Daily GK Update- 26th Jan, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Odisha to Setup World’s First ‘Black Tiger Safari’: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has unveiled plans for the establishment of the world’s first ‘black tiger safari’ near the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj. This visionary project aims to provide tourists and visitors with a rare glimpse of the melanistic tigers, commonly known as black tigers, recently spotted at the Similipal National Park. The safari will be established near Baripada over a 200-hectare area, adjoining National Highway 18. About 100 hectare will be display area and the balance area shall be utilised for creation of veterinary care facilities, including rescue center, staff infrastructure, and visitor amenities.

 

2. India’s second VLF communication station to come up in Telangana: The State government has transferred 1,174 hectares of forest land under the Damagudem Reserve Forest near Pudur village in Vikarabad district to the Indian Navy to set up India’s second Very Low Frequency (VLF) radar station. The Navy had been in discussions with the State government since 2010, but the allocation of land faced delays under the previous governments. The Union Forest and Environment Department approved the Navy’s proposals in 2014. Campa funds of ₹133.54 crore were allocated for the transfer of forest land, and the Navy contributed ₹18.56 crore for land conservation measures. The naval unit is expected to house approximately 600 naval personnel and civilians, providing homes for around 2,500 to 3,000 people.

 

3. MoD inks ₹1,070 crore pact with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders for 14 fast patrol vessels for ICG: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) for the acquisition of 14 fast patrol vessels (FPVs) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at a cost of ₹1,070.47 crore. These multi-role FPVs will be indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by MDL under Buy (Indian-IDDM) Category and will be delivered in total 63 months. These modern FPVs will play a critical role in enhancing fisheries protection and monitoring, control and surveillance, anti-smuggling operations, search and rescue operations including in shallow waters, assistance to ship/crafts in distress, towing capabilities, assistance and monitoring during marine pollution response operations, anti-piracy operations.

 

4. PM Vishwakarma beneficiaries invited as “special guests” to witness the Republic Day Parade 2024: The beneficiaries under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme have been invited by the Ministry of Defence as “Special Guests” to witness the Republic Day Parade, 2024 at Kartavya Path, New Delhi. The PM Vishwakarma Scheme was launched on 17.09.2023 by the Prime Minister of India.

This is a holistic scheme that provides end-to-end support to the artisans & craftspeople belonging to 18 trades. As on date, a total of 2,85,420 applications have been registered successfully under the scheme. 256 beneficiaries of PM Vishwakarma scheme, along with their spouse, are attending the Republic Day Event on 26th January 2024. These beneficiaries belong to rural and urban areas of 20 States, including North Eastern States and 4 Union Territories. Few of them are from Aspirational districts.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Cabinet Approved for India-Oman IT Cooperation MoU: The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the MoU between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology of Oman. The MoU, inked on December 15 last year, aims to foster collaboration and cooperation in the field of Information Technology (IT). The comprehensive cooperation outlined in the MoU covers a spectrum of activities, including mutual support, sharing of technologies, information exchange, and investments in the IT sector. This move is anticipated to strengthen the ties between India and Oman, promoting bilateral collaboration in both government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) dimensions.

 

2. Saudi Arabia to Open First Alcohol Store for Diplomats: Saudi Arabia will open its first alcohol store in the capital Riyadh which will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats. Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, and respect monthly quotas with their purchases. The move is a milestone in the kingdom’s efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open the ultra-conservative Muslim country for tourism and business as drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam. This move is expected to enhance Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic relations, particularly with Western countries, where alcohol consumption is a part of social and official engagements.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. India, France, UAE conduct mega air exercise over Arabian Sea: India, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out a mega air exercise over the Arabian Sea against the backdrop of rising global concerns over Houthi militants targeting several commercial vessels in the strategic waterways in the region. The ‘Desert Knight’ exercise featured several frontline aerial assets and combat jets of the air forces of the three countries. The Indian Air Force (IAF) component at the drills consisted of Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, and Jaguar fighter jets besides AWACS (airborne early warning and control aircraft, C-130-J transport plane, and air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The main focus of exercise ‘Desert Knight’ was enhancing synergy and interoperability between the three air forces,” the Indian Air Force said.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. REC to lend 1.2 trillion for solar panels: State-run REC ‘a Maharatna power finance company’ will lend up to ₹1.2 trillion for the installation of rooftop solar panels under the Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana. The company has been designated as the programme implementation agency for the implementation of the scheme and its board of directors has approved letters of credit of about ₹15,000 crore each for eight central public sector undertakings would set up the rooftop panels across states. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has designated REC as the overall programme implementation agency for the implementation of rooftop solar in the country and we have been given a target of 1 crore households to be covered in a period of 1 year.

 

2. HDFC Bank first lender to issue 20 million credit cards: HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, has become the first lender in the country to achieve the milestone of 20 million credit cards in force. The lender forayed into the credit card business in 2001 and hit the 10-million mark in 2017. The next 10 million issuances came in a little over six years. HDFC Bank is the largest issuer of card issuers in the country, which commands over a fourth of the overall card market in terms of numbers. According to the Reserve Bank of India data for November 2023, HDFC Bank’s cards in circulation stood at nearly 19.51 million as compared to 19.18 million cards in October 2023.

 

3. LIC gets RBI nod for 9.99% stake buy in HDFC Bank: The Reserve Bank of India has approved insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation of India’s (LIC) application to acquire up to 9.99 percent aggregate holding of paid-up share capital in HDFC Bank, the country’s largest private sector bank. The approval has been granted with reference to the application made by LIC to RBI.

LIC has been advised by RBI to acquire the major shareholding in HDFC Bank within a period of one year. Further, LIC must ensure that the aggregate holding in the Bank does not exceed 9.99% of the paid-up share capital or voting rights of the Bank at all times.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Padma Awards 2024 Announced: Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, actors Chiranjeevi and Vyjayanthimala Bali, and Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam have been conferred with Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award. While, Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, conferred with the award posthumously. Late actor Vijayakant, M. Fathima Beevi, the first female judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India, Satyabrata Mookherjee, former president of Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, and Togdan Rinpoche, spiritual leader of the Drikung Kagyu Tradition in Ladakh, were conferred with Padma Bhushan posthumously. Young Liu, chairman of Taiwan’s Foxconn Group, has also been conferred with a Padma Bhushan.