Daily GK Update- 2nd Oct, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi chairs 38th PRAGATI Meeting: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the 38th PRAGATI meeting to review multiple projects, grievances and programmes of central and state government. PRAGATI stands for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. In the meeting, eight projects were taken for review having a cumulative cost of around Rs 50,000 crore. 297 projects worth Rs. 14.39 lakh crore has been reviewed so far in the previous 37 PRAGATI meetings.

About the PRAGATI: PRAGATI is an ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform, launched in March 2015, by PM Modi as a unique integrating and interactive platform, aimed at addressing common man’s grievances and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

 

2. SC introduces Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records system: In a big fillip to the fundamental rights of life, dignity and personal liberty, the Supreme Court has introduced a new system by which its crucial decisions, including orders on bail and stay of arrest, can be communicated electronically to prison authorities and investigating agencies through a secure channel. Following an order on July 16 by a Special Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, the apex court has introduced the “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FASTER) system. The system is meant to ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders were late to reach the prison.

 

3. Vinod Aggarwal appointed ASDC president: The Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) has appointed automobile industry veteran Vinod Aggarwal as its president. Aggarwal, who is currently the managing director and CEO of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd (VECV), replaces Nikunj Sanghi, who will leave ASDC after serving it for four years. ASDC was set up a decade ago and is promoted by the top industry associations — SIAM, ACMA and FADA — along with the central government and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It is a sector skills council for the auto industry, which aims to make the country self-sufficient to sustain the growth and competitiveness of the automotive industry.

 

4. Gandhi Jayanti 2021: 2nd October: Every year 2nd October is celebrated as a Gandhi Jayanti to remember the birth anniversary of the father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi. The year 2021 marks the 152nd birth anniversary of the global peace icon who was born on 2 October 1869, in Porbandar in Gujarat. This day is referred to as Gandhi Jayanti in India.

On 15 June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence. The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. The International Day is an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness”.

 

5. National Wildlife Week: 02 to 08 October 2021: National Wildlife Week is annually celebrated across India between 2nd to 8th October with an aim to protect and preserve the flora and fauna of India. The Wildlife Week 2021 is celebrated from 2nd October to 8th October. In 2021, we are celebrating 67th Wildlife Week. This year National Wildlife Week theme 2021: “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet”.

History of Wildlife Week: The Indian Board of Wildlife was constituted and the idea of Wildlife Week was conceptualised in 1952 to raise awareness about the long term goals of protecting the wildlife of India. Initially, in 1955 the Wildlife day was celebrated which was later upgraded as Wildlife Week in 1957.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Accra named UNESCO World Book Capital 2023: The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has named Accra (Ghana) as UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023, following the evaluation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee. After Guadalajara (Mexico) in 2022, the city of Accra was selected for its strong focus on young people and their potential to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana. Accra’s proposed programme seeks to use the power of books to engage these young people, as an effective way of skilling up the next generation.

 

2. India, Oman ink pact to boost maritime security cooperation: India and Oman inked an agreement for exchange of white shipping information and to boost maritime security cooperation in reflection of growing cooperation between the two sides. It was signed during Admiral Singh’s three-day visit to Oman. The information would be exchanged between the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre and the MSC (Maritime Security Centre), Oman, and contribute to enhanced maritime safety and security in the region. The Indian Navy cooperates with the Royal Navy of Oman on many fronts that include operational interactions and training.

 

3. US successfully flight tests Raytheon hypersonic weapon: The United States has tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon capable of speeds faster than five times the speed of sound, marking the first successful test of the class of weapon since 2013, the Pentagon said. The test took place as the United States and its global rivals quicken their pace to build hypersonic weapons – the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms. The missile, built by Raytheon Technologies, was released from an aircraft seconds before its Northrop Grumman scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) engine kicked on.

 

4. Earth-monitoring Satellite Launches From California: The latest in a series of U.S. satellites that has recorded human and natural impacts on Earth’s surface for decades was launched into orbit from California to ensure continued observations in the era of climate change. Landsat 9 was carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that lifted off from foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base. It will take the orbital track of Landsat 7, which will be decommissioned. A project of NASA and the US Geological Survey, Landsat 9 will work in tandem with a predecessor, Landsat 8, to extend a nearly 50-year record of land and coastal region observations that began with the launch of the first Landsat in 1972.

 

5. World Day for Farmed Animals: 02 October: World Day for Farmed Animals (WDFA) is observed on October 02, which marks the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The day is organised by the International animals’ welfare organization, World Animal Protection along with Asia for Animals coalition to show the importance and urgency of farm animal welfare. The day is dedicated to exposing the needless suffering and death of farmed animals who are raised and slaughtered for food. World Day for Farmed Animals has been organized each year since 1983 by the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), this year with the participation of Animal Justice, the Animal Law Firm, the Animal Activism Mentorship Program, Jewish Veg, Switch4Good, and Their Turn.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Tokyo Olympic medalist Rupinder Pal Singh announces retirement from hockey: The Olympic bronze medal-winning Indian hockey player, Rupinder Pal Singh has announced his retirement from international hockey to make way for young and talented players. The 30-year-old Rupinder represented the Indian hockey team in 223 matches in his 13 years hockey career. Rupinder was part of the Indian hockey team that won the bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Tokyo Olympics, held in July – August 2021.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. ICICI Bank to offer instant OD to sellers registered on amazon.in: ICICI Bank announced that it has partnered with Amazon India to offer overdraft (OD) facility upto ₹25 lakh to individual sellers and small businesses registered on the e-commerce company’s online marketplace. Sellers having current account with ICICI Bank can immediately start using the OD to meet their working capital requirements. Customers of other banks can avail the OD by simply opening a current account with the Bank digitally. This new and improved process will help the sellers, who may otherwise not get access to adequate credit when assessed in the traditional way of using only balance sheets, bank statements and tax returns.

 

2. Federal Bank launches RuPay Signet contactless credit card: Federal Bank joined hands with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and launched the ”Federal Bank RuPay Signet Contactless Credit Card.” It comes with the lowest Annual Percentage Rate (APR) starting from just 5.88 per cent per annum. The Federal Bank RuPay Signet credit cardholders will gain access to a wide variety of offers and deals across categories including travel, food and dining, shopping, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and much more.

 

3. SEBI approves frameworks for Gold and Social Stock Exchanges: Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the frameworks for gold exchange and Social Stock Exchange. The market regulator SEBI also approved amendments to delisting framework for equity shares at the board meeting held in Mumbai. A gold exchange is being set up to trade the yellow metal in the form of electronic gold receipts, which will help in having a transparent domestic spot price discovery mechanism. The instrument representing gold is to be called Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR), and will be having trading, clearing and settlement features akin to other securities. The framework for the SSE has been developed on the basis of the recommendations of a working group and technical group constituted by the regulator.The Sebi board has decided to amend rules pertaining to delisting of equity shares of a company following an open offer as part of efforts to make merger and acquisition transactions more rational and convenient.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. ICRA revise GDP growth of India to 9.00% in FY 2022: The domestic credit rating agency ICRA has revised up the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of India for the financial year 2021-22 (FY22) to 9 percent. Earlier this rate was 8.5%. ICRA is Gurgaon based credit rating agency, owned by Moody’s Corporation.