Daily GK Updates - 17th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. High-level committee constituted to review Defence Procurement Procedure: Union government has constituted a 12-member high-level committee to revise and align the procedure of Defence procurement with the aim of strengthening the 'Make in India' initiative. The panel will be headed by the Director-General (Acquisitions). The panel has been tasked to review the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2006 and the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2009. The committee will revise and align the procedures with the aim of ensuring seamless flow from asset acquisition to life cycle support.

2. “Aadi Mahotsav” begins in Leh-Ladakh: National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” has begun in Leh-Ladakh. The theme of the festival is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”. The 9 day Adi Mahotsav will showcase traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country. Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has jointly organized the festival.

3. Tawlhlohpuan, Mizo Puanchei & Tirur betel vine gets GI tag: Tawlhlohpuan & Mizo Puanchei from Mizoram, and Tirur betel vine from Kerala has received the Geographical Indication tag. GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. The Geographical Indication comes under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.Some features of the products bestowed with the GI tag:

Tawlhlohpuan: It is a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality fabric from Mizoram. It is known for warp yarns, warping, weaving & intricate designs that are made by hand.

Mizo Puanchei: It is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram and is considered as the most colourful among the Mizo textiles.

Tirur betel vine: This product from Kerala is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties. It has many industrial and cultural usages and is considered as a remedy for bad breath and digestive disorders. 

4. Andhra Pradesh Launched ‘Village Volunteer System’: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy has launched the state’s flagship program “Village Volunteers System”. The aim of this program is to provide government services at doorsteps of people. Each volunteer will be paid Rs 5,000 per month and the person has to ensure that benefits reach the people in the 50 households in the village.

5. ICMR launches India Hypertension Control Initiative: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with World Health Organization and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has decided to expand its India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) across the country. This initiative was launched in November 2017, in which more than three lakh patients with high blood pressure enrolled in government health facilities in 25 selected districts in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Maharashtra. It will now be expanded to cover 100 districts across all states. The expansion is expected to accelerate the implementation of quality hypertension treatment for over 15 crore population over the next four years

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India contributes $1 million to UN fund: India has contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System. The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat. The fund was established to receive, consolidate, manage and account for all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way.

2. WTO likely to set up panel to decide on India’s sugar sops: Brazil, Australia and Guatemala have requested the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to set up dispute panels to rule on India’s sugar subsidies the second time round after India rejected the request at the last meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) last month. The request for dispute settlement panels put in by the three countries will be taken up at the DSB meeting. Since the second request made to the DSB cannot be rejected, panels are now likely to be formed at the WTO which will decide whether India’s sugar subsidies are valid or not. According to Australia, the amount of support to sugarcane producers in India exceeds the country’s product-specific de minimis level of 10 per cent for the product

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Ravi Shastri Appointment as India cricket coach for another two year: Former India cricketer and allrounder Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the coach of the Indian cricket team for second successive term. Three-member Cricket Advisory Committee- Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy- made the announcement. Shastri's new tenure has been extended till T20 World Cup, to be held in 2021 in Australia.

2. Indian cyclists win gold at World Junior Track Cycling Championships: Indian cyclists team have won the gold medal in the Team Sprint event at World Junior Track Cycling Championships held in Frankfurt, Germany. Indian team comprised of Esow Alben, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh. This is India's first ever gold medal in a global cycling competition. The Indian team defeated Australia in the final, clocking 44.681 seconds to claim the top honours. Great Britain took home the bronze. The Indian men’s junior team is currently ranked No. 2, behind Malaysia.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. India's foreign exchange reserves at new life-time high of $430.57 bn: As per the latest data of Reserve Bank of India, country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.620 billion to reach all time high at $430.572 billion. Expressed in dollar terms, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation/depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves. The country's gold reserves surged by $1.591 billion to $26.754 billion. Special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund were up by $6.7 million to $1.441 billion.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. President Awards Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman and the Certificate of Honour for 2019: The President Ramnath Kovind awarded the Certificate of Honour to the following scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for the year 2019.

List of winner:

Certificate of Honour
Sanskrit:	(1) ShriSripadaSatyanarayanamurthy; (2) Shri Rajendra Nath Sarma; (3) Prof. Ramji Thakur; (4) Prof. Chand Kiran Saluja;  (5) Dr. Shri Krishan Sharma; (6) Dr. V. Ramakrishna Bhatt; (7) Vidwan Janardana Hegde; ( 8) Dr. Kala Acharya; (9) Prof. (Dr.) Harekrishna Satapathy (10) Pandit Satya Dev Sharma; (11) Shri Banwari Lal Gaur;  (12) Dr. V.S. Karunakaran; (13) Prof. Yugal Kishor Mishra; (14) Pandit Manudev Bhattacharya; (15) Shri Subuddhi Charan Goswami
Pali:	Dr. Uma Shankar Vyas
Prakrit:	Prof. Kamal Chand Sogani
Arabic:	(1) Prof. Faizanullah Farooqi;  (2) Mohammad Iqbal Husain; (3) Dr. Mohd. Samiullah Khan
Persian:	(1) Prof. Dr. Iraq Raza Zaidi; (2) Prof. Chander Shekhar; (3) Mohammad Sidiq Niazmand
Classical Kannada:	Shri Hampa Nagarajaiah
Classical Telugu:	Prof. RavvaSrihari
Classical Malayalam:	Dr.C.P. Achuthan Unny
Classical Odia:	Pandit Dr. Antaryami Mishra
Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman
Sanskrit:	(1) Dr. Ashok Thapliyal;  (2) Prof. SujataTripathi; (3) Dr.Sanju Mishra; (4) Dr. Abhijit Hanmant Joshi; (5) Dr. Shara chchandra Dwivedi
Pali:	Ms. AnomaShriramSakhare
Prakrit:	Shri Ashish Kumar Jain
Arabic:	Dr. Fauzan Ahmad
Persian:	ER.M. ShahbazAlam
Classical Kannada:	(1) Shri G.B. Harisha; (2) Shri S. Karthik; (3) Dr. M. Byrappa
Classical Telugu:	(1) Dr. Addanki Srinivas; (2) Dr. V. Triveni; (3) Dr. D.K. Prabhakar
Classical Malayalam:	(1) Dr. Rajeev R.R.; (2) Shri Santhosh Thottingal

Note: Certificate of Honour: It is awarded to scholars aged 60 years and above. It carries a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000.

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman: It is conferred on persons once a year on the Independence Day (15 August) in recognition of their substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam. The award is given to selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years. The Presidential award carries a certificate of honour, a memento and a one time cash prize of Rs.1 lakh

OBITUARIES

1. Padma Shri awardee Damodar Ganesh Bapat passes away: Damodar Ganesh Bapat from Chhattisgarh, a noted social worker and Padma Shri award winner, passed away. He was known for his social work in tribal areas in Chhattisgarh. He dedicated his life to the treatment and service of leprosy patients. For his service to the society, he was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of India i.e. Padma Shri award in 2018.

2. Renowned Bangladeshi novelist Rizia Rahman passes away: Renowned Bangladeshi novelist and the Ekushey Padak winning author Rizia Rahman (79) passed away in Dhaka. She wrote in all genres of creative work including short stories, poems, essays and children's fiction but she was renowned for her novels. Bong Theke Bangla, Rokter Okshor and Ghar-Bhanga-Ghar are among some of her more well-known novels. She received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1978 and was awarded Ekushey Padak this year.

Daily GK Updates - 16th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Inter-State Council reconstituted with Prime Minister as chairman: The Inter-State Council, which is mandated to investigate and advise on disputes between states, has been reconstituted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairman and six Union ministers and all chief ministers as members. Union ministers who will be members of the reconstituted council are Amit Shah (Home), Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), Rajnath Singh (Defence), Narendra Singh Tomar (Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj). The Article 263 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an Inter-State Council. Inter-State Council is to inquire into and advise upon disputes which may arise between states, investigate and discuss subjects in which some or all of the states, or the Union and one or more of the states, have a common interest.

2. Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18 says 33% of India’s skilled youth jobless: The ‘Skill India’ initiative launched by Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi seem to be mere a buzzword as recent survey ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18’, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), found that 33% of India’s skilled youth are jobless. Nearly a third of trained young men and more than a third of trained young women were unemployed.

Some of the key findings of the survey are as follows: Nationally, only 1.8% of the population reported receiving formal vocational/technical training in 2017-18. 93% of the population did not receive any vocational/technical training from either formal or informal sources. About 42% of the youth (15-29 years) who received formal technical training were not part of the labour force. Around 33% of the formally trained youth was unemployed in 2017-18. Nearly a third of trained young men and more than a third of trained young women were unemployed. The unemployment rate among freshly trained youth, who completed training during the previous year, was even higher at 40%.

3. IIT-Madras researchers develop industrial and field robot ‘GraspMan’: IIT Madras researchers have develop a multi-modal robot with Industrial and field applications called ‘GraspMan’. This robot has various industrial applications and can be used in search-and-rescue operations. GraspMan consists a pair of graspers, which provide morphological adaptation, enabling it to conform to the geometry of the object being grasped. This allows the grasper to hold objects securely and manipulate it much like the human hand.

4. Harshad Pandurang Thakur appointed as NIHFW's director: Harshad Pandurang Thakur has been appointed as the director of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare. The proposal of appointment was approved by the appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister. The NIHFW is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It acts as an apex technical institute as well as a think tank for the promotion of health and family welfare programmes in the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ADB signs USD 500 million loan agreement with Pakistan: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 500-million loan agreement with cash-strapped Pakistan to support the country’s trade competitiveness and exports. The Manila-based ADB also approved a USD 750,000 technical assistance package to support the preparation and implementation of the programme in the country. The agreement was signed by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and the ADB’s Country Director Xiaohong Yang in the presence of Minister for Economic Affairs Muhammad Hammad Azhar.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Liverpool beats Chelsea to win UEFA Super Cup: Liverpool defeated Chelsea in the finals to win UEFA Super Cup held in Istanbul. The match ended in draw with score 2-2 following the extra time. Later in the penalties, Liverpool beats Chelsea by 5-4. This was the fourth time Liverpool have won this competition.

2. Deepak Punia wins Junior World Championship title: Deepak Punia won the gold medal at the Junior World Championships held in Talinn, Estonia. He defeated Russia's Alik Shebzukov to win the 86 kg junior freestyle title. With the victory, he has become the 1st Indian in 18 years to win a Junior World Championship title. Another Indian wrestler Vicky Chahar also won the bronze medal in the 92 kg category after beating Mongolia's Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin.

3. Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Organisers firm on shooting exclusion: Commonwealth Games Federation has decided to exclude shooting from 2022 Commonwealth Game to be held in Birmingham. It is being decided despite a threat by India to boycott the entire event in protest. Regarding this Commonwealth Games chief Louise Martin has said that shooting will not be part of the 2022 edition in Birmingham. Shooting has been a high-yielding discipline for India, with shooters accounting for 16 of the country’s 66 medals, including seven golds, at last year’s Gold Coast Games. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra suggested that India boycott the Birmingham Games in protest at the decision.

4. Naomi Osaka returns to top spot in WTA rankings: US and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka returned to the world number one spot in the WTA rankings The 21-year-old lost to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of last week’s Rogers Cup but benefitted from the second round defeat of former number one Ashleigh Barty and the failure of Karolina Pliskova to reach the semis in Toronto.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI clarifies rules on ‘free ATM transactions’: The Reserve Bank of India has clarified rules on ‘free ATM transactions’ provided by banks to its customers. Banks provide certain number of free transactions at ATMs to their customers and beyond that impose charges. According to the Reserve Bank of India, the following transactions should not be counted as valid ATM transactions for the customer as the ‘free ATM transactions’: Transactions failed at ATMs due to technical reasons like hardware and software issues. Transactions failed due to non-availability of currency in ATMs. Use of ATMs for non-cash withdrawal transactions such as balance enquiry, cheque book request, payment of taxes, funds transfer.

2. SEBI to relax norms to allow smart cities issue funds through 'Muni Bonds': Capital market regulator SEBI is planning to ease its norms for 'Muni Bonds' to help smart cities and other registered entities working in areas of city planning and urban development work, like municipalities, raise funds through issuance and listing of their debt securities. The Securities and Exchange Board of India had issued its Issue and Listing of Debt Securities by Municipalites (ILDM) Regulations nearly five years ago. Since then seven municipalities have raised nearly ₹1,400 crore by issuing their debt securities, which are commonly known as 'Muni Bonds'.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. ISRO Chairman Sivan gets A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award: Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K. Sivan, awarded Tamil Nadu government’s Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award. Under his leadership, the ISRO launched its Chandrayaan-2 mission. A native of Kanniyakumari district, Mr. Sivan is known popularly known as the ‘Rocket Man’. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami handed over the State government’s Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Ramyalakshmi, Assistant Director of Fisheries (Marine) posted in Cuddalore.

OBITUARIES

1. Former India cricketer V.B. Chandrasekhar passes away: Former India and Tamil Nadu cricketer V.B. Chandrasekhar passed away. He represented India in 7 ODIs. V.B. Chandrasekhar was also a National selector from 2004 to 2006. He was a part of the last Tamil Nadu team which won the Ranji Trophy in 1988.

Daily GK Updates - 15th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India celebrates 73rd Independence Day: India is celebrating its 73rd Independence Day on 15th August. India attained freedom from the British rule on August 15 in 1947. Since then, August 15 is celebrated as India’s Independence Day. Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the national capital Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government at the Centre has been tirelessly working towards fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people and decisions it has taken in the 10 weeks it has been in power are proof of it.

2. PM Modi Announce Government to invest Rs 100 lakh cr in infrastructure building: Addressing to the nation from the Red Fort on the occassion of Independence day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the government has decided to invest 100 lakh crore rupees in infrastructure building. Because India can become a 5 trillion dollar economy in the next five years. Prime Minister called for improving exports to get more share in world economy. PM Modi said fundamentals of Indian economy are strong which will help the country to grow further.

3. MoHUA launched Swachh Survekshan 2020: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020t. It is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry. The scheme was launched by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs. Swachh Survekshan 2020: The project Swachh Survekshan 2020 focus on sustaining and monitoring the ground and service level performance on cleanliness. The redesigned Swachh Survekshan will ensure and focus on sustaining the changed behaviours on key areas. The Ministry also launched Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit, SBM Water plus Protocol and Toolkit, Swachh Nagar Mobile App and AI enabled mSBM App.

Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit contains contains the detailed survey methodology and component indicators with scores. It aims to help the cities to prepare themselves for the final survey which will be released on January 2020.

SBM Water plus Protocol and Toolkit aims to ensure that no untreated wastewater is released into the environment thereby enabling sustainability of the sanitation value chain.
Swachh Nagar Mobile App have features to track waste collection by ULBs through route and vehicle monitoring, notify citizens, online collection of user fee for waste collection and an effective grievance redressal mechanism.

AI enabled mSBM App is a mobile aplication developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). It will help the beneficiary to get approval from the ULB nodal officer to verify and approve the application. It will reduce the processing time for applicants. 

4. State of Art Gallery at National Crafts Museum inaugurated: A Textiles Gallery at National Crafts Museum was inaugurated in New Delhi by the Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani. The collection aims to help people explore, enjoy, and rediscover the world of Indian textiles through design and technology.
Collections in the gallery: The Gallery consists of more than 230 different types of textiles collections more than 30 traditions. Five zones were displayed in the gallery. Zones has been named as weaving, embroidery, dying (Ikatpatola), pattern (Bandhej, Kalamkari, and Leheria) and TanaBana based on the intricacies of the textiles. The gallery exhibits the fine Indian Craftsmanship to public. The rich collection displayed the importance of conserving India’s rich heritage of handlooms for the next generations. It will serve as a resource centre for the students of fashion technology, apparel sciences and textiles designing. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ADB invest to $23 Million to GR Infraprojects Limited to Expand Road Building Capacity in India: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to invest $23 million in Non-Convertible Debentures being issued by GR Infraprojects Limited (GRIL) to help the company rapidly scale up its construction of roads and highways in India through the purchase of new building equipment. Supporting the growth of the transport sector is a key focus area of ADB’s private sector strategy in India.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India won Physical Disability World Series 2019: India won the Physical Disability World Series 2019 in England after defeating the hosts in the final at the New Road Stadium in Worcester. India beat England by 36 runs. Ravindra Sante scored a quickfire half-century to star in India’s victory.  The six-nation tournament was organized by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. State Bank of India and BoB to link home loan product to RBIs repo rate: Bank of Baroda (BoB) planned to linked its home loan product to RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) repo rate after State Bank of India (SBI). With this, home loans at BOB will be available at repo rate linked interest rate starting at 8.35%. This decision is following RBI reducing the key interest rate (repo) by 35 basis points to a nine-year low of 5.40%. Many other state-run banks, including Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India and Syndicate Bank expressed their intention to launch loan products linked to an external benchmark.

2. Aditya Birla Health Insurance agreement with Axis Bank for bancassurance pact: Aditya Birla Health Insurance (ABHI), a stand-alone health insurer, has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Axis Bank, the country’s third largest private sector bank. Through this partnership, ABHI will offer health insurance solutions to the Axis bank’s customers across its 4,094 branches and digital channels.

Note: Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai

3. RBI launches regulatory sandbox for Fintech companies: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the final framework for regulatory sandbox (RS) for the startups, banks and financial institutions. The Fintech companies can now set up their own RS for live testing of innovative products in areas like retail payments, digital KYC and wealth management. The framework aims to enable innovations in the financial technology space. It will also foster responsible innovation in financial services, promote efficiency and bring benefit to consumers.
It will encourage innovations that are intended for use in the Indian market in areas where there is absence of governing regulations.

Note: Regulatory Sandbox (RS): A regulatory sandbox refers to live testing of new products or services in a controlled/test regulatory environment. The regulators can permit certain regulatory relaxations for the limited purpose of the testing.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Police Personnel were awarded the Union Home Minister Medal for Excellence: The Union Home Minister Medal for Excellence in Investigation for the year 2018 has been awarded to 101 Police personnel belonging to 25 States/UT/ Central Investigating Agencies. The aim of medal of Excellence in Investigation is to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime. The award also recognizes Excellence in Investigation by Investigating officers and well appreciable working too.

The Police personnel receiving the Awards about: 11 are from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police each, 8 are from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh polic, 7 are from Tamil Nadu police, 9 are from CBI, Rest are from the other States/UT and Central Investigating Agencies. The awardees include twelve women police officers also.

2. Service and Gallantry Medals for 946 police personnel: A total of 946 police personnel have been awarded Service/Gallantry Medals on the occasion of the Independence Day, 2019. The awards were approved by the President of India. Among the awardees 72 are from CRPF, 61 are from J&K police, 23 are from Odisha, 9 are from Chhattisgarh and the remaining from the other States/UTs and CAPFs.

President Police Medals for Gallantry (PPMG) - 3 personnel; Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG) - 177 personnel; President's Police Medals for Distinguished Service - 89 personnel; Police Medal for Meritorious Service -677 personnel; 180 Gallantry awards:

DEFENCE

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on impendence day announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will be above the three Service Chiefs. This is one the country’s biggest higher level military reform to bring in jointness and tri-service integration. The CDS is meant to be a single-point military advisor to the government, and to coordinate long-term planning, procurements, training and logistics of the three services (Army, Navi and Air force). As future wars become short, swift and network-centric, coordination among the three services is crucial.

2. GRSE launches fifth FPV for Coast Guard: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) launched a fifth Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The name of the coast guard is Kanaklata Barua. The coast is named after a freedom fighter from Assam. This is the last of the five FPVs built by GRSE. The entire design of the ship was developed in-house by GRSE as per the requirement of the ICG. The vessel is 50 metres long and 7.5 metres wide with a displacement of around 308 tonnes. It is equipped with three main engines, advanced communication and navigation systems. The main aim is to design for a maximum speed of 34 knots, with an endurance of more than 1500 nautical miles at cruising speed of 12-16 knots. The first ship of this class is ICGS Priyadarshini commissioned on March 27.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran actor Vidya Sinha passes away: Veteran Bollywood actress Vidya Sinha, known for her role in Basu Chatterjee’s film “Rajnigandha” (1974), passed away after a brief lung-cum-heart ailment.

Daily GK Updates - 14th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Centre launches Swachh Nagar app: Swachh Nagar app was launched by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. An app that will allow users to have waste- solid, wet or construction and demolition (C&D) - collected by their urban local bodies along with a new protocol on wastewater treatment that would become a part of cleanliness rankings of cities.

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

2. “Operation Number Plate” Launched by RPF: Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways launched a Special Drive with a Code Name "Operation Number Plate” to identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating area, parking and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for a longer duration. The unidentified vehicles are considered a serious threat to the security and safety of passengers and other stakeholders of railways.

Note: Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal.

3. J&K will host Global Investors Summit 2019: Jammu and Kashmir administration will host a 3 days global investors’ summit from October 12 in Srinagar. The summit will provide J&K with an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential. It will also provide an opportunity to allay fears and apprehensions in the minds of outside trade and the business community.

Note: Governor of Jammu & Kashmir: Satya Pal Malik.

4. ‘Panchamirtham’ of Palani temple gets GI tag: The Panchamirtham is an ‘abhishega prasadam’ of the Murugan temple has been bestowed with the Geographical Indication tag. The Murugan temple is situated in Tamil Nadu.  The panchamirtham is a combination of five natural substances — banana, jaggery, cow ghee, honey and cardamom. Dates and diamond sugar candies are added for flavour. It is served in a semi-solid state.

5. Karnataka launches “E-Step” initiative to empower student start-ups: Karnataka Government has launched “E-Step” initiative to empower student start-ups. The “E-Step” initiative has been launched by The Department of IT, BT and S&T in Karnataka, through Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS). Under the E-step initiative boot camps, mentoring and training programmes will be organised which will cover various aspects of entrepreneurship. The programme is specially crafted for students/start-ups/entrepreneurs to understand the basics of entrepreneurship from experienced trainers.

6. Mamata Banerjee inaugurates world's 1st museum on Sri Chaitanya: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has inaugurated the world’s first museum on Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Baghbazare in Kolkata. The museum has been constructed by Baghbazar Gaudiya Mission. The Chaitanya museum has paintings on one of the aspects of Lord Krishna's life known as ‘Vrindavan Leela’. The museum will also showcase the lineage of six Goswamis who were great Vaishnava scholars.

Note: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the 16th-century Bengali Hindu mystic and saint and the chief proponent of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.

International Affairs

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Russia to boost ties to achieve USD 30 billion bilateral trade by 2025: Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry Minister) led a high-power delegation of Chief Ministers of Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Goa and about 140 Indian companies to Vladivostok, Russia (11-13 August 2019). Goyal underlined the need to diversify and deepen trade links in priority sectors, in order to meet the trade target of USD 30 billion by 2025. The 5th Eastern Economic Forum will be held in September in Vladivostok, Russia.

2. India contributes 1 million to UN Special Purpose Trust Fund: India has contributed one million US Dollars to the United Nations Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System. According to the UN information, Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat, established to receive, consolidate, manage all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way. SPTF web portal, displays in real-time all commitments, contributions and expenditures recorded for the fund.

3. Organ Donation Day: 13 August: Organ donation day is observed on August 13 every year to create awareness about organ donation. This day tries to remove the myths about organ donation from people's mind. Read here to know more about organ donation.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Dutch Hero Wesley Sneijder announces retirement from Football: The Netherlands' most-capped player Wesley Sneijder announced his retirement from football. He played 134 times for his country and his career included a World Cup runners-up medal as well as Champions League, La Liga and Serie A titles.

2. Women’s T20 cricket included in 2022 Commonwealth Game: Women’s Twenty20 cricket, beach volleyball and Para-table tennis have been included in the 2022 Commonwealth Game. Commonwealth Game 2022 scheduled to be held in Birmingham, England. This time shooting and archery events will not take place in the 2022 Commonwealth Game. This is the first time cricket has been included in the Commonwealth Games since 1998 in Kuala Lumpur when South Africa won the Gold in the men's 50-over competition.

3. Simone Biles makes history with a “triple-double” twist: Simone Biles makes history with a never-before-seen “triple-double” floor exercise landing. She performed the landing featuring "two flips and three twists" in U.S. Gymnastics Championships held in Kansas City. 

4. P.T. Usha appointed as a member of AAA's Athletes Commission: Legendary Indian sprinter P.T. Usha, one of India’s greatest athletes, has been appointed as a member of the Asian Athletics Association’s (AAA) Athletes Commission. This is the 2nd time P.T. Usha has been appointed a member of the Asian Athletics Association’s Athletes Commission. P.T. Usha will be one of the six members of the AAA Athletes Commission, to be headed by 1992 Olympics gold medallist hammer thrower Andrey Abduvaliyev of Uzbekistan.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Government rolls out scheme for liquidity support to NBFCs: The Central government has rolled out scheme for liquidity support to NBFCs. The partial guarantee scheme will allow state-run banks (PSBs) to purchase assets of non-banking and housing finance companies (NBFCs and HFCs). The partial guarantee scheme aims at providing liquidity support to avoid distress sale of assets in a sector facing a shortage of cash due to asset-liability mismatch. NBFCs will be able to sell 20% of standard assets, worth up to Rs 5,000 crore, as on March 31.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Ola ‘acqui­hires’ AI start-­up Pikup.ai: Cab aggregator Ola announced acquihiring of Pikup.ai, an Artificial Intelligence start­up based in Bengaluru.  Acquihiring typically refers to a transaction in which the staff of the target company join the acquiring firm. Pikup.ai uses autonomous technologies like AI, computer vision and sensor fusion to provide seamless AI-powered solutions for businesses.

Note: CEO of Ola: Bhavish Aggarwal; Headquarter: Bengaluru.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to be honoured with Vir Chakra: Indian Air Force's (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (36-years) to be conferred with Vir Chakra on Independence Day. The Vir Chakra is the third highest wartime gallantry award after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra. Wg Cdr Abhinandan had sustained injuries while ejecting from his MiG-21 Bison during the aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani air forces on February 27. IAF Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal will also be honoured with Yudh Seva Medal for her role as a fighter controller during the 27th February aerial conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian Army’s Sapper Prakash Jadhav of 1 Rashtriya Rifles (Mahar) will also be conferred Kirti Chakra (posthumously), for the role he played in an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, eight Army personnel will also be conferred Shaurya Chakra, five of them posthumously.

2. Priyam Chatterjee becomes 1st Indian chef to win French honour: Priyam Chatterjee became the 1st Indian chef to be awarded the 'Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricoleto' by the government of France to recognise his contribution towards reinventing the gastronomic scene in India. Chatterjee is best known for revisiting the traditional dishes from his native state of West Bengal and giving it a French twist. 'Ordre du Mérite Agricole' (Order of Agricultural Merit) is a distinction bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions, to agriculture, agro-food industry and gastronomy.

Note: President of France: Emmanuel Macron; Capital: Paris; Currency: Euro, CFP Franc.

3. Rajasthan bags award at World Education Summit 2019: Rajasthan wins the “best innovation and initiative leadership award” for its achievements in higher education in the World Education Summit-2019 held in New Delhi.

Note: Chief Minister of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Governor of Rajasthan: Kalyan Singh. Capital: Jaipur.

DEFENCE

1. Japanese Maritime Self Defence Ship visits Kochi: Japanese ship "JS Sazanami", visited Kochi on a 2 day goodwill visit. JS Sazanami, a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force Ship is a missile destroyer. The visiting team was given a conducted tour of the Anti-Submarine Warfare School and the Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Sunayna. A visit of Indian Navy personnel was also conducted onboard JS Sazanami.

2. Naval Air Enclave & CIAL inks MoU for air operations: The Naval Air Enclave in Kochi and Cochin International Airport Limited have signed a MoU for commencement of naval air operations from the NAE, a naval aviation facility at CIAL in Nedumbassery. According to MoU, military aircraft will use the CIAL runway for takeoff and landing and the NAE taxy track for accessing the dispersal and aircraft hangar.

Note: Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Argentina defender Brown passes away: Argentina's 1986 World Cup-winning defender Jose Luis Brown (62-years) passed away following a long battle with Alzheimer. Brown made 36 appearances for his country, the most famous of which came in the 1986 World Cup final in Mexico. Jose Luis Brown knew by his nickname "Tata", dislocated his shoulder in the match but refused to be substituted.

Daily GK Updates - 13th August, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Air India first flight over North Pole from Delhi to San Francisco: On the nation's Independence Day, Air India will become the 1st Indian airline to fly over the North Pole while connecting New Delhi and North America. The inaugural flight over the Polar region will take flight on August 15, 2019, and will fly from New Delhi to San Francisco. Currently, the route taken by New Delhi to San Francisco flight goes over Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Japan before crossing the Pacific Ocean to enter the United States of America.

2. Doordarshan produced a patriotic song “Watan”: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister have released a patriotic song “Watan” to mark the occasion of Independence Day, 2019. The song is sung by singer Javed Ali, penned by lyricist Alok Shrivastav and musically composed by Dushyant. The patriotic song is produced by Doordarshan. The song highlights several path-breaking initiatives of the government including the determination and vision behind the recent successful launch of "Chandrayaan 2".  The song also pays tribute to the bravery and valour of our armed forces and the martyrs of the country.

Note: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister: Prakash Javadekar.

3. Punjab govt to provide 28000 agro-machines to farmers to prevent stubble burning: With a view to making Punjab a ‘zero stubble burning state’, the Punjab Agriculture Department has initiated a massive drive to provide more than 28000 agro-machines/farm equipment to farmers. Subsidy component of 278 crore rupees will be provided for the scheme during the current fiscal year under the first phase for in-situ management of paddy residue. Subsidy ranging from 50 per cent to 80 per cent is being provided to the farmers under the scheme with 80 per cent subsidy to cooperative societies and farmers groups while 50 per cent for individuals.

4. Headgear becomes mandatory for children above 4 years: Central government has made "Headgear" mandatory for children above 4 years while travelling on a motorcycle. The safety measures for the children travelling on motorcycles have been included in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019. Only Sikhs wearing turban have been exempted from the provision of Section 129 that makes helmets mandatory for all riders of motorcycles above 4 years of age.

5. IIT Kharagpur researchers develop low-cost blood test device: Researchers from IIT Kharagpur have developed a low-cost diagnostic device which can perform various pathological tests by using blood taken from a finger prick. The device requires only a paper strip based kit integrated with a smartphone to enable analytics and readout functions and an LED light for imaging.

6. Two new UTs, J&K and Ladakh will come into existence on Oct 31: President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to legislation for bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, and two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will come into existence on October 31.

7. ‘Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar’ a book on the life of Sridevi: The book, titled ‘Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar’ will be launched on cinema legend Sridevi’s 56th birth anniversary (13th August). The book is written by author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak and approved by the actor's producer husband Boney Kapoor. The book recounts the life and times of the iconic actor who changed how women stars were perceived in the male-dominated film industry. The book will be published under the Ebury Press imprint of Penguin Random House in October 2019. Sridevi passed away at the age of 54 in February 2018 in Dubai.

8. Chandrima Shaha elected INSA’s first woman president: Former director of the National Institute of Immunology Chandrima Shaha has been elected as the first woman president of the reputed Indian National Science Academy (INSA).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Alejandro Giammattei elected as Guatemala’s new president: Right-wing candidate Alejandro Giammattei (63-years) has been elected as the new President of Guatemala. He defeated former First Lady Sandra Torres from the centrist National Unity of Hope party. Giammattei will succeed corruption-tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales. Alejandro Giammattei will assume office on 14th January 2020.

Note: Guatemala Capital: Guatemala City, Currency: Quetzal (GTQ)

2. Ghotu Ram Meena named India’s next Ambassador to Republic of Congo: Ghotu Ram Meena has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Congo. Currently, Meena is serving as a counsellor, Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Note: Congo Capital: Brazzaville; Currency: Congolese franc.

3. PM Modi to visit Bhutan on 17th August: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bhutan on 17th of this month. During the two-day visit, Prime Minister Mr Modi will hold talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering. According to Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, MoUs (Memorandum of understanding) in various fields will be signed between the two countries. Besides, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate a hydropower project and will roll out RuPay Cards.

Note: Bhutan Capital: Thimphu, Currency: Ngultrum (BTN)

4. India cancels Samjhauta Express train after Pakistan suspends operations on its side: Indian Railways has cancelled ‘Samjhauta Express’ train after Pakistan suspended operations on its side. According to Northern Railway, Pakistan has cancelled the Samjhauta Express running between Lahore and Attari. The railways run the train on Sundays from Delhi to Attari and back, while Pakistan used to run the train between Lahore and Attari.

Note: The train (Samjhauta Express) was started on 22 July 1976 following the Shimla Agreement and ran between Amritsar and Lahore, a distance of about 52 km. Following disturbances in Punjab in the late eighties, due to security reasons, Indian Railways decided to terminate the service at Attari, where customs and immigration clearances take place. On 14 April 2000, in an agreement between Indian Railways and Pakistan Railways (PR), the distance was revised to cover just less than three km.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Aishwarya Pissay becomes first Indian to claim a world title in motorsports: Aishwarya Pissay became the first Indian to claim a world title in motorsports, annexing the FIM World Cup in the women's category after the final round of the championship at Varpalota in Hungary. Earlier, Aishwarya has won the first round in Dubai. Aishwarya, who won the first round in Dubai and was placed third (Portugal), fifth (Spain) and fourth (Hungary) in the subsequent outings, finished with a tally of 65 points, just four ahead of Portugal’s Rita Vieira in the final overall standings for women.

2. Virat Kohli becomes second-highest run-getter for India in ODIs: India’s Skipper Virat Kohli (30-years) has become the second-highest run-getter for India in ODIs as he played a knock of 120 runs against Windies in the second ODI at the Queen's Park Oval. Kohli surpassed Ganguly's record in his 238th game while Ganguly took 311 ODIs to score 11,363 runs. Tendulkar has 18,426 runs, most in the ODI cricket by any batsman in the world. Kohli also became the highest run-scorer against West Indies in the ODIs.

3. Rafael Nadal, Bianca Andreescu wins Rogers Open: Spanish professional tennis player Rafael Nadal has won the Men’s single Rogers Open. Canadian Bianca Andreescu (19-years) has won the Women’s Singles title at the Canadian Open (Tennis) 2019. The 2019 Rogers Cup (Canadian Open) presented by National Bank is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 139th edition (for the men) and the 128th (for the women) of the Canadian Open. The women's event is taking place at the Aviva Centre in Toronto and the men's event is being held at the IGA Stadium in Montreal.

Complete winners list:

Events	Winners
Men’s Single	Rafael Nadal
Women’s Single	Bianca Andreescu
Men’s doubles	Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos
Women’s doubles	Barbora Krejcikova & Kateřina Siniakova

    

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. AePS crosses 200 million transactions in July: NPCI: National Payments Corporation of India has announced that Aadhaar enabled Payment System has crossed the milestone of over 200 million transactions during July 2019. The transaction count of AePS stood at 220 million in july 2019. AePS is a bank led model which allows basic banking transactions at point of sale. AePS empowers a bank customer to use Aadhaar as identity to access respective Aadhaar enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions like cash withdrawal, intrabank or interbank fund transfer and balance enquiry.

Note: MD & CEO of NPCI: Dilip Asbe.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Huawei launches its own operating system HarmonyOS: Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled its own operating system will be called the HongmengOS, known in English as the HarmonyOS. The operating system will be released as an open-source platform worldwide to encourage adoption. HarmonyOS is future-oriented and designed to be more smooth and secure, and is completely different from Android and iOS.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. National Youth Awards conferred for development and social service work: The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C) conferred the National Youth Awards. The awards were conferred to 20 individuals (aged between 15-29 years) and 3 organizations for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service. The individual award comprises of a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000. The award to a youth organisation includes a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000.

Note: Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C): Kiren Rijiju.

DEFENCE

1. Army launches 'Mission Reach Out' in Jammu: The Army has launched "Mission Reach Out" was chaired by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh in Jammu.  This Mission aims to ensure basic necessities and essential services are available in the region post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. It was attended by Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma, members of the civil administration, representatives of the J&K Police, CRPF, BSF and intelligence agencies.

Note: Governor of Jammu & Kashmir: Satya Pal Malik.

OBITUARIES

1. Music star DJ Arafat passes away: Ivorian musician Houon Ange Didier (popularly known DJ Arafat) passed away after getting involved in an ugly road accident. DJ Arafat(33-year) issued 11 albums, mainly of “coupe-decale”, a dance music form combining rapid percussion, choppy rhythms with hip hop-style vocals. He was also named “Best Artist of the Year” at the Ivorian “Coupe-decale” Awards in 2016 and 2017.

2. Freedom fighter Dayanidhi Nayak passes away: Noted freedom fighter ‘Dayanidhi Nayak’ (95-years), who struggled against the British Government during the Quit India movement passed away. One of the 32 freedom fighters from Panimora, he joined the Quit India movement against the British government and was a devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi. During the Quit India movement, he was jailed for nine months. He was a pure Gandhian and he even used to weave his own clothes like him.

3. Former ASG Amarendra Sharan passes away: Senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan passed away. Sharan was the Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court from 2004 to 2009. He was also appointed as an amicus curiae by the apex court which was hearing a petition seeking fresh investigation in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.