DAILY GK 14-15 APRIL

DAILY GK 14-15 APRIL 

1.       SOLAR ENERGY CORPORATION OF INDIA GETS ‘MINIRATNA CATEGORY-I’ STATUS

·         The Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) was accorded the status of Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

·         It is the only CPSU dedicated to the Solar Energy Sector.

·         Incorporated in the year 2011, SECI is the primary implementing agency for renewable energy schemes/projects of MNRE towards fulfilment of India’s international commitments.

·         Till date, SECI has awarded Renewable Energy (RE) project capacities of over 56 GW (Giga Watt).

 

2.       INDIA’S 1ST UNDERWATER METRO STARTS TRIAL RUN

·         Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) successfully conducted the trial run of India’s 1st underwater metro train under the river bed of Hoogly through a tunnel of 32 meters below water level.

·         The trial runs of the metro from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade will be conducted for the next 7 months and after that regular services on this stretch will begin.

·         The tunnels under the river bed, 32 meters below the water level, are part of East West Metro Project that aims to connect Howrah Maidan with Rajarhat along the 16.6-km route.

 

3.       INDIA RETAINS CATEGORY 1 STATUS UNDER US FAA’S IASA PROGRAMME

·         India has retained the Category 1 status under the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme.

·         This information was communicated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States of America to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Civil Aviation, on April 12, 2023.

·         The county with Air carriers of Category 1 status is permitted to operate/ expand its services to destinations in the USA and codeshare with US air carriers.

·         The IASA program, determines whether a country’s oversight of its air carriers complies with safety standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

·         The DGCA is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards.

 

4.       INDIA RANKED 5TH WITH MOST AI INVESTMENT

·         According to ‘Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2023’, the 6th edition of the annual Artificial Intelligence(AI) index report published by Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), India is ranked 5th in terms of private investments received in 2022 by startups offering AI-based products and services with a total investment of US$3.24 billion.

·         In 2022, the United States (US) led the world in terms of total AI private investment with US$47.4 billion investment followed by China (US$13.4 billion), United Kingdom (US$4.4 billion), Israel (US$3.24 billion).

·         India which stood in 5th place was ahead of South Korea, Germany, Canada and Australia, among others.

·         Among Indian AI startups, Chennai-based conversational AI startup Uniphore raised $400 million in a Series E funding round last year at a valuation of $2.5 billion.

 

5.       SEBI UNVEILS NEW LOGO

·         The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) unveiled a new logo on the occasion of its 35th Foundation Day.

·         The new logo retains the traditional blue palette and reflects  a more modern design.

·         SEBI was established on April 12, 1988 under the Ministry of Finance.

·         The body was granted statutory powers in 1992. It functions as a quasi-judicial body.

·         SEBI regulates the securities market in India by overseeing the activities of stock exchanges, brokers, and other intermediaries.

·         SEBI regulates credit rating agencies (CRAs) in India to ensure that they provide accurate and reliable ratings of financial instruments.

·         SEBI regulates mutual funds in India and oversees their registration, operations, and performance.

 

6.       INDIA’S 1ST VOICE BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION FOR LOGGING INTO ITS BANKING APP LAUNCHED

·         The Citi Union Bank (CUB) based in Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu), launched India’s 1st Voice Biometric Authentication for logging into its mobile banking app at an event held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN).

·         The voice biometric was developed by Kaizen Secure Voiz Pvt. Ltd based in Chennai (TN), under the guidance of the 5G use case lab of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT).

·         The newly introduced voice biometric will be one more option for customers to log in along with user id, PIN, face id and fingerprint authentication.

·         IDRBT is the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) established institution focussed on research in banking technologies.

 

7.       SANJAY AGARWAL RE-APPOINTMENT AS MD & CEO OF AU SFB FOR 3 YEARS

·         The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Sanjay Agarwal as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jaipur (Rajasthan)-based AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) for 3 years with effect from 19th April 2023.

·         UttamTibrewalwas also re-appointed as the Whole Time Director of AU SFB for 3 years with effect from 19th April 2023.

·         AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) was established in 1996 as AU Financiers and bagged the SFB licence in 2015 and started operations as SFB in 2017.

 

8.       TCG ANADOLU: TURKIYE’S LARGEST WARSHIP

·         RecepTayyipErdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, officially unveiled ‘TCG Anadolu’, the country’s largest warship and the world’s first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) carrier

·         TCGAnadolu, which has a length of 231 metres (758 feet) and a width of 32 metres (105 feet), is now the largest ship in the Turkish Navy and is capable of carrying troops, combat helicopters, military drones, land vehicles, and light Warcrafts.

·         Republic of TürkiyeCapital – Ankara

·         Currency – Turkish Lira

 

9.       BOOK “GANDHI: SIYASAT AUR SAMPRADAIYKTA”

·         Journalist and author PiyushBabele have authored a new book in Hindi – “Gandhi: SiyasataurSampradaiykta” (Gandhi: Politics and Communalism) about Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs about religion, politics, and the struggle for freedom from the British.

·         The book also indicates the Hindu-Muslim riots and the blame that was tried to put on Mahatma Gandhi.

 

10.    104TH ANNIVERSARY OF JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE – 13TH APRIL 2023

·         13th April 2023 marks the 104th Anniversary of the JallianwalaBagh Massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, on 13th April 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab

·         On 13th April 1919, which also marked the Baisakhi festival, a harvest festival in Punjab, thousands of Indians gathered in the JallianwalaBagh, Amritsar, Punjab to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-independence activists SaifuddinKitchlew and Satyapal.

·         On that day, temporary brigadier general, Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer had announced the implementation of a curfew throughout Amritsar and banned all processions and prohibited public gatherings of groups of 4 or more people.

·         General Dyer opened fire on the gathering at JallianwalaBaghin order to enforce Martial Law prevailing that was in effect at Amritsar during the time.

·         It was reported that around  1,650 rounds of bullets were fired at the crowd.

·         According to the Hunter Commission, a 1919 investigation into the JallianwalaBagh massacre headed by William Hunter, around 379 people were killed (including men, women and children) and around 1500 were injured.