Daily GK Updates - 5th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kolkata Police begins 3rd edition of ‘Sukanya’ project: The third edition of the ‘Sukanya’ project of Kolkata Police will begin from 06 January 2020. Sukanya is an initiative of the Kolkata Police’s Community Policing Wing to provide self-defence training to girl students of city-based schools, colleges and universities in martial art forms such as taekwondo, judo, kick-boxing and aikido. Girl students of VIII, IX, XI and girls studying in the first year at educational institutions in the city will be part of it. The Kolkata Police had introduced the project in February 2014 in collaboration with state Women and Child Development and Social Welfare department. The Sukanya project covers those schools that come under Kanyashree scheme.

Note: Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamta Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

2. H.K. Joshi appointed as CMD of Shipping Corporation of India: Harjeet Kaur Joshi has been appointed as the Chairperson and Managing Director of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the country’s largest shipping company. Harjeet Kaur is currently the Director Finance at SCI and, since September 12, has been holding the additional charge of the Chairperson and Managing Director of the navratna PSU. Harjeet Kaur will become the first lady to head SCI, which is 63.75 percent owned by the government. She will take charge of SCI at a time when the government is planning to privatize the shipping company.

3. Women Science Congress begins in Bengaluru: The Women Science Congress was inaugurated at the ongoing Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru. DRDO Aeronautical Systems Director-General Dr Tessy Thomas who is known as Missile Woman of India graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The women’s science congress aims to provide a single platform for women working in different arena of science and technology to showcase their achievements and experiences. It will also prepare a vision document or a road map for women in science and technology and recommend policies to enhance the role and utilize the full potential of women in science and technology.

Note: DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy, Established: 1958, Headquarters: New Delhi.

4. India to Host 36th International Geological Congress in New Delhi in March 2020: The 36th International Geological Congress will be held in New Delhi from March 2-8, 2020. India is the only Asian country to host the Congress twice. The 22nd session of IGC was held in New Delhi in 1964. The International Geological Congress, described as the “Olympics of Geosciences,” is aimed at the development of Earth Sciences. The theme of the 36th IGC is Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future. The event will be jointly funded by the Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and supported by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) along with the science academies of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Note: The first session of IGC took place in France in 1878.

5. PM Modi Dedicates 5 Young Scientists Laboratories of DRDO to the Nation: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation 5 Young Scientists Laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Bengaluru. The 5 DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs) are located in five cities namely Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Each lab will work on a key advanced technology of importance to the development of futuristic defence systems such as, Artificial intelligence, Quantum technologies, Cognitive technologies, Asymmetric technologies and Smart materials.

6. MP Government Launches Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana: The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has approved a health insurance scheme named Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana as a New Year bonanza for its 12.55 lakh employees. The scheme will be effective from 01 April 2020. Under the scheme every government employee and their families will be eligible for medical treatment worth Rs 5 lakh annually. For some critical diseases, the eligibility will be enhanced to Rs 10 lakh.

7. 2,636 EV Charging Stations sanctioned under Fame II scheme: Department of Heavy Industries under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India has sanctioned 2,636 charging stations under the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme phase II. These stations are spread over 62 cities across 24 States and Union Territories. The objective of this is to increase the electric vehicle users and also encourage Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to launch new electric models. Of these 2,636 charging stations, 1,633 Charging Stations will be Fast Charging Stations and 1,003 will be slow charging stations. In all, 317 EV charging stations have been allotted in Maharashtra, 266 in Andhra Pradesh, 256 in Tamil Nadu, 228 in Gujarat, and 205 in Rajasthan.

Note: To promote the Electric vehicle in the country Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi implemented the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME-II) scheme in India. Under the FAME India scheme, the Department of Heavy Industries invited the “Expressions of Interest (EoI) “from various cities across the country and received 106 proposals for 7000 EV charging stations.

Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises: Prakash Javadekar

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India extends $75 million LoC to Cuba for solar parks: India has extended a line of credit (LoC) of USD 75 million (over Rs 500 crore) to Cuba. The line of credit is being provided to finance solar parks in Cuba. The line of credit is as per agreement signed between Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and Banco Exterior De Cuba for installation of 75 MW Photovoltaic Solar Parks in the Republic of Cuba. Banco Exterior De Cuba is a nominated agency of the Government of Cuba.

Note: Capital of Cuba: Havana; President: Miguel Diaz-Canel.

2. International team of astronomers finds farthest galaxy group EGS77: An international team of astronomers funded in part by NASA has found the farthest galaxy group identified as “EGS77“. EGS77, the trio of galaxies dates to a time when the universe was only 680 million years old, or less than 5% of its current age of 13.8 billion years. EGS77 is the farthest group of galaxies to have ever been sighted. EGS77 was discovered as part of the Cosmic Deep And Wide Narrowband (Cosmic DAWN) survey. The team of astronomers was led by an Indian-origin Goa-born scientist, Vithal Tilvi. Vithal Tilvi is currently a visiting researcher at the School of Earth & Space Exploration, at the Arizona State University, US.

Note: Headquarters of NASA: Washington, D.C.; Established: July 29,1958.

3. Neutral Pronoun ‘They’ Voted Word of the Decade by US Linguists: The US language experts have voted neutral pronoun ‘They’ as the Word of the Decade. The third-person plural pronoun “They” is increasingly being used in English as singular form to refer to people who identify their gender as neither entirely male nor entirely female. The selection of “they” is an indication that how a personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse. The recognition comes after US dictionary Merriam-Webster in December named “they” as word of the year.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. All-rounder Irfan Pathan retires from all forms of cricket: Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He last played for India in October 2012. He played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is. He was part of the victorious Indian team at the 2007 World Twenty20 and was the man-of-the-match in the final against Pakistan. He made his debut at the age of 19 in 2003.

2. Saurabh Chaudhary wins gold at 63rd National Shooting C’ship: Ace Indian shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has won the men’s 10 metres air pistol gold at the 63rd National Shooting Championship in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh scored 246.4 to finish on top. Second-placed Sarabjot Singh of Haryana was well behind with a score of 243.9, while world number two Abhishek Verma settled for bronze in a high-quality final. Abhishek and Sarabjot together won the team gold for Haryana. Sarabjot also won the junior men's gold for a profitable day.

Note: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Kamal Nath; Governor of MP: Lal Ji Tandon.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. PNB MetLife and RevFin in partnered to offer life cover: India’s leading Digital lending startup, RevFin has joined hands with PNB MetLife India Insurance Company to offer protection to the RevFin’s customers by bundling life insurance cover on their loans. This insurance covers loans up to ₹3 lakh for a term of three years. The product is offered digitally through RevFin’s app (iOS and Android), so there is no additional paperwork needed. The collaboration will help PNB MetLife to reach out to unbanked areas & drive greater financial inclusion in the country by securing the families of the borrowers against loan repayment in case of unfortunate death of the borrower.

Note: PNB MetLife India founded: 2001; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; MD & CEO: Ashish Kumar Srivastava.

2. CSC inks pact with Paytm Payments Bank for sale of FASTags: Common Service Centres (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) for sale of FASTags. The agreement will facilitate the sale of PPBL FASTags through the last mile network of 3.6 lakh CSCs, helping realize the government's vision of cashless and smooth transit at all toll plazas across the country. For this, CSC will integrate its platform with Paytm Payments Bank to carry out seamless transactions.

Note: FASTags, which work on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology -- have been made mandatory at toll gates on national highways. The FASTag process allows toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it, thus doing away with the need for waiting in queues, saving time and fuel.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Common Service Centres (CSC): Dinesh Tyagi.

Chairman of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Vijay Shekar Sharma; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Satish Kumar Gupta.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Indian girl Sucheta Satish wins Global Child Prodigy Award 2020: A 13-year-old Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish has won the 100 Global Child Prodigy Award in Delhi. She was awarded for singing in most languages during one concert and the longest live singing concert by a child.

Note: Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform to showcase the talent of children in dance, music, art, writing, acting, modelling, science, sports etc. The award is supported by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Oscar Award-winning music producer AR Rahman among others.

2. First International Yoga Day Media Award to be Conferred on 30 Media Houses: The first edition of the ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’ will take place in New Delhi on 7th January, 2020. The Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar will confer the award on 30 Media Houses for their contribution in popularizing of Yoga at national and international level. The Ministry of I&B had instituted the first Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) in June, 2019 to acknowledge the positive role & responsibility of media in spreading the message of Yoga.

The Samman would be given under the following 3 categories: (1) Eleven Sammans under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Newspapers; (2) Eight Sammans under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Television; (3) Eleven Sammans under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Radio.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi passes away: Former Governor of Karnataka T N Chaturvedi (90-years) passed away at a private hospital in Noida. Chaturvedi was the 14th Governor of Karnataka (from 2002–2007). He also served as of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) from 1984 to 1989.