Daily GK Updates - 13th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi Launches Projects worth Rs 600 crore in Kolkata; Renames Kolkata Port as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port: The Kolkata Port has been renamed as Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port on 12 January 2020, on the occasion of 150 years of operation of Kolkata Port. This announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata to celebrate 150th year of celebrations of the port. PM Modi also launched several Port led development projects worth Rs 600 crore as a part of the celebrations. Some of the projects launched include:

(1) Released a commemorative stamp on 150th years of the Kolkata Port Trust

(2) Upgraded Ship repair facility at Netaji Subhash Dry Dock

(3) Upgraded railway infrastructure of Kolkata dock system of the Kolkata Port for smooth cargo movement and river front development scheme

(4) Mechanization of Berth No. 3 at Haldia Dock

(5) Launched the Port Anthem

(6) Inaugurated the Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatri Avas for 200 tribal girl students from Sundarbans.

(7) Honored two oldest pensioners of the Port Smt. Nagina Bhagat (105 years) and Mr. Naresh Chandra Chakraborty (100 years)

2. Lt Col Yuvraj Malik appointed director of NBT: Lt Col Yuvraj Malik has been appointed the Director of the National Book Trust (NBT) on deputation from the Indian Army. He replaced Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer Rita Chowdhury. Malik has also served with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Raj Bhawan in Jammu & Kashmir, United Nation Missions in Africa and several operational areas in administrative and operational assignments including Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Note: Headquarters of NBT: New Delhi; Chairman: Govind Prasad Sharma

3. ‘Wings India 2020’ to be held at Begumpet Airport Hyderabad in March 2020: Biennial International Exhibition and Conference on Civil Aviation Sector, ‘Wings India 2020’ will be held at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Telangana from March 12-15, 2020. The theme of the exhibition is “Flying for all”. The exhibition will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce And Industry (FICCI), Airports Authority of India (AAI). It will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in presence of Minister for Civil Aviation. During the event first-ever “Wings India Awards’ for Excellence in the Civil Aviation Sector will be announced that will be conferred upon the Aviation-related Companies.

Note:  Ministry of Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri; Ministry of State for Civil Aviation: Suresh Prabhu; Director-General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation: Arun Kumar

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Haitham Bin Tariq Al -Said becomes new Sultan of Oman: Haitham bin Tariq al-Said took over as Sultan of Oman after the death of a long-time ruler Qaboos bin Said Al Said. Late Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed had ruled Oman since 1970 as the 8th Sultan of the House of Al Said. The late sultan had himself chose Haitham Bin Tareq Al Saeed (cousin of late Sultan Qaboos) as his successor, as the Sultan had no children. He was the longest-serving monarch among the recent Arab rulers.

Note: The Sultan of Oman is the highest decision-maker and holds the parallel position of the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

2. Indian Scientist Bipul Behari Saha elected as IUPAC Bureau member: Bipul Behari Saha, a noted chemist has been elected as a bureau member (2020-23) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for the period 2020-23. Bipul Behari Saha is the second Indian after CNR Rao (former Director of the Indian Institute of Science and Bharat Ratna) to be elected for this position in a century. Founded 100 years ago, IUPAC is the largest global organization of Chemistry professionals.

Note: IUPAC has the responsibility of naming all new elements and compounds, declare atomic weights and physical constants, update Periodic table and carry out research projects.

3. 18th Dhaka International Film Festival begins in Dhaka: The 18th Dhaka International Film Festival was inaugurated in Dhaka, Bangladesh by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen. The festival kicked off with the screening of the Spanish-Greek film Window to the Sea, directed by Miguel Angel Jimenez, at Bangladesh National Museum (BNM). During the festival, 220 films from 74 countries will be screened across various venues in Dhaka between 11-19 January. More than 100 filmmakers and other personalities from the movie world are participating in the event over the next eight days. The theme of the festival is ‘Better Film, Better Audience, and Better Society’.

4. World Trade Organization set up a dispute panel over India’s duty hike on 28 American goods: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has set up a panel to examine complaints filed by United States (US) against India for hiking customs duties of 28 American goods in July 2019. The US had dragged India to the WTO by filing a complaint against New Delhi's move to increase customs duties, alleging the decision as inconsistent with the global trade norms. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a WTO pact, signed by all member countries of the multi-lateral body, aims to promote trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers like customs duties. The US had also alleged that the duties imposed by India appear to be inconsistent with the two norms of GATT. The US rolled back export incentives from India under its GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) programme and New Delhi has imposed higher customs duties on 28 American products such as almond, pulses, walnut, chickpeas, boric acid, etc. India’s exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at $47.9 billion, while its imports were at $26.7 billion. The trade balance is also in favour of India.

Note: Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Founded: 1 January 1995; Director General (DG): Roberto Carvalho de Azevedo.

5. World Future Energy Summit begins in Abu Dhabi, UAE: The World Future Energy Summit 2020 begun in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi. The four-day annual Summit is dedicated to advancing future energy, clean technologies, and energy efficiency. Held annually at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the 2020 edition includes exhibition and forum programs across five main pillars: energy, solar, water, waste and smart cities, hosting an unrivaled gathering of top-level government and business leaders. The theme for this year's summit is "Rethinking Global Consumption, Production, and Investment." World Future Energy Summit is the Middle East’s largest future energy and sustainability event. 33,500 participants from 170 countries participated in the summit. The Summit will conclude on 17th January, 2020.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. BCCI Annual Awards 2018-19: Jasprit Bumrah Receives Polly Umrigar Award: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards for 2018-19 were presented on 12 January 2020 in Mumbai. Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah (world’s No. 1 ODI bowler) will receive the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Polly Umrigar Award for his super performance in international cricket in the 2018-19 season.  Some list of winners:

Award	Name
CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award	Krishnamachari Srikkanth
BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award For Women	Anjum Chopra
BCCI Special Award	Dilip Joshi
Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Men)	Jasprit Bumrah
Best International Cricketer (Women)	Poonam Yadav
Best International debut (Men)	Mayank Agarwal
Best International debut (Women)	Shafali Verma
Highest run getter in women’s internationals	Smriti Mandhana
Highest wicket taker in women’s internationals	Jhulan Goswami
Best Umpire	Virender Sharma
Best Performance in Domestic Tournaments	Vidarbha

2. Two-day ITTF Executive Committee Meeting Begins in New Delhi: The two-day Executive Committee meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) began in New Delhi. This is the second time that India is hosting such a meeting. Previously such meeting of the ITTF was held in New Delhi in 1987. The EC meeting is being chaired by ITTF President Thomas Weikert to discuss the development of table tennis in India, among other issues. The other members in the Executive Committee of the ITTF comprises deputy president Khalil Al-Mohannad, Secretary General Raul Calin, seven executive vice-presidents and CEO Steve Dainton.

Note: International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) headquarter- Lausanne, Switzerland.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI allows e-mandate on UPI for recurring transactions: Reserve Bank of India has allowed the Processing of e-mandate for recurring transactions for UPI transactions. This functionality will allow UPI users to bypass additional factor authentication (AFA) every time a payment is made to a regular merchant by giving a one-time instruction to the UPI service provider. The maximum permissible limit for a transaction under this arrangement shall be ₹ 2,000/-. No charges shall be levied or recovered from the UPI User for availing the e-mandate facility on UPI for recurring transactions.

2. Central govt raised India Overseas Bank’s authorized capital to Rs 25,000 crore: The Union government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced an increase in the authorized capital of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) to Rs. 25,000 crores from the previously authorized capital of Rs. 15,000 crores. The authorized capital of a company/bank/institution is the maximum amount of share capital a company is authorized to issue its shareholders.

Note: MD and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank: Shri Karnam Sekar; Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. PayU to acquire PaySense for $185 mn: Payment and Fintech Company PayU has decided to acquire a controlling stake in digital credit platform PaySense in a deal valued at $185 million. After that PayU has also decided to merge its consumer lending businesses, LazyPay with PaySense. , will merge their business operations to build a full-stack digital lending platform in India. Also, the founder and CEO of PaySense Prashanth Ranganathan will lead the PayU’s credit business in India as the CEO of the new venture