Daily GK Update- 13th Apr, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Industrial output of the country rises 5.6 percent in February 2023: According to the data, released by the Ministry of Statistics, the index of industrial production (IIP) has expanded as the manufacturing sector's output increased by 5.3% in February 2023. While the mining output increased by 4.6 % and Power generation raised to 8.2%. In January 2023, the IIP growth was revised to 5.5% from 5.2 percent. The industrial output of the country in February 2023 rose 5.6 percent, on a year-on-year basis.

 

2. Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative to launch on 14th April 2023: Union Minister of Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala will be launched the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI) on April 14, 2023. He will also launch the World Bank-funded Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH) project. Aim: To create an ecosystem for a better animal health management system using the One Health approach It will be implemented over a five-year as a Central sector scheme with a financial provision of Rs. 1228.70 Cr.

 

3. Uttarakhand government launched A HELP Program: Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami has launched a program named A-HELP (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production). Women have been chosen to strengthen livestock-related activities in remote rural areas, keeping in mind their important role under the A-HELP scheme, envisioned by Govt. of India. Trained A-HELPs will help to prevent the various infectious diseases of animals, and artificial insemination under Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

 

4. NMCG signs agreement with 49 Universities for water conservation: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed an agreement with 49 Universities to inspire youth towards water conservation and river rejuvenation. Aim: To bring the student community to the forefront of the mass movement for creating a sustainable ecosystem of rivers. This also ensures the cleanliness and purity of River Ganga with the rejuvenation of rivers being the prime objective of the Namami Gange Mission. Jal Shakti Minister: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

 

5. National Museum of Natural History and State Museum, Lucknow sign MoU: The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and State Museum, Lucknow signed an MoU to work together toward environmental conservation and education among the masses. The multi-dimensional efforts will be made in organizing programs for school and college students to create awareness about nature. NMNH was established to portray and promote awareness of the country's Natural Heritage. It is an institution devoted to environmental education.

 

6. ADR report: Jagan Mohan Reddy is the wealthiest CM: According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR),  Andhra Pradesh’s CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has the highest assets totaling Rs 510 crore, followed by Arunanchal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu (over Rs 163 crore) and Odisha’s Naveen Pattnaik (over Rs 63 crore). While West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee has the lowest total assets of about Rs 15 lakh. Out of the 30 CMs analyzed, 29 are crorepatis with the average assets being Rs 33.96 crore for every CM.

 

7. India's first semi-high-speed regional rail service named 'RAPIDX': India's first semi-high-speed regional rail services have been named 'RAPIDX' by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The trains will run on the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors, being implemented to connect key urban nodes across NCR. It is a joint venture company of the Union government and Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The NCRTC will commission the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor by 2025.

 

8. W-20 International meeting begins in Jaipur: The second Women 20 (W20) international meeting was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The meeting will bring together 120 women leaders from 18 G20 countries to address gender inequality issues and promote women’s economic empowerment globally. Women 20 is an official G20 engagement group, and the meeting will focus on the theme of “Women-Led Development: Leverage Women’s Untapped Potential to Accelerate Inclusive and Sustainable Future. W20 was established in 2015 under the Turkish Presidency with the primary objective of women empowerment, advocacy of women’s rights and creating a common platform for them to voice their opinion.

 

9. K Krithivasan appointed as CEO of TCS: K Krithivasan has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for a period of five years. He will take over the post on 1 June 2023. He will replace Rajesh Gopinathan. He has been a TCS employee for 34 years. Krithivasan the global head of the company’s BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) business group.

 

10. 13 April – Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Day: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Day is observed every year on 13 April. On 13 April 1919, a large crowd gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab to protest the arrest of Dr. Satyapal & Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew. Colonel Reginald Dyer, the Military Commander of Amritsar, surrounded the Bagh with his troops, closed the gates & gave order to shoot at the peaceful congregation. Hundreds were killed & thousands wounded. This incident is known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Day 2023 marks 104 years since the tragic incident that is seen as a turning point in Indian History.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India ranks 5th in countries with most Al investment: According to Stanford University’s annual Al Index report 2023, India ranked fifth in terms of investments received by startups offering artificial intelligence (Al)-based products. Total investments in AI startups in India stood at $3.24 billion in 2022, placing it ahead of South Korea, Germany, Canada and Australia, among others. Those ahead of India in the list are the US, China, the UK and Israel. The report also showed that AI startups in India received total funding of $7.73 billion during 2013-2022, making it the sixth leading country with the most AI investments during the period. Nearly 40% of this investment was made last year. Among Indian AI startups, Chennai-based conversational AI startup Uniphore raised $400  million in a Series E funding round last year at a valuation of $2.5 billion.

 

2. South Korea to conduct first launch of commercial-grade satellite: South Korea plans to conduct its first launch of a commercial-grade satellite aboard a domestically built rocket next month as part of its space development program. It will blast off from the space launch center on a southern island in May 2023. It will carry one main satellite ‘Next Generation Small Satellite 2’ and seven other smaller cube-shaped satellites. In June last year, South Korea conducted its first satellite launch using the Nuri rocket. The main satellite will verify imaging radar technology and observe cosmic radiation in near-Earth orbit.

 

3. 12 April – International Day of Human Space Flight : The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated every year on April 12. The United Nations General Assembly in its resolution on April 7, 2011, okayed April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight. The day is dedicated to the outset of the space era for mankind, the contribution of space science and technology and ensuring the realization of the conservation of outer space for peaceful purposes. The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated on April 12 as this was the day in 1961 that the Russian cosmonaut became the first human to journey into outer space.

 

4. International Conference on Defence Finance and Economics: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated a three-day International Conference on Defence Finance and Economics in New Delhi. The conference aims to give a unique platform to government officials, policymakers and academicians to present their insights and experiences on Defence, Finance and Economics amid present evolving security challenges. Delegates from the USA, UK, Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kenya participate in the conference.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Nisha Dahiya wins Silver in Asian Wrestling Championship: India wrestler, Nisha Dahiya has secured the silver medal in the women’s 68kg category at the Asian wrestling championships 2023, held in Astana, Kazakhstan. She reached the final but fell to Japan’s Ami Ishii 10-0 and finished as a runner-up. She had defeated China’s Feng Zhou 7-6 in the semi-finals. Another Indian wrestler, Priya Malik, clinched a bronze in the women’s 76kg category after beating Japan’s Mizuki Nagashima in the repechage round.

 

2. Shakib al Hasan wins ICC Player of the Month award for March 2023: Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and Rwandan female cricketer Henriette Ishimwe clinched the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for March 2023. Shakib won the award for the second time after July 2021 for his vital role in Bangladesh’s 3-0 T20I series win against England. Shakib scored 141 runs in the ODI series and nine wickets across the two formats. He also picked up a fifer against Ireland in Bangladesh’s another home series win. Ishimwe, 19, who was part of the Rwandan team at the ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa, was key to her team’s win over Zimbabwe, claiming four wickets in four balls. She followed that with another scintillating performance in the Nigerian women’s T20I tournament last month, scoring 92 runs and taking nine wickets in March, which included a hattrick. It made her only the second female player from an Associate Member to win the ICC Player of the Month award.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI to stop banks from capitalizing penal charges on loans defaults: The RBI has proposed to prohibit the capitalization of penal charges and additional interest levied by banks on customers for loan defaults. Aim: To streamline divergent practices followed by lenders As per the draft circular on 'Fair Lending Practice - Penal Charges in Loan Accounts', the quantum of penal charges should be proportional to the defaults/non-compliance of material terms and conditions of loan contracts up to a threshold.

 

2. HDFC Bank signs with Export-Import Bank of Korea for $300 million: HDFC Bank has signed a "Master Inter Bank Credit Agreement" with the Export-Import Bank of Korea for a USD 300 million line of credit. The pact was signed by the two entities at GIFT City in Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It will help bank to raise foreign currency funds which it would extend to Korea-related businesses. It can be utilized towards funding requirements of consumers for the purchase of cars manufactured by Korean companies.

 

3. Karnataka Bank authorized to collect direct and indirect taxes: RBI has authorized the Karnataka Bank to collect direct and indirect taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The RBI authorized on the recommendation from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Customers are enjoying seamless online payments for custom duty by selecting Karnataka Bank in the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway 'ICEGATE' portal of CBIC.

 

4. Canara Bank, Bharat BillPay tie up for cross border bill payments: Canara Bank and NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL) have launched cross-border inward bill payment services for Indians based in Oman. NRIs can now leverage the robust platform offered by the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to make bill payments on behalf of their families through the Musandam Exchange. With this, Canara Bank becomes the first public sector bank in India to offer inbound cross-border bill payments through BBPS.

 

5. ICICI Bank introduces EMI facility for UPI payments: ICICI Bank has introduced easy EMI facility for UPI payments made by scanning QR code. Customers eligible for PayLater, the Bank’s ‘buy now, pay later’ service can avail of the EMI facility in an instant, easy and seamless manner. This first-of-its-kind facility enhances the affordability of lakhs of the Bank’s customers as they can now instantly buy products or services just by scanning the required merchant QR code at a store and making payments in EMIs. The facility can be availed across a host of categories such as electronics, groceries, fashion apparels, travel and hotel bookings. Customers can pay transaction amount above ₹10,000 in easy instalments in three, six or nine months. The EMI facility for PayLater will shortly be extended for online shopping as well.

 

6. Retail inflation drops to 5.66% in March 2023: According to National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s annual retail inflation for March 2023 eased to 5.66% from 6.44% in February 2023. The inflation numbers have seen a decline from 6.44% in February and 6.95% in the year-ago period. The food inflation, which accounts for nearly half of the overall consumer price basket, moderated to 4.79%. It was 5.95% in February and 7.68% in the year-ago period. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected retail inflation at 6.5% for 2022-23, with the January-December quarter at 5.7%.

 

7. Sanjay Agarwal reappointed as MD & CEO of AUSF Bank: Sanjay Agarwal has been reappointed as Managing Director & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank (SFB) for a period of three years. The regulator has also cleared the reappointment of Uttam Tibrewal as the whole-time director for a period of three years. AU Small Finance Bank Limited is an Indian Small finance bank, based in Jaipur, India. It was founded as vehicle finance company AU Financiers (India) Ltd.

 

8. RBI re-appointed Sanjay Agarwal as Chief of AU SFB for three years: RBI has approved the reappointment of Sanjay Agarwal as Managing Director (MD) & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank (SFB) for the next three years, till 2026. He was first appointed as MD of AU Financiers on 14 February 2008. Later, he became the Managing Director & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank. Meanwhile, RBI has also approved the appointment of Uttam Tibrewal as Whole Time Director of AU SFB. Uttam Tibrewal joined the board of AU Small Finance Bank in 2005.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Freedom fighter, public health pioneer Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury passes away: Veteran Liberation Warfighter and legendary public health activist Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away at 81 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was a vascular surgeon and a pioneer in public health. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Community Leadership category in 1985 and the Right Livelihood Prize in 1992 for his outstanding work in the public health sector. In 1971, he left his medical studies in the UK to join the liberation war of Bangladesh.

 

2. Former Mahindra Group chairman, Keshub Mahindra passes away : Former Mahindra Group chairman and industrialist Keshub Mahindra passed away at the age of 99. He served as chairman of the conglomerate from 1963 to 2012. He joined the Board of the company in 1948 and was elected chairman in 1963. He was awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’honneur by the French Government in 1987. He re-entered the Forbes list of India’s Richest Billionaires for 2023 with a net worth of $1.2 billion.