Daily GK Update: 4th January 2023

 Defense

1. Captain Shiva Chouhan becomes first woman officer to be deployed at Siachen

• Captain Shiva Chauhan (Indian Army's Fire and Fury Corps) has become the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post (height: 15,632 feet) at the highest battlefield in the world-Siachen.
• She hails from Rajasthan.
• She led an arduous 508-km long `Sura Soi’ Siachen Sappers cycling expedition from the Siachen War Memorial to Kargil War Memorial in July 2022.
• She got inducted to the Siachen Glacier on January 2 after an arduous climb.

 National & International Organizations

2. India to take charge of APPU in Bangkok, Thailand

• India will take charge of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) in Bangkok, Thailand from January 2023.
• Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh will take over the charge of Secretary General of the Union for a tenure of four years.
• The APPU is an intergovernmental organization of 32-member countries of the Asian-Pacific region.
• Aim of APPU: To extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between member countries and to promote cooperation in the field of postal services.

 Arts & Culture

3. Manipur celebrates Gaan Ngai festival

• Zeliangrong community of Manipur has celebrated the Gaan Ngai festival on 4th Jauary 2023.
• This festival also marks the end of the year when the farmers have stored their foodgrain in their ganeries.
• They show their gratitude by offering to the almighty a good harvest and praying for a better life.
• It is a custom to produce new fire by rubbing dry wood and split bamboo pieces and distributing them.
• The Zeliangrong community comprises Rongmei, Liangmei, and Zeme tribes.

 Banking & Finance

4. India and ADB sign loan agreements to boost infrastructure sector in India

• India has signed various loan agreements with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost the infrastructure sector in the country.
• A loan agreement of 350 million US dollars was signed to improve connectivity in Maharashtra.
• Govt also signed agreement worth 300 million US dollars to upgrade over 300 Km of State highways and district roads in Assam.
• A 220 million dollar loan agreement was signed to improve energy security, and resilience of the power sector in Tripura.

 National Affairs

5. MoD, MoE, MSDE and all three Services sign MoUs for education of Agniveers

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), and all three Services have signed MoUs to facilitate the continued education of Agniveers while serving in the Armed Forces.
• National Institute of Open School and IGNOU will awarded 12th Class certificates and Bachelor’s degrees to Agniveers.
• This will enable Agniveers to complete education in a timely manner and develop additional qualities and skills

 Obituaries

6. Noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent Sumitra Sen passes away

• Noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent, Sumitra Sen has been passed away at the age of 89.
• Her rendition of songs inlcude Jokhon Porbe Na Mor, Sokhi Vabona Kahare Bole and Mone Ki Dwidha.
• In 2012, she was honoured with the Sangeet Mahasamman award by West Bengal government.
• Rabindra Sangeet also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore.

 Banking & Finance

7. HDFC Bank partners with Microsoft for digital transformation

• HDFC Bank has partnered with Microsoft in the next phase of its digital transformation.
• Aim: To unlock business value by transforming the application portfolio, modernising the data landscape, and securing the enterprise with Microsoft Cloud.
• The bank is developing in-house intellectual properties (IP) as well as partnering with several companies.
• The bank has leveraged Microsoft Azure to consolidate and modernise its enterprise data landscape by Federated Data Lake.

 Banking & Finance

8. India Accelerator, ICICI Bank and Infosys Finacle join hands

• India Accelerator has launched a program created to nurture and co-innovate with the startup ecosystem in India named 'i3 Launchpad'.
• This has been developed in collaboration with ICICI Bank and Infosys Finacle.
• Objective: To support a community of entrepreneurs who are on a mission to create brands that can have a global impact.
• The program is open to startups across all industries and will onboard two cohorts a year, with a target of 12-18 startups in each cohort.

 Banking & Finance

9. Niva Bupa and Sundaram Finance signs corporate agency agreement

• Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company (formerly Max Bupa Health Insurance Company) has signed a corporate agency agreement with Sundaram Finance Limited.
• Sundaram Finance will use its network across the country to reach out to customers as part of this partnership
• Niva Bupa’s select range of indemnity plans would be offered to Sundaram Finance’s growing customers
• Sundaram Finance Limited MD: Rajiv Lochan
• Niva Bupa Health Insurance MD & CEO: Krishnan Ramachandran

 Banking & Finance

10. Bandhan Bank launched ‘Jahaan Bandhan, Wahaan Trust’ campaign

• Bandhan Bank has launched its campaign ‘Jahaan Bandhan, Wahaan Trust’, featuring cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador.
• The campaign was conceptualised by Leo Burnett Orchard.
• Bandhan was constituted in 2001 as a not-for-profit entity.
• The RBI had accorded ‘universal banking licence’, following which the Bank has started operating on August 23, 2015.
• Objective: To bring in financial inclusion and women empowerment
• Bandhan Bank headquarters: Kolkata

 Books & Authors

11. Shashi Tharoor’s latest book Ambedkar: A Life launched

• A book titled 'Ambedkar: A Life', authored by Shashi Tharoor has been launhced at the Kitaab Kolkata event.
• The event was organized by Prabha Khaitan Foundation (PKF) at the ITC Sonar presented by Shree Cement.
• The event was attended by bibliophiles young and old, members of Ehsaas Women and FICCI FLO.
• Other notable books of Shashi Tharoor: Riot (2001), Why I Am A Hindu (2018), The Paradoxical Prime Minister (2018), India: From Midnight to the Millennium (1997) 

 National & International Appointments

12. BharatPe appoints Nalin Negi as interim CEO

• BharatPe has appointed current chief financial officer (CFO), Nalin Negi as the interim chief executive officer (CEO).
• He has replaced Suhail Sameer, who stepped down from the position.
• He will take on the role of strategic advisor, effective January 7, 2023.
• Negi has previously worked at GE Capital and SBI Card.
• He was the CFO of SBI Card for over ten years.
• BharatPe was founded in March 2018.
• BharatPe Board Chairman: Rajnish Kumar 

 State Affairs

13. UP govt signs MoUs worth Rs 18,590 crore with UAE based companies

• Uttar Pradesh government has signed an MoU with six UAE-based companies worth Rs 18,590 crore ahead of the Global Investors Summit to be held in  Lucknow in February 2023.
• Aim: To create over 20,000 new employment opportunities.
• Astha Green Energy Venture and Shree Siddharth Infratech and Services will invest in renewable energy worth Rs 4480 and Rs 8000 crore respectively.
• Sharaf Group and Hindustan Port will invest in the Logistics Park sector.