Daily GK Updates - 17th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Madhya Pradesh CM to inaugurate International Film Festival in Khajuraho: The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath will inaugurate the International Film Festival in Shilpkala village of Khajuraho. Films from the country and abroad including Bundelkhandi will be screened at the Tapra Talkies made for the festival. The International Khajuraho Film Festival is being organized by the Prayas Sanstha in collaboration with the State Government. Events like interaction with film stars, film making workshop, mobile film making workshop, plays, programmes for promoting local art and culture, herbal forest fair, animal fair etc. are also organized during the Film Festival.

Note: Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

2. Mandatory to link PAN-Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019: According to the Income Tax Department, it will be mandatory to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019. This will facilitate to reap seamless benefits of income tax services. The deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar was extended till the 31st of December, by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through an order issued in September this year. In order to link a PAN with Aadhaar online, the assessee is required to log in to the e-filing portal. The Income Tax Department also provides an SMS-based facility to enable the linking.

Note: Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T Department to a person, firm or entity.

3. 5th EAC meeting of 15th Finance Commission held in New Delhi: The 5th meeting of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) of the 15th Finance Commission was held in New Delhi. In the meeting, possible macro assumptions related to real growth, inflation, ongoing structural reforms, tax revenue including GST, adherence to Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act and fiscal transparency were discussed. Further, the Advisory Council was informed about the submission of the 2020-21 report and Commission’s next course of actions pertaining to the preparation of the report for 2021-26 period.

Note: Chairman 15th Finance Commission: NK Singh.

4. Five-day music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ begins in Gwalior: Popular classical music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ has begun in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The five-day festival is celebrated every year in the memory of one of the most eminent singers of Indian history, ‘Mian Tansen’. Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas will be honoured with this year's prestigious Tansen Samman. On this occasion, the music-driven platform is used by the musicians and instrumentalists from all over the world to showcase their talent. The event will conclude on 21st December and will be graced by many prominent artists.

5. IAS Ravi Mittal takes charge as new I&B Secy: IAS officer Ravi Mittal took charge as the new Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Mr Mittal took charge from Amit Khare who has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Higher Education. Before this, Mr Mittal, a 1986 batch IAS officer of Bihar Cadre, was working as the Special Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.

6. R N Ravi to hold additional charge as governor of Meghalaya: Nagaland Governor R N Ravi has been given additional charge of Meghalaya. The decision has been taken by the President of India in the wake of the “absence of leave” of Tathagata Roy, Governor of Meghalaya.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sri Lankan govt formally releases its new National Policy Framework: Sri Lankan government formally released its new National policy Framework meant to guide the government ministries and departments in implementing their policies. The framework titled ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’ is aimed at achieving the fourfold outcome of being a productive citizen, a contented family, a virtuous, disciplined and just society and a prosperous nation.The main objective of the National Policy Framework to maintain a 6.5% or higher GDP growth rate under the macroeconomic programme, achieving a per capita income exceeding 6,500 US dollar from 2020 to 2025. The policy mandates to implement a national and international partnership based on principles of priority to national security, friendly and non-aligned foreign policy. It also mandates an administration free from corruption and a new constitution that fulfils people's wishes.

Note: Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee; Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa.

2. India slips to 112th place on WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report: India has slipped four places to rank 112th globally as per the Global Gender Gap Report 2020. The report was released by World Economic Forum (WEF) headquartered at Geneva. Iceland has topped the report and remains the world’s most gender-neutral country while Yemen was ranked the worst (153rd) in the report. As per report, the most improved countries were Albania, Ethiopia, Mali, Mexico and Spain. Among regions, Western Europe has made the most progress on gender parity (standing at 76.7%). As per WEF, the time it will take to close the gender gap has narrowed to 99.5 years in 2019 while the number was 108 years in 2018. WEF stated that this year’s improvement can largely be ascribed to a significant increase in the number of women in politics.

3. Unesco removes ‘racist’ Belgian carnival from heritage list: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), has removed the ‘Carnival of Aalst’ of Belgium from its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. The 2019 carnival featured a parade float that included racist and anti-Semitic representations which mocked the Orthodox Jews. The carnival was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.

Note: UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay.

4. NASA will launch rover “Mars 2020” in 2020: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch rover ‘Mars 2020’ in 2020. The rover builds and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “Mars 2020” will explore a landscape shaped by water which is the ‘Jezero Crater’, the site of an ancient delta. ‘Mars 2020’s arm has the same reach as ‘Curiosity’s arm. ‘Mars 2020’s’ turret weighs 99 pounds (45 kilograms) more than Curiosity’s because it carries larger instruments and a larger drill for coring and has many other changes in the physical design.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Virat Kohli retains top spot in ICC Test rankings: Indian skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot among batsmen in the latest ICC Test rankings. With 928 points, Kohli is 17 points clear of Australia's Steve Smith who scored 43 and 16 in the first Test against New Zealand which Australia won by 296 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara (791-points) and Ajinkya Rahane(759-points) held on to their fourth and sixth spots respectively. Among the bowlers, Bumrah slipped to the sixth spot in the list headed by Australia's Pat Cummins. India's Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, remained at number two, behind Jason Holder of the West Indies among Test all-rounders. In the ICC World Test Championship, India stands on top with 360 points, way ahead of Australia 216, Sri Lanka 80, New Zealand 60 and England 56.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. ICAR & NABARD signed MoU to promote agriculture & farming systems research: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems. The research will be of active participation in climate-resilient practices, models and integrated and hi-tech farming practices in a participatory model. The aim of this MoU was to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems.

Note: NABARD founded: 12 July 1982; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 1. UN Medal awarded to Indian peacekeepers to support the people of South Sudan: Indian peacekeepers have been recognized for their strong contribution to building peace in conflict-affected South Sudan as well as for going above and beyond their duties to support local communities. Almost 850 Indian troops received the United Nations Medal for their dedication and sacrifice serving so far away from home to protect civilians and build durable peace in South Sudan. Currently, 2,342 Indian troops and 25 police personnel are deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The Indian troops were particularly praised for their efforts to support peace talks between Government and Opposition forces in the Upper Nile region and establishing the first-ever UNMISS base on the west bank of the Nile at Kodok.

Note: United Nations Headquarters: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945; Secretary-General of the United Nations: Mr Antonio Guterres.

2. Union Rural Development Ministry selected UT of J&K for National award: Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been selected for the national award by Union Rural Development Ministry for best performance in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Union Rural Development Ministry has sanctioned 147 Road and Bridge projects under PMGSY-II covering a length of 783.88 kilometres at an estimated cost of 878.53 crore rupees for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The entire road length has been sanctioned for up-gradation of existing road infrastructure with 10-year maintenance.

Note: Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir: Girish Chandra Murmu.

DEFENCE

1. Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane to be next Army chief: Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the next Chief of Army Staff of India. He is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Army. Lt Gen Naravane will succeed Gen Bipin Rawat, who will retire on the 31st December. Naravane was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980. During his career, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2019), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2017), Sena Medal and Vishist Seva Medal (2015) for his service and the CoAS commendation card.

Note: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is the professional head, commander, and usually the highest-ranking military officer of the Indian Army.

Headquarters: New Delhi; Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind.

2. Exercise Surya Kiran-XIV held in Nepal: A joint military training exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XIV” was held in Salijhandi, Rupendehi district of Nepal. The exercise was conducted between the armies of India and Nepal. Joint training exercise was based on counter insurgency operations in jungle and mountainous terrain and also practised response mechanism in the eventualities of natural and manmade disasters.

3. ITBP launches matrimonial site to help staff find ‘suitable matches’: In a unique approach, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff. The website started will be managed by ITBP and only the staff will be able to access it. This is the first-ever dedicated and well-managed matrimony portal among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). There are more than 25,000 unmarried men in the Force while more than 1000 women personnel are also unmarried. Keeping in view their duties and engagements after joining the service, finding suitable matches becomes an uphill task for the serving personnel.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran film actor Danny Aiello passes away: Veteran film actor Danny Aiello, known for his roles in the movies Do the Right Thing and The Godfather Part II passed away. A veteran of stage and film, Aiello was best known for playing the pizza parlour owner Sal in Spike Lee’s 1989 Do the Right Thing.