Daily GK Updates – 4th Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Venkaiah Naidu Inaugurates National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav”: The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi. The Aadi Mahotsav 2021 is being organized from February 1-15, 2021. The festival aims to familiarise the people with the rich and diverse craft, the culture of the tribal communities across the country, in one place.

About the Aadi Mahotsav: The Aadi Mahotsav – A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Crafts, Cuisine and Commerce – is an annual initiative being organized by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs since 2017. The festival will comprise of display and sale of tribal art and craft, medicine & healers, cuisine and folk performances, in which around 1000 tribal artisans, artists and chefs from more than 20 States of the country shall participate and provide a glimpse of their rich traditional culture.

 

2. Uttarakhand sets up Botanical Garden to conserve species of Shivalik range: In Nainital district of Uttarakhand, a first of its kind botanical garden named ‘Shivalik Arboretum’ has been inaugurated, for conserving over 210 species of trees found in the Shivalik range of Himalayas. Shivalik Arboretum aims to spread nature education among people so that they are able to feel an emotional connect with the trees, and make them more active towards conservation.

About the botanical garden: The facility will showcase information like scientific information about particular species, cultural significance, medicinal use, country of origin, type of habitat in which it is found and all possible uses including as timber, dyes or any other peculiar use. Some of the trees preserved include Kafal (Myrica esculenta), Buransh, (Rhododendron arboretum), Tejpat (Cinnamomum Tamala) and Sanjeevani (Sellaginella bryopteris).

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

 

3. Hubballi students “Maya” ready to assist you at banks: Engineering college students in Hubballi, Karnataka have come up with ‘Maya’, a robot that has been programmed to serve in banks and speaks in many regional languages. The students of the Automation and Robotics department of KLE Technological University have spent nearly eight months and spent Rs 5 lakh to develop the robot.

About the Maya: It was developed keeping banking sectors in mind and programmed with all banking activities such as advising the customers on opening accounts, sending them to designated counters for queries. With the help of artificial intelligence, it recognises customers’ faces and responds to them by using a chatbot. After the banking hours, it automatically goes to the docking yard and charges its batteries without the help of any human being.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Indian-American Bhavya Lal appointed Acting Chief of Staff of NASA: Indian-American Bhavya Lal was appointed by NASA as the Acting Chief of Staff of the US space agency. She served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the agency and oversaw the agency’s transition under the administration of President Joe Biden. Lal brings extensive experience in engineering and space technology, serving as a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defence Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) from 2005 to 2020.

About the Bhavya Lal:  Bhavya Lal led the analysis of space technology, strategy, and policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and National Space Council, as well as federal space-oriented organisations, including NASA, the Department of Defence, and the intelligence community. Lal is an active member of the space technology and policy community, having chaired, co-chaired, or served on five high-impact National Academy of Science committees. She served two consecutive terms on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing and was an External Council member of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program and the Technology, Innovation and Engineering Advisory Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.

Note: Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States; NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.

 

2. Aung San Suu Kyi detained as army grabs power in Myanmar: In Myanmar, a military coup was put in place on 1st February 2021, after the country’s military detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi along with President Win Myint and other members of the ruling party. Myanmar military (also known as the Tatmadaw), took this step because they declared the November 2020 Myanmar general election results fraudulent, in which Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in Parliamentary election 2020 to form next Government.

The military has handed over the power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and declared a state of emergency for one year. Apart from this, former general Myint Swe would be acting president for the next year. The 2021 coup d’état is the third in Myanmar’s political history. The first two was held in 1962 and 1990.

Note: Myanmar Capital: Naypyitaw; Myanmar Currency: Kyat.

 

3. UN World Tourism Organization confirms 2020 as ‘worst year on record’: In accordance with the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) “World Tourism Barometer”, the year 2020 was the “worst year on record” as global tourism suffered adversely due to international travel bans implemented to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. International arrivals dropped by 74% & worldwide destinations welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals than in 2019. This collapse in travel represents an estimated loss of $1.3 trillion in export revenues, more than 11 times less during the 2009 crisis. On the regional front, Asia and the Pacific aced sharpest year-on-year contraction of 84% (-84%). It was followed by the Middle East (-75%) and Europe (-70%).

Note: United Nations World Tourism Organization Secretary-General: Zurab Pololikashvili; United Nations World Tourism Organization Member States: 159; United Nations World Tourism Organization Headquarter: Madrid, Spain.

 

4. World Cancer Day: 4th February: World Cancer Day is being observed globally on 4th February. The Day aims to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that cancer cases will rise by 81% in low and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care.

The theme of World Cancer Day 2019-2021: 2020 marks the midway point of the 3-year with the theme ‘I Am and I Will’ campaign. ‘I Am and I Will’ is an empowering call-to-action urging for personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future.

 

5. International Day of Human Fraternity: 4th February: International Day of Human Fraternity is observed on 4th February globally. International Day of Human Fraternity aims to underline the importance of raising awareness about different cultures and religions, or beliefs, and the promotion of tolerance. It also aims to educate people that tolerance,  pluralistic tradition,  mutual respect, and the diversity of religions and beliefs promote human fraternity. This year International Day of Human Fraternity 2021 theme: A Pathway to the Future. History of the day: The UN General Assembly on 21 December adopted a resolution declaring 4 February as the International Day of Human Fraternity. The day is to be observed each year, beginning in 2021.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India top medals tally at first Asian Online Shooting Championship: The Indian shooting contingent has topped the medals tally in the first-ever Asian Online Shooting Championship, organised by Kuwait Shooting Federation. The 24-member Indian shooting contingent won total 11 medals, which included four gold medals, two silver and five bronze medals. 274 shooters from 22 Asian countries took part in the competition. List of Medal Winners from India:

Gold:

Saurabh Chaudhary – men’s 10m air pistol

Divyansh Singh Panwar- men’s 10m air rifle

Kynan Chenai – men’s trap

Rajeshwari Kumari – women’s trap

Silver:

Arjun Babuta – men’s 10m air rifle

Shreyasi Singh – women’s trap

Bronze:

Manu Bhaker – women’s 10m air pistol

Sarabjot Singh – men’s 10m air pistol

Deepak Kumar – men’s 10m air rifle

Prithviraj Tondaiman – men’s trap

Manish Keer – women’s trap

 

2. Tamil Nadu Beat Baroda to claim Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy: Tamil Nadu beat Baroda in the final to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2020-21. The tournament was the twelfth edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was played at Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera Stadium), Ahmedabad. The Player of the match title was won by Manimaran Siddharth (Tamil Nadu) who picked 4 wickets, conceding 20 runs. They needed 121 runs to win, which they achieved in 18 overs with 7 wickets. Tamil Nadu team was lead by Dinesh Karthik (captain). This is the second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title for Tamil Nadu and their first title in 13 years. The team claimed their first SMAT title in 2006-07, that too under Karthik’s captaincy.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. India, World Bank sign 500 million dollar Programme to improve quality of school education in India: The Government of India and the World Bank signed a 500-million US dollar Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Programme (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states. These include Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Some 250 million students (between the age of six and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the programme. The STARS programme builds on the long partnership between India and the World Bank (since 1994), for strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing Education for All.

 

2. StashFin Partners with SBM Bank India to launch contactless prepaid cards: Singapore-based neobanking startup StashFin and SBM Bank India announced the launch of their co-branded contactless prepaid cards. With this launch, the innovation and technology-led business partnership is set to bridge the growing credit gap in India. The Visa powered card comes with a contactless EMV chip, offering the cardholders 24×7 access to funds. With its enhanced safety and security features, the prepaid card acts like a personal overdraft facility, allowing the customer to take loans up to Rs 5 lakh. This card can be used for free ATM cash withdrawals and online/offline payments at all merchant platforms and PoS terminals across India.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Facebook appoints Henry Moniz as its First Chief Compliance Officer: Facebook Inc. has appointed Henry Moniz as its first-ever Chief Compliance Officer. He will join Facebook on February 8 to lead the company’s global compliance team, to enhance its global compliance and risk management and promote the highest standards of legal and ethical conduct at the company. Prior to this, Henry Moniz had been the chief compliance officer and chief audit executive at media company ViacomCBS Inc.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg; Facebook Headquarters: California, US.

 

2. Anish Shah appoint as new chairman of Mahindra Finance: Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services has announced the appointment of Anish Shah as the chairman of the board, effective April 2, 2021. Shah is already a director of the company. He is the deputy managing director and group CFO of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Shah takes over from Dhananjay Mungale. Mungale shall continue to be an Independent Director on the Board of MMFSL.

Note: Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Headquarters: Mumbai; Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Founded: 1991.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 50th Kerala State Film Awards conferred: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has presented the 50th Kerala State Film Awards 2019 and the J C Daniel Award at a function here.  Pinarayi Vijayan released the stamp published in connection with the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Veteran filmmaker Hariharan, who was conferred with the J C Daniel Award, is an artist who had travelled with cinema for about half a century and made films which went on to become milestones in the annals of Malayalam tinsel town. The film awards were also distributed. Culture Minister A K Balan presided.