Daily GK Updates - 19th February, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IGI Airport, Delhi becomes India’s first single-use plastic-free airport: GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has announced that the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi has become free of single-use plastic usage, becoming the first airport in India to achieve the milestone. The initiative is in line with the Indian PM’s vision to abolish all single-use plastic from India by 2022. The Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC CESD), known for supporting business communities toward achieving sustainability, certified DIAL for its voluntary and successful implementation of single-use plastic-free airport measures within IGI Airport’s operations.

2. Ministry of Textile Organises KALA KUMBH –Handicrafts Exhibitions: The Ministry of Textiles is organising Kala Kumbh – Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition in various parts of the country from 14 to 23 February 2020 to promote Geographical Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India. The exhibition is being sponsored by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). It will be held in Bengaluru and Mumbai from 14 Feb to 23 Feb while, it will also be organized in Kolkata and Chennai in March 2020.

Note: Union Minister of Textiles: Smriti Zubin Irani.

3. Delhi Police integrates “Himmat Plus app” with Uber for passenger’s safety: The Delhi Police has integrated its “Himmat Plus App” with the app of ride hailing company “Uber” to ensure safety and security of people travelling in cabs. The Himmat Plus App was launched at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. This app will give the real-time location of a driver or a rider during emergency. In response to it, Police Control Room (PCR) van will be assigned to provide assistance to the rider.

The integration of the App will enhance the location services and travel information to save the lives of people travelling in cabs. The initiative will also improve the efficiency of the Delhi Police to overcome the emergency situations. When a rider scans the QR card, rider can access a driver’s details and vehicle information on the Himmat App. With the help of the app, rider can directly report their journey to the police.

4. Soil Health Card Day: 19 February 2020: Every year India observes the Soil Health Card Day on 19 February to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme, and create awareness about the benefits of the scheme. 2020 marks the fifth year of the launch of the SHC Scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February, 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in soil. The scheme ensures additional income to farmers by an increase in yields and it also promotes sustainable farming.

Note: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: Narendra Singh Tomar.

5. Two new bird species found during Great Backyard Bird count in Ladakh: In Union Territory of Ladakh, two new bird species (Red-throated Thrush and Plumbeous Water Redstart) have been found during the Great Backyard Bird count. Common Rose Finch and Grey Haron species have arrived in Ladakh region early than usual. Three-Group birders and wildlife experts have counted and recorded a total of 87 various species of birds in Ladakh. The details will be recorded in the eBird India website for further studies.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ashraf Ghani Wins Afghanistan Presidential Elections: The independent Election Commission of Afghanistan has announced Ashraf Ghani as the winner of the Presidential elections of Afghanistan. He has won the Presidential elections of Afghanistan for the 2nd time. Mr. Ghani won 9,23,592 votes (50.64%), compared to his main challenger and the country’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah who received 7,20,841 votes (39.52%).

Note: Capital of Afghanistan: Kabul; Currency: Afghan Afghani.

2. Bangladesh to sign Free Trade Agreement with Nepal: Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement to enhance trade between the two countries. Bangladesh has also agreed to allow Nepal to use it Saidpur airport located in its northernmost district of Nilphamari close to Nepal. Bangladesh exports commodities worth $38 million to Nepal and imports goods worth around 18 million dollars. Nepal will be able to provide 500 MW of hydroelectric power to Bangladesh once the Indian Company GMR completes its project in Nepal.

Note: Prime Minister of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina; Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka.

Prime minister of Nepal: KP Sharma Oli; President of Nepal: Bidhya Devi Bhandari; Capital of Nepal: Kathmandu; Currency of Nepal: Nepalese rupee.

3. UK announces new points-based visa system: UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel has announced the launch of Britain's new points-based visa system. It aims at attracting the "brightest and the best" from the world, including from India. Ms Patel, the senior-most Indian-origin Cabinet minister said, the new system will cut down numbers of cheap, low-skilled migrating workers coming to the country. The new system will come into force from January 1, 2021, at the end of the transition period after UK's exit from the European Union (EU) last month.

The new post-Brexit system, which will apply equally to the EU and non-EU countries like India, is based on assigning points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries and professions, with visas only awarded to those who gain enough points.

4. EAM to inaugurate Indian Pavilion at 70th Berlin International Film Festival: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will inaugurate Indian Pavilion at 70th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany on 20th February. It aims to establish multiple international collaborations in the space of distribution, production, filming in India and development technology through its participation at Berlinale-2020. India Pavilion will provide a platform to popularize Indian cinema in the overseas market and facilitate new business opportunities.

This year for the festival, three Indian feature films, as well as one short documentary film, have been selected. These are Pushpendra Singh’s Laipla Aur Satt Geet, Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo!, Akshay Indikar’s – Sthalpuran and Ekta Mittal’s short documentary – Gumnaam Din. Information and Broadcasting Ministry in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry, CII is participating in the event.

Note: Capital of Germany: Berlin; Currency of Germany: Euro; Chancellor of Germany: Angela Merkel.

5. Australia appoints Barry O’Farrell as new high commissioner to India: Australia has appointed Barry O’Farrell as the next high commissioner to India. He will succeed Harinder Sidhu who has been in the office since 2016. O’Farrell served in the New South Wales Parliament from 1995-2015. He has served as NSW’s special envoy for India and made a significant contribution as the deputy chair of the Australia India Council Board. India is a significant trading partner of Australia, with 2-way investment valued of 30.7 billion dollars & around 700,000 people of Indian Origin were living in Australia.

Note: Australia Capital: Canberra; Currency: Australian Dollar; Prime Minister of Australia: Scott Morrison.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India to host FIFA U-17 Women’s Football World Cup 2020: Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched an event to unveil the five host cities for the FIFA Under-17 Women's Football World Cup. The matches of the world cup will be held in five cities including Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai. These cities will play host to 16 teams which will compete across 32 matches to lift the coveted title. The official slogan - Kick off the Dream - was also unveiled during the event.

Note: FIFA Women’s Chief Football Officer: Sarai Bareman; President of All India Football Federation: Praful Patel;

Headquarters of All India Football Federation: Dwarka, Delhi.

2. AIFF receives ‘Grassroots Charter Bronze Level’ membership: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has received the Asian Football Confederation’s “Grassroots Charter Bronze Level” membership. This declaration accords AIFF the right to promote its basic-level events and activities with the support and recognition of the AFC in accordance with the applicable terms of the AFC Grassroots Charter.

Note: Asian Football Confederation headquarter-Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

President of AIFF: Praful Patel; AIFF founded: 23 June 1937; FIFA affiliation of AIFF: 1948; Headquarters of AIFF: Dwarka, Delhi.

3. India to host the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021: The Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021 will be held in India as per the announcement made by International Hockey Federation (FIH) at Lausanne in Switzerland. This is the second time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament which was held in 2016.

Note: Chief executive Officer of International Hockey Federation (FIH): Thierry Weil; President of Hockey India: MohdMushtaque Ahmad.

4. Australia’s James Duckworth Clinches 2020 Bengaluru Open Tennis Tournament: The 2020 Bengaluru Open was the third edition of the professional tennis tournament and part of the 2020 ATP Challenger Tour held in Bangalore, India.

Winners are as follows:

Singles: James Duckworth (Australia) defeated Benjamin Bonzi (France)

Doubles: Purav Raja / Ramkumar Ramanathan defeated Matthew Ebden (Australia) / Leander Paes

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. JSW Steel gets NCLAT's approval to acquire Bhushan Power: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal has approved the Rs 19,700 crore resolution plan of JSW Steel to take over the bankrupt Bhushan Power and Steel. The approval comes with the immunity sought by the new owner against investigations being carried out against the erstwhile promoters of Bhushan Power and Steel. This comes after the government recently amended Section 32A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

Note: Chairman of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal: Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya; Headquarters of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal: New Delhi.

JSW steel Founded: 1982; JSW steel Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; JSW steel Founder: Sajjan Jindal.

2. India becomes 5th largest economy: World Population Review report: As per a report by a US-based think tank World Population Review, India’s economy is the fifth-largest in the world with a GDP of $2.94 trillion, overtaking the UK and France in 2019 to take the fifth spot. The size of the UK economy is $2.83 trillion and that of France is $2.71 trillion. The report further said that in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, India’s GDP (PPP) is $10.51 trillion, exceeding that of Japan and Germany. Due to India’s high population, India’s GDP per capita is $2,170 (for comparison, the US is $62,794).

OBITUARIES

1. Manchester United and Northern Ireland great Harry Gregg Passes Away: Northern Ireland professional footballer former goalkeeper of Manchester United Harry Gregg died at the age of 87. He is a widely famous as the hero of the Munich air crash, on 6 February 1958, in which 23 people died, including eight of Manchester United’s teammate. He rescued a mother and her baby daughter, team-mates Bobby Charlton and Jackie Blanchflower and manager Matt Busby from the wreckage of the plane.

2. Women’s Golf Legend Mickey Wright Passes Away: American professional golfer Mickey Wright often described as the greatest woman golfer of all time, has passed away at Florida in the United States. She was 85. Her haul of 13 major victories included four US Women's Open titles and four US Women's PGA Championships. Wright had accumulated 82 titles of Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour titles during a professional career which stretched from 1954 to 1969.