Daily GK Updates - 2nd October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was observed: On 2nd October, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated across the country. Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to him at Rajghat, the memorial site of the Father of the Nation. Various programs are organized in schools and offices across the country on the occasion of Bapu's birthday. Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948

2. 115th birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri observed: On 2nd October, 115th birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India was celebrated all across the country. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 October 1904 in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. Under Shastri's leadership, India won the 1965 war against Pakistan. Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a third cardiac arrest on 11 January 1966 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award posthumously in 1966. A memorial "Vijay Ghat" was built for him in Delhi. He gave the nation the powerful slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan to enthuse soldiers and farmers.

3. Inauguration of world’s largest plastic made charkha: Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textile Mrs Smriti Irani inaugurated a 1,650-kg ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) made of plastic waste, the world’s largest, near the Mahamaya flyover in Sector 94, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. This ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) made of used plastic waste was inaugurated the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. The ‘charkha’, which symbolises Gandhi’s dream of Swadeshi (self-sufficing and self-reliance), measures 14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic.

4. A 2-Day National Workshop ‘Arogya Manthan’ Held in New Delhi: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated a 2-day national workshop ‘Arogya Manthan’ in New Delhi which was held on September 30- October 1, 2019. It was organised by the National Health Authority (NHA) to mark the first anniversary of Ayushman Bharat (AB)- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), which was launched on September 23, 2018 at Ranchi, Jharkhand by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

5. Telangana becomes fully electrified state in India: Telangana became one the fully electrified states in India after providing 100% electricity coverage to over 5 lakh 15 thousand households, especially those in the remote areas under the Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Soubhagya). Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) is the nodal agency for the scheme.

Note: Soubhagya scheme: It is an Indian government project to provide electricity to all households. The project was announced in September 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

6. Rajasthan becomes the third state to ban certain categories of pan masala: Rajasthan became the third state in India after Maharashtra and Bihar to ban certain categories of pan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured ‘supari’. All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act.

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

7. Srikant Baldi took over as Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh: An IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer of the 1985 batch, Srikant Baldi has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh. He succeeds B K Agarwal , who joined his new posting as Secretary to Lokpal in the rank of Secretary to the government of India (GoI). Baldi currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister (CM) Jai Ram Thakur. He will also continue to hold the charge of housing, tourism and civil aviation department in addition to his own duties.

Note: Himachal Pradesh Capital: Shimla; Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya

8. Rajiva Sinha took over as the new chief secretary of West Bengal: Rajiva Sinha took over as the new Chief Secretary of West Bengal succeeding incumbent Malay Kumar De. Rajiva Sinha who previously served as the additional chief secretary to the health and family welfare department of the state, also served in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Note: West Bengal Capital: Kolkata; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

9. Abhishek Singh was appointed as the chief executive officer of MyGov India: Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Abhishek Singh was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the government’s citizen-centric online platform MyGov India. He replaces tech entrepreneur Arvind Gupta, whose tenure ended recently in July 2019. He currently serves as the Secretary (Joint Secretary level), in Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi assigned additional charge of the post of Secretary, ASRB to Vivek Aggarwal, a 1994-batch IAS officer, who is the current Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.

10. Book titled ‘The RSS: Roadmaps for the 21st Century’, written by Sunil Ambekar released: The book titled ‘The RSS: Roadmaps for 21st Century’, written by Sunil Ambekar, the organising national secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), was released in New Delhi by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. It is published by Rupa Books. It describes the challenges of 21st century social, cultural life and lists the RSS’ response to the same.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Palestine issues commemorative stamp to honour Gandhi on 150th birth anniversary: Palestine has released a commemorative postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi, honouring his legacy and values, to mark the 150 birth anniversary of the world leader. Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology Ishaaq Seder released the stamp in Ramallah. Palestine’s issuance of the commemorative stamp comes in honour of Gandhi’s memory, legacy, and values that guided and shall continue to guide humanity.

2. China unveiled DF-41 the most powerful intercontinental-range ballistic missile on the planet: On the 70th National Day of China which was observed on October 1, 2019, it launched DF-41 (Dongfeng-41) the most powerful intercontinental-range ballistic missile on the planet during the National Day parade at Chang’an Avenue in Beijing. It made its first appearance along with a clutch of new military hardware.

Note: DF-41 has a range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometres), capable of carrying 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads and flying at 25 times the speed of sound, could theoretically, hit the United States in 30 minutes.

China Capital: Beijing; Currency: Renminbi

3. Surjit Bhalla appointed as the Executive Director for India at IMF: The government has appointed economist Surjit S Bhalla as the Executive Director (ED) for India on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Surjit succeeds former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor Subir Gokarn, who passed away recently in July 2019 due to illness. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointment of Bhalla as the ED for three-year tenure. Surjit resigned as a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) in December 2018. He will join the IMF’s Executive Board that comprises 24 directors and is responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the multilateral institution.

About IMF Headquarters: Washington, D.C.,United States(US); Managing Director (MD) and Chairman: Kristalina Georgieva; Chief economist: Gita Gopinath.

4. Book by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands released: A book written by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony titled 'India and the Netherlands - Past, Present and Future,' was released in Amsterdam, Netherlands during a seminar on the Indo-Dutch bilateral relations. The book gives an insight into the cross-cultural legacy between the two countries and was released at a function attended by the king and queen of the Netherlands. The seminar, jointly organized by the Embassy of India and the Royal Asian Art Society, was held at the Rijksmuseum (National Museum), Amsterdam. The first copy of the book was received by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in presence of all high officials. The book has been published by Bombay Ink.

Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam, Currency: Euro and USD.

5. International Day of Non-Violence: 2nd October: The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October every year on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. According to the UN General Assembly, which established the commemoration, International Day is an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness”.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Aryna Sabalenka won the women’s singles title in the 6th edition of WTA Wuhan Open 2019: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka won women’s singles title in the 6th edition of 2019 WTA Wuhan Open (WTA-Women’s Tennis Association) by defeating America’s Alison Riske, at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, China. The prize money of the tournamnet was $2,828,000. By this win, Aryna became the first player to claim back-to-back titles in Wuhan and also joins Czech player Petra Kvitova as the only two-time Wuhan Open champion. China’s Duan Yingying and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova won the women’s doubles title by defeating Belgium’s Elise Mertens and ArynaSabalenka in the final. Duan Yingying became the first Chinese winner of the Wuhan Open.

2. PV Sindhu slips to number 6th, Kashyap rises to 25th position: BWF Rankings 2019: As per the recently released BWF (Badminton World Federation) Rankings 2019, World Champion women’s shuttler PV Sindhu (24) has slipped a rank to 6th due to poor performance in the last two weeks but Parupalli Kashyap (33) has benefited from a good performance and reached 25th position. Sindhu, who was earlier in the fifth position, had eliminated in the first round of the 2019 China Open (held in Changzhou, China) and 2019 Korea Open (held in Incheon, South Korea). While Kashyap has the advantage of reaching the semi-finals of Korea Open. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag remain 12th in men’s doubles while Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy moved up one place to 19th in women’s doubles.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Pune headquartered Bajaj Finance overtook SBI in market capitalization: Bajaj Finance Ltd based at Pune, Maharashtra, has surpassed India’s largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) for the first time, in terms of market capitalization. The market capital of Bajaj Finance stood at Rs 2.32 lakh crore while it was Rs 2.28 lakh crore for SBI.

2. Axis Bank launches digital Fixed Deposit product called ‘Express FD’: Axis Bank, the third-largest of the private-sector banks in India has launched digital fixed-deposit (FD) product named ‘Express FD’, which can be opened in three minutes through the digital route without opening a savings account by investing a minimum Rs 5,000 up to Rs 90,000, for a tenure of 6 to 12 months. The new Express FD account offers attractive interest rates, zero issuance fees and no penalty on premature withdrawal (up to 25% of the amount).

Note: Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Chairman of Axis Bank: Rakesh Makhija; MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry

3. Star health insurance join hands with Paytm to sell comprehensive health insurance solutions: Indian life insurance provider, Star Health Insurance has joined hands with Paytm, an Indian e-commerce payment system to offer comprehensive life insurance products. As per this partnership, Paytm will distribute Star Health Insurance products to its customers. The product portfolio comprises Health Insurance, Overseas Mediclaim Policy and Personal Accident propositions.

Note: Paytm: Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh; CEO and MD: Pravin Jadhav

Star health insurance Headquarters: Chennai,Tamil Nadu; Chairman cum Managing Director: Mr. V. Jagannathan

4. S. Mallikarjuna Rao is appointed as the new MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive of the Punjab National Bank(PNB).  Currently serving as chief executive of the Allahabad Bank, Rao will replace Sunil Mehta of PNB and will head the Delhi based bank till September 18, 2021. PNB is currently under a three-way amalgamation process with the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and the United Bank of India.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. WTO cuts global trade growth forecast to 1.2% for 2019 from 2.6%: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) in its report reduced the global trade growth forecast to 1.2% for 2019 from 2.6% growth forecast made in April 2019 due to trade tensions and sluggish global economy. It is the weakest level in a decade. The global trade growth forecast for 2020 was reduced to 2.7% from 3%. In August 2019, India’s exports dropped by 6.05% to USD 26.13 billion and Imports declined by 13.45% to USD 39.58 billion. The trade deficit stood at USD 13.45 billion.

Note: WTO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Director General: Roberto Azevêdo

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Writer Caroline criado perez wins Royal society science book prize 2019: A British feminist, activist and journalist, Caroline Criado Perez has won the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019 (sponsored by Insight Investment) for her 2nd book ‘Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men’ at an awards ceremony at the Royal Society, London, United Kingdom (UK). She also received a cheque amounting £25,000. The Royal Society Science Book Prize is given to popular science writing across the world for non-specialist readers. It was instituted in 1988

DEFENCE

1. Air Marshal S K Ghotia takes over as chief of South Western Air Command: Air Marshal Surendra Kumar Ghotia took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-C) of South Western Air Command. He handed over the Command of Headquarters Training Command of Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru where he took over the command recently in May 2019. He succeeded Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, who recently appointed as the new vice chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Sk Ghotia was presented with guard of honour before handing over his appointment. A formal sendoff was organised by all the personnel of Training Command.

OBITUARIES

1. Hollywood tycoon Eric Pleskow passed away: American-Austrian film producer Eric Pleskow, the Hollywood tycoon, passed away at the age of 95 in the United States (US) due to old age ailments. He was the president of the film company United Artists from 1973 to 1978 and then as co-founder of Orion Pictures where many films under these film companies won Oscar awards. Born in April 24, 1924, in Vienna, the capital of Austria, Eric’s famous films include ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Rocky’, ‘Amadeus’, ‘Platoon’, ‘Dances with Wolves’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.