Daily updates 18 September 2019

National

1. 5th International Ramayan Festival organized in New Delhi

• The 5th International Ramayan Festival organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in New Delhi. ICCR was established with the vision of propagating Indian culture and its values to the whole world.
• The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah presided as Chief Guest over the 5^th International Ramayan Festival.
• International Ramayan Festival is being organized for 5th year in a row, during which 17 countries have participated with their artists and rendered their versions of Ramayan.
• Ramayan is one such scripture that has transcended Personal, Societal, Religious, Cultural and National boundaries and reached a global audience.

International

2. Sri Lanka unveils South Asia’s tallest tower

• Sri Lanka unveiled South Asia’s tallest tower, costing over $100 million, 80% of which has been funded by China under the controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• The 350-metre-tall 17-storey Lotus Tower, located in the heart of Colombo city.
• The tower spread over an area of 30,600 sq. metres. The project which began in 2012 under the then-president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee.
• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe; President: Maithripala Sirisena.

State in News

3. Hyderabad-Karnataka Region Renamed 'Kalyana Karnataka'

• Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced that the Hyderabad-Karnataka region has been renamed as 'Kalyana Karnataka' and a separate secretariat would be established for its development.
• Hyderabad Karnataka region comprising six north-eastern districts of the State — Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Karnataka Capital: Bengaluru, Governor: Vajubhai Vala.

4. Arunachal Pradesh CM dedicates Dikshi Hydroelectric Project to people of state

• Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Dikshi Hydroelectric Project to the people of the state.
• The 24 Mega Watt Hydroelectric Project has been installed at Dikshi Village in West Kameng District. It is a Run of the River project constructed on the river Phudung by Devi Energies Private Limited.
• It was completed in a record time of four years with an investment of about 430 crore rupees. Government of Arunachal Pradesh is the sole beneficiary of the power generation from this project.

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

• Governor of Arunachal Pradesh: B. D. Mishra; Capital: Itanagar.

Agreements

5. Kerala govt inks MoU with Maldives on cancer care

• Kerala signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maldives to strengthen cancer care in the island nation.
• The Kerala government and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) have jointly signed the MOU with the health ministry of Maldives as part of improving cooperation between the two countries.
• The MoU was signed between Maldivian Minister Abdulla Ameen and Kerala Health Minister KK Shylaja in the presence of the state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Capital of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram; Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
• Capital of Maldives: Male; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian Rufiyaa.
• President of the Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

6. ISRO, DRDO sign MoUs to provide technologies for Human Space Mission

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joined hands with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the development of human-centric systems for the Human Space Mission to demonstrate its human space flight capabilities.
• The purpose behind the development is to provide technologies for human-centric systems and technologies specific to the Human Space Mission. ISRO aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability before the 75th anniversary of India's independence in 2022.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:

• ISRO Director: K Sivan, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Established: 1969.
• Chairman of DRDO: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy; Headquarters: New Delhi; Founded: 1958.

7. Wipro Infrastructure and BEML sign MoU

• Defence PSU Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) have signed an MoU to work together in the areas of aerospace, industrial automation, 3-D printing, artificial intelligence and hydraulic system engineering.
• The MoU entails the two firms working together on projects, products, systems, services and projects for DRDO Labs and other government entities in India as well as overseas. Key focus areas include aerospace components and parts through SEZ, metal additive manufacturing and design optimization for new critical aggregates, legacy components & spares, and process automation.

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

• Chairman & Managing Director of BEML: D K HOTA. Headquarters: Bengaluru.

Appointment

8. Wing Commander Anjali Singh becomes India's first female military diplomat

• Wing Commander Anjali Singh has joined the Indian Embassy in Russia as India's first female military diplomat to be posted in any of the Indian missions abroad.
• She has joined her new assignment as the Deputy Air Attache. She has served the Indian Air Force for 17 years and is trained on MiG-29 aircraft.
• An air attache is an Air Force officer who is part of a diplomatic mission this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer.

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

• President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital: Moscow.
• The Russian ruble is the currency of Russia.

Awards

9. V K Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board awarded with Eminent Engineers Award

• The Union Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, awarded Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board with Eminent Engineers Award.
• The award was presented at the special event to mark the 52nd Engineers’ Day organised by the Institution of Engineers in New Delhi. The award was for his outstanding contributions in the field of engineering. The theme of 52nd Engineers’ Day was “Engineering for change”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal.
• John Mathai was the first Railways Minister of Independent India.

Defence

10. India successfully flight-tested indigenous air-to-air missile Astra

• Indian Air Force has successfully flight-tested air-to-air missile Astra off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat aircraft.
• The missile was tracked using radars, electro-optical tracking sensors and struck its target successfully.
• The missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the premier research and development organisation of the armed forces.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chairman of DRDO: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy; Headquarters: New Delhi; Founded: 1958.
• Motto of DRDO: “Strength’s Origin is in Science.

Sports

11. Dinesh Mongia announces retirement froms all form of cricket

• Former Indian Cricket all-rounder Dinesh Mongia announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• He ended with an aggregate of 57 ODIs but never played a Test. His first-class record of 121 matches included 21 centuries. He also played for Lancashire and Leicestershire.
• Mongia is a member of the Indian team, which finished runner-up in the 2003 World Cup, his last appearance on the field was in 2007 for Punjab before he joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and was subsequently banned by the BCCI.

Miscellaneous

12. Documentary film based on life of Uttarakhand farmer nominated for Oscars

• Moti Bagh, a documentary film based on the struggle of a farmer in a remote Uttarakhand village, has been nominated for the Oscars.
• The film, based on the life of Vidyadutt Sharma, a farmer living in Pauri Garhwal region, also won the 1st prize at the International short film festival in Kerala. This documentary film was directed by Nirmal Chandra Dandriyal.

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

• CM of Uttarakhand: Trivendra Singh Rawat.
• Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.
• Capital of Uttarakhand: Dehradun.

13. US swimmer Sarah Thomas criss-crosses English Channel in 54-hour

• American breast cancer survivor Sarah Thomas became the first person to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop in a 54-hour feat of endurance.
• She diagnosed with cancer a year ago. She said the hardest part of the swim was dealing with the saltwater, which left her throat and mouth sore.