Daily Current Affairs 18 October for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
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NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi “directs” ISRO to land man on moon by 2040
Signalling a road map for India’s future space ambitions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “directed” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up an Indian-crafted, indigenous space station by 2035 and land an Indian on the moon by 2040. This followed a review of preparations for the Gaganyaan mission, India’s first manned mission to space, scheduled for 2025.
- Mr. Modi “called upon” scientists to work towards interplanetary missions, including a space vehicle to orbit Venus and one that will land on Mars.
- Mr. Modi chaired the meeting to assess the progress of the Gaganyaan mission and outline the future of Indian space exploration.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath announces one LPG cylinder free for Ujjwala beneficiaries as ‘Diwali gift’
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme will get a cooking gas cylinder free of cost as a “Diwali gift”. The decision is expected to benefit 1.75 crore families in the state.
- The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a flagship initiative of the central government aimed at providing financial assistance for LPG connections to families falling below the poverty line (BPL).
Modi unveils long term blueprint for blue economy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, the long-term blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy while inaugurating Global Maritime India Summit 2023 in Mumbai through video-conference.
- The blueprint outlines strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing port facilities, promoting sustainable practices, and facilitating international collaboration.
- Mr. Modi said Next Generation Mega Port, International Container Trans-shipment port, island development, inland waterways, and multi-modal hubs would be undertaken under Vision 2047 leading to a reduction in cost of doing business and environmental degradation.
Dharmendra Pradhan launched the IndiaSkills 2023-24
Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched the IndiaSkills 2023-24 and felicitated the World Skills 2022 Winners at an event held at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. India has secured 11th position in the global competition, the best-ever ranking so far.
- Addressing the event, Union Minister for Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan called for increasing the number of participants to 2.5 million from 0.25 million last year, as it would provide impetus to the ecosystem to enhance competency over acquiring degrees.
- IndiaSkills is the precursor to the WorldSkills competition. Participants who will excel in IndiaSkills at the national level will take part in the global event in Paris next year.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global Remote Work Ranking: India drops to 64, among world’s worst in e-infra and accessibility
India has been ranked 64th out of 108 countries for remote work, marking a significant drop of 15 places compared to the previous year, according to a report released.
- This decline can be attributed primarily to India’s subpar digital and physical infrastructure and social safety.
- The Global Remote Work Index (GRWI), published by cybersecurity firm NordLayer, assessed countries based on four key criteria: cyber safety, economic safety, digital and physical infrastructure, and social safety.
- India’s low ranking is a consequence of poor performance across all four dimensions, particularly in the realms of digital and physical infrastructure (77) and social safety (74). The report highlighted that India’s e-infrastructure is among the least developed in the world, earning it the 95th position. Furthermore, India’s internet connection is both expensive (78th) and lacking in quality (70th).
- While India is recognised as one of the most cost-effective destinations with the third-lowest cost of living, its healthcare system is rated poorly at 93. However, the country boasts a reasonably robust cyber infrastructure (13) and a decent response capacity (19).
- Meanwhile, The top 10 countries which scored the highest on the Global Remote Work Index (GRWI) are Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, and Slovakia.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Govt to sell up to 7% stake in HUDCO via OFS
The government will sell 7% equity in Housing And Urban Development Corp. Ltd (Hudco) via an offer for sale (OFS) on 18-19 October that is likely to fetch it around ₹1,100 crore, a senior government official said.
- The government has set the floor price for the offer at ₹79 per share, 12% below the closing price of ₹89 on the BSE, and intends to sell about 140 million shares. The total value of shares comes to about ₹1,106 crore.
IDFC gets approval from CCI for merger with IDFC First Bank
The Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for its merger with IDFC First Bank, a regulatory filing stated.
- The proposed amalgamation would, however, come into effect only after it receives nod from statutory and regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
SPORTS
Ashutosh Sharma breaks Yuvraj’s record for fastest T20 fifty by an Indian
Railways’ middle-order batter, Ashutosh Sharma broke former India batter Yuvraj Singh’s 16-year-old record for the fastest fifty by an Indian. Ashutosh smashed his half-century in 11 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, in a Group C clash against Arunachal Pradesh in Ranchi.
- The 25-year-old, playing only his second match for Railways, walked into the middle with the score of 131/4 with five overs remaining. With the help of 8 sixes and one four, Ashutosh cruised to 53 off 12 deliveries in his record-breaking inning, striking with a 441.66 strike rate.
AWARDS
Bengaluru international airport tops global rankings for on-time performance
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIA), operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited has secured the top position as the world’s most punctual Airport for the past three consecutive months, according to Cirium’s ‘The On-Time Performance Monthly Report.
- The Kempegowda International Airport operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited maintained an “impressive” on-time departure experience for passengers, with 87.51 per cent punctuality in July, 89.66 per cent in August, and 88.51 per cent in September, a BIAL statement said.
- According to the report, on-time departure ranking measures the percentage of flights that departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.