Daily GK Update: 7th September 2023

State Affairs

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the country's first solar city Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh.
Aim: To reduce Annually about 13 thousand 747 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Sanchi Solar City
An effort has also been made to attract tourism by reducing environmental pollution through eco-friendly facilities in Sanchi.
Battery operated e-rickshaws and garbage vehicles will also run in the city. E-vehicle charging stations have also been installed.

Agreement

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has signed an MOU with the Union Bank of India and Bank of Baroda to co-finance renewable energy (RE) projects.
Objective: To collaborate with the banks in co-lending and loan syndication of emerging and established RE projects.
Aim: To extend our reach, particularly in tier-2 & tier-3 cities and rural areas, enabling us to provide unique and innovative financial support to existing and new customers.

National Affairs

The world's tallest Nataraja statue has been installed at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 summit in Delhi.
The 28-foot-tall statue weighing 20 tonnes was made in a record time of seven months by sculptor Radhakrishnan Sthapathy and his team at Swamimalai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
The statue was built in Ashtadhatu (8 metals) using the traditional casting method.
The statue was transported to the New Delhi in four days.

Obituaries

N Valarmathi, the scientist and distinctive voice behind the ISRO's launch countdowns passed away.
She voiced the launch of India's first successful mission, Chandrayaan-3, which ultimately became her final one.
During the July 14 event, Valarmathi was heard giving the countdown for the rocket launch and had been the voice for ISRO launches for almost six years.
Her last announcement, was on July 30 when the PSLV-C56 rocket lifted off carrying 7 Singaporean satellites

National Affairs

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of the Army headquarters Thal Sena Bhawan's new building in Delhi Cantonment conforming with GRIHA-IV (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) norms.
The Army headquarters (AH) is currently housed in the iconic South Block at Raisina Hill in Lutyens' Delhi
On completion of the new building, it will not only cut down carbon footprint but is expected to get together all the different pockets of AH

Banking & Finance

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project, multiple Indian banks have announced the introduction of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) interoperability feature on the Digital Rupee application.
Digital Rupee app users can scan any QR code to make payments for groceries and daily expenses.
State Bank of India (SBI), Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank. HDFC Bank, Canara Bank, among others are live with the inclusion of UPI interoperability.

National Affairs

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Malaviya Mission- Teachers Training Programme by the University Grants Commission at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi.
He also inaugurated the Portal of the Programme and released its information brochure.
Aim: To provide tailored training programmes for teachers.
This programme will work for the capacity building of faculty members in higher educational institutions.

Honours & Awards

Mumbai Professor Satyajit Majumdar, dean of School of Management and Labour Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), received the ‘Dr V G Patel Memorial Award-2023 for his work in promoting and strengthening entrepreneurship in India.
He is widely acknowledged as the Father of Entrepreneurship Movement in India.
He has mentored more than 350 startups, including 40 in Jammu and Kashmir and group startups in Jhabua, West Bengal.

National Affairs

Technology Development Board (TDB) has joined forces with Aloe Ecell Pvt. Ltd., a Lucknow-based startup, to support the project Commercialization of Eco-friendly 1.5V AA size Aloe Vera-based batteries.
It is Valued at Rs. 2.98 crores, TDB’s substantial contribution of Rs. 1.91 crores as a soft loan aims to boost green innovation.
Aloe Ecell has already received recognition, including the National Startup Award in the Energy Sector 2020 and the Global Winners 2019 award

National Affairs

The 10th meeting of the Ministers of Law and Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries was held in September 2023.
Highlights include
To cooperate between Ministries of Law and Justice of SCO Member nations to enhance cooperation in legal and judicial spheres.
Continue to work on the implementation of the Co-operation Agreement
Organise conferences, legal cooperation fora etc for better exchange of experience