Daily GK Update: 18th March 2023

National & International Appointments

G Krishnakumar has taken over as the new chairman and managing director (MD) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).
He succeeded Arun Kumar Singh, who retired as chairman in October 2022.
He will hold the position of chairman and MD till April 2025 or until any further notice, whichever is earlier
BPCL is an Indian central public sector (CPS) undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and operates refineries in Bina, Kochi, Mumbai.

Banking & Finance

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed Rs 5 lakh monetary penalty on mortgage financier HDFC Ltd for failing to transfer matured deposits of certain depositors to designated bank accounts of such depositors during 2019-20.
As per RBI, HDFC was found to be non-compliant with certain provisions of Housing Finance Companies (NHB) Directions, 2010.
CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan.
Headquarters of HDFC Bank: Mumbai.

Agreement

GAIL (India) has signed MoU with Shell Energy India Private Ltd to explore prospects of importing and handling of ethane and other hydrocarbons.
It is primarily used as petrochemical feedstock and is separated from the other components of natural gas in most well-developed gas fields.
It will be transported further through 14,830 km of natural gas pipelines to different demand centres.
Ethane is mainly used to produce ethylene, which is used for other products.

Defense

Inter-Services Organization (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 has been introduced in Lok Sabha to empower designated military commanders to take charge of soldiers and enforce discipline, regardless of the service they belong to.
It came ahead of the impending move to establish integrated or joint commands, where all the manpower and assets will be under the operational control of a single three-star general of the Indian Army, Navy and IAF.

Schemes

Government has announced the sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile industry in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
PM MITRA will offer the opportunity to create an Integrated Textiles Value Chain right from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing and printing to garment manufacturing etc. at one location and will reduce logistics cost of the Industry.

Summits & Conferences

The 3rd annual edition of International SME Convention 2023 (ISC) is to be organized from 19th to 21st March 2023 in New Delhi.
It is jointly organized by Ministry of MSME & Ministry of External Affairs, India SME Forum, along with Govt. of Madhya Pradesh as a Key State Partner and Govt. of Uttar Pradesh as Associate State Partner.
International partner: International Network for SMEs and World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises
Insurance partner: TATA AIA.

Agreement

V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) signs MoU with Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) to promote professional and organizational development in labour and employment-related areas by jointly identifying and executing developmental initiatives that benefit stakeholders in the sector.
It includes policy advocacy, with the organizations working together to advocate for policies.

Important Dates

Global Recycling Day is observed every year on 18^th March to help recognise, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet.
It is a day for the world to come together and put the planet first and was created in 2018.
Theme of 2023: Creative Innovation.
Every year recyclables saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions, which projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030.

State Affairs

Punjab government has cancelled 813-gun licenses in the state to clamp down on the gun culture, along with a review of all licenses issued within 3 months,
The new rule will also bar the issuance of new licenses for the next 3 months, except in extraordinary circumstances.
The ban is on carrying and displaying weapons in public functions, religious places, marriage ceremonies, or any other events in Punjab.

Science & Technology

Scientists have discovered rocks made from plastic debris in Trindade Island which is a remote turtle refuge is sparking alarm.
Melted plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, located 1,140 km (708 miles) from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo and are made of a mixture of sedimentary granules
The pollution on this island comes from fishing nets, which are very common debris on Trinidad Island’s beaches.