Daily GK Update: 14th September 2023

 Sports

1. Maharashtra wins 5th National Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2023

• Maharashtra clinched the title of champions in the 5th National Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2023 by securing a convincing victory over Karnataka.
• Aim: To promote and expand the sport of wheelchair rugby across the nation.
• It was organized by The Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India), the governing body for rugby in India.
•  It was conducted in association with the Wheelchair Rugby Federation of India and Mitsubishi Corporation.

 National & International Appointments

2. Tharman Shanmugaratnam appointed as Singapore’s president

• Indian-origin Singapore-born economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam appointed as the ninth president of the city-state.
• He has served Singapore all his life in public service.
•  Prior to being president-elect, he served as a senior minister and Deputy Prime Minister from May 2011 to May 2019. 
• He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum.
• This was the first contested presidential election since 2011.

 Important Dates

3. Hindi Diwas 2023 is celebrated on 14th September

• Indians on 14 September celebrate National 'Hindi Diwas'. 
• On this day in 1949, the Hindi language was adopted as one of the official languages of the Republic of India. 
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, officially declared 14 September as the Hindi Diwas.
•  425 million people speak Hindi as their 1st language and about 120 million people speak Hindi as their 2nd language.

 Banking & Finance

4. RBI released direction for the settlement of loan account

• The RBI has asked all banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) to release all the original movable/immovable property documents and remove charges registered with any registry within a period of 30 days after full repayment/settlement of the loan account.
• In case where the delay is attributable to the RE, it shall compensate the borrower at the rate of ₹5,000 for each day of delay.

 State Affairs

5. PM Modi to be on a day-long visit to MP and Chhattisgarh

• In Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  dedicated important rail sector projects to the nation.
• Prime Minister’s emphasis on improving connectivity across the country will get a boost with the dedication to the nation of important rail sector projects worth more than  Rs. 6 thousand crores in the public programme in Raigarh. 
• Aim: To provide impetus to socio-economic development by facilitating movement of passengers as well as freight traffic in the region.

 State Affairs

6. VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated International Conference on dam safety

• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the International Conference on Dam Safety at Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, there are over 6000 dams in India and it is ranked third globally in terms of large dams. 
• Aim: To provide a major platform for experts to come together and debate cutting-edge topics in dam safety and management. 
• It has been essential to civilization's development, have role in meeting demand for drinking water, irrigation, hydropower

 State Affairs

7. DMRC, BEL sign MoU to develop Communication Based Train Control system

• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Bharat Electronics Limited signed a MoU to develop an indigenous Communication Based Train Control system. 
• Aim: To transform rail transportation in India, driving innovation, reducing costs, and fostering self-reliance in the field of train control signaling systems.
• The Communication-Based Train Control System will optimize train operations, and enhance passenger services while efficiently utilizing rail infrastructure.

 Defense

8. Distant Planet may have Water Ocean and Possibly a life: NASA

•  Nasa has announced the existence of a possible rare water ocean on a giant exoplanet scores of light years away and also a chemical hint of a sign of potential life.
• NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in its study of K2-18 b, an exoplanet, discovered the presence of carbon dioxide and methane.
• This suggests that K2-18b could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface. 

 Schemes

9. Cabinet approved the expansion of Ujjwala Yojana

• The Cabinet approved the expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) allocating 7,500,000 new LPG connections over a three-year period until the FY26. 
• Costing Rs 1,650 crore, this expansion will elevate the total number of PMUY beneficiaries to 103.5 million.
• The government announced this extension after reducing the price of cooking gas by Rs 200 across all markets last month.
•  Data indicate that LPG penetration reached 99.9 per cent in 2022

 Honours & Awards

10. Bloomberg annual ranking of B-Schools 2023-24 released

• The Bloomberg Businessweek Best B-Schools Ranking 2023-24 which was released includes India B-schools among the top five ranks. 
• Hong Kong HKUST bagged the top rank in the Asia Pacific B-School rankings category, 
• Shanghai University of Finance and Economics secured second position and CIEBS at third rank.
• In the overall Asia Pacific B-school rankings category, IIM Bangalore clinched 4th position followed by the Indian School of Business (ISB) at 5th position.

 National & International Appointments

11. S.R. Batliboi is appointed as a Paytm auditor

• Digital payment services provider Paytm has appointed a new statutory auditor, S.R. Batliboi & Associates LLP, for five years.
• The previous statutory auditor, Price Waterhouse Chartered Accountants LLP, completed its term at the conclusion of the AGM. 
• Price Waterhouse Chartered Accountants LLP on August 7 had announced its resignation as auditor of Paytm Payments Services Limited with immediate effect.

 Agreement

12. Cabinet approves signing of an MoU between India and Armenia

• The Government approved the signing of a MoU between the Ministry (E&IT) of India and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia on Cooperation in the field of sharing successful Digital Solutions implemented at the Population Scale for Digital Transformation. 
• Aim: To promote closer cooperation and exchange of experiences and digital technologies-based solutions in the implementation of digital transformational initiatives of both the countries.

 Defense

13. Amazon's AWS ties up with ISRO to advance its AI capabilities

• Cloud behemoth Amazon Web Services has signed a strategic MoU with the ISRO and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to support space-tech innovations through cloud computing.
• Aim: To enable the space industry to make better decisions, faster – pushing the boundaries of possibilities, and AWS is committed to help startups identify use cases and accelerate solution development.