Daily GK Updates - 3rd September, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tourism Minister inaugurates first-ever architectural LED illumination at Qutub Minar: Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahalad Singh Patel inaugurated first-ever architectural LED illumination at the  Qutub Minar. With the illumination, the architectural beauty of the 12th-century monument will display its historic majesty after sunset. Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of most visited historical site in Delhi.

2. PM Modi inaugurates Garvi Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi: Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has inaugurated the new building of ‘Garvi Gujarat Bhavan’ at Akbar Road in New Delhi. The Bhavan is equipped with traditional and modern artefacts and technologies and will serve as a home for Gujaratis in the national capital. The new structure is built on an area of 20,325 square meters and have 19 suits rooms, 59 regular rooms, a restaurant, a public dining hall, a business centre, a souvenir shop, a multi-purpose hall, conference hall, four lounges, a gymnasium, a yoga centre, a terrace garden and a library.

Note: Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani; Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Devvrat.

3. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate ‘Aqua Aquaria India’: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 5th edition of the aquaculture event, Aqua Aquaria India, in Hyderabad. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Taking Blue Revolution to India’s Hinterland’. This event organised for encouraging diversification and intensification of aquaculture in a sustainable manner. iii. This is an initiative of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) under the Commerce Ministry.

Note: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goyal.

4. New Health Insurance Scheme AB-MGRSBY launched in Rajasthan: The Rajasthan government has launched a new health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY). The scheme is implemented after merging the Centre's Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) and the state's Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojna (BSBY). With the merger of (AB-PMJAY) and (BSBY) the number of families getting benefits will be increased from 1 crore to 1.1 crores.

Note: Rajasthan Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot; Governor: Kalraj Mishra; Capital: Jaipur.

5. Haryana govt waives off interest & penalty of Rs 4,750 cr on crop loans: Haryana government has announced Rs 4,750 crore interest and penalty waiver on crop loans. The waive off is for farmers who had borrowed from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, District Cooperative Central Banks and Land Mortgage Bank. The step will benefit around 10 lakh farmers in the state.

Note: Haryana Capital: Chandigarh; Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar; Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya.

6. KVIC launches ‘Terracotta Grinder’ to reuse wasted pottery: Khadi and Village Industries Commission has launched a ‘Terracotta Grinder’ at Sewapuri in Varanasi. The machine will be able to grind the wasted and broken pottery items for re-using in pottery-making.   This Terracotta grinder will make grinding of wasted pottery items faster than the traditional mortar and pestle. It will lessen the cost of production, and will also help in solving the problem of shortage of clays. On the occasion, KVIC also distributed 200 Electric Potter Wheels and other pottery machines among the villagers.

Note: Chairman of KVIC: Vinai Kumar Saxena.

7. IIT-Kharagpur and Amazon Web Services join hands to develop AI portal: IIT Kharagpur has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a National Artificial Intelligence resource platform (NAIRP) to promote learning and development in artificial intelligence (AI). The National Artificial Intelligence Resource Portal (NAIRP) will provide access to compute facilities to users for AI learning and experimentation. Novice machine learning practitioners will be able to quickly search and get access to myriads of learning resources and prototype the learned concepts into hands-on running modules without being held back by the lack of resources.

Note: CEO of Amazon: Jeff Bezos; Established: 5 July 1994.

8. Prakash Javadekar Unveils New Logo, Certificate Design of CBFC: Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the new logo and certificate design of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).  The introduction of a QR code in the new certificate design is in sync with the world of digital technology and will bring in greater transparency and provide information to filmmakers in a better way.

Note: Chairman of CBFC: Prasoon Joshi.

9. A new book released on the history of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: The book, "India's Lost Frontier the Story of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan", has been penned by veteran civil servant Raghvendra Singh. He was the Director-General of the National Archives of India.  This book on the history of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, earlier known as the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). This book presents the chronicles of Congress leadership in 1947 surrendered India's claim on the "tactically important" province despite the resistance of Mahatma Gandhi and some influential political leaders of the region.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Namaste Pacific’ Cultural Event held in New Delhi:  The High Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji jointly organised a cultural event 'Namaste Pacific' held in Delhi, India. This event is organised to showcase the culture of the Pacific countries. There was also showcase of the International Solar Alliance and Pollinate Energy based in Australia, Nepal and India and solar lanterns from Barefoot College in Rajasthan.

Note: Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal; Lt. Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.

2. PM Narendra Modi embarks on 3-day visit to Russia to attend EEF summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on 3-day visit to Russia to take part in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum – (EEF) summit. PM Modi will also attend the 20th annual summit between Russia and India. According to Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, both India and Russia want to move beyond the conventional cooperation in defence and nuclear civil cooperation to the new areas of the economy. On the sidelines of Eastern Economic Summit, the Prime Minister is expected to hold bilateral talks with the Government Heads of Japan, Malaysia and Mongolia.

Note: Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is an international forum held each year in Vladivostok, Russia, for the purpose of encouraging foreign investment in the Russian Far East. The Eastern Economic Forum was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in 2015.

3. Defence Ministers of India & Japan meet in Tokyo: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to further enhance the defence engagements between both the countries. Earlier Mr Singh co-chaired the annual Defence Ministerial Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwayain. According to Rajnath Singh, India and Japan will continue working together to further deepen the defence ties between both the nations.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Japanese Yen; PM: Shinzo Abe.

4. 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia held in New Delhi. The committee is the highest decision making and governing body of WHO in the region. Dr Harsh Vardhan was unanimously elected as Chair of the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia.

Note: WHO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Director general: Tedros Adhanom.

5. Bangladesh TV starts telecast in India: Dr. Hasan Mahmud (Information Minister of Bangladesh) has inaugurated the state-owned TV channel Bangladesh Television (BTV) at BTV Auditorium in Dhaka for viewers in India on DD free dish. This would create platforms for learning from each other’s experiences and fostering better understanding between the two countries. The BTV programmes in India will be broadcast by using the country's first communication satellite Bangabandhu 1. Initially, the viewers would be able to watch BTV World service programmes in India. India and Bangladesh signed an agreement in May 2019 to make BTV and DD available in both the countries.

6. Japan to launch special police unit to patrol isles in the East China Sea: Japan will launch a special police unit equipped with submachine guns and helicopters to patrol disputed isles in the East China Sea. According to the National Police Agency, it had put in a budget request for an additional 159 officers to head off illegal landings on remote islands by armed groups. It was the first-time police had stepped up patrols near the disputed islands. The uninhabited islets are at the centre of a festering row between Tokyo and Beijing, which is also involved in a widening dispute with several Southeast Asian countries over islands in the South China Sea. The Japanese Government has long complained about China's routine dispatch of coastguard ships to waters surrounding the islands. Relations between Japan and China deteriorated in 2012 when Tokyo nationalized some of the islets.

Note: The ‘East China Sea’ is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of roughly 1,249,000 square kilometres. The sea connects with the Sea of Japan through the Korea Strait and opens to the north into the Yellow Sea. The states which border the sea include Japan, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Virat Kohli becomes India's most successful Test skipper: Virat Kohli has surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become India's most successful Test skipper. It came after the Indian team recorded its 28th win under Kohli's leadership in the second and final test against the West Indies at Kingston. The 28 wins have come from 48 matches for Kohli as captain. M S Dhoni led India to 27 wins from 60 Test matches during his tenure. Overall, Graeme Smith (former South Africa skipper) remains the most successful skipper in the world with 53 Test wins, followed by Ricky Ponting (ex-Australia captain) who recorded 48 Test wins in his captaincy tenure.

2. India beat West Indies in 2nd cricket test at Kingston; Clinches series 2-0: India beat West Indies by a thumping margin of 257 runs to win the second Cricket Test and clinch series 2-0. Chasing a mammoth victory target of 468 runs set by India, West Indies were all out for 210 in their second innings on the penultimate day of the Test at Kingston, Jamaica. India produced a top-notch bowling performance to demolish West Indies as the series victory put them on top of ICC World Test Championship points table.

Brief scores: India: 416 (140.1) & 168/4d (54.4)

West Indies: 117 (47.1) & 210 (59.5).

3. Nadubhagam Chundan Lifts 67th Nehru Trophy in Alappuzha: Nadubhagam Chundan, the snake boat of Pallathuruthy Boat Club, lifted the 67th edition of the Nehru Trophy at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha in Kerala. A total of 79 boats, including 23 snake boats, participated in the Nehru trophy. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the event in the presence of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who was the chief guest of the event.

Note: Governor of Kerala: Arif Mohammed Khan; Capital of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. PM Narendra Modi to be honoured with Global Goalkeeper Award: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the prestigious 2019 ‘Global Goalkeeper Award’ for his work in the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. Mr. Modi will be felicitated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, owned by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates. The award is a “special recognition” that celebrates the commitment of a political leader towards the Global Goals, demonstrated through impactful work in their country and/or globally. The Foundation will host the fourth annual Goalkeepers 'Global Goals Awards' on 24th September in the United States.

Note: The annual awards, in five categories, are presented to leaders and individuals for their efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The categories are Progress, Changemaker, Campaign, Goalkeepers Voice and the Global Goalkeeper.

DEFENCE

1. Eight US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters to be inducted into IAF: Eight United States-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters have been inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a ceremony at the Pathankot Air Force station. The addition of the Apache fleet will significantly enhance the IAF's combat capabilities. The AH-64E Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters. The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US Government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for purchase of 22 Apache helicopters.

Note: Apache helicopter can deliver a variety of weapons which includes air to ground hellfire missiles, 70 MM Hydra rockets and air to air stinger missiles. Apache also carries one 30MM chain gun with 1200 rounds as part of area weapon subsystem. It carries fire control radar which has 360-degree coverage and nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems.