Daily GK Update- 20th July, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Narendra Modi unveils ‘SPRINT Challenges’ to boost usage of Indigenous Technology: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled ‘SPRINT Challenges’, aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in the Indian Navy, during the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in New Delhi. This collaborative project is named SPRINT {Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), NIIO and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC)}. The seminar was organised by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM). About the seminar:

a)      The two-day seminar, held on July 18-19, 2022, aimed to engage Indian industry and academia towards achieving self-reliance in the Defence sector.

b)      It provide a platform for leaders from Industry, Academia, Services and Government to come together on a common platform to ideate and come up with recommendations for the Defence Sector.

c)       Sessions dedicated to Innovation, Indigenisation, Armament and Aviation are held. The second day of the Seminar witness outreach to the Indian Ocean Region, in line with the government’s vision of SAGAR.

 

2. Delhi govt commemorated Happiness Utsav in honour of curriculum’s 4th anniversary: According to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Delhi government celebrated Happiness Utsav to honour the fourth anniversary of its Happiness Curriculum for schools. At a special session held for pupils on this occasion at Kautilya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Chirag Enclave, life coach Gaur Gopal Das discussed the intricacies of happiness. Key Points:

a)      Each student in a government school in Delhi would interact with at least five members of their local community and impart happiness-related knowledge on them. The objective is to assist Delhi’s millions of citizens in finding happiness. In the past four years, Happiness Curriculum has travelled a long and winding road. The students’ concentration on their studies has increased, and the kids aren’t under any stress.

b)      The Deputy Chief Minister announced that numerous events will be planned during the Happiness Utsav over the ensuing 15 days, and this time, “happiness” will not be restricted to Delhi government schools exclusively.

 

3. India reaches a milestone of 200 Crore vaccinations for COVID-19: India has crossed the 200-Crore milestone in its cumulative COVID19 vaccination campaign, which is a historic accomplishment. Preliminary reports indicate that 2,00,00,15,631 dosages had been given nationwide. It was accomplished over 2,63,26,111 sessions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his compatriots for achieving this important goal in a tweet. He described the immunisation campaign in India as unparalleled in magnitude and rapidity. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the minister of health for the Union, also praised the nation for reaching this milestone in just 18 months by saying that this tremendous accomplishment will be inscribed in history. Key Points:

a)      India began using cutting-edge technologies like CoWIN for evaluating geographical coverage, tracking AEFI for vaccines, promoting inclusivity and for providing a single reference point for citizens to follow their vaccination schedule.

b)      India also prioritised vaccine administration based on scientific evidence and international best practises. These initiatives were part of the country’s “Make-in-India” and Make-for-World Strategy.

c)       Through programmes like Har Ghar Dastak, Workplace CVC, School-based vaccination, immunisation of people without identity documents, Near-to-Home CVC, and Mobile Vaccination Teams, India’s free and voluntary nationwide COVID19 vaccination exercise is also being carried out in a citizen-friendly manner.

d)      The National COVID19 Vaccination Programme in India also achieved geographic and gender parity, with 71 percent of CVCs situated in rural regions and over 51 percent of vaccine doses given to women.

 

4. Telangana government and UNDP collaborate on the DiCRA: Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA), the newest entry in the Digital Public Goods Registry, was announced by the Telangana State government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The platform, which uses artificial intelligence to power it, aims to improve food security and food systems. DiCRA becoming a digital public good, according to IT Minister KT Rama Rao, is a significant step in our commitment to open data policy, service delivery to farmers, and anticipatory governance to address the world problem of food security.

Key Points:

a)      With UNDP Accelerator Labs and partner organisations, they are thrilled to support this first-of-its-kind digital commons to promote climate action not only for Telangana but for the entire world, said DiCRA of its cooperation with Telangana’s thriving innovation ecosystem.

b)      Climate change has multiple effects on agriculture, impacting crop output, nutrient quality, and livestock productivity. DiCRA can distinguish between farms that are highly vulnerable to climate change and those that are climate change-resilient using remote sensing and pattern identification algorithms.

c)       In order to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, DiCRA has now joined more than 100 other digital solutions (SDGs).

 

5. Margaret Alva to run for vice president on opposition’s behalf: Margaret Alva, a former Union minister and governor of Rajasthan, will run for vice president as a joint candidate of the opposition parties. Jagdeep Dhankar, the governor of West Bengal, has been nominated by the NDA as a joint contender for the position of vice president. At a gathering of 17 opposition party leaders at the home of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the decision was made to run Alva.

With the support of Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, she would be the joint candidate of a total of 19 parties after 17 parties unanimously decided to field her. They are attempting to get in touch with Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee. They previously backed the shared presidential candidate. Even JMM is participating in this election alongside opposing parties. Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena stated that they are all working together in this election.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. World Chess Day: 20th July: World Chess Day is celebrated annually on July 20 globally. The day marks the date of the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Paris in 1924. On 12 December 2019, the General Assembly proclaimed 20 July as World Chess Day to mark the date of the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Paris in 1924. It is believed that the game of chess, which was once known as “Chaturanga”, dates back almost 1500 years and originated in India. It later made its way to Persia, where it flourished under Arab rule and eventually spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, chess evolved into its current form during the 15th century. It changed into a modern sport by the end of the 15th century.

Note: International Chess Federation President: Arkady Dvorkovich; International Chess Federation Founded: 20 July 1924, Paris, France; International Chess Federation Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

2. International Moon Day: 20th July: The General Assembly declared International Moon Day, a United Nations-designated international day to be observed annually on 20 July. International Moon Day 2022 is chosen as the day to educate and promote awareness on the status and prospects for humanity.

International Moon Day History: An application by submitted by the Moon Village Association at the 64th UN-COPUOS Session stating to observe July 20 as International Moon Day. The day was selected to commemorate the first human landing on the moon done on July 20, 1969, with the United States’ Apollo 11 mission. On December 9 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution stating that July 20 will be observed every year as International Moon Day.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. England all-rounder Ben Stokes announces ODI retirement: England all-rounder Ben Stokes has made a surprise announcement to retire from ODI cricket. “Three formats are just unsustainable for me now,” he said. The 31-year-old will play his last ODI against South Africa at his home ground in Durham. Stokes’ ODI career will forever be remembered for his Player-of-the-Match performance in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s. After making his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, Stokes has scored 2919 runs, including three centuries, and taken 74 wickets in the format.

 

2. 2025 World Athletics Championships: Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium to host event: The World Athletics Council has selected Tokyo (Japan) to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships. At the World Athletics Council Meeting in Oregon, USA, the Council also announced that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia and the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida.

Key Points:

a)      The 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships begins in Oregon USA while Budapest in Hungary will host the 2023 event.

b)      The 2022 edition is currently being organized in Oregon, USA, which was originally scheduled to be held in 2021 but postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

3. Narinder Batra resigned as FIH, IOA president and IOC member: Veteran sports administrator, Narinder Batra has resigned as President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), as well as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), citing “personal reasons”.  Mr Batra ceased to be President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) when the Delhi High Court, on May 25, struck down the post of ‘Life member’ in Hockey India, courtesy of which he had contested the IOA elections and won back in 2017.

Time span of Narinder Batra: The 65-year-old Mr Batra took charge of the IOA for the first time in 2017 and was eligible to contest for re-election. Mr Batra became an IOC member in 2019 and later went on to become a member of the Olympic Channel Commission. Mr Batra became president of FIH in 2016 and reclaimed the position last year for a second term.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Raigad Sahakari Bank of Mumbai subject to limitations from RBI: Due to the lender’s worsening financial situation, the RBI imposed a number of limitations on Mumbai-based Raigad Sahakari Bank, including a withdrawal cap of Rs 15,000 per customer. The cooperative bank is subject to a number of restrictions, including the inability to issue loans, make any investments, or take new deposits without RBI‘s prior approval. Key Points:

a)      The Reserve Bank stated that a depositor may be permitted to withdraw up to Rs 15,000 of their entire balance across all savings bank, current, or other accounts.

b)      The limitations will be in effect for a full six months.

c)       The RBI added that it would be incorrect to interpret the directives given to Raigad Sahakari Bank as the revocation of its banking licence.

d)      Until its financial situation becomes better, the bank will continue to conduct banking business with limits.

e)      In addition, the Reserve Bank stated that depending on the situation, it might modify the instructions.

About Raigad Sahakari Bank: On September 30, 1960, the Raigad Sahakari Bank or Raigad District Central Co-operative Bank was founded. The bank received a banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India on November 11th, 1995. In 1997, Jayant Prabhakar Patil (MLC) became the bank’s chairman. It was introduced on May 18, 2013, and is the first District Cooperative Central Bank in India to offer the Kisan Credit Card.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Successful testing of India’s first 5G private network announced by Bharti Airtel: The nation’s first 5G private network was successfully tested by Bharti Airtel at Bosch Automotive Electronics’ plant in Bengaluru. The trial occurs in advance of a 5G spectrum auction in the midst of a conflict between telecom and IT firms over the allocation of airwaves for private networks. Using the government-allocated trial spectrum, Airtel deployed two industrial-grade use cases at Bosch’s facility for quality enhancement and operational efficiency.

Key Points:

a)      In both quality enhancement and operational efficiency, automated activities were driven by 5G technology, including mobile broadband and ultra-reliable low-latency communications, providing faster scale-up and fewer downtimes, the business said in a statement.

b)      The private network, which was set up as a test, can handle hundreds of linked devices and provide throughput of several GBPS.

c)       According to Ajay Chitkara, director and CEO of Airtel Business, Airtel is committed to assisting India’s digital transformation and the growth of its business as it aspires to achieve global size.

d)      According to Subhash P, head of technical functions at Bosch Automotive Electronics India, the Airtel Private 5G network’s low latency and dependable connectivity, which were experienced at our plant during the proof of concept, have allowed them to increase production and efficiency.

e)      The use of 5G will greatly reduce the amount of wired IT infrastructure and improve operational effectiveness.

 

2. Ashish Kumar Chauhan named as the next MD & CEO of NSE: The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced the appointment of Ashish Kumar Chauhan as its new managing director and CEO. He will succeed Vikram Limaye whose 5-year term ended on 16 July 2022. He was one of the founders of NSE where he worked from 1992 to 2000. He is best known as the father of modern financial derivatives in India due to his work at NSE. This is Chauhan’s second tenure in the BSE and under SEBI guidelines, a candidate cannot be appointed as MD & CEO for more than two tenures. BSE is also searching for a new CEO in place of Chauhan.

Note: National Stock Exchange Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra; National Stock Exchange Founded: 1992; Chairperson of National Stock Exchange: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Australia Tennis star Lleyton Hewitt inducted into Hall of Fame: Two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Before Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic ascended to the top of the sport, Hewitt held the top spot for 80 weeks, good for 10th-most in history. Even when those stars made their mark.

The Aussie icon won his first ATP title in Adelaide in 1998 and his last in 2014 at the Hall of Fame Open, defeating Ivo Karlovic. Hewitt won the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon title.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Renowned artist Achuthan Kudallur passes away: Noted artist Achuthan Kudallur has passed away recently at the age of 77. A civil engineer by training, Achuthan Kudallur was a self-taught abstract artist and a highly respected name in contemporary art circles of south India. He was a part of the Madras Art Club, which operated within the Government College of Art, Chennai and later shifted to painting abstracts. Achuthan Kudallur is a recipient of the national and Tamil Nadu State Lalit Kala Akademi Awards. He was born in 1945 in Kerala, but lived alone in Chennai, pursued a degree in Civil Engineering and revelled as an Indian Asian Modern and Contemporary painter.