Latest Current Affairs For Wednesday 7th September, 2022

UIDAI tops Grievance Redressal Index in August 2022

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has topped all Ministries/Departments for resolving Public Grievances in the ranking.

Month: August 2022

Report published by: Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. 

UIDAI has been a top performer in resolution of cases received through Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System.

Its robust grievance redressal mechanism is enable to resolve around 92% of CRM Grievances within 7 days.

Captain B K Tyagi appointed as new CMD of Shipping Corporation of India

Capt. B. K. Tyagi has assumed charge as Chairman & MD of the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) on 3rd September, 2022.

Prior to this, he was the director, who was looking after the liner and passenger services division at SCI.

He started his career as a trainee nautical officer and sailed on board various ships in different ranks including as master in SCI in 1990.

SCI is a Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW).

Barack Obama wins Emmy award for his narration in Netflix documentary

The former President of the US, Barack Obama has won Emmy Award for his narration in the Netflix documentary “Our Great National Parks".

The documentary has been released in five-parts, and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company “Higher Ground".

He has already won two Grammys and is now halfway to an EGOT- the achievement i.e. an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. 

Barack Obama is 2nd US President to win Emmy, after Dwight D Eisenhower.

ISRO successfully test Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully demonstrated a new technology with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD).

It was designed and developed by ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

IAD is a game-changer with multiple applications for future missions including to Mars and Venus.

The IAD was successfully test flown in a 'Rohini' sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. 

ISRO chairman: S. Somanath 

Centre decides to rename the Rajpath as Kartavya Path

The Centre has decided to rename Rajpath and Centre Vista lawns stretching from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate as ‘Kartavya Path’.

PM Modi, will inaugurate the entire stretch on September 8, 2022, that has been renovated under the government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has convened a special meeting on September 7 and the proposal will be placed before it.

Rajpath was known as Kingsway during British Rule.

Carnatic vocalist T.V. Sankaranarayanan passes away

Renowned Carnatic musician, TV Sankaranarayan has passed away at the age of 77 due to cardiac arrest.

He was the tourchbearer for Madurai Mani lyer style of Carnatic music.

He had shared several stages with Madurai Mani lyer.

He won the Madras Music Academy's Sangeeta Kalanidhi Award in 2003 and was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2003.

He was the son of musicians Tiruvalangal Vembu lyer and Gomati Ammal.

Tamilnad Mercantile Bank appoints S Krishnan appointed as MD & CEO

The Board of Directors of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd has approved the appointment of veteran banker, Krishnan Sankarasubramaniam (aka S Krishnan) as the Managing Director & CEO with effect from 4th September 2022 for a term of 3 years.

He has replaced present MD & CEO, K V Rama Moorthy, whose tenure ended on 3rd September 2022.

Earlier, he was the MD & CEO of Punjab and Sind Bank from 4th September 2020 to 31st May 2022.

CCI approves PayU's $4.7 billion BillDesk acquisition

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the $4.7 billion acquisition deal between PayU (backed by Prosus) and online payments firm, BillDesk.

The commission has cleared the acquisition of 100% of the equity share capital of http://IndiaIdeas.com (BillDesk) by PayU Payments.

The PayU-BillDesk deal is pegged as the second-largest buyout in the Indian internet sector after Walmart’s $16 billion acquisition of ecommerce major Flipkart in 2018.

Tamil Nadu Government launched Pudhumai Penn for girl students

Tamil Nadu CM, M K Stalin has launched the ‘Pudhumai Penn’ (modern woman) scheme for state's girl students.

Under this scheme, all girl students, who studied from Classes 6 to 12 in government schools, will get Rs 1,000 per month to pursue higher education.

The money will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of students.

Aim: Reduce child marriages and make women independent

The government has also launched 26 Schools of Excellence and 15 Model Schools.

India, Australia sign six MoUs at Bangalore Space Expo

Australia and India have signed six space industry MoU at the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2022.

HEX20 - Skyroot Aerospace: For launch services, spacecraft avionics and components for Australian space initiatives.

QL Space - Skyroot Aerospace: To develop launch facilities in Australia and support joint mineral exploration missions in space

QL Space - GalaxEye: To develop a hybrid optic and radar payload

QL Space - SatSure: To build satellite and Al-based solutions

External debt of India rises by 8.2% to over $620 bn till Mar 2022

The external debt of India has been increased by 8.2% from USD 573 billion (March 2021) to over USD 620 billion (March 2022).

Report title: 28th edition, Status Report on India’s External Debt 2021-22

Released by: Department of Economic Affairs

The External debt as a ratio to GDP fell marginally to 19.9% (2022) from 21.2% (2021).

The Commercial borrowings, NRIs deposits, short-term trade credit and multilateral loans together accounted for 90% of the total external debt. 

PM Modi announced PM-SHRI Yojana on National Teachers Day

PM Modi has announced that 14,500 schools across the country, will be developed and upgraded under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India (PM-SHRI) Yojana.

These PM-SHRI schools will become model schools which will summarizer the full spirit of National Education Policy (NEP).

These schools will provide modern infrastructure including latest technology, smart classrooms, sports and more.

This initiative will benefit lakhs of students in the spirit of NEP.

Liz Truss elected as 56th Prime Minister of United Kingdom

Leader of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss (47) has been elected as the 56th prime minister of United Kingdom and will be sworn-in as PM of United Kingdom on September 6th, 2022.

She has succeeded present PM Boris Johnson, who will tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.

She has been served as the foreign secretary since 2021.

She has defeated rival Rishi Sunak with 57 per cent of the vote.

She will be third female prime minister to lead the country.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.