Daily GK Update- 26th Oct, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India to Beat US, Europe in Terms of Learners: Coursera chief: India is anticipated to surpass its residence market, the United States, and even Europe in terms of learners over the subsequent 18-20 months, edtech agency Coursera’s chief Jeff Maggioncalda said. The firm, which has 17 million learners and content material partnerships with 15 universities in India, is anticipated to overtake the United States and Europe. It has 20 million learners in America and 19 million in Europe.

 

2. Mission LIFE movement launched by PM Modi at Kevadiya: Mission LIFE movement is launched by PM Modi to protect the environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern warning. After the global launch of Mission LiFE at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the PM addressed the crowd and asserted that lifestyle changes can help to mitigate climate change. Key Points:

a)      The PM noted, reiterating India’s commitment to combating the threat of climate change, that a circular economy and reduce, reuse, recycle principles have been ingrained in Indian culture for thousands of years.

b)      India is the best example of economic progress and environmental protection.

c)       The PM referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of trusteeship and said that the Mission LiFE invites us to be environmental trustees.

d)      Modi emphasised that dealing with climate change is not merely a matter of government policy. The need for individuals to work together to address climate change.

e)      According to the PM, living on a mission enhances the idea of pro-planet people.

f)        PM Modi praised Gujarat’s initiatives in the fields of environmental preservation and renewable energy.

 

3. World Spice Congress 14th edition organized in Maharashtra: The 14th World Spice Congress will take place in the CIDCO Exhibition and Convention Centre in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, from February 16 to 18, 2023. Spices Board India in conjunction with several trade and export forums is hosting the World Spice Congress during India’s G20 presidency.

Key Points:

a)      The 14th edition of the World Spice Congress (WSC) is going to be all about and only about ‘SPICES,’ after announcing the subject. Vision 2030: SPICES (Sustainability- Productivity- Innovation- Collaboration- Excellence and Safety) has been selected as the subject for the current World Spice Congress (WSC).

b)      Over a thousand delegates from more than fifty nations are anticipated to attend the 14th WSC.

c)       Regulatory authorities from significant importing nations, ministers of trade, and industry associations from G20 member nations will all attend the event.

d)      The World Spice Congress (WSC) event will also host an expo showcasing the advantages and skills of the Indian spice sector in addition to the business workshops.

e)      The Indian spice industry’s product line, applications in the medical and health fields, innovations, and cutting-edge technology are set to be on display at the event.

 

4. Pradeep Kharola named as CMD of India Trade Promotion Organization: Former Civil Aviation Secretary, Pradeep Singh Kharola was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). Kharola, a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Karnataka cadre, retired as the Civil Aviation secretary in September last year. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has accepted Kharola’s appointment as Chairman and Managing Director, ITPO, on a contract basis for two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post.

Note: India Trade Promotion Organization Headquarters: New Delhi; India Trade Promotion Organization Founded: 1 April 1977.

 

5. Chandrayaan-3 set for launch in August 2023: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to launch its third lunar mission in the month of June 2023. The more capable lunar rover that will be carried by Chandrayaan-3, which is essential for future interplanetary explorations, according to S. Somnath, Chairman of the Indian Space Agency, ISRO. Key Points:

a)      According to S Somnath, the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III) will launch Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) in June of next year.

b)      ISRO is also working on the Gaganyaan mission, and the first abort test is scheduled for the new year.

c)       The mission will rely on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which is already circling the Moon; the Chandrayaan-3 rover is not a clone of its predecessor, according to the head of ISRO. “C-3 is now prepared.

d)      It’s not an exact copy of the C-2. There is the rover. Engineering has undergone a huge change. We have strengthened it so that it won’t experience issues like it did previously as per Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman.

 

6. Cyclone Sitrang hit densely populated area in Bangladesh, Indian region affected: Cyclone Sitrang ploughed into heavily populated, low-lying parts of Bangladesh on night, killing at least nine people. The districts of Barguna, Narail, Sirajganj, and the island district of Bhol all reported death. Officials warned that as more casualties are reported from other districts, the death toll could rise. Key Points:

a)      Cyclone Sitrang quickly degraded into a deep depression after crossing Bangladesh, and as of Tuesday morning, it had further degraded into a low pressure region.

b)      Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura may experience widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on Tuesday due to the system, which is now moving towards northeastern areas of India.

c)       Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department issued a warning for squally winds on Tuesday morning along and off the coast of West Bengal, with gusts up to 60 kmph.

d)      By afternoon, these winds will gradually weaken to 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph. According to the IMD, Tuesday’s forenoon is predicted to see an improvement in the weather in south Bengal regions.

e)      In West Bengal’s coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and East Midnapore, the cyclone caused moderate to heavy rain between 9.30 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. on Monday, dampening Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Rishi Sunak, Youngest UK PM in two centuries, takes office: Rishi Sunak will be named as the PM of UK, and he will be the first British Prime Minister of Indian descent. In a remarkable shift of power during an economic crisis. In the midst of a “deep economic dilemma,” the future prime minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, has called for cooperation. Key Points:

a)      Due to Penny Mordaunt’s inability to garner enough support from MPs, he won the race for the Conservative Party leadership.

b)      Rishi Sunak declared that uniting his party and the UK would be his utmost priority in his opening statement.

c)       Rishi Sunak, 42, is the first British Asian prime minister since more than 200 years and will also be the youngest.

d)      He succeeds Liz Truss, who resigned last week barely 45 days into her turbulent premiership.

e)      Rishi Sunak took over as Conservative Party leader after his old employer Boris Johnson cancelled his attempt to make a comeback and his competitor Penny Mordaunt was unable to win enough support from Conservative MPs.

 

2. India Ranks 3rd in list of Centi-millionaires, to Overtake China by 2032: With levels of poverty, inflation and hunger notwithstanding, India ranks third in the world’s first-ever global study on the rise of centi-millionaires — individuals with assets of more than Rs 830 crore ($100 million), a new report has revealed. Key Points:

a)      Out of the world’s 25,490 centi-millionaires, India has 1,132, beating countries like the UK, Russia and Switzerland, in a swift growing and powerful class of super-rich tech titans, financiers, multinational CEOs, and heirs.

b)      By 2032, India will overtake China (number 2) as the fastest growing market for centi-millionaires, with an anticipated 80 per cent growth rate in individuals worth over $100 million, the report released by international investment migration advisory firm Henley & Partners stated.

c)       At around 57 per cent, the growth of centi-millionaires in Asia will be twice that of Europe and the US over the next decade. Concentrated primarily in China and India, the centi-millionaires in these countries are set to eclipse their European and American peers.

Overall Ranking:

a)      Of the world’s 25,490 centi-millionaires, the US, which ranks at number 1, is home to 38 per cent (9,730) of global centi-millionaires, despite constituting only 4 per cent of the world’s total population.

b)      It is closely followed by big emerging markets of China and India in second and third place, with 2,021 and 1,132 centi-millionaires, respectively.

c)       The UK is in fourth place (with 968 centi-millionaires) followed closely by Germany in fifth place (with 966).

d)      Switzerland (808), Japan (765), Canada (541), Australia (463), and finally Russia (435) make up the rest of the top 10 countries for centi-millionaires.

 

3. Guinness World Records Officially Declares Monday ‘Worst Day of The Week’: Guinness World Records has officially declared “Monday” the worst day of the week. After Guinness World Records’ move, all of that will no longer be smoothed over into a wishy-washy ‘Monday blues’ packet. It’s real now. Going into Monday means you’re going into the officially declared and universally accepted worst day of the week. Now you could blame your general grumpiness on it being Monday. It would be a concern only during the remaining six days of the week. Guinness World Records (GRW) took to Twitter and officially presented Monday the accolade of being the worst day of the week.

Note: Guinness World Records Publisher: Jim Pattison Group; Guinness World Records Editor: Craig Glenday.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. 5th Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Madhya Pradesh: The 5th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Madhya Pradesh from 31st January to 11th February 2023. Indigenous games will be a part of the upcoming Khelo India Youth Games. Madhya Pradesh has made the sport of Mallakhamb their state sport for supporting the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support Olympics sports and indigenous sports in the same manner.

Key Points:

a)      Khelo India Youth Games will be held in eight locations.

b)      More than 8500 athletes and sportspersons are expected that participate in the KIYG 2023.

c)       Khelo India Youth Games started in 2016 and since then, it has provided an effective platform for the youth of India to showcase their talents in sports.

d)      The Khelo India Youth Games will feature 27 disciplines in total. In the history of the Khelo India Youth Games, water sports are also included for the first time.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Drones can help raise $100-bn GDP boost, lakhs of jobs in India: WEF Report: Drones can help raise $100-bn GDP boost: The World Economic Forum (WEF) said in a new report that putting drones at the centre of a technology-led transformation of Indian agriculture can enhance the nation’s GDP by 1–1.5% and create at least five lakh employment in the next few years. Key Points:

a)      The report created by WEF’s Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution in India in partnership with the Adani Group and released here, described how drone-based technology may revolutionise Indian agriculture.

b)      The WEF report presents use cases for drones that combine military and civilian technologies and are made possible by digital adoption, analytics, digital financing, and a concerted local stakeholder effort.

c)       It also offers a framework for the creation of scalable pilots that can be put into practise by different governments.

 

2. Mahindra Finance partnered with India Post Payments Bank to Boost Credit Access: Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Ltd announced a strategic partnership with India Post Payments Bank to enhance credit access to a larger customer base. India Post Payments Bank will provide lead referral services to Mahindra Finance for Passenger vehicles, three-wheelers, tractors, and commercial vehicle loan categories and provide cash EMI deposit facilities to existing Mahindra Finance Customers at the post office. Key Points:

a)      The scheme will go live in India Post Payments Bank branches in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

b)      The payments Bank will also be able to expand its financial product portfolio within the payment Bank licensing framework.

c)       The objective is to enable simplified and reliable access to credit.

d)      The Tie-up will enable customers with financial security, empowerment, and ease of repayment.

e)      India Post Payments will provide a large set of networks to Mahindra Finance.

 

3. Fintech platform PhonePe launches its first green data centre in India: PhonePe, a homegrown fintech platform, announced the launch of its first green data centre in India, leveraging technologies and solutions from Dell Technologies and NTT. The facility opens up new opportunities in data management for PhonePe, with efficient data security, power efficiency, ease of operations, and cloud solutions. The centre will also help the company to build sustainable and efficient infrastructure to scale its operations across the country further seamlessly. Green Data Center

a)      The Green Data Center is set to open up new opportunities in data management for PhonePe, with efficient data security, power efficiency, ease of operations, and cloud solutions. The center will also help the company to build sustainable and efficient infrastructure to further seamlessly scale its operations across the country.

b)      This 4.8-megawatt facility, which occupies 13740 sqft at Mahape, Navi Mumbai, is built and designed with advanced alternative cooling technologies like Direct Contact Liquid Cooling (DCLC) and Liquid Immersion Cooling (LIC). The data centre’s Dell PowerEdge servers will provide exceptional performance, simplified management, and intelligent automation while using less energy.

c)       Green data centres are the future of sustainable digital transformation. This deployment is an exciting showcase for the possibilities of new alternative cooling technologies that can help optimise power consumption in a data centre.

Note: CEO of Phonepe: Sameer Nigam; Headquarters location of Phonepe: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. DX 2022 Awards: Karnataka Bank bags digital transformation awards of CII: Karnataka Bank has bagged the National Digital Transformation Awards, “DX 2022 Awards” instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for best practices in digital transformation under the BFSI segment. The awards in recognition of the “Innovative Excellence” in ‘KBL HR NxT – Employee Engagement’, ‘KBL Operations NxT – Operational Excellence’ and ‘KBL Customer NxT – Customer Experience’ were presented to senior executives of the bank at New Delhi.

a)      In 2017, KBL launched its Transformation Journey ‘KBL Vikaas’, partnering with the Boston Consulting Group (India) Private Ltd, (BCG) in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

b)      In 2021, KBL launched the ‘KBL NxT’ concept to emerge as the ‘digital bank of the future’.

c)       The bank focuses on digitisation under verticals such as customer experience, operations, human resources, technology, cyber security, digital marketing, partnerships, etc.

d)      Through the KBL Vikaas program, Digital transformation has started paying a huge share to the bank

Note: Karnataka Bank Headquarters: Mangaluru; Karnataka Bank CEO: Mahabaleshwara M.S; Karnataka Bank Founded: 18 February 1924.

 

2. Uttar Pradesh bags top honours at PMAY-U Awards 2021: Under the BJP-led Centre’s flagship, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) housing scheme have been delivered and the rest are under various stages of completion, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri. PMAY-U Awards 2021 is scheduled annually to recognise the contribution of States, Union Territories and urban local bodies with regard to the implementation of the scheme in Rajkot. Key points:

a)      In the awards, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first position followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu at second and third place, respectively.

b)      Poll-bound Gujarat saw five special category awards for performance related to Affordable Rental Housing Complexes and ‘Convergence with other Missions’ coming its way.

c)       Madhya Pradesh got three special category awards followed by Jammu and Kashmir, which was adjudged the ‘Best Performing UT’ alongside Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

d)    Odisha has been felicitated with the prestigious PMAY-U Awards 2021 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for the best policy initiative under a special category.