Daily GK Updates - 25th February, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Smriti Irani launches Integrated Large Scale Eri Farming in Arunachal Pradesh under NERTPS : Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has launched the Integrated Large Scale Eri Farming in Arunachal Pradesh under North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) in Itanagar. The Project will cover five districts of the state (Papumpare, East Kameng, Siang, East Siang and West Siang). Around one thousand acres land will be covered for Eri Farming in the chosen districts of the state. The Union Government has decided to provide financial assistance to 4000 (four thousand) beneficiaries under NERTPS.

2. NITI Aayog hosts Conference on The Future of Indian Banking : NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar inaugurated a conference on “The Future of Indian Banking” in New Delhi.The conference was organised with the Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW Foundation). The objective of the conference was to increase and elevate the discourse on the banking sector in India and help develop insights to inform the continued evolution of the Indian banking sector for optimally supporting the growing credit needs of the Indian economy.

3. U’khand CM launches helpline for quick redressal of public complaints : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a helpline at the IT Park in Dehradun for quick redressal of public complaints. People can call on the helpline number 1905 to lodge their complaints. The call centre set up for the purpose will be open from 8 am to 10 pm daily to receive people’s complaints. The performance of the government departments will also be rated through the mechanism which will not only facilitate quicker redressal of public complaints but also introduce a new work culture where officials will work with more accountability.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to attend OIC meet for the first time : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has been invited to deliver an address at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi on the 1st - 2nd March 2019. This is the first time that a leader of the non-Muslim country has been invited to the OIC conference.She will be the Guest of Honour and address the inaugural plenary of the 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC. It is also a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India and of India’s contribution to the Islamic world.

2. Ghani flags off first Afghan cargo to India through Chabahar port : Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani flagged off the first Afghan cargo from western Nimroz province that will be exported to India through Chabahar Port in Iran which was inaugurated in 2017. Addressing the event, Ghani said that the opening of Chabahar route will increase Afghanistan’s export from US $1 billion to US $2 billion in the next year. The Chabahar port which provides an alternative route for trade between India and Afghanistan is located in Southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. World Bank, UN, SIDBI launch Rs 300 crore Women’s Livelihood Bond :  World Bank, UN Women, and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have joined hands to launch a new social impact bonds exclusively for women, called Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs), with an initial corpus of Rs 300 crore.  The proposed bond will enable individual women entrepreneurs in sectors like food processing, agriculture, services and small units to borrow around Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh at an annual interest rate of around 13-14 per cent or less.

SPORTS:

1. Manpreet Singh honoured with AHF's Player of the Year : The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has honoured Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year award. Women team's striker Lalremsiami (18-year-old) has bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat, joint winners with Pakistan. He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda.

2. Apurvi Chandela wins gold in women's 10m air rifle :  Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air rifle event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. This is India's first medal of the ISSF World Cup 2019. She set a new world record by registering a score of 252.9 points in the final. Silver medallist Zhao Ruozhu (China) scored 251.8 points and Xu Hong (China) settled for the bronze medal with 230.4 points.