Daily updates 5 August 2019

National

1. Art - 370 and Art -35-A revoked from J&K by GOI
i. A series of historical decisions which includes the scrapping of Article 370 & Art-35-A and the introduction of "J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019" were taken today during the session of Rajya Sabha. 
ii. Article 370 was providing special autonomous status to the Indian state "Jammu & Kashmir" which will be no longer applicable from today.

2. Lalit Kala Akademi celebrates 65th Foundation Day
i. National Academy of Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, celebrated its 65th Foundation Day in New Delhi. 
ii. The event was inaugurated by Culture and Tourism Minister. The Minister also inaugurated art camp and artwork and painting exhibition and released a book - Mithila Ki Lok Chitrakala.
iii. Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art was established in New Delhi in 1954 by the government to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and outside the country.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Union Culture and Tourism Minister: Prahlad Singh Patel.

Banking

3. RBI imposes Rs 11 cr fine on 7 PSBs for violating norms
i. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a collective penalty of Rs 11 crore on 7 public sector banks. The penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on 'Code of Conduct for Opening and Operating Current Accounts.
ii. The penalties on 7 banks are as follows:

• Allahabad Bank and Bank of Maharashtra have been imposed with a penalty of Rs 2 crore each.
• Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and United Bank of India have been imposed with a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore each.
• Oriental Bank of Commerce has been imposed with a penalty of Rs 1 crore.

iii. RBI has also imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Corporation Bank for non-compliance of norms related to cyber security framework for banks, frauds classification and reporting.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• Governor of RBI: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

Appointment

4. Noel Quinn becomes interim CEO of HSBC
i. HSBC has announced the departure of its Chief Executive Officer John Flint. Noel Quinn, the head of HSBC's Global Commercial Banking unit will replace John Flint as the interim CEO.

5. Debashis Chatterjee becomes MD and CEO of Mindtree
i. Indian IT company Mindtree Ltd has announced the appointment of Debashis Chatterjee as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. 
ii. Also, S.N. Subrahmanyan, the CEO of Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has been appointed as non-executive vice chairman.

Summit & Conferences

6. EAM Jaishankar attends 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation in Bangkok
i. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) in Thailand's Bangkok.
ii. In MGC the Ministers adopted the new MGC Plan of Action 2019-2022 that envisages project-based cooperation in the seven areas of MGC cooperation, namely tourism and culture, education, public health and traditional medicine, agriculture and allied sectors, transport and communication, MSMEs as well as three new areas of cooperation, i.e. water resources management, science and technology, skill development and capacity building.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Capital of Thailand: Bangkok, Currency of Thailand: Baht.

7. HRD Minister inaugurates Technology Expo at IIT Delhi
i. Human Resources Development Minister inaugurating Technology Expo at IIT Delhi to showcase the latest innovation in the field of science and technology. 
ii. Over 80 latest innovations and 90 research posters by institutions from across the country are showcasing the prototypes developed by the investigators

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains 2019:

• Human Resources Development Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Defence

8. India test-fires Surface to Air-Missile from Chandipur
i. India successfully test-fired its all-weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile launcher at launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.
ii. This Missile Jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Ltd, the QR-SAM weapon system is a quick reaction, network-centric missile system capable of search-on-the-move. QR-SAM system can also engage multiple targets within a range of around 25 to 30 km with 2 vehicle configuration for area air defence. It is a truck-mounted missile with a 360 degree rotatable, electro-mechanically operated, turret-based launch unit.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Chairman of DRDO : G Satheesh Reddy, Established in : 1958.
• Headquarters of DRDO: New Delhi.

Obituaries

9. Veteran Gujarati journalist Kanti Bhatt passes away
i. Veteran Gujarati journalist, author and columnist Kanti Bhatt passed away. He also worked as writer and editor in various Gujarati publications like Chitralekha, Mumbai Samachar, Janshakti, Sandesh, Yuva Darshan, Jansatta, Vyapar and Abhiyan.

10. Cricket commentator Anant Setalvad, passes away
i. Cricket commentator Anant Setalvad, who used to draw pictures of the game's progress on airwaves with his fine command of the English language, from the mid 1960s through to the 1980s, passed away .
ii. Anant was the commentator for All India Radio (AIR) in Ranji Trophy and other BCCI tournaments and also for Test matches.

Sports

11. Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix
i. Formula One Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton hunted down Max Verstappen to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for a record-extending seventh time and surge 62 points clear in the championship standings.

12. Satwiksairaj & Chirag 1st Indian doubles pair to win Super 500 title
i. India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted a piece of history by breaching the ‘Chinese Wall’ of reigning World champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen, with a victory in the men’s doubles final of the Thailand Open badminton championship in Bangkok.
ii. This is the first-ever Indian men’s combination to win a BWF Super 500 title.

Miscellaneous

13. French inventor crosses English Channel on 'Flyboard'
i. French inventor Franky Zapata is 1st person in history to cross the English Channel on the jet-powered hoverboard. 
ii. Zapata completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water. Zapata made the 35-kilometre (21.5 miles) crossing from the French seaside town of Sangatte to St. Margaret's Bay in Dover, England.

14.  ISRO sets up SSAM in Bengaluru
i. K Sivan, chairman, Isro, laid the foundation stone for Space Situational Awareness Control Centre at Peenya in Bengaluru.
ii. Isro has set up a directorate of space situational awareness and management aiming at protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions. The control centre would facilitate the intensified activities foreseen for SSAM, in view of increasing debris population and operational space assets. 
iii. The control centre would host a range of activities pertaining to the protection of Indian space assets from inactive satellites, pieces of orbiting objects, near-earth asteroids and adverse space weather conditions.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Headquarter of ISRO: Bengaluru; Established in: 15 Aug 1969.

Daily updates 3 August 2019

National

1. President Kovind inaugurates exhibitions on M. Gandhi and Khadi in Gambia

i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi and Khadi at the "Ebunjan Theatre" in the Gambia to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main:

• President of Gambia: Adama Barrow; Capital: Banjul.

2. India to conduct 1st National Time Release Study for efficient trade flow

i. The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, as part of its strategic commitment to improving global trade, is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS). The exercise will be institutionalized on an annual basis.
ii. This initiative will help India maintain the upward trajectory on Ease of Doing Business, particularly on the Trading Across Borders indicator which measures the efficiency of the cross border trade ecosystem.
iii. The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by the World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• World Customs Organization Headquarter:  Brussels, Belgium.
• World Customs Organization Established: 26 January 1952.

State News

3. Maharashtra: 1st State to adopt Digital fingerprint and iris scanning system

i. Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations.
ii. The Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) adopted by the Maharashtra Police will soon be replicated across the country, with the state government working with the National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi to create standards to be used by other state police forces.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• CM of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis.
• Governor of Maharashtra: CH Vidyasagar Rao.
• Capital of Maharashtra: Mumbai.

4. Gujarat CM launches ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’

i. Gujarat Chief Minister has launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ from his home town Rajkot, Gujarat. The scheme for the welfare of the girl child.
ii. According to the scheme, the State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4th, Rs. 6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs. 1-lakh at the time of marriage. It is a statewide cash incentive scheme for every girl child born in Gujarat.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani; Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Dev

Banking

5. SBI, Shanghai becomes first Indian bank to link up with CNAPS

i. The State Bank of India's (SBI) Shanghai branch is now connected to China's National Advance Payment System (CNAPS).
ii. SBI is the only Indian bank to have obtained the license to do business in local currency and also inducted to the CNAPS by the People's Bank of China (PBOC). 
iii. SBI Shanghai can also offer the real-time transfer of local funds within China by routing them through the PBOC. 
iv. The CNAPS, launched in 2008 by People's Bank of China (PBOC) provides real-time settlement services for all payments.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Chairperson of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarter: Mumbai; Founded: 1 July 1955.

6. RBI allows Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  allowed "Bank of China" to offer regular banking services in the country. 
ii. Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI. 'Bank of China Limited' has been included in the 2nd Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumba.
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

7. RBI fines PNB Rs 50 lakh

i. RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Punjab National Bank (PNB) for the delay in reporting of fraud observed from the fraud monitoring report-1 submitted by Punjab National Bank on July 10, 2018, in the account of Kingfisher Airlines Limited.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of PNB: Sunil Mehta.

Appointment

8. Giriraj Prasad Gupta appointed as new CGA

i. Giriraj Prasad Gupta, Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer, took over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Gupta has served in various positions in Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), ministry of rural development, and ministry of finance.
ii. Gupta also worked as the Director of National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM). Gupta succeeds Anthony Lianzuala as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA) under the Finance Ministry.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman.

Awards

9. President Kovind honoured with the highest award of Republic of Guinea

i. President Ram Nath Kovind has been awarded the National Order of Merit by the President of Guinea for his exceptional contribution to the advancement of overall relations and development of mutual cooperation between India and Guinea and for promoting friendship and partnership between the people of both the countries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• President of Guinea: Alpha Conde; Capital of Guinea: Conakry.
• Currency of Guinea: Guinean franc.

10. Indian-origin doctor wins Miss England 2019

i. Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor was crowned Miss England 2019. Bhasha holds two different medical degrees, has an IQ of 146 and is fluent in 5 different languages. As a winner of Miss England, she will be entered into the Miss World contest 2019.

Sports

11. Lionel Messi suspended from Argentina for 3 months

i. Soccer body CONMEBOL suspended Lionel Messi from international matches for three months because of accusations of corruption he made at the latest Copa America.
ii. The South American body also fined the superstar in USD 50,000 for his comments after Argentina’s 2-1 win against Chile in the third-place playoff of the tournament.

Miscellaneous

12. World Breastfeeding Week Has Observe

i. The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organizing several activities on the theme “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding” during the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) being observed from 1st to 7th August 2019.
ii. World Breastfeeding Week, which is being observed till 7th of the month, aims to create awareness among parents about breastfeeding, the importance of initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and adequate and appropriate complementary feeding.

Daily updates 2 August 2019

National

1. KABIL set up to ensure supply of critical Minerals to Indian market
i. A joint venture company Khanij Bidesh India limited has been set up with the participation of 3 Central Public Sector Enterprises. 
ii. These CPSEs are National Aluminium Company Limited, Hindustan Copper Limited and Mineral Exploration Company limited.
iii. KABIL will ensure supply of critical Minerals to Indian domestic market.

2. BIS to set up Pashmina testing centre in Leh
i. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in collaboration with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) will work together to promote the pashmina products at the high-level market for the proper value of this fine product of pashmina (Lena-Ladakhi). 
ii. Ladakh region and parts of Himachal and Kashmir have world-class Pashmina production.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Bureau of Indian Standards Director General: Surina Rajan.

3. MIB launches a competition for designing Postage Stamp
i. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has launched a competition for designing a Postage Stamp along with the First Day Cover to commemorate Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
ii. International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started way back in 1952, is an ‘A’ grade film festival accredited to the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF) and is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in Asia. 
iii. IFFI showcases a collage of the best of contemporary and classical films from around the globe.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main:

• Minister of Information and Broadcasting:  Prakash Javadekar.

State News

4. India, UK launch clean air initiative in Bengaluru
i. The Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA), is a UK-India joint initiative providing Indian and UK stakeholders opportunities to test interventions related to air quality and EV integration, was launched in Bengaluru.
ii. This initiative provides a unique measurement system for air quality by integrating satellite and sensor data, and helping to support India's transition to electric vehicles". The programme is led by Innovate UK -- part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Main 2019:

• Capital of Karnataka: Bengaluru; CM of Karnataka: B. S. Yediyurappa
• Governor of Karnataka: Vajubhai Vala.

5. Mobile library service launched by Delhi Public Library
i. Culture and Tourism Minister flagged off a mobile library bus service which aims to reach out to readers in Delhi, especially those in slums, resettlement colonies and rural areas.
ii. The  5 buses mobile library service was launched under the "Ghar Ghar Dastak Ghar Ghar Pustak" Scheme of the Delhi Public Library (DPL).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Culture and Tourism Minister: Prahlad Singh Patel.

6. One Nation One Ration Card scheme launched on pilot basis in 4 States
i. One Nation-One Ration Card scheme launched on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
ii. Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states. Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Main 2019:

• Minister of Food Processing Industries: Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

7. West Bengal launches awareness campaign ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’
i. The West Bengal Government has launched an awareness campaign ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean. 
ii. The State Government will distribute more than 1 lakh saplings throughout the state for spreading of greenery.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• CM of West Bengal: Mamta Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankar.

Economy

8. Crisil cuts India's GDP growth forecast to 6.9% for FY 2019-20
i. Ratings agency CRISIL has cut its forecast for India's GDP growth by 20 basis points for FY 2019-20. 
ii. It has lowered India's GDP growth to 6.9% from 7.1%.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI Clerk Mains:

• MD & CEO of CRISIL: Ashu Suyash.

Rank & Reporting

9. India slips to 7th largest economy in 2018
i. According to the World Bank, India has been pushed to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings in 2018. In 2017, India had emerged as the 6th largest economy.
ii. The US remains the top economy with a GDP of $20.5 trillion in 2018. China was the 2nd largest economy with $13.6 trillion, while Japan took the 3rd place with $5 trillion. 
iii. India’s GDP was at $2.7 trillion in 2018, while UK and France were at $2.8 trillion.

India still remains the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:

• President of World Bank: David Malpass;  Headquarters: Washington DC, USA; Established: 1944.

Appointment

10. Guruprasad Mohapatra takes charge as DPIIT secretary
i. IAS Officer Guruprasad Mohapatra assumed charge as the secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. 
ii. Prior to taking over as secretary of DPIIT, he served as chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). 
iii. Mohapatra replaces Ramesh Abhishek, who has retired.

11. Ravi Capoor assumes Charge as Secretary Textiles
i. Ravi Capoor, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, assumed charge of the office of Secretary, Ministry of Textiles in New Delhi.
ii. Ravi Capoor has vast experience of working in international agencies like the World Bank, European Union, United Nations, Department for International Development in the Primary Education Project with Government of India.

12. Atish Dabholkar appointed as the new director of ICTP
i. Atish Dabholkar, a theoretical physicist from India, has been appointed as the new director of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. He will succeed Fernando Quevedo, who has led the centre since 2009.

Awards

13. Ravish Kumar wins Ramon Magsaysay award 2019
i. Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has been awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless”.
ii. The Magsaysay award was started in 1957 and celebrates the memory and leadership example of the former Philippine president Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay. 
iii. It is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same selfless service and transformative influence that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader. 
iv. Ramon Magsaysay Award is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize. The awardees are presented with a medallion with a right side facing profile image of Ramon Magsaysay along with a certificate.
v. The other winners of the award are:

• Ko Swe Win (Myanmar): He is a human rights defender and the chief editor of Myanmar Now news agency.
• Angkhana Neelapajit (Thailand) is human rights activist and a leading human rights defender in Southern Thailand.
• Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab (Philippines) is a musician who has served in the music faculty of the University of the Philippines and has conducted free workshops for thousands of students all across the country.
• Kim Jong-Ki (South Korea) is an activist working with violence and mental health issues in youth and a South Korean agrarian movement leader who pioneered wasteland cultivation, and strove to demonstrate through his work that life as a farmer can be fulfilling and productive.

Science and Technology

14. IIT-KGP researchers develop tech for solid waste management
i. A research team at IIT Kharagpur has developed a technology which can generate energy from solid waste with high moisture content.
ii. The new technology Hydro Thermal Carbonization (HTC)  can convert municipal solid waste to biofuel, soil amendment and absorbents. 
iii. These processes require high energy input to combust municipal solid waste generated in India which has high moisture content due to tropical weather, open collection systems and mixed waste. 

Obituaries

15. Russi Taylor, voice of Minnie Mouse, passes away
i. Veteran actor Russi Taylor, who voiced Disney's Minnie Mouse for more than 30 years, has passed away. 
ii. The artiste also lent her voice to roles on other classic TV animated series like "TaleSpin", "The Little Mermaid", "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" and "Kim Possible". Taylor was named a Disney Legend in 2008.

Miscellaneous

16. 143rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya
i. 143rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya celebrates on 2nd of August. Pingali Venkayya, a freedom fighter and the designer of the flag on which the Indian national flag was based was born on this day in 1876, near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. Venkayya's design for the National Flag was finally approved by Mahatama Gandhi in a Congress meeting in Vijayawada in 1921.