19 September 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

19 September 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Germany launches world's first hydrogen-powered train

• The world’s first hydrogen train is now zooming along a 62-mile stretch of track in Germany.
• The hydrogen engines can hit a top speed of 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour) and the trains have a range of about 600 miles.
• The vehicles are powered by fuel cells that combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity.
• The hydrogen train Created by Alstom (French company).
• Alstom plans to provide Germany with another 14 hydrogen trains by 2021, and France plans to debut its first by 2022.

National Affairs

2. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrives in New Delhi

• Today, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in New Delhi on a day-long visit to India.
• During the visit, Mr Ghani met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House (in Delhi) and discuss the issues related to bilateral ties and matters concerning regional security.
• India Foundation will host the civic reception for the visiting dignitary.
• The two leaders are also expected to review the progress made on the infrastructure work being done in Afghanistan by India.

3. President Kovind launches logo & web portal of Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary

• President Ram Nath Kovind has launched the logo and the web portal for the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Nation) at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• The designs of the logo with the colour guide are available on the website of gandhi.gov.in.
• The Logo Branding will be done in Trains, Air India aircrafts, State Roadways Buses, Government websites, Government advertisements besides Public Sector Undertakings.
• The two years long celebrations (2nd Octobers, 2018 to 2020) will be held across the country and all over the globe to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The salient features of the new web portal are to identify visitors from different geography and serve them personalized information.
• Besides, information related to Gandhian literature, philosophy, audios, videos, rare photos are available in the portal.

4. Piyush Goyal inaugurates the first ever India tourism Mart 2018

• The Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart 2018 in New Delhi.
• The India Tourism Mart is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) and with the support of State /UT Governments.
• The function was held in presence of the Secretary, other senior officials of Tourism Ministry and Chairman/members of FAITH & also delegates from India and across the world.

5. Union Home Secretary launches ‘E-Sahaj’ Portal for grant of security clearance

• Mr. Rajiv Gauba (Union Home Secretary) has launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance.
• The online portal will facilitate an applicant to submit the application online and view the status of his application from time to time.
• The process has become standardized, resulting in a process which will be faster, transparent and easy to monitor.
• Various functionaries can access the application and documents online and take timely decisions.

Note:

• Security clearances a pre-requisite for grant of most types of license/ permit/ approvals/security programme etc in civil aviation sector.
• eSahaj portal for online processing of applications seeking security clearances.

6. Varun and Anushka signed as ambassadors of Skill India Campaign

• Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission.
• They will dedicate time to promote India's skilled talent and their fine work by engaging with them across different parts of the country.

Note:

• On 15^th July 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Skill India campaign (SIC) to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022.
• The objective of the Skill India campaign is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

7. India Post Payments Bank, Bajaj Allianz join hands ‘to provide insurance to all’

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co Ltd (BALIC) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide life insurance solutions.
• This partnership will leverage IPPB’s last mile reach for building awareness about life insurance.
• Both the companies came together to formally sign the Corporate Agency Agreement.
• The products will be first available across IPPB's network of 3,250 access points, gradually expanding to 155,000 post offices across India.
• IPPB cannot sell insurance on its own but tie-up with third party for offering their product.

 Obituaries

8. Former Odisha minister Dolagobinda Pradhan passes away

• Veteran freedom fighter and former Odisha Minister Dolagobinda Pradhan (93-year) passed away in Bhubaneswar.
• Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, he had left school in 1942 and joined the Quit India movement.
• Mr. Pradhan was a minister from 1989 to 1990.

Honours & Awards

9. Uttarakhand ranked best among states in PMGSY

• Uttarakhand state has been ranked the best among states in the country for the construction of a maximum number of roads under the PMGSY during 2017-2018.
• The state constructed a maximum of 1,839 km roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (target for the year 2017-18 - 1,500 km).
• Uttarakhand has also been ranked second for connecting 207 habitations with roads (under the scheme target - 172).

10. Kerala Tourism wins 2 Pacific Asia Travel Association gold awards

• Kerala Tourism has won the two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns at a glittering function in Langkawi, Malaysia.
• Sudeshna Ramkumar (Assistant Director, India Tourism Singapore) has received the award on behalf of Kerala tourism.
• The first gold award came for its ‘Yalla Kerala’ travel advertisement print media campaign in the Gulf countries.
• With the punch line, 'Yalla Kerala', the campaign triggered a lot of interest for God's Own Country as a tourism destination in the Gulf countries.
• The second gold award came for an innovative poster Kerala Tourism had developed for the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB).

Note:

• The PATA Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment, and Heritage and Culture.

Sports

11. World Champion Kevin Mayer sets new world record in Decathlon at Talence in France

• The World champion Kevin Mayer (26-year) set a new world record in the decathlon with 9,126 points at the Decastar meet at the Decastar event in Talence, France.
• Mayer surpassed previous holder American Ashton Eaton’s 9045 points recorded at the 2015 world championships in Beijing.
• The Frenchman threw a personal best of 71.90 metres in the javelin in the penultimate event to leave him with the relatively simple task of needing to finish inside 4 minutes 49 seconds in the 1500 metres to beat the previous record.