Daily GK Updates - 4th February, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union govt sets target of 30km of highways a day in current fiscal: According to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Government has set the target for construction of highways about 30 kilometres per day in the current fiscal. The average construction of Highways is 25.23 kilometres per day till December in 2019-20. It was 24.37 kilometres per day during the corresponding period in 2018-19. Total 2155 kilometres length of roads has been built in the first three months of the current financial year.

2. Pramod Agrawal takes Charge as Chairman of Coal India Ltd.: A 1991 batch IAS officer Pramod Agrawal assumed charge as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Ltd (CIL) on 1st February 2020. He succeeds A K Jha who retired on January 31, 2020. Coal India Limited (CIL) is an Indian state-owned coal mining and refinery company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

3. Five archaeological locations to be developed into 'Iconic Sites': Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned in her budget speech that five archaeological sites will be developed into iconic sites of India. These five archaeological locations are Sivasagar (Assam), Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Dholavira (Gujarat), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu).

She also added that each site will have an on-site museum.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan declares national emergency over locust swarms: Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has declared a national emergency in the country to battle locust swarms. The insects are destroying crops on a large scale in Punjab province, country’s main region for agricultural production.

Note: Capital of Pakistan: Islamabad; President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi.

2. Sri Lanka celebrates 72nd years of Independence: Sri Lanka is celebrating the 72nd Independence Day in a grand ceremony in Colombo. The theme of 2020 Independence Day ceremony is “A Secured Nation - A Prosperous Country”. Ending 134 years of colonial rule, Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, gained independence from Great Britain on 4th February 1948.

3. UAE finds new natural gas field between Abu Dhabi, Dubai: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the discovery of a natural gas field containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This new discovery reinforces the nation's goal of achieving gas self-sufficiency, enabling major development projects. The new Jebel Ali field would help the Emirates become more energy independent. Qatar is the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer.

4. World Cancer Day: 4th February: The world cancer day is being observed on 4th February every year to raise awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. According to WHO, every year 8.8 million people die of cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Last year, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) launched a new three years (2019-2021) campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.”

5. Gopal Baglay appointed Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka: Senior Diplomat Gopal Baglay (Indian Foreign Service - 1992-batch) has been appointed India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Mr. Baglay succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Baglay has held many key positions including spokesperson of the MEA and Deputy High Commissioner of India to Pakistan. He had also handled the sensitive PAI (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) division in the MEA.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. BCCI constitutes 3-members in Cricket Advisory Committee: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed new members of its 3-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on 31st January 2020. The new members of the CAC include former India cricketers Rudra Pratap Singh, Madan Lal and Sulkashana Naik. All the three have been appointed for a term of one year. The newly-formed CAC will succeed the trio of Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad, and Shanta Rangaswamy.

Note: BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly; Headquarter of BCCI: Mumbai.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Fitch Predicts India’s GDP Growth for FY20 at 4.6% and FY21 at 5.6%: US-based rating agency Fitch Ratings Inc. has projected GDP growth of India for the next financial year 2020-21 at 5.6 percent. For the current fiscal 2019-20, GDP is projected at 4.6 percent. The Union Budget for 2020-21 had projected a GDP growth of 6-6.5 per cent.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Paytm launches Android POS device for SMEs & merchant partners: Paytm has launched an Android POS device for small and medium businesses (SMEs) & merchant partners. The android based device will enable the merchants to accept payments in various ways like debit and credit cards, Paytm Wallet, UPI-based apps and cash.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards: The 73rd edition of the annual British Academy Film Awards, also known as BAFTA, was held on 2 February 2020 in London. The award is presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, to honor the best national and foreign films of 2019 of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 2019. The Film ‘1917’ received the highest number of awards at 7 with nominations in 9 categories.

List of Winners of BAFTA 2020:

Sr. No.	Category	Winner
1	Best Film	1917
2	Outstanding British Film	1917
3	Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer	Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers) (Movie: Bait)
4	Film Not In The English Language	Parasite
5	Documentary	For Sama
6	Animated Film	Klaus
7	Director	Sam Mendes (1917)
8	Original Screenplay	Han Jin Won, Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)
9	Adapted Screenplay	Jojo Rabbit
10	Leading Actress	Renee Zellweger (Judy)
11	Leading Actor	Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
12	Supporting Actress	Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
13	Supporting Actor	Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)
14	Original Score	Joker
15	Casting	Joker
16	Cinematography	1917
17	Editing	Le Mans ’66
18	Production Design	1917
19	Costume Design	Jacqueline Durran (Little Women)
20	Make Up & Hair	Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan (Bombshell)
21	Sound	1917
22	Special Visual Effects	1917
23	British Short Animation	Grandad Was A Romantic
24	British Short Film	Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re A Girl)
25	Ee Rising Star Award	Micheal Ward

2. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das Named Central Banker of the Year 2020: The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das, has been named as the ‘Central Banker of the Year 2020 for the Asia-Pacific region’ by ‘The Banker’ magazine, owned by London-based Financial Times (FT). The Banker‘s Central Banker of the Year 2020 awards celebrate the officials that have best managed to stimulate growth and stabilise their economy. Das has been credited for bringing in measures to tighten the rules around shadow banking as well as several major steps to bring banking in India up to the standard through a restrained approach to governance.

Note: Headquarters of RBI: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

DEFENCE

1. 11th DefExpo 2020 to be held in Lucknow: The 11th edition of the biennial mega defence exhibition, DefExpo 2020, will begin on 5 February at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The main theme of DefExpo India-2020 will be “India: the emerging defence manufacturing hub”.

Note: Defence Minister of India: Rajnath Singh.

2. Indian Navy Conducts Coastal Security Exercise ‘Matla Abhiyan’: The Indian Navy launched a unique coastal security exercise named ‘Matla Abhiyan’ in Kolkata, West Bengal to spread awareness on coastal security from 29th January to 2nd February 2020. Under the exercise, two naval boats were flagged off to move along the the river Matla in the Sundarbans region up to Hemnagar. This is also the international trade protocol route between India and Bangladesh. During the exercise, the Navy interacted with the local community to make them aware of the coastal security and also carried out activity to understand the navigational complexities in the Sundarbans Delta.

Note: Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi passes away: Former Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly & Congress MLA of Sibsagar Pranab Kumar Gogoi (84-years) passed away at a private hospital in Guwahati. Mr. Pranab Gogoi served as a minister in Tarun Gogoi-led cabinet from 2006-2011. He was also elected as the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly (in 2011).