Daily GK Update- 26th May, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Centre launches Swachh Survekshan 2023: Union Government of India has launched the Eighth Edition of Swachh Survekshan – SS-2023 under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0. Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Manoj Joshi launched it at a virtual event in New Delhi. Designed with the theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’ as its driving philosophy, Swachh Survekshan- 2023 is curated towards achieving circularity in waste management. The survey would give priority to the principle of 3 Rs- Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

About the Swachh Survekshan: The Swachh Survekshan has developed into an inspiration tool, rather than being just an assessment tool. This largest survey undertaken anywhere has brought about substantive changes at the ground level, with cities performing well and having a sense of pride. Swachh Survekshan has emerged as the largest urban sanitation survey in the world. It was observed that whenever the Swachh Survey starts, there is an enhanced level of activities undertaken by the cities and cities are visibly cleaner during the months the survey is conducted. Therefore, in SS-2023, the evaluation will be conducted in four phases, instead of three phases in earlier editions.

 

2. Delhi government inducted two robots in their firefighting fleet: Delhi Government has undertaken a unique initiative of using robots for extinguishing fires in the city. Initially, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government inducted two robots into Delhi’s firefighting fleet that will be able to douse fires in narrow streets, warehouses, basements, stairs, forests and enter places like oil and chemical tankers and factories. These remote-controlled firefighting robots will have greater accessibility to places and will be able to navigate narrow lanes, reach spaces inaccessible to humans and perform tasks too risky for people.

Key points of the initiative:

a)      The firefighters of Delhi Fire Service have also been given specialised training to operate the robot and a separate SOP has also been prepared which will be followed to control the fire. The robots were bought from an Austrian company.

b)      This initiative will help reduce collateral damage and save precious lives. This machine can be operated remotely from a distance of 300 metres. It will not be affected by fire, smoke, heat, or any other adverse condition.

c)       With the help of remote control, it can be sent inside the areas affected by the fire and has a tracking system like army tanks, through which these robots can easily climb stairs. It has a 140-horsepower engine.

d)      The sensor and camera are installed in the front part of the robot. The sensor will go near the fire and release the water according to the temperature there.

e)      The fire-resistant robots equipped with modern technology can cover an area of about 100 metres at once and is capable of dousing the fire immediately.

Note: Delhi Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal; Delhi Governor: Vinai Kumar Saxena.

 

3. JSW One Platforms appoints Gaurav Sachdeva as CEO: JSW group has appointed Gaurav Sachdeva as the CEO of JSW One Platforms, an e-commerce venture of the group. He has transitioned from his role at JSW Ventures where he led venture capital investments for the fund. In his role as the CEO of JSW One Platforms, Sachdeva will aim to create a nimble organization backed by the credibility and scale of JSW Group that will ease buying and selling of steel and other products for manufacturing and construction MSMEs in the country.

Note: JSW group Founder: Sajjan Jindal; JSW group Founded: 1982; JSW group headquarters location: Mumbai.

 

4. Uttarakhand Govt and BPCL inked MoU for renewable energy projects: An MoU was signed between the Uttarakhand government and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for the promotion of the renewable energy industry and other projects in the state. The Uttarakhand government and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of new and renewable energy projects in the state.

Secretary of State for Energy R Meenakshi Sundaram signed the MoU on behalf of the state, while Shelly Abraham, BPCL’s chief general manager (renewable energy), and executive director Amit Garg signed the documents on behalf of BPCL. According to CM Dhami, the agreement will help the hill state grow in the field of renewable energy, notably solar energy.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India-Jordan struck an agreement to cooperate in fertilisers sector: A high-level group led by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya visited Jordan in a first-of-its-kind endeavor with the goal of securing fertilizers and raw materials for the short and long term. The visit took place against the backdrop of the current global fertilizer crisis. Dr. Mandaviya noted that the Jordan visit was historic in terms of assuring India’s supply of phosphoric and potassium fertilizers. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya called Jordan as India’s chosen fertilizer partner during the meetings.

Key Points:

a)      According to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, there is no shortage of fertilizers in the country.

b)      Government has taken proactive measures to assure adequate supplies for farmers ahead of the Kharif season, including increasing local production and forming cooperation with other countries.

c)       Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) inked MOUs with Indian public, cooperative, and private sector companies for supplies of 30 LMT Rock Phosphate, 2.50 LMT DAP, and 1 LMT phosphoric acid for the current year.

d)      He also mentioned that India has signed a 5-year MOU with Jordan for yearly shipments of 2.75 LMT of MoP, which will gradually increase to 3.25 LMT each year. These shipments will be critical for India’s continued fertilizer supply in the coming agricultural seasons.

Note: King of Jordan: Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein

 

2. Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, attended the 7th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting: Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, attended the 7th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting via video conference, which was hosted by the People’s Republic of China and attended by all BRICS Member Nations. Under the subject Establishing a Cultural Partnership Featuring Inclusiveness and Mutual Learning among BRICS, a discussion was conducted to promote and expand cultural activities among the BRICS countries.

Key Points:

a)      The debate focused on boosting cultural digitization growth and collaboration, enhancing cooperation on cultural heritage preservation, and pushing the development of BRICS nations’ cultural exchange platforms.

b)      The Ministers approved the BRICS Action Plan 2022-2026, which aims to expand cultural cooperation and execute the 2015 BRICS Cultural Cooperation Agreement.

c)       The Ministers of Culture of all BRICS Nations agreed and signed the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Agreement between the Governments of the BRICS States on Cooperation in the Field of Culture (2022-2026) at the end of the conference.

 

3. International Missing Children’s Day: 25th May: International Missing Children’s Day is an awareness event that is observed every year on 25th of May. The aims of the day are to place a spotlight on the issue of child abduction, educate parents on safeguarding measures to protect their children and also honour those who have never been found and celebrate those who have. This awareness event is run in conjunction with the Global Missing Children’s Network.

History of the Missing Children’s Day: Missing Children’s Day began as an observance in the USA in 1983. The date was chosen following the disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz on 25th May 1979 from New York City. International Missing Children’s Day which observes the same date was launched a number of years later in 2001 and is now observed all over the world.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Shikhar Dhawan becomes first player to hit 700 fours in IPL history: Punjab Kings opening batter Shikhar Dhawan has become the first player to hit 700 fours in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhawan reached this feat during the last league stage match of IPL 2022, between PBKS and Sunrisers Hyderabad, here at the Wankhede Stadium.  The batter has now a total of 701 IPL fours to his name. He is followed by David Warner and Virat Kohli, with 577 and 576 fours, respectively. PBKS ended their IPL 2022 campaign with a total of 14 points while SRH finished with 12 points.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Co-branded credit cards from HDFC Bank and Retailio launched: HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, announced the launch of a new range of co-branded credit cards with Retailio, aimed largely at chemists and pharmacies in the merchant market. Retailio is the largest B2B pharma marketplace in the country. It is a useful app that is having a significant digital impact on the Pharma supply chain management in India. Chemists, retailers, distributors, pharmacists, and hospitals can use the Retailio mobile application and web interface to place orders with their respective distributors.

Features of credit cards with Retailio:

a)      Interest-free credit duration of up to 50 days

b)      Reward points on all purchases and spending across all merchants, as well as annual milestone incentives such as 500 Bonus Reward Points for spending 25,000 per month and 1,500 Bonus Reward Points for spending 50,000 per month (exclusive for RIO club members),

c)       5% Cashback on all business necessities such as utility, telecom, government, and tax payments (capped at Rs.250 per month)

d)      Other Smartbuy, SmartPay, and Payzapp subscription offerings

e)      Free and low-cost EMI options for all credit card customers, as well as term loan eligibility for business purposes

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Total Energies of France to purchase share in Adani’s hydrogen business: Under the newly formed company Adani New Industries Ltd, Total Energies, the French oil and gas major, is expected to acquire a minority share of 10% or more in Adani group’s hydrogen business (ANIL). The agreement is nearing completion, and an announcement is expected in the coming months.

In India, Total had earlier partnered with Adani in 2018 with investments in Adani Gas Limited, city gas distribution business, associated LNG terminal business and gas marketing business. Total acquired 37.4 per cent stake in Adani Gas Limited and 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG project. Then, Adani and Total had also agreed for an alliance into the wider sustainable energy space. Total and Adani agreed the acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in a 2.35 GWac portfolio of operating solar assets owned by Adani Gas and a 20 per cent stake in Adani Green Energy for a global investment of $2.5 billion.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Rolls-Royce India president Kishore Jayaraman Receives British honour: Kishore Jayaraman, President, India and South Asia for Rolls-Royce, has received an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty The Queen, British Deputy High Commission. Jayaraman is a board member of the U.K.-India Business Council, which supports U.K. businesses set up in India. He has also been instrumental in promoting bilateral ties by setting up a strategic ecosystem for boosting manufacturing in India enabled by U.K.’s technology.

Under his leadership, the company set up the ‘Engineering Centre’ in Bengaluru in 2015, ‘Digital Centre of Excellence with over 60 digital technologists in 2017, and its first ‘Start-up Accelerator Programme’ in India in 2019.

 

2. Music Academy announced Sangita Kalanidhi awards 2020-22: Renowned vocalist and guru, Neyveli R Santanagopalan, eminent mridangam artiste and guru, ‘Tiruvarur’ Bhakthavathsalam, and Lalgudi violin duo, G J R Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi were named for the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi awards of the Music Academy for 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The Music Academy announced Sangita Kalanidhi award winners for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. The physical festival could not be conducted in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Minister M K Stalin will present the awards while inaugurating the 96th Annual Conference and Concerts on December 15, 2022, N Murali, President, Music Academy.

Sangita Kalanidhi awards: Santanagopalan will receive the Sangita Kalanidhi award for the year 2020 while Bhakthavathsalam has been chosen for the award for the year 2021. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi, “torchbearers of the Lalgudi lineage of violinists and renowned performers” will receive the award for 2022.

For the Sangita Kala Acharya awards: The Academy has chosen nagaswaram exponent Kivalur N G Ganesan (2020), vocalist, musicologist, and guru Dr Ritha Rajan (2021), and Vainika and musicologist Dr R S Jayalakshmi (2022).

T T K Award for 2020, 2021, and 2022: Noted vocalist and guru Thamarakkad Govindan Namboodri, versatile percussionist Nemani Somayajulu, and noted Kanjra artiste A V Anand will receive the T T K Award for 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively.

Musicologist award: The Musicologist award for 2020 will be presented to Dr V Premalatha. Nritya Kalanidhi will be presented to Bharatanatyam exponents Rama Vaidyanathan (2020) and Narthaki Nataraj (2021). Bragha Bessell, widely respected Abhinaya expert and guru, will be awarded the prize for 2022.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Communist leader Shivaji Patnaik passes away: Veteran Communist leader and three-time Member of Parliament, Shivaji Patnaik passed away at the age of 93. Shivaji Patnaik is lauded as the founder of CPI (Marxist) in Odisha. He was born on August 10, 1930, the veteran leader had joined the State student’s movement at the age of 17 when he was studying in Ravenshaw College. He had a crucial role in the formation of CPI(M) when the Communist party faced division in 1964. He remained the party secretary from 1971 to 1990. He was also elected to the Central Committee of the party.