Daily GK Updates - 30th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt to launch 2nd oil, gas field auction : The government plans to launch the auction of 60 oil and gas fields being offered in the second round of bidding for Discovered Small Field on August 9, 2018.The fields are being offered in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kutch & Cambay shallow waters, Mumbai offshore, Assam and Tripura, Mahanadi shallow water, Andhra Pradesh and KG offshore.The fields hold an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of oil.

2. Final draft of NRC released in Assam : The second and final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on July 30, 2018 with over 2.89 crore names out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam.Assam is the first Indian state where the NRC is being updated after 1951, with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date, to include names of genuine Indian citizens.The groundwork for this exercise began in December 2013.

3. Doctors identify rare bloodgroup ‘P null’ : A team of doctors from the Blood Bank of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), has identified a rare blood group called “pp” or “P null” phenotype.A blood type is considered rare if fewer than one in 1,000 people have it.A person is said to have rare blood group when he lacks the high frequency antigen or multiple common antigens.

4. Meghalaya launches milk mission, bull fair : The Meghalaya government launched ‘Meghalaya Milk Mission’ and First Meghalaya Bull Fair on 28th July, 2018.The Mission aims to plug the demand and supply gap in the availability of per capita milk, to generate alternate livelihoods for the rural people through the dairy sector and to create and revive dairy co-operatives.The Mission will benefit 2,000 farmers in the next 4 years.

5. Govt. plans ‘ISRO-like’ ocean mission : The Centre has drawn up a 5-year, Rs. 8,000 crore plan to explore the deep recesses of the ocean.The Union Earth Sciences Ministry unveiled a blueprint of the ‘Deep Ocean Mission’.India has been allotted a site of 1,50,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Day against Trafficking in Persons : World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed on July 30 every year.The aim is to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”For 2018, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has chosen “responding to the trafficking of children and young people” as the focus of the World Day.

2. NASA begins new planet hunting probe : NASA’s latest planet hunting probe – the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – has started its search for new worlds around nearby stars.TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August 2018.TESS is NASA’s latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

3. Neeraj Chopra won gold in Javelin : Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a gold in the Savo Games in Finland, beating his Chinese Taipei rival Chao-Tsun Cheng.Neeraj threw 85.69m in the event held at Lapinlahti, Finland, where he is undergoing training as part of preparations for the Asian Games.Cheng managed 82.52m to take the second place.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. MG Motor partners IIT-Delhi for child safety : MG Motor India announced a partnership with IIT-Delhi for developing technologies and applications to boost in-car child safety.Under the partnership, a team IIT-D is working on a project to develop an application for geofencing for child safety through ECU control.MG Motor India is slated to launch its first vehicle in the country in the second quarter of 2019.

BANKING/FIANANCE:

1. HDFC awarded best performing bank : HDFC has been awarded the best performing primary lending institution in credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and LIG (Low Income Group) category.The award was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.CLSS was introduced in June 2015 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for home loans to customers from the EWS as well as LIG and MIG (Middle income group).

2. HSBC appoints Surendra Rosha as India CEO : The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation announced the appointment of Surendra Rosha as Chief Executive Officer for HSBC India.Rosha is currently HSBC’s Head of Financial Institutions Group (FIG) for Asia-Pacific.Rosha joined HSBC’s Indian operations in 1991.He has worked in multiple roles in forex trading, corporate treasury sales, treasury and capital markets.

  

DEFENCE:

1. India plans to buy missile shield from U.S. : India is in talks with the U.S. to procure an advanced air defence system to defend the National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks.The process for procuring the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II), estimated at $1 billion, has been initiated.The NASAMS was developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and Aerospace of Norway.

2. International Army Games 2018 declared open : The International Army Games 2018 at Patriot Park in Moscow region has been declared open by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.The games are being held at 24 training grounds in 7 countries namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China and Russia. Indian teams are taking part in two major competitions – Tank Biathlon event and Elbrus Ring competition.

SPORTS:

1. Bajrang Punia, Pinki win gold in wrestling : In Wrestling, Bajrang Punia has won his second consecutive international gold while Sandeep Tomar won silver medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul, Turkey.Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event.In the women’s competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category.