Daily GK Updates – 25th Oct, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Andhra Pradesh CM launches ‘YSR BIMA’ for BPL families: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched ‘YSR Bima’, a scheme to provide financial assistance through insurance cover to the beneficiary in case of death or accident of their families members. All families with white ration cards are eligible for YSR Bima scheme. Village/ward volunteers will visit the families and enrol the names of the primary householders.

About “YSR Bima” Scheme:  The claim amount will be directly credited into the beneficiary bank account within 15 days of making the claim. Apart from this, immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 will be provided to the families through village and ward secretariats. The scheme will benefit 1.41 crore BPL families of the state. An amount of Rs 510 crore would be paid by the state government annually as an insurance premium for this scheme. This will also make Andhra Pradesh as the first state in the country to single-handedly fund the insurance scheme.

Category wise insurance amount covered under the scheme:

(1) Accidental death and total permanent disability for people aged between 18-50 years: Rs 5 lakh.

(2) Accidental death and total permanent disability for people aged between 51-70 years: Rs 3 lakh.

(3) Natural death cases (18-50 years): Rs 2 lakh.

(4) Partial permanent disability in an accident case (18-70 years): Rs 1.5 lakh.

Note: Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

 

2. Tamil Nadu Govt launches “Smart Black Board Scheme”: The state government of Tamil Nadu has launched the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government schools of the state. The initiative aims to ensure a better teaching environment as well as lead towards Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Under this Smart Black Board scheme, audiovisual teaching material would be possible, that can even be fed into the computer screens in classes using widely available pen drives. The Tamil Nadu Govt has taken an important decision to lessen syllabus for season 2020-21 by 40 per cent.

Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Tamil Nadu Governor: Banwarilal Purohit.

 

3. Uttarakhand CM launches Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme: Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat has inaugurated Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme (Ekikrit Adarsh Krishi Gram Yojana) in the state in partnership with NABARD. Putting emphasis on mechanised farming for boosting productivity, state Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal urged National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Chairman G R Chintala to lend a helping hand to farmers to switch over to mechanised farming.

About Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme: Integrated Model Agricultural Village scheme is a concept which will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the economy of farmers and doubling their income. The limit for the interest-free loan given to farmers is being hiked to Rs 3 lakh from Rs 2 lakh. Farmers to focus on it with emphasis on mechanised and scientific farming to boost productivity.

Note: Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat; Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.

 

4. ECI constitutes committee to examine issues concerning expenditure limits: The Election Commission of India has set up a 2-member committee to examine the issue of revising the expenditure limit for candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The committee will comprise of Shri Harish Kumar, Ex. IRS and DG (Investigation), Shri Umesh Sinha, Secretary-General and DG (Expenditure). The need to set up this committee was felt in view of the increase in the number of electors and the rise in the Cost Inflation Index. It will submit its report within 120 days of its constitution.

The committee will be responsible for: To assess the change in the number of electors across the States/Union Territories and its bearing on expenditure. To assess the change in the Cost Inflation Index and its bearing on the pattern of expenditure incurred by the candidates in recent elections. To seek views/inputs of the political parties and other stakeholders. To examine other factors which may have bearings on expenditure. To examine any other related issue.

Note: Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora; Election Commission of India Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

5. India Posts releases 75th Anniversary of UN Commemorative Stamp: Department of Posts (DOP), Ministry of Communications released a commemorative postage stamp on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Organisations. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava stated India attaches the highest priority to the expansion of the UN Security Council so that it reflects contemporary realities of the world. He stated reformed multilateralism will be a key pillar of the overall approach in the upcoming innings of India as a non-permanent member. It may be noted that the Department of Posts has previously released similar such commemorative postage stamps on the UN’s 9th, 40th, and 50th Anniversaries in 1954, 1985, and 1995 respectively.

Note: Indian Post Headquarters: New Delhi; Director-General of Indian Post: Arundhaty Ghosh.

United Nations Headquarters: New York, United States; United Nations Founded: 24 October 1945; United Nations Secretary-general: António Guterres

 

6. 59th ITBP Raising Day: 24th October: Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has observed his 59th raising Day on 24th October. The ITBP was raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression and it has a strength of about 90,000 personnel with 60 battalions on the ground. ITBP is one of the five bodies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). It keeps Vigil on the northern borders and prevents border violations. It checks illegal immigration, trans-border smuggling, and maintains peace.

Note: Director-General of ITBP: Surjeet Singh Deswal.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Neena Malhotra appointed as Ambassador to Republic of San Marino: Indian diplomat Dr Neena Malhotra, 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, appointed as next Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino. She will have a residence in Rome. Presently, she is serving as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Italy.

Note: Republic of San Marino Capital: San Marino; Republic of San Marino Currency: Euro.

 

2. Sushil Kumar Singhal appointed as next Ambassador to Solomon Islands: Sushil Kumar Singhal, a 2000-batch IFS officer, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Solomon Islands. He is presently serving as the High Commissioner of India to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

Note: Solomon Islands Capital: Honiara; Solomon Islands Currency: Solomon Islands dollar.

 

4. LG signs Lewis Hamilton as ambassador of LG Signature: LG Electronics has named Lewis Hamilton a global ambassador for its home solutions brand, LG Signature. Hamilton, the epitome of skill, style and precision will be seen communicating the brand’s philosophy. In the new campaign, he will share with audiences his thoughts on how to lead a stylish, sophisticated life, and what motivates him to be the best in his field.

Note: LG Electronics Chairman: Kwang-Mo Koo; Vice-Chairman and CEO of LG Electronics: Jo Seong-Jin; Headquarters of LG Electronics: South Korea.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Indian Bank, IIT-Madras in pact for start-up funding: Indian Bank has introduced an initiative for funding start-ups, ‘IND Spring Board’, in collaboration with the IIT-Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC). The Chennai-headquartered bank seeks to bridge the gap in funding for start-ups through this collaboration with IITMIC. Under the deal, IITMIC will refer start-ups with proven technology and established cash flows to the bank and also extend advisory to the bank on the business model. The bank will extend loans of up to 50 crores to these start-ups for their working capital requirements or purchase of machinery, equipment.

Note: Indian Bank Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Indian Bank CEO: Padmaja Chunduru; Indian Bank Tagline: Your Own Bank, Banking That’s Twice As Good.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Bank of Baroda ties up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor for auto finance: State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) announced a tie up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) to enable finance options for the automaker’s customers and dealers. Following the pact, BoB will be one of the preferred financiers for the entire range of vehicles sold by TKM. The new service facilitates customers to avail customised solutions such as high on-road funding of 90 per cent, long repayment period of 84 months, no prepayment or foreclosure charges.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dr Jajini Varghese honoured with Outstanding Young Person 2020: UK-based Indian-origin plastic surgeon, Dr Jajini Varghese has been named an ‘Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020’ by a non-profit NGO for her “incredible” scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer. Varghese has been recognised in the “Medical Innovation” category for making it her personal mission to attempt to restore the lives of millions of women affected by breast cancer and will be presented with the award at a ceremony at the 2020 Junior Chamber International (JCI) World Congress in Yokohama, Japan. In the UK, she is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Plastic Surgery (FRCS) and a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS). She is also on the Board of Examiners for the MSc in Plastic Surgery at University College London (UCL).

 

DEFENCE

 

1. DRDO successfully conducts final trial of Nag anti-tank guided missile: Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully carried out the final trial of the third generation, anti-tank guided missile ‘NAG’, from the Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan. The successful final user trial of the missile makes the Nag anti-tank missile ready for induction in the Indian Army. Following the final trial, the missile will now enter into the production phase.

About “NAG”: The Nag anti-tank guided missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), to engage highly fortified enemy tanks in the day and night conditions. It has an operational range of 500 m to 20 km. It will be manufactured by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), of DRDO.

Note: DRDO Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Malayalam Singer, Music Composer and actor Zero Babu passes away: Renowned Malayalam playback singer, music director and actor K J Mohammed Babu, has passed away. He was 80. He was popularly known as ‘Zero’ Babu, ever since he acted the role and performed a song called Open Zero in a play. Babu was a recipient of the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award. Babu has sung in nearly 300 films and various plays.

 

2. Former Telangana Home Minister Narasimha Reddy passes away: Senior TRS leader and Former Telangana home minister Nayini Narsimha Reddy passed away at the age of 76, at a private hospital in Hyderabad. Reddy has served as the first Home Minister of Telangana after its formation in 2014. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in undivided Andhra Pradesh for three terms in 1978, 1985 and 2004.