Daily GK Update- 8th Nov, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Power Minister inaugurated the “Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project” in J&K: Union Power Minister R K Singh virtually inaugurated the diversion of the Marusudar River of Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project in Kishtwar, J&K. Pakal Dul HE Project (1,000 MW) is being constructed by Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Limited (CVPPPL) and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation. Marusudar River is a major tributary of the Chenab River.

Pakal Dul HE Project:

(1) Pakal Dul HE Project is a 1000 MW project. It is being constructed by Chenab Valley Power Projects [P] Ltd. It is a joint venture company of JKSPDC (Govt of J&K) and NHPC Ltd (Govt of India Enterprise).

(2) Pakal Dul H.E. Project will help in fulfilling the target of 450 GW Renewable energy by 2030.

CVPPPL has been charged with 3094 MW Hydro Power Projects for construction in J&K. The dam will divert water to the south using a 10 km long headrace tunnel. This project was awarded to a consortium of domestic & foreign countries comprising Bharat Heavy Electricals, AFCONS and Jay Prakash Associate, in February 2014.

(3) Through this project, an investment of Rs 8212 crores is being made in this region. The investment will in turn provide direct & indirect employment opportunities. It will help in the overall development of local inhabitants.

 

2. India’s first rooftop drive-in theatre launched in Mumbai: The first open-air rooftop drive-in movie theatre in India has been inaugurated at Jio World Drive mall of Reliance Industries in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The drive-in theatre will be operated and managed by the multiplex chain PVR Ltd. The theatre has been launched in partnership with the Reliance Retail and multiplex chain PVR. The facility can accommodate around 290 cars. The first movie screened at the theatre was Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi.

 

3. Tripura develops country’s ‘first-ever’ bamboo made cricket bat, stumps: Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI) of Tripura along with the North East Centre of Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) claimed to have developed the country’s first-ever bamboo made cricket bat maintaining all the standard protocols used for manufacturing cricket bats. These bats could be used in all forms of cricket. The most preferred wood for the production of cricket bats is willow. The company’s CEO recently gave Biplab Kumar Deb a demonstration of the product. Key Highlight:

(1) For the development of the bats, the hard Boom (local name) bamboo has been utilized. “Kanakaich (a local kind of bamboo)” has also been used to build bamboo wickets, which are almost completely solid.

(2) To create this product, we made use of our exclusive bamboo blue board technology.

(3) First, a Cambridge university paper released a lengthy piece on the usage of bamboo as a substitute for traditional bat-making methods four to five months ago.

(4) According to BCDI-NECTAR chairman Dr Abhinab Kant, the project was later taken over by NECTAR, with the BCDI taking on the remaining work.

Note: Chief Minister of Tripura: Biplab Kumar Deb; Governor: Satyadeo Narain Arya.

 

4. A book titled ‘Not Just Cricket: A Reporters Journey’ by Pradeep Magazine: A book titled ‘’Not just cricket: A Reporters Journey’’ authored by Pradeep Magazine is going to be released in Dec 2021. It consists of life experiences, social, political, ups and downs of Indian cricket by the journalist Pradeep Magazine. He is the author of the book “Not quite cricket” which exposed the match-fixing scandal.

 

5. A new book titled “The Cinema of Satyajit Ray” authored by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay: A new book titled ‘The Cinema of Satyajit Ray’ written by the author Bhaskar Chattopadhyay and published by Westland details the life of legendary Indian Filmmaker – ‘Satyajit Ray’. Bhaskar Chattopadhyay also authored novels like “Patang” (2016), “Here Falls the Shadow” (2017), and “The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira” (2018).

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UK unveils commemorative £5 coin celebrating legacy of Mahatma Gandhi: The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a £5 coin to commemorate the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. It is the first time Mahatma Gandhi has been commemorated on an official UK coin. The coin is available in a range of standards, including gold and silver, The special collectors’ coin was designed by Heena Glover. Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the UK, chose the final design for the coin. The coin features an image of a lotus, India’s national flower, alongside one of Gandhi’s most famous quotes – ‘My life is my message’.

 

2. International Day of Radiology: 8th November: International Day of Radiology is observed globally on 8th November every year. The day is celebrated to promote the awareness of the value that radiology contributes to safe patient care, and improve public understanding of the vital role radiologists and radiographers play in the healthcare continuum. The theme for 2021 is ‘Interventional Radiology – Active care for the patient’

Radiology: Radiology is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases within the bodies of animals and humans. A variety of imaging techniques such as X-ray radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine including positron emission tomography (PET), fluoroscopy, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to diagnose or treat diseases.

History of the day: The day also marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. World Radiology Day was first celebrated in the year 2012.

 

3. World Urbanism Day: 8th November: World Urbanism Day, also known as “World Town Planning Day”, is celebrated on 8 November globally, to recognise and promote the role of planning in creating livable communities. World Urbanism Day provides an opportunity to look at planning from a global perspective, in order to draw attention to the environmental impact resulting from the development of cities and territories. WUD is organised by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). The day was founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires, to advance public and professional interest in planning.

Note: ISOCARP Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands; ISOCARP Founded: 1965.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Manu Bhaker and Javad Foroughi wins gold in inaugural President’s Cup: India’s woman pistol star Manu Bhaker and Iranian Olympic champion Javad Foroughi has won the 10m air pistol mixed team gold at the inaugural ISSF President’s Cup at the Wroclaw in Poland. The Indo-Iranian pair beat the French-Russian duo of Mathilde Lamolle and Artem Chernousov 16-8 to clinch the gold medal. A seven-member Indian contingent is participating in the ISSF President’s Cup.

 

2. Rashid Khan becomes youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets: Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets during his team’s crucial Super 12 encounter against New Zealand in Dubai. Martin Guptill became Rashid’s 400th victim in T20 cricket. Rashid joined an elite list of cricketers as he picked up his 400th wicket in ongoing New Zealand vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup game.  He is the 4th bowler to enter the 400 club after Dwayne Bravo (553), Sunil Narine (425) and Imran Tahir (420).

Earlier, Rashid had become the fastest bowler to register 100 dismissals in Twenty20 Internationals during a T20 World Cup 2021 match against Pakistan. Rashid has 103 wickets for Afghanistan and 93 scalps for Sunrisers Hyderabad while the rest have come for the teams he plays for in different T20 tournaments around the world.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. SBI launches ‘Video Life Certificate’ facility for pensioners: The State Bank of India has launched a video life certificate service for pensioners. This new facility will allow pensioners to submit their life certificates via video from their homes. This facility is available for pensioners (other than family pensioners). Thus, the spouse of the pensioner receiving a pension from the government will not be able to use this facility.

About the facility:

(1) As per SBI, the process of video life certificate is paperless and free of cost.

(2) It is important for pensioners and family pensioners to submit their life certificates before November 30 every year to avoid their pensions getting suspended.

(3) If the life certificate is not submitted by the pensioner, then he/she will stop receiving his/her pension. If you are a pensioner with a pension account with SBI, here is how you can use the video facility to submit your Jeevan Patra before the deadline.

Note: SBI Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara; SBI Headquarters: Mumbai; SBI Founded: 1 July 1955.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. PhonePe launched tokenisation solution ‘SafeCard’: Digital Payment firm, PhonePe has launched a tokenization solution named ‘SafeCard’ for online debit and credit card transactions. Earlier in September 2021, RBI had made a device-based tokenization framework applicable to Card-on-File Tokenisation (CoFT) services as well i.e Card-on-File (CoF) means that the Credit/Debit card details are stored by merchants for ease of payment.

Here are some other tokenisation solutions launched in recent times:

(1) PayU- ‘PayU Token Hub’

(2) CCAvenue- ‘TokenPay’

Note: CEO of Phonepe: Sameer Nigam; Headquarters location of Phonepe: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Puneeth Rajkumar honoured posthumously with Basavashree Award 2021: Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar will be posthumously conferred the Basavashree award 2021 by the Bruhanmutt. Fondly called Appu, Puneeth, who was born in Chennai on March 17, 1975, was an actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer. Puneeth, son of Matinee Idol Rajkumar, was a lead actor in 29 films and as a child and appeared in many films.

About the award: The award honours people for services to society in their respective fields by following the principles of Lord Basaveshwar. It is presented by Chitradurga Bruhanmutt since 1997. The award includes Rs 5 lakh cash and a memento. PT Usha (2009), Malala Yousufzai (2014), P Sainath (2016), Dr K Kasturirangan (2020) are some to win the award in recent times.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Dronacharya Awardee Eminent Cricket Coach Tarak Sinha passes away: Eminent Cricket Coach and Dronacharya Awardee, Tarak Sinha has passed away after a prolonged illness. He is known for training some of India’s finest cricketers like Manoj Prabhakar, Raman Lamba, Ajay Sharma, Atul Wassan, Surinder Khanna, Sanjiv Sharma, Aakash Chopra, Anjum Chopra, Rumeli Dhar, Ashish Nehra, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant.