Daily GK Update- 8th Oct, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Centre launches ICMR’s drone-based vaccine delivery model ‘i-Drone’: The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, launched ‘i-Drone’, a drone-based vaccine delivery model for Northeast states. The i-Drone has been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). i-Drone stands for ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East. The main objective of this tool is to facilitate vaccine delivery to tough and hard-to-reach terrains of India, and to improve healthcare accessibility to the last mile. Currently, the drone-based delivery project is being implemented in Manipur, Nagaland, and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island. ICMR collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for conducting an initial study to test the capacity of drones to carry and transfer vaccines safely.

 

2. Govt extends Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt upto 31st of March 2022: Government has extended the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt upto 31st of March next year. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said, the government had announced creation of Distressed Assets Fund – Subordinate Debt for Stressed MSMEs’ on 13th May last year under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package. In order to keep the avenues of assistance to stressed MSME Units open, the Government had earlier decided to extend this scheme for six months from 31 March this year to 30th September.

 

3. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launches Mission Basundhara: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched ‘Mission Basundhara’ at a programme organised by the Revenue and Disaster Management department in Guwahati. The mission is a decisive step towards streamlining land revenue services and facilitating easy access to the public for their land-related work. A total of Rs 225 crore will be spent on the implementation of the programme and the mission will enable the rebuilding of all lost land records of the state.

 

4. GI tagged sweet dish Mihidana has been exported to Baharain: The first consignment of Geographical Indication (GI) tagged sweet dish Mihidana, from Bardhaman, West Bengal has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain. This initiative is part of the effort to promote indigenous & Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products of India globally. The product was exported by APEDA registered M/S DM Enterprises, Kolkata. West Bengal’s Bardhaman got the GI tag for the Mihidana sweetmeats in 2017. A GI tag is a sign denoting a specific geographical origin and possesses qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

Note: Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

 

5. Eric Braganza appointed as CEAMA president: The Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) has appointed Eric Braganza as its president for a two-year term. He succeeds Godrej Appliances Business Head and Executive Vice-President Kamal Nandi for the CEAMA chair. Braganza, an alumnus of Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, has over 35 years and has held senior management positions in the consumer electronics and appliances industry in various companies.

About the CEAMA: Established in 1978, CEAMA represents the consumer electronics and home appliances industry and aims to enhance the development of the industry and its components manufacturing.

 

6. Indian Air Force Day: 8th October: Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Air Force on the 8th of October. This year Indian Air Force celebrated its 89th anniversary. Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the Royal Indian Air Force. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950.

History of Indian Air Force Day: The IAF was founded on October 8, 1932, and the force has participated in several crucial wars and landmark missions. It was officially established as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India’s aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India. With the government’s transition to a Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.

Note: Chiefs of Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. India Joins High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People: India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30. High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south, European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members. India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. This coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 per cent the of world’s land and ocean by 2030.

 

2. World Egg Day 2021: 8th October: World Egg Day is celebrated worldwide on the ‘Second Friday of October’ month each year since 1996. This year’s World Egg Day will take place on Friday 8 October and will mark the 25th anniversary of the event. The 2021 celebration will centre around the brilliant versatility of the egg and its multitude of benefits to people at every stage of life. The theme for 2021 World Egg Day is “Eggs for all: Nature’s perfect package”. World Egg Day was established at Vienna 1996, when it was decided to celebrate the power of the egg on the second Friday in October each year. The day helps to raise awareness of the benefits of eggs and their importance in human nutrition.

 

3. World Investor Week 2021: 4th-10th October: The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is preparing to launch its fifth annual World Investor Week (WIW) from 4 to 10 October 2021. The World Investor Week (WIW) is an initiative promoted by the IOSCO to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection and highlight the various initiatives of securities regulators in these two critical areas. The key messages of the IOSCO WIW campaign in 2021 will be based on two themes: 1) sustainable finance and 2) frauds and scams prevention. The IOSCO WIW campaign continues to gain support among a growing number of jurisdictions, stakeholders and major international organizations.

Note: IOSCO Headquarters: Madrid, Spain; IOSCO Secretary General: Paul P. Andrews; IOSCO Founded: April 1983.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India Lose to Russia in Final but Win 1st-ever Medal at World Women’s Chess Championship: India clinched a silver medal after going down 0-2 to Russia in the final of the FIDE World Women’s Team Chess Championship. After losing the first match 1.5.-2-5 despite a brilliant win for D Harika on the board, the Indians were outclassed 3-1 in the second as a strong Russian team stormed to a title triumph. It was India’s first ever medal in the world team chess championship

 

2. Indian Women Win Team Gold in Skeet, Bronze for Men at ISSF Junior World Championship

Indian shooters claimed the gold medal in the women’s skeet team event and the bronze in the men’s team finals of the ISSF Junior World Championship. The trio of Areeba Khan, Raiza Dhillon and Ganemat Sekhon finished at the top of the podium in the women’s event after shooting an aggregate score of 6. In the gold medal round, the Indian women were pitted against the Italian team of Damiana Paolacci, Sara Bongini and Giada Longhi.

In the men’s section, the Indian team of Rajveer Gill, Ayush Rudraraju and Abhay Singh Sekhon won the bronze medal after prevailing over Turkey’s Ali Can Arabaci, Ahmet Baran and Muhammet Seyhun Kaya 6-0, the same’s scoreline as the women’s gold medal contest.

India are currently place second in the pecking order with two gold, three silver and two bronze for a total of seven medals in the tournament. U.S. tops the chart with seven medals including three gold.

 

3. Nagaland to host 56th National Cross Country Championship in January 2022: Nagaland will be hosting the 56th National Cross Country Championship in January next year. The announcement was made by Associate Vice President of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Mr. Abu Metha during an interaction with media persons in Kohima. It will be the first ever for the state to host such national athletics events. The state was allotted the event following a bid during the AFI national executive meeting held in Rajasthan recently.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Bank gets approval from the government to collect direct, indirect taxes: Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (KMBL) has received approval from the government for the collection of direct & indirect taxes, such as income tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST) etc, through its banking network. With this, the bank becomes the first scheduled private sector bank to receive approval after the announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allowing all banks to participate in the government-related business. After technical integration, KMBL customers will be able to pay their direct and indirect taxes straight from KMBL’s mobile banking or net banking platforms as well as through KMBL’s branch banking network, resulting in immense ease and convenience for customers.

Note: Kotak Mahindra Bank Establishment: 2003; Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Kotak Mahindra Bank MD & CEO: Uday Kotak; Kotak Mahindra Bank Tagline: Let’s Make Money Simple.

 

2. U GRO Capital and IDBI Bank sign a co-lending agreement: U GRO Capital has signed a co-lending agreement with IDBI Bank, on the occasion of the bank’s 58th Foundation Day. The co-lending arrangement will work towards providing formal credit to underserved MSMEs, at affordable rates. For the same, it will leverage U GRO Capital’s digital technology platform driven by a Data Tripod, which comprises of GST, Banking & Bureau, in addition to the company’s deep sectoral understanding, and multi-channel distribution reach.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Moody’s upgrades India’s rating outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’: Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded India’s sovereign rating outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’, on October 05, 2021, following an improvement in the financial sector and faster-than-expected economic recovery across sectors. Moody’s expects real GDP growth to average around 6 per cent over the medium term, reflecting a rebound in activity to levels at potential as conditions normalise.

While it retained India’s rating at Baa3, reflecting the lowest investment grade rating, Moody’s said it expects real GDP to surpass pre-pandemic levels of 2019-20 this year itself, as the ongoing economic recovery is picking up steam with activity upticks broadening across sectors. It expects 2021-22 to record 9.3% growth in GDP, followed by 7.9% next year.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2021 announced: The Nobel Prize in Literature 2021 was awarded to Abdulrazak Gurnah born in Zanzibar and active in England, “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.” The Nobel Prize in literature is awarded by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abdulrazak Gurnah: The Tanzanian novelist was born in Zanzibar in 1948 and has since lived in the UK and Nigeria. He writes in English, and his most famous novel is Paradise, which was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1994. Gurnah currently lives in the UK and taught English Literature at the University of Kent. Until recently, he was Professor of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, Canterbury and has published ten novels and a number of short stories.

 

2. Prof Eric Hanushek and Dr. Rukmini Banerji awarded the 2021 Yidan Prize: Professor Eric A. Hanushek and Dr Rukmini Banerji have been awarded the 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development for improving learning outcomes in schools at scale. Yidan Prize is the world’s highest education accolade, in recognition of their ground-breaking work addressing a crucial piece of the education puzzle: improving quality of education and outcomes for learners at scale. The Yidan Prize was founded by Charles Chen Yidan in 2016 to create a better world through education. Yidan Prize Laureate receives a gold medal and a sum of $3.9 million.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Arvind Trivedi, best known for his role as ‘Raavan’ in Ramayan, passes away: Veteran television actor Arvind Trivedi, who is famously known for his iconic role of demon-king Raavan in Ramanand Sagar’s TV serial Ramayan, has passed away. He was 82. He was also part of the political field, as an MP from Sabarkatha constituency in Gujarat, and had served the Parliament from 1991-96. He served as the acting chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 2002 to 2003.