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Sunday, November 13, 2022

Daily GK Update- 13th Nov, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India Joins Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) at COP27: Calling for integration of mangroves conservation with the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programmes for carbon sequestering, India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC).

Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC): The Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) is an intergovernmental alliance that seeks to expand and hasten the progress towards the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. Its members include the UAE, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain. The alliance will raise global awareness about the role of mangroves as a nature-based climate change solution. It will ensure the rehabilitation of mangrove forests at the global level.

MAC & India: India is among the first five countries to join the MAC, at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. The others are Australia, Japan, Spain, and Sri Lanka. The move is in line with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5- 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

 

2. 18th International Telemedicine Conference ‘TELEMEDICON 2022’ to be held in Kerala: Telemedicine Society of India (TSI) and Kerala Chapter hosts the 18th Edition of the International Telemedicine Conference at Amrita Hospital, Kochi. The inaugural ceremony was felicitated by Mr. S. Somnath, Chairman of ISRO, Mr. Mohanan Kunnummal, Vice Chancellor, of Kerala University of Health Science, and Dr. Rethan Kelkar, IT Secretary of Kerala. The Chief Guest of the event was Mr. S. Somnath, Chairman, of ISRO. Key Points:

a)      Telemedicon 2022 is an annual global conference for healthcare professionals, providers, health insurance providers, online pharmacy chains, industrialists, academic scientists, research scholars and scientists, and medical and engineering stakeholders from various fields of telemedicine, telehealth, e-health, m-health, and digital health.

b)      The core theme of the Telemedicon 2022 is ‘Strengthening Health Systems Through Sustainable Telemedicine and Digital Health’.

c)       It aims to build platforms involving healthcare regulators, health funding authorities, service providers, and international experts.

d)      The highlights of the event are scientific sessions on topics like Space Telemedicine Programs, Telehealth tourism, and AI-based Telehealth systems.

 

3. PM Gati Shakti Multimodal Waterways Summit held in Varanasi: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the two-day PM Gati Shakti Multimodal Waterways Summit at the Deendayal Hastkala Sankul (Trade Centre and Museum) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The primary objective of the summit is to bring together greater awareness about the PM Gati Shakti National Masterplan with a focus on infrastructure development in the waterways. Key Points:

a)      PM Gati Shakti Multimodal Waterways Summit is a transformative approach for improving logistics efficiency and reducing logistics costs to ensure first and last-mile connectivity.

b)      The Ministry has identified 101 projects estimated to cost around 62 thousand crore rupees under Gati Shakti which are aimed to be completed by 2024.

c)       PM Gati Shakti: PM Gati Shakti also known as National Master Plan for Multimodal connectivity is an Indian megaproject worth 1.2 trillion USD. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced PM Gati Shakti on 15th August 2021 to boost Indian Economic Growth. The plan was launched on 13th October 2021 to provide multimodal connectivity infrastructure to all economic zones of India and was approved on 21st October 2021 by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

 

4. Skyroot’s first rocket set for launch from Sriharikota: India’s first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace is poised to create history as it undergoes final launch preparations at the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)’s launchpad in Sriharikota. The mission ‘Prarambh’, meaning ‘the beginning’, since it is the first mission for Skyroot, was unveiled by ISRO chairman S. Somanath in Bengaluru after the technical launch clearance from the Space regulator IN-SPACe.

Skyroot’s launch vehicles are named ‘Vikram’ as a tribute to the founder of the Indian Space programme and renowned scientist Vikram Sarabhai. “Vikram-S rocket getting launched is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which would carry three customer payloads and help test and validate majority of the technologies in the Vikram series of space launch vehicles.

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

Founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace: Pawan Kumar Chandana; Skyroot Aerospace Founded: 12 June 2018; Skyroot Aerospace Headquarters location: Hyderabad.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi to gift Himachal Pradesh artifact to the G20 leaders in Bali summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift the local artifacts made in Himachal Pradesh to the world leaders at the upcoming G20 Summit. The G20 Summit will take place in Indonesia’s capital city, Bali. Key Points

a)      Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea behind this is to promote Himachal Pradesh’s art and culture so that it travels in wide countries.

b)      PM Modi will hand over the local artifacts like Chamba Rumals, Kinnauri Shawl, Himachal Mukhate, Kangra Miniature Paintings, Kullu Shawl, and Kanal Brass Set to the World leaders.

c)       Prime Minister also unveiled the logo, theme, and website for India’s Presidency of the G20. India’s G20 logo juxtaposes planet Earth with Lotus and the theme is “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”.

d)      The country is all set to assume the presidency of the grouping of the world’s 20 largest economies on 1st December 2022.

 

2. QS Asia University Rankings 2023: IIT Bombay top educational institution in Southern Asia: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is the best educational education in Southern Asia while IIT Delhi ranks second in the region, according to the QS Asia University Rankings 2023. Asia features 757 institutions – up from 687 last year and making it the biggest rankings for the region yet.

According to official data, the Indian Universities which have made it to rank in the 100 QS Asia Universities Ranking are:

1.      IIT Bombay (40th)

2.      IIT Delhi (46th)

3.      IISc Bangalore (52)

4.      IIT Madras (53)

5.      IIT Kharagpur (61)

6.      IIT Kanpur (66)

7.      University of Delhi (85)

The Top 10 Asian Universities list are:

1.      China’s Peking University (Rank 1),

2.      National University of Singapore (rank 2),

3.      Tsinghua University, Beijing (rank 3),

4.      The University of Hong Kong (rank 4),

5.      Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (rank 5),

6.      Fudan University, China (rank 6),

7.      Zhejiang University, China (rank 6),

8.      Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (rank 8),

9.      Universiti Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur (rank 9),

10.  Shanghai Jiao Tong University (rank 10).

 

3. World Kindness Day: 13th November: World Kindness Day is celebrated on November 13 every year. The day inspires people to appreciate the kindness and positive power in society. Kindness has no constraints and goes far beyond the feelings of race, religion, politics, and gender. This day help us to move forward in a helpful and kind spirit toward the people. This year the day is being celebrated with the theme is ‘Be kind whenever possible.’

World Kindness Day History: World Kindness Day commenced in the year 1998 by an organisation named World Kindness Movement during the 1997 Tokyo conference. In 2019, under Swiss law, this organisation was registered as an official NGO. Currently, there are more than 28 nations that are not associated with any religion or political ideology. This international event is celebrated in many countries including Canada, Nigeria, Japan, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. Along with Singapore, India, and Italy celebrated the day in the year 2009.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20: Mumbai beats Himachal in final to clinch maiden title: Domestic giants Mumbai produced a near-perfect performance to beat Himachal Pradesh by three wickets in the final and won their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy title at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The 15th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a Twenty20 (T20) competition that is played in India, was held from 11th October 2022 to 5th November 2022.

About Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a domestic T­20 cricket championship in India, which is organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), among the teams from the Ranji Trophy. The tournament is named after a former Indian test cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali. The first match was held in 2006­07 and the trophy was won by Tamil Nadu under the captaincy of Dinesh Karthick and also Rohit Sharma scored the first ever T20 century in the match. Until now, Tamil Nadu is the most successful team of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, by winning it thrice.

 

2. India’s Virat Kohli becomes first batter to score 4000 runs in T20Is: Indian star cricketer, Virat Kohli has scripted history as he became the first batter in history to reach 4000 runs in T20 Internationals. Kohli reached the landmark in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England in Adelaide. Earlier, Kohli became the all-time leading run-scorer in the men’s T20 World Cups against Bangladesh in Adelaide, overtaking Mahela Jayawardene’s record of 1016 runs, which was set in 2014. Kohli, remarkably, raced to the magnificent milestone while batting at an average of 53.34. He is the only batter in the shortest format to average over 50 and reached the milestone in 115 matches.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. BEE, SIDBI to Jointly Promote Energy Efficiency Financing for MSMEs: The government body for energy efficiency Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for MSMEs. Key Points:

a)      The MoU will aim to promote energy efficiency financing for MSMEs and explore the internet of things (IoT)-based solutions, greening MSMEs, capacity building of various stakeholders, etc., BEE said.

b)      To encourage MSME units to undertake energy saving investments in plant and machinery to reduce energy consumption, enhance energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions, and improve the profitability of the units in the long run.

c)       BEE and MSME ministry jointly runs a collaborative platform Sameeksha (Small and Medium Enterprises Energy Efficiency Knowledge Sharing) to pool the knowledge and synergise the efforts of various organisations for the promotion and adoption of clean energy technologies and practices among MSMEs.

 

2. 3 Indian women feature in 2022 Asia’s Power Businesswomen List: Forbes Asia has unveiled its annual ‘Asia’s Power Businesswomen’ list which features 20 women from the Asia-Pacific region. The list of women bosses features three Indians as well. The 20 women featured are newcomers to the list, further expanding Forbes Asia’s network of female trailblazers in the region. Forbes Asia has picked those women business leaders in its November issue who came up with varying strategies that gave a boost to their businesses despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty caused by it.

Ghazal Alagh: The first Indian women named on the list is Ghazal Alagh, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Honasa Consumer, Mamaearth’s parent firm. She started Gurgaon-based company in 2016 with her husband Varun who is the CEO. In January this year, Alagh’s company turned a unicorn.

Soma Mondal: Second Indian businesswoman on the list is Soma Mondal, chairperson of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the first to chair the state-run company. Forbes said that since Mondal becoming SAIL chairperson in 2021, its annual revenue has grown by 50 per cent for the year ended March 31, 2022.

Namita Thapar: Namita Thapar, executive director at India business of Emcure Pharma, is the third Indian to be named of Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2022 list. Thapar, who also featured on Shark Tank India as a judge oversees the India business of the Rs 61 billion Pune-based company that her father, Satish Mehta, founded over forty years ago.

Other women’s: Other women who feature on the list include Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, South Korea’s largest internet company by market capitalisation; Japan’s twin sisters Anna Nakajima and Mizuki Nakajima, co-founders of smartphone gaming app Coly, the youngest on the list; and Wallaya Chirathivat, president director and CEO of Thailand’s largest retail property developer Central Pattana.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Army Organises Mela to celebrate Diamond Jubilee of Battle of Walong: Indian Army organizes fair/mela in continuation of Diamond jubilee celebrations of Battle of Walong in Arunachal Pradesh. It is part of the Diamond jubilee celebrations of the Battle of Walong to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of the Indian Army while defending the Indian territory against the Chinese aggression of 1962.

The Mela aims to familiarize the public with the Indian Army and to encourage a sense of belongingness and togetherness. The Mela conducted at Walong encompassed a variety of scintillating sports and games events. The profuse response of the residents during the Mela is a tribute to the sacrifices made by Bravehearts to ensure peace in the region and also ensure its territorial integrity during the war with China. The Mela also highlighted the commendable contribution of the public to the security forces in maintaining peace and harmony in the region.

 

2. Indian Army launches ‘Veerangana Sewa Kendra’ for Veer Naris: Indian Army launched a single window facility “Veerangana Sewa Kendra” (VSK) for the welfare and grievances redressal of army wives. The “Veerangana Sewa Kendra” project was inaugurated by the President Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) at the premises of the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) premises located at Delhi Cantt. Key Points:

a)      “Veerangana Sewa Kendra” will be available as a service to the Indian Army Veterans Portal.

b)      The systems cater to registering grievances with tracking, monitoring, and regular feedback to the applicant.

c)       Veer Naris will have multiple means for approaching the VSK through telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, Post, E-mail, and walk-ins to seek assistance.

d)      Stakeholders can monitor the status of grievances through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

e)      The project leverages digital technology in the seamless coupling of various stakeholders.

f)        Non-military stakeholders like Rashtriya Sainik Board (RSB), Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) & Zilla Sainik Board (ZSB) are being linked through email.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Father of modern election science, Sir David Butler, passes away at 98: Sir David Butler, dubbed the “father of election science”, has died at the age of 98. He was born on the 17th of October 1924, Butler became a diligent student of philosophy, politics, and economics at New College, Oxford. His studies were disrupted when he was commissioned as a lieutenant to serve in the Second World War. Butler developed upon a long­forgotten Edwardian equation called “the cube rule” for his research on elections as an undergraduate. He discovered that he was able to estimate the total number of seats won from the polling numbers, enabling him to forecast the seats likely to be won by any party based on opinion polls.

For the 1950 election, aged just 25, he was the in­house analyst on the BBC’s first ever TV election results programme, a job he retained until the 1979 election. Moreover, Butler gained recognition for his work on the swing concept—the percentage of votes that switch from one party to another between elections. In 1955, he introduced the swingometer to the BBC’s election night broadcast, which went on to become a staple of election coverage all over the world.

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