Daily Current Affairs 17 & 18 September for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin launches Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam in Kancheepuram
Chief minister M K Stalin rolled out his government’s flagship welfare scheme to provide financial assistance of ₹1,000 every month to women. The government received 10.63 million applications and has identified 10.06 million women as beneficiaries.
- Stalin launched the ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam’ scheme in Kancheepuram district, the birthplace of DMK founder and first chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C N Annadurai, whose birth anniversary was also on September 15,2023.
- The money will be credited to women’s bank accounts. The government handed over debit cards to 13 women while the remaining will be given in a phased manner.
PM Modi inaugurates Yashobhoomi convention centre
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurated the first phase of the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC), named YashoBhoomi, in Dwarka.
- The convention center, built across more than 73,000 sq m of area, comprises 15 convention rooms including the main auditorium, the grand ballroom, and 13 meeting rooms with a total capacity of holding 11,000 delegates
- Besides this, PM Modi also inaugurated the extension of the Delhi Airport Metro Express line from Dwarka Sector 21 to a new metro station at Dwarka Sector 25.
Assam Governor launches ‘Sarpanch Samvad’ app
Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has launched the ‘Sarpanch Samvad’ app, an official release said.
- The app has been developed by the Quality Council of India (QCI).The objective of this initiative is to provide comprehensive support to sarpanchs and foster their growth as leaders.
- The app is aimed at connecting approximately 2.5 lakh sarpanchs across India, and serves as a holistic platform for networking, knowledge dissemination, and collaboration.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India ranks first in grassroots crypto adoption: Report
At a time when enacting a global framework for regulating crypto assets is the talk of the town, a new report by a global crypto research firm shows that developing countries are leading the race to adopt crypto assets.
- The latest edition of Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index ranks India first in crypto adoption. India is followed by Nigeria and Vietnam. In fact, except for the United States, which ranks 4th, rest of the top 10 list comprise of developing countries.
- War-ravaged Ukraine and sanctions-hit Russia, where crypto usage has spiked after the war began in 2022, also feature in the list; Ukraine ranks fifth while Russia is in 13th position. Eight out of the top 20 countries belong to this region. All of them are also developing countries.
BANKING & FINANCE
Sidbi to raise Rs 10,000 crore from rights issue next fiscal
Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), which refinances SME loans, plans to float a Rs 10,000-crore rights issue next fiscal to expand its equity capital as it expects to grow assets to Rs 5 lakh crore by March 2024 from about Rs 4 lakh crore in March 2023, a top official has said.
- The central government owns 20.8 per cent in Sidbi, while State Bank of India holds 15.65 per cent and Life Insurance Corporation 13.33 per cent. The rest of the equity is held by other public financial institutions and banks. The shareholders will subscribe to the proposed rights issue.
E-rupee worth ₹16.39 crore in circulation as of March 2023: RBI
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or e-rupee worth ₹16.39 crore is in circulation as of March 2023, as per data from RBI’s Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy for FY23.
- Of the total e-rupee circulation, ₹10.69 crore was wholesale CBDC whereas ₹5.70 crore was retail CBDC, data showed.
- The circulation was highest for ₹500 CBDC notes at ₹2.71 crore, followed by ₹200 notes at 1.16 per cent. Circulation for all other currency denominations of 50 paise to ₹100 was below 1 per cent, ranging between 0.01-0.83 per cent.
SPORTS
Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Diamond League Final
Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra failed to defend his Diamond League champion’s title as he finished second with a modest performance of 83.80m.
- The 25-year-old Chopra struggled in the windy conditions in the grand finale at the Hayward Field as he fouled his two attempts. His best throw of the day came in the second attempt. His series read foul, 83.80m, 81.37m, foul, 80.74 and 80.90m.
- Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic became the Diamond League champion for the third time with a best throw of 84.24m which came in his sixth and final attempt.
India bag their 8th Asia Cup title
Team India finally ended their long wait for a trophy haul in a multi-nation event. At the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, India crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to bag their eighth Asia Cup title and first in a multi-nation event in five years. This was also India’s second 10-wicket win in an ODI final after 1998 against Zimbabwe in Sharjah.
- Mohammed Siraj’s record bowling performance of 6 for 21 and Hardik Pandya’s three-wicket haul helped India fold Sri Lanka for just 50 runs in 15.2 overs. While Siraj recorded the best bowling figure for an India bowler in an Asia Cup match, Sri Lanka registered the lowest ever score in the tournament’s history and their lowest ever in an ODI match against India.
- With the win, Rohit Sharma recorded an impressive piece of history as he equalled the legendary MS Dhoni and Mohammad Azharuddin with India’s record-extending eighth Asia Cup title win. This was also Rohit’s second Asia Cup win as a captain having earlier led a second-string Indian side to title win in 2018 when then regular skipper Virat Kohli was rested.
AWARDS
Fashion designer Rahul Mishra awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Celebrated fashion designer Rahul Mishra was conferred with the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at a function at the Residence of France.
- The French government’s distinction l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) is bestowed upon “persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture, and literature or for their contribution to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world”.
- Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain presented the medal to Mishra for his career and connection to France.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYÂ
Government introduces a unified portal for agri-statistics to provide credible data on the agricultural sector
The Ministry of Agriculture has taken a step towards enhancing transparency and decision-making in the agricultural sector. The government has officially introduced the Unified Portal for Agri-Statistics (UPAg).
- A platform designed to provide stakeholders with credible and objective data. This initiative marks a crucial milestone in the development of digital public infrastructure for agriculture.
- The portal’s objective is to tackle the governance challenges associated with agricultural data. These challenges primarily revolve around the absence of standardized and verified data, a persistent issue that has hindered the ability of policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to arrive at well-informed decisions.