Current Affairs

20^th September 2022

Top 21 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is the Daily GK Update of the 20th of September 2022 covering the following news headlines: USAID, UNICEF, International Week of Deaf People, Google Cloud, French civilian honour, Cheetah Rehabilitation Project, SCO summit 2023.

International News

1. Queen Elizabeth II funeral, buried at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel

Queen Elizabeth II funeral: The royal family bid farewell to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle.

A smaller crowd bid Queen Elizabeth II farewell in St George’s Chapel after the official burial earlier that day at London’s Westminster Abbey, where world leaders, members of European royal families, and the general public had assembled.

2,000 people, including heads of state, gathered in Westminster Abbey earlier on Monday for Queen Elizabeth II funeral.

The casket was then carried to Wellington Arch in a procession that included soldiers and musicians from the armed forces.

Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:

Capital of the United Kingdom: London;

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: Mary Elizabeth Truss a.k.a. Liz Truss;

King of the United Kingdom: King Charles III.

2. China and UAE to join hands on moon rover missions

China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to join hands to help further the latter’s space ambitions. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the UAE and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together on the UAE’s moon missions.

The agreement marks the first joint space project between the two countries.

China has been highly successful with its lunar missions. In the last decade, the country launched three successful lunar surface missions dubbed Change 3, Change 4, and Change 5. In 2020, Change 5 also brought samples back from Moon to Earth.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

China Capital: Beijing;

China Currency: Yuan;

China President: Xi Jinping;

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Capital: Abu Dhabi;

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Currency: Dirham;

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan;

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Prime Minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

3. India emerges as Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral lender overtaking China

India becomes the largest bilateral lender for Sri Lanka and overtakes China. In four months of 2022, India has provided a total of 968 million US Dollars in loans to Sri Lanka. China has been the largest bilateral lender to Sri Lanka for the past five years from 2017-2021.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been the largest bilateral lender in the past five years.

In 2021, a total of 610 million dollars were provided to Sri Lanka by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

India has provided 4 billion dollars in food and financial assistance to Sri Lanka.

India handed 21,000 tonnes of fertilizers to Sri Lanka on August 2022.

States News

4. India’s 1st lithium-ion cell factory inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh

The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar has launched the pre-production run of India’s first lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.

This state-of-the-art facility has been set up by Chennai-based Munoth Industries Limited with an outlay of Rs 165 crores.

The facility is located in one of the two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters set up in the temple town, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.

The installed capacity of the plant at present is 270 MWH and can produce 20,000 cells of 10Ah capacity daily. These cells are used in power banks and this capacity is around 60 per cent of India’s present requirement.

Cells for other consumer electronics like mobile phones, hearable and wearable devices will also be produced.

Currently, India imports complete requirements of lithium-ion cells primarily from China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

5. Maharashtra’s Daulatabad Fort to be renamed as ‘Devgiri’ Fort

Maharashtra Tourism Ministry has decided to rename the Daulatabad fort to Devgiri which is located near Aurangabad.

This decision comes after Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray. It is a national heritage monument, which is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). Previously Maharashtra’s former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was renamed Aurangabad Sambhajinagar.

The decision of renaming Daulatabad fort to Devgiri came after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray renamed Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar after a long demand from Sena Foot Soldiers.

6. CM of Manipur N. Biren Singh introduce web portal ‘CM Da Haisi’

CM Da Haisi: The Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh at Imphal launched a web facility to gather complaints and concerns from the general public.

The web portal is called “CM Da Haisi,” which translates to “to inform the CM,” and the public can express their complaints there by visiting www.cmdahaisi.mn.gov.in. The status of the complaints may also be checked by the complainants.

The Public Grievances Redressal and Anti-Corruption Cell, located at the CM Secretariat, will use the portal to communicate with the relevant departments.

This will be done in order to address public grievances in a timely manner and to forward complaints that can be taken further to the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department for investigation.

Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:

Capital of Manipur: Imphal

Chief Minister of Manipur: Nongthombam Biren Singh

Governor of Manipur: La. Ganesan

Appointments News

7. NHRC head elected as member of Asia Pacific Forum’s Governance Committee

National Human Rights Commission of India chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra has been elected as a member of the Governance Committee of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF).

He has also been elected as a member of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) Bureau at the 27th Annual General Meeting of the APF. The APF’s Governance Committee is elected by APF councillors, representing ‘A status’ National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia Pacific region.

The role of the five-member APF Governance Committee is to consider and make recommendations to the APF General Assembly on a range of issues for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Banking News

8. Singapore Central Bank, India’s IFSCA To Pursue Fintech Innovations

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) signed a FinTech Co-operation Agreement to facilitate regulatory collaboration and partnership in FinTech technology.

The agreement is expected to leverage existing regulatory sandboxes in their respective jurisdictions to support experimentation of technology innovations. It will include referral of companies to each other’s regulatory sandboxes and enable innovative cross-border experiments in both jurisdictions.

The agreement will also allow both the organisations to evaluate the suitability of use cases which could benefit from collaboration across multiple jurisdictions, and invite relevant jurisdictions to participate in a Global Regulatory Sandbox.

Defence News

9. Indian Air Force set to retire Abhinandan’s MiG-21 squadron

The Indian Air Force is set to retire its Srinagar-based MiG-21 squadron ‘Sword Arms’ that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

MiG-21 squadron ‘Sword Arms’ was a part of when he had downed an F-16 combat aircraft of Pakistan a day after the Balakot strike in February 2019. ‘Sword Arms’ is one of its four remaining squadrons of ageing MiG-21 fighter jets.

The No. 51 Squadron is to be retired by the end of September, “as per the plan”.

The remaining three squadrons of MiG-21 will be phased out by 2025.

IAF is inducting different variants of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft to replace the MiG-21s.

The air force got its first single-engine MiG-21 in 1963, and it went on to induct 874 variants of the Soviet-origin supersonic fighters to bolster its combat potential.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Indian Air Force Chief: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari;

Indian Air Force Headquarters: New Delhi;

Indian Air Force Founded: 8 October 1932, India.

10. Indian Navy conducts ENC Yachting Championship at Visakhapatnam

ENC Yachting Championship was conducted by INWTC, INS Circas under the aegis of HQENC at Vishakhapatnam. Prize distribution and closing ceremony were facilitated by the Chief Guest, Cmde Sumantra Hazarika, Director MWC (V).

In total 38 races were conducted in Enterprise Dinghly, ILCA 6, ILCA 7 classes, and BicNova Wind Surfer.

A total of 46 yachtsmen and 8 yatchwomen took part in the ENC Yachting Championship.

The races were conducted among seven different teams of ENC.

Local Ashore B was declared the overall winner and Fleet B was runner-up for the ENC Yachting Championship.

The main of the championship was to inculcate sportsmanship, camaraderie, and a spirit of adventure among the participants.

11. Army chief General Manoj Pandey inaugurates Kargil International Marathon

Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pandey has inaugurated Kargil International Marathon in Ladakh.

The events are organized by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, and Ladakh police in collaboration with Sarhad Pune. The events include runs of full length, Half, 10 km, and 5 km. In the International Marathon, over 2000 runners participated.

General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is an Indian Army General serving as the 29th and the current Chief of the Army Staff. He previously served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, and also the Commander-in-chief (CINCAN) of Andaman and Nicobar Command.

Summits and Conferences News

12. India takes over SCO rotating presidency and to host SCO summit 2023

The rotational presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been handed over to India in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Delhi will hold the presidency of the grouping for a year until September 2023. And next year, India will host the SCO summit.

In the declaration, it is stated that the presidency of the SCO for the forthcoming period passes to India. The next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in 2023 in India.

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States signed the Samarkand Declaration in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

13. Union Minister to lead delegation to US for Global Clean Energy Action Forum

Global Clean Energy Action Forum: Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Minister of state ministry of earth science, Jitendra Singh will lead the Joint Indian Ministerial official delegation of the Ministry of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology on a five-day visit to USA to participate in the Global Clean Energy Action Forum.

In order to attend the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, Indian officials from the Ministries of Power, New and Renewable Energy, and Science and Technology will travel to the United States for a five-day visit.

Schemes News

14. PM Narendra Modi launched world’s first Cheetah Rehabilitation Project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park and launched the world’s first Cheetah Rehabilitation Project.

Cheetahs which have been brought from Namibia are being introduced in India under Project Cheetah, which is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

The release of wild Cheetahs by the Prime Minister is part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat. Out of the eight Cheetahs, there are five females and three males. Mr Modi released Cheetahs at two release points in Kuno National Park. On the occasion, he also interacted with Cheetah Mitras, Cheetah Rehabilitation Management Group and students at the venue.

Awards News

15. Swati Piramal conferred with top French civilian honour

Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group has been conferred the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).

The highest French civilian award comes in recognition of Piramal’s outstanding achievements and contribution in the fields of business and industry, science, medicine, art and culture, both nationally and internationally.

The award was presented to her by H.E. Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France on behalf of President Emmanuel Macron. In 2006, she was also awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (Knight of the Order of Merit), France’s second highest civilian honour.

Swati Piramal is also a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours of India, as a champion of developing frameworks and policies to support women in leadership roles.

Science and Technology News

16. Google Cloud & Nasscom tie-up to skill students for entry-level Cloud jobs

Google Cloud has announced it has launched the first cohort of its computing foundations with Kubernetes course in collaboration with FutureSkills Prime, an IT Ministry and Nasscom digital skilling initiative.

The beginner-level course aims to provide participants an opportunity to experience cloud computing, cloud basics, big data and machine learning (ML).

Google Cloud certifications will help individuals validate their cloud expertise, elevate their careers, and transform businesses with Cloud technology.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Google CEO: Sundar Pichai.

Google Founded: 4 September 1998, California, United States.

Google Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin.

Nasscom Chairperson: Krishnan Ramanujam;

Nasscom Headquarters location: New Delhi;

Nasscom Founded: 1 March 1988.

Important Days

17. International Week of Deaf People 2022: 19 to 25 September 2022

Every year, the full week ending on the last Sunday of September is observed as the International Week of the Deaf (IWD). In 2022, IWD is being observed from September 19 to 25 September 2022.

The theme of the 2022 International Week of Deaf People is “Building Inclusive Communities for All”. It is an initiative of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy to commemorate the month when the first World Congress of the WFD was held.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

World Federation of the Deaf Founded: 23 September 1951;

World Federation of the Deaf Headquarters Location: Helsinki, Finland;

World Federation of the Deaf President: Joseph Murray.

Miscellaneous News

18. Kashmir is set to get its first multiplex, in Srinagar

Kashmir is set to get its first multiplex: The first multiplex in Kashmir will be opened today in Srinagar by Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha.

After a three-decade hiatus, Kashmir will once again have movie theatres. The three movie theatres of the INOX-designed multiplex will have a combined seating capacity of 520 people.

There will be a food court on the property to promote regional cuisine.

The lobbies also have a Kashmiri wood “Khatambandh,” giving them a Kashmiri cultural appearance and highlighting Kashmir’s art and design.

The public will be allowed access to the multiplex after a special showing of the Aamir Khan film “Lal Singh Chaddha.”

The latest films will be released and the multiplex will be permanently positioned so that Kashmiris can enjoy the same leisure opportunities as the rest of the nation.

All movie theatres in the Kashmir valley were closed on December 31, 1990, due to the rise of terrorism.

Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:

Capital of Jammu and Kashmir: Srinagar

LG of Jammu and Kashmir: Shri Manoj Sinha

19. USAID and UNICEF launch series titled ‘Door Se Namaste’

The US Agency for International Development and UNICEF launched the Doordarshan and YouTube series titled “Door Se Namaste” at a function held in New Delhi.

A theatrical film on Duur Se Namaste was screened at the event, taking the audience through the main story, and showing how the messages of vaccine promotion and COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) have been interwoven in the entertainment education series.

Door Se Namaste is a new television series which promotes healthy behaviours in a post-pandemic world. It is a fictional Hindi series developed in an entertainment education format highlighting the challenges of a post-pandemic world and promoting the adoption of healthy behaviour and practices.

The programme will be telecast on every Sunday from 11 AM to 12 noon.

The series is produced by National Film Award winner and Padmashee, Nil Madhav Panda’s production house, Elleeanora Images Pvt. Ltd.

20. A&N becomes India’s first state/UT to achieve 100 percent coverage of precautionary dose

Andaman and Nicobar Islands became the first Indian state/UT to achieve 100 percent coverage of precautionary dose. More than 2,87,216 beneficiaries aged 18 have been vaccinated with a precautionary dose.

After 15th July, the rate of vaccination has seen a spike when the government decided to provide free-of-cost precautionary doses on the occasion of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The healthcare workers reached households and organized several camps to intensify the campaign.

The camps were organized in the Urban as well as Rural areas which received a good response.

The set target has been achieved before the set time limit of the 30th of September.

The Nicobar district has been fully vaccinated with a precautionary dose.

Later the North and Middle Andaman and South Andaman districts were fully vaccinated.

The precautionary doses included Corbevax and Covishield.

21. Saffron from Kashmir GI-tagged on sites both domestic and abroad

Saffron from Kashmir GI-tagged: Farmers in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are now able to sell their products on domestic and international marketplaces thanks to the GI labelling of Kashmiri saffron.

This was said by Chowdhury Mohammad Iqbal, director of agriculture in Kashmir, who today visited the India International Saffron from Kashmir Trade Centre in Dussu in the Pampore neighbourhood of the Pulwama district of south Kashmir to see how it was operating there.

He claimed that the GI tagging and e-auctioning facilities have facilitated the export of our goods to places like Dubai and other nations.