Daily GK Update- 17th April, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttarakhand to launch “Him Prahari” scheme for ex-servicemen & youngsters: The Government of Uttarakhand is set to implement the ‘Him Prahari’ Scheme which is meant for ex-servicemen and youngsters. The Uttarakhand Govt is seeking the cooperation of the Union Government to implement the scheme in areas bordering the Uttarakhand. The scheme will also prioritise settling ex-servicemen in areas bordering the state.

The scheme is aimed at stopping the migration of people from Uttarakhand and will focus on areas where migration occurs at a rapid phase so that people stay put, and not move out. The estimated expenditure of the scheme is around Rs 5.45 crore. The Him Prahari Scheme was announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Uttarakhand unit in its 2022 Election Manifesto. Under the scheme, the state will prioritise settling ex-servicemen in areas bordering the state. The state government will provide all necessary assistance to the ex-servicemen and the youth of the state to settle in the districts that share international borders keeping long-term national interests in mind.

Note: Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami; Uttarakhand Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (summer); Uttarakhand Governor:  Lt Gen Gurmit Singh.

 

2. Amrit Samagam inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah: Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, launched the Amrit Samagam, a summit of the country’s tourism and cultural ministers, in New Delhi. The Ministry of Culture is hosting a two-day conference, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The goal of this conference is to discuss how far the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has progressed so far, as well as to gather best practices and ideas for methods to be used for the remainder of the celebration, particularly for impending critical initiatives.

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and DONER Shri G. Kishan Reddy launched the Utsav Portal website during the conference, a digital initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism to showcase all events, festivals, and live darshans across India in order to promote different regions of the country as popular tourist destinations worldwide.

 

3. Ex-IPS officer Lalpura reappointed National Commission for Minorities chief: The central government has re-appointed retired Punjab-cadre IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities. Lalpura, who was first appointed as chairman in September last year, had to resign from the post in December to contest as the BJP candidate from the Ropar assembly constituency, which he lost.

A Sikh intellectual, who has written books on Sikh and Punjabi culture, Lalpura, was appointed BJP spokesperson in September last year. He had retired as deputy inspector general (DIG), Punjab Police, before joining the BJP in 2012. He served as the senior superintendent of police of Amritsar Rural, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts.

 

4. Indian Author Prem Rawat Launches His Book ‘Hear Yourself’: Indian author Prem Rawat has launched his book ‘Hear Yourself’ for the Indian subcontinent in Mumbai. This New York Times bestseller book is already available in 58 countries and five languages. This book is to help people understand their own potential. It will help them find peace in a noisy world. He also advised the audience that they have more wisdom in themselves than they perceive. This book is to help them develop better self-understanding.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UNDP Declares Grants of $2.2 Million in Climate Action for Innovators: The UNDP and partners of the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM) have announced $2.2 million in climate action funding for 22 local innovators from 19 countries, including India. The Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) window’s first round of funding will improve local climate action and speed the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s and Sustainable Development Goals’ ambitions. Key Points:

a)      The project enables local actors and contributes to UNDP’s and partners’ worldwide endorsement of the principles for locally driven adaptation action.

b)      The Adaptation Innovation Marketplace will provide technical support and know-how for new funding applications launched.

c)       AIM is a strategy platform that supports scaled-up adaptation at the local level, concentrating on civil society, non-governmental organisations, and women and youth innovators, and was launched by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner at the Climate Adaptation Summit in January 2021.

d)      The Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator receives technical support from the AIM partners, which include the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, the Least Developed Countries Universities Consortium on Climate Change, the Global Resilience Partnership, the Climate-Knowledge Innovation Community, and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

 

2. World Hemophilia Day: 17th April: World Hemophilia Day is observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. This year is the 31st edition of World Haemophilia Day. This year, the theme of the day has been kept as ‘Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging your government, integrating inherited bleeding disorders into national policy.’

History of the World Hemophilia Day: The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia. Since then, the day is observed to bring people suffering from hemophilia and other bleeding disorders together.

Hemophilia: It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Note: World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel; World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963; World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Australia’s Victoria to Host the 2026 Commonwealth Games: In a deviation from the conventional single host city approach, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Victoria in 2026, with the majority of events being organised by the state’s regional centres. In March 2026, the Games will be held in numerous towns and regional centres around Australia, including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Gippsland, each with its own athletes’ village. Key Points:

a)      The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) confirmed that the opening ceremony will be held at the famous 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.

b)      Following an exclusive consultation session between the CGF, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus), and Victoria, the announcement was made.

c)       A preliminary list of 16 sports has been proposed for the Games, including Twenty20 cricket, with further sports to be added later this year.

d)      However, sports like shooting and wrestling, which India has excelled in in earlier editions of the sporting spectacular, are not included on the original list.

e)      Archery is also absent from the list.

Roadmap for Commonwealth:

a)      According to the CGF’s new “strategic roadmap,” which was unveiled on October 11 at its 2021 General Assembly, athletics and swimming will be the only mandatory sports in the CWG starting in 2026, giving host cities more flexibility to include disciplines of their choice from a proposed core list of 22 sports.

b)      Shooting, wrestling, and archery are among the Commonwealth Games Federation’s suggested core list after a review.

c)       T20 cricket, beach volleyball, and 3×3 basketball, which were previously included as optional sports, have now been added to the planned core list of sports.

d)      The roadmap was accepted during the CGF’s General Assembly, which took place about a year ago.

e)      The Games in 2026 will be the 23rd edition of the major multi-sport event, which began in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Fino Payments Bank to buy 12.19% stake in Paysprint Pvt Ltd: Fino Payments Bank announced that its board of directors has approved a 12.19 percent minority strategic investment in New Delhi-based fintech Paysprint Pvt Ltd. Fino Payments Bank is making its first strategic investment since becoming public. This is in addition to the bank’s Fino 2.0 projects, which include many internal programmes aimed at creating a digital ecosystem for its customers. About Paysprint:

a)      Paysprint, a profitable fintech, is a fast-growing financial technology firm that provides next-generation application programming interfaces (APIs) in banking, payments, travel, lending, insurance, and investment, among other fields.

b)      Paysprint’s co-founder and CEO, S Anand, said the fintech company is excited to collaborate with Fino Payments Bank and combine technical knowledge to develop innovative banking products and solutions that will increase consumer acceptance.

c)       Paysprint completed its first full year of operations in FY22, with an annual GMV of Rs 5,500 crore.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. WTO cuts global trade growth forecast to 3% in 2022: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has revised down its projection for global trade growth (in volume) for 2022 to 3 per cent. Earlier in October 2021, this was estimated at 4.7 per cent. The downward revision follows the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has impacted commodity prices, disrupted supplies and intensified geopolitical and economic uncertainty. For 2023, this merchandise trade volume growth is projected at 3.4%.

In the longer term, the WTO said the conflict could even trigger the disintegration of the global economy into separate blocs. India’s real GDP, in such a scenario, would falter by 9% (deviation from a baseline projection), China’s by 7% and Russia’s by as much as 10%, it added.

Note: World Trade Organization Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; World Trade Organization Founded: 1 January 1995; Director-General of the World Trade Organization: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Falguni Nayar Crowned EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021: Falguni Nayar has been named as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, at the 23rd edition of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year India awards. She is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of beauty supply company Nykaa (FSN E-commerce). She will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) on June 9, 2022, at Monaco. The Lifetime Achievement was given to A. M. Naik, Group Chairman of Larsen & Toubro.

The winners were announced over nine other Categories for the Entrepreneur of the Year Program.

a)      Start-up: Vidit Aatrey, Co-founder & CEO and Sanjeev Barnwal, Co-founder & CTO, Fashnear Technology (Meesho)

b)      Business Transformation: Abhay Soi, Chairman and Managing Director, Max Healthcare

c)       Manufacturing: Sunil Vachani, Founder and Executive Chairman, Dixon Technologies

d)      Services: Sahil Barua, Co-founder and CEO, Delhivery

e)      Consumer Products & Retail: Shiv Kishan Agarwal, Chairman; and Manohar Lal Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director respectively, Haldiram Group

f)        Life Sciences & Healthcare: Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, Founder and CEO, Laurus Labs

g)      Financial Services: Harshil Mathur, Co-founder and CEO; and Shashank Kumar, Co-founder and CTO, Razorpay

h)      Technology, Media and Telecom: Girish Mathrubootham, Co-founder and CEO, Freshworks

i)        Entrepreneurial CEO: Vivek Vikram Singh, Managing Director and Group CEO, Sona Comstar

 

2. NMDC Wins Gold and Silver Awards at 80th SKOCH Summit 2022: In the 80th SKOCH Summit and SKOCH Awards, held recently in New Delhi, India’s largest iron ore producer, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), under the Ministry of Steel, received one gold and one silver medal. The SKOCH Summit’s subject was ‘State of BFSI & PSUs.’

Key Points:

a)      The project ‘Promotion of Technical Education and Skill Development in Dantewada District through NMDC ITI Bhansi’ got the Gold Award in the category social responsibility, and the project ‘Project Kalpataru’ for ERP implementation earned the Silver Award in the category digital inclusion. Shri Amitava Mukherjee, Director (Finance), accepted the honours on behalf of Chairman and Managing Director, Shri Sumit Deb, via video conference.

b)      The winners of the SKOCH Awards were chosen based on an application submitted on their website, a jury presentation, three rounds of popular online vote, and a second round of jury evaluation.

c)       NMDC was also honoured with three SKOCH – Order of Merit Awards for its outstanding efforts in ensuring seamless digitalisation in Project Kalpataru, for its extensive CSR efforts in promoting technical education and skill development in Dantewada’s remote districts, and for “Project Safety First” in the category Response to COVID.