Daily GK Update- 18th Aug, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. GoI unveils “Manthan” platform for better industry and R&D collaboration: The government of India unveiled the “Manthan” platform to drive collaboration between the industry and research institutes to implement technology-based social impact innovations and solutions in the country. The launch of Manthan, a platform that promises to augment our efforts to build and nurture industry participation in R&D, is also a testimony of our commitment to the UN’s SDG goals. The launch commemorates India’s 75 years of independence and presents an opportunity to bring national and global communities closer to India’s technology revolution. Benefits of the Manthan platform:

a)      The Manthan platform will help scale up interactions among stakeholders, facilitate research and innovation, and share challenges in various emerging technologies and scientific interventions, including those that make a social impact.

b)      The platform will provide the necessary fulcrum for transforming the nation through innovative ideas, inventive minds, and public-private-academia collaboration to achieve th country’s sustainability goals.

c)       Manthan will facilitate knowledge transfers and interactions through information exchange sessions, exhibitions, and events to develop a framework for future science, innovation, and technology-led growth.

 

2. PM Modi announced ‘Panch Pran’ goal for the next 25 years: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the nation from the Red Fort for the ninth time in a row on August 15, 2022. PM Modi, in his 88-minute speech, outlined his “Panch Pran Targets” (Five Resolves) to make India a developed country by the time it celebrates its 100th Independence Day in 25 years.

Panch Pran: India’s developed standards

a)      Cleanliness campaigns, vaccinations, electrical connections, the elimination of open defecation, and the usage of solar energy are all examples of established India standards according to the Panch Pran.

b)      A prime illustration of “liberation from the concept of servitude” is the New National Education Policy.

c)       Women’s rights, gender equality, and India First are national emblems of solidarity and unity.

d)      India would advance if its citizens carry out obligations like saving power, practising chemical-free agriculture, and making the most of the available irrigation water.

e)      PM Modi requested to every individual to Follow Panch Pran

The Panch Pran are as follows:

a)      Advance with greater conviction and the determination of a developed India

b)      Get rid of any signs of slavery

c)       Take pride in India’s history.

d)      the power of unity

e)      duties of citizens, such as those of the PM and CMs.

 

3. India To Start Supplying Petrol With 20% Ethanol From April 2023: India will start supplying petrol with 20 per cent ethanol at select petrol pumps from April next year and will ramp up supplies thereafter as it looks to cut oil import dependence and address environmental issues. E20 petrol (petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol) in some quantity will be available from April 2023 and the rest to be covered by 2025.

Achievements: India, which achieved the target of supplying petrol mixed with 10 per cent ethanol (10 per cent ethanol, 90 per cent petrol) ahead of schedule in June this year, has advanced the target of making petrol with 20 per cent ethanol by five years to 2025. The original target for doping 10 per cent ethanol, extracted from sugarcane and other agri commodities, in petrol originally was November 2022.

 

4. India’s first 3D-printed Human Cornea developed by CCMB, IIT Hyderabad, and LVPEI: Researchers in Hyderabad have successfully 3D-printed an artificial cornea (3D-printed Human Cornea) and placed it in a rabbit eye for the first time ever in India. A 3D-printed Human cornea made from human donor corneal tissue has been created by researchers from the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H), and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Key Points:

a)      The product (3D-printed Human Cornea) was created locally with support from the government and philanthropic organisations; it is entirely natural, free of synthetic ingredients, and safe for patients to use.

b)      In order to create a special biomimetic hydrogel (patent pending), the researchers from LVPEI, IITH, and CCMB employed decellularized corneal tissue matrix and stem cells generated from human eyes.

c)       This hydrogel served as the foundation material for the 3D-printed Human Cornea.

d)      The 3D-printed Human Cornea is biocompatible, natural, and free of animal byproducts because it is made of components derived from human corneal tissue.

 

5. Bajaj Electricals elevates Anuj Poddar as MD & CEO: Bajaj Electricals, part of business conglomerate Bajaj Group, has elevated its Executive Director Anuj Poddar to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The company has separated the post of Chairman & Managing Director and its patron Shekhar Bajaj will continue as Executive Chairman of the company. 

Note: Bajaj Group Founder: Jamnalal Bajaj; Bajaj Group Founded: 1926; Bajaj Group Headquarters Location: Pune, Maharashtra.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India’s IT Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma named to high-level UN internet panel: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has named India’s Electronics and Information Technology Secretary, Alkesh Kumar Sharma to a panel of eminent experts on internet governance. Internet pioneer Vint Cerf and Nobel Prize-winning journalist Maria Reesa were also appointed to the 10-member Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel. In addition, Guterres’ envoy on technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, will also be on the panel. They will serve for a two-year term during the 2022–23 IGF cycles. List of 10 members in the panel:

1)      Vint Cerf from the United States,

2)      Hatem Dowidar from Egypt,

3)      Lise Fuhr from Denmark,

4)      Maria Fernanda Garza from Mexico,

5)      Toomas Hendrik Ilves from Estonia,

6)      Maria Ressa from the Philippines and the USA,

7)      Alkesh Kumar Sharma from India,

8)      Karoline Edtstadler from Austria,

9)      Gbenga Sesan from Nigeria, and

10)  Lan Xue from China.

Role of the panel: The panel was set up under the mandate of the IGF and the recommendations in Guterres’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. The panel’s role is to deal with “strategic and urgent issues” of the Internet and provide strategic advice to the IGF.

 

2. NASA’s moon rocket moved to launch pad for 1st test flight: The American space agency, NASA has rolled out its giant new Moon rocket, surrounding the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, the vehicle was moved to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the expected lift-off on 29 August. The near 100m-tall (328ft) SLS rode an immense tractor to the pad. The SLS will be used under the Artemis mission that will take humans back to the Moon his time with plans for a longer presence on the surface.

About the Space Launch System (SLS):

a)      The SLS will have 15% more thrust off the pad than Apollo’s Saturn V rockets.

b)      This extra power, combined with further enhancements, will allow the vehicle to not only send astronauts far beyond Earth but, additionally, so much equipment and cargo that those crews could stay away for extended periods.

c)       The crew capsule, also, is a step up in capability. Called Orion, it is much more spacious, being a metre wider, at 5m (16.5ft), than the historic command modules of the 1960s and 70s.

Note: NASA administrator: Bill Nelson; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States; NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Delhi HC Appoints Committee To Take Over Affairs Of Indian Olympic Association (IOA): The Indian Olympic Association has been directed by the Delhi High Court to set up a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to take over its affairs. According to PTI, the court took the decision after the IOA’s “persistent recalcitrance” to comply with the Sports Code.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Najmi Waziri said the CoA to run IOA’s day-to-day affairs will comprise former Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr S.Y Quraishi, and former Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup. Additionally, Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, world championship medallist Anju Bobby George and Olympian Bombayla Devi will be the consultant sportspersons. Each member of the CoA will receive an honorarium of Rs 3 lakh per month while each of the consultant sportspersons will get Rs 1.5 lakh, the court said.

The Aftermath: The IOA is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the National Olympic Committee for India. The court directed the executive committee of IOA to hand over the charge to the newly appointed committee. After considering the issues related to the tenure of office bearers and voting rights, the court also struck down the post of “life president” and any such permanent post for an individual in the IOA for being illegal and said that the maximum term for the president and likewise to all office bearers and members of the EC has to be limited to three tenures as per the law.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. New deposit products introduced by Ujjivan SFB and Bank of Baroda: The “Baroda Tiranga Deposit Scheme,” a unique retail fixed deposit product, was introduced by Ujjivan SFB and Bank of Baroda (BoB). Baroda Tiranga Deposit Scheme offers interest rates of 5.75 percent for 444 days and 6 percent for 555 days. The programme is available through December 31, 2022, and it applies to retail deposits under Rs 2 crore. Senior people will receive an additional interest rate of 0.50 percent, according to a statement from BoB, while non-refundable deposits will receive an additional interest rate of 0.15 percent. Key Points:

a)      The 75-week (525 days) and 75-month (75 months) tenors of retail fixed deposits (under Rs 2 crore), both with the highest rate of 7.50 percent, have been offered by Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB).

b)      The interest rate on 990-day (Platina FD) fixed-rate deposits has gone up at Ujjivan SFB from 7.20 percent to 7.50 percent. It increased the senior citizen rate from 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent.

c)       According to the bank, customers can use the Platina FD scheme to invest anywhere between a minimum of 15 lakh rupees and two crore rupees. Platinum FD is not reachable There is no partial or premature withdrawal option in this plan.

d)      Ujjivan SFB will offer monthly, quarterly, and on-maturity interest payment choices. Tax Saver Fixed Deposits are also eligible for the aforementioned interest rates. However, they maintain a five-year lock-in period.

 

2. State Bank of India introduced its first dedicated branch to support start-ups: The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its first branch dedicated to start-ups in Koramangala, Bengaluru. SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara launched the branch in Koramangala near HSR Layout and Indiranagar which are the biggest start-up hubs in the city. After Bengaluru, the next branch will be opened in Gurgaon and the third one will be in Hyderabad. These branches would support the needs of the entire start-up ecosystem.

The branch will provide services ranging from the stage of formation of start-ups to Initial Public Offerings and Follow-on Public Offerings. Apart from providing funding and regular banking service to start-ups, SBI will also support such players through associated services such as investment banking, treasury operations, advisory and other ancillary financial services through its subsidiaries.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. IRDAI hosts its inaugural hackathon, Bima Manthan 2022: IRDAI, the insurance regulator, in order to safeguard the interests of policyholders, has asked organisations to provide technologically advanced new solutions for automated death claim settlement, reducing miss-selling, and other components of the insurance ecosystem. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is accepting applications for Bima Manthan 2022, its inaugural hackathon, with the topic “Innovation in Insurance.”

Highlights:

a)      IRDAI in a statement, the hackathon invites participants to explore and develop ideas that have the potential to make insurance available to every individual in a seamless and quick way with the use of technology and defending the interests of the policyholders.

b)      IRDAI, in order to stop the mis-selling of insurance products, has looked for creative ideas and tech-based solutions for automating death claim settlement.

c)       IRDAI is also seeking technologically enabled solutions to identify uninsured motor vehicles, assure the issuing of necessary motor third party insurance, and technology-based distribution of insurance products, including microinsurance in “difficult terrains and less penetrable places.”

d)      Bima Manthan 2022 offers the winner the chance to work with an insurer (or insurers) on the winning project/platform, demo-day in front of insurers/intermediaries and other stakeholders, or direct admittance into the IRDAI Regulatory Sandbox regime.

Note: IRDAI Founded: 1999; IRDAI Headquarters: Hyderabad; IRDAI Chairperson: Debasish Panda.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gives “F-INSAS” system to Indian Army: Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh handed over to the Indian Army the much-awaited Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) at the unveiling ceremony of various defence and strategic systems held in Delhi. The full gear of the F-INSAS includes an AK-203 assault rifle, which is a Russian-origin gas-operated, magazine-fed, select-fire assault rifle.

About the (F-INSAS) System:

a)      The units of the rifle, which has a range of 300 metres, will be manufactured by an India-Russia joint venture.

b)      A rifle-mounted holographic sight with a range of 200 meters has been provided for target acquisition.

c)       A helmet-mounted night vision facility has been provided for infantry. The helmet and vest can protect from 9 mm ammunition and AK-47 assault rifles.

d)      A hands-free headset has been provided for communication with command posts and other elements on the battlefield.

e)      For the survivability of the infantry soldier, a ballistic helmet, ballistic goggles, bulletproof vest, elbow pads and knee pads have been provided in the system. F-INSAS also includes a state-of-the-art target acquisition and communication system.

 

2. India Gift Dornier Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft to Sri Lanka: India on August 15 gifted a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka which will enable the island nation to tackle multiple challenges like human and drug trafficking, smuggling and other organised forms of crime in its coastal waters more effectively. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was present at the impressive handover ceremony which took place on a day when India celebrated its 76th Independence Day and a day before a high-tech Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship docks at the island nation’s strategic Hambantota port.

Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral S.N. Ghormade, who is on a two-day visit to the country, accompanied by Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay, handed over the aircraft to the Sri Lanka Navy at the Sri Lanka Air Force base in Katunayake, adjoining the Colombo international airport.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former BCCI Secretary Amitabh Choudhary passes away: Amitabh Chaudhary the former BCCI acting secretary and president of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has passed away. He served as acting secretary of the BCCI until 2019. He entered cricket administration in 2004 and served as the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) president for over a decade.

Choudhary also served as BCCI’s joint-secretary from 2013 to 2015 during Anurag Thakur’s reign as BCCI president. He was a retired senior IPS officer, who rose to the rank of IGP with the Jharkhand Police and was the chairman of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission. He played a crucial role in developing infrastructure for Jharkhand cricket.