Daily GK Update- 30th June, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.   

IPS Ajay Bhatnagar appointed as Special Director of CBI: Senior IPS officer of the 1989 batch from the Jharkhand cadre, Ajay Bhatnagar has been appointed as Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), effective until his superannuation on November 20, 2024 At present, he is serving as Additional Director in the agency. While Anurag and Manoj Sashidhar have been promoted to the position of Additional Director. The government has also extended the tenure of Sharad Agarwal as Joint Director.

 

2.    India's first-ever report on Critical Minerals for India unveiled: Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi has unveiled India's first-ever report on Critical Minerals for India.   The report identifies 30 critical minerals essential for sectors including defense, agriculture, and telecom. This list marks a milestone in India's pursuit of self-reliance and security in mineral resources, aligning with the vision of achieving 'Net Zero' targets. Aim: To guide policy formulation, strategic planning, and investment decisions in this sector

 

3.    PM Modi to inaugurate 17th Indian Cooperative Congress in New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress (ICC) on July 1st, 2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The two days Indian Cooperative Congress would be organized by the National Cooperative Union of India. Theme 2023: Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India Chaired by: HM Amit Shah Aim: To discuss various trends in the cooperative movement, to showcase the best practices being adopted by the successful cooperatives

 

4.    

Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank signed an MoU: The Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank signed an MoU for the disbursal of financial assistance to veteran artists under the “Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists”. Ministry of Culture has administered a Scheme under which financial assistance of Rs. 6000 per month is provided to artists and scholars above 60 years Eligibility: Contributed in their specialized fields of performing arts and culture in their active age or are still contributing

 

5.   PM Modi chairs 42^nd PRAGATI interaction: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the 42nd edition of PRAGATI, the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and state governments. In the meeting, 12 key projects were reviewed. Among the 12 projects, seven projects were from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, two projects were from the Ministry of Railways and one project each was from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. These projects have a cumulative cost of over Rs. 1,21,300 crore and relate to 10 states viz., Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Haryana and two Union Territories viz. Jammu and Kashmir and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

6.    

Cabinet Approves PM-PRANAM Scheme to Promote Alternative Fertilizers: The Cabinet approved a new scheme PM-PRANAM to incentivize states to promote alternative fertilizers, said Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. PRANAM stands for PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth Scheme. The government also approved the continuation of the Urea Subsidy Scheme with an outlay of Rs 3,70,128.7 Crore committed for the urea subsidy for 3 years. Under the scheme financial assistance will be given to the states and the states will be able to strengthen the fertilizer system. The PM-PRANAM scheme was aimed at saving the soil and promote sustainable, balanced use of fertilizers and it involved the participation of State governments The state was using 10 lakh tonnes of conventional fertilizers and reduced its consumption by three lakh tonnes, then the subsidy saving would be ₹3,000 crore.

 

7.    Uttarakhand CM honours ‘Loktantra Senani’, increases pension funds: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami honored the people of Uttarakhand who fought against the Emergency in 1975. The CM announced that the dependents of Loktantra Senani will be given a pension fund and the honorarium of Loktantra Senani has been increased from Rs 16,000 to Rs 20,000. The Emergency was declared in 1975 by former PM Indira Gandhi and was in effect for 21 months.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.   

Turkmenistan unveils 'Arkadag', a smart city in honor of the national leade: A US$5 billion 'smart' city named Arkadag was inaugurated in Turkmenistan, in honour of former strongman leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Turkmenistan President, Serdar Berdymukhamedov has unveiled the city around 30km southwest of the capital, Ashgabat. The new city is built in the foothills of the picturesque Kopet-Dag mountains and named after Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. He ruled the country between 2006 and 2022 and now carries the title Hero Arkadag (Protector).

 

2.   India, Philippines to upgrade defense partnership, boost maritime security: India and the Philippines decided to collaborate in the defense sector, with a particular focus on the maritime domain at Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. Both will develop their ties through different initiatives including official-level interactions, the resident Defense Attaché office in Manila, and the consideration of a concessional Line of Credit. The bilateral ties will strengthen the partnership between the two countries in various fields.

 

3.   Gernot Dollner appointed as Chairman and CEO of Audi: German luxury car brand Audi has appointed Gernot Dollner as Chairman of the Board of Management, effective September 1, 2023. He will take over Markus Duesmann. Gernot Dollner joined Volkswagen as a Ph.D. candidate in 1993 and subsequently served in a number of management roles at Porsche,

including as head of Concept Development and head of the Panamera Series. Since 2021, he

has overseen the Volkswagen Group’s Product and Group Strategy and the General Secretariat.

 

4.   

Meta launches $250K mixed reality fund for 5 Indian startups: Meta declared a fresh Mixed Reality program in India that has an award of $250,000 for homegrown new companies and developers to construct applications and experiences They can assemble applications utilizing the expansive scope of machine perception, and AI capabilities for the Meta Quest Platform and Metaverse Aim: To foster innovation and establish a national XR technology ecosystem A selected group of 5 Indian developers and new companies will get a monetary grant

 

5.   International Asteroid Day 2023: 30th June: International Asteroid Day is observed annually on 30 June to raise awareness about the potential hazards posed by asteroid impacts. It also aims to educate people about the global crisis communication measures to be taken in the event of a credible near-Earth object threat. In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution (A/RES/71/90) establishing June 30th as International Asteroid Day.

 

6.    Canada launches ‘Digital Nomad Strategy’ for foreign workers: Canada has launched the “Digital Nomad Strategy” to address its skilled labour shortage, particularly in the tech industry. The strategy aims to attract talented individuals from around the world. The shortage of skilled workers, particularly in the tech industry, has prompted Canada to take proactive measures.

 

7.     

UN chief appoints Xu Haoliang of China as deputy head of UNDP: UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of Xu Haoliang from China as the new Undersecretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Xu Haoliang will succeed Usha Rao-Monari from India in this role. Xu has been serving as the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support at the UNDP since 2019. From 2013 to 2019, he held the position of UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

 

8.    30 June – International Asteroid Day: International Asteroid Day is observed every year on June 30. Objective – To spread awareness about asteroids and the possible hazards they can cause during an impact. The asteroid impact hazard. It also marks the date of Earth’s largest asteroid impact, the Siberia Tunguska event, recorded in history. The history of International Asteroid Day dates back to 1908. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed the resolution 2016 and declared June 30 to be observed as ‘International Asteroid Day’ every year. This day marks the historic Tunguska event, a colossal asteroid explosion that decimated 2,150 square kilometres of Siberian Forest in 1908. It is also known as World Asteroid Day.

 

9.   30 June – International Day of Parliamentarism: The International Day of Parliamentarism is a momentous occasion celebrated on June 30th each year. It offers a unique opportunity to recognize and appreciate the crucial role that parliaments play in upholding democracy, good

governance, and the rule of law. Theme 2023 – Strengthening Democracy and Governance. The United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Parliamentarism in 2018 through a resolution. This commemorative day recognizes the pivotal role of parliaments in the development and functioning of democratic societies.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1.   World Bank approves $1.5 billion for India’s low-carbon energy sector: The World Bank has approved $1.5 billion in financing to accelerate the development of India’s low-carbon energy sector. Aim: To help India promote low-carbon energy by scaling up renewable energy, developing green hydrogen, and stimulating climate finance for low-carbon energy investments The program will support the successful implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission which aims to stimulate $100 billion in private-sector investment by 2030.

 

2.    After Merger, HDFC to vault into ranks of world's most valuable banks: According to Bloomberg, after the tie-up of HDFC Bank Ltd and Housing Development   Finance Corp, the lender would rank fourth in equity market capitalization. It's valued at about $172 billion. With the merger likely effective July 1, the new HDFC Bank entity will have around 120 million customers, which is greater than the population of Germany. JPMorgan Chase & Co ranked first, followed by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd and Bank of America Corp.

 

3.     

ICICI Lombard, ICICI Prudential launch combi product ‘ishield’: ICICI Lombard General Insurance and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance have jointly launched a combi product, ‘iShield’. Aim: To provide customers with both health and life insurance under the “use and file” procedure The “use and file” procedure allows an insurer to launch a product without prior approval of the regulator. A combi product offers the benefits of life insurance, along with that of general or other insurance covers.

 

4.    Kotak Insurance partners with actyv.ai to provide insurance to MSMEs: Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd (Kotak General Insurance) has partnered with actyv.ai to offer bite- sized insurance products to new-age Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) companies. Kotak General Insurance will leverage actyv.ai’s AI-powered platform to provide insurance solutions to support the business sustainability of small businesses. This partnership will offer innovative insurance products to the enterprise and close to one lakh supply chain partner ecosystem to focus on driving growth without worrying about business risks. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Limited (Kotak General Insurance) is a 100% subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. Kotak General Insurance was established to service the growing non-life insurance segment in India. The company aims to cater to a wide range of customer segment & geographies offering an array of non-life insurance products like Motor, Health, Home etc.

5.   

World Bank approves $391 million for Assam, Tripura: The World Bank has approved $391 million in financing to improve access to high-quality healthcare services and to economic opportunities for people in Assam and Tripura. The Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation (ASSIST) Project, for which $251 million was approved, will improve access to high-quality secondary healthcare services in Assam and directly serve at least 1.8 million people. The global financial institution said the project will increase access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services and improve treatment and management of non-communicable diseases. The project will also upgrade up to 10 lower-level facilities to district hospitals in essential districts and strengthen the capacity of nurses and healthcare managers for better service delivery. While $140 million was approved for the Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Rajindar Singh Dhatt honoured with the Points of Light Award 2023: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak honored Rajindar Singh Dhatt (101) with a Points of Light award on June 28th, 2023. He was recognized for his service and work running the 'Undivided Indian Ex-Servicemen's Association'. The Points of Light award recognize outstanding people whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose stories can inspire others towards innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Nobel-winning lithium battery inventor John Goodenough dies at 100: John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the lithium-ion battery that revolutionized modern life, has died at the age of 100. The US scientist’s contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries paved the way for smartphones. Goodenough became the oldest person to win a Nobel Prize when at the age of 97 he shared the 2019 chemistry award with Britain’s Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino of Japan for the invention of the lithium-ion battery. Goodenough built on Whittingham’s prototype, substituting a different metal compound and doubling the potential energy of the battery to four volts.