Today's Current Affairs 17th May 2023

NATIONAL

Exercise Jal Rahat was conducted by Indian Army, in Assam

Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army conducted a Joint Flood Relief ‘Exercise Jal Rahat’ at Hagrama Bridge on Manas River, Assam to validate joint drills and coordinate preparedness by multi-agency flood relief columns.

Apart from Indian Army- SSB, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and police representatives took part. The event included coordination and rehearsals for rescue mission of people from inundated areas by joint efforts of specialist teams from Army, NDRF and SDRF.

Practice on use of innovative expedients by the flood relief columns was also organised in which teams of Army and SSB demonstrated use of local resources during such calamity.

Government launches Sanchar Saathi Portal: Enables tracking and blocking of stolen / lost mobile phones

Sanchar Saathi Portal, central government's ground-breaking move in enhancing the safety and security of users in the digital ecosystem. On May 16, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Sanchar Saathi Portal and said, "Various frauds such as identity theft, forged KYC, and banking frauds can take place by misusing mobile phones. This portal has been developed to prevent such frauds."

The portal enables mobile users to track and block their stolen/lost mobile phones. It also allows the user to know the mobile connections issued in their names and to get the connections not required by them disconnected.

Centralised Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) - In case any mobile device is stolen or lost, a user can submit the IMEI numbers on the portal, Information submitted by the user along with a copy of the police complaint is then verified, The system is integrated with the Telecom Service Providers and Law Enforcement Agencies, Once the information is verified, the system blocks the stolen mobile phones from being used on Indian networks, In case anyone tries to use the stolen device, the system allows Law Enforcement Agencies to trace the device when the stolen device is recovered, the user can unlock the device on the portal.

Uttar Pradesh Emerges as the Second State in India with a High Number of GI-Tagged Products

Uttar Pradesh now ranks second in the country in terms of the number of Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged commodities. The state has received GI tags for three more One District One Product (ODOP) crafts, taking the total number of GI-tagged products in the state to 48,

Mainpuri tarkashi, Mahoba Gaura stone craft, and Sambhal horn craft are the three new ODOP crafts. The Geographical Indication (GI) label is a major asset for the state of Uttar Pradesh. It helps to promote the state’s traditional crafts and products, and also helps to boost the local economy. The GI tag also helps to create awareness about the state’s rich cultural heritage.

Geographical Indication GI tag - A Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Government appoints Ravneet Kaur as CCI chief

Ravneet Kaur, a 1988-batch Punjab-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed the new chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for a period of five years. Kaur is the first woman to head the country’s chief national competition regulator, which  has been operating without a full-time chairperson since October last year.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has chosen Kaur as CCI chairperson for a period of five years from the date of taking charge, or till the age of 65 years, or until further orders,

aur (60) is the second woman to serve in an ‘economic regulator’ role after Madhabi Puri Buch, who was appointed chairperson of the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) last year.

With over two decades of experience in government, Kaur has held several key positions including that of chairman of India Tourism Development Corporation (2017-2019), joint secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (2015-2017).

Before she was appointed CCI chairperson, Kaur was serving as special chief secretary (apex scale) in the Punjab government’s agriculture and cooperation departments in Chandigarh.

Govvernment appoints Anil Kumar Jain as new PNGRB chairman

The government has appointed seasoned bureaucrat and gas sector expert Anil Kumar Jain as the new chairman of the oil and gas sector regulatory body, PNGRB,

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Jain, who retired as coal secretary in October last year, as the new chairman of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).

The ACC has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, based on the recommendations of the Search Committee, for the appointment of Anil Kumar Jain.

Jain has been appointed as the Chairperson PNGRB "for a period of five years from the date assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest, on a consolidated pay package of Rs 4.50 lakhs per month (without house and car) or as revised by the Ministry of Finance from time to time".

Paytm appoints Bhavesh Gupta as President and COO

One 97 Communications Ltd – OCL, which owns Paytm, announced the appointment of Bhavesh Gupta as the president and chief operating officer (COO) of the firm.

Senior Vice President Bhavesh Gupta, in his new role as the president and COO of the company, “will be responsible to lead verticals of lending, insurance, payments – online and offline, consumer payments and drive key initiatives including user growth, operations risk, fraud risk and compliance”. He will be reporting to Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Paytm.

Bhavesh Gupta is a financial services professional with over 25 years experience building businesses grounds up in payments, technology and analytics platforms, retail loans, digital lending, SME banking, retail banking, etc. Before joining Paytm in 2020, Gupta worked in multiple leadership roles including CEO of Clix Capital (formerly known as GE Capital), Head of SME & Business Banking at IDFC Bank and was also associated with ICICI bank in various roles.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is celebrated annually on 17 May. In order to recognise the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) establishment and to spread awareness of the value of telecommunications and the information society, the UN General Assembly officially declared it in 1969.

The International Telecommunication Union, a specialised agency of the UN, was founded in 1865 and has been instrumental in influencing international telecommunications standards and policy.

WTISD offers the chance to discuss the potential and problems posed by the developing information society as well as to showcase the developments made in the fields of telecommunication and information technology.

he significance of WTISD is to close the digital divide and encourage the widespread adoption of inclusive information and communication technologies (ICTs). It acknowledges the ability of ICTs to alter industries like education, healthcare, business, governance, and interpersonal relationships. The day also provides a forum for talks on new technologies, legislative measures, and other programmes that can encourage universal access to the advantages of the information society and digital connection.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

World Bank approves grant of Rs 51 crore to set up road safety enforcement system in Shimla and Nurpur

The World Bank has approved a grant of Rs 51 crore to set up an integrated road safety enforcement system in Shimla and Nurpur police districts and develop the Palampur-Sheela chowk in Kangra as a "safe corridor",

The project envisages the establishment of a traffic enforcement control room in Shimla and the allocation of funds for interceptors and patrol vehicles, an intelligent traffic management system, artificial intelligence (AI) cameras and rescue equipment,

For the first phase of the project, Shimla and Nurpur have been selected and a sum of Rs 42 crore will be spent on the twin police districts to strengthen their emergency response systems, 120 locations have been identified in Shimla district for installation of AI-powered cameras. These include Theog, Rampur, Rohru, Kumarsain, Kotkhai, Nerva, Jubbal, Chopal and Sunni, besides the capital city,