Daily GK Updates - 18th Aug, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Ministry of Tribal Affairs launches “Swasthya” & “ALEKH”: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the Tribal Health and Nutrition Portal “Swasthya” and e-newsletter on health and nutrition “ALEKH”. The ministry has also announced the opening of National Overseas Portal and National Tribal Fellowship Portal. e-portal on Tribal health and nutrition named ‘Swasthya’ will offer health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India on a single platform. “Piramal Swasthya” has been recognized by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as the Centre of Excellence for Knowledge Management (CoE for KM) for Health and Nutrition. “ALEKH” is a quarterly e-newsletter on health and nutrition.

Note: Union Minister of Tribal Affairs: Arjun Munda; Minister of State for Tribal Affairs: Renuka Singh Saruta.

 

2. MPEDA launches Quality Control Lab in Porbandar: Quality Control Lab has been set up by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in Porbandar, Gujarat. The Quality Control Lab will offer tests for seafood processors as well as exporters to confirm to product safety as per international regulatory requirements. Quality Control Lab is empowered with advanced testing instruments to evaluate antibiotic residues, heavy-metals, namely cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic in seafood samples and histamine in fish such as tuna and mackerel.

Note: Chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority: K S Srinivas.

Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijaybhai R. Rupani; Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat.

 

3. Chhattisgarh government to launch “Padhai Tuhar Para” scheme: Chhattisgarh government has announced to launch a student centric scheme named as “Padhai Tuhar Para”. The scheme will enable the school students to study with the help of community in their localities and villages, in view of the suspension of classes due to coronavirus outbreak. Along with “Padhai Tuhar Para” scheme, the state government also announced to launch three other schemes which are as follows:

(1) “Bultu Ke Bol”, a Bluetooth-based programme will be rolled out to provide study materials to students living in remote areas and do not have access to internet facility.

(2) Mukhyamantri Slum Swasthya Yojana will be launched to offer health facilities to the people at their doorstep with the help of 70 mobile medical units in all the 14 municipal corporations.

(3) Radhabai Diagnostic Centre Scheme will be rolled out to offer pathology and other testing facilities to people at concessional rates.

Note: Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel; Governor: Anusuiya Uikey.

 

4. Rakesh Asthana becomes new DG of BSF: Government of India has appointed Rakesh Asthana as the new director-general of the Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, DG Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) chief S S Deswal was holding the additional charge of BSF since March this year. Asthana is currently heading the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with an additional charge of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), will assume full-time charge of the border guarding force deployed at the approximately 2,280 km long border with Pakistan. Other Appointments:

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has stated that 1986 batch IPS officer, V S K Kaumudi, who is currently the director-general of BPRD (Bureau of police research and development) has been appointed as special secretary (internal security) or SS(IS) in the ministry of home affairs. Another 1986 batch IPS officer, Jawed Akhtar has been appointed as DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard.

Note: BSF formed: 1 December 1965; BSF Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

5. Gwalior-Chambal e-way to be named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee: On the 2nd death anniversary of the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that the Gwalior-Chambal Expressway will be named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first BJP member to become the Prime Minister of India. He served as the prime minister in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and a term of five years from 1999 to 2004. Under his leadership, the 1998 nuclear tests were conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan. In honour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 25th December is celebrated as Good Governance Day.

About Gwalior-Chambal Expressway: The Gwalior Chambal Expressway is a 6 lane expressway connecting Madhya Pradesh with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, through the ravines of Chambal region. The expressway will go parallel to the Chambal river via Shivpuri, Bhind, Morena to Kota (Rajasthan).

Note: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

 

6. Google partners CWC for flood forecasting initiative: Google and Central Water Commission (CWC) of India have launched the flood forecasting initiatives across India for the past several months. The Central Water Commission is the first governmental partner of Google to measure water levels on an hourly basis using around 1000 stream gauges across India. Flood Forecasting Initiatives:

(1) Under the flood forecasting initiatives, Google has sent out numerous public alerts to people in flood-impacted regions of India.

(2) These alerts provide updates and critical information to inform the users on their safety and the safety of their family and friends.

(3) The notifications are provided in English, Hindi and Bengali based on the device language and locations of users.

(4) The initiative enables the users with Android Smartphones with location service to receive the alerts and notification on the real-time water level measurements.

(5) This initiative also allows the users to enter queries on flood-affected areas and access information on the current situations of the region.

Note: Central Water Commission Chairman: Rajendra Kumar Jain; Central Water Commission Headquarters: Sewa Bhawan, New Delhi.

 

7. A book titled “Full Spectrum: India’s Wars, 1972-2020″ by Arjun Subramaniam: Retired Air Vice Marshal, Arjun Subramaniam has authored a new book titled, “Full Spectrum: India’s Wars, 1972-2020″. It is the sequel to his 1st book, ‘India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971’. The book portrays the comprehensive account of war and conflict in contemporary India over the past five decades next month. It will be published by HarperCollins Publishers India Pvt. Ltd. The book includes all major operation that the armed forces have participated in, including the Kargil conflict of 1999, insurgencies in the Northeast, terrorism and proxy wars in Jammu and Kashmir, separatist violence in Punjab, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) intervention in Sri Lanka, and the continued stress along the Line of Control( LoC)and the Line of Actual Control(LAC).

 

8. Health Minister inaugurated CII Public Health Conference: Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare; Science & Technology and Earth Sciences virtually addressed the inaugural session of the two-day long CII Public Health Conference, where he inaugurated “India Healthcare Week” with the theme “Redefining Healthcare Ecosystem” from 17th- 21st August 2020. The week has been initiated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy). Along with CII India Healthcare Week, a 3 year-long CII TB free workplaces campaign to ensure TB free workplace, and CII Vision Document on ‘ Strengthening Public Health Delivery – Role of Multiple Stakeholders’ were also launched. The TB free workplaces campaign includes a teaching app, a web portal to engage the industry and a best practices compendium.

Note: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Director General (DG): Chandrajit Banerjee; Headquarter: New Delhi; Chairman CII Public Health Council: Randeep Guleria

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 13th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting held virtually: 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation was held virtually. Expanding economic partnership was the key agenda of the meeting. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. Key Highlights of India-UAE Meeting:

(1) India invited further investments from UAE in key sectors of Indian Economy such as infrastructure including logistics, food parks, highways, ports, airports, renewable energy and defence.

(2) India and UAE discussed regional issues concerning their neighbourhood and level of their cooperation at United Nations and other International forums including Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

(3) UAE side appreciated the significant contributions made by the Indian expatriate community. Indians form the largest expatriate community  in UAE, followed by Pakistan.

(4) UAE also expressed its willingness to further strengthen the links in Energy and Food  Security.

(5) India and UAE expressed satisfaction over continuance of momentum in the bilateral relations various areas for mutual benefit under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Both the sides agreed to hold the 14th Session of India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2021. The dates will be finalized by both countries through diplomatic channels.

Note: President of UAE: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham.

 

2. UK launches £3 Million Innovation Challenge Fund in India: An “Innovation Challenge Fund” of £3 Million has been launched by the government of United Kingdom (UK) in India. The newly launched fund aims to support research and development (R&D) proposals to address the challenges posed to the economy and the environment, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the fund will help scientists in academia and industry to address the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Innovation Challenge Fund requests tech innovators having links with the AI-Data cluster in Karnataka and the Future Mobility cluster in Maharashtra, to present research and development plans for tackling Covid-19 or which encourages a greener planet. This will help to catalyse innovation and technology, which will address global challenges to drive innovation-led inclusive growth.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. AIFF partners SAI to launch “E-Pathshala”: All India Football Federation (AIFF) has launched the web platform “E-Pathshala” in partnership with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The platform is an Athlete Coaching Program in football for Grassroots and Intermediate; and has been launched to recognise the creativity and develop the interest of children in football. It has been split into three parts: My Football Culture, My Skills and My Training.

(1) The “My Football culture” section comprises of five different aspects namely: My drawing, My goal, My Idol, My Creativity and My story. In this part, participants are required to upload their videos on the website in a particular section.

(2) The “My Skills” section is for U-12 age-group and consists of three difficulty levels namely Golden bracket, Silver bracket and Bronze bracket. In this, participants are required to to chose a particular bracket and then upload the corresponding videos which will be evaluated by the panellists accordingly.

(3) The “My training section” allows the participants to upload their individual or a group video shot along with family, friends or neighbours.

 

2. Kevin de Bruyne named Premier League Player of the Season 2019-20: In Football, the Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been named as the Premier League Player of the Season 2019-20. He is the only third Belgian footballer to win the award for the league’s top performer, after Eden Hazard (2014-15) and Vincent Kompany (2011-12). The 29-year-old scored 20 goals in the 2019-20 season. Other awards includes:

Young Player of the Season – Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Manager of the Season – Juergen Klopp (Liverpool)

Goal of the Season – Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

Premier League 2 (PL2) Player of the Season – Curtis Jones (Liverpool)

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Ashwini Kumar Shukla appointed as CRO of Central bank of India: The Public Sector Central Bank of India has appointed Ashwini Kumar Shukla as its Chief Risk Officer. His term is effective from August 3. The bank gave this information in a release on Monday. According to the release, Shukla had previously been the General Manager of the Risk Management Department at State Bank of India. Last year August 2019, the Finance Ministry, under its reform programs, allowed public sector banks to appoint Chief Risk Officers from the market. Central Bank of India is the first government bank to make such an appointment.

Note:  Central bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai; CEO: Pallav Mohapatra (21 Sep 2018–); Founded: 21 December 1911

 

2. G P Garg appointed as Executive Director of SEBI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has appointed G P Garg as its executive director (ED). Prior to his promotion as ED, Garg was Chief General Manager in Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) in SEBI. Currently, there are nine executive directors in SEBI. With this appointment the total tally of ED reaches to ten. This appointment was a part of an internal appointment. Now SEBI will appoint or re-appoint two outside executive directors.

Note: Chairman of SEBI: Ajay Tyagi; Headquarter: Mumbai.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. MCX to launch India’s first bullion index named “Bulldex”: Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will launch India’s first bullion index named “Bulldex”, on August 24, 2020. Bullions, viz. gold and silver are already being traded as individual commodities on the country’s premier commodity exchange. With gold and silver as underlying, Bulldex will have a market lot size of 50 and be cash-settled futures contract. MCX had tested bullion index futures trade in mock trading exercises in July. It is the sixth product in bullion complex with 1-kg gold, 100-gm goldmini, 8-gm gold guinea and 1-gm gold peta.

Note: Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd is an independent commodity exchange based in India.  It was established in 2003 and is based in Mumbai. It is India’s largest commodity derivatives exchange.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Director Nishikant Kamat passes away: Director-actor Nishikant Kamat (50 years) passed away in Hyderabad’s AIG Hospitals due to liver cirrhosis. He made his directorial debut in 2005 with Dombivali Fast and won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. He made his silver screen debut in 2004 with Hindi movie Hava Aney Dey. He directed Bollywood movies like Force, Drishyam and Madaari. He was known for his performances as actor in Daddy, Rocky Handsome, Julie 2 and Bhavesh Joshi.

 

2. Renowned Carnatic musician B Siva Kumar passes away: Legendary Carnatic musician and Veena artist B Siva Kumar (53 years) passed away in Trichy, Tamil Nadu due to prolonged illness. He is much acclaimed and popular veena artist. He learned music from stalwarts like R Krishnamoorthy, Ranganayaki Rajagopalan and N Ravikiran. He has completed MA in Music from Bharathi Dasan university and followed by PhD in Music. He was honoured with Tamil Iyal Isai Nataka sangam award and Ragam Tanam Pallavi presentation award.