Daily GK Updates - 22nd August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. HRD Ministry launches NISHTHA: The Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched the training programme National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancements (NISHTHA). NISHTHA is the world’s biggest such project and will focus on training 42 lakh teachers from across the country. The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students. . This is the largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world.

2. Super 50 programme launched in Maharashtra: Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic programme "Super 50". The programme has been launched for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers. The Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and medical exams. It will be a two-year residential programme, where the students will be provided hostel and mess facilities, a tablet, NCERT books and career counselling.

Note: CM of Maharashtra : Devendra Fadnavis; Governor: CH Vidyasagar Rao.

3. Power Minister launches State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index: Power Minister R K Singh launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index- SARAL in New Delhi. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy survey, Karnataka has emerged as the best state for setting up a rooftop solar project according to the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL. Four states (Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh) have been graded A++. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked last.

Note: The state rooftop solar attractiveness index (SARAL) released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This rating has been designed collaboratively by MNRE, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY). The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022.

4. Culture Minister to launch book ' The Diary of Manu Gandhi': Culture Minister will launch the book ”The Diary of Manu Gandhi" at a function in New Delhi. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in collaboration with Oxford University Press. The first volume covers the period 1943-1944. The Diary of Manu Gandhi originally in Gujarati has been edited and translated by Dr Tridip Suhrud. Manu Gandhi (Mridula) was a grand niece of Mahatma Gandhi, and stayed with Gandhiji till his assassination.

Note: Union Culture Minister of India: Prahlad Singh Patel.

5. Senior IAS officer Rajiv Gauba appointed as new Cabinet Secretary: Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Rajiv Gauba (1982 batch- Jharkhand cadre) has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary for two years (from the end of August 2019). Mr. Gauba will replace P.K. Sinha (1977 batch -UP cadre), who was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2015. Currently, Mr Gauba is serving as Home Secretary of India. Senior IAS officer Another Brij Kumar Agarwal (1985 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre) has been appointed Secretary, Lokpal.

Note: The Cabinet secretary is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board, the cabinet secretariat, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and all civil services under the rules of business of the government. The Cabinet Secretary is under the direct charge of the Prime minister.

6. Ajay Kumar appointed as Defence Secretary: IAS officer Ajay Kumar (1985 batch-Kerala cadre), has been appointed as Defence Secretary. Ajay Kumar is currently serving as Secretary in Department of Defence Production. He will replace Sanjay Mitra, upon completion of his term. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 9th Session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee: The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in New Delhi. The Joint Trade Committee reviewed the progress in cooperation in the power sector, renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, civil aviation and agricultural research. The next session of the Joint Trade Committee meeting in Nairobi. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways. The Kenyan delegation was led by Peter Munya, Minister of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives.

2. Nepal bans single-use plastics on Everest region: Nepalese authorities have banned single-use plastics in the Everest region in a bid to cut down on waste left by climbers (by 2020). It will curb excessive pollution on the highest point of the Earth’s surface. Earlier, International environmentalists have expressed their concern that Nepal has not done enough to protect the fragile environment of the world’s highest peak. Nepal is also marking the “Visit Nepal” campaign next year which aims to draw 2 million foreign visitors. Local households residing in the Khumbu region will be provided with five plastic bags of different types and sizes which they can use for daily activities.

3. Cerebras Systems reveals "world's largest computer chip": Artificial intelligence (AI) company Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s largest single silicon-based processor named Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine(WSE). This chip has 1.2 trillion transistors, the basic on-off electronic switches that are the building blocks of silicon chips. The rectangular shape chip measures 21.5cm sq (8.5in sq), comes with 400,000 AI (Artificial Intelligence) cores and 18 gigabytes of on-chip memory.

Note: CEO and Co-Founder of Cerebras Systems: Andrew Feldman; Established: 2016; Headquarters: California, USA.

4. International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief: 22 August: United Nations’ International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief is being observed every year on 22nd August. The day is observed to strongly condemn continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities, on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.

Note: International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. "Op-Blue Freedom" flag off in Delhi: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off Op-Blue Freedom in Delhi. This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence. Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able-bodied. It comes under the parent project "Special Forces Adventures". The program aims to train adventure enthusiasts in Special Forces skills like survival techniques, emergency first response skills, unarmed combat, endurance and fitness.

2. Paytm retains title sponsorship of Indian cricket for 5 years: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced that mobile payments and e-commerce company "Paytm" has retained the title sponsorship rights. Paytm has retained the title sponsorship rights for all cricket matches, domestic and international, played in India for 5 years. Paytm has signed the deal for ₹326.80 crores which it will pay BCCI over a period ranging between 2019 and 2023.

Note: Paytm Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma; Parent Organization: One97 Communications.

3. Gold medal for India in World Police and Fire Games: B.N.S. Reddy beats Bruce Barrios of the U.S. in the men’s singles final to win the gold medal at the World Police and Fire Games. The tournament was held in Chengdu, China. In the doubles event, Reddy and Surinder Mohan Sharma lost to the pair of Sabandon Eduardo (Phi) and Helminen Risto (Fin) in the finals and bags the silver medal. B.N.S. Reddy is a former Additional Commissioner of Police and a current member of the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

4. Indian men's and women's hockey teams win Olympic Test event at Tokyo: Indian Women's and Men's hockey teams have won the Olympic Test event in Tokyo. Women's team defeated Japan 2-1 in the finals. Navjot Kaur hit a goal at the 11th minute while Lalremsiami struck winning goal at 33rd minute of the game for India. Indian men's hockey team also won the Olympic Test event beating New Zealand 5-0. Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Gursahibjit Singh and Mandeep Singh scored one goal each for India.

Note: The 2019 Ready Steady Tokyo Hockey Tournament was field hockey tournament, consisting of a series of test matches held in Tokyo, Japan. The tournament served as a test event for the field hockey tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The tournament featured four of the top nations in men's field hockey.

BANKING & FINANCE

1. RBI allows recurring transactions up to Rs 2,000 on cards: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will allow customers to make recurring payments of less than Rs.2000 crores without the two factors authentication process by giving an e-mandate from September. According to RBI Circular, it has been decided to permit processing of e-mandate on cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments). The move has been made to make digital payments to the merchant, typically at Kirana and grocery stores where ticket sizes are small, more convenient. As per the RBI circular, no charges should be levied or recovered from the card holder for availing the e-mandate facility on cards for recurring transactions. The direction is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards- debit, credit and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including wallets.

2. Board of trustee okays EPFO exit from DHFL: The central board of trustees has allowed the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to exercise an exit option for recovering the pending Rs 600 crore from Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL). The proposal to double the minimum pension to Rs 2,000 has been put on hold, with labour minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar suggesting the issue be taken up with the finance ministry. The board also approved the appointment of three fund managersto manage its corpus. The central board of trustees also approved the appointment of UTI AMC and SBI Mutual Fund as its fund managers for a three-year term beginning 1st October 2019.

3. BookMyForex partners with YES Bank to launch Forex Card on Visa network: BookMyForex.com has announced the launch of a co-branded Multi-Currency Forex Travel-card in partnership with YES Bank and Visa to offer a seamless experience to Indian overseas travellers. Travellers can load up to 10 currencies on the card. Customers can buy forex travel cards using the BookMyForex platform and get free doorstep delivery across major cities in India.

Note: BookMyForex is the world’s first and largest marketplace for foreign exchange and remittances.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Amazon opens its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad: US-based e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. inaugurated its single-largest campus in the world in Hyderabad. The new campus is spread over 9.5 acres and is its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees. The e-commerce firm will house more than 15,000 employees out of the over 62,000 members of the India team.

Note: CEO of Amazon: Jeff Bezos; Headquarters: Seattle, United States.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal 2019’:  JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal - 2019’. This award is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government. Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language and literature for outstanding contribution to Russian studies abroad.