Daily GK Updates - 10th September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 1st Helicopter summit 2019 held in Dehradun: The Ministry of Civil Aviation organised India’s first-ever helicopter summit in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The summit was based on the theme of expanding connectivity through helicopters. 'Helicopter Summit- 2019' was organised jointly by Civil Aviation Ministry, Uttarakhand government and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI). Indian Air Force (IAF) was also invited at the summit to talk on ‘Role of IAF helicopters in MEDEVAC i.e. medical evacuation at National level‘. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that aviation firms offering helicopter services in areas identified under UDAN Yojana (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a Regional Connectivity Scheme will get an additional subsidy from Uttarakhand government in addition to the subsidy given by the Centre.

2. Rajiv Kumar appointed as the new MD of Microsoft India (R&D): Microsoft has appointed Rajiv Kumar as the new managing director of Microsoft India Research and Development Pvt Ltd (MIRPL). He is currently served as a Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft’s Experiences and Devices (E+D) Group. He will replace Anil Bhansali, who held this role for six years.

Note: CEO of Microsoft: Satya Nadella.

3. Justice Vikram Nath appointed as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court: Justice Vikram Nath has been appointed as the chief justice of the Gujarat High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the name of Justice Nath for the top post in the Gujarat High Court. He is at present posted as a judge in the Allahabad High Court.

Note: Chief Justice of India: Ranjan Gogoi

4. H-Energy & KSPL partners for regasification project: Hiranandani Group energy arm H-Energy has signed a port service agreement with Kakinada Seaports Limited. As per the agreement, they will develop a liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification and reloading terminal at Kakinada port. The project will cater to the needs of domestic customers in the state of Andhra Pradesh. KSPL has the concession for Kakinada Deep Water Port from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Note: CEO of H-Energy: Darshan Hiranandani.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 22nd Session of UN Committee on CRPD at Geneva: The 22nd Session of UN Committee on Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held at Geneva. The UN Committee on CRPD took up India’s First Country Report for consideration during the session. India ratified this Convention on 01-10-2007 in pursuance of Article 35 of the Convention. Shakuntala D. Gamlin, Secretary, DEPwD headed the Indian delegation at the session. She highlighted various initiatives taken by the Government in the recent past for inclusion and empowerment of PwDs in line with the obligations under UNCRPD.

2. Hurricane Dorian: India announces USD 1 million disaster relief aid for Bahamas: India announced humanitarian assistance of USD 1 million to help people in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian. According to reports, the death toll from the calamity has risen to over 40 and is likely to increase even more, even as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach out to Bahamian communities isolated by floodwaters and debris in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Note: Note: Capital of Bahamas: Nassau; Currency of Bahamas: Bahamian dollar.

3. PM Modi and Nepalese PM inaugurated Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli have jointly inaugurated Motihari-Amlekhgunj cross border petroleum products pipeline. The 69 km long pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhgunj in Nepal has been constructed by India. This is the first transnational petroleum pipeline form India and first South Asian oil pipeline corridor. The pipeline will ensure smooth, cost-effective and environment-friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal. The pipeline will save billions of rupees every year on transportation, leakage and expected to make a significant contribution to the prosperity of Nepal and its people.

4. World Suicide Prevention Day: 10 September: The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) observes World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) on 10 September every year. The theme of 2019 is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. The number of countries with national suicide prevention strategies has increased in the five years since the publication of WHO’s first global report on suicide.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Kiran Pollard named West Indies's ODI and T20I captain: Kieron Pollard (32 years) has been named as West Indies' new one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) captain. Kieron Pollard is a medium-pace bowler and big-hitting batsman in the middle-order Jason Holder remains the West Indies Test captain. Pollard was part of the West Indies squad that won the 2012 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Pollard was part of the West Indies squad that won the 2012 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IPPB rolls out Aadhaar-enabled payment services: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) rollout of Aadhaar Enabled Payment System Services (AePS). With AePS services, any person with a bank account linked to Aadhaar can perform basic banking services such as cash withdrawals and balance enquiry irrespective of the bank they hold their account with. IPPB has become the single largest platform in the country for providing interoperable banking services to customers of any bank by leveraging the last mile unprecedented reach of the Postal network.

Note: Managing Director & CEO of IPPB: Suresh Sethi;

2. Edelweiss, SBI sign pact for co-origination of loans to MSMEs: ECL Finance Limited (a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial Services Limited) and State Bank of India (SBI) have signed a co-origination agreement to increase access to credit for micro, small and medium enterprises. It plans to provide business loans, machinery loans and SME asset-backed loans ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 50 lakh at a blended rate of interest. This is the third co-origination agreement for Edelweiss, after Bank of Baroda and Central Bank of India.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. Recipients of Visitor's Awards 2019 announced: President’s Secretariat has announced recipients of Visitor’s Awards 2019 for research in various fields. The Awards will be presented for Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences and for Technology Development. This year Visitor's Award for research will be presented to Professor Sibnath Deb, Professor Sanjay Puri, Professor Asad Ullah Khan, Dr Partima and Dr Shaon Ray Chaudhuri. The objective of the Visitor’s award is to promote healthy competition amongst Central Universities as well as motivate them to adopt best global practices in pursuit of excellence. The award will be conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at an event to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Recipients of 2019 Award:

Professor Sibnath Deb will be awarded for his research in the field of child protection, especially his focus on child abuse and neglect, student’s mental health and HIV/AIDS.

Professor Sanjay Puri will be awarded for his research in the field of non-equilibrium statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics.

Professor Asad Ullah Khan will be awarded for identifying Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem in India: mechanism of spread and control of AMR.

Dr Partima will be awarded for her research on nano biosensors and nano-bio interactions especially early-stage cancer diagnosis using nanomaterials bases biosensing platform.

Dr Shaon Ray Chaudhuri will be awarded for Technology Development, for developing microbial biofilm reactor for conversion of dairy wastewater into biofertilizer.

2. Odia Writer Pradeep Dash to receive 40th Sarala Puraskar: Noted Odia writer Pradeep Dash will be conferred with the 40th edition of prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his poetry work Charu Chibar O Charjya. The annual award comprises of a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.

Note: The annual Sarala Puraskar instituted by eminent Odia industrialist Late Bansidhar Panda and Late Ila Panda in 1979, has been continuously awarded by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT).  Sarala Puraskar is recognised as the foremost literary award of Odisha. This award is one of the finest contributions of  Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) to glorify Odia literature.

OBITUARIES

1. Freedom fighter Heeralal Sharma passes away: Rajasthan born freedom fighter of India Heeralal Sharma has passed away at the age of 95. He took an active participated in the freedom struggle and was jailed for two years.