MLC Daily Current Affairs – 11 January 2025

Today in History ( January11^th,1613)

Emperor Jahangir in a proclamation permitted East India Company to establish factories in Surat. And the first British factory was established under Thomas Aldworth.

Let’s Revise

Q.1) 25th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) October 2024 took place in ___
a) India
b) Pakistan
c) China
d) Russia
Answer: b)
Rationale: The 25th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Islamabad, Pakistan on October 15–16, 2024.
Q.2) Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2024 took place in____
a) Russia
b) USA
c) Japan
d) Peru
Answer: d)
Rationale: The APEC Peru 2024 was the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum of its leaders that was held from 15 to 16 November 2024.
Q.3) Which one of the following pair of countries is not located in West Asia?
a) Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,
b) Palestine, Syria, and Yemen
c) Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia
d) Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Chile
Answer: d)
Rationale: The countries in West Asia include:
• Gulf countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates
• Other countries: Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen
• Other areas: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Israel, Turkey, and the West Bank

Summary of Today’s News

President Murmu’s invite for this year’s Republic Day reception set to honour crafts from South

• A stiff white card embossed with the Lion Capital of Ashoka is the usual format of the invitation card sent out for the customary “At home” reception held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic and Independence Day.
• This year, however, to mark 75 years since the formation of the Republic of India, things are different.
• In a departure from convention, invitees for the “At home” will receive a specially curated box of craftwork from the five southern States —
o Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
o Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh — along with the card.
• The idea of this special box, packed with symbolic meaning, was floated by President Droupadi Murmu herself, and executed by Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the support of the National Insitute of Design (NID), which has campuses in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
• “The idea behind the artefacts in the invitation box is the 5,000-year civilisational history of Bharat, with the underlying message of sustainability and colour schemes that invoke the 75 years of the forming of the Indian Republic,”.
• The craft products in the invitation box are all made in the southern States, have GI (geographical indicator) tags, and are drawn from the “One District One Product” scheme.
• The craft elements will be packed in a box made of bamboo weave with Kalamkari paintings on it done by Nimmalakunta artisans.
• The box will include an Ikat-Pochampalli cover that can be used even after the box has been dismantled, a fridge magnet depicting Mysore’s Ganjifa art, usually seen in the famous Ganjifa playing cards, and a handmade pouch of Kanjeevaram silk from Tamil Nadu.
• “Etikopakka dolls from Andhra Pradesh are included, along with a bookmark made of screwpine leaves woven by artistes from Kerala,” he added.

Indonesia the new member of BRICS

• Indonesia has officially joined BRICS as the 11th member effective from January 2025.
• The inclusion of Indonesia marks another step in expanding BRICS’ influence among emerging economies.
Key Points about BRICS
• Definition: BRICS is an intergovernmental informal grouping of emerging economies aimed at fostering cooperation and enhancing their global influence.
• Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China (these are founding members); South Africa joined in 2010;
• Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia joined in 2024.
• Argentina was initially expected to join in 2024 but later opted out.
• The first BRIC Summit was held in Russia in 2009.

PM Modi inaugurated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Odisha

• Key points about “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas”
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other.
• PBD, also known as Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day, is celebrated on January 9.
• The day also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was first celebrated in 2003 and its format was later revised in 2015 to celebrate the event once every two years.
• Theme: “Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat”.
Indian Diaspora
• As of May 2024, there were around 35.42 million people of Indian origin living outside of India, making it the world’s largest diaspora.
• This includes around 15.85 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) and 19.57 million people of Indian origin (PIOs).
• The United States has the largest Indian population in the world, with over 5 million people.