Daily GK Update- 7th Mar, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi inaugurates India’s first underwater metro in Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated India’s first under-river metro tunnel in Kolkata. The metro tunnel has been built under Kolkata’s Hooghly River that will connect Howrah Maidan to Esplanade. The 4.8 km stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade is the second section of the East-West Metro corridor between Howrah Maidan and the IT hub Salt Lake Sector V. The metro service will connect Howrah and Salt Lake — the West Bengal state capital’s twin cities. Three out of six stations will be underground. It is expected to zoom through a 520-metre stretch under the Hooghly in just 45 seconds.

 

2. Government launched innovative NITI for states platform for policy and good governance: Minister of Communications, Railways, and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has launched NITI Aayog’s NITI For States platform at Rang Bhawan Auditorium, Akashvani, New Delhi. The ‘NITI For States’, is a cross-sectoral knowledge platform designed to become a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Policy and Good Governance. The significant features of the platform include a multi-sectoral live repository of 7,500 Best Practices, 5,000 Policy documents, 900+ datasets, 1,400 data profiles, and 350 NITI publications.

 

3. Jharkhand govt launched State Widow Remarriage Promotion Scheme: The Jharkhand State Government has launched the Jharkhand Widow Remarriage Promotion Scheme 2024. Under the Jharkhand Widow Remarriage Promotion Yojana 2024, the Jharkhand state government will provide INR to all the widowed who will get remarriage. Rs 2 lakh would be allocated as a promotional amount. This scheme will apply to the social status of all the widowed women in the Jharkhand state. All the applicants who clear the eligibility criteria must fill out the application form on the official website to avail of the benefits of the Widow Remarriage Promotion Scheme 2024.

 

4. IOC to make fuel for Formula 1 – first by an Indian firm: India’s largest oil company, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) will start manufacturing fuel used in adrenaline-pumping Formula One or F1, motor racing as it looks to expand its basket of niche fuels. F1 fuel is essentially high-octane petrol and the standards are heavily regulated by global motor sport governing body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) on various counts, including permissible additives and blending agents. IOC will supply fuel for all the motorcyclists from 15 countries that will participate in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.

 

5. Slice appoints Nayanthara as Brand Ambassador: Slice has announced the appointment of actress Nayanthara as its latest brand ambassador. Slice aims to strengthen its connection with audiences, reaffirming its status as a beverage for mango enthusiasts. Slice has become popular in households across the country for its mango flavor. Nayanthara, known as ‘Lady Superstar’, is a critically acclaimed actress in Indian cinema. With this new association, Slice looks to add more excitement to the summer season and will unveil a new campaign later this summer.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Karnataka govt signed MoU with WEF for Al centre: Karnataka government has signed an MoU with the World Economic Forum to establish the state’s first Centre for Al. Objective – To make Karnataka a global Al hub by linking with WEF’s C4IR Network. The Centre for Al in Karnataka will foster global dialogue on Al ethics and support Al startups for global visibility and collaboration opportunities. It will attract investments, and create job opportunities in the region.

 

2. Airbus signs contract with IIM Mumbai to boost aviation talent in India: European aerospace firm Airbus has signed a contract with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai to provide aviation education to professionals and empower them with industry-ready skills through Airbus Beyond programmes. Under this contract, IIM Mumbai will offer short-term aviation courses to aspiring and working professionals who will be able to harness the power of Airbus Beyond programmes in the areas of aviation logistics, supply chain management, operations excellence, cargo handling, strategic procurement, business analytics and digitisation.

Under the agreement, IIM Mumbai will organise courses, onboard students and provide infrastructure and logistical support.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad appoint Pat Cummins as captain for IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has announced star Australian cricketer Pat Cummins as their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024. Cummins, who won the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup with Aussies last year as a captain, replaces South African batter Aiden Markram as the franchise’s captain. Cummins was brought by SRH for Rs 20.5 crores in the IPL auctions held last year, making him the second-most expensive player in history.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Infibeam Avenues get RBI’s authorization to payment aggregator licence: India’s first listed AI-powered fintech company, Infibeam Avenues has received the final authorization from RBI to operate as a payment aggregator for its payment gateway brand, CCAvenue. The RBI had in March 2020 introduced the PA framework, which necessitates payment gateways to secure an aggregator licence for acquiring merchants and delivering digital payment solutions. More than 10 million merchants are on Infibeam’s platform, and this year, the company has already crossed half a million merchants onboarding in 1H FY24. The company attributed this growth to the growing relationship with the bank partners and merchants.

 

2. 30 banks join RBI’s UDGAM portal for unclaimed deposits: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that 30 banks are now participating in the UDGAM portal, designed for individuals to search for their unclaimed deposits/accounts. UDGAM — Unclaimed Deposits-Gateway to Access inforMation — is an online portal developed by RBI. It facilitates the registered users to search unclaimed deposits/accounts across multiple banks in one place in a centralised manner. All unclaimed deposits/accounts that are part of the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund of RBI can be searched in the UDGAM portal.

 

3. CRISIL raises India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.8% for FY25: Rating agency CRISIL raised its economic growth forecast for India in the next financial year (FY25) to 6.8 per cent from 6.4 per cent estimated earlier, citing higher growth momentum. In its India Outlook report, growth will moderate in FY25 from 7.6 per cent in the current financial year as higher interest rates and lower fiscal impulse will temper demand. The report also expects the Indian economy to grow at an average rate of 6.7 per cent till the end of this decade. On the inflation front, the rating agency expects the softening to continue in the next financial year on the back of healthier agriculture output that tames food inflation, and benign oil and commodity prices.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Tiger Woods honoured with USGA’s prestigious Bob Jones Award: Renowned golfer Tiger Woods has been selected for the Bob Jones Award, the US Golf Association’s (USGA) highest honour. This award is the highest honour given to Tiger Woods by the United States Golf Association (USGA). This prestigious award recognizes Woods’ dedication to sportsmanship, his respect for the traditions of the game, and his significant charitable endeavors.