Daily GK Updates - 5th Aug, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. International webinar on ‘Lokmanya Tilak-Swaraj to Self Reliant India’: A two-day international webinar on ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-Reliant India’ was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. The webinar was organized on the occasion of 100th death anniversary of great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The webinar was organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in New Delhi. The slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' given by Lokmanya Tilak was remembered at the event. He was the first leader of Indian Independence movement and started Swadeshi Movement in 1905.

 

2. Education Minister laid the foundation stone of IIM-Dhaula Kuan: In Himachal Pradesh, Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has laid the foundation stone of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Dhaula Kuan in Sirmour district. The first phase of this Institute would be completed by spending an amount of 392.51 crore rupees. The Tourism, Power, Industries and eco-tourism are the natural potential of the State which need effective management and this institute would prove a boon in this direction. MBA students are future corporate leaders, wealth creators and responsibility lies heavily on their shoulders to provide the right direction to business and industry to make Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Note: Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh: Jai Ram Thakur; Governor of Himachal Pradesh: Bandaru Dattatraya.

 

3. Tourism Minister virtually inaugurates world class “Thenzawl Golf Resort” project implemented in Mizoram: The Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (Independent charge) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has virtually inaugurated the world-class “Thenzawl Golf Resort” Project in Mizoram on 4 August 2020, for the development of Golf Tourism in the country and attract both International and domestic tourists. The project has been implemented under the Integrated Development of New Eco Tourism under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India under the new scheme called Swadesh Darshan – North East Circuit, with the aim of developing theme-based tourism circuits in the country. The Thenzawl Golf Resort Project will have an international standard 18 holes Golf Course designed by Canadian based Golf Course Architect Firm Graham Cooke & Associates and 30 Eco Log Huts, with total site area of 105 acres and the play area of 75 acres. The total outlay of the Project amounts to Rs.92.25 Crore. The Thenzawl Golf Course will offer quality golfing experience and international facilities at a fair price to the Indian population.

Note: Chief Minister of Mizoram: Pu Zoramthanga; Governor: P.S. Sreedharan Pillai.

 

4. Biography of India’s youngest Basketball captain ‘Vishesh Bhriguvanshi’ to hit stands on 29 August: The inspirational story on the life of Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, India’s youngest basketball team captain, is set to be released on August 29, the National Sports Day. The book, titled “Vishesh: Code To Win”, has been written by sportswoman-turned-author Nirupama Yadav and published by the publishing house Bluerose. The book narrates the mindset of a basketball player in a cricket-dominated nation and brings to light the strenuous journey of the 29 year-old Bhriguvanshi, for becoming the captain against all odds. Bhriguvanshi hails from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh’s and has been playing for India since 2007. He was first time became the captain of the Indian team in 2010.

 

5. Union Minister launches Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel: The Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel has been launched by the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar. The channel is a new initiative by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The minister also rolled out guidance videos made by NCDC on ‘Formation and Registration of A Cooperative’ for 18-different states in Hindi and regional languages. These videos have been released to strengthen and deepen the major measures taken by Government of India to promote and form 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). It is a step towards One Nation One Market to make India food factory of the world.

 

6. DNHDD launches E-Gyan Mitra mobile app for online education: The Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) and Daman and Diu (DD) has launched a mobile app named E-Gyan Mitra for online education, keeping in view the ongoing phase of Coronavirus pandemic. Through E Gyan Mitra, the students from primary till the higher secondary can take online classes and give there test too. The teachers will post the lectures and quiz for the students and the student can access those lectures with the help of mobile application, the teacher can monitor the progress of the students while the student can learn sitting at home.

Note: Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu: Praful Patel.

 

7. G.C. Murmu resigns as Lieutenant-Governor of J&K: The incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Girish Chandra Murmu has resigned from the post on 5 August 2020. 5 August also marks the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 by Centre, to scrap special status to Jammu and Kashmir and turn it into two union territories. Murmu was the first L-G of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, who took charge on October 31, 2019, under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Murmu sent his resignation letter to the Centre. According to the sources, Murmu is likely to be appointed as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). He will replace Rajive Mehrishi as CAG.

 

8. Union Ministers releases book titled ‘Swachh Bharat Revolution’: The book “The Swachh Bharat Kranti” was officially launched by Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development Smt. Smriti Irani in New Delhi on 4 August. The book was edited by Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has been translated into Hindi and published as the Swachh Bharat Kranti. The Swachh Bharat Kranti expresses the journey of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) through 35 essays by a diverse range of stakeholders and contributors to the SBM. The compilation of essays in the book is written by Arun Jaitley, Amitabh Kant, Ratan Tata, Sadhguru, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Tavleen Singh, Bill Gates amongst others. The book shares their perspective about SBM on this social revolution. The essays are arranged in 4 key sections: Political Leadership, Public Financing, Partnerships and People’s Participation.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Mark Phillips sworn in as Prime Minister of Guyana: Former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier (retired) Mark Anthony Phillips has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Guyana.  Phillips served as the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force from 2013 to 2016. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo has been sworn in as Vice President. Anil Nandlall, who previously served as Attorney General, has returned to position while Gail Teixeira assumes as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance.

Note: President of Guyana: Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Capital of Guyana: Georgetown; Currency of Guyana: Guyanese dollar (GYD).

 

2. National Bank of Bahrain selects Infosys Finacle to digitally transformation: National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has selected Infosys Finacle to digitally transform its transaction banking business. NBB will implement the Finacle Liquidity Management Platform to upgrade its existing Finacle Corporate Online Banking platform to a full-fledged Digital Engagement Suite – with the latest versions of the Finacle Corporate Online and Mobile Banking solutions, along with the Finacle Digital Engagement Hub. The fully integrated, front-to-back office global liquidity management system will enable the bank to offer a comprehensive range of services to corporate customers and help them identify, manage and optimize liquidity positions, along with enhanced agility in payments and collections. The Finacle Digital Engagement Suite upgrade will enable NBB to manage their customer preferences and entitlements effectively across channels. With these capabilities, the bank will be able to deliver fully contextual and tailored digital banking experiences for its diverse set of customers. Leveraging the suite’s flexible product factories, NBB will be able to drive innovation-led growth by launching new products and services on digital channels rapidly.

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

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys: Salil Parekh; Headquarters of Infosys: Bengaluru.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Former Real Madrid & Spain goalkeeper Casillas announces retirement at 39: The legendary Spanish footballer Iker Casillas, who played as goalkeeper for Real Madrid, has announced his retirement from professional football. The 39-year-old Casillas made 725 appearances for Real Madrid, during which he won three Champions League titles and five La Liga titles. He also helped Spain to win the 2010 World Cup and two successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012. He won 167 international caps for Spain between 2000 and 2016.

 

2. HRD Minister, Sports Minister to launch 'Fit India Talks' to inspire school children: The government's flagship program Fit India is launching a series of interactive sessions with some of the top sports persons of the country intended to inspire the school children. The sessions, titled Fit India Talks, will premiere in the presence of Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju along with badminton star PV Sindhu and Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri. A host of leading sports celebrities will be sharing their experiences of childhood, stories on how they got inspired, their failures, struggles and their success. This will give the audience a very inspirational yet interesting account of their journeys - from common school students to world-class champions. There will be a total of six sessions which will go on till 14th of this month. The likes of badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa, Indian women’s hockey team skipper Rani Rampal, table tennis star Manika Batra, shooter Apurvi Chandela and inspirational Paralympian Deepa Malik will join in at the sessions.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Sashidhar Jagdishan to be the new CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan has been selected as the new CEO of HDFC Bank and will replace Aditya Puri. He will take charge in October when Puri retires. Sashidhar Jagdishan is a chartered accountant. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics of money, banking and finance. He joined the Bank in 1996 and heads finance, human resources, and other departments. Aditya Puri was the CEO of HDFC Bank since September 1994. He is the longest-serving head of any private bank in India.

Note: Headquarters of HDFC Bank: Mumbai, Maharashtra; HDFC Chairman: Deepak S. Parekh

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. IFSCA sets up a panel chaired by Pradip Shah to formulate plan to develop international retail business: The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted a seven-member committee of industry experts to suggest ways suggest plans to develop international retail business at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The committee will be headed by Indasia Fund Advisors Pvt Ltd Chairman Pradip Shah. The expert committee will formulate strategies to make the IFSC attractive for international financial services and draw up a roadmap for the growth of international retail at the centre. The report will be submitted in 3 months. Other Members of the committee are:

G Srinivasan, former CMD of New India Assurance

Siddhartha Sengupta, former DMD of State Bank of India

Shyamal Mukherjee, chairman at PwC

Prakash Subramanian, head – strategy, Standard Chartered Bank

Dipesh Shah, Head of IFSC Department, GIFT IFSC

Nitin Jaiswal, Head of Government Affairs and Strategic Relations, Bloomberg Singapore

Note: Chairman IFSC: Injeti Srinivas

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Architect of the Modern Indian Theatre, Ebrahim Alkazi, passes away: Indian theatre director and drama teacher, Ebrahim Alkazi, has passed away. He was 94. Ebrahim was considered as the father of modern Indian theatre and has mentored generations of actors, including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Rohini Hattangadi, Surekha Sikri and Pankaj Kapoor. He was the first and longest serving Director of the National School of Drama (NSD), and held the position from 1962-77. The thespian has a lot of accolades to his name and has won many of India’s most prestigious awards, such as Padma Shri (1966), the Padma Bhushan (1991), and India’s second highest civilian award the Padma Vibhushan in 2010. Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction in 1962, and the Akademi’s highest award the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to theatre.

 

2. Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume passes away: The prominent Northern Ireland politician and former Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume, has passed away following a long period of illness. He was 83. Mr Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998, along with David Trimble, for his role in ending the conflict in Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in 1970 and led the party from 1979 until 2001.

 

3. William English, the co-inventor of the computer mouse, passes away: William Kirk English, the American computer engineer who co-invented the world’s first computer mouse, has passed away. He was 91 years old. In 1964, he was the first person to co-develop the mouse along with Douglas Engelbart, at the Stanford Research Institute and ‘demonstrated it in 1968, in what was dubbed ‘the mother of all demos.’ The original mouse, as built by Bill English in the mid-60s, was merely a pinewood block, a crude button, and a connector. He also worked in Xerox PARC, Palo Alto, California and Sun Microsystems, California, US.