Daily GK Update: 18th January 2023

National & International Appointments

Former Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), Pankaj Kumar Singh was appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) in National Security Council Secretariat for two years.
He is a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre.
He retired as the BSF chief on December 31, 2022.
Earlier, he served as Inspector General of the CRPF in Chhattisgarh and IG (Operations) at CRPF, Delhi.
He has also served in the Rajasthan Police and CBI.

Honours & Awards

Indian Express journalist, Harish Damodaran was awarded the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2022 for his book 'Broke to Breakthrough'.
This book is a detailed and perceptive account of the rise of dairy company Hatsun Agro and its founder R.G. Chandramogan.
Gaja Capital Business Book Prize:
- It was instituted in 2019.
- Aim: To encourage Indian entrepreneurs, writers, and journalists to tell stories

State Affairs

The Punjab government will launch its first major education project, ‘Schools of Eminence’ on 21st January 2023.
It will be launched at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali.
Under the project, the state government will upgrade existing govt schools into ‘Schools of Eminence’ for classes 9 to 12.
Under phase 1, the govt plans to upgrade nearly 110 government schools as ‘Schools of Eminence’.
The Punjab govt had set aside a fund of Rs 200 crore for this project.

Summits & Conferences

The first G20 Health Working Group meeting has started at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
It was attended by Bharati Pravin Pawar (MoS Health and Family Welfare) and V. Muraleedharan (MoS External Affairs).
Focus: Health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector; and digital health innovations to aid universal health coverage
Other locations of HWG meetings: Goa, Hyderabad, and Gandhinagar

State Affairs

Telangana CM, K Chandrasekhar Rao launched the second phase of 'Kanti Velugu' initiative in Khammam district on January 18, 2023.
It is considered to be the world’s largest eye screening programme.
Kanti Velugu:
- It is a free eye screening programme
- It will be organized at the special health camps for 100 days with 1500 medical teams
- 1st phase: It was conducted for eight months by 827 health teams
- The health camps will commence on January 19 in the rest of the state.

National Affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 in Basti District of Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing.
It organizes diverse competitions in both indoor and outdoor sports.
Apart from these, competitions in essay writing, painting, rangoli making will also be organized.
This event is being organized in two phases.
Basti district is a Lok Sabha Constituency of Harish Dwivedi.

National Affairs

Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan has declared Kollam district as the first Constitution-literate district in the country.
It is achieved through 'The Citizen', a Constitution literacy campaign.
This campaign was jointly launched by the Kollam district panchayat, the District Planning Committee, and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration.
Aim: To provide constitution literacy to 23 lakh citizens belonging to 7 lakh families in the district.

Banking & Finance

South Indian Bank and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) signed an agreement to provide financial assistance to the dealers of SAIL across the country.
With the vast network of the bank, they will be able to serve the MSME and corporate customers of SAIL located in different geographies.
SAIL has a vast network of dealers who ensure availability of quality steel in virtually all districts of the country.
MD & CEO, South Indian Bank: Murali Ramakrishnan

Banking & Finance

Protean eGov Technologies has received approval from RBI for its wholly-owned subsidiary to operate as an account aggregator.
Account aggregators: They help individuals securely and digitally access and share information from one financial institution (they have an account with) to another regulated financial entity.
It has also collaborated with the govt to create digital public infrastructure and develop innovative citizen-centric e-governance solutions.

Banking & Finance

The RBI has issued Directions on “Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights in Banking Companies”.
It allows promoters to hold 26% of the paid-up share capital or voting rights of the bank after the completion 15 years from the commencement of its business.
The promoters of banking companies may be allowed to hold a higher percentage of shareholding as part of the licensing conditions.

Science & Technology

According to a report, the Shukrayaan I, the ISRO Venus mission may be delayed until 2031
The mission was scheduled to launch in December 2024
The concept was conceived in 2012
After five years, the Department of Space received a 23% increase in the 2017–2018 budget and ISRO started preliminary investigations
The best time to launch from Earth to Venus is once every 19 months or thereabouts
If ISRO misses 2024, then ISRO has "backup" launch dates in 2026 and 2028

State Affairs

The state of Maharashtra has signed a deal with Taiwan’s Gogoro and automotive system maker Belrise Industries for an investment of $2.5 billion for eight years.
Reason: To establish batteries as a leading source for mobility and energy storage in Maharashtra
Gogoro is known for its green-hued battery swap distribution network for riders in Taiwan.
India’s Belrise Industries Ltd produces about one-third of all two-wheel and three-wheel chassis made in the country.