DAILY GK 8 AUG 2020

 

DAILY GK  8 AUG 2020

1. INDIA’S FIRST ‘KISAN RAIL’ FLAGGED OFF

·        Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways and Narendra Singh Tomar flagged off the India’s 1st Kisan Rail, a Special Parcel Train from Maharashtra’s Devlali to Bihar’s Danapur Railway station
through video link.

·        This is the 1st ever multi commodity train of Indian Railways(IR) that carries fruits like Pomegranate, Banana, Grapes etc and vegetables like Capsicum, Cauliflower etc.

·        The train will run on a weekly basis.

·        The launch of Kisan Rail is a step towards achieving the target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022.

·        The train is in pursuance of announcement made by Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman in Union Budget 2020-21

 

2. PM MODI ADDRESSES CONCLAVE ON REFORMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

·        PM Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy(NEP) organised by the Ministry of Education in association with University Grants Commission(UGC) over a virtual platform and discussed various aspects of NEP 2020, which replaces the National Policy on Education framed in 1986 with academicians and scientists.

·        K Kasturirangan, an Indian space scientist, stated that to enable scientific steps to integrate technology in the education system, the National Research Foundation (NRF) will work closely with the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF).

·        The new policy focuses and encourages the “How to think” approach to education than the current “What to think” teaching.

 

3. UNESCO RECOGNISES TWO COASTAL VILLAGES OF ODISHA AS TSUNAMI READY

·        Pradeep Kumar Jena, Additional Chief Secretary announced that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognises the two coastal villages of Odisha as “Tsunami Ready” for their overall preparedness to face the tsunami.

·        Odisha became the first state in India and India became the first country in the Indian Ocean Region to achieve this status of “Tsunami ready” from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

·        The two villages are,

·        Venkatraipur (Boxipalli) village of Rangeilunda block in Ganjam district

·        Noliasahi village of Ersama block in Jagatsinghpur district.

 

4. SRI LANKAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

·        Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka were held on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka’s 16th Parliament.Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) headed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has won 145 (plus five more seats from allies) in the elections, securing two-thirds majority in the parliament

 

5. EXIM BANK EXTENDS USD 250 MILLION LINE OF CREDIT TO MOZAMBIQUE

·        Export-Import Bank on behalf of Indian Government, extended a Line of Credit of USD 250 million (about Rs. 1,870 Crores) to Mozambique to improve the power supply quality of the country.

·        The Agreement was signed through exchange between Saroj Khuntia, General Manager of EXIM Bank and Adriano Isaias Ubisse, National Directorate of Treasury, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Mozambique.

 

6. ADB SIGNED USD 200 MN FINANCING DEAL WITH RELIANCE BANGLADESH LNG

·        The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 200 million financing deal with the Reliance Bangladesh LNG and Power Limited (RBLPL) to build and operate a 718 megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Bangladesh.

·        The project will reduce the current energy deficit and lead to more private sector investment in the country’s electricity sector.

 

7. GC MURMU APPOINTED AS 14TH CAG

·        Ram Nath Kovind, President of India as per the powers conferred on him by Section 1 of Article 148 of the Constitution of India has appointed Girish Chandra(GC) Murmu as 14th Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.

·        He succeeds Rajiv Mehrishi who completes his term on August 8,2020 as he attains the age of 65.

 

8. PROF. PRADEEP KUMAR JOSHI APPOINTED AS UPSC CHAIRMAN

·        Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) appointed Professor Pradeep Kumar Joshi as its new Chairman.

·        His tenure as the chairman of the UPSC will be till May 12, 2021.

·        The commission conducts the civil services examination annually in three stages preliminary, mains and interview to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) among others.

 

9. LIC ACQUIRED 4.23% STAKE OF YES BANK 

·        Life Insurance Corporation of India(LIC) has acquired 4.23% Stake(105.98 crore shares) of YES Bank by purchasing from the open market.

·        With this acquisition, the hold of LIC in YES Bank has increased from 0.75%(19 crore shares) to 4.98%(125 crore shares).

 

10. “AMAZING AYODHYA” – A NEW BOOK TO TELL THE HISTORY OF AYODHYA

·        “Amazing Ayodhya” A book by Neena Rai promises to shed light on the history of Ayodhya.

·        The book is set to give “authentic information” about the city of Ayodhya and will help in understanding the life and times of ancient Hindus.

 

11. 6^TH EDITION OF NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY IS OBSERVED ON AUGUST 7, 2020

·        Every year the Government of India (GoI) celebrates the National Handloom day on August 7 , to create awareness about the Handloom Industry amongst the public at large and its contribution to socio-economic development.

·        The 6th edition of the Nation Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7, 2020.