Daily GK Updates - 21st Oct, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Asan Conservation Reserve becomes Uttarakhand’s 1st Ramsar site: Asan Conservation Reserve has become Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site, making it a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, announced the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Reserve is located on the banks of Yamuna River near Dehradun district in Garhwal region of the Himalayan state. “Asan Conservation Reserve cleared five out of the nine criteria needed to be declared as a Ramsar site and get identified as a Wetland of International Importance. It cleared the category on species and ecological communities, one on water-birds and another on fish. Ramsar declares Asan Conservation Reserve as a site of international importance. With this, the number of Ramsar sites in India goes up to 38, the highest in South Asia and Uttarakhand gets its first Ramsar site.

About Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty was adopted on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. The name of the Convention is usually written “Convention on Wetlands’’. The Convention on Wetlands came into force for India on February 1, 1982. Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.

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

 

2. India’s first-ever seaplanes likely to take flight in Gujarat from October 31: The Gujarat state government has announced that the seaplane service that will be providing air connectivity from Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity in Kevadia is scheduled to start from October 31, i.e., on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. A meeting on the same was organised in Gandhinagar to review the progress of the water aerodrome operation in Gujarat. Reportedly, this will be India’s first ever seaplane service and its inaugural flight will very likely take to the skies on the said date.

As per the release, the seaplane service will be operated by Spicejet from Sabarmati. The release further added that the inaugural flight will likely happen on October 31 and that there will be four flights per day from thereon (four arrivals and four departures). The ticket price would be around INR 4800 per person, as per the release.

 

3. UP govt decides to set up women help desk in every police station of state: In a major decision related to women security in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has ordered to establish women help desks in each and every police station of state. The women police personnel deputed on helpdesk will not only listen to the complaints of women but will always be ready to help them anytime. The Chief Minister has also directed the state police force to personally visit the site of crime against women and children and ensure timely investigation. This decision coincides with the launch of ‘Mission Shakti’ campaign to empower women and sensitise the public towards the security of women and girls.

 

4. Aim of the govt is to make India Trans Fat free by 2022: Health Minister: Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the aim of the government is to make India Trans Fat free by 2022, a year ahead of target set by World Health Organization. Dr Harsh Vardhan said, due to the unprecedented challenges faced by the world on account of the Covid pandemic, there has been a renewed focus on food, nutrition, health, immunity and sustainability. He said, focus this year is on elimination of Trans Fats from the food supply chain.

 

5. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari initiates Asia’s longest ZojiLa Tunnel works virtually: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the first blasting for construction related work at the 14.15 km Zojila tunnel, one of the longest in Asia that will provide all-year connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh. Initiating the blast through a virtual ceremony, Road Transport, Highways and MSME Minister Gadkari said it was a ‘moment of pride’ for India. The project was re-awarded this year to Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) which had emerged as the lowest bidder quoting ₹4,509.5 crore for the project.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India and Kazakhstan held webinar for defence cooperation: India and Kazakhstan hold a webinar for defence cooperation under the aegis of Dept of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through FICCI. The Theme of webinar was “Make In India For The World, India – Kazakhstan Defence Cooperation: Webinar and Expo”. This webinar is the part of the series of webinars which are being organized with friendly foreign countries in order to boost defence exports and achieve defence export target of $5 billion in the next five years.

Ambassadors of both countries and senior MoD officials from both sides participated in the webinar and spoke about need to leverage opportunities not only for co-development and co-production but also to meet each other’s requirements. Various Indian companies such as L&T Defence, Ashok Leyland Limited, Bharat Forge, Zen Technologies, Elcom Innovations, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Alpha Design Technologies and Bharat Electronics Limited. made company and product presentations on major platforms/equipment like Artillery Systems, Radars, Protected Vehicles, Missiles and Air Defence Equipments, Training Solutions etc in the webinar. BEL announced its plans to open representative office in Kazakhstan. The webinar was attended by more than 350 participants and 39 virtual exhibition stalls, which includes 7 stalls from Kazakh companies have been set up in the Expo.

 

2. India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP: India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme. Good Laboratory Practice is a quality system, which has been evolved by OECD to ensure that safety data generated on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products and medical devices can be relied upon by regulatory authorities.

Note: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 37 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

 

3. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju attended Y20 Global Summit Virtually: The first-ever virtual G20 (Group of Twenty) Youth 20 (Y20) Global Summit was virtually hosted from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia for exchanging ideas and dialogues for the empowerment of youth Post COVID, where Indian side was represented by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju. Indian side emphasized on galvanizing the youth to take on the challenges set forth by the worldwide COVID 19 Pandemic. The theme of the Summit was “Government – Youth dialogue on post-COVID-19 opportunities”. The Summit concluded with the drafting of the Y20 Communique under the three overarching priority areas viz. Future Fit; Youth Empowerment; and Global Citizenship.

About Youth 20 (Y20) Summit: Notably, the year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of Y20 as the official G20 youth engagement group. Y20 is a forum for developing cooperation with the future generation and provides a platform for young people to have their voices heard on issues relevant to the G20 agenda.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Elavenil Valarivan Wins Gold, Shahu Tushar Mane Silver in Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship: World number one Indian Elavenil Valarivan won a gold medal and Shahu Tushar Mane bagged a silver in the Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship, held virtually. The championship was organised by Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation (BSSF). Shiori Hirata won the silver, while Indonesian Vidya Toyyiba took the bronze, however, won the gold in the men’s event as Naoya Okada shot a solid to leave India’s Shahu behind. Shahu settle for second place while Baki Abdullah Hel won bronze for the hosts. The championship is being held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

 

2. Champions Mohun Bagan lift I-League 2019-20 trophy: The I-League 2019-20 trophy was handed over to the champions Mohun Bagan at a city hotel in Kolkata. Dhanachandra Singh along with a couple of other players, assistant coach Ranjan Chaudhuri and other members of the support staff and senior clubs officials received the trophy from AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar in the presence of state sports minister Aroop Biswas.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Jana Bank to be sponsor bank for Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank: Jana Small Finance Bank, a Bengaluru-based small finance bank (SFB), has partnered with Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank Limited under the bank sponsorship programme. With this, Jana Bank has become the first SFB to go live under the sponsorship programme. Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank Limited, in association with Jana Small Finance Bank, can extend ATM, POS and e-commerce services to its customers. This association marks the fulfilment of Jana Bank’s endeavour to promote a full suite of services to co-operative banks.

 

2. IRDAI rolls out standardised life insurance cover ‘Saral Jeevan Bima’: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has unveiled is a standard individual term life insurance product ‘Saral Jeevan Bima’. It will help customers to make informed choice reducing mis-selling. All life insurers will have to offer this by Jan, 2021. It will be a non-linked, non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan. The Saral Jeevan Bima will be a pure term life insurance product that can be purchased by people in the age group of 18 to 65 years and will have a policy term of 4 to 40 years. The sum assured for the term life insurance policy will range from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh (in multiples of Rs 50,000). It allows for a maximum maturity age of 70 years.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Chandigarh University bags first rank in India as stand-alone institution for filling highest number of patents in a year: Chandigarh University Gharuan has emerged as Top Stand-Alone University in India for filling highest number of patents in a year.

As per the Intellectual Property India annual report released by Government of India, Chandigarh University Gharuan has emerged as the leading stand-alone institution to file highest number of patents which is followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with 239 patent applications, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with 202 applications and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) with 173 applications.

In the academic institutions category, Chandigarh University Gharuan has emerged as the leading stand-alone institution while the university has been placed at second position in overall patent rankings,”. In addition, with the filing of 148 patents Chandigarh University has also bagged third position in the Top 5 Indian Applicants for patents in the field of Information Technology and is just placed behind the top Indian IT Companies TCS and Wipro”.

 

DEFENSE

 

1. Australia to Join U.S., India, Japan for Malabar 2020 in High-End Naval Exercise of ‘The Quad’: Australia will join the India-led Malabar 2020 naval exercise next month, operating along with the U.S. and Japan in an exercise meant to send a message to China. The exercise will be a first for the so-called “Quad,” the Pacific cooperation between Japan, India, Australia and the U.S.

Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said in a statement that “high-end military exercises like Malabar are key to enhancing Australia’s maritime capabilities, building interoperability with our close partners, and demonstrating our collective resolve to support an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Exercise Malabar also showcases the deep trust between four major Indo-Pacific democracies and their shared will to work together on common security interests.” India has hosted the Malabar series with the U.S. Navy since 1992, and in 2015 Japan joined as an annual participant.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Acclaimed carnatic vocalist P S Narayanaswamy passes away: Padmabhushana Vid. Shri Puliyur Subramaniam Narayanaswamy, one among the finest gurus of carnatic music in India, passed away. He was 86. A winner of many awards and titles, including the Padma Bhushan, and Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu government, Narayanaswamy was a torch bearer of the Semmangudi Tradition, evolving a style of his own with ‘Manodharma Sangeetham’. 

Daily GK Updates - 22nd March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The Rajya Sabha passed the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) bill:  The bill would enhance the ceiling of tax-free gratuity to Rs 20 lakh from existing Rs 10 lakh for employers under the Payment of Gratuity Act. It is applicable to employees, who have completed at least five years of continuous service in an establishment that has 10 or more persons. The amendment to the payment of gratuity law comes in the backdrop of Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 enhancing the maximum maternity leave period to 26 weeks. The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 allows for the payment of gratuity to employees in any establishment, factory, mine, oil field, plantation, port, railways, company, or shop employing 10 or more workers.

Need to know: How To Calculate Gratuity?

Amount of gratuity is directly proportional to the tenure of service, and also to the last drawn salary. The gratuity is given at the rate of 15 days of last drawn salary for each year of service. And the salary that is considered for the calculation of gratuity is the last drawn salary that includes basic pay and dearness allowance. It is typically calculated according to this formula: Last drawn salary (basic salary plus dearness allowance) X number of completed years of service X 15/26. According to this formula, the time period of over six months or more is considered as one year. This means if you have completed five years and seven months of service, the number of years would be considered as six years for calculation of gratuity benefit

2.  The government has launched free wi-fi service for Sansad Adarsh Gram, Udwada in Valsad district of Gujarat: The village has been adopted by Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Smriti Irani under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. The free wi-fi service will be provided by BSNL in partnership with QuadGen. The wi-fi service will cover nearly 90% of the village.

3. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in New Delhi on 22nd March for a five-day visit to India: This is his first visit to India as the President of Germany. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and the sixth largest trading partner in the world. India was ranked 24th in Germany’s global trade. Germany is the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India.

4.  The NHAI pavilion at 105th ‘Indian Science Congress- Pride of India Expo’ held at Imphal from 16-20 March 2018 has been adjudged as “Best Design Pavilion”: The NHAI had put up an exhibition stall to showcase its Projects and other initiatives like Electronic Toll Collection, Wayside Amenities, Road Safety etc. The award was conferred by Dr Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur.

5.   Smart India Hackathon 2018 announced: Ministry of Communications announced that the Smart India Hackathon 2018 – Software edition Grand Finale is scheduled to be held on March 30-31, 2018 in Panipat. Smart India Hackathon 2018 was launched on Oct 16, 2017, in Pune to harnesses creativity and expertise of students. Smart India Hackathon 2018 would be the 2nd hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Myanmar’s President Htin Kyaw resigned due to ill health: Htin Kyaw, 71, was sworn in as Myanmar’s official president in 2016 after Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won landmark elections. He acted as a proxy for Suu Kyi, who is constitutionally barred from holding the presidency because her children are foreign nationals.

2. International Day of Forests – 21^st March: The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012. The theme of the International Day of Forests in 2018 is “Forests and Sustainable Cities”.The event marks the importance of sustaining and protecting woodlands and trees, which are vital to economies, livelihoods and environment.

3.  India to open 18 Missions in Africa:  The Union Cabinet on 21st March has approved the opening of 18 new Indian Missions in 18 African countries. This will enhance India’s diplomatic outreach in the African continent and allow India to engage with Indian diaspora in African countries. The 18 missions will be opened over a four-year period between 2018 to 2021.

4.  22^nd March - World Water Day: The World Water Day is observed every year on 22nd March to mark the importance of fresh water. The first World Water Day, designated by the United Nations, was observed in the year 1993. The theme of World Water Day, 2018 is “Nature for Water”. The UN World Water Development Report is released each year around World Water Day.

5. China building world’s fastest wind tunnel: China is building the world’s fastest hypersonic wind tunnel to develop a new generation of super-fast aeroplanes that could fly from Beijing to New York within two hours. A wind tunnel is a tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects. Engineers use wind tunnels to test models of aircraft, automobiles and other machines.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1.   MoU signed between SBI and IMGC: SBI and India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) signed a pact to offer mortgage guarantee scheme for prospective non-salaried and self-employed home loan customers. The offering will help increase home loan eligibility up to 15% within the regulatory norms. The applicant can avail higher finance based on risk grade of the borrower, by opting for IMGC default guarantee cover.

AWARDS/ HONOURS:

1. Google Doodle honors Japanese geochemist “Katsuko Saruhashi”: Google on 21st March honored Japanese geochemist “Katsuko Saruhashi” on her birth anniversary with a doodle. She was one of the 1st to study and measure the levels of carbon dioxide in seawater. She also measured the spread and fallout from nuclear testing. She established the Saruhashi Prize, given each year to a Japanese woman who has made contributions to the field of natural sciences. Katsuko Saruhashi, a Japanese Geochemist, Fought For Women's Rights, Equality. Katsuko Saruhashi was born on 22 March, 1920 in Tokyo. Her given name, Katsuko, literally translates to being strong-minded or victorious. She went on to graduate from the Imperial Women's College of Science in 1943 and joined the Meteorological Research Institute and worked in its Geochemical Laboratory. On her 98th birthday (22nd March, 2018), Google commemorated her with a Doodle. Katsuko Saruhashi made some of the first measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in seawater. A pioneer in her field, Dr Saruhashi was also the first to measure radioactive material in seawater. This was one of the scientific reasons for not conducting nuclear bomb experiments in the Pacific Ocean.

Daily GK Updates - 20th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.     FCRA licence of 5,000 NGOs cancelled: Registration of the NGOs under FCRA was cancelled after they were found to be violating the laws. Nearly 5,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were barred by the government from receiving foreign funding after cancellation of their licences since April 2017, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the registration of the NGOs under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was cancelled after they were found to be violating the laws. “Close to 5,000 FCRA registrations have been cancelled since April 1, 2017,” he said in a written reply.

2.   Lingayat issue - Modi govt to examine proposal to grant religious minority tag: The Congress state govt has recommended religious minority tag to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat communities, months ahead of Karnataka elections. The Union home ministry will examine in detail the Karnataka government’s recommendation to grant religious minority tag to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community as and when it receives the proposal.

3.  India’s diversity makes its millennials happy – World Happiness Survey2018: According to the recently released World Happiness Survey 2018, “Happiness can change, and does change, according to the quality of the society in which people live.” India which ranks 133 out of 156 countries in this report is a nation which will by year 2020 become the youngest country. In order to understand what is it about India and its society that brings joy to its people, on this International Day of Happiness, a few millennials were asked what makes them happy about the country and why. Our diversity is the source of happiness for many.

4.    Kishanganga project – First unit commissioned: State-run power equipment maker has commissioned 1st unit of 110 MW of the Kishanganga hydroelectric project of NHPC in Jammu and Kashmir. Located on the river Kishanganga, a tributary of the Jhelum in Bandipora district, all the 3 units of the 340 MW project will generate 1,350 million units of electricity annually. BHEL has commissioned 31 Hydro sets with a capacity of 1,257 MW in J&K.

5.     National Workshop on POSHAN Abhiyaan: The first National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan involving all the states and union territories was held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organising the day-long workshop with participation from all the states/UTs. POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8th March 2018 by the Prime Minister in Jhunjhunu.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.    India - US to bilaterally discuss steel import curbs - Suresh Prabhu: Trade minister Suresh Prabhu’s statement come amid growing concerns of escalating trade war over US steel import tariffs. India will bilaterally discuss import curbs on steel with the United States, trade minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns of an escalating trade war over tariffs. Prabhu told reporters that the US was committed to the World Trade Organization (WTO), even as Washington has raised concerns about the functioning of the WTO and asked for reforms. US President Donald Trump has pressed ahead with import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10 %for aluminium, but exempted Canada and Mexico and offered the possibility of excluding other allies, backtracking from an earlier “no-exceptions” stance.

2.    International Day of Happiness – 20th March: The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide every March 20. It was conceptualized and founded by philanthropist, activist, statesman, and prominent United Nations special advisor Jayme Illien. It aims to inspire, mobilize, and advance the global happiness movement.  It was endorsed by Secretary-General of the United Nations - Ban Ki moon.  “International Day of Happiness” has been adopted by the unanimous consensus of all 193 UN member states of the United Nations General Assembly on June 28, 2012. Finland is the happiest country in the world, according to the latest World Happiness Report. Norway, last year's winner, came in second place in the 2018 report. It's followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.

3.   China ready to enhance talks with India, says Xi Jinping: Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke with India PM Narendra Modi about bettering India -China relations. China is willing to keep up the good momentum of two-way cooperation with India, President Xi Jinping told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephone call. China is ready to enhance communication with Modi on long-term, strategic bilateral issues to promote political mutual trust.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1.   IRCTC – Ola tie up: To provide first-and-last-mile connectivity, IRCTC announced a partnership with cab aggregator Ola, giving commuters an option book taxi on its app. The Ola cab facility will provide all the services directly on the IRCTC Rail Connect App. The tie-up, a six-month pilot project, will give customers access to Ola booking services when they visit the IRCTC Rail Connect App.

2.    GE Power bags NTPC contract worth Rs309 crore for Telangana thermal plant: GE Power India has won a contract worth Rs309 crore by NTPC to install its flue gas desulphurisation system at Phase-I of its super thermal power project in Telangana. GE Power India on Tuesday said it has been awarded a contract worth Rs309 crore by NTPC to install its flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) system at Phase-I (2X800 MW) of its super thermal power project (STPP) in Telangana.

3.   UltraTech Cement likely to get support from Binani creditors: Banks support the UltraTech offer for Binani Cement as it is a better deal for them, despite the committee of creditors’ approval of the Dalmia Bharat bid. Aditya Birla Group’s UltraTech Cement Ltd is likely to get support from Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Binani Cement in the ongoing fight for control after the Birla company issued comfort letter worth Rs7,266 crore to Binani group for 98.43% stake.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.   Banks Board Bureau seeks more mandate, dialogue with finance ministry: The Banks Board Bureau has sought wider mandate from the government including advising it on PSU bank consolidation in the least disruptive manner.

2.    PNB fraud: Mehul Choksi again refuses to join CBI investigation: Gitanjali Group promoter Mehul Choksi told CBI he was held up in his business abroad and ‘working hard’ to resolves the issues it was facing due to the ‘unnecessary closure’ of business in India due to ‘untenable allegations’. The agency had asked him to appear before it for questioning in connection with first FIR in which Choksi is named as an accused along with his nephew Nirav Modi, Ami Modi, Nishal Modi. A separate FIR against him and his company Gitanjali group had also been registered by the agency.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1.   World’s last male northern white rhino dies: The world’s last male northern white rhino has died leaving only 2 females of its subspecies alive although scientists still hope they can save it from extinction. The world’s last male northern white rhino has died, the Kenyan conservancy taking care of it said, leaving only two females of its subspecies alive in the world although scientists still hope they can save it from extinction. Ol Pejeta Conservancy said in a statement it had made the decision with wildlife officials and his previous carers to euthanise on Monday the 45-year-old rhino, named Sudan, due to the rapid deterioration in his condition. Sudan was being treated for age-related complications that had affected his muscles and bones and also gave him extensive skin wounds.