Daily GK Update- 26th Aug, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India to celebrate 23rd August as National Space Day: The Prime Minister announced  August 23rd will be celebrated as the National Space Day. It was on this day that the ISRO Chandrayaan mission made history by landing near the south pole of the moon.  On this day our Scientific and technological progress will be celebrated.  He suggested that a National Hackathon must be organized by the Central and State Governments and Universities on ideas that will ensure good governance and find solutions to problems. 

 

2. Chandrayaan 3 landing site on Moon to be known as Shiva Shakti point: PM Narendra Modi has announced that the site where Vikram Lander and Rover Pragyan landed on the Lunar surface will be named as Shiva Shakti Point.  Another site on the Moon where the Chandrayaan 2 lander crash landed will be known as Tiranga Point.  He said that Shiva Shakti point will remind the world about Shiv which is devoting oneself to the welfare of mankind and Shakti that gives inherent strength to accomplish that will incline towards the good of mankind. 

 

3. Shivraj Singh & Anurag Thakur releases books based on speeches of PM Modi: Union Minister fo Sports Anurag Thakur and Chief Minister of MP Shivraj Singh Chouhan released books based on speeches of PM Narendra Modi titled “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” The book is launched at the Kushabhau Thackeray International Convention Centre in Bhopal. The second and third volumes focusing on the addresses of PM Narendra Modi from June 2020 to May 2022 were released.

 

4. Government sets up high power committee to review DRDO: The Centre has formed a nine-member committee to review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The committee headed by Prof K Vijay Raghavan to review and redefine the role of the department and submit a report within three months. Prof Vijay Raghavan is a former Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and one of the key architects of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The members also include a retired diplomat, an ISRO scientist and a serving officer. The committee would suggest measures to revamp DRDO to make it more result-oriented.

 

5. IIT Bombay receives donation of 18.6 million for Green Energy Hub: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has received a $18.6 million donation from an alumnus for setting up a green energy and sustainability research hub. This landmark contribution will redefine the Institute’s role in addressing the global climate crisis. The state-of-the-art academic building will be located on the IIT Bombay campus. The focus areas of this hub will include evaluation of climate risks and development of effective mitigation strategies, climate change adaptation, and comprehensive environmental monitoring. The hub will facilitate research in several critical areas, including battery technologies, solar photovoltaics, biofuels, clean-air science, flood forecasting, etc.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 'Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket' by Amrit Mathur: Beyond boundary li: The book 'Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket' authored by Amrit Mathur, a seasoned cricket administrator, captures vivid and personal narratives of significant moments in Indian Cricket. Through anecdotes, events, and matches, he provides an insider's view garnered over a span of more than 30 years of closely observing the game and its players. With experience as a cricket administrator, he notably managed the Indian team during the historic 1992 tour of South Africa

 

2. 26 August is observed as Women's Equality Day: Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on 26th August. This day marks a turning point in the history of the struggle for equal treatment of women and women’s rights. The theme for Women's Equality Day 2023 is “Embrace Equity,” Aim: To commemorate the Nineteenth Amendment being adopted in the 1920s in the United States. This act stopped the federal government and states from preventing people from the right to vote based on their gender.

 

3. Infosys welcomes Iga Swiatek as Global Brand Ambassador: IT giant Infosys has announced a multi-year partnership with women’s tennis world number 1 Iga Swiatek, appointing her as the ambassador for the brand. Swiatek is a four-time Grand Slam Champion and has been ranked World No. 1 since April 22 for a record 70 consecutive weeks. It will now work closely with Swiatek’s team to build an advanced data analytics and video dashboard by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to amplify her training and evolve her strengths and match strategy. Infosys and Swiatek will also conceptualize and promote programs to help women from underserved communities build careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). On August 24, the IT company announced a three-year partnership with global tennis legend Rafael Nadal, appointing him as the ambassador for the brand and Infosys’ Digital Innovation. This marks Nadal’s first-ever collaboration with a digital services company.

 

4. 26 August – International Dog Day: International Dog Day is observed every year on 26 August. This day aims to recognize the important role that a dog plays in our lives. Whether it’s a loyal companion or pet, a service animal, a police dog, or a rescue dog, these amazing creatures have been playing a crucial part in humans’ lives. International Dog Day has been observed since 2004, when a pet lover, Colleen Paige, celebrated the day as a way to raise awareness about dog shelters. Since then, International Dog Day has become a global celebration for all pet lovers who participate in events and activities to honour their pets and also to raise awareness about humans’ best friends. Paige is also the founder of National Cat Day and National Pet Day.

 

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India won 50m pistol women’s team gold medal: The Indian 50m pistol women’s team containing Tiyana, Sakshi Suryavanshi, and Kirandeep Kaur bagged the gold medal at the ISSF World Championships 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Indian trio shot a composite score of 1573-6x to finish on the top of the podium. China finished second with a score of 1567-9x while Mongolia bagged the bronze with a combined score of 1566-3x. With a total score of 1646-28x in the men’s 50m pistol team competition, the Indian team of Vikram Jagannath Shinde, Kamaljeet, and Ravinder Singh won the bronze medal. The gold medal went to China (1655-32x points), and the silver to the Republic of Korea (1654-30x). Tiyana and Ravinder Singh of India won bronze medals in the men’s and women’s individual events, respectively. Tiyana placed third out of 14 shooters in the women’s solo 50m pistol final with a score of 533. Gold and silver medals were won by Austrian shooter Sylvia Steiner (540 points) and Mongolian shooter Bayartsetseg Tumurchudur (534) respectively.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. SBI launches Aadhaar-based enrolment for social security schemes.: The country's largest lender State Bank of India introduced a facility to allow customers to enrol in social security schemes by just furnishing an Aadhaar card. Aim: To make the process of enrolling in various social security schemes simpler. Customers visiting CSPs will need only their Aadhaar cards to enrol in schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the Atal Pension Yojana, the bank said in a statement.

 

2. DBS partners with Maptrasco to complete the first eBL transaction: DBS, in partnership with commodities trader Maptrasco, announced the completion of the first “live” transaction of electronic Bills of Lading (eBL) for shipments between Singapore and India. This landmark first shipment marks a pivotal moment for businesses operating in both Singapore and India. It grants them the opportunity to engage with the TradeTrust network through their preferred TradeTrust-enabled platforms. 

 

3. HDFC Bank launches India’s First Co-Branded Hotel Credit Card with Marriott: HDFC Bank has partnered with Marriott Bonvoy, the esteemed travel program by Marriott, to launch ‘Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card’. This pioneering co-branded card will operate on the Diners Club platform, which is a part of the globally recognized Discover Global Network. The newly launched credit card comes packed with travel benefits, designed to elevate cardholders’ travel journeys. Cardholders are entitled to Silver Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy, ushering in a range of privileges including priority late checkouts, exclusive member rates, and bonus points, among other perks.

The card will also provide Silver Elite Status accompanied by the privilege of receiving ten elite night credits annually.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Narendra Modi awarded 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' in Greece: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded with 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' award by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. This is the second-highest civilian honour in Greece. The Greek State Honours the Prime Minister of India, a statesman who has tirelessly promoted the global reach of his country and who works systematically for India’s economic progress and prosperity, bringing about bold reforms. 

 

2. Indore won national smart city award 2022: The ministry of housing and urban Affairs announced Indore, the national smart city award 2022 while MP received the state award and Chandigarh received the UT award. Aim: To provide core infrastructure, clean environment and a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’. It includes 35 in Project Award, six in Innovation Award, 13 in the National/Zonal City Award, five in State/UT Award and seven in Partner Award categories.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran lyricist Dev Kohli passes away: Veteran lyricist and poet Dev Kohli passed away in Mumbai He had penned over a hundred songs for Bollywood films such as Baazigar, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Maine Pyaar Kiya, Shoot Out At Lokhandwala, among many others. He last wrote songs for the Kangana Ranaut-starrer Rajjo, which had music by Uttam Singh. From Shankar-Jaikishan to Vishal-Shekhar, Dev Kohli worked with different generations of composers in a career that spanned from 1969 to 2013

 

2. Eminent Statistician CR Rao Passed Away: Renowned mathematician and statistician Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, widely known as C R Rao, passed away at the age of 102. He had recently received the prestigious “International Prize in Statistics-2023”, often referred to as the “statistics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize”. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan award in 2001.

 

3. Former WWE Champion Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt passes away: Windham Rotunda, who was known as Bray Wyatt passed away at the age of just 36. Rotunda was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bray Wyatt. Wyatt gained recognition among the fans the moment he made his debut with his ‘Wyatt Family.”