Daily GK Updates - 3rd March, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Week-long Ekam Fest for Divyang artisans and entrepreneurs begins in New Delhi: National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC) under the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has organised “EKAM exhibition-cum-Fair” in New Delhi from from March 2 to March 9, 2020. The fest is organised to promote craftsmanship and products of Divyang artisans and entrepreneurs. EKAM stands for Entrepreneurship, Knowledge, Awareness, Marketing. The fair was inaugurated by Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot. EKAM Fest is a platform for promoting entrepreneurship and knowledge among Divyangjan community, generating awareness among society about potentialities of PwDs and providing a major marketing opportunity to PwDs entrepreneurs. Around 82 Divyang entrepreneurs, artisans and organizations from 17 States and Union Territories are displaying products and various crafts.

2. Government Launches “Fuel Humsafar” Mobile App For Doorstep Diesel Delivery: Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar has launched a mobile application named ‘Fuel Humsafar’ for delivery of diesel at doorsteps of Housing societies, hotels and hospitals in the national capital region. The app will be used for the fuel delivery services to housing societies, hotels, hospitals, malls, construction sites, industries, banquets and other bulk buyers of diesel in various NCR cities, including Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Hapur, Kundli, Manesar, and Bahadurgarh. Humsafar has 12 bowser tankers in varying capacity from 4 kilolitres to 6 kilolitres and an experienced team of 35 people.

Note: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas: Dharmendra Pradhan

3. Government Declares National Chambal sanctuary as eco-sensitive zone: The Central Government has declared the National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh as an eco-sensitive zone. This means that now the construction of the commercial establishments such as hotels or resorts will be prohibited within an area of zero to two kilometres from the sanctuary, to help maintain distance between the human settlement and the sanctuary. The sanctuary is located along river Chambal which is the cleanest river and harbours fresh water dolphin, nine species of turtle, 75% endangered species of Gharial and 180 species of migratory birds. The National Chambal Sanctuary is spread over an area of 435 sq km spanning three districts of Madhya Pradesh namely Sheopur, Morena and Bhind district. It lies at the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

4. Two names submitted for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2: Government of India has submitted two nomination dossiers namely 'Dholavira: A Harappan City' and 'Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate' for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2020. Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in Gujarat. The Deccan sultanates were five dynasties that ruled late medieval kingdoms, namely, Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar.

5. Arunachal Assembly implements e-Vidhan project: The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly went paperless with the implementation of e-Vidhan, a project under the Digital India programme. Now, MLAs can access every information regarding the Assembly, see the list of business, read questions and other documents pertaining to House proceedings through their laptops & tablet. Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is the ''nodal ministry'' for the implementation of e-Vidhan in all the 31 states and UT of the country.

6. Antar Rashtriya Yog Mahotsav begins in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Antar Rashtriya Yog Mahotsav has been inaugurated in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Yoga teachers and practitioners from eleven countries are taking part in this week-long event. The ‘Yog Mahotsav’ is held in Rishikesh every year from March 1 to March 7.

Note: International Yoga Day celebrates across the globe on 21st of June.

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand: Trivendra Singh Rawat; Governor: Baby Rani Maurya.

7. Historic city square in Jammu renamed as ‘Bharat Mata Chowk’: The historic City Chowk, the commercial hub in old Jammu renamed as ‘Bharat Mata Chowk’. A resolution in this regard was passed by the General house of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), after which it was done. The renaming of the chowk drew, people urged the JMC to focus more on development and cleanliness rather than changing names. Every year people are hoisting the tricolour on Republic and Independence days in this chowk. The starting point of the circular road (Panjtirthi in the city) was named by the JMC as ‘Atal Chowk’.

8. 3-day Krishi Vigyan Mela organised in New Delhi: 3-day Krishi Vigyan Mela has been organised in New Delhi from March 1-3, 2020 by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the event and called for retention of talent in agriculture. The Mela will demonstrate Rabi crops, protected cultivation of flowers and vegetables, display and sale of farm equipments developed by ICAR-IARI and other agricultural Institutes. Participating farmers as well as the visitors of the mela will be facilitated with the free health check-up during the occasion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China Takes Presidency of UN Security Council for March 2020: China has taken over as president of the United Nations (UN) Security Council for the month of March 2020 from Belgium. China will make effort to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with all parties to ensure that the council fulfills its responsibility and plays a constructive role in maintaining international peace and security. The presidency of the Council rotates among each of its 15 members every month, following the English alphabetical order of the Member States names.

Note: China is the permanent member of UN.

The Security Council was established by the UN Charter in 1945 with the responsibility to maintain international peace and security. The council has 15 members (5 permanent 10 non-permanent members).

2. India sign 40 million USD defence deal with Armenia: India bagged a deal to supply 4 indigenously built radars (capable of locating weapons) to Armenia in Europe. The deal was worth 40 million USD. The move by GoI is to boost the defence sector of the country. The deal is a major achievement for the ‘Make in India’ programme in the defence sector. Under the deal, India will supply 4 SWATHI weapon locating radars. The weapon is to be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Armenians had conducted trials of systems offered by Russia and Poland but they approved the Indian system, which was developed by DRDO. India began the supply of the equipment to Armenia.

Note: Capital of Armenia: Yerevan; Currency of Armenia: Armenian dram.

3. World Wildlife Day: March 3: World Wildlife Day is observed globally on 3rd of March every year to celebrate the beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora present on earth. The World Wildlife Day also raise awareness about the benefits that the conservation of wild fauna and flora provides to people living on earth. The theme of World Wildlife Day 2020 is “Sustaining all life on Earth” and the year 2020 is known as “biodiversity super year.” The theme of World Wildlife Day 2020 aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 14 and 15 of the United Nations.

4. World Hearing Day: 3 March: World Hearing Day is observed globally on 3rd of March every year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. The theme of 2020 World Hearing Day is “Hearing for life. Don’t let hearing loss limit you”. It highlights that timely and effective intervention will ensure that people with hearing loss can achieve their full potential.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. 1st Khelo India University Games concludes in Bhubaneswar: The first-ever Khelo India University Games concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on 1 March 2020. The tournament started on 21 February 2020 at Kalinga Institure of Industrial Technology (KIIT) premises in Odisha. Panjab University, Chandigarh emerged as the champions by winning 46 medals including 17 gold, 19 silver, and 10 bronze. Savitribai Phule Pune University claimed the second position with 37 medals including 17 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze medals. Punjabi University, Patiala stood third with 33 medals including 13 gold, 6 silver, and 14 bronze medals. A total of 113 universities took part in the games.

Note: CM of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.

2. Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh wins bronze medal at Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020: Indian shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh have won a bronze medal each in the girls’ singles event at the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020. The event is being held in Haarlem, Netherlands. Meanwhile, India’s rising stars Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya won gold and silver medals respectively in the girls singles at the Kenya International held in Thika, Kenya.

3. Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament 2020 postponed due to Coronavirus: The 29th edition of the prestigious Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament has been postponed from April 2020 to September 2020 due to novel coronavirus outbreak across the world. The tournament was scheduled to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 11 to 18. Now it will be held from September 24 to October 3. The Azlan Shah Cup is an annual men’s international invitational field hockey tournament held in Malaysia. The participating teams in this edition's tournament were Australia, Canada, Japan, hosts Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea. The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting event to be affected by the deadly coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected 86,000 people. India is a regular at the event, was not supposed to participate this year.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Fitch cuts India’s FY20 GDP forecast to 4.9% and for FY21 to 5.4%: Fitch Solutions has cut its forecast for India’s GDP growth rate for FY20 to 4.9% from previous 5.1%. For FY21, Fitch Solution has predicted India’s GDP growth at 5.4%.