Mary Matha photos

Daily updates 13 November 2020

State News

1. MP govt launches ‘Roadmap to Aatma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh’

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched a roadmap to “Aatma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh 2023” through a virtual event.
• Under the roadmap, a special focus will be on health and education in the state.
• Four seminars were conducted on physical infrastructure, good governance, health and education to prepare the roadmap of the state.
• On the basis of the inputs received by the experts in the seminar, the roadmap of Aatma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh has been prepared.
• Economy and employment will also be major focus areas and small and cottage industries will be motivated.
• A network of hospitals will be established in the state focusing on the health sector.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

2. Haryana CM Launches ‘Project Air Care’ in Gurgaon

• Haryana Chief Minister (CM), Manohar Lal Khattar has virtually unveiled ‘Project Air Care’ to combat rising Air Pollution in Gurgaon.
• 65 Wing Augmentation Air Purifying Units (WAYU) would be set up at areas with high Air Quality Indices (AQI) in Gurgaon to improve the air quality.
• The Air Purifiers have been developed by CSIR-NEERI (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay.
• The project is a result of a public-private partnership between Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) Consumer Healthcare.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Haryana Capital: Chandigarh.
• Haryana Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya.
• Haryana Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar.
• Haryana Festivals/Fair: Surajkund International Fair, Pinjore Heritage Festival, Gopal-Mochan Fair, Masani Fair, Gugga Naumi Festival.
• Haryana Dances: Dhamaal, Ghoomar, Gugga, Khoria, Loor, Phaag.

3. Karnataka’s Mysuru to Get India’s First Sandalwood Museum

• India’s first Sandalwood Museum is being established in Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram, Mysuru, Karnataka.
• The museum is set up by the Regional Forest Department to educate farmers about the significance of cultivation of sandalwood.
• This will also provide technical support, information on the availability of saplings, marketing facilities, pest control measures, incentives and schemes provided for sandalwood growers by the government.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Karnataka: B.S. Yediyurappa; Governor: Vajubhai Vala.

Economy News

4. Moody’s projects India GDP for 2020 at -8.9%

• Rating Agency Moody's has projected the GDP of India at -8.9% for the calendar year 2020.
• Earlier this was projected at -9.6%. Apart from this, India’s GDP growth for Calendar year 2021 is projected at 8.6% by Moody’s from 8.1% earlier.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarters of Moody’s: NewYork, United States.
• President & CEO of Moody’s: Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.

Books and Authors

5. Sonu Sood's autobiography to be titled 'I Am No Messiah'

• An actor, producer and humanitarian, Sonu Sood is set to pen his autobiography titled “I Am No Messiah”.
• The book will be co-authored by Meena Iyer. The book will account the experience of Sonu Sood during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The book is set to be published by Penguin Random House India and released in December 2020.
• The book will feature the stories he heard and his interactions with the migrants and others. Sonu Sood will share the experiences which impacted his life and changed his outlook and his purpose of life.
• Sonu Sood narrates his emotional experiences and the challenges he faced along with the people he rescued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. A New Book on Gulzar "Boskiyana" by Radhakrishna Prakashan

• ‘Boskiyana’, a new Hindi book on Gulzar, veteran Indian poet-lyricist has been published by Radhakrishna Prakashan.
• The book portrays the life of Gulzar through his films, poetry, philosophies, lifestyle, likes and dislikes.
• The 228- page book is edited and compiled by Yashwant Vyas. ‘Boskiyana’ is the name of the house of Gulzar in Mumbai.

Important Days

7. World Kindness Day: 13 November

• World Kindness Day is observed globally on 13th November every year.
• The day is celebrated to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us.
• World Kindness Day was first celebrated in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement. The theme for the 2020 World Kindness day is Kindness: The World We Make – Inspire Kindness.

8. National Ayurveda Day 2020

• National Ayurveda Day is being observed every year from 2016, on the day of Dhanwantri Jayanti.
• This year the 5th Ayurveda Day falls on November 13, 2020.
• The Potential role of Ayurveda in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the focus of this year's 'Ayurveda Day' observation.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) at Jamnagar in Gujarat and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) at Jaipur in Rajasthan on November 13.
• These institutions are expected to play global leadership roles in the growth and development of Ayurveda in the 21st century.

Obituaries 

9. Bollywood actor Asif Basra passes away

• Bollywood actor Asif Basra, who was known for his role in the recent thriller series Paatal Lok, has passed away.
• Apart from this, Basra had appeared in a number of Bollywood films, including a movie on the 1993 Mumbai blasts Black Friday, the 2002 Gujarat riots Parzania and Kai Po Che.
• He had also starred in several plays in India and abroad, performing in English, Hindi and Urdu theatre productions.

10. Former CM Of Sikkim Sanchaman Limboo passes away

• Former Sikkim chief minister Sanchaman Limboo passed away. He was 73.
• He was the fourth Chief Minister of Sikkim from 17 June 1994 – 12 December 1994 from Sikkim Sangram Parishad Party.
• He became the CM for nearly six months after toppling down the Late Nar Bahadur Bhandari’s Government of Sikkim Sangram Parishad while he was in the cabinet minister in the same government in the year 1994.

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.