Daily updates 5 November 2020

National

1. Indian Army chief made honorary General of Nepal Army

• The Chief of Army Staff General, MM Naravane was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. He was honoured at a special ceremony at the President's official residence 'Shital Niwas' in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli, Indian Ambassador Vinay M. Kwatra and other senior officials of both the countries.
• The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of conferring Army Chiefs of each other's country with the honorary title.
• Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army Chief to be decorated with the title in 1950.
• In January last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Purna Chandra Thapa, was also made the honorary General of the Indian Army by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Prime minister of Nepal: KP Sharma Oli; President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
• Capital of Nepal: Kathmandu; Currency: Nepalese rupee.

2. Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurates “Tourist Facilitation Centre” in Kerala

• Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture, Prahlad Singh Patel virtually inaugurated the “Tourist Facilitation Centre” facility at Guruvayur, in Kerala.
• The facility has been constructed under the project “Development of Guruvayur, Kerala” under PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, at the cost of Rs. 11.57 Crores.
• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) were launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15.

• The objective of PRASHAD scheme is integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
• It includes infrastructure development such as entry points (Road, Rail and Water Transport), last-mile connectivity, basic tourism facilities like Information/ Interpretation Centers, ATM/ Money exchange, eco-friendly modes of transport, area Lighting and illumination with renewable sources of energy, parking, drinking water, toilets, cloakroom, waiting rooms, first aid centres, craft bazaars /haats/ souvenir shops/ cafeteria, rain shelters, Telecom facilities, internet connectivity etc.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

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

International

3. Bangladesh and US launch joint naval exercise CARAT Bangladesh 2020

• Bangladesh and US navies launched the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh 2020’ to expand relationships and broaden maritime awareness between the two countries.
• The exercise demonstrates the U.S.’s continuing commitment to work with the Bangladesh military to address shared maritime security concerns in the region and strengthen partnership to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
• The sea phase of the exercise will take place in the Bay of Bengal with ships from both countries.
• The events are designed to enhance interoperability between the two navies. U.S. and Bangladesh will work through coordinated deployment of surface ships, to include tactical manoeuvres among other activities.
• CARAT 2020 underscores the shared vision of the US and Bangladesh for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region.

4. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara wins 3rd term

• The incumbent President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has won a third 5-year term in a landslide victory, gaining more than 94 per cent of the votes polled.
• The 78-year-old, Mr Ouattara was first sworn in as the president in 2010 and then re-elected in 2015. Apart from this, he has also served as the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire from November 1990 to December 1993.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Ivory Coast Capital: Yamoussoukro.
• Ivory Coast Currency: West African CFA franc.

State News

5. ADB approves USD 132.8 mn loan to improve power distribution in Meghalaya

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 132.8 million loan to Meghalaya, to improve and upgrade the power distribution network in the state.
• The fund will help in improving the distribution system & financial sustainability of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL).
• The MePDCL has a huge outstanding against the power purchased from central power generating stations and to the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). The loan will support in clearing the power outstanding dues.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Meghalaya Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma.
• Meghalaya Governor: Satya Pal Malik.
• Meghalaya Capital: Shillong.

Defence

6. India successfully test-fires enhanced version of PINAKA rocket system

• The enhanced version of PINAKA rocket system was successfully flight tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
• This enhanced version of the Pinaka rocket would replace the existing Pinaka Mk-I rockets. While Mk-1 had a range of 40 km, the new variant can hit a target 45 to 60 km away.

• The design and development of Pinaka were done by DRDO laboratories based in Pune, namely Armament Research and Development Establishment, ARDE and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, HEMRL.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• DRDO Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
• DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.

Appointments

7. AK Gupta becomes new MD and CEO of ONGC Videsh

• AK Gupta, the new Managing Director and CEO of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) took charge. Before this, he was Director (Operations) of the company.
• Gupta was also the Head of New businesses in Marketing in ONGC and Head Business development in ONGC Videsh, both for the domestic and international markets.
• He has handled commercial negotiations with alliance partners, regulators, customers and National Oil Companies.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ONGC Videsh Limited Founded: 1965.
• ONGC Videsh Limited Headquarters: New Delhi.

Books and Authors

8. ‘Till We Win’: Book on Covid-19 by AIIMS Director

• A new book titled “Till We Win” by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and two other doctors will give a definitive account of India’s fight against Covid-19 and how to deal with the pandemic in the days to come.
• The book has been co-written by leading public policy and health systems expert Chandrakant Lahariya and renowned vaccine researcher and virologist Gagandeep Kang.
• The book deals with the “realization of inner strength and unity” amongst people of all walks of life in a country known for its cultural and linguistic diversity. It will hit the stands this month and published by Penguin Random House India.
• The book delves into how learnings from Covid-19 pandemic can be used to strengthen the Indian health system, for better, forever. It is up to all of us to convert the challenge posed by pandemic as an opportunity to strengthen health systems.

Important Days

9. World Tsunami Awareness Day: 5 November

• 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 2020, World Tsunami Awareness Day encourages the development of national and community-level, local disaster risk reduction strategies to save more lives against disasters. This year’s observance promotes "Sendai Seven Campaign,” target.
• In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day, calling on countries, international bodies and civil society to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.
• World Tsunami Awareness Day was the brainchild of Japan, which due to its 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.
• UN Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) facilitates the observance of World Tsunami Awareness Day in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations system.

Obituaries

10. Kannada actor HG Somashekar Rao passes away

• Veteran Kannada theatre and film actor, HG Somashekar Rao passed away. He had appeared in more than 60 movies during his career spanning about five decades.
• He made his big-screen debut with 1975 Kannada film Geejagana Goodu. Apart from this, HG Somashekar Rao was also a published author. He has written 25 books, including an autobiography.

11. Bollywood Actor Faraaz Khan passes away

• Bollywood actor Faraaz Khan passed away. He had acted in several popular Bollywood films in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• Some of them include Mehndi (1998), Fareb (1996), Dulhan Banoo Main Teri (1999) and Chand Bujh Gaya (2005) among others.

Daily updates 28 October 2020

National News

1. Arjun Munda launches two Centers of Excellence for tribal welfare

• The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda has launched two Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Welfare in a collaboration between Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Art of Living (AoL) through video conference.
• The first CoE has been launched in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra for training about 10000 tribal farmers in the field of sustainable natural farming based on Go-Adharith farming techniques.
• The second CoE has been launched in Jharkhand in the field of ‘Strengthening PRIs’ in 5 districts of the state covering 30 Gram Panchayats and 150 villages.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• The Art of Living Foundation is a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organization in Bengaluru founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

2. Indian Army celebrates 74th Infantry Day in J&K

• Every year, October 27 is celebrated as Infantry Day by the Indian Army in Jammu & Kashmir (known by the nickname, Chinar Corps).
• The Chinar Corps celebrated the 74th Infantry Day on October 27, 2020, to honour the supreme sacrifice of the gallant soldiers in fighting the Pakistani invaders, in Jammu and Kashmir, in 1947.
• Infantry Day is celebrated as a remembrance of the first military event of independent India, when the First Battalion of the Sikh Regiment of Indian Army fought battle to accomplish victory over the first attack on the Indian soil by the Pakistan Army and Lashkar invader on October 27, 1947, in the Kashmir valley, who tried to grab J&K.

3. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates ‘Direct Port Entry Facility’

• The Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C), Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated the ‘Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility’ of V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Tamil Nadu.
• This will help in increasing Ease of Doing Business for the exporters, as the facility will bring efficiency and reduce dwell time, lower tariff cost and improve the competitiveness of shipper in the international trade.
• The state-of-the-art Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility would enable direct movement of containers from factories, without intermediate handling at any Container Freight Station (CFS), thus facilitating the shippers to Gate-In their factory stuffed exports directly to the Container Terminal on 24×7 basis.
• The facility is created in an area of 18,357 sqm inside the Truck Parking Terminal which was developed under the 'Sagarmala' for issuing customs clearance of export cargo i.e. Factory stuffed/re-sealed containers.

International News

4. Luis Arce declared as Bolivia's president-elect

• Luis Arce has been chosen as the President-elect of Bolivia, after winning a landslide victory in the 2020 Bolivian general election.
• He captured 55.1% of the total votes. Arce will take the charge of the office on 8 November 2020.
• He would succeed Jeanine Anez, who is serving as the interim President of Bolivia.
• The 57-year-old, Luis is a member of the political party Movement Toward Socialism. Previously, Arce served as Minister of Economy and Public Finance from 2006 to 2017 and in 2019 under the President Evo Morales.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Bolivia Capitals: La Paz, Sucre.
• Bolivia Currency: Boliviano.
• Bolivia Continent: South America.

State News

5. UP Govt to establish anti-human trafficking Police Stations

• Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to establish anti-human trafficking Police Stations in each and every district in a major step towards the security of women and children.
• These Police Stations will be given enough powers to register the case and investigate the matter independently.
• The state government is going to establish 40 new anti-trafficking units which will work like police stations in districts and will conduct the investigation after registering the cases.
• Earlier, only 35 districts in the state had Police stations of anti-human trafficking unit which was established in 2011 and 2018.
• The new Police stations are being established after directives from women safety division of union Government. Union Government has also allocated funds for these units.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.
• Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath.

Appointments

6. HDFC Bank MD & CEO Aditya Puri retires

• The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank, Aditya Puri has stepped down, after 25 years of a highly successful career at India’s largest private sector lender.
• The 70-year-old Puri had transformed a start-up in a sector dominated by state-owned banks into an industry leader.
• At nearly Rs 6 trillion, HDFC Bank leads the industry in terms of market capitalisation and remains the most profitable by a long margin. Sashidhar Jagdishan has been appointed as the new chief executive and managing director of the HDFC Bank w.e.f. 27 October 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• The tagline of HDFC Bank: We Understand Your World.
• HDFC Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Banking News

7. RBI bars payment system operators from launching any new QR codes

• The Reserve Bank of India has barred Payment System Operators (PSOs) from launching any new proprietary QR code for payment transactions.
• Currently, there are two interoperable QR codes — UPI QR and Bharat QR.
• The decision to continue with the two existing Quick Response (QR) codes was based on the recommendations of the committee which was set up by the Reserve Bank under the chairmanship of Deepak Phatak to review the current system of such codes in India and suggest measures for moving towards interoperable QR codes.

• QR codes are two-dimensional machine-readable barcodes, which are increasingly used to facilitate mobile payments at the point-of-sale. QR codes can store a large amount of information.

• PSOs that use proprietary QR codes shall shift to one or more interoperable QR codes; the process of migration shall be completed by March 31, 2022.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Governor of RBI: Shaktikanta Das.
• Deputy Governors of RBI: BP Kanungo, MK Jain, MD Patra and Rajeshwar Rao.
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Summits and Conferences

8. 3rd India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue begins in New Delhi

• India is hosting the third India-US two plus two Ministerial Dialogue at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
• The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar are leading the Indian delegation.
• The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper are leading the US delegation.
• The First two plus two dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018 and the Second in Washington DC in 2019.
• Besides, covering all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest during the third dialogue, the two sides also signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) to further expand the geospatial cooperation between them and improve the accuracy of missile systems of India.

9. Om Birla participates in 6th BRICS Parliamentary Forum virtually

• The 6th BRICS Parliamentary Forum has been organised virtually under the chairmanship of Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russian Parliament.
• The Indian Parliamentary Delegation is being led by Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla and also consists of Member of Lok Sabha Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
• The forum provides an effective platform to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue and Parliamentary Diplomacy among the Parliaments of BRICS countries with a view to strengthening the role of Parliaments on a range of contemporary global issues.
• Speakers and members of five BRICS Parliaments namely Brazil, Russian, India, China and South Africa are attending the Forum. The theme of the Forum is ‘BRICS partnership in the interest of global stability, general safety and innovative growth: Parliamentary dimension’.

Important Days

10. International Animation Day: 28 October

• International Animation Day is observed globally on 28 October every year.
• The day has celebrated the art of animation and also recognise the artists, scientists and technicians behind animation.
• This year marks the 19th International Animation Day. The day was created in 2002 by International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), an International Animated Film Association, a member of UNESCO.
• ASIFA created the International Animation Day (IAD) in 2002, honouring the birth of animation, recognized as the first public performance of projected moving images: Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris, on the 28th October 1892.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of ASIFA: Sayoko Kinoshita.

• ASIFA Founder: John Halas.

  ASIFA Founded: 1960, Annecy, France.

Obituaries

11. Veteran Gujarati Actor Naresh Kanodia passes away

• Veteran Gujarati film star-turned-politician, Naresh Kanodia passed away. He was the younger brother of Gujarati singer Mahesh Kanodia who died on 25 October 2020 in Gandhinagar after a prolonged illness.
• Naresh Kanodia worked in over 100 Gujarati films.
• Later he joined politics and was elected as a BJP MLA from Karjan constituency between 2002 and 2007.
• Both brothers were known as the Mahesh-Naresh duo in Gujarati film industry and together shared credit for several Gujarati hit movies.

Miscellaneous

12. GoI sets up committee to commemorate 400th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur

• The Centre has set up a high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur.
• Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla will be the member secretary of the 70-member high-level committee.
• The committee will look into the approval of policies, plans, programmes and supervision and guiding the commemoration, as well as for deciding dates for detailed programmes of celebration.
• Some of the other members of the committee include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Hardeep Singh Puri, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chief ministers of Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

Daily updates 22 October 2020

State News

1. Asan Conservation Reserve becomes Uttarakhand’s 1st Ramsar site

• Asan Conservation Reserve has become Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site, making it a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, announced the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The Reserve is located on the banks of Yamuna river near Dehradun district in Garhwal region of the Himalayan state.
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty was adopted on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
• The name of the Convention is usually written “Convention on Wetlands’’.
• The Convention on Wetlands came into force for India on February 1, 1982.
• Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat.
• Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.
• Rivers: Ganga River, Yamuna River, Saryu River, Bhagirathi River, Gaula River, Kali River.
• Folk Dance of Uttarakhand: Jhora, Chholiya.

Business

2. SEBI constitutes committee for market data sharing

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a Standing Committee, Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC) to recommend appropriate policy for access to securities market data, identify segment-wise data perimeters, data needs and gaps, recommend data privacy and data access regulations applicable to market data.
• The committee is headed by Madhabi Puri Buch, Whole Time Member, SEBI and has CEOs of stock exchanges and depositories, representatives of various stakeholders and senior officials of SEBI as members. “SEBI’s endeavour is to foster a “Data Culture” in the Indian Securities Market i.e. ‘Data for Transparency’, ‘Data for Efficiency’ and ‘Data for Innovation’ along with ‘Respect for Data Privacy’.
• Thus, MDAC is part of SEBI’s initiatives to make shareable data on the Indian securities market, available for researchers, policymakers, general public alike and to enhance the quality of such data.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• SEBI Founded: 12 April 1992.
• SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• SEBI Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi.

Summits and Conferences

3. India participates in 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO

• The 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO was held on 20 October 2020, via video conference. India was represented by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
• During the meeting, all the prosecutors agreed to strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating corruption, mutual legal assistance and exchange of regulatory legal acts.
• India will host the SCO Prosecutors General Meeting in 2021.
• SCO is an important regional grouping which gives India an opportunity to engage its extended neighbourhood especially central Asian countries.

Ranks and Reports

4. Uttar Pradesh emerges as top destination in 2019

• Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top destination for attracting the highest number of domestic tourists visiting the state in 2019 as per the Indian Tourism Statistics (ITS) 2020, released by the Ministry of Tourism.
• About 53.6 crore domestic tourists visited Uttar Pradesh in 2019, which is 23.1% of the total travellers. Tamil Nadu (21.3%) came second followed by Andhra Pradesh (10.2%).
• In terms of Foreign tourists, Tamil Nadu has topped the list with nearly 68 lakh foreigners visiting the state in 2019.
• Maharashtra (over 55 lakh) is at the second position in this list while Uttar Pradesh (over 47 lakh) has secured the third position in attracting foreign tourists visiting in 2019.
• Goa came last on this list with over 9 lakh foreign tourist visits in 2019.

Science and Technology

5. IIT Kharagpur’s develops ‘COVIRAP’ Technology for COVID-19

• The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed ‘COVIRAP,’ the Covid-19 diagnostic test technology, which is fairly easy to conduct and affordable as well and can produce results within one hour.
• This COVIRAP technology has been successfully validated for its efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and been granted certification, after rigorous testing with patient samples by an authorized ICMR laboratory.
• This testing technology is comparable to the celebrated RT-PCR tests, and will just cost the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• Director, IIT Kharagpur: Prof. Virendra Kumar Tewari.
• IIT Kharagpur Headquarters: Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Important Days

6. International Stuttering Awareness Day: 22 October

• International Stuttering Awareness Day is observed globally on 22nd October every year.
• The day is intended to raise public awareness of the millions of people who have a speech disorder of stuttering or stammering.
• This year’s theme is “Journey of Words – Resilience and Bouncing Back”.
• The International Stuttering Awareness Day, ISAD, (October 22) began in 1998, spear-headed by Michael Sugarman, Oakland, California.

7. National Police Commemoration Day: 21 October

• In India, the National Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st October every year. The day is marked to remember and honour the brave policemen who have laid down their lives in the line of duty.
• On 21 October 1959, twenty Indian soldiers were attacked by Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Hot Spring area, in which, ten Indian policemen lost their lives and seven were imprisoned.
• Since that day, 21 October has been observed as Police Commemoration Day in honour of the martyrs.

Obituaries

8. IAF's first woman officer Vijayalakshmi Ramanan passes away

• Indian Air Force 1st woman officer, Wing Commander (retd) Dr Vijaylakshmi Ramanan passed away. She was born in February 1924, she did her MBBS and later was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps on August 22, 1955.
• Besides having served as a gynaecologist at various Air Force Hospitals, including here, she had also attended to the troops wounded during wars and performed administrative duties.
• Ramanan was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander in August 1972 and honoured with the Vishist Seva Medal five years later. She had retired in February 1979.
• Ramanan was also trained in Carnatic music and had been an artist with the All India Radio at a very young age.

9. Renowned economist Dr Jayanta Madhab passes away

• The renowned economist from Assam, Dr Jayanta Madhab passed away. He worked as financial adviser to Calcutta Metropolitan Development Corp and has served as a director at the ADB.
• He was the founder chairman of North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. He was also the financial advisor of the Chief Minister from 2003-2009.

Miscellaneous News

10. LG signs Lewis Hamilton as ambassador of LG Signature

• LG Electronics has named Lewis Hamilton a global ambassador for its home solutions brand, LG Signature.
• Hamilton, the epitome of skill, style and precision will be seen communicating the brand's philosophy.
• In the new campaign, he will share with audiences his thoughts on how to lead a stylish, sophisticated life, and what motivates him to be the best in his field.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• LG Electronics Chairman: Kwang-Mo Koo.
• Vice-Chairman and CEO of LG Electronics: Jo Seong-Jin.
• Headquarters of LG Electronics: South Korea.

11. Parle agro ropes in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as brand ambassador

• Parle Agro has roped in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the national brand ambassador to maximise reach and awareness of its fruits plus fizz portfolio ‘B-Fizz’.
• The campaign will be aggressively promoted across IPL on Hotstar and YouTube. B-Fizz is a unique and refreshing apple juice-based malt flavoured carbonated drink that is set to revolutionize the taste experience of consumers across age groups.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Parle Agro CEO: Schauna Chauhan.
• Parle Agro HQs: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

12. ITBP launches cycling expedition from its Pegong base in Sikkim

• The Eleventh Battalion Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has launched a cycling expedition from its Pegong base in Sikkim to border villages of the state.
• The Minister of Culture, Road and Bridges Department of Sikkim, Samdup Lepcha flagged off the expedition.
• Total 218 Kilometers will be covered by the ITBP team in the course of 20 days in difficult terrains.
• Raised in 1962, the ITBP is primarily a mountain force known for being deployed in harsh Himalayan borders of China since its inception. With more than 215 successful mountaineering expeditions undertaken till now, the force will complete 58 years of its raising on 24 October.