Daily GK Updates - 19th September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoI inaugurates 15 power projects in Jammu & Kashmir: Union Minister of State for Power RK Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has jointly inaugurated 15 power projects. They also laid the foundation stone for 20 other different Centrally-sponsored schemes in Srinagar. Under a scheme, 1 lakh LED (light-emitting diode) street lights will be installed in Srinagar city, saving ₹29 crores annually to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. The government is working to ensure 24 hours electricity supply to all the citizens of the country, including in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh region.

2. International Workshop for National Water Museum: The Jal Shakti Ministry is planning to develop a National Water Museum to increase awareness among people on the conservation of the natural resource. The Jal Shakti Ministry is also organising an International Workshop which will be attended by experts from India and abroad. The outcome of the workshop will be a blueprint for establishing the proposed National Water Museum under the aegis of Jal Shakti Ministry. During the workshop, possible broad composition, the content of the museum including highlighting importance of water and its current state in different regions of the country, possible solutions, traditional and modern water management practices and localised success stories are proposed to be discussed.

Note: Union Minister of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

3. Home Minister Chair the meeting of Northern Zonal Council in Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 29th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council. The grouping comprises states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan besides union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is the vice-chairman and host of the meeting. The zonal councils discuss a broad range of issues, including boundary disputes, security, infrastructure-related matters such as roads, transport, industries, water and power besides matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport. Five zonal councils were set up in 1957 under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The Union home minister is the chairman of each of these five councils.

4. Delhi Police’s launches Tatpar app for citizen-centric services: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal launched ‘Tatpar’ app, developed by the Delhi Police, which is a one-stop destination for access to over 50 citizen-centric services. The app amalgamates all the websites and mobile applications of Delhi Police, and over 50 services which can now be accessed with a single touch in the app. Through the app, citizens can navigate to their nearest police station, traffic pit and prepaid taxi booth. On a single touch, the user will be provided with the directions as well as the complete contact details of the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) of a police station.

Note: Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal

5. India Post expands speed post service to 6 new foreign countries: India Post expanded speed post service to six new foreign destinations in Asia, Europe and South America. The Department of Posts has announced commencing of International Speed Post (EMS) Service to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and North Macedonia. EMS or Express Mail Service is a premium service that enables its users to send documents and merchandise faster and with the added facility of being able to track the movement of the item on the internet. This facility is expected to augment people to people contact with these countries and foster trade as EMS is a popular channel for small and medium enterprises. The EMS service to these countries will henceforth be available at major Post offices across India.

Note: Secretary, Department of Posts & Chairperson, Postal Services Board: Ananta Narayan Nanda; Headquarters: New Delhi; Founded: 1 April 1854; Director-General: Meera Handa.

6. GoI Appoints Four Supreme Court Judges: The Centre has cleared four names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for elevation as judges of the apex court. The four appointed judges are:

Himachal Pradesh High Court: Chief Justice V. Ramasubramanian

Punjab and Haryana High Court: Chief Justice Krishna Murari

Rajasthan High Court: Chief Justice S. Ravindra Bhat

Kerala High Court: Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy

7. Union Minister Gehlot launches MIS portal under Accessible India Campaign: The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (under Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment) has developed a Management Information (MIS) for stakeholders of Accessible India campaign. Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot launched the MIS portal in New Delhi. The MIS portal will bring all the nodal ministries and States and Union Territories on a single platform for monitoring the progress being made against each target of Accessible India Campaign. The portal will be useful in maintaining all the function on a digital platform and capture data on a real-time basis.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Donald Trump appoints Robert O’Brien as new US National Security Adviser: US President Donald Trump has appointed Robert O’Brien as the National Security Adviser (NSA) of the United States of America. Robert O’Brien will be replacing John Bolton who was fired by President Trump last week. Currently, Robert C O’Brien serving as the special presidential envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department. NSA serves as the chief in-house advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues.

Note: National Security Advisor (NSA) is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based at the West Wing of the White House. The National Security Advisor is appointed by the President and does not require confirmation by the Senate.

2. Indian diaspora largest in the world at 17.5 million: UN Report: The International Migrant Stock 2019 was released by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The report provides the latest estimates of the number of international migrants by age, sex and origin for all countries and areas of the world. As per the report, India was the leading country of origin of international migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million strong diaspora. Migrants from Mexico constituted the second largest diaspora (11.8 million), followed by China (10.7 million). Europe hosted the largest number of international migrants (82 million), followed by Northern America (59 million) and Northern Africa and Western Asia (49 million). India hosted 5.1 million international migrants in 2019. In India, the highest number of international migrants came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

Note: UN Under Secretary General for Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Liu Zhenmin.

3. Mongolian Prez arriving in New Delhi on a five-day state visit: President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga has arrived in New Delhi on a five-day state visit. Mr. Battulga has been accompanied by a high-level official and business delegation. The visiting dignitary will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will also review ongoing cooperation in fields of infrastructure, energy, disaster management, defence, security, culture and capacity building. Mr Battulga will also participate in an India-Mongolia Business Forum in New Delhi. During his stay, the Mongolian President will visit Agra, Bodh Gaya and Bengaluru.

Note: Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Anurag Thakur announces cricket and sports academy for Leh: Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur announced that a cricket and sports academy will be set up in Leh, Ladakh. This cricket and sports academy will ensure that talented athletes of the region get the required training to excel.

2. Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian wrestler to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics: India's star wrestler Vinesh Phogat qualified for the 2020 Olympics after beating fancied American Sarah Hildebrandt in the World Championships in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. She scored an impressive 8-2 win over the world championship silver medalist to secure her place at the Tokyo Games. Vinesh will wrestle in the bronze-medal bout against Maria Prevolaraki of Germany. Earlier, she had stormed to a 5-0 win over Ukraine's Yuliya Khalvadzhy in the first round of repechage in the 53kg category to remain in contention for an Olympic quota and a bronze medal.

3. Bing Dwen Dwen & Shuey Rhon Rhon revealed as 2022 Beijing mascots: A smiling panda (Bing Dwen Dwen) and walking Chinese lantern (Shuey Rhon Rhon) were revealed as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. The mascots were revealed at a ceremony at the Shougang Ice Hockey Arena in Beijing, China. In Mandarin, “bing” means ice and “dwen dwen” means robust and lively. The panda is wearing a suit which resembles ice. The black and white bear has a “heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports. The newly launched Olympic mascot resembles an astronaut, embracing new technologies for a future with infinite possibilities.

Note: The 2022 Winter Olympics is an international winter multi-sport event that is scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February 2022, in Beijing China.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Airtel Payments Bank launches ‘Bharosa’ savings account: Airtel Payments Bank has launched ‘Bharosa’ savings account services, designed for deepening the financial inclusion in the country. Bharosa savings account would offer Rs 5 lakh personal accident insurance on maintaining the balance of Rs 500 along with one debit transaction per month. Customers would also be eligible for cashback, if they decided to receive government subsidies in their Bharosa account or if they made cash deposits in it. Bharosa savings account customers can also withdraw cash, check their balance or access a mini statement of their account at over 6,50,000 AePS (Aadhaar-enabled payment system) enabled outlets across India

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Anand Kumar felicitated with Education Excellence Award 2019: Super 30 founder and noted mathematician Anand Kumar has been felicitated in the US with a prestigious Education Excellence Award 2019. The Foundation For Excellence (FFE) awarded him on the occasion of the organisation’s 25th anniversary. Anand has been running a highly innovative Super 30 programme for the last 18 years. He mentors 30 students free off cost through a year-long residential coaching for India’s premiere IIT-JEE.

2. Jagdeep Jaffery received IIFA Lifetime Achievement award 2019: Veteran actor Jagdeep (80-years) has been given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement honour at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards-2019 (20th edition) ceremony in Mumbai for his contribution in the field of cinema. Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri (known as Jagdeep) is an Indian film actor and comedian who has appeared in more than 400 films. He played Soorma Bhopali in Sholay (1975), Machchar in Purana Mandir (1984), Salman Khan's dad in Andaz Apna Apna (1994) and directed the movie Soorma Bhopali, with his character as the protagonist. Ranveer Singh walked away with the best actor trophy for Padmaavat, Alia Bhatt won the best actress for her role in Raazi.

Note: The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA Awards) are a set of awards presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood.

S. No.	Categories	Names
1.	Best film	Raazi
2.	Best Actor (Male)	Ranveer Singh (Padmaavat)
3.	Best Actor (Female)	Alia Bhatt (Raazi)
4.	Best Director	Sriram Raghavan (Andhadhun)
5.	Best Actor (In Supporting Role: Female)	Aditi Rao Hydari (Padmaavat)
6.	Best Actor (In Supporting Role: Male)	Vicky Kaushal for (Sanju)

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Malayalam Actor Sathar Passes Away: Veteran Kerala actor Sathar passed away. He made his acting debut in 1975 with Malayalam movie Bharyaye Aavashyamundu directed by M. Krishnan Nair & in 1976 with Vincent Master’s directorial Anavaranam. He was acted in more than 300 films, majority of them in Malayalam.