Daily GK Update- 30th Sep, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Assam to use portable device ‘SAANS’ to stop neonatal deaths: The Assam government has decided to use SAANS, an air pressure machine developed by a Bangalore-based start-up, in the state-run hospitals across the state. ‘SAANS’ is a portable neonatal Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) system that can provide lifesaving breathing support to infants in hospital settings as well as during travel. The decision comes following the success of a pilot project to reduce neonatal mortality with special equipment. Key Points:

a)      More than 50 SAANS devices have been deployed across medical colleges in Assam to date with more deployments underway to district hospitals.

b)      For the development of the machine, InnAccel Technologies, incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), joined hands with the SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility to strengthen respiratory support for newborns and paediatric populations in Assam.

c)       SAMRIDH is a multi-stakeholder innovation and financing platform supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global.

d)      The partnership between InnAccel, C-CAMP and SAMRIDH with support from the National Health Mission, Assam and the Government of Assam will help deploy 307 units of SAANS in the state.

Note: Capital of Assam: Dispur; Chief Minister of Assam: Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma; Governor of Assam: Prof Jagdish Mukhi

 

2. Amit Shah to Inaugurate Dairy Cooperative Conclave in Gangtok: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is likely to inaugurate a daylong dairy cooperative conclave of the eastern and northeastern zones in Sikkim on October 7. The conclave is being organised by the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI). NCDFI Chairman Mangal Jit Rai said Shah’s office has confirmed his participation at the conclave to be held in Gangtok. Sikkim Chief Minister P S Tamang will be the guest of honour at the function.

Other Participants: Top functionaries of the cooperative milk unions and state dairy federations from the eastern and northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal are expected to attend, Rai said. Altogether, 1,200 participants from these 12 states are likely to attend the event.

Launch Of an Online Marketplace: Rai said taking inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiatives, the NCDFI has launched an online marketplace called “NCDFI eMarket” to provide transparent and fair dealings to trade bulk commodities to the member dairy cooperatives with the patronage of the National Dairy Development Board.

 

3. Indian Railways installed RTIS system developed by ISRO: Indian Railways is installing a Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on locomotives “for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival and departure or run-through”. With this, Train Control will now be able to track the location & speed of RTIS-enabled locomotives /trains more closely, without any manual intervention. About the Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS):

a)      Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with ISRO, is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival & departure or run-through.

b)      They get automatically plotted on the control chart of those trains in the Control Office Application (COA) system. RTIS devices have been installed for 2700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds. As part of Phase-II rollout, 6000 more locomotives across 50 loco sheds shall be covered by utilizing ISRO’s Satcom hub.

Note: ISRO Chairman: S. Somanath; ISRO’s foundation Date: 15th August, 1969; ISRO’s Founder: Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

 

4. Chandigarh airport to be named after Bhagat Singh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the Chandigarh airport will be renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter. Punjab & Haryana governments had last month (Aug 2022) agreed to name the airport after freedom fighter Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.  The Rs 485-crore airport project is a joint venture of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the governments of Punjab and Haryana.

 

5. Senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar appointed ESIC Director General: Senior bureaucrat Rajendra Kumar has been appointed the director general of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Kumar, a 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently an additional secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. He has been appointed the DG of ESIC, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry. Other appointments:

a)      As per the order, T Natarajan, a 1996-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, will be an additional secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.

b)      V Hekali Zhimomi has been appointed as additional secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare. She is at present working as a joint secretary in the same department.

c)       Ashish Srivastava, Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been named as adviser in the Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs.

d)      Jaideep Kumar Mishra, who is currently an additional secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will now be additional secretary and financial adviser to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, replacing Srivastava.

e)      Nitishwar Kumar has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of joint secretary and financial adviser in the ministry, the order said. Kumar, a 1996-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, is currently on inter-cadre deputation in Jammu and Kashmir.

f)        L Satya Srinivas, Additional Secretary in NATGRID, Ministry of Home Affairs, will be an additional secretary in the Department of Commerce, it added.

g)      V Radha, Additional Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has been named as additional secretary in NITI Aayog.

h)      Ranjana Chopra, a 1994-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Culture.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Italy PM election: Giorgia Meloni elected as First woman PM of Italy: Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy’s first woman prime minister at the head of its most right-wing government since World War Two after leading a conservative alliance to triumph at the election. Meloni will take over from Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, who pushed Rome to the centre of EU policy-making during his 18-month stint in office, forging close ties with Paris and Berlin. The Italian far-right leader Meloni party came top in general elections.

Giorgia Meloni has also served as a youth minister in Berlusconi’s 2008-2011 government before founding the Brothers of Italy in 2012. Three prominent political leaders Meloni, La Russa, and Crosetto founded a new political movement Brothers of Italy in 2012.

Note: Italy Capital: Rome; Italy Currency: Euro; Italy President: Sergio Mattarella.

 

2. World Heart Day: 29th September: Every year on the 29th of September, people all around the world observe World Heart Day. The day is observed to raise awareness about the rising concerns of heart health, cardiovascular illnesses, the impact of overexercising on the heart and how heart care is of utmost importance. The theme for World Heart Day 2022 is ‘USE HEART FOR EVERY HEART’. In the theme ‘USE HEART FOR EVERY HEART’, “Use Heart” means to think differently, make the right decisions, act with courage and help others. Similarly, “For Every Heart” involves the use of “FOR” and shifts the focus from the actions themselves to the heir of such actions, allowing for wider application of the campaign while also making it more personal.

World Heart Day History: The World Heart Federation and the World Health Organization collaborated to create this international event. Antoni Bayés de Luna, who served as the World Heart Federation’s president from 1997 to 1999, had come up with this idea. World Heart Day was originally celebrated on September 24, 2000, and up until 2011, it was marked as the final Sunday in September. It was later decided upon as 29th September, the exact date when international World Heart Day will be observed with more than 90 countries coming together to participate in this world event.

Note: World Heart Federation Founded: 2000; World Heart Federation Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; World Heart Federation President: Fausto Pinto.

 

3. International Translation Day: 30th September: International Translation Day is being celebrated every year on 30 September to raise awareness about translation and languages which play an important role for society’s development. The day is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to the development and strengthening world peace and security. The theme for this year’s International Translation Day is ‘A world without barriers’.

International Translation Day History: The day marked the celebration of Bible translator St. Jerome who is considered the father of translators. “St. Jerome was a priest from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavour of translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek,” the UN website mentioned. The General Assembly on May 24, 2017 has adopted a resolution for language professionals and announced September 30 as International Translation Day. International Federation of Translators, FIT which was established in 1953 launched the idea of recognising Translation Day in 1991 to promote the profession all over the world.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Julius Baer Cup 2022: Magnus Carlsen beats Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi: Teenaged Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi went down against world no.1 Magnus Carlsen in the final of the Julius Baer Generation Cup online rapid chess tournament, losing the second match 0-2. Having won the first match, the Norwegian had the advantage and he won the first two games of the second match to close out the finale early. Carlsen’s performance makes him the first player to hit the historic 2900 Tour Rating mark.

 

2. Domestic Cricket: West Zone wins Duleep Trophy 2022, beats South Zone: The West zone has defeated the South zone by 294 runs to win their 19th title in the final day of the 2022 Duleep Trophy at the SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore. The 2022 Duleep trophy was the 59th season of the Duleep Trophy. Sarfaraz Khan scored the most runs with 127 runs for 178 balls and Jaydev Unadkat of the West zone became the player of the series.

About Duleep Trophy: Duleep Trophy is also known as the Mastercard Duleep trophy for its sponsorship and it is also the first­class cricket tournament in India. It is named after Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar, who is also known as Duleep. The competition was originally contested by teams representing geographical zones of India. But from 2016, the BCCI selected the teams for the trophy. The scheduled matches will be played in Chennai, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, and Salem.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Ageas becomes first foreign business to own 74% of an Indian life insurance company: Ageas Federal Life Insurance (AFLI) announced that after Belgium-based Ageas Insurance International successfully acquired the 25% investment in the life insurance joint venture (JV) from IDBI Bank, it has become the first life insurance firm in India with a 74% stake held by a foreign partner. For a total cash consideration of Rs 580 crore, Ageas has bought the extra 25% ownership of IDBI Bank in Ageas Federal Life Insurance. Key Points:

a)      Ageas’ ownership of the JV increased from its prior 49% to 74% after purchasing the extra 25% stake.

b)      While IDBI Bank ceased to be a stakeholder, Federal Bank still owns 26% of the life insurance.

c)       IDBI Bank had signed into a share purchase agreement (SPA) to sell Ageas Insurance International NV its whole stake of 200 million equity shares in AFLI (Ageas).

d)      In accordance with the receipt of the necessary regulatory clearances, IDBI Bank has concluded the selling transaction of its whole investment of 20,00,000 equity shares in AFLI. The bank stated in a stock exchange statement that its ownership in AFLI is now NIL as a result of this sale.

Note: MD & CEO of Ageas Federal Life Insurance: Vighnesh Shahane

 

2. Air India Signs Agreement with Willis Lease for Aircraft Engines: Air India announced that it has signed a definitive sale and lease back agreement with Nasdaq-listed Willis Lease Finance Corporation for 34 CFM56-5B engines installed on its Airbus A320 family fleet. According to the company statement, the engines will be covered under Willis Lease’s ConstantThrust, which will deliver significant reliability and cost savings over a traditional MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) shop visit programme. Key Points:

a)      The company said in a statement, under the sale side of the transaction, Willis Lease will purchase 34 engines from Air India, powering 13 Airbus A321 aircraft and four Airbus A320 aircraft.

b)      Through the programme, Willis Lease will provide replacement and standby spare engines, allowing the airline to avoid potentially costly and unpredictable shop visits on engines powering a transitioning aircraft fleet.

India’s Competitive Sector: IndiGo- India’s largest airline flew the largest number of passengers with a market share of 58 per cent. The Tata Group’s airlines including Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India, together had a market share of 24 per cent in August. Interestingly, SpiceJet had the highest passenger load factor at 84.6 per cent in August while that of Vistara and IndiGo stood at 84.4 per cent and 78.3 per cent, respectively.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. President gives the National Service Scheme Awards 2020-21: On September 24, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Service Scheme NSS Awards for the 2020–21 academic year, according to a release from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 42 prizes in total were given out. The recipients of the honours were two institutions, ten NSS units, their programme officers, and thirty NSS volunteers.

The National Service Scheme Award is given out annually by the Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Awards are given out to recognise and honour exceptional achievements to volunteer community service with the goal of advancing NSS throughout the nation.

Note: Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur; Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports: Shri Nisith Pramanik

 

2. Asha Parekh to be bestowed with 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke award: Veteran actress Asha Parekh has been declared the recipient of the 2020 Dadasaheb Phalke award, making her the 52nd awardee of the honour. Union Minister for Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur announced her name. She worked in more than 95 films and was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification from 1998-2001. She is also a recipient of the Padma Shri, awarded to her by the Government of India in 1992 for services to cinema.

About the Dadasaheb Phalke Award: The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in Indian cinema. The award was instituted in 1969, the award is the highest honour for an artiste in Indian cinema.  Previous recipients include Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Lata Mangeshkar, Mrinal Sen, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna. Devika Rani was the first winner, while actor Rajinikanth is the most recent winner of the prestigious honour, in 2021.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Congress leader Aryadan Muhammed passes away: Former Kerala minister and senior Congress leader, Aryadan Muhammed has passed away at the age of 87. Muhammed, a prominent Muslim face of Congress in Kerala, had got elected to the state Assembly eight times from the Nilambur constituency in Malappuram. He had served as a minister for four terms. During the Congress regime from 2011 to 2016, he had been power minister in the Oommen Chandy government.

Daily GK Update- 29th Sep, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. CBI raids nationwide against Child Abuse material under Operation Megha Chakra: CBI hunts for Child Sexual Abuse Material Online Circulation Cases in 20 States & UTs. As part of Operation Megha Chakra, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched 56 locations across 20 States and Union Territories in relation to cases of the internet distribution of child sexual abuse material. Cloud storage was used to perform searches against sellers of Child Sexual Abuse Material on the Internet after obtaining input from Interpol and intelligence gathered during Operation Carbon last year.

In November 2021, the CBI carried out Operation Carbon, which involved conducting raids at 76 different locations around the nation and making multiple arrests.

Note: Director General of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): Subodh Kumar Jaiswal; Headquarters of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): New Delhi

 

2. Indian government introduces “Sign Learn” smartphone app: The Center released the “Sign Learn” smartphone app, a 10,000-word lexicon for Indian Sign Language (ISL). Pratima Bhoumik, minister of state for social justice and empowerment, introduced the app. The 10,000-word Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) lexicon serves as the foundation for Sign Learn. All the terms in the ISL dictionary can be searched using Hindi or English on the app, which is accessible in Android and iOS versions. Key Points:

a)      Notably, on October 6, 2020, ISLRTC and the NCERT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conversion of NCERT textbooks from classes 1 through 12 into Indian Sign Language (digital format) in order to make the textbooks accessible to children with hearing impairments.

b)      The official said, that ISL e-content for class 6 NCERT textbooks was introduced this year.

c)       A few volumes from the National Book Trust’s “Veergatha” series had ISL translations released by the Center as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

d)      ISLRTC and NCERT collaborated to launch 500 academic words in Indian Sign Language for the“Sign Learn” smartphone app.

e)      These academic terms, which are frequently used in history, science, political science, and mathematics, are utilised at the secondary school level.

 

3. Arogya Manthan 2022 launched by Mansukh Mandaviya: Arogya Manthan 2022 event was officially launched by the Union Health Minister in Government of India, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya to commemorate four years since the launch of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and one year since the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). More than 10 crore impoverished people are intended to benefit from the programme, which offers vulnerable families a five lakh rupee health subsidy each year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2018 announced its debut.

About the Arogya Manthan Event:

a)      This two-day Arogya Manthan 2022 event covered a total of 12 sessions.

b)      Day 1 of Arogya Manthan 2022 featured a number of sessions on topics like Universal Health Coverage in India, Promoting Interoperability in Digital Health, Improving PM-JAY Efficiency, Adoption of Digital Health, Health Technology Assessment for Evidence-Informed PM-JAY Decisions, and Privacy and Security Issues Related to Digital Health.

c)       Day 2 feature sessions on Best Practices by States Implementing ABDM, Digital Health Insurance in India, PM-JAY Best Practices by States, International Best Practices in Digital Health, Ensuring Access, Affordability, and Quality in Healthcare through PM-JAY, and Way Forwards for Digital Health in India.

 

4. Appointment of Sanjai Kumar as new Chairman & MD of Railtel: As the new Chairman and Managing Director of RailTel, Sanjai Kumar is in charge. Sanjai Kumar previously held the position of Director (Network Planning & Marketing/NPM) at RailTel, along with the added responsibility of Director (Project, Operations & Maintenance/POM). The University of Allahabad awarded Kumar a Bachelor of Technology in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, while the Management Development Institute in Gurugram awarded him a Post Graduate Diploma in Management.

 

5. Dr. M Srinivas named as new Director of AIIMS Delhi: The dean of Employees’ State Insurance Company (ESIC) Hospital and Medical College, Hyderabad, Dr M Srinivas has been appointed the director of New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), nearly six months after the tenure of the previous director, Dr Randeep Guleria, formally ended. The appointment is for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest, according to the order.

Note: AIIMS Delhi Established: 1956; AIIMS Delhi First Director:  B.B Dikshit.

 

6. Jagdeep Dhankhar released a book titled “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay – Jeevan Darshan Aur Samsamyikta”: The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has released the book titled “Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay – Jeevan Darshan Aur Samsamyikta” (five volumes) in New Delhi and on this occasion highlighted the importance of Pt Deendayal’s thoughts in contemporary times. The Vice President appreciated the efforts of the Chief Editor of the book, Dr Bajrang Lal Gupta and his team for coming out with these well-researched five volumes on one of the foremost leaders of modern India. He also thanked Shri Rajnath Singh and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi for their insightful speeches on the life and work of Pt Deendayal Upadhyay on the occasion.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Palm oil Alliance formed by 5 South Asian Countries: Edible oil trade associations from five palm oil importing countries in South Asia – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, announced the setting up of Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA). The idea is to gain collecting bargaining power and make imports sustainable. According to the APOA statement, the alliance would work towards ensuring that palm oil is recognised as a high-quality, economical, and healthy vegetable oil and to change the negative image of palm oil. Chaturvedi said that membership of APOA would be further expanded to include companies or industry bodies associated with production or refining of palm oil across the continent. The next meeting of APOA is expected to be held in Indonesia early next year. Key Points:

a)      India’s annual imports of edible oil is around 13-14 million tonne (MT). Around 8 MT of palm oil is imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, while other oils, such as soya and sunflower, come from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia.

b)      Asia accounts for around 40% of the global palm oil consumption while Europe accounts for 12% of palm oil trade.

c)       Indonesia and Malaysia are the biggest palm oil exporters in the world.

d)      India is the largest importer of palm oil in Asia, accounting for 15% of global imports, followed by China (9%), Pakistan (4%) and Bangladesh (2%).

 

2. World Maritime Day: 29th September: The International Maritime Organization observed World Maritime Day on the last Thursday of September. This year, it will be observed on September 29. The day focuses on drawing public attention to maritime safety and the marine environment. The World Maritime Day 2022 Parallel Event will be organized in Durban, South Africa from 12th to 14th October 2022. The theme for World Maritime Day 2022 is ‘New technologies for greener shipping’ – which reflects the need to support a “green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future while leaving no one behind.”

World Maritime Day History: In 1948, an international conference in Geneva passed a specialized convention that established the IMO, an agency under the United Nations. It was established to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping. World Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time on March 17, 1978.

Note: International Maritime Organization Headquarters: London, United Kingdom; International Maritime Organization Founded: 17 March 1958; International Maritime Organization Founder: United Nations; International Maritime Organization Secretary-General: Kitack Lim.

 

3. International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste: 29th September: On 29 September 2022, the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is observed globally. Reducing food loss and waste is of significant importance as it contributes to the realization of broader improvements to agri-food systems toward achieving food security, food safety, improving food quality and delivering on nutritional outcomes. The theme for International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2022 is “Stop Food Loss and waste, for the people, for the planet”.

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste History: In 2019, the 74th United Nations General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition. The UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Nutrition Organization of the UN (Food and Agriculture Organization) will work together to support the Day’s observance.

Note: Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters: Rome, Italy; Food and Agriculture Organization Founded: 16 October 1945, Québec City, Canada; Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General: Qu Dongyu.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Jhulan Goswami Retirement: Indian Legend retires from all Formats: The legendary Women’s Cricketer, Jhulan Goswami announced her retirement from all forms of the game in a touching farewell statement on September 25. Jhulan played her last international game at the Lord’s on the 24th, and she went out on a high note by helping India women defeat England women 3-0 in an ODI series. Jhulan secured two wickets in her final match for India, which saw them defeat England by 16 runs while holding them to a 169-run goal. Jhulan Goswami sent a parting message on social media, expressing her contentment with her lauded career. She participated in 204 ODI games, claimed 255 wickets, and now holds the record for most wickets taken in women’s ODI cricket.

 

2. 2022 Berlin Marathon: Eliud Kipchoge breaks the world record: Eliud Kipchoge shattered his own world record, with a time of 2:01:09 to win the Berlin marathon. It’s the second time the Kenyan runner has set the official men’s world record at the race in the German capital. Kipchoge’s previous best in an official 42.2km race was 2:01:39 set on the same course in 2018. Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa won the women’s race in a course record of 2:15:37, the third fastest time in history.

Kipchoge has long been dubbed the world’s best marathon runner. In 2019, he ran a marathon in Vienna in under two hours, a milestone long thought impossible. The result wasn’t official because he ran it under laboratory conditions, but the result made him an icon in and outside the running world.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. S&P retains FY23 growth forecast at 7.3% & OECD at 6.9%: Amid slowing external demand for Indian goods and services, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and S&P kept their growth forecasts for India unchanged at 6.9 per cent and 7.3 per cent, respectively, for FY23 while highlighting growing downside risks. S&P in its latest outlook for Asia-Pacific said it saw a strong rebound in India as services consumption continued to recover and investment grew robustly.

 

2. Amazon tie-up with Amp Energy to establish its first solar project in India: Amazon said that its first solar farm would be located in India. Three solar power plants with a combined capacity of 420 megawatts (MW) will be built in Rajasthan by the largest e-commerce company, Amazon. Along with Amp Energy, Amazon has also contracted to 210 MW and 110 MW projects with ReNew Power and Brookfield Renewables, respectively. Key Points:

a)      Amp Energy India, a producer of renewable energy (RE), has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to sell RE to Amazon from a 100 MW solar power facility in Rajasthan as part of Amazon’s plans for India.

b)      By the end of 2023, the facility at Bhadia, Rajasthan, will be completely operational. One gigawatt (GW) of utility size projects are also being developed by Amp. 1,13,645 tonnes of hazardous CO2 emissions will be reduced thanks to this solar power facility.

Amazon other plans:

a)      Aside from Amp Energy, Amazon has also agreed to a 210 MW project with ReNew Power and a 110 MW project with Brookfield Renewables.

b)      These solar farms can produce 1,076,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of RE yearly, which is enough to power more than 360,000 average-sized homes in New Delhi.

c)       Additionally, 23 new solar rooftop projects worth a combined 4.09 MW have been launched by Amazon for its fulfilment centres spread across 14 Indian cities. As a result, India now has 41 solar rooftop projects with a combined renewable energy capacity of 19.7 MW.

Note: Amazon Founder: Jeff Bezos; Amazon CEO: Andy Jassy

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India’s first avalanche-monitoring radar installed in Sikkim” The Indian Army and the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE) have jointly installed the Avalanche Monitoring Radar, the first of its kind in India, in north Sikkim. Besides being used for the detection of avalanches, this radar can also be employed to detect landslides. The avalanche radar was made operational by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s wing DGRE, which is involved in forecasting and mitigating of avalanche hazards faced by the Indian Army in the Himalayan region. About the radar:

a)      The radar, which can permanently scan the targeted slope for avalanche release and track its path and its size in case it is triggered, can “see” through snow, and fog as well as in night, making it an all-weather solution and covers an area of two sq/km obviating the requirement to place additional instruments in dangerous avalanche prone areas.

b)      The radar is also linked to an alarm system enabling automatic control and warning measures in case an avalanche is triggered. Images and videos of the event are automatically recorded for future analysis by the experts.

c)       In an area where frequencies of avalanches are high, the radar will go a long way in safeguarding the life of troops deployed in hostile terrain and sub-zero temperatures while at the same time limiting damage to vehicles and equipment at such snowbound high-altitude area.

Note: Sikkim Capital: Gangtok; Sikkim Chief Minister: Prem Singh Tamang; Sikkim Governor: Ganga Prasad.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher passes away: An Oscar-winning actress, Louise Fletcher from the USA has passed away at the age of 88 in France. She was awarded the Oscar in 1976 for her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). She was also a recipient of the BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She was nominated for two Emmy Awards for her roles in the television series Picket Fences (1996) and Joan of Arcadia (2004). Her final role was as Rosie in the Netflix series Girlboss (2017).

Fletcher began her acting career in the late 1950s on episodic TV shows such as Lawman, The Untouchables, and 77 Sunset Strip and lasted for more than sixty years in films and television with a recurring role as the cunning Bajoran religious figure Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Daily GK Update- 28th Sep, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India to invest $30 billion for 4G, 5G Connectivity to Every Village: IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government is investing nearly $30 billion to ensure last-mile network accessibility for 4G and 5G in every village across the country and build a robust digital infrastructure in the rural areas. So far, the government has reached out to over 1.5 lakh gram panchayats. The govt is currently looking at 3-4 legislations cumulatively inclusive of the new telecom bill, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, and the IT Act of 2000 to create an interactive framework.

 

2. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel launched ‘Hamar Beti Hamar Maan’ campaign: Chhattisgarh government has decided to launch a campaign on women’s safety titled ‘Hamar Beti Hamar Maan’ (our daughter, our honour). The focus of the campaign is creating awareness on safety measures among school- and college-going girls and prioritising registration and investigation of women-related crimes. The launch of the campaign was announced by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. ‘Hamar Beti Hamar Maan’ Campaign:

a)      Under the campaign, lady police officers and personnel will visit schools and colleges in the state to hold discussions and give guidance on legal rights, good touch-bad touch and preventive measures against sexual harassment and exploitation, cybercrime and social media-related crime, to girl students.

b)      A helpline number will also be issued under the Hamar Beti Hamar Maan campaign. Details on the women’s safety app and its use will also be shared with the school- and college-going girls.

c)       Special women patrolling will be ensured at girls’ schools, colleges and public places. A special ‘Hamar Beti Hamar Maan’ helpline will be launched and a mobile number shared in public domain for women and girls to report their complaints or problem regarding any misbehaviour or crime against them.

Note: Chhattisgarh Capital: Raipur; Chhattisgarh Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel; Chhattisgarh Governor: Anusuiya Uikey.

 

3. ESSCI partnered with Samsung India to train Indian youth: The Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samsung India to empower the youth with industry-relevant skills. It will be a part of the government’s ‘Skill India’ initiative that aims to empower the youth with industry-relevant skills in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programming, in a bid to enhance their employability. The MoU was exchanged by Ken Kang, President and CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia, and Abhilasha Gaur, COO, ESSCI.

About the programme:

a)      The programme, ‘Samsung Innovation Campus’ aims to upskill over 3,000 unemployed youth from 18-25 years of age in future technologies, in partnership with the government’s Skill India initiative.

b)      The programme will be executed by ESSCI, which is a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) entity through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners.

c)       Those opting for the AI course will undergo 270 hours of theory training and complete 80 hours of project work while those doing the IoT or the Big Data course will undergo 160 hours of training and complete 80 hours of project work.

 

4. Veteran swimmer Elvis Ali becomes the oldest Indian to cross North Channel: Veteran Assamese swimmer, Elvis Ali Hazarika has become the first from the North East to cross the North Channel. The North Channel is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. Elvis and his team clocked a timing of 14 hours 38 minutes to achieve this feat. With this, Elvis has become the oldest Indian swimmer to cross the North Channel.

According to the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association, the distance of the route recognised as a North Channel swim is 34.5 km (21.4 miles). It is known for fickle weather, rough seas, tough currents and an abundance of jellyfish. As it is, over the past four years especially, the ace Assam swimmer has been pushing his limits, persevering and raising the bar from time to time to create significant records, also making Assam and the country proud.

 

5. Dr. Rajiv Bahl named as Director General of ICMR: Dr Rajiv Bahl has been appointed as the new director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-cum-secretary of the department of health Research for a period of three years. Bahl currently heads the research on maternal, newborn child and adolescent health cum-newborn unit on maternal, Department of Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva.

Note: ICMR Headquarters: New Delhi; ICMR Founder: Government of India; ICMR Founded: 1911.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. New York hosts the 10th IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission conference: In New York, the 10th Trilateral Ministerial Commission conference of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) was conducted. Dr. S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, presided over the meeting. Additionally present during the conference were Dr. Joe Phaahla, South Africa’s Minister of Health, and Carlos Alberto Franco França, Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Ministers went over every aspect of IBSA collaboration. Key Points:

a)      They held conversations about topics of mutual interest, including as South-South cooperation, UNSC reform, the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, terrorism prevention, and funding for developmental operations.

b)      Regional topics like the African Union, the Middle East peace process, and the situation in Ukraine were also discussed.

c)       The Ministers agreed that African nations should be represented on the UN Security Council permanently.

d)      Additionally, they supported Brazil’s and India’s campaigns for permanent seats on the Security Council.

e)      Alongside the G20 Summit in November of this year, India will host the 6th IBSA Summit.

 

2. World Rabies Day: 28th September: World Rabies Day is celebrated each year on September 28 as a tribute to Louis Pasteur – the inventor of the first effective rabies vaccine in the world. The day is observed to promote the fight against Rabies, raise awareness of its prevention, and celebrate the achievements the world has made against this deadly disease. According to the World Health Organisation, the theme of World Rabies Day 2022 is ‘Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths.’ The theme is to emphasize the connection between the environment, people, and animals.

World Rabies Day History: The first-ever World Rabies Day campaign took place back in 2007. The campaign began as a partnership between many organizations including the Alliance for Rabies Control, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. This was headlined by the co-sponsorship of the World Health Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Pan American Health Organization.

Note: World Organisation for Animal Health Headquarters: Paris, France; World Organisation for Animal Health Founded: 25 January 1924; World Organisation for Animal Health Founder: Emmanuel Leclainche.

 

3. International Day for Universal Access to Information: 28th September: UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared 28 September as International Day for Universal Access to Information. The 2022 edition of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) will be an opportunity to discuss e-Governance and Artificial Intelligence with a view to assuring the Right to Access Information. The theme of the Global Conference on Universal Access to Information in 2022 is “Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to Information”.

International Day for Universal Access to Information History: On 17 November 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 28 September as International Day for Universal Access to Information. Considering that several civil society organizations and government bodies in the world have adopted and currently celebrate this observance, the UN General Assembly also adopted 28 September 2019 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information.

Note: UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945; UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France; UNESCO Members: 193 countries; UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Former Indian captain Dilip Tirkey elected as President of Hockey India: Former India captain Dilip Tirkey, who was the front-runner for the post of Hockey India president, was elected unopposed for the top job. He was elected after Uttar Pradesh Hockey chief Rakesh Katyal and Hockey Jharkhand’s Bhola Nath Singh, who were in the fray for the president’s post, withdrew their nominations. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has approved Tirkey and his team’s appointments. Bhola Nath has been elected unopposed as secretary general.

The other non-contested members of Hockey India are Asima Ali (vice president) of Hockey Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka’s SVS Subramanya Gupta (vice president), Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu’s Sekar J Manoharan (treasurer), Hockey Rajasthan’s Arti Singh (joint secretary) and Hockey Haryana’s Sunil Malik (joint secretary).

Note: International Hockey Federation President: Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra; International Hockey Federation Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland; International Hockey Federation CEO: Thierry Weil; International Hockey Federation Founded: 7 January 1924, Paris, France.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Leh achieved 100 percent digitization of banking operations: The highest-located district in India, Leh has achieved 100 per cent digitization of banking operations. Union Territory Level Bankers Committee Ladakh, the Reserve Bank of India has felicitated the bankers of the district. Leh district has completed the digitization of all the operating banks in a short span of a year.

Digital Banking refers to the electronic banking service provided by a bank for its financial, banking and other transactions through electronic devices online. In 2019 RBI put forward a proposal to make at least one district of every state in the country have 100 per cent digitization of banking operations.

Notably: Thrissur district of Kerala became the first fully digital banking district of the country in August 2021. Kerala is also the first state in India to achieve the target of Financial Inclusion of having at least one bank account in a family.

 

2. TerraPay partnered with NPCI to enable cross-border transactions via UP: TerraPay, a Dutch payments infrastructure company has joined forces with India’s NPCI International Payments (NIPL) to facilitate cross-border transactions for Indian consumers and merchants. Indian consumers and merchants who have an active Unified Payments Interface Id (UPI Id) will be able to transfer money abroad. This service will utilize TerraPay’s infrastructure and the UPI network. Key Points:

a)      The UPI-enabled QR code-based service will allow Indian customers with active UPI IDs to make transactions through 350 million bank accounts across the globe.

b)      The firms seek to expand the use of UPI payments and QR for international transactions by merchants.

c)       The customer-initiative UPI payments and QR transactions require two-factor authentication.

d)      The two-factor authentication is capable of minimizing disputes and issues related to grievance redressal.

e)      TerraPay also expects to create interoperability among different financial instruments it drives as well as offer digital payments.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. REC Ltd becomes 12th company to gets ‘Maharatna’ company status: Power sector-focussed non-banking finance company (NBFC) REC Ltd. has been accorded the status of a ‘Maharatna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise, thus providing it with greater operational and financial autonomy. The granting of ‘Maharatna’ status will impart enhanced powers to the company’s board while taking financial decisions. REC Ltd. is the 12th company to be given the Maharatna Status.

REC has played a key role in the success of the flagship schemes of the Government of India such as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and SAUBHAGYA and has contributed towards achieving village and household electrification in the country. REC is currently playing the role of nodal agency for Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), for revamping the distribution sector to alleviate the financial & operational issues.

Maharatna’s Status: Introduced in 2010, the Maharatna status is given to the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) by the Central Government to make these enterprises global giants. This status is granted to CPSE which recorded more than Rs. 5,000 crores of net profit for three consecutive years, an average annual turnover of Rs.25,000 crore for three years and recording an average net worth of Rs.15,000 crore for three years. It should also have a footing in the international market and be listed on an Indian stock exchange.

 

2. Adani & family top IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List: According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022, Gautam Adani and family have topped with an estimated wealth of Rs. 10,94,400 crore. His daily wealth creation was estimated at Rs. 1,612 crores which showed 116 per cent growth as compared with the 2021 list. Mukesh Ambani and family have been named as the 2nd richest in India with an estimated wealth of Rs. 7,94,700 crore and a growth of 11 per cent compared with the 2021 list. His daily wealth creation velocity is Rs. 210 crores.

Nykaa Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Falguni Nayar became India’s richest self-made woman by surpassing Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in net worth. She is also the richest female in India, followed by Rekha Jhunjhunwala of Rare Enterprises. Falguni Nayar & family’s wealth rose by Rs 30,000 crore during 2022 and her cumulative wealth increased 345 per cent and stood around Rs 38,700 crore.

Note: IIFL Wealth MD & CEO: Karan Bhagat; IIFL Wealth Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Indian author & poet Meena Kandasamy won German PEN award: Indian author and poet Meena Kandasamy has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Hermann Kesten Prize by the PEN Centre in Germany’s Darmstadt. The Hermann Kesten Prize honours personalities who, in the spirit of the charter of the PEN association, stand up for the rights of persecuted authors and journalists. The PEN Center, Germany, will present the award to the Indian author at a ceremony in Darmstadt on November 15 this year. The winner will receive an amount of €20,000 ($19,996) as prize money. This year, the PEN Center is also honouring the website “Weiter Schreiben” (German for “Keep writing”) with a special award for encouragement, for giving authors in exile and writers from conflict zones a platform to express their thoughts.

 

2. Breakthrough Prize 2023 awarded: The 2023 winners of the Breakthrough Prizes, dubbed the “Oscars of Science,” were announced and will split a total of more than $15 million. 2023 Breakthrough Prize laureates, recognized for their game-changing discoveries in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics, along with early-career scientists who have made significant contributions to their fields. Full citations for all the 2023 laureates:

2023 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences:

a)      Clifford P. Brangwynne, Princeton University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Marine Biological Laboratory and Anthony A. Hyman, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (For discovering a fundamental mechanism of cellular organization mediated by phase separation of proteins and RNA into membraneless liquid droplets.)

b)      Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and John Jumper, DeepMind (For developing a deep learning AI method that rapidly and accurately predicts the three-dimensional structure of proteins from their amino acid sequence.)

c)       Emmanuel Mignot, Stanford University School of Medicine and Masashi Yanagisawa, University of Tsukuba (For discovering that narcolepsy is caused by the loss of a small population of brain cells that make a wake-promoting substance, paving the way for the development of new treatments for sleep disorders.)

2023 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics: Charles H. Bennett, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center and Gilles Brassard, Université de Montréal and David Deutsch, Oxford University and  Peter W. Shor, MIT (For foundational work in the field of quantum information.)

2023 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics: Daniel A. Spielman, Yale University (For breakthrough contributions to theoretical computer science and mathematics, including to spectral graph theory, the Kadison-Singer problem, numerical linear algebra, optimization, and coding theory.)

2023 New Horizons in Physics Prize:

a)      David Simmons-Duffin, Caltech (For the development of analytical and numerical techniques to study conformal field theories, including the ones describing the liquid-vapour critical point and the superfluid phase transition.)

b)      Anna Grassellino, Fermilab (For the discovery of major performance enhancements to niobium superconducting radio-frequency cavities, with applications ranging from accelerator physics to quantum devices.)

c)       Hannes Bernien, University of Chicago and Manuel Endres, Caltech and Adam M. Kaufman, JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado and Kang-Kuen Ni, Harvard University and Hannes Pichler, University of Innsbruck and Austrian Academy of Sciences and Jeff Thompson, Princeton University (For the development of optical tweezer arrays to realize control of individual atoms for applications in quantum information science, metrology, and molecular physics.)

2023 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize:

a)      Ana Caraiani, Imperial College London and University of Bonn (For diverse transformative contributions to the Langlands program, and in particular for work with Peter Scholze on the Hodge-Tate period map for Shimura varieties and its applications.

b)      Ronen Eldan, Weizmann Institute of Science and Microsoft Research (For the creation of the stochastic localization method, that has led to significant progress in several open problems in high-dimensional geometry and probability, including Jean Bourgain’s slicing problem and the KLS conjecture.)

c)       James Maynard, Oxford University and Institute for Advanced Study (For multiple contributions to analytic number theory, and in particular to the distribution of prime numbers.)

2023 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize:

a)      Maggie Miller, Stanford University and Clay Mathematics Institute (PhD Princeton University 2020)(For work on fibered ribbon knots and surfaces in 4-dimensional manifolds.)

b)      Jinyoung Park, Stanford University (PhD Rutgers University 2020) (For contributions to the resolution of several major conjectures on thresholds and selector processes.)

c)       Vera Traub, University of Bonn (PhD University of Bonn 2020) (For advances in approximation results in classical combinatorial optimization problems, including the travelling salesman problem and network design.)