Daily GK Update- 2nd Oct, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Nation celebrates 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi: The nation paid homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his 154th birth anniversary on October 2nd.  A Sarva Dharma Prarthana Sabha was organised at Bapu's Samadhi at Rajghat in the national capital.  Historic Gandhi Ashram at Noakhali organised a series of programmes in the premises to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. The nation is also remembering former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary.

 

2. TCS retains its number one position as most valuable brand: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has retained the top spot with a brand value of $43 billion in the latest edition of the Kantar BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands Report. 

The top five positions are:

·       TCS

·       HDFC Bank

·       Infosys

·       Airtel 

·       State Bank of India 

TCS continues to successfully capitalise on global demand for digital transformation, despite a tough year for the business technology category in general.

 

3. Jitendra Singh launches the Intelligent Grievance Monitoring System (IGMS): Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Science & Technology launched the IGMS 2.0 Public Grievance portal and Automated Analysis in Tree Dashboard portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). It has been implemented by IIT Kanpur following an MoU with DARPG in 2021 for upgrading DARPG Information Systems with AI He also launched the Swachhata Special Campaign 3.0 and released the Precedent Book (e-book) prepared by the Department.

 

4. Bihar to get second tiger reserve in Kaimur district: After the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district, Bihar is set to get a second tiger reserve in Kaimur district (Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary) by the end of the year or early 2024. The total tiger count in the State currently is 54. A report from the NTCA said that the tiger population in the Valmiki reserve has increased from 31 in 2018 to 54.

 

5. PM Modi launches Sankalp Saptaah : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a week-long program called “Sankalp Saptah” for aspirational blocks in New Delhi. Sankalp Saptaah’ is linked to the effective implementation of the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP). The nationwide programme was launched by the PM on January 7, 2023. It aims to improve governance at the block level in order to enhance the quality of life of citizens. It is being implemented in 500 Aspirational Blocks across 329 districts in the country. To implement the Aspirational Blocks Programme and to prepare an effective block development strategy, chintan shivirs were organized at village and block levels across the country. ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ will be observed in all of the 500 Aspirational Blocks. Each day in ‘Sankalp Saptaah’, starting from October 3 till October 9, 2023, is dedicated to a specific development theme on which all Aspirational Blocks will work.

 

6. Saugata Gupta appointed as ASCI Chairman: Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Marico Ltd, has been appointed new Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Gupta’s association with ASCI spans several years, including two years on the Board of Governors and four years as a special invitee on the Board of Governors. Partha Sinha, president of response, Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, was elected vice chairman, and Sudhanshu Vats, deputy managing director, Pidilite Industries Ltd, was appointed honorary treasurer.

 

7. Dinesh Dasa appointed as member of UPSC: Former Gujarat Public Service Commission Chief Dinesh Dasa took oath as UPSC member. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by UPSC chairman Manoj Soni. Dasa holds a Ph.D in forest laws and sustainable development from Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar. He has been the chairman of Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) from February 2016 to January 2022. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts civil services examination to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others, is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members. With Dasa’s appointment, there exists a vacancy of four members.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Mohamed Muizzu has been elected as President of Maldives: Pro-China leader Mohamed Muizzu has been elected as President of Maldives.  Muizzu defeated incumbent Mohamed Solih to become president of the island nation.

About Mohamed Muizzu:

·       Mohamed Muizzu, 45, is a British-educated civil engineer.

·       He was an unlikely candidate for the presidency after serving as construction minister in the government of his mentor Abdulla Yameen.

·       He oversaw several Chinese-funded infrastructure projects including a $200-million bridge linking

 

2. Iran’s launch of Noor 3 satellite casts shadow on Middle East – analysis: Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a branch of the nation's armed forces, launched the Noor 3 spacecraft atop a three-stage Qasem rocket “Noor” means “light” in Farsi, while “Qased” means “messenger.” Noor 3 is an imaging satellite The spacecraft's two predecessors, Noor 1 and Noor 2, launched in April 2020 and March 2022, respectively, also atop Qased rockets The country has had many failed satellite launches in recent years

 

3. 2 October 2023 – World Habitat Day: World Habitat Day is observed every year on the first Monday of October. This year World Habitat Day was observed on 2nd October. World Habitat Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of having a habitat or a home of our own and discuss important aspects of them, with reference to the impact they have on us. Theme 2023 – Resilient Urban Economies: Cities as Drivers of Growth and Recovery In 1986, the first World Habitat Day was celebrated in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of that year’s World Habitat Day was – Shelter is my right.

 

4. 2 October – International Day of Non-Violence: The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on October 2 every year, and is dedicated to honouring Gandhian principles. The day is observed on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and reflects upon his philosophy and commitment to non-violence as a means of social and political change. Gandhi’s birth anniversary holds immense importance due to his central role in India’s fight for Independence from British rule. Guided by non-violence and peaceful resistance, he inspired millions of Indians to achieve Independence through peaceful protests, boycotts, and hunger strikes. The roots of this day can be traced back to a proposal made by Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi in 2004. The idea to observe non-violence day globally found resonance at the World Social Forum in Mumbai. In June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence. The resolution emphasized the dissemination of the message of non-violence through education and public awareness.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India’s Rohan Bopanna-Rutuja Bhosale win gold medal in mixed doubles: Indian tennis players Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou The second-seeded Indian duo defeated ninth seeds Tsung-hao Huang and Liang En-shuo of Chinese Taipei in the final at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre. 

Other Winners The men's doubles team of Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan won a silver in tennis.

 

2. PM inaugurated the country's first high-tech sports training center: On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country's first high-tech sports training center for Divyangjan, named after former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.  Aim: To provide equal opportunities in sports, enhance talent, and encourage participation in various sports disciplines. Objective: To demonstrate commitment to an inclusive and accessible sports ecosystem, emphasizing the power of sports

 

3. Table Tennis players won bronze medal in women’s doubles tournament: Indian Table Tennis players Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee picked up a historic bronze medal in the women’s doubles tournament in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. The Indian duo lost to Suyong Cha and Sugyong Pak of North Korea in the semi-finals The Indian duo is ranked 16th in the world. With this, India's medal tally has now gone up to 56 medals, comprising of 13 gold, 21 silver, and 22 bronze.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Nashik Zilla Girna Sahakari Bank’s Registration Canceled by RBI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has canceled the certificate of registration of Nashik Zilla Girna Sahakari Bank Ltd due to the Bank’s inadequate capital and failure to comply with the banking regulations.  According to RBI, on liquidation, every depositor in Nashik Zilla Girna Sahakari Bank would be entitled to receive the deposit insurance claim amount of his/ her deposits up to Rs5 lakh from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).

 

2. Karnataka Bank launches “Doorstep Gold loan facility” with SahiBandhu: Karnataka Bank, a leading private sector Bank is launching “Door -Step Gold Loan” facility named “KBL-Swarna Bandhu” for its customers, a unique product for gold loans with end to end digitization.  Aim: To provide Gold Loan Services at customer’s door step. The bank has partnered with SahiBandhu a leading aggregator platform for gold loans backed by The Manipal Group.  It help in improving the gold loan portfolio of Bank.

 

3. SIDBI to launch app-based ‘invoice financing’ loans platform: With an aim to enhance the economic and financial sustainability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is in the process of launching an app-based ‘invoice financing’ loans platform ‘GST Sahay’. The MSMEs are vital for the economic growth and development of India. They (MSMEs) create jobs and contribute enormously to the socio-economic development of the country. Although several measures for the MSMEs have been taken in the past few years by the government, the crunch in working capital credit is one of the major issues for them. Now, SIDBI is in the process of launching an app-based ‘invoice financing’ loans platform for them.