Daily GK Update- 5th Aug, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Govt allocates Rs 1,39,579 crore to extend Bharat Net in 6.40 lakh villages: The Communications Ministry informed that the government has allocated 1,39,579 crore rupees to extend Bharat Net in 6.40 lakh villages across the country. The Ministry also informed that the extension project has been decided after the success of a pilot project in 60,000 Gram Panchayat villages across the country in 8 months. The Bharat Net has reached 1.94 lakh villages during the pilot project and 5.67 lakh households have active Bharat Net connections so far.

 

2. Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft successfully injected into lunar orbit: ISRO has informed that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was successfully injected into the lunar orbit. The next operation- reduction of orbit- is scheduled to take place on 6th August 2023 around 11 PM IST. After lunar orbit injection, the spacecraft is slated to orbit the Moon multiple times, gradually approaching the Moon. Once it reaches a 100 km orbit above the lunar surface, the lander and rover will be detached and manoeuvred to soft land on the surface of the moon.

 

3. Health Ministry prohibits sale of Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac: According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the production, sale, and distribution of ‘ketoprofen’ and ‘aceclofenac’, along with their formulations, for animal use are prohibited under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The recommendation for this ban was made by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB). DTAB is the apex authority for making statutory decisions on technical drug-related matters in India.

 

4. MASI Portal for Monitoring CHILD CARE HOMES: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has developed an application named MASI for real-time monitoring of the Child Care Institutions. MASI stands for Monitoring App for Seamless Inspection. The effective and efficient functioning of the mechanism for inspection of CCIs provided under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 (as amended in 2021) and synchronous monitoring of the system is the rationale behind developing this comprehensive application.

 

5. President of India inaugurated ‘UNMESHA’ and ”UTKARSH’ festivals in Bhopal: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu has inaugurated ‘Unmesha’ – International Literature Festival and ‘Utkarsh’ – Festival of Folk and Tribal Performing Arts at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Culture Department Madhya Pradesh along with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi of the Ministry of Culture is organizing this event from 3rd to 5th August. The international literature festival Unmesh is Asia’s largest literary convention. 15 countries will participate in the Unmesh festival. Literature gave strength to the ideals of our freedom struggle. In every corner of the country, many writers gave expression to the ideals of freedom and renaissance. Novels, stories, poems and plays written in the period of Indian renaissance and freedom struggle are popular even today, and they have a wide influence on our minds.

6. Assam govt to set up National Centre of Excellence for Badminton: Assam government has signed an MoU with the Badminton Association of India to set up the National Centre of Excellence for Badminton in the state. The MoU for the centre will be signed between the Assam government and the Badminton Association of India for 25 years, subject to renewal for a further 10 years. The centre will have world-class facilities to nurture and harness the potential of young badminton players across India. To ensure effective management and administration of the center, a supervisory committee comprising five members will be formed. This committee will be responsible for overseeing the functioning of the center and its activities.

 

7. Bharat Dynamics Limited hands over first Radio Frequency to DRDO: The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has handed over the first Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker of Akash – the Next Generation Weapon System to Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Seeker is a critical and technology-intensive subsystem used in Surface-to-Air Missiles and Air to-Air Missiles for target tracking in the terminal phase. The RF Seeker has been designed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, and produced by BDL at its state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre set up at BDL, Kanchanbagh Unit in Hyderabad. The establishment of the Seeker Facility Centre at BDL has enabled India to achieve self-reliance in the field of RF seeker production and contribute greatly towards realizing the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Chairman and Managing Director of BDL – A Madhavarao

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. World's oceans hit hottest ever recorded temperature of 20.96C: According to the EU's climate change service report, the oceans have hit their hottest-ever recorded temperature as they soak up warmth from climate change. The average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record this week as it reached 20.96C. That is far above the average for this time of year. The broken temperature record follows a series of marine heatwaves this year including in the UK, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

2. Qualcomm India appoints Savi Soin as President: The leading smartphone processor manufacturer, Qualcomm appointed Savi Soin as the President of Qualcomm India. He will be responsible for guiding the company’s strategy in the Indian market. Savi Soin, who has been with Qualcomm for more than two decades, previously served as the head of strategy and business development at Qualcomm Technologies’ semiconductor division. He will replace Rajen Vagadia.

 

 

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Aditi Swami becomes 1st Indian to win individual World Title at WAC 2023: Indian archer, Aditi Swami has become the first-ever Indian to clinch the individual World Title at the World Archery Championships final 2023 in Berlin. In the final, she defeated Andrea Becerra of Mexico, 149-147 in the summit clash of the compound women's event. Conversely, India's Ojas Deotale also created history after defeating Lukasz Przybylski of Poland in a thrilling final to become the new world champion in Men's Individual compound event.

 

2. SAI launches short movie series ‘Halla Bol’: Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the Umbrella Campaign 'Cheer4India' has launched a short movie series ‘Halla Bol’ on the journey of Asian Games-bound athletes. Aim: To motivate them for Hangzhou Asian Games and spread awareness about the upcoming Asian Games This initiative will also motivate youngsters in the country to take up sports. A similar movie series, 'Olympics ki Aasha,' was launched before the Tokyo Olympics.

 

3. Indian women’s compound team wins historic gold medal: The Indian women’s compound team won a gold medal at the World Archery Championships 2023. The team comprising of Jyoti Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur and Aditi Gopichand Swami secured the nation’s first-ever gold medal in this competition. The Indian women defeated the Mexican team of Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofia, and Hernandez Jeon by 235-229 in the finals to be crowned as the champions. Earlier, the trio had pulled off an exemplary win against the defending champions, Colombia, by a 220-216 margin. World Archery Championship 2023 was held in Berlin, Germany. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, 3 more qualifying tournaments will be taking place in the future, in Asian Games 2023, Asian Championship 2023 and the Antalya World Cup 2024.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Padma Bhushan awardee and IAS officer N Vittal passes away: The Padma Bhushan awardee and IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch, N Vittal passed away in Chennai. He was a former Telecom Secretary and Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). As Chairman of the Telecom Commission, he also initiated the process of liberalization in the telecom sector and played a major role in getting the National Telecom Policy 1994 approved. He authored a book titled Corruption in India - The Roadblock to National Prosperity.