Daily GK Update- 1st Aug, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the G20 EMPOWER Summit in Gandhinagar: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani will inaugurate the G20 EMPOWER Summit in Gandhinagar in July 2023. Theme- ‘Women-Led Development Aims: To accelerate women’s leadership and empowerment in the private sector across G20 countries. Objective: To ensure sustainable, inclusive, and equitable global economic growth. Highlights: G20 EMPOWER agenda including the G20 EMPOWER Tech Equity Digital Inclusion Platform and the Best Practices Playbook

 

2. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India signed MoU with C-DoT: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Centre for Development of Telematics have signed MoU. Aims: To establish the mechanism of technical and institutional cooperation in telecommunications. According to Secretary of the Department of Telecommunication T K Rajaraman, this partnership will open new horizons in policy research, regulatory studies, and knowledge dissemination of upcoming technologies in the telecom and broadcasting sectors.

 

3. For the first time in Asia, World Coffee Conference to be held in Bengaluru: India is set to host its inaugural World Coffee Conference, organized by the International Coffee Organization (ICO), in Bengaluru, marking its fifth edition ICO serves as the chief intergovernmental organization aimed at advancing coffee trade and encouraging collaboration among coffee-producing and consuming countries K G Jagadeesha, CEO, and Secretary of Coffee Board of India, revealed that tennis player Rohan Bopanna would endorse the event as its brand ambassador.

 

4. Muslim Women’s Rights Day is observed on 1 August: Muslim Women's Rights Day is observed across the nation on August 1 to celebrate the enactment of the law against triple talaq The central gov enacted the law on August 1, 2019, that has made the practice of instant triple talaq a criminal offence. The government has strengthened self-reliance, self-respect and self-confidence of the Muslim women of the country and protected constitutional, fundamental and democratic rights by bringing the law against the triple talaq.

 

5. CAIT launched National Digital Nagrik Forum to digitalise traders: Confederation of All India Traders introduced the creation of an online platform National Digital Nagrik Forum(NDNF). Aims: To advance the rights of traders and consumers and other sections of society and shape policy to boost the digital trade economy. NDNF will focus on five core themes. First, consumer protection and online safety with a core focus on efficient grievance redressal.  Objectives: To conduct awareness camps, digital and physical dialogues and training

 

6. India’s tiger population estimated to 3,925 with annual growth rate of 6.1%: India’s tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 with an annual growth rate of 6.1%per annum. This was revealed in a report released by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar on the occasion of Global Tiger Day. Last year during the celebration of 50 years of the Project Tiger at Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared the minimum tiger population of 3 thousand 167, which is the population estimated from the camera-trapped area. Now the further analysis of data done by the Wildlife Institute of India, from both camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, suggested that the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 and the average number is 3,682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 percent per annum. India currently harbors almost 75 percent of the world’s wild tiger population. The largest population of tigers is found to be in Madhya Pradesh followed by Karnataka, Uttarakhand.

 

7. Nisha Biswal becomes Deputy CEO of US finance agency: The United States Senate confirmed Indian-American policy expert and businesswoman Nisha Desai Biswal as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Biswal has over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and international development programs within the Executive Branch, Congress, and the private sector. In her position as SVP at the Chamber of Commerce, she oversees the US India Business Council and US Bangladesh Business Council. She earlier served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State from 2013 to 2017, overseeing the US-India strategic partnership and the launch of an annual US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Biswal serves as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid and is on both the Board of the National Democratic Institute and the US Institute of Peace International Advisory Council.

 

8. 1 August – National Mountain Climbing Day: National Mountain Climbing Day is observed every year on 1 August in the United States. The day was established to honour Bobby Matthews and his friend Josh Madigan. On 1 August 2015, Mathews and Madigan had achieved the feat of successfully scaling all 46 peaks of the Adirondack Mountains in the state of New York. They scaled the final of the 46 peaks — the White Face Mountain — on August 1. Later, in May 2016, they were formally inducted into the Adirondack 46er Club.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. World Wide Web Day celeberated on August 1 : World Wide Web Day is a day dedicated to web browsing and is celebrated on August 1 Aims: To highlight the importance of the web in improving people's lives by facilitating communication, access to information and resources, education and empowerment.  The World Wide Web was created between 1989 and 1993 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee when he was employed at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

 

2. James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea elected new IPCC chairman in Nairobi: James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea of the United Kingdom was elected as the new chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Nairobi, Kenya. Skea beat his nearest rival, Thelma Krug of Brazil, in a run-off. He won 90 votes while Krug won 69. The election took place at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, where the IPCC is holding its 59th Session. With nearly 40 years of experience and expertise in climate science, James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea will lead the IPCC through its seventh assessment cycle.

 

3. 1 August – Yorkshire Day: Yorkshire Day is an annual celebration that takes place on August 1st to honour the historic county of Yorkshire in England. It’s a day for Yorkshire residents and people with connections to the county to come together, showcase their pride in their Yorkshire heritage, and celebrate the region’s rich history, culture, and traditions. The concept of Yorkshire Day was first proposed in 1974 by the Yorkshire Ridings Society, a group dedicated to preserving and promoting the three historic ridings of Yorkshire – North, East, and West. On this day in 1759, the Battle of Minden took place during the Seven Years’ War. Soldiers from Yorkshire, known as the “White Rose County,” played a crucial role in the battle, distinguishing themselves with valor and bravery. Thus, August 1st became the date to commemorate not only Yorkshire’s historical contributions but also to foster unity among Yorkshire’s communities

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Sangampreet Singh, Avneet Kaur clinch gold medals in World University Games: Indian archers Sangampreet Singh Bisla and Avneet Kaur bagged gold medals each in the individual events in World University Games  2023 in China  Indian archers defeated South Africa’s de Klerk in a finale. India bagged a total of nine gold, three silver, andv5 bronze medals, securing fourth position. China with 17 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze medals, followed by Korea with 10 gold, 10 silver, and 5 bronze medals, and Japan with 10 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze medals.

 

2. Iga Swiatek won Women’s Tennis Association title 2023: Polish Player Iga Swiatek secured her fourth Women’s Tennis Association title of the year 2023 by defeating Germany’s Laura Siegemund  in Warsaw He currently holds the position of world No. 1 in singles according to the Women’s Tennis Association rankings. She has earned the title of four-time major singles champion, conquering the French Open in 2020, 2022, and 2023 as well as the US Open in 2022. She became the first player from Poland to achieve a major singles title. 

 

3. England pacer Stuart Broad announced his retirement: England pacer Stuart Broad announced his retirement from international cricket He sits fifth on the all-time list of wicket-takers and is one of only two fast bowlers to take over 600 wickets He has also played in 167 test matches, 121 one-day internationals, and 56 international T20 games. In Test cricket, he stands as the sole English player boasting two hat-tricks to his credit Broad is only the second fast bowler and second bowler for England to reach the milestone

 

4. Viktor Axelsen, An Se-Young win Japan Open finals 2023: Olympic badminton champion Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen beat Indonesian Jonatan Christie to bag the men’s singles title while Korean An Se-young outplayed He Bing Jiao of China to win the women’s singles crown at the Japan Open 2023 in Tokyo. World number one Axelsen, who recently retained his European title in Poland,to win his third BWF title of the year. In the women’s singles, world number two is  Se Young from Korea.

 

5. Shooter Aishwarya clinches Gold medal at FISU World University Games 2023: Shooter Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar clinched a gold medal for India on the 2nd day of the FISU World University Games 2023 in Chengdu, China. Olympian Tomar, competing in men’s 50 meter rifle three positions, secured the top podium by scoring a total of 461.7 points in the final. Earlier, the Indian men’s 25-meter pistol rapid-fire team of Vijayveer Sidhu, Udhayveer Sidhu and Adarsh Singh claimed silver. The Indian trio of Tomar, Sartaj Singh Tiwana and Surya Pratap Singh joined forces to secure Bronze in the men’s 50 meter rifle 3 position team event. The mixed compound archery team of Aman Saini and Pragati also clinched a Gold medal. Now, Indian archers have a Gold, a Silver and two Bronze medal.

 

6. India won 14 medals in Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships: Indian contingent finished their Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships with 14 medals including 9 gold, 4 silvers and 1 bronze. Indian athletes clinched six medals on the final day of the event at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Indian 4×400 meter mixed relay team of Amoj Jacob, Aishwarya Mishra, Muhammed Anas and Himanshi Malik won the first gold medal of the day. The event also featured a second Indian relay team comprising Nihal Joel William, Subha Venkatesan, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Vithya Ramraj, who bagged the silver medal. Amoj Jacob, an Asian Athletics Championships gold medallist, then teamed up with Muhammed Anas, Rajesh Ramesh and Muhammed Ajmal to secure the gold medal in the 4×400 meter men’s relay event. India’s gold medalist javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena received the coveted Best Male Thrower troph

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Core sector growth hits 5-month high of 8.2% in June 2023: Data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on July 31 shows that India's eight core sectors registered a growth of 8.2 percent in June is the highest in the past five months. The growth rate of 8.2 percent in June for India's eight key infrastructure sectors, which include coal, crude oil, steel, cement, electricity. The core sector growth for May has been revised upward from 4.3 percent to 5.0 percent. The core sector growth in June 2022 was 13.1 percent.

 

2. SIDBI has been collaborating with CIIE at IIM, Ahmedabad: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI),announced its partnership with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’s (IIM-A) startup incubator Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship Aims: To promote Deep Tech and science-led Innovation by facilitating access to seed capital.  Objective: To support startups with meritorious ideas and technologies important for India’s goals for 2047 to become self-reliant.

 

3. India’s per capita income to jump 70% by 2030: Standard Chartered Bank: According to a research report by Standard Chartered Bank, the per capita income of India is likely to grow around 70% by 2030 and is expected to reach $4,000 from current levels of $2,450. The boost in income will help the country to become a middle-income economy with a GDP of $6 trillion and half of it will be coming from household consumption. Since 2001, the per capita GDP grew from $460 to $1,413 in 2011 to $2,150 in 2021. The primary factor propelling significant economic growth will be external trade, which is anticipated to nearly double to $2.1 trillion by 2030. This substantial increase would be a remarkable jump from the $1.2 trillion recorded in fiscal 2023 when the GDP stood at $3.5 trillion. The report assumes an annual nominal GDP growth of 10% going forward. Telangana currently takes the top spot in the per capita income rankings with ₹2,75,443 (equivalent to $3,360). Following closely are Karnataka with ₹2,65,623, Tamil Nadu with ₹2,41,131, Kerala with ₹2,30,601, and Andhra Pradesh with ₹2,07,771.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. PM Narendra Modi honored with Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023: The Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 in Pune will be conferred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 41st recipient of this award will be the PM. Every year on 1st August, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, this award is bestowed upon individuals who have made remarkable and extraordinary contributions to the progress and development of the nation. To inaugurate the services of the completed second phase of the Pune Metro, the PM will flag off the metro rail.

 

2. Ratan Tata to get Maharashtra govt’s first ‘Udyog Ratna’ award: The Maharashtra government has decided to confer the first ‘Udyog Ratna’ award (Maharashtra Bhushan award) on veteran industrialist and chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata. The award is the state’s highest honor given to eminent individuals, has led the Maharashtra government to introduce Udyog Ratna Award from this year onward. The first recipient of this award will be the renowned industrialist, Ratan Tata. The award is a recognition of his outstanding achievements in the industrial sector. The ‘Udyog Ratna’ award is a state-level award given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the industrial sector of Maharash