NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
SETU programme introduced in the US by Piyush Goyal: To connect
entrepreneurs in India with US-based investors, the commerce and industry
minister Piyush Goyal has created a programme called SETU (Supporting
Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskilling). With SETU, mentors in the US
who are eager to support entrepreneurship can connect with Indian firms that
are just getting off the ground. The initiative was introduced during a
discussion centred on particular concerns with India’s startup ecosystem. Key
Points:
a)
The
meeting’s main topics were how to promote domestic incorporation and successful
diaspora residents of the San Francisco Bay Area’s mentorship of early-stage
Indian firms.
b)
The
project would provide mentorship and support in a number of areas, including
funding, market access, and commercialization, by connecting businesses in
India to investors and startup ecosystem leaders in the US.
c)
Through
the mentorship site created by the Startup India initiative’s MAARG
(Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience and Growth) programme, an
all-in-one resource for Indian businesses, the interaction between the
stakeholders would be facilitated.
d)
According
to estimates, more than half of well-funded businesses and over 90% of all
startups fail during their initial stages. Lack of company management
experience is a major problem, and entrepreneurs need the correct advice for
making decisions as well as moral support.
Note: President of the United States: Joe
Biden; Capital of the United States: Washington, D.C.
2.
Meghalaya CM launches ‘Residents Safety & Security’ portal: Meghalaya Chief
Minister Conrad K Sangma launched an online portal of the Meghalaya Residents
Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) in the presence of Home Minister Lakhmen Rymbui
and other eminent officials in Shillong. The online portal will provide a
digital platform to ensure the safety and security of the residents and act as
a strong intelligence gathering system for authorities. Key Points:
a)
The
online portal will be beneficial for monitoring and better implementation of
services and programs introduced by the government.
b)
The
portal will assist in the health care sector and critical areas.
c)
This
digital platform has the capability of connecting more than 6000 villages in
the state through the online system.
d)
This
web-based online portal is first being rolled out in seven localities of
Shillong-Nongrim Hills, Lapanlang, Nongmynsong, Nongrah, Pohkseh, Riat Laban,
and Wahdienglieng.
3.
Karnataka to provide monetary aid for SC/ST patients with rare disease: The Karnataka
Government has decided to provide monetary aid to the SC/ ST patients in the
state suffering from diseases categorized as “rare diseases” and “high-cost
diseases”. The monetary aid would be given for rare and high-cost diseases that
are not covered under the Centre’s ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme. Currently, a total
of Rs 23.18 crore of unspent allocations exists and this will be used to fund
this new scheme. The government will provide Rs 10,000 for PET scans, Rs 7 lakh
and Rs 21 lakh for Autologous and Allogenic bone marrow transplants
respectively and Rs 1.5 lakh for robotic surgeries.
Note: Karnataka Capital: Bengaluru; Chief
Minister: Basavaraj Bommai; Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot
4.
Cabinet approved MoU with Maldives for cooperation in disaster management: The Union Cabinet
has approved the MoU between the National Disaster Management Authority, India
and the National Disaster Management Authority of the Republic of Maldives on
cooperation in the field of disaster management. The MoU seeks to put in place
a system, whereby both will be benefited from the disaster management
mechanisms of each other. It will also help in strengthening the areas of
preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of disaster
management. The countries will exchange information and share experiences and
best practices of disaster response, mitigation, planning and preparedness.
Note: Maldives Capital: Male; Currency:
Rufiya; President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
5.
Agnikul Cosmos secured first patent for 3D-printed rocket engine: Agnikul Cosmos, one
of India’s private space startups, has secured its first patent for the design
and manufacturing of its 3D-printed rocket engine. The patent, which has been
offered to the company under the Centre’s patent database, comes after the
company opened doors to its first factory to 3D print rocket engines at scale.
The patent has been rewarded to the company for its Agnilet rocket engine,
which will power the company’s Agnibaan rocket that is scheduled to launch
later this year. About the Agnilet:
a)
Agnilet,
one such single-piece engine, is the world’s first single-piece 3D printed
rocket engine fully designed and manufactured in India. It was successfully
test-fired in early 2021.
b)
Agnilet
has been designed in such a manner to encapsulate all of these into just one
piece of hardware and has zero assembled parts.
c)
Agnikul
showcased this engine at IAC 2021, Dubai, which is the most prestigious space
tech gathering in the world.
d)
Till
date, Agnikul has raised Rs 105 crore ($15 million) from Mayfield India, pi
Ventures, Speciale Invest, and a host of others, including prominent angel
investors such as Anand Mahindra and Naval Ravikant since 2019.
6.
National Engineer’s Day: 15th September: In India, Engineer’s Day is celebrated on
September 15 every year. The day is celebrated to recognise the contribution of
engineers in the development of the nation. This day commemorates the birth
anniversary of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya, who is considered one of the
greatest engineers of India. Joining India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania also
celebrate Engineers Day on September 15, 2022, in honour of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya.
In 1968, the Government of India decided to observe September 15 as National
Engineers Day.
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya: Sir Mokshagundam
Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in Karnataka. He later on attended
the University of Madras to study for a Bachelor of Arts. Later in life, he
decided to switch career paths and completed a diploma in civil engineering at
the College of Science in Pune. The creation of ‘block systems’ is attributed
to Sir MV. He patented and installed an irrigation system with water floodgates
at a reservoir near Pune to raise the water supply level and storage.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
North Korea passes law authorising nuclear strikes as form of defence: North Korea has
approved a law that gives it the authority to launch a nuclear attack in
advance. With the recently passed law, North Korea’s status as a nuclear
weapons state has become irreversible. North Korea, this year tested a record
number of weapons, including an intercontinental ballistic missile. According
to the law, among other things, the North may use nuclear weapons in the event
of a nuclear or non-nuclear attack by hostile forces against the state’s
leadership and the command structure of its nuclear forces.
Note: Supreme leader of North Korea: Kim
Jong-un; President of South Korea: Yoon Suk-yeol
2.
International Day of Democracy: 15th September: This year,
September 15 marks the 15th anniversary of the International Day of Democracy.
The day is celebrated annually around the world to strengthen democracies and
highlight its values and principles. This year, Democracy Day will focus on the
importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the
Sustainable Development Goals. . This year, the day is focused on the
“importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the
Sustainable Development Goals”.
International Day of Democracy
History:
The International Day of Democracy was established after a resolution was passed
by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. According to the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the resolution was geared toward strengthening
and consolidating democracy. The International Day of Democracy was first
celebrated in 2008 and since then, numerous parliamentary events have been
organised worldwide.
Note: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Inter-Parliamentary Union President: Saber
Hossain Chowdhury; Inter-Parliamentary Union Founded: 1889, Paris, France;
Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General: Martin Chungong.
3.
World Lymphoma Awareness Day: 15th September: World Lymphoma
Awareness Day (WLAD) is held on September 15 every year and is a day dedicated
to raising awareness of lymphoma, an increasingly common form of cancer. The
day is dedicated to raising awareness about lymphoma and the particular
emotional and psychosocial challenges facing patients and caregivers suffering
from different forms of lymphoma.
Lymphoma: Lymphoma is a
cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s germ-fighting
network. The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen,
thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all those areas as well as
other organs throughout the body.
World Lymphoma Awareness Day History: World Lymphoma
Day was initiated in 2002 by the Lymphoma Coalition, a worldwide network of 83
lymphoma patient groups based in Ontario, Canada, whose mission is enabling
global impact by fostering a lymphoma ecosystem that ensures local change and
evidence-based action.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
PhonePe tokenized 14 million debit and credit cards: PhonePe announced
that it had tokenized 14 million credit and debit cards on its network in
accordance with the RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) guidelines for data security.
Since the exercise began in December 2021, the Walmart-backed company claims to
have tokenized more than 80% of its active users’ cards.
Key Points:
a)
The
new term “token” to be used in the place of the actual card number with
tokenization.
b)
The
real card details are not disclosed to a merchant during transactions, a
tokenized transaction is safer and less likely to result in data leakage.
c)
PhonePe
stated that it is collaborating with Visa, Mastercard, and RuPay, three of the
largest card networks, to meet the regulator’s September 30 tokenization
deadline.
d)
Since
April of this year, when the company began processing token-based transactions,
almost all eligible transactions are handled by tokens.
e)
The
success rate of transactions processed via tokens on PhonePe has shown an
improvement of around 2 per cent in comparison with card-based transactions.
f)
The
RBI delayed the card-on-file tokenization deadline in July till September 30
since token-based transaction processing had not yet gained traction. It was
the third and maybe final one of its kind.
Note: PhonePe Founder: Sameer Nigam, Burzin
Engineer and Rahul Chari; PhonePe CEO: Sameer Nigam
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Fortune India Rich List 2022: Gautam Adani
India’s richest man: According to Fortune India’s list of ‘India’s
Richest’ for 2022, the wealth of 142 billionaires based in India is
collectively worth USD 832 billion (Rs 66.36 trillion). The maiden list, made
in collaboration with the wealth management firm, Waterfield Advisors, is
primarily based on the wealth of entrepreneurs of listed firms. Key Points:
a) According to Forbes realtime billionaires list, Asia’s richest man
Gautam Adani has overtaken Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the 3rd richest
person in the world. He became India’s richest man with a net worth of USD
129.16 billion (Rs. 10.29 trillion)
b) Meanwhile, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s net worth stands
at USD 94 billion becoming the 8th richest in the world and the 2nd richest in
India.
Fortune
India Rich List 2022: India’s Ten Richest In 2022
|
Rank |
Name |
$Billion |
|
1 |
Gautam Adani |
129.16 |
|
2 |
Mukesh Ambani |
94.57 |
|
3 |
Shapoor Mistry and
Cyrus Mistry family |
32.35 |
|
4 |
Radhakrishna Damani |
27.53 |
|
5 |
Azim Premji |
21.94 |
|
6 |
Cyrus S. Poonawalla |
20.42 |
|
7 |
Shiv Nadar |
19.73 |
|
8 |
Kumar Mangalam Birla |
19.25 |
|
9 |
Adi Godrej Family |
17.6 |
|
10 |
Shekhar Bajaj, Neeraj
Bajaj, Rajiv Bajaj and Sanjiv Bajaj |
15.21 |
2.
HPCL collaborates with Indian Army for CSR Project: Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and the Indian Army have collaborated for
implementing a CSR project to coach and mentor less privileged girl students in
Kargil. The project is known as ‘Kargil Ignited Minds’, and the project aims to
prepare 50 girl students for various national-level engineering and medical
entrance examinations. Key Points:
a)
The
Kargil Ignited Minds project will focus on empowering underprivileged girls
with limited resources and residing in extreme weather conditions.
b)
To
be a part of the Kargil Ignited Minds project students have to go through
several processes including screening, preliminary tests, and interviews.
c)
The
project aims to enhance the knowledge, skills, and personality of the students.
d)
The
MoU signing event of the Kargil Ignited Minds project. was held at Headquarters
14 Corps, Leh.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
West Bengal bagged International Travel Award 2023: West Bengal has
bagged the International Tourism award 2023 for ‘best destination for culture.
The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association, an affiliate of the UN World
Tourism Organization, will confer West Bengal with the International Travel
Award 2023 for ‘Best Destination for Culture’. The award will be presented in
Berlin at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders’ Summit on March 9, 2023. the
UNESCO heritage status to West Bengal’s Durga Puja and the recent PATWA award
have given more boost to the government and recognition at a global platform.
Note: West Bengal Capital: Kolkata; Chief
Minister: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: Ganesan
DEFENCE
1.
Third stealth frigate of project 17A ‘Taragiri’ launched: ‘Taragiri’, the third stealth frigate of the
Indian Navy’s Project 17A, was launched in Mumbai, the Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders (MDL) said. This ship has been built using an integrated
construction methodology which involves hull block construction in different
geographical locations and integration and erection on the slipway at the MDL,
it said in a statement.
About The Ship: The ship was named
by Charu Singh, President, Navy Wives Welfare Association (Western Region),
wife of vice admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, who
was the chief guest. The keel of ‘Taragiri’ was laid on September 10, 2020. The
ship is expected to be delivered by August 2025. The vessel is being launched
with an approximate launch weight of 3,510 tons. The frigate is designed by the
Indian Navy’s in-house design organization, the Bureau of Naval Design.
About Project 17A:
a)
The
coveted ‘Project 17A’ was cleared by the govt back in 2015.
b)
It
involves the building of seven stealth frigates at an estimated cost of Rs
50,000 crore.
c)
Of
these seven, the contract for three frigates was awarded to GRSE while the
contract for another four frigates was awarded to Government-owned Mazagon
Docks Limited (MDL) which is based in Mumbai.
d)
These
frigates will come armed with advanced state-of-the-art sensors and boast of
top-notch stealth features.
e)
They
will represent the most advanced class of major surface warships for the Indian
Navy in a decade, also featuring BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface
missiles.
f)
These
will also have torpedoes and rockets to hit submarines and rapid-fire guns to
destroy anti-ship missiles as well as a heavy main gun to engage ships and
coastal target.
2.
Indian Army & India Air Force conduct joint exercise ‘Gagan Strike’: Indian Army’s
Kharga Corps and the Indian Air Force have conducted a joint exercise ‘Gagan
Strike’ in Punjab. The exercise, conducted over four days, comprised the
deployment of attack helicopters as the aerial arm in support of ground forces
carrying out drills, practising annihilation of enemy defences and deep
penetration. It also showcased the precision firepower of the attack
helicopters in coordination with ground forces’ mechanised columns.
The joint exercise was spearheaded by General Officer Commanding, Kharga Corps, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma. The exercise was also attended by Lt Gen Nav K Khanduri, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Command, who exhorted the forces to continue to evolve such concepts and remain prepared to counter any contingency on the western borders.
