Daily GK Update- 11th May, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. New Electoral Map released for Jammu and Kashmir: A three-member Delimitation Commission redrawing the electoral map of Jammu and Kashmir allotted 47 Assembly seats for Kashmir division and 43 for Jammu in its final decision submitted barely a day before its two-year term was to end. After the panel, led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, approved the final verdict, giving Jammu six additional seats and Kashmir one more, a gazette notification was released. Jammu had 37 Assembly constituencies and Kashmir had 46 before the restructure, which increased the overall number of Assembly seats in the Union Territory to 90. Key Points:

a)      The Commission, which includes ex-officio members Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Jammu and Kashmir Election Commissioner K K Sharma, has recommended that the Union Territory’s Legislative Assembly include at least two members from the Kashmiri migrant community, one of whom be a woman.

b)      The Commission, which was established in March 2020 and was tasked with delineating Assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the Union Territory based on the 2011 Census, has also recommended to the government that displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir be given some representation in the assembly through nomination.

c)       Furthermore, following consultations with members of political parties, residents, and civil society organisations, nine seats for Scheduled Tribes have been suggested for the first time — six in Jammu and three in the Valley.

d)      The Union Territory has five Parliamentary constituencies, each with 18 Assembly seats.

e)      Some Assembly seats have had their names altered in response to local lawmakers’ requests and popular reaction surrounding the renaming.

 

2. Delhi Govt announced “Delhi Startup Policy” to aid the entrepreneur: The Delhi cabinet has approved the “Delhi Startup Policy” with an aim to create an ecosystem for people to launch startups and provide them with fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, collateral-free loans, and free consultancy from experts, lawyers, and CA. The 20 members task force will be set up to oversee the startup policy. This committee will be headed by Delhi’s Finance Minister. To encourage, facilitate, and support 15,000 startups by 2030. The Delhi Government will pay up to 50% of the rent of a startup’s office lease or pitch in for a portion of the salaries that these startups will pay to their employees. We will also reimburse them for the costs incurred on applying for patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Monitoring committee: The government will form a monitoring committee to oversee the startup policy. This committee will be headed by Delhi’s Finance Minister. The composition of this committee will be – 85% representatives from the private sector, 10% from educational institutions and 5% from the government.

 

3. Supreme Court gets 2 new judges to regain full strength of 34: The Union government of India has notified the appointment of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, the chief justice of Gauhati High Court, and Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala, a judge of the Gujarat High Court, as judges of the Supreme Court. The Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had recommended their names for appointment on May 5. The other members of the Collegium are Justices UU Lalit, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao.

At present, the Supreme Court has a strength of 32 judges as against a sanctioned strength of 34 judges. The fresh appointments will help regain the 34-judge strength, but two other vacancies will arise soon with Justice Vineet Saran set to retire on May 10 and Justice Nageswara Rao on June 7.

 

4. Exide and Leclanché’s joint venture Nexcharge begins production in Gujarat: At its facilities in Prantij, Gujarat, Nexcharge, a joint venture between India’s Exide Industries Limited and Switzerland’s Leclanché SA, has started mass production of lithium-ion battery packs. The plant, which covers six lakh square feet and has a 1.5 GWh installed capacity, comprises six totally automated assembly lines and testing facilities. Key Points:

a)      Exide and Leclanche invested Rs 250 crore in the plant, which would employ its six assembly lines to produce over 150 products developed over the last four years.

b)      The six assembly lines will use cells to create modules, which will subsequently be converted into battery packs in a variety of shapes and sizes, including pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical, to meet the energy storage needs of India’s electric vehicle market and industrial applications.

c)       Nexcharge manufactures battery packs for a variety of goods, including two- and three-wheelers, personal and commercial cars, and inverters.

d)      Cells are currently sourced from China by the company, which has an in-house R&D centre in Bengaluru. In India, it has 35 clients.

 

5. A book ‘INDO-PAK WAR 1971- Reminiscences of Air Warriors’ released by Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has released a book titled ‘INDO-PAK WAR 1971- Reminiscences of Air Warriors’ at the 37th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture organised by the Air Force Association in New Delhi, Delhi. The book was edited by Air Marshal Jagjeet Singh and Group Captain Shailendra Mohan. The book features 50 Swarnim articles written by veterans narrating their experiences in detail. Defence Minister also paid tribute to Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal (PC Lal). Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal (PC Lal), served as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff during the 1965 war and had served as the 7th Chief of the Air Staff during the 1971 war.

 

6. National Technology Day: 11th May: National Technology Day is observed every year on 11th May across the country. National Technology Day has significant historical importance in India. Every year on this day, officials pay honour to India’s scientists for their achievements. This day is commemorated as an achievement of India’s technical advances, since on May 11, 1998, the country successfully tested nuclear weapons in Pokhran. The theme for National Technology Day 2022 is “Integrated Approach in Science and technology for sustainable future”. The theme was launched by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

National Technology Day History: It was on 11th May 1998, that India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out a series of nuclear tests at Pokhran. In addition, the first indigenous aircraft “Hansa-3” was tested on this day, besides which, India also performed a successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day. Considering the technological advancements, the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, declared 11th May to be celebrated as National Technology Day every year.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Yoon Suk-yeol takes oath as South Korea’s new president: Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as South Korean president in a huge ceremony at Seoul’s National Assembly, taking office at a time of high tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea. The ceremony was attended by over 40,000 people, including officials from the US and China. The new president is facing several challenges, including the task to balance ties with China to defuse ongoing tensions with North Korea. Yoon Suk-yeol, who has called North Korea the South’s “main enemy,” offered to work with the international community to craft an “audacious plan” to improve North Korea’s economy in return for its commitment to “complete denuclearization.” The 20th president of the country delivered an inauguration speech vowing to build a nation that “truly belongs to the people.”

Note: South Korea Capital: Seoul; South Korea Currency: South Korean won.

 

2. Vietnam opens world’s longest glass-bottomed bridge: World’s Largest Glass Bottom Bridge was opened in Vietnam. It is called as Vietnam’s Bach Long pedestrian bridge, which is 632m (2,073ft) long and located 150m (492ft) above a huge jungle. As per the reports, the Asian country has opened a glass-bottomed bridge suspended above a lush jungle. It surpasses a 526m Glass Bottom Bridge in Guangdong, China. The Bach Long pedestrian bridge which means ‘white dragon’ in Vietnamese. The bridge suspends above the rainforest The Bridge can support up to 450 people at a time and the floor of the bridge is made from tempered glass.

Note: Vietnam Capital City: Hanoi; Vietnam Currency: Vietnamese dong; Vietnam Prime Minister: Phạm Minh Chính.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India’s Avinash Sable breaks 30-year-old 5000 metre record: India’s Avinash Sable broke a 30-year-old record of Bahadur Prasad in 5000m, setting a new national record with a timing of 13:25.65 at the Sound Running Track meet in San Juan Capistrano, USA. The 27-year-old from Maharashtra broke the old record of 13:29.70 set by Bahadur Prasad in 1992.

Sable’s growth in athletics has been extraordinary. Till about seven years ago, he was posted as a havildar with the Army in Siachen. From the frigid cold, he was transferred to a small cantonment in the desert town of Lalgarh Jattan, near the Pakistan border in Rajasthan. The boy who walked 12 kilometres, to get to school and back, got his lucky break when he was selected to join a training group for a cross-country race organised by the Army.

 

2. 24th Deaflympics: Abhinav Deshwal won gold medal in men’s 10m air pistol: Abhinav Deshwal has won the second gold medal for India in shooting at the ongoing 24th Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. He was tied with silver winning Ukrainian Oleksii Lazebnyk before winning gold in a shoot-off. India has four medals in the shooting competition at the 24th Deaflympics. Abhinav made the top eight final round after finishing second in the 60-shot qualification round with a score of 575 out of 600. He was tied on points there too with Kim Kihyeon, but the Korean topped on account of more inner 10s.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. HDFC Bank Launches ‘Xpress Car Loan’ Industry First Digital New Car Loan: HDFC Bank, a private sector lender, has introduced 30-minute ‘Xpress Car Loans’, an end-to-end digital new car loan solution for both existing and non-customers. The bank has integrated its lending application with automobile dealers throughout India. It is the industry’s first automotive lending experience, and it is expected to change the way automobile financing is done in India.

Key Points of ‘Xpress Car Loans’:

a)      The facility will be offered at all of the bank’s branches, dealerships, and, eventually, on third-party aggregator platforms.

b)      This comprehensive, faster, more convenient, and inclusive digital journey for car buyers will simplify the automobile purchase process and boost car sales across India, particularly in semi-urban and rural locations.

c)       As it has integrated its lending application with vehicle dealers across India, it anticipates 20%–30% of clients to use this loan facility of up to Rs. 20 lakhs.

d)      Currently, the facility is only available for four-wheelers, and it will be gradually extended to include two-wheeler loans.

Note: HDFC Bank Ltd MD & CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan; HDFC Bank Ltd Establishment: 1994; HDFC Bank Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; HDFC Bank Ltd Tagline: We Understand Your World.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. ICG commissions the 845th Air Squadron equipped with Dhruv ALH Mk III helicopters: At the Coast Guard Air Enclave at Nedumbassery in Kochi, the Coast Guard commissioned its second Air Squadron, 845 Squadron. The new Air Squadron was commissioned by Coast Guard Director General V S Pathania and is equipped with Advanced Mark III (ALH Mark III) helicopters produced in-house. The commissioning represents a huge step forward in terms of self-reliance in search and rescue missions and long-range maritime surveillance. Four helicopters have been stationed in Kochi to cover the Karnataka, Kerala, and Lakshadweep coasts. Commandant Kunal Naik leads a squadron of nine officers and 35 soldiers.

Advanced Mark III (ALH Mark III) helicopters: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited designed and built the HAL Dhruv utility helicopter (HAL). HAL Dhruv’s development was disclosed in November 1984. The helicopter initially flew in 1992, although it took longer to build due to a number of issues, including the Indian Army’s request for design alterations, funding constraints, and sanctions imposed on India after the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word dhruv, which signifies firm or unshakeable.

The ALH Mk-III, equipped with the new Shakti-1H engines, has excellent high-altitude performance at altitudes of above 6 km. It can accommodate 14 fully outfitted troops. The DGCA has lauded the design’s crash worthiness, noting that just a few accidents have resulted in fatalities.

Note: Coast Guard Director General: V S Pathania; The Indian Chief of the Air Staff: Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari

 

2. Indian Navy plans to purchase the GISAT-2 satellite to increase its capacity: The Indian Navy plans to purchase a specialised earth imaging satellite Geo Imaging Satellite-2 (GISAT-2), this fiscal year as part of its modernisation and network-centric combat and communications programme. The satellite, if operational, is likely to improve the navy’s operating capabilities in the Indian Ocean region, which is strategically and geopolitically crucial, especially given China’s growing influence. Key Points:

a)      According to information from the Ministry of Defence, the GISAT-2 is one of 21 planned procurements, including several long-term buys. In addition, the navy’s capabilities development/modernization is being carried out in line with the long-term objectives in place for the next decade.

b)      Under the budget projections for 2022-23, the navy would receive Rs 45,250 crore for modernisation. With a 10% annual growth rate, it is expected to receive more Rs 2.7 lakh crore for upgrading by 2026-27. According to the Ministry of Defense, the navy’s total committed liabilities are Rs 1.20 lakh crores, and modernization schemes worth more than Rs 1.9 lakh crores and Rs 2.5 lakh crores (under Part A and B of the annual acquisition plan) are being advanced for contract conclusion over the next five years.

c)       Aside from GISAT-2, the navy plans to buy: Next-generation missile vessels, fleet support ships (FSS), high and medium altitude long endurance remotely piloted aircraft systems, multi-role carrier borne fighters, indigenous aircraft carrier-2; next-generation fast attack craft; next-generation corvettes, destroyers, fast interceptor craft, and survey vessel; national hospital ship; electronic warfare system; extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle; anti-ship missiles (cons).