Daily GK Update- 18th July, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Piyush Goyal appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha: Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. His appointment is effective from July 06, 2021. He will succeed Thawar Chand Gahlot, who has taken charge as the Governor of Karnataka. Mr. Goyal, a two-time Rajya Sabha MP, is currently the deputy leader of the NDA as well as the Union Minister in the Cabinet. He is serving as the Union Minister of Textiles, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The Leader of the House is responsible for organizing government meetings and business in the House.

 

2. India’s first ‘Grain ATM’ open in Gurugram: The country’s first ‘Grain ATM’ has been set up as a pilot project in Gurugram, Haryana. It is an automatic machine, which works just like a bank ATM. This machine has been installed under the ‘World Food Programme’ of the United Nations (UN), and is called the ‘Automated, Multi Commodity, Grain Dispensing Machine’.

About the Machine:

(1) This automatic machine is equipped with the biometric system with a touch screen, where the beneficiary will have to enter the Aadhaar or ration card unique number.

(2) On biometric authentication, the foodgrain prescribed by the government to the beneficiaries will be automatically filled in the bags installed under the machine.

(3) Three types of grains — wheat, rice and millet — can be distributed through this machine. At present, the distribution of wheat has been started from the ‘Grain ATM’ machine installed at Farrukhnagar.

Note: Haryana Capital: Chandigarh; Haryana Governor: BandaruDattatreya; Haryana Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar.

 

3. India’s first national dolphin research centre to come up in Patna: India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come upon the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University. Around 1,455 dolphins have been sighted during a survey conducted in 2018-19 in the river Ganga by the teams of experts. The Gangetic dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal but frequently falls prey to illegal poaching. The presence of dolphins in the Ganga gives a sign of a healthy ecosystem because dolphins live at least in 5 ft to 8 ft deep water.

About the Gangetic dolphin: The Gangetic dolphin has been declared an endangered aquatic animal and is one of the four freshwater dolphins species in the world as another three species are said to be found in the Yangtze River, the Indus River in Pakistan and the Amazon River globally.

 

4. ISRO successfully conducts 3rd test on Vikas Engine for Gaganyaan Program: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the third long-duration hot test of the liquid propellant Vikas Engine for the core L110 liquid stage of the human-rated GSLV Mk III vehicle, as part of the engine qualification requirements for the GaganyaanProgramme. The engine was fired for a duration of 240 seconds at the engine test facility of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The performance of the engine met the test objectives and the engine parameters were closely matching with the predictions during the entire duration of the test.

 

5. M. Venkaih Naidu receives book entitled ‘Urdu Poets and Writers – Gems of Deccan’: Vice President M. Venkaih Naidu has received a book entitled ‘Urdu Poets and Writers – Gems of Deccan’ authored by senior journalist, J.S. Ifthekhar. Mr Naidu commended the author for the book which traces the rich literary and cultural traditions of the Deccan. The book is an anthology of prose and poetry that encapsulates the life and works of 51 outstanding poets and writers of the Deccan region. The book traces the rich literary and cultural traditions of Deccan, right from the time of Muhammad QuliQutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, to the present times.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. China begins construction of world’s 1st commercial small modular reactor: China has officially begun the construction of the world’s first commercial modular small reactor ‘Linglong One’ at the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant in the country’s Hainan Province. The project is based on China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC’s Linglong One (ACP100) technology.

About the reactor:

(1) The multi-purpose, 125 MWe SMR is a pressurised water reactor designed for electricity generation, urban heating, urban cooling, industrial steam production, or seawater desalination.

(2) CNNC began the development of the Linglong One in 2010, and it was the first SMR project to pass an independent safety assessment by International Atomic Energy Agency experts in 2016.

(3) Its integrated pressurised water reactor (PWR) design was completed in 2014 and it was identified as a ‘key project’ in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan.

(4) The design, which has 57 fuel assemblies and integral steam generators, was developed from the larger ACP1000 PWR. It incorporates passive safety features and could be installed underground.

Note: China Capital: Beijing; China Currency: Renminbi; China President: Xi Jinping.

 

2. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021 Report: The annual UN-FAO report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021” states that between 720 and 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020, which is around 161 million more than in 2019. The report was jointly produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Key facts and figures:

(1) Number of hungry people in 2020 in the World: between 720 and 811 million

(2) Asia: 418 million (More than half of world hunger population)

(3) Africa: 282 million (One-third)

(4) Latin America and the Caribbean: 60 million

(5) Nearly 2.37 billion people did not have access to adequate food in 2020, an increase of 320 million people over 2019.

(6) Children under 5 affected by stunting (low height-for-age): 22.0 percent (149.2 million)

(7) Children under 5 affected by wasting (low weight-for-height): 6.7 per cent (45.4 million)

(8) Children under 5 who are overweight (high weight-for-height): 5.7 per cent (38.9 million)

(9) Percentage of women of reproductive age affected by anaemia: 29.9%

(10) Percentage of infants aged below 6 months who were exclusively breastfed: 44%

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. AR Rahman launch Tokyo Olympics cheer song “Hindustani Way”: Singer Ananya Birla has teamed up with music maestro AR Rahman to launch a cheer song for Indian sports personalities as they gear up for Tokyo Olympics. Titled “Hindustani Way”, the song has been sung by Ananya and composed by Rahman. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur also present in the launch of the song.

The video of the song follows a family from 1996 to the present day as they cheer for Indian sports personalities across different Olympic seasons. The video features archival footage from Atlanta (1996), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012), Rio (2016) and some exclusive training footage of this year’s contingent. The archival footage features winning moments of Leander Peas, Vijender Singh, AbhinavBindra, Mary Kom, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik, among others.

 

2. Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah announces surprise retirement from Test Cricket: Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad has announced his retirement from Test cricket, while he was playing at the ongoing one-off game against Zimbabwe. The decision of Mahmudullah to leave the Test game mid-way, has been criticized by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan. He decided to stop playing Test cricket, after the end of the third day’s play of the ongoing one-off Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI cancels licence of DrShivajiraoPatilNilangekar Urban Co-operative Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of DrShivajiraoPatilNilangekar Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Nilanga, Latur, as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. The Maharashtra-based bank with its current financial position would be unable to pay its depositors in full, the central bank said while announcing the cancellation of its licence. The bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business. With the cancellation of its licence, the bank has been prohibited from conducting the business of ”banking” that includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits with immediate effect.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. NTPC to construct India’s largest solar power park in Kutch: NTPC Ltd., India’s largest power generator is set to construct the country’s single-largest solar photovoltaic project at Rann of Kutch region in Khavada, Gujarat. The solar power park will have a capacity of 4.75 Gigawatt (Gw)/4750 MW. The project will be constructed through NTPC’s renewable energy arm, NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC-REL).

About the project:

(1) NTPC REL, a 100% subsidiary of NTPC, received approval from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on 12 July 2021 under Mode 8 (Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park) of the Solar Park Scheme.

(2) The project is a part of NTPC’s plan to transform itself into a green energy major. It aims to build 60 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2032.

(3) NTPC REL also plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale from this park. Hydrogen produced from renewable sources is called green hydrogen.

Note: NTPC Chairman and Managing Director: Shri Gurdeep Singh; NTPC Founded: 1975; NTPC Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Journalist N N Pillai honoured with BKS Literary Award: Journalist and playwright Omchery N N Pillai has been selected for the Bahrain KeraleeyaSamajam (BKS)’s Literary Award for 2021. BKS president P V Radhakrishna Pillai, general secretary Varghese Karackal and literary wing secretary FirozThiruvathra announced the award. The Jury was headed by the novelist M Mukundan. Literary critic Dr K S Ravikumar, writer and Kerala Chief Secretary Dr V P Joy, and Radhakrishna Pillai were part of the jury. The award constitutes a cash prize of `50,000 and a citation acknowledging the achievement. The award ceremony will be held later in Delhi. “His enormous contributions as a whole to Malayalam language and literature are remarkable, which ultimately led to this award.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. National Award-winning actress SurekhaSikri passes away: Three-time national award-winning actress SurekhaSikri has passed away. The three-time National Award winner is best known for her performances in ‘Tamas’, ‘Mammo’, ‘Salim LangdePe Mat Ro’, ‘Zubeidaa’, ‘Badhaai Ho’ and daily soap ‘BalikaVadhu’. She was last seen in Netflix’s anthology ‘Ghost Stories’ (2020), in the story directed by Zoya Akhtar.