DAILY GK: 08 JULY 2021

 DAILY GK: 08 JULY 2021

1. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CREATES ‘MINISTRY OF CO-OPERATION’

      The Central Government has created a separate ‘Ministry of Co-operation (Sahkarita Mantralaya)’ to provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the Co-operative Movement in India.

      The New Ministry has been carved out from the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Agriculture Welfare.

      The new process will help in realizing the government’s vision of ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’ (prosperity from cooperation).

      The New Ministry has been created through the creation of new rules under ‘Government of India (Allocation of Business) Three Hundred and Sixty Second Amendment Rules, 2021’ which amends the ‘Government of India (Allocation of Business Rules), 1961’.

 

2. GOI BRINGS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES UNDER FINANCE MINISTRY

      President of India Ram Nath Kovind approved the ‘Government of India (Allocation of Business) Three Hundred and Sixty First Amendment Rules, 2021’, which brings the ‘Department of Public Enterprises (Lok Udyam Vibhag)’ which was part of the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Finance.

      The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) will be the 6th Department in the Finance Ministry.

      It has been brought under the Finance Ministry to enable better coordination and better facilitate the Government’s Disinvestment programme.

      The other 5 departments under the Finance Ministry are Economic Affairs, Revenue, Expenditure, Investment & Public Asset Management and Financial Services

 

3. INDIA’S COAL PRODUCTION DECREASES BY 2% IN FY 2021

      According to the provisional statistics of 2020-21 released by the Ministry of Coal, India’s coal production dropped by 2.02% to 716.08 Million Tonnes (MT) in FY 2020-21 compared to 730.87 MT in FY 2019-20.

      Chhattisgarh registered the highest coal production of 158.40 MT, followed by Odisha 154.150 MT, Madhya Pradesh 132.531 MT and Jharkhand 119.296 MT.

      Jharkhand was the top producer of coking coal with an output of 44.38 MT, which was 99.11% of total coking coal production of 44.787 MT.

      Coal is the backbone of India’s energy system, it contributes nearly 58% of India’s commercial primary energy supply and coal-based power contributes more than 70% of the power generated in India.

 

4.J&K TOPS IN IMPLEMENTING NISHTHA PROGRAMME

      Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has trained 80600 Elementary School Teachers through online mode using DIKSHA portal, leading it as India’s top performer under National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) portal.

      NISHTHA is theWorld’s largest teacher training program that was launched under Samagra Shiksha scheme in 2019-20.

      It aims to provide an Integrated Teacher Training Programme for improving the quality of school education.

 

5.RBI MODIFIED NORMS FOR INTEREST ON UNCLAIMED AMOUNT

      The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) modified the rules on applicable interest on unclaimed term deposits (TDs) after maturity in all commercial banks, small finance banks, local area banks, and cooperative banks.

      Now, unclaimed TDs will attract rates of interest applicable to savings accounts or the contracted interest on the matured deposit, whichever is lower.

      TD is an interest bearing deposit with the bank for a fixed period where deposits can be recurring, cumulative, annuity, reinvestment deposits and cash certificates.

      As per RBI, when there is no transaction in the account for 10 years or more that deposit is classified as unclaimed.

      This unclaimed amount is transferred to RBI’s Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund. In the case after 10 years, if an authentic claim on the deposit is made, then RBI settles it from our own funds and claims it back from the DEA Fund.

 

6.IOB BECOME THE 2ND MOST-VALUED LISTED PSB

      Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the 2nd most-valued listed Public Sector Bank (PSB) with a market capitalisation (market-cap) of over ~Rs 50,000 crore by surpassing its peers viz, Punjab National Bank (POB) (3rd) and Bank of Baroda (BOB)(4th).

      IOB and the Central Bank of India are expected to be privatised at the 1st phase of the government’s (govt) privatisation drive – a part of the govt’s broader divestment target of Rs 1.75 trillion for FY22.

 

7.HUMBOLDT RESEARCH AWARD FOR ECONOMICS FOR 2021

      Indian Economist Kaushik Basu has been honoured with the Humboldt Research Award for Economics for 2021 by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation based in Bonn, Germany.

      Kaushik Basu is set to use this award to do research on moral philosophy and game theory, and on law and economics.

      The Humboldt Research Award is sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and annually it is presented to more than 100 recipients.

 

8.‘MATSYA SETU’ FOR AQUA FARMERS

      Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh launched an Online Course Mobile App ‘Matsya Setu’ to spread latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to aqua farmers of India.

      The app has been developed by ICAR-CIFA (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture) with funding support from the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad.

      India is the 2nd largest country in aquaculture (which is topped by China) and ranks 3rd in fisheries production.

      It provides employment to around 14.5 million people and contributes to 1.07% of India’s total GDP.

 

9.NEW SNAKE SPECIES DISCOVERED IN MIZORAM

      A Team of Researchers from Mizoram University discovered a new snake species ‘Stoliczkiavanhnuailianai’ near the villages of Aizawl, Capital of Mizoram, it has been named after Mizo’s Local Warrior Vanhnuailiana.

      The findings have been published in Zootaxa, a Scientific Journal.

      The snake belongs to the ‘Stoliczkia’ genus and is only the third Species of Stoliczkia from India.

      It is one of the most important discoveries of the century, because the last time its sister species Stoliczkiakhasiensis was found was in 1904.

      Vanhnuailiana was one of the most powerful chiefs of the Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) during the mid-1800s and led many successful campaigns against rival chiefs in the area.

 

10.2022’S AFC WOMEN’S ASIA CUP FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

      Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has changed the host cities of 2022’s Women’s Asia Cup tournament from the previously selected Bhubaneswar & Ahmedabad to newer venues at Mumbai & Pune both from Maharashtra.

      This move was taken by AFC to minimise the travel time and maintain an optimum bio-secure bubble for the players.

      The tournament set to take place from 20th January to 6th February, 2022 will be held at 3 Football Stadiums.

 

11. BOLLYWOOD ACTOR DILIP KUMAR PASSED AWAY

      Veteran Bollywood Actor and Padma Awardee Dilip Kumar, popularly known as the ‘Tragedy King of Bollywood’, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

      He was born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan in Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan) on 11th December 1922.

      Dilip Kumar debuted as an Actor in the 1944 film “Jwar Bhata”.

      The government of Pakistan honoured him with its highest civilian honour the “Nishan-e-Imtiaz” in 1998.

      He is the only Indian to be honoured with this.

      In 1994, He won the Dada saheb Phalke award for his cinematic excellence.

 

12. OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST KESHAV DATT PASSES AWAY

      Keshav Datt, member of 2-time Olympics Gold Medal winning Indian Hockey team passed away at the age of 95.

      He was part of the 1948 London Olympics Gold medal winning Indian Hockey team and later as Vice-Captain Indian team that won Gold in 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

 

13. WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY – OBSERVED ON JULY 07

      World Chocolate Day, sometimes referred to as International Chocolate Days, is an annual celebration of chocolate, occurring globally on July 7.

      The observance of World Chocolate Day dates back to 2009 and some suggest July 7 in particular celebrates the introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550.

      The day is observed to celebrate chocolate, and lovers of chocolate around the world enjoy different kinds of chocolates on this day.

 

14. KVIC PROJECT ‘BOLD’ INITIATED TO BOOST TRIBAL INCOME

      A unique scientific exercise serving the combined national objectives of reducing desertification and providing livelihood and multi-disciplinary rural industry support has been initiated by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

      The project named “Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought” (BOLD) is the first of its kind exercise in India which was launched from the tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

      5000 saplings of special bamboo species – Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha specially brought from Assam – have been planted over 25 bigha (16 acres approx) of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.

 

15. TOKYO OLYMPICS: MARY KOM, MANPREET SINGH TO BE INDIA’S FLAG-BEARERS

      Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced Mary Kom, the six-time world boxing champion, and Manpreet Singh, the men’s hockey team skipper, will be India’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

      Bajrang Punia, a silver medallist at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships, will be the flag-bearer at the closing ceremony on August 8.

      This is for the first time that India will have two flag-bearers, one male and one female, at Olympics Games, to ensure “gender parity”.

      Around 126 athletes are taking part in the Tokyo Olympics Games, comprising 56 percent male and 44 percent female athletes.