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Friday, July 21, 2023

Daily GK Update- 21st July, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Gujarat to get country’s first Satellite Network Portal Site: Gujarat will get the country’s first ‘Satellite Network Portal Site’. London-based company OneWeb and the state gov signed  MoU for the establishment of the Satellite Network Portal Site’  in Gandhinagar Aims: To provide affordable, secure and high-speed internet access to villages, district panchayats, local administrative bodies and government departments OneWeb is setting up two ‘SNPS’ and one of them will be in the Mehsana district of Gujarat.

 

2. Haryana Gov appointed nodal officials to facilitate the MoR: The Haryana Government has designated nodal officials to assist the MoR in the prompt execution of PM Gati Shakti - National Master Plan, aiming to establish goods sheds in every district of Haryana. This strategic move is expected to significantly boost the State's economy, enhancing trade and logistics across the region. These goods sheds will have a transformative impact on Haryana's transportation network, leading to increased trade and commerce within the state. 

 

3. Labour & Employment Ministers of G20 Countries to meet in Madhya Pradesh: Under India's G-20 presidency, PM Narendra Modi will deliver a video message addressing the meeting of Labour and Employment Ministers. The meeting is being held in Indore where the draft from the Employment Working Group will also be presented. A minister-level meeting will take place, attended by a total of 165 representatives, including 24 ministers from G-20 and invited countries. The meeting will be presided over by (ULEM) Bhupendra Yadav.

 

4. First ever “Credit Guarantee Scheme” for Livestock Sector launched: The DAHD has launched a "Credit Guarantee Scheme" specifically designed for the Livestock Sector. Objective: To ensure that the credit facility from the lender is solely secured based on the primary security of the financed assets. Scheme: Access to financial resources for the un-served and under-served livestock sector, this makes financial assistance from lenders accessible to primarily first-generation entrepreneurs and underprivileged segments of society.

 

5. Minister Kiren Rijiju announced IMD has launched Heat Index: Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of Earth Sciences, shared that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has recently introduced the Heat Index on an experimental basis across the entire country including the State of Andhra Pradesh. It provides information about the impact of humidity on the high temperatures and thus provides a feel-like temperature for human beings which can be used as an indication for human discomfort.

 

6. One District One Product’ Wall launched by DPIIT and Govt. of Gujarat: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat, inaugurated the 'One District One Product'  Wall at Garvi Gujarat Bhawan in New Delhi. Aims: To select, brand, and promote at least One Product from each District of the country for enabling holistic socioeconomic growth across all regions. Features: 68 unique products, including traditional crafts like Gamthi Block print and Mata-ni-Pachedi to agricultural goods.

 

7. Piyush Goyal launches sale of subsidized chana dal under ‘Bharat Dal’: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal has launched the sale of subsidized chana dal at Rs 60 per kg under the brand name ‘Bharat Dal’ to provide pulses at an affordable rate to consumers.

Chana dal is being sold in Delhi-NCR through the retail outlets of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Feeration (NAFED). It will also be available at retail stores of NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar and Mother Dairy’s Safal. Goyal launched the “sale of subsidised chana dal under the brand name ‘Bharat Dal’ at the rate of Rs 60 per kg for one kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack. The introduction of ‘Bharat Dal is a major step taken by the Central Government towards making pulses available to consumers at affordable prices by converting chana stock of the government into chana dal, it added Chana is the most abundantly produced pulse in India and consumed in several forms all over India. Chana whole is soaked and boiled to make salad and roasted chana is served as snacks. Fried chana dal can also be used as alternative to tur dal, curries and soups. Chana besan is a major raw material for namkeens and sweets. Chana has multiple nutritional health benefits as it is rich in fibre, iron, potassium, vitamin B, selenium beta carotene and choline which are required by human body for controlling anaemia, blood sugar, bone health etc. and even for mental health.

 

8. IPS officer Manoj Yadava as DG of Railway Protection Force: Senior IPS officer Manoj Yadava has been appointed the Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Yadava, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Haryana cadre, will succeed Sanjay Chander who retires on July 31. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Yadava to the post of DG, RPF, up to his superannuation on July 31, 2025. Shafi Ahsan Rizvi, Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), has been appointed as Advisor of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), according to ACC. The ACC has also approved the appointment of Rajesh Pradhan as Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a deputation basis from the date of assumption of charge of the post up to his approved deputation tenure of January 30, 2027. Pradhan, a 2003 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Maharashtra cadre, is currently Deputy Inspector General in the CBI.

 

9. Rakesh Pal became the 25th Director General of the ICG: Rakesh Pal has been appointed as the 25th Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). He has the distinction of being the first gunner of ICG. The officer, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is an alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy and joined Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in January 1989. He was elevated to the rank of Additional Director General in February 2022 and was appointed as the Additional Director General Coast Guard at the Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi. He was also given the Additional Charge of Director General Coast Guard in February 2023. Rakesh Pal has also been conferred with the Tatrakshak Medal (TM) in the year 2013 and President Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) for his distinguished service in 2018.

 

10. 22 July – National Mango Day: National Mango Day is observed every year on 22 July. The yellow fruit is world-famous for its sweet and juicy flavors. Mango is primarily a summer fruit, and it comes in all shapes and sizes, and with each variety, there’s a different way to enjoy the taste. South Asia also happens to produce half the world’s mango supply. China is the second-largest mango producer. According to several sources, the mango was first cultivated more than 4,000 years ago in India. Mango is a stone fruit that grows on a tropical tree called the Mangifera indica. There are more than 500 varieties in the world, and many of these were influenced and developed by political, religious, and social incidents.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Nuclear power capacity to increase from over 7000 MW to 22,480 MW by 20: According to Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Nuclear power capacity has set to increase from over 7000 Mega Watt to over 22480 Mega Watt by 2031.  The present installed nuclear power capacity in the country is seven thousand 480 Mega Watt comprising 23 nuclear power reactors.  The share of nuclear power in the total electricity generation in the country was about 2.8 percent in 2022-23.

 

2. India, Japan signs MoU to develop resilient semiconductor supply chain: India and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at fostering a robust semiconductor supply chain. According to Mr. Vaishnaw, the Electronics and IT Minister, this MoU reflects the global belief in India's competence and dedication to establishing a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem in the country. Japan is an important semiconductor producer and technology developer.  There will be cooperation on Manufacturing, Equipment Research and Design.

 

3. Argentina signs letter of intent with HAL to buy helicopters: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the MoD of The Republic of Argentina have signed a Letter of Intent on productive cooperation and acquisition of Light and Medium Utility Helicopters for the armed forces of the Argentine Republic. The LoI was signed by the Argentinean Defence Minister Jorge Taiana and HAL Chairman and Managing Director C B Ananthakrishnan in Bengaluru. Argentina is the first Latin American nation to show interest in acquiring Tejas for its air force.

 

4. Tata to set up EV battery factory in UK for £4 billion: Tata Sons plans to build a four-billion-pound (about Rs 42,300 crore) electric vehicle battery factory in the UK, which will be its first gigafactory outside India. Last month, it announced plans to establish a Rs 13,000-crore battery manufacturing facility in Gujarat. In Britain, the Tata group is working on plans to make batteries for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as well as other vehicle companies. The factory will be located in Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The UK plant, which will cater to the requirements of Tata Group company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), will create up to 4,000 jobs and have an annual output of 40-gigawatt hours. Production at the gigafactory will start in 2026.

 

5. Nivriti Rai appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Invest India: lobal business and technology expert Nivriti Rai has been appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India. She has taken over the charge from Ms. Manmeet K Nanda, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) who had assumed this additional charge of MD & CEO ad-interim in March 2023. Rai joins Invest India after an illustrious 29 years of service as a global business and technology veteran at Intel. She was leading Intel India as Country Head for the last 7 years and spearheaded Intel’s growth and investments in the country. Rai was also conferred with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her outstanding contribution in the field of technology.

 

6. 22 July – Pi Approximation Day: Pi Approximation Day is celebrated on July 22 every year. There is an interesting fact why Pi Approximation Day is celebrated on this date. When placed in the date/month format, July 22 looks like 22/7 – this is an approximate value of Pi. The date is significant for more reasons as well – Physicist Albert Einstein was also born on July 22. The symbol of Pi was designed back in 1706 by mathematician Leonhard Euler. Pi Approximation Day, besides being celebrated on July 22, is also celebrated on November 10, as it is the 314th day of the year. Pi Day is also observed on March 14, as it looks like 3/14 when placed in the month/date format.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Indian GM Praggnanandhaa won Super GM chess tournament 2023: R Praggnanandhaa claimed the championship title in the V Geza Hetenyi Memorial Super GM chess tournament 2023 in Hungary In the 10-player event, the 17-year-old GM secured the top spot by scoring 6.5 points, finishing a clear point ahead of M Amin Tabatabaei from Iran and Russia's Sanan Sjugirov after nine rounds of play. He notched five victories, drew three games, and experienced a single defeat in the fifth round at the hands of Amin Tabatabaei."

 

2. Indian Shuttler sets Guinness world record for fastest badminton shot: Star India shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has set the Guinness world record for the fastest hit by a male player in badminton, recording a mindboggling 565 km/h with his smash. Satwik broke a decade-long record set in May 2013 by Malaysian Tan Boon Heong, who had produced a speed of 493 km/h (306.34 mph) with his smash. Satwik’s smash was faster than the top speed of 372.6 km/h achieved by a Formula 1 car. Malaysia’s Tan Pearly set the Guinness world record for the fastest female badminton hits with a remarkable speed of 438 km/h (about 272 mph).

 

 

 

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. MoU signed between Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank: Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank signed an MoU to provide financial assistance to selected beneficiaries under the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists Scheme:  Financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per month is provided to artists and scholars above the age of 60, who have contributed in their specialized fields of performing arts and culture in their active age or still contribute, but due to old age, they are facing difficulty and are in penury condition

 

2. OPPO India set up first PPP-model Atal Tinkering Lab in Kerala: OPPO India in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission has announced the establishment of the first-ever Atal Tinkering Lab, based on the Public-Private Partnership model in Kerala. Objective: To create an empowered future-ready workforce and nurture entrepreneurship and technological skills among the youth. The collaboration holds great significance to promote  'out of the box' thinking and instill community-oriented problem-solving skills in students

 

3. PhonePe launches India’s first Health Insurance platform: PhonePe Insurance Broking Services has launched health insurance plans that will for the first time in India offer monthly subscriptions. The health insurance plans, in partnership with leading insurers, are introducing UPI monthly mode of payment. The health insurance plans, which come with coverage up to one crore rupees, allow users to choose any hospital room without any cap. Health insurance in India is relatively very under-penetrated for various reasons ranging from lack of awareness to affordability issues. Big corporates including Star Health and leading banks such as HDFC Bank, and ICICI all offer health insurance packages, while the central and some state governments too have health insurance scheme for citizens of the world’s most populous country. The only platform in the country where customers can pay for Insurance in easy installments through UPI on the PhonePe app. PhonePe has sold more than 5.6 million policies to date. PhonePe Insurance platform has also sold policies across 98% of India’s PIN codes and has served more than 200 Mn vehicle insurance quotes.

 

4. SBI to set up Trustee Company to manage CDMDF: State Bank of India will set up a new trustee company as its wholly-owned subsidiary for managing the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF). CDMDF will act as a backstop facility for the purchase of investment-grade corporate debt securities to instill confidence amongst the participants in the corporate bond market during times of stress and to generally enhance secondary market liquidity by creating a permanent institutional framework for activation in times of market stress The setting up of the Fund, which will be classified as an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) under the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012, is subject to receipt of all regulatory approvals.

 

 

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. The Coal Ministry is honored with the "Best Engagement" Award.: The Coal Ministry awarded “Best Engagement” for its achievements on e- procurement through GeM by the Ministry of Commerce.  Coal Ministry sets new standards in the e-procurement ecosystem, creating a level playing field for stakeholders and fostering fair competition. Coal India Limited has been awarded“Rising Star” and NLC India Limited has been awarded in the “TimelyPayments” category.

 

2. President of India presents Bhoomi Samman 2023: President Droupadi Murmu presented the Bhoomi Samman awards to nine state secretaries and 68 district collectors for their achievements in the implementation of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme. The Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) attempts to build upon the commonalities that exist in the arena of land records in various states to develop an integrated land information management system across the country. Congratulating those who have achieved targets under the DILRMP, President Murmu said digitization of land records will play an important role in the development of rural areas For the development of rural areas, modernization of land records is a basic requirement as the livelihood of most of the rural population is dependent on land resources. The unique land parcel identification number being provided could be useful like Aadhaar card and it would help people in making proper use of the lands as well in implementing new welfare schemes. Many people in rural areas have land records in the name of their forefathers and are not able to get registrations done due to lack of information, resources, or due to disputes.

 

3. Prof. Thalappil Pradeep of IIT Madras won the international Eni Award 2023: Professor of IIT Madras, Thalappil Pradeep won the prestigious International Eni Award 2023 for his work on sustainable and affordable nanoscale materials for removing toxic contaminants from water, under the award category Advanced Environmental Solutions. This award is considered a top global honour for scientific research in energy and environment. The president of Italy is expected to present the award soon. Previous awardees include Nobel laureates, Sir Harold W Kroto, Alan Heeger, and Theodor Wolfgang Hänsch as well as professor C N R Rao, who is also a Bharat Ratna awardee. Prof Pradeep has been recognized earlier with the Padma Shri, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water and Nikkei Asia Prize, among many others.


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