Daily updates 6 November 2020

National

1. Centre forms committee to assess existing TRP system of TV channels

• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has constituted a four-member committee, to assess the existing Television Rating Points (TRP) of TV channels. The committee will be chaired by Prasar Bharati CEO, Shashi S Vempati.
• The committee will be responsible to address the ‘needs of the stakeholders’ and make necessary recommendations for a rating system which shall be ‘robust, transparent and accountable’.
• It will have to submit its report to the Information and Broadcasting minister within two months.
• The need to form such committee was felt after the alleged TRP scam in which it was alleged that certain TV channels manipulated TRPs in return for payment.
• TRP is calculated in India by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) using a device called Bar-O-Meter, which is installed in over 45,000 households across the country.
• The device collects data about a programme or channel watched by members of these households on the basis of which weekly ratings are issued by BARC.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chairman of Broadcast Audience Research Council India: Punit Goenka.
• Broadcast Audience Research Council Founded: 2010.
• Broadcast Audience Research Council Headquarters: Mumbai.

International

2. United States Formally Exits Paris Climate Accord

• The United States has officially withdrawn from the Paris climate accord on 04 November 2020. With this, the US has now become the only country to formally pull out of the deal since it was adopted in 2015.
• The landmark Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015 to protect the planet from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.
• As per the rules of the agreement, a country cannot officially leave before one full year of notifying the UN of its intent to withdraw. The United States notified the United Nations of its withdrawal on November 4, 2019.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UNFCCC Executive Secretary: Patricia Espinosa.
• UNFCCC Headquarters: Bonn, Germany.

3. Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli wins 2nd term

• The President of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli has been sworn for a second five-year term.
• He took the oath of the office on 05 November 2020. Magufuli won 84% of the total votes in elections held on October 28.
• He was elected as the fifth President of Tanzania and is in office since 2015. CHADEMA party candidate Tundu Lissu took the second position.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Tanzania Capital: Dodoma Currency: Tanzanian shilling.

State News

4. DMC launched "Plastic Lao MASK LE JAO" initiative

• In Uttarakhand, Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) has launched an initiative named Plastic Lao MASK LE JAO to fight against the menace of plastic waste and contain the spread of Covid-19.
• It has distributed Five thousand face masks in exchange for plastic waste.
• Municipal commissioner of Dehradun, Vinay Shankar Pandey, who was the first to bring plastic waste from his house and get a face mask, and create awareness in the public against plastic waste and also the importance of masks.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.
• Capitals of Uttarakhand: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer).
• Chief Minister of Uttarakhand: Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Defence

5. India receives 2nd batch of Three Rafale Aircraft

• India receives the second batch of three Rafale Aircraft, bringing total Rafale Jets with IAF to eight.
• The second batch of three Rafale jets landed in Jamnagar, Gujarat on 4th November 2020, after flying non-stop from France.
• Earlier, the first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 28 and they were officially inducted in the Indian Air Force on 10 September at Ambala Air Base in Haryana.
• With the arrival of the second batch, the IAF now has a total of eight Rafale fighter aircraft. As per the information by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, the induction of all 36 jets will be completed by 2023.

Banking News

6. ICICI Bank launches ‘Mine’ a comprehensive banking programme

• Private lender ICICI Bank has launched a comprehensive banking programme for its millennial customers, (in the age bracket of 18 years to 35 years ), called ‘ICICI Bank Mine’.
• The ‘ICICI Bank Mine’ is India’s first and unique product launched by the bank to offer a mobile-first, highly personalised and experiential led banking experience to the millennial customers.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi.
• ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka.

Business News

7. WhatsApp's payments service gets NPCI nod

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has finally allowed Facebook-owned messaging platform "WhatsApp" to roll out its payments service in the country in a “graded” manner.
• The announcement by NPCI came after the organisation made a crucial change to its regulations concerning the use of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• The change puts a limit on single third parties such as WhatsApp or its rivals Google Pay and Walmart’s PhonePe where they can only handle 30 per cent of overall UPI transaction volumes.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.
• National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
• National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.

Appointments

8. NDDB Chairman Dilip Rath elected to IDF

• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Chairman, Dilip Rath has been unanimously elected to the board of global dairy body International Dairy Federation (IDF).
• He has been associated with IDF for the last 10 years as Member Secretary of Indian National Committee and as a member of the Standing Committee on Dairy Policy and Economics.
• Rath has played a key role in signing the Dairy Declaration at the IDF World Dairy Summit in Rotterdam in October 2016 between IDF and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• India ranks first among the world’s milk-producing nations and has the largest bovine population in the world.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• International Dairy Federation Established: 1903.
• International Dairy Federation President: Piercristiano Brazzale.
• International Dairy Federation Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Awards News

9. Hariharan wins JC Daniel award for lifetime contributions in Malayalam cinema

• Noted filmmaker Hariharan has been selected for the JC Daniel Award, the state government’s highest honour for lifetime contributions to Malayalam cinema.
• The award carries a purse of Rs 5 lakh, a citation, and a sculpture. Hariharan was chosen for the prestigious award by a jury chaired by MT Vasudevan Nair with director Harikumar, actor Vidhubala, State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal and Cultural Department Secretary Rani George as members.
• Hariharan, who initially skilled with cinematographer U Rajagopal in Madras, later assisted administrators M Krishnan Nair, AB Raj, and JD Thottanm for seven years. In 1972 he directed the film ‘Girls Hostel’. Later he got here up with a few of the evergreen films in Malayalam.

Summits and Conferences

10. Shaktikanta Das Chairs 40th SAARC Central Bank Governors Meet

• The 40th Meeting of the SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Group was held virtually, under the Chairmanship of Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor, RBI.
• The meeting was attended by the Governors from SAARC central banks. During the meeting, Mr Das also inaugurated the SAARCFINANCE Sync, a closed user group secure communication network.
• In his opening remarks, Governor Shri Das highlighted the close partnership and co-operation among the member countries in jointly fighting the pandemic.
• The group took stock of the macroeconomic situation in the SAARC region; discussed the current SAARCFINANCE initiatives; and the way ahead.
• The Governors reaffirmed their commitment to continued co-operation and sharing of central bank experiences.
• SAARCFINANCE is a network of central bank governors and finance secretaries of the SAARC region.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the current chair of SAARCFINANCE.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• SAARCFINANCE Established– September 9, 1998.
• SAARCFINANCE Current Chair– RBI(Reserve Bank of India).
• Central Banks in SAARCFINANCE– Bangladesh Bank, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Da Afghanistan Bank, Maldives Monetary Authority, Nepal Rastra Bank, Reserve Bank of India, Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, State Bank of Pakistan.

Important Days

11. 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.
• On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
• 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

12. Chacha Chaudhary becomes the Brand Ambassador for NamamiGange Project

• The iconic Indian superhero, Chacha Chaudhary, whose brain works faster than a computer has now come forward to join hands with the NamamiGangeProgramme.
• Diamond Toons will conceptualize and publish this new ‘Talking Comics’ with Chacha Chaudhary spreading awareness on the cultural and spiritual significance of River Ganga and deploy best available knowledge across the masses for Ganga rejuvenation. The teaser was released during Ganga Utsav 2020.

13. Syska Group announces Rajkummar Rao as its new brand ambassador

• Fast Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG) company Syska Group, has roped in actor Rajkummar Rao as the new face of the brand.
• Rao will work closely with the company to promote the Syska products across LED and fan segments.
• The partnership will also see Syska Group launch a new ad campaign with Rajkummar focusing on LED and fans.
• The company aims to leverage the actors strong connect with urban audiences, as well as with those from Tier 2 and 3 markets, which make up the large segment of its target groups.

Daily updates 7 November 2020

Business News

1. Whatsapp Partners with 5 Banks for UPI Payment

• WhatsApp has partnered with five Indian banks to process its payment services. These are State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Jio Payments Bank.
• The Facebook-owned messaging platform, WhatsApp Inc., has received the approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based payments services in India, to let users send or receive money across the country.
• The service can however be expanded in a graded manner. It means that initially, Whatsapp can only roll out the payments service to only its 20 million users.
• The payment system will be rolled out in ten Indian regional languages in the latest version of WhatsApp app.

2. SEBI increases Overseas Investment limits for Mutual Funds

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has enhanced the investment limits for Mutual Fund companies for overseas investments.
• Mutual Funds can make overseas investments subject to a maximum of US $ 600 million per Mutual Fund, within the overall industry limit of US $ 7 billion. Earlier it was USD 300 million.
• Mutual Funds can make investments in overseas Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) subject to a maximum of US $ 200 million per Mutual Fund, within the overall industry limit of US $ 1 billion. Earlier it was Rs 50 million.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Securities and Exchange Board of India Founded: 12 April 1992.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India Agency executive: Ajay Tyagi.

Appointments

3. Manipur’s Gyanendro Ningombam becomes new president of Hockey India

• Manipur’s Gyanendro Ningombam was elected unopposed as the President of Hockey India, while former President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad is back in the Hockey India Executive Board after being Elected Unopposed for the Senior Vice President post.
• Earlier, Gyanendro Ningombam has been serving as the Officiating President of Hockey India since July 2020.
• On being elected unopposed, Gyanendro becomes the first President from northeast India to spearhead Hockey India. He will serve as Head of the national federation for two years.
• Gyanendro has been associated with the discipline of Hockey in Manipur for the last 40 years, and has impressed with his work at the grassroots level.
• He was Senior Vice President of Hockey India, Senior Vice President of Manipur Hockey, and also Chief Executive Officer of Manipur Hockey. He also served as the editor of Meeyam, an evening daily in Manipur.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Hockey India Founded: 20 May 2009.
• Hockey India Headquarters: New Delhi.

Agreements

4. AAI Signs MoU With NTPC Subsidiary, NVVN

• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), to promote usage of electric vehicles and set up solar power plants at the airports managed and operated by AAI.
• NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) will be provided adequate land and rooftop space by AAI, free of cost, at identified AAI airports to set up solar power plants.
• Initially, NVVN will begin working on the projects at airports in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
• The solar capacity required at airports in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan is around 55 MW and 8 MW, respectively to become 100% solar-powered airports.
• Apart from this, AAI and NVVN will jointly work towards supporting the government of India’s initiatives for the adoption of electric vehicles by the creation of public charging infrastructure and promoting the usage of electric vehicles at airports.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Airports Authority of India Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Airports Authority of India Founded: 1 April 1995.

• Chairman of Airports Authority of India: Arvind Singh.

5. India-Italy Virtual Bilateral Summit 2020

• The Bilateral Summit between India and Italy was held virtually on 6th November 2020. The Summit was attended by the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte.
• The two leaders reviewed the broad framework of the bilateral relationship and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
• A wide range of issues was discussed including political, economic, scientific & technological, space and defence cooperation. 15 MoUs/Agreements were signed during the Summit in various sectors such as energy, fisheries, shipbuilding, design etc.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of Italy: Sergio Mattarella.
• Prime Minister of Italy: Giuseppe Conte.
• Capital of Italy: Rome; Currency of Italy: Euro.

Defence

6. India's special forces conducted ‘Bull Strike’ triservice exercise

• Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted a three-day Tri-Service Combat Exercise code-named “Bull Strike” at Teressa Island in Nicobar Group of Islands.
• The exercise focussed on interoperability and synergy among three services – Army, Navy and Air Force to maximise combat potential.
• The exercise saw participation from three services components of ANC, elements of Indian Army’s Parachute Brigade, MARCOS (Marine Commando Force) and Special Forces.
• The training activities included combat free fall and paradrop from Advanced Airlifter C-130J “Super Hercules” by a company of Para Commandos, action by MARCOS of Indian Navy and Special Heli Borne Operations (SHBO) by Indian Army Ghatak platoons.
• Search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation procedures were also practised by the participating troops.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief of Defence Staff of India: General Bipin Rawat.
• Commander-in-Chief of Indian Armed Forces: Ram Nath Kovind (President of India).

7. Two-day joint coastal security exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ begins

• A two-day joint coastal security exercise, “Sagar Kavach” was launched at Paradip Coast, Odisha. The exercise is being carried out by a joint effort of the state of Odisha and West Bengal governments. 
• The main purpose of the exercise is to carry out the exercise on the coast of Paradip this year, just like every year after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The exercise is being carried out to prevent a repeat of the Mumbai attacks by sea.
• More than 10 such departments, including the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, the Odisha Police, the local fishermen, the forest department, and the port marine department, have joined the joint exercise.
• It will run for two days, with red and green forces being formed to infiltrate and prevent attacks. This year for coastal security the exercise was named “Sagar Kavach”.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.

Summits and Conferences

8. PM Modi Chairs Virtual Global Investor Roundtable (VGIR) 2020

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the Virtual Global Investor Roundtable (VGIR) 2020 Conference, aimed at attracting investment in the country.
• It provided a platform for exclusive dialogue between leading global institutional investors, Indian business leaders and the highest decision-makers from the government of India and financial market regulators.
• The Indian side included business leaders, financial market regulators, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.
• The conference focused on discussions around India’s economic and investment outlook, structural reforms and the government’s vision for making the country a $5 trillion economy.
• The Virtual Global Investor Roundtable (VGIR) was organised by the Ministry of Finance and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.
• The roundtable witnessed participation from 20 of the world’s largest pension and sovereign wealth funds with total assets under management of about USD 6 trillion.
• These global institutional investors represent key regions including the US, Europe, Canada, Korea, Japan, Middle East, Australia, and Singapore.

9. Dharmendra Pradhan co-chairs 4th Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue

• The 4th High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue was hosted by the OPEC Secretariat.
• The Meeting was co-chaired by HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary-General of OPEC and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Steel.
• Key matters discussed at the meeting included rapidly changing global energy landscape, overcoming energy challenges, global oil price mechanisms, measures being taken by OPEC and its partners for balancing oil markets, and on ensuring oil supply security for India.
• This was the first time that the meeting of this Institutional Dialogue was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The virtual meeting was joined by OPEC Member countries, Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India and CMD & MDs of India’s oil and gas industry from both the public and the private sector.
• The first such dialogue was held in 2015. It was informed that the next High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue will be held in 2021, and if possible in person, in New Delhi.

Science and Technology

10. ISRO launches PSLV C49 with 10 satellites

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)  has launched the 51st mission of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). This is the first mission by ISRO in 2020.
• The carrier vehicle PSLV C49 will deliver 10 satellites in all with EOS-01 as the primary one. It is the 51st mission of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• The carrier was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• The EOS-01, an earth observation satellite, was intended to provide agriculture, forestry and disaster management support. The nine customer satellites are from Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (4) and USA (4). The customer satellites were being launched under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), department of space.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan.
• ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Important Days

11. National Cancer Awareness Day 2020

• The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed annually in India on November 7, to spread awareness on cancer, its symptoms and treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally.
• In 2018, approximately 18 million cases were there globally, of which, 1.5 million were in India alone. In 2018, there were around 0.8 million cancer deaths in India against 9.5 million globally.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• World Cancer Day: 4th February.

All the Best BA’ians for RBI Assistant Mains!

Daily updates 4 November 2020

National

1.CJI inaugurates e-resource centre, virtual court in Nagpur

• The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court, jointly inaugurated India’s first-ever E-resource centre and the virtual court called “Nyay Kaushal” at Judicial Officers Training Institute in
• The Nyay Kaushal will facilitate electronic-filling of cases in the Supreme Court, any High Court as well as district courts across the country to enable speedy justice for litigants, by utilising technology. The virtual court will be working from Katol in Nagpur district of Maharashtra.

2. NMCG organises three-day virtual 'Ganga Utsav 2020'

• Ganga Utsav-2020 has been organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) jointly with the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The three-day-long Ganga Utsav-2020 has been organised from 02 to 04 November 2020, virtually amidst COVID-19 precautions.
• The annual event is organised to spread awareness about river Ganga and the need to keep the river clean and rejuvenated. The 2020 edition marks the 12th anniversary of Ganga being accorded the status of National River, on 4th November 2008.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Minister of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

International

3. Portugal’s Duarte Pacheco elected as President of IPU for 2020-23

• Portugal MP, Duarte Pacheco has won the elections for the post the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
• The term of the Duarte Pacheco will be from 2020-2023. He will be the 30th President of the IPU and will succeed Mexican MP Gabriela Cuevas Barron who completed the tenure in October 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is based in Geneva, Switzerland,
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): founded in 1889.
• It consists of representatives from the National Parliaments of 179 countries.

State News

4. Sarbananda Sonowal lays foundation stone of Indo-Israeli CoE

• The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal has laid the foundation stone of Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Vegetables Protected Cultivation at Khetri on the outskirts of
• The Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence for Vegetables Protected Cultivation is estimated to be set up at an investment of Rs 10.33 Crore.
• The CoE will provide exposure to the latest Israeli technologies to the farmers of Assam and help them in maximizing their production and income. It would also boost agricultural and horticultural production in Assam leading to greater economic rewards to state’s farmers.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi.
• Folk Dance of Assam: Bihu dance, Bagurumba, Bhortal Dance, Jhumur dance.

Defence

5. India-US-Japan-Australia kick-starts Malabar Naval Exercise-2020

• The Navies of India, the US, Japan and Australia began the four-day-long phase first of the Malabar naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal.
• From the Indian side, destroyer Ranvijay, frigate Shivalik, off-shore patrol vessel Sukanya, fleet support ship Shakti and submarine Sindhuraj will be part of the drill. US Navy Ship USS John S McCain (Guided-missile destroyer), Australian Navy Ship HMAS Ballarat (long-range frigate) and Japan Maritime Self Defence Ship (JMSDF) Ship JS Onami (destroyer) are participating along with Indian Navy units.
• The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in

6. Indian Naval Ship ‘Airavat’ reaches Port Sudan under ‘Mission Sagar-II’

• As a part of Mission Sagar-II, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Airavat has reached Sudan with 100 tonnes of food aid. Under Mission Sagar-II, INS Airavat will deliver food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The government of India has launched this initiative to provide assistance to friendly foreign countries to overcome natural calamities and COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mission Sagar-II follows the Mission Sagar-I, which was undertaken in May-June 2020, wherein India provided food and medicines to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros.
• It is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her maritime neighbours and further strengthens the existing bond.

Business

7. CCI Approves Acquisition of Bharti AXA by ICICI Lombard

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of General Insurance Business of Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Limited (Bharti AXA) by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Lombard) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The whole general insurance business of Bharti AXA will be transferred to ICICI Lombard by way of demerger, considering that ICICI Lombard will issue shares to Bharti AXA.
• The combined entity(proposed merged non-life insurance company) is likely to have a market share of 7% on a proforma basis.
• Under the proposed combination, the shareholders of Bharti AXA will receive 2 shares of ICICI Lombard for every 115 shares of Bharti AXA, held by them as on the date on which the scheme is approved by the Board of Directors of ICICI Lombard and Bharti AXA.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Bharti AXA Co. Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Bharti AXA MD and CEO: Sanjeev Srinivasan.
• Bharti AXA Established: 2008.
• Bharti AXA Tagline: Suraksha ka Naya Nazariya.
• ICICI Lombard Co. Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• ICICI Lombard MD & CEO: Bhargav Dasgupta.
• ICICI Lombard Established: 2001.
• ICICI Lombard Tagline: Quick Easy Smart.

Agreements

8. IISc and Indian Oil R&D inks MoU for hydrogen-generation technology

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Research and Development Centre of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have signed an MoU to develop and demonstrate biomass gasification-based hydrogen generation technology.
• This technology will be used for producing fuel cell-grade hydrogen at an affordable price. The IISc and IndianOil will work jointly on the optimisation of both biomass gasification and hydrogen purification processes, The developed technology will be scaled up and demonstrated at IndianOils R&D Centre at Faridabad, Haryana.
• Hydrogen generated from this demonstration plant will be used to power fuel cell buses.
• This initiative to produce fuel cell grade hydrogen from biomass is another step by IndianOil jointly with IISc to bring hydrogen fuel to the major energy matrix of India while using the agricultural forces of India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Indian Institute of Science Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Indian Institute of Science Director: Govindan Rangarajan.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited Headquarters: New Delhi, India.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited Chairman: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya.

Sports

9. West Indies batsman M. Samuels retires from all forms of cricket

• West Indies batsman, Marlon Samuels has announced his retirement from professional cricket.
• The 39-year-old had informed Cricket West Indies (CWI) about his retirement in June this year, having last played for his country in December 2018 against Bangladesh.
• He has played 71 Tests, 207 ODIs, and 67 T20s at the international level, has scored 11,134 international runs including 17 centuries across all formats. He also has 152 international wickets to his name.

Obituaries

10. Violin Maestro, Padma Awardee TN Krishnan passes away

• Noted violin maestro and Padma awardee, TN Krishnan passed away. His full name was Tripunithura Narayanaiyer Krishnan.
• He was born on 6 October 1928, in Tripunithura, Kerala and later around 1942, he settled in Chennai. He was conferred with many prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri (1973), the Padma Bhushan (1992) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1974) among others

11. 6th & shortest served CM of Bihar Satish Prasad Singh passes away

• Former Chief Minister and Socialist of Bihar, Satish Prasad Singh passed away. He was born on January 1, 1936, in Korchakka(now known as Satish Nagar) Village, Khagaria district, Bihar.
• Satish Prasad Singh, the leader of Soshit Samaj Dal became the 6th and the shortest- served CM of Bihar for 5 days(28 January to February 1, 1968) with the support of Indian National Congress(INC).

12. Filmmaker-actor Ashish Kakkad passes away

• Noted actor, filmmaker and voiceover artiste, Ashish Kakkad, has passed away. He was one of the most prominent artists from the Gujarati film industry.
• As a filmmaker, Ashish was known for his Gujarati projects namely Better Half (2010) and Mission Mummy (2016).

Miscellaneous

13. Priyanca Radhakrishnan becomes first Indian-origin minister of New Zealand

• Indian-origin New Zealand politician, Priyanca Radhakrishnan has created history by becoming the first Indian-Kiwi woman to become a minister in New Zealand. Radhakrishnan was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The 41-year-old was one of five new ministers inducted into the Cabinet. She was appointed as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, Minister for Youth and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s cabinet.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Prime minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern.
• Capital of New Zealand: Wellington.
• The currency of New Zealand: New Zealand dollar.