Daily GK Update- 2nd Nov, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches knowledge App “CUNSULT”: Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari has launched a knowledge App and platform CUNSULT. Emphasizing innovation, entrepreneurship, science technology, research and skill for knowledge transformation. The app is the first such global facility by which people who need information, advice, counsel, guidance can contact and call up experts in multiple sectors. The app will be a forum for mentors to share their life experiences. The app will allow people to learn from the wisdom which has been acquired over the lifetime. Each expert also gets a unique, exclusive page reflecting their contributions by way of articles and video blogs and this serves as their intellectual legacy and helps to promote interest in them. CUNSULT uses the framework of context and convergence to instantly connect knowledge seekers and knowledge givers.

 

2. Karnataka tops State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2020: Karnataka has topped the State Energy Efficiency Index 2020 (SEEI), scoring 70 points out of 100 on the back of several initiatives to improve energy efficiency in the state. Rajasthan is on second rank followed by Haryana on third. Last year i.e in SEEI 2019 ranking, Rajasthan was on top. The State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2020 was released under the Ministry of Power.

About the State Energy Efficiency Index:

(1) State Energy Efficiency Index is released by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE).

(2) The SEE index, assesses the states in four categories of Aspirant with a score below 30 points, Contenders with a score between 30-50, Achievers with a score of 50-60 and the Frontrunners with above 60 points score.

(3) SEEI 2020 has assessed the performance of 36 states and Union territories in energy efficiency (EE) using 68 qualitative, quantitative, and outcome-based indicators aggregating to a maximum score of 100 across six sectors.

 

3. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar addresses National Conference on ‘International Year of Fruits and Vegetables’: The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar addressed a National Conference on “International Year of Fruits and Vegetables”. The conference was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It was held to commemorate 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, as declared by United Nations Organization. The theme for International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 is “Awareness about the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables for balanced and healthy diet and life style.”

 

4. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates 14th Urban Mobility Conference 2021: The 14th edition of Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference 2021 was held through video-conferencing. The conference was inaugurated by Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep S. Puri from New Delhi. The theme of the day long Conference “Mobility for All”. It was held under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Objective: provide an opportunity to decision makers and delegates to interact with professionals, experts, academia, industry, civil society, technology, services providers and other stake holders in Urban Transport, both domestic and international, to develop their urban transport along a sustainable path, as well as discuss key issues relevant to the sector and suggest measures to address them.

 

5. NITI Aayog Releases Report on ‘Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle’: NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive report titled “Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle”. The report highlights the gaps in the health insurance coverage across the country and offers solutions to address the situation. The report has a Foreword by NITI Aayog Member Dr V.K. Paul. The report has stated that 30% of the Indian population are devoid of health insurance, and has termed them as the “missing middle”

 

6. Agriculture Minister inaugurated “Apple Festival” in Jammu and Kashmir: Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar and Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha has virtually inaugurated Apple Festival, organized for the first time in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It will provide a better platform to apple growers and other stakeholders. With an annual production of more than 2 million metric tonnes, apple from J&K contributes to 87% of the national production and is linked to the livelihood of about 30% of the population of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. South Korea inaugurated World’s Largest Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant: The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea held that the ‘Shinincheon Bitdream Fuel Cell Power Plant’ at the Shinincheon Bitdream headquarters of Korea Southern Power in Seo-gu, Incheon has been completed and inaugurated. The power plant is operated by South Korea’s independent power production company, POSCO Energy and Doosan Fuel Cell. It has a capacity of 78 MW constructed in four stages from 2017. The project cost about 340 billion won ($292 million).

Note: South Korea Capital: Seoul; South Korea Currency: South Korean won; South Korea President: Moon Jae-in.

 

2. THE’s World Reputation Rankings 2021 announced: 4 Indian institutes have made it to the Times Higher Education (THE)’s World Reputation Rankings 2021, the annual ranking of THE that features the top 200 universities based on the votes from leading academics across the globe. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru ranked among the top 100 (91-100) has topped the Indian Institutes. The other 3 Indian institutes are the IIT Bombay, the IIT Delhi, and the IIT Madras.

Harvard University of the United States of America (USA) has topped the 2021 ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and University of Oxford from the United Kingdom (UK) has secured the 2nd and 3rd rank respectively.

Globally:

Ranking	Institute
1	Harvard University (US)
2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
3	University of Oxford (UK)
10	Tsinghua University (China)

 

Ranking of Indian Institutes:

Ranking	Institute
91-100	IISc Bangalore
126-150	IIT Bombay
176-200	IIT Delhi
176-200	IIT Madras

 

3. International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists: 2nd November: The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is an UN-recognized day observed annually on 2 November. The day draws attention to the low global conviction rate for violent crimes against journalists and media workers, estimated at only one in every ten cases.

History of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists: The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163. The Resolution urged the Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.

Note: UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France; UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay; UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank partnered NPCI to launch Rupay Credit Cards ‘Veer’: Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch Kotak credit cards on the RuPay network named ‘Veer’ for Indian armed forces i.e. the Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel. In India’s 75th year of Independence, the first credit card to be introduced by KMBL on the RuPay network is the ‘Veer’ credit card, exclusively for the armed forces. The launch of Veer credit card for the armed forces marks Kotak’s 1st credit card under the RuPay network. The credit card is available in two variants as Kotak RuPay Veer Platinum and Kotak RuPay Veer Select. These contactless cards come with a zero joining fee and provide multiple exciting benefits to cardholders.

Note: Kotak Mahindra Bank Founded: 2003; Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Kotak Mahindra Bank MD & CEO: Uday Kotak; Kotak Mahindra Bank Tagline: Let’s make money simple.

 

2. Centre approves reappointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor of RBI: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the reappointment of Shaktikanta Das as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) for a further period of three years with effect from December 10, 2021. He assumed the charge as the 25th governor of RBI on December 12, 2018, for three years. Before his appointment at RBI, Das served as a member of the 15th Finance Commission. He is a 1980 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Govt approves interest rate on EPF for FY21 at 8.5%: Ministry of Finance has approved the interest rate on employees’ provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2020-21 at 8.5%. The rate has been kept unchanged as for the year 2019-20. EPF is one fixed-income instrument that is completely tax-free under the exempt-exempt-exempt (EEE) regime, along with PPF and the Sukanya Samriddhi Account. Now the labour ministry will notify the interest rate for it to come into effect.

 

2. ADB approves $250 million loan for India’s NICDP: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 250 million (about Rs 1,875 crore) loan to support India’s National Industrial Corridor Development Program (NICDP). This is the first subprogram of the programmatic USD 500 million loans to develop 11 industrial corridors spanning 17 states.

About the NICDP: NICDP aims to develop world-class industrial nodes that are supported by efficient urban agglomerations and multimodal connectivity, including international gateways like ports and airports and inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable infrastructure.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Australian legend Alan Davidson passes away: Australian legend Alan Davidson has passed away. The bowling allrounder, who made his Test debut against England in 1953, represented Australia 44 times in the longest format. The left-arm pacer had finished his career with a stunning average of 20.53, having picked up 186 wickets. His career-best figures of 7/93 came against India in 1959. Davidson was a handy batsman as well, registering five vital half-centuries in his career, including the 80 he hit in the first-ever tied Test match in 1960 against West Indies. In the same game, he had also picked up 11 wickets.

 

2. Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar passes away: Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar passed away due to a fatal cardiac arrest. He was the son of legendary actor Rajkumar. He was known to fans as “Appu” – after the 2002 film. He was also a singer and was admired for his dance skills. Puneeth was the presenter of Kannadada Kotyadhipathi, the Kannada version of the game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”.