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.