Daily GK Update- 21st Feb, 2024

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ICRISAT announces World’s first Pigeon Pea speed breeding protocol: The Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has come up with an innovation in Pigeonpea breeding and announced the World’s first Pigeon pea speed breeding protocol. The new convention promises to substantially cut the time required to develop new Pigeonpea lines with desirable traits, effectively bringing food to dryland communities faster.

 

2. Centre clarifies, ban on export of onions to continue till 31st of March: Centre has clarified that the ban on onion export will continue till 31st March. Earlier, the export of onion was put under prohibition from 8th December last year till 31st March this year to ensure availability of onion to the domestic consumers at affordable prices. Government took the decision taking into account delay in Kharif arrival. The quantity of onion exported and global situation such as trade and non-trade restrictions imposed by major suppliers.

 

3. PM Modi to inaugurate 9th edition of Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 9th edition of the RAISINA Dialogue in Delhi. Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will join the inaugural session as the Chief Guest, and deliver the keynote address.  The theme of this edition is "Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create”. The three-day Raisina Dialogue will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. International Mother Language Day 2024: February 21: Every year, International Mother Language Day is observed on February 21. The genesis of International Mother Language Day traces back not to India, but to Bangladesh, highlighting a pivotal movement in the history of linguistic rights. The theme for this year's International Mother Language Day is - Multilingual education – a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning.

 

2. Relics of Lord Buddha from National Museum in New Delhi to be Displayed: Relics of Lord Buddha presently kept in the National Museum in New Delhi will be taken to Thailand. They will be displayed in four cities including Bangkok and Krabi. The relics are being taken in a special IAF aircraft with an adequate number of security personnel. This is for the first time that the revered relics of Lord Buddha, along with those of his disciples, Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalayana, will be showcased together.

 

3. Malta Becomes 119th Country to Join International Solar Alliance: India has welcomed Malta as the 119th country to join the International Solar Alliance. Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry, Malta, Christopher Cutajar signed the ISA Framework Agreement in the presence of Head of Depository and Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy), Abhishek Singh in New Delhi. The International Solar Alliance is an alliance of more than 120 signatory countries.

 

4. Japan Commits 232.2 Billion Yen for Nine Development Projects in India: The Government of Japan has committed an Official Development Assistance loan of an amount of about 232.2 billion Japanese Yen for nine projects in various sectors in India. The road network connectivity projects aim to improve infrastructure development in India’s North East region, while the Chennai peripheral ring road project aims to alleviate traffic congestion and strengthen connections to the southern part of the state.

 

5. Seminar on Indian Defence Equipment - SIDE 2024 organised in Dhaka: The High Commission of India in Bangladesh hosted a Seminar on Indian Defence Equipment - SIDE 2024 in Dhaka. The High Commissioner described SIDE 2024 as a reflection of Indian defence industry’s interest in partnering with Bangladesh and to taking India-Bangladesh defence cooperation forward to the next level, including by utilizing the Defence Line of Credit of US$500 million extended by Government of India to Government of Bangladesh.

 

6. Henley Passport Index for 2024: India at 85th; topped by France: The Henley Passport Index for 2024 has been released, with France securing the top spot, while India’s passport ranking has slipped one place from last year, moving from 84th to 85th position. The Henley Passport Index ranks nations based on the strength of their passports. In 2024, France leads the list, with its passport granting visa-free access to 194 countries. Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are also among the top-ranked countries alongside France.

 

7. 21 February – International Mother Language Day: International Mother Language Day is observed globally every year on February 21. Objective – To recognize and promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. Theme 2024 – Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning According to UNESCO, the idea to celebrate this day was the initiative of Bangladesh and was approved in 1999 at UNESCO General Conference.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Upendra Dwivedi assumes charge as VC of Army Staff: Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Army Staff. Prior to this appointment, he was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command based at Udhampur from 2022 to 2024. He replaces LG MV Suchindra Kumar who moved on to take charge of Udhampur based Northern Command. He will be the senior-most officer in the Army when Army Chief Lt. Gen. Manoj Pande retires from service in May and is in line for the top post based on seniority.

 

SPORTS

 

1. Indian Premier League is set to begin on March 22: The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (17th edition) is set to begin on March 22. League chairman ArunDhumal said that only the schedule of the first 15 days will be announced at first. The roster for the remaining games will be decided after the announcement of the general election dates. The entire tournament will be held in India. As is the norm, the IPL opener will be played between the last year's finalists and runners-up Gujarat Titans.

 

2. Manoj Tiwary announces retirement from all forms of cricket: India and Bengal batter Manoj Tiwary has announced retirement from all forms of cricket. Tiwary played 148 First-Class matches and gathered 10,195 runs at an average of 47.86, with a career-best 303 not out and 30 centuries. He scored 5,581 runs in List-A matches and 3,436 runs in T20s. Tiwary played for India in 12 ODIs, scoring 287 runs, including a knock of 104 not out against West Indies in Chennai in 2011. He also featured in three T20Is.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Mitsubishi Corp to acquire 32% stake in TVS Vehicle Mobility: TVS Mobility and Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corporation has announced a strategic partnership under which the latter will pick up a 32 per cent stake in a newly-formed subsidiary of the Chennai-based group for Rs 300 crore. With this, the dealership business of TVS Mobility will transform into the newly-formed subsidiary TVS Vehicle Mobility Solution (TVS VMS) — offering a complete portfolio of services to its customers. TVS Mobility holds dealerships of major companies like Ashok Leyland, Honda, Mahindra and Renault, among others. These are mainly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

 

2. IEPFA and DBS Bank signs MoU to spread awareness on investment and fraudulent schemes: Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) and Singapore-headquartered DBS Bank have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to spread awareness on investment and fraudulent schemes. Under the MoU, DBS Bank aims to support IEPFA’s investor awareness activities by disseminating safety messages via its various digital platforms. Leveraging DBS Bank’s extensive network of branches and ATMs in 19 States, as well as its digital infrastructure, will significantly increase the reach of IEPFA’s investor awareness and protection messages to end users.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024: The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024 was held in Mumbai.

·       Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan)

·       Best Actress: Nayanthara (Jawan)

·       Best Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga (Animal)

Jawan hit the theatres last year in September and minted over ₹1000 crore at the worldwide box office.

 

2. Shashi Tharoor conferred France’s highest civilian honour: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was conferred France’s highest civilian honour, the Chevalier de la Legion d’ Honneur France, at an intimate ceremony in the French embassy in the national capital. Mr. Tharoor was awarded the honour in August 2022, but formal conferring took place yesterday. French democracy” as the land where “the people” first replaced “the king” as the nucleus of the nation.

 

3. REC Ltd receives ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’: REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, has been honoured with the ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’ at the ‘Building India 2047: Technology for Better Tomorrow’, an IIT Madras Corporate Social Responsibility Summit. The award has been conferred in recognition of REC’s CSR initiative of installation of 2 MW rooftop solar plant at IIT Madras. The solar plant generates around 3.15 million units of clean energy every year, thus helping IIT Madras reduce its carbon footprint.