DAILY GK 3- 4 JULY 2024

 DAILY GK 3-4 JULY 2024 

1.       SBI LAUNCHED “MSME-SAHAJ”

·         State Bank of India (SBI), has launched “MSME-Sahaj”, web-based digital business loans solutions for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) invoice financing.

·         The objective is to offer “on tap” short-term credit to meet the capital needs of MSME units who are part of Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

·         MSME-Sahaj is a data-driven invoice financing credit assessment engine which will provide complete solution from applying the loan, documentation and disbursement of the sanctioned loan within 15 minutes.

·         Using MSME Sahaj, the SBI customers can avail finance or loan against their GST-registered sales invoices of up to Rs 1 lakh.

·         MSME-Sahaj is based on a Machine Learning (ML) model and uses authentic data from GST Identification Number (GSTIN), bank statements of customers, Credit Information Company (CIC) data, among others.


·         SBI Chairman– Dinesh Kumar Khara

·         Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra

·         Tag line–“The Banker to Every Indian”

·         Founded– 1st July 1955


 

2.       CS SETTY TO HEAD AS SBI CHAIRMAN AFTER KHARA RETIRES 

·         Challa Sreenivasulu Setty has been selected as the 27th Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI) by the Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB), an arm of the central government of India.

·         Setty will succeed current chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, whose extended term is set to end on August 28 2024.

·         FSIB was established on 1st July 2022 by the Government of India (GoI), replacing Banks Board Bureau (BBB) for recommending persons for the appointment as whole-time directors and non-executive chairpersons on the Boards of Financial Service Institutions.

·         Chairman – Bhanu Pratap Sharma

·         Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

 


3.       CHAIRPERSON OF WCO

·         South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has been re-elected as the Chairperson of World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council, the highest decision making body of WCO, for 2nd consecutive term (2024-2025).

·         He was elected by the WCO Council during its 143rd/144th sessions held in Brussels, Belgium

·         The event witnessed the participation of Directors General (DG) of 186 member nations of WCO.

·         World Customs Organisation is an independent intergovernmental organisation focused on customs-related matters.

·         It was established in 1952 as the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) and renamed as World Customs Organisation (WCO) in 1994.


·         Secretary-General- Ian Saunders

·         Members- 186 member nations

·         Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium


 

4.       BOOKS ON FORMER VICE PRESIDENT VENKAIAH NAIDU

·         Biography of the former Vice President titled ‘Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service’, which was authored by Shri S Nagesh Kumar, former Resident Editor of The Hindu, Hyderabad edition.

·         ’Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India’, a Photo chronicle compiled by Dr I.V. Subba Rao, Former Secretary to the Vice-President of India.

·         Pictorial biography in Telugu titled ‘Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu’, which was authored by Shri Sanjay Kishore.

·         Venkaiah Naidu served as the 13th Vice President of India from 2017 to 2022.

·         He also initiated ‘Swarna Bharat Trust’, which provides education to the needy children and also imparts employment training to women and youth.

·         In 2024Venkaiah Naidu received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award from the President of India Droupadi Murmu.

 

5.       NATIONAL DOCTOR’S DAY 2024 – JULY 1

·         The day also commemorates the birth and death anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (BC Roy), a renowned physician and the 2nd Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal.

·         The annual observance of National Doctor’s Day in India is led by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

·         The theme of National Doctors’ Day 2024 is “Healing Hands, Caring Hearts”.

·         In India, National Doctor’s Day was 1st celebrated on 1 July 1991, following the recommendations of the IMA.

 

6.       GOODS AND SERVICE TAX DAY 2024 – JULY 1

·         Goods And Service Tax (GST) Day is annually observed across India on 1 July to commemorate the implementation of the GST regime, a comprehensive indirect tax levied on the supply of goods and services in India, which came into effect on 1 July 2017.

·         1 July 2024 marks the observance of the 7th GST Day, commemorating the 7th anniversary of the coming into force of GST.

·         The 2024 theme for the GST Day is, “Sashakt Vyapar Samagra Vikas” (Empowered Trade Overall Growth).

·         GST was launched on July 1, 2017, during a grand ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament of India in New Delhi, Delhi.

·         GST Council-As per Article 279A (4), the GST Council makes crucial recommendations to the Union and States on important issues related to GST, like the goods and services subject to or exempted from GST; model GST Laws; principles governing the Place of Supply; threshold limits for GST.

·         Chairperson– Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Ministry of Finance

 

7.       NATIONAL CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT (CA) DAY 2024 – JULY 1

·         The National Chartered Accountant (CA) Day is annually observed across India on July 1 to mark the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

·         The year 2024 marks the 76th anniversary of the ICAI’s foundation by an Act of Parliament, the Chartered Accountants Act of 1949.

·         The theme for National CA Day 2024 is ‘Innovating for a sustainable future’, which emphasises the important role CAs have in promoting sustainable business practices.

·         The Institutes of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) came into existence on July 1, 1949. 

·         The ICAI is a statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, enacted by the Parliament of India to develop the profession of Chartered Accountants.

·         It holds the honour of being the second largest professional body of Chartered Accountants in the world, with a strong tradition of service to the Indian economy in public interest.

·         It serves as India’s premier regulatory and licensing authority for the accounting profession, managing standards and practices in financial audits across India.

·         It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India (GoI).

 

8.       Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy Launched NIRMAN portal

·         Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Ministry of Coal and MinesGovernment of India (GoI) launched “Noble Initiative for Rewarding Mains Aspirants of National Civil Services Examination (NIRMAN)”, a web portal in New Delhi, Delhi.

·         The aim is to provide financial support of Rs 1 lakh to eligible candidates of Union Public Service (UPSC) examination.

·         It is a unique Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme led by the Coal India Limited (CIL) for meritorious youth of its operating districts who have qualified the Preliminary round of UPSC examination (for civil services & Forest Service) in 2024.

·         To avail the benefits of the scheme, candidates who have qualified the Preliminary round of UPSC should have annual family income less than Rs 8 lakhs.

·         The eligible candidates should belong to either Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), female or third gender.

 

9.       AI PREPAREDNESS INDEX

·         International Monetary Fund (IMF) released an Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index (AIPI) Dashboard which tracks the level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness across 174 countries

·         India has secured the 72nd Rank among the 174 countries, with a rating of 0.49.

·         Singapore (0.80) topped the overall index followed by Denmark (0.78) and the United States of America (USA) (0.77) at the 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

·         The index ranked the countries based on their performance in 4 key areas such as: digital infrastructurehuman capital and labour market policies, innovation and economic integration, and regulation and ethics.

·         It has classified each country into 3 main categories such as: Advanced Economy (AE), Emerging Market Economy (EM), and Low-Income Country (LIC).


·         IMF Managing Director– Kristalina Georgieva

·         Member nations–190

·         Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States of America (USA)

·         Established- 1944


 

10.    RIMPAC 2024 NAVAL EXERCISE

·         Indian Naval Ship (INSShivalik, a 6000-tonne indigenously designed and built guided missile stealth frigate, has reached Pearl HarbourHawaii (United States of America (USA)), for the 29th edition of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercisethe world’s largest international maritime exercise.

·         The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.”

 

11.    PRIME MINISTER OF NETHERLANDS

·         Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands swore in Dick Schoof as the New Prime Minister(PM) of the Netherlands at the ceremony held in Huis Ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

·         He succeeds Mark Rutte, who served as the PM of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024.

·         Rutte is set to take over as the New Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in October 2024.

·         Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders won the 2024 general elections of the Netherlands which was held in November 2023.

 

12.    LIC - CEO and Managing Director (MD)

·         Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), India’s largest Public Sector Insurance Company, has re-designated its Chairman, Siddhartha Mohanty as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with effect from 30th June 2024.

·         He was appointed as chairman of LIC in April 2023 until 29th June 2024 and was also appointed as MD and CEO of LIC from June 2024 until 7th June 2025.

·         LIC  is under the ownership of Government of India and administrative control of the Ministry of Finance(MoF).

·         Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra

·         Established- 1956

 

13.    ADITYA-L1 COMPLETES ITS 1ST HALO ORBIT AROUND THE SUN-EARTH L1 POINT

·         Aditya-L1 spacecraft, India’s 1st space-based solar observatory mission at Lagrangian point 1 (L1), completed its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point.

·         The spacecraft in the Halo orbit takes 178 days to complete one revolution around L1.

·         During its travel into the halo orbit, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft undergoes Station-Keeping (SK) maneuvers to maintain its orbit due to various perturbing forces.

·         The spacecraft was launched on September 2, 2023, and was inserted into its targeted halo orbit on 6 January 2024.

·         Lagrange points, also known as libration points, are unique locations in space where the gravitational forces of 2 massive bodies, such as the Sun and Earth, are in equilibrium.
halo orbit is a periodic, three-dimensional (3D) orbit at L1 involving the Sun, Earth, and a spacecraft.

·         halo orbit around the L1 of the Sun-Earth system is about 1.5 million kilometers (km) from the Earth on the continuously moving Sun-Earth line with an orbital period of about 177.86 Earth days.

·         Aditya-L1 is a satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun, specifically the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona of the Sun.

 

14.    WORLD SPORTS JOURNALISTS DAY 2024 – JULY 2

·         This Day commemorates the establishment of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS (Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive)) in 1924 in Paris, France.

·         2 July 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), the World Sports Journalist body.

·         The 1st ever World Sports Journalists Day was observed on 2 July 1994.

·         International Sports Press Association (AIPS): President– Gianni Merlo

·         Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland

 

15.    INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC BAG FREE DAY 2024 – JULY 3

·         International Plastic Bag Free Day is annually observed across the globe on 3rd July to raise awareness of the environmental impact caused by Single-Use-Plastic (SUP) like plastic bags, which are harmful to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.

·         Rezero, a member of the Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), initiated the International Plastic Bag Free Day which was first observed on 3 July 2008  in Catalonia, Spain.

 

16.    EX NOMADIC ELEPHANT INDIA-MONGOLIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE

·         ‘Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2024’, the 16th edition of the India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise, commenced at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya. 

·         The bilateral training initiative between the Indian Army (IA) and Mongolian Army will conclude on 16th July 2024.

·         Indian Contingent led by a Battalion of SIKKIM SCOUTS, comprising 45 personnel from various arms and services.

 

17.    13th India-Thailand Military Exercise ‘MAITREE’

·         The 13th India-Thailand joint military exercise ‘MAITREE’ is taking place at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak province of Thailand 

·         TheMaitree Exercise is a military exercise between India and Thailand which takes place every year since 2006.

·         The previous edition of the exercise was conducted in Umroi, Meghalaya in 2019.

·         Joint Military Exercises of India with Other Countries


·         Garuda Shakti              India & Indonesia

·         Ekuverin                        India & Maldives

·         Nomadic Elephant      India & Mongolia

·         Kurukshetra                  India & Singapore

·         Yudh Abhyas               India & United States of America (USA)

·         Surya Kiran                  India & Nepal

·         Mitra Shakti                 India & Sri Lanka


 

18.    HUNGARY TOOK OVER THE PRESIDENCY OF EU COUNCIL

·         Hungary took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from Belgium, for 6 months (July – December 2024), during the opening cultural event of the 6-month presidency held in Brussels, Belgium.

·         The motto of Hungary’s EU Presidency is “Make Europe Great Again.”

·         EU is a group of 27 European countries and the presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months.


·         Hungary Prime Minister (PM)- Viktor Orban

·         President – TamasSulyok

·         Capital– Budapest

·         Currency– The Hungarian Forint


 

19.    NABARD TO DIGITALIZE JAN SURAKHSHA SCHEMES FOR RRBS

·         National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Online PSB Loans Limited(OPL) to promote financial inclusion through Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).

·         It aims to smoothen and digitalize the enrolment and claim settlement processes under the Jan Suraksha Schemes (JSS) for all 43 RRBs.

·         Under this initiative, NABARD will integrate all 43 RRBs onto the Jan Suraksha portal to democratise access to financial protection schemes across remote areas of the country.

·         Jan Suraksha portal is an initiative undertaken by Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI).

·         It offers digital enrolment and claim settlements for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti  Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

·         NABARD was established under NABARD Act, 1981 and works under the jurisdiction of Department of Financial Services (DFS), MoF.

·         Chairman– Shaji K.V.

·         Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

·         Established- 1982(on the recommendations of B.Sivaramman Committee)