Daily GK Update: 16th December 2023

Honours & Awards

Rijul Maini crowned Miss India USA 2023 at the annual pageant held in New Jersey.
The title of Miss Teen India USA was awarded to Saloni Rammohan of Pennsylvania, while Mrs India USA was won by Sneha Nambiar of Massachusetts.
Greeshma Bhat of Virginia was declared first runner-up and Ishita Pai Raikar of North Carolina was the second runner-up.
Ms Maini is a model and a medical student.

Honours & Awards

Veteran actor Kabir Bedi has been honoured with the highest civilian honour of Italy.
He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Merito della Repubblica Italiana).
Niccolo Fabi gave a unique live musical performance following the occasion in Mumbai.
The scroll of honour was signed by President Mattarella and counter-signed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Banking & Finance

The Reserve Bank of India increased the limit for automatic payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to Rs 1 lakh per transaction from the existing Rs 15,000 for certain categories, including subscription to mutual funds.
As of now, relaxation in Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) is permitted while processing e-mandates/standing instructions on cards, prepaid payment instruments and UPI for subsequent recurring transactions with values up to Rs 15,000

Banking & Finance

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and DBS Bank India have collaborated to establish a financing programme customized to the requirements of the compressed biogas project initiated by RIL.
The financing initiative aims to support the ecosystem development for vendor partners involved in aggregating agri-residue as inputs for Reliance's CBG production plants across India.
The CBG plants are expected to mitigate nearly 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

International Affairs

India, South Korea and the United States will start an informal trilateral technology dialogue in the first quarter of 2024 in response to China's rapid progress in critical technologies within the Indo-Pacific region.
The decision was made during the inaugural US-South Korea Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue held in Seoul.
The aim of this programme is to increase cooperation in strategic and defense technologies between the two countries.

National Affairs

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has launched the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme.
The national forest certification scheme offers voluntary third-party certification designed to promote sustainable forest management and agroforestry in the country.
The scheme includes forest management certification, tree outside forest management certification, and chain of custody certification.

National Affairs

The finance ministry has released ₹10,000 crore in urgent assistance to meet unexpected enhanced expenditure under the rural job guarantee scheme until the first batch of supplementary demands for grants is approved by parliament at its next session.
The unusual move came after 95% of the FY24 budgetary outlay of ₹60,000 crore for the MGNREGS was exhausted well before the commencement of the winter session of parliament.

State Affairs

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Modi has approved the proposal to declare Surat Airport as an International Airport.
Surat Airport will not only become a gateway for international travellers but also facilitate seamless export-import operations for the thriving diamond and textile - industries.
This strategic move promises to unlock unprecedented economic potential, making Surat a key player in the international aviation landscape.

Important Dates

Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on 16 December in the country.
The Indian Army's victory over Pakistan during the 1971 war, to commemorate which December 16 is celebrated every year as Victory Day.
On this very day, Pakistan Army surrendered to the Indian Army after 13 days of war.
On Vijay Diwas, India remembers the important moment when General Niazi of West Pakistan surrendered with 93000 soldiers to the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh.

Obituaries

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah(86-years) passed away
He had been in power for the past three years.
In November, Sheikh Nawaf was admitted to the hospital due to an emergency health problem.
Born in 1937, He was the fifth son of Kuwait's late ruler Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah who ruled from 1921 to 1950.
Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was named the country's new emir after the death of his predecessor Sheikh Nawaf.