Daily GK Update- 11th Feb, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NITI Aayog and USAID annouces tie-up under SAMRIDH initiative: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have announced a new partnership under the Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) initiative. It aims to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and rural and tribal regions.  It aims to mobilize a capital pool of $100+ million from the private sector and bilateral organizations. It leverages this fund to offer both grant and debt financing provision to support the expansion of market-based health solutions.

Under this partnership:

(1) AIM and SAMRIDH have announced a Call for Proposals for healthcare innovators and entrepreneurs in India. Through this initiative, they will focus on innovations across the healthcare landscape.

(2) This new partnership announced will enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations, leveraging AIM’s expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.

(3) The collaboration would focus on innovations across the healthcare landscape with the common goal to mount an effective response to the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 and build health system preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks and health emergencies.

 

2. Amazon India signed MoU with Karnataka to turn rural women into entrepreneurs: Amazon India signed an MoU with Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (KSRLPS) to support the growth of women entrepreneurs. Amazon India will launch ‘Sanjeevini-KSRLPS’ in its platform and extend benefits of the ‘Saheli’ Programme to train and empower thousands of rural women entrepreneurs and also provide online access to a wider market for their products. The Saheli Programme offers training and skill development workshops to help women entrepreneurs. Through this, Amazon and the government bodies will come together to assist and empower lakhs of women entrepreneurs associated with them from the four states to register their business with Amazon India and access a wider market base.

About the Amazon Saheli programme: Amazon Saheli programme will offer extensive training and skill development workshops for its participants to help women entrepreneurs associated with them understand the nuances of online selling and develop skills and capabilities necessary to grow their business on Amazon.in. These training workshops comprise sessions on the listing of products, imaging & cataloguing, packaging and shipping, inventory and account management, and customer servicing.

Note: Amazon CEO: Andrew R. Jassy; Amazon Founded: 5 July 1994.

Karnataka Capital: Bengaluru; Karnataka Chief Minister: Basavaraj S Bommai; Karnataka Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot.

 

3. Akshay Kumar named as brand ambassador of Uttarakhand 2022: Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has appointed Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand ahead of the 2022 Assembly Elections. In 2017, Akshay Kumar was appointed as Uttarakhand’s brand ambassador for ‘Swachhata Abhiyan’. Akshay Kumar, is a Canadian-Indian actor, a film producer who has acted in more than 100 films.

In 2021, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, who hails from Roorkee, Uttarakhand was appointed as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand. Indian field hockey player, Vandana Katariya was appointed as the brand ambassador of the women and child development department of Uttarakhand as well as the brand ambassador of the Centre’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme for Haridwar district.

 

4. Kerala signed an MoU with Social Alpha to develop clean energy tech: Kerala Government has signed an MoU with the Social Alpha’s Energy Lab – “Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC)” to support innovative and clean energy technology programmes in Kerala. The Government of Kerala signed this agreement through Kerala Development & Innovation Strategy Council (KDISC) and Energy Management Centre (EMC). The EMC Kerala represents the Power Department agencies including the Kerala State Electricity Board, Electrical Inspectorate and ANERT (Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology). To establish a clean energy incubation centre to boost green energy development and energy conservation activities in Kerala.

Note: Kerala Capital: Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan; Kerala Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan.

 

5. Ex-consultant to World Bank Pradip Shah named as Pfizer India chairman: Pfizer India has appointed Pradip Shah as the chairman of its board following the resignation of RA Shah. He is the ex-managing director and a founding member of Crisil. Prior to founding Crisil, he assisted in founding HDFC in 1977. He has also served as a consultant to USAID, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

 

6. Disha Patani named as Brand Ambassador of Bata India: Bata India Limited has appointed Bollywood actress, Disha Patani as it’s Brand Ambassador. She will promote the brand and strengthen the youth connection to enhance footwear fashion among them. Previously, Bata has associated with celebrities including Kriti Sanon, Sushant Singh Rajput, and cricket player Smriti Mandhana for promoting various labels under Bata.

Note: Bata India Limited Founded: 1931; Bata India Limited Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana; Bata India Limited CEO: Gunjan Shah.

 

7. Amitabh Bachchan named as brand ambassador of MediBuddy: MediBuddy, one of India’s largest digital healthcare platforms, has signed legendary Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as the official brand ambassador. As part of the deal, Bachchan will be seen endorsing various services available on the platform, while highlighting the need to prioritise one’s health. With the deal in place, MediBuddy is looking at further amplifying its reach across India. Leveraging the veteran actor’s popularity, especially across tier II and tier III cities, the brand aims to position itself as a household name.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021: Mumbai 5th most-congested city in the world: As per the TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021, Mumbai has been ranked at 5th, Bengaluru at 10th in terms of the most congested cities in the world in 2021. Delhi and Pune ranked 11th and 21st among 404 cities across 58 countries, according to TomTom Traffic Index’s global top 25 lists. Istanbul, Turkey has been declared as the most congested city in the world as per the ranking. while Moscow came in second.

The ranking covers 404 cities across 58 countries. The report said India’s congestion level in 2021 was 23% lower than pre-Covid times, with a decrease of 31% specifically during peak hours. In 2020, the traffic congestion in three Indian metros- Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi – made it to the top 10 list.

 

2. World Unani Day: 11th February: World Unani Day is observed on February 11 every year to mark the birth anniversary of “Hakim Ajmal Khan”, an eminent Indian Unani physician. The first Unani Day was celebrated in 2017 at the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM), Hyderabad. The main objective is to spread the awareness in masses and action about healthcare delivery through the Unani system of medicine worldwide through its preventive and curative philosophy.

About Hakim Ajmal Khan: Hakim Ajmal Khan was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was a versatile genius, a great scholar, a social reformer, a noted freedom fighter, an Unani medical educationist and founder of scientific research in Unani System of Medicine. He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.

 

3. International Day of Women and Girls in Science: 11th February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed globally on 11 February. The 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly, taking place on 11 February 2022, aims to recognize the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries but also as agents of change, including in view of accelerating progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). The Day is implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women in collaboration with institutions and civil society partners that aim to promote women and girls in science. The 2022 theme of the Day is “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us”.

History of the day: In December 2015, the United Nations adopted a resolution to celebrate February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In 2016 is the first time it was celebrated. The idea behind this day is to ensure equal participation and involvement of women and girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI Monetary Policy: RBI keeps Repo Rate unchanged at 4.0 per cent: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent for the 10th consecutive time while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’ as long as necessary. The reverse repo rate will continue to be 3.35 per cent. The central bank had last revised the policy rate on May 22, 2020, in an off-policy cycle to perk up demand by cutting the interest rate to a historic low. Reserve Bank of India conducted the 6th and the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting for 2021-22 between February 8-10, 2022. The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled during April 6-8, 2022. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rates remain unchanged:

Policy Repo Rate: 4.00%

Reverse Repo Rate: 3.35%

Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 4.25%

Bank Rate: 4.25%

CRR: 4%

SLR: 18.00%

RBI Monetary Policy Highlights & Key Decisions:

(1)    The MPC decided to continue with the accommodative stance.

(2)    RBI has projected the real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 7.8 per cent.

(3)    For the current fiscal year, RBI projected real GDP growth of 9.2 per cent and expects that it will take the economy above the pre-pandemic level.

(4)    For the current fiscal year, RBI retained its retail inflation projection at 5.3 per cent.

(5)    MPC has been given the mandate to maintain annual inflation at 4 per cent until March 31, 2026, with an upper tolerance of 6 per cent and lower tolerance of 2 per cent.

The composition of the Monetary Policy Committee is as follows:

(1)    Governor of the Reserve Bank of India – Chairperson, ex officio: Shri Shaktikanta Das.

(2)    Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in charge of Monetary Policy– Member, ex officio: Dr Michael Debabrata Patra.

(3)    One officer of the Reserve Bank of India to be nominated by the Central Board – Member, ex officio: Dr Mridul K. Saggar.

(4)    A professor at the Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental Research: Prof. Ashima Goyal.

(5)    A professor of finance at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad: Prof. Jayanth R Varma.

(6)    An agricultural economist and a senior adviser with the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi: Dr Shashanka Bhide.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikanta Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI tie-up with NSE Academy to launch five online courses 2022: The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a partnership with NSE Academy to launch five online courses that promote financial literacy as a necessary life skill. The courses curated by SBI are a good blend of theory and operational aspects which will enable learners to have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of banking, compliance, lending norms and a host of other topics. Learners can enrol for five inaugural Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) of SBI on the NSE Knowledge Hub platform as a part of this strategic association. NSE Academy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India.

About the courses: These courses have been designed and developed by practising bankers possessing rich experience and excellent academic credentials. The courses are suitably enriched with real-life case studies and scenarios, thus offering experiential learning for working professionals and learners. The following five courses will be offered with an aim to provide an understanding of different aspects of banking-to-banking professionals, students and other learners.

Note: SBI Founded: 1 July 1955; SBI Headquarters: Mumbai; SBI Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Nitin Gadkari received 18th Late Madhavrao Limaye Award: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari will be facilitated for the first time with the 18th late Madhavrao Limaye award in the category of Karyakram Khaasdar (Efficient Member of Parliament) for the year 2020-21. This award will be facilitated by Nashik Public Library, Sarvajanik Vachanalay. Earlier, the award was given to Karyaksham Aamdaar, an efficient Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Maharashtra.

The Sarvajanik Vachanalay annually selects one of the members of Vidhan Parishad (Lok Sabha), Vidhan Sabha (Rajya Sabha) for the Efficient MLA or Member of Parliament (MP) Award. The award has been instituted in the memory of Limaye by his daughter Dr. Shobha Nerlikar. The award consists of Rs 50,000 in cash and a memento.