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Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Daily GK Update- 8th Nov, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Adani Green crosses 8.4 GW mark, becomes India's largest RE company: Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has become India's largest green energy company as it reached the 8.4 gigawatt (GW) installed capacity mark. Company executives told this paper that AGEL commissioned a 0.15 GW solar power park in Rajasthan, which helped it surpass the 5 GW capacity for solar and 8.4 GW overall. Among its peers, ReNew is closest with 8.3 GW, followed by Tata Power and Greenko Energies with close to 4 GW capacity each.

 

2. Mundra Becomes India’s First Port To Handle 16.1 Million Tonnes Of Cargo: Mundra Port, the flagship of APSEZ, has set another record by handling 16.1 MMT of cargo in October, the highest-ever volume by any port in India.  It is the largest port in the country with 102 MMT of cargo handled on year to date (YTD) basis, a good 9% Y-o-Y growth.  The port crossed the 100 MMT mark in 210 days, surpassing the record of 231 days last year. Mundra witnessed double-digit growth on a Y-o-Y basis for containers (+10%) and liquids and gas (+14%).

 

3. Delhi banks on IIT Kanpur’s artificial rain to tackle pollution crisis: In light of the escalating air pollution dilemmas in Delhi-NCR, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has brought forth a novel solution.With a mission to alleviate the deteriorating air quality, the renowned institute has reportedly designed an approach using ‘artificial rain’ to cleanse the atmosphere of dust and major pollutants. The institute has been relentlessly working on artificial rain for more than five years and successfully executed a test in July. Artificial rain is heavily reliant on specific meteorological conditions, such as the presence of sufficiently moist clouds and compatible winds. As cloud seeding and artificial rainfall is not an exact science yet, it remains untested whether it would work in the pre-winter months or on a grander scale.

 

4. Jal Diwali -“Water for Women, Women for Water Campaign” launched: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has unveiled a progressive initiative “Women for Water, Water for Women Campaign”. Under its flagship scheme – Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, in partnership with the Ministry’s National Urban Livelihood Mission and Odisha Urban Academy is the knowledge partner. This campaign celebrates “Jal Diwali” and commences from, 7th November, 2023. It will continue till 9th November, 2023. The campaign aims to provide a platform for inclusion of women in water governance. They will be given first-hand knowledge about water treatment processes through visits to Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in their respective cities. These visits will elucidate the vital procedures involved in delivering clean and safe drinking water to households. Additionally, women will gain insight into water quality testing protocols which ensure that citizens get water of the required quality.

India has more than 3,000 Water treatment plants, with a designed water treatment capacity of more than 65,000 MLD and operational capacity of more than 55,000 MLD.

 

5. 8th edition of ‘Vizag Navy Marathon’ held in Visakhapatnam: The eighth edition of the ‘Vizag Navy Marathon’ has been organized in Visakhapatnam city. Around 12,000 people took part in the Marathon organized by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) at RK Beach Road in the city. The event witnessed overwhelming participation from children, youth, senior citizens, and naval personnel from all over India and abroad in various categories The marathon was flagged off by Vice Adm Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, ENC with more than 500 participants. The half-marathon was flagged off by Vice Admiral G Srinivasan, DGNP Vizag, with more than 1,600 runners, and the 10-km run, with more than 2,700 runners, was flagged off by Dr Ravishankar Commissioner of Police. The 5-km run recorded a participation of over 7,000 runners and was flagged off by Vice Adm Sameer Saxena, Chief of Staff, ENC.

 

6. Hitesh Makwana appointed Surveyor General of India: Hitesh Kumar S Makwana has been appointed as Surveyor General of India. Makwana, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Abhishek Singh, CEO of National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has now been appointed as Additional Secretary in the ministry. Niraj Verma, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, will be Administrator, Universal Service Obligation Fund in the Department of Telecommunications. Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, a 1998-batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty for Advance Cell of 16th Finance Commission, Department of Economic Affairs. Senior IAS officer Anurag Agarwal has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Pallavi Jain Govil, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, will be the Director General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. World Radiography Day is observed on 8th November: World Radiography Day is observed each year on November 8 to commemorate the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895. The theme chosen for World Radiography Day 2023 is “Celebrating Patient Safety. Aim: To honoring the field of radiography, acknowledge the crucial contributions of radiographers, and emphasize the importance of medical imaging in contemporary healthcare.

 

2. India ranks 2nd in employee well-being, Japan lowest: A recent global survey has ranked Turkey at the top and India at second spot while keeping Japan at lowest for employees.

The survey was conducted by McKinsey Health Institute, and it assessed employees’ physical, mental, social and spiritual health before arriving at the conclusions.  Turkey scored highest at 78%, followed by India at 76% and China at 75 %, way higher than the global average of 57 per cent. Japan scored a mere 25 per cent in the poll.

 

3. IIT Madras Sets Its First International Campus On Zanzibar Island In Tanzania: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras became the first Indian Institute of Technology to set up an international campus, by launching a campus in Tanzania. India and the East African nation had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Aim: To take the top-quality education system of India to international arenas. The Zanzibar Campus, IIT Madras, will be on Zanzibar Island, off the East African mainland and part of the Tanzanian republic.

 

4. 7 November – Infant Protection Day: Infant Protection Day is celebrated every year on 7 November. The day is dedicated to creating awareness among people about the importance of infant care, especially during the early years of growth. Theme 2023 – Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Thrive Currently, the infant mortality rate for India in 2023 is 26.619 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.89% decline from 2022. When a newborn is born, the first few months are extremely crucial. This is when the newborn baby starts to develop movement, hearing, vision and ways of communication. Hence, we should be extra cautious in taking care of the baby in the initial days to ensure that the baby is healthy, safe and in a good environment. In the early 1990s. European countries came together to observe Infant Protection Day in order to raise awareness about child mortality rate and what steps should be taken to combat it.

 

5. 8 November – World Radiography Day: World Radiography Day is observed every year on November 8. The crucial day commemorates the historic discovery that changed the field of healthcare and medicine. Theme 2023 – Celebrating Patient Safety It celebrates the pioneering work of a German engineer and physicist who found X-rays, subsequently, opening a window into the human body and transforming the way of diagnosing and treating medical conditions. November 8, 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, a German mechanical engineer and physicist, formulated and distinguished electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range known as X-rays or Rontgen rays. Rontgen’s revolutionary work prompted the improvement of the first radiographic picture, which was a basic picture of his wife’s hand. In 1901, he got the first Nobel Prize for his discovery.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Max Verstappen wins Brazilian Grand Prix 2023: Three-time champion Max Verstappen led from the start and won the Brazilian Grand Prix 2023.  Sergio Perez of Red Bull finished in fourth place, distancing himself from Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in one of the few competitions left this season -- a position for runner-up. Perez nearly took the podium position from third-place Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, but the Spaniard saw the checkered flag 0.053 seconds before the Mexican.

 

2. Deepika Kumari Secured Two Gold And One Silver at National Games 2023: Former World No. 1 archer Deepika Kumari was the standout performer, securing two gold medals and a silver at National game 2023. Meanwhile, Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar won gold in the mens 50m Rifle 3-position shooting event in Manderem. In the recurve category, Maharashtra, currently leading the table, along with third-placed Haryana and Assam, claimed additional gold medals to conclude the archery events.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI Announces Phased Discontinuation of Incremental Cash Reserve Ratio: The RBI announced that it will discontinue the incremental cash reserve ratio (I-CRR) in a phased manner. Based on an assessment of current and evolving liquidity conditions, it has been decided that the amounts impounded under the I-CRR would be released in stages so that system liquidity is not subjected to sudden shocks and money markets function in an orderly manner RBI will release 25% of the I-CRR maintained on September 9 and another 25% on September 23.

 

2. HSBC India Launches E-Bank Guarantees to Modernize Trade Finance: HSBC India, has introduced Electronic Bank Guarantee (E-BG) services to facilitate digitization of trade finance. Aim: To simplify and expedite the guarantee issuance process by introducing electronic stamping and electronic signing , effectively eliminating the need for paper documentation. HSBC is the first foreign bank in the country to offer this facility which is made possible through a collaboration with National E-Governance Services Ltd.

 

3. RBI Imposes Monetary Penalty On Four Co-operative Banks And One NBFC: The RBI has imposed monetary penalties on four co-operative banks and a non-banking financial company for deficiencies in regulatory compliance The banks are Shree Lodra Nagarik Sahakari Bank, Malpur Nagarik Sahakari Bank, Jolarpet Co-operative Urban Bank, Limbasi Urban Co-operative Bank  The RBI imposed a monetary penalty of ₹4.00 lakh on Shree Lodra Nagarik Sahakari Bank Limited for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Loans and advances to directors.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Kerala honored with Global Responsible Tourism Award 2023: Kerala has bagged the prestigious Global Responsible Tourism Award 2023, in a major endorsement of the sustainable and women-inclusive initiatives successfully promoted by the state’s Responsible Tourism Mission (RTM). The award is instituted by Responsible Tourism Partnership and International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT), in the Best for Local Sourcing, Food and Craft category. This international award reflects the universal appeal of the Responsible Tourism projects that Kerala implemented.

 

2. AIFF wins AFC President’s Recognition Bronze Award for Grassroots Football: The All India Football Federation was honoured with the AFC President’s Recognition Bronze medal for its efforts in the grassroots-level development of the sport in the country. It was AIFF’s second bronze medal in the category, having earned the same recognition back in 2014. The accomplishment reflects AIFF’s commitment to promoting football at the grassroots level, characterized by several innovative initiatives.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former Odisha Assembly speaker Maheswar Mohanty passed away: Former Odisha Assembly speaker Maheswar Mohanty passed away at the age of 67. Mohanty was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Puri constituency five times. He was the speaker of the assembly from 2004 to 2008. Popularly referred to as the “strongman” of Puri, Mohanty was elected to the assembly from the holy town five times, as a Janata Dal candidate in 1995 and as a BJD nominee in 2000, 2004, 2009, and 2014. An advocate by profession, he was also the chairperson of the Puri Municipality twice before being elected to the assembly. In the Naveen Patnaik government, he held portfolios such as Panchayati Raj, Revenue, Law, and Tourism, between 2011 and 2019.


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