Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 December 2023

Topic: National Appointments

1. Reserve Bank of India approved the appointment of C S Rajan as chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

• The RBI has approved C S Rajan's appointment as an Independent Director of the Kotak Mahindra Bank.
• His appointment will become effective from January 1, 2024, for two years.
• C S Rajan assumed the role of Independent Director on the Bank's Board on October 22, 2022.
• He has experience of more than 40 years across significant government portfolios.
• In October 2018, C S Rajan was appointed to the Board of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL & FS).
• Kotak Mahindra Bank:
  • It is India’s 3rd largest private sector bank by market capitalisation.
  • It is headquartered in Mumbai. Uday Kotak is its founder.
  • It was founded in 2003.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

2. Reliance Jio and IIT Bombay collaborating to launch 'Bharat GPT'.

• Reliance Jio is launching the 'Bharat GPT' program in collaboration with IIT-Bombay.
• This program aims to use the power of large language models and generative artificial intelligence (GPT) to transform various sectors in India.
• The Bharat GPT program is part of Jio's broader vision, known as "Jio 2.0". Its main aim is to create a comprehensive ecosystem of development.
• The program's main aim is to explore the vast potential of artificial intelligence in driving innovation across products and services.
• Reliance Jio is also working on developing its operating system (OS) for televisions.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Six SAMARTH curated training programs have been launched by the government on the iGOT Karmayogi Platform for State Government officials.

• According to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, these programs aim to elevate the skills and competencies of government officials.
• The program will guarantee that the officials are well-equipped to fulfill the changing demands of governance.
• These programs are- 1) SAMARTH Blocks, 2) SAMARTH Zila, 3) SAMARTH Rajya, 4) SAMARTH Rajya Sachiva, 5) SAMARTH Policy, and 6) SAMARTH Procurement.
• iGOT Karmayogi is an online learning platform to assist government employees in their capacity-building journey.
• On this platform, over 28 lakh learners from various government departments are registered.
• The portal combines six useful hubs for online learning, competency management, career management, discussions, events, and networking.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval to the signing of the Migration and Mobility Agreement between India and Italy.

• The Agreement would enhance people-to-people contacts between India and Italy.
• It would foster the mobility of students, skilled workers, business people and young professionals.
• It would also strengthen cooperation on issues related to irregular migration between the two sides.
• The following is a list of some of the main provisions:
  • After completing their academic or vocational study in Italy, Indian students who seek to gain some early professional experience may be granted temporary residency in Italy for a maximum of 12 months.
  • Indian students and trainees can get experience in Italian skill and training standards through the comprehensive provisions offered by the Italian side in the areas of professional training, extracurricular internships, and curriculum-based internships.
  • According to the existing Flows Decree, the Italian side has set aside a quota of 5000, 6000, and 7000 non-seasonal Indian workers for 2023, 2024, and 2025 (the total reserved quota for non-seasonal workers is 12000).
  • Furthermore, in accordance with the existing Flows Decree, the Italian side has set aside a quota of 3000, 4000, and 5000 seasonal Indian workers for 2023, 2024, and 2025 (Total reserved quota for seasonal workers is 8000).
• The agreement also formalises joint working on furthering mobility pathways between India and Italy.
• Through the Agreement, the two countries' cooperation in the fight against irregular migration has also been formalized.
• This Agreement will be in force for five years, starting on the first day of the second month that follows the date on which the Parties receive the last of the two notifications informing each other that the internal procedures required for its entry into force have been completed.
• If no Participant terminates it, the Agreement will automatically be renewed for an equivalent amount of time.

Topic: Space and IT

5. A Spacecraft relaunched by NASA to intercept the 'God of Chaos' asteroid as it approaches Earth's orbit.

• The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has recently returned from deep space after collecting samples from the space rock Bennu.
• The spacecraft has been renamed OSIRIS-APEX (Origin, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Apophis Explorer).
• Now, it has been sent to study the asteroid Apophis, which will pass very close to the Earth in 2029.
• This asteroid, also known as the “God of Chaos,” is expected to fly by Earth on April 13, 2029, from about 20,000 miles away.
• Scientists originally said there was about a 3% chance of the asteroid hitting Earth, but over the years, they realized there would be no collision in 2029.
• In 2021, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory released an animated video depicting the orbital trajectory of asteroid Apophis.
• According to NASA, Apophis' close encounter with Earth will change the asteroid's orbit and the length of its day.
• The encounter could also cause earthquakes and landslides on Apophis, which could then expose material beneath the asteroid's surface.
• ''OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis shortly after such a pass, allowing us to see how its surface changes as it interacts with Earth's gravity.
• Scientists estimate that the Apophis-sized asteroid, about 367 yards (about 340 meters) wide, comes this close to Earth only once every 7,500 years.

Topic: Personality in News

6. DMDK leader and Tamil cinema icon 'Captain' Vijayakanth passed away.

• Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder and general secretary Vijayakant, passed away in Chennai on December 28 at the age of 71 year old.
• His wife Premalatha formally took charge of the DMDK on 14 December and was declared general secretary at a party meeting in Chennai.
• He is fondly called "Captain" due to his portrayal of military characters on-screen. Before entering politics, he acted in 154 films.
• Vijayakanth founded the DMDK in 2005 to provide an alternative political platform in Tamil Nadu and challenge the established Dravidian parties like the DMK and AIADMK.
• Vijayakanth served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011–2016.

Topic: National News

7. The Minimum Support Price for Copra for the 2024 season was approved by The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 27 December.

• The MSP for the 2024 season has increased by Rs 300 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 250 per quintal for ball copra compared to the previous season.
• Higher MSP will ensure better remunerative returns for coconut growers.
• In 2014-15, the MSP for milling copra was Rs 5,250 per quintal and in 2024-25 it will be Rs 11,160 per quintal.
• The MSP for ball copra in 2014-15 was Rs 5,500 per quintal and in 2024-25 it will be Rs 12,000 per quintal.
• This will ensure margins of 51.84% for the milling copra and 63.26% for ball copra, which is more than 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.
• Milling copra is used to extract oil, while balled or edible copra is consumed as a dried fruit and used for religious purposes.
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu are major producers of million copra, while ball copra is mainly produced in Karnataka.
• In the current season 2023, the government has purchased a record more than 1.33 lakh metric tonnes of copra for Rs 1,493 crore, benefiting about 90 thousand farmers.
• Purchasing in the current season 2023 marks an increase of 227% compared to the previous season.
• The CCEA also approved the construction of a new 4.56 km long, six-lane high-level and additional cable-stayed bridge over the river Ganga connecting Digha and Sonpur in Bihar.
• The total cost of this project is Rs 3,064 crore.
• The CCEA has also approved the work of improvement and widening of a 135 km long stretch of Khowai-Harina road in Tripura.
• An investment of Rs 2,486 crore will be made in this project, which includes a loan of more than Rs 1,511 crore.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

8. Ayodhya Railway Junction has been renamed as Ayodhya Dham.

• Local MP Lallu Singh said on December 27 that the name of Ayodhya Railway Junction in Uttar Pradesh has been changed to Ayodhya Dham Junction.
• The announcement came days before the inauguration of the redeveloped railway station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• On December 30, PM Modi will inaugurate the redeveloped station and newly built airport in the temple city.
• After this, the consecration ceremony of Ram temple will be organized in the presence of the Prime Minister on January 22.

Topic: India and its Neighbours

9. Pakistan successfully conducted the flight test of Fatah-II.

• The indigenously developed guided multi-launch rocket system 'Fatah-II’ has been launched by Pakistan.
• It is capable of hitting targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometres.
• The launch was witnessed by senior officers from tri-services and dedicated scientists and engineers.
• It is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, a sophisticated navigation system and a unique flight trajectory.
• In October 2023, Pakistan successfully conducted a training launch of the Ghauri Weapon System.
• In August 2021, Pakistan conducted a successful test of an indigenously developed Fatah-1 guided multi-launch rocket system (MLRS).

Topic: Space and IT

10. ISRO-made structural analysis software 'FEAST' for Indian academia and industries.

• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of the Indian space agency ISRO has developed an analysis software 'FEAST' for Indian academia and industries.
• It is used to perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of various types of structures including rockets, aircraft, satellites, buildings, etc.
• It will predict how a component or a structure reacts to real-world forces like types of structural loads, thermal conditions and other physical effects.
• FEA software is also known as FEAST (Finite Element Analysis of Structures).
• A free trial of the FEAST software is also available on the ISRO/VSSC website.
• FEAST will be available for three broad categories of users — academic (for students and educational institutions), premium (for small and medium-scale industries) and professional (for general large-scale applications).

Topic: National News

11. Government has directed digital platforms not to show ads for fraudulent loan apps.

• On December 27, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said the government has directed social media and online platforms to ensure that they do not host advertisements for fraudulent loan apps.
• The IT Ministry has made it clear to the platforms that they cannot run fraudulent loan apps as they are misleading and exploit people using the internet.
• He said the jurisprudence and government's approach to a secure and reliable internet is evolving, and that IT rules specify 11 areas of prohibited content.
• Recently, Google has also removed over 2,500 fraudulent loan apps from its Play Store between April 2021 and July 2022.

Topic: Art and Culture

12. More than 1500 people played Tabla in Gwalior and created a Guinness World Record.

• On December 25, more than 1500 people played the tabla at 'Taal Darbar' in Gwalior Fort, creating a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people playing the tabla simultaneously.
• Chief Minister Shri Yadav announced that December 25 will be celebrated as 'Tabla Divas'.
• He said that the history of music in India is considered to be more than 5000 years old.
• The theme of the event was 'Vande Mataram' and it was attended by around 1500 students from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and mostly Madhya Pradesh.

Topic: State News/ Jammu and Kashmir

13. Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) has been declared as an unlawful association.

• ‘Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)’/MLJK-MA has been declared as an ‘Unlawful Association’ under the UAPA by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Home Minister Amit Shah stated that this organization and its members were involved in anti-national and secessionist activities in J&K.
• With UAPA imposed on MLJK-MA, the organisation will now be subject to the stipulations and penalties in the UAPA Act.
• Many criminal cases have been registered against this organization under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
• It supported the terrorist activities and provoked people to establish Islamic rule in J&K.
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act's main aim is to prevent unlawful activities associations in India.
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was amended in August 2019 to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

14. Visva-Bharati discovered a new bacteria, named after Rabindranath Tagore.

• A bacteria capable of boosting plant growth has been discovered by a team of researchers from Visva-Bharati University.
• It has been named 'Pantoea Tagorei' after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
• This bacteria can revolutionise agricultural practices and can be a game changer in agriculture.
• It has immense capability to boost the cultivation of paddy, pea and chilli.
• 'Pantoea Tagorei' efficiently extracts potassium from soil, which enhancess the growth of plants.
• The bacteria will help in reducing the usage of commercial fertilisers and help in cutting the cost of agriculture and boosting crop yield.
• The Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI) has officially recognised the discovery.