Daily updates 3 September 2019

National News

1. Tourism Minister inaugurates first-ever architectural LED illumination at Qutub Minar
i. Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahalad Singh Patel inaugurated first-ever architectural LED illumination at the  Qutub Minar. With the illumination, the architectural beauty of the 12th-century monument will display its historic majesty after sunset. Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of most visited historical site in Delhi.

2. PM Modi inaugurates Garvi Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Garvi Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi. The Bhavan is equipped with traditional and modern artefacts and technologies and will serve as a home for Gujaratis in the national capital. It will represent the culture, craft and cuisine of Gujarat.

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

• Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani; Deputy Chief Minister: Nitin Patel.
• Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Devvrat.

State News

3. New Health Insurance Scheme AB-MGRSBY launched in Rajasthan
i. The Rajasthan government has launched a new health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY).
ii. The scheme is implemented after merging the Centre's Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) and the state's Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojna (BSBY). With the merger of (AB-PMJAY) and (BSBY) the number of families getting benefits will be increased from 1 crore to 1.1 crores.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Minister of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Governor of Rajasthan: Kalraj Mishra.
• Capital of Rajasthan: Jaipur.

4. Haryana govt waives off interest & penalty of Rs 4,750 cr on crop loans
i. Haryana government has announced Rs 4,750 crore interest and penalty waiver on crop loans. 
ii. The waive off is for farmers who had borrowed from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, District Cooperative Central Banks and Land Mortgage Bank. The step will benefit around 10 lakh farmers in the state.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Haryana Capital: Chandigarh; Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar; Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya.

Agreement

5. Reliance Power inks pact with JERA for power project in Bangladesh
i. Reliance Power has signed a partnership agreement with Japanese energy major Japan’s Energy For a New Era (JERA). Reliance Power will hold 51 per cent stake, while JERA will hold 49 per cent stake in the joint venture company. 
ii. They will jointly set up 750-megawatt gas-based combined cycle power project at Meghnaghat, Bangladesh.

6. IIT-Kharagpur and Amazon Web Services join hands to develop AI portal
i. IIT Kharagpur has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a National Artificial Intelligence resource platform (NAIRP) to promote learning and development in artificial intelligence (AI).
ii. The National Artificial Intelligence Resource Portal (NAIRP) will provide access to compute facilities to users for AI learning and experimentation. Novice machine learning practitioners will be able to quickly search and get access to myriads of learning resources and prototype the learned concepts into hands-on running modules without being held back by the lack of resources.

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

• CEO of Amazon: Jeff Bezos; Established: 5 July 1994.

Award

7. PM Narendra Modi to be honoured with Global Goalkeeper Award
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the prestigious ‘Global Goalkeeper Award’. He will be felicitated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his leadership and commitment to the Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan.
ii. The award is a “special recognition” that celebrates the commitment of a political leader towards the Global Goals, demonstrated through impactful work in their country and/or globally.

Defence

8. IAF inducts 8 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters
i. The Indian Air Force has inducted 8 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters at the Pathankot Air Force station to enhance its combat capabilities. The AH-64E Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters.
ii. India has received the attack helicopters as per the deal signed by Indian Air Force with the US Government and Boeing Ltd, in September 2015. The Indian Air Force will operate a fleet of 22 Apaches by 2020.

Static/Current Takeaways Important IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Chief of the Indian Air Force: Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.

Summit and Conference

9. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate ‘Aqua Aquaria India’
i. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 5th edition of the aquaculture event, Aqua Aquaria India, in Hyderabad.
ii. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Taking Blue Revolution to India’s Hinterland’. This event organised for encouraging diversification and intensification of aquaculture in a sustainable manner. iii. This is an initiative of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) under the Commerce Ministry.

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

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goyal.

10. 14th Conference of Parties UNCCD begins
i. The 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification begins in Greater Noida.
ii. During the event, India also assumed the presidency of COP for two years and Union Minister for environment took up the role of President of COP. 
iii. The Convention started with an aim to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought to achieve sustainable development in the affected areas.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Prakash Javadekar.

11. Raksha Mantri co-chairs Japan–India Defence Ministerial Meeting
i. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh co-chaired the Japan–India Defence Ministerial Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan. Japan's delegation was represented by Defence Minister of Japan Mr Takeshi lwaya. ii. The dialogue discussed ways to further strengthen the existing bilateral co-operative arrangements and adopt new initiatives towards achieving peace and security in the region.
iii. Raksha Mantri also paid homage to the martyrs of Japanese Self-Defence Forces at Ichigaya in Tokyo.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Japan Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Japanese Yen; PM: Shinzo Abe.

12. 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia
i. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia held in New Delhi. The committee is the highest decision making and governing body of WHO in the region.
ii. Dr Harsh Vardhan was unanimously elected as Chair of the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• WHO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Director general: Tedros Adhanom.

Books and Authors

13. A new book released on the history of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
i. The book, "India's Lost Frontier the Story of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan", has been penned by veteran civil servant Raghvendra Singh. He was the Director-General of the National Archives of India.
ii. This book on the history of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, earlier known as the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).
iii. This book presents the chronicles of Congress leadership in 1947 surrendered India's claim on the "tactically important" province despite the resistance of Mahatma Gandhi and some influential political leaders of the region.

Sports

14. Shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor clinches silver in Czech Republic
i. Shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor won a silver medal during an athletic meet at Decin in the Czech Republic. 
ii. The Asian Games gold medallist came up with the best throw of 20.09m in his last attempt at the event. Tajinder has been awarded the Arjuna Award this year.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Capital of Czech Republic: Prague; Currency of Czech Republic: Czech koruna.

Miscellaneous

15. KVIC launches ‘Terracotta Grinder’ to reuse wasted pottery
i. Khadi and Village Industries Commission has launched a ‘Terracotta Grinder’ at Sewapuri in Varanasi. The machine will be able to grind the wasted and broken pottery items for re-using in pottery-making. 
ii. This Terracotta grinder will make grinding of wasted pottery items faster than the traditional mortar and pestle. It will lessen the cost of production, and will also help in solving the problem of shortage of clays.
iii. On the occasion, KVIC also distributed 200 Electric Potter Wheels and other pottery machines among the villagers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Chairman of KVIC: Vinai Kumar Saxena.

16. Prakash Javadekar Unveils New Logo, Certificate Design of CBFC
i. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the new logo and certificate design of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). 
ii. The introduction of a QR code in the new certificate design is in sync with the world of digital technology and will bring in greater transparency and provide information to filmmakers in a better way.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chairman of CBFC: Prasoon Joshi.

17. ‘Namaste Pacific’ Cultural Event held in New Delhi
i. The High Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji jointly organised a cultural event 'Namaste Pacific' held in Delhi, India. 
ii. This event is organised to showcase the culture of the Pacific countries. There was also showcase of the International Solar Alliance and Pollinate Energy based in Australia, Nepal and India and solar lanterns from Barefoot College in Rajasthan.

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

• Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal; Lt. Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.

18. Nadubhagam Chundan Lifts 67th Nehru Trophy in Alappuzha
i. Nadubhagam Chundan, the snake boat of Pallathuruthy Boat Club, lifted the 67th edition of the Nehru Trophy at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha in Kerala. A total of 79 boats, including 23 snake boats, participated in the Nehru trophy.
ii. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the event in the presence of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who was the chief guest of the event.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Governor of Kerala: Arif Mohammed Khan; Capital of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram.

Satellite Frequency band and its working

Satellite technology is developing fast, and the applications for satellite technology are increasing all the time. Not only can satellites be used for radio communications, but they are also used for astronomy, weather forecasting, broadcasting, mapping and many more applications. 

With the variety of satellite frequency bands that can be used, designations have been developed so that they can be referred to easily. 

The higher frequency bands typically give access to wider bandwidths, but are also more susceptible to signal degradation due to ‘rain fade’ (the absorption of radio signals by atmospheric rain, snow or ice).

Because of satellites’ increased use, number and size, congestion has become a serious issue in the lower frequency bands. New technologies are being investigated so that higher bands can be used. 

L-band (1–2 GHz)

Global Positioning System (GPS) carriers and also satellite mobile phones, such as Iridium; Inmarsat providing communications at sea, land and air; WorldSpace satellite radio.

S-band (2–4 GHz)
Weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites, especially those of NASA for communication with ISS and Space Shuttle. In May 2009, Inmarsat and Solaris mobile (a joint venture between Eutelsat and Astra) were awarded each a 2×15 MHz portion of the S-band by the European Commission. 

C-band (4–8 GHz)

Primarily used for satellite communications, for full-time satellite TV networks or raw satellite feeds. Commonly used in areas that are subject to tropical rainfall, since it is less susceptible to rainfade than Ku band (the original Telstar satellite had a transponder operating in this band, used to relay the first live transatlantic TV signal in 1962).

X-band (8–12 GHz)

Primarily used by the military. Used in radar applications including continuous-wave, pulsed, single-polarisation, dual- polarisation, synthetic aperture radar and phased arrays. X-band radar frequency sub-bands are used in civil, military and government institutions for weather monitoring, air traffic control, maritime vessel traffic control, defence tracking and vehicle speed detection for law enforcement.

Ku-band (12–18 GHz)

Used for satellite communications. In Europe, Ku-band downlink is used from 10.7 GHz to 12.75 GHz for direct broadcast satellite services, such as Astra.

Ka-band (26–40 GHz)

Communications satellites, uplink in either the 27.5 GHz and 31 GHz bands, and high-resolution, close-range targeting radars on military aircraft.

Daily news 1 2 September 2019

National News

1. Higher penalties for violating traffic rules come into force
i. The amended provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, which hike the penalty for traffic rules violation have come into force from 01st September 2019. As many as 63 clauses of the Act, which correspond to an increase in the fine for traffic rule violation came into force
ii. The fine for jumping red-light has been revised from 1,000 rupees earlier to 5,000 rupees now. Driving without wearing the seat belt, which earlier invited a fine of 100 rupees will now attract a fine of 1,000 rupees.

2. EC launches Electors Verification Programme
i. The Election Commission launched a new mega Electors Verification Programme (EVP) across the country.
ii. The programme, which seeks to electoral rolls through crowdsourcing, will go on till 15th of October.
iii. Under the programme, a voter from each family will get a username and password, allowing a person to upload all documents related to electoral registration and tag similar details about his or her family members. The EVP programme can be effected both online and offline.

3. September month to be celebrated as 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah'
i. The entire month of September 2019 will be celebrated as the Rashtriya Poshan Maah. This year the theme is Complementary Feeding.
ii. Prime Minister's Overreaching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment- POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi- ministerial convergence mission with the vision to address malnutrition with a targeted approach by 2022.

International News

4. Indonesia to move the capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan
i. Indonesia’s president announced that the country’s capital will move from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to a site in sparsely populated East Kalimantan province on Borneo island.
ii. The new capital city, which has not yet been named, will be in the middle of the vast archipelago nation and already has relatively complete infrastructure because it is near the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda.

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

• Indonesian President: Joko Widodo; Currency: Indonesian rupiah.

State News

5. India’s first garbage cafe to be opened in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh
i. In a unique initiative, the Ambikapur municipal corporation of Chhattisgarh will open a first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe'.
ii. This initiative is a step towards making the city plastic-free. In this unique Cafe' poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of plastic, while breakfast will be provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe.
iii. The collected garbage will be sold at Solid-Liquid Resources Management Centre. The collected plastic waste would further be turned into granules and will then be used in the construction of roads in the city. Ambikapur is Chhattisgarh’s first dustbin-free city.

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

• CM of Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel.
• Governor of Chhattisgarh: Anusuiya Uikey.

Banking

6. IDBI Bank introduces repo-linked home and auto loans
i. IDBI Bank will introduce two Repo Linked Products -Suvidha Plus Home Loan and Suvidha Plus Auto Loan from September 10.
ii. The new Home Loan and Auto Loan products will be offered to new customers having a good credit score and a minimum income of Rs. 6 lakh per annum.
iii. The Suvidha Plus Home Loan will be offered for up to Rs. 75 Lakh with a tenor of up to 35 years.
iv. The Suvidha Plus Auto loan will be offered for up to Rs. 25 lakh covering the on-road price with a tenor of up to 7 years.

Agreement

7. Bangladesh partners with Reliance Power for gas-based power plant
i. The Bangladesh government has signed an agreement with Reliance Power of India. As per the agreement, they will set up a 750 MW gas-based power plant in Meghnahat near Dhaka. The construction of the plant will be completed by 2022.
ii. Reliance Power has also signed an MoU with Petro Bangla to set up 500 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) LNG terminal at Kutubdia Island near Chittagong in Bangladesh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

8. MeitY and Google signed a SoI to roll out "Build for Digital India"
i. Google and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have signed a statement of intent to roll-out 'Build for Digital India'.
ii. It is a programme which will provide engineering students a platform to develop market-ready, technology-based solutions that address key social problems.
iii. Under this program, the applicants will participate in online and offline learning opportunities on key technologies like machine learning, cloud and android.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• Chief Executive Officer of Google: Sundar Pichai.

Rank and Report

9. Mumbai at 45th spot and Delhi at 52nd in World Safe Cities Index 2019
i. According to a report of Economist Intelligence Unit, Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019, while Delhi stood at the 52nd position. Tokyo taking the top spot, While Singapore and Osaka came 2nd and 3rd in the list.
ii. The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety, with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.

10. India ranks 9th on "Global Happiness Survey" by Ipsos
i. According to a "Global Happiness Survey" by Ipsos, Indian has been ranked 9th on the happiness index among 28 global markets. For India, there has been a six per cent drop (from 83 per cent in 2018 to 77 per cent in 2019).
ii. Australia and Canada at the top spot (at 86 per cent) have emerged as the happiest nations of the world, While Russia (47 per cent) emerged at the bottom of the heap, among the 28 markets.

Appointment

11. New Governors Appointed in 5 Indian States
i. A total of five governors have been appointed by President Ram Nath Kovind, including the transfer and appointment of Kalraj Mishra.

• Kalraj Mishra, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, was transferred and appointed as the Governor of Rajasthan. He will replace Kalyan Singh.
• Taking over Mishra’s role as Himachal governor is former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
• Tamil Nadu BJP president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has been appointed as the Governor of Telangana, replacing ESL Narasimhan.
• Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been appointed as the new Governor of Maharashtra. Koshyari will replace Vidyasagar Rao.
• Arif Mohammed Khan has been appointed as the Kerala governor in place of P Sathasivam.

12. Lt. Gen. Mukund Naravane took charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff
i. Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane has assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Indian Army. He succeeded Lieutenant General D. Anbu.
ii. Before assuming charge as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Naravane was heading the Eastern Command of the Indian Army which takes care of India’s border with China.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Chief of the Army Staff: General Bipin Rawat.

13. GoI accepts SBI MD Anshula Kant's resignation
i. The Government of India has accepted the resignation of State bank of India Managing Director Anshula Kant. Now she has been appointed as the managing director and chief financial officer of the World Bank.

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

• SBI Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Established: 1 July 1955.

14. IPS Vivek Kumar Johri takes charge as BSF DG
i. IPS officer Vivek Kumar Johri took charge as the Director General (DG) of the country's largest border guarding force, BSF. He will replace Rajni Kant Mishra.
ii. VK Johri has been serving as the Special Secretary in the external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), under the Cabinet Secretariat. He will retire in September next year and is the 25th chief of the force.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Headquarters of BSF: New Delhi; Established: 1 December 1965.

Summit and Conference

15. 4th General Assembly of A-WEB to be held at Bengaluru
i. The Election Commission of India will host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies at Bengaluru. India will also take over as A-WEB’s Chair for the 2019-21 term.
ii. Over 50 countries across the globe will be participating in the meeting. The A-WEB is the largest association of Election Management Bodies worldwide.
iii. The Election Commission will also host International Conference on “Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information Technology in Elections".

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• A-WEB was established on October 14, 2013; Permanent Secretariat at: Seoul, South Korea.
• Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora.

Books and Authors

16. "A Short History of Indian Railways" title book penned by Rajendra B Aklekar
i. A new book named "A Short History of Indian Railways", has been penned by veteran journalist and author Rajendra B Aklekar.
ii. This new book on the history of Indian Railways chronicles the journey of the national transporter from the 1830s to the new high-speed Train 18 and Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious bullet train project.

Obituaries

17. Emmy Award-winning actress Valerie Harper passes away
i. The 4 Times Emmy Award-winning actress Valerie Harper passed away. She also has Golden Globe award for playing the brash New Yorker on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut in the musical "Take Me Along" in 1959.

Sports

18. Yashaswini Deswal wins gold at ISSF World Cup
i. Indian shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal won gold in the women's 10meter Air Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. she has also secured an Olympic quota for India. This is India's 9th quota in shooting for 2020 Tokyo Games.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Capital of Brazil: Brasilia; Currency of Brazil: Brazilian Real.

19. Jasprit Bumrah becomes 3rd Indian to register a hat trick in Test cricket
i. Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has become the third Indian to register a hat-trick in Test cricket. He took 3 wickets in 3 successive balls in the 2nd test against West Indies, held in Kingston, Jamaica.
ii. He dismissed Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase to claim the hat trick.
iii. This was the third test hat-trick by an Indian bowler after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan.

20. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc wins Belgian Grand Prix
i. Charles Leclerc won the Belgian Grand Prix after defeating Lewis Hamilton by less than a second. The tournament was held at the Spa-Francorchamps track. This was his first victory of his Formula One career. It was also Ferrari’s first win this year.

21. India lift SAFF Under-15 title in Kolkata
i. A convincing India U-15 team thrashed Nepal 7-0 to lift the SAFF U-15 title at the Kalyani Stadium in Kolkata. Striker Sridarth Nongmeikapam scored a hat-trick while Maheson Singh, Amandeep, Sibajit Singh and Himanshu Jangra scored one goal apiece.
ii. The victory also meant that India is now the most successful team in the tournament's history. They won the title for a record third time after previous wins in 2013 and 2017, both of which came in Nepal.

Miscellaneous

22. Russia to train Indian astronauts for Gaganyaan mission
i. Russia will train four Indian astronauts for India’s ambitious manned mission to space, Gaganyaan.
ii. Indian astronauts will be trained at Russian facilities. A special ISRO unit will be established in the embassy in Moscow to facilitate increased cooperation between India and Russia in view of the Gaganyaan mission.
iii. Under the Gaganyaan Mission, Indian Space Research Research Organisation has outlined a road map to put a three-man crew in a low earth orbit for 5-7 days by December 2021.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Chairman of ISRO: K. Sivan; Headquarters: Bengaluru; Established: 1969.

23. 100 cities to be covered under CGHS services by 2022
i. Health minister has announced that the Central Government Health Scheme's services would be available to 100 cities by 2022. He announced it during the inauguration of state-of-the-art CGHS Bhawan in New Delhi.
ii. The minister also launched the new scheme "Annual Health Check-up" of CGHS beneficiaries for pensioners of the age of 75 years and above.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

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