Daily GK Update: 29th June 2022

 National & International Appointments

1. Justice Satish Chandra Sharma takes oath as Delhi High Court Chief Justice

• Justice Satish Chandra Sharma has sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court by lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
• He succeeded Justice DN Patel, who retired on March 13.
• Earlier, he served as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
• He has also served as an acting chief justice of Karnataka high court.
• In Madhya Pradesh HC, he was appointed as an additional judge in January 2008.
• Justice Ujjal Bhuyan takes oath as Chief Justice of Telangana.

 National & International Appointments

2. Akash Ambani named as chairman of Reliance Jio

• The board of Reliance Jio Infocomm has approved the appointment of Akash Ambani (non-executive director of the company) as its chairman.
• He has joined the Reliance Jio in 2014.
• The board has also approved the appointment of Raminder Singh Gujral and KV Chowdary, as additional directors of the company.
• The appointment of Pankaj Mohan Pawar as MD of Jio has also been approved.
• The board has also accepted the resignation of Mukesh Ambani as Reliance Jio director.

 Defense

3. India successfully tests indigenously developed Anti-Tank Guided Missile

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired indigenously-developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun Tank in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar
• The ATGM has been developed with multi-platform launch capability.
• It is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.
• The successful development of the laser guided ATGM will enhance the fire power of the MBT Arjun.

 Obituaries

4. Olympic medallist and Hockey World Cup winner Varinder Singh passes away

• Hockey player, Varinder Singh has passed away at the age of 75.
• He was an integral part of the gold-medal winning Indian team at the 1975 men's Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
• He was also a part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 1972 Munich Olympics and silver medal at 1973 World Cup in Amsterdam.
• He has been conferred with the prestigious Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
• He used to play for the Railways.

 Banking & Finance

5. Bajaj Allianz launches Global Health Care plan

• Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched ‘Global Health Care’, a comprehensive health insurance product.
• It covers planned as well as emergency treatment.
• It also provides health care Internationally (outside of India) and domestically (within India).
• Sum Insured: Rs 37,50,000 to Rs 3,75,00,000
• The product is available in two plans, namely ‘Imperial Plan’ and ‘Imperial Plus Plan'.
• For Overseas Citizen of India, the minimum period to stay outside is 180 days.

 State Affairs

6. Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Adani Energy for 11000 MW power generation

• The Energy department of Maharashtra government has signed an MoU with Adani Green Energy Group Ltd (AGEL) to generate green power.
• It would require an investment of Rs 60,000 crore and generate employment.
• AGEL will set up Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) in the next five years, and will produce 11,000 MW power.
• The MoU was signed by Narayan Karad, Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy, Maharashtra and Ajit Barodia, Senior Vice President, Adani Industries Group.

 National Affairs

7. Govt launches e-learning portal 'Dak Karmayogi' for Dak Sevaks employees

• Communications Minister, Ashwini Vaishnav and MoS Communications Devusinh Chauhan have launched ‘Dak Karmayogi’,  an e-learning portal.
• This portal is developed under the vision of ‘Mission Karmayogi’.
• This portal will develop the competencies of about four lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks and departmental employees.
• After the completion of the final assessment, a system-generated certificate will generate, and sent to the trainee’s registered email ID automatically.

 International Affairs

8. Iran applies to join BRICS group of emerging countries

• Iran has applied to become a member of the BRICS.
• BRICS is a group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• Iran is the world’s second-largest gas reserves and membership in the BRICS group would added values for both sides.
• President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez has also reiterated his desire for Argentina to join BRICS.
• The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001.
• Iran Capital: Tehran; Currency: Rial

 Important Dates

9. National Statistics Day: 29th June

• Union Government has observed National Statistics Day on 29th June every year to mark the birth anniversary of late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
• Since 2007, this day is observed in recognition of his valuable contribution in the field of Economic Planning and Statistics.
• Theme 2022: Data for Sustainable Development.
• Aim: Create awareness about the importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation for development of the country.

 National & International Appointments

10. IWF appoints Mohammed Jalood as President 2022

• Mohammed Jalood has been appointed as president of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) at an event held in Tirana, Albania.
• Jalood is the first permanent president since Tamás Aján has stepped down in 2020 after controlling the IWF for 44 years.
• Earlier, he has worked as a IWF General Secretary.
• He has worked as spending the last five as IWF General Secretary.
• IWF Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland; Founded: 1905

 State Affairs

11. Karnataka government launches ‘Kashi Yatra’ scheme

• The Karnataka government has launched the 'Kashi Yatra' project.
• It offers cash assistance of ₹5,000 to each pilgrims, take up a pilgrimage to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The government will be using funds of up to ₹7 crores from the accounts head of ‘Assistance to Manasa Sarovara Pilgrims’.
• Karnataka governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot; CM Basavaraj Bommai; Capital: Bengaluru

 Important Dates

12. International Day of the Tropics: 29 June

• International Day of the Tropics is observed annually on 29 June.
• This day highlights the challenges faced by the tropics nations.
• The tropics nations are those that lies between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
• 12 leading tropical research institutions collaborated to come up with a State of the Tropics Report on 29th June, 2014.
• To mark the anniversary of the report’s launch the UNGA has adopted resolution A/RES/70/267 in 2016.

 State Affairs

13. Kerala Govt will launch MEDISEP scheme for State Government employees

• Kerala government will launch the MEDISEP scheme - Medical insurance scheme for State Government employees, pensioners and their eligible family members from 1st July, 2022.
• It will provide cashless medical assistance with a comprehensive coverage up to 3 lakhs per year.
• The annual premium would be Rs 4,800 plus 18% GST for the policy period of 2022-24.  
• Monthly premium: Rs.500
• It is being implemented through the public sector insurer, Oriental Insurance Company.