Daily GK Update: 18th April 2023

 Sports

1. Nithya wins gold in women's singles at Brazil Para-Badminton International

• India's Para-Badminton player, Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan has won two gold medals at the Brazil Para-Badminton International 2023.
• In the women's singles SH6 category finals, she defeated Peru's Giuliana Poveda Flores to win the gold medal.
• In the mixed doubles SH6 final, she combined with Sivarajan Solaimalai to beat Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai and Choi Wing Kei.
• While Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam also won gold in the men's doubles category.

 Summits & Conferences

2. PM Modi to inaugurate first Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi

• PM Modi will inaugurate the first Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi on April 20, 2023.
• Theme 2023: Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis
• This two-day summit will be hosted by the Ministry of Culture and its grantee body International Buddhist Confederation.
• It will be attended by scholars, Sangha leaders, and Dharma practitioners from all over the world.
• It will also enhance the cultural and diplomatic relationships with other countries.

 Schemes

3. Tribal Affairs Minister launches PTP-NER scheme in Manipur

• Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has launched the Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER) scheme in Manipur.
• This scheme has been introduced for the benefit of Scheduled Tribes of the North-Eastern Region.
• Vision: To strengthen the livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through increased efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products from North Eastern States.

 Schemes

4. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches ‘YUVA PORTAL’

• Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched a YUVA PORTAL for connecting and identifying potential young Start-Ups in the country.
• He has also launched the One Week -One Lab program.
  • This program will offer the opportunity to the CSIR labs to showcase the work being done by them so that others can avail of it.
• During the launch event, he also hailed the launching of the astronomy lab that has come up in Karnal, Haryana.

 Important Dates

5. World Heritage Day 2023: 18th April 2023

• World Heritage Day (or International Day for Monuments and Sites) is celebrated on April 18 to raise awareness about the importance of cultural heritage and the need to preserve it for future generations.
• Theme 2023: Heritage Changes
• It was established by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and was approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983.
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (As of April 18, 2023): 40
• ICOMOS Founded: 1965; HQ: Paris

 Summits & Conferences

6. Union Minister of State for Steel to inaugurate India Steel 2023 in Mumbai

• The Union Minister of State for Steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste will inaugurate India Steel 2023, organized in Mumbai from 19-21 April 2023.
• The event will be conducted by the steel ministry, Department of Commerce, and FICCI.
• Aim: To bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in the steel industry.
• It will showcase advance technologies, products, and solutions from the Indian steel industry.

 National & International Organizations

7. India to Chair Commonwealth group on Reform of financial architecture

• Finance ministers from various Commonwealth countries have agreed for India to be the chair of the Finance Ministers Working Group for a Commonwealth Call for Reform of the Global Financial Architecture.
• While Nigeria has been elected as the deputy chair of the Finance Ministers Working Group.
• Their collective call for reform came at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers High-Level Working Group Meeting in Washington DC
• Commonwealth Secretary-General: Patricia Scotland KC

 Science & Technology

8. Kenya launches first operational satellite into space

• Kenya has successfully launched its inaugural earth observation satellite, Taifa-1 using a SpaceX rocket from the United States
• The satellite was carried by the Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Base in California.
• It was developed over a two-year period at a cost of 50 million Kenyan shillings, with assistance from the Bulgarian aerospace firm Endurosat
• Additionally, under SpaceX’s rideshare initiative, the launch rocket carried 50 payloads from other countries

 Banking & Finance

9. India saw a record of ₹149.5 trillion UPI, card transactions in 2022

• According to a report by a French payment and transactional services firm, Bengaluru has topped the list of Indian cities in terms of the highest digital transactions in the year 2022.
• The city recorded 29 million transactions worth ₹6500 crore in 2022.
• Delhi ranked second followed by Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai.
• Report title: India Digital Payments Annual Report
• Payment modes like UPI, Debit and Credit cards processed 87.92 billion transactions.

 Banking & Finance

10. CBIC to introduce new system of publishing daily currency exchange rates

• The CBIC is likely to introduce a system of publishing daily currency exchange rates on the integrated customs portal.
• It would replace the existing system of notifying rates fortnightly.
• Aim: To capture daily exchange rate fluctuations and help importers and exporters to precisely calculate customs duties based on daily exchange rate
• Currently, CBIC manually notifies exchange rates of 22 currencies every fortnight based on rates obtained from SBI.

 Banking & Finance

11. ADB provides USD 230 million for flood rehabilitation in Bangladesh

• ADB will provide a loan of USD 230 million to Bangladesh to help the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the northeastern part of the country affected by devastating floods in May–June 2022.
• The agreement between ADB and the government of Bangladesh was signed in Dhaka.
• The assistance under the Flood Reconstruction Emergency Assistance Project will help in the reconstruction, improvement of resilience, and economic recovery.

 State Affairs

12. Andhra Pradesh Govt changes name of greenfield seaport in Srikakulam

• The Andhra Pradesh government has renamed the proposed Bhavanapadu port in the Srikakulam district as Mulapeta port at the request of the locals.
• CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay a foundation stone for this nearly Rs 4,000 crore project on April 19, 2023.
• This decision was taken as farmers from Mulapeta and Vishnuchakram villages requested the name change.
• The state govt also issued an order notifying Bhavanapadu Port as Mulapeta Port with the same limits.

 Sports

13. Vedaant wins 5 gold medals in Malaysia Swimming Championships 2023

• Indian Swimmer, Vedaant Madhavan has claimed 5 gold medals for India at the Malaysian Invitational age group Championships 2023 held in Kuala Lumpur.
• He won gold in the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, and 1500m swimming categories.
• In 2022, he also participated in the 48th Junior National Aquatics Championships and became the first person in India to break the record of the 1500m freestyle by finishing the race within 16:01.73 seconds.