Daily GK Update- 7th Sept, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Country's first solar city to be inaugurated in Sanchi of Madhya Pradesh: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the country's first solar city Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh. Aim: To reduce Annually about 13 thousand 747 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Sanchi Solar City

An effort has also been made to attract tourism by reducing environmental pollution through eco-friendly facilities in Sanchi. Battery operated e-rickshaws and garbage vehicles will also run in the city. E-vehicle charging stations have also been installed.

 

2. Indian Army’s new Thal Sena Bhawan will conform to GRIHA-IV green norms: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of the Army headquarters Thal Sena Bhawan's new building in Delhi Cantonment conforming with GRIHA-IV (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) norms.  The Army headquarters (AH) is currently housed in the iconic South Block at Raisina Hill in Lutyens' Delhi On completion of the new building, it will not only cut down carbon footprint but is expected to get together all the different pockets of AH

 

3. Dharmendra Pradhan launches Teachers Training Program of UGC: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Malaviya Mission- Teachers Training Programme by the University Grants Commission at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi. He also inaugurated the Portal of the Programme and released its information brochure.  Aim: To provide tailored training programmes for teachers.  This programme will work for the capacity building of faculty members in higher educational institutions.

 

4. TDB partners with Aloe Ecell for ecofriendly primary battery: Technology Development Board (TDB) has joined forces with Aloe Ecell Pvt. Ltd., a Lucknow-based startup, to support the project Commercialization of Eco-friendly 1.5V AA size Aloe Vera-based batteries. It is Valued at Rs. 2.98 crores, TDB’s substantial contribution of Rs. 1.91 crores as a soft loan aims to boost green innovation. Aloe Ecell has already received recognition, including the National Startup Award in the Energy Sector 2020 and the Global Winners 2019 award

 

5. India extends support to SCO member countries to enhance legal capabilities: The 10th meeting of the Ministers of Law and Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries was held in September 2023. Highlights include To cooperate between Ministries of Law and Justice of SCO Member nations to enhance cooperation in legal and judicial spheres. Continue   to work on the implementation of the Co-operation Agreement Organise conferences, legal cooperation fora etc for better exchange of experience

 

6. India Post and Shiprocket partner to strengthen e-commerce export: The Department of Posts has entered into an agreement with Bigfoot Retail Solution Pvt Ltd (Shiprocket), a leading e-commerce enablement platform. The collaboration aims to enhance e-commerce exports by leveraging India Post’s extensive presence and shipping solutions. This agreement will lead to technical integration between Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra and Shiprocket and enable India-based sellers, using Shiprocket, to directly generate e-PBE and shipping labels from Shiprocket platform itself. India Post has taken a series of steps in the recent past like expansion of Foreign Post Offices, introduction of Postal Bill of Export to enable commercial exports through post offices, launch of a competitive International Tracked Packet Service and setting up of Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras (DNKs) across the country. The online order processing, export documentation, compliances and Customs clearance has been made easy through electronic Postal Bill of Export (PBE) which can be filed on DNK portal.

 

7. Neeraj Mittal appointed as Secretary of DoT: Neeraj Mittal has been appointed as Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). He is replacing K Rajaraman, who is now the chairman of the International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) in Gujarat. Neeraj Mittal is a 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. He is currently serving as the Principal Secretary in the Department of Information Technology, Tamil Nadu. Prior to this, he worked as Senior Advisor in the World Bank Group and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. While, S Krishnan, a 1989 batch IAS officer, was appointed as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. His appointment comes after the retirement of the previous secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma on August 31.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. World's tallest Nataraja statue installed at G20 summit venue: The world's tallest Nataraja statue has been installed at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 summit in Delhi.  The 28-foot-tall statue weighing 20 tonnes was made in a record time of seven months by sculptor Radhakrishnan Sthapathy and his team at Swamimalai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu. The statue was built in Ashtadhatu (8 metals) using the traditional casting method.  The statue was transported to the New Delhi in four days.

 

2. The first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 held in Gujarat: World Health Organization (WHO) has released the outcome document of the first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 in the form of “Gujarat Declaration”. The declaration reaffirmed global commitments towards indigenous knowledges, biodiversity and traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. WHO underlined that the application of rigorous scientific methods is needed to better understand, assess and, where appropriate, apply more holistic, context-specific, complex and personalized approaches for health and well-being for all. It reiterates that India as host of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamnagar, Gujarat has an important role in scaling up WHO’s capacities to support member states and stakeholders in taking forward the summit action agenda and other relevant priorities. The First global summit on Traditional Medicine was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Ayush, from August 17-18, 2023, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

Mahindra to sponsor ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: Mahindra & Mahindra will be an associate sponsor with Star Sports for the ICC Cricket World Cup which starts next month. As the broadcast associate sponsor for Star Sports and co-powered sponsor for Disney+Hotstar during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the auto major aims to reach vast audience across its key target markets, solidifying its visibility throughout the cricketing season. This sponsorship is a key milestone in our mission to connect deeply with the passion of millions of Indians. The automaker sees a strong synergistic resonance between its SUVs and tractor brands and the vibrant spirit of Indian cricket. The World Cup will get underway on October 5 and the final will be played on November 19.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. IREDA signs MoUs with Union Bank of India and Bank of Baroda: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has signed an MOU with the Union Bank of India and Bank of Baroda to co-finance renewable energy (RE) projects.  Objective: To collaborate with the banks in co-lending and loan syndication of emerging and established RE projects. Aim: To extend our reach, particularly in tier-2 & tier-3 cities and rural areas, enabling us to provide unique and innovative financial support to existing and new customers.

 

2. SBI announces interoperability of CBDC and UPI for seamless transactions: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project, multiple Indian banks have announced the introduction of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) interoperability feature on the Digital Rupee application.  Digital Rupee app users can scan any QR code to make payments for groceries and daily expenses. State Bank of India (SBI), Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank. HDFC Bank, Canara Bank, among others are live with the inclusion of UPI interoperability.

 

3. IDFC First Bank makes digital rupee app interoperable with UPI QR codes: IDFC FIRST Bank has unveiled a new enhancement, the integration of UPI QR Codes with its Central Bank Digital Currency app, the IDFC FIRST Bank Digital Rupee to enhance the adoption of digital rupee and boost its utilization. The UPI interoperability feature will dramatically enhance the adoption of CBDC across the country This development allows individuals to easily use digital rupees for payments through existing UPI QR codes at various merchant outlets. The digital rupee is an initiative by the Reserve Bank of India launched last year. This digital form of legal tender is issued by the central bank and shares the essential attributes of physical currency, such as trustworthiness, security, and transaction finality with instantaneous settlement in the digital realm.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Satyajit Majumdar honored with Dr V G Patel Memorial Award 2023: Mumbai Professor Satyajit Majumdar, dean of School of Management and Labour Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), received the ‘Dr V G Patel Memorial Award-2023 for his work in promoting and strengthening entrepreneurship in India. He is widely acknowledged as the Father of Entrepreneurship Movement in India. He has mentored more than 350 startups, including 40 in Jammu and Kashmir and group startups in Jhabua, West Bengal.

 

2. President confers National Teachers’ Award for 2023 on 75 teachers: President Droupadi Murmu has conferred the National Teachers’ Award 2023 on 75 exceptional educators at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on the occasion of Teacher Day. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan constituted three separate national juries of eminent individuals to meticulously select these outstanding teachers. Each of the awardees will be granted a certificate of merit, a cash prize of Rs 50,000, and a prestigious silver medal. This year’s distinguished recipients include 50 school teachers, 13 college teachers, and 12 educators from the Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. These teachers have been chosen for their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of students and enhancing the quality of education across the nation. The National Teachers’ Award, organized by the Department of School and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, is an annual event dedicated to honouring the nation’s finest educators.