Daily updates 7 November 2019

National

1.HRD Minister and Harsimrat Kaur badal to launch 3 books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji

• Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal will launch three books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, the University of Delhi, on the occasion of 550thBirth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
• The National Book Trust has published three titles: Guru Nanak Bani, Nanak Bani, and Sakhian Guru Nanak Dev to spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev’s writings among readers of Indian sub-continent.
• These books, published originally in Punjabi, shall be translated into 15 major Indian languages.

State News

2. PM Modi inaugurates two-day Global investors' meet in Dharamshala

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a two-day Himachal Pradesh Global investors' meet - 'Rising Himachal' in Dharamshala.
• The event is being organised by the Himachal Pradesh government to attract investment and create employment opportunities in the state.
• Ambassadors from 16 countries, 209 foreign delegates along with local entrepreneurs will participate in the mega event.

3. Lucknow railway station gets 'Health ATM'

• The Indian Railways has installed two 'Health ATMs' at the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow. The kiosks, promoted by YOLO Health ATM, provide 16 health check-ups for Rs 50-100.
• There are two types of check-ups a 9-minute one that costs Rs 100, and a 6-minute one that costs Rs 50. The report is delivered instantly to the email or smartphone of the user.
• The check-ups include body mass index, blood pressure, body fat, haemoglobin, metabolic age, muscle mass, weight, height, temperature, muscle mass, basal metabolic rating, visceral fat, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, blood glucose, and bone mass.
• Health ATMs can be defined as private, walk-in medical kiosks with integrated medical devices for basic vitals, cardiology, neurology, pulmonary testing, gynaecology, basic laboratory testing and emergency facilities and staffed by a medical attendant.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Uttar Pradesh CM: Yogi Adityanath; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

4. Odisha government signs pact with Tata Strive, Tech Mahindra for skill upgradation

• The Odisha state government signed agreements with Tata Strive and Tech Mahindra to add new dimensions in skilling and employability of the youth.
• The agreement between Directorate of Technical Education and Training and Tata Strive is aimed at imparting life skills to the students of all 49 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state.
• The pact between Tech Mahindra and the Biju Patnaik University of Technology will see setting up of a centre for excellence in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• It will work on the proof of concept for real-life business problems to keep up with the market demand and enhance employability of engineering students.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
• Capital: Bhubaneshwar.

Agreements

5. Tech Mahindra acquires New York-based BORN Group for $95 million

• IT services firm Tech Mahindra Ltd (Tech M) has acquired BORN Group, a New York-based digital content and production agency, for $95 million.
• The acquisition will help to boost the electronic and mobile commerce segment globally, and equipped to deliver enhanced user experience to customers of Tech Mahindra globally.
• BORN’s services include consulting, content creation, maintenance and hosting services, digital and social marketing, among others. It has clients such as Google, Tata, Red Bull and TAG Heuer.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Chairman of Mahindra: Anand Mahindra; MD & CEO: C.P. Gurnani.
• Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra.

Banking

6. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches Instant Digital Savings and Instant FD Account

• The finance service company, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank(SFB) has launched an instant digital savings account (SA) along with Fixed Deposit (FD) and Privilege Savings Account to offer distinctive banking and digital services to its customers.
• Instant Digital SA account: This account has the restriction of Rs 1 lakh deposit & has the unlimited free transactions on the bank’s own ATM (automated teller machine) and 6 free transactions for other bank ATMs per month.
• Instant Fixed Deposit (FD): With interest rate ranging from 5.5% (7days to 29 days) & up to 8.3% (799 days), the customers can invest in this account up to a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh without a Savings Account.
• Privilege SA: This account comes with the eligibility for a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000 or above /on maintaining a Monthly Average Balance of Rs 25,000 / opening a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 10 Lakh. It provides a higher accidental insurance cover of Rs. 2 Lakh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Headquarters of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank: Bengaluru.
• Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer: Samit Kumar Ghosh.

Defence

7. GRSE delivers fast patrol vessel, 'Annie Besant' to Indian Coast Guard

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Annie Besant, the second in the series of five such ships, to the Indian Coast Guard.
• A medium-range vessel with a length of 50 metres, a width of 7.5 metres and displacement of around 308 tonnes, the FPV is capable of operations in the maritime zones of the country.
• These powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are designed to perform multipurpose operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations.
• ICGS Annie Besant is designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nautical miles.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• GRSE Founded: 1884; Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal.

Summit and Conferences

8. Lok Sabha Speaker addresses 6th Speakers’ Summit of G 20 Countries

• Lok sabha speaker Om Birla composed the Indian Parliament delegation for 6th parliamentary summit of G20 countries, held in Tokyo, Japan 2019. G20 presiding officer of parliament attended the summit.
• The summit had three sessions on separate themes related to trade, technology and sustainable development.
• The gathering of this summit was about the terrorism which destroying the system of economy.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• President-Shinzo Abe; Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Yen.

Science and Technology

9. IIT-Madras launches affordable standing wheelchair

• Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, in collaboration with Phoenix Medical Systems, launched the country’s first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair.
• wheelchair named “Arise”, was designed and developed by the TTK Centre for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), headed by Sujatha Srinivasan, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT-Madras.
• The wheelchair is priced at Rs 15,000. The assistive device helps the wheelchair-bound move from a sitting to standing position, and vice-versa, independently.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• IIT Madras Established: 1959, in Chennai, TamilNadu.
• Motto: Success is born out of action.

Sports

10. Manu Bhaker bags gold medal in Asian Shooting Championships 2019

• Manu Bhaker won gold medal in women's 10m air pistol event. She put up a dominant showing, shooting 584 in qualification and 244.3 in the final to take gold.
• While Vivaan Kapoor and Manisha Keer also won the yellow metal in junior trap mixed event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2019.

Obituaries

11. Former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar passes away

• Former Maharashtra minister and senior Congress party leader Babasaheb Dhabekar passed away.
• He served as water resource minister in the 1990s during the Shiv Sena-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) alliance government.

Important Days

12. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

• The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is an international day observed annually on November 6.
• The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict was established on November 5, 2001, by the United Nations General Assembly.
• At the time of war, it affects the ecosystem such as water supply is poisoned, the forest is burnt, animals killed, etc.
• Though humanity has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war.
• Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage.

Miscellaneous

13. China approves drug to cure Alzheimer's disease

• China’s National Medical Products Administration has officially approved an indigenously developed Alzheimer’s drug called GV-971 (sodium oligo-mannurarate).
• The Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has developed the drug jointly with the Ocean University of China and Green Valley Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, after 22 years of research.
• Extracted from brown algae, the oral drug is the world’s first multi-targeting and carbohydrate-based drug, which will now be available to patients from December,29,2019.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Alzheimer disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking ability, and the capability to carry out simple tasks.

Daily updates 6 November 2019

National

1.MSDE, IBM jointly launch SkillsBuild platform

• The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the SkillsBuild platform in collaboration with IBM.
• As part of the programme, a two-year advanced diploma in IT, networking and cloud computing, co-created and designed by IBM, will be offered at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) & National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
• The platform will be extended to train ITI & NSTI faculty on building skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• The digital platform will provide a personal assessment of the cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius to the students.
• They will then learn foundational knowledge about digital technologies, as well as professional skills such as resume-writing, problem solving and communication.
• Students will also receive recommendations on role-based education for specific jobs that include technical and professional learning.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE): Mahendra Nath Pandey.
• IBM India Pvt Ltd MD: Karan Bajwa.
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

2. Agriculture Minister releases 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas 2019

• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar released the 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas 2019.
• The Atlas, published jointly by Department of Land Resources and National Remote Sensing Centre, provides robust geospatial information on wasteland.
• It is helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development programmes and schemes. Wastelands Atlas-2019 also provides State and district wise distribution of different categories of wastelands area in the country and will be helpful in addressing land degradation.

3. PM Modi inaugurates 5th India International Science Festival

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 5th India International Science Festival (IISF) at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata through video conferencing.
• The theme of the festival is "RISEN: Research, Innovation and Science Empowering the Nation" reflects the aspirations of 21st century India. The aims of IISF is to build a strategy for inclusive advancement of Science and Technology.
• The India International Science Festival (IISF) was launched in 2015 to promote Science and Technology.
• The goal of the Science festivity is to help youth, develop 21st-century skills, with a focus on scientific knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork.

International

4. China launches Sudan's first ever satellite "SRSS-1"

• Sudan's first-ever satellite for conducting research in military, economic and space technology has been launched by China.
• Sudan's remote-sensing satellite (SRSS-1), was developed by the Shenzhen Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Co.
• The satellite was launched aboard China’s Long March-4B rocket along with other Chinese satellites including Gaofen 7, Xiaoxiang-1 08, Whampoa 1 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China.
• The Sudanese satellite has been mainly designed for civil and military remote sensing over Sudan.
• The remote-sensing satellite aims to advance research in space technology.
• Its main objective is to acquire the required data as well as discover natural resources for the country's military needs.
• The satellite aims to generate a comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable database on the topographic, mapping and natural resources of Sudan.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of Sudan: Omar al-Bashir.
• Sudan Capital: Khartoum; Currency: Sudanese pound.

Agreements

5. MSTC ties up with Allahabad Bank to develop e-auction platform

• MSTC Ltd has signed an agreement with Allahabad Bank for the development of a dedicated e-Auction platform.
• This platform directly linked with the Indian Banking Association's portal (https://ibapi.net) for sale of non-performing assets (NPAs) through the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest) Act.
• The e-Auction platform will be a one-of-a-kind solution, where a bidder once registered, will be able to participate in auctions for all banks.
• This move will help the banks monetise NPAs through a streamlined process, thereby, increasing revenue generation.
• MSTC is a Central Government of India company engaged in domestic and international trading.
• It specialises in the international trade of ferrous input materials and has imported millions of tonnes of ferrous melting scrap, old ships for breaking, sponge iron, hot briquetted iron, re-rollable scrap, etc.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Chairman & MD of MSTC: Bam Bahadur Singh.
• Founded: 9 September 1964; Headquarters: Kolkata.
• MD & CEO of Allahabad Bank: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao.
• Tagline: A tradition of trust.

Awards

6. Serbia’s Sara Damnjanovic wins "Miss Asia Global title 2019"

• The 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ was organized at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala. Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has been crowned ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’.
• The title is given to the winner from the Asian region. Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam was awarded the Miss Asia title given to the winner from the rest of the world.
• Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title. The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.

Summit and Conferences

7. Union Home Minister inaugurates SCO joint exercise on urban earthquake search, rescue

• Union Home Minister inaugurated the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint exercise on urban earthquake search and rescue 2019 at the Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi.
• The 4-day exercise is being hosted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to rehearse disaster response mechanisms and share knowledge, experience, and technology.
• The main focus of the joint exercise will be to test the region's preparedness to activate intergovernmental interaction for an immediate response.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Union Home Minister: Amit Shah.

Business

8. ADB to give $451 mn for Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor power links

• The Asian Development Bank will provide a $451 million (about Rs 3,200 crore) loan to strengthen power connectivity between the southern and northern parts of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.
• The total cost of the project is $653.5 million, of which the government will provide $202.5 million.
• The estimated completion date is the end of 2024. The project will help promote economic development by delivering a more reliable and competitive power supply for industry and services in the state, which will in turn spur jobs and improve livelihoods.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines, President: Takehiko Nakao.

Defence

9. Biggest US-Bangladesh Navy exercise starts in Chattogram, Bangladesh

• The second phase of the biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise named 'Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)- 2019' started in Chattogram, Bangladesh.
• CARAT is one of the U.S. Navy’s longest continually running exercise in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• The exercise provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operational activities of the Navies of two countries and to get acquainted with advanced technology through various theoretical and practical training.

10. Shripad Naik inaugurates DRDO’s Igniter Complex at HEMRL, Pune

• Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik inaugurated the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) Igniter Complex at High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune, Maharashtra.
• HEMRL, a premier laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is primarily engaged in developing rocket and gun propellants, pyrotechnic devices, high-explosive systems and synthesis of high-energy molecules.
• The laboratory has developed several ignition systems to ensure reliable initiation of rocket motors of various tactical as well as strategic missiles.
• The ignition system for Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Nag, Pinaka, Long RangeSurface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM), etc. have been designed and developed in HEMRL.
• Technology for AKASH, Nag missiles and Pinaka Mk-I Rocket has been transferred to Ordnance Factory, Dehu Road, Pune and private industries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy; Formed: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.

Science and Technology

11. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates global Mega Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’

• Union Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science has inaugurated India’s 1-ever multi-venue Mega science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam 2019’, in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The exhibition organized by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the National Council of Science Museums(NCSM), Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will be open till December 31, 2019 for public display and will showcase the world from micro to macro, unveiling the efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Union Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science: Harsh Vardhan.

Books and Authors

12. Vice President releases monograph of 'Musical Excellence of Mridangam' in Chennai

• Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu released a monograph, ‘Musical Excellence of Mridangam’, a rare fusion of art and science of an ancient South Indian instrument on the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) campus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The book, an outcome of research and development on standardisation of fabrication, tonal characterisation and new innovations in the design of the percussion instrument, was authored by mridangam maestro and Padma Vibhushan awardee Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and former scientists T. Ramasami (former Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology) and M.D. Naresh.

Miscellaneous

13. Official emblem unveiled for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2020

• The official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020 which is to be conducted in India was unveiled.
• The emblem was unveiled by Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) and Local Organising Committee(LOC) at the launch event in the gateway of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The design of the emblem is bright blue waves rise from the base and reach up along the form of the trophy towards a crown forming the shape of Paisley or Boteh motif commonly used in Kashmiri Pashmina shawl and carpets.
• The droplet of the design framing a ball made from a marigold flower depicts a symbol of growth and development. The colour and style are inspired by Bandhani textiles, an Indian tie-dye technique dating back thousands of years.
• The stem of the marigold’s symbol is derived from traditional Warli paintings with Bandhani patterns.

Daily updates 5 November 2019

National

1.First-ever movement of container cargo on Brahmaputra

• The first-ever containerised cargo movement via Indo-Bangladesh protocol route and Brahmaputra river will start from West Bengal's Haldia.
• The vessel MV Maheshwari, carrying 53 containers of petrochemicals, edible oil and beverage will take 12-15 days to reach the IWAI terminal at Pandu in Assam's Guwahati.
• National Waterway 2 (NW-2) is a section of the Brahmaputra River having a length of 891 km between the Bangladesh border near Dhubri and Sadiya in Assam.

International

2. Guyana to be fastest growing country in the world next year at 86%

• According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Guyana’s GDP is expected to be more at 86% in 2020 after expanding 4.4% in 2019.
• This growth expectation had done after Exxon Mobil Corp.’s discovery of oil at Guyana. Guyana’s economy will grow more than three times within five years.
• Guyana’ GDP is to get fourteen times as fast as China’s GDP in 2020. Guyana is projecting $300 million in petroleum revenue in 2020.
• It is a country of South America with 7,80,000 population and neighbour countries are brazil & Venezuela.
• The oil sector will represent about 40% of the economy within five years.
• It crosses $4billion annual Gross domestic product (GDP) and also it will expand to about $15 billion by 2024.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of Guyana: David A.Granger; Prime minister of Guyana: Moses Nagamootoo.
• Capital of Guyana: George Town; Currency of Guyana: Guyanese Dollar.

State News

3. Amarinder Singh launches first of its kind 'Punjab job helpline'for job seekers

• The Punjab Chief Minister(CM) Amarinder Singh has launched a first of its kind job helpline number 76260-76260 for the unemployed youth of the state under ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ programme.
• The objective of this helpline is to reach every house in Punjab and it can be contacted on 75 thousand mobile numbers daily.
• In this process, a 110-seat call centre of Punjab Job Helpline has also been created for the data to be prepared.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Capital of Punjab: Chandigarh.
• Governor of Punjab: V.P. Singh Badnore.

Appointments

4. Aditya Mishra appointed as chairman of Land Ports Authority of India

• Senior IPS officer Aditya Mishra was appointed as the chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI).
• He is a 1989 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mishra as the chairman of the LPAI on the recommendations of a search-cum-selection panel.
• He has been appointed for a period of five years from the date of assumption of the charge.
• LPAI develops, sanitises and manage the facilities for cross-border movement of passengers and goods at designated points along the international borders of India.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarters of LPAI: New Delhi; Founded: 2012.

5. IndusInd Bank appointed Sumant Kathpalia as new MD & CEO

• A private sector lender, IndusInd Bank has appointed its consumer banking head Suman Kathpalia, as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• He will replace Romesh Sobti, who will be retired in March 2020. Before joining IndusInd Bank, Sumant Kathpalia headed consumer loans vertical at ABN Amro Bank and joined IndusInd Bank in 2008.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarters of IndusInd Bank: Mumbai; Founded:1994;
• Tagline: we make you feel richer.

Awards

6. Madhuri Vijay’s debut novel ‘The Far Field’ wins 2019 JCB prize for Literature

• U.S. based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay’s debut novel, "The Far Field" bagged this year’s JCB prize for Literature, the most expensive Indian award for writing.
• The novel, published by Fourth estate India , sets a complex personal story against the backdrop of the conflict in the 1990s in Kashmir.
• She also received the Rs 25 lakh as the prize money, a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra entitled Mirror Melting.
• JCB prize is an annual Indian literary award instituted in 2018. It is awarded to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or to a translated fiction by an Indian writer.
• The award is funded by English construction manufacturing group JCB, which established the JCB Literature Foundation to maintain this award.
• In 2018, the JCB Prize for Literature was awarded to Jasmine Days by Benyamin, translated from Malayalam by Shahnaz Habib.

Summit and Conferences

7. Sri Lanka hosts biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference

• The biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference is being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 4-7 November 2019. India will be represented at the conference by Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• The theme for the 2019 CLM Conference is ‘Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law’.
• The Conference seeks to address challenges faced by millions of people seeking to resolve legal disputes.
• These include barriers such as poverty, lack of legal aid, distrust of the justice system and corruption.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee.
• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe; President: Maithripala Sirisena.

Economy

8. Finance Minister launches two IT initiatives ICEDASH and ATITHI

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled two new IT Initiatives - ICEDASH and ATITHI for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving international passengers.
• ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs helping the public see the daily Customs clearance times of import cargo at various ports and airports.
• The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and faster clearance by Customs at the airports and enhance the experience of international tourists and other visitors at the airports.

Obituaries

9. French Resistance member & Nazi camps survivor Yvette Lundy passes away

• French Resistance legend & Nazi camps survivor Yvette Lundy who helped Jewish prisoners of war to escape prison during the Nazi occupation of France passed away at the age of 103.
• She was born on 22 April 1916 in France, Yvette was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, which is one of the highest decorations in France.

10. Retired judge of Madras HC, N.V. Balasubramanian passes away

• Justice N.V. Balasubramanian, retired Judge of Madras High Court passed away.
• He served as the Madras High Court judge from 1996 – 2007 & as the Chairman of committees on fixation of fee for self-financing professional colleges and polytechnics after retiring from service.
• He worked as senior counsel & arbitrator in Supreme Court (SC) of India for 11 years.

11. Former President of FICCI & Industrialist K.K. Modi passes away

• Former President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Chairman of Modi Enterprises Krishnan Kumar Modi(K.K.Modi) passed away.
• He was also the president of the confederation of Asia-pacific chambers of commerce and industry from 2002 to 2006. He hailed from Patiala district, Punjab.

Important Days

12. World Tsunami Awareness Day: 5 November

• The World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November.
• The day is celebrated to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami. In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
• In 2019, World Tsunami Awareness Day promotes Target of the "Sendai Seven Campaign," which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
• World Tsunami Awareness Day was the brainchild of Japan, which due to it's repeated, bitter experience has over the years built up major expertise in areas such as tsunami early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future impacts.

Miscellaneous

13. IFFCO introduces India’s first nanotechnology-based products for on-field trials

• The world’s largest fertilizer cooperative Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) introduced India’s 1st nanotechnology-based product range by introducing Nano Nitrogen, Nano Zinc, Nano Copper for on-field trials at an event held at its Kalol unit in Gujarat.
• The products were produced at IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) in Kalol unit.
• The first phase of the launch was tested with support from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)/Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• These nanostructured formulations effectively deliver nutrients to the plants.
• Other benefits of these Nano-products include a reduction in the requirement of conventional chemical fertilizer by 50%, up to 15-30% increase in crop production, improvement in soil health, reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Managing Director of IFFCO: Uday Shankar Awasthi.
• Founded: 3 November 1967; Headquarters: New Delhi.