Daily Current Affairs July 06 2023 | Latest News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India mulls consolidated framework for cyber security

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed a consolidated framework for cybersecurity, laying down a common structure for various regulated entities like stock exchanges, brokers, asset management companies and portfolio managers, among others.
• In a consultation paper, titled Consolidated Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework (CSCRF), the SEBI stated that the new framework would supersede nearly 15 circulars issued separately for various segments since 2015.

Key Highlights :

• The new consolidated framework has been based on 5 concurrent and continuous functions of cybersecurity, namely: identify, protect, detect, respond, and
• Under the proposed framework, Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs) like stock exchanges and depository participants will be required to conduct a cyber-audit twice a year while all other regulated entities will have to do it once each year.
• The draft guidelines specify baseline cybersecurity measures which will be applicable on all entities, supplementary measures applicable only on specified entities, and a set of additional guidelines for MIIs.
• It also developed a cyber capability index (CCI) to rate the preparedness and resilience of the cybersecurity framework of the MIIs.
• The proposed norms also set a standard for compliance from these entities with regards to the identification of vulnerabilities, cyber threats, cloud assets, etc.

Recent News :

• In June 2023, the Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed mutual funds (MFs) houses to conduct repo transactions on corporate debt securities, commercial papers (CPs) and certificate of deposits (CDs), in a bid to boost growth of the corporate bond market.
• In June 2023, SEBI restricted online bond platform providers (OBPPs) from offering products other than listed debt securities on their Online Bond Platform (OBP).

About SEBI :

• Established : 12 April 1988 as an executive body and was given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch (first woman to lead the SEBI)
• SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance (MoF),

State Bank of India opens 34 transaction banking hubs

• State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has launched 34 transaction banking hubs across the top-21 district centres of India.

Aim:

• To provide comprehensive solutions for transactions, payments, and collections.
• Dinesh Khara, the chairman of the SBI, inaugurated the hubs, on the occasion of the 68th foundation day of the bank.

What is transaction banking?

• The term ‘transaction banking’ refers to a range of products, processes, and systems that enable core banking functions to provide comprehensive solutions for transactions, payments, and collections.
• A transaction banking unit (TBU) refers to a specialised department within a bank that utilises technology to offer comprehensive solutions for handling bulk transactions for clients.
• Transaction banking can be highly beneficial for small businesses.

Key Highlights :

• The bank’s goal is to meet all customers’ needs and provide comprehensive solutions for their transaction, payment, and collection requirements under one roof.
• The newly launched hubs will be staffed by product specialists who will also assist business customers with their other financial service needs by leveraging the ‘Power of One’ within the SBI Group by enabling seamless connectivity with different business verticals and subsidiary companies.

Recent News :

• In June 2023, On the occasion of 68th Foundation Day , the State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its upgraded digital banking application, ‘YONO (You Only Need One) for Every Indian’, and introduced the Interoperable Cardless Cash Withdrawal (ICCW) facilities.
• In June 2023, the State Bank of India (SBI), the bank through its CSR arm SBI Foundation, pledged a grant of ₹22.5 Crores to establish a Banking Data and Analytics Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B).

About SBI :

• Founded : 1 July 1955
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Tagline : The Banker to Every Indian

Piramal Finance’s 1st all-women branch ‘Maitreyi’ opens at Tripunithura near Kochi, Kerala

• Piramal Finance, a leading housing finance company, has opened its first all-women branch “Maitreyi” in the country at Tripunithura, a suburban area in Kochi, Kerala.
• This is part of strategic expansion and the company has identified four more cities such as Jaipur, Mumbai, Mohali and New Delhi to open branches shortly.
• Each Maitreyi branch will have a dedicated team of 7-15 women employees to cater to the needs of customers which offer a range of services including home loans, MSME loans, and so on.
• With the addition of the new branch, Piramal Finance now has 18 full-service branches in Kerala and the company is looking at a 500 strong branch network across 1,000 locations in the country this year.

About Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Limited :

• Founded : 11 April 1984
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Managing Director : Jairam Sridharan
• Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Limited is a non-deposit taking housing finance company

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Inland Waterways Transport Terminal, which will cost 46.60 crores, is officially inaugurated by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in Bogibeel, Dibrugarh:

• The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) terminal to be developed at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, by the bank of the River Brahmaputra (National Waterways 2) in Dibrugarh, Assam.
• The tourist-cum-cargo IWT terminal will be developed at a cost of ₹60 crores and is scheduled to be completed by February 2024.
• Once developed, this terminal is likely to play a pivotal role in rejuvenating inland waterways transportation in the region for both cargo and passenger movement, paving the way for the growth of trade & commerce.
• The IWT terminal, under the aegis of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the nodal agency for inland waterways of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), will have many modern features.
• The executing agency of the terminal is being done by Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Construction Limited.
• Some major features include cargo & passenger berths, approach & other internal roads, transit shed, open storage area, truck parking area, and passenger waiting area among others.
• The development of the terminal will play a crucial role in the development of upper Assam and nearby states such as Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland in terms of cargo as well as passenger transportation.
• It will also lead to an increase in eco-tourism and ease the movement of EXIM cargo with comparatively lower transportation costs vis-a-vis others.

About IWAI

• Founded: 27 October 1986
• Headquarters: Noida
• Agency executive: Jayant Singh

About Assam

• Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma Trending
• Capital: Dispur
• Governor: Gulab Chand Kataria
• NP: Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Dibru – Saikhowa National Park, Nameri National Park, Orang National Park

REC extends the project of HPCL Rajasthan Refinery at Barmer by Rs. 4,785 crore:

• REC Limited has extended a loan of ₹ 4,785 crores to HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL), for setting up a green field refinery cum petrochemical complex in Barmer district, Rajasthan.
• The loan has been extended as part of a consortium arrangement for ₹ 48,625 crores, wherein the share of REC Limited is ₹ 4,785 crores.
• The refinery cum complex will have a capacity of 9 Million Metric Tonnes per Annum (MMTA) and would entail a total project cost of ₹ 72,937 crores.
• HRRL is a Joint Venture company of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Government of Rajasthan, incorporated on 18th September 2013.
• HPCL holds a 74% equity stake in HRRL while the remaining 26% is held by the Government of Rajasthan.
• The Project aims to produce clean fuels such as BS-VI grade Motor Sprit (MS or Petrol) & BS-VI grade High-Speed Diesel (HSD or Diesel) and Petrochemical products such as Polypropylene, Butadiene, LLDPE, HDPE, Benzene and Toluene.
• The Project will help serve the increased demand for petroleum and petrochemical products in the country and the Western, Northern and Central parts of India in particular.

About REC Ltd.

• REC Limited, a Maharatna CPSU under the Ministry of Power, is an NBFC focusing on Power Sector Financing and Development across India.
• Established in 1969, REC Limited has completed over fifty years of operations.
• It provides financial assistance to state electricity boards, state governments, central/state power utilities, independent power producers, rural electric cooperatives and private sector utilities.

About Rajasthan

• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Capital: Jaipur
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• NP: Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Madhopur, Mukundara National Park

R.K. Singh to inaugurate International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH 2023) in New Delhi

• The Government of India is organizing an International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023) during 5th – 7th July 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to bring together the global scientific, policy, academic and industrial leaders to discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain.
• The conference will enable the sector stakeholders to explore the evolving green hydrogen landscape and innovation-driven solutions in the sector, thus strengthening the sustainability ecosystem of the sector.
• The conference is being organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh will inaugurate the Conference in New Delhi tomorrow, July 5, 2023, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Rameshwar Teli.
• Shri Hardeep Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, and Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; Atomic Energy and Space will address the valedictory session.
• The Conference aims to explore how we can establish a Green Hydrogen ecosystem and foster a systemic approach to meeting the global goals for decarbonization through Green Hydrogen.
• The conference will enable us to share and learn from international best practices in the sector.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviews progress of the implementation of Budget schemes

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the progress of the implementation of Budget schemes with secretaries of the Finance Ministry and Corporate Affairs Secretary.
• The meeting was attended by Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi, Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil and other senior officials.
• Besides the review of the implementation of various schemes of the Union Budget, the Minister underlined the importance of continuous assessment of progress to ensure that the schemes are implemented in a time-bound manner.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World Mining Congress 2023 held in Brisbane, Australia

• For the first time, the 26th World Mining Congress (WMC) 2023 was held in Brisbane, Australia.
• Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal inaugurated the India pavilion having NLC India Ltd (NLCIL), Coal India Limited (CIL) and National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) at the World Mining Congress (WMC) 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.

About WMC :

• The World Mining Congress (WMC) is an United Nations (UN)-affiliated independent international organization promoting the importance of minerals, advancing sustainable mining practices and contributing to the wellbeing of the global society.
• The WMC was initiated in 1958 when Bolesław Krupiński – a prominent Polish scientist and mining engineer organized the first congress in Warsaw.
• World Mining Congresses shall normally be held at intervals of 3 years.
• The 25th World Mining Congress was held from June 19 to 22, 2018 in Astana City, Kazakhstan.

About NLCIL :

• The NLC India Limited (NLCIL) is a Navratna Enterprise, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Coal.
• It was incorporated in 1956.

About CIL :

• Coal India Limited (CIL) is a Maharatna Central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Coal.

About NMDC :

• National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) is an Indian public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Steel.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Facebook owner Meta to launch Twitter-like ‘Threads’ app

• Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is preparing to launch a Twitter competitor called Threads.
• The rollout represents a direct challenge to Twitter, which has faced numerous controversies since Musk bought the company for $44 billion in 2022.
• Last week, the Tesla billionaire announced a slate of new restrictions on the app, limiting the number of tweets users could view per day, prompting an outcry from many on the platform.
• While alternative microblogging sites – such as Mastodon and Blue Sky – have seen an uptick in user numbers since Musk’s acquisition, neither has been able to challenge Twitter.
• But Instagram already has hundreds of millions of registered users and has a history of introducing new features based on the success of other social media firms.
• In 2016, it added a feature called “stories” to Instagram, or user posts that disappear after a fixed amount of time, in response to the rising popularity of Snapchat.
• The app combines elements from Instagram and Twitter, potentially appealing to both existing Instagram users and new users looking for a different social media experience.

About Facebook

• Founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes
• Headquarters: California, United States
• Founded: February 2004
• CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
• CTO: Andrew Bosworth
• CFO: David Wehner

Recent News

• Meta announces a $250,000 grant to support five startups, developers in extended reality technology.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Boxing champion Mary Kom named Global Indian Icon at UK-India Awards

• Sporting legend and India’s first-ever Olympic medallist in women’s boxing, Mary Kom, has been honoured with the Global Indian Icon of the Year award at the annual UK-India Awards in Windsor, south-eastern England.
• The 40-year-old former Rajya Sabha member spoke of her 20-year journey of hard work and devoting her life to boxing as she accepted the award from Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Dorai
• Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, behind Oscar-nominated ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’ received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the field of cinema across both nations at the awards, organised by India Global Forum (IGF) as part of UK-India Week.
• The Nehru Centre in London, the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission, won the UK-India Award for Significant Contribution to UK-India Relations.
• UK-India Award for Business Promotion Organisation of the Year was conferred upon the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) UK.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

The DGCA has signed an agreement with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility:

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for cooperation in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility.
• This MoU will focus on collaboration on unmanned aircraft and innovative air mobility between the two civil aviation authorities.
• This collaboration would include cooperation between DGCA and EASA in the areas of development of certification standards and environmental standards and related requirements for the certification and use of unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility operations which includes licensing of personnel, training, air traffic management and infrastructure, including Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) standards and services.
• The MoU will also ensure regular information sharing between the two authorities on the technological developments and research in this area and also their respective strategies for outreach to relevant stakeholders.
• Further, the MoU will result in collaboration in conducting conferences, workshops, and training programs by DGCA and EASA in this area.
• The signing of this MoU is expected to result in harmonized standards and accelerated growth of the Indian unmanned aviation sector.
• During EU-India Aviation Summit held in New Delhi on 20th April 2023, DGCA signed a letter of intent (LoI) on Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

About DGCA

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Parent agency: Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Deputy Ministers responsible: V.K. Singh

About EASA

• Founded: 15 July 2002
• Founder: European Parliament
• Headquarters: Cologne, Germany

Recent News

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has started auditing the Mumbai facilities of low-cost airline Go First. The auditing will continue till 6 July.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given its permission to full-service carrier Vistara and no-frills IndiGo to operate new international flights from August,

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Bandhan Bank’s chief financial officer Sunil Samdani resigns

• Private lender Bandhan Bank announced that Sunil Samdani resigned from the post of chief financial officer (CFO) to explore professional opportunities outside the bank.
• Sunil Samdani, who also served as the executive President and key managerial person (KMP) of Bandhan Bank stepped down from his position.
• As per the terms of appointment, Samdhani will serve his notice period of 3 months, till October 1, 2023.

About Sunil Samdani :

• Samdani has an experience of over 23 years in financial services.
• Prior to joining Bandhan Bank as CFO, he held important positions like the Head of Business Analytics and Strategy at Development Credit Bank, and CFO at Karvy Financial Services Ltd.

About Bandhan Bank :

• Established : 2015
• Headquarters : Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• MD & CEO : Chandra Shekhar Ghosh

Lieutenant general MU Nair Appointed as the Head of National Cyber Coordination Centre                     

• The National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), the cybersecurity and e-surveillance agency in the government of India, has appointed Lieutenant general MU Nair as the new National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) replacing Lt Gen (retd.) Dr Rajesh Pant.
• He is India’s third cyber security chief after Lt Gen (retd.) Dr Rajesh Pant and first chief Gulshan Rai.

About Lieutenant general MU Nair :

• Lt Gen MU Nair is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy.
• He assumed the role of the 28th Signal Officer-in-Chief in July 2022, bringing with him experience and expertise in the field of cyber warfare, signal intelligence, and communication and information technology.
• He has also held other important positions including the additional director general, signal intelligence, chief of staff of a corps and command.
• He has rich expertise in cyber warfare, signal intelligence and communication & information technology at the domestic and global levels.

About NCSC :

• The NCSC, operating under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), plays a pivotal role in coordinating with various central-level agencies on matters of national and critical importance pertaining to cybersecurity.
• Currently, the NCSC is actively engaged in updating and replacing the 2013 National Cyber Security Strategy.
• The upcoming National Cyber Security Reference Framework (NCRF), which will replace the outdated strategy, will adopt a common but differentiated approach (CBDR).

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited appoints Krishna Kumar Thakur as Director of Human Resource

• A 1998-batch officer of Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), Krishna Kumar Thakur has been appointed as a Director (Human Resources) on the board of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
• Thakur will serve on the Board of BHEL for a period of 5 years.
• This appointment is seen as a significant development for the renowned public sector engineering and manufacturing enterprise.

About Krishna Kumar Thakur :

• Thakur has an experience of 25 years in Indian Railways and Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) with fine handling of HR matters and administration.
• He had also headed the HR department of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) wherein he played an important role in developing and streamlining HR policy and procedures of KRCL.
• Throughout his professional journey, Thakur held pivotal HR roles in various Railway divisions, including Solapur, Bhopal, and
• Before joining BHEL, Thakur was heading the HR and Administration function of Central Railway as Chief Personnel Officer.

About BHEL :

• Founded : 1956
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman & Managing Director : Nalin Shinghal
• BHEL is an Indian central public sector undertaking and the largest government-owned power generation equipment manufacturer.
• It is under the ownership of the Government of India (GoI) and administrative control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

BCCI appoints Ajit Agarkar as chairman of senior men’s selection committee

• The Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) has appointed Ajit Agarkar as the chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee replacing Chetan Sharma.
• The decision was made by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape.
• The Senior Men’s Selection Committee now consists of Ajit Agarkar (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, and Sridharan Sharath.

About Ajit Agarkar :

• He represented the country in 26 Tests, 191 One Day International (ODI) , and four T20Is, in addition to playing 110 first-class, 270 List A, and 62 T20 matches.
• As a former fast bowler, he was part of India’s victorious squad in the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007.
• He was a part of the 1999, 2003 and 2007 ODI World Cup squad and also featured in the 2007 World T20 winning Indian team.
• He still holds the record for the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in ODI, achieved with a 21-ball fifty against Zimbabwe in 2000.
• He was appointed as the chief selector for the senior Mumbai team and undertook coaching responsibilities with the Delhi Capitals.

About BCCI :

• Founded : December 1928
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• President : Roger Binny
• The BCCI is the national governing body of Cricket in

L&T Finance Holdings Ltd appoints Sudipta Roy as Managing Director and CEO

• L&T Finance Holdings Ltd. (LTFH) announced that Sudipta Roy will assume the position of Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from January 24, 2024, subject to necessary regulatory and/or statutory approvals.
• Dinanath Dubhashi, MD & CEO, L&T Finance Holdings, will superannuate from the Company on April 30, 2024.
• The Board of Directors of LTFH also announced the appointment of Roy as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• He joins the non-banking finance company (NBFC) from ICICI Bank.
• His appointment as COO and elevation as MD & CEO is part of the NBFCs succession planning.

About  L&T Finance Holdings :

• Founded : 2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, maharashtra, India
• L&T Finance Holdings Limited is one of India’s most valued and fastest-growing Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas completed 7 years of service in Indian Air Force

• Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas completed 7 years of service in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

History :

• The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program was started in the early 1980s, with the Government of India (GoI) establishing the project in 1983 to replace Mig-21 fighters.
• The first prototype took its first flight in January 2001.
• After more than a decade of trials, the first jet was finally inducted by the IAF in 2016 in the 45 squadron ‘Flying Daggers’.
• In 2020, the 18 squadron ‘Flying Bullets’ became the second squadron to start operating the jet.

What is Tejas Mk-1?

• The Tejas Mk-1 is a light supersonic multirole jet designed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is capable of doing multiple missions including air-defence (air-to-air) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), air-interdiction (striking enemy targets deep into enemy territory), maritime strike and reconnaissance missions.
• Currently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has 32 squadrons (16-18 planes each) of fighter jets against the 42 needed to tackle a collusive two-front threat against Pakistan and China.

Recent News :

• In March 2023, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a maiden flight-test of the Power Take off (PTO) Shaft on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP) -3 aircraft in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT-Madras Pravartak Tech partners with Vidya Shakti to take education to 100 villages in Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh through ‘Online Classes and Virtual Reality’

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation has partnered with ‘Vidya Shakti’ to take education to the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh (UP) through the use of Online Classes and Virtual Reality (VR) .

Aim :

• To tackle the ‘knowledge gap’ created by Covid-19 between students from urban and rural areas.
• The initiative has already been implemented in 100 villages of Varanasi district with the sessions being conducted in Hindi medium for students of classes VI to VIII.
• The classes are focused on the fundamentals of languages as well as on maths and science.

About IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation :

• IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation is the Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Madras.
• It is a Section 8 not-for-profit Company and is funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.

About Vidya Shakti :

• Vidya Shakti’ is an initiative of OpenMentor, formed in 2009 as a Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of Softsmith Infotech Private Limited to cater to the online education and skilling of the student community in the country.
• It conducts online courses in industry-relevant software skills besides providing recorded sessions and online exams for the students to practice and do self-evaluation.

About rural interaction centres :

• The rural interaction centres (RIC) established at Uttar Pradesh, under Vidya Shakti project will work towards this important social goal.
• The RICs established in Tamil Nadu have resulted in commendable success during the academic year 2022-23, which has encouraged to scale this concept to other States.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

India wins the SAFF Championships for the ninth time, defeating Kuwait in a penalty shootout 5-4

• In Football, India has lifted the SAFF Championships trophy for the ninth time, beating Kuwait 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out in the final after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
• A thrilling penalty shootout saw the game go down the wire after Udanta Singh missed his kick.
• Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh again turned out as the hero for the Indian side, saving the final kick from the Kuwaiti captain.

• The Indian team made it to the final after beating Lebanon in a semi-final while Kuwait defeated Bangladesh 1-0 in the other last-four clash.
• This was the second meeting of India and Kuwait in this tournament with the earlier Group stage meeting ending in a 1-1 draw.

About SAFF

• President: Kazi Salahuddin
• Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Founded: 1997
• Membership: 7 member associations

Max Verstappen wins Austrian Grand Prix

• Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix to take another step towards a third successive world title.
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second to split the Red Bulls at their home circuit with Sergio Perez completing the podium at Spielberg.
• This was double world champion Verstappen’s seventh win out of nine this season and his fifth successive victory.
• Perez has won the other two races.

Bahrain	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Saudi Arabia	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Australia	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Azerbaijan	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Miami	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Monaco	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Spain	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Canada	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT
Austria	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT

Recent News

Grand Prix- List of Winners:

Lallianzuala Chhangte and Manisha Kalyan crowned AIFF Footballers of the Year

• Indian football team midfielder Lallianzuala Chhangte was named the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23 while Manisha Kalyan won her second consecutive Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
• The 26-year-old Lallianzuala Chhangte beat Nandhakumar Sekar and Naorem Mahesh Singh of East Bengal to win the award.
• Lallianzuala Chhangte bagged the award on the back of some stellar performances for the Indian national team and Mumbai City FC, his club.
• Lallianzuala Chhangte became only the second player from Mizoram, after Jeje Lalpekhlua (2016), to win the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year award.
• Meanwhile, Manisha Kalyan pipped Dalima Chhibber and Ngangbam Sweety Devi to the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year 2022-23 award.
• It was her second Player of the Honour in two seasons.
• The 21-year-old Manisha Kalyan, who won the 2020-21 AIFF Women’s Emerging Footballer of the Year, currently plays as a forward for Apollon, a first-division football club in Cyprus.
• Manisha Kalyan became only the third Indian female footballer to win the individual award two or more times after Bala Devi (three) and Bembem Devi (two).
• Among the other awardees, Akash Mishra was named the AIFF Men’s Emerging Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season.
• Shilji Shaji was conferred the AIFF Men’s Emerging Player of the Year award.
• Akash Mishra became only the third defender to receive this award after Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal.
• Meanwhile, the AIFF’s Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year awards went to Clifford Miranda and Priya Parathi Valappil, respectively.

About AIFF:

• President: Kalyan Chaubey
• Founded: 23 June 1937
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Recent News

• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) passed a budget of Rs 134 crore — an increase of nearly 50 crore from last year — for 2023-24 during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Bengaluru.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Zoonoses Day 2023: July 6

• Every year on June 6th, World Zoonoses Day is commemorated as the anniversary of the first-ever vaccine given for any zoonotic disease way back in 1885.
• In 2300 B.C., Rabies was first recorded and the Mosaic Esmuna Code of Babylon showed the first written account of rabies causing death in humans and dogs.
• on September 29, 1976, Ebola was Discovered.
• It was named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• In 2009, Swine Flu Outbroke.
• The C.D.C. estimates that the global death toll is due to H.1.N.1. influenza is more than 284,000.
• On January 30, 2020, WHO declares the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of worldwide concern.
• On this day on 6th July 1885, a French biologist named Louise Pasteur who is also very known for his theory of pasteurization successfully administered the first-ever vaccination given for a zoonotic disease to a man named Joseph Meister who was bitten by a dog with rabies.

Daily CA One-Liner: July 6

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed a consolidated framework for cybersecurity, laying down a common structure for various regulated entities like stock exchanges, brokers, asset management companies and portfolio managers, among others.
• State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has launched 34 transaction banking hubs across the top-21 district centres of India.
• Piramal Finance, a leading housing finance company, has opened its first all-women branch “Maitreyi” in the country at Tripunithura, a suburban area in Kochi, Kerala.
• For the first time, the 26th World Mining Congress (WMC) 2023 was held in Brisbane, Australia.
• Private lender Bandhan Bank announced that Sunil Samdani resigned from the post of chief financial officer (CFO) to explore professional opportunities outside the bank.
• The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) terminal to be developed at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, by the bank of the River Brahmaputra (National Waterways 2) in Dibrugarh,
• REC Limited has extended a loan of ₹ 4,785 crores to HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL), for setting up a green field refinery cum petrochemical complex in Barmer district, Rajasthan.
• The Government of India is organizing an International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023) during 5th – 7th July 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to bring together the global scientific, policy, academic and industrial leaders to discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the progress of the implementation of Budget schemes with secretaries of the Finance Ministry and Corporate Affairs Secretary.
• Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is preparing to launch a Twitter competitor called Threads.
• Sporting legend and India’s first-ever Olympic medallist in women’s boxing, Mary Kom, has been honoured with the Global Indian Icon of the Year award at the annual UK-India Awards in Windsor, south-eastern England.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for cooperation in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility.
• The National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), the cybersecurity and e-surveillance agency in the government of India, has appointed Lieutenant general MU Nair as the new National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) replacing Lt Gen (retd.) Dr Rajesh Pant.
• A 1998-batch officer of Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), Krishna Kumar Thakur has been appointed as a Director (Human Resources) on the board of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
• The Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) has appointed Ajit Agarkar as the chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee replacing Chetan Sharma.
• L&T Finance Holdings Ltd. (LTFH) announced that Sudipta Roy will assume the position of Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from January 24, 2024, subject to necessary regulatory and/or statutory approvals.
• Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas completed 7 years of service in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation has partnered with ‘Vidya Shakti’ to take education to the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh (UP) through the use of Online Classes and Virtual Reality (VR) .
• In Football, India has lifted the SAFF Championships trophy for the ninth time, beating Kuwait 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out in the final after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
• Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix to take another step towards a third successive world title.
• Indian football team midfielder Lallianzuala Chhangte was named the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23 while Manisha Kalyan won her second consecutive Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
• Every year on June 6th, World Zoonoses Day is commemorated as the anniversary of the first-ever vaccine given for any zoonotic disease way back in 1885.