Daily Current Affairs Highlights - 17 September 2023
Here, we bring you a comprehensive roundup of the current affairs dated 17th September 2023. Dive in to get abreast with the latest national, international, state, and various other sectoral news.
National News
PM Modi to Launch PM Vishwakarma Scheme on Vishwakarma Jayanti
- Launch venue: India International Convention and Expo Centre, New Delhi.
- Objective: Financial support to artisans and craftspeople across rural and urban areas.
- Benefits: Preservation of tradition, culture, and heritage through local art and crafts.
Union Health Minister Leads Organ Donation Pledge in Agra
- Campaign: Ayushman Bhav.
- Venue: Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
- Participants: Approximately 10,000 people.
- Goal: Enhance healthcare service coverage nationwide.
- Current organ donation rate: Below 1% per ten lakh population.
- Initiatives: Inauguration of a super specialty block at Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, and an organ donation registry. Foundation stone laying for 23 Integrated Public Health Labs and 87 Block Public Health Units.
State News
Odisha Launches Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana
- Aim: Address malnutrition and enhance nutritional well-being of mothers, adolescent girls, and children.
- Features: Targeted support for malnourished children, nutritional supplements for pregnant women and new mothers, and quality cooked food for children in rural and tribal areas.
- Commitment: Creating a healthier future for all.
Madhya Pradesh to Unveil 108-Foot Statue of Adi Shankaracharya
- Date: 18th September.
- Location: Omkareshwar.
- Project: Includes Advaita Lok museum, international Vedanta institute, and Advaita Forest.
- Objective: Promote Advaita Vedanta philosophy and preserve the region's natural beauty.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Launches Kalaignar Women's Rights Fund Scheme
- Launch Date: On Annadurai's 115th birth anniversary.
- Benefits: Monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000 to eligible women beneficiaries across Tamil Nadu.
- Beneficiaries: 1.06 crore women identified.
- Disbursement: Through the Direct Benefit Transfer system.
- Significance: Fulfillment of a key electoral promise by the ruling DMK party.
Defense News
- Major Boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat with Defence Acquisitions
- Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) Approvals: Capital acquisition proposals worth approximately 45,000 crore rupees from domestic vendors.
- Procurements Include: Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles, Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System, High Mobility Vehicle Gun Towing Vehicles, Next Generation Survey Vessels, and Dhruvastra Short Range Air-to-Surface Missile.
- Additional Approval: Procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI Aircraft with associated equipment from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
- Impact: Significant boost to the Indian defence industry and realization of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal.
Business News
Infosys Enters TIME’s ‘The World’s Best Companies of 2023’ List
- Ranking: 64th position with an overall score of 88.38.
- Recognition: Only Indian company in the top 100.
- Background: Founded in 1981, Infosys has evolved into India’s second-largest IT company in terms of revenue.
- Achievements: Noted for its commitment to excellence and innovation.
- Evaluation Criteria: Revenue growth, employee satisfaction surveys, and analysis of environmental, social, and corporate governance data.
Ashok Leyland to Invest ₹1,000 Crore in Uttar Pradesh
- Project: State-of-the-art bus manufacturing facility near Lucknow.
- Initial Investment: ₹200 crore.
- Capacity: Initial production of 2,500 buses annually, with plans to expand to 5,000 vehicles per year.
- Goal: Achieving net-zero emissions by 2048.
Air India Launches ‘Project Abhinandan’
- Objective: Enhance passenger experience through personalized and hassle-free services.
- Implementation: Deployment of specially trained service assurance officers (SAOs) at 16 major airports across India.
- Role of SAOs: Assist any Air India guest, ensuring a seamless and efficient passenger experience.
Appointments
- Exxon Mobil Appoints Hrithik Roshan as Brand Ambassador
- Brand: Mobil™ Lubrication.
- Alignment: Roshan's persona aligns with Mobil's principles of fostering confidence and driving human progress.
- Partnership Goal: Drive excellence in lubrication solutions and contribute to India's progress.
Banking/Economy News
RBI's Financial Inclusion Index Soars
- Latest Score: 60.1 in March 2023, up from 56.4 in March 2022.
- Contributing Factors: Growth across all sub-indices, especially usage and quality dimensions.
- About the Index: A comprehensive tool offering a holistic view on financial inclusion, ranging from 0 (complete financial exclusion) to 100 (full financial inclusion).
- Components: The index comprises three major parameters - access, usage, and quality, each having its own weightage.
India's Trade Deficit Narrows in August
- Merchandise Exports: Fell by 6.86% to $34.48 billion in August 2023.
- Merchandise Imports: Decreased by 5.23% to $58.64 billion.
- Trade Deficit: Narrowed to $24.16 billion, a 2.8% improvement from August 2022.
- Services Exports and Imports: Registered a slight decrease in August 2023 compared to the same month in 2022.
- Notable Sectors: Iron Ore, Oil Meals, and Electronic Goods witnessed substantial growth in merchandise exports in August 2023.
- Overall Exports and Imports: India's overall exports stood at $60.87 billion and imports totaled $72.50 billion in August 2023, reflecting a decrease compared to August 2022.
Miscellaneous News
Gujarat Yog Board Organizes Yoga Shivirs
- Occasion: To mark PM Modi's 73rd birthday.
- Locations: 73 different venues across Gujarat.
- Participants: Nearly 73 thousand Yog Sadhak.
- Objective: To wish PM Modi a long life through Yoga practices.
NTPC Announces Final Dividend for FY 2022-23
- Amount: ₹2,908.99 crore, bringing the total dividend for the financial year to ₹7,030.08 crore (41% of the Profit After Tax).
- Government's Share: The Indian government received a dividend tranche of ₹1,487 crore from NTPC.
- NTPC's Power Generation Capacity: Reached an impressive 73,824 megawatts (73.8 gigawatts).
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