Daily Current Affairs- 3 August 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 3rd August 2024

NATIONAL

Kashmir, 4th Indian city to receive World Craft City Certificate

• Kashmir City received the Certificate of World Craft City from the World Crafts Council International in a ceremony held in Srinagar, capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, on 31 July 2024. The ceremony was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Sa’ad Hani Al-Qaddumi, President of the World Crafts Council, and other prominent Council personalities. 

CEA Approves Hydro-Pumped Storage plant in Odisha and Karnataka

• Under the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003, any company intending to set up a hydro-generating station requires the concurrence of the Central Electricity Authority. Using this power, the Central Electricity Authority has approved the Sharavathy and Upper Indravati Hydro-Pumped Storage plants project of Odisha and Karnataka, respectively. 

OBITUARY

Former India batter and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad passes away

• Legendary Indian cricketer and former Indian coach, and selector Anshuman Gaekwad passed away at the age of 71, after losing his long battle with cancer, Known for his calm demeanour, Gaekwad represented India in 40 Tests and 15 One-Day Internationals, scoring 2,254 runs across the two formats. He was coach at a time when India saw skippers such as Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI approves appointment of MDs and CEOs for Small Finance Banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has re-approved the appointments of Inderjit Camotra and Govind Singh as MDs and CEOs of Unity Small Finance Bank and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, respectively, 

Dr. Grinson George Appointed Director of ICAR-CMFRI

• Dr Grinson George has assumed charge of the Director of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Previously heading the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division at CMFRI, he has also held the position of Senior Programme Specialist at the SAARC in Dhaka. 

SUMMITS & MOUs

4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 held in Bhopal

• The 4th edition of the Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 was held in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal, on 30 and 31 July 2024. The Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan's main purpose is to provide a platform for researchers to present and discuss their work in Hindi, enrich science and technology-based research in Hindi and popularise science and technology through Hindi medium, The conference featured six sessions on diverse topics of Science, Technology, Ayurveda, Engineering, and Science Communication. 

14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue Held in New Delhi

• The 14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue took place in New Delhi on August 01, 2024. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien. 

BANKING & ECONOMY

Kotak Mahindra Bank and GOQii launched smart vital plus smartwatch

• Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (“KMBL” / “Kotak”) has teamed up with GOQii to launch the Kotak – GOQii Smart Vital Plus smartwatch, revolutionizing the way customers make payments. this innovative wearable device combines contactless payments with health monitoring features. Powered by RuPay On-The-Go, the smartwatch enables seamless transactions up to INR 5000 without requiring a PIN. 

RBL Bank launches RuPay credit cards with UPI and NCMC functionalities

• RBL Bank has announced integration of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on RuPay Credit Cards. The offering combines multiple payment capabilities into a single card. 

SWIFT And Axis Bank launch AI pilot to tackle payment fraud

• Belgium-headquartered Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), the global specialist in financial transactions, is launching an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pilot in partnership with Axis Bank to help combat payments fraud occurring in cross-border payments.