Daily updates 21 August 2019

State News

1. Chief minister of Punjab launched "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana"
i. The chief minister of Punjab has launched a universal health insurance scheme "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana " benefiting nearly 46 lakh families. With this scheme, covering 76% of the state’s population.
ii. Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people. The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Minister of Punjab : Amarinder Singh; Governor of Punjab: VP Singh Badnore.

Agreement

2. Wipro partners with IISc on robotics and 5G
i. Wipro announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct advanced applied research in autonomous systems, robotics and 5G.
ii. Wipro IISc Research and Innovation Network (WIRIN), a hybrid industry-academia collaboration unit, which will drive idea discovery, research and innovation in technology and product design.
iii. (WIRIN) will focus on the research and development of cutting-edge technologies in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Visual Computing, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Vehicle-to-everything communication (V2X).

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

• Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Wipro: Abidali Z. Neemuchwala.

3. SMVDU, NISE sign MoU to achieve national solar mission
i. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Jammu and National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work jointly to achieve the objective of National Solar Mission through training programmes. The MoU, which will be valid till 5 years.

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

• International Solar Alliance is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries.
  

• Headquarters of International Solar Alliance‎: ‎Gurugram, Haryana.

Awards

4. Indian-American teen wins South Asian Spelling Bee competition 2019
i. Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, has won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest. The prize money for this contest is USD 3,000.
ii. The South Asian Spelling Bee (SASB) is an annual spelling bee platform in the US for children of South Asian descent. The competition is open to any student at or below the age of 14, who has at least one parent or grandparent who is of South Asian descent, or whose lineage can be traced to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and/or Sri Lanka.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

•  President of USA: Donald Trump; Capital of the USA: Washington, DC.

Defence

5. DRDO transfer design of Mobile Metallic Ramp to Indian Army
i. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army at a ceremony held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. (MMR) load-bearing capacity of 70 metric ton. 
ii. The MMR has been designed and developed by DRDO’s premier research laboratory Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) on the requirements projected by Army for reducing the Strategic Mobility time of mobilizing Armoured Fighting Vehicles. 
iii. The ramp will provide the strategic mobility for Armoured and Mechanized units and formations of the Army. It is portable, modular in design, which can be easily assembled or disassembled.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.
• Chairman of DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy.

Science and Technology

6. IIT-Delhi start-up wins NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019
i. IIT-Delhi, Ankita Gulati was awarded the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019 for developing a multisensory kit named TouchVision. 
ii. IIT-Delhi-incubated start-up working on the design and development of inclusive learning resources for visually impaired people.
TouchVision aims at digital inclusion for 253 million persons with visual impairment globally.

Sports

7. Sreesanth's Life Ban on cricket reduced to 7 Years
i. Former India paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth’s life ban has been reduced to 7 years. This order was passed by BCCI Ombudsman, Justice (Retd.) DK Jain. The Ban will end in 2020.
ii. The BCCI banned Sreesanth for life in September 2013, along with his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, for indulging in alleged spot-fixing in the IPL.

8. Para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia crosses America's Catalina Channel
i. Indian Para Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia has become the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America. Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.
ii. Satendra led the Indian Para Relay team along with 5 teammates and crossed the Catalina Channel and covered the distance of 42km in 11 hours 34 minutes.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

•  Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports: Kiren Rijiju.

Obituaries

9. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Babulal Gaur passes away
i. Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Babulal Gaur passed away. He served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005 and represented Govindpura Assembly seat for 10 times.

Miscellaneous

10. 2nd Uday Express to run between Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada
i. Indian Railway's 2nd double-decker Uday (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The train would consist of 9 double-decker coaches and 2 power cars.
ii. The trains are primarily allocated to routes with heavy passenger traffic. They are equipped with WiFi facility, have striking interiors, cushioned seating, and display screens.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal.

Daily updates 22 August 2019

National News

1. Union HRD Minister launches NISHTHA
i. Union HRD Minister launched the training programme NISHTHA, (National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement) to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level across the country. This is the largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world.
ii. NISHTHA to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country. The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.

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

• Union HRD Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

2. "Op-Blue Freedom" flag off in Delhi
i. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off Op-Blue Freedom in  Delhi. This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence.
ii. Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able-bodied. It comes under the parent project "Special Forces Adventures".

3. Amazon's largest campus in the world inaugurated in Hyderabad
i. Amazon has opened its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad. The campus covers 1.8 million square feet and can accommodate 15,000 workers. 
ii. This is Amazon's first owned-building outside of the US and and is also its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• CEO of Amazon: Jeff Bezos; Headquarters: Seattle, United States.

4. 9th Session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee
i. The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in New Delhi. The Joint Trade Committee reviewed the progress in cooperation in the power sector, renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, civil aviation and agricultural research. 
ii. The next session of the Joint Trade Committee meeting in Nairobi.
iii. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways. The Kenyan delegation was led by Peter Munya, Minister of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives.

State News

5. Super 50 programme launched in Maharashtra
i. Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic programme "Super 50". The programme has been launched for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers.
ii. The Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and medical exams. 
iii. It will be a two-year residential programme, where the students will be provided hostel and mess facilities, a tablet, NCERT books and career counselling.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

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

6. Karnataka tops the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index
i. The State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. Karnataka has topped the index which evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development.
ii. SARAL currently captures five key aspects:

• Robustness of policy framework
• Implementation environment
• Investment climate
• Consumer experience
• Business ecosystem

iii. SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).

Economy News

7. RBI allows e-mandate for cards for recurring transactions
i. The Reserve Bank of India has permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments). The maximum limit for such a transaction will be Rs 2,000. 
ii. While processing the first transaction in e-mandate-based recurring transaction series, additional factor authentication (AFA) validation should be performed.
iii. As per the RBI circular, no charges should be levied or recovered from the card holder for availing the e-mandate facility on cards for recurring transactions. The direction is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards—debit, credit and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including wallets.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

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

Appointments

8. Ajay Kumar appointed as Defence Secretary
i. Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Defence Secretary. Ajay Kumar is currently serving as Secretary in Department of Defence Production. He will replace Sanjay Mitra, upon completion of his term. 
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointments.

9. Rajiv Gauba appointed as Cabinet Secretary
i. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba appointed as a Cabinet secretary for two years. He will replace P.K. Sinha, who was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2015. 
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointment.

Awards

10. JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal 2019’
i. JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal - 2019’. This award is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government.
ii. Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language and literature for outstanding contribution to Russian studies abroad.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital city of Russia: Moscow.

Books and Authors

11. Culture Minister to launch book ' The Diary of Manu Gandhi'
i. Culture Minister will launch the book  "The Diary of Manu Gandhi" at a function in New Delhi.
ii. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in collaboration with Oxford University Press. The first volume covers the period 1943-1944.
iii. The Diary of Manu Gandhi originally in Gujarati has been edited and translated by Dr Tridip Suhrud. Manu Gandhi (Mridula) was a grand niece of Mahatma Gandhi, and stayed with Gandhiji till his assassination.

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

• Union Culture Minister of India: Prahlad Singh Patel.

Science & Technology

12. Cerebras Systems reveals "world's largest computer chip"
i. Artificial intelligence(AI) company Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s largest single silicon-based processor named Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine(WSE). 
ii. This chip has 1.2 trillion transistors, the basic on-off electronic switches that are the building blocks of silicon chips.
iii. The rectangular shape chip measures 21.5cm sq (8.5in sq), comes with 400,000 AI (Artificial Intelligence) cores and 18 gigabytes of on-chip memory.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• CEO & Co-Founder of Cerebras Systems: Andrew Feldman; Established: 2016.
• Headquarters: California, USA.

Sports

13. Paytm retains title sponsorship of Indian cricket for 5 years
i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced that mobile payments and e-commerce company "Paytm" has retained the title sponsorship rights. Paytm has retained the title sponsorship rights for all cricket matches, domestic and international, played in India for 5 years.
ii. Paytm has signed the deal for ₹326.80 crores which it will pay BCCI over a period ranging between 2019 and 2023.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Paytm Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma; Parent Organization: One97 Communications.

14. Gold medal for India in World Police and Fire Games
i. B.N.S. Reddy beats Bruce Barrios of the U.S. in the men’s singles final to win the gold medal at the World Police and Fire Games. 
ii. The tournament was held in Chengdu, China. In the doubles event, Reddy and Surinder Mohan Sharma lost to the pair of Sabandon Eduardo (Phi) and Helminen Risto (Fin) in the finals and bags the silver medal.
iii. B.N.S. Reddy is a former Additional Commissioner of Police and a current member of the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

Important Days

15. World Photography Day 2019
i. World Photography Day is celebrated on 19 August every year. The day is celebrated so that people around the world can communicate their feelings and express themselves through the art of photography.
ii. World Photography Day is an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography.

16. International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief: 22 August
i. United Nations observes 22 August every year as “International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief”. 
ii. The day is observed to strongly condemn continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities, on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Headquarters of United Nations: New York; Secretary General of the United Nations: António Guterres.

17. International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism: 21 August
i. United Nations observes 21 August every year as International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. 
ii. This year, the 2nd commemoration of the day will focus on the resilience of victims and their families, how they have coped and what they have done to transform their experiences to aid healing and recovery as well as become stronger and more united against terrorism.
iii. To observe the International Day, the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism will launch a photographic exhibition on August 21 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Secretary General of the United Nations: António Guterres.

Daily updates 23 August 2019

National News

1. New set of health warnings on "Tobacco packs"
i. The Health Ministry has notified the new warnings on "Tobacco packs". It has been done by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008.
ii. The text messages that will be printed on the packs are "tobacco causes painful death". A quitline number "1800-11-2356" will also be printed on the packs.
iii. The new sets of health warnings, including enlarged pictorial images and text messages, covering 85% of the packet area will assist the users to quit. This will help in creating awareness among tobacco users and gives them access to counselling services to effect behaviour change.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Union Minister of Ministry of Family & Health Welfare: Harsh Vardhan.

2. India to launch e-commerce portal "Bharatcraft" for MSME's
i. Union Government is planning to launch an e-commerce portal named "Bharatcraft" for MSME's. The portal is based on other e-commerce portals like 'Alibaba' and 'Amazon'. The portal will provide a platform for MSMEs to market and sell their products and in turn boost the sector. 
ii. As per the MSME Union Minister, the Bharatcraft portal has a huge potential to generate revenue worth ₹10 lakh crore in the next 2-3 years.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Nitin Gadkari.

International News

3. FATF Asia-Pacific Group blacklists Pakistan
i. Pakistan has been placed on the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group. Pakistan has been blacklisted for non-compliance and non-enforcement of safeguards against terror financing and money laundering.
ii. Pakistan has failed in 32 of 40 ‘compliance’ parameters for its legal and financial systems. Pakistan has also failed in 10 of 11 ‘effectiveness’ parameters for enforcing safeguards against terror-financing and money-laundering by UN-sanctioned entities and other non-government outfits.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Pakistan Capital: Islamabad, PM: Imran Khan, President: Arif Alvi.

4. Iran unveils new missile defence system "Bavar-373"
i. Iran has unveiled new missile defence system "Bavar-373". This is also Iran's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system which has been inducted into the country's missile defence network. The system was unveiled at an occasion of Iran's National Defense Industry Day.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Iran Capital: Tehran; Currency: Rial; President of Iran: Hassan Rouhani.

5. Discovery, WWF tie up to preserve Sundarbans
i. Discovery India and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India have partnered with the Forest Directorate, the government of West Bengal and local communities to preserve Sundarbans. This move is to protect the Sundarbans, the mangrove forest, the habitat of Bengal tigers, to reduce the tiger-human conflict. The move is also a part of a global movement “Project CAT -Conserving Acres for Tigers” which aimed at building healthy habitats for Tigers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

Banking

6. Acko partners with ZestMoney to offer credit insurance
i. Acko General Insurance, an insurtech company, has partnered with ZestMoney, a consumer lending fintech, to offer credit insurance. This insurance will help ZestMoney customers cover their monthly EMI payments during times of crisis.
ii. Acko will offer credit insurance to these consumers and cover them during eventualities like hospitalization or critical illness when they’re unable to pay their instalments. ZestMoney offers instant financing to consumers across 1000+ online portals and provides them with the option of paying through EMIs even if the consumers don’t own a credit card.

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

• CEO of Acko General Insurance: Varun Dua.
• CEO of ZestMoney: Lizzie Chapman.

7. SEBI announces Rs 1 crore reward for insider trading informants
i. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has announced a new mechanism to reward insider trading informants to uncover insider trading cases. The reward would be 10 per cent of the money collected, subject to a maximum amount of Rs 1 crore. 
ii. These benefits would only be available to individuals and corporates. This is not applicable for professionals like auditors who are duty-bound to report any wrongdoing.
iii. The above announcement is a part of the detailed set of rules for the new 'Informant Mechanism' under Prohibition of Insider Trading Regulations that has been approved by the SEBI board.
iv. SEBI will also establish an Office of Informant Protection, which will be responsible for the receipt, registration and processing of the disclosure form and also for ascertaining its authenticity.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• SEBI Headquarter: Mumbai; Chairman: Ajay Tyagi.

Appointments

8. Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed as Home Secretary
i. Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed as the new Union Home Secretary. He is currently serving as an officer on special duty in the home ministry. He replaces Rajiv Gauba, who was appointed as the new cabinet secretary.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Bhalla's appointment as the new home secretary.

Agreement

9. AWHO and Tata Realty sign MoU for quality housing
i. Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) and Tata Realty & Housing have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This MoU enables the personnel of Indian Army to immediately take over dwelling units in 13 ‘Ready to Move in’ projects of Tata Realty spread over 10 cities at a discount ranging from 11% to 27%.
ii. Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO), which has always endeavoured to provide quality housing for Army personnel who are deployed in remote locations across the country. AWHO will now facilitate the acquisition of homes from reputed private builders at discounted rather than building them for the soldiers.

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

• Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

Awards

10. WCD Minister Smriti Irani distributed the Poshan Abhiyaan Awards for 2018-19
i. Women and Child Development Minister distributed the Poshan Abhiyaan Awards for 2018-19 in different categories in New Delhi.
ii. The awards were given to the States, Districts, Blocks and Anganwadi Workers for their contributions in scaling up the Abhiyaan and ensuring that it reaches every household in the country. iii. The awards are aimed at motivating the primary stakeholders and encourage large scale citizen participation in creating awareness to combat malnutrition.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Union Women and Child Development Minister: Smriti Irani.

Ranks and Report

11. Akshay Kumar takes 4th spot in Forbes highest-paid actors list 2019
i. Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to the 4th position on the Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 list. Akshay has raked in $65 million. Hollywood star Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson tops the Forbes list of the 10 highest-paid actors.

Here’s the list of the World’s Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 listed by Forbes:
1. Dwayne Johnson ($89.4 million)
2. Chris Hemsworth ($76.4 million)
3. Robert Downey Jr. ($66 million)
4. Akshay Kumar ($65 million)

Science & Technology

12. Russia sends its first humanoid robot Fedor into space
i. Russia launched an unmanned rocket carrying a life-size humanoid robot named Fedor, (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research). It is a silvery anthropomorphic robot stands 1.80 metres (5 foot 11 inches) tall and weighs 160 kilogrammes (353 pounds).
ii. Fedor will spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts on the International Space Station. It blasted off in a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

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

• President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital of Russia: Moscow.
• Currency of Russia: Russian ruble; PM of Russia: Dmitry Medvedev. 

Sports

13. Vikram Rathour appointed as Team India's batting coach
i. Former Indian opener Vikram Rathour appointed as team India's new batting coach. He will replace Sanjay Bangar. While Bharath Arun and R. Sridhar were retained as bowling and fielding coaches.
ii. The 50-year-old Rathour has played 6 Tests and 7 ODIs in 1996. He was a senior national selector under Sandeep Patil's chairmanship.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Senior National Cricket selection committee head: MSK Prasad.

Important Days

14. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: 23 August
i. United Nations observes 23 August every year as “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”. 
ii. The Day is observed to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. The day was designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.

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

• Headquarters of United Nations: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945.
• Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

Miscellaneous

15. NDTV's interim CEO Suparna Singh steps down
i. Suparna Singh, interim CEO of NDTV has resigned with immediate effect. She becomes interim CEO of NDTV in 2017 with approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.