Daily GK Update: 10th March 2022

 National Affairs

1. India’s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha being built at Bodh Gaya

• India`s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha is being built in Bodh Gaya, built by Buddha International Welfare Mission.
• The statue (Lord Buddha is in the sleeping posture) will be 100 feet long and 30 feet high.
• The idol of this posture of Lord Buddha is in Uttar Pradesh`s Kushinagar where he attained his Mahaparinirvana.
• It is being made with fibreglass and built by sculptors from Kolkata.
• It will be open for devotees from February 2023.

 National & International Appointments

2. Yoon Suk-yeol elected as new President of South Korea

• In South Korea, opposition candidate Yoon Suk Yeol (People Power Party) has been elected as the country's new President.
• He defeated his ruling liberal party opponent Lee Jae-myung.
• With more than 99 percent of the ballots counted, Yoon won 48.6 percent of the votes, narrowly edging his rival Lee Jae-myung of Democratic Party, who garnered 47.8 percent.
• The election comes as South Korea has been grappling with an omicron-driven COVID-19 surge.
• Capital: Seoul

 National & International Appointments

3. Lupin named Mary Kom as brand ambassador for his Shakti initiative

• Lupin Ltd has signed six-time world boxing champion and Olympics bronze medallist Mary Kom as brand ambassador for its Shakti campaign.
• The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness about heart diseases among women through interactive social media sessions, sharing informative videos from doctors, and in-clinic awareness activities for patients.

 Sports

4. S L Narayanan wins Grandiscacchi Cattolica Intern. Open Chess Tournament

• Indian Grandmaster S L Narayanan (24-year) was declared the winner in the Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open, held in Italy.
• While his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up.
• He posted four wins and secured five draws to score 6.5 points.
• Narayanan earned the title of Grandmaster in 2015 and is the 41st Grandmaster from India.

 National Affairs

5. Upper age limit for appearing in NEET- UG examination removed

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) has removed the upper age limit for appearing in the medical undergraduate entrance exam--NEET-UG examination.
• The process for official notification to suitably amend the regulations on Graduate Medical Eduction 1997 to this effect has been initiated.
• Earlier, the age limit was 25 years for general category candidates and 30 years in the case of reserved category candidates.

 State Affairs

6. Karnataka govt launches programme to provide 5 lakh jobs to women

• Karnataka govt has launched 'Women@Work' program to provide five lakh jobs within 2026 to women with necessary employable skills.
• The program aims to focus on the efforts of corporate programs on attracting women workforce. 
• It has been developed by Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) in association with KTECH, Karnataka Skill Development Corporation.
• It will act as an enabler for women to actively participate and join the workforce through industry upskilling. 

 Banking & Finance

7. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance, Bharat Co-operative Bank ink bancassurance

• Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), and Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) Ltd. have announced their bancassurance partnership.
• This collaboration facilitates a common platform to reach out to the bank’s five lakh plus customers with relevant life insurance solutions.
• The agreement will provide life insurance support to more than 5 lakh customers of the bank.

 Agreement

8. India, Bangladesh, Nepal finalise MoU to boost trade and connectivity

• India, Bangladesh, and Nepal finalized an enabling MoU for implementing the long-gestating Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).
• It is aimed at boosting regional trade and connectivity.
• The enabling MoU to be signed by India, Bangladesh and Nepal to implement the BBIN MVA was finalised at a meeting held in New Delhi during March 7-8.
• Bhutan participated in the meeting as an observer.

 State Affairs

9. TN CM launches SPIC’s floating solar unit at Thoothukudi

• Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin inaugurated India’s biggest floating solar park in Tuticorin. 
• It has the capacity to produce 42 million units of electricity per annum.
• The park, established at a cost of Rs 150.40 crore, is part of SPIC’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Progress towards commitment to producing renewable energy.
• A 48-acre floating solar power plant has been set up on a large water reservoir that spans 62-acres.

 Agreement

10. Karnataka Bank inks pact with SELCO Solar

• Karnataka Bank has signed an MoU with SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd to provide energy access to the underserved population.
• Under this initiative, Karnataka Bank provides financial support to purchase the solar energy products of SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd.
• Under this collaborative initiative, Karnataka Bank provides financial support for the purchase of solar energy products of SELCO in India.
• Customers can avail of loans from the Bank with a competitive interest rate. 

 Banking & Finance

11. Crisil retains GDP growth forecast at 7.8 per cent for 2022-23

• Domestic rating agency CRISIL estimated FY23 real GDP growth at 7.8 percent as compared with the 8.5 percent projected in the Economic Survey.
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget proposals focused on loosening the purse strings by boosting capital expenditure and going slow on fiscal consolidation are aimed in the right direction.
• The agency expects the nominal growth to come at 12-13%, higher than the 11.1% Budget Estimate, and the headline inflation to average 5.2%.