Daily updates 5 December 2020

State News

1. Majerhat Bridge named “Jai Hind” to Mark Netaji’s 125th Birth Anniversary

• West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee named the newly built "Majerhat bridge" in Kolkata as ‘Jai Hind’ bridge to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Subash Chandra Bose.
• The new bridge has been built in the place of an old one which collapsed in September 2018. It is 650-metres long and connects the Central part of Kolkata to the Southwestern suburbs of Behala and others.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

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

Agreements News

2. Axis Bank launches ‘Axis Bank Rupi Business Credit Card’ for MSMEs

• Axis Bank Ltd in partnership with Rupifi and Visa launched ‘Axis Bank Rupifi Business Credit Card’ for MSMEs(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises).
• This Contactless Co-Branded credit card, powered by Visa is applicable only to the MSMEs businesses that transact on the aggregator platforms partnered with Rupifi PAN (Permanent Account Number) India for their business purchases.
• The card offers credit solutions to such MSMEs. It is only for domestic transactions.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Axis Bank is 3rd largest private sector bank in India
• Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Axis Bank MD and CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Axis Bank Tagline: Badhti Ka naam Zindagi
• Rupifi Co-Founder and CEO: Anubhav Jain
• Rupifi Headquarters: Bengaluru(Bangalore), Karnataka
• Rupifi Founded: 2019.

Defence News

3. PASSEX conducted by Indian Navy and Russian Navy

• The Indian Navy (IN) and the Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) are undertaking Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The exercise will help in enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices between both the friendly navies. It involves advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapon firings, seamanship exercises and helicopter operations.
• Indian Navy is being represented by indigenously constructed guided-missile frigate Shivalik and anti-submarine corvette Kadmatt along with integral helicopters. Russian Federation Navy includes guided-missile cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev and medium ocean tanker Pechenga. The PASSEX's are conducted regularly by Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies.

Awards News

4. Ranjitsinh Disale becomes 1st Indian to win 2020 Global Teacher Prize

• Ranjitsinh Disale, a government teacher from Zilla Parishad Primary School, in Paritewadi village, Solapur district of Maharashtra, has won the 2020 Global Teacher Prize.
• He is the first Indian to win this award, which carries prize money of $1 million (Rs 7.4 crore).
• The 32-year-old has won the annual Global Teacher Prize 2020 in recognition of his efforts to promote girls’ education in his village and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
• He made efforts and added QR codes to textbooks of primary classes to provide links to audio poems, video lectures, stories and assignments.
• He also worked towards education for girls and teaching people about the ill-effects of teenage marriage and even helped to achieve 100% attendance of girls.
• The Global Teacher Prize is an annual prize founded by the Varkey Foundation in 2014 to recognise an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. The award is given in partnership with UNESCO.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
• UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.
• UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

5. Gitanjali Rao becomes 1st-ever TIME’s “Kid Of The Year”

• The Indian-American young scientist and inventor, Gitanjali Rao, has been named as the first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’ by the iconic TIME magazine.
• This is the first time that the TIME magazine has launched the Kid of The Year” award.
• The 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao was chosen from among more than 5,000 nominees, for her “astonishing work” using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• TIME magazine Headquarters: United States.
• TIME magazine Editor: Edward Felsenthal.
• TIME magazine First issue date: 3 March 1923.

Books and Authors

6. Vice President releases a book on Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

• The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu has released the book titled “40 Years with Abdul Kalam- Untold Stories”, a book on the life of the former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
• The book was authored by Dr A.Sivathanu Pillai. The book is published by Pentagon Press LLP and the foreword was written by Pranab Mukherjee, former president of India.

Important Days

7. International Volunteer Day: 05 December

• The International Volunteer Day (IVD), also called International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is observed on 5 December every year. IVD 2020 Theme: “Together We Can Through Volunteering”.
• The IVD international observance was mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985.
• The purpose of the day to celebrate the efforts of volunteers and organizations and offer the opportunity to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts and recognize volunteer contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local, national and international levels.

8. World Soil Day: 05 December

• The World Soil Day is celebrated every year on December 5 to raise awareness of the importance of soil quality for human well-being, food security and ecosystems.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) campaign "Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity" aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Food and Agriculture Organisation Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation Head: Qu Dongyu.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation Founded: 16 October 1945.
• International Union of Soil Sciences President: Takashi Kosaki (Japan).
• International Union of Soil Sciences Founded: 1924.
• International Union of Soil Sciences Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.

Obituaries News

9. Lakshadweep Administrator Dineshwar Sharma passes away

• Lakshadweep Administrator, Dineshwar Sharma passed away. He was earlier headed the Intelligence Bureau and was also the Interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir.
• The 66-year-old retired IPS officer of the Kerala cadre had been appointed administrator of the Lakshadweep Union Territory in October 2019.
• He was assistant director in the IB in Kashmir between 1994 and 1996 and then went on to serve on the Kashmir desk of the bureau in the national capital.

Miscellaneous News

10. V. Naidu virtually releases postage stamp in former PM IK Gujral's honour

• Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has virtually released a commemorative Postage Stamp in honour of the late Prime Minister of India & Freedom Fighter, I K Gujral (Inder Kumar Gujral).
• I K Gujral was the 12th Prime Minister of India, he served as the Prime Minister from April 1997-March 1998. He was born in Jhelum (now in Pakistan) in 1919.
• During his tenure as India’s External Affairs Minister, I K Gujral laid a set of five principles – ‘Gujral Doctrine’ to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India’s immediate neighbours. He passed away in 2012 due to a lung infection.

All the Best BA’ians for SBI PO Prelims!