Daily GK Updates – 13th Nov, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Assam: Tezpur Litchi gets GI tag: The Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has announced that Assam’s Tezpur Litchi has been given the geographical indication (GI) tag, though the litchis name in the GI tag list is there since 2015. The application for GI tagging was made on 28th August 2013 by North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC). Tezpur Litchi of Assam has got the geographical indication (GI) tags, making this item an incontrovertible proof of their origins in the state, and protecting them from production elsewhere. Litchi’s from Tezpur is known for its excellent quality, pleasant flavour, juicy pulp with attractive red colour.

About geographical indication: A geographical indication is used on a product of specific geographical origin that attains its uniqueness or reputation because of its place of origin. An application needs to be filed in the office of the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks. The development has been confirmed by the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an apex body under the Union ministry of commerce and industry, which is responsible for the export promotion of agricultural products.

Note: Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi.

 

2. Hardeep S. Puri inaugurates 13th Urban Mobility India Conference 2020: The 13th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It was inaugurated by Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State (IC) Housing and Urban Affairs. The day-long conference was held via Video Conference on the theme “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.

About the conference: The conference focused on innovative measures taken at the national and international level to address the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic to provide accessible and convenient transport to the people. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had issued the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 (NUTP) to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable access for the growing number of city residents to jobs, education, recreation and such other needs within our cities. As part of the NUTP, the Ministry has been organizing the annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI. The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to the cities, whose officials attend the conference to help them keep up-to-date with the latest and best urban transport practices globally.

 

3. PM Modi inaugurates Ro-Pax Hazira-Ghogha ferry service in Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Ro-pax ferry services between Hazira near Surat and Ghogha in Bhavnagar district, through video conferencing. This ferry service will reduce the distance between Bhavnagar and Surat from 375 km (by road) to just 90 kilometres (by sea route). The three-deck Ro-Pax Ferry Vessel ‘Voyage Symphony’ connecting Hazira in Surat district of south Gujarat and Ghogha in Saurashtra’s Bhavnagar has a load capacity of 30 trucks, 100 passenger cars, and 500 passengers plus 34 crew and hospitality staff.  The Ro-Pax terminal is 100 metre long and 40 metre wide costing approximately Rs 25 crore.

 

4. ‘Karkhanisanchi Waari’ only Indian entry at Tokyo Film Festival: Marathi film, Karkhanisanchi Waari (Ashes on a Road Trip), the 149-minute film tells the story of the Karkhanis, the last joint family of Pune. The movie was directed by Mangesh Joshi. The movie will have its world premiere at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival. It is the only Indian entry at the festival.

 

5. Tamil Nadu tops Indian states in new investments in H1FY21: CARE Ratings: Tamil Nadu leads Indian states in attracting investments during the first half of FY21, having managed to grab 16 per cent of the funds that came into India during the period, according to CARE Ratings. Andhra Pradesh garnered 11 per cent, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka have garnered seven per cent each, while the balance went to the other states. Tamil Nadu topped fresh investments in the first quarter, according to Projects Today’s latest report on investment announcements in the July to September quarter. Karnataka was third in the list, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra. The CARE Ratings reports said all-India investments for new projects have been falling the past five years during April–September, save for H1FY19, when they rose 29% YoY to Rs 7.7 trillion from Rs 6 trillion in H1FY18. New projects announced for H1FY21 fell sharply by 69 per cent to Rs 1.5 trillion compared with Rs 4.8 trillion last year. This sharp fall was owing to the lack of economic activity due to the pandemic induced lockdown announced nationally in the last week of March 2020.

 

6. IIT-Bombay launches self-help website ‘Bandhu’ for students: With the pandemic adding to the stress of students, IIT Bombay launched a selfhelp website to assist them through the tough time and enhance their emotional wellbeing. The website – ‘Bandhu’ (a friend in need), iitb-bandhu.com – is an initiative of IIT Bombay’s batch of 1992.  The website addresses several issues such as procrastination, exam stress, the fear of failure, hostel life, discrimination, peer pressure, Internet addiction and a range of mental health issues. It also discusses a few techniques for relaxation and dealing with certain stressors.

 

7. National Education Day: 11th November: In India, the National Education Day or Rashtriya Shiksha Diwas is celebrated on 11 November every year. The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India. According to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, schools are the laboratories that produce future citizens of the country. He is the person behind IITs and various other institutes in India. On 11 September 2008, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has announced to commemorate the birthday of the great person by recalling the contribution of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the field of education by celebrating 11 November as National Education Day. Since 2008, every year in India, National Education Day is celebrated without declaring it a holiday.

About Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s contributions in the field of education, nation-building, and institution-building are exemplary. He is the key architect of education in India. The first education minister of independent India from 1947 to 1958. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously, India’s highest civilian honour in 1992.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India and Maldives sign four agreements: India and the Maldives have signed four agreements, during the visit of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to the Maldives. Shringla is on a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago. These MOUs will help to improve the relations between the two countries. Maldives tourism industry has been greatly affected by COVID-19 and because of this India provided a loan of $250 million to the country in September 2020. The Indian foreign secretary appreciated the “India First” policy of Maldives and also said that it is strongly reciprocated by India through “Neighborhood First” policy.

MoUs signed includes: Grant of $100 million by India, which is part of India’s “$500 million packages” for the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) that will link capital Male with three islands. India will also provide a $400-million line of credit for the project through EXIM, the largest such infrastructure venture undertaken in the Maldives. The second agreement signed between the two countries is to set up a plant and soil testing laboratory with a grant of 1.71 million Maldivian rufiyaas. The third agreement has been signed for the establishment of a drug detox facility with another grant of 7.7 million Maldivian rufiyaas. The fourth MOU was signed to increase cooperation in the field of sports and youth affairs between both the countries.

Note: President of the Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih; Capital of Maldives: Male; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian Rufiyaa.

 

2. World Pneumonia Day: 12th November: World Pneumonia Day is observed globally on 12th November every year. The day is celebrated to raise awareness, promote prevention and treatment and produce action to combat the disease. The day was first celebrated in the year 2009. The day was celebrated on November 12 in 2009 by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. Since then the day has provided an annual forum for the world in standing together against the disease. The day is celebrated all over the world through various events and activities related to Pneumonia.

 

3. Public Service Broadcasting Day: 12th November: Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated on 12 November every year. The day is celebrated to commemorate the first and only visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947. On 12 November 1947, Mahatma Gandhi addressed the displaced people (a refugee from Pakistan), who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition. The day was declared as Public Service Broadcasting Day or (Jan Prasaran Diwas) in 2000, after it was conceptualised by Suhas Borker, Convenor, Jan Prasar. Prasar Bharati has been given the responsibility of public service broadcasting, deepen democratic traditions and provide opportunities to all diverse communities and cultures. Mahatma Gandhi had decided to visit the studio of All India Radio, to convey his message through radio, as he couldn’t visit refugees of Partition stationed at Kurukshetra in Haryana.

 

4. World Kindness Day: 13th November: World Kindness Day is observed globally on 13th November every year. The day is celebrated to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. World Kindness Day was first celebrated in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement. The theme for the 2020 World Kindness day is Kindness: The World We Make – Inspire Kindness.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI announces co-lending scheme for banks, NBFCs for priority sector: The Reserve Bank came out with a Co-Lending Model (CLM) scheme under which banks can provide loans along with NBFCs to priority sector borrowers based on a prior agreement. Under the CLM, banks will be permitted to co-lend with all registered NBFCs (including HFCs) based on a prior agreement, RBI said, adding that “the co-lending banks will take their share of the individual loans on a back-to-back basis in their books”. The CLM, which is an improvement over the co-origination of loan scheme announced by the RBI in September 2018, seeks to provide greater flexibility to the lending institutions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The NBFCs will be  required to retain a minimum of 20% share of the individual loans.

 

2. Airtel Payments Bank partners with Bharti Axa General Insurance to offer car insurance: Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with Bharti AXA General Insurance to offer comprehensive car insurance to the payments bank’s customers. The Smart Drive Private Car Insurance offers financial protection against damage to the vehicle due to accident, theft, and natural and man-made disasters. The car insurance offered through Airtel Payments Bank also compensates for injury or damages to another person or property caused due to a car accident.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. IFFCO Bazar Partners With SBI YONO Krishi App: www.iffcobazar.in, the e-commerce arm of IFFCO has announced its integration with the SBI YONO Krishi, which is the dedicated portal catering to the farmer’s needs. This will ensure that a wide variety of agriculture products are made accessible to lakhs of Indian Farmers. Hassle free payment portal of SBI YONO and quality products of IFFCO is a combination which aims to drive the digital sales in this segment.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Rajnath Singh unveils model of Anti-Satellite Missile at DRDO Bhawan: A model of Anti Satellite (A-SAT) Missile installed inside DRDO Bhawan was unveiled by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The installation of the A-SAT model will inspire the DRDO fraternity to take up many more such challenging missions in future.

About ‘Mission Shakti’: ‘Mission Shakti’ was the country’s first-ever Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) Missile Test successfully conducted on 27th March 2019 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, where a fast-moving Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit was neutralised with pinpoint accuracy. This made India 4th nation in the world with the capability to defend its assets in outer space.

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

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Gujarati columnist Carlos Gonzalez Valles SJ passes away: Author & Gujarati columnist, Father Carlos Gonzalez Valles SJ passed away. A Jesuit priest born in Spain, he was a Mathematics teacher. He wrote in Gujarati, English & Spanish. He translated many mathematical concepts into Gujarati and coined terms. He is popularly known as Father Valles.