Daily GK Updates - 6th February, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UP Govt. forms SIT on Sikh riots of Kanpur in 1984 : Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances that led to riots in Kanpur in 1984, following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.The four-member SIT will be headed by retired UP Director General of Police, Atul, submit its report in 6 months.In August 2017, the apex court had issued a notice to the state government on a petition seeking a SIT probe of the riots.At least 125 people were killed in 1984 riots in Kanpur after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

2. Indus River dolphin declared as state aquatic animal of Punjab : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has declared the endangered Indus River dolphin as the state aquatic animal.Dolphin mostly found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan between Chashma and Kotri barrages in the Indus River.As per the WWF report, the number of dolphins presently is 1816.Punjab has Black Buck as its state animal and Baaj as the official state bird.

3. President Kovind to confer Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards :  President Ram Nath Kovind has given the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Forty-two artists from the fields of Music, Dance and Theatre has been awarded. In the field of Music, eleven eminent artists have been selected, while nine artists each from Dance and Theatre have been chosen for the award. Ten artists will be awarded in the category of Traditional, Folk and Tribal Music. 

4. Shehri Samridhi Utsav launched across the Country : Shehri Samriddhi Utsav has begun with a series of rallies led by women’s’ Self-Help Group (SHGs), across the length and breadth of the country.These rallies spread awareness about DAY-NULM in urban poor communities.Job Melas and fairs to market the products made by women microentrepreneurs were also organized by many states and will continue over the next two weeks.

5. Kerala becomes 1st state to set up price monitoring and research unit : Kerala has become the first Indian State to set up a Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).The move comes more than five years after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) proposed such a system for the States and the Union Territories.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 6th February: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation : International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a United Nations-sponsored annual awareness day that takes place on 6th February as part of the UN's efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation.Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.It is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

2. UAE to build church, mosque named after Saint Francis and Grand Imam : UAE leaders have announced to the construction of the ‘Church of Saint Francis’ and ‘Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmad AI- Tayyeb’ in Abu Dhabi in honour of the two religious’ leaders. They will serve as beacons to uphold the values of tolerance, moral integrity and human fraternity in the UAE. UAE had also granted 55000 squares meters of land for the construction of a Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi.

3. Dinesh Bhatia appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Argentina : The Union government has appointed Dinesh Bhatia as the next Ambassador of India to Argentina.Currently, He is the Consulate General of India at Toronto.India’s envoy to Argentina Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia.

OTHER UPDATES:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1.  ISRO launches GSAT31 from French Guiana : India’s communication satellite GSAT-31 has been launched successfully from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana (at Indian time- 2:31 am). The Ariane-5 (VA 247) rocket placed it in the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit in 42-minutes. It was immediately taken control by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientists from its Hassan facility in Karnataka. GSAT-31 (India’s 40th communication satellite) will provide transponder capacity for DTH television and connectivity to services like VSATs for ATMs, stock-exchanges, Digital Sign.