Daily updates 14 October 2019

National

1. 10th National Cultural Festival begins in Madhya Pradesh

• 10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of Culture from 14th to 21st of October under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' campaign in Madhya Pradesh.
• The National Cultural festival will display diverse forms of folk, art and culture of 22 states. The concept of National Cultural Festival was conceived in the year 2015.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism: Prahlad Singh Patel.

Ranks and Reports

2. PM Modi becomes most followed leader on Instagram

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the most-followed elected world leader on photo-sharing app Instagram.
• He is ahead of US President Donald Trump, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and former president Barack Obama.
• With 30 million followers, PM Modi leads the list of world leaders on Instagram, with Joko Widodo coming in a close second with 25.6 million followers on the popular app.
• Barack Obama comes in third with 24.8 million followers while, Donald Trump, trails behind with 14.9 million followers.

Awards

3. The Nobel Prize in Economics 2019

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Economics 2019.
• The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2019 was awarded jointly to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."
• Indian-born Abhijit Banerjee is an American citizen while Esther Duflo is French-American.
• Michael Kremer is also from the US. Abhijit Banerjee, 58, was born in India and has a PhD from Harvard University.
• He is a Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

4. Chandi Prasad Bhatt to get Indira Gandhi award for national integration

• The 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the years 2017 and 2018 will be awarded to the pioneer of the Chipko Movement Chandi Prasad Bhatt for his services in promoting and preserving the national integration.
• He is a Ramon Magsaysay award recipient for the year 1982. He was also awarded Padma Shri in 1986, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Gandhi Peace prize in 2013.
• The award consists of a citation and cash of Rs 10 lakh to be given to the awardee by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on October 31, the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Banking

5. Life Insurance Council plan to launch life insurance industry’s first joint mass media campaign ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’

• Life Insurance Council has decided to launch the Indian life insurance industry’s first joint mass media campaign with the slogan ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’.
• The slogan will encourage Indian households to opt for adequate life insurance cover as the fundamental necessity in their lives.
• The life insurance council’s campaign represents joint efforts of all 24 Indian life insurance companies who are working towards creating a common narrative aimed at increasing life insurance awareness in the country.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Chairman of Life Insurance Council: M.R. Kumar; Headquarters: Mumbai.

Appointments

6. K Satish Reddy appointed Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance president

• K Satish Reddy, Chairman of Dr Reddy’s has been appointed as President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) for 2019-2021.
• Rajesh Jain, Managing Director of Panacea Biotec Limited, will continue as the Vice President.
• K Satish Reddy, the past president of IPA (2013-2015), played a major role in shaping policies concerning the pharmaceutical sector and the economy.

7. Mastercard India elevates Vikas Varma to COO

• Mastercard India, payment technology major, elevated Vikas Varma as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the firm. He will lead initiatives related to new partnerships and the development of digital payments solutions in the country.
• Recently, Mastercard announced an investment of USD 1 billion (around Rs 7,100 crore) over the next five years in India.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Mastercard Founded: 1966;  Headquarters: New York, US.

Defence

8. 2nd edition of Indo-Japan joint military exercise “Dharma Guardian 2019” to be held in Mizoram

• The 2nd joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian-2019’ to promote military cooperation between India and Japan will be held in Mizoram from 19 Oct to 02 Nov 2019.
• Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained during various Counter-Terrorism Operations in respective Countries.
• The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation between the Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) which in turn will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

9. 10th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar 2019‘ begins in Seattle, US

• The 10th edition of the joint military exercise 'Vajra Prahar 2019' between India and the US will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle, US.
• 'Vajra Prahar' is a Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US. Last year, the exercise had taken place in Jaipur.
• These exercises will enable the sharing of best practices and experience in areas such as joint mission planning capabilities and operational tactics.
• Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important aspect of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between India and the US.

Important Days

10. World Standards Day: 14 October

• World Standards Day (or International Standards Day) is celebrated internationally each year on 14 October.
• The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the global economy.
• 2019 theme: Video standards create a global stage

Sports

11. Manju Rani wins silver medal in World Women's Boxing C'ships

• Manju Rani settled for silver medal in World Women's Boxing Championships at Ulan-Ude in Russia. Russian Ekaterina Paltceva defeated Rani 4 -1 in the 48-kilogram category in the final match of the tournament.

12. Lakshya Sen wins maiden BWF World Tour title

• Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched his maiden BWF World Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men's singles at Almere in the Netherlands.
• He rallied from a game deficit to defeat Yusuke Onodera of Japan 15-21, 21-14, 21-15 in a final.

Obituaries

13. Alexei Leonov, the first human to walk in space passes away

• Alexei Leonov, the first human to walk in space passed away. He was the legendary Soviet cosmonaut who became the first human to walk in space 54 years ago.
• During this mission, on 18 March 1965, Leonov exited the spacecraft and walked for 12 minutes and 9 seconds.

14. First female head of Nobel's Literature Award Body, Sara Danius passes away

• First female head of Nobel's Literature Award Body, Sara Danius passed away.
• She was a literature critic, professor and writer, served as the first female permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy between 2015 and 2018.

Books and Authors

15. Bill Gates book on climate change to be released in 2020

• The founder of Microsoft Corporation and American philanthropist Bill Gates’ new book titled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” will be released on June 2020.
• It will be published by UK-based Allen Lane publishers. The book is about climate change and the possible solutions to prevent an environmental crisis.

Miscellaneous

16. PM Modi launches commemorative stamp to honour Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp in honour of Marshal of the Indian Air Force late Arjan Singh.
• He served as the Chief of Air Staff from August 1964 to July 1969. Government of India designated him as the Marshal of the Air Force in January 2002. He remains the only officer of the IAF to be given a Five-Star rank.
• Arjan Singh is an icon of Indian military history and the best remembered for providing excellent leadership to a young IAF during the 1965 war.
• Even after retirement, he continued to serve in various positions including India's Ambassador to several countries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• IAF Founded: 8 October 1932; IAF Headquarters: New Delhi.
• IAF Motto: Touch the sky with glory.

17. Pope Francis elevates Indian nun Mariam Thresia to sainthood

• Indian nun Mariam Thresia from Kerala and four other nuns were declared Saints by Pope Francis at a grand ceremony at the Vatican City.
• The other four nuns are English Cardinal John Henry Newman, Swiss laywoman Marguerite Bays, Brazilian Sister Dulce Lopes and Italian Sister Giuseppina Vannini.
• Mariam Thresia, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family in Thrissur in May 1914, was raised to the highest position within the centuries-old institution during the ceremony at the St Peter's Square.