Daily GK Update- 8th Mar, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. First Bharat Steam Boiler Expo 2024 held in Guwahati: The first Bharat Steam Boiler Expo 2024 was held at Veterinary College Field in Guwahati, Assam. The expo is organized by the Assam’s Inspectorate of Boilers (CIB) and supported by the Assam government’s Labour Welfare Department. The expo aims to improve the efficiency and growth of various sectors that use steam boilers. This pioneering expo is the result of a collaborative effort among industry stalwarts including Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil India Ltd (OIL), Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd (BCPL), Assam Petro Chemicals Ltd, and NTPC Ltd.

 

2. Govt extends subsidy for Ujjwala beneficiaries by another one year: The Union Cabinet has decided to extend the subsidy of ₹300 per LPG cylinder for up to 12 refills per year till the end of next financial year (March 2025). About 10.27 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) will get the benefit of the scheme with its continuation set to incur ₹12,000 crore. The Centre had started a targeted subsidy of ₹200 per cylinder for up to 12 refills per annum to the PMUY consumers in May 2022. In October 2023, the Centre increased the subsidy to ₹300 per cylinder for up to 12 refills per year. As on February 1, 2024, the effective price of domestic LPG for PMUY consumers is ₹603 per LPG cylinder of 14.2 kg.

 

3. Manish Prasad appointed president and MD for SAP Indian Subcontinent: German technology major SAP has appointed Manish Prasad as president and managing director for SAP Indian Subcontinent. He succeeds Kulmeet Bawa, who takes on a global role to drive the growth and adoption of the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) for global customers. Prasad will help advance SAP’s move to the cloud, enabling customers across all industries to digitally transform with SAP.

 

4. 7 March – Jan Aushadhi Diwas: The inception of Jan Aushadi Diwas can be traced back to March 7, 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced it as part of the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). This day serves as the culmination of a week-long event commencing on March 1, aimed at raising awareness about generic medicines and their potential to benefit millions of individuals.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. International Women's Day 2024: 8th March: International Women’s Day is being celebrated across the globe on 8th March. Women’s Day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about gender equality issues and advocate for progress towards a more equitable world. The United Nations has designated this year's theme as ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’. The campaign theme for this year is ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

 

2. World's largest literary festival-'Sahityotsav' to be held from March 11-16: World's largest literary festival-'Sahityotsav' by Sahitya Akademi will be held from the 11th to 16th of March. The festival commemorating 70 years of Sahitya Akademi will witness the participation of more than a hundred renowned writers and scholars. Over 190 sessions and more than 175 languages of the country will also be represented during the festival.

 

3. Panama becomes 97th member to ratify the International Solar Alliance: Panama has become the 97th member to ratify the International Solar Alliance.  Panama handed over the Instrument of ISA Ratification, during the meeting of the Ambassador of Panama to India, Yasiel Burillo with Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy), Abhishek Singh in New Delhi. International Solar Alliance partners with newly launched Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to accelerate energy transition.

 

4. 8 March – International Women’s Day: International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 8 March. The day is dedicated to highlight women’s accomplishments, rights, equity, empowerment, and other issues. The theme of Women’s Day 2024 is ‘Invest in women: Accelerate Progress’, which emphasizes the importance of creating a world where women feels respected, valued, and empowered.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Navy commissions strategically important base INS Jatayu in Lakshadweep Islands: The Indian Navy has commissioned its new base “INS Jatayu” at Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep It will bolster its operational capabilities within the strategically important Lakshadweep islands. Jatayu has been commissioned under the command of Commandant Vrat Baghel. The crest of the INS Jatayu -depicting a bird signifying Jatayu, a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana — was hoisted after the unveiling of the commissioning plaque.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Life introduces Non-Linked Par Product Kotak G.A.I.N: Private sector life insurer Kotak Life Insurance has launched a non-linked participating product Kotak G.A.I.N which offers long-term saving or income. The minimum annual premium payable to avail the product is Rs 50,000. While taking the policy, the minimum age of the policyholder should be 90 days while the policy maturing age should be minimum 40 years and maximum 85 years. The product provides three options to the policyholder to choose from. Under the first option, policyholders can receive regular income from the 1st month of policy issuance for monthly payout mode and 1st year onwards for annual payout mode.

 

2. Future Generali India launches new women’s health insurance plan: Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII), a private general insurer, has launched the most comprehensive women’s health insurance plan. The plan is designed to meet women’s unique needs. FGII “HEALTH POWHER” aims to address the various needs of women across the different stages of their lives. For a country like India, where women comprise roughly half of the nation’s population, at around 49 per cent, less than one-third or only about 30 per cent of them aged 15-49, were covered under health insurance between 2019-2021, as per data fetched from the National Family Health Survey India report.

 

3. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank launches ‘Vikas Spoorty’: Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a new loan scheme called ‘Vikas Spoorty’ to strengthen the rural credit delivery system and also to motivate the common man to take up income-generating activities on a smaller scale. Under this scheme, people may avail a minimum loan of ₹50,000 and a maximum of ₹2,00,000. But the customer shall open a ‘Daily Deposit’ (pigmy) account and contribute regularly to it to service the repayment of instalment and interest for the loan. Chairman of KVGB – Shreekanth M Bhandiwad

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Yatin Bhaskar Duggal wins first prize in National Youth Parliament Festival 2024: Yatin Bhaskar Duggal from Haryana has won the first prize in the National Youth Parliament Festival 2024. While Vaishna Pitchai from Tamil Nadu won the second prize and Kanishka Sharma from Rajasthan the third prize. National Youth Parliament 2024 is based on the ‘Young Voices: Engage and Empower for Nation’s Transformation’ theme. The National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) is based on an idea introduced by the Prime Minister during his Mann Ki Baat Address on December 31, 2017.