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Sunday, March 6, 2022

Daily GK Update- 6th Mar, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Rajasthan govt announces ‘Camel Protection and Development Policy’: Rajasthan, the state government has announced a ‘Camel Protection and Development Policy’ in its budget 2022-23. According to the government figures, less than two lakh camels are left in Rajasthan and in the entire country, the number of camels has reduced by 1.5 lakh since 2012. There were about 2.5 lakh camels left when counted last in 2019.

Camel is the state animal of Rajasthan and their number is continuously decreasing. The Rajasthan government had declared the camel as the state animal in 2014. About 85 per cent of the country’s camels are found in Rajasthan followed by Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Note: World Camel Day is observed every year on 22 June to recognize the importance of camels to the livelihood of a large population.

 

2. DST tieup with Intel India to boost AI readiness: ‘Building AI Readiness among Young Innovators’, a program by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in partnership with Intel India, was launched by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology (I/C). The program aims to build digital readiness among the students from classes 6 to 10, enrolled under DST’s INSPIRE-Awards MANAK scheme.

About the program:

a)      The flagship program of DST reaches out to students pan India with an aim to create a culture of creativity and innovative thinking. Intel said its commitment to promoting AI readiness in the country is in synergy with the government’s vision of leveraging AI to make India a leader in the field while utilizing the technology to address its socio-economic challenges.

b)      The program will bring both these together and seek to build an AI-ready generation by empowering the students with the knowledge and skills to leverage AI in an inclusive way.

 

3. Biodegradable nanoparticle developed by IIT Kanpur: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have created a biodegradable nanoparticle that can be used as an alternative to chemical-based insecticides to protect crops from bacterial and fungal illnesses. Abhay Karandikar, who is the director of IIT Kanpur said that because farmers suffer a variety of issues, IIT Kanpur has worked tirelessly to improve the farming environment as a whole. Nanoparticles would reduce the risk of crop infection while also increasing agricultural productivity. Key Points:

a)      The nanoparticle, dubbed Biodegradable Carbonoid Metabolite (BioDCM), can be active at low concentrations and be as effective as pesticides while having no detrimental effects on soil or consumer health. It operates quickly because it is administered in bioactive form and can resist high temperatures.

b)      The nanoparticle was produced in collaboration with C. Kannan and D. Mishra of ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, and also with R Balamurugan and M. Mandal of the Hyderabad University’s School of Chemistry.

c)       Given the nanoparticle developed by IIT Kanpur’s biodegradable and non-harmful nature, it is likely to attract a lot of interest from farmers looking to reduce their use of chemicals in farming, particularly pesticides.

 

4. Centre postpones 2022 Gandhinagar DefExpo: The DefExpo 2022 that was scheduled to be held from March 10 to March 14, in Gandhinagar of Gujarat has been postponed by the Ministry of Defence, due to logistics problems being experienced by participants. The new dates of the defence expo shall be communicated in due course.

 

5. CISF’s 53rd Raising Day: 6th March: The 53rd Raising Day ceremony of Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) was organised on March 06, 2022, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has attended and addressed the Raising Day ceremony of CISF at Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram. The CISF, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, is a central armed police force and among one of the six paramilitary forces of India.

About CISF:

a)      CISF was set up under an Act of the Parliament of India on 10 March 1969, to provide security cover to industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments located all over India.

b)      Eventually, it was made an armed force of the Republic of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983.

c)       CISF is one of six paramilitary forces in India and functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

Note: Director-General of CISF: Sheel Vardhan Singh.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. SDG Index 2021: India ranks 120th position: India has been ranked at 120th position in the Sustainable Development Report 2021 or Sustainable Development Index 2021. In this Index, countries are ranked by a score out of 100. India has a score of 60.07. Last year India’s rank was 117. The Index measures the country’s total progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Index has been topped by Finland.

The top 5 countries in this ranking are:

1- Finland;

2- Sweden;

3- Denmark;

4- Germany;

5- Belgium

These 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

2. Knight Frank: India ranks 3rd in billionaire population globally: India is ranked 3rd in terms of most number of billionaires’ population globally in 2021, as per Knight Frank’s latest edition of The Wealth Report 2022. The number of ultra-high-net-worth-individuals (UHNWIs) in India increased by 11% YoY in 2021 to 145 billionaires, the highest percentage growth in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. UHNWIs are individuals with net assets of US$ 30m or more (Rs 226 crore).

Globally: The list has been topped by the United States (748) and China (554) respectively.

Indian City-wise: Bengaluru recorded the highest growth in the number of UHNWIs in 2021 at 17.1% to 352 billionaires. It was followed by Delhi (12.4% to 210) and Mumbai (9% to 1596) in 2021.

Top 5 countries with the most number of billionaires in 2021:

Billionaires

2021

United States

748

China

554

India

145

Germany

136

Russia

121

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. ISSF World Cup: Shri Nivetha, Esha, Ruchita win gold in women’s 10m air pistol: India’s Shri Nivetha, Esha Singh, and Ruchita Vinerkar have won the gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol team event of the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. With this win, India is leading the medal table with three medals, including two gold and silver. Andrea Katharina Heckner, Sandra Reitz and Carina Wimmer of Germany settled for the silver medal.

Germany and Italy are joint seconds on the table with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal each. A total of 17 countries have won medals so far.

 

2. ICC Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2022 begins: The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has kicked off on March 04, 2022, in New Zealand. This is the 12 edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, being held in New Zealand from March 04 to April 03, 2022. The opening match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 was held at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui between West Indies and New Zealand, in which West Indies women beat New Zealand by 3 runs. India will open against Pakistan on the 6th of March.

Key points:

a)      The final match is scheduled to take place at the Hagley Oval stadium.

b)      Total 8 teams are participating which includes, New Zealand, Australia, England, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Govt approves 20% FDI in LIC via automatic route: The Union Cabinet has approved an amendment to the FDI Policy to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 20 percent under the “automatic route” in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). This comes ahead of IPO of LIC. Prior to this, there was no limit was prescribed for foreign investment in LIC. The FDI ceiling for LIC has now been made at par with that of public sector banks. It must be noted that the FDI limit in the insurance sector is 74 percent. Last year it was raised from 49% to 74%.

 

2. HDFC Bank finances Asia’s largest waste to energy plant in Indore- Gobar-Dhan plant: HDFC Bank has partnered with Indore Clean Energy Private Limited (ICEPL) for the development of Gobar-Dhan plant in Indore under its Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. The 550-tonne capacity “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” was inaugurated by PM Modi in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on February 19, 2022. This is the biggest Bio-CNG plant in Asia. It has been set up at a cost of Rs 150 crore. Indore Clean Energy Pvt Ltd (ICEPL) is promoted by Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), which is the largest climate impact fund in India with anchor investors like NIIF & Government of UK.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Tata Motors launches ‘Anubhav’- showroom on wheels: Tata Motors has launched a mobile showroom (showroom on wheels) named ‘Anubhav,’ to target rural customers by increasing their reach in rural areas and providing them with a doorstep car buying experience. Tata Motors will deploy a total of 103 mobile showrooms across the country, to enhance the Tata Motors brand awareness in rural India.

About the ‘Anubhav,’ mobile showrooms:

a)      These mobile showrooms will be operated by dealerships under Tata Motors’ supervision and guidance. All the dealerships will define monthly routes for these vans on which they will ply and cover the targeted village or tehsil.

b)      A total of 103 mobile showrooms are being deployed across the country to enhance the Tata Motors brand awareness in rural India.

c)       These mobile showrooms will help existing dealerships offer a doorstep sales experience to customers and assist them with information about Tata Motors’ products.

d)      These products include a new forever range of cars and SUVs, accessories, avail finance schemes, book a test drive and evaluate existing cars for exchange.

Note: Tata Motors Headquarters: Mumbai; Tata Motors Founder: J. R. D. Tata; Tata Motors Founded: 1945, Mumbai.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. 19th Military Cooperation meet of India & US held in Agra 2022: The 19th edition of the India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting was conducted in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The discussion was co-chaired by Air Marshal BR Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), and Lieutenant General Stephen D Sklenka, Deputy Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command, represented the US side.

Key Points:

a)      The conference took place when Russia was engaged in a significant military operation in Ukraine. Western countries, such as the United States, have implemented severe economic sanctions against Russia.

b)      Around 70% of India’s defence equipment is made in Russia.

c)       According to the Defence Ministry, the India-US military cooperation group was established to advance defence collaboration between the two nations through regular meetings at the strategic and operational levels between the Headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff and the US Indo-Pacific Command.

d)      The India-US MCG is a forum set up to advance defence cooperation between the two nations by frequent strategic and operational consultations involving Headquarters, the Integrated Defence Staff, and the US Indo-Pacific Command.

e)      The discussions centred on improving the two countries’ ongoing defence engagements and considering new initiatives within the framework of the existing cooperation mechanism.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Noted film critic, writer Jaiprakash Chouksey passes away: Film critic, writer Jaiprakash Chouksey has passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 82 years. He has penned scripts and dialogues for several films including ‘Shayad’ (1979), ‘Qatl’ (1986) and ‘Bodyguard’ (2011), and was also involved in writing for television serials. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state Congress chief Kamal Nath and several other leaders condoled Chouksey’s death.

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