Daily GK Updates – 20th Feb, 2021

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ThaawarchandGehlot Releases 3rd Edition of Indian Sign Language Dictionary: The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment ThaawarchandGehlot released the “3rd edition of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary, in a virtual event. The 3rd edition of the ISL dictionary contains a total of 10,000 terms. These include the 6000 terms of the first and second edition of the dictionary.

About the Dictionary: The terms are of everyday use from academic terms, legal & administrative terms, medical terms, technical terms and agricultural terms. The Dictionary has been developed by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous Institute under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The 1st edition of the ISL Dictionary was launched on 23 March 2018 with 3000 terms. The 2nd edition was launched on 27th February 2019, with 6000 terms (including earlier 3000 terms).

 

2. Centre Launches new Instant Messaging platform ‘Sandes’: The National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched an instant messaging platform called “Sandes”. Similar to WhatsApp, the new government instant messaging systems (GIMS) platform can be used for all kinds of communications by anyone using a mobile number or email id.

About the app: The need to build a home-grown messaging platform was felt by the government to ensure secure communication between people as they worked from home, following the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. The Sandes app is also a part of the government strategy to encourage the use of India-made software so as to build an ecosystem of indigenously developed products.

Note: National Informatics Centre Founded: 1976; National Informatics Centre Director-General: Neeta Verma; National Informatics Centre Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

3. Mamata Banerjee launches ‘Maa’ scheme to provide meals at Rs 5: West Bengal government launched “Maa” canteens for providing subsidised cooked meals for the poor and the destitute at a nominal cost of ₹5. The govt will give a subsidy of ₹15 and people have to pay ₹5. The kitchen will run by Self-Help Groups (SHG). The government allocated ₹ 100 crores for this project.

About the canteens: The canteens will be open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. every day. People will get a plate of rice, dal, a vegetable and egg curry. This new initiative is for common people. Though we give free rations there is still a huge demand for cooked food. Therefore, we are starting these community kitchens.

Note: Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: JagdeepDhankhar.

 

4. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban. The Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan has been launched in 10 cities, which are Agra, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur. The motive of the Jal Jeevan Mission Urban is to provide universal coverage of water supply to all households through functional taps in all 4,378 statutory towns in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal – 6.

Objective: To ascertain the equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and quality of water through a challenging process.

Outlay: The Government has proposed a total outlay of Rs 2.87 lakh crore for JJM (U) in fiscal 2021-22, which includes Rs. 10,000 crore for continuing financial support to AMRUT Mission.

Note: Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri.

 

5. IIT Madras-incubated Pi Beam launches PiMo e-bike: An IIT Madras-Incubated start-up Pi Beam Electric has recently launched a sustainable electric two-wheeler, dubbed as PiMo. The utility e-bike has been developed for personal and commercial use. It does not require a licence or registration.

Key Features: The cost of the electric two-wheeler has been fixed at Rs. 30, 000. It eliminates fuel costs as it runs on battery. The electric vehicle offers ‘Battery Swapping’, meaning that the drained battery can be exchanged for a fully charged one at designated locations. The battery can charge faster than a smartphone and comes with a range of 50 km. Pi Beam aims to sell 10,000 vehicles by the end of the financial year 2021-22.

 

6. Award winning Author Irwin Allan Sealy’s new novel ‘ASOCA’: Prizewinning writer Irwin Allan Sealy’s new novel ‘ASOCA: A Sutra’, an imagined memoir of AshokaThe Great. The novel will be presented as an imagined memoir of AshokaThe Great, the emperor who ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent and played a pivotal role in the spread of Buddhism from India to other parts of Asia in the 3rd century BC. It will be published by Penguin Random House India. Earlier, Penguin had published the thirtieth-anniversary edition of Sealy’s critically acclaimed debut novel The Trotter-Nama and this is the second book by the author to be published by PRH. This book will be released under Penguin’s Viking imprint in July 2021.

 

7. Kiran Bedi Removed As Puducherry Lt Governor: Kiran Bedi, the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, has been removed from the top position. TamilisaiSoundararajan, the Governor of Telangana, has been given additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry till a permanent replacement will be announced. The development comes in the backdrop of a major shake-up in the Puducherry Assembly after several Congress legislators resigned ahead of the Assembly elections due this year.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Preeti Sinha appointed to head United Nations Capital Development Fund: The UN Capital Development Fund has appointed Indian-origin investment and development banker PreetiSinha as its Executive Secretary, the highest leadership rank in the institution. She succeeds Judith Karl. He will work with a focus on providing micro-finance assistance to women, youth, small and medium-sized enterprises in under-served communities.

About United Nations Capital Development Fund: The New York-based United Nations Capital Development Fund is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP. It was established in 1966. The original mandate of UNCDF: to assist developing countries in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants and loans.

The organisation provides micro-finance access to the 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of the world, to help them unlock the full potential of public and private finance.

 

2. World Day of Social Justice: 20th February: World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually all over the world on 20 February. The International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008. This year theme of World Day of Social Justice is“A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy”.

Aim of the day: Recognize the need to promote and tackle issues of social justice such as poverty, exclusion, gender equality, unemployment, human rights, and social protections. Focus on the goal of achieving full employment and support for social integration. Encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication.

Note: Headquarters of International Labour Organization: Geneva, Switzerland; Director-General of International Labour Organization: Guy Ryder; International Labour Organization Founded: 1919.

 

3. World Pangolin Day: 20th February: World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the “Third Saturday of February” every year. In 2021, the annual World Pangolin Day is being celebrated on 20 February 2020. It marks the 10th edition of the event. The day aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals and speed up conservation efforts. Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. ICICI Lombard partners with Flipkart to offer ‘Hospicash’ insurance: The e-commerce company Flipkart has partnered with ICICI Lombard to offer its customers the ‘Group SafeGuard’ insurance, a group health insurance policy. The ‘Group SafeGuard’ comes with daily cash benefits starting from Rs 500, and ‘Hospicash’ benefit for Flipkart consumers.

About the Hospicash: The product will allow consumers to avail a payout for each day of hospitalisation. The fixed daily amount will enable consumers to pay for incidental medical or emergency expenses. The insurance is affordably priced, paperless, and flexible; covering both accidental hospitalisations or planned surgeries/treatment.

Note: Flipkart headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka; Flipkart CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy.

ICICI Lombard CEO: BhargavDasgupta; ICICI Lombard Headquarters: Mumbai; ICICI Lombard Founded: 2001.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. HCL Tech inks pact with IIT Kanpur to build up competence in cybersecurity: HCL Technologies has inked an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) to collaborate in the area of cybersecurity. As part of the pact, the IT company will work with C3iHub, a specialised cybersecurity research centre at IITK. This collaboration will bring together the country’s brightest minds, advanced research capabilities and global resources to develop advanced solutions in the area of cybersecurity.

About the collaboration: HCL and IITK will bring in real-world industry exposure to carry out joint initiatives and research. The teams will develop a security framework and solutions for cybersecurity challenges in current and future operational technologies as one of the first areas of interest. They will also work together to discover and manage cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and risks for critical infrastructure.

Note: HCL Technologies CEO: C Vijayakumar; HCL Technologies Founded: 11 August 1976; HCL Technologies Headquarters: Noida.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy conferred SKOCH Chief Minister of the Year Award: The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been conferred the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award. The Award has been presented to the CM by Chairman, Skoch Group, Sameer Kochhar personally at Tadepalli in Andhra Pradesh. The award selection was based on a study of project-level outcomes in various States.

Similarly, initiatives have been taken across the government to respond to COVID-19 and have shown desirable outcomes. All the above and more is evident in a year-long study of 123 projects from across sectors in Andhra Pradesh. The State has taken several revolutionary measures in the past two years to make governance more efficient and transparent. Innovative measures have been taken across sectors, the credit for which goes to the Chief Minister.

Note: Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: BiswaBhusanHarichandan.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India joins Iran-Russia’s two-day navy exercise: India joined Iran and Russia in the naval exercise dubbed as “Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021”, which kicked-off in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. The Chinese navy will also join the exercise. The purpose of the drill is to enhance the security of international maritime trade, confront maritime piracy and terrorism, and exchange information.

About the drill: The drill will cover an area of 17,000 square kilometres (6,500 square miles). It will include shooting at sea and air targets and liberating hijacked ships, as well as search and rescue and anti-piracy operations. The exercise ‘Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt’ is so flexible that any country could join if they wish to do so.