DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Sept. 7, 2024

Manish Kumar Gupta Appointed New Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh

Tags: Person in news State News

Manish Kumar Gupta has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh.

An Overview of the News

• Gupta is a 1991 batch IAS officer from the AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and other Union Territories).

• The appointment was announced by the Union Home Affairs Ministry on September 5.

• Gupta replaces the outgoing Chief Secretary Dharmendra, who has been transferred to the national capital.

• Prior to this, Gupta served as the Principal Secretary (Home) and Additional Chief Secretary in the Delhi administration.

About Arunachal Pradesh

• It is a state located in the northeastern region of India. 

• It shares its borders with the countries of Bhutan, China, and Myanmar.

• Establishment:- 20 February 1987

• Capital:- Itanagar(Executive Branch)

• Chief Minister:- Pema Khandu

• Governor - Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik

• Official flower:- Rhynchostylis retusa

• Official Animal:- Gayal

Randhir Singh Elected as First Indian President of the OCA

Tags: Person in news

Randhir Singh has been elected unopposed as the first Indian President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

An Overview of the News

• The election took place during the 44th General Assembly in New Delhi.

Background:

• Singh, 77, is from a sporting family in Patiala, Punjab.

• He is a former Asian Games gold medalist in trap shooting.

Administrative Experience:

• Served as Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association from 1987 to 2012.

• Vice-Chairman of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games organizing committee.

• OCA Secretary General from 1991 to 2015, and Life Vice President afterward.

• Acted as OCA President in 2021 before officially assuming the role in 2024.

International Influence:

• Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and held various positions on its commissions.

About OCA

• Formation: November 16, 1982

• Membership: 45 National Olympic Committees

• Headquarters: Kuwait City, Kuwait

• President: Randhir Singh

FICCI Honors Neeraj Chopra and Ayushmann Khurrana with Youth Icon India Awards 2024

Tags: Awards

On August 29, 2024, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) hosted the inaugural 'FICCI Young Leaders Awards (2024)'.

An Overview of the News

• The event recognized outstanding young achievers across 13 categories.

Award Recipients

• Neeraj Chopra

  • Awarded 'Youth Icon Award 2024 (Sports)'

  • Became the first Indian track and field athlete to win a gold medal in javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

  • Secured a silver medal in the men's javelin throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Ayushmann Khurrana

  • Awarded 'Youth Icon Award 2024 (Entertainment)'

  • Won the National Award for Best Actor in 2019 for Andhadhun (2018).

  • Appointed as the National Ambassador of UNICEF India in 2023 and has been a Celebrity Advocate for UNICEF India since 2020.

Other Honorees

• Amitabh Shah
  

  • Awarded 'Youth Icon Award 2024 (Public Service)'

  • Founder of Yuva Unstoppable.

• Rahul Mishra
  

  • Awarded 'Youth Icon Award 2024 (Art & Culture)'

  • Renowned Indian fashion designer.

• Palki Sharma

  • Awarded 'Youth Icon Award 2024 (Media)'

  • Acclaimed journalist.

About FICCI

• Founded:- 1927

• Founder:- Ghanshyam Das Birla

• President:- Subhrakant Panda

• Headquarters:- New Delhi

India's UPI Hits ₹81 Lakh Crore in Transactions, Leads Global Digital Payments

Tags: Reports Economy/Finance

According to Paysecure data, India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed nearly ₹81 lakh crore in transactions from April to July 2024.

An Overview of the News

• UPI's transaction volume has exceeded that of the world's leading digital payment platforms.

• This represents a 37% Year-over-Year (YoY) increase in transaction volume.

• UPI processed 20.6 lakh crore rupees in July 2024, setting a record for the highest transactions in a single month.

Global Leadership in Digital Transactions

• India leads globally with over 40% of its payments made digitally.

• UPI is the dominant platform for digital payments in India.

• UPI processed an average of 3,729.1 transactions per second, a 58% increase from 2,348 transactions per second in 2022.

Comparison with Global Payment Platforms

• Skrill (UK-based) ranked second with 1,553.8 transactions per second and 49 billion transactions in 2023.

• Pix (Brazil-based) ranked third with 1,331.8 transactions per second.

About UPI  

• It is an Indian payment system, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016.

• Function: Facilitates instant P2P and P2M transactions via mobile devices.

• Requirements: Mobile number registered with the bank, recipient’s UPI ID.

• Tech: Runs on IMPS, open source API.

• Regulation: Overseen by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• Launch: UPI-enabled apps available on Google Play from 25 August 2016.

Bank of India Launches ‘Star Dhan Vriddhi’ FD Scheme

Tags: Economy/Finance

Bank of India (BOI) has introduced a Fixed Deposit (FD) scheme called 'Star Dhan Vriddhi' starting from 1 September 2024.

An Overview of the News

• The scheme has a term limit of 333 days. Customers can deposit up to Rs 3 crore in this FD.

• Loan against FD and premature withdrawal options are available.

• This FD can be opened via BOI branches, BOI Omni Neo App, or internet banking.

Revised FD Interest Rates

• BOI’s FD interest rates for general citizens range from 3% to 7.25% for deposits below Rs 3 crore.

• Senior Citizens (aged 60-79) receive rates from 3% to 7.75%.

• Super Senior Citizens (aged 80 and above) get rates between 3% to 7.90%.

Additional Benefits for Senior and Super Senior Citizens

• Senior citizens receive an extra 50 basis points (bps) on Retail Term Deposits (RTDs) for tenures between 6 months and 3 years.

• Super senior citizens get an additional 65 bps for the same tenures on RTDs (deposits below Rs 3 crore).

About BOI

• Established: 1906

• MD & CEO:- Rajneesh Karnatak

• Headquarters:- Mumbai, Maharashtra

• Tagline:- Relationship Beyond Banking

Hokato Hotozhe Sema Wins Bronze in Shot Put at Paris 2024 Paralympics

Tags: Sports

Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema secured a bronze medal in the men's shot put F57 class.

An Overview of the News

• Sema, 40, achieved a personal best of 14.65m on his fourth attempt.

• This was Sema's debut at the Paralympic Games.

Gold and Silver Medalists in F57 Shot Put

• Yasin Khosravi of Iran set a new Paralympic record with a throw of 15.96m, winning the gold medal.

• Brazil’s Thiago Paulino dos Santos won silver with a throw of 15.06m.

• India’s Soman Rana finished fifth, throwing 14.07m.

Background on Hokato Hotozhe Sema

• Sema served in the Indian Army and lost his left leg in a landmine blast during a military operation in 2002.

• He began his shot put career at the age of 32 and has shown consistent progress since then.

• Currently, he is ranked 7th in the world in the F57 classification.

Previous Achievements and Dedication

• Sema finished seventh at the 2023 World Championships but improved to fourth this year.

• He won a bronze medal at the Asian Para Games in 2022 with a 13.94m throw.

• He dedicated his Paralympic bronze medal to his wife.

India’s Best Paralympic Performance

• India’s total medal count at the Paris 2024 Paralympics reached 27, with six gold, nine silver, and 12 bronze medals.

• Paris 2024 has marked India’s best performance in Paralympic history.