14th August Daily Current Affairs – English

SSLV Rocket:

• The SSLV rocket carrying the EOS-08 Earth observation satellite will be launched on August 16 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• The satellite weighs 176 kg and has a lifetime of one year.
• It is about 475 km from Earth. It will be positioned in a distant low-Earth orbit.
• It is equipped with 3 probes namely Electro-Optical Infrared Payload, Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry Payload and Sick UV Dosimeter.
• On behalf of the Indian Space Research Organization, various satellites including Cartosat, ScatSat, RISAT are being deployed in space for remote sensing applications.
• ISRO has now designed a state-of-the-art satellite called EOS-08 for earth observation operations in that line.

54th GST Council Meeting:

• The 54th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council will be held on September 9 in Delhi.
• The Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state finance ministers, is the body that takes decisions regarding GST.
• The 53rd meeting of the GST Council was held on June 22 and the next meeting will be held on September 9.
• A group of ministers headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is working on the revision of GST tax rates.
• GST was implemented in the country on July 1, 2017.
• Last April saw the highest ever GST collection of Rs 2.10 lakh crore.
• Last year 2023, it collected Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April and Rs 1.82 lakh crore in July, which were the second and third highest collections respectively.

India’s population will be 152.2 crores in 2036:

• In 2036, India’s population will be 152.2 crore, according to a report released by the Union Ministry.
• It is reported that the proportion of women in 2036 will be higher as compared to 2011.
• That is, in 2011, the ratio of 943 females per 1,000 males will change to 952 females per 1,000 males.
• From 2011 – 2036, the proportion of individuals under the age of 15 is projected to decline.
• It is also reported that the proportion of people aged 60 and above will increase.

Fighter jets of 5 nations to fly in Coimbatore: ‘Tarang Shakti 2024’

• In the name of ‘Tarang Shakti 2024’, Indian Air Force and air forces from Germany, France, Spain and Britain conducted combat training at Sulur Air Force Base, Coimbatore.
• A group of more than 130 Air Force personnel and officers from 5 countries participated in this exercise which started on the 6th.
• India’s Tejas, Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets participated.
• 5 Sarang helicopters used in the Indian Air Force flew in the sky and went on an adventure.
• A European-made Eurobyte Typhoon fighter jet flew in the sky and engaged in an adventure.

New Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill: Central Government

• On November 10 last year, the Central Government released the Draft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill.
• The draft bill, which has been released for public comment, identifies independent journalists who express their opinions on social media such as YouTube and Instagram, as broadcasters or digital news broadcasters on platforms such as LinkedIn.
• The broadcasters themselves set up a committee of important people to certify their comments and programs before they are aired.
• The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has said that a new draft bill will be released in response to the already released Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill.

August 14: Pakistan Independence Day

• Pakistan’s Independence Day is celebrated on 14th August every year.
• 14th August 1947 – Pakistan marks independence from British rule.

Important Facts:

1. Jagdambika Pal has been appointed as the Chairman of the 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to examine the Waqf Board Amendment Bill introduced by the Central Government in the Lok Sabha.
2. K. Prabakar has been appointed as the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).
3. Pakistan is using multi-role unmanned aerial vehicle “Supercam S350” purchased from Russia for surveillance missions along the Indian border.
4. Vinay Mohan Kwatra has taken over as India’s ambassador to the US.
5. India’s medal tally at the Paris Olympics is 6 with 1 silver and 5 bronze, while Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, who won the most individual medals in the same Olympics, also has a total of 6 medals with 1 silver and 5 bronze.
6. Australia’s Alexey Babin and USA’s Jessica Pegula won the women’s champion trophy at the National Bank Open tennis tournament held in Canada.
7. India’s Grand Master, Erode-based P. Iniyan won the International Chess Championship.