th May 2024. He was 72 years old. He was battling with cancer.
— Modi served as Deputy Chief Minister for over 11 years in two stints. The first stint was from November 2005 to June 2013, followed by another from July 2017 to December 2020.
— Bihar Industry Minister Nitish Mishra on October 21 inaugurated the state’s first dry port at Bihta, a town near the state capital Patna.
— A dry port, or inland container depot (ICD), provides a logistics facility away from a seaport or airport for cargo handling, storage, and transportation. It acts as a bridge between sea/air ports and inland regions, facilitating efficient movement of goods.
— The Bihta dry port is spread over seven acres. It is being run in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode by Pristine Magadh Infrastructure Private Limited and the state industry department.
— The campus of Nalanda University was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19th June 2024. It is located in Rajgir roughly 100 km from Patna, Bihar.
— The ruins of ancient Nalanda University in Bihar were declared as the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2016.
— It is believed that Emperor Kumaragupta (Shakraditya) of the Gupta Dynasty founded the Nalanda University.
— Purvodaya plan: This plan covers five states- Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand– to generate economic opportunities to attain Viksit Bharat.
— The industrial node at Gaya will be developed on the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor.
— Vishnupad Temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar will be developed on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations.
— On 13th February, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary presented a budget of Rs 2,78,725.72 crore, allocating Rs 22,200.35 crore (22.20 per cent) to the education department, Rs 13,840.56 crore (13.84 per cent) to the rural development department and Rs 8,191.79 crore (8.19 per cent) to the social welfare department.
— The rural works and health departments were allocated Rs 7,409.13 crore (7.41 per cent) and Rs 7,117.56 crore (7.12 per cent), respectively.
— The budget has a revenue surplus of Rs 1,121.41 crore and shows a fiscal deficit of 2.98 per cent.
— The eighth edition of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Hockey was held in Rajgir, Bihar, from November 11 to 20.
— The mascot for the tournament is ‘Gudia,’ which is inspired by Bihar’s state bird, the sparrow.
— On 14th October, Bihar’s Chief Minister kicked off the Trophy Gaurav Yatra from Patna.
— There are six participating countries- India, China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand.
— The Indian hockey team won the title after defeating China. This was India’s third Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey title. Deepika scored the only goal in the final. She finished as the tournament’s top goal scorer with a tally of 11.
— The Global Gender Gap Index is released annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
— Iceland (93.5%) is ranked 1st while Finland is ranked second and Norway is ranked third.
— India ranks 129 out of the 146 countries. This puts India at the 18th position from the bottom. In 2023, India stood at 127 rank out of the 146 countries.
— India ranked 105th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2024, with a score of 27.3, indicating a serious level of hunger.
— The GHI is published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe annually to measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
| Word of the Year | ||
| Oxford University Press | Brain rot | The supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. |
| Dictionary.com | Demure | Reserved, modest, or coy |
| Cambridge Dictionary | Manifest | to use methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen |
| Collins dictionary | Brat | Adjective characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude |
— Three Indian literary works—Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra, and Sahṛdayaloka-Locana—were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.
— Ramcharitmanas: This manuscript was authored by Goswami Tulsidas.
— Panchatantra: Attributed to Vishnu Sharma, this is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose.
— Sahṛdayaloka-Locana: Written by 15th-century Kashmiri scholars Acharya Anandvardhan and Abhinavagupta, it was chosen for its aesthetic significance.
— Srinagar has become the fourth Indian city to be recognised as a ‘World Craft City’ by the World Craft Council (WCC).
— In 2021, it was designated as part of the UNESCO Creative City Network (UCCN) for crafts and folk arts.
— Jaipur, Malappuram, and Mysore are the other Indian cities that have previously been recognised as World Craft Cities.
— The Moidams in eastern Assam — a 700-year-old mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty — made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, becoming the first cultural site from the Northeast to make it to the list. There are 43 World Heritage Sites located in India.
— British writer Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday with “Orbital,” a short, wonder-filled novel set aboard the International Space Station that ponders the beauty and fragility of Earth.
— The RVP comprises four awards — Vigyan Ratna for lifetime achievement, Vigyan Shri for scientists of all ages, Vigyan Yuva for scientists under 45 years, and Vigyan Team for collaborative research work. The award was given on August 23, marking the first National Space Day.
| Category | Winners |
| Vigyan Ratna | Govindraj Padmanabhan(86), a celebrated biochemist known for his work on the malaria parasite |
| Vigyan Shri | Annapurni Subramaniam, Jayant Bhalchandra Udgaonkar, Naba Kumar Mondal, and more |
| Vigyan Yuva | Vivek Polshettiwar of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, a chemist who works on carbon capture technologies; Urbasi Sinha of Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, a leading expert in quantum research; and Roxy Mathew Koll of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, a climate scientist. |
| Vigyan Team | The Chandrayaan-3 team |
| Category | Winners | Awarded For |
| Nobel Prize for Medicine | Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun | the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. |
| Nobel Prize in Chemistry | David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M Jumper | To David Baker “for computational protein design” and jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction.” |
| Nobel Prize in Physics | John J Hopfield and Geoffrey E Hinton | Foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks. |
| Nobel Prize for Peace | Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo | Its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and to demonstrate through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again. |
| Nobel Prize for Literature | South Korean author Han Kang | Her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life |
| Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences | Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A Robinson | Studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity”. The Nobel citation states the three economists “have helped us understand differences in prosperity between nations”. |
| Category | Winner of the 76th annual Emmy Awards |
| Drama series | Shogun |
| Comedy series | Hacks |
| Actress in a drama series | Anna Sawai, Shogun |
| Actor in a drama series | Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun |
| Limited, anthology series or movie | Baby Reindeer |
| Actress in a comedy series | Jean Smart, Hacks |
| Actor in a comedy series | Jeremy Allen White, The Bear |
— The 70th National Film Awards ceremony was held at the Vigyan Bhawan. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to the winners.
| Winners of the 70th National Film Awards | |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Mithun Chakraborty |
| Best Feature Film | Aattam |
| Best Feature Actor | Rishab Shetty, Kantara |
| Best Feature Actress | Nithya Menen in Tiruchitrabalam, and Manasi Parekh in Kutch Express |
| Best Feature Director | Sooraj Barjatya, Uunchai |
| Best Hindi Film | Gulmohar |
— Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
— A total of 132 Padma awards have been conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22nd April 2024— five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri.
Following are the five Padma Vibhushan Awardees for 2024:
| Name | Category | State |
| Ms. Vyjayantimala Bali | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| Shri Konidela Chiranjeevi | Art | Andhra Pradesh |
| Shri M Venkaiah Naidu | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| Shri Bindeshwar Pathak (Posthumous) | Social Work | Bihar |
| Ms. Padma Subrahmanyam | Art | Tamil Nadu |
— PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal were India’s flag-bearers, and a total of 78 athletes and officials from 12 disciplines represented India.
— The mascot of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is Phryge. The slogan of Paris 2024 is “Games wide open”. Gagan Narang is the Chef-de-Mission of India.
— Breaking, commonly known as breakdancing, is included at the Olympics for the first time in Paris.
| Medal Tally | |||||
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1. | United States of America | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| 2. | People’s Republic of China | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| 3. | Japan | 20 | 12 | 13 | 45 |
| 71. | India | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
— India has secured 4 gold medals in para-athletics, 1 gold in para-archery, 1 gold in shooting para-sport, and 1 gold in para-badminton. India is at 18th rank.
| Rank | Countries | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1. | China | 94 | 75 | 50 | 219 |
| 2. | Great Britain | 49 | 44 | 31 | 124 |
| 3. | USA | 36 | 41 | 27 | 104 |
| 18. | India | 7 | 9 | 13 | 29 |
— The captain of the Indian men’s hockey team Harmanpreet Singh, who led the country to its second successive bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, won the FIH Player of the Year award for 2024 in Oman.
— PR Sreejesh, who retired from the game after winning his second Olympic medal, won the Goalkeeper of the Year award.
| TENNIS | ||
| Tournament | Male category winner | Female category winner |
| French Open | Carlos Alcaraz | Iga Swiatek |
| Wimbledon | Carlos Alcaraz | Barbora Krejcikova |
| US Open | Jannik Sinner | Aryna Sabalenka |
| Australian Open | Jannik Sinner | Aryna Sabalenka |
— India has scripted history as they clinched their first-ever gold medal in the open section of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in Hungary. The United States acquired the second position while the defending Champion Uzbekistan finished third.
— India also clinched the gold medal in the women’s section of the Chess Olympiad.
All the Best!
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