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.
