Daily GK Updates - 21st September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NTPC to build India’s biggest solar park in Gujarat: India’s National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) plans to set up a 5-gigawatt solar park in the western state of Gujarat, which would be the biggest in the country. As the top electricity generator shifts toward cleaner energy, which is expected to cost as much as 250 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) and begin operations by 2024. The plan is part of NTPC’s aim to reduce the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix to 70% from around 96% by 2032.

Note: Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC: Gurdeep Singh; Headquarters of NTPC: New Delhi.

2. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘champions campaign’ against dengue: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “Champions Campaign” to fight dengue and urged citizens to become ‘champions’ and encourage 10 friends to check their homes for mosquito larvae.  Earlier, he had also launched 10Hafte 10Baje 10Minute campaign. He had urged the Delhi residents to give 10 minutes every Sunday to check the surroundings to prevent the breeding of dengue-carrier mosquitoes.

3. Govt allows SAIL to sell 25% of iron ore output: Ministry of Mines has allowed Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to offload in a year up to a quantity equivalent to maximum 25% of total iron ore production in the previous year. It will be subject to clearance from the respective State Governments, where the mines are located, after following due procedure. It is valid for a period of 2 years. Around 7 million tonnes of iron ore, produced at its different mines in the States of Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, can be offloaded by SAIL to the domestic market after getting necessary clearance from the State Governments. This will enable SAIL to not only fulfill its own requirement but also to partially cater to a shortfall in domestic iron ore requirement.

4. A new book titled “Being Gandhi” by Paro Anand to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary: A new book titled “Being Gandhi” written by award-winning author Paro Anand released. It marks the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The book, published by Harper Collins Children’s Books, explores the life events of Gandhiji.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on 7-day visit to the United States: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a 7-day visit to the United States. During his visit, Mr. Modi will be in Houston & New York and address the United Nations General Assembly on 27th of this month. On 22nd September, Prime Minister Modi will address the Indian community at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas at 8.30 pm (India Standard Time) and President Donald Trump will also be there. Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the event “Howdy, Modi!”. "Howdy", short for 'How do you do?' is a friendly greeting commonly used in the south-western US. On 23rd September, PM Modi will participate in a leaders’ dialogue on the issue of terrorism, hosted by the King of Jordan. On 24th September, India will organize an event to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in the UN. PM Modi will be joined by heads of some countries including President of South Korea, Prime Ministers of Singapore, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Jamaica as well as the UN Secretary-General. During the visit, Mr. Modi will also be honoured with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Goalkeeper's Award for his leadership in the field of sanitation through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

2. 16th Session of the Joint Economic Commission between India-BLEU: The 16th Session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was held in New Delhi. The Joint Economic Commission between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (India-BLEU) was established in 1997 and is the main vehicle for discussing bilateral economic and commercial issues. The importance of JEC between India and BLEU was reiterated & both sides negotiate cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, such as, transportation and logistics, renewable energy, aerospace and satellites, audio and visual industry, agro and food processing industry, life sciences, ICT(Information and communications technology), traditional medicine, Ayurveda and yoga, and tourism.

Note: Belgium Capital: Brussels, Currency: Euro.

3. RBS picks the first woman to lead major UK bank: Britain's bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has appointed long-serving banker ‘Alison Rose’ as chief executive, making her the first female boss of a major UK lender. Currently, Rose is deputy head of the group's NatWest Holdings retail business and its commercial and private banking division. She will replace Ross McEwan on 1st November. Alison Rose will become the only woman to have leaded one of Britain's so-called "Big Four" banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS).

Note: The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland was established in 1724 to provide a bank with strong Hanoverian and Whig ties.

4. Algeria to hold Presidential election on 12th December: Algeria will hold the Presidential election on 12th December this year. Abdelkader Bensalah, the interim successor of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned in April following mass protests. Mr Bensalah in a televised address, he has decided that the date of the presidential election. The announcement comes after Army Chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah insisted that polls be held by the end of this year, despite ongoing protests demanding the creation of new institutions ahead of any elections.

Note: Algeria is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory, Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Algeria Capital: Algiers; Currency:  Algerian dinar

5. 38th Sharjah Intl. Book Fair to be organized from 30th Oct to 9th of Nov: The 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will be organized from 30th October to 9th November 2019. The book fair will be held at the ‘Expo Center’ in Sharjah, with the participation of selected writers, novelists and artists from around the world. Authors, publishers, intellectuals and artists worldwide will bring their experiences and expertise to this prominent event and partake in a vibrant cultural programme. UNESCO has named Sharjah as the World Book Capital City for the year 2019 in recognition of the city’s continuous efforts in promoting books and literacy. Aligning itself with the title of the World Book Capital, the SIBF will be organized under the theme 'Open Books, Open Minds'.

6. International Day of Peace: 21 September: The International Day of Peace is observed around the world annually on 21st September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The theme for International Day of Peace 2019 is “Climate Action for Peace”. The theme draws attention to the importance of combatting climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world.

Note: In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had designated 21st September as the International Day of Peace; Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres

7. World Alzheimer’s Day: 21st September: World Alzheimer’s Day is observed every year on 21st September to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. Some of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, problems with language, difficulty performing familiar tasks, changes in personality and difficulty keeping track of things.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. 2020 Women's FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held from Nov 2-21: The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup (7th edition) will be held from 2nd to 21st November 2020 in India. It will mark the first time that India has hosted a FIFA women's football tournament. The tournament is held in even-numbered years, starting in 2008. Spain is the defending champions, having won the title of the biennial tournament in 2018. On 27th August, Kalinga Stadium (in Bhubaneswar, Odisha) got provisional clearance as the first venue for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Navi Mumbai are the five venues that were inspected by the FIFA team for the tournament.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IDBI Bank appoints Samuel Joseph as Deputy Managing Director: IDBI Bank’s Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Samuel Joseph Jebaraj as Deputy Managing Director (DMD) for a period of 3 years. He currently serves as Chief General Manager of the Loan Administration and Human Resources Management Groups of the Bank. The decision has been taken as per the approval received by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This is the first major appointment on the Bank’s Board, in which LIC acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in January 2019.

Note: Chairman of IDBI: M R Kumar; Headquarters of IDBI: Mumbai; Tagline: Aao Sochein Bada.

2. DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’: Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) collaborated with the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’. Communications and Electronics & IT Minister launched the campaign that will educate end-users on the benefits of making digital payments and urge them to adopt security and safety best practices. To drive the campaign objectives and amplify outreach to users across all states, DSCI has onboarded various digital payments, ecosystem partners. These partners include representation from banking, card networks as well as a fin-tech segment.

Note: Minister of Communications and Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad; Chairman of NASSCOM: Keshav Murugesh.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Raghu Rai chosen as the first recipient of international photography award: Noted Indian photographer Raghu Rai (77-years) has been chosen as the first recipient of the inaugural edition of the Acadmie des beaux-arts Photography Award ‘William Klein’.

Note: The award is in honour of the celebrated American-born French photographer and filmmaker William Klein, best known for his unusual photography techniques. As a consecration award, the prize is intended to reward a photographer for their entire career and commitment to photography. It rewards one photographer of all nationalities and ages.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Dutch football player Fernando Ricksen passes away: The former Rangers and Netherlands football player Fernando Ricksen passed away at the age of 43. He earned 12 caps for the Netherlands between 2000 and 2003. In six years (2000-2006) with the club of Rangers (Glasgow, Scotland), he also won 2 Scottish Premier League titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 3 Scottish League Cups.

2. Famous filmmaker Shyam Ramsay passes away: Bollywood’s famous horror film producer Shyam Ramsay passed away. He helmed horror movies like Andhera (1975), Saboot (1980), Purana Mandir (1984), Purani Haveli (1989), Dhund: The Fog (2003), Koi Hai (2017). He pioneered the horror genre on Indian television too, giving us the first horror series- The Zee Horror Show which ran from 1993 to 2001.