Daily GK Update- 25th Oct, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ‘Mission Schools of Excellence’ launched by PM Modi in Gujarat: The ‘Mission Schools of Excellence’ is an ambitious project in Gandhinagar with the dual goals of reforming the curriculum in Gujarat’s public schools and countering the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) criticisms of the State government for the low quality of education. Key Points:

a)      The ‘Mission Schools of Excellence’ has a budget of 10,000 crore and is partially supported by the World Bank.

b)      It was designed to improve the state’s educational infrastructure by constructing new classrooms, smart classrooms, computer labs, and other improvements.

c)       Over 5,567 crore worth of school infrastructure upgrades would be carried out during its first phase.

d)      In addition to 1.5 lakh smart classrooms, 50,000 classrooms, 20,000 computer labs, and 5,000 Atal Tinkering labs will be built as part of the project in government schools.

e)      Earlier, Mr. Modi had opened a school monitoring centre in Gandhinagar and urged all States to establish such cutting-edge facilities to raise the standard of instruction in classrooms.

 

2. Wildlife Board Approves Durgavati Tiger Reserve as New Tiger Reserve: The Durgavati Tiger Reserve is a 2,339 square kilometers new tiger reserve that will spread across Narsinghpur, Damoh, and Sagar districts. Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board has approved the making of a new tiger reserve of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTP), one-fourth of which will get submerged due to the Linkin of the Ken-Betwa rivers. Key Points:

a)      The new tiger reserve will be known as Durgavati Tiger Reserve and it will spread across Narsinghpur, Damoh, and Sagar districts.

b)      A green corridor linking PTR with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve.

c)       The Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board was chaired by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He approved a notify 1,414 sq km area as the core area and 925 sq km as a buffer in the new tiger reserve.

d)      The new tiger reserves are a part of a wildlife management plan for Panna for the Ken-Betwa rivers linking project.

e)      The two state governments with the center are implementing a ₹44,605 crore river-linking project to end the water crisis in the Bundelkhand region.

 

3. UIDAI topped Grievance Redressal Index for second consecutive month: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which oversees Aadhaar, has once again topped the September rankings report published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), for resolving most public grievances among all government ministries and government departments. This is the second consecutive month UIDAI has topped the rankings. Key Points:

a)      UIDAI has been a top performer in the resolution of Public Grievances received through the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), and making continuous efforts to make Aadhaar holder’s experience better.

b)      UIDAI has a strong grievance redressal ecosystem in place comprising of UIDAI HQ, its Regional Offices, Technology Centre, and engaged contact centre partners. A coherent system is enabling UIDAI to resolve around 92% of CRM Grievances within a week.

c)       The organization is facilitating ease of living and is further committed to strengthening its Grievance Redressal Mechanism. UIDAI is gradually rolling out state-of-the-art Open-Source CRM solutions. The new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution has been designed with advanced features to enhance UIDAI service delivery to residents.

d)      The new CRM Solution has the capability to support multi-channels like phone call, emails, chatbots, web portals, social media, letters, and walk-ins through which the grievances can be lodged, tracked and resolved effectively.

Note: UIDAI CEO: Dr. Saurabh Garg; UIDAI Founded: 28 January 2009; UIDAI Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

4. Centre appoints Sanjay Malhotra as new Revenue Secretary: The Centre has appointed Sanjay Malhotra, a 1990 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Rajasthan cadre, as the new revenue secretary. He will replace Tarun Bajaj who will superannuate at the end of November. Malhotra, currently serving as secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS), will join the Revenue Department as an officer on special duty. The centre has announced new secretaries for 16 ministries and departments. Another appointment:

a)      Aramane Giridhar, 1988 batch IAS of Andhra Pradesh cadre, currently secretary in the Ministry of Road, transport and Highways (MoRTH) will be the new defence secretary on superannuation of Ajay Kumar on October 31.

b)      Manoj Govil, 1991 batch IAS of Madhya Pradesh Cadre, will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He is currently serving in his home cadre.

c)       Tarun Bajaj currently has additional charge of secretary corporate affairs ministry.

d)      Vivek Joshi, 1989 batch lAS officer of the Haryana cadre, will take over as secretary in the Department of Financial Services. He is currently Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.

e)      Nagendra Nath Sinha, 1987 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, currently serving as secretary in the Department of Rural Development, will be the new steel secretary on the superannuation of Sanjay Kumar Singh.

f)        Shailesh Kumar Singh, 1991 batch IAS of Jharkhand cadre, will take over as secretary in the Department of Rural Development.

g)      Kamran Rizvi, 1991 batch IAS of UP cadre, will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

 

5. Dr. Sankarasubramanian K. named Principal Scientist of ISRO’s Aditya-L1 mission: The Indian Space Research Organisation has designated Dr. Sankarasubramanian K as the Principal Scientist of the Aditya-L1 mission. Sankarasubramanian has contributed to AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions of ISRO in several capacities.

About Aditya-L1:

a)      Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system.

b)      A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses. This position provides a greater advantage of observing solar activities continuously.

c)       Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.

d)      Four payloads directly view the Sun from the unique vantage point of L1, and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1.

Note: ISRO Chairman: S. Somanath; ISRO’s foundation Date: 15th August, 1969; ISRO’s Founder: Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India, France Re-Elected as President, and Co-President of International Solar Alliance: In the third assembly of ISA, Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh has been re-elected as the President of International Solar Alliance. France Minister of State for Development Chrysoula Zacharopoulou has been re-elected as Co-President. Key Points:

a)      The Third Assembly of the International Solar Alliance has been attended by 34 ISA Members ministers. 53 Member countries and 5 Signatory and Prospective Member countries participated to the Assembly.

b)      India and France were re-elected as the President and Co- President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a term of two years at the virtual meeting of the Third Assembly.

c)       Four new Vice-Presidents were also chosen to represent the four regions of ISA. The representatives of Fiji & Nauru for Asia Pacific Region; Mauritius & Niger for Africa Region; UK & Netherlands for Europe and others Region, and Cuba and Guyana for Latin America and Caribbean Region assumed the vice presidency.

 

2. Ookla Report: India Drops Down in Rankings for Mobile, Fixed Broadband Speeds Globally: India drops three spots in the Global Ranking for median mobile speed. It went from 115th to 118th in June from May. According to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index report, India’s median mobile download speed has decreased from 14.28 Mbps in May to 14.00 Mbps in June.

Key Points:

a)      India improved its global ranking in June for the median download speeds on fixed broadband by going three spots forward from 75th to 72nd.

b)      In May, the overall fixed median download speed in India was 47.86 Mbps as compared to 48.11 Mbps in June.

c)       In the overall global median mobile speed, Norway is in the top spot and was joined by Chile.

d)      The second spot is bagged by Singapore in terms of overall global fixed broadband speeds.

e)      In June, Papua New Guinea and Gabon registered the highest growth for mobile download speeds and fixed broadband speeds.

 

3. Global Media and Information Literacy Week: 24th to 31st October: Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2022 is observed from October 24 to October 31. The Global MIL Week 2022 focuses on trust and solidarity as it relates to people, media, digital platforms, governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. It highlights some promising actions in connection with media and information literacy in the last year and how media and information literacy helps with nurturing trust and countering mistrust.

UNESCO has announced the theme for this year’s MIL week as “Nurturing trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative.” The eleventh Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week is hosted by Nigeria and is taking place in Abuja, as well as online.

Note: UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945; UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France; UNESCO Members: 193 countries; UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.

 

4. Disarmament Week: 24th to 30th October: Disarmament Week is celebrated from October 24 to 30 each year. Week seeks to promote awareness and a better understanding of disarmament issues and their cross-cutting importance.

Disarmament Week History: Starting on 24 October, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the week-long annual observance was first called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments, as well as NGOs, to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week (resolution 50/72 B, 12 December 1995) in order to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament issues. The United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) was established in 1952. It was tasked with creating proposal documents for treaties to regulate and reduce the number of armed forces and weapons possessed by nations.

Note: United Nations Disarmament Commission Founded: 11 January 1952; United Nations Disarmament Commission Headquarters location: New York, New York, United States; United Nations Disarmament Commission Head: Han Tae-song.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. FIFA: Tazuni unveiled as mascot for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Tazuni, a fun, football-loving penguin is unveiled as the Official Mascot of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. Tazuni will become an important symbol for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand, appearing on official tournament merchandise and media platforms, as well as in real life in community activities ahead of the event.

Tazuni, a 15-year-old midfielder whose story involves her falling in love with football after playing with a group of children on a beach, is set to feature on merchandise, media platforms and community activities in the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The name Tazuni is a fusion of the Tasman sea, the home of penguins and Unity, which is the key value of the event.

About FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: The 2023 FIFA Women’s World cup will be the 9th edition in the series and this is the first time that 2 nations co­host the tournament. The tournament will be split between Australia and New Zealand and in total, there will be 64 games played across 10 different venues in 9 different cities (5 in Australia and four 4 in New Zealand).

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. HDFC Securities Opens Women-Only Digital Centre in Bengaluru: Leading stock brokerage firm, HDFC Securities, announced the opening of the first-ever Women-Only Digital Centre (DC) in India. This pioneering centre, staffed with a team of women, will serve both male and female investors. This closely follows the company’s announcement regarding the opening of multiple DCs across India to ease access to services and promote digital adoption.

The Women-Only DC is another step in HDFC Securities’ aim to foster diversity within the organization, while also empowering its customers with technology that eases their journey to financial freedom. The company’s digital focus is also driven by the fact that India has among the largest populations of young adults in the world, with Gen Z making up 27% of them. This is why the company intends to hire women aged below 30 years for this revolutionary digital centre. HDFC Securities plans to hire more than 100+ relationship managers for the Women-Only DC in Bengaluru.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Reliance Jio to deploy 5G gear from Nokia & Ericsson: European telecom gear makers, Nokia and Ericsson have inked multi-year supply contracts with Reliance Jio for supplying 5G network equipment to the country’s largest carrier for deploying standalone or 5G SA. With the deals, both Nokia and Ericsson are supplying to India’s three largest mobile operators including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. While Vodafone Idea is yet to announce its 5G strategy, both Airtel and Jio have said that they will provide pan-India 5G coverage by 2024.

Future plans of Reliance Jio:

a)      Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G network. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low latency.

b)      Swedish supplier Ericsson said that its long-term strategic 5G contract with Jio will include the deployment of its energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions from the company’s portfolio and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.

c)       Finnish supplier Nokia said it will provide 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its AirScale portfolio including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software.

 

2. MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, OYO fined Rs 392 crore by CCI: Make My Trip, Goibibo (MMT-Go), and OYO were fined Rs 392 crore by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). CCI fined these companies which were spelled out in a 131-page order which is for “unfair business practices”. Make My Trip and Goibibo will pay a fine of Rs 223.48 crore while OYO will pay Rs 168.88 crore. Key Points:

a)      MMT-Go alleged that it imposed a price parity in its agreements with hotel partners.

b)      These deals restrict the hotel to not sell its rooms on any other platform or its online portal at a price below the price at which it is being offered on the two entities.

c)       Make My Trip accorded preferential treatment to OYO on its platform which caused a denial of market access to other companies.

d)      The findings are the results of a detailed investigation into the matter that was on since 2019.

e)      The CCI also directed MMT-GO to suitably modify its agreements with hotels/chains hotels to remove/abandon the price and room availability parity obligations imposed by it on its hotel/chain hotel partners.

 

3. Reliance Jio surpasses BSNL to become largest landline service provider in August: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio became the largest landline service provider in the country for the first time, in August. With 7.35 million landline connections as on August 31, Reliance Jio beat state-owned telecom operator and hitherto market leader BSNL’s 7.13 million connections, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Third-placed MTNL provided 2.6 million connections. Key Points:

a)      The number of landline connections rose to 25.97 million in August (according to Trai’s data released on Tuesday), from 25.62 million in July). This has been attributed to better connection plans, the reopening of offices after the pandemic, and more importantly, higher uptake of landline-based broadband connections.

b)      However, of total 1.17 billion telecom connections in the country, less than 2 per cent are currently landlines. BSNL and MTNL together held 37.4 per cent of the landline market share as on August 31. Jio still leads the wireless segment

c)       Reliance Jio cemented its lead in the wireless segment, gaining 3.2 million mobile-phone subscribers in August. Jio’s onboarding of new users gained pace over the three months until August — with 2.9 million new users in July, and 0.4 million new subscribers in June.

Daily GK Update- 24th Oct, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana-One Nation One Fertiliser. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana, companies must market all subsidized fertilizers under a single brand, ‘Bharat’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the single brand under the scheme during the two-day event PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022. The launch event was felicitated by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The event was also joined by more than one crore farmers who joined virtually.

About One Nation One Fertiliser: The One Nation One Fertiliser aims to give farmers quality crop nutrients at low costs under the ‘One Nation, One Fertiliser’. The farmers will be introduced to nano urea to ease the farming process. Only one nano urea bottle can replace a sackful of urea. The scheme is introduced to prevent the Criss-cross movement of Fertilisers brand reduce high freight subsidies. All subsidized soil nutrients including urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Postas (MoP), and NPK will be marketed under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana scheme and single brand ‘Bharat.

 

2. $500 Million Accelerator Program to Strengthen Agri Startups to be launched by Centre: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced that the central government will launch a Rs 500 crore accelerator programme to support the productive ideas of agro businesses. On the second day of the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan, Tomar made numerous significant announcements regarding big policy efforts for agriculture entrepreneurs.  

Key Points:

a)      Narendra Singh Tomar stated that an executive committee made up of relevant organisations.

b)      This will include the Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE), DPIIT, agricultural incubators and knowledge partners, agricultural universities, research institutes, top investors, and other stakeholders would be established under the chairmanship of the agriculture secretary.

c)       Additionally, a webpage will be established to compile a database of all farm startups and track their progress.

 

3. Indian Railways Announces the Closure of COFMOW: The Ministry of Railways announced the closure of the Central Organisation for Modernization of Workshops (COFMOW), New Delhi. It will come in effect from 1st December 2022. Railway Board confirmed the winding up of the four-decade old organization that contributed significantly towards the modernization of the workshop across the railway networks, with the recommendations of the Principal Economic Advisor, and Ministry of Finance. Key Points:

a)      COFMOW was barred from floating or opening of tenders with the immediate effect of closure.

b)      All the sanctioned works against which tender have not been finalised.

c)       The workers will be transferred to the respective Zonal Railways or Production Unit.

d)      All non-gazetted posts would be surrendered and the staff released/repatriated/re-deployed somewhere else.

e)      The infrastructure and buildings of the organization will be handed over to the Railway Board by 30th November 2022.

 

4. Google partners with Assam Government to power digitalled learning: In order to help and expedite the Assam government’s objective to foster digital growth and development in the State, Google inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). As part of this new initiative, Google will work with the Assam Government’s Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship Department (SEED) to strengthen school digitization efforts with digital tools and solutions to support teaching and learning, as well as to promote the fundamentals of online safety and digital citizenship to schoolchildren through the “Be Internet Awesome” programme. Along with providing scholarships, Google will work with the Assam Skill Development Mission to offer Google Career Certificates to young people in Assam (ASDM). Key Points:

a)      Using the collaborative technologies of Google for Education, provide digital education to public schools.

b)      With teacher preparation and certification, Google for Education will support digital learning in schools all over Assam and work with the State to digitise education.

c)       All teachers and students in the State will have access to Google Workspace for Education – Fundamentals, the company’s digital learning platform.

d)      Primary school kids can safely and independently acquire and develop their reading abilities with the help of Google’s “Read Along” programme.

 

5. Freedom House: India’s internet freedom improves after 4 years downturn: Following initiatives to close the digital divide in the nation, India’s internet freedom score increased by two points to 51 in the overall ranking, according to the US government-funded NGO Freedom House. Reduced frequency and intensity of nationwide internet outages also contributed to the score improvement. In terms of internet freedom, India scored 49 in 2021. Key points:

a)      The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, among other laws allowing the government to censor online content, have reportedly been challenged in court, leading to restrictions being placed on some of the government’s powers.

b)      The US government-funded NGO discovered that internet freedom had deteriorated worldwide for the 12th year in a row, with Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, and Libya experiencing the biggest declines.

c)       According to the research, China had the worst internet freedom conditions in the world for the eighth year in a row, while internet freedom in the United States somewhat improved for the first time in six years.

 

6. Ayodhya Deepotsav to light over 15 lakh diyas, to make World Record: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present during the sixth Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He carried out a ceremonial coronation of the Lord and inspected the Ram temple’s building. The big “Deepotsav” celebrations began when the PM attended the “aarti” on the banks of the Saryu at approximately 6.30 p.m. Over 15 lakh diyas would be lit on the event, breaking its own previous world record. Ayodhya set a new Guinness World Record for burning the most earthen lamps, 15.76 lakh, on the banks of the Saryu.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Indus Waters Treaty: World Bank Appoints Chairman of Court of Arbitration: The World Bank has appointed a “neutral expert” and a chairman of the Court of Arbitration regarding the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power plants, in view of disagreements and differences between India and Pakistan over the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Announcing the appointments, the World Bank said that it is confident that the highly qualified experts appointed as Neutral Expert and as members of the Court of Arbitration will engage in fair and careful consideration of their jurisdictional mandate, as they are empowered to do by the Treaty.

The Appointees: Michel Lino has been appointed as the Neutral Expert and Sean Murphy has been appointed as Chairman of the Court of Arbitration. They will carry out their duties in their individual capacity as subject matter experts and independently of any other appointments they may currently hold, the World Bank said in a statement.

 

2. One Health Joint Plan of Action: WHO, UNEP, and FAO lay a plan: The One Health Joint Plan of Action would develop a framework and integrate systems and capability to enable improved collaborative prevention, prediction, detection, and response to health hazards. This will support sustainable development while enhancing the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. Key Points:

a)      A sustainable balance and optimization of the health of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems are the goals of the comprehensive, unified approach known as “One Health.”

b)      It is the main strategy for solving the numerous health issues that our civilization is currently confronting, including ecosystem degradation, problems with the food system, infectious diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

c)       The One Health Joint Plan of Action, which was created through a participatory process, offers a series of initiatives that are meant to improve coordination, cooperation, communication, and capacity building.

d)      These will be equally relevant to all industries involved in solving health issues.

e)      The strategy, which is applicable from 2022 to 2026, aims to lessen the health issues at the international, regional, and national levels.

 

3. United Nations Day: 24th October: United Nations Day, on 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. In 1945, 50 governments gathered to draft the UN Charter. They have struggled and accomplished great feats to uphold peace, protect human rights, and play a key role in bringing international justice.

The United Nations Day commemorates the signing of that charter. According to their official website, the United Nations is “One place where the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions.” The United Nations plays a crucial role in establishing peace between warring nations and promoting the development of democratic institutions. They have provided economic support and helped in social development, as well as been instrumental in protecting human rights.The United Nations Day is a celebration of these efforts and a day to raise awareness towards the issues still impacting millions of people around the globe.

Note: United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA; Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres

 

4. World Development Information Day: 24th October: Every year the United Nations marks October 24 as World Development Information Day. This day is observed to create awareness towards the problems surrounding development in different nations and how to overcome them. The United Nations (UN) believes that such information and communications technologies also have the potential to provide solutions to various development challenges and can also foster various crucial goals, especially in developing countries.

World Development Information Day History: It was in 1972 when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the World Development Information Day in order to draw the attention of the world toward development problems and also to strengthen international cooperation. Notably, the date also coincides with United Nations Day which also falls on 24 October.

 

5. World Polio Day: 24th October: World Polio Day 2022 is observed every year on October 24 to raise awareness about the polio vaccination and eradication of polio from every corner of the world. The day is observed to commemorate the progress made by the world towards polio eradication. The day to raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccination to protect every child from this devastating disease, and to celebrate the many parents, professionals and volunteers whose contributions make polio eradication achievable. This year, the overarching theme of World Polio Day is “World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond: A healthier future for mothers and children”. The theme urges the world to acknowledge the progress made in the battle to eradicate polio in children and the work to provide a healthier future for mothers.

World Polio Day History: World Polio Day was established in 1985 by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who was the lead medical researcher of the team that developed a vaccine against polio. He developed the inactivated poliovirus vaccine, which first came into use in 1955. This was further developed as the oral polio vaccine by Albert Sabin, which came into use in 1961. Today, the polio vaccines are recommended all over the world, particularly for children under the age of five, who are the most vulnerable to the infection.

Note: WHO Head: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; WHO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; WHO Founded: 7 April 1948.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Magnus Carlsen wins Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022: Magnus Carlsen claimed the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022 title with a tournament defeating Arjun Erigaisi in the quarter-finals of the 8th and penultimate event of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour with a convincing 2.5-1.5 result, Carlsen secured the title of the tour champion and a $50.000 prize on top of his overall winnings (so far) of $192.000. The 31-year-old had to work in the opening game of his quarter-final match as Erigaisi played some of his best chess against the champ to go three pawns up and set up a seemingly easy win.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. LIC Launched New ‘Dhan Varsha’ Plan: Life Insurance Company (LIC) has launched the ‘LIC Dhan Varsha’ scheme. The ‘LIC Dhan Varsha scheme is a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings life insurance plan which offers a combination of protection and savings. The savings insurance plan provides financial support for the family in case of unfortunate death of the life assured during the policy terms. Key Points:

a)      LIC Dhan Varsha scheme provides a guaranteed amount on the date of maturity for the surviving life assured.

b)      The death benefits are payable on the death of the life assured during the policy term after the date of commencement of risk.

c)       On the life-assured surviving date of maturity of the savings insurance plan, a basic sum assured along with accrued guaranteed additions will be payable.

d)      The guaranteed additions will occur at the end of each policy year throughout the policy term and shall depend on the option chosen.

 

2. Deependra Singh Rathore named as Interim CEO of Paytm Payments Bank: Paytm Payments Bank has appointed Deependra Singh Rathore as the interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in addition to his role as Chief Product & Technology Officer. CEO Satish Gupta is retiring this month. The bank will announce the new full-time CEO after receiving regulatory approvals. The bank has also appointed Sunil Chander Sharma, a former IRS officer as Chief Operating Officer (COO). As the COO, he would oversee the functions of customer support, retail operations, legal and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) and Human Resources and Administration.

About the Paytm Payments Bank: Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) is an Indian payments bank, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Noida. In the same year, it received the license to run a payments bank from the Reserve Bank of India and was launched in November 2017. In 2021, the bank received a scheduled bank status from the RBI.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. CASHe tie-up with IRCTC to launch ‘travel now pay later’ facility: AI-driven financial wellness platform, CASHe, announced that it has partnered with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), to provide a “travel now pay later” (TNPL) payment option on its travel app, IRCTC Rail Connect. This will enable travellers of Indian Railways to book their rail tickets instantly and pay for it later in pocket-friendly EMIs, ranging from three to six months. With CASHe’s payment option, booking and paying for rail tickets on the IRCTC travel app will now be easier and hassle-free for millions of Indian Railway passengers.

Benefits of the partnership:

a)      The EMI payment option will be available on the IRCTC travel app’s checkout page for passengers booking their reserved and tatkal tickets. CASHe’s TNPL EMI payment option offers a seamless user experience by automatically qualifying all users to avail the TNPL facility without any documentation.

b)      The IRCTC travel app has over 90 million downloads and powers over 1.5 million railway ticket bookings per day. This partnership will also tremendously aid CASHe to reach out to the millions of IRCTC’s customers and provide them with a never-before and convenient option to travel now and pay for their rail tickets later in easy EMIs.

c)       The travel now and pay later as the segment has seen remarkable growth and the message from the travellers is clear – they want the choice to pay for their trips in instalments. With CASHe’s travel now pay later, we will significantly enhance the payment convenience and flexibility for IRCTC’s customers at checkout, thereby improving customer experience.”

 

2. Atanu Chakraborty appointed as new Chairman of Yubi: Atanu Chakraborty has been appointed as the Independent Chairman of the Yubi board, as told by the company itself. In addition, Atanu Chakraborty serves as HDFC Bank’s board chairman at the moment. Atanu Chakraborty served as the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and a member of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India, according to a press release from the Chennai-based debt marketplace.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian, US Militaries Conduct ‘Tiger Triumph’ Exercise: The Indian and US militaries carried out a three-day joint humanitarian assistance exercise in Vishakhapatnam in line with the growing strategic cooperation between the two countries. The Tiger Triumph exercise was the second collaboration between the Indian and US Militaries to coordinate disaster relief in the region. Key Points:

a)      The first exercise took place over the course of nine days in November 2019 and featured more than 500 US Marines and sailors. The first exercise included 1200 Indian sailors, soldiers, and Airmen.

b)      This year, the military exercise involved fifty combined participants, and it focused on staff planning, with an emphasis on processes for streamlining diplomatic, operational, and logistical coordination.

c)       Tiger Triumph marked the third time in 2022 that Indian and US militaries have worked together in Vishakhapatnam.

 

2. Nuclear capable Agni Prime missile successfully tested by India: The Agni Prime New Generation Ballistic Missile was successfully tested by India on October 21 off the coast of Odisha. Around 9.45 this morning, a test launch of the ballistic missile took place. The missile successfully completed the test, covering its full range, and all of its test goals were achieved.

This was the missile Agni Prime’s third straight successful flight test. This test has demonstrated the system’s accuracy and dependability. Agni Prime underwent its first test on June 28, 2021, and it underwent its second test on December 18, 2021.

About Agni Prime missile:

a)      The Agni Prime, also known as “Agni-P,” is a two-stage canisterized missile from the Agni class that is nuclear-capable and has a maximum range of 2,000 kilometres.

b)      The Agni Prime missile has updated guidance and propulsion technologies and weighs 50% less than the Agni 3 missile.

c)       Because it is canisterized, it may be stored for longer periods of time, launched from a train or a road, and transported in accordance with operational needs.

d)      The “Agni Prime” test’s success highlights India’s efforts to have a self-sufficient defence industry.