Daily GK Updates - 18th May, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GSI Report: Arunachal Has Highest 35% of India’s Graphite Deposits: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) in its report revealed that about 35 % of India’s total Graphite reserves are found in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the highest found in the country. 

Note: Geological Survey of India (GSI) was founded in 1851 with primary goal of finding coal deposits for the Railways. It is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines and it is headquartered in Kolkata.

2. Kailash Manasarovar Yatra to begin from 8th June: The annual Kailash Manasarovar Yatra (organized by the External Affairs Ministry) will be held from 8th June to 8th of September. There will be 18 batches consisting of 60 Yatris via the Lipulekh route, and 10 batches consisting of 50 Yatris via the Nathu La route which is fully motorable and involves very little trekking. This year 2996 applicants (2256 male & 740 female) had successfully registered online at the website for the Yatra. Vijay Gokhale (Foreign Secretary) conducted the computerized draw for the selection of Yatris who had registered for the Yatra.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 3rd India-Botswana Hold Foreign Office Consultations in Delhi: The third round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Botswana was held in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Joint Secretary, East and Southern Africa in the Ministry of External Affairs Dr. Neena Malhotra. The Botswana side was headed by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation of Botswana Government, Tapiwa Mongwa. Botswana Capital: Gaborone, Currency: Botswana pula.

2. 11th India-Iran Joint Consular Committee Meeting Held in New Delhi: The 11th Joint Consular Committee Meeting between India and Iran took place in New Delhi. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the status of ongoing cooperation in consular and visa related issues and to discuss ways and means to further expand people to people contacts and promote friendly exchanges between India and Iran.

3. Israel proposes India to be the focus country in Jerusalem Film Festival, 2020: Israel proposes India to be the focus country in Jerusalem Film Festival, 2020 at Cannes Film Festival. Indian delegation met Ms Eti Cohen, Director of Film Department and Council, Israel who announced the recommendation. Israel also proposed the idea of making concept-based films in India, with a focus on regional and small budget films. India has been positioned prominently on the Pocket Guide of Marche Du Film, Cannes Film Market, which celebrates Indian cinema as the world’s largest film industry.

4. Madan B Lokur appointed judge of Supreme Court of Fiji: Justice Madan B Lokur (Retired Indian Judge) has been appointed to the Supreme Court of Fiji as a judge of its non-resident panel. He will join the office from August 15, 2019 and has been appointed for a term of 3 years. He was appointed as judge of Supreme Court of India on 4 June 2012. He retired as Supreme Court judge on 31 December 2018, after a term of more than 6 years.

5. International Museum Day: 18 May: International Museum Day is celebrated annually on May 18 to raise awareness about the importance of museums as “means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. International Council of Museums organized the first International Museum Day in 1977. Theme of International Museum Day 2019: “Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition”.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. ICC World Cup 2019: USD 10 million On Offer, Winner to Earn 4 million: Ten million US Dollars or a little more than 70 crore rupees are on offer in the upcoming ICC men's cricket World Cup 2019. The 46-day tournament will be played across 11 venues in the United Kingdom from 30th of May. Besides a trophy, the World Cup winner will earn a cash award of 4 million US dollars (about 28 crore rupees) which is the highest prize money on offer in the history of the tournament. 

2. Cricket World Cup 2019 teams to have dedicated anti-corruption Officer: The International Cricket Council has appointed a dedicated anti-corruption officer attached with all the 10 participating teams to deliver a corruption-free tournament. The officials will be assigned to a team from the warm-up matches to the end of the competition, staying in the same hotel as the players and travelling with them to training and matches. Prior to this, ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit had anti-corruption personnel deployed at each venue.

Note: The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is the 12th edition of the tournament that is scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July 2019.

3. International Army Games to be held in India for the first time in Rajasthan: India will host a part of the International Army Games at Jaisalmer to promote cordial relations with the participating countries (from 24 July to 17 August 2019). The event will witness the participation of the Mechanised Infantry Scout Teams of eight countries including Russia who is the founding member of this format of International Army Games. International Army Games is an international military sports event organised by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation since 2015 and is participated by around 32 countries. The 2019 event will be held in 32 disciplines and hosted by 10 countries including Russia, India, China, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. HDFC Capital launches 'HeART' to mentor real estate technology companies: HDFC Capital Advisors (a subsidiary of HDFC Ltd) has launched a new initiative called 'HDFC Affordable Real Estate and Technology Program (HeART) to mentor, partner and invest in real estate technology companies. The HeART will support businesses which are innovating and building technology solutions to enhance the supply of affordable housing. As part of the HeART initiative, it will provide a platform to real estate technology companies with innovative products aimed at creating efficiencies and lowering costs in each part of the development cycle of a real estate project. This shall be an ongoing initiative that aims to foster collaboration between technology companies and the real estate sector and thereby create value for the entire affordable housing chain.

AWARD AND HONOURS

1. UNDRR Confers Dr P.K. Mishra with Sasakawa Award 2019: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) conferred Sasakawa Award 2019 for Disaster Risk Reduction to Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister of India. The award was announced at the Award Ceremony during the ongoing 6th Session of Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2019 at Geneva.

Note: The United Nations Sasakawa Award is the most prestigious international award in the area of Disaster Risk Management.

2. Anil Kapoor to be felicitated by Council of European Chambers of Commerce: Bollywood Actor Anil Kapoor will be felicitated by the Council of European Chambers of Commerce (CEUCC) in India and European Union delegation as part of the Europe Day celebrations in Mumbai. Europe Day is celebrated every year on 9th May to mark the formation of the European Union (EU).  The actor will be honoured for his decade-long support to promoting the cause of children’s rights and his collaboration with the EU and Plan India in their girls’ rights endeavours.

DEFENCE

1. Indian Navy Successfully Test-Fires MRSAM Missile: The Indian Navy has successfully test-fired a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM), achieving a significant milestone to enhance its anti-air warfare capability. The test-firing of the missile was undertaken on the western seaboard by Indian naval ships Kochi and Chennai.

2. Indian Coast Guard Ship Vigraha Decommissioned: The Indian Coast Guard ship (ICGS) Vigraha was decommissioned at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is a frontline offshore patrol vessel (OPV). It was commissioned into service on April 12, 1990. It has played an instrumental role in protecting the east coast of India for 29 years of service from 1990 to 2019.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Telugu Actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao Passes Away: Veteran Telugu actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao passed away in Hyderabad following a cardiac arrest. He was 74. He was a five-time winner of the prestigious Nandi award in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

2. Former swimming champion M B Balakrishnan passes away: Former Swimming Champion MB Balakrishnan (29-years) passed away in road accident in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She won the 100m and 200m backstroke events at the South Asian Games.