Daily GK Update: 1st September 2023

 National & International Appointments

1. Jaya Verma appointed as first woman CEO, chairperson of Railway Board

• The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as first woman CEO and chairperson of Railway Board. She succeeds Anil Kumar Lahoti.
• She also worked as Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India, Dhaka, Bangladesh for four years. 
• She also worked as the Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah Division.
• She joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 1988 and worked in Northern Railway and South-East Railway.

 Defense

2. Warship ‘Mahendragiri’ to launch in Mumbai

• The warship ‘Mahendragiri’ built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited was launched in Mumbai.
• It would be launched by Dr Sudesh Dhankhar and it is the seventh ship of the Project 17A Frigates. 
• The warship has been named after a mountain peak in the Eastern Ghats located in the state of Orissa. 
• Mahendragiri is a technologically advanced warship and stands as a symbol of India's determination to embrace its rich naval heritage.

 National Affairs

3. Government to celebrate sixth Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2023 in September

• The Central Government is celebrating the sixth Rashtriya Poshan Maah in September 2023. 
• Objective: To comprehensively tackle malnutrition through a life-cycle approach and to cultivate widespread awareness concerning critical human life stages comprising pregnancy and adolescence.
• Aim: To foster nutritional understanding across India through a theme centered on "Suposhit Bharat, Sakshar Bharat, Sashakt Bharat" (Nutrition-rich India, Educated India, Empowered India).

 National Affairs

4. President launch the theme “The Year of Positive Change” of Brahma Kumaris

• The President Droupadi Murmu graced the state-level launch of the theme of the year “The Year of Positive Change” of Brahma Kumaris at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
• Brahma Kumaris are working tirelessly to spread love, harmony, and peace in the world.
• She urged all to develop their inner strength, keep doing positive work, and stay with positive thoughts and good company. 
• She advised me to be in the company of such people who inspire me to follow the right path.

 National & International Appointments

5. UK PM Rishi Sunak appointed Grant Shapps as new Defence Minister

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Grant Shapps as the new Defence Minister. 
• The development comes after former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace resigned.
• Shapps has previously served as Transport Secretary,  energy secretary and Home Secretary. T
• The new post of Defence Secretary marks his fifth ministerial portfolio. Grant Shapps has been a strong supporter of Sunak as Conservative Party leader.

 Sports

6. Neeraj Chopra bagged silver in javelin event in Zurich Diamond League 2023

• Neeraj Chopra finished second with a final round throw in the men's javelin event of the Diamond League 2023  in Zurich. 
• He finished behind Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, who had won a bronze in the World Championships.
• The Indian superstar, who was unbeaten this season qualified for the Diamond League finals to be held on the 17th of September in Eugene,  He had won the Diamond League trophy in 2022.

 Banking & Finance

7. Bandhan Bank authorized by RBI to disburse civil pension

• Bandhan Bank has been designated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as an authorized pension disbursement bank for civil pensioners on behalf of the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO). 
• The bank will collaborate with the CPAO and the Ministry of Finance to implement the pension disbursement process. 
• Objective: To distribute pensions to central government employees in civil ministries and departments, excluding railways, posts, and defense.

 National Affairs

8. India, USA join hands to launch RETAP for c

• India and the United States launched the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) under the umbrella of the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership.
• Objective: To revolve around the development of green and clean hydrogen, wind energy, and long-duration energy storage solutions.
• Aim: To explore opportunities in geothermal energy, ocean/tidal energy, and other mutually identified emerging technologies, opening doors for diverse renewable energy avenues.

 National & International Organizations

9. Savart Launched First Fully Automated Investment Fund, 'The Ad Astra Fund'

• Savart launched its world's First Fully Automated Investment Fund,The Ad Astra Fund in Hyderabad.
• Aim: To transform the traditional human-led investment research processes and increase the probability of achieving a superior return on investment.
• The fund features end-to-end research automation, from investment opportunity discovery until exit i.e., the entire research and investment decision-making is driven by their AI research system APART.

 Banking & Finance

10. PNB launches GST Sahay App for invoice-based MSME loans up to Rs 2 lakh

• Punjab National Bank launched the PNB GST Sahay App for MSME borrowers to access loans up to Rs 2 lakh digitally using GST invoices. 
• Aim: To streamline the lending process for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. 

The key features include:

• End-to-End Digital Lending Process
• Cost-Effective and Smooth Process
• Direct Loan Crediting
• Technology-Driven Assessment
• Loan Range and Repayment Options
• Integration with GST Profile
• Focus on MSMEs

 Agreement

11. Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare signs an MoU with private sector

• Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and Genpact India Private Limited signed MoU in New Delhi. 
• Aim: To generate employment opportunities for the esteemed Ex-Servicemen of the Defence Services.     
• Genpact, a global leader in professional services, would provide meaningful career opportunities for Veterans. 
• Objectives: To provide skilled manpower and give a dignified second career to our Ex-servicemen”.

 National & International Organizations

12. NPCI Launches India’s Own Blockchain-Backed Open-Source Project ‘Falcon’

• The National Payments Corporation of India announced the launch of Falcon, an open-source project that aims to simplify the management and use of blockchains based on ‘Hyperledger Fabric' and supported on Kubernetes clusters. 
• Objective: To help blockchain developers use distributed ledger technology to facilitate efficient, reliable, and automated deployment of network as well as Web3 solutions.
• Hyperledger fabric is an enterprise-level permission blockchain network.

 State Affairs

13. Nagaland becomes first state to launch Aadhaar linked birth registration

• Nagaland became the first state in the northeastern region to initiate Aadhaar-linked birth registration (ALBR).
• Objective: To enable children's access to various social welfare schemes designed for their welfare.
• Aim: To streamline birth registration by integrating it with Aadhaar enrolment for children in the age group of 0 to 5
• Directorate of Economics, Nagaland has collaborated with UIDAI as a Registrar cum Enrolment Agency for Child Enrolment via the ALBR process