Daily GK Updates – 24th Oct, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttar Pradesh emerges as top destination in 2019: Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top destination for attracting the highest number of domestic tourists visiting the state in 2019 as per the Indian Tourism Statistics (ITS) 2020, released by the Ministry of Tourism. About 53.6 crore domestic tourists visited Uttar Pradesh in 2019, which is 23.1% of the total travellers. Tamil Nadu (21.3%) came second followed by Andhra Pradesh (10.2%).

Tamil Top destination for attracting foreign travelers: In terms of foreign tourists, Tamil Nadu has topped the list with nearly 68 lakh foreigners visiting the state in 2019. Maharashtra (over 55 lakh) is at the second position in this list while Uttar Pradesh (over 47 lakh) has secured the third position in attracting foreign tourists visiting in 2019. Goa came last on this list with over 9 lakh foreign tourist visits in 2019.

 

2. IIT Kharagpur’s develops ‘COVIRAP’ Technology for COVID-19: The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed ‘COVIRAP,’ the Covid-19 diagnostic test technology, which is fairly easy to conduct and affordable as well and can produce results within one hour. This COVIRAP technology has been successfully validated for its efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and been granted certification, after rigorous testing with patient samples by an authorized ICMR laboratory. About “COVIRAP”:

(1) This testing technology is comparable to the celebrated RT-PCR tests, and will just cost the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500.

(2) COVIRAP is a cuboid-shaped portable testing device that can deliver results in an hour, making it an effective tool to scale up coronavirus screening in peripheral and rural areas.

(3) This machine can be developed at a cost of less than Rs 10,000 with minimal infrastructural requirement making the technology affordable to common people. The testing process in this new machine is completed within one hour.

(4) This implies influenza, malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, tuberculosis and many other infectious, as well as vector-borne diseases, can be tested using the same machine.

(5) This will virtually minimise the need for thermal cyclers or real-time PCR machines, without sacrificing the expected high standards of a molecular diagnostic test.

Note: Director, IIT Kharagpur: Prof. Virendra Kumar Tewari; IIT Kharagpur Headquarters: Kharagpur, West Bengal.

 

3. Culture & Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launches Life in Miniature project: The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched ‘Life in Miniature’ project via video conferencing on 22 October 2020. The project is a collaboration between the National Museum, New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, and the Google Arts and Culture. Under the ‘Life in Miniature’ project, various miniature paintings from the National Museum can be viewed online on Google Arts and Culture by people around the world. It would include miniature art like the Ramayana, Royal Saga, Pahari style paintings in never before seen ways and in extraordinary detail. The project can be accessed at g.co/LifeInMiniature. It will make use of technologies like machine learning, augmented reality and digitization with high-definition robotic cameras, to showcase these special works of art in a magical new way.

 

4. National Police Commemoration Day: 21st October: In India, the National Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st October every year. The day is marked to remember and honour the brave policemen who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. On 21 October 1959, twenty Indian soldiers were attacked by Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Hot Spring area, in which, ten Indian policemen lost their lives and seven were imprisoned. Since that day, 21 October has been observed as Police Commemoration Day in honour of the martyrs.

 

5. Parle agro ropes in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as brand ambassador: Parle Agro has roped in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the national brand ambassador to maximise reach and awareness of its fruits plus fizz portfolio ‘B-Fizz’. The campaign will be aggressively promoted across IPL on Hotstar and YouTube. B-Fizz is a unique and refreshing apple juice-based malt flavoured carbonated drink that is set to revolutionize the taste experience of consumers across age groups.

Note: Parle Agro CEO: Schauna Chauhan; Parle Agro HQs: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India participates in 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO: The 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO was held on 20 October 2020, via video conference. India was represented by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. During the meeting, all the prosecutors agreed to strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating corruption, mutual legal assistance and exchange of regulatory legal acts. India will host the SCO Prosecutors General Meeting in 2021. SCO is an important regional grouping which gives India an opportunity to engage its extended neighbourhood especially central Asian countries.

 

2. International Stuttering Awareness Day: 22nd October: International Stuttering Awareness Day is observed globally on 22nd October every year. The day is intended to raise public awareness of the millions of people who have a speech disorder of stuttering or stammering. This year’s theme is “Journey of Words – Resilience and Bouncing Back”. The International Stuttering Awareness Day, ISAD, (October 22) began in 1998, spear-headed by Michael Sugarman, Oakland, California.

 

3. United Nations Day: 24th October: 24th October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. The United Nations was founded in 1945 to support collective action to realize peace, development and human rights for all. With the ratification of the UN Charter by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.

Note: United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA; Mr Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

 

4. World Polio Day: 24th October: The World Polio Day is celebrated annually on October 24, to raise awareness for polio vaccination and eradication of polio. World Polio Day provides an opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world and honour the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe. The Day was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. 2020 theme for World Polio Day is “A win against polio is a win for global health.” As of August 2020, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two nations which remain with the continued transmission of wild poliovirus.

 

5. World Development Information Day: 24th October: The United Nations’ World Development Information Day is held on October 24 every year. The day aims to draw the attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them for overall growth and development. The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide with United Nations Day, 24 October, which was also the date of the adoption, in 1970, of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade.

 

6. International Day of Diplomats: 24th October: The International Day of Diplomats is celebrated on 24 October every year. The day aims to commemorate the contributions made by diplomats in shaping the world since ancient times and in making our planet a better place. It also aims to bridge the gap in perception and reality of diplomats’ lives among the general public. The first International Day of Diplomats was celebrated in Brasília on 24 October 2017. It was proposed by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K and saw participation from the diplomats of Bangladesh, France, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Zenpay, RBL Bank joins hands to digitalise Salary Accounts for SMEs, MSMEs: Zenpay Solutions announced its partnership with RBL bank and YAP to drive financial inclusion to issue salary cards to its customers across India. The corporate expense and salary payment solution will help blue collared employees working with SMEs and MSME to receive digital payments via a salary account. Zenpay will also offer customers a digital salary card and mobile application, which will help them manage their finance efficiently with the help of the interactive dashboard.

 

2. IRDAI sets up panel to examine need for Standard Cyber Insurance Product: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a panel to explore possibility of a basic standard product structure to provide insurance cover for individuals and establishments to manage their cyber risks. The panel, headed by P Umesh, has been asked to study various statutory provisions on information and cybersecurity, and to evaluate critical issues involving legal aspects of transactions in cyber space. It will also examine various types of incidents involving cybersecurity in the recent past and possible insurance coverage strategies for those, and the cyber liability insurance covers available in Indian market and in other developed jurisdictions.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Global trade likely to fall by 7 to 9% in 2020: UNCTAD: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has said that the value of global trade is set to fall by seven to nine per cent in 2020 from the previous year. The UNCTAD’s new global trade update said that global trade recorded a 5 per cent drop in the third quarter of 2020 compared with the same period last year. India’s export growth saw a decline of 6.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to third quarter of last year. However India recorded export growth of four per cent in September.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. MD of TRIFED Pravir Krishna bags CEO of the year and visionary leadership award: Managing Director of TRIFED Pravir Krishna (IAS) has been awarded CEO of the Year and Visionary Leadership Award in the virtual edition of National Awards for Excellence in PSU for Investment in Start-UPS. The team of TRIFED Warriors led by Krishna has actually won three awards. The third one is a collective award in the Investment in Start-Ups Category. The awards are recognition of Pravir Krishna’s contribution towards livelihood generation of the entire tribal community and making them self-reliant – a mission right from his days as a district collector in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh and of the commitment of the team of TRIFED Warriors.

 

DEFENSE

 

1. “INS Kavaratti” commissioned into Indian Navy: The Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane has commissioned the ‘INS Kavaratti’, the last of four indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes, into the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.

About INS Kavaratti: The ship has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes have been undertaken under ‘Project 28’, also called Kamorta-class corvettes of the Navy. INS Kavaratti has state-of-the-art weapons and sensor suite capable of “detecting and prosecuting” submarines and good endurance for long-range deployments.

Note: Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Assam Economist Dr Jayanta Madhab passes away: The renowned Assamese economist, Dr. Jayanta Madhab, has passed away due to heart ailments and diabetes. He was 91. Dr Madhab served as the economic advisor from 2003-2009, to the Government of Assam during the tenure of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. He was also the founder and first Chairman of North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi). He had served as a director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).