Daily GK Updates - 24th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s First War Memorial for Animals in Meerut: Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh will be host to India’s first war memorial for service animals including dogs, horses and mules. This place will dedicate itself to the contributions and heroics of animals who have helped the army in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and in the battlefield during the Kargil War.

Note: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath; Governor: Anandiben Patel; Capital: Lucknow

2. New Delhi Airport Begins ‘Women with wheels’ Cab Service for Female Safety: In an effort to make women feel safe in New Delhi, an exclusive taxi service named ‘Women with wheels’ has been launched from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the city. The unique all-women cab service is an initiative by ‘Sakha cabs’. It can be availed for any part of Delhi. The cabs are run exclusively for women commuters and are driven only by women drivers.

Note: CEO of Sakha Consulting Wings: Arvind Vadera.

3. Russia is Theme Country for International Kolkata Book Fair 2020: The 44th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) will be held from 29th January to 9th February 2020. Twenty countries will participate in the 2020 edition of Kolkata International Book Fair. Russia is the theme country for IKBF 2020. The theme gate will be a replica of the iconic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The book fair will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Central Park Mela Complex in Salt Lake, in presence of Russian ambassador Nikolay Rishatovich Kudashev. IKBF is the world’s largest non-trade book fair, Asia’s largest book fair and the most attended book fair in the world in terms of footfall.

Note: West Bengal CM: Mamta Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar

4. National Girl Child Day: 24th January: National Girl Child Day celebrated by India every year on 24th January.  The purpose of the day is to spread awareness among the people about the inequalities girls face in India. It also aims towards promoting awareness about the rights of the girl child and to increase awareness on the importance of girl education, and their health and nutrition.

Note: National Girl Child Day is started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Government of India in 2008.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Katerina Sakellaropoulou Elected as First Women President of Greece: The Parliament of Greece elected Katerina Sakellaropoulou as the country’s first female president. The 63-year-old received support of 261 MPs in the 300-seat Parliament, including the support of members of the ruling New Democracy Party. Katerina will serve for five years starting on 13 March 2020, when the incumbent president, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, will vacate the post following the end of his term.

Note: Capital of Greece: Athens; Currency of Greece: Euro.

2. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Launches E-passport Facility: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the e-passport facility for its citizens, terming it as a gift to the nation in the Mujib centenary year. With this, Bangladesh becomes the first country in South Asia and 119th country in the world to provide e-passport facility. The e-passports will have an embedded chip in them. The chip will contain the bio-metric data of the passport holder, photograph and other information. It will also include digital security features in it.

3. International Day of Education: 24 January: International Day of Education is celebrated globally on 24 January annually to celebrate the role of education in bringing global peace and sustainable development. The theme of 2020 International Day of Education is “Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace”. On 3rd December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming January 24 as International Day of Education. The first International Day of Education was held in 2019.

4. India Ranks at 8th Position among Recipients of Foreign Direct Investment in 2019: UNCTAD Report: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the Global Investment Trend Monitor report. Global FDI: As per the report, the global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2019 stood at $1.39 trillion, which is one percent decline from $1.41 trillion in 2018. India’s Position: India is among the top 10 recipients of Foreign Direct Investment in 2019, at 8th position, attracting $49 billion FDI inflows, showing a 16 percent increase from the previous year. The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, attracting $251 billion in inflows.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. World Archery Conditionally Lifts Ban Imposed on Archery Association of India: The World Archery has lifted the suspension on Archery Association of India with effect from 23 January 2020; however, it is subjected to certain conditions. AAI had been suspended since 5 August 2019, allowing Indian Archers to participate only under the World Archery flag until suspension is lifted. With the lifting on the ban, Indian archers are now free to compete under the Indian flag and can now focus on getting ready for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. World Archery has instructed the AAI to change its constitution regarding the membership of sportspersons, resolve operational issues and prepare a strategic plan, as well as submit quarterly reports on these issues.

2. 2021 ICC Women’s World Cup Final to be held at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand: Hagley Oval, a Cricket club in Christchurch, New Zealand will host the final match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup 2021. Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Dunedin and Christchurch are the six New Zealand cities which will host the 2021 edition of the Women’s World Cup matches. The tournament will features 31 matches to be played from February 6 to March 7, 2021.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Vodafone m-pesa’s certificate of authorisation cancelled by RBI: The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of Vodafone m-pesa after its voluntary surrender of authorisation. The company henceforth cannot transact business of issuance and operation of Prepaid payment Instruments. Customers or merchants having a valid claim on the company as a PSO, can approach the company till September 30, 2022, for settlement of their claims within three years from the date of cancellation. Vodafone Idea closed the m-pesa after getting merged with the Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Limited in 2019.

Note: Vodafone M-pesa Limited Formation: 13 September 2014; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

2. RBI Raises FPI Investment Limit in Government and Corporate bonds from 20% to 30%: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the investment limit for Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) in government and corporate bonds, in a move to bring in more foreign funds in the country. Under the new norms, the short term investment limit for FPI has now been increased from 20 percent to 30 percent for both, government and corporate bonds. Until now, short-term investments by a foreign portfolio investor (FPI) could not exceed 20 percent of the total investment of that FPI in either central government securities (including treasury bills) or state development loans or even in corporate bonds. Besides this, RBI has also made relaxation in the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) for FPI investments in debt. The investment cap through VRR has been doubled to Rs 1.5 lakh crore, from 75,000 crore. Additionally, FPIs are now also allowed to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETF) that invest only in debt instruments.

3. Reliance Jio becomes 1st Telecom to launch UPI Payments Feature: Reliance Jio has become the 1st telecom operator to facilitate UPI payments feature through its platform after launching the feature on the MyJio app and will be now competing with other private UPI payment providers such as Paytm, Google Pay and PhonePe.

Note: Reliance Industries Ltd Founder: Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani; Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. DMMC and IPS Kumar Munnan Singh jointly win Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar: Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020 was announced on the occasion of Subhash Chandra Bose birth anniversary which was celebrated on 23 January 2020.

Awardees: Disaster Mitigation & Management Centre (DMMC), Uttarakhand under the institution category won the award. DMMC received a certificate and a cash prize of Rs.51 lakhs. The cash prize will be used by the winning institution for Disaster Management related activities only.

Under the Individual category, the former IPS Shri Kumar Munnan Singh received the award. The award recognized their commendable work in Disaster Management. Munnan Singh received a certificate and a cash prize of Rs.5 lakhs.

Note: On 23 January 2019, the government instituted an annual award titled Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar. The award recognizes the efforts of disaster, many organizations and individuals work effectively to help the people. The 8th Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) located at Ghaziabad won the award for the year 2019.

DEFENCE

1. DAC approves the procurement of about Rs 5100 crore Indigenous Equipments: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has approved the procurement of Indigenous Equipments valued at Rs 5100 crore. These indigenous equipments have been manufactured by the Indian industry and designed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.

Note: 28th Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Agricultural land leasing policy will be implemented in Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand has become the 1st state in the country where the government has made a policy to lease agricultural land. In lieu of giving land on a 30-year lease, the concerned farmer will get the rent for the land. In the hilly areas of the state, the obstacles of leasing land for farming, agriculture, horticulture, herbs, off-season vegetables, milk production, tea plantation, fruit hybridization and solar energy has been removed with this step.

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

2. Jaipur Literature Festival begins: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has inaugurated the five- days Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 (13th) in the royal Diggi Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan.  It is the world's largest free literary festival. Around 300 speakers of different fields are participating in this festival. Jaipur Literature Festival is the platform where people can share their views without any hesitation.

3. EC to host 1st Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture: Election Commission will host Sukumar Sen's (1898-1963) Memorial Lecture at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi. Former President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the first of the Lectures. The EC has decided to institute an Annual Lecture Series as a tribute to the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sukumar Sen.

Note: The first Chief Election Commissioner of India Mr. Sen (Indian Civil Services-1922) commendably conducted the first two General Elections to the Lok-Sabha (1952 and 1957) & State Legislative Assemblies, thereby putting India firmly on the map of democracy.

4. ISRO to send robot 'Vyommitra' to space on 'Gaganyaan': The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has unveiled a lady robot named ‘Vyommitra’, which is a prototype of humanoid, to go as a trial to space under ‘Gaganyaan’ mission, before sending astronauts. Vyommitra is a combination of two Sanskrit words Vyoma (Space) and Mitra (Friend), thus meaning ‘friend in the space’. ISRO will send two unmanned missions, before the Ganganyaan mission goes with astronauts, to monitor how the human system will behave in the environment control life support system. The half-humanoid robot ‘Vyom Mitra’ will be placed in the first unmanned mission under ‘Gaganyaan’ and will simulate most of the human body functions like conversing with astronauts, recognising them, and responding to their queries.

Note: Humanoid is a kind of robot, which can move like a human and can also understand human gestures. Humanoids can also answer questions through artificial intelligence programming.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India advances 8 places to 72nd spot on GTC I- 2020: India has moved up 8th places to the 72nd position in the 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index. Switzerland topped this year's ranking, followed by the USA, while Singapore is the third most talent-competitive country. The index is based on research done by INSEAD in partnership with The Adecco Group and Google. Global Talent Competitiveness Index measures and ranks countries based on their ability to grow, attract and retain talent.

2. India falls to 51st spot in EIU's Democracy Index: India slipped 10 places to 51st position in the 2019 Democracy Index's global ranking. The overall list was topped by Norway, followed by Iceland & Sweden. Top 8 countries are New Zealand (4th), Finland (5th), Ireland (6th), Denmark (7th) and Canada (8th). The index is based on five categories - electoral process and pluralism; the functioning of government; political participation; political culture and civil liberties.

3. Mansukh Mandaviya participates in the Round-table of UNAIDS in Davos: The Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya is on four-day official visit to at Davos, Switzerland to attend 50th World Economic Forum annual meeting. Mandaviya participated in the High-level roundtable of UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) held as a part of the meeting. The theme of the Round-table of UNAIDS was ‘Access for all: Leveraging Innovations, Investments and Partnerships for Health’. UNAIDS is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Note: World AIDS Day: 1 December.

United Nations AIDS Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Winnie Byanyima is the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

4. Indian Oil Signs MoU with National Petroleum Authority of Ghana: Indian Oil has signed an MoU with Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority for proper execution of the Ghana’s National LPG Promotion Policy. According to the MoU, Indian Oil will provide its technical expertise and assistance to Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority.

Note: President of Ghana: Nana Akufo-Addo; Capital: Accra; Currency: Ghanaian Cedi.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Khelo India Youth Games 2020 Concludes; Maharashtra Crowned Champion: The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games was held from 10 to 22 December 2020 in Guwahati, Assam. Maharashtra finished at the top of the medal table for second consecutive year in the 13-day sporting extravaganza with 256 medals, comprising 78 gold, 77 silver and 101 bronze. Haryana with 200 medals (68-60-72) and Delhi with 122 medals (39-36-47) were second and third respectively. The winner’s received the trophy from Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

2. India’s only women’s polo tournament concludes in Imphal: The 5th edition of Manipur Statehood Day Women’s Polo Tournament was held from 17 to 21 January 2020 at Mapal Kangjeibung in Imphal, which is the oldest living polo ground in the world. The Great Britain women polo team won the coveted title of 2020 by defeating United States of America (USA) 5-2 in the final match. Apart from the Manipur team and the Indian Polo Association’s women team, polo teams from USA, Great Britain, Argentina, and Egypt participated in the tournament.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Challa Sreenivasulu Setty Appointed as Managing Director of SBI: The government has appointed Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the Managing Director (MD) of the State Bank of India (SBI) for a period of three years, from the date of his taking over the charge of the post or until further orders. Setty is currently serving as the deputy managing director of the SBI. As per the SBI Act, the bank can have four managing directors. The other three MDs of the SBI include: Parveen Kumar Gupta, Dinesh Kumar Khara and Arijit Basu

Note: Rajnish Kumar is the Chairman of the State Bank of India.

2. ICICI Bank introduces cardless cash withdrawal facility through ATMs: ICICI Bank has come out with an innovative method to withdraw cash from ATM machines without debit card. The private lender has introduced 'Cardless Cash Withdrawal' facility which enables customers to withdraw cash through an app. “Cardless Cash Withdrawal” service can be used for cash withdrawal having a per day transaction limit of Rs 20,000. An ICICI customer can withdraw cash from over 15,000 ATMs of the bank by raising a request on 'iMobile'-its mobile banking application. The service can be used for self-withdrawal when customers do not wish to carry the debit card.

Note: MD & CEO of ICICI Bank: Sandeep Bakhshi; Headquarters: Mumbai.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. Priya Prakash wins Cisco Youth Leadership Award 2019: The founder and CEO of India based HealthSetGo, Priya Prakash, has won the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award for 2019. The award was given for her school health program that provides healthcare support to children. The prestigious award honours an individual aged 18 – 30 who is bringing about a positive change in the world by solving some of its biggest global challenges. The award includes a USD 250,000 prize paid to the individual’s organisation to which the individual contributes, to further their mission of accelerating global problem-solving.

Note: HealthSetGo is a healthcare organisation that supports the UN’s (United Nation) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to improve the health & lives of children. HealthSetGo in a span of 4 years has become India’s largest healthcare organisation for schools.

2. President Ramnath Kovind Presents 14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards: The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the 14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (RNG awards) in New Delhi. RNG awards are one the most prestigious awards in India in the field of journalism, held annually since 2006. The 12th edition was held in 2017. These are awarded to honour journalists across the country from print, broadcast and digital media who have maintained the highest standards of their profession and, despite immense challenges, produced work that sustains public trust in the media and impacts the lives of people.

Note: The award is named after Ramnath Goenka, who was an Indian newspaper publisher and founder of “The Indian Express” and Indian Express Group.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Indian cricketer Man Mohan Sood passes away: Former Test batsman and National selector Man Mohan Sood passed away at the age of 80. Sood played one Test and 39 first-class matches with one century in his cricket career. Sood made his first class debut against Services in 1957 and played his final Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir in 1964. His lone Test appearance came against Richie Benaud-led Australia at Madras in 1960 when India lost by an innings and 55 runs.

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.