Daily GK Update- 27th Oct, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Prime Minister Launches the 1st Phase of “Rozgar Mela” to Provide Jobs to 10 lakh Youths in Central Government: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Rozgar Mela recruitment drive to hire 10 lakh personnel. In the first tranche, 75,000 new appointees will be given jobs. The new recruits, selected from across the country, will join 38 government ministries and departments. They will be appointed across various levels viz. Group A, Group B (Gazetted), Group B (Non-Gazetted) and Group C.

The Prime Minister’s Office said this will be a significant step of the government towards providing job opportunities for the youth and ensuring the welfare of the citizens. It said that as directed by the prime minister, all ministries and department are working towards filling up existing vacancies against sanctioned posts. The recruitment will take place across central armed forces personnel, sub-inspectors, constables, LDCs, Stenos, PAs, income tax inspectors, MTS among others.

 

2. Punjab Government: Return of Old Pension Scheme for its Employees: The Punjab Government decided to restore the old pension scheme for its employees. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the government has decided to implement the old pension scheme as a Diwali gift for its employees. The decision was taken as an in-principle decision to the effect of the cabinet meeting. The decision aims to benefit lakhs of employees.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the employees will be given the option to join the old pension scheme. The government was considering restoring the scheme for government employees for a month. Restoration of the old pension scheme was discontinued in 2004 and it has been one of the major demands of state government employees.

Old Pension Scheme in Punjab: The old pension scheme of the government referred to as the Defined Benefit Pension System (DBPS) based on the last pay drawn by the employee. The New Pension Scheme is referred to as the Defined Contribution Pension System (DCPS), in which the employer and employee contribution to build a pension wealth payable at the time of retirement by way of annuity withdrawal as per norms.

 

3. Windergy 2023 to be Held in Chennai in October Next Year: The 5th edition of India’s only comprehensive International Trade Fair and Conference, Windergy India 2023 will be held from 4th October to 6th October 2023. The Windergy India 2023 will be organized by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) and PDA Ventures Pvt Ltd, the three-day trade fairs and conference will provide a vibrant platform to meet and interact with policymakers, regulatory authority, international and domestic technology, solution and services providers from the wind power industries.

About IWTMA: Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) was established in 1998 and is the apex business association and voice of the Indian wind Industry. IWTMA has been at the forefront of the policy framework and regulatory intervention with proactive engagement with Central and State policymakers, Investors, and Stakeholders.

 

4. Tamil Nadu government constituted panel for conservation of vultures: Tamil Nadu government has constituted a 10-member state-level committee for the conservation of vultures, an endangered species. The “Vulture Conservation Committee”, headed by the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, will monitor, conserve, and recover vulture sites; map vulture populations; and create safe zones for them. The tenure of the committee is two years. The committee will prepare and implement the “Tamil Nadu Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (TNAPVC)” and chalk out and implement a regulatory mechanism to ban drugs toxic to vultures.

Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Chief Minister: M K Stalin; Governor: R N Ravi

 

5. LVM3 Launch to Mark ISRO’s Entry into Global Commercial Launch Service Market: The heaviest rocket LVM3 of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched 36 satellites of British start-up OneWeb Broadband Communication Satellites from the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on October 23, 2022. It marked the launcher’s entry into the global commercial launch service market.

“This contract with M/s OneWeb is a historic milestone for NSIL and ISRO, as LVM3 is making its entry into the Global commercial launch service market. As part of the Contract, 36 satellites will be placed into orbit by one LVM3, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,” ISRO had said.

Commercial Arm of the ISRO: New Space India Limited (NSIL), a CPSE under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of the ISRO, has signed two launch service contracts with M/s Network Access Associated Limited (M/s OneWeb), United Kingdom, for launching OneWeb LEO Broadband Communication Satellites on board ISRO’s heaviest launcher LVM3.

 

6. Quality Council of India appoints Jaxay Shah as new chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed Jaxay Shah, founder chairman of Savvy Group and former chairman of CREDAI as the chairman of the Quality Council of India (QCI) for three years, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. He will succeed former McKinsey India chief Adil Zainulbhai, who served as the chairman of QCI through three terms for eight years from 2014 to 2022.

About the Quality Council of India: QCI was established in 1997 through a Cabinet note by the Government of India. QCI is mandated to promote quality in the country through national accreditation of testing, inspection and certification bodies which is internationally recognised, driving third-party assessments across sectors.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Pakistan Removed from FATF Grey List on Terror Financing: Pakistan has been removed from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based global watchdog on money laundering and terrorist financing. In a statement, the FATF said Pakistan made significant progress in checking money laundering and combating financing of terrorism.

FATF Decisions: Besides Pakistan, Nicaragua was removed from the FATF’s ‘grey list’ while Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique were added to the list. Myanmar was added to the FATF’s ‘black list’.

The Pakistan’s Case: This development comes more than four years after the FATF put Pakistan on its grey list for the country’s failure to check the risk of money laundering, leading to corruption and terror financing. Pakistan had completed most of the action items given to it by the FATF in 2018. However, only a few items that were left unfulfilled included its failure to take action against UN-designated terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and his trusted aide and the group’s “operational commander”, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

 

2. FATF Blacklists Myanmar, Calls for Due Diligence to Transactions in Nation: Money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has put Myanmar on the “black list” and has called on members to apply enhanced due diligence to business relations and transactions in Myanmar

Myanmar has entered the FATF’s high-risk jurisdictions list, often referred to as the ‘black list’. The FATF blacklist, officially designated as High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action, identifies nations with weak anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist funding regulatory frameworks. In February 2020, Myanmar committed to addressing its strategic deficiencies. Myanmar’s action plan expired in September 2021.

FATF Strict Actions: In June 2022, the FATF strongly urged Myanmar to swiftly complete its action plan by October 2022 or the FATF would call on its members and urge all jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence to business relations and transactions with Myanmar. FATF said that given the continued lack of progress and the majority of its action items still not addressed after a year beyond the action plan deadline, the FATF decided that further action was necessary in-line with its procedures. FATF called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risk arising from Myanmar.

 

3. India Ranks 41st Among 44 Nations in Pension Index: As compared to 40th out of 43 countries in 2021, India ranked 41 out of 44 countries in the Mercer CFS Global Pension Index. The MCGPI is a comprehensive study of 44 global pension systems, accounting for 65 percent of the world’s population. The survey pointed out that the country needs to strengthen its regulatory framework and boost the coverage under private pension arrangements.

About The Report: Mercer CFS Global Pension Index studies 44 countries that account for 65 per cent of the world’s population. The index value was up from 2021 but below that in 2020. In 2020, India ranked 34 out of 39 countries with a value of 45.7. In 2022, the index value was 44.4. The index measures the pension system in the country under three sub-heads, adequacy, sustainability and integrity. India’s score in these three measurements was 33.5, 41.8 and 61 respectively.

Overall Ranking: Globally, Iceland had the highest overall index value (84.7), closely followed by the Netherlands (84.6) and Denmark (82.0). Thailand had the lowest index value (41.7).

 

4. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage: 27th October: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) is celebrated on October 27 every year to highlight and promote the importance of such preservation. Audiovisual heritage refers to documents like film, sounds, radio, television programmes and other audio and video that are of socio-cultural importance and need preservation for posterity. Such documentations help us observe and understand the past, protects our memories and culture. “Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusive, just and peaceful societies” is the theme for WDAH this year. It refers to the importance of archiving visual and sonic information to preserve history for society’s benefit and progress.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage History: On October 27, 1980, the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images was adopted in the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at Belgrade, Serbia. This adoption occurred as a result of the efforts of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) since the late 1970s. The 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2005 proclaimed October 27 as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1980 recommendation mentioned above.

Note: International Federation of Film Archives Headquarters location: Brussels, Belgium; International Federation of Film Archives Founded: 17 June 1938, Paris, France.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh named brand ambassador of T20 World Cup for the Blind: The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has announced former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh as their brand ambassador for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the Blind to be held in India in December. Ajay Kumar Reddy B2 (Andhra Pradesh) will lead the Indian team while Venkateswara Rao Dunna – B2 (Andhra Pradesh) will be the vice-captain.

The World Cup matches will be held from December 6 to 17. The participating countries for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the Blind are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The opening match will be played between defending champions India and Nepal on December 6 in Faridabad. About the Samarthanam Trust:

a)      The World Cup is an initiative of the Samarthanam Trust for the disabled, which has been organizing this championship since 2012. Samarthanam perceives sports as a medium to improve inclusion and encourage persons with disabilities on various fronts.

b)      Since its inception, the trust has reached out to more than 25,000 visually impaired crickets.

c)       Samarthanam’s sports wing, Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), was established in 2010 to foster the cricketing dreams of visually impaired cricket players and to provide a platform to portray their unbound talent in the game of blind Cricket. CABI is affiliated with World Blind Cricket Council (WBC).

Note: World Blind Cricket Council Founded: September 1996; World Blind Cricket Council President: Syed Sultan Shah.

Cricket Association for the Blind in India Founded: 2011; Cricket Association for the Blind in India President: Mahantesh Kivadasannavar; Cricket Association for the Blind in India Headquarters: Bengaluru, India; Cricket Association for the Blind in India Secretary: John David Endala;

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. HCL’s Shiv Nadar named country’s most generous philanthropist: HCL founder Shiv Nadar topped as the most generous person in the country with an annual donation of Rs 1,161 crore, the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 revealed. Nadar, 77, has reclaimed the ‘India’s most generous’ title with a donation of Rs 3 crore per day, according to the report.

Wipro’s Azim Premji, 77, slipped to the second position with an annual donation of Rs 484 crore after ruling at the top position for the last two consecutive years, it said. India’s richest man Gautam Adani, 60, ranked seventh in Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022, with a donation of Rs 190 crore. Key Points in The Report:

a)      The report further revealed that in India a total of 15 individuals made an annual donation of over Rs 100 crore, 20 donated over Rs 50 crore and 43 over Rs 20 crore.

b)      Based on the place of residence, Mumbai led with 33 per cent of the list of most generous people in the country, followed by New Delhi accounting for 16 per cent, and Bengaluru at 13 per cent.

c)       The pharmaceutical industry has the largest number of philanthropists in the list, accounting for 20 per cent, followed by chemicals and petrochemicals at 11 per cent.

d)      The average age of philanthropists on the list is 69 years, which is two years older than last year’s.

 

Top 10 in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 is shown below:

 

Rank	Name	Donation (Rs cr)	Primary cause	Company
1	Shiv Nadar & family	1,161	Education	HCL Technologies
2	Azim Premji & family	484	Education	Wipro
3	Mukesh Ambani & family	411	Education	Reliance Industries
4	Kumar Mangalam Birla & family	242	Healthcare	Aditya Birla
5	Susmita and Subroto Bagchi	213	Healthcare	Mindtree
6	Radha and NS Parthasarathy	213	Healthcare	Mindtree
7	Gautam Adani & family	190	Disaster Relief	Adani
8	Anil Agarwal & family	165	Disaster Relief	Vedanta
9	Nandan Nilekani	159	Societal Thinking	Infosys
10	AM Naik	142	Healthcare	Larsen & Toubro

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Telangana Hyderabadi Haleem bags ‘Most Popular GI’ award: Telangana’s Hyderabadi Haleem has won the ‘Most Popular GI’ award after beating other food items including Rasgulla, Bikaneri Bhujiya, and Ratlami Sev. In a rigid competition with more than 15 food items across the country with Geographical Indication (GI) status, the famous Hyderabadi Haleem has bagged the ‘Most Popular GI’ award.

GI tag is given to products to ensure that authorised users can only use the popular product name. For the first time, GI status was accorded to Hyderabadi Haleem in 2010. It expired in December 2019. However, later, the registrar of Geographical Indicator renewed the tag for the dish for 10 years.

Notably: Other Telangana items that were accorded GI tag include Nirmal toys and crafts, Nirmal furniture, Nirmal Paintings, Gadwal sari, and Banaganapalle Mangoes.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Red Bull Formula One owner Dietrich Mateschitz passes away: Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of energy drink company Red Bull and founder and owner of the Red Bull Formula One racing team, has died. He was 78. Officials with the Red Bull racing team at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, announced Mateschitz’s death. The Red Bull Racing team has enjoyed success in Formula 1, winning the constructors’ championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.