Daily Current Affairs 20 July 2023 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Opposition parties meet in Bangaluru, form new alliance named I.N.D.I.A. for 2024 General elections
The 26 Opposition Parties against NDA have formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA in short to fight the Lok Sabha election.
- The Congress National President Mallikarjuna Kharge announced this after the meeting of opposition parties in Bangaluru.
- The next meeting will be held in Mumbai where a decision will be taken to form a 11 Member Coordination Committee under which the Lok Sabha election will be fought. A Convenor will also be elected among the 11 Committee members. A Secretariat will be set up in Delhi to chalk out the Campaign strategy and Common Minimum programme for the alliance.
Gomti River declared as a “non perennial river”
Water experts and river rights activists have criticized a government order (GO) issued by the irrigation department of the Uttar Pradesh government which declared the Gomti river as a “non-perennial river”. However, the order did not include a specific timeframe for its implementation.
- According to the order, being a non-perennial river, the Gomti cannot maintain e-flow (environmental flow) consistently throughout the year, and there is no surplus water available to enhance the flow.
- A 50-meter area on both riverbanks is designated as a no-construction zone.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Only 1% women live in countries with high gender parity, female empowerment: UN report
Only an abysmal 1 per cent of women across the world live in countries that have managed to achieve both high women empowerment and gender parity, according to a new report by the United Nations.
- Leadership roles and decision-making still mostly lie with men and are unavailable to women, the report released at the Women Deliver Conference being held in Kigali, Rwanda noted.
- The first-of-its-kind report that presents a comprehensive analysis of the progress made in human development of women and girls was jointly created by two UN agencies – UN Women and UN Development Programme.
- The bodies collated data from 114 countries and analysed them based on the twin indices of Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI). These complementary indices together, the authors proposed, are the best tool to develop the most accurate understanding of the progress made towards women’s empowerment and gender parity in a country.
Purbanchal Cancer Hospital of eastern Nepal to collaborate with Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, New Delhi for improved cancer treatment for Nepali patients
An agreement has been reached between the Purbanchal Cancer Hospital in Jhapa and the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital based in New Delhi, India, on the exchange of research, treatment, technology, and facilities for cancer treatment.
- The purbanchal cancer hospital was established in 2020 and as the medical director told the MoU is signed with the objective of exchanging support on various fields of medical science between two advanced hospitals in South Asia and thereby making the treatment of cancer more reliable and accessible in Nepal.
- According to the agreement, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital will provide telemedicine services to patients undergoing treatment at the Purbanchal Cancer Hospital, while doctors at the hospital will be trained in robotic surgery.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Reliance set to buy Alia Bhatt’s brand Ed-a-Mamma
Reliance Brands, a part of Reliance Industries’ retail arm Reliance Retail Ventures, is in talks to fully acquire Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt’s childwear brand Ed-a-Mamma for around Rs 300 crore to Rs 350 crore.
- If the acquisition goes through, it is expected to bolster Reliance’s kidswear portfolio. Ed-a-Mamma was started in 2020 after Alia Bhatt saw a lack of a world-class home-grown brand that provided sustainable clothing options for kids at affordable rates.
SPORTS
Indian GM Praggnanandhaa wins Super GM Chess Tournament in Hungary
Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged champion in the V Geza Hetenyi Memorial Super GM chess tournament 2023.
- The 17-year-old GM scored 6.5 points to finish clear first in the 10-player event. After nine rounds of play, he ended up a point ahead of M Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) and Russia’s Sanan Sjugirov.
- Praggnanandhaa posted five wins, drew three games and suffered only one defeat in the tournament, at the hands of Amin Tabatabaei in the fifth round.In the final round, he secured a draw against Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek with white pieces.
DD Sports bags TV broadcast rights in India for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
DD Sports has partnered with 1Stadia to broadcast the highly anticipated 9th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, bringing joy and excitement to fans.
- The tournament, starting on July 20, 2023, will mark the inaugural occasion when the World Cup is co-hosted by two countries, namely Australia and New Zealand.
- 1Stadia has granted streaming platform FanCode the sub-licensing rights for streaming the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, while public broadcaster DD Sports has been entrusted with the sub-licensing rights for television broadcasting.
APPOINTMENTS
IPS officer Manoj Yadava to head Railway Protection Force
Senior IPS officer Manoj Yadava has been appointed the Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), a Personnel Ministry order said.
- Yadava, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Haryana cadre, will succeed Sanjay Chander who retires on July 31.
- Shafi Ahsan Rizvi, Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), has been appointed as Advisor of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), according to another order.
- The ACC has also approved the appointment of Rajesh Pradhan as Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a deputation basis from the date of assumption of charge of the post up to his approved deputation tenure of January 30, 2027, it said.
- Pradhan, a 2003 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Maharashtra cadre, is currently Deputy Inspector General in the CBI.
AWARDS
Prof Thalappil Pradeep wins the prestigious International Eni Award
Prof. Thalappil Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has been honored with the prestigious ‘Eni Award,’ a highly regarded global recognition for scientific research in the fields of energy and environment. Established in 2007, this is the 15th edition of the Eni Award.
- The President of Italy is expected to present him with the award in the near future. Prof. T. Pradeep’s exceptional work revolves around developing affordable and clean water solutions through the use of advanced materials.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Gujarat to get country’s 1st ‘Satellite Network Portal Site’
Gujarat will get the country’s first ‘Satellite Network Portal Site’. An MoU was signed between OneWeb and the state government in Gandhinagar for the establishment of the Satellite Network Portal Site’ near Mehsana.
- The satellite network portal will be set up at two places in Jotana taluka of Mehsana district with an estimated cost of over Rs. 100 crores for Phase-1.
- This project under Digital India, aims to provide affordable, secure and high speed internet access to villages, district panchayats, local administrative bodies, government departments, and other entities throughout the country. It is also expected to create approximately 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state.