Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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India performed impressively at the WorldSkills 2024 competition in Lyon, France. The Indian team won 4 Bronze medals and 12 Medallions of Excellence, showing its growing skills on the global stage. Bronze medals were earned by: Ashwitha Police (Telangana) in Patisserie and Confectionery, Dhrumilkumar Gandhi and Sathyajith Balakrishnan (Gujarat) in Industry 4.0, Joethir Adithya Ravikumar (Delhi) in Hotel Reception and Amaresh Kumar Sahu (Odisha) in Renewable Energy. Ashwitha Police also received the Best of Nation Award for her outstanding performance. India secured 12 Medallions of Excellence in various trades.

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) received the 2024 @UN Inter-Agency Task Force Award for its significant contributions to preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and enhancing mental health. This recognition highlights ICMR’s contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to health. This recognition highlights ICMR’s initiatives, such as establishing national centres for Assistive Health Technology and conducting extensive surveys.

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Andro Village in Manipur won the Best Tourism Village award in the Heritage category at the 2024 Best Tourism Villages Competition. The award was given by the Ministry of Tourism during World Tourism Day celebrations in New Delhi. The village’s rich cultural heritage and unique traditions, including centuries-old fire worship, contributed to its selection. Andro Village’s cultural heritage and historical temple attract tourists from around the world. Tourism has boosted income and job opportunities for locals, with the community actively involved in promoting and sustaining their heritage.

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Alexander Dunn won the 2024 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize. The prize was instituted in 2005 by SASTRA University in Tamil Nadu.
It is awarded annually on Ramanujan’s birth anniversary, December 22, to mathematicians under 32. The age limit honors Ramanujan’s achievements during his short life. The award includes a citation and a cash prize of $10,000. The prize has gained international recognition, with past recipients including Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh.

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Legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022, India’s highest cinema honor. Presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals, it recognizes outstanding contributions to Indian cinema. The award includes a golden lotus, a ₹10 lakh cash prize, and a shawl. Established by the Government of India to honor Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, the award was first given in 1969 to actress Devika Rani. Dadasaheb Phalke, born in 1870, directed India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913 and made 95 more films in 19 years.

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Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin became the first woman to serve as Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). The DGAFMS oversees medical policy matters for the Armed Forces and reports to the Ministry of Defence.
Before this role, she held key positions, including DG Medical Services for the Navy and Air Force, and Director of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Over her 38-year career, she served in all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces. She has received several awards, including the Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2024.

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The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for contributions to protein science. David Baker received the prize for computational protein design, creating entirely new proteins since 2003. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were recognized for developing AlphaFold2, an AI model that predicts 3D protein structures. AlphaFold2 can predict the structure of nearly all 200 million identified proteins. These innovations are used in fields like pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and solving challenges like antibiotic resistance and plastic degradation.

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South Korean author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. She is the first Korean to receive this honor. Her work is known for its “intense poetic prose” that addresses historical traumas and the fragility of life. Notable works include The Vegetarian (Man Booker International Prize winner in 2016), The White Book, Human Acts, and Greek Lessons.

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The 5th National Water Awards 2023 were announced in New Delhi. Odisha won the first prize for Best State, followed by Uttar Pradesh in second place. Gujarat and Puducherry jointly secured third place. The event, led by Union Minister C.R. Patil, aimed to recognize efforts in water conservation and management. A total of 38 winners were honored in various categories, promoting awareness of sustainable water practices. The awards underscore the importance of effective water management in addressing challenges related to water scarcity and sustainability.

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Bibek Debroy, the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), recently passed away. EAC-PM is an independent body that advises the Prime Minister on economic issues. It analyzes economic matters referred by the Prime Minister and addresses macroeconomic concerns. The council’s role is advisory and non-binding on the government. It promotes economic understanding through reports and public engagement. EAC-PM is led by a chairperson and includes eminent economists, with no fixed number of members. The NITI Aayog acts as the nodal agency for administrative support to the council.