Daily GK Updates – 28th Sept, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India’s top regulator of medical education, National Medical Commission (NMC) comes into existence, replacing Medical Council of India (MCI): India’s new apex regulator of medical education and profession, the National Medical Commission (NMC), came into existence with effect from 25 September 2020.

National Medical Commission (NMC): NMC replaces the Medical Council of India (MCI). Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma, former head of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-ENT department), Delhi, has been appointed as Chairman of NMC for a period of three years. The NMC Board comprises of a chairman, 10 ex-officio members and 22 part-time members. The nearly 64-year-old Indian Medical Council Act has been abolished and replaced with NMC Act, which received the assent of the president on 8th August 2019. The Board of Governors (BoG) of MCI has also been dissolved.

 

2. ADB approves 300 million dollar loan for Rajasthan’s towns: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 300 million dollar loan to finance inclusive water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services in secondary towns of Rajasthan. The project is expected to build citywide access for improved water supply services for about 5.7 lakh people. It will also enhance the sanitation services for about 7.2 lakh people in at least 14 secondary towns. Through the project, water supply systems in at least eight project towns are expected to improve by 2027 with about one lakh households including all urban poor households benefiting from five new or rehabilitated water treatment plants and 1,350 km of distribution networks.

Note: Chief Minister of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Governor: Kalraj Mishra.

 

3. MeitY & NITI Aayog to organize “RAISE 2020” summit: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and NITI Aayog will organize a summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI), RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020′ from October 5-9, 2020. RAISE 2020 will be a global meeting of minds to exchange ideas and chart a course for using AI for social transformation, inclusion and empowerment in areas like Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility, among other sectors. At the RAISE 2020 Summit, delegates and experts in research, policy and innovation on Artificial Intelligence will join from across the globe. The RAISE 2020 Summit will also feature some of the most exciting startups working in Artificial Intelligence-related fields. The Summit will explore in-depth, the role of AI in accelerating social empowerment.

Note: CEO of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad.

 

4. 51st edition of IFFI postponed to January 2021: The 51st Edition of the International Film Festival of India, IFFI will be held from 16th to 24th January, next year in Goa. Earlier it was scheduled to be held from 20th November to 28th November, this year. It has also been jointly decided to hold the festival on new dates as per the International Film Festival guidelines and protocols. The festival will be conducted in a Virtual and Physical format. All COVID related protocols will be strictly enforced as per the festivals convened recently in the International Film Festival circuit.

 

5. IIT Madras Develops ‘MOUSHIK’ Microprocessor For IoT Devices: The Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have come up with an indigenously-made Microprocessor, named ‘MOUSHIK.’ Moushik is a processor cum System on Chip(SoC), which means that, as a processor it can execute the instructions and as a SoC, different components can be attached to the it. Moushik is the third in the series of six computer chips being designed as a part of the Shakti Microprocessor programme of IIT Madras.  The Project Shakti is funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Prakash Javadekar addresses virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020: The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar represented India at the virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity held on 24 September 2020. The theme of the Ministerial Dialogue was Biodiversity Beyond 2020: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth. The event was hosted by China, ahead of the upcoming United Nation Summit on Biodiversity on 30 September 2020. Around 15 ministerial representatives as well as the heads from relevant international organizations participated in the event to exchange views on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Mr. Javadekar also informed that India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land, and achieve land-degradation neutrality by 2030.

 

2. Lebanon’s PM designate Mustapha Adib steps down: The Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon, Mustapha Adib has announced his resignation following his failure to form a new cabinet. Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s former ambassador to Germany, was selected for the post on 31 August 2020. The previous government led by Hassan Diab resigned following the Beirut port blast on August 4 that killed some 200 people and left thousands homeless.

Note: Capital of Lebanon: Beirut; Currency of Lebanon: Lebanese pound.

 

3. S. Jaishankar participates in virtual Informal Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers : The Union Minister of External Affairs  of the Republic of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, represented India in the annual Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers on 24th September 2020, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The meeting was held in virtual mode under the chairmanship of Nepal and reviewed regional efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Such Informal meetings are being held since 1997.

 

4. World’s top emitter China aims to go Carbon Neutral by 2060: Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will aim to stop pumping additional carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas, into the atmosphere by 2060. Citing the Paris Agreement that he and former US President Barack Obama helped forge in 2015, Xi said his country would raise its emissions reduction targets with vigorous policies and measures. We aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Many countries have pledged they will aim to go carbon neutral by 2050, including the European Union.

Note: China Capital: Beijing; Currency: Renminbi

 

5. World Tourism Day: 27 September: World Tourism Day is observed globally on 27th September every year. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide. This date was chosen by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day, with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”, will celebrate the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world.

Note: United Nations World Tourism Organization Headquarters location: Madrid, Spain; United Nations World Tourism Organization Head: Zurab Pololikashvili; United Nations World Tourism Organization Founded: 1 November 1974.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Neetu David becomes new head of India women’s selection committee: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Neetu David, one of finest woman cricketers of India in the late ’90s and early 2000, as the Chairman of the 5 member women’s national selection panel. The other member of the newly-elected panel includes Mithu Mukherjee, Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya and V Kalpana. The Neetu David-led panel has been appointed for a period of four years. It replaces the previous panel, led by Hemlata Kala, whose term ended in March 2020. The first assignment of the David-led panel will be to pick three teams for the Women’s T20 Challenge, to held in UAE in November 2020 alongside the IPL play-offs.

Note: BCCI interim CEO: Hemang Amin; BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly; BCCI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; BCCI Founded: December 1928.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI to launch “Positive Pay System” for Cheque Truncation System: The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will launch “Positive Pay System” for Cheque Truncation System from 01st January, 2021. The “Positive Pay System” will be developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and make it available to participant banks. Banks will be required to enable the system for all account holders issuing cheques for amounts of Rs 50,000 and above. While availing of this facility is at the discretion of the account holder, banks may consider making it mandatory in case of cheques for amounts of Rs 5,00,000 and above.

The RBI had announced the Positive Pay mechanism in order to prevent frauds with high value cheques. Under this mechanism, cheques will be processed for payment by the drawee bank based on information passed on by its customer at the time of issuance of cheque. Banks are advised to create adequate awareness among their customers on features of Positive Pay System through SMS alerts, display in branches, ATMs as well as through their web-site and internet banking.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. NCAER predicts India GDP for FY21 at -12.6%: The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has projected the GDP growth for the Indian economy at -12.6% For 2020-21 (FY21) with the remaining three quarters expected to witness a fall. For 2021-22, NCAER projects the GDP of India to grow by 7%.

Note: National Council of Applied Economic Research Headquarters location: New Delhi; National Council of Applied Economic Research Founded: 1956.

 

2. Visa extends global partnership with IFundWomen to entrepreneurs in India: Visa has announced the launch of a grant program in India to support women entrepreneurs with its partner, IFundWomen. As an extension of two programs launched in the US this year, women entrepreneurs in India will now receive funding from Visa to grow and expand their business. Visa’s partnership with IFundWomen is designed to help women entrepreneurs secure the funding they need through a series of grants.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India Successfully test-fires indigenously developed surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile: India successfully test-fired the indigenously developed nuclear-capable missile Prithvi-II, on 23 September 2020, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha coast. The trial of the surface-to-surface missile was a routine exercise by the DRDO. Prithvi-II missile has a strike range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying 500 to 1000 kg of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Noted Economist Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia passes away: Noted economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia (74 years) passed away in New Delhi due to brain cancer. She served as the director and chairperson of Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) for 15 years building ICRIER into a leading global think tank. She was awarded with Padma Bhushan in 2009 in the field of education and literature. Her books include Breaking Through, Industrial Growth in India and Growth in Indian Manufacturing.