Daily GK Update: 25th May 2023

 Sports

1. Murali Sreeshankar wins gold at International Jumping Meeting, Greece

• India’s long jumper, Murali Sreeshankar has successfully defended his title in the men’s long jump event at the 13th International Jumping Meeting 2023 in Kallithea, Greece.
• He registered his season-best jump of 8.18m to beat his compatriot.
• This was Murali Sreeshankar’s third competition of the year and also the third gold medal.
• While Jeswin Aldrin has claimed silver with an effort of 7.85m.
• Jalen Rucker of Australia won bronze for a 7.80m effort in the 12-man field.

 Sports

2. PM Modi to inaugurate third Khelo India University games in Lucknow

• PM Modi will inaugurate the third Khelo India University Games 2022 via video conferencing on May 25, 2023.
• The event will be attended by Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
• The events related to the university games have already started on May 23 in the Gautam Budh Nagar district.
• Event locations: Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, and Gautam Buddha Nagar
• Mascot: Jitu, which represents Swamp Deer (Barasingha) - the state animal of UP

 Schemes

3. Government unveils UDAN 5.1 to enhance connectivity to remote areas

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched the 5.1 version of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) to further enhance connectivity to remote areas of the country and achieve last-mile connectivity through helicopters.
• For the first time under RCS-UDAN, this round is designed specifically for helicopter routes.
• Airfare caps have been reduced by as much as 25% to make flying in helicopters more affordable for passengers.

 National & International Organizations

4. Tata Group only Indian firm in BCG list of top 50 most innovative firms

• Tata Group is the only Indian company to feature in the Top 50 innovative companies 2023 list, released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
• Tata Group ranked 20 among the Top 50 innovative companies.
• Top 10: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Moderna, Samsung, Huawei, BYD, and Siemens
• BCG's list parameters: Superior performance, higher resilience to shocks and disruptions, and the ability to exploit innovation faster for value-creating growth, among other things

 Agreement

5. Molbio, IISc spin-off collaborate on diagnostic test for sickle cell

• Molbio Diagnostics and ShanMukha Innovations have collaborated to design, develop and commercialize point-of-care diagnostic devices, SickleCert.
• Aim: To diagnose hemoglobin-related diseases.
• ShanMukha Innovations is an IISc spin-off that specializes in creating mobile diagnostic solutions.
• SickleCert is a first-of-its-kind indigenous point-of-care confirmatory test in the country for quantitative detection and differentiation of sickle cell disease/trait.

 Science & Technology

6. IIT Madras launched 15 Centres of Excellence

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched 15 Centres of Excellence (CoE) as part of the ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) Scheme on 24th May 2023.
• Aim: To develop next-generation technologies and create a significant impact
• The IoE Scheme was launched by the Government of India to empower Higher Educational Institutions to become world-class teaching and research institutions.
• IIT Madras, one of the pre-eminent institutions in India, was chosen in 2019

 State Affairs

7. Odisha govt collaborates with Infosys, Nasscom

• The Odisha Govt’s Higher Education Department has signed an MoU with Infosys and Nasscom to enhance the skills and employability of students in Higher Education Institutions.
• Aim: To provide learning and employment opportunities for students and promote equal access to education for passionate individuals
• Infosys has set a goal to enable digital skills on a large scale and empower more than 10 million people across India through its program, Infosys Springboard.

 Obituaries

8. Legendary singer Tina Turner passes away

• Tina Turner, the pioneering rock’n’roll star who became a pop behemoth in the 1980s, has died aged 83 after a long illness.
• She started her career with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1957.
• Under the name Little Ann, she appeared on her first record, "Boxtop", in 1958.
• She received 12 Grammy Awards, including eight competitive awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and Lifetime Achievement Award.
• She was the first black artist and woman on the cover of Rolling Stone.

 Banking & Finance

9. Axis Bank launches a digital onboarding platform ‘Sarathi’

• Axis Bank has launched ‘Sarathi’ a digital onboarding journey to enable Electronic Data Capture or Point of Sale (POS) for merchants.
• This platform provides a seamless and hassle-free experience for merchants.
• Onboarding process:
  • Realtime database checks for faster application processing
  • Live video verification to authenticate merchant information
  • Eliminates the field verification process which helps in instant decision-making
  • Instant installation of POS

 National & International Appointments

10. Justice S Vaidyanathan appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Madras HC

• The President of India has named Justice S Vaidyanathan, the seniormost judge of the Madras high court, as the acting Chief Justice of the Madras high court, with effect from 25.05.2023.
• He has succeeded the acting Chief Justice of the Madras HC, Justice T Raja, who retired.
• He served as an editor of Labour Law Books published by the Madras Book Agency
• He was elevated as an additional high court judge on October 25, 2013, and became a permanent judge on April 14, 2015

 National & International Organizations

11. State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2023 report

• According to the World Bank’s annual “State and Trends of Carbon Pricing” report, revenues from carbon taxes and Emissions Trading Systems (ETS) have reached a record high, about $95 billion.
• This is despite the challenging context for governments facing high inflation, fiscal pressures, and energy crises.
• Several countries are using a price on carbon emissions to help meet their climate goals in the form of a tax and Emissions Trading System (ETS).

 Banking & Finance

12. SBI General unveils 'Surety Bond Bima' for infrastructure projects

• SBI General Insurance has launched the General Surety Bond Bima (Conditional & Unconditional) insurance product.
• Surety Bond Insurance will act as a security arrangement for infrastructure projects and will insulate the contractor as well as the principal (contract awarding authority).
• Aim: To provide protection against breach of terms and conditions by the contractors either during the bidding stage or during the performance stage of a project

 Defense

13. Bangladesh-US joint naval exercise begins in Chattogram

• The Joint Bangladesh-US Naval drill Exercise ‘Tiger Shark 40’ has started at BNS Nirvik in Chattogram.
• Aim: To increase the strategic capabilities of both countries and to acquire mutual technical and procedural knowledge
• It is being undertaken to improve the existing good relations between the armed forces of the two countries.
• Bangladesh Army and Navy and US Special Forces participated in this training exercise held under the management of Commodore Swords Command.