Daily GK Update- 17th April, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttarakhand to launch “Him Prahari” scheme for ex-servicemen & youngsters: The Government of Uttarakhand is set to implement the ‘Him Prahari’ Scheme which is meant for ex-servicemen and youngsters. The Uttarakhand Govt is seeking the cooperation of the Union Government to implement the scheme in areas bordering the Uttarakhand. The scheme will also prioritise settling ex-servicemen in areas bordering the state.

The scheme is aimed at stopping the migration of people from Uttarakhand and will focus on areas where migration occurs at a rapid phase so that people stay put, and not move out. The estimated expenditure of the scheme is around Rs 5.45 crore. The Him Prahari Scheme was announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Uttarakhand unit in its 2022 Election Manifesto. Under the scheme, the state will prioritise settling ex-servicemen in areas bordering the state. The state government will provide all necessary assistance to the ex-servicemen and the youth of the state to settle in the districts that share international borders keeping long-term national interests in mind.

Note: Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami; Uttarakhand Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (summer); Uttarakhand Governor:  Lt Gen Gurmit Singh.

 

2. Amrit Samagam inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah: Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, launched the Amrit Samagam, a summit of the country’s tourism and cultural ministers, in New Delhi. The Ministry of Culture is hosting a two-day conference, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The goal of this conference is to discuss how far the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has progressed so far, as well as to gather best practices and ideas for methods to be used for the remainder of the celebration, particularly for impending critical initiatives.

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and DONER Shri G. Kishan Reddy launched the Utsav Portal website during the conference, a digital initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism to showcase all events, festivals, and live darshans across India in order to promote different regions of the country as popular tourist destinations worldwide.

 

3. Ex-IPS officer Lalpura reappointed National Commission for Minorities chief: The central government has re-appointed retired Punjab-cadre IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities. Lalpura, who was first appointed as chairman in September last year, had to resign from the post in December to contest as the BJP candidate from the Ropar assembly constituency, which he lost.

A Sikh intellectual, who has written books on Sikh and Punjabi culture, Lalpura, was appointed BJP spokesperson in September last year. He had retired as deputy inspector general (DIG), Punjab Police, before joining the BJP in 2012. He served as the senior superintendent of police of Amritsar Rural, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts.

 

4. Indian Author Prem Rawat Launches His Book ‘Hear Yourself’: Indian author Prem Rawat has launched his book ‘Hear Yourself’ for the Indian subcontinent in Mumbai. This New York Times bestseller book is already available in 58 countries and five languages. This book is to help people understand their own potential. It will help them find peace in a noisy world. He also advised the audience that they have more wisdom in themselves than they perceive. This book is to help them develop better self-understanding.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UNDP Declares Grants of $2.2 Million in Climate Action for Innovators: The UNDP and partners of the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM) have announced $2.2 million in climate action funding for 22 local innovators from 19 countries, including India. The Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) window’s first round of funding will improve local climate action and speed the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s and Sustainable Development Goals’ ambitions. Key Points:

a)      The project enables local actors and contributes to UNDP’s and partners’ worldwide endorsement of the principles for locally driven adaptation action.

b)      The Adaptation Innovation Marketplace will provide technical support and know-how for new funding applications launched.

c)       AIM is a strategy platform that supports scaled-up adaptation at the local level, concentrating on civil society, non-governmental organisations, and women and youth innovators, and was launched by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner at the Climate Adaptation Summit in January 2021.

d)      The Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator receives technical support from the AIM partners, which include the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, the Least Developed Countries Universities Consortium on Climate Change, the Global Resilience Partnership, the Climate-Knowledge Innovation Community, and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

 

2. World Hemophilia Day: 17th April: World Hemophilia Day is observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. This year is the 31st edition of World Haemophilia Day. This year, the theme of the day has been kept as ‘Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging your government, integrating inherited bleeding disorders into national policy.’

History of the World Hemophilia Day: The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia. Since then, the day is observed to bring people suffering from hemophilia and other bleeding disorders together.

Hemophilia: It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Note: World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel; World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963; World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Australia’s Victoria to Host the 2026 Commonwealth Games: In a deviation from the conventional single host city approach, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Victoria in 2026, with the majority of events being organised by the state’s regional centres. In March 2026, the Games will be held in numerous towns and regional centres around Australia, including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Gippsland, each with its own athletes’ village. Key Points:

a)      The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) confirmed that the opening ceremony will be held at the famous 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.

b)      Following an exclusive consultation session between the CGF, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus), and Victoria, the announcement was made.

c)       A preliminary list of 16 sports has been proposed for the Games, including Twenty20 cricket, with further sports to be added later this year.

d)      However, sports like shooting and wrestling, which India has excelled in in earlier editions of the sporting spectacular, are not included on the original list.

e)      Archery is also absent from the list.

Roadmap for Commonwealth:

a)      According to the CGF’s new “strategic roadmap,” which was unveiled on October 11 at its 2021 General Assembly, athletics and swimming will be the only mandatory sports in the CWG starting in 2026, giving host cities more flexibility to include disciplines of their choice from a proposed core list of 22 sports.

b)      Shooting, wrestling, and archery are among the Commonwealth Games Federation’s suggested core list after a review.

c)       T20 cricket, beach volleyball, and 3×3 basketball, which were previously included as optional sports, have now been added to the planned core list of sports.

d)      The roadmap was accepted during the CGF’s General Assembly, which took place about a year ago.

e)      The Games in 2026 will be the 23rd edition of the major multi-sport event, which began in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Fino Payments Bank to buy 12.19% stake in Paysprint Pvt Ltd: Fino Payments Bank announced that its board of directors has approved a 12.19 percent minority strategic investment in New Delhi-based fintech Paysprint Pvt Ltd. Fino Payments Bank is making its first strategic investment since becoming public. This is in addition to the bank’s Fino 2.0 projects, which include many internal programmes aimed at creating a digital ecosystem for its customers. About Paysprint:

a)      Paysprint, a profitable fintech, is a fast-growing financial technology firm that provides next-generation application programming interfaces (APIs) in banking, payments, travel, lending, insurance, and investment, among other fields.

b)      Paysprint’s co-founder and CEO, S Anand, said the fintech company is excited to collaborate with Fino Payments Bank and combine technical knowledge to develop innovative banking products and solutions that will increase consumer acceptance.

c)       Paysprint completed its first full year of operations in FY22, with an annual GMV of Rs 5,500 crore.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. WTO cuts global trade growth forecast to 3% in 2022: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has revised down its projection for global trade growth (in volume) for 2022 to 3 per cent. Earlier in October 2021, this was estimated at 4.7 per cent. The downward revision follows the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has impacted commodity prices, disrupted supplies and intensified geopolitical and economic uncertainty. For 2023, this merchandise trade volume growth is projected at 3.4%.

In the longer term, the WTO said the conflict could even trigger the disintegration of the global economy into separate blocs. India’s real GDP, in such a scenario, would falter by 9% (deviation from a baseline projection), China’s by 7% and Russia’s by as much as 10%, it added.

Note: World Trade Organization Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; World Trade Organization Founded: 1 January 1995; Director-General of the World Trade Organization: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Falguni Nayar Crowned EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021: Falguni Nayar has been named as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, at the 23rd edition of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year India awards. She is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of beauty supply company Nykaa (FSN E-commerce). She will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) on June 9, 2022, at Monaco. The Lifetime Achievement was given to A. M. Naik, Group Chairman of Larsen & Toubro.

The winners were announced over nine other Categories for the Entrepreneur of the Year Program.

a)      Start-up: Vidit Aatrey, Co-founder & CEO and Sanjeev Barnwal, Co-founder & CTO, Fashnear Technology (Meesho)

b)      Business Transformation: Abhay Soi, Chairman and Managing Director, Max Healthcare

c)       Manufacturing: Sunil Vachani, Founder and Executive Chairman, Dixon Technologies

d)      Services: Sahil Barua, Co-founder and CEO, Delhivery

e)      Consumer Products & Retail: Shiv Kishan Agarwal, Chairman; and Manohar Lal Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director respectively, Haldiram Group

f)        Life Sciences & Healthcare: Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, Founder and CEO, Laurus Labs

g)      Financial Services: Harshil Mathur, Co-founder and CEO; and Shashank Kumar, Co-founder and CTO, Razorpay

h)      Technology, Media and Telecom: Girish Mathrubootham, Co-founder and CEO, Freshworks

i)        Entrepreneurial CEO: Vivek Vikram Singh, Managing Director and Group CEO, Sona Comstar

 

2. NMDC Wins Gold and Silver Awards at 80th SKOCH Summit 2022: In the 80th SKOCH Summit and SKOCH Awards, held recently in New Delhi, India’s largest iron ore producer, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), under the Ministry of Steel, received one gold and one silver medal. The SKOCH Summit’s subject was ‘State of BFSI & PSUs.’

Key Points:

a)      The project ‘Promotion of Technical Education and Skill Development in Dantewada District through NMDC ITI Bhansi’ got the Gold Award in the category social responsibility, and the project ‘Project Kalpataru’ for ERP implementation earned the Silver Award in the category digital inclusion. Shri Amitava Mukherjee, Director (Finance), accepted the honours on behalf of Chairman and Managing Director, Shri Sumit Deb, via video conference.

b)      The winners of the SKOCH Awards were chosen based on an application submitted on their website, a jury presentation, three rounds of popular online vote, and a second round of jury evaluation.

c)       NMDC was also honoured with three SKOCH – Order of Merit Awards for its outstanding efforts in ensuring seamless digitalisation in Project Kalpataru, for its extensive CSR efforts in promoting technical education and skill development in Dantewada’s remote districts, and for “Project Safety First” in the category Response to COVID.

Daily GK Update- 16th April, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UN-FAO: Mumbai and Hyderabad recognised as ‘2021 Tree City of the World’: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Arbor Day Foundation have jointly recognised Mumbai and Hyderabad as the ‘2021 Tree City of the World. The two Indian cities have won the recognition for their “commitment to growing and maintaining urban trees and greenery in building healthy, resilient and happy cities”. It must be noted that Hyderabad has been recognised for a second consecutive year. In 2021, Hyderabad was the only city in India to be recognised as a ‘ 2020 Tree City of the World’. Apart from Hyderabad and Mumbai 136 other cities from 21 countries have been recognised in the third edition of the Tree City of the World list.

About the programme: The United Nations’ ‘Tree City of the World’ programme provides direction, assistance, and worldwide recognition for communities’ dedication to its urban forest, and provides a framework for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry.

Note: Food and Agriculture Organisation Headquarters: Rome, Italy; Food and Agriculture Organisation Founded: 16 October 1945.

 

2. ADB to approve $2 million loan to support urban development in Nagaland: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed an agreement to provide a $2 million project readiness financing (PRF) loan to Nagaland for the design of climate-resilient urban infrastructure, strengthening institutional capacity, and improving municipal resource mobilisation. Key Points:

a)      According to a statement released by ADB, Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB, were the signatories to the project readiness financing (PRF) for the proposed Nagaland Urban Infrastructure Development Project.

b)      By establishing an urban sector plan, conducting feasibility studies, and comprehensive engineering designs of chosen subprojects, the ADB financing will ensure high project readiness.

c)       The PRF loan will be used to help construct climate resilient water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, and urban highways in Nagaland’s 16 district headquarter towns, as well as better access for the poor and vulnerable.

 

3. Commerce Ministry: Number of patent filings rises to 66,440 in FY22: As per the data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the number of domestic patent filings at the Indian patent office exceeded that of international filings for the first time in the last 11 years. During the January-March quarter of 2022, a total of 19796 patent applications were filed, which included 10,706 patents filed by Indian applicants and 9,090 by non-Indian applicants.

Key points:

a)      The number of patent filings increased from 42,763 in 2014-15 to 66,440 in 2021-22, more than a 50% increase in a span of 7 years.

b)      India granted 30,074 patents in 2021-22 as compared to 5,978 in 2014-15, an increase of nearly five times.

c)       Reduction in the time of patent examination from 72 months in Dec 2016 to 5-23 months at present for different technological areas.

 

4. Assamese New Year 2022, Rongali Bohag Bihu Festival: Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, one of the biggest festivals of Assam, falls in the second week of April every year, marking the beginning of the harvest period. This year Bohag Bihu is being observed from April 14 to April 16. Rongali means joy in Assamese and the festival indeed is the time to rejoice and make merry with family and community.

The first day of the Hindu solar calendar is celebrated in the states of Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Kerala, Manipur, and West Bengal among others with different names and traditions. Bihu is celebrated thrice a year; apart from Rongali or Bohag Bihu – Kati Bihu or Kongaali Bihu and Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu are celebrated to mark different stages of the harvesting period.

History of the Assamese New Year: The history of Bihu is said to go back to ancient times, around 3500 BC, when people made fire sacrifices for a better harvest. It is said that an agrarian tribe who lived in the north-eastern part of the world thousands of years back celebrated the festival.

Note: Assam Capital: Dispur; Assam Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma; Assam Governor: Jagadish Mukhi.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Harsh Vardhan Shringla named India’s G20 chief coordinator: Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will take over next month as G20 chief coordinator, the government officially announced. The appointment is significant as India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders Summit for the first time in India in 2023. Shringla will retire on 30th April 2022, handing over charge to foreign secretary-designate V M Kwatra, who is currently India’s ambassador to Nepal. The G20 sherpa will remain to be Piyush Goyal, the Indian Commerce Minister.

About the summit: G20 Bali Summit 2022 is the 17th meeting of the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit which is scheduled to take place in Bali, Indonesia from November 15-16, 2022 under the Presidency of Indonesia with the overall theme of “Recover Together Recover Stronger”.

 

2. Airports Council International: Top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2021: The Airports Council International (ACI) released the list of the top 10 busiest airports worldwide for 2021. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has topped the list with 75.7 million passengers. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) 62.5 million passengers) is second, followed by Denver International Airport (DEN, 58.8 million passengers) at the third spot.

Among the top 10 airports for passenger traffic, 8 are in the United States with the two remaining in China. The airports are ranked based on the preliminary compilation of 2021 global data from airports around the world including passenger traffic, cargo volumes, and aircraft movements.

Top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2021:

 

Ranks	Airport	Passengers*
1	Atlanta	75,704,760
2	Dallas Fort Worth	62,465,756
3	Denver	58,828,552
4	Chicago O’Hare	54,020,339
5	Los Angeles	48,007,284
6	Charlotte	43,302,230
7	Orlando International	40,351,068
8	Guangzhou	40,259,401
9	Chengdu	40,117,496
10	Las Vegas	39,754,366

 

3. Save the Elephant Day: 16th April: Save the Elephant Day is celebrated on April 16 every year to raise awareness about the dangers elephants face and the various difficulties they have to overcome to live. Save The Elephant Day aims to change this alarming trend by educating people about elephants and the plights they face, encouraging everyone to do their bit and helping save them from extinction.

The Day is established by the Thailand-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, to spread awareness among the general people about the significance and consequences of their actions, or inactions on the future of elephants. According to WWF data, at present, the population of Pachyderms in India is around 20,000 to 25,000.

 

4. World Voice Day: 16th April: World Voice Day (WVD) is celebrated globally on April 16 every year. The day is observed to demonstrate the enormous importance of the voice in the daily lives of all people. The Day is a global annual event dedicated to recognizing the boundless limits of the human voice. The mission is to share the excitement of the voice phenomenon with people, scientists, and other funding bodies. This year, the theme of the World Voice Day campaign is ‘Lift your voice’.

History: The celebration of World Voice Day was initiated by a group of vocal care professionals in Brazil. In 1999, the Brazilian Society of Laryngology and Voice under the chairmanship of Dr Nedio Steffen first celebrated the day as Brazilian Voice Day on 16 April. The day was also observed in Portugal and Argentina. Then in 2002, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery started to celebrate the day and the day earned an official recognition of World Health Day.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Netherlands Won FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup 2022: The Netherlands has lifted their fourth title of FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup 2022 after beating Germany at Potchefstroom, South Africa. The Netherlands is the most successful team. England claimed the bronze medal in the third-place match after defeating India by 3-0 in the shoot-out.

The FIH has banned Russia from the 2022 Women’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup due to 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 2023 Women’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup will be the tenth edition and will be held in Santiago, Chile.

Note: Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam; Netherlands Currency: Euro; Netherlands Prime minister: Mark Rutte.

 

2. R Praggnanandhaa wins prestigious Reykjavik Open chess tournament: 16-year-old chess sensation R Pragganandhaa has won the prestigious Reykjavik Open chess tournament in Reykjavik, Iceland. In the final played between two Indian players, it was R Praggnanandhaa who won the contest beating compatriot GM D Gukesh in the final round. The Indian youngster scored 7½/9 and finished a half-point ahead. R Praggnanandhaa also posted four other wins, including the one over American Abhimanyu Mishra, who, last year, became the then youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 years and four months.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank Launches Digital Platform, FYN: Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL) has launched Kotak FYN, a new enterprise platform designed specifically for Business Banking and Corporate clients. Customers of the bank can utilise the portal to conduct all trade and service transactions.

Key Points of Kotak FYN:

a)      According to a press release, the Kotak FYN portal will contain many other services by the fourth quarter of 2022, including account services, payments, and collections.

b)      The portal will also have a dashboard that consumers can personalise, real-time tracking of transaction limits, access to prior transactions, and upcoming transaction events, among other things.

c)       It also promises to deliver a tailored experience in small steps with system stability.

Kodak FYN to Offer Following Services:

a)      Kotak FYN seeks to provide clients with a consistent experience across all product platforms through a unified perspective.

b)      The platform ensures paperless transactions and the ability to follow transactions from beginning to end.

c)       It delivers status updates, decreasing requests and retrieval of uploaded documents, as well as a safe and secure channel with authentication.

d)      Kodak FYM is a digital corporate portal that serves as a one-stop shop.

e)      The backbone of rising digital trade will be FYN’s end-to-end digital architecture, better efficiency, speed, and enhanced security protocols.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. India’s Retail Inflation Rose to 6.95% in March: India’s retail inflation surged to a 17-month high of 6.95% in March from 6.07% in the previous month due to a sharp increase in food prices, the National Statistical Office (NSO) data showed. Retail inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has remained above the upper limit of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tolerance band for the third consecutive month. The retail inflation stood at 6.01 per cent in January 2022. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on inflation stood at 5.52% in March 2021. The price rise was sharper in rural India than in urban. CPI for rural India surged to 7.66% in March from 6.38% in the previous month. CPI-based inflation for urban India rose to 6.12% in March 2022 from 5.75% in the previous month.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Champion of Change Award 2021 in Madhya Pradesh announced: Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have reached the program of Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh 2021 organized by ‘Interactive Forum on Indian Economy’(IFIE) at Kushabhau Thackeray auditorium in Bhopal. The organization recognizes them for the great work done by individuals and organizations towards promoting the values ​​of courage, community service and inclusive social development.

Celebrities including the Chief Minister will be honoured in the program. Here are the names of the awardees:

a)      Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan;

b)      Former Governor of UP and Mizoram Dr Aziz Qureshi;

c)       Music performer Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai;

d)      Mayor of Indore Malini Laxmansingh Gaur;

e)      Rajya Sabha MP Syed Zafar Islam;

f)        Indian actress Divyanka Tripathi;

g)      Indian film actor and lyricist Piyush Mishra;

h)      BJP leader Vikram Verma, Banwari Lal Chouksey, Dr Bhagirath Prasad, Kalapini Komakali, Sudhir Bhai Goyal, Girish Agarwal, Dilip Suryavanshi, Abhijeet Sukhdane, Aarya Chavda, Rohit Singh Tomar, Megha Parmar, Vikas Bhaduaria, Priyanka Dwivedi.

i)        CEO of FidyPay Manan Dixit, Mayur Sethi, Renu Sharma, Dr Prakash Jain and Rajneet Jain.

About the Award: Champions of Change is an Indian award, for promoting Gandhian values, (Swachata), community service and social development (in Aspirational district in India), selected by constitutional jury members headed by K.G. Balakrishnan, Former Chief Justice of India and Former Chairman NHRC along with Former Judge of Supreme Court of India.

 

2. PM Narendra Modi to be honoured with 1st Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the inaugural Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award which is instituted in the memory of the veteran singer of Lata Mangeskar. PM Modi will receive the award for selfless service to the nation and society. The award ceremony will be held on April 24 which marks the 80th death anniversary of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar (singing legend’s father).

Among the other awardees will be singer Rahul Despande, who will receive the Master Deenanath Award besides three other special awardees including veteran actress Asha Parekh, actor Jackie Shroff and the Mumbai Dabbawalas, represented by Nutan Tiffin Suppliers.

Daily GK Update- 15th April, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi virtually addressed 14th Foundation Day of Umiya Mata Temple: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the Umiya Mata Temple, a religious site in Gujarat’s Junagadh, has now become a central focus for social consciousness. He explained that the temple helps the underprivileged members of the community by providing free health treatment as well as religious and social activities. Umiya Mata is the Kuldevi of Gujarat’s Kadva Patidar community.

Key Points:

a)      On Ramnavami, Prime Minister Modi was virtually speaking at the 14th foundation day festivities of Umiya Mata Temple in Junagadh. Mr Modi also presided over the temple’s inauguration in 2008, when he was Gujarat’s, Chief Minister.

b)      Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to practise natural farming for the sake of future generations. He stated that we should not exploit our homeland for personal gain.

c)       He emphasised that just as we understand the necessity of water conservation, we must also realise the importance of preserving and nurturing our motherland through natural farming.

d)      Modi also urged people to take care of children, especially female children, by eating nutritious food. People might establish healthy child tournaments, he suggested, in order to raise awareness about nutritional food.

 

2. NITI Aayog’s State Energy and Climate Index: Gujarat tops: NITI Aayog has launched the State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) Round I. The State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) Round I ranks the states’ performance on 6 parameters, namely, (1) DISCOM’s Performance (2) Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy (3) Clean Energy Initiatives (4) Energy Efficiency (5) Environmental Sustainability; and (6) New Initiatives.

These parameters are further divided into 27 indicators. Based on the composite score of SECI Round I, the states and UTs have been ranked as larger states, smaller states, and UTs, based on size and geographical differences. States and UTs are categorized into three groups: Front Runners, Achievers, and Aspirants.

 

1	Top Three States among Larger States Category	Gujarat
		Kerala
		Punjab
2	Top Three States among Smaller States Category	Goa
		Tripura
		Manipur
3	Top Three UTs	Chandigarh
		Delhi
		Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli

 

3. KADAM: India’s first indigenous polycentric prosthetic knee made by IIT-Madras: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have unveiled India’s first Polycentric Prosthetic Knee, which seeks to improve the conditions for thousands above the amputees. ‘Kadam,‘ a polycentric knee for above Knee Prosthesis created in collaboration with Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) and Mobility India, and is also a ‘Made in India’ product. ‘KADAM’ features:

a)      Above-knee amputees can now walk with a natural gait thanks to Kadam. It not only attempts to improve users’ mobility, but also their quality of life by increasing community participation, access to education, livelihood opportunities, and overall well-being.

b)      It was created by a team at IIT Madras’ TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), which also created and commercialised the country’s first standing wheelchair, ‘Arise,’ and the NeoFly-NeoBolt: active wheelchair and motorised add-on for seamless indoor-outdoor mobility.

c)       R2D2 is active in human movement research, as well as the design and development of rehabilitative and assistive equipment for persons who have movement disabilities.

d)      Because of the many axes of rotation, Kadam has an advantage over a hinge joint because it also gives the user extra control over the prosthesis while moving and allows for maximal flexion and extension of 160 degrees, making it much easier to sit in small areas like buses and vehicles.

e)      It is made of high-strength stainless steel and aluminium alloy, as well as strong chrome plated EN8 pins and polymer bushings with a long fatigue life.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Ecuador became 1st country to give legal rights to wild animals: Ecuador, a South American Country, became the first country in the world to give legal rights to wild animals. The highest court in the country has ruled in favour of the case that focused on a woolly monkey named “Estrellita” who was taken from her home to a zoo, where she passed just a week later. The court decided to rule in favour of Estrellita and said that her rights had been violated by the government. However, they added that the animal’s rights were also violated by the owner when she removed her from her natural habitat at a young age. The Court has finally stated that animals are subject to rights protected by the rights of nature.

About the Estrellita:

a)      Estrellita was just a month old when she was taken away from the wild so that she could become a pet for librarian Ana Beatriz Burbano Proaño.

b)      Proaño took care of Estrellita for 18 years, however, was seized by authorities in 2019, as owning wild animals is illegal in the South American country.

c)       After being relocated to a zoo, the monkey sadly died. Following the tragic incident, the owner Ana Beatriz Burbano Proañ filed a habeas corpus asking the court to rule that the monkey’s rights were violated.

Note: Ecuador Capital: Quito; Ecuador Currency: United States Dollar; Ecuador President: Guillermo Lasso.

 

2. World Art Day: 15th April: World Art Day is observed every year on 15 April globally. This day is being celebrated all over the world to emphasize the importance of art that nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural diversity for all peoples across the globe. The day was declared by the International Association of Art (IAA), an NGO working in official partnership with UNESCO.

History of the World Art Day: The first celebration of World Art Day was held on April 15, 2012. The date has been selected in honour of the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, the famous painter of the Mona Lisa. He was chosen as a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, brotherhood and multiculturalism as well as art’s importance to other fields.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. 1st Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament held in Jamshedpur: The first Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery will be held in Tata Archery Academy, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has approved Rs 75 Lakh to host the Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament over six phases. The tournament will be conducted as per the World Archery Rules, held in the senior, Junior, and Cadet Categories across the Recurve and Compound events. The Archery Association of India (AAI), in collaboration with the Jharkhand Archery Association and TATA Steel, is organizing the tournament.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Bank of Maharashtra to divest 4% Stake in ISARC: Bank of Maharashtra announced that it will sell its entire 4% ownership in India SME Asset Reconstruction Company for almost Rs 4 crore. According to a regulatory statement, the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has entered a share purchase agreement for the sale of the entire equity position of 4% in India SME Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (ISARC). Key Points:

a)      The bank’s 4% stake, which translates to 40,00,000 equity shares, would be sold for Rs 9.80 per share for Rs 3.92 crore in cash.

b)      The sale of ISARC’s interest is subject to RBI approval for a change in ISARC’s sponsor shareholder. By the end of December 2022, the transaction should be closed.

c)       ISARC’s overall revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2021 was Rs 11.09 crore, with a net profit of Rs 0.36 crore.

d)      In FY20, it lost Rs 8.39 crore, and in FY19, it lost Rs 9.21 crore.

e)      ISARC is the country’s first Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), with a large number of public sector banks and undertakings supporting it. It focuses on MSME NPA resolution.

f)        SIDBI, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, and SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd are among the sponsors of the ARC.

g)      On the BSE, the stock of BoM finished at Rs 18.80 per share, up 0.27 percent from its previous closing of Rs 18.75.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. India’s gold imports increased by 33.34% to Rs 46.14 billion in 2021-22: According to the official data, the import of gold in India has been rose by 33.34% to Rs 46.14 billion on account of higher demand in 2021-22. The import of gold in 2020-21 was about Rs 34.62 billion. The increase in gold imports has contributed to the widening of the trade deficit to $192.41 billion, against $102.62 billion in 2020-21. India is the world’s second-biggest gold consumer after China. The imports are largely driven by the jewellery industry. The export of gems and jewellery grew by about 50% to about $39 billion during 2021-22.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan conferred with 56th Jnanpith Award: Assam Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the country’s highest literary award, the 56th Jnanpith for the year 2021 to one of the most celebrated poets of Assam, Nilamani Phookan. Nilmani Phookan is the third person to win the Jnanpith Award from Assam after Mamoni Roisom Goswami and Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya. The Award carried a Citation, a shawl, and Rs. 11 lakh.

Notably: Novelist Damodar Mauzo was chosen for the 57th Jnanpith Award 2022 for his contribution to Indian literature. The 77-year-old writer was conferred with the country’s highest literary award for his “outstanding contribution to literature”.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Union Minister Amit Shah inaugurates Seema Darshan Project at Indo-Pak border: Union Home and Cooperative Minister, Amit Shah has inaugurated the Seema Darshan Project at Nadabet on the Indo-Pak border in Banaskantha District of Gujarat. The project was launched with the aim to provide an opportunity for the citizen to observe the life and work of the BSF personnel on our border. The tourist can see missiles, tanks, aircraft etc which are used by the Indian Army and BSF at Nadabet. Key points of the project:

a)      The project was initiated with the objective of giving the citizens of the nation an opportunity to see firsthand the lifestyle of the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel who are constantly protecting their motherland, as well as to observe their living conditions, and their duties and their patriotism.

b)      The idea to develop another border viewing point for tourists was mooted when Vijay Rupani was chief minister of Gujarat in 2018. It took three years for the state government to develop the point.

c)       Under the Seema Darshan Project, Nadabet, located on the India-Pakistan border, is being developed as a tourist attraction destination at a cost of Rs 125 crore by the state tourism department.

Note: Border Security Force Headquarters: New Delhi; Border Security Force Founded: 1 December 1965; Border Security Force Director General: Pankaj Kumar Singh.

 

2. DRDO conducts successful flight-test of anti-tank guided missile ‘Helina’: A team of scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) jointly conducted the successful flight test of the indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ at high-altitude ranges. The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and the missile was fired successfully, engaging a simulated tank target in the Pokhran desert ranges, Rajasthan.

About the HELINA missile: HELINA is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world. The missile has a maximum range of 7 kilometres. It has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad.

Note: Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.

 

3. Advanced light helicopter MK III squadron commissioned by ICG: Two Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III were inducted into the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The choppers will be based out of Kochi’s Coast Guard Aviation Squadron. These choppers were the ninth and tenth in a series of 16 ALH. Key Points:

a)      HAL is building and delivering helicopters to the Coast Guard at four bases: Porbandar, Bhubaneshwar, Kochi, and Chennai.

b)      Two ICG facilities in Bhubaneswar and Porbandar have already received eight helicopters.

c)       The Indian Coast Gurad bought these ALH MK III helicopters for a variety of operations, including maritime surveillance, search and rescue, medical evacuation, ship logistical support, and interdiction, making ALH the ideal flying vehicle for specialised missions.