DAILY GK 21 JULY 2020

DAILY GK 21 JULY 2020

1. INDIAN RAILWAYS TO LAUNCH 1ST SET OF PRIVATE TRAINS BY 2023

·        In accordance with the initial timeline drawn by the railways, it has planned to roll out 151 private train services by 2027 on 109 pairs of routes across the country.

·        In this regard, Indian Railways is ready to introduce 12 trains in 2022-23, 45 in 2023-2024, 50 in 2025-26 and 44 more in the next fiscal, taking the total number of trains to 151 by the end of FY 2026-2027.

·        There would be Rs 30,000 crore private sector investment in this project.

·        The private player will pay the railways fixed haulage charges, energy charges as per actual consumption and a share in gross revenue.

·         The railways is expected to receive total haulage charges of around Rs. 3,000 crore per annum from operation of these 151 trains.

2. DRONES TO INSPECT POWER LINES AND TRANSMISSION TOWERS

·        Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited(MSETCL) has started to use drones for aerial surveillance and inspection of extra high voltage(EHV) power transmission lines and towers.

·        Maharashtra becomes the 1st state to do so.

·        The Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Director General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) gave approval for this purpose. 

3. NEW MD & CEO OF SBI CARDS AND PAYMENT SERVICES

·        SBI (State Bank of India) cards and payment services appointed, Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive officer (CEO) who is intended to be in charge from August 1, 2020.

·         His new appointment will be valid for 2 years.

·        SBI is the Largest bank in India with 23% market share asset. 

·        SBI Cards and payment services are the country’s second-largest credit card issuer. 

4. 1ST  ARAB NATION TO LAUNCH SPACE MISSION TO MARS

·        United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the first West Asian and Arab nation to embark on a first-ever interplanetary space mission to Mars (Red Planet) namely “Hope Probe mission” from Tanegashima Space Centre, off the coast of Kyushu, Japan atop a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket.

·        Also known as Al-Amal or Emirates Mars Mission, this $200 million mission will be the first to study both Martian climate viz. diurnal (daily) and seasonal cycles.

·        -China’s Tianwen-1 mission is scheduled to blast off on July 23, 2020.NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Mars 2020 mission to take off on July 30 by launching rover Perseverance.

5. 1^ST WORLD CHESS DAY CELEBRATED ON JULY 20, 2020

·        This day also marks the 95th Anniversary of the International Chess Federation (FIDE – Fédération Internationale des Échecs).

·        The FIDE’s motto of 2020 is “Teach someone how to play chess.”