Daily GK Updates - 24th July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt to Install Solar projects of 40,000 MW by 2022:  The government has set a target for the installation of Rooftop Solar projects of 40,000 MegaWatt by 2022 in the country. The projects include installation of solar panels on the rooftop of houses. It is estimated that 1.5 million units per MegaWatt per year are generated from solar rooftop plants.

Note: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy: Raj Kumar Singh.

2. JATAN: Virtual Museum software for Digitization of Archaeological Museum: JATAN: Virtual Museum software has been developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group, C-DAC, Pune, Maharashtra for the Digitization of Archaeological Museum. JATAN is used for creating digital collections in various museums and digital archival tools that are used in background for managing National Portal.

Note: Director General of ASI: Usha Sharma.

3. CBDT celebrates Aaykar Diwas 2019: 24 July: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) celebrates the 159th Income Tax Day (Aaykar Diwas) on 24th July. On 24th July 1860, Income Tax was introduced for the first time in India by Sir James Wilson to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the first war of independence against British Rule.

Note: Chairman of CBDT: Pramod Chandra Mody.

4. SC extends the deadline for NRC publication to 31st August: The Supreme Court (SC) bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman has extended the deadline for publication of final National Register of Citizens, (NRC) in Assam by a month (from 31st July to 31st August). The Apex Court rejected the pleas seeking permission for 20 per cent sample re-verification. The Centre and the Assam government sought permission for sample re-verification to find out wrongful inclusions and exclusions of persons in the NRC. Both the governments had told the top court earlier that India cannot be the refugee capital of the world and sought an extension of its deadline of July 31st to complete the Assam NRC.

Note: The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens (first prepared in 1951). The 1951 NRC list has been updated for Assam, which has had a longstanding foreigner problem, to remove out illegal migrants and save further inflow.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New India-UK scheme to fund students from the UK to visit India: A new India-UK bilateral pilot scheme has been launched to support Britain's universities to collaborate with Indian partners to send UK students to India during their studies.The “UKEIRI Mobility Programme: Study in India”, an initiative of Universities UK International (UUKI) and British Council India. It aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities to visit India by March 2021. The Study in India programme will support national and institutional-level objectives to increase the levels of outward student mobility from the UK to 13 per cent by 2020. The programme will be funded by the UK and Indian governments as part of Phase 3 of the UK-India Education Research Initiative (UKEIRI) and delivered by the British Council, Universities UK International and EdCIL in India.

2. Mark Esper appointed as Pentagon chief: The U.S. Senate confirmed former soldier Mark Esper as Secretary of Defence. Esper replaces Patrick Shanahan, who led the military in an acting capacity but this week withdrew his name from consideration for a permanent role after allegations of domestic violence. Earlier, Mark Esper served as acting secretary of defence and was the 23rd United States Secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019.

Note: The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, ‘Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The Pentagon is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

3. Plastic-like Jute material developed in Bangladesh: Scientists in Bangladesh have developed a method to convert Jute fibre into low cost bio-degradable cellulose sheets named "Sonali".   The Eco-friendly jute poly bags made up of Sonali can be used in garments and food packaging work and they are not harmful for human health.

4. Non Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting held in Venezuela: The Non Aligned movement ministerial meeting was held in Caracas, Venezuela.  The ministerial meeting brought together 120 member nations as well as 7 observer countries, 10 multilateral international organisations including the United Nations (UN), and 14 specially invited nations. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddn represented India in the meeting.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Abhay, Tanvi win Bengal Open squash titles: Abhay Singh (Tamil Nadu) and Tanvi Khanna (Asian Games medallist) clinched the men's and women's titles respectively in the sixth Bengal Open squash tournament in Kolkata. Singh defeated top seed Abhishek Pradhan 11-6 11-6 11-4, while Tanvi fought her way past Tamil Nadu's Aparajitha Balamurukan 11-7 11-6 5-11 13-11. Earlier, the under-15 category witnessed a thrilling battle with fifth-seeded Tamil Nadu girl Shameena Riaz upsetting top seed Soniya Bajaj from Maharashtra 9-11 11-7 11-5 7-11 11-8. Daughter of former India hockey captain Mohammed Riaz, Shameena recently won the U-15 title at the Goregaon Sports Club All India Squash Open in Mumbai. 

Note: President of Squash Rackets Federation of India: Debendranath Sarangi.

2. Ehsan Mani named chief of ICC committee: Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman Ehsan Mani has been appointed as the head of the ICC’s influential Finance and Commercial Affairs committee. The F&CA assists the ICC  in discharging its responsibilities in relation to all financial and commercial matters.

Note: Chairman of ICC : Shashank Manohar; Headquarter of ICC: Dubai, UAE.

3. Dejan Papic appointed as India's table tennis coach: The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has appointed the Canadian Dejan Papic as the head coach of the Indian table tennis team. He has signed a one-year contract and will be the in charge through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Note: President of TTFI: Dushyant Chautala.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI names Kanungo to run monetary policy portfolio: Reserve Bank of India has assigned deputy governor B.P. Kanungo to run the monetary policy portfolio and forecasting department. After the exit of Viral Acharya, Kanungo has become the 6th member of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee. Now, all the three deputy governors N S Vishwanathan, B P Kanungo and M K Jain have been made responsible for 12 departments each.

Note: Governor of RBI: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

           

2. NPCI ties up with JCB for global RuPay card: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and JCB International have launched RuPay JCB Global Cards. RuPay JCB Global Cards can be used at all point of sales terminals which accept RuPay cards and terminals outside India which accept JCB.

None: CEO of NPCI:  Dilip Asbe; Established in: 2008; CEO of JCB International: Takao Kawanishi; Established in: 1961.

3. IMF lowers India’s growth outlook for FY20: The International Monetary Fund has lowered its annual growth forecast for India from 7.3% to 7% in financial year 2019-20. The IMF's stance reflects a weaker-than-expected outlook for domestic demand.

Note: Acting MD of IMF: David Lipton; Headquarters: Washington DC, USA.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Reliance becomes highest-ranked Indian firm on Fortune Global 500 list: Mukesh Ambani-led 'Reliance Industries' has jumped 42 places to become the highest-ranking Indian firm on the Fortune Global 500 list. US giant Walmart continues to top the Fortune 500 list followed by Chinese state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec Group, which moved one rank up. Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell was ranked third followed by China National Petroleum and State Grid. This year, ranked 106, Reliance Industries (RIL) has replaced IOC (117) as the top-ranked Indian company on the Global 500 list. RIL's revenue soared 32.1 per cent from USD 62.3 billion in 2018 to USD 82.3 billion in 2019.    ONGC has moved up 37 places to 160th rank on the global list, while SBI lost 20 places to 236th rank.

DEFENCE

1. India to launch first-ever space war exercise 'IndSpaceEx': The Indian armed forces are all set to conduct the country’s first-ever simulated space warfare exercise “IndSpaceEx”.  This excercise will lead to an assessment of the “imminent threats” in the expanse beyond earth and the drafting of a joint space doctrine for futuristic battles. Ministry of Defence will organize exercise with all three forces together.

Note: Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.

OBITUARIES 

1. Former Chinese premier Li Peng passes away: Former Chinese premier and chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, Li Peng passed away. He was also known as the "Butcher of Beijing" for his role in the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Note: China Capital: Beijing; Currency: Renminbi.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SC Garg led panel's report on legality of cryptocurrencies and blockchain: "Inter-Ministerial Committee" on legality of cryptocurrencies and blockchain has submitted its report to the Finance Ministry. The Committee recommends that: All private cryptocurrencies, except any cryptocurrency issued by the state, be banned in India. It has also drafted a law, the ‘Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’, which mandates a fine and imprisonment of up to 10 years for offences. The committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg in 2017.

2. Andhra Pradesh first state to reserve 75% private jobs for locals: Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to reserve jobs for locals. The Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed the Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act, 2019. Industries/Factories Act, 2019 reserves 75% private jobs across all categories in industrial units, factories, joint ventures as well as the project that are in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

Note: Andhra Pradesh CM: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Governor:  Biswabhusan Harichandan.

3. National Broadcasting day: 23 July: India celebrates 23 July every year as the “National Broadcasting day”. On this day in 1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the country went on the air from the Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company. On 8th of June, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio. Currently, AIR is one of the largest public broadcasting organisations in the world.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to give scholarships to heirs of Muktijodhas: Government of India will provide 10,000 scholarships for heirs of the liberation war fighters of Bangladesh called 'Muktijodhas' over the next five years under the Nutan India-Bangladesh Maitree Muktijodha Sontan Scholarship Scheme.
Note: PM of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina; Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka.

2. Boris Johnson announced as Britain’s next prime minister: Boris Johnson will replace Theresa May as Britain’s next Prime Minister. Boris Johnson, who was the face of the 2016 Brexit referendum, won the votes of 92,153 members of the Conservative party. Queen Elizabeth will formally appoint Johnson before he will enter Downing Street.

3. NASA to send “first woman and next man” on Moon in 2024: U.S. space agency NASA prepares to send “first woman and next man” on Moon as part of its ambitious Artemis programme in 2024. NASA has marked the 50th anniversary of the historic first Moon landing.

Note: Headquarters of NASA: Washington DC USA; Founded: 29 July 1958; Administrator of NASA: Jim Bridenstine.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. John Isner wins Hall of Fame Tennis Championships: American tennis player John Isner wins Hall of Fame Tennis Championships title in Newport, Rhode Island.  This was his 4th Hall of Fame Tennis Championships title. He defeated Alexander Bublik in straight sets by 7-6, 6-3 at the grass-court event.

2. Sanjivani Yadav handed two-year suspension for a doping violation: India's long-distance runner Sanjivani Yadav (23-year) has been handed a two-year suspension by the IAAF's Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a doping violation. Sanjivani won the 10,000m bronze at the 2019 Asian Championships and 5000m bronze in the 2017 edition. According to International federation's body for combating doping, the athlete admitted to her first violation resulting in disqualification all past results since June 29, 2018. The suspension period also commenced from June 29, 2018. Sanjivani Yadav had failed a dope test in November 2018 when her sample taken during the National Inter-State Athletics Championships was found to contain Probenecid, a masking agent.

Note: India's National Anti-Doping body NADA has the right to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. FDI inflow registered a growth of 79% during the last 6 years: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow has increased during the last six years from 36.05 billion US Dollars in 2013-14 to 64.38 billion US Dollars in 2018-19, registering a growth of 79 per cent. According to commerce ministry sources, it has been the endeavour of the government to put in place an enabling and investor-friendly FDI policy. The intent is to make the FDI policy more investor-friendly and remove the policy bottlenecks that have been hindering investment inflow into the country.

Note: FDI net inflows are the value of inward direct investment made by non-resident investors in the reporting economy. FDI net outflows are the value of outward direct investment made by the residents of the reporting economy to external economies.

2. LIC offers Rs 1.25 trillion by 2024 for highway projects: According to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Insurance giant LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) has agreed to offer Rs 1.25 trillion lines of credit by 2024, to fund highway projects. The fund will be a part of innovative modes of financing to meet India's huge infrastructure appetite. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry been looking to harness various sources of finances including pension and insurance funds. The fund will be provided for the timely execution of the Rs 8.41 trillion ambitious Bharatmala project that aims to lay a grid of highways pan-India.

Note: Chairman of LIC: M R Kumar; Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways: Nitin Jairam Gadkari.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. L&T Tech to partner UTC for Collins Aerospace: L&T Technology Services has been selected as a strategic partner by United Technologies Corporation for Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of UTC. Collins Aerospace is one of the leading providers of intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industries. L&T Technology Services has been a long-standing engineering partner for UTC.

Note: CEO of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd: Sanjay Jalona.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Keshav Dutt, Prasun Banerjee to be honoured with Mohun Bagan Ratna: Mohan Bagan club to confer awards in Various Disciplines. The Awardees are: Mohan Bagan Ratan: Keshav Dutt (Hockey); Mohan Bagan Ratan: Captain Prasun Banerjee (Football); Club felicitates Indian Peacer: Mohammed Shami (Cricket); Lifetime Achievement award: Ashok Chatterjee (Football); Best Football Player for the season 2018-19: Arijit Bagui (Football). Dutt will be the first sportsperson from outside the football fraternity to be bestowed with the Ratna. This is also the first time that there will be 2 Mohun Bagan Ratna recipients.

Note: On July 29 Mohun Bagan Club celebrates the 'Mohun Bagan Day'; Mohun Bagan Club Established in: 1889; President of Mohun Bagan Club: Mr. Gitanath Ganguly.

DEFENCE

1. Indian Navy commissions fifth Dornier Aircraft Squadron: The Indian Navy commissioned its new Dornier Aircraft Squadron in Chennai. This is Indian Navy's 5th Dornier Aircraft squadron. The Dornier squadron under Eastern Naval Command would strengthen Indian Navy’s efforts in maintaining constant surveillanceand safe guarding maritime interests in the eastern seaboard of India.

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

2. M.M. Naravane to be next Vice-Chief of Army Staff: Lieutenant-General M.M. Naravane, has been appointed as the next Vice-Chief of the Army Staff. He will replace Lt. Gen. D. Anbu. He is currently serving as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Command. 

Note: Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

OBITUARIES 

1. Australian tennis champion Peter McNamara passes away: Australia's tennis champion Peter McNamara (64-years) passed away after a quiet battle with cancer in Germany. Peter McNamara won three doubles Grand Slam titles and became a prominent coach after hanging up his racquet. McNamara won five singles titles and 19 in doubles and teamed up with compatriot Paul McNamee to win the Australian Open doubles in 1979 and Wimbledon twice in 1980 and 1982.

2. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano passes away: Former Japanese diplomat and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano (72-years) passed away. Amano, who had wide experience in disarmament, non-proliferation diplomacy and nuclear energy, had been chief of the key U.N. agency that regulates nuclear issues worldwide since 2009. He was deeply involved in the years-long negotiations that led to the landmark Iran nuclear deal with world powers that restricted the country’s nuclear uranium enrichment.As Head of the IAEA, Amano also dealt with the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India's Moon Mission ‘Chandrayaan-2’ launched from Sriharikota: India's landmark mission to the moon ‘Chandrayaan-2’ has been launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan-2 onboard the heavy-lift rocket Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle GSLV-MkIII-M1 (nicknamed Baahubali). The lander-Vikram will land near South Pole of the moon on Sep 7, 2019. The total cost of the mission is worked out to be 978 crore rupees. Chandrayaan-2 carried 13 scientific satellites (weighs about 3.8 tonnes), explore the southern part of the Moon. The flight duration of Chandrayaan-2 from the earth to the moon has been reduced (due to the delay in the launch) from 54 days to 48 days by tweaking the flight path.

Note: ‘Chandrayaan-2’ would make India the 4th country to soft-land on the Moon, a feat achieved only by the space agency’s of the US, USSR, and China. It will have three modules — Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) & Rover (Pragyan).

2. Rajya Sabha MP D Raja appointed as CPI General Secy: Rajya Sabha MP (from Tamil Nadu) D Raja (70-years) has been appointed as the General Secretary of CPI (Communist Party of India). Raja was unanimously chosen as S Sudhakar Reddy’s successor at a three-day meeting of the CPI National Council, the top decision-making body of the party, earlier this week.

Note: The Communist Party of India (CPI) (formed - 26th December 1925) is the oldest communist party in India. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) separated from the CPI in 1964 following an ideological rift between China and the Soviet Union, continues to claim having been founded in 1925.

3. Rajnath Singh Inaugurates two bridges Ujh and Basantar in J&K: Under the Project ‘Sampark’, The Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the two strategically important bridges in Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu & Kashmir for smooth mobility of security forces in the border areas. The Ujh Bridge (1000- meter) was inaugurated in Kathua district and Basantar Bridge (617.40-meter) in samba district.

Note: On January 1, 1965, Project Sampark was launched to develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure of Armed Forces in Border Areas of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

4. A new e-challan system, e-payment gateway launched for use of Delhi Traffic Police: Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has launched the new e-challan system and the e-payment gateway for the use of Delhi Traffic Police. The E-challan devices are enabled with active GPS where the challan officer and the violator, both can be logged and tracked to a particular geo-location. This is an important tool for evidence to establish the credibility of the prosecution. The payment gateway will help the citizens with the flexibility to log in securely at their convenience and settle the pending violation notices with proof of payment. It also ensures that the citizen interface with police improves and becomes more transparent.

5. Lucknow to host DefExpo 2020: Lucknow will host the 11th biennial edition of DefExpo from February 5 to 8, 2020. The focus of the Expo will be on "Digital transformation of defence". The main theme of DefExpo India-2020 will be “India: the emerging defence manufacturing hub”.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Telangana govt, WEF Centre set to send medical supplies via drones: Telangana Government and the World Economic Forum's Centrefor the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network announced that they are set to launch an innovative project to deliver emergency medical supplies such as blood and vaccines via drones. This pilot project, called Medicine from the Sky, will run in partnership with the State Government and HealthNet Global Limited.

Note: CM of Telangana: K Chandrashekhar Rao; Capital of Telangana: Hyderabad; Governor of Telangana: ESL Narasimhan.

2. 5th International Police Expo 2019, New Delhi: The International Police Expo 2019, focused on everything related topolice forces, their welfare and fitness, also showcases the latest equipment required for safety and protection of society. Over 25 countries are showcasing advanced firearms, combat or armoured vehicles a plethora of disruptive technologies in cyber security, drones, homeland security, and safety and rescue at this Expo at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi.

Note: The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) headquater: Lyon, France.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Vivek Kohli elected chairman of Commonwealth TT Federation: India’s Vivek Kohli and M.P. Singh have been elected as chairman and secretary-general respectively of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF). Vivek Kohli defeated incumbent Alan Ransome (England) by securing 16 votes more than him. MP Singh (secretary-general at Table Tennis Federation of India) was unanimously elected as secretary-general of CTTF. The CTTF president’s post is already held by Dushyant Chautala(TTFI chief). It is for the first time that all three positions in CTTF are held by Indians.

2. Adam Peaty breaks 57 seconds barrier & 100m breaststroke world record: The Britain swimmer Adam Peaty has break the world record in themen’s 100 metre breaststroke at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. He smashed the previous record of 57.10 seconds that was set by him at last year’s European Championships, after winning the semi finals in 56.88 seconds. Adam Peaty has now swum the event 1.4 seconds faster than anyone else in history.

3. First Indian boxer to win gold at President’s Cup:  Shiva Thapa became India’s first gold-medallist at the President’s Cup boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the finals in Astana, Kazakhstan. Making his international debut in the newly-introduced Olympic category of 63kg. Thapa was to fight Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin in the summit clash.

Note: Kazakhstan PM: Askar Mamin; Capital: Nur-Sultan; Currency: Kazakhstani Tenge.

4. Shooting Junior World Cup: Aishwarya Pratap Singh clinches gold: Shooting Junior World Cup, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar clinched gold with a junior world record in the final of rifle 3-position event in Suhl Germany. India finished the ISSF tournament on top of the table with 10 gold, nine silver and five bronze for a total of 24 medals.

5. Manny Pacquiao wins WBA welterweight title: Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao claimed the WBA welterweight championship after scoring a split-decision win against Keith Thurman. He ended the American Keith Thurman's undefeated run at the MGM Grand, where two judges had the fight 115-112 in favour of the 40-year-old Pacquiao.

6. Shane Lowry wins British Open: Irishman Shane Lowry wins British Open to claim his first major golfing title at Royal Portrush. He became the 2nd player from the Republic of Ireland, after Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008, to lift the Claret Jug.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. India's forex reserves fall by USD 1.113 bn to USD 428.797 bn: India's foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 1.113 billion to USD 428.797 billion in the week to July 12 - the first fall after four consecutive weeks of gains - due to a fall in foreign currency assets. According to the latest weekly RBI data, foreign currency assets, which are a major component of the overall reserves, slipped by USD 1.11 billion to USD 399.697 billion. The central bank said that despite an ongoing massive rally in gold prices, the country's gold reserves remained unchanged at USD 24.304 billion. It stated that the Special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund fell by USD 1.2 million to USD 1.450 billion. The country's reserve position with the fund also declined by USD 1.5 million to USD 3.345 billion.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Vocalist S Sowmya wins Sangita Kalanidhi award: Vocalist S. Sowmya has been chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy. She will preside over the 93rd annual conference of the Academy. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry and Indian music and obtained a doctorate from the University of Madras. The Sangita Kalanidhi and other music awards will be conferred on the awardees at the Sadas of Music festival, on January 1, 2020.

OBITUARIES 

1. Former BJP Delhi President Mange Ram Garg passes away: Former BJP Delhi President, MLA and senior Sangh Associate Mange Ram Garg (83-years) passed away at Sri Balaji Action Hospital, North Delhi. He played a pivotal role in strengthening BJP in Delhi. Garg represented the Wazirpur Assembly constituency in the national capital between 2003 and 2008.

Daily GK Updates - 21st July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Chandrayaan-2 moon mission to take off on July 22 at 2.43 pm: ISRO: India’s second mission to the Moon ‘Chandrayaan-2’ will now lift off at 2.43 pm on July 22 with scientists resolving the technical glitch in GSLV-MkIII-M1 rocket that led to the aborting of the launch three days ago. Chandrayaan-2 was originally scheduled to take off in the first week of January but was rescheduled for 2.50 am on July 15. It was again postponed after a technical snag was observed in the rocket GSLV Mk-III, which is the most powerful and heaviest rocket of Isro.

Note: ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Founder: Vikram Sarabhai, Founded: 15 August 1969

2. Kerala to set up India’s first space tech park in Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will set up the country’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram’s Knowledge City. The move is aimed at making the city a manufacturing hub for space-related technology. A space museum named after former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam will also be a part of the infrastructure. The state government has issued orders to allot the land required for the facility. This will be an added attraction. The entire investment will be made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Note: Kerala Capital: Thiruvananthapuram, Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

3. Amit Shah to head panel on Air India sale: Home Minister Amit Shah will head a reconstituted group of ministers (GoM) on Air India disinvestment and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been dropped from the panel, sources said. The panel, which is to work out modalities for the sale of Air India, will now have four Ministers: Mr. Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Note: The panel: Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) was first set up in June 2017.

4. Anandiben Patel Replaces Ram Naik as UP Governor, 5 Others Transferred: In a major rejig, Madhya Pradesh Governor and former Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel has been transferred and appointed as the new Governor of Uttar Pradesh after the Centre appointed six new Governors in MP, UP, West Bengal, Bihar, Nagaland and Tripura. Senior Supreme Court advocate Jagdeep Dhankhar was appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal, replacing Keshari Nath Tripathi. BJP member Ramesh Bais has been appointed as the Governor of Tripura, replacing Kaptan Singh Solanki. Lal Ji Tandon, who is at present the Governor of Bihar, has been transferred and appointed as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh. Tandon replaces Anandiben who has now got the charge of Uttar Pradesh, while Phagu Chauhan has been appointed as the Governor of Bihar and RN Ravi has been appointed as the Governor of Nagaland.

State	New Governors
Madhya Pradesh	Lal Ji Tandon
Uttar Pradesh	Anandi Ben Patel
Bihar	Phagu Chauhan
West Bengal	Jagdeep Dhankhar
Tripura	Ramesh Bais
Nagaland	RN Ravi
Andhra Pradesh	Biswa Bushan
Chhattisgarh	Anusuiya Uikey
Gujrat	Achrya Devrat
Himachal Pradesh	Kalraj Mishra

5. Ajay Bhadoo appointed as Joint Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Shri Ajay Bhadoo, IAS (GJ:1999) as Joint Secretary to the President for a tenure co-terminus with the President. Vadodara Municipal Commissioner (VMC) Ajay Bhadoo has been deputed as the Joint Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, making way for a change of guard at the VMC. Bhadoo has been the municipal commissioner of Vadodara since July 2018 and is also the chairman of the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahubecame the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel.He overthrew the record set by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father and first leader. Netanyahu has spent 4,876 days, more than 13 years, in office as on 20 July, 2019. Netanyahu is the Israel's youngest-ever Prime Minister as won his first election in 1996, at the age of 46.

Note: Israel President: Reuven Rivlin, Capital: Jerusalem, Currency: New shekel (ILS)

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Golden Girl’, Hima Das bags fifth gold medal of the month: Making a sensational comeback to her favourite event, Hima Das won her fifth gold of the month in the 400-metre race at the Czech Republic. The 19-year-old athlete, whose season-best before the win was 52.88 seconds, recorded her best timing: 52.09 seconds, in the 400-metre event. In her first competitive 200m race of the year, the 19-year-old Assam runner had clocked 23.65 seconds on her way to gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland on July 2. After that, she won her second 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet, also in Poland, on July 7 with a time of 23.97 seconds. On July 13, she won her third 200m gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic with a time of 23.43. What really got everyone talking was how she improved her time with every win.

2. Indonesia Open final to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi won: Star badminton player P.V. Sindhu had to be content with a runner-up finish at the Indonesia Open after losing the title clash in straight games to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, in Jakarta. Sindhu lost the final of the BWF Tour Super 1000 tournament 15-21 16-21 to the fourth seed. The Olympic silver medallist had come into the contest with a favourable 10-4 head-to-head record against the Japanese.

Note: Indonesia Capital: Jakarta, Currency: Indonesian rupiah, President- Joko Widodo

3. Indian bodybuilder Ravinder Malik clinches Mr South Asia title: Indian bodybuilder Ravinder Kumar Malik has clinched Mr. South Asia title. He has crowned the overall champion at 12th South Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship in Kathmanduon. Malik, the winner of 80 kg category, was adjudged best bodybuilder among the winners of nine senior men’s weight categories. Afghanistan won team championship by securing a top position with 535 points. Host Nepal finished second with 445 points, while India remained third with 380 points.

4. Delhi’s Prithu becomes India’s 64th Grandmaster: Delhi’s Prithu Gupta has become India’s 64th Grandmaster, crossing the Elo threshold of 2500 points after beating IM Lev Yankelevich in the fifth round of the Portuguese League 2019. Gupta, who picked up the sport as a nine-year-old, has achieved the sensational feat at the age of 15 years, 4 months and 10 days. His achievement came 31 years after Viswanathan Anand had become India’s first Grandmaster.

OBITUARIES

1. LJP MP Ram Chandra Paswan passes away: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP from Bihar’s Samastipur Ram Chandra Paswan died on Sunday afternoon following a brief illness. He was 57. Ram Chandra Paswan, the younger brother of Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, passed away at 1.24 p.m. at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here. He was admitted to the hospital last week after suffering a heart attack.

Daily GK Updates - 20th July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Culture Minister inaugurates architectural illumination of Safdarjung Tomb: Culture Minister has inaugurated the architectural illumination of the historic Safdarjung Tomb in New Delhi. A total of 213 technologically advanced LED lights have been used to highlight the 17th century monument. The consumption of LED lights is approximately 62 percent less than conventional light fixtures. Archaeological Survey of India has taken up the project to illuminate the important monuments of Delhi to highlight the archaeological magnificence of historical monuments.

Note: Minister of State (Independent Charge): Prahlad Singh Patel.

2. Vivek Kumar appointed as private secretary to PM Modi: Indian Foreign Service officer Vivek Kumar (IFS officer-2004 batch) has been appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Currently, Mr Kumar is working as the Director in the Prime Minister's Office. Mr Kumar's appointment will come into effect from the day of the assumption of charge.

3. Commerce and Industry Minister to launch Global Innovation Index: Commerce and Industry Minister will launch the Global Innovation Index (GII) on 24th July 2019 in New Delhi. The launch of GII will reveal the innovation rankings of economies. Theme for 2019: Evaluating the Medical Innovation Scenario of the Next Decade. The GII has been a charter for assessing the innovation capabilities of national economies worldwide.

Note: Commerce and Industry Minister: Piyush Goyal.

4. Haryana government, NSE sign pact for growth of MSMEs: National Stock Exchange (NSE) has signed a pact with the Haryana government to help boost the growth of MSME sector in the state. As per the memorandum of understanding, NSE will support the Haryana government in enhancing the financing opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state, through listing on NSE's SME exchange platform, NSE Emerge.

5. Kerala will host Women Startup Summit 2019: The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is hosting the Women Startup Summit on August 1. The summit will be hosted in association with the Indian Women Network floated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at the Integrated Startup Complex, Kochi. Successful women leaders, startup founders, policymakers and women entrepreneurs will participate in the summit. The theme of this summit is ‘Developing an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem’. About 20 women startups shortlisted from the “She Loves Tech” national grand challenge will be showcased in the summit.

6. Tamil Nadu carves out two new districts taking total number to 35: The Tamil Nadu government has announced the creation of two new districts in the state, taking the total number of districts to 35. Tenkasi District would be carved out of Tirunelveli. Chengalpet District would be carved by splitting Kanchipuram district.

7. WB govt to sign MoU with British Council to brush up spoken English skills of polytechnic students: The West Bengal government has decided to sign an MoU with the British Council for brushing up the English-Speaking skills of the students studying in Polytechnic Colleges in the state. The move is aimed to improve English speaking capacity for job seekers students. According to Technical Education Department sources, an enquiry to assess job readiness of students was conducted recently and communication in English was found as a major hurdle.

At present, there are 148 Polytechnic Colleges across the state.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Upender Singh Rawat named India's next Ambassador to Panama: IFS officer Upender Singh Rawat has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Panama. He will succeed Ravi Thapar.

Note: Capital of Panam: Panama City; Currency: Panamanian Balboa.

2. Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed as India's Ambassador to Israel: Senior diplomat Sanjeev Kumar Singla has been appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to Israel.  Earlier he was serving as Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister of India. He will replace Pavan Kapoor, who assumed charge as the Ambassador to Israel in 2016.

Note: Israel Capital: Jerusalem; Currency: Israeli new shekel.

3. International Chess Day : 20 July: The International Chess Day is celebrated annually on July 20, the day the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded. The idea to celebrate this day as the international chess day was proposed by UNESCO, and it has been celebrated as such since 1966, after it was established by FIDE. FIDE, which has 181 chess federations as its members, organizes chess events and competitions around the world on this day. As recently as 2013, the international chess day was celebrated in 178 countries.

Note: International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded in 1924.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Indian Men & Women's teams win Commonwealth Table Tennis title: India has made a record by winning gold in both men’s and women’s category of the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship taking place in Odisha. The Indian men's team won the final match defeating England 3-2. The Indian women's team defeated England 3-0 in final match to won the gold for the first time in the history of the commonwealth games.

Note: Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal.

2. North Korea wins Intercontinental Cup title: North Korea wins the 2nd edition of Intercontinental Cup football tournament. North Korea beats Tajikistan in the finals held in Ahmedabad. North Korea, Tajikistan, India and Syria participated in the event.

3. Sports Minister launches AIFF Golden Baby Leagues Handbook: Sports Minister has launched the All India Football Federation’s Golden Baby Leagues handbook 2019-20. The launch marked the renaming of the ‘AIFF Baby Leagues’ to ‘AIFF Golden Baby Leagues’, with emphasis being laid for ages under 6 to under 12 both for girls and boys. The handbook is a guide to help the stakeholder to organize the Golden Baby League.

Note:  Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports: Kiren Rijiju.

4. India’s mixed relay silver at Asiad set to be upgraded to gold: India is in line to get the Asian Games gold in 4x400 mixed relay event held in Jakarta 2018, as Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain was handed a 4 year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for failing a dope test.  India’s mixed relay team of Muhammed Anas, Hima Das, Arokia Rajiv and M. R. Poovamma had won the silver in the event at the Asian Games 2018. Kemi Adekoya had also won the 400m hurdles gold at the Asian Games with India’s Anu Raghavan finishing fourth. Hence, Anu Raghavan is in line for the bronze medal.

Note: 19th Asian Games are to be held in Hangzhou, China (2022).

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. NABARD to raise Rs 60,000 crore via non-convertible debentures in 2019-20: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will raise long-term funds of Rs 60,000 crore through nonconvertible debentures in the current financial year 2019-20. The own requirement of funds for NABARD is assessed at Rs 30,000 crore. The remaining Rs 30,000 crore will be for the Centre to cover the shortfall in various schemes in rural development and sanitation in FY20. NABARD has already raised Rs 11,000 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Note: Chairman of NABARD- Harsh Bhanwala.

2. No changes made in ITR forms after 1st April 2019: CBDT: According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) official statement, no changes have been made in any of the Income-tax Return (ITR) forms since the notification made on 1st April 2019. There were reports in social media that the taxpayers were facing difficulties in filing return of income in ITR-2 and ITR-3 due to large scale changes in the ITR form. The software utility is a dynamic process and is continuously taken up as per the feedback received from the filers to ease their experience in electronic filing of returns. 

DEFENCE

1. India, China to carry out major military exercise ‘Hand in Hand’: India and China will carry out a major military exercise called ‘Hand-in-Hand’ in December, 2019. The exercise will take place at Umroi, Meghalaya. It will be based on counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Note: Capital of China: Beijing; Currency: Renminbi.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit passes away: Former Delhi Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Shiela Dikshit (81 years) passed away at Escorts Fortis hospital in Delhi. She was suffering from a heart ailment for a long time. Dikshit served at the Chief Minister of Delhi for a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013. Presently, she was holding the office of Delhi Congress president.