Daily GK Updates – 3rd Dec, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurates Suryadhar Lake: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has inaugurated the Suryadhar lake at Doiwala, Dehradun. The Suryadhar lake is 550 meters long, 28 meters wide and 10 meters deep with a capacity of 77,000 cubic meters. Besides fulfilling the drinking water and irrigational needs of 18-20 villages, the lake will recharge the water resources in the area and help build a healthy eco-system that will attract migratory birds. The state government’s plans to organize a water sports festival at the lake either by Makar Sankranti or Basant Panchami next year to showcase the beauty of its surrounding environs.

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

 

2. Arjun Munda e-launches “Virtual Aadi Mahotsav-Madhya Pradesh”: The Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda has launched the first-ever virtual edition of Aadi Mahotsav – Madhya Pradesh. The event will showcase the tribal traditions of the various tribal communities by having their crafts and natural products on display. Videos showcasing different aspects of their culture – music, dance etc, will also be shared. In essence, it will still be a celebration of the tribes and their diverse, varied lifestyle but on a different platform.

The 10-day long festival begin from December 1, 2020. It is being hosted on the Tribes India website – www.tribesindia.com. The highlights of the virtual launch included a virtual tour of the artisans’ workplace and glimpses of the tribal dance and music from Madhya Pradesh. The main focus of the first virtual Aadi Mahotsav is on the tribal craft and culture of Madhya Pradesh. The next focus state of the programme would be Gujarat ( from 11th December 2020), followed by West Bengal from the 21st December 2020.

 

3. Utpal Kumar Singh Appointed as Secretary-General of Lok Sabha: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appointed senior IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh as Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariat. His appointment will come into effect from December 1, 2020. He will succeed incumbent Snehlata Shrivastava. Mr Singh is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Uttrakhand Cadre and has been appointed as Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha in the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary.

 

4. Piyush Goyal inaugurates Dhigawara-Bandikui section of NWR: The Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section of North Western Railway (NWR) in the state of Rajasthan. The Minister also flagged off the first train on this newly electrified route. The Dhigawara-Bandikui section is on Delhi-Ajmer route via Jaipur. The Railways has set the target to electrify the entire percentage of railway lines across the country in a phased manner. Once these electrified trains start running, the trains that run on diesel will be stopped.

 

5. BSF Celebrates its 56th Raising Day on December 1, 2020: The Border Security Force (BSF), is observing its 56th Raising Day on 01 December 2020. BSF was formed on December 1, 1965, as a unified central agency, after the Indo-Pak and India-China wars, for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected therewith. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of the Union of India and stands as the world’s largest border guarding force. BSF has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories.

Note: BSF Director General: Rakesh Asthana; BSF Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

6. National Pollution Control Day: 2nd December: In India, the National Pollution Control Day is observed every year on December 2 to commemorate the life of people lost in the unfortunate incident of Bhopal Gas Tragedy that occurred in the year 1984 on the night of 2–3 December. The year 2020 marks the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Through this day, awareness is created about the rising pollution of air, water, and soil, as well as shifts the attention of people with regards to the pollution control acts.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UAE becomes first Arab Country to generate electricity from coal: The United Arab Emirates is set to become the first Arab Gulf country to generate electricity from coal. The first coal-based power plant of Arab Gulf country is being developed in Saih Shuaib, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 2,400MW Hassyan clean coal power station will be built at an estimated cost of $ 3.4 billion. The project will comprise four units of 600MW each, which are expected to start operations in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively. The power plant is expected to produce sufficient electricity to power approximately 250,000 households.

 

2. World AIDS Day: 1st December: Every year, on 1 December, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. The day provides an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. This year the theme of World AIDS Day is “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”. In 2020, the world’s attention has been focused by the COVID-19 pandemic on health and how pandemics affect lives and livelihoods. COVID-19 is showing once again how health is interlinked with other critical issues, such as reducing inequality, human rights, gender equality, social protection and economic growth.

 

3. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery: 2nd December: International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed annually on 2nd December since 1986 by the United Nations General Assembly. The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, 2 December, marks the date of the adoption, by the General Assembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (resolution 317(IV) of 2 December 1949).

 

4. World Computer Literacy Day: 2nd December: The World Computer Literacy Day is observed annually on 2nd December to create awareness and drive digital literacy in underserved communities worldwide. The day promotes technological skills, especially in children and women. The World Computer Literacy Day controls the advanced gap that exists in the world today. The day was originally founded by the Indian computer company NIIT to mark its 20th anniversary in 2001. World Computer Literacy Day was first observed and held in the year 2001 on 2nd Dec.

 

5. International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 3rd December: Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been annually observed on 3 December around the world. The theme for this year’s IDPD is “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. This theme focuses on the empowering persons with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain. The race was the fifteenth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship. This is the 11th victory for Hamilton of the season, and 95th F1 win of his career. Also, Hamilton now holds the records for the most wins (95), in Formula One history. Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen (Netherlands) and Alexander Albon (Thailand) were second and third respectively.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Union Bank Completes Integration of All Branches of Corporation Bank with Itself: Union Bank of India has completed the IT integration after which all the branches of erstwhile Corporation Bank have come fully under its fold as part of the amalgamation exercise. With this IT integration, all of erstwhile Corporation Bank, including service and specialised branches, have been fully integrated with Union Bank of India (UBI). Along with this feat, the bank has successfully rolled out internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, IMPS, FI gateway, treasury and Swift for erstwhile Corporation Bank customers thereby enabling them to transact seamlessly across branches and delivery channels of UBI.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. MeitY and IBM India Partner to offer Reskilling Programs in Artificial Intelligence and Cloud to Learners: The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and IBM India announced a collaboration to create a robust education and skilling ecosystem that creates critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and next generation innovators through the Common Services Centre Academy. CSC Academy – part of Common Services Centre (CSC) scheme of MeitY, Government of India’s flagship Digital India program and IBM, along with their implementation partners CSR Box, Uva Jagriti Sansthan and Jeevitam will foster the capability and development of learners with diverse backgrounds and educational needs. This collaboration with IBM aligns with the National Education Policy’s emphasis on learning 21st century skills to ensure the future-readiness of India’s youth and realizing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

 

2. SEBI chief launches SMARTS program to enhance investor education and awareness: Markets regulator SEBI launched the Securities Market Trainers (SMARTs) program, an initiative aimed at enhancing investor education and awareness.The  launch of SMARTs program comes amid World Investor Week being celebrated across the country. Under the SMARTs program, the trainers are empanelled for the district they belong to, subject to fulfilling the required eligibility criteria. In addition to individuals, organisations engaged in similar activity can get enrolled as SMARTs. They would undergo training at NISM and then they would be eligible to conduct programs. The programs are conducted under the aegis of Sebi and are monitored directly by it.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Army successfully testfires Anti-Ship version of BrahMos missile: India successfully test-fired the anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The test was conducted as part of the ongoing trials being conducted by the Indian Navy. The DRDO-developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with a strike range of 300 Km was launched from Indian Navy’s INS Ranvijay and it successfully hit its target ship near the Car Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Recently the land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was also successfully test-fired from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the world’s fastest operational system in its class.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Senegal World Cup footballer Papa Bouba Diop passes away: Senegal’s professional footballer, Papa Bouba Diop, who helped the country win the FIFA World Cup match in 2002, has passed away. He was of the age of 42. His goal helped Senegal secure historic 1–0 win over the then-world champions France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and Senegal’s first-ever match at the FIFA World Cup. Diop has won 63 caps for Senegal.

 

2. Legendary Bangladeshi actor, Liberation War fighter Aly Zaker passes away: Eminent Bangladeshi actor and cultural personality Aly Zaker passed away in Dhaka. He was 76. Aly Zaker was a towering figure of Bangladesh in theatre, Television and films. Aly was involved in the Liberation War movement of Bangladesh against Pakistan. He was also a founder trustee of the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka. He was awarded the second highest civilian award of Bangladesh ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 1999 for his contribution in the field of theatre.