Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 July 2023

Topic: State News/ Bihar

1. 205 species of birds have been found in the latest Bird Census of Bihar.

• The latest bird census in Bihar has been done by the Department of forests, environment and climate change in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
• 202 species of birds were found in the 2022 census.
• This year’s bird census was conducted in 26 districts of the state, covering 76 wetlands and three river systems.
• The survey team also visited nearly two dozen reservoirs, fishponds, freshwater marshes and freshwater lakes.
• Government is conducting annual survey of birds since 2022 for reviewing the status of birds and their habitats.
• The birds which were counted during survey includes water birds, wetland dependent birds and land birds.
• The wetlands located in districts like Jamui, Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, and Vaishali are famous for migratory birds.
• Kalraw, a bird festival, was also organized by the forest department in January 2021. Its main aim was to create awareness among people about the conservation of birds.
• The forest department of Bihar had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bombay Natural History Society in 2020 and set up a Bird Research Ringing, Monitoring and Awareness Centre at Bhagalpur.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. Rajindhar Singh Dhatt has been honoured by British PM Rishi Sunak with a Points of Light honour.

• Rajindar Singh Dhatt is one of the last surviving Sikh soldiers who fought in the 2nd World War.
• United Kingdom's PM Rishi Sunak presented the Points of Light award to Rajindar Singh Dhatt at a reception held to celebrate India Global Forum’s UK-India Week 2023 in London.
• Dhatt is 101-year old. He was recognized for his work running the “Undivided India Ex-Servicemen’s Association”, which brought together British Indian war veterans.
• Dhatt was born in pre-Partition India in 1921. Dhatt fought with the Allied forces during the British colonial period.
• Dhatt joined the British Indian Army during the 2nd World War.
• The Points of Light recognise outstanding people whose service is making a difference in their communities.

Topic: Banking System

3. IDFC First Bank’s board of directors approved the programme of amalgamation of its parent IDFC Ltd with IDFC First Bank.

• According to the approved scheme of amalgamation, the share exchange ratio will be 155 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 of IDFC First Bank for every 100 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 of IDFC Ltd.
• IDFC Ltd’s shares have a market capitalisation of Rs 17,455 crore.
• IDFC First Bank has a market capitalization of Rs 54,311 crore.
• After the merger, the bank’s standalone book value per share would increase by 4.9%, as calculated on audited financials as of March 31, 2023.
• IDFC First Bank is an Indian private-sector bank. It was founded in 2015. It is headquartered in Mumbai. V. Vaidyanathan is its MD & CEO.
• Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited (IDFC):
  • It is a finance company under the Department of Financial Services, Government of India.
  • It was founded in 1997. It is headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

4. 700 MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project in Gujarat started commercial operations on 30 June 2023.

• It is India’s first indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power reactor.
• It is presently operating at 90% of its total power.
• Two 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are being built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) at Kakrapar.
• Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) plans to build sixteen 700 MW PHWRs across India.
• Construction of 700 MW nuclear power plants is being carried out at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and at Gorakhpur in Haryana.
• The construction of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs at four locations has been approved by the government.
• These locations are Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Kaiga in Karnataka.
• Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited:
  • It is a public sector undertaking. It is completely owned by government of India.
  • It is administered by the Department of Atomic Energy. It was created in September 1987.
  • It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. B. C. Pathak is its chairman & MD.

Topic: Sports

5. India won the SAFF Championship for the ninth time.

• On 4 July, India won the SAFF Championship trophy for the ninth time after defeating Kuwait 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
• India won the final via a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in regulation time at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
• The Indian team made it to the final after defeating Lebanon in the semi-finals, while Kuwait defeated Bangladesh 1–0 in the semi-finals.
• Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh once again proved to be the hero for the Indian team, saving a goal from the Kuwait captain's final kick.
• Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Lalianjuala Changte, and Subhasish Bose scored for India in the penalty shootout, while Udanta Singh missed.
• The South Asian Football Federation Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). It was founded in 1993. It is held every two years.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan took part in the Social Enterprise Conclave.

• On 4 July, Social Enterprise Conclave was organized by the Institute of Rural Management, Anand in partnership with LIC Housing Finance Limited in New Delhi.
• At this event, Shri Pradhan launched the second edition of the Social Trailblazer Program.
• The aim of this program is to further boost the social entrepreneurship ecosystem at the grassroots level and nurture early-stage entrepreneurs.
• Shri Pradhan said that the collective effort of IRMA and LIC HFL to help social enterprises is indeed commendable.
• New India is entering a new phase driven by the spirit of innovation and enterprise of youth power and such innovative initiatives will help youth in their endeavor to make a greater impact towards social good.
• Social enterprises will have a key role to play in the growth of Country.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Geography

7. July 3^rd was the hottest day recorded at the global level according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

• The average global temperature crossed 17.01 degrees Celsius.
• This new record temperature was greater than the August 2016 record of 16.92 degrees Celsius.
• The reason for this is said to be the effect of El Nino.
• The US has been suffering under an intense heat dome recently amid extreme weather.
• When the atmosphere traps hot ocean air, a heat dome is caused.
• Heat domes happen as a result of combining of strong high-pressure atmospheric conditions with the influence of a La Nina.
• Antarctica, currently in its winter, recorded unusually high temperatures.
• Ukraine’s Vernadsky research base recently broke its July temperature record with a reading of 8.7 degrees Celsius.
• The Vernadsky Research Base is a Ukrainian Antarctic research station on Galindez Island in the Argentine Islands.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State adopted New Delhi Declaration.

• A virtual meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO was held on 04 July 2023.
• According to the New Delhi Declaration, the Member States will develop common principles and approaches to form a unified list.
• This unified list will be of terrorist, separatist and extremist organizations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO Member States.
• The Member States stressed the need for a joint and balanced approach to countering the trafficking of illicit drugs.
• The Member States called for compliance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
• Member states agreed to declare 2024 as the SCO Year of Environment.
• The presidency of the SCO is handed over to Kazakhstan.
• The next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in 2024 in Kazakhstan.
• One important achievement of the Summit is that Iran has become a member state of SCO. Now, the SCO has 9 member states.
• Nine SCO member states are China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. A campaign has been launched by the government to transform 75 Lighthouses into Tourism Spots.

• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched this campaign from Dwarka in Gujarat on 2nd July.
• The main of the campaign is to showcase the rich culture and significance of the magnificent structures of Lighthouses. It will also help in boosting the tourism and local economy.
• The newly developed lighthouses will have many tourist attractions such as musical fountains, museums, selfie points and others.
• The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the first three iconic Lighthouses at Dwarka, Gopnath and Veraval in Gujarat.
• These historic lighthouses have been renovated with adequate facilities to convert them into tourist spots.
• He also urged business leaders to invest in the inland waterways sector of India in B2B as well as B2C businesses.
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also attended the CII B20 Meet at Surat. He also called for investment in the rich river cruise tourism.
• He said that Government is committed towards transitioning in green energy in India’s maritime sectors.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

10. MU Nair has been appointed as National Cybersecurity Coordinator.

• The government has appointed Lt Gen M U Nair as the new National Cybersecurity Coordinator (NCSC).
• Lt Gen Nair was earlier appointed as the 28th Signal Officer-in-Chief in July 2022.
• It has provided him experience and expertise in the field of cyber warfare, signal intelligence, and communication and information technology.
• He is the third cyber security chief after Lt Gen Pant and first chief Gulshan Rai.
• NCSC is currently updating and replacing the 2013 National Cyber Security Strategy.
• It works as a comprehensive guide for critical sectors such as banking, telecom, power and energy, transportation, and government enterprises.
• National Cybersecurity Coordinator:
  • It works under the National Security Council Secretariat.
  • It also plays a key role in establishing coordination with various central-level agencies.
  • Monitoring communication metadata and providing valuable inputs to law enforcement agencies are the key responsibilities of NCSC.

Topic: National News

11. On 4 June, the government named 'Amrit Kaal’ as ‘Kartavya Kaal'.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the next 25 years of India's Independence are going to be "Kartvya Kaal," as the country is giving top priority to its "Kartavya" (duties).
• Moving towards the goal of completing 100 years of independence, the government has named "Amrit Kaal" as 'Kartavya Kaal'.
• These pledges include the guidance of spiritual values and resolutions for the future. It has both Vikas (development) as well as Virasat (heritage).”
• Today, India is progressing in various fields including technology and economy.
• India has now become one of the top 5 economies in the world supporting the world's 3rd largest startup eco-system.
• India is competing with the world's leading countries in areas such as digital technology and 5G.
• 40% of the world's real-time online transactions are happening in India.
• In 2021, PM Modi first mentioned 'Amrit Kaal' during the 75th Independence Day celebrations.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

12. Indian Coast Guard & Indian Navy have signed an MoU with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd in Gandhinagar.

• On July 2, the MoU was signed for the planning, development, construction, and commissioning of a gallery on the theme “Evolution of Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard” at the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC).
• It will be constructed at the historic Indus Valley civilization region of Lothal (Gujarat).
• The Central Government under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways is building a National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC).
• In March 2019, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the NMHC project.
• It will include a Maritime Museum, Light House Museum, Maritime Theme Park, Amusement Park Centre, etc.
• NMHC will showcase the country's maritime heritage from ancient to modern times, adopting an education and entertainment approach using latest technology to spread awareness about India's maritime heritage.
• It will have several innovative and unique features, such as the Lothal mini-recreation to recreate Harappan architecture and lifestyle.
• It will have four theme parks: the Memorial theme Park, the Maritime and Navy theme Park, the Climate theme Park, and the Adventure and Amusement theme Park.
• It will have fourteen galleries highlighting India’s maritime heritage starting from the Harappan times till now and a Coastal States pavilion displaying the diverse maritime heritage of states and UTs, among others.

Topic: Reports and Indices/ Rankings

13. India’s share in global commercial services exports has doubled: World Bank and WTO report.

• According to a World Bank and WTO report, India’s share in global commercial services exports has increased from 2% in 2005 to 4.4% in 2022.
• China and India have doubled their share of global commercial services exports between 2005 to 2022.
• The report titled ‘Trade in services for development’ states that India has become a popular destination for medical travel.
• Around 3.5 million foreign patients came to India between 2009 to 2019.
• Foreign patients from United Kingdom, the United States, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka visited India in search of cost-effective and high quality treatment.
• As per the report, in India, South Africa and Türkiye, jobs directly linked to cross-border services exports are more than 10% of total services sector jobs.
• The trade-in service has expanded mainly due to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and India.
• According to the report, India and the Philippines will need to skill their workforce and invest primarily in research and development to grow their domestic service sectors.
• In 2018, Services value-added accounted for over 51% of India's total exports.
• Global commercial services exports have almost tripled between 2005 and 2022.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SBI.

• Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti has vast experience in Banking, Forex and Finance, and Accounting.
• Kodavanti has taken the place of Charanjit Surinder Singh Attra who has resigned from the post.
• Kodavanti appointment has become effective from 1 July 2023.
• Before this appointment, he was a Chartered Accountant (CA) of SBI since 1991.
• In another appointment, PM Prasad assumed charge of chairman and managing director (CMD) of Coal India.