Daily GK Update: 12th June 2023

 Sports

1. Novak Djokovic wins his 23 grand slam men’s singles title

• Serbian Tennis player, Novak Djokovic has defeated Casper Ruud in the men’s singles final to win the 2023 French Open title.
• He has also created history by becoming the first man to reach the coveted 23 grand slam title mark.
• Other Winners:
  • Women's singles: Iga Świątek (Poland)
  • Men's doubles: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Austin Krajicek (US)
  • Mixed doubles: Miyu Kato (Japan) and Tim Pütz (Germany)
  • Women's doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) / Wang Xinyu (China)

 National & International Appointments

2. Amit Agrawal appointed as CEO of UIDAI

• Senior IAS officer, Amit Agrawal has been appointed as the new CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• While Subodh Kumar Singh has been appointed as director general of the National Testing Agency.
• Both Agrawal and Singh are Indian Administrative Service officers of the Chhattisgarh cadre.
• Rashmi Chowdhary, additional secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, has been appointed as secretary in the Central Information Commission.

 Sports

3. India beat Argentina to win FIH Pro League 2023

• India defeated Argentina 2-1 in its final FIH Pro League 2022-23 match in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
• Akashdeep Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scored goals for India while Lucas Toscani netted the only goal for Argentina
• India consolidated their position atop the FIH Pro League standings with 30 points from 16 matches.
• Argentina is fifth with 13 points from 14 matches
• The Indian men’s hockey team finished in fourth place in their debut FIH Pro League campaign back in 2020-21

 National & International Appointments

4. Nitin Agarwal appointed as new DG of BSF

• Nitin Agarwal, an IPS officer of the 1989 Kerala cadre, has been appointed as the new director general of the Border Security Force (BSF).
• This appointment comes after a vacancy of over five months in the position.
• Presently, he is serving as the Additional DG of operations at the headquarters of the CRPF in Delhi.
• The additional charge of the BSF has been held by Sujoy Lal Thaosen, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

 Banking & Finance

5. India, ADB sign $130 million loan agreement to boost horticulture in HP

• The central government and the ADB signed a loan agreement worth $130 million to boost agricultural productivity and horticulture agribusinesses
• The deal aims to increase farmers‘ income and improve access to irrigation in Himachal Pradesh
• The project interventions will help increase the income and resilience to the effects of climate change of at least 15,000 farm households across seven districts in the state: Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour, Solan, and Una

 Important Dates

6. World Day Against Child Labour 2023: 12th June

• The World Day against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12 to support the expanding anti-child labour movement.
• ILO declared June 12 to be the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to raise awareness of this problem.
• "Week of Action against Child Labour" is the theme for the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour.
• The ILO intends to start a week-long campaign to raise public awareness of the injustice of child labour and inspire people to take action.

 Banking & Finance

7. Axis Bank’s lake cleanliness drive in Hyderabad enters Asia Book of Rec

• Axis Bank in partnership with NGO Dhruvansh has organised a lake cleaning drive, ‘Cleanathon’, in Hyderabad.
• This initiative was recorded in the Asia Book of Record as it was the largest cleaning drive conducted across the country.
• In Hyderabad, over 100 volunteers participated in cleaning Mushki Cheruvu and Neknampur Lake to restore these water bodies.
• The campaign aligned with the United Nations’ theme for World Environment Day 2023, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

 Banking & Finance

8. Go Digit gets IRDAI nod to commence life insurance operations

• Go Digit has received the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's approval to commence life insurance operations.
• In 2022, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank announced that they will both acquire up to 9.94% stake each in Go Digit-Life Insurance through the investment of ₹50-70 crore, possibly in tranches, subject to executive of certain terms and agreements.
• Digit Insurance already has general insurance operations through Go Digit General Insurance.

 National Affairs

9. IIT Mandi researchers develop smart biodegradable microgels

• Researchers at the IIT Mandi have developed smart biodegradable microgels to make agricultural practices more sustainable and minimize the adverse impact caused by the use of insecticides and agrochemicals
• The research has been published in the "Carbohydrate Polymers" journal.
• Modern agriculture relies heavily on the application of various agrochemicals such as insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers on crops to meet the demand for food for the growing population.

 National Affairs

10. Unemployment rate falls to 7.7% in May on decline in labour participati

• According to data released by the private economic think tank CMIE, the unemployment rate in India fell to 7.7% in May due to a decline in labor participation at 441.9 million.
• The unemployment rate in India among people aged 15 years and above fell to 7.7% in May 2023, from 8.5% in the previous month.
• The urban labour market recorded a fall in the number of employed as well as unemployed people.
• The rural labour force reduced to 299.4 million in May.