Daily GK Updates - 4th Oct, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi dedicates Atal Tunnel to the nation: The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has dedicated Atal Tunnel to the nation, on 3rd October 2020. In December 2019, the Government has decided to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel in honour of the former Prime Minister and scholar Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had taken the decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass on June 3, 2000, and the foundation stone for the access road to the south portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.

About Atal Tunnel: Atal Tunnel is the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet from the Mean Sea Level (MSL). The tunnel has been named after former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Atal tunnel has been built, by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himachal Pradesh. The total length of the tunnel is 9.02 km and at an elevation of 3,100 metres (10,171 ft). The overall cost of completion of the project is around Rs. 3200 crore.

 

2. Swachh Bharat Awards 2020 announced: The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria virtually conferred the Swachh Bharat 2020 Awards to the best performing States/UTs, districts, blocks, GPs in various categories. The Ministry of Jal Shakti is observing the Swachh Bharat Diwas, 2020 on 2nd October to mark six years of the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The Swachh Bharat 2020 Awards were conferred under three categories which are: Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shauchalaya (SSSS) campaign; Samudayik Shauchalaya Abhiyan (SSA) and Gandagi Se Mukt (GMB) campaign.

Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shauchalaya (SSSS) campaign:

Best State: Gujarat

Best District: Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

Best Block: Khachrod, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Best Gram Panchayat: Chinnaur, (Salem)

Samudayik Shauchalaya Abhiyan (SSA):

Best State: Uttar Pradesh (GKRA) and Gujarat (Non-Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA)]

Best District: Prayagraj (GKRA) and Bareilly (Non-GKRA)

Best Gram Panchayat: Borigaon, Bongaigaon, Assam.

Gandagi Se Mukt (GMB) campaign:

Best State: Telangana and Haryana.

Best District: Moga, Punjab.

 

3. Odisha CM Patnaik launches initiative to make Odisha ‘slum-free’ in next 3 years: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a slum upgradation programme to make the state slum free in three years. All slums in the state will be converted into model colonies in the next three years. The process will start immediately in 1,000 slums and then it will be scaled up to cover each and every slum. The chief minister also dedicated 116 multi-purpose community centres in the slums which would act as the social lifeline of people living there.

 

4. ISRO to launch its Venus Mission in 2025, France to take part: ISRO is scheduled to launch its Venus mission in 2025 and France will participate in it. The VIRAL (Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker) instrument co-developed with the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos and the LATMOS atmospheres, environments and space observations laboratory attached to the French national scientific research centre CNRS has been selected by the ISRO after a request for proposals. CNES will coordinate and prepare the French contribution, the first time a French payload will be flown on an Indian exploration mission.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NASA launched SS Kalpana Chawla Cargo Spacecraft to ISS: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched the Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft named “SS Kalpana Chawla” after its astronaut  Kalpana Chawla. The spacecraft was launched on an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, United States (US) to deliver nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, commercial products, and other cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).

About Kalpana Chawla: Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to enter space and was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle in Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.

Note: Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Jim Bridenstine; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.

 

2. World Animal Day: 4th October: World Animal Day is observed every year on October 4 across the globe. The day aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. The day was originated by cytologist Heinrich Zimmermann, who organized the first World Animal Day on 24 March 1925 at the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany, which was moved to 4 October 1929. The day was officially accepted by International Animal Protection Congress in Florence Italy in 1931.

 

3. World Space Week: 4th-10th October:  World Space Week (WSW) is observed from October 4 to 10 every year to celebrate science and technology, and their contribution towards the betterment of the human condition. The 2020 theme is “Satellites Improve Life.” WSW was declared by the United Nations General Assembly on December 6, 1999. The dates commemorate the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, on 4 October 1957 and the entry into force of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies on 10 October 1967.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Visnu Shivaraj Pandian wins International Online Shooting Championship: India’s Visnu Shivaraj Pandian has won the 10m air rifle event at the fifth edition of the International Online Shooting Championship. The 16-year-old Visnu shot 251.4 to win the title by a clear margin of two points. The world No. 27 Etienne Germond of France came second followed by Martin Strempfl of Austria at third place. The championship was participated by 15 countries and is being held for 2 days.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Interest Rates on Small Savings Schemes Unchanged for the Third Quarter 2020-21 (Oct-Dec): The government has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged for the third quarter (Q3) October-December quarter of the financial year 2020-21 amid moderating bank deposit rates. Interest rates for small savings schemes are notified by the Finance Ministry on a quarterly basis. Rates of Interest on Small Savings Schemes for the Third Quarter of the 2020-21 are as follows:

 

S.No	Small Savings Scheme	Interest Rate
1	Post Office Savings Account	4%
2	5-Year Post Office Recurring Deposit (RD) Account	5.80%
3	Post Office Time Deposit (TD) Account – One Year	5.50%
4	Post Office Time Deposit Account (TD) – Two Years	5.50%
5	Post Office Time Deposit Account (TD) – Three Years	5.50%
6	Post Office Time Deposit Account (TD) – Five Years	6.70%
7	Post Office Monthly Income Scheme Account (MIS)	6.60%
8	Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)	7.40%
9	15-Year Public Provident Fund Account (PPF)	7.10%
10	National Savings Certificates (NSC)	6.80%
11	Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)	6.90%
12	Sukanya Samriddhi Account	7.60%

 

2. RBI approves appointment of CoD to run Dhanlaxmi Bank till appointment of CEO: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved a three-member interim committee of directors (CoD), to run the private sector lender, Dhanlaxmi Bank, in the capacity of the Managing Director & CEO till a new MD & CEO takes charge. This decision was taken after the shareholders voted out the bank’s MD and CEO Sunil Gurbaxani on 30 September 2020. The committee of directors (CoD) has G Subramonia Iyer as its Chairman, while G Rajagopalan Nair and P K Vijayakumar are its other two members. However, RBI has approved this interim arrangement for only four months, within which the bank will have to complete the process of identification and appointment of a new Managing Director & CEO.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 announced: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 was awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter(America), Charles M. Rice (America) and Michael Houghton (Britain) for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. The head of the Nobel Committee, Thomas Perlmann has announced the winners in Stockholm. This year’s Nobel Prize is awarded to three scientists who have made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world.

Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of a novel virus, Hepatitis C virus. Prior to their work, the discovery of Hepatitis A and B viruses had been critical steps forward, but the majority of blood-borne hepatitis cases remained unexplained. The discovery of the Hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives.

Note: The prestigious Nobel Prize award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1,118,000), courtesy of a bequest left 124 years ago by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.

 

DEFENSE

 

1. India successfully test-fires “Shaurya Missile” from Odisha coast: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired a new version of the surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile “Shaurya” at Balasore, off the coast of Odisha. The new version of the nuclear-capable missile can strike targets at a range of around 800 km. The missile would be lighter and easier to operate in comparison with the existing missile. It is an advanced version of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 (B-05). It is 10 metres long, 74 cm in diameter and weighs 6.2 tonnes. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been working towards completing total self-reliance in the field of strategic missiles and has enhanced its efforts further after the call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the defence sector earlier this year.

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

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Bollywood actress Mishti Mukherjee passes away: Bollywood actress Mishti Mukherjee, who has featured in many Hindi, Bengali and Telugu films, and music videos has passed away. She was only 27 years old. Besides featuring in major Bengali projects, Mishti made her debut in Bollywood with the film Life Ki Toh lag Gayi in 2012 and worked as the lead actress in Subhash Ghai’s 2014 film “Kaanchi: The Unbreakable”.

 

2. Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah passes away: The incumbent Emir (King or Ruler) of the Kuwait Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, has passed away. He had ruled the oil-rich Gulf Arab state since 2006. Meanwhile, his brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed, has been named as his successor by the cabinet. The 83-year-old Nawaf al-Ahmed took the oath of the office of 30 September 2020.