Current Affairs

5^th November 2022

Top 20 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is the Daily GK Update of the 05th November 2022 covering the following news headlines: CM dashboard, FICCI, IDFC FIRST Bank, World Tsunami Awareness Day, Order of Australia Award, Ezhuthachan Award 2022.

International News

1.Switzerland created record for operating the longest passenger train

Switzerland is now home to the world’s longest passenger train. The train has 100 coaches, measures 1910 metres and consists of 4,550 seats. The train was seen passing through the mountainous landscape in the Swiss Alps.

Celebrating the 175th anniversary of Switzerland’s first railway, the country’s railway operators came together to create the new Guinness World Record-holding train which tows 100 carriages, weighs 2,990 tons, and measures 1.91 km (1.19 miles) long.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Switzerland Currency: Swiss franc;

Switzerland Capital: Bern.

States News

2.Haryana CM Launched ‘CM dashboard’ for Live Monitoring of Departments

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘CM Dashboard’ portal that will have real-time data of all departments and decisions taken on major schemes.

The ‘CM Dashboard’ portal will provide live monitoring of every department at the block, district, and panchayat levels.

The portal will have information about the decisions taken by the administrative wing on major schemes. This will enable tracking of methodology and analysis of the report and further help in the comparison of old and new data.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

FICCI Founded: 1927;

FICCI Headquarters: New Delhi.

3.ttarakhand Chief Minister launches Lakhpati Didi Yojana

Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ fair at the survey of India Maidan, Hathbarkala in Dehradun. The fair is part of an initiative undertaken by the BJP government to empower women in the state.

The Rural Development department of the Uttrakhand government has made preparations to make 1.25 lakh women from self-help groups ‘Lakhpati’ by 2025.

Under the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme women belonging to self-help groups (SHGs) will be encouraged to take up micro-enterprises with skill development.

The government will tie up e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Government e-Marketplace so that the SHG products get national and international markets.

Appointments News

4.Subhrakant Panda named as President of FICCI

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has announced Mr Subhrakant Panda as its President-Elect. Mr Panda is currently the Senior Vice President of FICCI. He shall succeed Mr Sanjiv Mehta as President of the apex chamber at the conclusion of the 95th Annual General Meeting to be held on December 16th-17th, 2022.

Mr Panda is Managing Director of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA) which is the country’s leading, fully integrated producer of ferroalloys with captive mining and power generation employing 6500 people. He has handled various responsibilities in IMFA, and implemented expansion plans after he was appointed Managing Director which led to significant growth in revenue & profitability.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

FICCI Founded: 1927;

FICCI Headquarters: New Delhi.

Agreements News

5.Niva Bupa partnered with IDFC FIRST Bank partner for Bancassurance

Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited has announced a partnership with IDFC First Bank to provide health-insurance solutions to the customers of the bank.

The advanced digital capability of the bank combined with Niva Bupa’s best-in-class health insurance solutions will provide the best services for the customers. The partnership will empower the two institutions to serve customers better and help them lead healthier lives.

Niva Bupa is known for introducing the most innovative health insurance benefits in India.

They can design and launch products for different customer segments that will hold IDFC First Bank to offer customers services according to their needs.

6.Chqbook and NSDL Payments Bank collaborate for digital current accounts

Chqbook and NSDL Payments Bank collaborate: The neobank for small business owners Chqbook has introduced the first digital current account of its sort in collaboration with NSDL.

Small business owners, including kiranas and pharmacists, can easily open a current account on the Chqbook App from their smartphone in a language of their choice. The current account is more easily accessible and understandable because it is provided in eight different languages.

Economy News

7.India’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Finally Jump by $6.56 billion, Largest Weakly Gain In Over A Year

India’s foreign exchange reserves logged their biggest weekly jump since September 2021 and also rose for the first time in three weeks for the week ended October 28, helped by gains in both foreign currency assets and gold reserves.

The foreign exchange reserves of Asia’s third largest economy rose by $6.56 billion to $531.08 billion for the week ending Oct 28, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India.

Business News

8.Tesla’s Former India Policy Chief to Join e-Scooter Startup Ather Energy

Tesla Inc.’s former India policy chief is joining homegrown electric scooter startup Ather Energy Pvt, one of the best-funded fledgling firms in a sector attracting record investment. Manuj Khurana who quit his post as Tesla’s local head of policy and business development in June, will start next week at the firm based in the southern technology hub of Bangalore.

Khurana will join as a vice president, though his specific role there is unclear. Ather, which competes with local rivals including Ola Electric, this year raised $128 million from investors including Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund. It’s one of several players vying for a slice of a market expected to surpass $150 billion by the end of the decade — roughly 400 times its current size.

9.Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) has taken up a project to build Mongolia’s first Greenfield oil refinery on the outskirts of the capital city, Ulaanbaatar.

The project is aimed at reducing the East Asian country’s dependency on Russian oil imports. The company would provide EPC (Engineering, procurement, and construction) services and EPC-3 (captive power plants) for $790 million using advanced technology.

The project is a part of the development partnership administration initiative of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The refinery would be built using a line of credit from the central government.

Engineers India Limited is the project management consultant for this G2G partnership project.

The refinery will open up a number of employment opportunities, supporting the growth of nearly small industries.

10.Adani New Industries installed India’s largest wind turbine

India’s largest wind turbine by Adani: Adani New Industries Ltd. has constructed a wind turbine in Mundra in Gujarat as part of its growth plans for renewable energy that is taller than the Statue of Unity and has blades that are broader than the wingspan of a jumbo jet.

Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL) announced the installation of the largest wind turbine generator (WTG) in the nation in Mundra, Gujarat.

Mundra Windtech Ltd (MWL), an Adani Enterprises Ltd. wholly-owned company, installed the turbine.

Defence News

11.Operation Vigilant Storm currently underway in South Korea

Operation Vigilant Storm: The U.S. Air Force and several of its allies in the Asia-Pacific area will improve combat readiness and interoperability through Operation Vigilant Storm, a four-day training exercise involving hundreds of aircraft.

The Operation Vigilant Storm exercise, which is scheduled to take place between October 31 and November 4, has already drawn criticism from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

Armed units from the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) started the planned exercise, according to Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary.

12.First time CRPF names two female cadre officers as IG of RAF

Two female cadre officers appointed as IG: After their entrance into the CRPF in 1987, two female officers have recently been appointed as Inspectors General (IG).

The Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised anti-riot force, has appointed Annie Abraham as its IG. As the new Bihar sector IG, Seema Dhundia has been appointed.

Schemes and Committees News

13.Government Set Up Radhakrishnan Committee for Strengthening the Assessment & Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions

The Ministry of Education has set up a high-level panel to strengthen the assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions, on November 4, 2022. The panel will be headed by Dr K Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur. He is also the chairperson of the Standing Committee of IIT Council.

“The mandate of the committee includes strengthening the assessment and accreditation processes and preparing a road map for the National Accreditation Council envisioned in the National Education Policy, 2020. India has one of the largest and diverse education systems in the world,”.

Awards News

14.Aruna Sairam honoured with Chevalier Award by French govt

Carnatic vocalist, composer, collaborator, humanitarian and speaker, Aruna Sairam has been honoured with the French government’s highest honour, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des award.

Aruna Sairam has been selected for this award not just for her singing prowess, but also for her contribution towards the development of the Indo-France relationship.

Aruna Sairam began her classical training under her mother, Rajalakshmi Sethuraman. She then became a disciple of legendary vocalist, Sangita Kalanidhi T. Brinda, thereby continuing an illustrious line of women singers of the Tanjore tradition for more than eight generations. Later, she was mentored by several other maestros of our country.

15.Noted Malayalam writer Sethu received Ezhuthachan Award 2022

Noted Malayalam fiction writer, Sethu (A. Sethumadhavan) has been selected for the Kerala government’s prestigious ‘Ezhuthachan Puraskaram’ this year in recognition of his overall contribution to the Malayalam language and literature.

He focussed on modernising the literature by standing beyond the definitions of movements and trends.

The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honour is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Government of Kerala. The award is named after Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language and consists of a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000 and a citation. The prize money was enhanced by Rs 50,000 in 2011.

16.Amit Dasgupta honoured with a member of the Order of Australia Award

Amit Dasgupta was appointed as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship. Dasgupta is a tireless promoter of Australia-India relations, challenging the nations’ governments and people to realise the underlying potential of a stronger bilateral relationship.

Dasgupta’s deep and longstanding service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship is commendable and worthy of formal national recognition through his appointment as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Australia Capital: Canberra;

Australia Currency: Australian dollar;

Australia Prime minister: Anthony Albanese.

17.M T Vasudevan Nair awarded with Kerala Jyothi award

M T Vasudevan Nair awarded: M T Vasudevan Nair, a renowned Malayalam author and Jnanpith laureate, has been chosen to receive the inaugural Kerala Jyothi award, which was established by the state government in the spirit of the Padma awards to recognise people who have made priceless contributions to society.

Delhi-based Malayalam megastar Mammootty Omcheri N. N. Pillai, a playwright in Malayalam, and T. Madhava Menon, a former civil servant and social worker, has been chosen to receive the first “Kerala Prabha” awards, announced by the government.

The first “Kerry Sree” awards have been given to amphibian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju (Dr S D Biju), magician Gopinath Muthukad, sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, businessman Kochouseph Chittilappilly, scientist M P Parameswaran, and singer Vijayalakshmi, according to a statement released on the eve of Kerala Piravi.

Ranks and Reports News

18.India Tops List of Countries With Cheapest Manufacturing Costs

India has been ranked as the nation with the cheapest manufacturing cost ahead of China and Vietnam, according to a report. According to the US News and World Report, out of 85 nations, India has bagged the 31st position in the overall Best Countries ranking.

The report evaluates 85 countries across 73 attributes. Attributes are grouped into 10 sub-categories, including adventure, agility, entrepreneurship, open for business, social purpose and quality of life.

Under the open-for-business sub-category, India has scored 100 per cent when it comes to cheap manufacturing costs. India featured at the 37th spot in the ‘Open for Business’ category. But in ‘favourable tax environment’, it has scored 16.2 out of 100; 18.1 in the ‘not corrupt’ category and 3.5 in ‘transparent government policies’.

Sports News

19.Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurated ‘Baji Rout National Football Tournament’

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the ‘Baji Rout National Football Tournament’ in Dhenkanal in Odisha. The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting sports and games in the country through initiatives like khelo India and Fit India.

The government aims to attract the younger generation that is stuck on the internet and TV to the playing field.

The government of India in association with the FIFA and All India Football Federation has started the ‘Football for School’ initiative.

The Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed that the program has been targeted to rope in about two crore fifty lakh school students towards football.

Important Days

20.World Tsunami Awareness Day observed on 05th November

In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day, calling on countries, international bodies and civil society to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.

UN Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) facilitates the observance of World Tsunami Awareness Day in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations system. The date of November 5 was chosen to mark the story of “Inamura-no-hi” (burning of the rice sheaves) in western Japan. This earthquake occurred in 1858.

The theme of World Tsunami Awareness Day 2022 in Asia-Pacific: Early Warning and Early Action Before Every Tsunami. This day is celebrated to raise awareness for early warnings and actions to protect people, save lives, and prevent the hazard from becoming a disaster.