Daily GK Update- 30th Dec, 2023

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1.Gujarat emerged as India’s ‘Petro Capital’: ith the world’s largest grassroot oil refinery in Jamnagar and OPaL petrochemical complex at Dahej in Bharuch district, Gujarat is now recognized as the ‘petro capital’ of India. Reliance Industries Ltd’s (RIL) Jamnagar refinery is the largest and most complex single-site refinery in the world with 1.4 million barrels per day (MMBPD) crude processing capacity. The Jamnagar refinery complex houses some of the world’s largest units, such as the fluidized catalytic cracker, coker, alkylation, paraxylene, polypropylene, refinery off-gas cracker, and petcoke gasification plants.

 

2. President Murmu to attend Karbi Youth Festival-2024 in Assam: President Droupadi Murmu will be the Chief Guest at the celebration of the Karbi Youth Festival on 17 January 2024. The festival will be held at Taralangso, Diphu. The celebration, from January 12-19, will feature traditional art, folk dance, music, and indigenous tribal foods. Other dignitaries attending include Assam Governor Gulab Chand, Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan, and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

 

3. ATGL and Flipkart sign MoU for supply chain decarbonization: Adani Total Gas Ltd (ATGL) and Flipkart have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on decarbonizing Flipkart’s supply chain. The initiative aims to reduce Flipkart’s carbon footprint in the primary, secondary, and tertiary movements of goods across sourcing locations, warehouses, and customer deliveries. Under the MoU, ATGL will provide decarbonizing solutions, supporting Flipkart’s transition to cleaner fuel options, including natural gas, and the integration of electric vehicles (EVs). Adani Total Energies E-Mobility Ltd (ATEL), a subsidiary of ATGL, will deploy EV charging infrastructure at Flipkart’s pan-India supply chain, encompassing warehouses and logistics locations. This partnership is expected to contribute to the decarbonization of the e-commerce logistics segment in India, which handles over 8 million shipments per day.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India and Russia signed Protocol on Consultations for next four years: India and Russia have signed a Protocol on Consultations for the period of next four years (2024-28) to make progress in economic cooperation, energy trade, connectivity, military-technical cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar said the relations between India and Russia have been strong and steady, living up to the responsibility of a special and privileged strategic partnership. India and Russia also signed two important agreements to take forward the further implementation of Kudankulam nuclear power projects in India.

 

2. The Kenya Poverty and Equity Assessment 2023 Report: While Kenya has achieved substantial poverty reduction over 2005-2019, progress remains geographically uneven, leaving many behind, according to a new World Bank report. It prescribed policy pathways for more inclusive growth. The Good and Bad – Falling Poverty, Persisting Gaps ..

 

3. China Launches Massive Ship to Drill Into Earth’s Mantle: China has built an enormous ocean drilling vessel called the Mengxiang to achieve humanity’s first-ever excavation into the Earth’s upper mantle. The ambitious mission could uncover clues about our planet’s inner workings and evolution. An Engineering Marvel The supersized Mengxiang ..

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Nina Singh becomes first woman to be appointed as DG of CISF: The central government has appointed Nina Singh as the first woman Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The 1989-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre is currently working as the Special DG of the CISF. Meanwhile, Rahul Rasgotra, the Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), was appointed as the new Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). He is also a 1989-batch IPS officer but from the Manipur cadre. The current ITBP chief, Anish Dayal Singh, was appointed as the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He worked for the country’s internal security and counter-intelligence agency, IB, for a long time. Dayal is currently investigating the Parliament security breach incident that happened on December 11.

 

2. Pakistan successfully tests Fatah-II guided multi-launch rocket system: Pakistan has conducted a successful flight test of indigenously developed guided multi-launch rocket system ‘Fatah-II’, which is capable of engaging targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometres. The ‘Fatah-II’ is “equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, sophisticated navigation system and unique flight trajectory,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military. The weapon system is capable of engaging targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometres.

 

3. Indian Navy Adopts New Rank Insignia Inspired by Shivaji: Aligning with the PM’s call to shed vestiges of colonialism, the Indian Navy has unveiled redesigned shoulder insignia for top Admirals incorporating elements from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s royal seal. Octagonal Shape Based on Naval Ensign The new epaulettes feature an ..

SPORTS

 

4. PV Sindhu makes it into Forbes list of highest-paid women athletes in 2023: Badminton star PV Sindhu has made it into the list of 2023’s highest-paid women athletes by Forbes where she finished at the 16th spot alongside gymnast Simone Biles with her $7.1 million earnings. Last year Sindhu was placed 12th with her $7.1 million earnings in a list which was led by Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka. Sindhu had broken into the top 10 in the 2018 list with $8.5 million which placed her at 7th.Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek who is valued at $23.9 million at first spot. She won the French Open and ended the year as the No.1 ranked player in the world. She is followed by freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu from China whose value is $22.1 million.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

1. ISRO launched FEAST software and book to guide faculty and students: The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of the Indian space agency ISRO, has developed an analysis software that is used to perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of various types of structures including rockets, aircraft, satellites, buildings, etc. FEA is a computerised method for predicting how a component or a structure reacts to real-world forces- like various types of structural loads, thermal conditions and other physical effects that a structure experiences while in operation. During the design and development phase of a product, FEA is carried out to evaluate how well and safely the structure/component can withstand the various loads, and perform its intended function without any failure. With their latest offering—an FEA software known as FEAST (Finite Element Analysis of Structures)— Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hopes to take this indigenous and customisable FEA software to the Indian user base.

 

2. Indian Scientists Develop Eco-Friendly Solar Cell Material: Indian researchers have created a novel solar harvesting material that substitutes toxic lead with greener magnesium. This marks an important breakthrough for affordable and sustainable photovoltaics. The Promise and Perils of Perovskite Perovskite solar cells have shown tremendous efficiency promises ..

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

3. ICICI Pru Mutual Fund to acquire 9.95% stake in Federal, RBL Bank: The Reserve Bank of India has accorded approval to ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd (ICICI AMC) for acquiring up to 9.95 percent stake in the bank. The approval granted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is subject to compliance with the relevant provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, RBI’s Master Direction and Guidelines on Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights in Banking Companies dated January 16, 2023. Meanwhile, RBI also accorded approval to ICICI AMC to acquire a 9.95 percent stake in RBL Bank and Equitas Small Finance Bank.