Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of new Cabinet Secretary with a 2-year tenure starting from Aug 30, 2024.

About Cabinet Secretary (CS)

• Appointed by the ACC on seniority-cum-merit basis.
• Responsible for administration of Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961.
• Functions: Ensures inter-ministerial coordination, irons out differences among ministries and departments, etc.
• CS is also the ex-officio Chairman of Civil Services Board (CSB).
• CS has no authority over working departments, as CS is regarded as primus inter pares among secretaries of Union Government.

RBI issued a master circular to tighten norms for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) – P2P lending platforms.

• P2P lending involves individual lending and borrowing money directly through digital platforms, without the involvement of traditional financial institutions like banks. 

Key Regulation

• NBFC—P2P lending platforms are supposed to act as an intermediary for P2P lending participants.
• Limiting exposure of a lender across all P2P platforms to Rs.50,00,000
• Prohibits P2P platforms from promoting P2P lending as an investment product and cross-selling any insurance product.

Shri R.N. Agarwal, the father of the Agni missile and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, passed away recently. 

• He served as the Agni program director and also as the director of the Advanced Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad.

About Agni Missile

• Agni was conceived under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of DRDO. 
• Agni misslies are surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.
• They are fuelled by Solid propellant and mainstay of India's nuclear launch capability.
• They have medium- to intercontinental-range ballistic missiles. 
  •  Agni Prime is the latest missile while other missiles are Agni 1-5. 

After participating in world's largest Multinational Maritime Exercise RIMPAC 2024, INS Shivalik reached Guam, an island territory of the United States. 

About Guam Island 

• Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands chain, situated in the North Pacific Ocean. 
• Formed by two former volcanoes, it’s a tropical island. 
• In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Guam to the US. 
• Indigenous people: Chamorros 
• Endemic Bird Species: Guam kingfisher, Rota white-eye, and the Guam rail.

North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation successfully obtained Oeko-Tex Certification for its Eri Silk.

• Oeko-Tex certification is standard that ensures textiles are tested for harmful substances and produced in environment friendly conditions.

About Eri Silk

• Renowned as world’s only vegan silk as moth inside the cocoon is not killed. Instead moth naturally exits the cocoon. 
• It is produced by silkworm Philosamia ricini which is multivoltine and reared indoors 5-6 times a year.

Note: India produces all the five types of silk: Mulberry, Eri, Tropical & Temperate Tasar, and Muga.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been conducting serosurvey since last year to determine exposure to Mpox among India’s high-risk population.

About Serosurvey

• It is the collection and testing of blood (or proxy specimen such as oral fluid) from a specimen of a defined population over a specified period of time.
• Objective: To estimate prevalence of IgG antibodies against an infectious pathogen as an indicator of exposure to a pathogen.
• Significance: Can be used to estimate prevalence of infection, immunity gap, key parameters for infectious disease modeling, etc.

70^th National Film Awards for the year 2022 have been announced.

About National Film Awards

• Established in 1954 and were initially called ‘State Awards’ and 2 President’s Gold Medals, 2 certificates of merit, and 12 silver medals for regional films were presented in the earlier years.
• Awards have been administered by the Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.
• Awards are given in 3 categories: Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, and Best Writing in Cinema.
• Most Film Friendly State award is also given, along with the National Film Awards, to a State of India that has been helpful in furthering the growth of the film industry.

World’s oldest calendar, dating back nearly 13,000 years was discovered at Göbekli Tepe, an ancient site in Turkey. 

• Carvings on stone pillars reveal a sophisticated solar-lunar calendar, possibly created to track time and celestial events, including a comet strike around 10,850 BCE. 
• The discovery challenges previous beliefs about early human technological development, showcasing advanced astronomy long before written language.

Göbekli Tepe

• It has round-oval and rectangular megalithic structures erected by hunter-gatherers in the pre-pottery neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE. 
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.