Daily Current Affairs 18th and 19th March 2023 Daily GK Update
Daily current affairs are extremely important for competitive exams because they help candidates stay updated on the latest events and developments in the world. This knowledge is essential for answering questions in the general awareness or current affairs section of the exam, which is often included in many competitive exams such as UPSC, SSC, Bank Exams, etc. Additionally, having a good understanding of current affairs can also help candidates in other sections of the exam, such as reasoning, English, and quantitative aptitude. In short, staying updated on current affairs is crucial for performing well in competitive exams and increasing the chances of success.
Q.1. Who has become the fastest Indian in under 21 group to swim across the Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu?
Exp. Sampanna Ramesh becomes fastest Indian to swimacross Palk Strait
Pune based swimmer, Sampanna Ramesh Shelar has become the fastest Indian in under 21 group to swim across the Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu.
He created this record by completing the distance of 29 Kms in 5 hours and 30 minutes. The previous record was 8 hours and 26 minutes.
With this achievement, Mr. Shelar is planning to do solo swims across the English & Catalina Channels soon, to eventually complete swimming across the seven oceans popularly known as the Oceans Seven Challenge.
Q.2. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced the decision to carve out how many new districts in the states?
Exp. Rajasthan CM announced 19 new districts and three new divisions
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the decision to carve out 19 new districts in the state.
The decision to carve out new districts and three new divisions comes months ahead of the high-stakes Assembly polls.
With the formation of 19 new districts, the state now has a total of 50 districts.
The new districts are- Anupgarh, Balotra, Beawar, Deeg, Didwana-Kuchaman City, Dudu, Gangapur City, Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Jodhpur East, Jodhpur West, Kekri, Kotputli, Khairthal, Neemkathana, Phalodi, Salumbar, Sanchore, Shahpura (Bhilwara).
Banswara, Pali, and Sikar were named as new divisions, taking the total number of divisions in the state to 10.
About Rajasthan
Capital тАУ Jaipur
Chief Minister тАУ Ashok Gehlot
Governor тАУ Kalraj Mishra
Districts – 50
Q.3. Three days long an International conference on the theme ‘Natural farming for Revitalizing Environment and Resilient Agriculture’ was held in which state?
(b) West Bengal / рдкрд╢реНрдЪрд┐рдо рдмрдВрдЧрд╛рд▓
(c) Assam / рдЕрд╕рдо
(d) Manipur / рдордгрд┐рдкреБрд░
(e) Meghalaya / рдореЗрдШрд╛рд▓рдп
Answer & Explanation
Ans.3.(d)
Exp. Manipur governor inaugurated Int’l Conference on ‘Natural Farming’
Manipur Governor Sushri Anusuiya Uikey has inaugurated three days long an International conference on the theme ‘Natural farming for Revitalizing Environment and Resilient Agriculture’ at Central Agricultural University of Manipur.
The conference also exhibited the natural farming products of innovative farmers from Manipur and other North Eastern States
Delegates from Bangladesh, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, England and the U.S. will be participating in the technical sessions in the conference.
About Manipur
Capital тАУ Imphal
Chief Minister тАУ Biren Singh
Governor – Anusuiya Uikey
Q.4. Who has inaugurated the Global Millets Conference in New Delhi?
Exp. ┬аUttarakhand government approved 10 % reservation for statehood activists
Uttarakhand government has given approval to the 10 percent horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in the government job.
The decision on the reservation to Statehood activists assumes significance since the governor had returned the bill granting 10 percent reservation to the statehood activists in the past.
The statehood activists are not getting the benefit of reservation in government jobs for the past 12 years.
The Cabinet also given approval to new solar policy and to the proposal of increasing MLA Local Area Development Fund from 3 crore 75 lakh to 5 crore per year.
The other major decisions taken by the Cabinet include increase in the financial assistance given to Mahila Mangal┬а Dal from 25 lakh rupees to 40 lakh rupees and increase in grant given for the beautification of temples from 25 lakh rupees to 50 lakh rupees.
The Cabinet also gave approval to the new solar policy and to the proposal of increasing MLA Local Area Development Fund from 3.75 crores to 5 crores per year.
About Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
Chief Minister – Pushkar Singh Dhami
Governor – Gurmit Singh
Q.6. Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by which year?
Exp. Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav recently said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that the Indian Railways is working on a mission mode to become the largest green railway in the world and towards becoming a “net zero carbon emitter” by 2030.
Indian Railways has taken several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions which include the use of energy-efficient technologies.
Indian Railways is starting production of three phase electric locomotives with regenerative features, use of Head on Generation (HOG) technology, use of LED lights in buildings and coaches, use of star-rated equipment.
Indian Railways has adopted an integrated approach to green transport to increase the total share of Indian Railways in land based freight traffic from the present 36 percent to 45 percent by 2030.
Q.7. President Droupadi Murmu has presented the President’s Colour to _____________ in Kochi.
Exp. Sikkim hosts B20 meeting under India’s G20 presidency
Sikkim hosted a B20 or Business20 meeting under India’s G20 presidency on 16 March 2023 in Gangtok.
It was the third of four B20 events organized in the Northeast region.
The meeting was attended by more than 100 delegates including around 50 foreign delegates from 24 countries.
In the meeting, the vibrant organic farming of the state was displayed prominently in front of the world through the B20 programme.
The title of the B20 meeting was тАШConference on Opportunities for Multilateral Business Partnership in Tourism, Hospitality, Pharmaceuticals and Organic Farming.
G20 in News (Note – All Meetings are Under the Presidency of G20 by India)
2nd G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) Meeting – Udaipur in Rajasthan (21 -23 March 2023)
2nd Education Working Group meeting – Amritsar, Punjab (15 March 2023)
Bhupender Yadav has inaugurated a two-day G20 Flower Festival in New Delhi
Fourth Y20 Consultation Meeting тАУ Pune, Maharashtra (11 March 2023)
First Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group (ESCWG) Meeting тАУ Gandhinagar, Gujarat (27 тАУ 29 March 2023)
Q.9. India has approved proposals worth how many rupees for the acquisition of indigenously designed, developed and manufactured military hardware?
Exp. India approves Rs 70,500 crore for acquisition of military hardware
India has approved proposals worth Rs 70,500 crore for the acquisition of indigenously designed, developed and manufactured military hardware as part of a mega procurement plan that is expected to significantly boost domestic defence manufacturing.
The approval of the procurement proposals was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Out of the total proposals, Indian Navy proposals constitute more than Rs 56,000 crore, which largely includes indigenous BrahMos missiles, Shakti Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, Utility Helicopters-Maritime etc.
Out of these, 99 percent of the procurement will be sourced from Indian industries.
Q.10. Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated the 26th Convocation of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV) in which city?
Exp. Global Terrorism Index – India ranked 13th, topped by Afghanistan
Afghanistan remains the country most impacted by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year, despite attacks and deaths falling by 75 percent and 58 percent, respectively, the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report.
India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a marginal decrease from the previous year.
In spite of being among the 25 worst-hit nations on the index, Indian respondents desisted from selecting war and terrorism as the biggest threat to their daily safety.
As per the GTI, Afghanistan recorded 633 fatalities in 2022, despite terrorism-related deaths declining by 866 in 2022.
Globally, deaths from terrorism fell by nine percent to 6,701 deaths, marking a 38 percent decrease from its peak in 2015.
Pakistan saw a significant increase in terror-related deaths, logging a 120 percent increase from the previous year.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain amongst the ten countries most affected by terrorism in 2022, with deaths in Pakistan rising significantly to 643, a 120 percent increase from 292 deaths in 2021.
The deadliest terrorist groups in the world in 2022 were Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, followed by al-Shabaab, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)тАЭ.
Recent index
World Air Quality Report – Most polluted cities (1. Lahore, Pakistan 2. Hotan, China 3. Bhiwadi Rajasthan, 4. Delhi)
Electoral Democracy Index 2023: India ranked 108; topped by Denmark
International IP Index: India ranked 42 in 55 countries; topped by USA
Global Fire Power Index 2023: India ranked 4th; topped by US
Henley Passport Index 2023: India ranked 85; topped by Japan
Q.12. Who has been appointed as CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)?
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rajesh Gopinathan has decided to step down to pursue other interests.
TCS board has appointed K. Krithivasan as the Chief Executive Officer Designate, effective from 16 March 2023.
Gopinathan will continue with the company till September 15, 2023, to provide transition and support to his successor. In his six years as CEO, TCS added over $10 billion in incremental revenues and over a $70 billion increase in market capitalization.
Krithivasan has been part of the global technology sector for over 34 years. He joined TCS in 1989.
Recent Appointment
CMD of National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) – Amitava Mukherjee (Additional charge)
Vande Bharat Express gets Asia’s first woman loco pilot – Surekha Yadav
MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra – Mohit Joshi
MD & CEO of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. – Rohit Jawa
CM of Nagaland – Neiphiu Rio (fifth term)
Q.13. Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as the new MD and CEO of which bank?
(a) State Bank of India / рднрд╛рд░рддреАрдп рд╕реНрдЯреЗрдЯ рдмреИрдВрдХ
(b) Axis Bank / рдПрдХреНрд╕рд┐рд╕ рдмреИрдВрдХ
(c) UCO Bank / рдпреВрдХреЛ рдмреИрдВрдХ
(d) HDFC Bank / рдПрдЪрдбреАрдПрдлрд╕реА рдмреИрдВрдХ
(e) Canara Bank / рдХреЗрдирд░рд╛ рдмреИрдВрдХ
Answer & Explanation
Ans.13.(c)
Exp. FSIB recommends Ashwani Kumar as MD and CEO of UCO Bank
FSIB (The headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions) has recommended the name of Indian Bank executive director Ashwani Kumar for the post of managing director of UCO Bank.
Prior to joining Indian Bank, Kumar was serving as chief general manager of Mumbai Zone of Punjab National Bank (PNB).
FSIB is headed by ex-secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Bhanu Pratap Sharma.
About UCO Bank
Founded – 6 January 1943
Founder- Ghanshyam Das Birla
Headquarters- Kolkata
Recent Appointment in Banking Sector
Chairman of PFRDA – Deepak Mohanty
MD of LIC – Tablesh Pandey and M Jagannath
MD & CEO of IndusInd Bank – Sumant Kathpalia (reappointment)
Head of Citi Commercial Bank (CCB) – Bhanu Vohra
Interim Chairman of LIC – Siddhartha Mohanty (replaced MR Kumar)
Q.14. Who has been recently appointed as its brand ambassador by Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited?
Exp. Luxor appoints Virat Kohli as its Brand Ambassador
Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited, a company that makes stationery, has signed cricketer Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador.
The association is expected to strengthen its appeal among young writers and fortify its position as the provider of writing instruments in the country.
Luxor also partnered with German pen company, Schneider to bring the best of German engineering to deliver the finest writing performance.
Managing Director of Luxor – Pooja Jain Gupta
Recent Brand Ambassador
Shreya Ghodawat – India’s ambassador of ‘She Changes Climate’
Sachin Tendulkar – Savlon Swasth India
Ayushmann Khurrana UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Rights
Yastika Bhatia & Renuka Singh Thakur – Hyundai Motor India Ltd
