Daily GK Update: 17th August 2023

 Sports

1. Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar becomes Under 20 World Champion 2023

• Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar has become the Under 20 World Championship 2023 in the men’s 61 Kg Freestyle category by defeating Russia's Eldar Akhmadudinovin in Jordan
• He is the fourth male wrestler from India to earn a gold medal in the U20 World Championships, following Palwinder Cheema in 2001, Ramesh Kumar in 2001.
• Jaideep won the bronze in the 74kg category
• Sagar Jaglan won the silver medal 79 kg category while Deepak Chahal won the bronze medal in 97 kg category.

 Defense

2. President to launch advanced frigate Vindhyagiri in Kolkata

• President Droupadi Murmu launched the Vindhyagiri, a Project 17A Frigate of the Indian Navy at Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers in Kolkata in August 2023.
• Named after a mountain range in Karnataka, Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A frigates.
• About Vindhyagiri
• It is a technologically advanced Frigate that pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.

 Summits & Conferences

3. WHO to organize first-of-its-kind global summit on Traditional Medicine

• The Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization would organize a first-of-its-kind global summit on Traditional Medicine (GCTM) from the 17th of August 2023 in Gandhi Nagar.
• The WHO GCTM is a knowledge center for traditional medicine.
• The summit will serve as a platform for experts and practitioners to delve into the latest scientific advancements and evidence-based knowledge in the sector, with the ultimate goal of ensuring health and well-being for all.

 Important Dates

4. Malayalam New Year Chingam observed on 17th August 2023

• Chingam 1 is the first day of the new year of the traditional Malayalam calendar used in Kerala.
• In 2023, it's being celebrated on August 17. 
• Chingam 1 is also known as Chingam Month or Chingam Masam and it's followed by the Onam festival. 
• The Malayam Calendar is based on the solar calendar system and every year, the date of Chingam 1 varies. 
• Chingam 1 marks the beginning of the harvest season in Kerala and is considered an auspicious day.

 Obituaries

5. Eminent scientist Padma MRS Rao passes away in Bengaluru at 75

• Manchanahalli Rangaswamy Satyanarayana Rao, popularly known as MRS Rao, an eminent Indian scientist and Padma Shri awardee, passes away. 
• He was well known for his discipline, scientific knowledge, patience, soft-spoken nature and mentorship of PhD students.
• He was honored with the Padma Shri award in 2010 for his contributions to the field of science and engineering.
• He was the first scientist to initiate Chromatin Biology research in India.

 Honours & Awards

6. Indian-American Economist Raj Chetty awarded top Harvard University prize

• Indian-American economist Raj Chetty has been awarded Harward University's coveted George Ledlie Prize 2023 for wielding big data to break myths about who achieves the American Dream
• The award is given every two years to a member of the Harvard community who has made the most valuable contribution to science or in any way for the benefit of mankind.
• He is also director of Opportunity Insights, a group of economists based at Harvard who studies inequality.

 State Affairs

7. Maharashtra scored top position in fiscal health report

• Based on the FY23 revised budget estimates Maharashtra secured the top position as the best state in overall fiscal health in a report conducted by a foreign brokerage firm
• Chhattisgarh, one of the poorest states in the country, is in 2nd position followed by Telangana, while the bottom 3 are Bengal, Punjab, and Kerala
• The report, penned by Kaushik Das, chief economist at the Deutsche Bank, was conducted to survey the fiscal health of 17 major states across the country

 Schemes

8. Goa govt launches 'Gramin Mitra' scheme to promote digital empowerment

• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the flagship scheme "Gramin Mitra" in August 2023
• Objective: To provide doorstep delivery of government services across the state and promote digital empowerment in rural areas.
• Aims:  To empower rural communities with access to information and opportunities that can transform their lives and drive socio-economic growth.
• The program will help us accelerate the delivery of e-governance services to rural areas across the state.

 Banking & Finance

9. Zerodha gets final nod from Sebi to launch mutual fund business

• Nithin Kamath, CEO of India's leading broker Zerodha, has received final approval from the regulator Sebi to launch the mutual fund product.
• The motivation to launch the mutual fund business was two-fold -- the shallow participation in Indian markets wherein lies the challenge and an opportunity and creating simple products for investors.
• Zerodha started its journey in 2010 as a ‘Rs 20 per order broker’ and gained popularity as a no-frills, low-cost player among traders.

 National & International Appointments

10. ACC appointed Parminder Chopra as 1st woman CMD of PFC

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed  Parminder Chopra as the first full-time women Chairperson and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Limited. 
• Presently, she is serving as Director (Finance) of the same Maharatna Power PSU. She has also been holding the addition charge of company’s CMD post.
• She has more than 35 years of experience in power sector, serving in key power sector organizations like NHPC and Power Grid.

 Banking & Finance

11. ADB approves USD 40.5 mln loan for childhood development in Meghalaya

• The Asian Development Bank  has approved a USD 40.5 million loan for integrated early childhood development and maternal mental health in  Meghalaya
• The Meghalaya government is contributing USD 15.27 million to the project.
• Aims: To improve access to nurturing care, including a component of maternal mental health care to enable the inclusion of fathers in caregiving.
• Objective: To strengthen home-based childcare and center-based childcare  through daycare centers

 Defense

12. Government clears Rs 20000 crore deal to build five warships

• The government has cleared a Rs 20,000 crore deal to manufacture fleet support vessels (FSVs) which are urgently required by the Indian Navy in August 2023
• Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyard Limited will manufacture five of the 45,000-tonne warships, the largest ship of its class being built at the defense ministry-owned yard.
• The ships are needed to support warships on long range patrol and can carry a variety of equipment, such as fuel, ammunition and food supplies.

 Banking & Finance

13. Canara Bank has introduced Canara Jeevan Dhara savings bank account

• Canara Bank has introduced Jeevan Dhara, a special savings bank account for pensioners, and prospective pensioners. 
• The primary benefit of this account for senior citizens is that it is a zero-balance savings account. 
• With this savings account, senior citizens do not have to maintain a minimum balance and there are no maintenance charges.
• The interest rate per annum is 4% for deposits for senior citizens holding the Canara Jeevan Dhara Savings account.