Daily GK Updates - 13th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO begins preparations for setting up 3rd rocket Launchpad: Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has begun preparatory works for setting up a 3rd rocket launchpad in the small coastal hamlet of Kulashekhrapattinam in the Thuthukudi district of Tamil Nadu. At present, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has two launch pads at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The demand for additional launch pads has arisen as a result of the increase in the number of satellite launches from India, both for domestic and international customers.

Note: ISRO Director: K. Sivan; Headquarters: Bengaluru; Established: 1969.

2. National Tribal Dance Festival to be held in Raipur: A three-day National Tribal Dance Festival will be held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh (from 27 to 29 December 2019). Nearly 1,400 artists belonging to 151 art troupes from 23 states and guest artists from six countries including Sri Lanka, Belarus, Uganda and Bangladesh will participate in the three-day programme. There are 4 different categories of dance for the competition: (1) Marriage and other rituals; (2) Traditional Festivals and Rituals; (3) Harvesting and Agriculture; (4) Other different types of dance performed in Chhattisgarh

Note: Chhattisgarh CM: Bhupesh Baghel; Governor: Anusuiya Uikey.

3. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approves Disha Bill 2019: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approves the A.P. Disha Bill, 2019 (A.P. Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2019) paving the way for awarding the death penalty for the offences of rape and gang-rape and expediting the verdict in trials of such cases to 21 days. The Cabinet also gave its nod for introduction of the AP Special Court for Specified Offences against Women and Children Bill, 2019, for dealing with offences against women and children, including rape and gang-rape, acid attacks, stalking, voyeurism, sexual harassment and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Now, Andhra Pradesh will become the first state in India to give death sentences in rape cases if this bill is passed in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. There is no provision in the law of the country to give the death penalty to the rape accused.

Note: Andhra Pradesh CM: YS Jaganmohan Reddy; Governor: BiswaBhusanHarichandan.

4. Puducherry government unveils start-up policy: The Puducherry government unveiled a start-up policy. The policy, launched by Minister for Industries M.O.H.F Shahjahan, aims to create a corpus fund of ₹10 crores to support the setting up of start-up incubators and to develop co-working spaces. The department plans to provide a grant of Rs. 3 lakhs to projects recommended by incubators established by the government/private sector/academic institutions as a start-up grant. The committee of experts constituted by the government under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Committee will approve of the projects and monitor their progress.

Note: Lt. Governors Puducherry: Dr Kiran Bedi.

5. Nation pays tributes to martyrs of 2001 Parliament terror attacks: Nation pays rich tributes to the martyrs today who laid down their lives in defence of the Parliament of India during the terrorist attack on this day in 2001. President, Vice President, Prime Minister several other Ministers and Members of Parliament paid floral tributes to the martyrs at the plaque in Parliament House.Blood Donation Camp was also organised in the Parliament premises to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs.

Note: On this day (13 December 2001), two persons from the Parliament Security Service of the Rajya Sabha, five Delhi Police Personnel and a woman constable of the Central Reserve Police Force, laid down their lives while preventing the entry of terrorists inside the Parliament House Building. A gardener of CPWD also lost his life in the attack.

6. Inner Line Permit regime extended to Manipur: The Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime has been extended to Manipur. President Ram Nath Kovind signed an order in this regard. Manipur is the fourth state after Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram where the ILP regime has been made applicable. To visit the ILP-regime states, outsiders, including people from other states of the country, need to take permission.

Note: Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.

7. ShrikantMadhav Vaidya to be new Chairman of IOC: ShrikantMadhav Vaidya (56-years) has been appointed as the chairman of the country’s largest commercial enterprise Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) for just over three years. Mr. Vaidya will replace Sanjiv Singh who retires as Chairman of the company at the end of June next year. Mr. Vaidya is at present the director of Refineries at the IOCL. Mr. Vaidya will be first screened by anti-corruption bodies CVC and CBI before his candidature is put before the Cabinet Committee on Appointments headed by Prime Minister for approval.

Note: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is an Indian state government-owned oil and gas company headquartered in New Delhi. IOC (including its group companies) is the country's top refiner with a group refining capacity of 80.7 million tonnes per annum or 161.4 million barrels per day.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Seminar on Climate Smart Farming Systems begins in New Delhi: The ‘International Seminar on Climate Smart Farming Systems’ for BIMSTEC countries began in New Delhi. The objective of this International Seminar is to have experience sharing to enable improvement of tropical smallholder farming systems for greater productivity and resilience to climate change through ecological approaches. Some of the success stories shall be shared as case studies for the benefit of the BIMSTEC countries.

Note: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member states ‘Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.  This sub-regional organisation came into being on June 6, 1997, through the Bangkok Declaration.

2. Mongla and Chattogram declared as Ports of Call under the “Coastal Shipping Agreement’: The Ministry of Shipping (MoS) announced that Mongla and Chattogram (Both in Bangladesh) have been declared as Ports of Call under “Coastal Shipping Agreement” between India & Bangladesh.The Port of Mongla is declared as Port of Call under PIWT&T (Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade ) and Chattogram port is not part of PIWT&T.An MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), agreement and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the use of Chattogram Port &Mongla Ports for goods movement between India and Bangladesh has been signed between both the nations.The Ports of Call in India are Kolkata (West Bengal), Haldia (West Bengal), Pandu, Karimganj (Assam), Silghat (Assam), Dhubri (Assam).

Note: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Shipping: Mansukh L. Mandaviya.

3. Saudi Aramco becomes most valuable listed company in history: Saudi Aramco has secured its position as the most valuable listed company in history after investor appetite for the world’s biggest fossil fuel producer pushed its market value to USD 1.9tn on its first day of trade. The world’s biggest contributor to the climate crisis had been valued at more than Apple and Facebook – previously the world’s most valuable and fifth-most valuable companies respectively – combined. It is also twice the size of Amazon and Google's parent company, and bigger than the next five listed oil companies put together.

4. Nirmala Sitharaman 34th among world’s 100 most powerful women: Forbes: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been ranked 34th by Forbes in ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’. HCL Corporation CEO and Executive Director RoshniNadar Malhotra and Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw are two other Indians who also featured in the above list. The Forbes 2019 list of ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ has been topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde in the 2nd spot and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, ranked 3rd. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also featured on the list on the 29th position.

Sr. No.	Name	Country
1	Angela Merkel	Germany
2	Christine Lagarde	France
3	Nancy Pelosi	United States
4	Ursula von der Leyen	Belgium
5	Mary Barra	United States
6	Melinda Gates	United States
7	Abigail Johnson	United States
8	Ana Patricia Botín	Spain
9	Ginni Rometty	United States
10	Marillyn Hewson	United States
34	Nirmala Sitharaman	India
54	RoshniNadar Malhotra	India
65	Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw	India
100	Greta Thunberg	Sweden

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Rohit Sharma becomes brand ambassador of La Liga in India: Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma has been named as the Brand Ambassador of La Liga in India. With this, star cricketer Rohit Sharma has become the first non-footballer in the world to be named one of La Liga’s global ambassadors. La Liga is the top professional football division of the Spanish football league system. The top tier of Spanish club football has been ramping up its fan base in India through a series of initiatives. These initiatives includes grassroot development programme like La Liga Football Schools and a digital broadcast deal with Facebook.

Note: A brand ambassador is a person who is hired by an organization or company to represent a brand in a positive light and by doing so help to increase brand awareness and sales.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Gurgaon-based startup won ‘Space Oscar’ award: The Gurugram-based startup blue Sky Analytics has created an application called ‘Zuri’ that won the Copernicus Masters Award also called Space Oscars, under the Social Entrepreneurship category.The award was given by the Earth observation program managed by the European Commission (EU) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).The application uses satellite data to provide improved monitoring, supply chain and pricing analysis as well as the allocation of crop waste to be used as raw materials in other industries.The application includes an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based tool to measure and monitor farm fires and stubble burning across India, million tons of crops are being burnt in India on farms to clear the field for new crops every winter, as a result releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases which have led to increased level of pollution in New Delhi and other parts of the country.

2. Rani Rampal, Saurabh Chaudhary Win Top Honours at FICCI India Sports Awards: Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and Asian Games gold medalist shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won the Sports Person of the Year awards at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019. The FICCI India Sports Awards are an attempt by FICCI to acknowledge and recognise the contribution of sportspersons and various stakeholders who deliver excellent results throughout the year. The awards ceremony was held at the FICCI Federation House, in New Delhi.

Rani played a crucial role in India’s qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, scoring the winning goal in the two-legged qualifier against the US in November.   Saurabh, on the other hand, is touted as India’s biggest hope for a medal in shooting in Tokyo. He won gold at the 2018 Asian Games and has since won a number of individual and team honours at shooting World Cups.

Note: FICCI stands for Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Headquarters of FICCI: New Delhi; FICCI established: 1927.

DEFENCE

1. INDRA 2019: India, Russia conducts a joint military exercise: The bilateral military exercise between India and Russia ‘INDRA 2019’ started at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune and Goa.This military exercise is being held under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) aimed at combating terrorism and insurgency.The objective of this exercise is to enhance the coordination of the two armies in maintaining peace and security under the aegis of the United Nations.

Daily GK Updates - 12th December, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) passed by the Rajya Sabha: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) passed by the Rajya Sabha. As many as 125 lawmakers voted in the favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and 99 against it. Now, The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will go to the President for his assent. Earlier, the citizenship bill passed by the Lok Sabha with a majority of 311 votes against 80.

Know about Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill proposes to grant citizenship to the non-Muslims Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhist, Jains and Parsis -- from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Earlier, the duration of the immigrants' residency was 11 years. The amended bill has reduced it to five years. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would not apply to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the area covered under the Inner Limit notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873

2. Workshop on Bamboo cultivation to be held in Jammu: In Jammu and Kashmir, a first of its kind workshop on Bamboo cultivation will be held on 19th and 20 of this month in Jammu. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the exhibition. The workshop will focus on the promotion of Bamboo cultivation in the potential Kandi areas of Jammu and its value addition as an economic activity and generate entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.

Note: Lieutenant (Lt) Governors of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K): Girish Chandra Murmu.

3. ASI has identified 138 monuments as “Must See” monuments in country: Archaeological Survey of India has identified 138 numbers of monuments as Must-See Monuments and information thereof is made available on “Must See” portal of Archaeological Survey of India. There are 38 World Heritage Sites in India, out of which 22 Cultural Sites including monuments/ buildings and caves are under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India. The ‘Must See’ list of ASI features first-class Indian monuments and archaeological sites including those that feature on UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)World Heritage List. Such monuments and sites showcase exceptionality in terms of art and architecture, planning and design.

Note: Archaeological Survey of India founder: Alexander Cunningham; Founded: 1871; Headquarters: New Delhi.

4. Salman Khan appointed as the brand ambassador of Pepsi: Food and beverage company PepsiCo has appointed Bollywood actor Salman Khan as brand ambassador for its flagship Pepsi brand in India. The commercial will be launched in 2020 and will take up the “SWAG” themed campaign which was launched in the summer of 2019. Brand Pepsi will base its summer 2020 campaign on Salman Khan’s upcoming movie “Dabangg-3”. Previously Salman Khan was the brand ambassador of Pepsico’s rival company Coca-Cola’s popular ThumsUp and also as the brand ambassador of Parle Agro-backed soft drink Appy Fizz. Previously, He also endorsed PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew drink.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s First commercial electric plane takes flight in Canada: The world’s first fully-electric commercial aircraft took its inaugural test flight, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and flying for 15 minutes. A 62-year-old six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane re-fitted with a fully electric 750 horsepower motor was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air, a British Columbia-based charter airline that transport passengers between Vancouver. MagniX designed the motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air which ferries thousands of people a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands.

Note: Canada Capital: Ottawa; Currency: Canadian dollar; Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau.

2. US, Mexico, Canada sign USMCA trade deal: The representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada inked a revamped version of their regional trade pact after months of negotiations. Now, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will go to the countries' legislatures for final approval. The accord is meant to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal in place since 1994.

3. Switzerland to be the country partner of BioAsia 2020: Switzerland will be the country partner at the 17th edition of BioAsia2020 scheduled to be held from February 17-19, 2020 with the theme “Today For Tomorrow” in Hyderabad, Telangana. Switzerland is making innovations in the world of medical healthcare and that many pharmaceutical companies have emerged as the center of Switzerland. While the city of Hyderabad has become a hub in the field of health tech and will be introduced to the Switzerland Health Tech Ecosystem through the Bio Asia Summit.

Note: Switzerland Capital: Bern; Currency: Swiss franc.

4. International Day of Neutrality: 12 December: International Day of Neutrality is a United Nations observance held on December 12 each year. In international law, a neutral country is a sovereign state that abstains from all participation in a war between other states and maintains an attitude of impartiality toward the belligerents. The belligerents, in their turn, recognize this abstention and impartiality. A permanently neutral power is bound to be neutral in all future wars.

Note: It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in February 2017 and first observed on December 12 of the same year. The rights and duties of a neutral country are defined in the Hague Convention of 1907.

5. International Universal Health Coverage Day: 12 December: International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) is celebrated globally on 12 December. It aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners. The theme for the 2019 UHC Day is “Keep the promise”. Each year on 12 December, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, champion what we have achieved so far, call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and encourage diverse groups to make commitments to help move the world closer to UHC by 2030.

Note: In 2017 the United Nations proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day by resolution 72/138.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. PUMA signs Sunil Chhetri as brand ambassador: German multinational brand PUMA has announced Sunil Chhetri as its new brand ambassador for three -years. With this deal, Chhetri has joined the brand’s roster of global players like Antoine Griezmann, Romelu Lukaku, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero among others. Sunil Chhetri is the captain of the Indian national football team and Bengaluru Football Club. Currently, Chhetri is the second-highest goal-scorer in international football after Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Sunil Chhetri was also conferred with the Arjuna award in 2011 and Padma Shri in 2019.

2. G S Lakshmi becomes first woman Referee in Men’s ODI match: Former Indian Cricketer Gandikota Sarva Lakshmi (51-years) has become the first woman referee in the Men’s ODI (One Day International) match held in Sharjah Cricket Stadium, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She will oversee the third series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2. The opening match of the competition will take place between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Lakshmi was appointed as the first woman in the ICC (International Cricket Council) International Panel of Match Referees in May 2019. Gandikota Sarva Lakshmi has overseen three women’s ODI matches, 16 men’s T20 Internationals and seven women’s T20 Internationals.

Note: A match referee's responsibility is to ensure that the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct is upheld during the game, to assess any breaches of the Code, and to hand out penalties for any breaches.

3. Sports Minister announces cash awards to SAG medalists: Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has announced a cash reward of 1.5 lakh rupees each for the 174 gold medallists of the South Asian Games held in Nepal. The silver winners will receive one lakh rupees and bronze winners 50,000 rupees each. The South Asian Games concluded with India topping the table winning 312 medals (174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze) medals. The Union government will have a structured cash reward policy for medallists in South Asian Games, like other multi-sporting events like the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Dhanlaxmi Bank's Board appoints V Viswanathan as additional director: V Viswanathan has been appointed as an Additional Director on the Board of Dhanlaxmi Bank. Viswanathan retired as Chief General Manager of State Bank of Hyderabad in 2017. Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd is an old private sector bank headquartered in Thrissur City, Kerala, India.

2. ADB lowers India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.1% in FY20: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered its forecast for India’s economic growth in fiscal year 2019-20 to 5.1%. ADB has stated that the consumption was affected by slow job growth and rural distress was aggravated by poor harvest.

Note: Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines; President: Takehiko Nakao.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Dell Technologies, UNESCO tie up to boost quality of education:

Dell Technologies announced a new partnership with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace) to enable school teachers to adopt technology in classrooms by using ICT tools. The information and communication technology (ICT) tools have been developed by Dell Aarambh and FramerSpace platform. The partnership would enable achieving the UN Sustainable Goal 4.7 towards education for building peaceful and sustainable societies and also UNESCO MGIEP in its mission of building social and emotional learning, innovative digital pedagogies and empowering youth.

Note: UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay.

2. Xiaomi launches service “Mi Credit” in India for Android phones: Xiaomi has formally launched its lending platform “Mi Credit” in India for Android phones. According to platform “Mi Credit” individuals can avail up to Rs 1 lakh loan. The company is planning to introduce more financial products in India. The company has been operating Mi Credit platform on a pilot basis. Xiaomi has roped in Aditya Birla Finance Ltd, Money View, EarlySalary, Zestmoney and CreditVidya as the current lending partners for Mi Credit service. Mi Credit app will come pre-loaded on all MIUI phones, and can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Climate activist ‘Greta Thunberg’ wins Time Person of the Year 2019: Swedish climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg (16-years) has been named Time Magazine's youngest ever Person of the Year. Greta Thunberg is known for her blunt addresses to world leaders. She is the youngest individual ever named Time Person of the Year. Earlier this year, Thunberg had been nominated for a Nobel peace prize 2019, recognised for her mobilisation of students in her "Fridays for Future" weekly school strikes.

Note: Times Person of the Year (called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999) is an annual issue of the United States news magazine Time. It features and profiles a person, a group, an idea, or an object that ‘for better or for worse’ has done the most to influence the events of the year".

2. Odisha wins ‘World Habitat Award’ for OLHM- Jaga Mission: Odisha won the ‘World Habitat Award’ for Jaga Mission (Odisha Livable Habitat Mission (OLHM) a slum land titling project executed for the benefit of millions of urban-poor people living in slums. The Jaga is a society under Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD), Government of Odisha. The OLHM-JAGA aims at transforming the slums into livable habitats and under which 52,682 urban poor families living in the slums have been granted land rights certificate. The Jaga mission (started on 7th May 2018) is being executed by the State Government in association with Tata Trusts and Norman Foster Foundation.

Note: The award was given by the World Habitat, a UK (United Kingdom) based organization which gives the award annually to recognize innovative housing projects around the world. The award is conferred to any two projects around the world.

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

DEFENCE

1. International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’: The 4th edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ started at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Development Enclave, New Delhi (12-13 Dec 2019). The two-day event will provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas, create awareness and identify emerging prospects for Indian/International defence industry in the domain of Naval Weapon Systems. The theme of this day is to “Make in India - Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives”.

Note: NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country to invite all the stakeholders in life cycle management of Naval Weapons.

Chief of the Naval Staff: Karambir Singh.

OBITUARIES

1. Former US Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker passes away: The former US Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker passed away. He was appointed as the chief of the US Federal Reserve in 1979. He was popularly known for fighting inflation by raising interest rates. He was a legendary figure in American finance.