DAILY GK 23 AUG 2019

DAILY GK 23 AUG 2019

1. UNION HRD MINISTER LAUNCHES WORLD’S LARGEST TEACHERS’ TRAINING PROGRAMME NISHTHA

✔Union HRD Minister launched the training programme NISHTHA, (National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement) to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level across the country. This is the largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world.

✔NISHTHA to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country. The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.

2. KARNATAKA TOPS IN STATE ROOFTOP SOLAR ATTRACTIVENESS INDEX 2019

✔The State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. Karnataka has topped the index which evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development.

✔SARAL currently captures five key aspects:

• Robustness of policy framework
• Implementation environment
• Investment climate
• Consumer experience
• Business ecosystem

3. FASTAGS WILL BE MANDATORY FOR ALL VEHICLES FROM DECEMBER 2019: NITIN GADKARI

✔Shri Nitin Gadkari stated that FASTags will become mandatory for all vehicles from December 2019, during the launch of the new website that gives data about highways construction, land acquisition, FASTags, etc.

✔A total of 52.59 lakh FASTags have been issued till now. These are being issued through various channels such as Point-of-Sale (PoS) by 22 certified banks at NH toll plazas, bank branches, etc.

✔FASTag is an electronic toll connection device attached to the windscreen of the vehicle to enable drivers to pass through toll plazas without having to stop for a cash transaction.

✔It uses radio frequency identification technology to enable direct toll payments while the vehicle is moving. The toll fee is deducted from the bank account linked to FASTag.

4. RBI EXTENDS TIMINGS OF RTGS TRANSACTIONS BY AN HOUR FROM 7 AM INSTEAD OF 8 AM

✔India’s central bank RBI has extended the timings of RTGS transactions by an hour from 7 AM instead of 8 AM with effect from August 26, 2019, with the aim to increase the availability of the RTGS system.

✔At present RTGS System is available for customer transactions from 8 AM to 6 PM and for inter-bank transactions from 8 AM to 7.45 PM.

✔In order to promote digital transactions, the RBI had decided to allow the NEFT services to be active 24×7 from December 2019 from the current timings of 8.00 am to 7.00 pm on all working days(excluding  2nd and 4th  Saturdays of a month).

5. AMAZON INAUGURATES ITS WORLD’S LARGEST CAMPUS IN HYDERABAD

✔Amazon has opened its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad. The campus covers 1.8 million square feet and can accommodate 15,000 workers.

✔This is Amazon’s first owned-building outside of the US and and is also its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees.

6. KNIGHT FRANK RANKS DELHI AS THE 10TH FASTEST GROWING MARKET GLOBALLY

✔Prime Global Cities Index Q1 2019 of London based consultancy Knight Frank has ranked Delhi as the 10th fastest growing prime market globally.

✔The index is topped by Berlin (Germany) whereas Istanbul (Turkey) and Vancouver (Canada) were the weakest markets with rates minus 9.9% and minus 13.6% respectively.

✔Bengaluru (2.8%) and Mumbai (0.8%) were ranked 15th and 30th on the list, respectively.

7. RAJEEV GAUBA-HOME SECRETARY, APPOINTED AS THE NEXT CABINET SECRETARY

✔Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba appointed as a Cabinet secretary for two years. He will replace P.K. Sinha, who was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2015. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointment.

8. AJAY KUMAR APPOINTED AS NEW DEFENCE SECRETARY

✔Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Defence Secretary. He is currently serving as Secretary in Department of Defence Production.

✔He will replace Sanjay Mitra, upon completion of his term. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointments.

9. WORLD BANK REPORTS ECONOMIC GROWTH TO BE AFFECTED BY WATER POLLUTION

✔According to the World Bank report- “Quality Unknown: The Invisible Water Crisis”, one-third of the potential economic growth will be affected in heavily water polluted areas leading to invisible crisis of water quality.

✔The report explains with new data and methods of how a bacteria combination, sewage, chemicals, and plastics suck oxygen from water supplies and transform water into poison for people and ecosystems.

✔It is funded in part by the Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund based at the World Bank’s Water Global Practice.

10. INDIA’S HOCKEY TEAM WINS OLYMPIC TEST EVENT 2020 IN TOKYO, JAPAN

✔Indian Hockey teams (Men & Women) has won the Olympic test event for hockey held from 17-21 Aug 2019 held at Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan, during Tokyo 2020 Games test events. “

✔READY STEADY TOKYO” is the official brand name and logo for the test events Tokyo 2020.

✔Indian men’s hockey team registered a win over New Zealand.

✔Indian Women’s Hockey team won the Olympic Test Event 2019 by beating Japan.

11. CISF SPORTS PERSONNEL FELICITATED WITH 10 MEDALS IN 18TH WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES 2019 HELD AT CHENGDU, CHINA

✔CISF have won 10 medals (5 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze medals) for India at the recently-concluded 18th edition of World Police and Fire Games 2019, held at Chengdu in China.

✔CISF DG Rajesh Ranjan felicitated the sports personnel for their excellent performance at the games.

✔Kuheli Gangulee has won 1 Gold and 1 Bronze in Rifle (Shooting). Meena Kumari Devi won Gold in Boxing. Harmeet won Gold in Judo. Sangeeta has won Gold in Pole Vault. Ankit Rathi has won Gold in Javelin Throw.

✔Jina Devi Chongtham and Himani has won Silver in Judo and Discuss Throw.

12. “OP-BLUE FREEDOM” FLAGGED OFF BY KIREN RIJIJU AND BAICHUNG BHUTIA

✔Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off Op-Blue Freedom in  Delhi. This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence.

✔Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able-bodied. It comes under the parent project “Special Forces Adventures”.

13. CULTURE MINISTER SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL LAUNCHED THE BOOK CALLED ‘THE DIARY OF MANU GANDHI’

✔Culture Minister will launch the book “The Diary of Manu Gandhi” at a function in New Delhi. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in collaboration with Oxford University Press. The first volume covers the period 1943-1944.

✔The Diary of Manu Gandhi originally in Gujarati has been edited and translated by Dr Tridip Suhrud. Manu Gandhi (Mridula) was a grand niece of Mahatma Gandhi, and stayed with Gandhiji till his assassination.