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15th September 2022
National
News
Govt to introduce subsidy to set up EV charging
infrastructure: Power Secy
Power Secretary Alok Kumar has
said the government is working to introduce a subsidy for companies that'll set
up electric vehicle charging hubs across India. He said a subsidy of around
₹4-5 lakh will be provided to set up a 200-KW charging infrastructure for EVs.
He added the government is working to amend the FAME II policy for the same.
Ukraine returned students cannot join Indian
varsities: Govt to SC
The Centre told the Supreme Court
that the students who returned from Ukraine cannot be accommodated in Indian
universities as there was no provision for it in the National Medical
Commission Act. The Centre said that allowing this would hamper the standards
of medical education in India. Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia will
likely hear the case on Friday.
Will not step down unless asked by RJD: Bihar Agri
Minister
Bihar Agriculture Minister
Sudhakar Singh, who accused the state Agriculture Department of corruption, on
Thursday said that CM Nitish Kumar could sack him but he'll not step down
unless asked to do so by his party. The RJD leader stated, "The final
decision about the fate of my ministerial berth will be taken by...[RJD
leaders] Lalu Prasad Yadav and...Tejashwi Yadav."
Shell to deploy over 10,000 EV charging points across
India by 2030
Energy company Shell has said
that it plans to install over 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points
across India by 2030 through Shell Recharge Stations. Shell launched its first
EV chargers in India for the four-wheeler and two-wheeler segments in Bangalore
on Thursday. The company said that the electricity used by Shell Recharge
chargers will be 100% green energy.
India Becomes Power Surplus Nation
The country has become power surplus, we have connected the whole country into
one grid, and strengthened the distribution system. These steps have increased the power
availability to 22 hours in rural areas and 23.5 hours in urban areas. The next
step is to take it to 24X7 guaranteed power supply at affordable price. Union Minister R K Singh has urged states to
be financially viable in view of the mounting outstanding dues of power
generation companies. This will help attract investments in the power sector
and also benefit the consumers through reduced cost of electricity and improved
consumer services, he said. The
suggestion came during a review meeting chaired by Singh with Additional Chief
Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Power/Energy Departments of states and
UTs and CMDs/MDs of power sector CPSUs here.
Indore
to become the country’s first ‘Smart City’ with ‘Smart Addresses’
Indore will create history by implementing a fully digital addressing system,
making it the first city in India to do so. The smart city advanced
significantly when a memorandum of understanding was signed with the firm Pataa
Navigations. The Memorandum of Understanding
is signed by Rajat Jain, co-founder of Pataa Navigations, and Rishav Gupta
(IAS), CEO of Indore Smart City. Pataa has developed patented technology and is
working with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to develop a digital
addressing system for the nation. Pataa
is a brief and distinctive code, comparable to KUMAR100, SINGH221, or other
commonly used codes, that will help the user find the specific geotagged
location. Users of the Pataa App can upload images of their homes, landmarks,
etc., along with their addresses in full text.
World’s largest museum of Harappan culture is coming up in Rakhigarhi,
Haryana
The world’s largest museum of Harappan culture is coming up in Rakhigarhi in
Haryana to showcase about 5,000-year-old Indus Valley artefacts. The village of
Rakhigarhi was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation from 2600-1900 BC. Haryana is slated to host the world's largest
museum dedicated to the Harappan civilization. Rakhigarhi is a hamlet in
Haryana's Hisar district, some 150 kilometres from Delhi. The settlement is
also a well-known archaeological site from the time of the Indus Valley
civilization.
INTERNATIONAL
India emerges as SL's top lender in 2022, gives $377 mn
loan: Report
According to the Verite Research
think-tank, India has emerged as the top lender to Sri Lanka in 2022 as the
country faced unprecedented political crisis and economic turmoil. Of the total
$968 million in loans which Sri Lanka received in 2022, India reportedly
contributed $377 million to the nation. The Asian Development Bank follows
India with $360 million in loans.
China's Xi and Russia's Putin meet in Uzbekistan,
discuss ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Russia’s Vladimir Putin discussed enhancing bilateral ties on the sidelines of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan on Thursday. Putin
launched a veiled criticism of the US, saying “attempts to create a unipolar
world" have taken an "ugly shape". Xi said Russia and China will
play a leading role in a "rapidly changing world".
Google slashes 7 R&D projects, asks employees to
find new jobs internally by Jan: Report
Google has slashed seven out of
14 experimental projects at its in-house R&D division called Area 120,
TechCrunch reported. This comes amid Google's move to control spending and
focus on projects that build on its "deep investment" in AI, a
spokesperson stated. Affected employees will reportedly need to find new jobs
within Google by January 2023 or lose their jobs.
Appointments News
Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, former IAS, named managing director of CSC
e-Governance SPV
Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, a former IAS officer, has been named managing director of
the CSC e-Governance India SPV, which is run by the central government. The appointment follows Dinesh Tyagi's
resignation from the position, who was instrumental in increasing the number of
CSCs from 60,000 in 2014 to over 5 lakh at the moment. Meity Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma presided
over the board meeting, which covered essential items like the hiring of a new
managing director and directors as well as the adoption of the annual financial
statement for the fiscal year 2021–2022.
Agreements News
Koo tie-up with IPPB to drive financial inclusion in remote cities
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a division of India Post, the country’s postal
giant, has partnered with the Indian microblogging platform Koo. IPPB has
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Koo to boost financial
inclusion and literacy in the country. IPPB
and Koo will work together to promote financial education in tier-2, tier-3,
remote, and hinterlands. Koo is a multilingual platform that allows users to
communicate in 10 languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada,
Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English.
BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
K'taka signed MoUs worth ₹1.3 lakh crore in renewable
energy: CM
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai
said on Thursday his state has inked memoranda of understanding worth ₹1.3 lakh
crore in the renewable energy sector. "We are doing extensive work
in...renewable energy. We will soon start producing hydrogen fuel," he
said. The state wants to install renewable energy projects near the coast and
industries along the Mumbai-Chennai corridor, he said.
₹110-crore misappropriated in Bengaluru bank: State
Co-op Minister
An audit of Bengaluru-based
Shushruti Souharda Sahakara Bank Niyamita has revealed ₹110 crore
misappropriation from its deposits, State Minister of Co-Operation ST
Somashekar said at the Legislative Council. “However, in its reply, the
department said that the bank cannot be listed as bankrupt,” Somashekar said.
At the time of audit, the bank had recorded ₹180.77 crore in received deposits.
Tata-owned Air India aims 30% domestic market share in
5 years
In a bid to have a domestic
market share of 30% and strengthen its international operations, Air India has
put in place a transformation plan. The Tata-owned airline announced
'Vihaan.AI' with a detailed roadmap for the next five years with focus on
growing its network and fleet. The airline is expected to soon induct 30 new
wide-body and narrow-body aircraft.
GST collection may cross ₹1.5 lakh crore from Oct:
Revenue Secy
The Goods and Services Tax (GST)
collection may top the ₹1.5-lakh-crore-mark from October, Revenue Secretary
Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday. "The revenue that we'll collect in
October...I'm sure from that month onwards the CBIC on a regular basis shall
deliver ₹1.5 trillion revenue for the government," Bajaj said. The
government collected ₹1.43 lakh crore in revenue from GST in August.
Byju's left with 8 days to pay Blackstone ₹2,000 cr
for Aakash deal
Edtech unicorn Byju's has eight
days left to clear the remaining balance of nearly ₹2,000 crore to Blackstone
as part of its Aakash acquisition deal, according to its financial report.
Byju's has deferred the payment multiple times over the last few months. It
will have to seek extension from the RBI if it doesn't complete the payment by
September 23.
Gems, jewellery exports grew by 6.7% in August to
₹26,418 crore
The overall gems and jewellery
exports grew by 6.7% in August 2022 to ₹26,418.84 crore as compared to
₹24,749.69 crore in the same period last year, the Gem and Jewellery Export
Promotion Council (GJEPC) said on Thursday. However, the overall gross export
of cut and polished diamonds (CPD) declined 0.84% to ₹14,955.8 crore in August.
HDFC
Life Insurance Policy started Click2Protect for Super term insurance
HDFC Life Insurance Policy started Click2Protect: HDFC Life, one of the top
life insurers in India, has introduced the Click2Protect Super term insurance
plan, which allows customization based on your protection needs and only
charges you for the benefits and plan options you select. Click2Protect is a
non-linked, non-participating, individual, pure risk premium/savings life
insurance plan. Click2Protect Super
gives you more freedom than ever before by allowing you to change your life
insurance coverage, lengthen the duration of your policy, add coverage for
accidental death and terminal illness, among other things.
Axis Bank and Square Yards launched co-branded home buyer ecosystem
Axis Bank and Square Yards launched 'Open Doors', a co-branded Home Buyer
Ecosystem. The 'Open Doors' platform will ensure that the complete journey from
searching to buying one's dream home becomes an efficient and delightful
experience for the customers. Axis Bank
and Square Yards have created a digital-first solution to simplify the customer
journey. These digital platforms reflect the cultural alignment between the two
organizations. Customers, who are
looking to purchase a house can now avail of end-to-end home buying assistance,
exclusive builder inventory access, seamless home loan processing, and other
ecosystem services. The ecosystem
services include rental and property management, home furnishing, and legal and
technical services.
SBI hit market capitalization of Rs 5 trillion, share prices reach record
high
SBI hit market capitalization of Rs 5 trillion: State Bank of India, SBI,
market capitalization of India's largest state lender, surpassed $5 trillion
for the first time after its shares reached a new high of Rs. 564.85 in
intraday trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). According to data from Bombay Stock Exchange
(BSE), State Bank of India (SBI) is ranked seventh overall among corporations
as of Wednesday, 10:30 am, with a market valuation of 5.03 trillion. State Bank of India, SBI surpasses the market
cap of Rs. 5 trillion, making it the third lender in the nation to do so. HDFC Bank, the biggest private lender in
India, tops this list with a market cap of Rs 8.38 trillion, followed by ICICI
Bank with a market cap of Rs 6.33 trillion.
Google acquire cyber-security company Mandiant for $5.4 billion
Google acquire Mandiant: Google for $5.4 billion acquired Cybersecurity company
Mandiant has been fully acquired according to Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google
Cloud. Mandiant in order to assist
organisations in managing threats, incidents, and exposures better will join
Google Cloud. Mandiant is renowned for discovering the shocking SolarWinds
hack. The SolarWinds breach, which was
allegedly carried out by cyber terrorists with support from Russia, affected a
number of large businesses, including tech titans like Intel, Cisco, VMware,
and Nvidia. The Russian hackers gained
access to private information belonging to multiple US government entities, at
least one hospital, and a university by installing malware in the Orion
software offered by the IT management firm SolarWinds.
Summits and Conferences News
India launches ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ at World Water
Congress and Exhibition 2022
India has launched Joint Whitepaper on 'Urban Wastewater Scenario in India',
with Denmark at World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 in Copenhagen.
The 'Urban Wastewater Scenario in India' was facilitated by Jal Shakti Minister
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with Danish Environment Minister Lea Wermelin
and Development Co-operation Minister Flemming Moller Mortensen. India has committed an investment of more
than 140 billion dollars by 2024 in the water sector. The Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat said that in the 'Urban Wastewater Scenario in India' with the help
of a community-centric approach, at least 10 percent of the funds are
contributed by the community in every program ensuring community ownership and
participation. The Whitepaper aims to
holistic capture of the current status of wastewater treatment in India.
Sports News
How much prize money has Roger Federer won in his
career?
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion
Roger Federer, who will retire after the Laver Cup next week, has won 103
singles titles in his career. He has won 1,251 out of the 1,526 singles matches
he has played so far. The 41-year-old has won a total prize money of
$130,594,339 in his career. Federer had turned pro in 1998.
Roger Federer announces his retirement from tennis
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion
Roger Federer on Thursday announced his retirement from professional tennis
aged 41. He stated the Laver Cup that will take place in London next week will
be his last ATP event. "This is a bittersweet decision...because I'll miss
everything the tour has given me," Federer said. Federer last played a
competitive match at Wimbledon last year.
Australia's Rachael Haynes, who won 6 World Cups,
retires from international cricket
Australia Women batter Rachael
Haynes has announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of
35. She played six Tests, 77 ODIs and 84 T20Is in her career. She was part of
Australia Women's 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cup-winning squads. She
also won two ODI World Cups (2013 and 2022).
Robin Uthappa announced retirement from all forms of Indian cricket
Robin Uthappa has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. In
last season’s IPL, Uthappa played 12 matches for Chennai Super Kings and scored
230 runs with his highest score being 88. He was part of the country’s 2004
Under-19 World Cup team. He made his
India debut two years later and featured in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India. He
scored 934 and 249 runs in ODIs and T20Is. He has 9446 first class and 6534
List A runs under his belt. His last ODI appearance was back against Zimbabwe
in 2015, where he scored a 44-ball 31. During
these two decades, Uthappa became a World Cup winner in 2007. In fact, it was
on this very day in 2007 that Uthappa was involved in one of the most iconic
moments of Indian cricket - the famous bowl-out win over Pakistan, where he
produced the winning moment and bowed down in a sight for the ages.
Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to have 50 million followers on
Twitter
Virat Kohli has now become the first cricketer who have notched up 50 million
followers on Twitter. Team India's star cricketer and former skipper Virat
Kohli has now achieved another big feat, but this time it is on the social
media.
Virat Kohli has popularity in all the platforms of social media which includes
211 million followers on Instagram and 49 million followers on Facebook as
well. In early 2022, Kohli became the
first-ever Indian to cross 200 million followers on Instagram as well. Kohli
recently recorded his first international century in 1020 days, when he slammed
a 61-ball 122 not out during India’s final Super 4 clash against Afghanistan in
Dubai.
Vinesh
Phogat wins bronze in World Wrestling Championships
Vinesh Phogat won bronze at the World Wrestling Championship 2022 in the
women's 53kg category. Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to
win two medals at the World Championship.
She also became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at both the
Commonwealth and Asian Games. At Commonwealth Games 2022, she won the gold
medal in the women's 53 kg freestyle wrestling category. In the bronze medal bout, Vinesh defeated
European Champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden by 8-0. Earlier in the Asian Games she defeated
Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan in the first repechage round. Vinesh made it to the bronze play-off through
the repechage round after losing to Khulan Batkhuyag of Mongolia.
Books and Authors News
A new book “Rajini’s Mantras” authored by P.C. Balasubramanian
The entre pre neurcum author, P.C. Balasubramanian (PC Bala) authored a new
book “Rajini’s Mantras: Life lessons from India’s most loved Superstar” in
English. It was published by Jaico Publishing House (India). PC Bala’s 1st book was Rajini’s Punchtantra
and Raja Krishnamoorthy, which became a national bestseller. Grand Brand Rajini
and Ram N Ramakrishnan were published on December 2022. In Rajini’s Mantras, bestselling author P.C.
Balasubramanian brings out the best life lessons from Rajinikanth’s iconic
speeches, public interactions and performances right from his early days in the
film industry. Rajinikanth, endearingly
called ‘Thalaivar’ (leader) by his fans, is an inspiration to millions.
Important Days
World Lymphoma Awareness Day observed on 15 September
World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) is held on September 15 every year and is a
day dedicated to raising awareness of lymphoma, an increasingly common form of
cancer. It is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition. The day is dedicated to raising awareness
about lymphoma and the particular emotional and psychosocial challenges facing
patients and caregivers suffering from different forms of lymphoma. World Lymphoma Day was initiated in 2002 by
the Lymphoma Coalition, a worldwide network of 83 lymphoma patient groups based
in Ontario, Canada, whose mission is enabling global impact by fostering a
lymphoma ecosystem that ensures local change and evidence-based action.
International Day of Democracy 2022 observed on 15 September
This year, September 15 marks the 15th anniversary of the International Day of
Democracy. The day is celebrated annually around the world to strengthen
democracies and highlight its values and principles. This year, Democracy Day will focus on the
importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the
Sustainable Development Goals. A theme
is chosen for the International Day of Democracy. This year, the day is focused
on the “importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the
Sustainable Development Goals”.
National Engineer’s Day 2022 celebrated on 15 September
In India, Engineer’s Day is celebrated on September 15 every year. The day is
celebrated to recognise the contribution of engineers in the development of the
nation. This day commemorates the birth
anniversary of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya, who is considered one of the
greatest engineers of India. Joining India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania also
celebrate Engineers Day on September 15, 2022, in honour of Sir Moksha Gundam
Visvesvaraya. Sir Mokshagundam
Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in Karnataka. He later on attended
the University of Madras to study for a Bachelor of Arts. Later in life, he decided
to switch career paths and completed a diploma in civil engineering at the
College of Science in Pune.
Obituaries News
Former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf passes away
Former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has passed away due to suspected cardiac
arrest. He breathed his last at the age of 66. He was one of the legendary
umpires Pakistan ever produced, along with the likes of Aleem Dar. Back in 2006, Rauf was included in the ICC's
Elite Panel of Umpires, after which he officiated in 47 Tests, 98 ODIs and 23
T20Is. He served at the top for seven years before being dropped from the elite
panel of umpires in 2013 following an annual review of performance.
Miscellaneous News
India's first plastic project listed by EKI Energy Services Ltd
India's first plastic project: EKI Energy Services, a developer and seller of
Carbon credits, announced that it is the first company to list an Indian
plastic project (India's first plastic project) under a global accreditation
standard. With this, the Indore-based
carbon credit specialist, EKI Energy Services, who has worked in the field of
climate action and offset solutions for the past 14 years across 16 countries,
became the first company to ever list a plastic project from the nation with
the goal of creating India's first-ever international plastic credits.
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