13 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

13 September 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Prime Minister launches Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana' at Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• The Scheme shall secure the lives of 5 Crore Small and Marginal Farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month, to those who attain 60 years of age.
• Prime Minister also launched the National Pension Scheme for the Traders and The Self-Employed.
• The scheme aims at providing a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000, to small traders and self - employed after attaining the age of 60 Years.
• Around 3 Crore Small traders would be benefited from the scheme.
• Prime Minister also launched 462 Ekalavya Model Schools across the country in Tribal Dominated Areas.
• The schools would focus to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to ST Students in these areas.
• The Prime Minister also inaugurated the New Vidhan Sabha Building of Jharkhand.

Source: PIB

2. Odd-even rule to be implemented in Delhi from November 4 to 15

• According to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Odd-even rule to combat pollution will be applicable in Delhi between 4 to 15th November 2019.
• Under the odd-even scheme, cars with licence plates ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) & even number (0,2,4,6,8) allowed to ply on alternate days, except weekends.
• Earlier, exemptions were granted to women, VIPs and two-wheelers.
• This is the third time odd-even rule will be rolled out in Delhi.
• Delhi government will also distribute N-95 masks to people in November.

Source: The Hindustan Times

3. Railways announce a slew of Freight incentives to give a boost to the economy

• Indian Railways have announced certain Freight incentives to give a boost to the economy.
• The busy season surcharge of 15% on freight, which is levied between 1st of October to 30th June has been deferred.
• The 5% Supplementary charges applicable on loading on mini and two-point rakes has also been waived off.
• This is likely to boost loading of smaller cargo sizes and help cement, steel, food grains and fertilizers loading.
• A discount of 25% in haulage charge of containers has been given to encourage the movement of empty and flat to ports thereby increasing loaded container traffic in return.
• It is expected to enhance the price-competitiveness of Railway and other modes of transport and expand freight basket by capturing new traffic.
• The number of rakes to be provided for the auto sector has also been hiked in a bid to increase freight loading.

Source: AIR News

4. MHRD introduces the study of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the school level

• Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) has prepared a module to introduce the study of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the school level (from class 8th) by joining hands with the technology leaders like ‘Intel’.
• According to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishak, it is a big leap in our education system that artificial intelligence which was otherwise taught at the college level.
• Earlier, HRD Minister presented CBSE Teacher Awards 2018-19 to thirty-four teachers for their outstanding and innovative contribution in the field of teaching at an event in New Delhi.

HRD Minister inaugurated three initiatives:

• (i) CBSE’s Calendar of Activity.
• (ii) Ten manuals for school’s teachers and students
• (iii) Vidya Daan
• Vidya Daan is a unique initiative in which a repository of content is prepared by the teachers by uploading study materials for students of class 6th to 10th on an on-line platform, Diksha App.

Know about Artificial intelligence

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks usually requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.
• Artificial intelligence can be classified into three different types of systems: analytical, human-inspired, and humanized artificial intelligence.

Source: AIR News

5. Madhya Pradesh govt. to allow people to adopt cows online

• The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to launch an online service for those wanting to adopt a cow and provide sheds to them at gaushalas (cow shelters) across the State.
• While paying for a cow’s feed for 15 days would cost Rs. 1,100, one could take care of its diet for 10 years for Rs. 3 lakhs.
• While a lifetime adoption costs Rs 3 lakh, those willing to adopt a bovine for a year will have to pay Rs 21,000.
• Through the service, donors would be able to pick a gaushala from the 626 in the State, and pay the amount to fulfil a cow’s diet of half a kilo of grain, five kilos of green feed and 10 kilos of wheat chaff a day, in case of a non-lactating, non-pregnant cow.

Source: The Hindu

6. Haryana CM launches two insurance schemes for traders

• Haryana Chief Minister Shri. Manohar Lal Khattar has launched two insurance schemes Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna Beema Yojana’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Vyapari Kshatipurti Beema Yojana’ for traders of the state.
• ‘Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna BeemaYojana’(Around 3.75 lakh beneficiaries):  
• It is an insurance scheme cover of Rs 5 lakh.
• The benefit of insurance would be admissible in case of accidental death, permanent disability and damage to two body organs, or eyes or one organ or one eye.
• ‘Mukhyamantri VyapariKshatipurti Beema Yojana’(Around 3.13 lakh beneficiaries)
• It is an insurance cover scheme ranging from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs would be provided.
• Traders registered under the Haryana Goods and Service Tax (HGST) Act, 2017 would be covered under these schemes.
• The state government would pay the premium of Rs 38 crore for both the insurance schemes.

7. Samsung launches Mobile apps ‘Good Vibes’ and ‘Relumino’  

• Tech giant ‘Samsung’ has introduced two mobile applications named ‘Good Vibes’ and ‘Relumino’ as strong communication tools for the deaf-blind and people with low vision in the country.
• Good Vibes has been launched for deafblind to enable them to have two-way communication with their caregivers, family and friends.
• Good Vibes app uses Morse code, which converts vibrations (a combination of dots and dashes that the deafblind can interpret) into text or voice (on the caregiver’s app) and vice-versa.
• 'Relumino' is a visual aid application for people with low vision to help them see images clearer by magnifying and minimizing images, highlighting the image outline, adjusting colour contrast and brightness, and reversing colour.
• National Association for the Blind (NAB) will use Relumino in classrooms where students with low vision will use these devices to see better, thus, helping them improve their learning abilities.

Source: Money Control

Obituaries

8. Climate change campaigner Tongan PM passes away in New Zealand

• Climate change campaigner of the South Pacific and Prime Minister of Tongan Akilisi Pohiva (78- years) passed away in New Zealand.
• Pohiva's political career was marked with constant battles against the monarchy of the South Pacific nation.
• He was awarded the Defender of Democracy Award in 2013 by the Parliamentarians for Global Action, the first Pacific Islander to receive the prize.

Honour & Awards 

9. The Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020 was released

• This year’s list of the best universities in the world is led by the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge for the second year in a row.
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, shares the first rank with Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Ropar this year and continues to be the best Indian institute in this ranking since 2014.
• Both the institutes have been ranked among the top 301-350 universities of the world.
• IIT Ropar was established only in 2008 and is one of the newest IITs in India.
• The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020 includes more than 1,400 universities (92 countries), making it our biggest international league table to date.
• It is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

World Best five University Rankings 2019

Rank	Name	Number of Students
1.	University of Oxford (United Kingdom)	20,664
2.	California Institute of Technology (United States)	2,240
3.	University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)	18,978
4.	Stanford University United States	11,231
5.	Massachusetts Institute of Technology(United States)	11,247

10. Music director Usha Khanna to get ‘Lata Mangeshkar Award’

• Veteran music director Usha Khanna (78-years) has been conferred the “Lata Mangeshkar Award” for the year 2019-20.
• The award presented by the Maharashtra government, the Lata Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement, consisted of cash reward of Rs 5,00,000, a citation, a trophy and a shawl.
• Usha Khanna first composed super hit songs for the Asha Parekh debut film “Dil Deke Dekho” (1959).
• Some of her famous songs are “Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein”, “Hum tumse juda hoke, mar jayenge ro roke” “Jiske liye sabko chhoda”.
• She was married to director, producer, lyricist, Sawan Kumar Tak, from whom she separated later on.

Note:

• The Lata Mangeshkar Award is a national-level award instituted to honour works in the field of music.
• Various state governments of India (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh) present awards with this name.

Science & Defence

11. Indo-Thailand Joint Military Exercise Maitree - 2019

• Joint Military Exercise ‘MAITREE-2019’ (between India and Thailand) will be conducted at Foreign Training Node, Umroi (Meghalaya) from 16^th to 29th September 2019.
• Indian and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) comprising 50 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained during various counter-terrorism operations in their respective countries.
• The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army (IA) and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) which in turn will further foster defence cooperation and bilateral relations between the two nations.

Note:

• Exercise MAITREE is an annual training event which is being conducted alternatively in Thailand and India (since 2006).
• The scope of this exercise covers company level joint training on counter-terrorism operations in the jungle and urban scenario.

Sports

12. Feroz Shah Kotla stadium renamed after Arun Jaitley

• The iconic Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi has been renamed as ‘Arun Jaitley Cricket stadium’.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has digitally inaugurated the renamed Cricket Stadium in a ceremony at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
• Arun Jaitley served as the President of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) as well as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• DDCA also unveiled a new pavilion stand at the Feroz Shah Kotla named after skipper Virat Kohli, who recently became the most successful India captain in Test cricket (surpassing M S Dhoni).

Note: 

• Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium is a cricket ground located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi.
• It is the second oldest international cricket stadium (established in 1883) still functional in India, after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

13. India top medal tally in Track Asia Cup cycling

• India's Ronaldo Laitonjam has won his fourth gold medal on the concluding day of Track Asia Cup Cycling competition in New Delhi.
• India emerged overall champions as its players picked up three medals in the day, two gold and one bronze.
• Overall, India topped the medals tally (10 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze) as the tournament came to an end at the IGI Sports Complex.
• Uzbekistan finished second, with 4 gold and 3 silver and Malaysia secured third place, with 4 gold and 1 silver.

Source: AIR News