Daily GK Updates – 19th Nov, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Asia’s 1st solar power-enabled Textile Mill to be unveiled in Maharashtra: The first solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia is set to be set up in Parbhani district, Maharashtra. Spread across 30 acres of land, the Jai Bhawani women’s cooperative textile mill will be first in Asia that will operate entirely on solar power. The overall cost of setting up the project is around Rs. 100 crore. Once functional, the mill will process cotton to cloth and would provide jobs to many women in the district. Parbhani is the leading cotton-producing district in Maharashtra and with the operationalization of the mill, it will give momentum to the industrial sector in the district.

 

2. IRCTC to start ‘Bharat Darshan Yatra’ on December: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will be starting ‘Bharat Darshan–Dakshin Bharat Yatra’ from December 12. The Bharat Darshan Yatra will start from Hyderabad and Secunderabad from December 12 to 18. The theme of this yatra will be ‘Show India to Indians’.

About the ‘Bharat Darshan–Dakshin Bharat Yatra’: The facility of boarding and de-boarding this tourist train will be available at Secunderabad, Khammam, Nellore, Vijayawada, Warangal, Ongole, and Renigunta. The train will have 12 sleeper coaches, one 3-tier AC coach and a pantry car. The standard fare for sleeper coaches will be Rs 7,140 and that for three-tier AC will be Rs 8,610. The facility of night stays for all the tourists will be made at dormitories or dharmasalas. Tourists will also be provided with the morning tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner and a water bottle per day. The authorities will arrange non-AC bus transportation on sharing basis and tour escort and security on the train. In January 2019, IRCTC also started booking for Shirdi Sai Baba darshan tickets on its website.

Note: IRCTC Incorporated on September 27, 1999. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary organisation of the Indian Railways.

 

3. ED Director SK Mishra’s tenure extended by one year: The Union government has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a year after modifying his appointment order that was issued in 2018. His tenure was to end next week as the ED director’s post comes with a fixed term of two years. As per an order issued by the Department of Revenue under the Union finance ministry on Friday, the 2018 order for appointment of Mishra has been modified. “The President of India is pleased to approve the modification in the earlier order dated November 19, 2018, appointing Shri Sanjay Kumar Mishra as director of enforcement in the Enforcement Directorate.

Enforcement Directorate (ED): The ED is a central investigative agency that enforces two central laws, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). These laws were enacted to curb money laundering, terror financing, black money and hawala or illegal financial transactions that have cross-border ramifications.

Note: Enforcement Directorate Founded: 1 May 1956; Enforcement Directorate Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

 

4. PM Narendra Modi unveils Swami Vivekananda’s statue on JNU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda in Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, New Delhi through video conferencing. It took renowned sculptor Naresh Kumawat seven months to complete this statue of Swami Vivekananda on the JNU campus. Located about 300 metres from a statue of India’s first prime minister, the statue of Swami Vivekananda is about three feet taller than that of Jawaharlal Nehru. The event was also attended by Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and JNU vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar.

 

5. PM Modi unveils ‘Statue of Peace’ in Rajasthan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually unveiled the ‘Statue of Peace’ dedicated to Jain Monk Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwarji Maharaj. The 151-inch (12.6 ft) tall statue was inaugurated by PM Modi on the occasion of the 151st birth anniversary of Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabhsuri, at Vijay Vallabh Sadhana Kendra, Jetpura, in Pali, Rajasthan. The Statue of Peace has been made from Ashtadhatu, which means 8 metals, and includes Copper as the major constituent.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi Virtually Attends 12th BRICS Summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually addressed the 12th (BRICS) Summit. The Summit was held under the Chairmanship of Russian President Vladimir Putin. India will be taking over the Chairmanship of the BRICS in 2021 and host the 13th BRICS Summit in 2021. It would be the third time that India will take over the BRICS Presidency since its inception. Previously India was the Chair in 2012 and 2016.

The theme of the 12th edition of BRICS Summit was “Global stability, shared security and innovative growth”. The key issues discussed by the leaders included intra-BRICS cooperation and other key issues in the global context, like the reform of the multilateral system, measures to mitigate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation in Counter-Terrorism, trade, health, energy and people to people exchanges.

 

2. SpaceX launches 4 astronauts into space: SpaceX has launched Four Astronauts (3 Americans, 1 Japanese) to the International Space Station on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) by a private company. They were launched by Falcon Rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. The capsule has been named as “Resilience”. The crew was led by Commander Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover (First Black Astronaut on a long-term space station) mission and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi (First person in 40 years to launch on three types of spacecraft).

 

3. World Toilet Day: 19th November: World Toilet Day (WTD) is observed globally on 19 November to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. World Toilet Day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. The day was established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001 and officially declared by the UN General Assembly in 2013. This year the theme remarks on the importance of “Sustainable sanitation and climate change”.

Note: World Toilet Organization Headquarters: Singapore; World Toilet Organization Founder and Director: Jack Sim; World Toilet Organization Founded: 19 November 2001.

 

4. World Philosophy Day: 19th November: World Philosophy Day is observed on the third Thursday of November every year. This year World Philosophy Day falls on 19 November 2020. The Day encourages academic exchange and highlights the contribution of philosophical knowledge in addressing global issues. In 2005 the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed that World Philosophy Day would be celebrated every third Thursday of November. In establishing World Philosophy Day UNESCO strives to promote an international culture of philosophical debate that respects human dignity and diversity.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Sudeep Tyagi announces retirement from all forms of cricket: Indian cricketer, Sudeep Tyagi has announced his retirement from all forms of the cricket. The 33-year-old had played for the Indian national cricket team in four ODIs and a lone T20I as a fast bowler. Apart from this, the right-arm medium-fast bowler had also featured in 14 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

 

2. Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win Women’s T20 Challenge title: Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win clinch the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge title. Smriti Mandhana starred with the bat while Salma Khatun picked three wickets as Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to clinch the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge title at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Opting to field, Supernovas restricted Trailblazers to 118/8 despite Smriti Mandhana’s 49-ball 68. Radha Yadav claimed the maiden five-wicket haul (5/16) in the short history of the competition to deny the final flourish to Trailblazers’ innings.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI imposes Rs 1 crore penalty on Punjab National Bank: The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Punjab National Bank for violating the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Punjab National Bank was operating a bilateral ATM-sharing arrangement with Druk PNB Bank Ltd., Bhutan, since April 2010 without prior approval or authorisation from India’s banking regulator. RBI imposed the Rs 1 crore penalty for “contravention of nature referred to in Section 26 (6) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act).”

Note: Punjab National Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Punjab National Bank MD and CEO: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao; Punjab National Bank Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan.

 

2. SBM Bank India set to launch a neo banking platform: SBM Bank India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of State Bank of Mauritius has partnered with Fintech PayNearby to launch a neo banking platform. Both firms signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build an “open banking” network towards delivering basic banking solutions as well as advanced financial services, to their customers. The partnership would enable the Bank to offer a complete suite of digital and assisted banking solutions through PayNearby’s network of micro-enterprise and retail touchpoints. The deployment of the banking module will be done in a phased manner and will work seamlessly with the existing platforms at PayNearby outlets and touchpoints. SBM Bank India was the first foreign bank in India to obtain a banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Wholly Owned Subsidiary in January 2019.

About Neo bank: Neo bank is a type of bank that operates exclusively online, i.e., it does not have any traditional physical branch networks. Neo banks are cheaper, faster. In one single platform, the neo bank can integrate the entire financial portfolio. It offers complete digital banking experience through mobile applications. It is also known as an online bank, internet-only bank, virtual bank or digital bank.

Note: SBM Bank (India) Limited Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; SBM Bank (India) Limited MD and CEO: Sidharth Rath; SBM Bank (India) Limited Commenced Operations– 1st December 2018; SBM Bank (India) Limited Tagline: We make banking convenient for you.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Tata AIA Life Insurance partners with PayBima to drive Life Insurance Protection through Digital sales: Tata AIA Life Insurance (Tata AIA Life), one of India’s leading providers of Pure Protection Solutions, announced that it has partnered with PayBima, the digital arm of Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd., as a Broker to distribute its industry-leading life insurance solutions. The association is in line with Tata AIA Life’s mission to provide Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) to its customers and aims to make the process of buying life insurance solutions simple, easy, and convenient. As part of the agreement, PayBima.com will offer the life Insurance solutions of Tata AIA Life on its platform. PayBima will leverage its analytics skill to offer personalised life insurance solutions best suited to the needs of its customers.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dr Susanta Kar Honoured with Prof. A N Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award-2020: Dr Susanta Kar, Senior Scientist, Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI) was honoured with “Prof. A N Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award 2020” by Society of Biological Chemists (India), Bengaluru. The award is given to him for his contribution towards defining the survival tactics of Leishmania Donovani.

About Leishmania Donovani: Leishmania Donovani is a protozoan parasite that infects the macrophages and the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar).

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Japanese Nobel-prize-winning Masatoshi Koshiba passes away: Physicist Masatoshi Koshiba, who shared 2002 Nobel prize for the detection of cosmic neutrinos, passed away. Koshiba’s most famous work involved detecting neutrinos from a distant supernova explosion using a vast detector based in a mine in central Japan. Koshiba, a distinguished professor at the University of Tokyo. Koshiba devised the construction of giant underground chambers to detect neutrinos, elusive particles that stream from the sun. Neutrinos offer a unique view of the sun’s inner workings because they are produced in its heart by the same process that causes the sun to shine. His student, Takaaki Kajita, won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2015 for research at the Super-Kamiokande facility that found neutrinos have mass.

 

2. Former Pondicherry Lt Guv Chandrawati passes away: Former Lt Governor of Pondicherry, Chandrawati passed away. She has a number of 1st to her credit as she was the 1st Member of Parliament (1977), the 1st MLA, 1st minister (1964-66 and 1972-74) & 1st leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly (1982-85). Chandrawati had also served as the president of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1979.