Daily GK Updates - 9th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 5595 electric buses sanctioned under FAME scheme: The Department of Heavy Industry has sanctioned 5,595 electric buses under the phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) India scheme.  The buses are sanctioned to 64 cities in 22 states and union territories for intracity and intercity operations in order to push for clean mobility in public transportation. The buses are expected to run about 4 billion km during their contract period and are expected to save cumulatively about 1.2 billion liters of fuel over the contract period, which will result into avoidance of 2.6 million tonne of CO2 emission.

2. HRD Ministry launches ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ Drive: Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive to create awareness about Water Conservation among all school Children in the country. Inspired by Prime Minister’s impetus to Jal Sanchay, Government of India has launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA). This concept of water conservation is essential for students so that they can understand the importance of water and how it is shaping their lives meaningfully, thereby enabling them to participate in water conservation activities in their day to day lives. This drive has been launched by the Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD to promote water conservation activities for School Students, so that they can become competent, conscientious and committed water citizens of our nation.

Note: Union HRD Minister:  Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

3. President signs National Medical Commission Bill into a law: President Ram Nath Kovind has signed National Medical Commission Bill which was passed by both houses of Parliament. The NMC bill aims at mega reforms in the medical education sector and will replace the nearly 63-year-old Indian Medical Council Act. The bill will ensure probity, quality education and bring down costs of medical education. National Medical Commission Bill will also simplify procedures and provides wider access to people for quality healthcare. The NMC will have eminent medical personalities as members who will be appointed for only one term of four years and will not be eligible for any further extension.

International

4. Manipur tops in Breastfeeding, Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Manipur has topped the ranking in Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in the country. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are at the bottom positions in the report card. National capital Delhi is also among the worst-performing States. The Breastfeeding report card has been developed by devising a composite score based on three indicators namely early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months and complimentary feeding at 6-8 months of child's age.

5. Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Punjab sets record: The Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib town is all set to find a place in the Asia Book of Records for becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent in a single day. The museum had witnessed a record footfall of 20,569 visitors on a single day on March 20, becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent in a single day.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India & Bangladesh to set up committee for optimum use of water resources: India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up a Joint Technical committee for optimum use of Ganges water. The river Ganga's water is being received by Bangladesh under the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty 1996. Both the countries have also agreed to prepare a framework for interim water-sharing agreement for 8 rivers including Feni, Gumti and Teesta.

Note: Capital of Bangladesh: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

2. Rohingya refugees get identity cards in Bangladesh: 5 lakh Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh have been issued identity documents by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR’s Bio-metric Identity Management System (BIMS) fraud-proof cards are being issued jointly by Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR to all verified refugees over the age of 12. These cards will help in establishing and safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar. UNHCR’s (BIMS) captures bio-metric data, including fingerprints and iris scans, which secure each refugee’s unique identity as well as other important information such as family links.

Note: UNHCR Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; UNHCR Head: Filippo Grandi.

3. Iran unveils three new precision-guided missiles: Iran unveiled 3 precision-guided missiles. The new line-up of air-to-air missiles named the "Yasin", "Balaban" and a new series of the "Ghaem" were developed jointly by the ministry and Sa Iran, also known as Iran Electronics Industries.

Note: Iran President: Hassan Rouhani; Capital: Tehran; Currency: Rial.

4. ADB to provide $200 million for rural road project in Maharashtra: Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 200 million loan for improving road infrastructure in 34 districts of Maharashtra. The aim of the project is to connect rural areas with markets and services. Roads in rural areas would be upgraded to all weather standards which will boost links between local residents and economic centres across the state.

Note: President of ADB: Takehiko Nakao; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.

5. SpaceX launched AMOS-17 communication satellite by Falcon 9: American carrier rocket Falcon 9 lifts off successfully the Israeli AMOS-17 communication satellite into the orbit. The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Amos-17 is set to replace Amos-5 satellite launched in 2011. Communication with Amos-5 was lost in 2015. Amos-17, built by Boeing, will provide Ka, Ku and C-band signal transmission and expand Israeli communications satellite operator Spacecom’s coverage in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Note: Founder of SpaceX: Elon Musk; Established in: 6 May 2002.

6. UNIDO and National Institute of Solar Energy to partner for skill development program: National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has signed an agreement to initiate a skill development programme for different levels of beneficiaries in the solar thermal energy sector. Under the agreement NISE and UNIDO will engage national and international experts to bring the best practices by developing specialized training material. The agreement is part of the ongoing MNRE-GEF-UNIDO project implemented jointly by UNIDO and to support capacity building and skill development of technical manpower in the Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy Technologies (CST).

7. International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples: 9 August: United Nations observes 9th August every year as International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups. This year’s observance is dedicated to Indigenous Peoples’ Languages in view of 2019 being marked as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Theme for year 2019: Indigenous Languages.

Note: On December 23, 1994, The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 9th August as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples through its resolution 49/214.

8. Nagasaki Day: 9th August: Japan commemorates the 9th August every year as the Nagasaki day. On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. It was code named "Fat Man" due to the design of the bomb as it had a wide, round shape. This happened 3 days after dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. An area of about 5 square miles was completely obliterated and around 65,000 people were killed in the bombing. Nagasaki and Hiroshima continue to feel the impact of the destructive bombing even today.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Hashim Amla retires from international cricket:  South African batsman Hashim Amla has retired from all formats of international cricket. Amla played 124 Tests, 181 ODIs and 44 T20Is between his 15-year-long cricketing career. Scoring more than 18,000 runs, including 55 centuries and 88 other scores in excess of 50. Amla is the second South African cricketer to end his international career this week after fast bowler Dale Steyn.

2. World Archery suspends AAI for defying guidelines: The World Archery (WA) suspended the Archery Association of India (AAI) for defying its guidelines by electing two parallel bodies. The decision is effective from 12th August and the last event in which the archers can participate under the Indian flag is the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid from 19th to 25th of this month. Olympic quota places will be up for grabs at the Asian Championships and Asian Para Championships, to be held in Bangkok in November. India so far have three men's places secured for the next Olympics but has yet to win a women's spot.

3. Former NZ captain Brendon McCullum retires from all forms of Cricket: Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum announced his retirement from all forms of competitive cricket after the conclusion of the ongoing Global T20 Canada. McCullum, who is playing for Toronto Nationals, had retired from all forms of international cricket in 2016 but continued to ply his trade in various T20 leagues across the globe. The 37-year-old former Black Caps skipper has played 101 Tests in which he scored 6453 runs with 12 hundred and highest score of 302.

In 260 ODIs, he scored 6083 runs with five hundreds while 71 T20 Internationals fetched him 2140 runs.

4. Cricket Australia unveils new transgender inclusive policy: The Cricket Australia has announced new transgender inclusive policy. This policy will enable transgender players to play the game of cricket at the highest levels.  The decision aligns in accordance with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) gender recognition policy and gender diversity guidelines. The policy sets out a testosterone limit for transgender and gender-diverse players who want to play for state and national women’s teams.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. CAIT launches initiative to accelerate use of digital payments among merchants: Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has launched an initiative -- Digi Vyapari-Safal Vyapari. This is to accelerate acceptance of digital payments among merchants across the country. For this the CAIT has partnered with HDFC Bank, Mastercard, Common Service Centres (CSCs) of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) and Global Linkers.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. 66th National Film Awards: The 66th National Film awards have been announced by Rahul Rawail, head of the Jury for feature films. The Jury unanimously conferred the award for the Most Film Friendly State to "Uttarakhand" for furthering the growth of the film industry in the state including creating an environment for ease of filming in the state.

The list of Award winners under the different categories is mentioned as under:

Sr. No.	Category	Winner
1	Best Feature Film	Hellaro (Gujarati Film )
2	Best non feature film	Son Rise by Vibha Bakshi and The Secret Life of Frogs by Ajay and Vijay Bedi
3	Best Director	Adhitya Dhar for Uri : The Surgical Strike
4	Best Actor	Ayushmann Khuranna for Andhadhun and Vicky Kaushal for Uri : The Surgical Strike
5	Best Actress	Keerthy Suresh for Mahanati
6	Best Supporting Actor	Swanand Kirkire for Chumbhak
7	Best supporting actress	Surekha Sikri for Badhaai Ho
8	Best Popular Film	Badhaai Ho
9	Best film on Social Issues	Padman

2. BAFTA LA to honour Steve Coogan with Charlie Chaplin Award: Actor Steve Coogan will be felicitated with the Charlie Chaplin Award by the British Academy's Los Angeles branch. He will receive the honour during the 2019 Britannia Awards. The Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy recognises the talents whose popularity and cultural impact exemplifies the uniquely transcendent quality of excellent comedy.

3. 4th edition of National Entrepreneurship Awards, 2019: The 4th edition of the National Entrepreneurship Awards, instituted in a bid to recognize and encourage outstanding Indian Entrepreneurs and catalyse a cultural shift in youth for entrepreneurship by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The National Entrepreneurship Awards (NEA)2019 aim to honour outstanding young 1st generation entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders for their exceptional contribution in entrepreneurship development.

Note: Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship: Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey.

4.  NITI Aayog to launch the 4th Edition of WTI Awards: The NITI Aayog will launch the 4th Edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards. The WTI Awards is being organized in collaboration with the United Nations to recognize women entrepreneurs from across India. This year’s theme is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’, in continuation of the theme for WTI Awards 2018. WhatsApp has collaborated with NITI Aayog for WTI Awards 2019 and will be providing support amounting to US$100,000 to the award winners. The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is a Government of India initiative by NITI Aayog to promote and support aspiring as well as established women entrepreneurs in India, assist and handhold them in their journey from starting to scaling up and expanding their ventures.

Note: CEO NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant; Vice Chairman: Rajiv Kumar.