Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 July 2023

Topic: Space and IT

1. Government launched ‘SAGAR SAMPARK’ Differential Global Navigation Satellite System.

• For strengthening the maritime sector, the indigenous ‘SAGAR SAMPARK’ Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) has been launched by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
• DGNSS is a terrestrial-based enhancement system which corrects the errors and inaccuracies in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
• ‘SAGAR SAMPARK’ DGNSS has been launched at six locations under the Directorate General of Lighthouses And Lightships (DGLL).
• DGNSS will enhance the capability of the DGLL in the field of Radio Aids to Marine Navigation.
• DGNSS will help mariners in safe navigation and reduce the risk of collisions, groundings, and accidents in the port and harbour areas.
• It will make the movement of vessels more efficient and safe. DGNSS is an important step towards fulfillment of international obligations.
• DGNSS will help mariners to improve their positioning within 5 meters.
• DGNSS greatly improves the accuracy of GPS positioning, while reducing errors caused by atmospheric estimation, satellite clock and other factors.
• Now, the latest DGNSS system is able to transmit corrections of GPS and GLONASS.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Miscellaneous

2. National Law University Delhi has introduced the Eklavya initiative.

• It is a research affiliate programme. It is open to any individual.
• Individual must have at least 3 years of demonstrable experience working on issues that have a significant interface with the law.
• It is open to individuals who do not have a traditional law degree.
• In order to be eligible for this programme, at least three years should have passed after the completion of the undergraduate degree.
• The application form is open throughout the year.
• National Law University Delhi was established in 2008. The Chief Justice of Delhi High Court is its chancellor.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. Retail inflation increased to 4.81% in June 2023.

• It remained within the tolerance range of the RBI (2-6%) for the fourth consecutive month.
• It increased to 4.81% after declining to a 25-month low of 4.25% in May.
• It increased to 4.81% on the back of a rise in vegetable prices.
• Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) increased to 4.49% in June from 2.96% in May.
• Rural inflation was at 4.72%. Urban inflation was at 4.96%.
• The Inflation rate of vegetables recorded a contraction of 0.93% in June 2023.
• The Inflation rate for cereals increased marginally to 12.71%. The inflation rate for food & beverage segments stood at 4.63%. The inflation rate for fuel segment stood at 3.92%.

Topic: State News/Jammu and Kashmir

4. Mobile-Dost-App has been launched in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Mobile-Dost-App has been launched in sync with the vision of Apka-Mobile-Hamara-Daftar.
• Apka-Mobile-Hamara-Daftar is a pioneering initiative for the mobile-based delivery of citizen-centric services in the Jammu and Kashmir.
• The App signifies a step toward a digitally empowered Jammu & Kashmir.
• With the launch of this App, the administration aims to enhance accessibility and convenience.
• The Mobile-Dost-App aims at empowering the people of J & K by providing a platform to access all the Government to Citizen Services (G2C) directly from their mobiles.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

5. HAL regional office has been inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur.

• On 11 July, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the regional office of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
• This regional office will promote defense industrial cooperation between India and Malaysia.
• This office will serve as the hub for HAL's partnership with the South-East Asian region.
• Shri Rajnath Singh also visited the Ramakrishna Mission in Petaling Jaya and paid floral tributes at the statue of Swami Vivekananda.
• In addition, Raksha Mantri visited the Torana Gate in Brickfields, a symbol of friendship between India and Malaysia, which was inaugurated by PM Modi in November 2015.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL):
  • It is a government-owned corporation involved in the design, fabrication, and assembly of aircraft, jet engines, and helicopters.
  • Its headquarters is located in Bangalore. It was established on 23 December 1940.
  • CB Ananthakrishnan is the Chairperson & MD of HAL.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

6. Two new judges have been appointed to Supreme Court.

• On July 12, Telangana Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Kerala Chief Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti were appointed by the President as Supreme Court judges.
• The appointments came within a week of the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, recommending their names to the government.
• With the two new appointments, the judicial strength of the apex court has gone up to 33, leaving only one vacancy vacant.
• Justice Bhuyan had been serving as the Chief Justice of Telangana since June 28 last year.
• Justice Bhatti was appointed to Kerala High Court in March 2019. He was serving there as the Chief Justice from June 1, 2023.
• The Acting Chief Justice is to be appointed by the President under Article 126 of the Constitution.     
• The Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice of India and up to 33 fellow judges, has extensive powers in terms of original, appellate, and advisory jurisdiction.
• Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
• The Supreme Court of India came into existence on 28 January 1950.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. Sixth India-Arab Partnership Conference was held in New Delhi on 11-12 July 2023.

• The conference was held on "New Horizons in Investment, Trade & Services” under the aegis of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum.
• The conference was attended by ministers, senior officials and businesspersons from the Arab States and India.
• The conference was inaugurated by V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs.
• Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and the League of Arab States (LAS), in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Federation of Arab Businessmen (FAB) and Union of Arab Chambers (UAC) jointly organized the conference.
• UAE was the third-largest trading partner of India during the last financial year.
• Saudi Arabia was the fourth-largest partner of India during the last financial year.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Government has empanelled 43 new implementing partners under SAMARTH scheme.

• Government has allocated additional target of training around 75,000 beneficiaries to the training partners.
• Government has also revised the funding pattern with an increment of 5% in cost norms.
• Now, Ministry of Textiles has entered into partnership with 157 Textile Industries / Industry Associations, 16 Central / State Government Agencies and 3 Sectoral Organizations of the Ministry for carrying out training programmes under SAMARTH.
• The scheme is now being implemented across 28 States and 6 Union territories of India.
• It caters to all sections of the society including SC, ST, and other marginalized categories.
• Skilling target under the scheme was 4.72 lakh beneficiaries. Of this, 1.88 lakh beneficiaries have been provided training.
• Over 85% of the beneficiaries trained so far are women. Over 70% of the beneficiaries trained in organized sector courses have got placement.
• SAMARTH:
  • It is a demand driven and placement-oriented skilling programme.
  • It is a programme of the Ministry of Textiles. It was launched in 2020.
  • It aims to incentivize and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs in the organized textile and related sectors.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Central government will launch a unique initiative of setting up women-only courts at the village level.

• The Government will launch ‘Nari Adalat’ as an alternate dispute resolution forum for resolving issues related to domestic violence, property rights and the patriarchal system.
• This initiative will be launched on a pilot basis in 50 villages each in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir. It will be then extended to other parts of India over the next six months.
• Nari Adalat of each village would have 7-9 members. Out of the total members, half would be elected members of the gram panchayat and the rest members will be teachers, doctors and social workers nominated by villagers.
• The Nari Adalat (Women’s court) will not only resolve cases of individuals but also raise awareness about the social schemes of the government.
• It will raise awareness about the legal rights of women and resolve cases within its jurisdiction.
• It will provide many services including counselling, evidence-based decision-making, pressure group tactics, negotiation, mediation and reconciliation with mutual consent.
• The members of Nari Adalat will be known as Nyaya Sakhis [legal friends]. The head of Nari Adalat will be known as Mukhya Nyaya Sakhi [chief legal friend].
• The tenure of Mukhya Nyaya Sakhi will be of six months.
• ‘Nari Adalat’ will not hold any legal status. Its main goal will be reconciliation and grievance redressal.
• This initiative would be run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the Sambal sub-scheme of Mission Shakti.
• This initiative is inspired by the Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats [People’s Court of Women], which was run by the National Commission for Women (NCW) till 2014-15.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

10. Elon Musk launched his new artificial intelligence company, xAI.

• Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and owner of Twitter, launched a new artificial intelligence company, xAI.
• Alumni of DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, Twitter and Tesla are members of xAI.
• xAI has been launched to compete with companies like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.
• Musk has repeatedly expressed concern about AI's potential for "the destruction of civilization".
• Musk said that he would launch TruthGPT or a maximum truth-seeking AI.
• Elon Musk was the co-founder of OpenAI. He stepped down from the company board in 2018.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

11. ONGC became the first PSU in India to get certified for Anti-Bribery Management System.

• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has become the first Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) in India to get certified for Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS).
• ABMS has been given to ONGC by an internationally accredited certification body InterCert USA.
• ABMS Certification became another significant milestone in the journey of Energy Maharatna toward strengthening its stature as a preferred business partner.
• ABMS has been given after complete assessment and validation by InterCert USA.
• ABMS has been implemented in 10 departments of ONGC's Corporate Office in Delhi in the first phase as per ISO 37001:2016 international standard under the guidance of Digital Edge, an international consulting firm.
• Anti-Bribery Management System:
  • ISO 37001:2016 is an international standard in the field of ABMS, which guides organizations on how to eliminate incidents and concerns related to bribery.
  • It directly addresses one of the world's most challenging issues, bribery, and demonstrates a committed approach to eliminating corruption (bribery) by providing a globally recognized method of addressing the issue.
  • This International Standard allows organizations to prevent, detect and address bribery by adopting an Anti-bribery policy, appointing person(s) to oversee anti-bribery compliance, implementing financial and commercial controls, and instituting reporting and investigation procedures.

Topic: State news/ Rajasthan

12. Government college teachers in Rajasthan will get training in prestigious institutions in India and abroad.

• Teachers of government colleges and polytechnic institutes in Rajasthan will be trained in prestigious institutes in India and abroad.
• 500 teachers from colleges will be trained on new technologies and innovations that can be implemented while teaching students.
• The proposal of the 'Teacher Interface for Excellence' (TIE) program has been approved by Chief Minister (CM) Ashok Gehlot in this regard.
• Under the program, Rs 23.50 crore will be spent on research and training facilities in the financial year 2023-24.
• The guidelines of the program will be issued soon.
• The TIE program allows teachers to receive training in prestigious foreign institutions with a QS (Quaquarelli Symonds) ranking of 1 to 100 and national institutions with a NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework) ranking of 1 to 100.
• Under TIE, the training programmes will be held for a period of 1 to 6 months.
• This program will help improve the quality of education and research in higher educational institutions in Rajasthan.
• It will further strengthen their performance in the grading provided by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Topic: Banking System

13. RBI is planning to increase CBDC transactions by introducing QR codes.

• For promoting Central Bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions, RBI has instructed banks to make UPI QR codes interoperable for e-rupee payments.
• The e-rupee was introduced by RBI on 1 December 2022 on a pilot basis for retail transactions.
• Reserve Bank of India’s deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar said that Customers will be able to use QR codes of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) network for CBDC transactions by the end of July 2023.
• The interoperability of QR codes will promote central bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions.
• At present, a limited number of merchants are accepting CBDC.
• 13 banks that have been authorized to handle CBDC have attained partial interoperability.
• RBI has set a target of 10 lakh CBDT transactions per day by the end of this year.
• RBI has also urged bankers and fintech firms to have an informed debate on the use of cryptocurrencies.

Topic: International News

14. PM Modi will be the chief guest at the French Bastille Day Parade.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a 3-day official visit to France and UAE from 13th July.
• In the first leg of his tour, Prime Minister Modi will reach Paris at the invitation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
• He will be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade. The Indian tri-services are participating in the Parade.
• A 269-member contingent of the Indian Armed Forces will march alongside their French counterparts.
• PM Modi will also meet with the Prime Minister of France as well as the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly of France.
• This year is being celebrated as the 25th anniversary of the India - France Strategic Partnership.
• On the second leg of his visit, Prime Minister will reach Abu Dhabi on 15th July.
• Prime Minister’s visit to UAE will be an opportunity to identify ways to enhance cooperation between both countries.
• Bastille Day military parade:
  • It is organized every year on 14 July in Paris.
  • It is also known as Fete Nationale Francaise.
  • It mark the beginning of the French Revolution.
  • The first Bastille Day parade was organized in 1780.
  • It is also one of the oldest regular military parades in the world.