Daily GK Updates - 6th Sept, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India’s First Regional Voters’ Awareness Centre to come Up in Jaipur: Election Commission of India (ECI) will set up the country’s first regional voters’ awareness centre in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It will cater to four states — Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. The centre will carry out various awareness activities under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme. Sunil Arora is the present Chief Election Commissioner.

 

2. Punjab government rolls out ‘I Rakhwali’ App: Punjab government has rolled out “I Rakhwali” App to ensure greenery and to protect the environment in Punjab. The development of app is state governments’ effort to supplement its drive to preserve and maintain the environment in Punjab and to make people stakeholders in the process. The ‘I Rakhwali’ App will also inspire people to plant more trees and become ‘Greenery Saviours’. The mobile application can also be used for reporting illegal felling of trees as well as any damage to forests, by bringing the matter to the notice of the concerned Forest Divisional Officer. Hence, the state will be able to safeguard its forest area by making people a stakeholder in this process.

Note: Chief Minister of Punjab: Capt. Amarinder Singh; Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore.

 

3. IIT Delhi launches ‘‘Chakr DeCoV’’ to decontaminate N95 masks: The IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation has launched a special decontamination device called ‘Chakr DeCoV’, to decontaminate N95 masks. The Chakr DeCoV device is designed in the shape of a cabinet. Chakr DeCoV is built with an innovative decontamination mechanism, which utilises the high penetrability of Ozone gas for cleaning the pores of the N95 mask, ensuring complete decontamination of its intricate layers.

Note: IIT Delhi Director: V Ramgopal Rao.

 

4. J&K LG launches SPARROW system for J&K Administrative Service officers: Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha launched the online portal, Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service Officers (JKAS). About “SPARROW”:

(1) The SPARROW system will benefit around 1289 officers and is aimed at bringing more transparency, avoiding loss of Appraisal Reports (APR) during the transition, ensuring better monitoring and timely completion of performance appraisals of JKAS officers.

(2) The project will be implemented by J&K e-Governance Agency, Information Technology Department in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre and General Administration Department.

(3) Using the Sparrow System, an applicant can file APR from anywhere and anytime. It is expected to make the process seamless, quick and convenient due to in-built alert mechanisms and providing online status checks.

 

5. FADA appoints Vinkesh Gulati as its new President: The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has announced the appointment of Vinkesh Gulati as its 35th President for the year 2020-22. He succeeds Ashish Harsharaj Kale as the new FADA President. Gulati is the Director of United Automobiles, based out of Allahabad and Faridabad. United Automobiles is involved in the Auto Dealership business since the year 1985 and are dealers for brands like Mahindra & Mahindra and Bajaj Auto. United Automobiles is part of the United Group that started as Transport Business in 1951.

Note: Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations founded: 1964; Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

6. LC Goyal gets 1-year extension in his tenure as CMD of ITPO: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved one-year extension in tenure of L C Goyal as the Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The 1979 batch Kerala cadre IAS (retired) Goyal will continue in the post from September 1, 2020 till September 1, 2021. This is his fourth’s extension on the post. He was appointed as the ITPO chief on August 31, 2015 and was given one-year extension each on August 14, 2017, July 31, 2018 and August 22, 2019.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 35th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific 2020: The 35th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC 35) was held virtual format due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Conference was held under the Chair of the Host Country, Bhutan. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala represented India in the conference. The conference focused on regional priorities and issues such as COVID 19, the state of agriculture, natural resources management, food security and nutrition. Bangladesh will host the 36th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific of the in 2022. It will be the first time that the country will host the event, ever since it joined the organisation in 1973. The Regional Conference is held once every two years. The first regional conference was held in Bangalore, India, in 1953.

Note: Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters: Rome, Italy; Food and Agriculture Organization Head: Qu Dongyu; Food and Agriculture Organization Founded: 16 October 1945.

 

2. UN Environment Programme launches “The Little Book of Green Nudges”: A new publication “The Little Book of Green Nudges” has been launched by the United Nations Environment Programme. The newly launched publication seeks to encourage around 200 million students around the world to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles. “The Little Book of Green Nudges” is UNEP’s first on behavioural science and nudge theory. It concentrates on human actions and how to change them. The book comprises of 40 ready-made nudges- simple measures that make adoption of green choices much easier. These measures can be deployed by the universities to encourage students and staff to embrace more sustainable behaviours.

Note: Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme: Inger Andersen.

 

3. India ranked 3rd in largest solar market in 2019: Mercom global listing: India has been ranked third in terms of the largest solar market in 2019 as per Mercer Global listing for 2019. India had 9% of the world’s installed capacity.  China has topped the ranking with about 30 Gw (26% of world capacity). The US is on the second rank. Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) ranked as world’s largest solar power generation asset owner in terms of operating, under-construction and awarded projects. It has emerged as the top Solar Developer in 2019 with 12.3 Gw capacity.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

 

1. Pierre Gasly wins F1 Italian Grand Prix 2020: Pierre Gasly (Scuderia AlphaTauri, France) has won the Formula One Italian Grand Prix 2020 held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. This is his first Grand Prix win. Carlos Sainz Jr. (McLaren, Spain) came second followed by Lance Stroll (Racing Point, Canada) in third place. Lewis Hamilton ended at 7th place after he earned a 10-second stop and go penalty.

 

2. England cricketer Ian Bell announces retirement: England cricketer, Ian Bell has announced that he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2020 domestic season. He made his debut in 2004. He played 118 Tests, 161 ODIs, and 8 T20Is for England. He retired from ODIs in 2015 to focus on Test cricket. He won five Ashes series out of seven. He was the Player of the Series in the 2013 series, where he scored 562 runs at an average of 62.44.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBL Bank launches cardless cash withdrawal facility through ATMs via MoBank app: RBL Bank has partnered with Empays Payment Systems to launch a cardless cash withdrawal facility from ATMs by leveraging the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) system. Customers can use RBL Bank’s MoBank app for this IMT function and initiate cash withdrawal by either using his or her mobile number linked to the account or by following a few easy steps on the app.

Note: MD & CEO of RBL Bank: Vishwavir Ahuja; RBL Bank was formerly known as Ratnakar Bank and was founded in 1943; Headquarters: Mumbai.

 

2. LazyPay launches LazyUPI digital credit card which combines the concept of Buy-Now-Pay-Later with UPI: India’s leading online Instant Credit app LazyPay has launched a digital credit card facility called LazyUPI to offer easy access to credit across online and offline platforms. LazyUPI is a first of its kind digital credit card that combines the power of UPI and the Buy-Now-Pay-Later concept to enable users access to real-time credit using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) across omnichannel networks.

Key features of LazyUPI: Users would not have to link their bank account(s) with UPI to access credit via LazyUPI. Based on the user’s credit history and payment behavior, LazyPay will offer a credit limit upto Rs 1 lakh to users for UPI transactions at stores, both online & offline.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Vodafone Idea rebrands itself as ‘Vi’: Vodafone Idea has announced its new unified brand identity by renaming all its products under a new name and logo “Vi”. The Beleaguered telecom operator announced the rebranding of the company through a virtual platform. The integration into one brand is believed to be the company’s efforts to reduce the cost of maintaining two brands. The rebranding also comes at a time when Vodafone Idea has seen its user base falling from 408 million at the time of the merger to 280 million at the end of June 2020. With Vodafone focusing on premium urban brand, Idea has been a mass rural-focused brand. Following the merger, the urban-rural appeal of the two brands took a hit.

About “Vi”: VI is built to be strong, ever-dependable, agile, intuitive and a brand in tune with the needs of the customers in these ever-changing times. It is designed to help customers move ahead in life, for a better today and a brighter tomorrow.

Note: Vodafone Idea CEO: Ravinder Takkar; Founder: Kumar Mangalam Birla; Founded: 31 August 2018; Headquarters: Gandhinagar

 

2. Infosys acquires product design firm Kaleidoscope Innovation: Infosys has announced that it would acquire product design and development firm, Kaleidoscope Innovation for up to $42 million. Kaleidoscope is a US-based firm and would bring to Infosys a diverse talent pool with extensive knowledge of design and engineering. The Kaleidoscope Innovation provides design and development across medical, consumer and industrial markets for making smart products. Kaleidoscope designs microsurgical instruments, used in invasive surgery, drug delivery devices for ophthalmic therapies and user-centric wearables.

Note: Infosys CEO: Salil Parekh; Infosys Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Vice Admiral S R Sarma assumes charge as Chief of Materiel of the Indian Navy: Vice Admiral S R Sarma today assumed charge as the Chief of Materiel of the Indian Navy. Admiral Sarma during his illustrious career spanning over three and a half decades has served onboard Indian Naval ships Vindhyagiri, Rana, Krishna and Mysore in various capacities.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Seer Kesavananda Bharati, whose petition in SC ensured basic structure of Constitution cannot be altered, passes away at 79: Pujya Kesavananda Bharati Ji, the pontiff of Edneer Mutt in Kasaragod district of Kerala, whose property rights case in the Supreme Court in 1973 helped define basic rights under the Constitution, has passed away. He was 79. Bharati had filed a case challenging the Constitution (29th Amendment) Act, 1972, questioning the Kerala government’s move to take over the mutt property. Though he lost the case, but it also led to the adoption of the landmark law syllabus ‘Basic Structure Doctrine’ of the Constitution. The apex court ruled that Parliament cannot alter the fundamental structure of the Constitution.