Latest Current Affairs For Monday 20th February, 2023

Ben Stokes breaks world record for smashing most sixes in Test cricket history

England Test captain Ben Stokes on 18 February became the player to hit the most number of sixes in the history of Test cricket, surpassing England coach and former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum in the match against New Zealand.

An overview of the news:

Stokes holds the world record for hitting two sixes in the second innings of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Mount Maunganui (New Zealand).

Stokes played an innings of 31 runs in 33 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.

Wicket-keeper Tom Blundell stumped him off the bowling of all-rounder Michael Bracewell.

In 90 Test matches, Stokes scored a total of 5,652 runsat an average of 36.00 with 109 sixes and 12 centuries and 28 fifties.

His individual best score in Tests is 258.

McCullum has 107 sixes in 101 Tests. He scored 6,453 runs at an average of 38.64. He has 12 centuries and 31 fifties in Tests with a best score of 302.

Batsman who hit most sixes in test cricket:

Australia's Adam Gilchrist is third after Stokes (109) and McCullum (107) to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.

Chris Gayle of West Indies is fourth in the list with 98 sixes and Jacques Kallis of South Africa is fifth with 97 sixes.

India's Virender Sehwag is in sixth place, he has hit 91 sixes. Sehwag is the Indian to hit the most sixes in Tests.

UNICEF Names Ayushmann Khurrana As Its National Ambassador For Child Rights

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana was appointed as the National Ambassador of Child Rights for UNICEF India on 18 February.

An overview of the news:

Ayushmann Khurrana is known for his knack for off-beat scripts and roles.

The 38-year-old actor has previously worked as a 'celebrity advocate' for UNICEF-India.

Ayushmann was appointed as UNICEF India's Celebrity Advocate in September 2020 to advocate on ending violence against children and promoting child rights. 

As a national ambassador, Khurran will help UNICEF ensure the rights of all children.

Recently, he focused on inclusiveness and non-discrimination through gender inclusive sports on World Children's Day 2022, along with Sachin Tendulkar, UNICEF South Asia Regional Ambassador.

About UNICEF India:

UNICEF India works to promote and protect the rights of children across the country.

The partnership of UNICEF with India began in 1949.

The first office was established in New Delhi in 1952.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is a nodal agency in India.

About UNICEF :

UNICEF is a United Nations agency which was set up on 11 December 1946 as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. 

It was renamed as the United Nations Children's Fund in 1953. 

It provides development and humanitarian assistance to children and mothers.

Headquarters: New York, United Sates of America. 

Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates SemiconIndia Conference of Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Ecosystem in New Delhi

The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the ‘SemiconIndia Conference of Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Ecosystem’, on 18 February in New Delhi. 

An overview of the news:

He highlighted the success achieved in telecom manufacturing and the Vande Bharat development supported by the government.

He highlighted 'Your success, our success and the success of the global semiconductor industry'.

He highlighted that 'Electronics manufacturing is not sustainable in India without the development of semiconductor ecosystem which plays a major role in driving the overall economic growth in automotive, power, telecom, electronics etc.

Conference is being organised by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). 

Prominent sessions:

Panel discussion on the existing semiconductor ecosystem in India.

Presentation on facilitating the development of the semiconductor ecosystem.

Panel discussion regarding the fab construction and availability of requisite chemicals, gasses.

Presentation on vision for skilled workforce generation.

Panel discussion regarding the industry readiness, challenges for materials and equipment with panellists.

Panel Discussion regarding Policies and readiness of State Governments for semiconductor ecosystem.

Panel discussion regarding the concerns of the industry.

India’s Semiconductor Mission:

On 29 December 2022, the Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the India Semiconductor Mission.

Under the policy, the government will provide Rs 76000 crore incentives for companies setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

This was done by the government to encourage companies to set up chip manufacturing plants in India.

What is semiconductor?

Semiconductors are materials which have a conductivity between conductors and insulators.

They can be pure elements, silicon or germanium or compounds; gallium, arsenide or cadmium selenide.

They are the basic building blocks that serve as the heart and brain of all modern electronics and information and communications technology products.

These chips are now an integral part of contemporary automobiles, household gadgets and essential medical devices such as ECG machines.

Saurashtra beat Bengal by 9 wickets to bag second Ranji Trophy title

Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 title by defeating Bengal by 9 wickets in the final match played on February 19, thanks to the superb bowling of team captain and left arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.

An overview of the news:

Saurashtra won their second Ranji Trophy title at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time in 2019-20.

Saurashtra needed 14 runs to win, which they achieved at the loss of 1 wicket in 2.4 overs.

This is the second title win of the Saurashtra team in the last three seasons.

Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya, who were the heroes of Saurashtra's victory, together broke the back of Bengal's batting, and the team could only manage 241 runs in the second innings.

Unadkat took 9 wickets, while Chetan Sakaria took 6 wickets.

Saurashtra won the toss in the match and decided to bowl first.

Bengal could score only 174 runs in the first innings while batting.

Unadkat took three wickets while Chetan Sakaria also took three wickets. Chirag Jani and DA Jadeja got two wickets each.

Saurashtra then took a huge lead over Bengal by scoring 404 runs in the first innings.

The second innings was also poor for Bengal and the team could only manage 241 runs. In such a situation, he could get a slight lead of 11 runs over Saurashtra.

Saurashtra captain Unadkat was adjudged man of the match for his nine-wicket haul in the match, while teammate Arpit Vasavada was adjudged player of the Ranji season.

Brief Scores:

Bengal - 174 and 241 in 70.4 overs (Manoj Tiwary 68, Anustup Majumdar 61; Jaydev Unadkat 6/85, Chetan Sakariya 3/76).

Saurashtra- 404 and 14/1 in 2.4 overs.

Ranji Trophy Tournament:

The Ranji Trophy tournament has been played since 1934.

The first match was played between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk Ground from 4 November 1934.

Mumbai has won this tournament 41 times.

For the first time in 86 years, the 2020/21 season Ranji Trophy had to be cancelled due to Corona.

Ranji Trophy is named after Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Number of teams- 37

Most runs - Wasim Jaffer (10665)

Most wickets - Rajinder Goyal (640) 

UAE and India launch the UAE Chapter of the Business Council

The UAE and India launched the UAE India Business Council - UAE Chapter (UIBCUC) on 18 February to strengthen economic ties and enhance bilateral trade and investment.

An overview of the news:

It was launched by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade in Dubai.

One year of signing of the India-UAE comprehensive free trade agreement, completed.

The UIBCUC aims to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion and attract investments of $75 billion from the UAE to India.

The council will bring together key partners and stakeholders from both countries and encourage innovative collaboration between Emirati and Indian businesses.

The Council will play a key role in supporting the two governments in their joint mission to promote bilateral trade and investment.

It will operate under the supervision of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

It is registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce as a legal and financial entity.

UIBC-UC will have its office in Dubai.

Faizal Kottikollon of Kef Holdings has been appointed as the Chairman of UIBC-UC.

Major General (Retd.) Sharafuddin Sharaf, the Chairman of the UIBC (India Chapter), will serve as the Vice Chairman.

Key partners and stakeholders:

Sovereign Wealth Funds from the UAE and large conglomerates from India such as - TATA group, Reliance, and Adani, as well as tech innovators like OLA, Zerodha, and EaseMyTrip. 

The founding members of the UIBC-UC from the UAE side. 

Mubadala - Sovereign Wealth Fund of the UAE, Wizz Financial, DP World, EMAAR, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD Bank.

The founding members of the UIBC-UC from Indian side

TATA, Reliance, and Adani, OLA, Zerodha, Udaan, and EaseMyTrip. 

Prominent Indian entrepreneur-led corporations based in the UAE such as KEF Holdings, Buimark Corporation, Apparel Group, EFS and Lulu Financial.

Indian origin Karthik Subramaniam wins National Geographic's 'pictures of the year' contest

Indian-origin engineer cum photographer Karthik Subramaniam's beautiful photo has topped National Geographic's 'Photo of the Year' contest 2023 beating over 5000 entries.

An overview of the news

His photograph, titled "Dance of the Eagles", was taken at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Alaska.

The award was presented to him for a striking picture of an eagle struggling to settle on a tree branch.

The title of the picture is inspired by RRR Martin's popular novel 'A Dance with Dragons'.

Every November, hundreds of eagles gather at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska, to feed on salmon.

California-based software engineer Karthika started capturing wild images as a passion in 2020.

His 'Dance of the Eagles' will be the cover page of the May edition of National Geographic.

Other Pictures that honoured by Magazine

Nomadic Kazakh eagle hunter -by Eric Esterle

Penguins crowd -by Rhez Solano

The Austrian Alps -by Alex Berger

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington -by W. Kent Williamson

'Legends of the Fog’ -by Tihomir Trichkov

Arizona’s small desert owls - by Bruce Taubert

Maras in Peru -by An Li

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.