Daily GK Update- 16th Oct, 2022

1. Nitin Gadkari introduces Toyota pilot project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid EV: Union Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari has unveiled the Toyota Corolla Altis Flex-fuel car, which has been touted as first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India. This project intends to examine whether ethanol-powered flex-fuel vehicles can be viable in Indian conditions. As a part of this project:

a)      Collected data will be shared with the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, for conducting a deeper study about the well-to-wheel carbon emissions of FFV / FFV-SHEV in the Indian context.

b)      In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

c)      The flex-fuel production has already commenced in India with three grades namely E95, E90, E85 initially developed. The nomenclature of the aforementioned fuel grades is based on the percentage of petrol againt the percentage of ethanol mix.

d)      The flex-fuel sedan was imported from Toyota Brazil. Powered by a 1.8L ethanol petrol hybrid engine, it runs on fuel with ethanol content ranging between 20-100 per cent while generating a power output of nearly 101 bhp and torque performance of 142 Nm. The petrol engine is paired with a 1.3 kWh battery which churns out 72 bhp and 163 Nm. This powertrain combination is linked to a CVT gearbox.

 

2. Two Chief Justices for High Courts of Rajasthan, Karnataka, J-K, and Ladakh: The central government announced the appointment of two judges as chief justices of the high courts in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Karnataka. It also announced the transfer of the chief justice of the J&K high court to the Rajasthan high court. Notifications were released by the law ministry’s Department of Justice, in this regard.

Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court: According to the Constitution’s provisions, Justice Prasanna B. Varale has been named the Karnataka High Court’s Chief Justice.

Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court: Justice AM Magrey has been named the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court: Justice Pankaj Mithal has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, according to Kiran Rijiju.

The collegium suggested in another statement that Justice Pankaj Mithal be transferred from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to the Rajasthan High Court.

 

3. CJI UU Lalit Recommends Justice DY Chandrachud as The Next Chief Justice Of India: Chief Justice of India, Uday Umesh Lalit has named Justice DY Chandrachud as his successor. He handed over a letter to Justice DY Chandrachud, designating him as the next CJI. The letter was handed over in the presence of the other judges of the Supreme Court.

The law ministry – as per protocol – writes to the CJI around a month before the due date of retirement to seek the successor’s name. The reply is usually sent between 28 and 30 days before the retirement date. As a matter of convention, the next in line, in terms of seniority, after the CJI is chosen as his successor. The Supreme Court will get its 50th chief justice when Justice UU Lalit retires. He would have completed a 74-day tenure by then.

 

4. 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 inaugurated by Jyotiraditya Scindia: Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the 4th Heli-India Summit 2022. The civil enclave will be built in Jammu for Rs 861 crore and Srinagar’s present terminal will be expanded three times from 20,000 square meters to 60,000 square meters for Rs 1500 crores. The 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 is inaugurated with the theme of ‘Helicopters for Last Mile Connectivity’ at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar in the presence of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Majon Sinha. Key Points:

a)      During the summit Scindia highlighted the decrease in VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent.

b)      The Jammu and Kashmir government has set a new project for air connectivity in the Union Territory with a 360 percent increase in refueling, increasing the air connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.

c)      From 1947 to 2014, India had only 74 airports, but today there are 141 airports with 67 added in the last seven years according to the Civil Aviation Minister. The government aims to increase the number of airports to more than 200 in the next few years.

 

5. Union Minister Anurag Thakur inaugurated Water Sports Center in HP: Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated a Water Sports Center in the Koldam Barmana, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. The Water Sports Centre, the very first of its kind in Himachal Pradesh, has been jointly initiated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also exchanged between SAI and NTPC during the event. The centre will be dedicated to training athletes in water sports like Rowing, Canoeing and Kayaking.

Note: Himachal Pradesh Capital: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter); Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister:  Jai Ram Thakur; Himachal Pradesh Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

 

6. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Launches ‘Football for All’: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched ‘Football for All’ in the state to take the culture of football to the grassroots. The Programme has been initiated by FIFA in Odisha in partnership with the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) & Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS).

Over 43,000 footballs will be distributed to children in about 2000 schools. This is the first such programme of FIFA in India that aims at promoting football among school children. Joining the programme on a virtual platform, Patnaik said that football is the most popular game and brings together people across the globe.  Appreciated FIFA for choosing Odisha for this programme and appreciated the role of Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT-KISS, in bringing this programme to Odisha.

Note: Odisha Capital: Bhubaneswar; Odisha Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik; Odisha Governor: Ganeshi Lal.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Chinese Economy Is in Serious Trouble, A Sluggish Growth trend: The world’s second biggest economy is grappling with the impact of severe drought and its vast real estate sector is suffering the consequences of running up too much debt. Business and consumer activity in the world’s second-largest economy have been stymied by Beijing’s zero-COVID policy that sparked monthslong lockdowns on workers in dozens of cities, forcing many businesses to shut. Chinese leaders are loathe to reverse the draconian policy now, for fear of unleashing a bigger crisis.

As growth in major global economies slows as a result of high inflation, exacerbated by the Ukraine war, many economists are hoping that China will again come to the world’s rescue. But this is not 2008, when China’s then rapidly expanding economy and a huge stimulus unleashed by the Beijing government, helped Western countries to recover much faster from the financial crisis. This time, China’s economic woes run deep. The government has all but given up on this year’s target of 5.5% GDP growth and Premier Li Keqiang warned last month there was little appetite right now for more expansionary policymaking.

 

2. Global Handwashing Day: 15th October: October 15 is marked as Global Handwashing Day, with the aim of increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. Hand hygiene has become quite popular after the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s theme, “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene”, calls on all of society to work together to scale up hand hygiene.

Global Handwashing Day History: The day was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership, a coalition of international stakeholders who work explicitly to promote handwashing with soap. The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008 when over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries. Since then, Global Handwashing Day has continued to grow.

 

3. World Food Day: 16th October: Every year on October 16 in observance of the date the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was established in 1945, World Food Day is marked. The main objectives are to combat world hunger and work toward its eradication. The World Food Day 2022 will take place this year with more focus on moving forward together. Every UN member state, including India, observes the day. The theme for World Food Day 2022 is Leave NO ONE behind. “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow” was the theme of World Food Day in 2021. The day is celebrated with an emphasis on the production and consumption of secure food that will, in the long run, benefit the population, the economy, and the environment.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. FIFA & AIFF launch Football for Schools as Govt of India pledges active support: International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), and the support of the Union Government, launched the Football for Schools project in the country, which is aimed at broad-basing the beautiful game across India. FIFA Secretary General Fatima Samoura, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik and AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey launched the initiative.

About the project: The FIFA project, which also aims to reach out to over 700 million children worldwide, would lay special emphasis on reaching out to all the tribal communities of the world. The project was born four years ago, in a discussion between FIFA and UNESCO, and the idea was to have USD 100 mobilised by FIFA to reach out to over 700 million children across the world. Our aim is to educate children on various topics, not just about football, and to make them better citizens of their country.

Note: All India Football Federation Founded: 23 June 1937; All India Football Federation Headquarters location: New Delhi; All India Football Federation President: Kalyan Chaubey;

FIFA President: Gianni Infantino; FIFA Founded: 21 May 1904; FIFA Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland.

 

2. Former Indian Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni inaugurates CSK Academy: Former India captain and Chennai Super Kings skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni inaugurated the Super Kings Academy at the MS Dhoni Global School in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. MS Dhoni Global School is the first franchise-owned Super Kings Academy in India. The academy has been launched at the MS Dhoni Global School in what is the third academy by the IPL franchise. The two other centres are in Chennai and Salem. The launch was inaugurated by MS Dhoni himself.

About the Super Kings Academy: The Super Kings Academy in Hosur, which has eight pitches and includes turf for practice and a turf-wicket ground for matches, is the third of its kind in the country. The Academy already has centres in Chennai and Salem. The facility itself has been set up at the MS Dhoni global school in Bengaluru. The Hosur facility will be functional from January 2023 and the former Indian captain himself was present to cut the ribbons alongside CEO Kasi Viswanathan.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. SBI Chairman inaugurate Next-Gen Contact Center for Personalized Customer Experience: State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara inaugurated their Next-Gen Contact Centre service in order to provide a better and more individualised client experience. With 30+ financial options available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the convenience of home, and offered in 12 languages, the redesigned Contact Center will establish a new industry norm.

Key Points:

a)      The bank has developed simple-to-remember 4-digit toll-free numbers (1800-1234 or 1800-2100) to further streamline the procedure.

b)      State Bank of India (SBI) stated that their contact centre, which is available in 12 different languages, receives 1.5 crore calls each month.

c)      It has 3500 agents working for it, giving bank clients great experiences once more. The contact centre also assists with first collections.

d)      To help all customer service personnel properly handle most banking inquiries on the phone, the bank has updated, streamlined scripts and soft skill training capabilities.

e)      The bank intends to investigate integrating cutting-edge AI/ML-based technology in the future, such as conversational IVR and speech bots.

f)       High scores for call quality and customer satisfaction indicate that the bank has gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback from its clients.

Note: SBI Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara; SBI CEO: Shri C.S. Setty and Shri Swaminathan J.

 

2. Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan take charges as whole-time member at SEBI: Former banker Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan took charge as the fourth whole time member (WTM) in the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Narayan, who has been a member of various advisory committees of Sebi and RBI, has been appointed for an initial period of three years.

Before assuming charge, Narayan was an associate professor at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research. He has over two and half decades of experience in the banking and financial markets, during which he held the position of Regional Head of Financial Markets for ASEAN and South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank.

Note: SEBI Founded: 12 April 1992; SEBI Sector: Securities market; SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai; SEBI Chairperson: Madhabi Puri Buch.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. IMF Slashed India’s GDP growth at 6.8% from 7.4% in Current Financial Year: The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic Outlook report, cut its forecast for India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in financial year 2022-23 (FY23) by 60 basis points (bps) to 6.8 per cent, warning of a long and tough economic winter.

“The outlook for India is for growth of 6.8 per cent in 2022, a 0.6 percentage point downgrade since the July forecast, reflecting a weaker-than-expected out-turn in the second quarter (April-June) and more subdued external demand,” the IMF said.

 

2. JSW Steel Joins United Nations Global Compact Initiative: JSW Steel has joined the United Nations Global Impact (UNGC) initiative. The UNGC encourages companies to conduct business responsibly by aligning their operations and strategies with the UN’s 10 principles. JSW Foundation, the social arm of the JSW Group, is a member of UNGC and part of the India local network of UNGC.

A majority of JSW’s strategic focus areas and organizational goals have been formulated to align with the UN SDGs. The formal membership with JSW and UNGC will continue executing operations and practices sustainably. The initiative also commits companies to take actions to advance broader Social benefits through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNGC holds members from over 160 countries of more than 20,000 companies and over 69 local networks.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Navy Conducts Offshore Security Exercise, ‘Prasthan’: ‘Prasthan’ an Offshore Security Exercise was conducted by the Eastern Naval Command in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Kakinada. ‘Prasthan’ is a half-yearly exercise that was conducted in the KG basin to validate SOPs, address various contingencies and strengthen the command and control organization toward Maritime security. Key Points:

a)      Prasthan was a two-day offshore security exercise.

b)      It aims to integrate the efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defense.

c)      The exercise aims to refine the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and response actions to several contingencies in the Offshore Defence Area.

d)      The Prasthan exercise is conducted every six months and it is an important element of ensuring offshore security as per the Defence Ministry.

e)      The exercise was conducted onboard Drill rigs Platinum Explorer and DDKG of ONGC and RIL located about 40 nm south of Kakinada.

f)       Contingencies performed during the exercise include terrorist intrusion, bomb explosion, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, man overboard, major fire, oil spill, and mass evacuation.