DAILY GK 21 JULY 2019

DAILY GK 21 JULY 2019

1. HRD MINISTRY LAUNCHES NEW UGC SCHEME “PARAMARSH” FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

✔Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister for Human Resource Development launched a Scheme called “Paramarsh” of University Grants Commission in New Delhi.

✔This scheme aims at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council accreditation aspirant institutions to develop quality assurance in Higher Education.

✔Under the scheme, the prime Mentoring institutions will provide regular mentoring to colleges to help achieve high-quality standards. For mentoring they will get the financial assistance & also the option of appointing an expert, who can be paid a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month.

2. 8TH EDITION OF HAND-IN-HAND MILITARY EXERCISE 2019

✔The 8th edition of Hand-in-Hand Military exercise 2019 between India, China will be held on December 2019 at Umroi near Shillong in Meghalaya.

✔The exercise will focus on transnational counter-terror operations, the establishment of a joint command post, joint combat, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

✔The 7th edition was held at Chengdu, China in December 2018.

3. AMBIKAPUR OF SURGUJA DISTRICT, CHHATTISGARH GETS INDIA’S FIRST ‘GARBAGE CAFE’ FOR RAGPICKERS

✔The municipal officials of Chhattisgarh have launched a unique garbage cafe scheme in Ambikapur of Surguja district which has become India’s first ‘Garbage Cafe’ for Ragpickers.

✔The ragpickers and the homeless will collect plastic waste, and in return, the municipal corporation will offer them food. The fund allocated for this scheme is Rs. 5.5 lakh.

4. INDIA’S FIRST SPACE TECH PARK TO COME UP IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA

✔The Kerala government will set up India’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram’s Knowledge City with the entire investment made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

✔It will make the city a manufacturing hub for space-related technology which will have a startup incubator, accelerators including Airbus Bizlab, skill training systems and production units.

5. WORLD BANK DECIDES NOT TO FUND FOR ANDHRA’S AMBITIOUS AMARAVATI CAPITAL CITY PROJECT

✔After the central government dropped support, The World Bank had withdrawn $300 million of fund for Amaravati Capital City project in Andhra Pradesh, the ambitious project of former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

✔The project was to be co-financed by another multilateral funding agency Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which had committed $200 million.

✔The move was taken after the Environmental activists, farmers, and civil society organizations opposed this project for building the city on Krishna river floodplains.

6. SIX STATES INCLUDING UTTAR PRADESH, WEST BENGAL GET NEW GOVERNORS

✔In a major reshuffle, six states now get new governors.

• Madhya Pradesh                       Lal Ji Tandon   
• Uttar Pradesh                           Anandi Ben Patel         
• Bihar                                        Phagu Chauhan           
• West Bengal                             Jagdeep Dhankhar       
• Tripura                                     Ramesh Bais   
• Nagaland                                  RN Ravi          

✔Sitting Rajya Sabha member Anusuiya Uikey and senior BJP leader Biswa Bushan Harichandan were appointed as governors of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

7. 2004 BATCH IFS OFFICER VIVEK KUMAR TO TAKE CHARGE AS PRIVATE SECRETARY TO PM MODI

✔Government of India, 2004 batch IFS officer, Vivek Kumar has been appointed as private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

✔He replaces Sanjeev Kumar Singla, who has been appointed India’s ambassador to Israel.

✔Kumar is currently working as a Director in the Prime Minister’s Office.

8. SANJEEV KUMAR SINGLA, PS TO PM, APPOINTED AS INDIA’S AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL

✔Ministry of External Affairs appointed Shri Sanjeev Kumar Singla as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Israel.

✔He is a 1997 Indian Foreign Service Officer. He is serving as the Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. He succeeds Pavan Kapoor.

9. EBIX ACQUIRED YATRA ONLINE FOR $337.8 MILLION

✔US-based software firm Ebix Inc acquired online travel portal Yatra Online Inc., for an enterprise value of $337.8 million (Rs 2,325 crore) in an all-stock transaction.

10. INDIAN ARMY SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTED THE TRIALS OF THIRD GENERATION ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE- NAG AT POKHRAN, RAJASTHAN

✔The Indian Army successfully conducted the trials of third generation anti-tank guided missile NAG, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, at Pokhran, Rajastha.

✔It was launched from the NAG Missile Carrier and is capable of carrying up to 6 combat missiles. It will be inducted in the Indian Army.

11. RANI BANGA WINS GOLD AT THE ISRAEL RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIP

✔Rani Banga won a gold medal in the Rope exercise and a silver medal in the clubs exercise at the annual Championship held at Holon, northern city of Israel.

✔She also recently bagged a gold medal and a Silver Medal at the 2019 pirueta cup in Croatia.

12. 2ND EDITION OF HERO INTERCONTINENTAL CUP FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT FOR THE YEAR 2019 WON BY NORTH KOREA

✔North Korea won the title of the 2nd edition of Hero Intercontinental Cup football tournament held at the The Arena by TransStadia, Ahmedabad, Gujarat,

✔North Korea won the title by defeating Tajikistan.

13. FORMER 3 TIMES DELHI CM SHEILA DIKSHIT PASSED AWAY

✔Former 3 time chief minister of Delhi from Congress Sheila Dikshit passed away at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla in New Delhi.

✔She had served as the president of Delhi Congress, chief minister of Delhi for 15 years from 1998-2013 and the governor of Kerala.

✔The longest-serving chief minister of Delhi was the recipient of 2010 Dara Shikoh award by Indo-Iran Society and Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award 2013 by All Ladies League for Outstanding Public Service.

14. DELHI GOVT CELEBRATES 15-DAY “HAPPINESS UTSAV” IN ALL ITS SCHOOLS

✔To celebrate the completion of a year of introduction of its happiness curriculum, Delhi Government launched a 15-day “Happiness Utsav” across all its 1,031 schools.

✔During the event, The first 50 minutes of each school day, all students schools taking part in various activities like ‘nataks’ (dramas), poetry recitation and exhibitions.