Daily GK Update: 13th September 2023

 Sports

1. Kiran George clinches Indonesian Masters title 2023 in Badminton

• Indian badminton player Kiran George clinched the men’s singles title at the Indonesia Masters 2023 in Medan, North Sumatra.
• Kiran George, 50th in the badminton rankings, beat world No. 82 Koo Takahashi of Japan to claim his second BWF World Tour Super 100 badminton title.
• He won the Odisha Open 2022, beating compatriot Priyanshu Rawat in the final.
• He was the only Indian who reached the final at the Indonesia Masters 2023.

 National & International Appointments

2. RBI approves re-appointment of Sandeep Bakhshi as ICICI Bank MD & CEO

• The Reserve Bank of India re-appointed Sandeep Bakhshi as the managing director and chief executive officer (MD and CEO) of the ICICI Bank.
• He has been with the ICICI Group for 36 years and has handled various assignments across the group in ICICI Limited, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, ICICI Bank and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance.
• He has served as Wholetime Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the bank, prior to his appointment as MD and CEO

 National Affairs

3. Fourth G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting to begin in Varanasi

• The 4th G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting is held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to finalize the 2023 G20 Sustainable Finance Report. 
• Aim: To focus on finalizing the 2023 G20 Sustainable Finance Report
• Objective: To discuss the progress made by jurisdictions, International organizations and relevant stakeholders against the actions listed out.
• Session Include: Experience sharing presentations on the theme Scaling up Social Impact Investment in India

 Agreement

4. India, Mongolia review bilateral ties

• India and Mongolia reviewed cooperation in the fields of education, information technology, and skills during the visit of Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar to Ulaanbaatar.
• Aim: To discuss bilateral projects and cooperation in areas of education, IT,  skilling, and capacity building.
• They also witnessed the signing of the contract for the construction of the India-Mongolia Friendship Secondary School.

 National & International Organizations

5. IIT-Delhi Claim To Have Done India's First Soil Erodibility Mapping

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi conducted the country's first national-scale mapping of soil erodibility.
• Before this, soil erodibility assessments were conducted in specific regions or catchments
• Aim: To highlight specific areas where the soil is most prone to erosion.
• Soil erodibility is the susceptibility of soil particles from becoming detached and reflects the combined effect of rainfall, infiltration, and runoff.

 National Affairs

6. Vijayawada gets IGBC’s ‘Green Railway Station’ certification

• Vijayawada Railway Station was awarded the ‘Green Railway Station’ certification with the highest rating of Platinum by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) 
• Award is given for its efforts in improving environmental standards and providing eco-friendly services to passengers.
• This is an upgrade of the station’s ratings, from gold in 2019 to platinum in 2023.
• It bagged second in the South Central Railway zone after Secunderabad to have bagged the platinum rating.

 Sports

7. China's Ruoning Yin, 20, grabs No. 1 Women's World Golf Rankings 2023

• China's Ruoning Yin is the new No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings 2023
• She is the second Chinese player to reach No. 1 since the rankings began in 2006, joining Shanshan Feng (2017-18).
• Yin is also the third player aged 20 or younger to hit No. 1, joining Atthaya Thitikul (2022) and Lydia Ko (2015).
• The 20-year-old Yin is the 18th different player to reach the top spot and the fifth this year, a record.

 State Affairs

8. TN govt to launch scheme granting monthly aid to over 1 crore women

• The Tamil Nadu government is all set to launch the largest social welfare initiative, the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam, whereby monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 will be provided to 1.06 crore eligible women families.
• The sum will be directly transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries and they will be given ATM cards to withdraw the amount.
• The government will start disbursing the money under the scheme from September 15.

 International Affairs

9. India and UK Launch Infrastructure Financing Bridge

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced India and the UK have launched an infrastructure financing bridge to plan and implement major infrastructure projects.
• The two countries have also agreed to conduct investment negotiations in parallel with the goods negotiations to conclude their free trade agreement (FTA) talks.
• The Indian government has also confirmed with the UK government its plans to consider allowing Indian companies to list on exchanges overseas.

 Banking & Finance

10. Bharti AXA Life Insurance launches 'Income Laabh'

• Bharti AXA Life Insurance announced a new product, Bharti AXA Life Income Laabh with an aim to simplify insurance and deliver maximum protection to its consumers. 
• Objective: To provide financial protection and a steady income stream to consumers. 
• It starts with an initial income pay-out equivalent to 100 percent of the annual premium paid by the policyholder. 
• After 5 years, for those opting for a 10-year policy term, the income increases to 150 percent.

 Defense

11. India Air Force to receive first C-295 transport aircraft from Airbus

• The Indian Air Force is all set to acquire its first Airbus C-295 aircraft.
• India has formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus C-295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force AVRO fleet.
• Among these, 16 units of the military aircraft will be manufactured in Spain while the rest will be made in India from the manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.
• The new aircraft will play a major role in the forces as a tactical military transport aircraft.

 State Affairs

12. MP cabinet approves Mob Lynching Victim Compensation Scheme 2023

• Madhya Pradesh government will provide Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the kin of any person killed in a mob lynching incident.
• There will be a provision of compensation of Rs 4 to Rs 6 lakh for the injured. 
• This will also include all those incidents of mob lynching that occur due to religion, caste, language, or any other reason. 
• Under the scheme, mob lynching will be considered in which five or more accused are involved.

 Banking & Finance

13. Cashfree Payments Partners with NPCI for ‘AutoPay on QR’

• Cashfree Payments has announced the launch of ‘AutoPay on QR’ in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). 
• Aim: To enable subscription-based businesses to enhance customer acquisition, supporting retention, and facilitating rapid growth.
• Cashfree Payments' ‘AutoPay on QR’ will help subscription-based businesses to boost return on investment (ROI) on ad spends by enabling mandate creation in two clicks.