Daily updates 15 july 2020

National News

1. Amit Shah launches CAPF’s nationwide tree plantation drive

• Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has rolled out the Central Armed Police Force’s (CAPFs) nationwide tree plantation drive by planting a sapling of the peepal tree at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) campus in Gurugram.
• Under this drive, saplings were planted by the jawans of Central Armed Police Forces in Chhattisgarh. The personnel of BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF - deployed in Chhattisgarh for Anti-Naxal operations, planted saplings in their respective campuses as well as in their places of deployment.

2. Indian Railways targets to become 'Green Railway' by 2030

• The Ministry of Railways is on a mission mode with the goal of transforming Indian Railways into Green Railways by 2030.
• The Ministry of Railways has taken a number of measures towards mitigation of global warming and combating climate change.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Union Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal.

International News

3. China launches "APSTAR-6D" telecommunication satellite

• China has successfully launched "APSTAR-6D" telecommunication satellite via a Long March 3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
• The commercial satellite ‘APSTAR-6D’ has been developed by China Academy of Space Technology.

• The satellite aims to provide high-speed communications with a capacity of almost 50 gigabytes/sec. APSTAR-6D is a part of Chin’s First Global High-Throughput Broadband Satellite Communication System.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp Headquarters: Beijing, China.
• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp President: Xu Qiang.

State News

4. Madhya Pradesh tops in implementing PM Svanidhi scheme

• Madhya Pradesh has topped among the other states in the implementation of PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).
• The scheme is presently benefiting the beneficiaries of 378 urban bodies of the state.
• Till now 8,70,330 street vendors have registered under the scheme, out of which 1,76,000 street vendors have been issued the identity cards and vending certificates.
• Apart from this, 15,500 cases have been approved in the state along with interest free loan of around 15 crore 50 lakh.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Banking News

5. NABARD organised 'Digital Choupal' to mark its 39th foundation day

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) organised its first 'Digital Choupal' to mark its 39th foundation day.
• "Digital Choupal" was conducted in the form of a video conference which was attended by participants of different projects initiated by NABARD, to share their experiences about the projects they are involved in.
• During the 'Digital Choupal' session, NABARD also announced Rs 5,000 crore of refinance scheme for banks and financial institutions. With this refinance scheme, the development finance institution aims to offer finance to the beneficiaries of its 2,150 watershed development projects.
• NABARD also assigned another Rs 5,000 crore to transform Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) into multi service centres. This concessional line of assistance will be available for a period of three years from 2020-21 to 2022-23.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chairman of National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development: G R Chintala.

Agreement & MoUs

6. UNICEF INDIA partners with FICCI for #Reimagine Campaign

• UNICEF INDIA has tied-up with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI), Socio-Economic Development Foundation (SEDF) to jointly develop UNICEF’s #Reimagine Campaign.
• The campaign aims to support the most vulnerable populations and children during the COVID-19 response and its after-math in India.
• The campaign will also help in avoiding the potential long-term damage to business operations as well as employment pipeline.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry: Sangita Reddy.

Appointments News

7. Vidhu Nair appointed as Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan

• Government of India has appointed Dr. Vidhu P. Nair as the next Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan.
• Nair is presently serving as the Director in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is a Foreign Service Officer of 2002 batch.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Capital of Turkmenistan: Ashgabat; Currency: Turkmenistan Manat.

8. Rudrendra Tandon appointed India’s next Ambassador to Afghanistan

• Indian Foreign Service officer, Rudrendra Tandon has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Afghanistan.
• Tandon is presently serving as Indian envoy to ASEAN at Jakarta.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Afghan afghani is the currency of Afghanistan.
• Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan.
• President of Afghanistan: Ashraf Ghani.

9. Vikram Doraiswami appointed India’s next Ambassador to Bangladesh

• Indian Foreign Service officer, Vikram Doraiswami has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Bangladesh.
• Doraiswami is currently serving as additional secretary in-charge of international organisations and summits at the headquarters of the external affairs ministry in Delhi.
• Doraiswami will succeed Riva Ganguly Das in Dhaka.

Awards & Rewards

10. Sachin Awasthi honoured with Global Humanitarian Award 2020

• Sachin Awasthi has been honoured with the “Top Publicist” award in the Global Humanitarian Awards 2020, in London.
• Sachin Awasthi is a person who organised a 5-day long clean Ganga awareness journey which was begun from Haridwar to Varanasi, it's also called as Vande Gange Swachhata Jan Jagran Yatra.
• The Global Humanitarian Award aims to honour the popular men and women who are paying contributions to the betterment of society and the world.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• World Humanitarian Drive (WHD) founder & chairman: Abdul Basit Syed.
• World Humanitarian Drive (WHD) Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.

Sports News

11. Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak retires from sport

• Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak has announced his retirement from the sport.
• Socceroos is the official nickname of the Australia national soccer team that represents Australia in international men's soccer.
• Jedinak made his national team debut in 2008 and made 79 appearances for Australia. He also won the 2015 Asian Cup title for the team. He has appeared for his national side in three World Cups.

Important Days

12. World Youth Skills Day celebrated on 15 July

• United Nations celebrates World Youth Skills Day globally on 15 July every year.
• The day is celebrated as an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders to acknowledge as well as celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
• The theme of World Youth Skills Day 2020 is "Skills for a Resilient Youth".

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Secretary-General of United Nations: António Guterres.

Books & Authors

13. A book titled "If It Bleeds" authored by Stephen King released

• A new book titled “If It Bleeds”, a collection of four stories has been authored by Stephen King.
• The book has the story centres around a bomb at Albert Macready Middle School. It is a sequel to his bestselling work, "The Outsider".

Obituaries News

14. Dutch Football legend Wim Suurbier passes away

• Dutch Football legend Wim Suurbier passed away. He was a key member of the 1970s squad of Netherlands who played in two World Cup finals.
• Suurbier also achieved the rare feat of playing in consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals in year 1974 and 1978, that his country lost to West Germany and Argentina. He ended his national team career spanning 12 years with 60 caps.
• Suurbier also played for club Ajax Amsterdam. He played 509 matches for the club and won three European championships from 1964 to 1977.

15. Hawkins Cookers Chairman Brahm Vasudeva passes away

• Hawkins Cookers Chairman, Brahm Vasudeva passed away.
• Vasudeva was appointed as Vice Chairman and Managing Director on the board of the company in 1968 and became the Wholetime Chairman and Managing Director in 1984.

16. Renowned ceramic artist Jyotsna Bhatt passes away

• Renowned ceramic artist, Jyotsna Bhatt passed away.
• Bhatt was born in Kutch in 1940, and she shifted to Mumbai to join the J.J. School of Arts.
• Bhatt was a key contributor to the field of contemporary ceramics in India.

Daily news 13 july 2020

National News

1. NITI Aayog presents Voluntary National Review 2020 report

• India’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR) report has been presented by the NITI Aayog at the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, 2020.
• The VNR 2020 report has been titled as "Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local" and it accounts for the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in India.
• NITI Aayog has been authorized to examine the adoption as well as monitoring of SDGs at the national and sub-national level.
• The High-level Political Forum (HLPF) is the foremost international platform to follow-up and review the progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.

2. NITI Aayog launches "ATL App Development Module"

• "ATL App Development Module" has been launched by the NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) for school students nationwide. These modules have been launched in collaboration with Indian startup Plezmo.
• ATL App Development Module seeks to sharpen the skills of school students and converting them from App users to App makers in the coming times.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is also seeking to train school teachers in order to build capacities and acumen for App Development.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Executive Officer of Plezmo: Amol Palshikar.
• CEO of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India): Amitabh Kant.

International News

3. India becomes second-largest foreign investor in UK

• India has become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United Kingdom.
• As per the new data released by the UK government in Department for International Trade (DIT) inward investment statistics for 2019-2020, India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new jobs in the UK. According to the data, United States delivered 462 projects and 20,131 jobs and hence remains the number one source of FDI for the UK.
• In the standings, India was followed by Germany, France and China, and Hong Kong.

4. Lee Hsien Loong becomes Prime Minister of Singapore

• Lee Hsien Loong has become the Prime Minister of Singapore after the ruling People's Action Party won the General Elections held in the country.
• With this, Lee Hsien Loong has won a fourth term as the Prime Minister of Singapore.
• Lee Hsien Loong is the 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore.
• The People's Action Party is the ruling party in Singapore since independence in 1965.

State News

5. Chhattisgarh Government organises India's first e-Lok Adalat

• Chhattisgarh government has organized the first e-Lok Adalat of India amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The "e-Lok Adalat" was organized by the High Court and Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority and was inaugurated by P R Ramchandra Menon, the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.
• The "e-Lok Adalat" was organized in order to bring relief to people and to reduce the pendency of cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel; Governor: Anusuiya Uikey.

Awards & Rewards

6. NTPC wins CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2019

• NTPC Ltd has been awarded with the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019.
• NTPC Ltd has been awarded under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category. It has also secured Commendation for Significant Achievement in Corporate social responsibility (CSR) category.
• NTPC has been rewarded for its sustainability practices such as Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM) to benefit school going girls from underprivileged background to support in their overall development; Contractors’ Labour Information Management System (CLIMS) through which payment to contract labourers are being paid on the last day of the month at project sites.

Business News

7. Google to invest USD 10 billion in India

• Google CEO, Sundar Pichai has announced a $10 billion for "GoogleForIndia Digitisation Fund".
• Under the fund, Google will invest roughly Rs 75,000 crore in India over the next 5-7 years.
• The investment will be done through a mix of equity investments, partnerships and operational infrastructure in ecosystem investments.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• CEO of Google: Sundar Pichai; Headquarters: California, United States.

Sports News

8. Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton won Styrian Grand Prix 2020

• Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Britain) has won the Styrian Grand Prix 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
• Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) finished second while Max Verstappen ( Red Bull- Belgium) was third.

Obituaries News

9. Renowned cartoonist Avad Bin Hassan Jami passes away

• Renowned Gujarati cartoonist, Avad Bin Hassan Jami passed away. He was popularly known as “Jami”.
• Cartoons of Avad Bin Hassan Jami were published in Gujarati magazine "Abhiyan" for over two decades.
• He had also worked in Gujarati newspaper Phhulchhab as a cartoonist.

10. India's Tiger Census 2018 sets new Guinness World Record

• The fourth edition of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has created the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.
• The All India Tiger Estimation is conducted every four years since 2006, by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical support from the Wildlife Institute of India.
• These cameras surveyed an effective area of 121,337 square kilometres (46,848 square miles).
• A total of 34,858,623 photographs of wildlife were captured by the 26,838 camera traps installed.

Sachin Pilot Show Of Strength Dwindles, Advantage Ashok Gehlot: 10 Facts

Jaipur/ New Delhi: 

Facing a revolt from his deputy Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today hit back with a show of strength in which close to 100 Congress MLAs displayed their support for him. Sachin Pilot, who skipped the meeting, went on record to deny he is moving to the BJP. But he claimed he had 30 MLAs, enough to bring down the Congress government. The Congress dismissed his threat, claiming the support of 109 in the 200-member assembly where 101 is the half-way mark.

Here are 10 developments in this big story:

1. 97 of 107 Congress MLAs have arrived at the Chief Minister's home in Jaipur so far. Two ministers are missing. Sources in the party believe Sachin Pilot, deputy Chief Minister and Congress chief in Rajasthan, has no more than 16 MLAs on his side.
2. Sachin Pilot denied joining the BJP amid reports that he was likely to meet BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi. There has been speculation that he would take Jyotiraditya Scindia's route in an attempt to reclaim his political space. 
3. In March, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a close aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, stunned the party in Madhya Pradesh by defecting to the BJP along with 22 MLAs, which brought the Congress government in that state crashing down. With Mr Scindia's help, the BJP returned to power.
4. Around the same time, Sachin Pilot, another Rahul Gandhi confidant who had been resentful after being denied Chief Ministership of Rajasthan, was also believed to have started talks with the BJP.
5. At a briefing at 2.30 AM last night, the Congress said its government is safe. "A total of 109 MLAs have signed a letter expressing their trust and support to the government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and leadership of Sonia Gandhi-ji and Rahul Gandhi-ji," Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande said.
6. After nearly two years of a simmering feud with Ashok Gehlot, the tipping point for Sachin Pilot came after he was summoned for questioning in an investigation into an alleged attempt to destabilise the state government ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. The summons was based on what the police say were tapped phone conversations of two BJP members arrested on Friday.
7. Chief Minister Gehlot tried to downplay the summons by the Special Operations Group, saying he, too, had received it. That did not wash with a furious Sachin Pilot, whose aides pointed out that as state home minister in charge of the Special Operations Group, Mr Gehlot had practically given himself the summons as an eyewash.  
8. The Congress has 107 seats in the 200-strong Rajasthan Assembly and has the support of 10 Independent candidates. Five MLAS from other parties -- the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the CPM and the Bharatiya Tribal Party - support Ashok Gehlot, who claimed on Saturday that the BJP was offering up to Rs 15 crore to MLAs to switch sides.
9. The BJP, which has 73 MLAs, needs the support of another 35 to take power in Rajasthan. Offering Sachin Pilot the post of Chief Minister as he wants will be a challenge since the party has to consider its own Rajasthan powerhouse, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
10. While Chief Minister Gehlot battles his deputy's revolt, two of his aides were raided by taxmen this morning in what the Congress alleged was pressure tactics by the BJP-led central government. Five premises linked to the two leaders were raided over allegations of "tax evasion", said officials at the Income Tax Department, which comes under the centre.