• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated seven new Defence PSUs, carved out of OFBs, to the nation, on October 15, 2021.
• These 7 new companies have been formed following the the dissolution of the 200-year-old Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) w.e.f October 01, 2021.
• Under the OFB there were 41 factories and 9 ancillary bodies. Now these factories will be distributed among the seven newly created companies.
• Also the 70,000 employees of these OFBs will be sent to the seven new entities, with no change in the service condition of the employees.

• World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated every year on 16 October across the globe to eradicate worldwide hunger from our lifetime.
• WFD also commemorates the date of founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945
• Theme 2021: “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow”.

• The Government of India has decided to set up a “Vishwakarma Vatika” at every “Hunar Haats” to protect, preserve and promote India’s glorious legacy of centuries-old skills of artisans and craftsmen.
• The first such “Vishwakarma Vatika” has been set up in “Hunar Haat” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, organised from October 16 to 25, 2021.
• The “Vishwakarma Vatika” will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan on October 16, 2021.
• The new initiative will provide a single stop place to proficient craftsmen, sculptors, stonemasons, blacksmiths, carpenters, potter and other artisans from across the country, to give live demonstrations of how India’s traditional art and craft and elegant indigenous handmade products are made.
• The name is derived from Hindu deity “Vishwakarma” who is worshipped as the God of architect.

• The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the ‘MyParkings’ app on October 14, 2021.
• The IOT technology-enabled app has been developed by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to digitize all authorized parking under SDMC municipal limits.
• The facility will be subsequently rolled out in other municipality divisions across India.
• The main objective of the app is to help reduce pollution by minimising the time spent searching for parking spots.
• The MyParking App will offer effortless solution to users for hassle-free parking and booking of online parking slots to park their vehicles without inconvenience.

• The Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has launched an automated fuelling technology called “UFill”, to provide swift, secure and smart experience to its customers at outlets by providing them with control of fuelling .
• The new digital technology obviates the need to look at zero or final reading or any such offline manual interventions, to give complete control to customers over Time, Technology and Transparency in fuelling experience.
• The UFill functionality can be used with any payment app like GPay, PayTM, PhonePe etc as well as offers real time QR and voucher code through SMS.
• Additional if customers make payment in advance, and the amount paid in advance is partially used, the balance amount is immediately refunded to the bank account of the customer.
• The UFill technology has been launched in 65 cities across India and will soon be launched in rest part of the country.

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her American counterpart, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, participated in 8th U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership on October 14, 2021.
• During the meeting, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to raise $100 billion annually for developing countries from public and private sector sources, to tackle climate change.
• The India-US Economic and Financial Partnership was launched in 2010 as a framework to strengthen the economic bonds and build greater cooperation and economic growth in the future, between the two countries.
• The 8th U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership was organised on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington.

• A K Goel, managing director and chief executive (MD & CEO) of UCO Bank has been elected as the chairman of Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) for 2021-22.
• He has replaced Rajkiran Rai G, MD & CEO, Union Bank of India.
• IBA is a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India and is headquartered in Mumbai.

• Indian wearable brand Fire-Boltt has roped in Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador.
• Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal was the first brand ambassador of Mumbai-based Fire-Boltt.
• Indian wearable brand’s product range includes smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, Bluetooth headphones, true wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars and lifestyle shoes.

• Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has topped the Indian corporates in the World’s Best Employers 2021 rankings published by Forbes.
• Globally, Reliance is placed at 52nd position among 750 global corporates.
• South Korean giant Samsung Electronics has topped the overall ranking as World’s Best Employers 2021, followed by US giants IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet and Dell Technologies.
• The World’s Best Employers 2021 has been prepared by Forbes in partnership with market research company Statista.
• The ranking is based upon surveying 1,50,000 full-time and part-time workers from 58 countries working for multinational companies and institutions, where employees rated their employers on numerous points..
• Parameters used during survey for the ranking includes image, economic footprint, talent development, gender equality and social responsibility.

• Former India captain Rahul Dravid, who has been silently working behind the scenes to build Indian cricket’s supply line, may have finally made up his mind to come to the forefront and become head coach of the India cricket team.
• Dravid has been BCCI’s first choice as head coach for many years. Before Anil Kumble got the job in 2016, and Ravi Shastri came back in 2017, Dravid could have got the job if he wanted. But he politely refused and continued working on the India A and U-19 teams and at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Download Daily GK PDF of 16 October 2021