Daily GK Updates - 10th Oct, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Piyush Goyal gets additional charge of Ministry of Consumer Affairs: The Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been assigned the additional charge of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in addition to his existing portfolios, following the death of union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Goyal is currently serving as the Union Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce and Industry.

 

2. Uttarakhand Govt launches “Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana”: Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched the “Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana” at the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Auditorium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The scheme is aimed at promoting self-employment of the youth and promoting the production of Green Energy. The targeted beneficiaries include youths and migrant workers, who returned home after leaving jobs in various parts of the country due to pandemic.

Under the scheme: 10, 000 Youths and Migrants will get self-employment in the Green Energy Sector. The targeted beneficiaries will be allocated Solar Plants of 25 Kilowatts (KW) each. 1.5-2 nalis (Land Measurement Unit) of Land and INR 10 Lakh at the rate of INR 40,000 per unit are required to set up each plant. The plants will generate 38,000 Units of Electricity per annum which will be bought by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited for 25 years.

Note: Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.

 

3. Goa Govt Releases ‘Aatmanirbhar’ Plan to Support Farmers: The Goa government released an action plan to support agriculture and animal husbandry under its “Aatmanirbhar” programme. The government has announced a series of initiatives under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Swayampoorna Goa programme’ (ABSGP) including promoting dairy and poultry farming. It talks about checking ‘menace’ of wild animals and cattle at agriculture fields. To help farmers, crop insurance and fencing will be availed. Horticulture cultivation, procurement of agricultural equipment, and sustainable harvesting of medical plants will also be assisted with it.

 

4. Gujarat to get country’s first two Organic Spices Seed parks: The Gujarat Chief Minister released the sanction letters to two farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for a NABARD-supported Organic Spices Seed Park for saunf (fennel seed) in the Banaskantha district and jeera (cumin seed) in Patan for promotion of organic seed value chain of the spices. The two spices seeds parks will create a complete value chain and provide capacity building training for the farmers. A total of ₹23 lakh in grant assistance has been accorded to both the parks, which will have 50 farmers each. Once ready, the specialised institutions will the collect seeds, which will be sent for testing on quality control.

 

5. National Postal Week: 9-15 October: The Department of Posts is celebrating National Postal Week from 9-15 October 2020, to mark the occasion of the World Postal Day. Every year, the National Postal week is organised to generate awareness of the role and activities of the postal services among the public and media on a national scale. The online campaign will be organised to create awareness about new offerings and availability of citizen-centric services in Post Offices.

Note: Universal Postal Union Headquarters: Bern, Switzerland; Universal Postal Union Head: Bishar Abdirahman Hussein; Universal Postal Union Founder: Heinrich von Stephan; Universal Postal Union Founded: 9 October 1874.

 

6. National Postal Day: 10th October: In India, the National Postal Day is celebrated annually on 10 October, as an extension of World Post Day, which is celebrated on 9 October. The Day aims to commemorate the role played by the Indian postal department for the past 150 years, which was founded in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie.

Indian postal service: Indian postal service is an integral part of India. The postal services in India have given the best performance despite the diversity in culture, tradition and difficult geographical terrains.

India’s PIN Code system: PIN in Pincode stands for Postal Index Number. The 6-digit PIN system was introduced by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar, an additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Communications on 15 August 1972. The first digit of the PIN code marks the region. The second digit denotes the sub-region. The third digit marks the district. The last three digits show the post office under which a particular address falls.

Note: Indian Post Secretary: Pradipta Kumar Bisoi; Indian Post Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Mukesh Ambani tops the Forbes India Rich List 2020: The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani, has topped the Forbes India Rich list for 2020. He has retained his position as the wealthiest Indian for the 13th consecutive year on Forbes India list. The tycoon added $37.3 billion to his net worth, to bring his total fortune to $88.7 billion, a rise of 73% over the previous year. The second spot has been retained by Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, with a net worth of $25.2 billion. Tech tycoon Shiv Nadar acquired the third spot with a net worth of $20.4 billion.

 

2. World Mental Health Day: 10th October: World Mental Health Day is observed globally on 10th October every year. The day is celebrated with an objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing the efforts in support of mental health. World Mental Health Day is organized by the World Federation for Mental Health. This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘mental health for all’.

The day was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

Note: President of World Federation for Mental Health: Ingrid Daniels; World Federation for Mental Health Founded: 1948.

 

3. World Migratory Bird Day: 10th October: World Migratory Bird Day is observed globally on 9 May or 10th October. The Day will celebrate the biannual migration. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them. This time the theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2020 is “Birds Connect Our World”. The theme highlights the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural cycles that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds.

This day is organized by a collaborative partnership among two UN treaties the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas (EFTA). This day is a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. NABARD inks 3 MoUs with SBI to extend credit support: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has inked three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State Bank of India (SBI) to extend credit support for various NABARD projects. The MoUs were inked by D. K. Mishra, Chief General Manager of NABARD in Gujarat and Dukhbandhu Rath, Chief General Manager, SBI Ahmedabad Circle in the presence of NABARD Chairman G. R. Chintala.

About Memorandum of Understanding: The MoUs were signed for financing joint liability groups, Self-Help Groups-support credit inflows to Farmer Producers’ Organizations and economic support for watershed development projects. These will help in providing credit support to the different sections of the society including the priority sector.

Note: NABARD Chairman: G. R. Chintala.

State Bank of India Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara; State Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

2. J Venkatramu appointed MD and CEO of India Post Payments Bank: J Venkatramu has been appointed the managing director and chief executive officer of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). He will succeed Suresh Sethi, who served the post till March 2020. Venkatramuis presently working as the chief digital officer in Equitas Small Finance Bank. He has been appointed to the post of MD and CEO of IPPB for a period of three years.

Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched IPPB in 2018.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) was incorporated as Payments Banking Company under Section 22 (1) of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

DEFENSE

 

1. DRDO successfully test-fires anti-radiation missile “Rudram”: The DRDO has successfully flight-tested a new generation Anti-Radiation Missile (RUDRAM-1) at the Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from SU-30 Mk1 fighter aircraft. The missile, having a speed of Mach two or twice the speed of sound, is capable of bringing down a wide-range of enemy radar systems, communication networks and air defence systems within a range of up to 250 kilometres. About RUDRAM:

(1) The RUDRAM is a first indigenous anti-radiation missile of the country for Indian Air Force (IAF), being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

(2) With this, the country has established indigenous capability to develop long-range air-launched anti-radiation missiles for neutralising enemy Radars, communication sites and other RF emitting targets.

(3) It has INS-GPS navigation with Passive Homing Head for the final attack. The RUDRAM hit the radiation target with pin-point accuracy.

(4) The Passive Homing Head can detect, classify and engage targets over a wide band of frequencies as programmed.

(5) The missile is a potent weapon for IAF for Suppression of Enemy Air Defence effectively from large stand-off ranges.

 

2. Coastal security exercise “Sagar Kavach” concludes: A two-day Coastal Security Exercise namely ‘Sagar Kavach’ conducted by the Indian Navy along with Indian Coast Guard and all stakeholders involved in Coastal Security from the coast of Kerala. The exercise was monitored from Joint Operations Centre, Kochi. Sagar Kavach is a half-yearly exercise with an objective to check the Coastal Security mechanism and validate Standard Operating Procedures. The exercise conducted along the coastal areas of Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep assumes significance in the backdrop of the prevailing security situation in the country.

 Apart from Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Police, Coastal District Administration, Cochin Port, Fisheries Department, Customs, Marine Enforcement Wing (MEW), Central Industrial Security force (CISF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), LightHouse Department and fishermen community participated in the exercise. Extensive air patrol and surveillance of the adjoining seas were also undertaken by the aircraft, helicopters and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to detect ships and vessels of the opposing force.

Note: Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. First woman chief justice of Kerala KK Usha passes away: Former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Justice KK Usha, passed away. She served as a judge from 1991 to 2000. And when she was appointed Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court from 2000 to 2001, Justice Usha became the first woman to join the High Court Judiciary from the Bar and became a Chief Justice.

About Justice KK Usha: Justice Usha, who had a distinguished career as a judge and later as chief justice, began her career when she enrolled as an advocate in 1961. She was India’s representative at the United Nations’ Joint Seminar on ‘Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination as regards women’, organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the International Federation of Women of Legal Careers. She was a member and the President of the University Women’s Association.

 

2. Mexican Nobel Laureate Mario Molina passes away: Renowned Mexican scientist and Nobel Prize winner Mario Molina (77 years) passed away. He won Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1995 and was the first Mexican to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He along with other fellows Frank Sherwood Rowland and Paul Crutzen were awarded Nobel Prize for their work showing how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in spray cans were destroying the ozone layer in 1995. He was appointed a scientific adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama in 2008.