18th August 2023 Daily Current Affairs
Honours & Awards
1. Indian-American Economist Raj Chetty awarded top Harvard University prize
- Indian-American economist Raj Chetty has been awarded Harward University’s coveted George Ledlie Prize 2023 for wielding big data to break myths about who achieves the American Dream
- The award is given every two years to a member of the Harvard community who has made the most valuable contribution to science or in any way for the benefit of mankind.
- He is also director of Opportunity Insights, a group of economists based at Harvard who studies inequality.
State Affairs
2. Maharashtra scored top position in fiscal health report
- Based on the FY23 revised budget estimates Maharashtra secured the top position as the best state in overall fiscal health in a report conducted by a foreign brokerage firm
- Chhattisgarh, one of the poorest states in the country, is in 2nd position followed by Telangana, while the bottom 3 are Bengal, Punjab, and Kerala
- The report, penned by Kaushik Das, chief economist at the Deutsche Bank, was conducted to survey the fiscal health of 17 major states across the country
Summits & Conferences
3. WHO to organize first-of-its-kind global summit on Traditional Medicine
- The Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization would organize a first-of-its-kind global summit on Traditional Medicine (GCTM) from the 17th of August 2023 in Gandhi Nagar.
- The WHO GCTM is a knowledge center for traditional medicine.
- The summit will serve as a platform for experts and practitioners to delve into the latest scientific advancements and evidence-based knowledge in the sector, with the ultimate goal of ensuring health and well-being for all.
Important Dates
4. Malayalam New Year Chingam observed on 17th August 2023
- Chingam 1 is the first day of the new year of the traditional Malayalam calendar used in Kerala.
- In 2023, it’s being celebrated on August 17.
- Chingam 1 is also known as Chingam Month or Chingam Masam and it’s followed by the Onam festival.
- The Malayam Calendar is based on the solar calendar system and every year, the date of Chingam 1 varies.
- Chingam 1 marks the beginning of the harvest season in Kerala and is considered an auspicious day.
Obituaries
5. Eminent scientist Padma MRS Rao passes away in Bengaluru at 75
- Manchanahalli Rangaswamy Satyanarayana Rao, popularly known as MRS Rao, an eminent Indian scientist and Padma Shri awardee, passes away.
- He was well known for his discipline, scientific knowledge, patience, soft-spoken nature and mentorship of PhD students.
- He was honored with the Padma Shri award in 2010 for his contributions to the field of science and engineering.
- He was the first scientist to initiate Chromatin Biology research in India.
Defense
6. Government clears Rs 20000 crore deal to build five warships
- The government has cleared a Rs 20,000 crore deal to manufacture fleet support vessels (FSVs) which are urgently required by the Indian Navy in August 2023
- Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyard Limited will manufacture five of the 45,000-tonne warships, the largest ship of its class being built at the defense ministry-owned yard.
- The ships are needed to support warships on long range patrol and can carry a variety of equipment, such as fuel, ammunition and food supplies.
Defense
7. President to launch advanced frigate Vindhyagiri in Kolkata
- President Droupadi Murmu launched the Vindhyagiri, a Project 17A Frigate of the Indian Navy at Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers in Kolkata in August 2023.
- Named after a mountain range in Karnataka, Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A frigates.
- About Vindhyagiri
- It is a technologically advanced Frigate that pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.
Schemes
8. Goa govt launches ‘Gramin Mitra’ scheme to promote digital empowerment
- Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the flagship scheme “Gramin Mitra” in August 2023
- Objective: To provide doorstep delivery of government services across the state and promote digital empowerment in rural areas.
- Aims: To empower rural communities with access to information and opportunities that can transform their lives and drive socio-economic growth.
- The program will help us accelerate the delivery of e-governance services to rural areas across the state.
Banking & Finance
9. Zerodha gets final nod from Sebi to launch mutual fund business
- Nithin Kamath, CEO of India’s leading broker Zerodha, has received final approval from the regulator Sebi to launch the mutual fund product.
- The motivation to launch the mutual fund business was two-fold — the shallow participation in Indian markets wherein lies the challenge and an opportunity and creating simple products for investors.
- Zerodha started its journey in 2010 as a ‘Rs 20 per order broker’ and gained popularity as a no-frills, low-cost player among traders.
National & International Appointments
10. ACC appointed Parminder Chopra as 1st woman CMD of PFC
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Parminder Chopra as the first full-time women Chairperson and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Limited.
- Presently, she is serving as Director (Finance) of the same Maharatna Power PSU. She has also been holding the addition charge of company’s CMD post.
- She has more than 35 years of experience in power sector, serving in key power sector organizations like NHPC and Power Grid.
Banking & Finance
11. ADB approves USD 40.5 mln loan for childhood development in Meghalaya
- The Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 40.5 million loan for integrated early childhood development and maternal mental health in Meghalaya
- The Meghalaya government is contributing USD 15.27 million to the project.
- Aims: To improve access to nurturing care, including a component of maternal mental health care to enable the inclusion of fathers in caregiving.
- Objective: To strengthen home-based childcare and center-based childcare through daycare centers
Sports
12. Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar becomes Under 20 World Champion 2023
- Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar has become the Under 20 World Championship 2023 in the men’s 61 Kg Freestyle category by defeating Russia’s Eldar Akhmadudinovin in Jordan
- He is the fourth male wrestler from India to earn a gold medal in the U20 World Championships, following Palwinder Cheema in 2001, Ramesh Kumar in 2001.
- Jaideep won the bronze in the 74kg category
- Sagar Jaglan won the silver medal 79 kg category while Deepak Chahal won the bronze medal in 97 kg category.
Banking & Finance
13. Canara Bank has introduced Canara Jeevan Dhara savings bank account
- Canara Bank has introduced Jeevan Dhara, a special savings bank account for pensioners, and prospective pensioners.
- The primary benefit of this account for senior citizens is that it is a zero-balance savings account.
- With this savings account, senior citizens do not have to maintain a minimum balance and there are no maintenance charges.
- The interest rate per annum is 4% for deposits for senior citizens holding the Canara Jeevan Dhara Savings account.
17th August 2023 Daily Current Affairs