Daily updates 28 September 2019

National

1. First Indigenous Fuel Cell System launched on CSIR Foundation Day

• The President of India Ramnath Kovind unveiled the first Indigenous High-Temperature Fuel Cell System.
• This system is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in partnership with Indian industries under India’s flagship program named “New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI)” on the occasion of CSIR Foundation Day in New Delhi.
• The 5.0 kW fuel cell system generates power in a green manner using methanol / bio-methane, with heat and water as bi-products for further use; amounting to greater than 70% efficiency, which otherwise may not be possible by other energy sources.

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

• Director-General of  CSIR: Shekhar C. Mande.

State News

2. CM Kamal Nath announces Bhopal metro will be named Raja Bhoj

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath announced that the metro rail in Bhopal will be named for Raja Bhoj.
• Raja Bhoj was an 11th-century ruler from the Parmar dynasty which once ruled the area.
• CM Kamal Nath laid the foundation stone of the Bhopal Metro Rail Project to be built at a cost of about Rs 6,941.4 crore rupees.

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

• Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

Agreement

3. PNB MetLife India Insurance Co. Ltd. ties-up with Religare Health Insurance

• PNB MetLife India Insurance Co. Ltd. has tied-up with Religare Health Insurance to offer a product which covers health, death and illness.
• The tie-up will offer additional earning opportunity for the life insurer’s distribution channel partners. The product will be a seamless integration exercise to ensure that it comes as a single policy to a customer.

4. DRDO and CUJ sign MoU to set up Kalam Centre for Science and Technology

• Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence and Central University of Jammu (CUJ) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of Kalam Centre for Science and Technology (KCST) at the university.
• The main objective of the MoU is to undertake and facilitate multidisciplinary directed basic and applied research and technology development in the identified research verticals namely Computational System Security and Sensors.
• The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment leading to an increase in research scholars in these areas.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

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

Appointments

5. Air Marshal HS Arora appointed new IAF Vice Chief

• Air Marshal HS Arora has been appointed as the Vice Chief of Indian Air Force. He will succeed Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria who will take over as the Chief of Air Staff.
• Air Marshal Arora is currently heading the Gandhinagar headquartered South Western Air Command of the Air Force. He was also deputed as Defence Attache at the Embassy of India, Bangkok, Thailand from 2006 to 2009.
• In another re-shuffle, Air Marshal B Suresh has been appointed as Western Air Commander of the Air Force, in New Delhi. Suresh will succeed Kargil war hero Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar.

Awards

6. Cochin International Airport wins award for passenger satisfaction

• Airport Council International has recognised Cochin International Airport Limited as the best airport in terms of services offered to passengers.
• As per the annual Airport Service Quality survey conducted by the ACI, CIAL was ranked amongst the best airports in the 5-15 million category in the Asia Pacific region for the year 2018.
• The award was presented to the authorities of Cochin International Airport at the second Annual ACI Customer Experience Global Summit held at Bali, Indonesia.
• ACI ASQ survey is world-renowned and established airport service quality benchmarking programme measuring passengers' satisfaction.

7. Infosys Bags UN Global Climate Action Award for 'Carbon Neutral Now' Category

• IT major Infosys has received the United Nations Global Climate Action Award in the 'Climate Neutral Now' category.
• Infosys is the only corporate from India to earn the recognition for its efforts to combat climate change.
• The announcement of the winners was made after the UN Climate Summit in New York convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• The award will be presented to Infosys at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile (December 2019).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys: Salil Parekh.

Ranks and Reports

8. India ranked 44th in world digital competitiveness rankings

• India was ranked 44th in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019 produced by the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
• The US was ranked as the world's most digitally competitive economy, followed by Singapore in the second place.
• The center measured the capacity and readiness of 63 nations to adopt and explore digital technologies as a key driver for economic transformation in business, government and wider society.
• To evaluate an economy, WDCR examines 3 factors: Knowledge: the capacity to understand and learn the new technologies; technology: the competence to develop new digital innovations; and future readiness: the preparedness for the coming developments.

Sports

9. Rupa Gurunath appointed as first woman president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association

• Rupa Gurunath was appointed as the first woman president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) at the 87th Annual General Meeting of TNCA in Chennai, TamilNadu.
• With this appointment, she also became the first woman to head a state-level cricket body in the country.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• BCCI President: C.K. Khanna; Headquarter of BCCI: Mumbai.

Obituaries

10. The Owner of Britannia & Co Boman Rashid Kohinoor passes away

• Boman Rashid Kohinoor, senior partner at the iconic Britannia & Co restaurant (Mumbai) passed away. Boman Kohinoor’s father Rashid Kohinoor, a Zoroastrian immigrant from Iran started this restaurant on the south Mumbai, in the year 1923.