02 August 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

02 August 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. R N Ravi sworn in as Nagaland Governor

• Former Intelligence Bureau officer R N Ravi (67-years) was sworn in as the Governor of Nagaland at a function in Raj Bhawan, Kohima.
• Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Arup Kumar Goswami administered him the oath of office.
• Mr. Ravi succeeded P B Acharya whose tenure ended on 19^th July this year.
• He was appointed as the new governor on 20^th July by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• Earlier, R.N Ravi served as a former Intelligence Bureau officer and an interlocutor for the Naga peace talks.

Source: AIR News

2. Jagdeep Dhankar sworn in as West Bengal Governor

• Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India Mr Jagdeep Dhankar (68-years) has been sworn in as the Governor of West Bengal (28^th).
• The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Mr T.B Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office and Secrecy to him.
• Mr. Dhankhar succeeded Mr Keshari Nath Tripathy.
• Mr Dhankar was Member of Parliament from Jhunjhunu (Lok Sabha constituency) in Rajasthan during 1989-91 (representing Janata Dal) and MLA from Kishangar (Rajasthan) during 1993-98.

Note:

• The governors (exist in the states) and lieutenant-governors/administrators (union territories and in the NCT of Delhi) of the states and union territories of India have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level.
• The governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power lies with the Chief ministers of the states and his/her councils of ministers.

National Affairs

3. Ministry of I&B launches a competition for designing Postage Stamp

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has launched a competition for designing a Postage Stamp along with the First Day Cover to commemorate Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
• An interested person may log in to www.mygov.in (MyGov platform) to participate in the competition from 1st August to 15th August 2019.
• The winner will receive a Certificate of appreciation and travel and hospitality for 2 nights and 3 days to become a part of 50th IFFI.
• IFFI showcases a collage of the best of contemporary and classic films from around the globe.
• Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India will be organised from 20th-28th November 2019 at Goa.

Note:

• International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started way back in 1952, is an ‘A’ grade film festival accredited to the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF) and is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in Asia.
• IFFI is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in collaboration with Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), Government of Goa.

Source: AIR News

4. One Nation-one Ration Card scheme implemented on a pilot basis in four States

• The Union Government has launched the One Nation-One Ration Card scheme on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states.
• Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.
• The white Ration Cardholders in Telangana have been getting the portability facility, enabling them to buy their subsidized rice and other food grains from any Fair Price Shop in the state.
• The same facility can be utilized anywhere in Andhra Pradesh now through PoS machines under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme which has come into force in the two states.

Note:

• The Union Government plans to extend the One nation one ration card scheme to all the states by August 2020 to enable the portability of the food security card.

5. West Bengal launches an awareness campaign for preserving greenery and keeping the environment clean

• The West Bengal Government has launched an awareness campaign for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean.
• The State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the campaign named as ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ in Kolkata.
• The State Government will distribute more than 1 lakhs saplings throughout the state for spreading of greenery.

Source: AIR News

6. BIS to set up Pashmina testing centre in Leh

• According to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Director-General Ms Surina Rajan, BIS would set up a Pashmina testing centre in Leh, in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.
• Setting up of a lab in Leh would take two-month time.
• The standards testing will have lab, machines and scientists to check the quality of pashmina collected.
• BIS would train the locals, with the cooperation of Leh Hill Council, in marking of the standards to save the time and money.

Note:

• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
• It also works as WTO-TBT enquiry point for India.

7. KABIL set up to ensure the supply of critical Minerals to the Indian domestic market

• A joint venture company Khanij Bidesh India limited (KABIL) has been set up with the participation of three Central Public Sector Enterprises, CPSEs to ensure supply of critical Minerals to Indian domestic market.
• These CPSEs are National Aluminium Company Limited, Hindustan Copper Limited and Mineral Exploration Company limited.
• The agreement was signed in the presence of Minister of Coal and Mines Prahalad Joshi in New Delhi.
• The newly set up company will ensure supply of Lithium and Cobalt which is available in less quantity in the country.

8. Free electricity for Delhiites using up to 200 units

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced free electricity for people consuming up to 200 units under a domestic connection(from 1^st August 2019.)
• In Delhi, people who consume up to 200 units will not have to pay electricity bills.
• Those consuming 201-400 units of electricity will get about 50% subsidy.

Obituaries

9. Former cricketer Malcolm Nash passes away

• Former cricketer Malcolm Nash (74-years) passed away.
• He was Glamorgan’s legendary left-arm bowler who took 993 first-class wickets in career between 1966 and 1983.
• Malcolm Nash became famous after Garfield Sobers hit him for six sixes in an over.
• It was the first time any batsman had hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket.

Important Days

10. 143rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya

• Pingali Venkaiah, a freedom fighter and the designer of the flag on which the Indian national flag was based was born on this day in 1876, near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
• Today is his 143rd birth anniversary.
• Venkaiah's design for the National Flag was finally approved by Mahatama Gandhi in a Congress meeting in Vijayawada in 1921.

• A postage stamp was issued to commemorate him in 2009.

Source: AIR News

Honour & Awards

11. Ruhan Rajput honoured with 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2019'

• Ruhan Rajput, a renowned entrepreneur, co-founder and Director of Einfolge Technologies Pvt Ltd was awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur Award 2019 at JW Marriot Hotel, New Delhi.
• He won award o in the category of 'Entrepreneur of the Year in Service Business - BPO/KPO'.
• His company, namely, Einfolge Technologies Pvt Ltd is one of the leading players in the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) industry.
• Besides business, Ruhan Rajput also excels as an actor and model in Bollywood.
• He made a debut in the film industry with Pravat Rout's film, 'Prarabdh', followed by three music albums: 'Mohabataiyan', 'Khidaki ka Parda' and 'Saiyan Re'.

Source: Business-Standard

International Affairs

12. President Kovind reaches Guinea

• President Ram Nath Kovind has reached the Guinea capital, Conakry on the last leg of his three West African nation visit to Benin, Gambia and Guinea.
• Mr. Kovind was accorded a warm welcome by President of Guinea Alpha Conde and officials of Indian embassy on his arrival at Conakry International Airport.
• Guinea is a developing country in the tropical southwestern part of West Africa at the Atlantic Ocean.
• This is the first-ever state visit by an Indian President to Guinea.
• During the visit, president conferred with the national order of merit, it is the highest award of guinea by the president Alpha Conde.

Source: AIR News

13. Saudi women can now travel without male guardian's approval

• According to official gazette of Saudi Arabia Umm Al Qura, Saudi will allow women to obtain passports and travel abroad without approval from a male "guardian".
• A passport will be granted to any Saudi national who submits the application.
• The regulation will be applicable to women over the age of 21 years.
• Women's rights activists have campaigned for decades against the guardianship system.
• The decision comes amid a wide-ranging liberalisation drive spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Source: AIR News

14. India Slips to 7th Spot in Global GDP Rankings of 2018: World Bank

• According to the World Bank’s Report, India has been pushed to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings in 2018.
• In 2017, India had emerged as the 6th largest economy.
• The US remains the top economy with a GDP of USD 20.5 trillion in 2018.
• China was the second-largest economy with USD 13.6 trillion, while Japan took third place with USD 5 trillion.
• India’s GDP was at USD 2.7 trillion in 2018, while UK and France were at USD 2.8 trillion.

Note:

• Gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of all final goods and services from a nation in a given year.
• Countries are sorted by nominal GDP estimates from financial and statistical institutions, which are calculated at market or government official exchange rates.

Ranking	Country	GDP’18 (USD trillion)
1.	US	20.5
2.	China	13.6
3.	Japan	5.0
4.	Germany	4.0
5.	UK	2.8
6.	France	2.8
7.	India	2.7