Daily GK Updates - 22nd January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoI sets up “National Startup Advisory Council”: The Government of India has created “National Startup Advisory Council“. The council is being set up to advise the central government to create a strong ecosystem to nurture innovation and start-ups in India. The Commerce Minister will be the chairman of the National Startup Advisory Council. The council will also constitute the non-official members to be nominated by the Government of India.

Objectives of setting up the National Startup Advisory Council: (1) The Council aims to boost the culture of innovation among the students; (2) It will recommend measures to facilitate public organisations to embrace innovation, promote creation, protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights, making it easier to begin, operate, grow and exit businesses by narrowing the regulatory compliances and costs.

Note: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goyal.

2. Prime Minister Modi chairs the 32nd edition of PRAGATI platform meeting: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the 32nd interaction through PRAGATI platform which was held in New Delhi. PRAGATI is defined as the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. In the previous thirty-one interactions of PRAGATI, projects worth over twelve lakh crores have been reviewed by the Prime Minister.

Note: Prime Minister had launched the multi-purpose and multi-modal governance platform PRAGATI on 25th March 2015. PRAGATI is an integrating and interactive platform aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances. PRAGATI also helps in simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Centre as well as projects flagged by various State governments.

3. Jharkhand’s Jharia most polluted city in India: Greenpeace India: According to the recent report released on 21st January 2020, by the environmental non-governmental organization, Greenpeace’s India branch, Jharia, a city in Jharkhand is the most polluted city in India, which is followed by Dhanbad of the same state. Delhi Delhi has been ranked as the 10th most polluted city making an improvement of 2 places from the previous year’s ranking. The report also revealed that six of the country’s ten most polluted cities are in the state of Uttar Pradesh (Noida, Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Allahabad, Allahabad, Firozabad, and Moradabad). Lunglei city of Mizoram is the least polluted city.

Note: Greenpeace was founded in 1971 in Vancouver, Canada and is headquartered in the capital city of Netherlands, Amsterdam. In India, the organization’s headquarter is in Bengaluru.

4. UP Govt launches Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana: Uttar Pradesh Government has launched Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana which will provide financial assistance to family of farmers who die or become handicapped while working in fields. Government has also decided to implement Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana to boost tourism in state.

Under the 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana, if a farmer or any member of his family dies while working in a field then they will be given financial assistance of five lakh rupees. For the first time, the scheme will also include the Bataidars, who work in the field of other persons and share the crop after it is harvested and under Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana one tourist point will be developed with a fund of 50 lakh rupees in each and every assembly segment of the state.

Note: UP CM: Yogi Adityanath, Governor: Anandiben Patel.

5. Meghalaya celebrates 48th statehood day: Meghalaya celebrates their 48th anniversary of statehood day on 21 January. The Meghalaya Day celebration will continue till the Republic Day celebration. In 1971, the Parliament passed the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Act, 1971, which conferred full statehood on the Autonomous State of Meghalaya. Meghalaya attained statehood on 21 January 1972, with a Legislative Assembly of its own. Thus Meghalaya was formed by carving out the two districts of the state of Assam: the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills.

Note: Meghalaya Capital: Shillong; Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma; Governor: Ravindra Narayana Ravi.

6. Hyderabad Metro partners redBus to start carpool services: Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited has partnered with online bus ticketing platform redBus to start carpool service for train passengers. The facility aims to provide end to end connectivity to daily commuters in an affordable manner. The service will be offered through “rPool”. rPool is an in-app ride sharing service provided by redBus. Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited will also provide space inside the station premises to rPool for setting up of kiosks for customer service, apart from parking facilities for ride givers on rPool, for easy pick-up and drop of commuters.

Note: Chief Executive Officer of redBus: Prakash Sangam.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India's first Mahatma Gandhi convention centre in Niger: Union Minister S Jaishankar & Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou jointly inaugurated the first convention centre in Africa by India to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre is a landmark for India-Niger friendship and a symbol of India's firm commitment towards Africa. It witnesses high-level and wide-ranging participation from African Union member states and other high-level conventions.

Note: Niger Capital: Niamey; Currency: West African CFA franc

2. Brazil President J. M. Bolsonaro will be Chief Guest at 71st Republic Day of India: President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be on a four-day state visit to India from January 24 to 27, 2020. President Bolsonaro will also be the chief guest at the 2020 Republic Day celebrations to be held at Raj Path in New Delhi on January 26. 2020 marks India’s 71st Republic Day. He will be accompanied by a high level delegation comprising of seven Ministers, Chairman of Brazil-India Friendship Group in the Brazilian Parliament, senior officials and a large business delegation.

Note: Brazil Capital: Brasilia, Currency: Brazilian real.

3. France will train Indian flight surgeons for Gaganyaan mission: France will provide training to the Indian flight surgeons, selected for the ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan, to enable them monitor the health of astronauts. The shortlisted flight surgeons will undergo two weeks training in France. These flight surgeons will be Indian Air Force doctors specialising in aviation medicines and responsible for the health of astronauts before, during and after flight. Under the Gaganyaan project three Indian astronauts will be send to space by 2022. The four shortlisted astronauts (all test pilots from the Indian Air Force) are currently in Russia for an 11-month training programme.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Shooters Divyansh S Pawar & Apurvi Chandela Clinch Gold Meyton Cup: Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela have clinched a gold medal each in 2020 Meyton Cup, a private tournament held in Innsbruck, Austria. Divyansh won the gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event, while Auprvi bagged the yellow metal in the 10m air rifle women’s category. Apart from them, Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil also a bagged bronze medal each in men’s and women’s 10m air rifle events respectively.

Note: The Meyton Cup is a private tournament where shooters go on their own to participate to gain experience before international events. The four Indian shooters have already secured Olympic quotas for 2020 Tokyo Games.

2 Indian boxers claim six medals at Nation’s Cup in Serbia: The 9th Nation’s Cup boxing tournament for women was held in Sombor, Serbia from 13 to 21 January 2020. The tournament was organised by European Boxing Confederation (EUBC). India won 6 medals in the tournament including 4 silver and 2 bronze. M MeenaKumari (54kg), Monika (48kg), Ritu Grewal (51kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75kg) won silver medal for India. Indian pugilists Pavitra (60kg) and Pwilao Basumatary (64kg) settled for bronze.

3. Yogeshwar Dutt& Deepa Malik included in All India Council of Sports: Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and Paralympian Deepa Malik are among the new inductees in the government's All India Council of Sports (AICS). It is an advisory body to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which was formed in 2015 by the then Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Some other renowned new entrants in the Council are Anjali Bhagwat (former shooter), Renedy Singh(footballer), Bachendri Pal (mountaineer) and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Note: President of All India Council of Sports: V K Malhotra.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI cancels certificate of authorisation of Vodafone m-pesa: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of Vodafone m-pesa on account of voluntary surrender of authorisation. Now, the company cannot transact the business of issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments. Last year, Vodafone Idea had decided to close m-pesa vertical following the closure of Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd (ABIPBL), with which it was being merged.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Adani Capital acquires Essel Finance’s MSME lending business: Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd, the NBFC arm of the Adani Group, focused on lending to small & micro entrepreneurs, has acquired Essel Finance’s MSME loan business. The business has a secured loan book of approximately Rs 145 crore comprising 1100 customers, staff strength of 40 professionals and operates out of 10 cities in India.

Note: Adani Finserve Private Limited CEO: Gaurav Gupta

2. Govt approves raising FDI in Bharti Airtel to 100%: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has approved raising of foreign direct investment in Bharti Airtel to 100% from 49% (earlier). The approval will enable Bharti Airtel Company to raise more funds as per its requirement. The company also has the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that allowed foreign investors to hold up to 74% stake in the company.

Note: Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. President Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020: President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2020 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The Bal Puraskar is given by the government every year to recognize the exceptional achievements of children in various fields. These fields are innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, sports and bravery. This year 22 children who were selected for National Bravery Awards also received the awards from the President.

Daily GK Updates - 21st January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 12th National Tribal Youth Exchange Programme inaugurated in Puducherry: Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Dr Kiran Bedi inaugurated the 12th National Tribal Youth Exchange Programme in Puducherry. The programme has been jointly organized by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and Puducherry Government with a view to ensure development and empowerment of the tribal youths.  They will be visiting many places to know about the language, customs, culture, arts, dressing patterns, food pattern and other aspects of Puducherry. Two hundred youths from Naxal-affected districts of Chattisgarh are taking part in this week-long programme.

Note: Chief Minister of Puducherry: V. Narayanasamy.

2. 2nd edition of NIC Tech Conclave-2020 begins in New Delhi: The 2nd edition of NIC Tech Conclave-2020 begins in New Delhi. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the conclave and it is being organized by National Informatics Centre at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi. This Conclave will contribute immensely to the capacity building of Government officers across the country. This year’s theme is Technologies for Next-Gen Governance.

Note: National Informatics Centre (NIC) established in: 1976; Director-General: Neeta Verma.

3. Government of Maharashtra makes the reading of Preamble mandatory in Maharashtra schools: Maharashtra Government has made the reading of the Preamble of the Constitution mandatory for the Maharashtra schools. The statement issued by School Education Minister and senior Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad, read, "From January 26, a programme called Sovereignty of Constitution, the public interest of all will be started, wherein every school Preamble of the Constitution will be read by all in a group before the classes begin."

Note: Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

4. India starts thermal screening of passengers against “Corona” Virus: The Civil Aviation Ministry has directed seven airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to make arrangements for screening of passengers arriving from China in the wake of outbreak of an infection caused by a new strain of virus there. Airports have started thermal screening of passengers arriving in India from China and Hong Kong, to stop the Corona Virus spread in India. Airlines flying in from any airport in China including Hong Kong have been asked to make in-flight announcements requesting passengers with history of fever and cough and travel to Wuhan city in the past 14 days to self-declare at the port of arrival in order to facilitate early isolation,

Note: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri.

5. IIM Indore to provide ‘mob management & communication’ training to UP Police: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore will provide effective communication and crowd management training to the Uttar Pradesh Police personnel. It will also provide training in the data analysis, traffic management, use of artificial intelligence & social media management to the Uttar Pradesh Police personnel.

Note: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi & Nepali PM KP S Oli inaugurates ICP Biratnagar: PM Narendra Modi & his Nepali counterpart K P Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated second Integrated Check Post (ICP) Biratnagar(video conferencing). It has been built on 260 acres of land at a cost of around 140 crore rupees. ICP Biratnagar is equipped with all modern facilities like warehousing facilities like refrigerated cargo, electronic weighing bridges, 100% power backup, fire safety, communication network & public announcement systems. The first ICP was built in Raxaul-Birgunj in 2018.

Note: Prime Minister of Nepal: K P Sharma Oli; Capital: Kathmandu; President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari; Currency: Nepalese rupee.

2. Elyes Fakhfakh named PM-designate of Tunisia: In Tunisia, former finance minister Elyes Fakhfakh has been named as Prime Minister-designate by President Kais Saied on 20, January 2020. Mr Elyes Fakhfakh will now face the difficult task of forming a cabinet within a month by gaining the approval of a divided parliament. If Fakhfakh fails to form a government, the next step would be dissolution of the assembly and there will be another election. Elyes Fakhfakh-led Ennahdha party won more seats than any other party in October’s legislative election, but was still far short of a majority. Tunisia is currently run by an outgoing government led by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

3. Global Social Mobility Index 2020: The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the 1st edition of its Social Mobility Index on January 20, 2020, ahead of its 50th Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The titled of the report is “The Global Social Mobility Report 2020: Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative”. The index ranks 82 countries on their citizens’ ability to fulfill their potential regardless of their socio-economic background. The index ranks economies based on five parameters: Health, Education, Technology access, Work (in terms of opportunities, conditions and fair wages), and Protection and Institutions. India has been ranked very low at 76th place, stating that it would take about 7 generations for those born in a low-income family to reach median income. Denmark has topped the index. It would take only 2 generations for those born in a low-income family to reach median income. Denmark is followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland as top 5 countries.

Note: World Economic Forum Established: January 1971; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Founder & Chairman: Klaus Schwab.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ Flagged off in Panaji, Goa: The Fit India Mission under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized the inaugural event of ‘Fit India Cyclothon’. The Cyclothon was flagged off by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from the Campal Parade Ground in Panaji, Goa. The event witnessed participation by over 500 cyclists who cycle through a five-kilometer stretch within the Panaji city.

2. Virat Kohli Top Batsman While Jasprit Bumrah lead Bowlers in latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings: Indian Captain Virat Kohli and opener Rohit Sharma continue to retain the top two positions respectively in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI Men’s Rankings issued in Dubai on 20 January 2020.

ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings: Kohli achieved the top spot with 886 points; Rohit took 868 points to be placed at number 2 position; Pakistan’s Babar Azam is in third position with 829 points.

ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings: Jasprit Bumrah continued to lead the bowling chart with 764 points; Trent Boult of New Zealand with 737 points is at second position.

ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings: World champions England continue to lead the chart at top position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings; India retained the second position

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IMF cuts India’s growth forecast the most, to 4.8%: The IMF slashed India's GDP growth estimate to 4.8% for 2019-20 from its October projection of 6.1%. As per IMF global growth is projected to rise from an estimated 2.9% in 2019 to 3.3% in 2020 and 3.4% for 2021. The growth will improve in 2020 owing to monetary and fiscal stimulus. The reasons cited behind this are stress in the non-bank financial sector and weak rural income.

2. New Appointments of MD and CEO in BoI, BoB& Canara Bank: The Personnel Ministry has approved new appointment of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in the following three state-run banks for a period of three years.

Atanu Kumar Das – Bank of India

Sanjiv Chadha – Bank of Baroda

Lingam Venkata Prabhakar – Canara Bank

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Zomato acquires Uber Eats business in India: Food delivery startup and restaurant aggregator “Zomato” has announced the acquisition of Uber Eats business in India. Uber Eats is an Uber Technologies Inc’s food delivery business in India. The acquisition was done in an all-stock deal. The deals provide Uber with the 9.99% ownership in Zomato after the acquisition. The deal is estimated to be pegged at $300-350 million. Uber Eats, having about 26,000 restaurant partners entered the food delivery business in 2017 in India.

Note: CEO of Zomato: Deepinder Goyal.

CEO of Uber Technologies Inc: Dara Khosrowshahi.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. Deepika Padukone received the Crystal Award 2020: The26th Annual Crystal Award for the year 2020 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been awarded to Deepika Padukone. Deepika Padukone was honored for her contribution to the field of mental health. The award was organized by World Economic Forum in Davos. Other winners are: Theaster Gates (US), for his leadership in creating sustainable communities

Jin Xing (China), for her leadership in shaping inclusive cultural norms

Lynette Wallworth (Australia), for her leadership in creating inclusive narratives

The Crystal Awards recognizes as well as celebrates the achievements of leading artists and cultural figures whose leadership inspires inclusive and sustainable change.

2. Australia’s highest civilian honour to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Australia conferred its highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia honour, on Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for her contribution towards advancing the country's relationship with India. An alumnus of Federation University Australia, Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder of Biocon, a biopharma company. Honorary appointments in the Order of Australia are made to foreigners who have made an outstanding contribution to Australia or humanity.

Daily GK Updates - 20th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prakash Javadekar Inaugurates ELECRAMA 2020 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida: The Union Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Information & Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, inaugurated ELECRAMA 2020, at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The event has been organised from 18 to 22 January 2020 by industry body, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA), which is targeting businesses worth Rs 30,000 crore during the five-day event. ELECRAMA is the flagship programme of the IEEMA to provide a platform to connect the world with Indian industry in respect of technology, new trends and innovation for future energy transition. The focus of 2020 ELECRAMA is on e-mobility, energy storage, start-ups, grid transformation, and revenue security with special attention on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Note: IEEMA is a national representative organization of manufacturers of electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment in India with presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

2. Nearly Rs 70000 Crore Disbursed Under MSME Loan within 59 minutes: Ministry of Finance: As per the data by the Ministry of Finance, loan amount of nearly Rs 70,000 crore has been disbursed till 13 January 2020 under the scheme of providing loan to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within 59 minutes. The government has introduced loan provision to MSMEs through a dedicated online portal- www.psbloansin59 minutes.com for ease of access to credit for MSMEs. The portal acts as a single interface portal which facilitates in principal approval of bank loans to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises upto Rs 5 crore within 59 minutes.

3. JP Nadda Elected as National President of BJP: Jagat Prakash Nadda has been elected unopposed as the National President of Bharatiya Janata Party on 20 January 2020. Nadda was serving as the Working President of the party since 17 June 2019 succeeding Amit Shah. He will serve for three years.

4. Senior bureaucrats Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu Appointed as Joint Secretaries in the newly-created Department of Military Affairs: The Centre has appointed senior bureaucrats Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu as Joint Secretaries in the newly-created Department of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defence. Mr Thakur, a 1995 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Rajasthan Cadre will have tenure till December 2022. Mr Shantanu, a 1997 batch Tripura Cadre IAS officer has been appointed to the post till March 2024.

Note: The Department of Military Affairs, under the Ministry of Defence came into existence from 01 January 2020. It is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff, who acts as its ex-officio secretary. Apart from the Chief of Defence Staff, the department comprises two joint secretaries, thirteen deputy secretaries, and twenty-five under-secretaries.

5. 3rd Edition of PM Modi’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ held in New Delhi: The third edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha held at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on 20 January 2020. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction programme attended by a total of 2,000 students and teachers, of which 1,050 students have been selected through an essay competition. In the Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020 programme, PM Modi interact with students, teachers and parents and share “valuable tips” with them to ensure they take the upcoming board and entrance exams in a relaxed and stress-free manner.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 50th World Economic Forum begins: The 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, Switzerland begins from 20th January and will continue till 24th. The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways, Piyush Goyal will be leading the Indian delegation. Goyal will also participate in an informal WTO Ministerial gathering being held in Davos during this period. He will also meet the DG of WTO and Secretary-General of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The theme of the 2020 meeting is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World“. Every year, WEF meeting is held to engage the world’s top leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of the year.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Jacqueline Williams to become first woman third umpire in a men’s international match: West Indies’ Jacqueline Williams is set to become the first woman third umpire in a men’s international match. When West Indies and Ireland step on the field to play the first T20I of the three-match series, Williams will forge her name into history. The 43-year-old will be officiating in the position in all three matches of the series.

2. Arjun Munda elected as President of Archery Association of India: Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda has been elected as president of the Archery Association of India (AAI). The elections took place at JN Stadium, New Delhi in the presence of an observer each from World Archery (WA), Sports Ministry and Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Munda defeated rival and incumbent BVP Rao (Assam Archery Association president) by 34-18 margin. Pramod Chandurkar has been elected as secretary. All 19 office bearers including president, senior vice-president, vice-presidents (8), secretary, joint-secretaries (7), and treasurer have been elected for four year tenure.

3. India bags 7 medals in UWW Rome Ranking Series 2020: India won seven medals in the UWW Rome Ranking Series 2020 which was held from January 15-18, 2020. The medals included 4 gold, 2 silver and a bronze. The medals came from:

Gold: (1) Bajrang Punia – 65kg freestyle; (2) Ravi  Kumar Dahiya – 61kg; (3) Vinesh Phogat – 53kg; (4) Gurpreet Singh – 82kg

Silver: (1) Anshu Malik – 57kg; (2) Sunil Kumar – 97kg

Bronze: Sajan Bhanwal – 77 kg.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI issues instructions to PPI issuers for Enhancing Security of Card Transactions: The Reserve Bank of India in its endeavor to improve the security of card-based transactions (debit cards/credit cards) has issued certain instructions for PPI issuers which are as under: (This will come into effect from March 16, 2020)

(1) At the time of issue / re-issue, all cards (physical and virtual) shall be enabled for use only at contact-based points of usage [viz. ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) devices] within India.

(2) For existing cards, the issuer may take the decision regarding whether to disable the card not present (domestic and international) transactions, card-present (international) transactions and contactless transaction rights based on the risk perception.

(3) While existing cards that have never been used for online (card not present) / international / contactless transactions shall be mandatorily disabled for this purpose.

(4) Additionally, the issuers shall provide to all cardholders: facility to switch on / off and set / modify transaction limits (within the overall card limit, if any, set by the issuer) for all types of transactions– domestic and international, at PoS / ATMs / online transactions / contactless transactions, etc; the above facility on a 24×7 basis through multiple channels– mobile application / internet banking / ATMs / Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

2. ICICI Bank launches India’s largest API Banking portal with nearly 250 APIs: ICICI Bank has launched its API Banking portal consisting maximum number of virtual APIs (application programming interfaces) put together by any Indian bank. The API interface will enable partner companies to co- create innovative customer solutions in a frictionless manner and in a fraction of time usually taken for such integration. The ‘ICICI Bank API Banking portal’, which consists of 250 APIs, enables developers of prospective partner companies across the globe to seamlessly sign up on it, create an application, select the application, test it out and get the sample code.

3. NPCI Launches Blockchain-based ‘Vajra Platform’ to Secure Online Payment: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a blockchain-technology based payment system ‘Vajra Platform’ for automating payment clearing and settlement processes. Vajra platform is based on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), to provide highly secure and tamper-evident transactions stored in a distributed and immutable database. Vajra is a permissioned network that will be set up so that only the parties who have been approved by the Network Administrator can be a part of the network. The platform has three types of nodes: Clearing House node (CHN) for NPCI, UIDAI node for Aadhaar authentication, and Participant node (PN) for all banks/ASP/PPI/PSP

DEFENCE

1. Indian Air Force inducts BrahMos-armed Sukhoi-30MKI: On January 20, 2020, the first squadron of Brahmos-Armed Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force at its Thanjavur base, Tamil Nadu. This 222-squadron known as the Tiger sharks will serve as a platform for conducting aerial and maritime missions in the Indian Ocean Region.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala passes away: Veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala has passed away following prolonged illness. He was 87.Surjewala was the father of party leader Randeep Surjewala. He remained a five-time MLA and one-time Rajya Sabha MP.

Daily GK Updates - 19th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 15th Raising Day celebrated by National Disaster Response Force: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was founded on 19th January 2006. NDRF celebrated its 15th Raising Day on 19th January 2020. The organization plays an important role in Disaster Management and Community awareness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the country. NDRF has conducted 3100 operations and saved over one lakh lives, hence playing a crucial role in Disaster Management and Community awareness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the country. Workshops on ‘Urban flooding & challenges’ and ‘Biological Emergencies & New Technology in Disaster Management’ were also conducted during the celebrations.

Note: NDRF Formed on: 2006; Headquarters: NDRF HQ, Antyodaya Bhawan, New Delhi; Chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Minister responsible: Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs; Director-General: SN Pradhan

2. National Immunization Day 2020: January 19: In India, the National Immunization Day was observed on 19 January 2020. As a part of the celebrations, Pulse Polio Immunization programme 2020 was launched where President Ram Nath Kovind administered Polio drops to children below five years at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Under this programme, approximately 17.4 crore children of less than five years of age across the country will be administered polio drops as a part of the immunization drive of the Central Government to sustain polio eradication from the country.

3. Nripendra Misra appointed as chairman of NMML: Former principal secretary to PM, Nripendra Misra has been appointed as chairman of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML). Mishra who resigned from the PS to the PM post last year is a UP cadre IAS officer, closely associated with the think tank Vivekananda International Foundation. Dr. A Surya Prakash, chairman of the Prasar Bharati will be the vice-chairman of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML).

Note: NMML is an autonomous institution under the Indian Ministry of Culture, to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement. It is the world’s leading resource centre on India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

4. 9th International Children’s Film Festival begins in Kolkata: The 9th edition of Kolkata International Children's Film Festival has begun in Kolkata, West Bengal. The festival will feature the screening of about 250 films from 45 countries. National award-winning 'Hamid' was the inaugural film. The National award winner child actor, Talha Arsad Rishi inaugurated the festival.

5. Tuberculosis control programme renamed: Government of India renamed its National TB Control Programme to National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. The name change is in line with the goal of India in eliminating the disease by 2025. This is five years ahead of the goal of United Nations Sustainable Development target. Also, the WHO endorsed on technology developed by India to detect the disease called True Nat MTB in terms of accuracy.

6. Gujarat ranked top for water efficiency: The Ministry of Jal Shakti released a report on efficiency targets in the review of state and Central government water departments. As per the report, Gujarat has topped in the list. Rajasthan is the third-best and Delhi is among the worst-performing states. Among the seven Central departs reviewed, the Survey of India has got the top billing followed by the National Institute of Hydrology and Central Water Commission.

7. Vijay Rupani Flags-off State of Art Tejas express between Mumbai-Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani flagged off Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas express at Ahmedabad Railway Station. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas express is India’s second premium train operated by private operators, IRCTC, a subsidiary of Indian Railways. The first such train is Lucknow – New Delhi Tejas Express, which started its operations on 4 October 2019. The Tejas express is one of India’s semi-high speed fully air-conditioned Train having several modern features such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility, comfortable seats, etc. The Railways has proposed to run 150 such premium trains across the country. IRCTC will compensate passengers for delays by providing Rs 100 to each passenger in case delay is more than one hour and Rs 250 if delay exceeds two hours.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to set up Maritime Research Coordination Centre: Sri Lanka and India agreed to establish a maritime research coordination center and strengthen military ties. India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and discussed setting up the center to learn maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region. Mr. Rajapaksa will visit India in late Nov for talks with PM Modi, who offered $450 mn aid to Sri Lanka.

2. New Disease Outbreak: Novel corona virus Grips China’s Wuhan City: The Wuhan City of China is in a grip of a new disease outbreak caused by new respiratory virus called Novel corona virus, codenamed as 2019-nCoV. Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). 2019-nCoV is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The outbreak has so far killed two people in China and sickened at least 45 persons including overseas cases with some new cases being detected in the city. It is believed to have contracted through exposure to animals market that sells seafood and meat in Wuhan.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Ratchanok Intanon wins Indonesia Masters 2020 title: Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon won the Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020 women's singles title. She defeated Carolina Marin of Spain by 21-19, 11-21, 21-18 in the final. The clash went into three-games and despite losing the first game, the Spanish shuttler made a comeback in the second game and claimed the game by 21-11.Intanon won the match by claiming the third game by 21-18.

2. India beat Pakistan to lift 4th Diplomat Cup Cricket Championship: The team of the Indian Consulate in Dubai defeated the team of the Pakistan Consulate to lift the Diplomat Cup Cricket Championship 2020. The 4th edition of the was participated by the Consulates of eight countries – India, Pakistan, Afghanistan , Bangladesh , Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and the US. This is the third successive year that India won the Diplomat Cup Championship. The first tournament was won by Bangladesh in January 2017.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. India’s GDP Estimated at 5.7% for FY20; World economy likely to grow 2.5% in 2020: UN report: The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020 report was released. The WESP is an annual UN flagship publication on the state of the world economy from the point of view of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

GDP estimate for India:

GDP forecast for 2019-20: 5.7 percent (from 7.6 per cent forecast in WESP 2019).

GDP forecast for 2020-21: 6.6 percent (from 7.4 per cent earlier)

GDP forecast for 2021-22: 6.3 percent

World Economic Growth:

2.3 percent – 2019

2.5 percent – 2020

2.7 percent – 2021

2. RBI Ranks 6th among central banks in buying gold abroad in 2019: WGC Report: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was the sixth largest gold buyer abroad in the year 2019, as per the World Gold Council (WGC) report titled, “World Gold Outlook 2020”. The RBI currently holds 625.2 tonnes of gold, which is 6.6 percent of its forex reserves. RBI bought 7.5 tonnes of gold in October 2019, to increase its foreign exchange reserves to $450 billion. The central banks of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Poland bought more than India in 2019 respectively.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. ‘Castle of Dreams’ recieves the Best Film Award at DIFF: ‘Castle of Dreams’ has won the Best Film Award in Asian Competition section of the 18th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF). Reza Mirakarimi who has directed the Iranian film ‘Castle of Dreams’ won the Best Director Award. Anjan Dutt directed movie ‘Finally Love’ has won the Best Audience Award in Cinema of the World Category while ‘Children of the Sun’ directed by Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage has won the Special Jury Award in the 18th Dhaka International Film Festival.

2. 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards: The winners of the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which honours the year’s biggest achievements in TV and film were announced at an event held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Here is the complete list of winners of the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

S. No.	Category	Award Winner
1	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Sam Rockwell, (Fosse/Verdon)
2	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Michelle Williams, (Fosse/Verdon)
3	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series	Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
4	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series	Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
5	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series	Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel)
6	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series	Phoebe Waller-Bridg (Fleabag)
7	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Crown
8	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
9	Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series	Game of Thrones
10	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
11	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Renee Zellweger (Judy)
12	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role	Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood)
13	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
14	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Parasite
15	Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture	Avengers: Endgame

DEFENCE

1. India successfully test-fired K-4 Ballistic Missile from Andhra Pradesh: India successfully test-fired nuclear capable K-4 ballistic missile off the Vizag coast in Andhra Pradesh. K-4 is a nuclear capable, Intermediate-range, submarine-launched, ballistic missile, which is under development by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy. The missile will be equipped on indigenous INS Arihant class nuclear powered submarines of Navy. The missile has a maximum range of about 3500 km. India is expected to carry out more tests of the missile before it is ready for being equipped on the nuclear submarines.K-4 is one of the two underwater missiles being developed by India for its submarine force .The other one is the over 700 km strike range BO-5.

Note: Only the US, Russia and China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of 3,500-kilometre range.

2. Indian Army Conducts Biggest Airborne Exercise ‘Winged Raider’ in North Eastern Theatre: The Indian Army carried out its biggest Airborne Exercise code-named ‘Winged Raider’ in the North Eastern Theatre. The multi-dimensional exercise involved more than 500 Special Force troops and all kind of air transport platforms of the Air Force. The exercise saw the soldiers of the Special Forces parachuting from C-130 Hercules, C-17 globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force, and Dhruv helicopters during the day and night.

OBITUARIES

1. Eminent classical singer Sunanda Patnaik passed away: Eminent Indian classical singer Sunanda Patnaik, who had carved a special identity in Odia music world, passed away following a prolonged illness. She was 85.Popularly known as "Guguma", Patnaik was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata. Daughter of legendary Odia poet Baikunthanath Patnaik, the veteran singer was born on November 7, 1934, and started her career in singing at the All India Radio, Cuttack in 1948 at the age of 14.