Daily Current Affairs 17 & 18 December for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NOTE: To read complete Current Affairs, subscribe to our plan. All important news are not covered here.
NATIONAL NEWS
Logistics Performance Index 2023: States and UTs Recognized for Achievements and Challenges
The Commerce and Industry Ministry recently released the fifth LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) 2023 report, shedding light on the logistics performance of various states and Union Territories in India.
- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, and Gujarat are among the 13 states and Union Territories recognized as “achievers” in the logistics index chart for 2023.
- Notably, the number has reduced from 15 to 13 states this year, with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand transitioning to “aspirers” and “fast movers” categories, respectively.
- Sikkim and Tripura showcased commendable progress, moving from the “fast movers” category in 2022 to the coveted “achievers” category this year.
- Delhi, Assam, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh maintained their status as “achievers” in the logistics performance index.
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry have been categorized as “fast movers” in the report.
- Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh fall under the “aspirers” category.
Aster Medcity Claims The No.1 Spot As India’s Leading Emerging Hospital
Aster Medcity, in Kochi, Kerala, recently secured the top position in the ‘Best Multi-specialty Hospital Emerging’ category by The Week-Hansa Research 2023.
- This recognition underscores Aster Medcity’s commitment to delivering quality healthcare services, making it a preferred destination for patients both within India and around the globe.
- Earlier this year, Aster Medcity’s Cardiology department secured the 49th position in the prestigious Top 100 Cardiology Hospitals in Asia Pacific, as recognized by the internationally reputed Newsweek magazine.
Hyderabad ranked 1st in food adulteration cases: NCRB
Hyderabad has ranked first in the country for food adulteration cases, according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Telangana stands second, closely followed by Andhra Pradesh.In 2022, a total of 291 cases of food adulteration were reported across 19 major cities in India.
- Surprisingly, out of these cases, a staggering 246 were reported solely in Hyderabad, signalling a concerning trend in food safety within the city. The local police in Hyderabad of three Commissionerates — Rachakonda, Hyderabad and Cyberabad — have been actively involved in combating food adulteration cases and have made several significant seizures. The seized items include adulterated finger garlic paste, ice creams, and tea powder.
PM Modi inaugurates Surat Diamond Bourse in Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), the world’s largest and modern centre for international diamond and jewellery business, at a time when the diamond industry is passing through its worst crisis due to global economic slowdown and G7 countries’ tough stand on Russian diamonds.
- The SDB building is the world’s largest office complex with over 67 lakh square feet of floor area spread in nine 15-storey interconnected towers with offices ranging from 300 sq ft to 7,5000 sq ft is aimed at shifting the diamond trading business from Mumbai to Surat, which is the hub of diamond cutting and polishing with thousands of factories across the city.
BANKING & FINANCE
SBI invests ₹49.99 crore in Canpac Trends, eyes paper packaging industry
State Bank of India has executed transaction documents to purchase 3,70,644 shares (6.35 per cent) of Ahmedabad-based Canpac Trends Private Limited at ₹1,349 per share, aggregating ₹49.99 crore.
- The Bank, in an exchange filing, said the investment in Canpac Trends, which is in the paper packaging industry, is being made with the objective of capital appreciation.
- The indicative period for completion of the acquisition is three months from the date of the transaction documents executiion.
IDFC FIRST Bank, LIC Cards, and Mastercard Introduce Exclusive Co-Branded Credit Card
IDFC FIRST Bank, LIC Cards and Mastercard announced their collaboration to launch an exclusive co-branded credit card to meet the dynamic financial needs of India.
- Loaded with many exciting benefits such as no joining & annual fees and low interest rates starting from 9% p.a., the new card has been designed to bring value to consumers of varied age groups across the country.
- Available in two variants – LIC Classic and LIC Select, the credit cards will provide more than 27 crores policyholders across the country an opportunity to save in the form of reward points on every LIC insurance premium payment. It will also come with other benefits, including up to Rs. 50,000 cover for lost card liability and a personal accident insurance cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal Unveils ‘Made for India’ Krutrim AI
Krutrim SI Designs, the new artificial intelligence (AI) venture of Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, has unveiled a family of multilingual artificial intelligence (AI) models to cater to the unique requirements of the Indian ecosystem.
- Krutrim, ‘artificial’ in Sanskrit, will come in two sizes: a base model named Krutrim trained on 2 trillion tokens and unique datasets, and a larger, more complex model called Krutrim Pro, launching next quarter for advanced problem-solving and task execution capabilities.
- Krutrim can understand 22 Indian languages and generate content in about 10, including Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Odia, Gujarati, and Malayalam.
AWARDS
AASRAA Recognizes Excellence: Dr. Srinivas Naik Dharavath Awarded Visionary Leader Icon 2023
Real Vision Homes Pvt Ltd proudly announces the remarkable achievement of its esteemed Chairman, Dr. Srinivas Naik Dharavath, who has been honored with the Visionary Leader Icon Award of the Year 2023 by the Advocates Association For Social Responsibility And Awareness (AASRAA).
- The prestigious award was presented at the 5th National Summit held at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi on 24th Nov 2023.
- The Visionary Leader Icon Award was presented to Dr. Srinivas Naik Dharavath by N Satyanarayana, Chairman of Telangana RERA, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and his commitment to social responsibility and to AASRAA.
Indian-American medical student Rijul Maini crowned Miss India USA 2023
Rijul Maini, a medical student from Michigan, has been crowned Miss India USA 2023 at the annual pageant held in New Jersey while Sneha Nambiar from Massachusetts was declared as Mrs India USA and Saloni Rammohan from Pennsylvania won the title of Miss Teen India USA.
- Maini, a 24-year-old Indian-American, is a medical student and model. She aspires to be a surgeon and hopes to serve as a role model to women everywhere.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
IAF Successfully Testfires ‘SAMAR’ Air Defense Missile System In Andhra Pradesh
The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out successful firing trials of its in-house designed and developed SAMAR air defence missile system during Astrashakti 2023 exercise at Suryalanka Air Force Station in Andhra Pradesh.
- The air defence system SAMAR (Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation), has been developed by a unit under IAF’s Maintenance Command.
- The SAMAR system was part of the exercise for the first time, and it successfully achieved firing trial objectives in different engagement scenarios. The system can engage aerial threats with missiles operating at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach.