Today's Current Affairs - 13th October 2022

INTERNATIONAL

53rd Capacity Building programme in Field Administration for Civil Servants of Bangladesh inaugurate

• 53rd Capacity Building Programme in the Field Administration for the Civil Servants of Bangladesh was inaugurated at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGC) at Mussoorie. This institute is the only institute that has trained 1,727 field-level officers of Bangladesh Civil Service such as Assistant Commissioners, SDMs, and Additional Deputy Commissioners.
• In 2014, the National Center for Good Governance was established by the Government of India.
• The center focuses on good governance, policy reforms, training, capacity building, and working as a think tank.
• The center has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several foreign countries in partnership with MEA.

 NATIONAL

Google launches Play Points in India

• Google is set to launch Play Points, a global rewards Programme for users in India. Users will earn points when they purchase with Google Play, including in-app items, apps, games, and subscriptions. The reward program has four levels known as platinum, gold, silver, and bronze. The levels will provide members with perks and prizes. The levels and tiers are based on the number of points they have collected.
• Google has partnered with developers of popular apps and games across the world to help users to redeem their points on special in-app items.
• Google Play in partnership with more than 30 titles that include games from global studios like Miniclip, in India.
• This will help them to engage their user, drive discovery, and acquire users across markets that have Google Play Points.
• More than 2.5 billion people in over 190 countries use Google Play every month to discover apps, games, and digital content.

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Roger Binny to replace Ganguly as BCCI president, Shah to remain secretary

• India’s 1983 World Cup hero, Roger Binny is set to become the new BCCI president, replacing Sourav Ganguly. Binny will assume charge on October 18, when the BCCI annual general meeting will be held, in Mumbai. Jay Shah will continue as BCCI secretary, the most influential position in the board. Rajiv Shukla will also stay on as the board’s vice president.
• Binny, 67, has a lot of experience in cricket administration. He has served in different positions at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) over the years, and has been its president since 2019. Prior to that, Binny also was part of the KSCA administrations led by Patel and Anil Kumble (2010-12). The age-cap rule, which has led to end of Patel’s run, will also restrict 1983 World Cup-winner Binny’s tenure to one term of three years.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Sight Day 2022th 13^th October

• World Sight Day is observed every year on the second Thursday of October to raise awareness about vision impairment, vision care and other issues related to eyes. This year, the day is being observed today i.e. on 13 October. This day is observed to increase awareness about the importance of eye health and to honour ophthalmologists – medical professional who diagnoses and treats human eye and vision problems – who work tirelessly around the globe to combat the issue.
• Continuing the theme of last year, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) confirmed that this year’s theme will also be “Love Your Eyes”. This comes following the success of last year’s campaign. 3.5 million pledged to prioritize their eye health.

 World Sight Day 2022:13^th October

• World Sight Day is observed every year on the second Thursday of October to raise awareness about vision impairment, vision care and other issues related to eyes. This year, the day is being observed today i.e. on 13 October. This day is observed to increase awareness about the importance of eye health and to honour ophthalmologists – medical professional who diagnoses and treats human eye and vision problems – who work tirelessly around the globe to combat the issue.
• Continuing the theme of last year, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) confirmed that this year’s theme will also be “Love Your Eyes”. This comes following the success of last year’s campaign. 3.5 million pledged to prioritize their eye health.
• Millions of people around the world do not have access to basic healthcare facilities. While most of the causes of blindness are preventable, most cases end up with visually impaired because they do not have proper treatments. It is a day to raise awareness about getting regular eye checkups as a means to care for your eyes. The gift of sight is often taken for granted.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Aviation Minister inaugurates 4th Heli-India Summit 2022

• Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the 4th Heli-India Summit 2022. The civil enclave will be built in Jammu for Rs 861 crore and Srinagar’s present terminal will be expanded three times from 20,000 square meters to 60,000 square meters for Rs 1500 crores.
• The 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 is inaugurated with the theme of ‘Helicopters for Last Mile Connectivity’ at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar in the presence of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Majon Sinha.
• During the summit Scindia highlighted the decrease in VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent.
• The Jammu and Kashmir government has set a new project for air connectivity in the Union Territory with a 360 percent increase in refueling, increasing the air connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.
• From 1947 to 2014, India had only 74 airports, but today there are 141 airports with 67 added in the last seven years according to the Civil Aviation Minister.

 BOOKS & AUTHOR

South Indian Bank enters World Book of Records for '101 Oonjals'

• South Indian Bank bagged a world record for staging and swinging the highest 101. The South Indian Bank has organized an event ‘Onnichirikkam Oonjaladam’ and was accoladed with the World Book of Records award for ‘staging and swinging 101 Oonjals’. The event ‘Onnichirikkam Oonjaladam’ saw people gathered in large numbers to celebrate unity and prosperity during the ongoing festival season. Swings were made using wood and rope in the traditional way.
• The World Book of Records team presented the Award to South Indian Bank officials. All 101 swings were staged and swung together by the people. There was happiness and togetherness during the event. Seeing everyone taking part in something together naturally brings happiness to all of us. An Oonjal is a sturdy rectangular plank suspended by iron link chains hooked to the ceiling of a hall or balcony. Oonjals are a part of a ritual at the weddings of a section in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, the swinging tradition forms an integral part of Onam festivities.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Retail inflation rises to 7.41% in September

• India’s retail inflation accelerated to 7.41 per cent in September from a year ago on higher food and energy costs, the highest since April and above the upper end of the RBI’s 2-6 per cent tolerance band in each month this year. Data released by the National Statistics Office showed consumer price index-based inflation (CPI) in September rising to 7.41 per cent from a year ago, compared to August’s 7 per cent.
• The latest reading will pressure the RBI to accelerate policy tightening further, even at the cost of the economy, after raising its key repo rate to a three-year high of 5.9 per cent in four increments this year to tame surging prices. That suggests the central bank would need to act more aggressively and mirror the policy path of major central banks in the West — fight inflation at any cost, including a recession — despite RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’ statement that the policy was aimed to control inflation while minimising any impact on economic growth.

World Bank extends unconditional loan of $250 million for SALT project in Andhra Pradesh

• The World Bank has extended an unconditional loan of $250 million to the Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) project in appreciation of the path-breaking reforms implemented by the state government. The reforms initiated under the SALT project have brought about a paradigm shift in the way education was imparted and the outcomes had been encouraging according to Special Chief Secretary B. Rajasekhar (School Education).
• The SALT Project is the first project in the school education sector to be funded by the World Bank without any precondition.
• Approximately ₹53,000 crores has been spent on school education in the last three years.
• In the academic year 2022-2023, more than 40,31,239 children were studying in government schools.

IDBI Bank partners Vayana Network on supply chain finance

• IDBI Bank said that it has agreed to cooperate with Vayana Network as its first fintech partner to provide end-to-end digitization services. According to the bank, this alliance intends to help increase the penetration of supply chain finance in India, which now accounts for only 5% of total outstanding banking assets and less than 1% of the country’s GDP.
• The adoption of end-to-end digitalization would allow IDBI Bank to offer comprehensive digital solutions to corporate banking and small business clients. The bank already has an established CMS and e-trade platform. This technology is meant to speed up customer experiences by cutting down on paperwork and transaction processing time.
• The supply chain finance market in India is currently valued at over 60,000 crore and is anticipated to expand by 17% annually, according to J Samuel Joseph, deputy managing director of IDBI Bank. “We sought out this relationship to take advantage of the opportunities present in the current SCF market. In order to add value for our corporate banking and MSME clients, we are actively participating in a wide range of activities as part of our core strategy, according to Joseph.