06 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

06 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Standard Chartered Bank launches “DigiSmart” credit card

• British multinational banking & financial services company ‘Standard Chartered Bank’ has launched a DigiSmart credit card.
• The primary focus of the Bank on the ever-growing segment of millennials.
• The credit card will offer instant discounts and benefits across key e-commerce categories of travel, entertainment, fashion, groceries, and food delivery around the year.
• The new credit card is available for a nominal monthly fee of only Rs 49.
• However, this fee (49-rupees) will be waived off if the spends of the customer are Rs 5,000 or above in the previous month.

Source: The Hindu

National Affairs

2. Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel flags off ‘Mobile Science Exhibition’ for Ladakh

• The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel flagged off first-ever Mobile Science Exhibition (SCIENCE EXPLORER) for entire Ladakh Region in Leh.
• The Minister simultaneously launched 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition buses for Aspirational Districts of India.
• This will help to quickly and effectively transform these districts named as ‘Aspirational Districts’.
• The buses will travel to schools in Aspirational Districts throughout the year except during the vacations and will aim to create scientific awareness among the rural children.
• The topics chosen for these exhibitions are Measurement, Machines in everyday life, Food & Health, Chemistry & Life with focus on Water, Energy, Hygiene & Sanitation, Space Science for Human Welfare.

Source: PIB]

3. Uttar Pradesh Police Launches C-Plan App for Better Community Policing

• Uttar Pradesh Police has launched a mobile application named ‘C-Plan’ to keep a tab on anti-social elements prevailing across the state.
• It will verify the received information and counter these criminal activities in time.
• The department has identified 10 people in every village, known as Sambhrant-10, across the state who will inform about anti-social elements, simmering communal tensions or land disputes taking place in their respective villages through the app.
• This initiative will help the state to have better community policing and bringing down the crime rate by improving the police-public partnership with the help of technology.

4. Gujarat Govt, Delaware State of America sign MoU for sister-state

• Gujarat Government and the Delaware State of America have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for sister state in Gandhinagar.
• MoU was signed in Gandhinagar when a delegation of Delaware State of America called on Gujarat Chief Minister Delaware’s Vijay Rupani.
• According to official sources, cooperation in the field of services and investment opportunities in GIFT IFSC have also been discussed during the meeting.
• This is the first sister-state MoU signed by Gujarat with any state of America.
• Sectors like Biotechnology University, biosciences, financial services, animal husbandry and dairy, port services have been shortlisted for future cooperation.
• The American delegation has also invited Gujarat Chief Minister to visit Delaware State.

Source: AIR News

5. Mini Conclave of First Investor Summit-2019 is held in Leh

• After the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the Mini Conclave of First Jammu and Kashmir Investor Summit-2019 held in Leh.
• An MoU has been signed by Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation and CII for organisation and management of the event.
• The meet will provide J-K with an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential.
• Navin Choudhary (Jammu and Kashmir Industries & Commerce Principal Secretary) has announced to reduce the Premium of SIDCO Land in Ladakh in a couple of days.
• The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are going to be the Union Territories from 1st November onwards.

Source: AIR News

6. Central Government to invest Rs 25,000 crore in 5 years to revamp fishery infrastructure

• With the objective of achieving the real goals of the ambitious Blue Revolution project, The Union Government has lined up Rs 25,000 crore investments in different sectors of fisheries in the next three to five years.
• As inland fisheries contribute only 50 per cent of the total fish production, the Government intends to outspread its potential by covering reservoirs, wetlands, rivers and streams in different parts of the country.
• Considering the low contribution of inland water fisheries, the Government looks to increase its production to six million tonnes from three million tonnes in the next three to four years.

7. Delhi to include OBC, General category students in Jai Bheem Mukhyamantri Yojana

• The Delhi state Cabinet has decided to include other backward class (OBC) and general category students in its 'Jai Bheem Mukhyamantri Yojana'.
• The government also enhance financial assistance from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. one lakh for coaching for various competitive exams.
• Earlier, the scheme was only for the scheduled caste category students under which financial assistance of up to Rs. 40,000 would be provided.

8. BSNL launches Next Trillion Users Initiative

• BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has launched IPV6 services to bring a new era of the internet in the country.
• This service is launched from Bangalore and shall be available to all the customers across the country in next few weeks”.
• IPV6 is having the highest security levels possible which will be very helpful for deploying IoT and other applications with enhanced security features.
• Now, Customers shall be using multiple devices at home and office, all these devices shall need an exclusive addressing scheme for which IPV6 is the right way forward.

Source: UNI

International Affairs

9. India-Russia Annual Summit 2019 held in Vladivostok, Russia

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day official visit to the Russian Federation to attend the 20th India – Russia Annual Summit in Vladivostok. Russia.
• Mr Modi also participated as the Chief Guest at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum.
• India also announced a line of credit worth USD 1 Billion for the development of the Far East region of Russia.
• Indian PM further launched Indo-Russian Innovation Bridge, an online platform to bridge the gap between Indian and Russian startup ecosystems and promote joint innovations.
• PM Modi has also accepted President Putin's invitation to attend 75th anniversary of the victory of Russian federation & erstwhile the Soviet Union in World War-2, next May in Moscow.

Source: India Today

Obituaries

10. Famed writer Kiran Nagarkar passes away in Mumbai

• Noted novelist, play writer Kiran Nagarkar (77-years) passed away in Mumbai.
• Nagarkar’s epic novel 'Cuckold' and riotously funny 'Ravan and Eddie' trilogy count among the most celebrated works of fiction by an Indian writer in English.
• His first novel “Saat Sakkam Techaalis’ or 'Seven Sixes Are Forty-Three' published in 1974 just as Indira Gandhi was turning increasingly authoritarian as prime minister.

   Source: The Times of India

11. Congress leader Sukhdev Singh Libra passes away

• Congress leader and former MP Sukhdev Singh Libra (87-years) passed away after a prolonged illness.
• Sukhdev Singh Libra was the member of the 14th (Fatehgarh Sahib) and 15th (Ropar) Lok Sabha and MLA in Punjab in 1985.
• He was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1998-2004.
• Libra had also served as a member of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Source: India Today

Books & Author

12. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu releases 2nd volume of 'Loktantra Ke Swar'

• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has released 'Loktantra Ke Swar (Khand 2)' in Hindi and 'The Republican Ethic (Volume 2)' in English at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.
• In order to promote and disseminate selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind, Publications Division under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has published 'Loktantra Ke Swar (Khand 2)' and 'The Republican Ethic (Volume 2)'.
• They are a compilation of 95 speeches delivered by the President during his second year in office (July 2018 to July 2019).
• The speeches have been divided into eight categories--'Addressing the Nation', 'Windows to the World', 'Educating India: Equipping India', 'Dharma of Public Service', 'Honouring our Sentinels', 'Spirit of the Constitution and Law', 'Acknowledging Excellence' and 'Mahatma Gandhi: Moral Exemplar, Guiding Light'.
• The books will be available on Kindle and other e-platforms.

Source: PIB

13. Pranab Mukherjee releases Sisodia’s book ‘Siksha’

• Former President Pranab Mukherjee has released the book of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia titled ‘Siksha-His experiments as Education Minister’.
• Mukherjee said the book is important as it is based on Sisodia’s experiences as the education minister of the Delhi government.
• Earlier, Penguin Random House India had announced the acquisition of the first writing venture by Mr Sisodia.
• The book ‘Siksha’ had two parts - ‘fixing of foundation of education’ and ‘using education as foundation for India’.

Source: Hindustan Times

Sports

14. Pakistan names Misbah-ul-Haq as head coach and chief selector

• Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq (45-years) has been appointed as head coach and chief selector of Pakistan’s cricket team for three years.
• Former fast bowler Waqar Younis will join him as the team’s new bowling coach.
• Misbah-ul-Haq scored over 10,300 international runs, played 75 Tests, 162 ODIs and 39 T20Is matches for Pakistan in a career which ended on 14^th May 2017.
• He was also the most successful and longest-serving Test captain for Pakistan (26 wins in 56 Tests and 11 draws).

15. Steve Smith becomes 2nd Australian to score 500 in consecutive Ashes in England

• Steve Smith has become the second Australian player after Allan Border to score 500 and more runs in the consecutive Ashes series in England.
• Smith reached this milestone after he added 122 runs in the ongoing fourth Ashes Test.
• In 2015 Ashes which took place in England, Smith scored 508 runs while this time in his third match he crossed the 500 runs mark.
• Before Smith only Border had amassed the 500 plus runs consecutively in the Ashes in England.
• Allan Border scored more than 500 runs in 1981 and 1985.
• Smith returned to the international cricket after serving a one year ban due to his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa in 2018.

Note:

• The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia at least once every two years.
• The 2019 Ashes series is being played in England, which began on 1st August in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Source: The Times of India