Daily GK Update- 26th Nov, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Sonowal Launches India’s first Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced India’s first National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) a major initiative by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping towards providing greener solutions. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is the knowledge and implementation partner for this project.

“The centre aims to develop a regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption road map for Green Shipping to foster carbon neutrality and circular economy (CE) in shipping sector in India,” the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said. India’s first centre of excellence for Green Port & Shipping as a major attempt by the Ministry towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s Mission LiFE movement.

 

2. Tamil Nadu: Anamalai Tiger Reserve launched ‘jumbo trails’ in Coimbatore: The Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) has launched ‘jumbo trails’ at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, a programme aimed to educate visitors to the tiger reserve about elephants, the flora, and fauna of ATR and the aboriginal tribes who live in the hills. An initiative by ATR Field Director S. Ramasubramanian and Deputy Director (Pollachi Division) Bhargava Teja, the first jumbo trail will happen on November 26. According to Assistant Conservator of Forests V. Selvam, the jumbo trails start at ‘Anamalaiyagam’, a newly-established forest interpretation centre at Sethumadai. The programme is organised by the Advanced Wildlife Management Training Centre (Attakatti) and implemented by Keelpoonachi Eco Development Committee.

Under the programme:

a)      The biologist and other resource persons from the Forest Department will explain the exhibits at the interpretation centre and provide the registered participants with an overall view of ATR.

b)      The participants will be taken to Top Slip in a Forest Department vehicle from where they will be taken for a nature trail to Ambili watch tower that offers a panoramic view of Pollachi.

c)       During the nature trail through the forest, resource persons will explain to them about the flora and fauna seen around. Upon reaching the watchtower, residents from the tribal settlement will give them herbal tea.

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

 

3. Karnataka has Highest Installed Grid-interactive Renewable Power Capacity in India: Karnataka came at the top position while comparing the total installed capacity of grid-interactive renewable power of all the states of the country. The state had a total installed capacity of 15,463 megawatts (mw), according to an RBI publication.

Tamil Nadu with 15,225 mw, came at the second; Gujarat, with 13,153 mw, was at third position while Maharashtra, with 10,267 mw, was at the fourth, according to Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2021-22, which was the seventh edition of its statistical publication, released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Through this publication, the Reserve Bank has been disseminating wide-ranging data on the regional economies of India.

About The Other States: Maharashtra was followed by Rajasthan (10,205 mw), Andhra Pradesh (8,969 mw), Madhya Pradesh (5,206 mw), Telangana (4,378 mw), Uttar Pradesh (3,879 mw), Punjab (1,617 mw) and Himachal Pradesh (988 mw) and Uttarakhand (713 mw) in that order.

 

4. Groundnut Festival ‘Kadalekai Parishe’ begins in Karnataka: The annual festival of ‘Kadalekai Parishe’, also known as the groundnut festival, Kadalekai Parishe is a fair held in the month of Kartik near Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. It happens near the Dodda Ganesha temple and the Bull Temple at Basavanagudi.

Key Points: The groundnut festival has a 500-year-old history, and it is happening after a pause of two years because of the pandemic. It was inaugurated by Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on November 20, 2022. This year, over 3,000 people from other parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and also Tamil Nadu took part in the festivities that welcomed the first seasonal yield of the groundnut crop.

 

5. National Milk Day: 26th November: National Milk Day is celebrated on 26th November every year to signify the importance and benefits of milk. National Milk Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, who is also known as the ‘Father of White Revolution“. The Indian Dairy Association took the initiative of celebrating National Milk Day for the first time in 2014.

 

6. Constitution Day: 26th November: Constitution Day is celebrated on 26th November every year in India to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. The constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949, and it came into effect on 26th January 1950. Key Points:

a)      The Constitution of India is termed as ‘of the people, for the people, and by the people.’

b)      The preamble of the Indian Constitution declared India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, and the welfare state.

c)       The Indian Constitution is the longest-written constitution in the world.

d)      The Constitution offers a framework for the government of the country to keep in mind the social, religious, and cultural diversity of the nation.

e)      The framing of the constitution took over 2 years, 11 months, and 17 days.

f)        The constituent assembly included 299 members and 15 were a woman.

g)      When the constitution was adopted in 1949, 284 members signed it.

h)      Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India and EU Sign Agreement for Cooperation in High-Performance Computing: India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), and the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), European Commission signed an “Intent of Cooperation on High Performance Computing (HPC), Weather Extremes & Climate Modeling and Quantum Technologies”.

The agreement builds on commitments by both sides for deepening technological cooperation on quantum and high-performance computing during the India-EU leaders meeting. The agreement signed is aimed at facilitating collaboration on high performance computing applications using Indian and European supercomputers in areas such as bio-molecular medicines, Covid-19 therapeutics, mitigating climate change, predicting natural disasters and quantum computing, the statement said.

About India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC): The India-EU TTC is a strategic mechanism that gives New Delhi access to advanced technologies and allows the two sides to set standards in crucial areas such as 5G and artificial intelligence. This is the first such trade and technology council set up by India with any of its partners. For the EU, it is only the second such body, following the first one set up with the US. The proposal for setting up the council came from the EU side and India agreed to it as it will allow the two sides to work on issues such as 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, climate modelling and health-related technology.

 

2. Russia Replaces China to Become the Biggest Supplier of Fertilizers to India: Russia has become India’s biggest fertilizer supplier for the first time. Russian exporters reportedly grabbed a 21% share of the Indian fertilizer market in the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year, overtaking China, previously India’s largest supplier.

Russian exports reportedly surged 371%, to a record 2.15 million tons from April to October. In monetary terms, India’s imports over this period increased by 765%, to $1.6 billion. Russia’s share of Indian fertilizer imports was hovering around 6% during the last fiscal year, while China’s stood at 24%. In the first half of 2022-23, China’s exports to India halved to 1.78 million tons amid growing Russian supplies.

About The Global Prices: Global prices for fertilizers jumped in March after the US, the EU and allied states introduced sanctions against fertilizer supplies from Russia and Belarus. While Western countries have since backtracked on the ban, Russia has found new markets, mostly in Asia, for its exports.

Combined, Russia and Belarus accounted for more than 40% of global exports of potash last year. Russia accounted for about 22% of global exports of ammonia, 14% of the world’s urea exports and about 14% of monoammonium phosphate (MAP) – all key kinds of fertilizers.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India Won 25 out of 28 Golds at 15th Asian Airgun Championships: India ended their campaign at the 15th Asian Championships in South Korea with 25 gold medals. Indian pair Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana won the 10-meter Junior Air Pistol Mixed Team event. Bhaker and Rana in the qualification shot 578 shots to finish second against Uzbekistan pair Nigina Saidkulova and Mukhammad Kamalov.

The Indian duo Sangwan and Vijyaveer Sidhu clinched the yellow metal in the corresponding senior event. Sangwan and Vijyaveer completely outshot Kazakhstan duo Valeriy Rakhimzhan and Irina Yunusmetova. They have topped the qualification round with a score of 579 with the Kazakhs finishing second with 577.

 

2. Novak Djokovic Won 6th ATP Finals Singles Title: Novak Djokovic won the sixth ATP Finals singles title win beating Casper Ruud from Norway. Novak Djokovic defeated the opponent by 7-5, 6-3 to walk away with a historic payday of $4.7m. Novak Djokovic has equaled the record of six ATP title wins of Roger Federer.

 

3. Manika Batra: First Indian woman to win medal at Asian Cup Table Tennis: Manika Batra, the Indian Table Tennis player, became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament. Manika defeated World no.6 Hina Hayata of Japan in the Asian Cup 2022 in the women’s singles bronze medal match in Bangkok, Thailand.

Key Points: Manika Batra defeated Hina Hayata by 4-2 in the medal match. Manika Batra led the match by 2-1, but Hayata seemed poised to level the match with a 10-6 lead in the fourth game. She took 6 points and successfully turned the momentum in her favor. Manika is India’s top-ranked table tennis player and is at world no. 44. On the same day, Manika Batra lost the game to Mima Ito of Japan in Semi-Finals.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. KVG Bank gets award for Atal Pension Yojana enrolment: Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has bagged the national award from Pension Fund regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) for significant enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY). So far, the bank has enrolled 3,34,687 (cumulative) accounts under APY. During 2022-23, the bank enrolled 69,132 accounts against the target of 50,320.

Notably: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority is the regulatory body under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India for overall supervision and regulation of pension in India.

PFRDA has given a target of an average 80 accounts per branch, the bank has achieved an average of 110 accounts against the target. This achievement is highest among all other banks in South India. At present, the bank has 629 branches in the nine districts from Vijayapura to Mangaluru. KVGB is playing a pivotal role in implementing all the three social security schemes (PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY) launched by central Government. The bank’s priority is to ensure access to social security benefits to villagers and people from unorganised sector.

Note: Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank founded: September 12, 2005; Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Headquarters: Dharwad, Karnataka; Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Chairman: Puttaganti Gopi Krishna.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. OECD Cuts India Growth Rate Forecast to 6.6 % in 2022: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), cut its gross domestic growth forecast for India for the current financial year (FY23) to 6.6 per cent from 6.9 per cent, citing higher medium-term global uncertainty and slowing domestic economic activity.

The agency said that tighter financial market conditions were weighing on the demand for capital goods, while the monthly energy and food import bill kept rising and the current account deficit widened in the July-September quarter to 2.9 per cent of GDP.

About The Inflation: Headline inflation remains above 6 per cent mostly due to the trend increase in the price of food. Unemployment estimates suggest improving labour market conditions in both urban and rural areas, but there are few signs of a wage-inflation spiral,” it said.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong gets UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for 2022: The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, for this 2022 Edition, has been given to Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong from Cameroon, President of the NGOs #Afrogiveness and Positive Youths Africa. About Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong:

a)      Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong, with 7-year experience as a journalist, strived to change the perception related to mental illness.

b)      With training in art therapy and psychology, she founded two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – Afrogiveness Movement and Positive Youths Africa (PYA).

c)       These two NGOs are peace education initiatives that aim to help traumatized survivors of interfaith and intercultural conflicts in African countries to heal using the universal language of the arts.

d)      They operate in nine African countries – Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Togo.

e)      Through these NGOs, Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong is promoting tolerance and non-violence by reintegrating survivors from opposing sides of war and conflicts into their host communities.

f)        She is providing psycho-social and educational support (art therapy), socio-economic aid (distribution of university scholarship, diploma training, hygienic products, and books), and legal assistance.

About UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize: The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence is conferred every two years by UNESCO. The award was created based on the ideals of UNESCO’s Constitution, which states that “peace if it is not to fail, must be founded on the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”. It was unveiled in 1996 after the 1995 United Nations Year for Tolerance and in connection with the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The award was funded by a donation from Madanjeet Singh – the former Indian artist, writer and diplomat who served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

 

2. Kathak exponent Uma Sharma received Sumitra Charat Ram Award: Kathak exponent Dr. Uma Sharma has received the prestigious ‘Sumitra Charat Ram Award’ for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of her contribution in the field of Indian classical music and dance. She is a renowned classical dancer who has been awarded Padma Shri (1973) and Padma Bhushan (2001) for her unique contribution to the cultural tradition of this country.

About the Sumitra Charat Ram Award:

a)      For the last 11 years ‘Sumitra Charat Ram Award’ for Lifetime Achievement has been presented to honour eminent Artists who have made a lasting contribution to the field of Indian Classical Music & Dance.

b)      The first award was presented to Pt. Birju Maharaj, the doyen of kathak Dance followed by Smt. Kishori Amonkar (Hindustani Vocal Music), Shri Mayadhar Raut (Odissi Dance), Smt. Kumudini Lakhia (Kathak Dance), Pt. Jasraj (Hindustani Vocal Music), Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (Hindustani Instrumental Music, Flute), Smt. Girija Devi (Hindustani Classical Music, Vocal), Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Hindustani Classical Music, Sarod) and lastly to Dr. Sonal Mansingh (Indian Classical Dance Guru, Motivational Speaker).

 

3. Danish Manzoor Bhat honoured with JaipurFoot USA’s 1st Global Humanitarian Award: Danish Manzoor Bhat, originally hailing from Kashmir Valley, was honoured with Jaipur Foot USA’s first Global Humanitarian Award this week at a ceremony held at the Consulate General of India in New York. The award was presented in the Indian High Comission New York by Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, IAS and Prem Bhandari, Chairman, JaipurFoot USA.

The award has been constituted to honour and recognise the selfless work of Indians who without caring for their lives, manage to help those in need and are always a call away when it comes to humanitarian efforts transcending borders. He has been awarded for here work and efforts in helping scores of people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during the deadly second wave in India.

About Danish Manzoor Bhat: Danish Manzoor Bhat, originally hailing from Kashmir Valley. A journalist by profession, Danish leads Newsweek Magazine in Asia as its Editorial Director and Sr. Vice President for Global Editorial Strategy & Innovation.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former Indian football captain Babu Mani passes away: Babu Mani, who was an integral part of the Indian football team in the 1980s, passed away after a prolonged battle with liver-related issues. He was 59. He represented India in 55 international matches and was a part of the first Indian team that qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in 1984.

Babu Mani made his India debut against Argentina in Kolkata during the 1984 Nehru Cup and went on to play 55 matches for the country. He was also a part of the first Indian squad to qualify for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 1984 and went on to play in the tournament in Singapore. Mani was also a member of the Indian team which won gold medals at the 1985 and 1987 editions of the South Asian Games. Babu Mani, also part of the Bengal Team which won Santosh Trophy in 1986 and 1988.