Current Affairs

15^th September 2022

Top 19 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is the Daily GK Update of the 15th of September 2022 covering the following news headlines: World Lymphoma Awareness Day, International Day of Democracy, National Engineer’s Day 2022, Rajini’s Mantras, Virat Kohli, Robin Uthappa.

National News

1. India Becomes Power Surplus Nation

The country has become power surplus, we have connected the whole country into one grid, and strengthened the distribution system.

These steps have increased the power availability to 22 hours in rural areas and 23.5 hours in urban areas. The next step is to take it to 24X7 guaranteed power supply at affordable price.

Union Minister R K Singh has urged states to be financially viable in view of the mounting outstanding dues of power generation companies. This will help attract investments in the power sector and also benefit the consumers through reduced cost of electricity and improved consumer services, he said.

States News

2. Indore to become the country’s first ‘Smart City’ with ‘Smart Addresses’

Indore will create history by implementing a fully digital addressing system, making it the first city in India to do so. The smart city advanced significantly when a memorandum of understanding was signed with the firm Pataa Navigations.

The Memorandum of Understanding is signed by Rajat Jain, co-founder of Pataa Navigations, and Rishav Gupta (IAS), CEO of Indore Smart City. Pataa has developed patented technology and is working with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to develop a digital addressing system for the nation.

Pataa is a brief and distinctive code, comparable to KUMAR100, SINGH221, or other commonly used codes, that will help the user find the specific geotagged location. Users of the Pataa App can upload images of their homes, landmarks, etc., along with their addresses in full text.

3. World’s largest museum of Harappan culture is coming up in Rakhigarhi, Haryana

The world’s largest museum of Harappan culture is coming up in Rakhigarhi in Haryana to showcase about 5,000-year-old Indus Valley artefacts. The village of Rakhigarhi was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation from 2600-1900 BC.

Haryana is slated to host the world’s largest museum dedicated to the Harappan civilization. Rakhigarhi is a hamlet in Haryana’s Hisar district, some 150 kilometres from Delhi. The settlement is also a well-known archaeological site from the time of the Indus Valley civilization.

Appointments News

4. Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, former IAS, named managing director of CSC e-Governance SPV

Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, a former IAS officer, has been named managing director of the CSC e-Governance India SPV, which is run by the central government.

The appointment follows Dinesh Tyagi’s resignation from the position, who was instrumental in increasing the number of CSCs from 60,000 in 2014 to over 5 lakh at the moment.

Meity Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma presided over the board meeting, which covered essential items like the hiring of a new managing director and directors as well as the adoption of the annual financial statement for the fiscal year 2021–2022.

Agreements News

5. Koo tie-up with IPPB to drive financial inclusion in remote cities

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a division of India Post, the country’s postal giant, has partnered with the Indian microblogging platform Koo. IPPB has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Koo to boost financial inclusion and literacy in the country.

IPPB and Koo will work together to promote financial education in tier-2, tier-3, remote, and hinterlands. Koo is a multilingual platform that allows users to communicate in 10 languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English.

Banking News

6. HDFC Life Insurance Policy started Click2Protect for Super term insurance

HDFC Life Insurance Policy started Click2Protect: HDFC Life, one of the top life insurers in India, has introduced the Click2Protect Super term insurance plan, which allows customization based on your protection needs and only charges you for the benefits and plan options you select. Click2Protect is a non-linked, non-participating, individual, pure risk premium/savings life insurance plan.

Click2Protect Super gives you more freedom than ever before by allowing you to change your life insurance coverage, lengthen the duration of your policy, add coverage for accidental death and terminal illness, among other things.

7. Axis Bank and Square Yards launched co-branded home buyer ecosystem

Axis Bank and Square Yards launched ‘Open Doors’, a co-branded Home Buyer Ecosystem. The ‘Open Doors’ platform will ensure that the complete journey from searching to buying one’s dream home becomes an efficient and delightful experience for the customers.

Axis Bank and Square Yards have created a digital-first solution to simplify the customer journey. These digital platforms reflect the cultural alignment between the two organizations.

Customers, who are looking to purchase a house can now avail of end-to-end home buying assistance, exclusive builder inventory access, seamless home loan processing, and other ecosystem services.

The ecosystem services include rental and property management, home furnishing, and legal and technical services.

8. SBI hit market capitalization of Rs 5 trillion, share prices reach record high

SBI hit market capitalization of Rs 5 trillion: State Bank of India, SBI, market capitalization of India’s largest state lender, surpassed $5 trillion for the first time after its shares reached a new high of Rs. 564.85 in intraday trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

According to data from Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), State Bank of India (SBI) is ranked seventh overall among corporations as of Wednesday, 10:30 am, with a market valuation of 5.03 trillion.

State Bank of India, SBI surpasses the market cap of Rs. 5 trillion, making it the third lender in the nation to do so.

Business News

9. Google acquire cyber-security company Mandiant for $5.4 billion

Google acquire Mandiant: Google for $5.4 billion acquired Cybersecurity company Mandiant has been fully acquired according to Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.

Mandiant in order to assist organisations in managing threats, incidents, and exposures better will join Google Cloud. Mandiant is renowned for discovering the shocking SolarWinds hack.

The SolarWinds breach, which was allegedly carried out by cyber terrorists with support from Russia, affected a number of large businesses, including tech titans like Intel, Cisco, VMware, and Nvidia.

Summits and Conferences News

10. India launches ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ at World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022

India has launched Joint Whitepaper on ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’, with Denmark at World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 in Copenhagen.

The ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ was facilitated by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with Danish Environment Minister Lea Wermelin and Development Co-operation Minister Flemming Moller Mortensen.

India has committed an investment of more than 140 billion dollars by 2024 in the water sector.

Sports News

11. Robin Uthappa announced retirement from all forms of Indian cricket

Robin Uthappa has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. In last season’s IPL, Uthappa played 12 matches for Chennai Super Kings and scored 230 runs with his highest score being 88. He was part of the country’s 2004 Under-19 World Cup team.

He made his India debut two years later and featured in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India. He scored 934 and 249 runs in ODIs and T20Is. He has 9446 first class and 6534 List A runs under his belt. His last ODI appearance was back against Zimbabwe in 2015, where he scored a 44-ball 31.

12. Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to have 50 million followers on Twitter

Virat Kohli has now become the first cricketer who have notched up 50 million followers on Twitter. Team India’s star cricketer and former skipper Virat Kohli has now achieved another big feat, but this time it is on the social media.

Virat Kohli has popularity in all the platforms of social media which includes 211 million followers on Instagram and 49 million followers on Facebook as well.

13. Vinesh Phogat wins bronze in World Wrestling Championships

Vinesh Phogat won bronze at the World Wrestling Championship 2022 in the women’s 53kg category. Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to win two medals at the World Championship.

She also became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. At Commonwealth Games 2022, she won the gold medal in the women’s 53 kg freestyle wrestling category.

In the bronze medal bout, Vinesh defeated European Champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden by 8-0.

Earlier in the Asian Games she defeated Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan in the first repechage round.

Books and Authors News

14. A new book “Rajini’s Mantras” authored by P.C. Balasubramanian

The entrepreneur­cum­author, P.C. Balasubramanian (PC Bala) authored a new book “Rajini’s Mantras: Life lessons from India’s most­loved Superstar” in English. It was published by Jaico Publishing House (India).

PC Bala’s 1st book was Rajini’s Punchtantra and Raja Krishnamoorthy, which became a national bestseller. Grand Brand Rajini and Ram N Ramakrishnan were published on December 2022.

In Rajini’s Mantras, bestselling author P.C. Balasubramanian brings out the best life lessons from Rajinikanth’s iconic speeches, public interactions and performances right from his early days in the film industry.

Important Days

15. World Lymphoma Awareness Day observed on 15 September

World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) is held on September 15 every year and is a day dedicated to raising awareness of lymphoma, an increasingly common form of cancer. It is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition.

The day is dedicated to raising awareness about lymphoma and the particular emotional and psychosocial challenges facing patients and caregivers suffering from different forms of lymphoma.

World Lymphoma Day was initiated in 2002 by the Lymphoma Coalition, a worldwide network of 83 lymphoma patient groups based in Ontario, Canada, whose mission is enabling global impact by fostering a lymphoma ecosystem that ensures local change and evidence-based action.

16. International Day of Democracy 2022 observed on 15 September

This year, September 15 marks the 15th anniversary of the International Day of Democracy. The day is celebrated annually around the world to strengthen democracies and highlight its values and principles.

This year, Democracy Day will focus on the importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.

A theme is chosen for the International Day of Democracy. This year, the day is focused on the “importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals”.

17. National Engineer’s Day 2022 celebrated on 15 September

In India, Engineer’s Day is celebrated on September 15 every year. The day is celebrated to recognise the contribution of engineers in the development of the nation.

This day commemorates the birth anniversary of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya, who is considered one of the greatest engineers of India. Joining India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania also celebrate Engineers Day on September 15, 2022, in honour of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya.

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in Karnataka. He later on attended the University of Madras to study for a Bachelor of Arts. Later in life, he decided to switch career paths and completed a diploma in civil engineering at the College of Science in Pune.

Obituaries News

18. Former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf passes away

Former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has passed away due to suspected cardiac arrest. He breathed his last at the age of 66. He was one of the legendary umpires Pakistan ever produced, along with the likes of Aleem Dar.

Back in 2006, Rauf was included in the ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires, after which he officiated in 47 Tests, 98 ODIs and 23 T20Is. He served at the top for seven years before being dropped from the elite panel of umpires in 2013 following an annual review of performance.

Miscellaneous News

19. India’s first plastic project listed by EKI Energy Services Ltd

India’s first plastic project: EKI Energy Services, a developer and seller of Carbon credits, announced that it is the first company to list an Indian plastic project (India’s first plastic project) under a global accreditation standard.

With this, the Indore-based carbon credit specialist, EKI Energy Services, who has worked in the field of climate action and offset solutions for the past 14 years across 16 countries, became the first company to ever list a plastic project from the nation with the goal of creating India’s first-ever international plastic credits.