2nd September 2023 Daily Current Affairs
National & International Organizations
1. Amazon partners with India Post, Railways for international deliveries
- Amazon has signed a MoU with the Indian postal service and has also partnered with the Indian Railways for a dedicated freight corridor that will help Amazon expedite deliveries for its seller partners.
- Aim: To create the first-of-its-kind, seamless, integrated cross-border logistics solution.
- Smbhav, which is a corruption of the word Sambhav in Hindi, is Amazon’s event that is focused on enlightening MSMEs about the opportunities that technology makes possible.
National Affairs
2. Health Minister inaugurates Amrita Patel Centre of Public Health in Gujarat
- Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Amrita Patel Centre of Public Health in Anand Gujarat.
- According to Mandaviya, India is leading the world in the health sector today.
- Aim: To strengthen the health infrastructure in the country.
- The Government is making wide efforts to provide affordable and accessible healthcare for all.
- Mandaviya who is on a visit to Gujarat, will attend several programmes in Surat later in the day.
Sports
3. Indian Men’s Hockey team beat Pakistan to win Men’s Hockey 5s Asia Cup 2023
- The Indian Hockey team beat Pakistan in a penalty shootout in the final and won the inaugural Men’s Hockey 5s Asia Cup 2023 in Salalah, Oman.
- India also qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024.
- This is the first time in three meetings that India has beaten Pakistan in the Hockey 5s format.
- Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey congratulated the team on qualifying for the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 and winning the Gold medal.
Defense
4. GalaxEye launches drone-based imaging prototype
- Ahead of their planned satellite launch in 2024, IIT Madras-incubated space tech startup GalaxEye Space launched their drone-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system.
- Aim: To combine the prowess of the drone-based SAR system and their planned imaging satellites to provide all-weather imaging data from space.
- GalaxEye’s satellite launch in Q3 of 2024 will be the latest in the long line of Indian space tech startups that are currently preparing to launch into space.
Banking & Finance
5. Mastercard launches ALT ID solution for enhanced online payment security
- Mastercard has launched the ALT ID solution in India to enhance the security of guest checkout transactions on e-commerce platforms, simplifying payments for merchants and cardholders.
About ALT ID
- ALT ID stands for Alternate Identification Number
- It is a custom-made capability developed by Mastercard to create an alternate identifier for the real card numbers provided by cardholders when at guest checkout transactions on e-commerce platforms.
Defense
6. Titagarh Rail Systems launches diving support craft for Indian Navy
- Titagarh Rail Systems Limited’s shares were up by 0.84 percent after the company launched its first Diving Support Craft (DSC) from its shipyard in Titagarh, West Bengal.
- Aim: To play a vital role within the Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command Clearance Diving Teams, offering essential support during underwater repair, maintenance, and salvage operations within designated harbors
- The project aligns seamlessly with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Banking & Finance
7. PhonePe enters online stock broking with a new app
- PhonePe announced its foray into the stock broking business with the launch of a new mobile application called ‘Share(dot)Market’, under its subsidiary PhonePe Wealth Broking.
- This App elevates discount broking by providing market intelligence and quantitative research-based Wealth Baskets, a scalable technology platform.
- It will be available as a mobile app and a dedicated web platform, enabling retail investors to buy stocks, engage in intra-day trades.
Important Dates
8. National Skyscraper Day is observed on 3rd September
- Skyscraper Day is celebrated on September 3 every year to capture people’s imagination.
- The theme of National Skyscraper Day 2023 is Go on and try to tear me down I will be rising from the ground
- This day is our golden opportunity to appreciate these architectural marvels and feats of engineering.
- Hosting a skyscraper is really a mark of your city’s economic prowess, and cities with more skyscrapers tend to see more business activity than cities with lower rooftops.
Obituaries
9. Veteran Tamil actor and comedian RS Shivaji passes away at 66
- Popular comedian and actor RS Shivaji passes away in Chennai
- Shivaji had a strong collaboration with actor Kamal Haasan and his production house Raaj Kamal Films International, contributing to many successful Tamil projects.
- Besides acting, Shivaji’s career skills extended to assistant direction, sound design, and line production for multiple Tamil films.
- The actor predominantly worked in Tamil Cinema. Born in Chennai in 1956 to actor and producer M.R. Santhanam
National Affairs
10. CCI approves merger of Tata SIA Airlines into Air India
- The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the merger of Tata Group airlines Vistara and Air India
- This will make Air India, India’s leading domestic and international carrier with a combined fleet of 218 aircraft, making it India’s largest international carrier and second largest domestic carrier.
- The deal is part of Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran’s effort to simplify the conglomerate’s businesses and make them more efficient.