Daily GK Updates - 5th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Rajnath Singh inaugurates project BOLD-QIT in Dhubri, Assam :   Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) under CIBMS (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management system) on India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri District of Assam. Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for the safeguarding of 4,096 Km long International Border with Bangladesh. In January 2018, Information and Technology Wing of BSFundertook the project BOLD-QIT completed it in record time with thetechnical support of various manufacturers and suppliers.

2. PM Modi launches Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana in Gujarat :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The national pension scheme for workers and labourers of the unorganised sector was announced in the Interim Budget in February this year. Under the scheme, a monthly pension of Rs. 3,000 per month is provided to workers in the unorganised sector over 60 years of age. The scheme will benefit 10 crore workers in the unorganised sector.

3. Coal minister Goyal dedicates 1,000 MW NTPL power project to the nation :  Coal Minister Piyush Goyal dedicated to the nation a 1,000-megawatt (MW) thermal power project of Neyveli Tamil Nadu Power Ltd (NTPL) and a 150-MW solar power projects of NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) in Tamil Nadu. The 1,000-MW coal-fired thermal power project of NTPL is a joint venture between NLCIL and TANGEDCO (equity participation of 89:11). NLC India Ltd has installed 591 MW of solar power and 51 MW of wind power plants in various parts of Tamil Nadu.

4.  IRCTC launches Its Own Digital Payment Gateway ‘IRCTC iPay’ : Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its own digital payment aggregator called ‘IRCTC iPay’.IRCTC iPay will provide payment options like credit card, debit card, unified payment interface and international card. This will help reduce the gap between IRCTC and banks which will eventually lead to a substantial reduction in payment failures. The back-end support will be provided by Delhi based MMAD communications (IRCTC’s technology partner).

5. Haryana Govt. announces Mukhyamantri Parivar Samman Nidhi Scheme : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched ‘Mukhyamantri Parivar Samman Nidhi’ scheme in Chandigarh. Farmers of the state who cultivate on land with areas up to 5 acres and the families with an income of less than Rs. 15,000 per month. The scheme would provide a sum of Rs. 6,000 yearly, each family must nominate a member who will be provided with this amount. The scheme involves two categories of beneficiaries-in the age group of (18 to 40 years) and (40 to 60 years).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to embark on a two-nation tour :  Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu embarked on a two-nation tour to Paraguay and Costa Rica. The Vice President will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including KJ Alphons(Minister of State for Tourism), Members of Parliament and senior government officials This is the first high-level visit from India to two Latin American countries. Mr. Naidu will address the India-Paraguay business forum and interact with the Indian diaspora in Paraguay.

2. Pranay Kumar Verma appointed as India’s ambassador to Vietnam : Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed Pranay Kumar Verma (Indian Foreign Services Officer-1994 cadre) as India’s Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Currently, Mr. Verma working as the Joint Secretary at Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

3. Russia suspends participation in Intermediate-Range Nuclear treaty with US : Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially suspended the country's participation in a key Cold War-era nuclear arms-control treaty with the United States. Mr. Putin signed a decree regarding the suspension of Russia's participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, INF treaty between the USSR and the US in 1987. The move was taken following a violation of the United States of its obligations under the treaty. Earlier, Both Countries have accused one another of breaching the INF treaty.

4. DRDO Chairman wins Missile Systems Award :  DRDO Chairman ‘Satheesh Reddy’ has been chosen by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as the co-winner of the 2019 Missile Systems Award. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has chosen ‘Satheesh Reddy’ (DRDO Chairman and Secretary of India’s Department of Defence R&D) as the co-winner of the 2019 Missile Systems Award. The other co-winner is Rondell J. Wilson who is a former Principal Engineering Fellow of Raytheon Missile Systems.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  Indian Bank receives Best Bank Award from TN govt : Tamil Nadu government bestowed the Best Bank Award to the Indian Bank The award was based on the criteria that the bank met the needs of women’s self-help groups (SHGs).Chief Minister of the state K Palaniswami handed over the award to the executive director of the bank M K Bhattacharya in a function held in Salem.

OBITUARIES:

1. American actor Luke Perry passes away in California : American actor Luke Perry (52-years) passed away in California, U.S. He became a teen idol for playing Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. From 2017 until his death, Perry starred as Frederick "Fred" Andrews, Archie's father, on the CW series Riverdale.