Daily GK Update- 12th Mar, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Tamil Nadu govt inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power project: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M K Stalin has inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power plant constructed at a cost of Rs 150.4 crores. The floating plant is established in Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation Limited (SPIC) factory at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to provide clean energy. It aims to provide environmentally sustainable power generation and to reduce carbon footprint.

About the plant: The floating power plant has the capacity to produce 42 million units of electricity per annum. The solar power plant is owned by Greenam Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AM International. SPIC worked with France-based floating solar power specialists and global leader Ceil & Terre for the constructions and designs.

Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: K. Stalin; Tamil Nadu Governor: N. Ravi.

 

2. India’s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha being built at Bodh Gaya: India`s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha is being built in Bodh Gaya. Built by Buddha International Welfare Mission, the statue will be 100 feet long and 30 feet high. Lord Buddha is in the sleeping posture in the statue. The construction of the giant statue started in the year 2019. It is being made with fibreglass and built by sculptors from Kolkata. Bodh Gaya is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhism and is visited by devotees from all over the world. The idol of this posture of Lord Buddha is in Uttar Pradesh`s Kushinagar where he attained his Mahaparinirvana. The giant statue of Lord Buddha will be open for devotees from February 2023.

 

3. Cabinet approves setting up of National Land Monetization Corporation as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for monetization of surplus land: The Union Cabinet has approved to set up a new company called National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC), as a special purpose vehicle (SPV). NLMC will hold and monetise surplus land and building assets, of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other Government agencies, that are being privatised or being shut down. NLMC shall be a wholly-owned Government of India company. It will be set up under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. The initial authorized share capital of NLMC will be Rs. 5000 crore and paid-up share capital will be Rs. 150 crore.

 

4. 3rd National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) begins in New Delhi: The 3rd edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) has been organised jointly by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on March 10 and 11, 2022, in the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will address the inaugural session of NYPF on March 10, while the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will address the valedictory function on March 11.

Objective of NYPF: The objective of the NYPF is to hear the voice of the youth, between 18 and less than 25 years of age, who will join various careers in the coming years, including public services. The top three National level youth winners will get an opportunity to speak before the Lok Sabha Speaker during the valedictory function.

Key information

a)      The 3rd NYPF was launched at the district level on 14th February 2022 through virtual mode in which more than 2.44 lakh youth participated. This was followed by State Youth Parliaments through the virtual mode from February 23 to 27, 2022.

b)      Overall 87 winners (62 Female and 25 Male) from the district and state-level YPF will now participate in NYPF 2022.

c)       National Youth Parliament provides a platform for the youth to voice their thoughts opinions and dreams for the country and enable the youth to voice their concerns and local problems.

 

5. Lupin named Mary Kom as brand ambassador for his Shakti initiative: Global pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) has announced that it has signed on six-time world boxing champion, Mary Kom as the brand ambassador for its Shakti campaign. The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness of heart diseases among women. With Mary Korn anchoring the campaign, to drive the much-needed awareness on the issue and encourage women to sign up for early screening checks and take corrective measures to avoid the future risk of heart diseases.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Germany to host G7 agriculture ministers virtual meeting: The German government has stated that it will hold a virtual meeting of G7 agriculture ministers to explore the implications of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on global food security. The meeting, according to Cem zdemir, Germany’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, will also focus on ways to stabilise food markets. Key Points:

a)      According to the government, Germany will hold a virtual meeting of G7 agricultural ministers to address the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global food security and how to best stabilise food markets.

b)      Food security in Germany and the European Union is assured, but bigger shortages are likely in some countries outside the EU, particularly where scarcity already exists due to concerns such as drought.

c)       Price increases for agricultural items cannot be ruled out in developed countries.”

d)      This year, Germany is the rotating president of the Group of Seven advanced economies.

e)      Russia refers to its efforts in Ukraine as a “special operation,” claiming that they are not intended to take territory but rather to damage Ukraine’s military capabilities and catch those it considers to be dangerous nationalists.

 

2. Freedom of the World 2022 report: India ranked ‘partly free’: For the second consecutive year, India has been termed as ‘partly free’ country in terms of democracy and free society, according to the annual report. The report titled “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that ‘assesses political rights and civil liberties. India scored 66 out of 100 in 2022. The country had scored 67 in 2021. India was a free country till 2020 when its score was 71.

In Internet freedom:

a)      India scored a mere 49, the same score as that of Uganda. Here too, the score has come down. The reasons are – the increasing internet shutdowns by governments, low internet penetration and poor infrastructure.

b)      India’s freedom scores are similar to that of Bolivia, Hungary and Albania. The countries that have scored the worst include South Sudan, Syria, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea.

c)       Sixty-nine countries are currently not free worldwide. This makes the situation worse than in 1973 when only 63 countries were not free.

d)      Apart from the worst scorers, the list also includes Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand and Qatar. This is an increase from the last year when only 54 countries were not free.

e)      At the same time, there is an increase in free countries from 82 to 85, compared to 2021. In this category, Finland, Sweden and Norway have achieved a perfect 100, besides New Zealand, Canada, Uruguay, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland and Denmark.

About the report:  The report used 25 indicators, grouped into the categories of political rights and civil liberties to determine whether the country or territory has an overall status of Free, Partly Free, or Not Free. The report is published every year since 1973 to assess the political rights and civil liberties of a country through a series of surveys and analyses. In 2022, 85 countries were termed as free, 56 as partly free and 69 as not free. The Freedom in the World 2022 evaluated the state of freedom in 195 countries and 15 territories during the calendar year 2021.

 

3. Aarushi Verma named to represent India at Climate Force Antarctica Expedition: A national-level shooter and an environmentalist hailing from Delhi, Aarushi Verma has been selected to represent India at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition which is set to be held in March 2022. She is a national-level shooter in Pistol and trap shooting and a State & Northern India Champion & National medalist, and an active environmentalist. She will be fully supported and sponsored by The Hans Foundation.

About the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition:

a)      2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition is a global initiative to train and develop the next generation of sustainability champions and to help corporations with their sustainability solutions. This carbon negative’ expedition also aims to inspire, develop and train the next generation of leaders to promote a more sustainable future. This also includes the ‘Leadership on the edge’ program.

b)      2041 Climate Force is derived from the year which marks the Madrid Protocol protecting Antarctica from exploitation would come up for debate, revision, and/ or possible cancellation. The participants of the expedition will graduate as ‘Ambassadors for the Antarctic’.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. IPC banned Russian, Belarusian athletes from Beijing Winter Paralympics: International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned the athlete’s entries from the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics due to the war in Ukraine. Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics is scheduled to take place from 4th to 13th March 2022 & it marks the 13th Winter Paralympic Games.

Previously IPC has stated that the athletes from both countries would be allowed to compete as neutrals in the games. The IPC joins the range of sporting bodies like Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) etc, that have banned the participation of Russians and Belarusians, which includes football, track, basketball, hockey, and others.

Note: International Paralympic Committee Founded: 22 September 1989; International Paralympic Committee Headquarters: Bonn, Germany; International Paralympic Committee CEO: Xavier Gonzalez; International Paralympic Committee President: Andrew Parsons (Brazil).

 

2. India’s S L Narayanan wins Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open Chess Tournament: In Chess, Indian Grandmaster, S L Narayanan was declared the winner in the Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open, held in Italy. Meanwhile, his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa came second. Though Narayanan and six others, including Praggnanandhaa, finished equal first with 6.5 points after nine rounds. But, Narayanan took the top spot on the basis of a better tie-break score. The 24-year old S L Narayanan from Thiruvananthapuram earned the title of Grandmaster in 2015 and is the 41st Grandmaster from India.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI releases booklet on modus operandi of financial frauds: Reserve Bank of India has launched a booklet named “BE(A)WARE” which features common modus operandi used by fraudsters and precautions to be taken while carrying out various financial transactions. The booklet aims to enhance public awareness about various types of financial frauds perpetrated on gullible customers while carrying out digital payments and other financial transactions.

Key points of the booklet:

a)      Booklet: provides safeguards against commonly used fraudulent techniques like SIM swaps, vishing/phishing links, lottery, fake loan websites and digital apps etc.

b)      The booklet emphasises the need for keeping one’s personal information confidential at all times, being mindful of unknown calls/emails/messages, etc., and also outlines the due diligence measures to be followed while undertaking financial transactions.

c)       According to the Ombudsman Offices & Consumer Education and Protection Cells (CEPCs) of RBI, sharing of confidential information by the customers knowingly or unknowingly is one of the major causes leading to financial frauds in India.

Note: RBI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; RBI Founded: 1 April 1935; RBI Governor: Shaktikanta Das.

 

2. Zeta partnered with Mastercard to power bank’s s credit processing: Mastercard and Zeta, a financial tech startup that provides next-generation credit card processing to banks and fintechs, established a 5-year worldwide agreement today. As part of the deal, the companies will work together to create credit cards with issuers all around the world using Zeta’s modern, cloud-native, and API-ready credit processing stack.

KEY POINTS:

a)      According to a statement released by Zeta, Mastercard has bolstered the alliance by making a financial investment in the company.

b)      Zeta hopes to move the credit card processing industry from fragmented, multi-vendor systems to nimble, composable, single-vendor systems that are truly responsive to changing cardholder needs and preferences with Mastercard’s support and integration of its capabilities in digital issuance, fraud and risk, loyalty solutions, and more.

c)       Issuers will be able to launch cards significantly faster now that both partners have pre-configured essential features behind the scenes, making it easier than ever to quickly create and deploy flexible, highly customised card programmes, according to the banking tech unicorn.

ZETA TACHYON:

a)      Zeta Tachyon Credit is the only current credit processing stack in the business that can handle both credit and loan processing.

b)      The stack includes features for issuance, core, payments, BNPL loans, fraud and risk, rewards, and more, spanning the whole credit card programme lifetime.

c)       By providing a complete credit Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and embeddable banking platform to co-brands, fintechs, and affinity partners via Zeta’s comprehensive APIs, issuers may quickly develop new revenue lines as BIN/balance sheet sponsors.

d)      Customers can also take advantage of Zeta’s comprehensive managed services, which include servicing and collections, among other things.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Google Cloud and Flipkart enters a strategic partnership 2022: Flipkart and Google Cloud have formed a multi-year strategic agreement to assist Flipkart  accelerate its innovation and cloud strategy. Flipkart’s next phase of expansion will be aided by this alliance, which will help it achieve its goal of enrolling India’s next 200 million buyers and lakhs of vendors. The deal value was kept opaque by the companies.

Key Points:

a)      Flipkart will be able to provide robust app access and performance even during peak purchasing seasons with increased traffic by leveraging Google Cloud’s secure and scalable global infrastructure and powerful networking technologies.

b)      Flipkart will also use Google Cloud to accelerate the creation of new products, boosting its expansion into India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

c)       Flipkart will use Google Cloud‘s superior data analytics and machine learning capabilities to improve the efficiency of its data platform.

d)      This will allow the organisation to better evaluate traffic and transactional data, as well as gain valuable real-time insights into client purchasing and shopping patterns.

e)      This would also aid in the identification of trends and patterns associated with growing demand, as well as the creation of more personalised recommendations to improve the customer experience.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Bangladeshi Rizwana Hasan to get US International Women of Courage Award 2022: Bangladeshi environmental lawyer, Rizwana Hasan has been selected for the International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award for 2022. She is among the 12 women from around the world who will be honoured by the US Department of State with the award for showing exceptional courage and leadership to make a difference in their communities. The awards ceremony on March 14 in a virtual ceremony to honour the 12 women selected for the award.

Career of Rizwana Hasan: Rizwana Hasan is a lawyer who has demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in her mission to protect the environment and defend the dignity and rights of the marginalised Bangladeshis. Over the last 20 years, she has taken up landmark legal cases to change the dynamic of development in Bangladesh to include a people-centred focus on environmental justice. Rizwana Hasan is the Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.

About the award: The International Women of Courage (IWOC) award was established in 2007 by the US Department of State to honour women of exceptional courage, strength and leadership who work to bring change to their communities. Till now 170 women from 80 countries have been honoured under the IWOC programme.

Daily GK Update- 11th Mar, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Govt nod for setting up WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of a World Health Organization Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) at Jamnagar, Gujarat. An agreement was signed by the Government of India with the world body in this regard. The move would help develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas, tools and methodologies for collecting data undertaking analytics and assessing impact.

Key points:

a)      The WHO GCTM, to be established under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy), will be the first and only global outposted centre (office) for traditional medicines.

b)      The move will help to position AYUSH systems across the globe, provide leadership on global health matters pertaining to traditional medicine, ensure quality, safety and efficacy, accessibility and rational use of traditional medicine while developing specific capacity building and training programmes in the areas of relevance to the objectives and conduct training programmes in campus, residential, or web-based, and through partnerships with the WHO Academy and other strategic partners.

Note: WHO Established: 7 April 1948; WHO Director General: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; WHO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

 

2. Sikkim State Government will launch Aama Yojna & Bahini Scheme: Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang has announced that the State Government will soon implement ‘Aama Yojana, a scheme for helping non-working mothers & ‘Bahini Scheme’ benefitting girl students of the state. The complete details of the Aama Yojna and Bahini Yojana are given below.

About the Aama Yojna scheme: Aama Yojna scheme aims to inculcate the habit of saving among non-working mothers in the state and hence the Government will provide them Rs. 20,000 each in their bank accounts annually. The scheme covers only those whose names are enrolled in the electoral roll of the state and a sum of Rs. 100 crores have been allocated for it in the budget.

About the Bahini Scheme: Bahini Scheme is to reduce the dropout rate of girl students due to the lack of accessibility/availability of Sanitary Napkins & also to ensure menstrual health and hygiene. Under this scheme, over 18,000 girl students who study in class 9 and above are provided with free sanitary napkins in the state.

Note: Sikkim Capital: Gangtok; Sikkim Governor: Ganga Prasad; Sikkim Chief Minister: Prem Singh Tamang.

 

3. Union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala inaugurates ‘Sagar Parikrama’ initiative from Gujarat: As a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava’, the Union Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has organised ‘Sagar Parikrama’ initiative, to understand the challenges, experiences and aspirations of fishermen community. The programme will be held in phased manner in states that have a coastline. To begin with, Gujarat will mark the first state under this initiative. The Union Minister for Fisheries, Shri Parshottam Rupala inaugurated the ‘Sagar Parikrama’ on March 05, 2022 from Gujarat.

 

4. C-DAC installed “PARAM Ganga” Supercomputer at IIT Roorkee: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has designed and installed a supercomputer named “PARAM Ganga”, at IIT Roorkee, under Phase II of National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). PARAM Ganga has a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Petaflops.

National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):

a)      NSM is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

b)      The mission is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

c)       The NSM Mission aims to build and deploy 24 facilities with cumulative compute power of more than 64 Petaflops.

d)      Till date 11 systems have been deployed by C-DAC at IISc, IITs, IISER Pune, JNCASR, NABI-Mohali and C-DAC under NSM Phase-1 and Phase-2 with a cumulative computing power of more than 20 Petaflops.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Iran successfully test fire second military satellite Noor-2: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully launched a military satellite, Noor-2, into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles) from the earth. This is the second military satellite launched by the Islamic Republic. The first military satellite, Noor, was launched in April 2020 at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface. Noor means light in the Persian language.

Putting the second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military, raising concerns about the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The three-stage Qased, or “Messenger”, the carrier launched the Noor 2, from the Shahroud spaceport.

Note: Iran Capital: Tehran; Iran President: Ebrahim Raisi; Iran Currency: Iranian rial.

 

2. Russia is now world’s most sanctioned country 2022: Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world, due to its invasion on Ukraine, according to a New York-based sanctions watchlist site Castellum.AI. Russia faced 2,778 new sanctions since February 22, 2022, led by the US and European nations, bringing the total sanctions to 5,530. The country already had 2,754 sanctions in place before February 22.

Countries across the world are putting sanctions on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has now surpassed countries like Iran and North Korea in terms of a number of sanctions. Before this, Iran was the most sanctioned country, facing 3,616 sanctions against it over the last decade, while Syria and North Korea have 2,608 and 2,077 sanctions, respectively.

Note: Russia Capital: Moscow; Russia President: Vladimir Putin; Russia Currency: Russian Ruble.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. S Sreesanth quits from all forms of first-class cricket: India pacer S Sreesanth has announced his retirement from all forms of domestic cricket. Sreesanth played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India, taking 87 and 75 wickets respectively. He has also taken seven wickets in 10 T20 Internationals. In September 2020, Sreesanth’s ban for alleged spot-fixing came to an end, concluding a seven-year punishment that was originally meant to be for life and was aggressively contested by the flamboyant bowler. Sreesanth’s life ban for alleged spot-fixing in the 2013 edition of the IPL was reduced to seven years by BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain last year. The BCCI banned Sreesanth in August 2013 along with his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.

 

2. Olympic champion Duplantis sets pole vault world record of 6.19m in Belgrade: Sweden’s Olympic pole vault champion Armand Gustav “Mondo” Duplantis cleared 6.19m to smash his own world record by one centimetre at the World Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Belgrade. Duplantis set the record of 6.18 in February 2020 indoors in Glasgow.

This is the fourth world record of the 22-year-old’s career. His first record came in February 2020 when he surpassed London 2012 gold medallist Renaud Lavillenie’s world record by clearing 6.17m in Torun, Poland before improving that the following week in Glasgow. In September of that year, he cleared 6.15m at the Rome Diamond League meeting to eclipse Sergey Bubka’s outdoor pole vault world best of 6.14m set in Sestriere in July 1994.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI launches UPI123pay for feature phones and DigiSaathi 2022: Reserve Bank of India has launched two initiatives related to digital payments. One is UPI123pay- which provides a UPI payment facility on feature phones and the second is “DigiSaathi” which is a 24×7 Helpline for Digital Payments. The details of the two initiative is given below:

1. UPI123pay- UPI payment facility on feature phones:  The UPI123pay will provide the users of feature phones the option to use Unified Interface Payments (UPI) for making payments. For this, UPI123 pay presently offers four mediums/options to the users of feature phones to make UPI payments. The name UPI123pay denotes that the UPI payment can be done in three (123) easy steps i.e. 1. Call 2. Choose and 3. Pay Presently the option available for feature phone users for digital payments is of USSD which is a bit cumbersome and not popular. The launch of UPI123pay will improve the payments ecosystem for more than 40 crore users of feature phones in India.

These four options are given below in detail:

a)      App-based Functionality- An app would be installed on the feature phone through which several UPI functions, available on smartphones, will also be available on feature phones.

b)      Missed Call: Under this facility users of feature phones can make payments at the merchant outlet by giving a missed call on the number displayed at the merchant outlet. The customer will receive an incoming call to authenticate the transaction by entering UPI PIN. The users can also access their bank account and perform routine transactions such as receiving, transferring funds, regular purchases, bill payments, etc., by giving a missed call.

c)       Inter-active Voice Response (IVR): UPI payment through pre-defined IVR numbers would require users to initiate a secured call from their feature phones to a predetermined number and complete UPI on-boarding formalities to be able to start making financial transactions without internet connection.

d)      Proximity Sound-based Payments: This uses sound waves to enable contactless, offline, and proximity data communication on any device.

2. “DigiSaathi”- 24×7 Helpline for Digital Payments: This service will provide users with automated responses on information related to digital payment products and services. Presently it is available in English and Hindi language. Users can access DigiSaathi via any of the following modes:

a)      toll-free number (1800-891-3333),

b)      a short code (14431),

c)       Website – http://www.digisaathi.info, and chatbots.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. RIL opens India’s biggest business and cultural hub in Mumbai: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has announced the opening of the Jio World Centre, which will be India’s largest and most prestigious multi-faceted destination. The Centre, which covers 18.5 acres in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex and was envisioned by Nita Ambani, Director Reliance Industries and Founder-Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, and it is set to become a historical business, commerce, and culture destination, which will provide the people of India with a world-class landmark.

Key Points:

a)      The Jio World Centre will open in phases over the course of this and next year, beginning with the dedication of Dhirubhai Ambani Square and the musical Fountain of Joy to Mumbai and the Jio World Convention Centre.

b)      The Jio World Centre is a first-of-its-kind destination in India, with a cultural centre, a musical fountain, premium shops, a curated selection of cafés and fine dining restaurants, serviced apartments and offices, and a state-of-the-art convention facility.

c)       The Dhirubhai Ambani Square, set to become a new landmark in Mumbai, is a free-entry, open public place that promises to become a must-see destination for locals and tourists from around the world.

d)      The world-class Fountain of Joy and the Dhirubhai Ambani Square are dedicated to the people and city of Mumbai. It will be an iconic new public space, a celebration of the city’s spirit, where people can share joys and soak up the colours and sounds of Mumbai.

 

2. Microsoft will set up India’s largest Data Center region in Hyderabad: Tech giant, Microsoft has announced to set up its fourth data centre in India in Hyderabad, Telangana. Hyderabad Data centre will be one of the largest data centres in India and will be operational by 2025. Microsoft already has a data centre in three Indian regions across Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai. The new data centre will add to the growing demand for Microsoft’s cloud services from both the private enterprises as well as the government sector.

About the data centre:

a)      To set up the data centre, Microsoft has signed a definitive agreement with the Telangana state government with a total investment of Rs 15,000 crore.

b)      In terms of Microsoft’s own expansion plans’s the company stated that they are expanding their Hyderabad campus and the total campus is now spread over a 2.5 mn Sq.ft area with 18,000 full-time employees.

c)       The Hyderabad centre of Microsoft is the largest centre for the tech giant after Redmond. In India, Microsoft has 14,000 partners and it serves around 340,000 companies in the country.

Note: Microsoft CEO and Chairman: Satya Nadella; Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar passes away: Veteran politician, former Supreme Court judge, and President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar passed away at the age of 92 years. Muhammad Rafiq Tarar was born on 2 November 1929 in Peer Kot, Pakistan. He served as a Supreme Court judge from 1991 to 1994. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 1989 to 1991. Later, he became Pakistan’s President for the period of 1997 to 2001.

Daily GK Update- 10th Mar, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Ministry of Culture organise PAN-India programme “Jharokha”: Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Textiles are organising a programme called “Jharokha-Compendium of Indian handicraft/ handloom, art and culture” to celebrate the traditional Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and art & culture. To begin with, the first event under this celebration has been organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh at Rani Kamlapati Railway Station, on March 08, 2022, which also marks International Women’s Day.

Key points:

a)      Jharokha is a PAN India programme that will be held at 16 locations in 13 states and UTs, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav .

b)      The event in Bhopal will celebrate womanhood and the contribution of women in the field of art, craft and culture.

c)       Kamlapati Railway Station is named after the brave and fearless Queen Kamlapati of the Gond kingdom of Madhya Pradesh.

 

2. Haryana govt announced Matrushakti Udaymita Scheme: Haryana government has announced Matrushakti Udaymita Scheme to provide support to women entrepreneurs, on International Women’s Day. Under the scheme, the women whose family annual income is less than 5 lakh rupees based on Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) verified data, will be provided access to soft loans by financial institutions to the extent of 3 lakh rupees. Subsequently, the interest subvention of 7% will also be provided for three years through the Haryana Women Development Corporation.

Note: Haryana Capital: Chandigarh; Haryana Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya; Chief Minister of Haryana: Manohar Lal Khattar.

 

3. Ministry of Labour launches ‘Donate-a-Pension’ initiative: Union Labour and Employment Minister, Bhupender Yadav has launched the ‘Donate-a-Pension’ campaign under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) scheme, on March 07, 2022, from his residence and donated the same to his gardener. Under the new initiative, citizens can contribute to the pension fund of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc, by donating the premium amount.

The ‘Donate-a-Pension’ program is part of various initiatives to be launched in the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations by the Labour Ministry from March 7 to 13, 2022. It is an initiative under (PM-SYM) pension scheme where citizens can donate the premium contribution of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc.

 

4. DN Patel named as Chairperson of TDSAT 2022: The Central Government has appointed Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, as the Chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). He was appointed as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on June 7, 2019, and is now given the Chair of TDSAT, days before his retirement on March 12, 2022.

Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification regarding the approval of his appointment by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), stating that he will serve the Chair for a period of 4 years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or till attaining the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest. The conditions of his service will be governed by the provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and the Tribunal (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2021.

Note: TDSAT Establishment: 2000; TDSAT Headquarter: New Delhi.

 

5. CISF raising day: 10th March: In the year 1969, the CISF was set up on March 10 and three battalions were formed under the CISF act 1968, which was passed by the Parliament of India. Since then, the day is celebrated as CISF Raising Day every year. Central Industrial Security Force, is for the central armed police force in India. It is one of the six paramilitary forces in India functioning under the Union Home Ministry.

Cisf Raising Day History: The CISF, which was set up in 1969, is assigned to look after the security of the vital government and industrial buildings. The CISF was established under the CISF Act, which has a strength of over 3,000. In 2017, the government raised the sanctioned strength of personnel from 145,000 to 180,000.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. T Raja Kumar named President of the Financial Action Task Force: T Raja Kumar, a Singaporean, has been named president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the world’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing agency. His appointment is for a set two-year term, which begins on July 1. During the FATF plenary, he was chosen to succeed Dr Marcus Pleyer of Germany.

Key Points:

a)      Mr Raja’s nomination marks the first time Singapore has assumed the president of the organisation, according to a joint news release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on March 7.

b)      Mr Raja is a senior advisor at MHA and has been the leader of Singapore’s FATF mission since January 1, 2015. Since July 2018, he has also been a member of the steering group, which advises the FATF president.

c)       The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation set up by the G7 in 1989 to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorism, and proliferation finance.

d)      “The FATF also reviews and supervises member jurisdictions to ensure that they fully and effectively apply the FATF standards,” MHA, MOF, and MAS noted.

e)      Since 1992, Singapore has been a member of the organisation. Mr Raja has played a key role in directing Singapore’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, according to the MHA, MOF, and MAS.

f)        Since January 2015, he has led Singapore’s efforts to satisfy FATF Standards as co-chairman of the National Interagency Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism.

 

2. International Day of Women Judges: 10th March: March 10 marks the International Day of Women Judges. On this day, the United National reaffirms its commitment to develop and implement appropriate and effective strategies and plans for the advancement of women in the judicial system and institution at the managerial and leadership level.

Women in the judiciary system are a key to ensuring that courts represent their citizens, address concerns and give out good judgments. Women’s presence in the judiciary system enhances the legitimacy of courts and sends a powerful message saying that they’re open and accessible to those who want to seek justice.

International Day of Women Judges History: Equality in the judiciary system has historically been uneven and the steps taken to change this are evidenced by the declaration of the UN General Assembly to mark this day as International Day of Women Judges. The resolution of the General Assembly was drafted by the State of Qatar, which is proof to bring a positive shift in society.

 

3. World Kidney Day: 10th March: World Kidney day is celebrated on the second Thursday of March every year. This year, it is being observed on March 10. World Kidney Day is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys. World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. The theme for World Kidney day 2022 is “Kidney Health for All”. The 2022 campaign will focus on efforts to increase education and awareness about kidney health and on reducing the stubbornly high CKD knowledge gap at all levels of kidney care.

History of the day: The observance of this day was started by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. World Kidney Day was first celebrated in 2006.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Banks Board Bureau introduce development program for the management of PSB: The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has launched a development programme for public sector bank management with the goal of boosting the quality of bank boards. The nine-month Directors’ Development Programme (DDP) is made for directors of Public Sector Banks and financial institutions with the main objective of improving director effectiveness and increasing their impact on boards, according to the Banks Board Bureau.

Key Points:

a)      This programme is aimed to help the directors think about the business’s future and upgrade themselves to be a source of wisdom and counsel for management and stakeholders in order to improve PSB’s performance levels in the world scenario.

b)      The curriculum, developed in partnership with IBA and others, will assist in empowering and enriching the board of directors, which is crucial for decision-making.

c)       Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Malhotra, who is also a BBB member, remarked that there is no end to what can be learned during this course.

d)      It added that the programme includes seminars, face-to-face interactive sessions, and self-paced online modules, and that the methodology is based on a practitioners approach, with introduction and refresher portions for new and experienced directors, respectively.

e)      Participants will be able to put their new knowledge into practise through facilitated case studies, simulations, and role plays, according to the announcement.

f)        Interaction with the corporate leaders and industry experts will increase awareness of key issues, according to the report.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Paytm to offer digital ticketing services by partnering with IRCTC: Paytm, a digital payments company, announced that it has expanded its partnership with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to provide consumers with digital ticketing services via Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) installed at railway stations across the country. Passengers will be able to scan QR codes generated on the screens to purchase unreserved train ride tickets, platform tickets, renew their seasonal tickets, and recharge smart cards.

Key Points:

a)      This is the first time Indian Railways has made it possible for customers to pay for tickets services online using UPI on ATMs, promoting cashless commuting.

b)      The ATVMs that have been installed at railway stations are touch-screen ticketing kiosks that will allow travellers to pay digitally without the use of smart cards.

c)       Passengers will now be able to scan QR codes that would be generated on the screens that can be used to purchase unreserved train ride tickets, platform tickets, renew their seasonal tickets, and recharge smart cards.

d)      Paytm allows passengers to pay using a variety of methods, including Paytm UPI, Paytm Wallet, Paytm Postpaid, Net Banking, Credit Card, and Debit Card.

e)      The new digital payment method based on Quick Response (QR) codes has already gone live across all ATVM machines at Indian railway stations.

Paytm’s latest ATVM digital payment solution is in addition to the company’s other railway-related offerings, which include e-catering payments and reserved train ticket booking via its smartphone. The new function is part of the company’s nationwide campaign to promote cashless transactions and digital payments.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. NMDC receives 1st prize in Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21: National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd Country’s largest Iron Ore producer, a CPSE under Ministry of Steel received 1st prize in the Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21 and company also received the Ispat Rajbhasha Prerna Award for 2019-20. The award ceremony was held in the meeting of the Hindi Salahakar Committee of the Ministry of Steel held in Madurai on 3rd March 2022. The Union Minister of Steel, Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, presented the accolades to Shri Sumit Deb, Chairman and Managing Director, NMDC.

About the NMDC: NMDC, a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Steel and one of the most profitable PSUs of the Government of India also it is an eco-friendly mining company and the largest producer of iron ore in India.

Note: NMDC Headquarters: Hyderabad; NMDC Founded: 15 November 1958.

 

2. President Kovind Presents ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ for 2020 and 2021: The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ for the years 2020 and 2021, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 08, 2022, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Overall 29 women have been conferred the award for the years 2020 and 2021 in recognition of their outstanding and exceptional work towards the empowerment of women, especially the vulnerable and marginalised. There were a total of 28 awards which included 14 awards each for the years 2020 and 2021. The award ceremony for the year 2020 could not be held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.