Daily GK Updates - 17th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. High-level committee constituted to review Defence Procurement Procedure: Union government has constituted a 12-member high-level committee to revise and align the procedure of Defence procurement with the aim of strengthening the 'Make in India' initiative. The panel will be headed by the Director-General (Acquisitions). The panel has been tasked to review the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2006 and the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2009. The committee will revise and align the procedures with the aim of ensuring seamless flow from asset acquisition to life cycle support.

2. “Aadi Mahotsav” begins in Leh-Ladakh: National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” has begun in Leh-Ladakh. The theme of the festival is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”. The 9 day Adi Mahotsav will showcase traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country. Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has jointly organized the festival.

3. Tawlhlohpuan, Mizo Puanchei & Tirur betel vine gets GI tag: Tawlhlohpuan & Mizo Puanchei from Mizoram, and Tirur betel vine from Kerala has received the Geographical Indication tag. GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. The Geographical Indication comes under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.Some features of the products bestowed with the GI tag:

Tawlhlohpuan: It is a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality fabric from Mizoram. It is known for warp yarns, warping, weaving & intricate designs that are made by hand.

Mizo Puanchei: It is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram and is considered as the most colourful among the Mizo textiles.

Tirur betel vine: This product from Kerala is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties. It has many industrial and cultural usages and is considered as a remedy for bad breath and digestive disorders. 

4. Andhra Pradesh Launched ‘Village Volunteer System’: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy has launched the state’s flagship program “Village Volunteers System”. The aim of this program is to provide government services at doorsteps of people. Each volunteer will be paid Rs 5,000 per month and the person has to ensure that benefits reach the people in the 50 households in the village.

5. ICMR launches India Hypertension Control Initiative: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with World Health Organization and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has decided to expand its India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) across the country. This initiative was launched in November 2017, in which more than three lakh patients with high blood pressure enrolled in government health facilities in 25 selected districts in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Maharashtra. It will now be expanded to cover 100 districts across all states. The expansion is expected to accelerate the implementation of quality hypertension treatment for over 15 crore population over the next four years

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India contributes $1 million to UN fund: India has contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System. The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat. The fund was established to receive, consolidate, manage and account for all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way.

2. WTO likely to set up panel to decide on India’s sugar sops: Brazil, Australia and Guatemala have requested the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to set up dispute panels to rule on India’s sugar subsidies the second time round after India rejected the request at the last meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) last month. The request for dispute settlement panels put in by the three countries will be taken up at the DSB meeting. Since the second request made to the DSB cannot be rejected, panels are now likely to be formed at the WTO which will decide whether India’s sugar subsidies are valid or not. According to Australia, the amount of support to sugarcane producers in India exceeds the country’s product-specific de minimis level of 10 per cent for the product

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Ravi Shastri Appointment as India cricket coach for another two year: Former India cricketer and allrounder Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the coach of the Indian cricket team for second successive term. Three-member Cricket Advisory Committee- Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy- made the announcement. Shastri's new tenure has been extended till T20 World Cup, to be held in 2021 in Australia.

2. Indian cyclists win gold at World Junior Track Cycling Championships: Indian cyclists team have won the gold medal in the Team Sprint event at World Junior Track Cycling Championships held in Frankfurt, Germany. Indian team comprised of Esow Alben, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh. This is India's first ever gold medal in a global cycling competition. The Indian team defeated Australia in the final, clocking 44.681 seconds to claim the top honours. Great Britain took home the bronze. The Indian men’s junior team is currently ranked No. 2, behind Malaysia.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. India's foreign exchange reserves at new life-time high of $430.57 bn: As per the latest data of Reserve Bank of India, country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.620 billion to reach all time high at $430.572 billion. Expressed in dollar terms, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation/depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves. The country's gold reserves surged by $1.591 billion to $26.754 billion. Special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund were up by $6.7 million to $1.441 billion.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. President Awards Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman and the Certificate of Honour for 2019: The President Ramnath Kovind awarded the Certificate of Honour to the following scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for the year 2019.

List of winner:

Certificate of Honour
Sanskrit:	(1) ShriSripadaSatyanarayanamurthy; (2) Shri Rajendra Nath Sarma; (3) Prof. Ramji Thakur; (4) Prof. Chand Kiran Saluja;  (5) Dr. Shri Krishan Sharma; (6) Dr. V. Ramakrishna Bhatt; (7) Vidwan Janardana Hegde; ( 8) Dr. Kala Acharya; (9) Prof. (Dr.) Harekrishna Satapathy (10) Pandit Satya Dev Sharma; (11) Shri Banwari Lal Gaur;  (12) Dr. V.S. Karunakaran; (13) Prof. Yugal Kishor Mishra; (14) Pandit Manudev Bhattacharya; (15) Shri Subuddhi Charan Goswami
Pali:	Dr. Uma Shankar Vyas
Prakrit:	Prof. Kamal Chand Sogani
Arabic:	(1) Prof. Faizanullah Farooqi;  (2) Mohammad Iqbal Husain; (3) Dr. Mohd. Samiullah Khan
Persian:	(1) Prof. Dr. Iraq Raza Zaidi; (2) Prof. Chander Shekhar; (3) Mohammad Sidiq Niazmand
Classical Kannada:	Shri Hampa Nagarajaiah
Classical Telugu:	Prof. RavvaSrihari
Classical Malayalam:	Dr.C.P. Achuthan Unny
Classical Odia:	Pandit Dr. Antaryami Mishra
Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman
Sanskrit:	(1) Dr. Ashok Thapliyal;  (2) Prof. SujataTripathi; (3) Dr.Sanju Mishra; (4) Dr. Abhijit Hanmant Joshi; (5) Dr. Shara chchandra Dwivedi
Pali:	Ms. AnomaShriramSakhare
Prakrit:	Shri Ashish Kumar Jain
Arabic:	Dr. Fauzan Ahmad
Persian:	ER.M. ShahbazAlam
Classical Kannada:	(1) Shri G.B. Harisha; (2) Shri S. Karthik; (3) Dr. M. Byrappa
Classical Telugu:	(1) Dr. Addanki Srinivas; (2) Dr. V. Triveni; (3) Dr. D.K. Prabhakar
Classical Malayalam:	(1) Dr. Rajeev R.R.; (2) Shri Santhosh Thottingal

Note: Certificate of Honour: It is awarded to scholars aged 60 years and above. It carries a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000.

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman: It is conferred on persons once a year on the Independence Day (15 August) in recognition of their substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam. The award is given to selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years. The Presidential award carries a certificate of honour, a memento and a one time cash prize of Rs.1 lakh

OBITUARIES

1. Padma Shri awardee Damodar Ganesh Bapat passes away: Damodar Ganesh Bapat from Chhattisgarh, a noted social worker and Padma Shri award winner, passed away. He was known for his social work in tribal areas in Chhattisgarh. He dedicated his life to the treatment and service of leprosy patients. For his service to the society, he was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of India i.e. Padma Shri award in 2018.

2. Renowned Bangladeshi novelist Rizia Rahman passes away: Renowned Bangladeshi novelist and the Ekushey Padak winning author Rizia Rahman (79) passed away in Dhaka. She wrote in all genres of creative work including short stories, poems, essays and children's fiction but she was renowned for her novels. Bong Theke Bangla, Rokter Okshor and Ghar-Bhanga-Ghar are among some of her more well-known novels. She received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1978 and was awarded Ekushey Padak this year.