DAILY GK 18-19-20 FEB

DAILY GK 18-19-20 FEB

1.         PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS (PREVENTION OF UNFAIR MEANS) BILL, 2024

·           President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, aimed at preventing malpractices in government recruitment examinations.

·           Penalties: Offenders under the Bill will face severe penalties, including :Imprisonment ranging from 3 to 10 years, Fines ranging from Rs. 10 lakh to 1 crore.

 

2.         62ND SESSION OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

·           Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), chaired the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD62), held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.

·           India chaired the session of CSocD for the first time since 1975.

·           Poland is set to chair the 63rd session of the CSocD in 2025.

·           The CSocD is the advisory body of the  UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and serves as a crucial intergovernmental platform responsible for the social development pillar of global development.

 

3.         WORLD’S 1ST GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT WITHIN AN AIRPORT

·           Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to set up the world’s first green hydrogen plant and fueling station within an airport setting.

·           Under this MoU, a 1000 kilowatt (KW) pilot project will be established at the airport premises of Cochin International Airport, Ernakulam, Kerala.

·           Green Hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources through a process known as electrolysis.

·           Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2).

 

4.         2023 BURGUNDY PRIVATE HURUN INDIA 500 LIST

·           According to the 2023 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 released by Axis Bank’s Burgundy Private and Hurun India, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has emerged as the India’s most valuable company for the 3rd consecutive year with a value of Rs 15,64,663 crore.

·           RIL is followed by Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) with a value of Rs 12,36, 229 crore and HDFC Bank with Rs. 11,25,975 crore at 2nd and 3rd spot.

·           Maharashtra has the highest number of companies followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

 

5.         Vishisht Seva Medal for Octocopter Development

·           Havildar Varinder Singh of the Sikh Regiment in the Indian Army was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for designing an innovative drone called ‘a multipurpose octocopter’.

·           The multipurpose octocopter is a versatile drone capable of conducting surveillance operations, grenade dropping, aerial target engagement with weapons like the AK-47, and logistics operations.

·           Vishisht Seva Medal was instituted on 26th Jan 1960 as VSM Class-III to recognize the distinguished service of a high order. It was renamed in January 1967 as VSM.

·           Medal: The 35-millimeter (mm) diameter medal is circular in shape and made of bronze.

·           Ribbon: The medal is attached to a gold color ribbon which has three dark blue stripes dividing it into four equal parts.

 

6.         GLOBAL TOURISM RESILIENCE DAY 2024- FEBRUARY 17

·           The United Nations (UN) Global Tourism Resilience Day (GTRD) is annually observed across the globe on 17 February to recognize the importance of fostering resilience in the tourism industry.

·           17 February 2024 marks the observance of the 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day.

·           UNWTO Secretary-General– Zurab Pololikashvili

·           Headquarters– Madrid, Spain

·           Established in– 1975

 

7.         CJ OF KARNATAKA HIGH COURT

·           Justice Nilay Vipinchandra Anjaria is appointed as Chief Justice (CJ) of the Karnataka High Court (HC).

·           The appointment is in line with the proposal made by Collegium of the Supreme Court of India.

·           The appointment was made by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in the exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India.

 

8.         EXERCISE VAYU-SHAKTI 2024

·           The Indian Air Force (IAF) demonstration exercise Vayu-Shakti 2024 was held on 17 February 2024 at the Pokhran Air-to-Ground Range near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

·           The 2024 Vayu-Shakti exercise featured joint operations with the Indian Army, highlighting the seamless coordination between the two branches of the armed forces.

·           Exercise Vayu-Shakti 2024 was based on the theme, “Lightning Strike from the Sky”.

 

9.         PM MODI’S VISIT TO UAE AND QATAR 

·           Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was on official visit to U.A.E. and Qatar in February 2024.

PM Modi was welcomed by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

·           This was the 7th visit of PM Modi to the UAE in last 9 years. Bilateral Investment Treaty was signed.

·           Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) signed

·           Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on Digital Infrastructure Projects.

·           Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Electricity Interconnection and Trade.

·           Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation with the National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal at Gujarat.

·           Cooperation Protocol between the National Library and Archives of the UAE and the National Archives of India.

·           Agreement on interlinking of the instant payment platforms – UPI (India) and AANI (UAE).

·           Agreement on inter-linking domestic debit/credit cards – RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE).

·           In Doha, Qatar PM Modi  is received by Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Qatar.

·           United Arab Emirates (UAE) Capital – Abu Dhabi

·           Currency – United Arab Emirates Dirham

·           Qatar: Capital – Doha

·           Currency – Qatari Riyal (QAR)

 

10.      FORBES INDIA 30 UNDER 30 LIST FOR 2024

·           Forbes India unveiled the 11th edition of Forbes India 30 Under 30 List for 2024 (Class of 2024), which recognises professionals and entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions across diverse fields.

·           The 2024 list features 37 individuals including Actress Rashmika Mandana; Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, co-founders of Zepto; Vishnu Acharya of Razorpay recognised across 19 cateogries.

 

11.      GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS Mission

·           Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS mission carrying the meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

·           GSLV-F14 placed the INSAT-3DS satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit(GTO), then to a geosynchronous stationary orbit (GSO) in space.

·           This marks’s the 16th flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

·           It is also the 10th flight & 7th operational flight of GSLV with Indigenous Cryogenic stage.

·           INSAT-3DS:is a follow-on mission of Third Generation Meteorological Satellite from geostationary orbit.

·           ISRO Chairman – Sreedhara Panicker Somanath

·           Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka

·           Established in – 1969

 

12.      BADMINTON ASIA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024

·           Indian Women’s Badminton Team led by PusarlaVenkata (PV) Sindhu won the gold at Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2024 in Womens event by defeating Thailand (3-2) in the finals held at Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

·           This marks the first ever gold for India at the Badminton Asia Team Championships.

·           In Mens Event China beat Malasia for gold medal

Read More

DAILY GK 16-17 FEB

 DAILY GK 16-17 FEB 

1.         MIB REVISED NATIONAL FILM AWARDS REGULATIONS

·           The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has revised the National Film Awards regulations and made significant changes, including renaming awards, merging categories, and increasing prize money.

·           The ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director’ has been renamed ‘Best Debut Film of a Director’. The award includes a Swarna Kamal and cash award of Rs 3 lakh which will be presented to the director of the film.

·           The ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’ has been clubbed with ‘Best Film on Social Issues’ and ‘Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation’.

·           The newly formed award is named ‘Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values’.

·           The awards are categorised into four sections. They are Feature films, non- features films, Best writing on cinema, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award(Lifetime Achievement Award).

 

2.         UWW LIFTS WRESTLING FEDERATION OF INDIA’S SUSPENSION

·           The United World Wrestling(UWW) has lifted the suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India(WFI)

·           WFI was suspended in August 2023 due to a delay in elections in the organisation.

·           While lifting the ban, UWW has instructed WFI to conduct the elections of its Athletes’ Commission before the 1st of July 2024.

·           Indian wrestlers can now compete in international competitions under the Indian flag after previously competing as ‘neutral athletes’ under the UWW flag during the ban.

 

3.         INTERNATIONAL EPILEPSY DAY 2024- FEBRUARY 12

·           International Epilepsy Day is annually observed across the globe on the 2nd Monday in February to raise awareness about epilepsy, a neurological disorder, its condition, diagnosis, and treatment.

·           The 2024 theme of International Epilepsy Day is, “Milestones on My Epilepsy Journey.”

·           The campaign of International Epilepsy Day 2024 is, “#My Epilepsy Journey.”

·           International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)Headquarters– Dundrum, Ireland

 

4.         WORLD RADIO DAY 2024 – FEBRUARY 13 

·           The United Nations (UN) World Radio Day (WRD) is annually observed across the globe on 13 February to celebrate Radio as a powerful and low-cost medium and to promote its role in fostering international collaboration among broadcasters.

·           The theme of World Radio Day 2024 is “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating”.

 

5.         STATE OF THE WORLD’S MIGRATORY SPECIES REPORT RELEASED

·           The  first-ever ‘State of the World’s Migratory Species‘ report was launched at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14), also known as Bonn Convention in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

·           The CMS COP14 is convened under the slogan, “Nature knows no borders”.

·           UNEPExecutive Director– Inger Andersen

·           Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya

 

6.         IRDAI ISSUES DRAFT REGULATIONS FOR BIMA SUGAM  

·           The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has issued an exposure draft regulations, “IRDAI (Bima Sugam – Insurance Electronic Marketplace) regulations, 2024”, for a digital infrastructure called Bima Sugam.

·           BimaSugam is a one-stop insurance e-marketplace for all stakeholders of Insurance to promote transparency, efficiency, collaboration across the entire insurance value chain.

·           IRDAI also proposed to extend the free-look period for insurance policies from 15 days to 30 days to ensure protection of policyholders’ interest.

·           IRDAIIRDAI is a statutory body that regulates and develops the insurance industry in India.

·           It was constituted in 1999 and incorporated as a statutory body in 2000.

·           Chairman– Debasish Panda

·           Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana

 

7.         RBI & NEPAL RASTRA BANK SIGNED TOR TO INTEGRATE UPI AND NPI

·           The central banks of India & Nepal namely the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) have signed Terms of Reference (ToR) to integrate the fast payment systems of both countries.

·           As per ToR, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and the National Payments Interface (NPI) of Nepal will be integrated to facilitate cross-border remittances.

 

8.         ICAI PRESIDENT

·           The Central Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has elected CA. Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal as its 72nd President for the term 2024-25.

·           ICAI also elected CA. Charanjot Singh Nanda as its Vice President for the term 2024-25.

·           ICAI is a statutory body established by The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 for regulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in the country.

·           Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

 

9.         NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2024- FEBRUARY 13

·           National Women’s Day is annually observed across India on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, popularly known as the “Nightingale of India” or “Bharat Kokila.”

·           13 February 2024 marks the 145th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.

 

10.      NIRMALA SITHARAMAN PRESENTS 'WHITE PAPER' ON INDIAN ECONOMY IN LOK SABHA

·           The paper called the tenure of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister during UPA regime (2004-14), as a “lost decade”. 

·           It said the Manmohan Singh’s tenure failed to capitalise on the strong foundational economy.

·           The paper reiterated that the Amrit Kaal (25 years period) and next destination is making India a developed nation by 2047.

·           According to the white paper, the average annual inflation rate between 2004 and 2014 was around 8.2%.

 

11.      EPFO FIXES 3-YEAR HIGH 8.25% INTEREST RATE ON EPF FOR 2023-24

·           The interest rate on Employees Provident Fund (EPF) deposits has been increased to 8.25% for 2023-24 by the retirement fund body EPFO

·           EPFO is a statutory body that was established under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.

Read More