Daily GK Update: 25th January 2023

 National & International Appointments

1. Tata Trusts appoints Siddharth Sharma as new CEO

• Tata Trusts (Charitable Foundation) confirmed the appointment of Siddharth Sharma as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Aparna Uppaluri as the Trust's Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Their appointment will come into effect from 1 April 2023.
• Siddharth Sharma will succeed N Srinath, who stepped down from the CEO's post in 2022.
• Tata Trusts has created the COO post for the first time.
• Aparna Uppaluri is currently serving as the programme director at the Ford Foundation.

 National & International Appointments

2. JP Morgan Chase receives RBI nod to appoint Prabdev Singh as India chief

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its approval to appoint Prabdev Singh as CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co (India) for three years.
• In November 2022, he replaced Madhav Kalyan as interim CEO, who was named head of payments for Asia Pacific.
• He was a  trained engineer and worked at HSBC Holdings Plc before joining JPMorgan in 2010.
• JPMorgan Chase:
  • Headquarters: New York, USA
  • Chairman and CEO: Jamie Dimon
  • President: Daniel E. Pinto

 Science & Technology

3. NASA to test nuclear-powered spacecraft by 2027

• NASA and DARPA (US military's research and development agency) will join hands to develop nuclear-powered rockets that could fly astronauts to Mars.
• This mission could allow spacecraft to travel faster, reduce transit time, and have other benefits
• US Space agency could develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027
• NASA also believes that they could be ready to send humans to Mars by the late 2030s
• NASA Administrator: Bill Nelson

 Important Dates

4. 13th National Voters’ Day: 25th January 2023

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) celebrated the 13th National Voters’ Day on 25th January 2023.
• Theme 2023: Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure
• It was first observed in 2011 to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (25th January 1950).
• Aim: To create electoral awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to participate in the electoral process
• ECI song “Main Bharat Hoon- Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hain” was screened.

 Sports

5. India becomes No.1 ODI team

• Indian men's cricket team has become the No. 1 team in the ICC ODI rankings after defeating New Zealand by 90 runs in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• India won the first match by 12 runs in Hyderabad and the second match by 8 wickets in Raipur.
• This was India’s second consecutive clean sweep after defeating Sri Lanka last week.
• At present, England with 113 ratings placed second, followed by  Australia (112), New Zealand (111), Pakistan (106), and  South Africa (100).

 Obituaries

6. Noted architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi passes away

• Renowned Indian architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi passed away at the age of 95 in Gujarat.
• He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan (2020), Pritzker Architecture Prize (2018), Padma Shri (1976), and many more awards.
• He was credited with designing some of the most iconic structures in the country such as IIM Bangalore, NIFT Delhi, and CEPT University in Ahmedabad.
• He also worked under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn.

 National & International Appointments

7. Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister

• Chris Hipkins was sworn in as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand by the governor-general during a ceremony in Wellington.
• His appointment came after the resignation of former PM Jacinda Ardern.
• He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labour Party is trailing its conservative opposition.
• He served as education and police minister under Ardern.

 National Affairs

8. PepsiCo and CARE introduce $18-million global programme in India

• PepsiCo Foundation and CARE launched a programme 'She Feeds the World'.
• It is a USD 18.2-million global agriculture-focused women empowerment programme in India.
• It commenced from two districts in North Bengal of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh could be the next state.
• The PepsiCo Foundation invested USD 18.2 million to scale CARE's 'She Feeds the World' initiative in six countries.
• President, PepsiCo India: Ahmed ElSheikh

 Banking & Finance

9. PNB & Aadhar Housing Finance enter into co-lending partnership

• PNB and Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd (AHFL) have entered into a co-lending agreement to offer home loans at competitive interest rates.
• Aim: To reach out to a large section of society for providing easy, and efficient home finance solutions.
• The co-lending framework of the RBI provides a tool for the Banks and NBFCs/HFCs to collaborate, and leverage their respective strengths to provide an affordable solution to the unserved and underserved sections of society.

 Banking & Finance

10. RBI asks SBM Bank (India) to stop transactions under LRS

• RBI ordered the SBM Bank (India) Ltd to stop all transactions under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) with immediate effect till further orders.
• Reason: Certain material supervisory concerns were observed in the bank
• Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, Indian residents (including minors) are allowed to freely remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial year (April - March) for any permissible current or capital account transaction or a combination of both

 Honours & Awards

11. RV Prassad honoured the most distinguished scientist of the year award 2022

• Renowned scientist, R Vishnu Prassad was honoured with "the most distinguished scientist of the year 2022” award at Indian Achievers Award ceremony held in Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi.
• The award recognized individuals for their outstanding contributions in various fields, including culture, science, sports, and innovation.
• He contributed to smart cities, solid waste management, large-scale water treatment, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

 Banking & Finance

12. AU Bank launches credit card offering platform SwipeUp

• AU Small Finance Bank has launched SwipeUp platform that will allow other bank credit cardholders to upgrade their card to one of AU credit cards.
• The bank has provided a platform to compare existing credit cards of customers within seconds.
• They can upgrade credit limits, cashback, and reward points with a quick end-to-end digital process.
• They can continue according to their lifestyle at the time of submitting the credit card application.
• CEO, AU SFB: Sanjay Agarwal

 International Affairs

13. Brazil declares medical emergency in Yanomami territory

• Brazil's government has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, after the reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining.
• Reason: To restore health services to the Yanomami people that had been dismantled by the previous government.
• The government announced food packages that be provided to the Yanomamis lives in a region of rainforest and tropical savanna the size of Portugal.