Daily GK 17 Oct 2020

 

1.  ASIA’S LONGEST BI-DIRECTIONAL ROAD TUNNEL “ZOJILA TUNNEL” IN J&K

•    Nitin Jairam Gadkari of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) & Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) initiated the first blasting process for the construction of one of the longest bi-directional road in Asia i.e. 14.15 Km Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh (Ladakh plateau) on National Highway (NH)-1.

•    This geo-strategically sensitive project involves the construction at an altitude of 11578 feet under Zojila pass (presently motorable only for 6 months in a year) on NH-1 connecting Srinagar and Leh through Dras&Kargil.

 

2. MYANMAR TO GET 1ST SUBMARINE “INS SINDHUVIR”

•    The Myanmar Navy is all set to receive its first submarine namely “Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sindhuvir”, a Kilo class submarine which will be handed over by India under its vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) to provide guaranteed security for all maritime partners.

•    Myanmar Navy will initially use INS Sindhuvir for training and orientation purposes for its Navy personnel as it has a capacity of staying underwater for almost 45 days.

 

3. INDIAN BANK SIGNED MOU WITH MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

•    Indian Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government  of India and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) at New Delhi, to pay subsidy to street vendors under the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.

•    MoU was signed by Sanjay Kumar, Joint Secretary (National Urban Livelihoods Mission- NULM) of MoHUA, Vikas Kumar, Field General Manager, New Delhi, Indian Bank and Subodh Kumar, General Manager of SIDBI.

 

4. JAPAN COAST GUARD TESTS “SEAGUARDIAN”

•    Japan’s Coast Guard started testing “SeaGuardian” – a Maritime Surveillance Drone in the coast of Sariku in Northeastern Japan, along the coasts of Sea of Japan.

•    The drone is being tested amidst rising tensions between China & Japan in the East China Sea. 

•    It is being tested to check the capabilities of the drone in carrying out operations like search and rescue operations, and maritime surveillance.

 

5. INDIA’S FIRST OSCAR WINNER PASSED AWAY AT 91

•    Bollywood Costume Designer, Bhanu Athaiya, who was the first Indian to win the Oscars Award passed away at the age of 91 in Mumbai.

•    Her book titled “The Art of Costume Design” was published by HarperCollins in 2010.

•    She won the Oscar award for best costume design in 1983 for the film Gandhi directed by Richard Attenborough starring Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi.

 

6.  “THE BATTLE OF BELONGING” IS SET TO RELEASE

•    Renowned Author and Politician Shashi Tharoor is set to release his new book titled “The Battle of Belonging” is set to be released in November 2020.

•    The book is published by Aleph Book Company.

•    Shashi Tharoor described this book as his “magnum opus” on the Theory, evolution and practice of Nationalism across the globe and especially in India.

•    He is the longest-serving member of the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala since 2009.

 

7. WORLD FOOD DAY 2020: OCTOBER 16

•    The United Nations(UN)’s World Food Day is annually celebrated on October 16 to commemorate the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN in 1945, this year(2020) marks the 75th anniversary of FAO.

•    Theme of World Food Day 2020– “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”.

•    PM Narendra Modi Released Commemorative Coin of Rs 75 denomination.

•    Also PM Dedicates 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of eight crops to Nation.