Daily GK Update: 22nd October 2023

National & International Appointments

Ashok Vaswani (63-years) is set to hold the position of the new CEO and MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank for a period of three years, likely from January 1, 2024.
Vaswani will succeed Uday Kotak, who has quit as the MD of the bank in September this year.
Currently, Ashok Vaswani is the president of the US-Israeli AI fintech company Pagaya Technologies Ltd.

Important Dates

International Stuttering Awareness Day is an annual observance that falls on October 22 every year.
It’s a day to shed light on the challenges faced by people who stammer and to encourage a more inclusive and empathetic society.
The theme for ISAD 2023 is “One Size Does NOT Fit All”.

Defense

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches the army's project Udbhav aimed at integrating ancient wisdom with modern military pedagogy.
Project Udbhav is a joint collaboration of the Indian Army and the United Service Institution of India.
The project aims to promote indigenous discourse through the exploration and integration of the country’s ancient strategic acumen into the contemporary military domain.

International Affairs

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone 'Tej', brewing in the Arabian Sea, intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Sunday and is headed towards the Yemen-Oman coasts.
The IMD also issued warnings for fishermen to not venture into areas that could be affected by Cyclone Tej and the Bay of Bengal depression in the coming days

International Affairs

Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif returns home after four years in self-imposed exile in the U.K.
Mr Sharif flew in from Dubai to Islamabad on a chartered flight along with some family members, senior party leaders and friends.
Earlier this week, the Islamabad High Court granted protective bail to Sharif until Tuesday.

Schemes

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the wildlife conservation project, ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr’ at the Secretariat in Chennai.
Nilgiri Tahr is an endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats. There are references to Nilgiri Tahr in the Sangam Tamil literature.
The project has an outlay of ₹25 crore.

International Affairs

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Ho Chi Minh City during an official visit to Vietnam.
In Vietnam, the EAM also met the Vietnamese leadership.
This visit marked not only the strengthening of bilateral relations but also a celebration of the enduring principles and values adopted by Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

Honours & Awards

Dhordo Village in Gujarat's Kutch district has been honored with the prestigious 'Best Tourism Village' title by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
With this, Dhordo is now one of the 70 villages from nearly 40 countries that enjoy this prestigious title.
Dhordo received this title at the Best Tourism Village - 2023 award ceremony organised by the UNWTO at the historic city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

National Affairs

Hon’ble Union Minister of Textile, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal launched website https://kasturicotton.texprocil.org of Kasturi Cotton Bharat.
This website provide a digital platform for necessary information and updates on this initiatives and highlights the registration process for ginners to produce Kasturi Cotton Bharat Brand and its processes that make the branded Indian cotton unique.

International Affairs

India sends Humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine.
An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt.
The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items