Daily GK Update: 22nd October 2022

Defense

India successfully test-fired 'Agni Prime' - a new generation of ballistic missiles - from off the coast of Odisha.
The 'Agni Prime', or 'Agni-P', is a nuclear-capable new-gen advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
It is a two-stage canisterised missile with a maximum range of 2,000 km.
It weighs 50% less than the Agni 3 missile and has new guidance and propulsion systems. In addition, since it is canisterised, it can be launched from rail or road.

Honours & Awards

Satyajit Ray’s 1955 masterpiece Pather Panchali has been declared the best Indian film of all time by the Indian chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
Pather Panchali, an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Bengali novel of the same name, is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.
This film is the first film in Ray’s Apu trilogy, which is followed by Aparajito and Apur Sansar.

International Affairs

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has excluded Pakistan from the grey list of the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering after four years.
Pakistan was put in 2018 for its failure to check the risk of money laundering.
Inclusion to the grey list leads to the inability of Islamabad to get financial aid from IMF, World Bank, ADB & the EU.
The FATF was established in 1989 and currently has 39 members including EU and Gulf Cooperation Council.

National & International Appointments

ICICI Bank's board of directors has reappointed Sandeep Bakshi as the MD and CEO for a period of 3 years.
He was appointed as the banks's MD and CEO since October 15, 2018.
He has served as Wholetime Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the bank, prior to his appointment as MD and CEO.
His reappointment will be effective from October 4, 2023 to October 3, 2026.
Bakhshi has been with the ICICI Group for 36 years and has handled various assignments.

Schemes

PM Narendra Modi participated via video conference in the "Griha Pravesh" of more than 4.5 lakh PMAY-G beneficiaries.
On the occasion of Dhanteras, he dedicated homes constructed under the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) from Satna, MP.
Under the PMAY-G, in the last 8 years, more than 3.5 crore poor families have got new houses.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is a ground-breaking social welfare programme that the Indian government introduced in 2015.

National & International Appointments

Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited has appointed C S Rajan as an additional and independent director on the bank’s board.
Rajan’s appointment is for a period of five years effective 22 October 2022.
Rajan has over 40 years of experience across significant government portfolios.
Rajan is currently serving as a non-executive chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited, appointed by the government of India.

Science & Technology

Ola officially launched 'Ola S1 Air', its most affordable electric scooter in the country.
The price of the new electric scooter is set at ₹85,000.
The new Ola electric scooter will compete against Honda Activa, TVS Jupiter, Suzuki Access and Yamaha Fascino.
The electric scooter comes equipped with the company’s latest MoveOS 3 and is said to have a range of 76km.
The all-new Ola S1 Air packs 2.5KWh lithium-ion battery and takes about 4.5 hours to charge fully.

Science & Technology

The ISRO is set to launch 36 broadband communication satellites on board its biggest rocket, the LVM3-M2 at Sriharikota spaceport in AP.
The LVM3-M2 mission was created specifically for a foreign client, OneWeb, by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
It is the first multi-satellite mission, carrying 36 OneWeb satellites to LEO as the largest payload ever for LVM3 (5,796 kg).
The LVM3-M2 mission represents NewSpace India Ltd's 1st dedicated commercial mission.

National Affairs

PM Modi laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth more than Rs. 3400 crore for the state at a program organized in Mana village of Uttarakhand.
These projects include two road widening projects from Mana to Mana Pass (NH 07) and Joshi math to Malari (NH107B), including two new ropeway projects at Gaurikund-Kedarnath and Govindghat-Hemkund Sahib.
The Kedarnath ropeway will be around 9.7 km long, connecting Gaurikund with Kedarnath

National & International Appointments

The government has appointed Jaxay Shah as the Chairman of Quality Council of India (QCI).
He was former Chairman of realty developers’ body CREDAI and founder Chairman of Savvy Group.
He has been appointed for a period of three years with effect from October 21, 2022.
He succeeds the former McKinsey India Chief Adil Zainulbhai.
QCI was established in 1997 through a Cabinet Note by the Government of India.