Daily updates 6 February 2020

National Current Affairs

1. Atal Innovation Mission starts "series of innovation demo days"

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has begin a series of innovation demo days. The series aims to unite the stakeholders of the food processing and agriculture sector in India. The innovation demo days will act as a platform where start-ups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), entrepreneurs, corporate partners and sector academics are brought together to be spectator of government-funded innovations.

2. Union Cabinet clears the setting up of Major Port at Vadhavan

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its in-principle approval for setting up a new Major Port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra. The new Major Port will be established on the basis of land lord model. The projected cost of the Vadhavan Port is over Rs 65,000 crore. For the implementation of the project, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed along the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) which will act as the lead partner with equity participation of 50% or more.

3. 5 IIITs to get the status of Institution of National Importance

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved to bestow the status of Institution of National Importance to the five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). The status will be provided with the inception of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The bill will provide the status of Institutions of National Importance to the remaining five IIITs along with the existing 15 IIITs in PPP mode. The 5 IIITs in PPP mode includes IIITs in Bhopal, Raichur, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Surat.

International Current Affairs

4. Donald Trump acquitted of all impeachment charges by US Senate

The United States President Donald Trump has been acquitted of all impeachment charges. The US Senate has acquitted President Trump on two articles of impeachment that are the abuse of power and obstruction to Congress. The Republican-majority Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Capital of the United States, the Washington, D.C.
• The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its territories.

5. Romania's pro-EU government falls after 3 months

Romania's pro-European government collapsed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after only 3 months in office. A total of 261 of 465 MPs voted in favour of a motion against the minority government led by Ludovic Orban.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of Romania: Klaus Iohannis.
• Currency of Romania: Romanian leu; Capital of Romania: Bucharest.

Agreements

6. Indian Oil & Phinergy to jointly make metal-air batteries in India

Indian Oil has picked up a minority equity stake in Israel’s battery developer Phinergy to jointly set up a facility in India to manufacture metal-air batteries for electric vehicles. This collaboration helps in the field of Al-Air battery system including research & development, customization, manufacturing, assembly, sale and service of aluminium-air energy systems technology.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC): Sanjiv Singh.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) founded: 30 June 1959.
• Headquarters of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC): New Delhi.

7. Eastern Railways partners with Amazon India to set up kiosk

Eastern Railways has partnered with Amazon India to set up a pick-up kiosk at the Sealdah railway station in Kolkata, West Bengal. This follows after the successful pilot of pickup kiosks in four railway stations across Mumbai in 2019. A kiosk is a small open-fronted hut or cubicle from where newspapers, refreshments, tickets, etc will be sold.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Governor of West Bengal: Jagdeep Dhankhar.
• Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee.
• Capital of West Bengal: Kolkata.

Defence

8. Prime Minister of India sets target at DefExpo of 5 billion dollar USD in upcoming 5 years

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi has stated that NDA government set a defense export target of 5 billion dollars in the upcoming five years. The export of defense equipment from India was about 2,000 crore rupees. In the past 2 years, it has gone up to 17,000 crore rupees.

Important Takeaways for upcoming competitive Exams-

• Rajnath Singh is the Union defense minister of India.
• Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.
• General Bipin Rawat is the current Chief of Defence Staff of India.

9. HAL & Israel Aerospace Industries to jointly make armed UCAVs

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the 1st time, will sign a partnership pact with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This pact is signed for manufacture advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) in India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Founded: 1940(As Hindustan Aircraft) &1964 (Renamed
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka.
• Chairman and managing director of HAL: R Madhavan.
• Israel Aerospace Industries Headquarters: Lod, Israel.
• Israel Aerospace Industries CEO and President: Nimrod Shefer.
• Israel Aerospace Industries Founded: 1953.

Banking

10. DICGC increases the insurance coverage for depositors to 5 lakh

Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) increases the insurance coverage for depositors in all insured banks from Rs 1 lakh to 5 lakh with effect from February 4, 2020, with the approval of Government of India. The rate of premium payable by the insured banks will be raised from 10 paise per Rs 100 of assessable deposits to 12 paise per Rs100 of assessable deposits per annum.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chairman of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation: B.P.Kanungo.
• B.P. Kanungo is the Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
• Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) came into existence on July 15, 1978.
• The Head Office of the Corporation is at Mumbai.

11. Union Cabinet Approves Amendments to Banking Regulation Act to regulate co-operative banks

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Banking Regulation Act to empower India's Central Bank (Reserve Bank of India) to have better control over urban co-operative banks and multi-state cooperative banks. These amendments will apply to the urban co-operative banks and multi-state cooperative banks. In present, cooperative banks are governed by dual control of cooperative societies as well as the Reserve Bank of India. While the role of cooperative society includes incorporation, registration, management, recovery, audit, supersession of board of directors and liquidation, the central bank’s role is responsible for regulatory functions.

Important Takeaways for upcoming Competitive Exams
i. The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 is legislation in India that regulates all banking firms.
ii. Shaktikanta Das is the 25th governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

Business

12. Reliance General launches health insurance plan “Infinity”

Reliance General Insurance Company Limited has launched a comprehensive health insurance plan named “Reliance Health Infinity”. The policy offers 90 days pre and 180 days post hospitalization cover, along with sum insured ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 1 crore, and free restore benefits.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Reliance General Insurance headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Reliance General Insurance ED and CEO: Rakesh Jain.
• Reliance General Insurance founded: 17 August 2000.

Economy

13. RBI's 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy 2019-20 released: RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 5.15%

The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee has released its 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy 2019-20. The Reserve Bank of India's MPC has decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged to 5.15%. The MPC has also decided to maintain the accommodative stance of monetary policy to revive growth, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target.

The key decisions taken in the 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting are:

• The repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) left unchanged to 5.15%.
• The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands same i.e. 4.90%.
• The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate also remains same i.e. 5.40%.
• RBI has increased the real GDP growth for fiscal year 2020-21 from 5% to 6%.

14. Fitch forecasts India’s GDP growth at 5.6% for Financial Year 2021

Fitch Ratings has estimated India’s GDP growth of 5.6% in the next FY21 in its India Economic Outlook. This forecast is lower than the projection made by the government's Economic Survey. For the current fiscal 2019-20 (FY 20), GDP is projected at 4.6%. Fitch has also estimated that in the fiscal year 2022, government debt will remain 70% of total GDP.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• CEO of Fitch Ratings: Paul Taylor.
• President of Fitch Ratings: Ian Linnell.
• Headquarters of Fitch Ratings: New York, USA.

Sports

15. Weightlifter Sambo Lapung wins gold with national record of 188kg

Weightlifter Sambo Lapung has won the gold medal in the men’s 89kg event of the National Weightlifting Championships held in Kolkata. He has made a new national record of 188kg in clean and jerk event in men’s 89kg. The previous national record of clean and jerk was of 187kg. Sambo Lapung is from Arunachal Pradesh.

In the women's event, Rakhi Halder has won the gold medal in the 64kg event.

Obituaries

16. Former Assam Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi passes away

Former Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker and sitting Congress MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Pranab Kumar Gogoi passed away. He was first elected as Legislator from the Assam Legislative Assembly from Sivasagar, Assam for 4 consecutive terms. He also served as minister in Tarun Gogoi-led cabinet from 2006-2011 and speaker of the Assam legislative assembly in 2011. In 2015, Pranab Kumar took the definition of the term ‘Assamese’.

Important Days

17. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: 6 February

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female is observed globally on 6 February. This day is sponsored by the United Nations for their efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation. It was first introduced in 2003. 2020 Theme: Unleashing Youth Power

Miscellaneous

18. Sourav Ganguly to be Indian team’s Goodwill Ambassador for Tokyo Olympics

The Indian Olympic Association has invited BCCI President Sourav Ganguly to become the Goodwill Ambassador of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics. The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 24 to August 9.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of Indian Olympic Association: Narinder Dhruv Batra.
• Headquarters of Indian Olympic Association: New Delhi.

19. To fight novel coronavirus World Health Organisation calls for USD 675 million

Geneva-based WHO has called for 675 million US dollars in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus. This announcement was made by the Director-General of WHO Tedros Adhanom in Geneva. They are launching a strategic preparedness and response plan and requesting 675 million dollars to fund the plan for the next three months. 60 million US dollars of the funds would be for WHO operations while the remainder would go to countries requiring assistance to guard against the deadly virus.

World Health Organisation was sending 500,000 masks and 40,000 respirators to 24 countries from its warehouses in Dubai and Accra. Director-General of WHO also hailed a 100 million dollar donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced earlier.

History of Sourav Ganguly

 

Regarded as one of India’s most successful captains in modern times, Sourav Ganguly will be best remembered for his elegant cricketing style and vast contribution to cricket in India in a career spanning around 15 long years. He was not only India's most successful overseas Test captain, but also ensured he infuse an unknown term in Indian cricket - aggression. The 2003 World Cup final would always be his biggest achievement where most of the critics did not give India much chance.

The “Prince of Kolkata” went on to become one of the greatest ODI batsmen of all time, although his career halted at intervals. He became an effective Test captain, carving a bunch of young and talented players into a winning unit. His stroke play was a combination of grace and precision, and his domination on the off-side masked him as the “God of off side”. While his critics opined that he was unable to face bouncers, others were amazed by his marvelous ability to galvanize the field on the off side with crystal clear precision. Together with Sachin Tendulkar, he formed one of the most damaging opening pairs in ODI cricket history. However, he was always under the hammer for his lack of fitness and athleticism.

“Dada” as he is fondly known, took over as the captain of the Indian team at a time when the game of cricket was disrupted with match-fixing allegations in 2000. Ganguly emerged as a tough, able and an adamant leader, who took his team to miraculous heights, winning Test matches away from home. India continued to be on the winning streak right till the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup finals. Soon after, his career saw a downfall as the loss of his personal form coincided with India’s bland ODI performances and a new leader arrived in the form of Rahul Dravid. A fallout with Greg Chappell, the coach he himself suggested to the BCCI resulted and it looked like that was it. Surprisingly, he made a splendid comeback after being axed from captaincy and continued his prolific scoring in Test cricket. The “Maharaja” finally retired from international cricket in 2008 after playing his last Test against Australia at home.

 

Post retirement, Ganguly continued to play cricket for his state team, Bengal and also signed up with Kolkata in 2008 for the Indian T20 League. He represented the franchise till 2010, but was, shockingly left out of the 2011 auctions as none of the franchises bid for him; until Pune signed him in place of an injured Ashish Nehra. The following year, he led his franchise in absence of regular skipper Yuvraj Singh, and also became the mentor of his team. Dada soon took to commentary as well. He still remains an integral part of Indian cricket, serving as a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee.

 

Ganguly holds a special place in Indian cricket history. For a specific time period in his playing days he was at once the most hated and most loved player in the team. His captaincy tenure has got to be one of the most chronicled ones in recent times. More than his proficiency on the off side, his prolific partnership with Sachin in ODIs, his run in with Greg Chappell etc it is his role as a captain in shaping up a young team for which he is most remembered. He took over at a tumultuous time in the wake of the match fixing saga and, along with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, forged a team that was formidable at home and more than competitive overseas. His relationship with John Wright, India's first foreign coach proved to be the catalyst for India's admirable show in away tours. Ganguly emphasised on the need to be fearless and he led by example in this aspect. His ability to get under the skins of the opposition was built up over time and his brash attitude earned him quite a few call ups into the match referee’s cabin but Ganguly was steadfast and believed that the attitude helped India move forward. His actions were backed with performances on the field too. He finished his career as India's most successful captain and led India to a World Cup final too in 2003.

 

For all his success as captain his batting form took a turn for the worse during his time as captain. Ganguly burst into collective memory in 1996 with back-to-back Test hundreds in England. Subsequently he started to open the innings along with Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs. The duo formed what was arguably the most dangerous opening partnerships in ODI cricket history but his success in the shorter format did not translate in an equal measure in tests. Ganguly was worked over by the bowlers in the longer format and his deficiency against short pitched bowling was something that was picked up by bowlers and captains the world over. This was just the beginning of his problems though.

 

In 2005 Greg Chappell took over as India's coach from John Wright. The relationship between the two strongly opinionated people cracked as time went by. It came out into the open when Chappell's dismissive mail to the BCCI criticising the then captain's ability to lead the side was leaked to the media. A hurt Ganguly threatened to leave the tour midway and had to be pacified by the senior members of the team to continue on with the tour. His poor batting form did not help his cause either and Ganguly had very little public support. He had not scored a ton in more than two years. The long drawn drama ended when Ganguly was finally dropped from the national team and Rahul Dravid was named as his successor. He continued to be on and off in the team for a while but failed to cement his place. He got another chance on the tour to South Africa in 2006 after he was recalled to add some experience to a team that had faced a humiliating exit in the just concluded Champions trophy.

Relieved off the pressure of captaincy and coming back after a while Ganguly was hungry for runs that could restore his reputation. He went about his batting in an uncharacteristically calm manner and ended up as the highest run scorer in the series. He found his mojo in the ODIs too and his prolific run scoring in 2007 earned him a place in the highest run-getters of 2007 just behind Jacques Kallis. His ODI performances were on an upswing too after earning a Man of the series award against Sri Lanka. This was also the year when Ganguly recorded his career best of 239 against Pakistan in a Test in Bangalore. These performances however failed to earn him a spot in the CB series in Australia in 2008 when the selectors opted for a young team with an eye on the future. His form dipped once again as he failed to produce the big scores in a series against Sri Lanka and questions were raised once more regarding his inclusion for Australia's tour. Ganguly answered the questions by choosing to retire immediately after the Australia series. He was given an emotional farewell with the captain MS Dhoni handing him over the reins for a while in the fag end of his last Test in Nagpur in 2008.

 

Ganguly retains his magnetic ability to attract attention much like his playing days when things like him waving his shirt on the Lord's balcony, his coming late for the toss etc grabbed headlines. He has also taken a new avatar as a TV analyst and commentator but he remained an active player in the domestic circuit even three years after his retirement and played both in the Ranji trophy and the IPL with sporadic success until 2012.

The Government of West Bengal honoured Ganguly with the Banga Bibhushan Award on 20 May 2013. He was also awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in India, in 2004.

Daily updates 23 October 2019

National

1. Indian Railways install Electronic Interlocking System on Grand Chord route

• Indian Railways has installed the most advanced Electronic Interlocking System on the Grand Chord route.
• The measure is expected to help Indian Railways speed up trains and achieve the objective of reducing the travel time between Delhi and Howrah to about 12 hours from the existing 17 to 19 hours.
• Grand Chord is part of the Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line and Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line.
• The new Electronic system has replaced outdated 65-year old mechanical signalling system at Tundla Junction in Uttar Pradesh on the route.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal.

2. IIM Kozhikode & MRPL to support women entrepreneurs

• IIM Kozhikode and Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd. have announced a special drive Labelled as "La Eve (meaning The Woman)" to support women entrepreneurs in the country.
• The initiative aims to identify innovative, promising women-founded start-ups to provide a comprehensive start-up support programme. The initiative would be steered by the institute's entrepreneurship development centre, Laboratory for Innovation, Venturing and Entrepreneurship or IIMK LIVE.
• Under the drive "La Eve" IIMK LIVE would identify women-founded, innovation-led start ups and provide incubation that would provide access to the institutes intellectual, network and infrastructural resources. MRPL would provide seed fund assistance from the start funding initiative under start-up India Program.

States News

3. No govt. jobs in Assam for people with more than two children

• The State Cabinet of Assam has decided to make government jobs out of bounds for people with more than 2 children.
• The policy will come into effect from January 1, 2021.
• The Cabinet also adopted a new land policy that will make the landless indigenous people eligible for 3 bighas (43,200 sq. ft.) of land for farming and half a bigha for constructing a house. The beneficiary will be able to sell the given land only after 15 years of use.

Agreements

4. AYUSH, Defence ministries ink MoU to provide traditional medicine services

• The AYUSH ministry has signed an MoU with the Defence Ministry to provide traditional medicine services at the armed forces’ hospitals and dispensaries.
• Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik inaugurated an Ayurveda Palliative Care Unit at the Base Hospital in the Delhi Cantonment.
• Under the MoU, Ayurveda units will also be established at palliative care centres at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, Air Force Hospital, Hindon in Ghaziabad and five identified ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics in Delhi–NCR.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Union Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.

5. Grasim partenered with German's MR to produce insulators

• Grasim Industries Limited has signed a definitive agreement to form a joint venture company in India with Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH (MR) of Germany.
• The joint venture is for the manufacturing and sale of Composite Hollow Core Insulators to serve the power transmission and distribution (T&D) industry globally.
• This joint venture will bring together Aditya Birla Insulators (a unit of Grasim) and Reinhausen Power Composites (a unit of MR).
• ABPCL will build a fully integrated CHCI plant at Halol, bringing the latest technology for Composite Hollow Insulators from Europe.
• It will serve the insulator requirements of Indian and global OEMs in the power equipment industry.

Appointment

6. Ashok Malik appointed as Policy Advisor in MEA

• Ashok Malik has been appointed as the Policy Advisor in the External Affairs Ministry in the rank of Additional Secretary.
• The Distinguished Fellow of the prominent think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF) will have a 2-year tenure.
• Ashok Malik has previously served as the Press Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2019.

7. Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas elected as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cabo Verde

• The Ministry of External Affairs notified that Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas (IFS:1993), presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Senegal, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cabo Verde.
• He will replace Rajeev Kumar.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Union Minister of External Affairs: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

8. Pankaj Kumar appointed as new CEO of UIDAI

• The Government of India appointed IAS officer Pankaj Kumar as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• He is currently Additional Secretary in the Ministry Of Electronics and IT.
• The UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 by the government under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, with the mandate to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), or Aadhaar, to all residents of India to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarters of UIDAI: New Delhi.

9. Sourav Ganguly take Charges as new BCCI President

• One of India's most decorated captains Sourav Ganguly takes over as the 39th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• Ganguly is the unanimous nomination for the post of BCCI President along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah as the Secretary.
• Mahim Verma of Uttarakhand is the new Vice President of BCCI.

Defence

10. DRDO starts work on ‘next-gen’ hypersonic weapon

• The Defence Research and Development (DRDO) has started work to produce hypersonic weapon missiles that travel at 5 times speed of sound, or a little over a mile every second.
• A wind tunnel to test and fine-tune the technology will be operational soon.
• Hypersonic weapons are specifically designed for increased survivability against modern ballistic missile defence systems.
• These missiles are capable of delivering conventional or nuclear payloads at speeds not imagined hiterto over long ranges.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy; Formed: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.

Summit and Conference

11. 1st India-Bangladesh Stakeholders' meet in Guwahati

• The 1st India-Bangladesh Stakeholders' meet was held in Guwahati. Bangladesh was represented by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
• India is the second-largest trading partner of Bangladesh.
• A 70-member delegation from Bangladesh is participating in the meet, while a similar top-level team will represent the host nation.
• The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the focus point of India's trade expansion with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

Ranks and Reports

12. IIT-Bombay again tops this year’s QS India University Rankings 2020

• The latest 2 edition of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) India University Rankings 2020 released.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) has again topped all Indian Institutes in the list with an overall score of 88.5 followed by IISc- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (ranked 2 with 84.7 score) & Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD),which has improved a notch to rank 3 with 82.2 scores.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Headquarters of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS): London, United Kingdom
• Founded: 1990
• Founded by Nunzio Quacquarelli, QS is a British company specialising in education.

Sports

13. Graeme Smith has been elected as MCC Honorary Life Member

• Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has been elected an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
• Smith has an impressive record in One-Day International, scoring 6,989 runs including ten centuries and also became South Africa’s youngest ever captain at 22.
• Former Australian off-spinner Tim May was also awarded Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cricket.
• The pair follows Paul Collingwood, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Johnson and Adrian Morgan in being awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC in 2019.

14. Anandan wins 2 golds at the 7th CISM World Military Games

• Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran has won 2 gold medals at the 7th CISM World Military Games held in Wuhan, China.
• He won the medal in the disabled men’s 100m and 400m IT1 events.
• Gunasekaran finished the 100m race in 12 seconds and won India’s 1st medal in the ongoing Games.
• He clinched his 2nd gold clocking 53.35s in the disabled men’s 400m IT1 event.

15. Bengal Warriors wins 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League 2019

• In the final of 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League 2019, Bengal Warriors won their first title by defeating Dabang Delhi by 39-34 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Most Valuable Player award of the League was bagged by Naveen Kumar from Dabang Delhi, Best raider to Pawan Kumar Sherawat from Bengaluru Bulls; Best defender award to U Mumba's Fazel Atrachali and New Young Player of the season to UP (Uttar Pradesh) Yoddha's Sumit.

16. 2024 Olympic Games logo unveiled in Paris

• The logo for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games unveiled at a ceremony in the French capital.
• The circular design with Paris 2024 in the art deco style which was in vogue in 1924 when Paris last hosted the Games, also incorporates the lips and outline of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic since the revolution in 1789.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of France: Emmanuel Macron; Capital: Paris; Currency: Euro, CFP Franc.

Miscellaneous

17. IRDAI imposes penalty of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has imposed penalties of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC.
• The insurer was penalised for violations observed during an inspection.
• The penalty of Rs 1 crore is for violation of Clause 15 of Schedule I of IRDA (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2013 which clearly specifies that no commission shall be payable to any intermediary on the acceptance of a ported policy.
• The other penalty of Rs 1 lakh is for motor insurance and was for violating the outsourcing guidelines by agreeing to payment terms not in the interests of the insurer.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• IRDAI Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia; Headquarters: Hyderabad.

Daily updates 18 October 2019

National

1. NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019

• NITI Aayog with Institute for Competitiveness as the knowledge partner released the India Innovation Index (III) 2019. Karnataka is the most innovative major state in India.
• Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten major states respectively.
• Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the northeastern & hill states, and union territories/city-states/small states respectively.
• Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.
• The study examines the innovation ecosystem of Indian states and union territories.
• The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing the economic growth policies for their regions.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog: Rajiv Kumar; CEO, NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.

2. Commemorative stamp on centenary of NIN released

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan released a postal stamp to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the city-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) at a function held at Indian Council of Medical Research in New Delhi.
• The postal stamp has been brought out under the ‘Corporate My Stamp’ scheme of India Posts.
• About 5,000 stamps with a face value of ₹5 each have been printed and the India Posts would print an additional 1,000 sheets for sale online at the e-post office and for display and sale at national and global philately exhibitions by the Department.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• ICMR Director: Balram Bhragava; NIN Director: R. Hemaltha.

3. NH No. 703AA in Punjab named as Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg

• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the naming of new National Highway No. 703AA as "Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg."
• The road starting from Kapurthala connecting Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in Punjab. The naming would be effective from next month.
• The decision has been taken to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• CM of Punjab: Amarinder Singh; Governor: VP Singh Badnore.

International

4. Italy set to introduce web tax on digital giants from 2020

• Italy approved a new tax on digital companies, including U.S. tech giants, as part of its 2020 draft budget on October 16.
• The levy, due to be introduced from next year, will oblige companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, to pay a 3% levy on internet transactions, according to a text of the draft budget.
• The Italian scheme is expected to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) a year.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• President: Sergio Mattarella; Prime Minister: Giuseppe Conte.
• Capital: Rome; Currency: Euro.

State News

5. Odisha's first Robot Restaurant opens in Bhubaneswar

• Odisha's smart city Bhubaneswar gets it 1st Robo Chef Restaurant in Odisha.
• The Robot Restaurant opened at the Infocity DLF tower of Bhubaneswar claims to be the first restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously developed robots, 'Champa' and 'Chameli' are engaged.
• The robots are developed at a Jaipur-based startup using SLAM technology, and It automatically navigates like humans, follows the routes and instructions.
• Not only this, after serving the food, the robots will also ask you for feedback in Odia that 'Are you happy'.
• Earlier Chennai and Bengaluru had introduced smart restaurants with robots machines imported from China.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• Utkal Divas or Odisha Day falls every year on 01st April.

6. CM Kamal Nath inaugurates "Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference"

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference started.
• Many well-known industrialists are attending this conference held in Indore.
• The event showcasing various opportunities that exist in the state in variegated sectors, including food processing, pharmaceuticals, textile and garment, warehousing and logistics, IT &ESDM, urban development and renewable energy.
• Chief Minister Kamal Nath also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

7. Tamil Nadu constitutes two panels over water disputes with Kerala

• The Tamil Nadu government constituted two committees to deal over water disputes with Kerala relating to the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) and the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project.
• Secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department (PWD) K. Manivasan would lead both the committees constituted by the State government.
• Cauvery Technical Committee chairperson R. Subramanian is also part of both the panels.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
• Governor of Tamil Nadu: Banwarilal Purohit.
• Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai.

8. Satya Pal Malik inaugurates J&K Bazar

• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has inaugurated J&K Bazar.
• J&K Bazar is a retail showroom of authentic Jammu Kashmir Handicrafts, Handlooms, Silk, Agro-based products and Restaurant serving Authentic Kashmiri Cuisine at J&K House in New Delhi.
• The newly constructed state-of-the-art showroom is for promoting J&K specific products of handicrafts and authentic cuisine.
• The newly inaugurated showroom shall cater to the people who cherish the Kashmiri handicraft and relish the traditional Kashmiri food which is now available in the heart of Delhi.
• Other handicraft products in the showroom which are on display include-Paper Mache items, carved walnut-wood items, Pashmina shawls and Kashmiri embroidery sarees.

Appointments

9. World Steel Association elected Sajjan Jindal as vice Chairman

• The World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has elected Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Steel, as Vice-Chairman of the association for one year.
• The association has also appointed Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran and Arcelor Mittal Chief L N Mittal as its members.
• The board also elected a 14-member Executive Committee.

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

• Chairman of World Steel Association: Andre Johannpeter; Formed: 10 July 1967.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Agreement

10. Home Credit India join hand with Karur Vysya Bank for joint lending

• Home Credit India (HCIN), a local arm of the international consumer finance provider, has tied-up with Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for joint lending using end-to-end automated processing which will help the customer get real-time approval and disbursement.
• Under the agreement, HCIN and KVB will disburse loans in a single amount to customers.
• With this partnership and by leveraging the lower cost of funds of KVB, Home Credit India will be able to reach out to a new segment of customer.
• Home Credit India has operations spread over 179 cities across 20 States in India.

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

• Managing Director and CEO: PR Seshadri; founded: 1916.
• Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu.
• Tagline: Smart Way to Bank.

Awards

11. Hong Kong's orchestra wins "Orchestra of the year award 2019" at Gramophone Awards

• Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has been named orchestra of the year at the 2019 Gramophone Awards.
• The group is the first Asian orchestra to win the award, a fact noted by its Dutch-born conductor Van Zweden, who has been its Music Director since 2012.
• The category is the only one of the classical music magazine’s awards open to the public vote. This award is often likened to the Oscars for the classical music world.

Defence

12. India, Japan joint Air Force exercise 'Shinyuu Maitri' 2019 began in West Bengal

• Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) carrying out a joint military air force exercise named 'Shinyuu Maitri' began from October 17 to 23, at the air force station, Arjan Singh in Panagarh town in West Bengal.
• C-130 J aircraft of the Special Operations Squadron of IAF and C-130 H of Tactical Airlift Squadron of JASDF will participate in the exercise.
• The focus of the exercise will be to undertake Joint Mobility and Tactical interoperability among the two forces.

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

• Motto of the Indian Air Force: Nabha Sprsham Deeptam (The Glory that touches the sky).
• Air Chief Marshal: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.

13. India-Oman begin joint training exercise 'EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V'

• Indian Air Force (IAF) kickstarted its bilateral joint exercise with Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO), named 'EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V' at Air Force Base Masirah, Oman.
• The exercise will be held till October 26. The IAF contingent comprises of MiG-29 and C-17 aircraft.
• MiG-29 will be exercising with Royal Air Force Oman’s Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk.
• For the first time, MiG-29 fighter aircraft will be participating in an international exercise outside India.
• The exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two Air Forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other's best practices. Last time, the bilateral exercise was held in 2017 at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Oman Capital: Muscat, Currency: Omani rial.

Books and Authors

14. A new book titled "India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate Change and Development" set to release

• A new book titled "India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development" is set to release on November 2019.
• This book is featuring a collection of articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr Friederike Otto & Shibani Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash.
•  It is published by Oxford University Press(OUP).
• This book aims to bring together the many and growing, voices that seek to find the language and ideas with which to engage climate change and to do so from a perspective that resonates with broader Indian development policy discourses.

Sports

15. England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn announces retirement from international cricket

• England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn has announced her retirement from international cricket.
• Gunn, who is England’s most capped player in T20Is, made 259 appearances for her country, winning 3 World Cups and five Ashes series.
• She was a member of the England side that won the inaugural Women’s World T20 in 2009, and also featured in her country’s Women’s World Cup-winning campaign that same year.

Miscellaneous

16. NCERT to revise 14-year-old curriculum framework

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is planning to review the 14-year-old National Curriculum Framework (NCF) in accordance with new national education policy (NEP) and set up a committee for the purpose.
• The NCF has been revised four times so far - in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005. A panel led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan had submitted the draft of the new national education policy to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
• The new proposed revision will be a 5th of the framework. The council is also undertaking a survey in six blocks to analyse the quality of primary education available and the areas that need change.
• The revision of NCERT textbooks has also been recommended in the new education policy draft.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Director of NCERT (ex-officio) Chairperson: Prof. Hrushikesh Senapaty.
• Headquarters of NCERT: New Delhi.

Daily updates 17 October 2019

National

1. J&K's Chenani-Nashri Tunnel to be renamed after Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

• India's longest Tunnel Chenani- Nashri on NH 44, in Jammu and Kashmir will be named after Bhartiya Jansangh Founder Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 had dedicated to the nation this 9.2 km long tunnel that reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 31 km.

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

• Jammu and Kashmir governor: Satya Pal Malik.

2. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains

• Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains. These trains are connecting small towns to major cities and one of those, the Vadnagar-Mehsana train, was the railways’ gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sold tea at the Vadnagar station during his younger days.
• The 9 “Sewa Service” trains were launched without any additional investment by the railways and it was an example of how to use existing resources to the maximum.
• The trains are - Delhi to Shamli, Bhubaneswar to Nayagarh town, Murkongselek to Dibrugarh, Coimbatore to Palani, Coimbatore to Pollachi, Vadnagar to Mehsana, Asarya to Himmatnagar, Karur to Salem, Yesvantpur to Tumkur.

International

3. UAE announces establishment of world's 1st AI university

• UAE announced the establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence( MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi.
• This is the first graduate-level, research-based AI university in the world. MBZUAI will enable graduate students, businesses and governments to advance the artificial intelligence field.
• MBZUAI will introduce a new model of academia and research to the field of AI, providing students and faculty access to some of the world’s most advanced AI systems to unleash its potential for economic and societal development.
• The University is named after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who has long advocated for the UAE’s development of human capital through knowledge and scientific thinking to take the nation into the future.

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

• Currency of UAE: Dirham, Capital: Abu Dhabi.

4. India hands over 2nd pair of Mi-24V helicopters to Afghan Air forces

• India handed over the second pair of Mi-24V helicopters to war-torn Afghanistan, boosting the capability of the Afghan Air forces.
• The helicopters were officially handed over by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar to Afghanistan's acting Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid at a ceremony held in the military airport, Kabul.
• These helicopters are a replacement for the four attack helicopters previously gifted by India to Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016.
• The combat performance and offensive firepower that the helicopters provide will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in ensuring that the ANDSF maintain an agile and robust Counter-Terrorism capability.

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

• Air Force Chief of India: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.

State News

5. Shirui Lily Festival inaugurated in Manipur

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated Shirui Lily Festival, 2019 at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur.
• Mr Patel along with State Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also inaugurated the Strength of Unity Statue as a mark of opening the third edition of the four-day state festival.
• This joint efforts of the State Government and Central Government can only promote tourism and culture of a region to the level of people’s expectation.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Governor of Manipur: Padmanabha Balkrishna Acharya; Capital of Manipur: Imphal.

Awards

6. Lionel Messi wins 3rd straight Golden Shoe as top scorer in European Leagues

• Barcelona captain Leo Messi received his 6th Golden Shoe as the top scorer in the European leagues.
• Messi won the trophy for a 3rd straight year after scoring 36 goals, 3 more than his closest challenger, Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain.
• Messi now has two more Golden Shoes than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The award was created in 1967 when it was won by Eusebio.

Agreement

7. Mastercard and MS Dhoni partner to build ‘Team Cashless India’

• Mastercard, along with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, launched a nationwide initiative  ‘Team Cashless India’ to accelerate the acceptance and adoption of digital payments.
• The initiative ‘Team Cashless India’ brings consumers and merchants to the forefront of the digital payments dialogue. The campaign encourages all Indians to nominate one or more merchants who currently do not accept digital payments.
• Mastercard will work together with Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), acquirer banks and fintech companies to support nominated merchants to deploy digital payments acceptance infrastructure.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

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

Banking

8. India Post launches mobile banking facility for savings accounts

• The Department of Post announced that it has launched mobile banking for its savings account customers.
• The facility will be available all the post office savings account holders of the CBS (core banking solutions) post offices.
• The launch of the mobile banking facility comes almost a year after the Department of Post launched Internet banking facility for its savings account holders.

Ranks and Reports

9. India ranked 82 in the 2019 World Giving Index

• India ranked 82 spots among the 128 countries surveyed in the World Giving Index (WGI).
• The average figures for India over the past decade show that 34 per cent people helped a stranger, 24 per cent donated money and 19 per cent volunteered or donated their time.
• According to the WGI, the USA stood at the top followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia.

Important Days

10. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty : 17 October

• The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993.
• It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
• 2019 Theme: Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty.

Sports

11. Mumbai's Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes youngest cricketer to score double hundred in One Day cricket

• The 17-year-old Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal make history as he became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a double century in One Day cricket.
• He playing in his debut Vijay Hazare season. He scored 203 off 154 balls against Jharkhand at Alur, Karnataka. His score comprised 12 sixes and 17 fours.

12. Indian Women football Team wins 3rd SAFF U-15 Women's Championship 2019

• The Indian football team won the 3rd Edition of the SAFF U-15 Women's Championships 2019 by beating Bangladesh by 5-3 in the penalty shoot-out.
• The tournament was organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and was held at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu, Bhutan.
• Indian captain Shilky Devi slotted home from the final spot-kick to hand her side 5-3 win.

Miscellaneous

13. Kiran Uniyal, w/o a serving Colonel of Indian Army sets Guinness World Records

• Kiran Uniyal, w/o a serving Colonel of Indian Army has created Individual Guinness World Records for “The most full contact knee strikes in three minutes (one leg) (female), 263 strikes” & “The most full contact knee strikes alternate legs in one minute(female),120 strikes”.
• The earlier records were of 177 strikes and 102 in female category respectively.
• The objective of both her records were to promote martial arts for girls and women safety and self-defence.
• While creating the record for the most full contact knee strikes for three minutes, she surpassed the existing male category record of 226 knee strikes. She has so far achieved 15 World Records, including 10 Guinness World Records in Martial Arts, Fitness and Social Work.

14. Textiles Secretary Inaugurates IHGF-Delhi Fair 2019

• Textiles Secretary, Ravi Capoor, inaugurated the 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (IHGF) at the India Expo Centre & Mart at Greater Noida.
• More than 3,200 Indian exhibitors are participating in the fair. Around 110 overseas buyers from 110 countries are participating in the event as well.
• They are here to source furniture, fashion, lifestyle and textiles products of the exhibitors.
• Handicrafts are important in terms of economic development. The sector provides a number of opportunities for unemployed with minimal investment.
• The sector earns around Rs 43,000 crores (2015) of rupees annually. Out of this, it earns an export of Rs 10,000 crores annually.
• The theme of IHGF-Delhi Fair 2019: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

15. Death Anniversary of Fakir Lalon Shah observed in Bangladesh

• The 129th death anniversary of the mystic bard Fakir Lalon Shah is being observed in Bangladesh. He is believed to be born in 1774 though no written records exist.
• He died in 1890. He was born Hindu but he was raised by a Muslim family after he was abandoned by his own family.
• Fakir Lalon Shah songs talk about humanism, love and equality going beyond the limitations imposed by religion, caste and creed.
• He created and composed more than 2000 songs which were popularised by Bauls who sang his songs while wandering in the countryside of Bengal and parts of Assam of those days.
• His contemporary Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore got some of his songs transcribed and published.

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

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.