DAILY GK: 06 AUG 2021
1.
WORLD’S HIGHEST ROAD IN LADAKH
• The
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed the world’s highest 52-km-long
tarmac road or motorable pass at Umling LA Pass in eastern Ladakh at an
altitude of 19,300 feet which has surpassed the record of a road in Bolivia,
South America at 18,953 ft which connects to its volcano Uturuncu.
• This
road will enhance socio-economic conditions and promote tourism in Ladakh.
2.
GOI REDUCES MUDRA LOAN TARGET
• Government
of India (GoI) has set the Loan Disbursement Target under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA
Yojana (PMMY) at INR 3 trillion for the current Financial Year (FY) 2021-22.
• It
is less than the target set in the FY of 2020-21 – INR 3.21 Trillion.
• The
target has been lowered due to the increased allocation under the Emergency
Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for small businesses.
• In
the previous FY 2020-21, the total loans disbursed under PMMY stood at INR 3.12
trillion, out of the sanctioned amount of INR 3.21 trillion.
3.
GOVERNORS CAN PARDON DEATH ROW UNDER ARTICLE 161
• A
Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta & AS Bopanna held that
the Governor of a state can pardon prisoners, including death row convicts,
even before they have served a minimum 14 years of prison sentence, as per
constitutional powers granted to Governors under Article 161 of the Indian
Constitution.
• The
court also noted that the sovereign power of a Governor to pardon a prisoner
under Article 161 is actually exercised by the State government and not the
Governor on his own.
• So,
the advice of the appropriate government will be binding on the Governor.
4.
ISRO LAUNCHES ‘QUEST’
• Dr
K Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) formally
inaugurated the Health QUEST study (Health Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space
Technology of ISRO) to upgrade the healthcare systems standards of India in
line with the ISRO’s quality standards and best practices.
• The
Study Team will explore the possibility of replicating ISRO’s Quality Assurance
Mechanisms which are used in Space Technology in India’s hospitals.
• This
is to ensure Zero-defect & Quality of service in the Emergency and
Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of hospitals.
5.
NABARD PARTNERS WITH CWC
• National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has partnered with the
Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) through the NAB Foundation, to offer
storage facilities for the Farmers Producer Organisation (FPOs) at lower rates
for the next 5 years.
• Under
this partnership, the state-of-the-art storage facilities of CWC will be made
accessible for the 5000+ FPO’s across India.
6.
SBI PAYMENTS, HITACHI PAYMENT SERVICES PARTNERED FOR E-RUPI
• SBI
Payments partnered with Hitachi Payment Services to introduce e-RUPI
transactions on the Yono SBI Merchant app.
• Objective:
To enable the merchants to use the ‘UPI Voucher’ feature on the Yono SBI
Merchant App to accept prepaid UPI e-vouchers.
• Under
the partnership, the Hitachi Payment Services will support SBI Payments in
merchant on-boarding and merchant transaction settlements for e-RUPI.
7.
INS VIKRANT –BEGINS SEA TRIAL
• India’s
1st Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) INS Vikrant has been launched for sea
trials off the coast of Kochi, Kerala.
• A
sea trial is the last phase of testing.
• INS
Vikrant has been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND), Indian Navy
and is built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• The
total cost of the project is around INR 23,000 crore.
• Over
76% of the material and equipment on board is indigenous.
• It
has been named as INS Vikrant in remembrance of India’s 1st Aircraft Carrier
INS Vikrant, which played a major role in the 1971 war against Pakistan. It was
decommissioned in 1997.
8.
INDIA’S 1ST EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING MOBILE APP
• Uttarakhand
Government launched India’s 1st Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) Mobile App
‘Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert’ for alerting its people about the onset of
earthquakes.
• The
app has been developed by IIT-Roorkee (IITR).
• The
region of Uttarakhand is seismically active and prone to earthquakes.
9.
‘A BEGUM AND A RANI’ NEW BOOK
• Renowned
historian and author Rudrangshu Mukherjee has authored a new book titled “A
Begum and A Rani: Hazrat Mahal and Lakshmibai in 1857” which explores the lives
of ‘Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh’ and ‘Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi’.
• The
book is published by Penguin Random House India.
