Daily Current Affairs and GK | 23 June 2023

Topic: National Appointments

1. Hasmukh Adhia appointed as chairman of GIFT City.

• Former Union Finance Secretary & Revenue Secretary, Hasmukh Adhia, has been appointed Chairman of GIFT City Ltd.
• He has been also appointed as Director and Chairman of the boards of State public sector undertakings Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd (GACL) and Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC) with immediate effect.
• He is an IAS officer of the 1981 batch and currently serving as an advisor to the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
• He was also part of the panel formed by the Gujarat government for recommending measures for the post-Covid economic revival of the state.
• He also serves as Vice-President in Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI).
• Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT) city:
  • It is India's first operational Greenfield smart city.
  • The GIFT city is built on 886 acres and has a multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
  • India’s first International Financial Services Centre is also located at this place and it has also Domestic Tariff Area (DTA).
  • It is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
  • "Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Limited" has been formed to develop GIFT City through Gujarat Urban Development Company Limited (GUDCL).

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

2. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath released the first ticket of motor bike race ‘Moto GP’ 2023.

• The world’s fastest motorbike race ‘Moto GP’ 2023 will be hosted by India for the first time.
• The Organizers of ‘Moto GP India 2023’ presented a helmet on behalf of famous Spanish rider Enea Bastianini to the chief minister on this occasion.
• The ‘Moto GP’ 2023 race will be organized at the Buddha International Circuit, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• It will be organized from 22 to 24 September, 2023. It is the 5th most-watched event in the world.
• For the first time, ‘Moto E-Race’ will be held outside Europe.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

3. Silica Reduction Plant at Dalli Mines of Bhilai Steel Plant inaugurated by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 23 June in New Delhi.

• Iron ore reserves in the 60-year-old mines of Dalli and Rajhara group of SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant are fast depleting.
• The study revealed that there is need to refine iron ore of size less than 1 mm to achieve the desired grade for effective usage in the Blast Furnace.
• With an investment of over 149 crore rupees, the Silica Reduction Plant is aligned with the existing Crushing, Screening and Washing (CSW) wet plant at Dalli.
• The plant is equipped with state-of-the-art beneficiation equipment.
• It aims to increase iron ore supplied to Bhilai Steel Plant, thereby increasing annual production from blast furnaces, reducing coke consumption and carbon emissions.
• The Ministry of Steel is focused on promoting de-carbonization in the Indian steel industry and preparing a long-term roadmap for green steel production in collaboration with the steel industry.
• SAIL is also aligned with the national goal of carbon neutrality. The Silica Reduction Plant at Dalli-Rajhara mine is an important step in this direction.

Topic: Important Days

4. International Widows’ Day 2023: 23 June

• Every year on 23 June, International Widows Day is observed.
• The theme of the International Widows Day 2023 is "Innovation and Technology for gender equality".
• Since 2011, United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day.
• The United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to provide them with the unique support they need.
• The Loomba Foundation started the International Widows Day.

Topic: Defence

5. On 21 June 2023, India US Defense Accelerated Ecosystem (Indus-X) was launched at an event in Washington DC, United States.

• The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and US Department of Defence (DoD) co-organized the Indus-X event.
• It was hosted by US-India Business Council (USIBC).
• On June 20-21, 2023, Shri Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary (Defence Industry Promotion), Ministry of Defence, led the Indian delegation to the two-day Indus-X event.
• A reception for Indian and US government representatives, defense startups, think-tanks, incubators, investors, industries and other stakeholders was organized on June 20, 2023.
• The event also featured a first-of-its-kind joint display of innovative technologies by Indian and US startups.
• 15 Indian startups and 10 US startups showcased their technology to Indian and US stakeholders across multiple domains such as maritime, AI, autonomous systems and space.

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

6. A New Scheme launched by Tamil Nadu Police for Women Travelling Alone at Night.

• Chennai city women, who return from work between 10 pm and 7 am, can use a police patrol vehicle to reach their residence safely.
• This new scheme named ‘Pengal Pathukaaptu Thittam’ (Women Safety Scheme), has been launched by the Tamil Nadu police.
• Women who feel unsafe at night and need a vehicle can dial the helpline number.
• This scheme has been started because more women are working in different shifts and sometimes, they are dropped by the office vehicle at such places from where they have to walk alone to their homes.
• In case of emergency situations, the police had asked people to use the 'Kavalan' SOS mobile application.
• In October 2022, the Coimbatore Police launched an ambitious project 'Police Akka' aimed at curbing crimes against girl students.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. PM Kisan Mobile App has been launched with Face Authentication Feature for e- KYC.

• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched it.
• With the help of this app, remote farmers can do e-KYC by scanning their faces without OTP or fingerprint.
• Union Minister Tomar said the benefits of PM-Kisan are being given by the central government to the farmers without any middlemen.
• Union Minister said PM-Kisan is a very comprehensive scheme of the central government.
• He said due to states support, the Centre is able to pay the instalment to about 8.5 crore farmers after the completion of their KYC.
• PM Kisan is one of the world’s largest DBT schemes. Under this scheme, farmers get 6,000 rupees directly transferred through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts in three instalments in a year.
• Two lakh 42 thousand crore rupees have been transferred to the accounts of over 11 crore farmers till date.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. US Company GE Aerospace and Indian aerospace company HAL have signed an MoU to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force.

• Under the agreement, GE Aerospace’s F414 engines will be co-produced in India to power the Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft Mk2.
• As per GE Aerospace, eight F414 engines have been delivered under an ongoing development programme for LCA Mk2.
• GE will continue to collaborate with the Indian Government on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft Mk2 engine programme.
• Chairman and CEO of GE and Chief Executive Officer of GE Aerospace, H. Lawrence Culp, termed this a historic agreement.
• GE Aerospace is among the top aircraft engine suppliers. It is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, United States. It is a subsidiary of General Electric.
• 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 as Hindustan Aircraft Limited.
  • It was established in 1964 as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. CB Ananthakrishnan is its chairperson and MD. 

Topic: State News/ Punjab

9. Punjab Legislative Assembly passed a bill that empower the state government to appoint DGP.

• Punjab government passed the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023, to amend the clause and sub-clause in the Punjab Police Act, 2007.
• It will empower the state government to appoint a DGP of its own choice.
• As per the current guidelines, the state government sends a panel of eligible officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which shortlists three officers from the panel.
• The state government then select an officer of its choice among those three.
• As per the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab government will form a seven-member Empanelment Committee to form a panel of three senior-most officers.
• The state government will appoint a DGP of choice among the three officers shortlisted by the committee.
• The proposed seven-member committee in the amendment Bill will be chaired by the retired chief justice or a retired judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
• The Punjab government's intention to amend the Punjab Police Act 2007 is considered in the context of the continuing of a 1992-batch IPS officer as acting DGP of Punjab and appointing him as regular DGP.

Topic: National News

10. Ministry of Coal announced commencement of the Star Rating Registration process of Coal and Lignite Mines.

• Ministry of Coal announced the commencement of the Star Rating Registration process of Coal and Lignite Mines to foster competitiveness among mines and recognize their outstanding performance.
• The Star Rating policy aims to evaluate mines based on various factors across seven key parameters.
• The Mining Operations, Environment-related parameters, Adoption of Technologies, Best Mining Practices, Economic performance, Rehabilitation & Resettlement, Worker-related Compliance and Safety & security are the various parameters.
• The notification for registration of coal and lignite mines for the Star Rating program was issued on 30th May and the registration for the Star Rating portal was started on 1 June.
• As of 19 June, 376 mines have applied for participation. The highest number of mines are participating this time since the inception of the programme.
• Participating mines will be encouraged to undertake a comprehensive self-evaluation process.
• The top 10% of the highest-scoring mines will be selected for further validation through an inspection conducted by a committee.
• The remaining 90% of the mines will pass through an online review process.

Topic: National Appointments

11. Kamal Kishore Chatiwal has been appointed as new managing director of Indraprastha Gas Limited.

• He has succeeded Sanjay Kumar, who has taken over as Director (Marketing) in GAIL (India) Limited.
• Prior to this, he was serving as Executive Director and Regional Marketing Head of GAIL in Jaipur.
• He has worked for GAIL since 1990 and has played a key role in the execution and commissioning of numerous significant projects.
• Indraprastha Gas Limited:
  • It is a leading Indian natural gas distribution company that supplies natural gas for cooking and as a vehicle fuel.
  • It is a joint venture between GAIL and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), in which the Delhi government holds a 5% stake.
  • It was established in 1998. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

12. Gujarat Institute scientists have developed biodegradable paper supercapacitor from seaweed.

• The thinnest, lightweight and biodegradable paper-based supercapacitor has been developed by Scientists at Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI).
• A supercapacitor is an electrochemical charge storage device with fast charging/discharging cycles, high power density, and long cycle life.
• This supercapacitor has been developed from seaweed (marine macroalgae), which can fully charge a device within 10 seconds.
• This device is characterized by high tensile strength and performance as well as cost effective.
• This product has a huge commercial potential, which can be used in electronics, memory backup system, airbag, heavy machine, electric vehicles, etc.
• The cellulose nanofibers were extracted by scientists from seaweed and reduced into graphene oxide and zinc oxide.
• The researchers published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal BioNanoScience (Springer publications) and successfully patented them.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. Austria's capital Vienna is the most livable city in the world: Global livability index 2023

• According to the global livability index 2023, Vienna has been named the world's "most liveable city" for 2023.
• The Global livability index 2023 has been released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
• It has ranked 173 cities around the world on different factors including health care, education, stability, infrastructure and the environment.
• In this ranking, Denmark's Copenhagen is in second place while Australia's Melbourne and Sydney are in third and fourth positions.
• India’s five cities- Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai - are also on the list of most livable cities.
• New Delhi and Mumbai secured141st position. Chennai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru are ranked 144th, 147th and 148th, respectively.
• The average index score across 172 cities (eliminating Kyiv in Ukraine) has now reached 76.2 out of 100. It is the highest in the last 15 years.
• UK capital London and Sweden's capital Stockholm have reached 46th and 43rd positions.
• As per the report, the health care scores have improved the most.
• Canada has the highest number of livable cities in the top 10. These cities are Calgary (7th), Vancouver (5th) and Toronto (9th).
• Damascus is the least liveable city in the world. Kyiv is also in the bottom 10.

Topic: Indian Economy

14. Fitch Ratings raised India’s GDP forecast to 6.3 % for FY 2023-24.

• Fitch Ratings increased the GDP growth rate forecast of India from 6% to 6.3% for the current fiscal year 2023-24.
• The growth forecast has been increased primarily because of a stronger out-turn in the first quarter and near-term momentum.
• According to Fitch Ratings, GDP is up by 6.1 percent year-on-year in 1Q23 (January-March) and auto sales, PMI surveys and credit growth remain robust in recent months.
• The GDP growth in January-March was higher than expected and there was a recovery in manufacturing after two consecutive quarterly contractions.
• Earlier in March, Fitch had lowered its forecast for 2023-24 to 6 percent from 6.2 percent due to high inflation and interest rates.
• Fitch Ratings has estimated a growth of 6.5 percent each for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years.
• In terms of expenditure, GDP growth is mainly due to increased domestic demand and a boost from net trade.