Daily GK Updates - 6th November, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. MSDE, IBM jointly launch SkillsBuild platform: The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the SkillsBuild platform in collaboration with IBM. As part of the programme, a two-year advanced diploma in IT, networking and cloud computing, co-created and designed by IBM, will be offered at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) & National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs). The platform will be extended to train ITI & NSTI faculty on building skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The digital platform will provide a personal assessment of the cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius to the students. They will then learn foundational knowledge about digital technologies, as well as professional skills such as resume-writing, problem solving and communication.

Note: Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE): Mahendra Nath Pandey.

IBM India Pvt Ltd MD: Karan Bajwa; Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

2. Agriculture Minister releases 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas 2019: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar released the 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas 2019.  The Atlas, published jointly by Department of Land Resources and National Remote Sensing Centre, provides robust geospatial information on wasteland. It is helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development programmes and schemes. Wastelands Atlas-2019 also provides State and district wise distribution of different categories of wastelands area in the country and will be helpful in addressing land degradation.

3. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates global Mega Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’: Union Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated India’s 1-ever multi-venue Mega science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam 2019’, in Kolkata, West Bengal. The exhibition organized by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will be open till December 31, 2019 for public display and will showcase the world from micro to macro, unveiling the efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe.

4. ADB to give $451 mn for Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor power links: The Asian Development Bank will provide a $451 million (about Rs 3,200 crore) loan to strengthen power connectivity between the southern and northern parts of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu. The total cost of the project is $653.5 million, of which the government will provide $202.5 million. The estimated completion date is the end of 2024. The project will help promote economic development by delivering a more reliable and competitive power supply for industry and services in the state, which will in turn spur jobs and improve livelihoods.

Note: Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines, President: Takehiko Nakao.

5. Assam govt signs pact with AFD to restore forest ecosystems: The French Development Agency (AFD) and the Government of Assam have signed an agreement for supporting Phase II of Assam Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC). The total budget for the second phase is Rs 500 crore. The project was launched in response to the threats posed by deforestation, poaching and over-dependence of local communities on forest resources.

6. Shripad Naik inaugurates DRDO’s Igniter Complex at HEMRL, Pune: Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik inaugurated the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) Igniter Complex at High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune, Maharashtra. HEMRL, a premier laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is primarily engaged in developing rocket and gun propellants, pyrotechnic devices, high-explosive systems and synthesis of high-energy molecules. The laboratory has developed several ignition systems to ensure reliable initiation of rocket motors of various tactical as well as strategic missiles. The ignition system for Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Nag, Pinaka, Long RangeSurface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM), etc. have been designed and developed in HEMRL. Technology for AKASH, Nag missiles and Pinaka Mk-I Rocket has been transferred to Ordnance Factory, Dehu Road, Pune and private industries.

Note: DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy; Formed: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.

7. BJP MLA Gian Chand Gupta elected speaker of Haryana Assembly: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Panchkula Gian Chand Gupta has been unanimously elected as the Speaker of Haryana Assembly. Mr Gupta’s name was proposed by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and seconded by Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. BJP party stitched an alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and managed to get the support of seven independent MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly

8. Kolkata students create Guinness World Records with the largest astrophysics assemble: The Guinness World Records for the largest astrophysics lesson (45 minutes) and assembly of spectroscopes was successfully achieved at the Science City, Kolkata at IISF-2019 with the participation of over 1,598 students. IISF (India International Science Festival) is the largest science festival in the world. Astronomers use spectroscopes to know details like temperature, chemical composition, etc. of celestial objects hundreds of millions of light-years away from us. A small personal model of advanced spectroscopes can easily be made by anyone using a box made of cardboard that has a very narrow window used to channel light into the spectroscope.

A piece of a Compact Disc is used to split the light by a process called diffraction.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India decided not to be part of the RCEP agreement: India (the sixth FTA partner) has decided not to be part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement in the national interest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his speech at the RCEP Summit in Bangkok. According to Mr Modi, the present form of the agreement does not fully reflect the basic spirit and the agreed guiding principles. A balanced trade deficit, better market access of the Indian goods and services and protection of the industries from the unfair trade practices were the key demands of India.

Note: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and its six FTA partners (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand).

2. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar attended 15th meeting of Governing Council of SACEP in Dhaka: The Union Minister Prakash Javadekar (Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Information & Broadcasting) has attended the 15th meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) in Dhaka.  The 14th meeting of the SACEP Governing Council was held in Colombo (March 2018).

Note: The SACEP is an inter-governmental organization which was established in 1982. Its member countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka aim to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the region.

3. China launches Sudan’s first ever satellite “SRSS-1”: Sudan’s first-ever satellite for conducting research in military, economic and space technology has been launched by China. Sudan’s remote-sensing satellite (SRSS-1), was developed by the Shenzhen Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Co. The satellite was launched aboard China’s Long March-4B rocket along with other Chinese satellites including Gaofen 7, Xiaoxiang-1 08, Whampoa 1 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China. The Sudanese satellite has been mainly designed for civil and military remote sensing over Sudan. The remote-sensing satellite aims to advance research in space technology. Its main objective is to acquire the required data as well as discover natural resources for the country’s military needs. The satellite aims to generate a comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable database on the topographic, mapping and natural resources of Sudan.

Note: President of Sudan: Omar al-Bashir; Sudan Capital: Khartoum; Currency: Sudanese pound.

4. US-Bangladesh Navy exercise CARAT-2019 begins in Bangladesh: The second phase of the biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise named ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)- 2019’ started in Chattogram, Bangladesh. CARAT is one of the U.S. Navy’s longest continually running exercise in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The exercise provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operational activities of the Navies of two countries and to get acquainted with advanced technology through various theoretical and practical training.

Assistant chief of naval staff (operations) Bangladesh Navy rear admiral M Makbul Hossain was present as the chief guest in the opening ceremony.

5. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict: 6th November: The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed annually on 6th November. On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6th November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (A/RES/56/4).

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Barty became first Australian to top WTA rankings: Ashleigh Barty finished the season in style by beating defending champion Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-3 to add the WTA Finals title. Now, Barty, became the first Australian to top the WTA rankings at the end of the year since they were introduced in 1975. With this win, Barty rose to the No. 1 ranking in the game becoming the first Australian to hold the year-end top spot.

2. Deepak Kumar wins Bronze at Asian Shooting Championships: Deepak Kumar secured India's 10th Tokyo Olympic quota in shooting after winning the men's 10m air rifle bronze medal at the 14th Asian Championships in Doha. India has already secured nine Tokyo quotas in rifle and pistol and lies behind China who has 25 quotas and Korea's 12 in the Asian region, besides the host-country Japan, in terms of quotas won. Deepak is the second Indian shooter to earn an Olympic quota in the men's 10 metres air rifle event after Divyansh Singh Panwar.

3. Official emblem unveiled for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020: The official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020 which is to be conducted in India was unveiled. The emblem was unveiled by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Local Organising Committee (LOC) at the launch event in the gateway of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra. The design of the emblem is bright blue waves rise from the base and reach up along the form of the trophy towards a crown forming the shape of Paisley or Boteh motif commonly used in Kashmiri Pashmina shawl and carpets. The droplet of the design framing a ball made from a marigold flower depicts a symbol of growth and development. The colour and style are inspired by Bandhani textiles, an Indian tie-dye technique dating back thousands of years. The stem of the marigold’s symbol is derived from traditional Warli paintings with Bandhani patterns.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. MSTC ties up with Allahabad Bank to develop e-auction platform: MSTC Ltd has signed an agreement with Allahabad Bank for the development of a dedicated e-Auction platform. This platform directly linked with the Indian Banking Association’s portal (https://ibapi.net) for sale of non-performing assets (NPAs) through the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest) Act. The e-Auction platform will be a one-of-a-kind solution, where a bidder once registered, will be able to participate in auctions for all banks. This move will help the banks monetise NPAs through a streamlined process, thereby, increasing revenue generation.

Note: MSTC is a Central Government of India company engaged in domestic and international trading. It specialises in the international trade of ferrous input materials and has imported millions of tonnes of ferrous melting scrap, old ships for breaking, sponge iron, hot briquetted iron, re-rollable scrap, etc.

Chairman & MD of MSTC: Bam Bahadur Singh; Founded: 9 September 1964; Headquarters: Kolkata.

MD & CEO of Allahabad Bank: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao; Headquarters: Kolkata.

2. RBI issues compensation norms for foreign, private banks: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued compensation guidelines for whole-time directors and chief executives of foreign, private, small finance, payments banks and local area banks, mandating the cash component of variable pay at 67 per cent. If the variable pay is up to 200% of the fixed pay, at least 50 % of it should be in non-cash. If the variable pay is above 200%, 67 per cent of it should be paid via non-cash instruments. Banks should continue to formulate and adopt a comprehensive compensation policy covering all their employees and conduct annual reviews.

3. LIC allows a revival of the lapsed policy of over 2 years: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has allowed policyholders to revive their policies that have lapsed for more than two years. Earlier, after the IRDA Product Regulation 2013 (from 1st January 2014), the revival period was restricted to two consecutive years from the date of the first unpaid premium. Now, The LIC policyholders who bought their policies after January 1, 2014, could revive their, Non-linked policies within five years of the first unpaid premium.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Serbia’s Sara Damnjanovic wins “Miss Asia Global title 2019”: The 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ was organized at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala. Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has been crowned ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’. The title is given to the winner from the Asian region. Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam was awarded the Miss Asia title given to the winner from the rest of the world. Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title. The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.