Daily GK Update- 29th April, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UP’s Agra becomes first city to have vacuum-based sewer systems: Agra, Uttar Pradesh has become the first city in the country to have vacuum-based sewer systems. These vacuums would be used in public places. Agra Smart City officials told the media that the municipal corporation has linked 240 such houses near the Taj Mahal with vacuum-based sewers, where conventional sewer systems could not be used.

The estimated cost for the work of sewer connection is Rs 100 crore. Presently, this technology is being used in low-lying areas. The Maintenance and complete care will be done by the Netherlands Company for up to five years. A vacuum sewer network of 240 houses has been constructed at Rs 5 crore. All the chambers are equipped with geographic information system (GIS) based sensors, which will help pinpoint the area of the chamber and the problem.

Note: Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath; Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.

 

2. ABPMJAY- SEHAT scheme: Samba becomes 1st district to cover 100% households: In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Samba district of the Jammu division has become the first district in India to cover 100% of households under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) - SEHAT scheme. The district achieved this milestone after the conclusion of a special registration drive organized by the State Health Agency (SHA) from April 11 to April 21 in all BDO offices across the district which was aimed to cover all families under the ABPMJAY SEHAT scheme in the district.

The Samba district has a total of 62,641 families with 3,04,510 people eligible for ABPM-JAY SEHAT golden cards. However, 100% family coverage for the Ayushman Bharat Golden card in the district is a major achievement for the UT Government. This ambitious health insurance scheme enables all the residents of J&K including employees and pensioners as well as their families to avail of cashless quality healthcare services across public and empanelled private hospitals across India.

About the ABPMJAY SEHAT scheme: The ABPMJAY SEHAT scheme is the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by Government and the people with Ayushman Bharat Golden Card get free treatment up to Rs. 5 lakh in all government and empanelled private hospitals across India.

Note: J&K Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha; J&K Formation (Union territory): 31 October 2019.

 

3. Netflix & GoI collaborate for video series on ‘women change-makers’: Netflix India, in collaboration with the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, has released a series of short video series under an initiative called ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya’, highlighting the role of women achievers. As part of a broader partnership, the global OTT platform will also conduct workshops and masterclasses for the skill development of Indian filmmakers.

Under this partnership:

a)      Netflix and ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, and music production among others and will be organized on the ground and virtually.

b)      The Minister lauded the remarkable achievements of the three women on the dais and said their stories will inspire people across the country. He also expressed hope that after this collaboration filmmakers from across the world will come to India to make films and documentaries for not just the Indian audience but to showcase it to the entire world.

 

4. Vijay Sampla appointed NCSC chairperson for second time: BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Sampla has been appointed as the chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) for a second time. Sampla had resigned as the NCSC chairman ahead of the Punjab elections and had contested the polls. The official order for his appointment was issued by President Ram Nath Kovind.

 

5. A new book titled “Not Just A Nightwatchman: My Innings in the BCCI” by Vinod Rai: Padma Bhushan Vinod Rai, former (11th) Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) India, has authored a new book titled “Not Just A Nightwatchman: My Innings in the BCCI”. The book features his 33-month stint as the Chairman of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The book is published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2016 for civil service. He was appointed as the first Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) in 2016.

 

6. Deepika Padukone on Cannes Film Festival jury: Deepika Padukone will grace the Cannes Film Festival as a member of the jury, this year. The actress-producer has attended the prestigious film festival several times in the past, in the capacity of an ambassador of the beauty brand L’Oreal. The jury for the 75th edition of the film festival is headed by French actor Vincent Lindon, who won Best Actor at Cannes in 2015.

With her induction into the Cannes jury, Deepika Padukone has become a part of a select group of Indian stalwarts who served in the same role in the past, including Sharmila Tagore, Nandita Das, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Vidya Balan.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Estonia hosts the world’s largest cyber exercise: The Tallinn, Estonia NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, abbreviated as CCDCOE, is organising the Locked Shields 2022, the largest and most complex annual international live-fire cyber defence exercise in the world. This year’s exercise has particular importance as it takes place amid the rising threat of cyber-attacks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the exercise:

a)      Cyber experts practise the protection of national civilian and military IT systems and critical infrastructure in a large-scale cyber-attack. It is conducted under conditions of intense pressure, with teams countering a series of sophisticated cyberattacks.

b)      The exercise provides an opportunity to practice cooperation in a crisis situation between both civilian and military units, as well as public and private sectors, as in the event of a large-scale cyber-attack these tactical and strategic decision-makers must work together.

c)       The exercise is organised by the CCDCOE in cooperation with NATO, Siemens, Microsoft, Tallinn University of Technology and other partners.

d)      The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited cyber defence hub that supports the alliance’s member nations and the alliance itself with cyber defence expertise.

Note: Estonia Capital: Tallinn; Currency: Euro.

 

2. International Dance Day: 29th April 2022: The International Dance Day is observed globally on 29 April every year. The day celebrates the value and importance of the dance and encourages participation and education in this art form through events and festivals.  This day is also celebrated to promote the multiple benefits of dancing, to recognize dance as a stress reliever, expressing oneself, a way of celebrating happiness, and an activity that brings people together.

History of the day: In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the 29th of April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), creator of modern ballet. The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, revel in the universality of this art form, cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers, and bring people together with a common language – dance.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Anshul Swami, former retail chief of RBL Bank, named as MD-CEO of Shivalik Small Finance Bank: Anshul Swami has been named managing director and chief executive officer of Shivalik Small Finance Bank. Swami’s nomination has already been accepted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Swami succeeds Suveer Kumar Gupta, who co-founded the bank and guided it through its transformation from an urban co-operative to a local finance institution. According to insiders, Gupta will now serve as an adviser to the Board of Directors. Key Points:

a)      Swami worked for RBL Bank as Head – Retail & Inclusion, Products before joining Shivalik SFB. He’s previously worked at Barclays, Citi Financial, and Britannia.

b)      Swami will be in charge of the bank’s digital activities, with an emphasis on small businesses and growing the bank’s footprint across the country.

c)       Last year, Shivalik Small Finance Bank became the first Universal Cooperative Bank to change to a Small Finance Bank structure.

d)      Total advances were Rs 804.9 crore at the end of March, up 12 percent year on year, while total deposits were Rs 1,244.5 crore, up 9.2 percent year on year.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI Cards tie-up with TCS to boost digital transformation: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its strategic partnership with SBI Cards and Payments Services Ltd to power SBI Card’s digital transformation. TCS had helped the SBI cards to transform its core cards sourcing platform and digitized a significant portion of the process. TCS has been providing services to SBI Card for over a decade since 2008, and the new deal represents an extension of that relationship. How does TCS help SBI cards?

a)      TCS had helped the company transform its core cards sourcing platform and digitized a significant portion of the process.

b)      With this expansion in partnership, it will further digitalize the online onboarding processes enabling a faster turnaround and frictionless experience with greater customer satisfaction. In addition, it will enable SBI Card to grow its e-card issuance.

c)       TCS will continue to digitalize and change online onboarding processes in order to provide a faster and more frictionless experience for customers, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.

Note: SBI Card CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara (30 Jan 2021–); SBI Card Headquarters: Gurugram; SBI Card Founded: October 1998.

 

2. L&T tie-up with IIT Bombay to develop Green Hydrogen Technology: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to jointly pursue research and development work in the Green Hydrogen value chain. Under the agreement, both the institutions would contribute to the development of the Green Hydrogen industry in India while developing technology in this field. Hydrogen when produced through the electrolysis process using renewable energy is known as Green Hydrogen which has no carbon footprint.

The Central Government in February 2022 notified the Green Hydrogen policy aimed at boosting the production of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia to help the nation become a global hub for the environmentally friendly version of the molecule. For countries like India, with its ever-increasing oil and gas import bill, Green Hydrogen will help provide crucial energy security by reducing the overall dependence on imported fossil fuels. It should be noted that India has its own ambitious target of becoming net-zero by 2070.

Note: Larsen & Toubro Limited Founded: 7 February 1938; Larsen & Toubro Limited Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Larsen & Toubro Limited CEO & MD: S.N. Subrahmanyan.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. India Pharma and India Medical Devices Awards 2022: The India Pharma Awards 2022, and India Medical Device Awards 2022 were handed over by the Minister of State for the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba. The awards were handed over during the seventh edition of India Pharma and Indian Medical Device 2022 which was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Department of Pharmaceuticals. The awards were given to various industry players in the field of medical and pharmaceutical devices.

Category	Winners
Indian Pharma Leader of the Year	Cipla Ltd.
India Pharma Innovation of the Year	Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Indian Pharma (Formulation)	Micro Labs Ltd.
Indian Pharma CSR of the year	Zydus Lifesciences Ltd
India Medical Device Leader of the Year	Poly Medicure Ltd.
India Medical Device Company of the Year	Trivitron Healthcare Pvt Ltd.
India Medical Device MSME of the Year	Nice Neotech Medical Systems Pvt Ltd.
Indian Medical Device Start-up of the Year	Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd.
Indian Medical Device Innovation of the Year	Meril Lifesciences Pvt Ltd.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. IAF organizes National Level Logistics Seminar ‘LOGISEM VAYU – 2022’: A national seminar on Logistics Management ‘LOGISEM VAYU – 2022’ was held on 28 April 2022 at Air Force Auditorium, New Delhi. The Chief of the Air Staff Vivek Ram Chaudhari inaugurated the seminar and delivered the keynote address. He emphasized the need for exploiting advancements in digital technologies, which would aid in sustaining logistics stamina in support of operations. CAS also urged stakeholders in IAF to work towards achieving the broad aims of the National Logistics Policy (NLP) and Atmanirbharta goals of Govt of India.

A document on the logistics philosophy of IAF titled ‘Tenets of Logistics’ and a book on the history of Logistics in IAF titled ‘Footprints in Sands of Time’ were released. The ‘Tenets of Logistics’ in IAF outlines the logistics credo in terms of the concept of logistics operations, core functional areas, leveraging technology for the conduct of business processes and the necessity for jointness with sister services.