Daily GK Update- 19th Jan, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Assam's highest civilian award for ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi: The Assam government has announced that it will confer the Assam Baibhav award, the state’s highest civilian honor, to Member of Parliament and former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi.  He has been credited for playing a part in the establishment of the Ram temple in Ayodhya through the apex court judgment delivered under his leadership as CJI. Ranjan Gogoi held the office of the 46th Chief Justice of India.

 

2. PM Modi laid foundation stones of 8 AMRUT projects in Maharashtra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated or lay the foundation stones of several development projects in Maharashtra's Solapur. He will lay the foundation stones of eight AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects in the state worth around Rs 2,000 crore. He will also dedicate more than 90,000 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

 

3. Kerala bets big on heli-tourism to attract visitors: Kerala Tourism launched 'Sky Escapes', a heli-tourism project aimed at increasing domestic tourist footfalls. The state has become the first in the country to have a comprehensive heli-tourism policy, offering travel packages through helicopter service providers. Kerala Tourism also plans to host international adventure sporting events such as the International Paragliding Festival, International Surfing Festival, MTB Kerala 2024, and The Malabar River Festival.

 

4. Amit Shah inaugurates Cyber Security Operations Centre for Assam Rifles: Union Home minister Amit Shah inaugurated a Cyber Security Operations Centre at the Assam Rifles Headquarters at Laitkor in Shillong. The Cyber Security Operations Centre will strengthen the Cyber Security will carry out real-time monitoring of the network, mitigation of external threats & prevention of Cyber violations in the Assam Rifles Wide Area Network (ARWAN).

 

5. PM Modi inaugurate Boeing India's tech centre campus near Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated American aircraft manufacturer Boeing's new global engineering and technology centre campus,built at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore. The 43-acre state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre (BIETC) campus is the aviation giant's largest such investment outside the US.

 

6. Election Commission Launches Nationwide Awareness Program on EVMs: Election Commission has begun a nation-wide awareness programme on EVMs and VVPATs ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. More than three thousand 500 demonstration centres and nearly four thousand 250 Mobile Vans have been deployed for awareness programme. The programme which is organised ahead of every General Election to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly focuses on imparting knowledge about the basic features of EVMs and VVPATs.

7. Only one registration for National Pension System is required: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has notified the Point of Presence (PoP) Regulations 2023, requiring only one registration for the National Pension System PoPs are entities appointed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority to provide services to all the citizens of the country to open and operate their NPS accounts Now, the subscriber requires only a single registration for NPS, instead of multiple registrations earlier.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. S Jaishankar attends 19th NAM Summit in Uganda: India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, will represent the country at the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Uganda. The summit, which brings together over 120 developing countries, will focus on deepening cooperation for shared global affluence. Jaishankar will also visit Nigeria to strengthen bilateral relations and attend various meetings and events during his three-day visit.

 

2. PepsiCo India appoints Jagrut Kotecha as new CEO for India: Jagrut Kotecha is appointed as the new India chief of PepsiCo India. PepsiCo's snacks business, which includes Lays and Doritos, declined in the quarter to September 2023. Kotecha, with extensive experience in snacks, is chosen to bolster PepsiCo India's snacks business. Kotecha previously worked at Cadbury India.

 

3. TCS ranked second most valuable IT brand in global list: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been rated as the second most valuable IT services brand in the world in the 2024 Global 500 IT Services Ranking by Brand Finance. TCS’ brand value has surged to $19.2 billion from $17.2 billion in 2023, showing a strong growth of 11.5 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y). The incremental $2-billion growth is the highest absolute growth posted among the top 25 leading IT firms in the world. Besides TCS, Accenture and Infosys boosted their brand value as well. The three firms topped the list of IT firms in terms of brand value.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Sixth Edition of Khelo India games to be formally inaugurated today: The sixth edition of the Khelo India games will be formally inaugurated today. Most of the indoor and outdoor games will be played in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Other games like cycling, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, shooting, yogasana and wrestling will be played in various other venues in the city and the suburban areas.

 

2. Hrithik Roshan Onboards as Brand Ambassador for RuPay Prime Volleyball League: RuPay Prime Volleyball powered by A23 has appointed Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador. Hrithik engaged in a discussion about the upcoming season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 with some of the top volleyball stars who will be competing in the third edition. The actor has redefined the meaning of athleticism and fitness over the years and has been a true source of inspiration for many of our athletes. The RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, co-owned and exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures, will enter its third edition this year featuring nine franchises – Hyderabad Black Hawks, Ahmedabad Defenders, Kolkata Thunderbolts, Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, Mumbai Meteors, and the addition, Delhi Toofans.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Bangalore & Delhi Airports jointly bagged best airport award for the year: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia has presented the Wings India Awards 2024 at an event held in Hyderabad. Bangalore and Delhi Airports have jointly bagged the best airport award for the year at the 4th edition of “Wings India Awards” in the Civil Aviation Sector Vistara bagged the Best Airline of the Year award The Air India has been recognised for International Connectivity while Alliance Air got recognition for Regional Connectivity.

 

2. Gianni Infantino Honored With Sports Personality Award In Dubai: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been bestowed with the esteemed title of International Sports Personality of the Year at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Awards’ 12th edition held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He received this recognition for his innovative contributions towards the advancement of sports and the promotion of fair competition.