Daily updates 11 September 2019

National

1. PM Modi to inaugurate India's second Multi-Modal Terminal in Jharkhand

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation India’s second riverine Multi-Modal terminal (MMT) built at Sahibganj in Jharkhand.
•  The terminal at Sahibganj will open up industries of Jharkhand and Bihar to the global market and provide Indo-Nepal cargo connectivity through waterways route.
• Coal, stone chips, fertilizers, cement and sugar are other commodities expected to be transported through the terminal.
• This is the second of the three Multi-Modal Terminals being constructed on river Ganga under Jal Marg Vikas Project

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Raghubar Das; Governor: Draupadi Murmu.
• Capital of Jharkhand: Ranchi.

International

2. Typhoon Faxai hits Tokyo, Japan

• Typhoon Faxai has hit Tokyo, Japan. There were winds of up to 210km/h (130mph).
• Faxai is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Japanese capital in a decade. The Authorities have issued non-compulsory evacuation warnings to more than 390,000 people.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

State News

3. Kerala to set up India's first iWTC in Kozhikode

• Kerala will set up India’s first international women’s trade centre (iWTC), in consonance with the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Kozhikode.
• A key project of the state’s gender park under the department of social justice, it is envisaged as a safe space away from home for women to harness their entrepreneurial capabilities, set up or expand their businesses and get their products marketed globally.
• The first phase of iWTC, being executed under the gender park’s “Vision 2020”, is scheduled to be completed by 2021.

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

• Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor of Kerala: Arif Mohammed Khan.

Schemes and Committees

4. PM Narendra Modi launches National Animal Disease Control Programme

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura.
• The programme aims at vaccinating over 500 Million livestock including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs against foot and mouth disease. The programme also aims at vaccinating 36 million female bovine calves annually in its fight against Brucellosis disease.
• The government will fund the programme for Rs 12,652 crore for a period of 5 years till 2024. The programme has two components: to control the diseases by 2025 and eradication by 2030.

Agreement

5. Gurugram Police ties up with tech giant Google

• The Gurugram traffic police have tied up with Google maps for real time traffic updates. The traffic related information will be shared in real time for public use.
• The information such as planned road closures, diversions, traffic alerts regarding road crash etc. will be shared by Gurugram traffic police with Google maps. Responding to the situation, Google maps will immediately update the information on its public maps.
• The basic idea behind this arrangement is to prompt commuters to make intelligent choices in order to make their commuting experience hassle-free.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Chief Executive Officer of Google: Sundar Pichai.

6. Niti Aayog, McKinsey to Launch First Digital Capability Centre

• National Institution for Transforming India (Niti Aayog) has selected McKinsey & Company to set up India’s first Digital Capability Centre (DCC). McKinsey supports five such digital capability centres across the globe – Aachen, Chicago, Singapore, Venice, and Beijing.
• DCC is a unique digital manufacturing learning centre offering company leaders and their workforces hands-on experience and workshops in next-generation technology to help them advance their operations, design and productivity and can be used at all levels of the value chain.

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

• CEO NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant; Vice Chairman: Rajiv Kumar.

Awards

7. Pawan Munjal to be honoured with Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame

• Managing Director and Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, Pawan Munjal will be inducted into the 2019 Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame.
• He will be inducted for his support to "Golf" in India and around the world. The induction ceremony will be held at the 2019 Asian Golf Awards Gala Banquet.
• With the honour, he will join the legendary players such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and other leading personalities such as David Chu who were bestowed with the highest honour in the Asia Pacific golf industry.

8. England greats Boycott & Strauss honoured with knighthoods

• England cricket greats Geoffrey Boycott and Andrew Strauss have been honoured with "Knighthoods" by Theresa May in her resignation honours list.
• Both the former cricketers have received the honour for their services to sport after outstanding careers for England.
• Geoffrey Boycott played 108 tests between 1964 and 1982 for England and scored 8,114 Test runs at an average of 47.72.
• Andrew Strauss played 100 tests for England from 2004-12, scoring more than 7,000 runs at an average of 40.91, and captained the team to two Ashes series wins. He also served as England’s director of cricket between 2015 and 2018.

Summits and Conferences

9. International conference ‘ANGAN’ organized in New Delhi

• International conference ANGAN (Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-habitat) for Energy Efficiency in the Building Sector is being organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in New Delhi.
• This event to discuss various alternative options and technologies in the field of design and construction of energy-efficient commercial as well as residential buildings.
• This event will provide a platform to deliberate on the interdependence between organizations, systems sustainability and feedback loops for better resource efficiency.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Director-General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency: Abhay Bakre.
• Headquarters of Bureau of Energy Efficiency: New Delhi.

10. 24th World Energy Congress commence in Abu Dhabi

• The 24th World Energy Congress commence in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
• World Energy Congress aims to bring together international energy stakeholders, including governments, private and state corporations, academia and media.
• The theme of this World Energy Congress is "Energy for Prosperity".
• World Energy Congress is the World Energy Council’s global flagship event offering a unique platform for global energy leaders to explore new energy futures, critical innovation areas, and new strategies.

Books and authors

11. A book titled "Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-1924” released

• A book titled "Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-1924″ is penned by Bengaluru-based historian Vikram Sampath and published by Penguin.
• This book describing the life of freedom fighter and Philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar.
• This first volume of the two-volume series covers the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar), from his birth in 1883 to his conditional release to Ratnagiri in 1924.

Obituaries

12. Tamil actor, cinematographer and director Rajasekar passes away

• Tamil Film Director, Actor and Cinematographer Raja Sekar passed away.
• He was a part of the director duo Robert-Rajasekar. Along with Robert Ashirwatham, he had directed films such as Palaivanacholai, Chinnapoove Mella Pesu, Dhooram Adhigamillai, Manasukkul Mathappu and Paravaigal Palavidham.

Sports

13. Paralympic Committee of India de-recognised for Sports Code violation

• The Sports Ministry of India has de-recognised the Paralympic Committee of India.
• The ministry has de-recognised the committee for violation of the National Sports Code. The committee violated the code by removing its elected president Rao Inderjit Singh.
• The Committee has been penalised for misgovernance and has been directed to comply with the Sports Code and ensure good governance practices in its internal functioning.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Ministers of State (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports: Shri Kiren Rijiju.

Miscellaneous

14. "CHC Farm Machinery" App launched for farmers

• Minister of State for Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala has launched a multilingual Mobile App “CHC Farm Machinery” during a conference on Crop Residue Management in New Delhi.
• The app will allow farmers to avail custom hiring services of CHCs located in a radius of 50 km. With the help of app, the farmers will now be able to get affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps.

Daily updates 12 September 2019

National

1.Skill India gets its first Batch of IES officers to the ISDS cadre

• The fresh batch of the newest central government services, the Indian Skill Development Services(ISDS) commenced their training program at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) in Mysuru, Karnataka. These are the first batch which is joining the ISDS cadre from the Indian Engineering Service Examination conducted by UPSC.
• The aim for this is to attract young and talented administrators towards institutionalizing the Skill Development environment in the country.
• The induction of young talent as ISDS officers is one of the special initiatives taken by the Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the government as a whole, to significantly strengthen the skill development eco-system in the country. This is the first batch of young minds from Indian Engineering Services to be included in the MSDE.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

• Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: Raj Kumar Singh.

State News

2. Haryana launches two insurance schemes for traders

• The State government of Haryana has launched two insurance schemes for registered small and medium traders.
• The schemes includes “Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna Beema Yojana” and “Mukhyamantri Vyapari Kshatipurti Beema Yojana".
• An insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh would be provided under the Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna Beema Yojana. An insurance cover ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh would be provided under the Mukhyamantri Vyapari Kshatipurti Beema Yojana.
• Traders registered under the Haryana Goods and Service Tax (HGST) Act, 2017 would be covered under these schemes.
• As per the scheme, the premium of people under both the schemes would be paid by the State government.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

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

Banking

3. IDBI to launch co-branded credit card with LIC

• The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) and Life Insurance Corporation of India Credit Cards Services (LIC CSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of LIC, will launch a co-branded credit card, which will be marketed to customers, agents, and employees of the corporation and its subsidiaries.

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

• IDBI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai; MD and CEO: Rakesh Sharma.
• Chairman of LIC: MR Kumar; Headquarters of LIC: Mumbai.

Agreement

4. India and ADB signs 200 million dollar loan agreement

• India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed 200 million dollar loan agreement.
• Under the agreement, they will upgrade rural roads in 34 districts of Maharashtra to improve road safety.
• The project aims to improve the condition of about 2,100 km of rural roads to all-weather standards, with climate resilience and safety features.
• It will also help in connecting rural communities with productive agricultural areas and socio-economic centres.
• The enhanced road connectivity and better access to markets will help the farmers increase agricultural productivity and incomes.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Appointment

5. PK Mishra appointed as the Principal Secretary to PM

• Pramod Kumar Mishra will be the new Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• He will replace Nripendra Mishra. He is a 1972 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Gujarat cadre. He joined PM Modi in 2014 as the Additional Principal Secretary.
• He has varied experience in the management of programmes relating to agriculture, disaster management, power sector, infrastructure financing and regulatory issues.

6. P K Sinha appointed as the Principal Advisor to PM

• Former Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha has been appointed the Principal Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of PK Sinha.
• He is a 1977 batch Indian Administrative Service Batch officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. He joined cabinet secretariat on June 1, 2015, as Officer-on-Special Duty.

Defence

7. DRDO successfully tests indigenous anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM)

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested an indigenously-developed low weight, fire and forget Man-Portable Antitank Guided Missile (MPATGM) in the ranges of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
• This is the third series of successful testing of MPATGM. The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-art Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics. The test paves the way for the Army to have developed third-generation man-portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile indigenously.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:

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

8. IAF resurrects 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' for Rafale

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) resurrected the Air Force Station (AFS) Ambala-based 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’, which will operate the first squadron of Rafale fighter jets.
• Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa presented a memento to Station Commander Group Captain Harkirat Singh to commemorate the occasion.
• The squadron was formed at Ambala on 01st Oct 1951 under the command of Flight Lieutenant D L Springett and was then equipped with Harvard-II B aircraft.
• Under the command of then Wing Commander BS Dhanoa, Golden Arrows participated actively in Operation Safed Sagar in 1999. On December 31, 2011, the squadron was ‘number plated’ after the Russian Mig-21 jets that it flew was decommissioned as part of the IAF’s long-term plan to phase the decades-old aircraft out of service and was since awaiting newer inductions.

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

• Motto of the Indian Air Force: Nabha Sprsham Deeptam (The Glory that touches the sky).

9. INS Khanderi to be commissioned into the Indian Navy

• India's 2nd Scorpene-class submarine, INS Khanderi will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• The conventional diesel-electric submarine has been manufactured by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai.
• The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 2017.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

Awards

10. Navdeep Singh Suri honoured with First Class Order of Zayed II

• Navdeep Singh Suri, India's envoy to United Arab Emirates, has been honoured with the First Class Order of Zayed II award.
• He was awarded by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his contribution to the development and strengthening of friendly relations and co-operation between India and UAE during his tenure.

Summits and Conferences

11. National Conference on “Criminal Activities and Radicalization in Jails"

• Bureau of Police research and development will organize the National Conference on “Criminal Activities and Radicalization in Jails: Vulnerability of Inmates and Jail Staff and their Protection” in New Delhi.
• The conference aims to provide a platform for the prison personnel of all ranks at the national level to share their candid views on various operational as well as administrative issues. The conference will focus on the following issues:

1. To understand various criminal activities at individual and gang level and considers safety measures for vulnerable inmates and jail staff.
2. To understand various facets of radicalization in prison and suggest measures for counter radicalization.
3. To analyse and formulate the security and protection standards for prison staff.
4. To provide an interdisciplinary platform for correctional personnel to exchange and share their experience on prison reforms.

• The event will also promote research and development activities on the functioning of the correctional administration across the country.

12. Nepal Infrastructure Summit 2019 held in Kathmandu

• Nepal Infrastructure Summit 2019 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The theme of the summit was "Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Development".
• It focuses on the global and regional mega trends, including climate change and their relevance to the local context, issues surrounding infrastructure project delivery, financing modalities and opportunities for cross-border economic cooperation and investments.
• The summit was organised by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries in association with Government of Nepal. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh represented India in the summit.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

• Prime Minister of Nepal: K P Sharma Oli; Capital: Kathmandu.

Miscellaneous

13. Cryodrakon boreas is the largest flying animal of all time

• Scientists have unveiled a newly discovered species of a pterosaur, the largest ever flying animal according to a study conducted by Queen Mary University in London.
• These species come from the Azhdarchid group of pterosaurs. The pterosaur's name Cryodrakon boreas roughly translates to 'frozen dragon of the north wind'.
• Cryodrakon boreas is the largest flying animal of all time, With a wingspan of 10 m and weighing 250 kg, researchers reported in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

14. Thailand 1st in Asia to roll out plain cigarette packaging

• Thailand became the first Asian nation to unveil plain cigarette packaging to reduce the appeal of smoking and complied with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines.
• In 2012, Australia became the first country to require tobacco products to be sold without colourful brand logos.

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

• Thailand Capital: Bangkok, Currency: Baht

Daily updates 14 September 2019

National

1. World Bank to sanction Rs 3,000 crore for food parks

• The World Bank will provide Rs 3,000 crore assistance to finance mini and mega food parks across India.
• The announcement was made by Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries during the 15th Indo-US Economic Summit.
• The 15th Indo-US Economic Summit was organized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-North India Council (IACC-NIC) in New Delhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:

• President of World Bank: David Malpass; Headquarters: Washington DC, USA.
• Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries: Rameswar Teli.

2. Centre to set up 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres

• Union Government has set a target of setting up 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
• Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy Minister Shripad Yesso Naik announced this during the inauguration of a Unani Medical Centre and Siddha Clinical Research Unit.
• Out of 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres, 4000 centres will be set up in 2019.

State News

3. Rajasthan launches "Jan Soochna Portal-2019"

• Rajasthan has launched "Jan Soochna Portal-2019" a public information portal to provide information about government authorities and departments to the public in the true spirit of the Right To Information Act.
• The portal ensures compliance with Section 4(2) of the RTI Act mandating the public authorities to disclose information in the public domain.
• The State government has collaborated with the civil society groups to develop the portal, presently giving information pertaining to 13 departments on a single platform.
• The portal empowers the common people with access to useful information.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

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

Schemes and Committees

4. NGT constitutes committee to cease illegal groundwater extraction

• The National Green Tribunal has constituted a committee to formulate steps to cease illegal groundwater extraction.
• The committee comprises joint secretaries of Ministry of Environment and Forests and Ministry of Water Resources, Central Ground Water Board, National Institute of Hydrology (Roorkee), National Remote Sensing Centre and Central Pollution Control Board.
• The committee aims to ensure that groundwater is not illegally extracted and to monitor manning and functioning of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

Agreement

5. Railway ministry signs MoU with CII

• The Railway Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for evaluating the green initiatives and rate the performance of its industrial units pursuing environmentally sustainable practices.
• The MoU was signed for Green Business Centre (GBC) of CII to extend technical co-operation for various green initiatives. It has developed a GreenCo Rating system to evaluate the various steps and rate them.
• GBC will also assess and certify 3 industrial units of the Railways and organise studies on energy efficiency.

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

• Union Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal.
• John Mathai was the first Railways Minister of Independent India.

Appointment

6. Kapil Dev appointed as chancellor of Rai Sports University

• The Haryana Government has appointed cricket legend Kapil Dev as the first Chancellor of Sports University, Rai (Sonepat).
• The Haryana Assembly recently established Haryana’s first sports university at Rai.
• Kapil Dev was the captain of India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup winning team.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:

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

Defence

7. DAC approves Capital Procurement of Rs 2,000 crores

• The Defence Acquisition Council accorded approval for Capital Procurement for the Services amounting to approximately Rs 2,000 crores.
• The decision was taken during the Defence Acquisition Council meeting held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh.
• Focussing on the 'Make in India' initiative, DAC granted:
• The approval for indigenous development and production of the main gun 125mm Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding-Sabot (APFSDS) ammunition for T-72/T-90 tanks by the Indian Industry.
• Approved procurement of DRDO developed and Industry manufactured Mechanical Mine Layer (Self Propelled) to improve automated minelaying capability with the Indian Army.

Awards

8. 5 Indian women police officers honoured by UN

• Five Indian women police officers were honoured by the United Nations for their commendable services in the world body's mission in South Sudan.
• The women officers who were conferred the UN medal were

1. Reena Yadav (Inspector Chandigarh Police)
2. Gopika Jahagirdar (DSP, Maharashtra Police)
3. Bharati Samantray (DSP, Ministry of Home Affairs)
4. Ragini Kumari (Inspector, Ministry of Home Affairs)
5. Kamal Shekhawat (ASP, Rajasthan Police)

• The Indian women police officers received the UN medal at a medal parade in the United Nations Mission in Juba in South Sudan.

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

• On 24 October 1945, The United Nations officially comes into existence
• Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• United Nations is headquartered in New York.

Sports

9. Andrew Strauss becomes chairman of ECB's cricket committee

• Former England captain Andrew Strauss has been appointed as the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s cricket committee.
• As a chairman, Strauss will monitor all levels of cricket in England and Wales to ensure a “thriving professional game at the heart of the sport”.
• Andrew Strauss played 100 tests for England from 2004-12, scoring more than 7,000 runs at an average of 40.91, and captained the team to two Ashes series wins. He also served as England’s director of cricket between 2015 and 2018.

Important Days

10. Hindi Diwas celebrated on 14 September

• Hindi Diwas is observed every year on 14 September to mark the popularity of Hindi as an official language of India.
• On the occasion, International Hindi Conference was also organised by World Hindi Council in New Delhi.
• Hindi lovers from 6 countries including Mauritius, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka attended the International Hindi Conference.

Obituaries

11. Former bureaucrat B.N. Yugandhar passes away

• Former bureaucrat and Secretary to the PMO, B.N. Yugandhar passed away.
• He served as Secretary to the PMO between May 1995 and March 1997 during former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao’s term. He also served in the Ministry of Rural Development from March 1993 to May 1995.
• B.N. Yugandhar was the father of Microsoft's present Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella