Daily GK Updates - 18th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AIIB Approves $750 million loan to India for COVID-19 response: Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved USD 750 million as a loan to India to help government to strengthen its response to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on millions of poor households. AIIB is co-financing the loan with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This is the second loan for India under AIIB’s Covid-19 Crisis Recovery Facility (CRF). Earlier, the bank had provided USD 500 million COVID-19 emergency response to India. With this, AIIB’s total sovereign loans to India that have already been approved amount to USD 3.06 billion. AIIB does not have a regular instrument for policy-based financing. It is extending such financing on an exceptional basis under the CRF to support its members through projects co-financed with the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank.

Note: Headquarters of AIIB: Beijing, China; President of AIIB: Jin Liqun.

2. “Composite Regional Centre for PwDs” inaugurated in Ranchi:  Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot, and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda inaugurated Composite Regional Centre (CRC) in Jharkhand. It is the 21st CRC for Skill Development, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). It will offer rehabilitation services such as Early Intervention Programme to PwDs in Jharkhand and adjoining areas. It will also execute schemes for PwDs.

Note: Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Hemant Soren; Governor: Droupadi Murmu.

3. Govt to launch ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ scheme for rural India: “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” will be launched by the Government of India from Village Telihar, Block Beldaur of Khagaria District of Bihar. It is a massive rural public works scheme that will empower and offer livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers as well as rural citizens. The programme will be joined by the villages across 116 districts in the six States through the Common Service Centres and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. The six states are: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. It is a 125 days campaign that will work in mission mode involving employment generation as well as infrastructure creation in rural regions.

4. Harsh Vardhan Launches India’s First Mobile Lab for COVID-19 Testing: The Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched India’s first mobile laboratory for COVID-19 testing in rural areas and in other far-flung and inaccessible areas of India. The mobile lab, called I-Lab (Infectious Diseases Diagnostics Lab) – Rapid Response Mobile Laboratory, has been built in a record time of eight days. It has been built by Andhra Pradesh Med-tech Zone (AMTZ) under DBT-AMTZ COMManD (COVID Medtech Manufacturing Development) Consortia. I-Lab is supported by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The unique lab has the capability to perform 25 RT-PCR tests per day, 300 ELISA tests per day and additional tests for TB, HIV as per CGHS rates.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India elected as non-permanent member of UN Security Council: India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term during the 2020 UNSC elections held on 17 June 2020. India’s two year term for the 2021-22 will begin on January 1, 2021. The country won 184 votes out of 192 valid votes polled in 193 members UN General Assembly. India was the sole candidate from the Asia-Pacific category. This is the eighth time that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council. Its previous terms are 1950—1951, 1967—1968, 1972—1973, 1977—1978, 1984—1985, 1991—1992 and 2011—2012. Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway were the other countries that also won the 2020 Security Council election. The United Nations high-table comprises of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.

Note: India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations: T S Tirumurti.

2. India pledges Rs 2.33 crore to build sanitation facility at Nepal’s Pashupatinath Temple: India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nepal for the construction of sanitation facility at the iconic Pashupatinath Temple complex in Nepal. For this, India has pledged Rs 2.33 crore to improve the infrastructure in the holy shrine Pashupatinath Temple, which is also listed under the UNESCO World Heritage site. The project would be constructed under the Nepal-Bharat Maitri: Development Partnership as a high impact community development scheme by India. The project would be implemented by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

3. India ranks 43rd on IMD’s World Competitiveness Index 2020: India has been ranked at 43rd position among 63 nations, in the annual World Competitiveness Index for the year 2020 compiled by Institute for Management Development (IMD). Last year also India was at 43rd spot. Singapore has retained the top position this year also. Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Hong Kong are the top five countries. Among the BRICS nations, India is ranked second after China, followed by Russia (50th), Brazil (56th) and South Africa (59th). 2020 World Competitiveness Ranking is the 32nd edition of the index.

4. Sustainable Gastronomy Day: 18th June: The Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed on 18 June globally to focus the attention of the world on the role that sustainable gastronomy plays in our lives. The day was designated by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2016. Gastronomy means the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. In other words, Sustainable gastronomy takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates. The day reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development.

5. Autistic Pride Day: 18th June:  very year, Autistic Pride Day is observed on June 18 globally to create awareness about autism among people and recognise the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society. The day is represented by a rainbow infinity symbol which denotes the infinite possibilities that autistic people have. Autistic Pride Day was first celebrated in Brazil in 2005, at the initiative of an organisation named Aspies for Freedom. This year the World Autism Awareness Day 2020 Theme is ‘The Transition to Adulthood’.

Note: Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Justice DK Jain gets 1-year extension as BCCI ombudsman: The Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) has extended the term of former Supreme Court Judge DK Jain as the BCCI’s Ethics Officer and Ombudsman, for a period of twelve months. Previously he was appointed by the Supreme Court as BCCI’s Ombudsman in February 2019 and later on given the additional role of Ethics Officer. Jain’s one year term had ended in February 2020. He had handled the cases of remarks made by KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, 'conflict of interest' cases of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Kapil Dev.

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

2. Bahrain to host Fourth Asian Youth Para Games in December 2021: Bahrain has been chosen by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) as the host country for the fourth edition of the Asian Youth Para Games to be held from December 1 to 10 in 2021. The tournament will witness participation of an estimated 800 athletes under 20 years of age. The competition will be held in nine sports including: athletics, badminton, boccia, goalball, taekwondo, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball. The event is being organised in conjunction with the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Bahrain with the support of the government.

Note: Chairman of the Bahrain Paralympic Committee: Shaikh Mohammed bin Duaij Al Khalifa.

King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; Capital of Bahrain: Manama; Currency of Bahrain: Bahraini Dinar.

3. Napoli beats Juventus in penalty shootout to win its sixth Italian Cup Football title: The football club Napoli has won the 2019-20 Coppa Italia cup after defeating Juventus with 4–2 on shootout penalties in the final after a goalless draw on 17 June 2020. This is the sixth time that Napoli has won the title. The last time it won was in 2014.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Devendra Kumar Singh appointed as the new Director of SIDBI: The Ministry of Finance notified the appointment of Devendra Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, as Central Government nominee Director on the Board of Directors of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). He will be succeeding Ram Mohan Mishra, with immediate effect and until further orders.

2. Maruti Suzuki ties up with Karur Vysya Bank for flexible financing scheme: Maruti Suzuki India has tied up with Karur Vysya Bank and IndusInd Bank to facilitate new customers with flexible financing plans. Customers can avail multiple finance schemes and longer repayment loan terms to own a new car through the scheme. Under this, buyers will be provided with 100% on-road funding with 6 months holiday period on all models except van EECO. Loans will be available for salaried and self-employed customers with repayment period of 84 months.

Note: Maruti Suzuki CEO: Kenichi Ayukawa; Maruti Suzuki Headquarters: New Delhi.

Karur Vysya Bank Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu; Karur Vysya Bank CEO: P. R. Seshadri.

3. HDFC ERGO Joins hand with TropoGo to launch ‘Pay as You Fly’ insurance policy for drone-owners in India: HDFC ERGO, India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, has launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Pay As You Fly’ Third-Party Liability policy for drone-owners in India. For this, HDFC ERGO has partnered with TropoGo, a Deep Tech start-up, working on Real-time Risk Management platform to cater to every need of the Indian Smart Tech ecosystem. HDFC ERGO’s new policy provides commercial drone owners/operators Third Party Liability claims cover for property damage and bodily injuries. This cover will be offered to registered drone owners and operators holding a commercial drone pilot’s certificate or a license issued by certified training schools in India. The policy cover will be offered on-demand to customers on ‘Pay as you Fly’ concept. Members may opt for 4 hours, one-day, or a one-month cover to insure themselves against third-party liabilities.

Note: HDFC ERGO General Insurance MD & CEO: Ritesh Kumar; HDFC ERGO General insurance Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1.  revises India’s outlook to negative from stable; affirms the sovereign rating at “BBB-“: Fitch Ratings has revised India’s long-term outlook to negative from stable, citing risks due to continued acceleration in the number of new Covid-19 cases as the lockdown is eased gradually in the country. The global credit rating agency has affirmed the country’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-’, the lowest investment grade. Fitch expects Indian economic to contract by 5% (-5 percent) in the fiscal year ending March 2021 (FY21). For the fiscal FY22, ending march 2022, GDP is expected to grow by 9.5%.

2. Acquisition by MacRitchie in API, Ascent & 91Streets approved by CCI: Acquisition by MacRitchie Investments Pte. Ltd. (MacRitchie) in Ascent Health and Wellness Solutions Private Limited (Ascent), API Holdings Private Limited (API) & 91Streets Media Technologies Private Limited (91Streets) has received the approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The acquisition by MacRitchie in three companies will be executed under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. J&K administration wins 3 DDUPSP awards by Panchayati Raj Ministry: J&K administration was conferred with 3 prestigious Deen Dayal Upadhyay Sashaktikaran Puraskar (DDUPSP) awards for socio-economic development of gram panchayats. The award was given by Ministry of Panchayati Raj to Rathal and Badakana in Rajouri and Meej in Pulwama districts. The award is given for improving areas of sanitation, natural resource management, maintaining record, PMAY (Gramin) houses, data management, implementation of schemes and electricity, etc.

DEFENCE

1. India to participate in Victory Day Parade of World War-II: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has agreed to send Tri-Service contingent to take part in the 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow. India will send its 75-member Tri-Service contingent as the Defence Minister of Russia has invited an Indian contingent to take part in the Victory Day Parade. The parade will be held on June 24, 2020. It will be held to honour the heroism and sacrifices made by the Russian and other countries in WW II. India’s participation in the parade will mark tribute and solidarity to Russia during the remembrance of Great Patriotic War heroes. Contingents of other countries are also expected to participate in the 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow. WW II took place from 1939 to 1945

Note: President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital: Moscow.