Daily GK Update- 20th Sept, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Centre launches three game-changing initiatives for farmers: Centre launched a series of transformative initiatives, aimed at revolutionizing agriculture in the country. It include Kisan Rin Portal, Door to Door KCC Campaign, and Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) Manual. Aim: To amplify financial inclusion, streamline data utilization, harness technology, and enhance the livelihoods of the farmer. Objective: To help in furthering the goal of agricultural transformation and sustainable economic growth for farmer.

 

2. DRDO develops P7 Heavy Drop System for Indian Army Special Forces: DRDO has developed the P7 Heavy Drop System which is capable of para-dropping military stores up to 7-ton weight class from IL 76 aircraft. This system is fully indigenous and being manufactured by L&T which makes the platform system, and parachutes manufactured by Ordnance Factory. The system would be a force multiplier for armed forces while enabling the rapid delivery of combat stores in far-flung inaccessible areas.

 

3. Defence ministry clears proposal to buy 'Pralay' ballistic missiles: The Indian Army is set to acquire a regiment of Pralay tactical ballistic missiles for the first time, as part of a broader strategy to develop a strategic rocket force. The Pralay missiles, propelled by a solid-propellant rocket motor and other novel technologies, are expected to provide a substantial boost to the Indian Army's offensive capabilities. It can hit targets between 150-500 Km and missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

 

4. Sashidhar Jagdishan appointed as HDFC Bank MD and CEO: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank. He joined the Bank in 1996 as a Manager in the Finance function. He became Business Head of finance in 1999 and was appointed as CFO in 2008. He played a critical role in supporting the growth trajectory of the Bank, and led the finance function with a pivotal role in achieving the strategic objectives

 

5. CM launches Griha Adhar scheme to empower Goan homemakers: Goa CM Pramod Sawant distributed Griha Adhar sanction orders to numerous beneficiaries to support homemakers financially, fostering their independence and improving their quality of life. Aim : To empower Goan entrepreneurs and self-help groups, a digital initiative under the Swayampura Goa Programme. He also flagged off the Chavath-e-Bazaar vehicle, symbolizing a new era of empowerment for rural artisans and entrepreneurs in Goa. 

 

6. Air India starts Project Abhinandan at 16 airports: In an attempt to elevate the on-ground experience of passengers, Air India has launched ‘Project Abhinandan’. The initiative aims to give the travellers a personalized and hassle-free experience. Under the initiative, it has deployed specially trained service assurance officers at 16 major airports across India to offer on-ground assistance. The airports where these officers have been deployed include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Varanasi and Vishakhapatnam. They will be providing assistance to Air India travellers who need assistance at the check-in area, lounges, near boarding gates, during transit, or at arrival hall The Tata-owned airline has recruited and deployed 100 such officers across the airports. These officers have also been trained to deal with unforeseen issues such as missed flights, delayed baggage delivery and misconnections at airports, among other issues. They will be providing assistance to any Air India guest, irrespective of the cabin class they are booked in. These officers will be available at the airports in addition to other Air India and ground handling agencies’ staff.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India Ranked 52nd in Digital Quality of Life Index: India has been ranked 52nd out of 121 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index Survey 2023. The annual survey by the Netherlands-based firm has ranked 121 countries on five factors: internet quality, internet affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, and e-security. In Asia, India takes 13th place, with Singapore the leader in the region. The top 3 Countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index survey are Denmark, South Korea, and Finland

 

2. Indonesia Kicks Off ASEAN Joint Military Drills: ASEAN began their first-ever joint military drills in Indonesia amid rising geopolitical tensions between major powers and protests against China’s activities in the South China Sea. Aim: To develop military skills, including maritime security and patrols, and the distribution of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. All 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will join the exercise, including prospective member East Timor.

 

3. ICGS Samudra Prahari’s ASEAN Deployment for Marine Pollution Response: The Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Prahari, a specialized Pollution Control Vessel, is currently on an overseas deployment to ASEAN countries from 11 Sep to 14 Oct 2023. This deployment is part of India's ASEAN initiatives for Marine Pollution Response, showcasing the Pollution Response capabilities of the ICG. Aim: To demonstrate the ICG's pollution response capabilities and its dedication to collaborative efforts for marine pollution response.

 

4. India hosts inaugural UNCITRAL South Asia Conference: India hosted the inaugural United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) South Asia conference. The conference was organized jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs, UNCITRAL, and the organization’s national coordination committee for India. Objective – To further India’s engagement with UNCITRAL and encourage interaction between UNCITRAL, judiciary, bureaucracy, academia, and the legal fraternity. The three-day conference was in continuation of the conference hosted in New Delhi in 2016 to celebrate 50 years of UNCITRAL.

5. Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan gets UNESCO’s World Heritage tag: Situated in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, the small town Santiniketan has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the place where Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore spent much of his life. Apart from Santiniketan, UNESCO included 13 other sites in the list. These are Palestine’s Ancient Jericho, Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor, Azerbaijan’s Hyrcanian Forests, Ethiopia’s the Gedeo Cultural landscape, Benin’s Koutammakou, Cambodia’s Koh Ker, Mangolia’s Deer Stone monuments and related bronze age sites, South Korea’s Gaya Tumuli, China’s cultural landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai mountain in Pu’er, Iran’s The Persian Caravanserai, Canada’s Tr’ondëk-Klondike, Denmark’s Viking-Age Ring Fortresses, Germany’s Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, and Latvia’s Old town of Kuldīga. The Extended 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee took place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) from 10 to 25 September.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Nischal wins silver with new national record at Shooting World Cup in Rio: Nischal won the women’s 50-metre rifle 3-position silver medal in the World Cup 2023 in Brazil. She finished behind Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad, who won gold. It was the second medal for India, following the gold by Elavenil Valarivan in women’s air rifle. India finished joint fifth with Germany and France with a gold and silver. Italy was on top with two gold and a bronze. China was second with a gold, four silver and three bronze.

 

2. Neeraj Chopra to finish second at the Diamond League finals in Eugene: The Olympic and world champion javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men’s event at the Diamond League Final 2023 in Eugene, USA. The Indian’s best throw of 83.80 meter came in his second attempt. Jakub Vadleich of the Czech Republic won his third Diamond League championship with a best throw of 84.24m. Oliver Helander of Finland scored third position while Andrian Mardare of Moldovan scored fourth position and Curtis Thompson of USA scored fifth position in this event. Vadlejch had previously won bronze at the Budapest Worlds and silver at the Tokyo Olympics behind Chopra. Chopra had won the crown in 2022 with a best attempt of 88.44m.

 

3. Indian Oil becomes MotoGP Bharat’s title sponsor: MotoGP Bharat has roped in Indian Oil as the title sponsor for the event scheduled to take place at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from September 22 to 24. 42 teams and 84 riders will compete in the MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 categories at the MotoGP Bharat, which is being staged by Fair Street Sports in collaboration with Dorna Sports. The Grand Prix of India will see some of the biggest names in Grand Prix motorcycle racing such as Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo, among others, in action. Indian Oil is the top-ranked energy PSU in the country in the Fortune 500 of 2023.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Introduces Maxima Savings Account: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB) announced the introduction of the Maxima Savings Account and Business Maxima Current Account for the premium customer segment. The annual interest rate on the Maxima Savings Account is up to 7.5 percent and customers can open the account with Rs 1 lakh. Customers also have the flexibility to maintain Rs 15 lakh or more in fixed deposits to meet the balance eligibility criteria of the Maxima Savings Account.

 

2. OECD raises India’s growth forecast for FY24 to 6.3 per cent: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OCED) has raised India’s gross domestic product (GDP)  growth projection for Financial Year 23 -2024 to 6.3 per cent. The global economy, however, is expected to grow at a rate of 3 per cent in 2023, before slowing down to 2.7 per cent in 2024.

India, which is listed among the G20 emerging-market economies, has experienced mostly positive growth surprises.

 

3. ACKO launches campaign ‘Health Insurance ki Subah ho Gayi Mamu’: ACKO has unveiled its latest health insurance offering called the ACKO Platinum Health Plan titled “Health Insurance ki Subah ho Gayi Mamu” As per the company, the plan has features including 100% bill payment, no room rent capping, and zero waiting period, among others. Aim: To focus on simplifying health insurance and removing all the pain points that customers have to face. 

 

4. RBI imposes monetary penalty on four co-operative banks: RBI it imposed a monetary penalty on four co-operative banks for rule violations. These banks include Lalbaug Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Bank of Mehsana, The Harij Nagrik Sahakari Bank, and The National Co-operative Bank. RBI imposed Rs 1 lakh penalty on National Co-operative Bank, Rs 3 lakh on THarij Nagrik Sahakari Bank, Rs 3.50 lakh on  Co-operative Bank of Mehsana and Rs 5 lakh penalty on tLalbaug Co-operative Bank.

 

5. Government to offer 8% subsidy for loans under Vishwakarma Yojana: The government will offer up to 8 percent subsidy for loans given to artisans under the Vishwakarma Yojana launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has already made a provision of Rs 13,000 crore in the Budget 2023-24. The collateral-free loans to artisans would be provided at a very affordable interest rate of 5 percent. The scheme covers 18 activities including carpenter, goldsmith, blacksmith, mason, stone sculpture, barber, and boatmakers, the government will provide up to Rs 3 lakh loan. Initially, Rs 1 lakh loan will be given and the beneficiary would be eligible for an additional Rs 2 lakh after a repayment schedule of 18 months. The components of the scheme will include not only financial support but also access to advanced skill training, knowledge of modern digital techniques and efficient green technologies, brand promotion, linkage with local and global markets, digital payments, and social security.