Daily GK Update: 13th May 2023

 Honours & Awards

1. Musharraf Farooqi wins the inaugural Armory Square Prize for translation

• Author and translator, Musharraf Ali Farooqi has won the inaugural edition of the Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation.
• He translated Siddique Alam’s 'The Kettledrum and Other Stories' from Urdu to English.
• The book will be published by Open Letter Books in 2024.
• The Armory Square Prize for translation was instituted by the American venture capitalist firm Armory Square.
• Aim: To recognize literature from underrepresented traditions

 National & International Appointments

2. Geeta Rao Gupta appointed as Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues

• Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta has been confirmed by the US Senate as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues in the State Department.
• She was confirmed by the US Senate by 51 to 47 votes.
• Prior to this, she has worked as the Executive Director of the UN Foundation’s 3D Programme for Girls and Women.
• She also advises the UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS and is on the boards of InterAction and the Moriah Fund.

 Science & Technology

3. SpaceX partner aims to launch commercial space station

• Space startup, Vast is aiming to launch a school bus-sized space station to orbit by late 2025 in association with Elon Musk’s rocket firm, SpaceX.
• The cylindrical spacecraft dubbed Haven-1 is the latest platform planned as a replacement for the International Space Station (ISS).
• The ISS is expected to retire in 2030.
• In 2021, NASA awarded $415 million in development funds to four companies including Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin.

 Banking & Finance

4. RBI imposes ₹2.92 Cr penalty on Canara Bank

• RBI has imposed a penalty of ₹2.92 crore on Canara Bank for violation of various norms, including linking interest rates to external benchmarks, and opening savings accounts of ineligible entities
• A scrutiny of the bank was carried out by RBI in July 2020 based on a high-value fraud reported by another bank.
• After scrutiny, the RBI found that the bank failed to link interest on floating rate retail loans and loans to MSME to an external benchmark.

 National Affairs

5. Survey Report on Data Governance Quality Index

• According to the Data Governance Quality Index for 2022-2023 Q3, conducted by DMEO, NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has secured the second position among 66 ministries.
• The Ministry has achieved an impressive score of 4.7 out of 5.
• Aim of the survey: To measure the maturity level of administrative data systems and their use in the decision-making of various Ministries and Departments on the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).

 Important Dates

6. World Migratory Bird Day 2023: May 13

• World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year on the second Saturday of May and October.
• Aim: To promote the conservation of migratory birds and raise awareness about their significance
• In 2023, May 13 marks the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day.
• 2023 theme: Water and its importance for Migratory Bird
• World Migratory Bird Day 2023 will be officially held on 13 May and 14 October.
• It is a worldwide initiative launched in 2006 by the AEWA and CMS Secretariats.

 Banking & Finance

7. RBI, GFIN collaborate to prevent 'greenwashing'

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be participating in the Global Financial Innovation Network's (GFIN) Greenwashing TechSprint.
• Aim: To address the concern over exaggerated, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials
• GFIN support financial innovation in the interest of consumers.
• The RBI has invited Indian firms to participate in the TechSprint to address sustainable finance as a collective priority.

 Summits & Conferences

8. 5th edition of Global Ayurveda Festival

• The fifth edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (Gaf 2023) will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from December 1 to 5.
• The theme of the event is ‘Emerging Challenges in Healthcare & A Resurgent Ayurveda’.
• Aim: To bring together Ayurveda practitioners and stakeholders from around the world to showcase Ayurveda’s potential in addressing health challenges
• The event will also feature over 750 research papers and 750 poster presentations on the sidelines.

 Honours & Awards

9. Santiniketan in tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage list

• The home of Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore, Saantinketan has been recommended for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
• The quaint town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district is also home to the Visva-Bharti University built by Tagore.
• Santiniketan, over 160 km from Kolkata, was originally an ashram built by Tagore’s father Debendranath Tagore.
• India has a total of 40 sites that enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage tag.

 Banking & Finance

10. RBI launches ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a campaign ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ for banks to trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of the country within 100 days.
• Aim: To reduce the quantum of unclaimed deposits in the banking system and return such deposits to their rightful owners/claimants
• An unclaimed deposit is one which does not see any activity for 10 years or more and is deemed as an inactive deposit.