Daily GK Update- 28th Mar, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Hansha Mishra appointed as Director in UPSC: Hansha Mishra (IA&AS) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He has been selected for the appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier. Mishra is an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of 2010 batch.

 

2. Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as Judicial Member, Lokpal: Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi was sworn-in as the judicial member, Lokpal. The oath was administered by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Chairperson, Lokpal of India. Additionally, Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey took oath as member, Lokpal. The new appointments took place as two existing Judicial Members namely Justice P. K. Mohanty and Justice Abhilasha Kumari and three Members namely D. K. Jain, Archana Ramasundaram and Mahender Singh completed their tenure in Lokpal on March 26, 2024.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Bassirou Diomaye Faye wins Senegalese presidential election: Bassirou Diomaye Faye (44-years) has won the Senegalese presidential election with 54.28% of the votes in the first round.

He is the first opponent to win in the first round since Senegal’s independence from France in 1960. His victory still needs to be validated by Senegal’s Constitutional Council in the next few days.

 

2. Luis Montenegro named Portugal’s Prime Minister: Portugal’s president has named Luis Montenegro, head of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), as the country’s new prime minister and invited him to form a minority government after eight years of Socialist rule. The long-awaited results of the March 10 elections were published late on Wednesday after votes from abroad were counted, and saw AD win 80 seats in the 230-member parliament, while the Socialist Party and the far-right Chega party clinched 78 and 50 seats, respectively. Montenegro, a 51-year-old lawyer and longtime parliamentarian, will succeed the Socialist Party’s Antonio Costa, who held office since 2015 and was forced to resign in November following corruption allegations.

 

3. Abhay Thakur Appointed as Next Envoy to Myanmar: Senior diplomat Abhay Thakur has been appointed as the country’s next envoy to Myanmar. Abhay Thakur is a 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). He is currently working as an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of External Affairs. He had served as the sous-sherpa (deputy representative) for the G20 process during India’s presidency of the influential group of 20 major economies.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Samudra Paheredar Arrives in Manila Bay, as Part of ASEAN Deployment: Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Samudra Peheredar’( special pollution control ship) is on a three-day visit to Manila Bay, Philippines. The ICG ship is on overseas deployment to ASEAN countries – Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei from 25 March to 12 April 2024. The objectives of this initiative are to demonstrate ICG marine pollution response capabilities and strengthening bilateral cooperation with the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG).

 

2. SARL partners with IIT Madras to establish €100 million startup hub: French aerospace and defence firm, Starburst Accelerator SARL has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to set up an innovative hub for start-ups with €100 million in funding support. Through this collaboration, IIT Madras will enable Starburst to set up accelerator programs to boost the Aviation, Space, and Defence (ASD) ecosystem in India. A key focus of this partnership will be entrepreneurs, research parks, investors (public and private), government, and corporate firms.

 

SPORTS

 

1. Haryana crowned Champions of the 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Ch: Hockey Haryana beat hosts Hockey Maharashtra in the final to win the 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship. The match was played at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium in Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra. In the final, the two teams were tied at 1-1 at the end of the full-time. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Hockey Haryana defeated Maharashtra 3-0 to win the 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship for the third time.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

1. CAG Signs MoU with IIT Delhi on Artificial Intelligence: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Artificial Intelligence. It aims to encourage innovation, skilling of the workforce, and promotion of responsible AI adoption. As part of the MoU, the CAG will have access to cutting-edge AI expertise, capacity building for our workforce, and development of bespoke AI solutions tailored to specific audit needs.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Innoviti Payments, Concerto Software get RBI payment aggregator licences: Offline point-of-sales deploying company Innoviti Payments and payment gateway Vegaah, which is run by Concerto Software and Systems, have secured the online payment aggregator (PA) licence from the Reserve Bank of India, joining the likes of MSwipe, Razorpay, Cashfree, and Zomato. CCAvenue, which is run by listed fintech company Infibeam Avenues, also received its PA licence from the RBI earlier this month. As PAs, these companies are authorized to settle ecommerce transactions. The licence also brings these payment companies directly within the purview of RBI regulations.

 

2. S&P Global raises India’s FY25 GDP growth forecast to 6.8%: S&P Global has raised India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25) by 40 basis points to 6.8 per cent or lower than the central bank and government’s projection of 7 per cent. The Indian economy is estimated to have clocked a growth of 7.6% in the current fiscal. In November, last year, the U.S.-based agency had projected India’s growth to be 6.4% in 2024-25 fiscal on robust domestic momentum.

 

3. Ujjivan SFB partners with Veefin Solutions for MSME growth: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has partnered with Veefin Solutions Ltd to enhance supply chain finance offerings for MSMEs, addressing the sector’s working capital needs. it aims to provide end-to-end solutions, bridging the credit gap in the MSME sector and fostering inclusive growth. The collaboration underscores the commitment of both entities to leverage technology and innovative solutions to address the long-standing challenges faced by MSMEs in accessing timely and affordable credit.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Michel Talagrand awarded Abel Prize 2024: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2024 to Michel Talagrand of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Paris, France. Talagrand received the prestigious prize “for his groundbreaking contributions to probability theory and functional analysis, with outstanding applications in mathematical physics and statistics.” The common theme in Michel Talagrand’s groundbreaking discoveries is working with and understanding the random processes we see all around us.