Daily Current Affairs 23 June 2023 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
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NATIONAL NEWS
North India’s first Skin Bank inaugurated at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital
North India’s first Skin Bank has been inaugurated at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. It is a bank where deceased donors can donate their skin which will be helpful in treating burns.
- The skin can be donated within six hours of death and utilized for burns and trauma patients after processing.
- Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said the facility will be a boon for patients and help in providing a better quality of life for people suffering from severe burns and injuries.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India moves up 8 places to 127 in WEF Global Gender Gap Report
India ranked 127 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 released by the World Economic Forum showing an improvement of 1.4 percentage points and eight positions from 135 in 2022. India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, the report said, marking a partial recovery towards India’s 2020 (66.8%) parity level.
- The index ranked India’s neighbours Bangladesh at 59, Bhutan at 103, China at 107, Sri Lanka at 115, Nepal at 116 and Pakistan at 142.
- The global gender gap score in 2023 for all 146 countries stands at 68.4% reflecting an improvement of 0.3 percentage points over 2022. For all countries covered, the health and survival gender gap has closed by 96%, the educational attainment gap by 95.2%, economic participation and opportunity gap by 60.1%, and political empowerment gap by a mere 22.1%.
- Out of the 117 countries with available data since 2017, only 18 countries, including Bolivia (50.4%), India (44.4%) and France (42.3%), have achieved representation of women of over 40% in local governance.
- The report highlights that no country has yet achieved full gender parity, although the top nine countries (Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia and Lithuania) have closed at least 80% of their gap. For the 14th year running, Iceland (91.2%) has taken the top position.
US to open two new consulates in India – Ahmedabad and Bengaluru
Technology cooperation featured very prominently in the discussions between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a special briefing in Washington D.C., on Mr. Modi’s US visit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, India and US have identified around 25 areas of technology partnership in the joint statement as a direct result of the discussion between the two leaders.
- He informed that Mr. Modi said that even after the two decades of 9/11 and one decade of 26/11, the problem of terrorism remains a pressing challenge for the global community.
- The Foreign Secretary also said that the two countries have agreed that the US will start the process to open two new consulates in India – one in Ahmedabad and one in Bengaluru, while India will open its consulates in Seattle and two other places in the US.
India and UAE signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Authorized Economic Operators
In a move aimed at promoting greater trade facilitation and ease of doing business, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Authorized Economic Operators.
- The agreement was formally inked on the sidelines of the 141st/142nd sessions of the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Customs Co-operation Council meeting held in Brussels.
- The Mutual Recognition Arrangement establishes a framework that enables the recognition of Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) from both countries.
India joins NASA’s Artemis Accords for collaborative Lunar Exploration
With India signing the Artemis Accords, it will be a part of the US’ attempt to land humans on the moon by 2025. With nearly 30 nations part of it, the Artemis Accords aim to extend space travel to Mars and beyond.
- Moreover, ISRO is likely to collaborate on further Artemis missions including the Lunar Gateway, Mars landing and establishing a permanent lunar base.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
UK net debt passes 100% of GDP for first time since 1961
UK’s total government debt has crossed 100% of the GDP for the first time since 1961.
- The rise in total debt is largely due to the government borrowing more than doubling in recent times. Government figures show that the total debt stands at $3.28 trillion in May this translates to 100.1% of the total UK GDP.
- Public sector net debt, excluding that of state-controlled banks, hit 2.567 trillion pounds, equivalent to 100.1 per cent of gross domestic product.
US Chip giant Micron to set up semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat with total investment of 2.75 billion Dollar
American chipmaker Micron will invest 825 million dollars to build Chip Assembly and Testing Facility in Gujarat. The combined investment by Macron and Centre and Gujarat government will amount to 2.75 billion dollars.
- Micron said in a statement that phased construction of the new assembly and test facility in Gujarat is expected to begin this year itself. Phase 1, which will include five lakh square feet of planned cleanroom space, will start to become operational in late 2024, and Micron will ramp capacity gradually over time in line with global demand trends.
APPOINTMENTS
SheAtWork founder Ruby Sinha appointed president of BRICS CCI women vertical
Ruby Sinha has been appointed as the president of BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women’s Vertical (BRICS CCI WE) for a three-year term.
- Sinha, the founder of SheAtWork and Kommune Brand Communications, will assume the role.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYÂ
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches PM Kisan Mobile App with Face Authentication Feature for e- KYC
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the PM Kisan Mobile App with a face authentication feature. Through this App, remote farmers can do e-KYC by scanning their faces without OTP or fingerprint.
- Speaking on this occasion, Mr Tomar said that PM-Kisan is an innovative scheme whose benefits are being given by the central government to the farmers without any middlemen.
Science & Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches Covid Booster Vaccine – GEMCOVAC-OM in New Delhi
Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched mRNA-based Covid Booster Vaccine – GEMCOVAC-OM in New Delhi. The vaccine is the first booster COVID-19 vaccine developed in India against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
- The booster vaccine can be administered to individuals who have received two doses of either Covaxin or Covishield.
- The vaccine can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade. It has demonstrated robust immune responses in phase – 3 clinical trials conducted at 20 centres across 13 cities in India. GEMCOVAC-OM is a needle-free, thermostable vaccine, which does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines, making it easy for deployment pan India.