Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 and 13 January 2020

1. 150^th year of Kolkata Port Trust celebrated

• The 150^th year of Kolkata Port Trust celebrated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the function.
• The port was renamed as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port.
• Projects having the worth of INR 600 crore were announced.
• The projects include upgraded Ship repair facility at Netaji Subhash Dry Dock, upgraded railway infrastructure of Kolkata dock system of the Kolkata Port to facilitate cargo movement and riverfront development scheme.
• Two oldest pensionaries of the port Nagina Bhagat of 105 years and 100-year old Naresh Chandra Chakraborty were honored on this occasion.
• Under the Sagarmala project, the old ports are mordernised and new ports are also developed.

2. National Youth Festival 2020 started in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on Swami Vivekanand’s birthday

• On the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda i.e. January 12, 23^rd National Youth Festival started in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• National Youth Festival:

• The festival is being celebrated annually on 12 January on National Youth Day, which commemorates the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, who was born on January 12, 1863.
• The festival is being celebrated since 1995.

3. Pariksha Pe Charcha will be organized on January 20 by Prime Minister

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take on an interactive program called Pariksha Pe Charcha on January 20, 2020.
• The program aims at students and teachers in India and abroad to beat out the exam stress.
• Human and Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, along with MyGov, will organize a short essay competition for students of class 9^th to 12^th.
• The program will be held in Delhi at Talkatora.
• This year it is the third edition of this interactive program, which started in 2018.

4. Naval variant of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made a successful landing on INS Vikramaditya

• DRDO’s naval variant of Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas made a successful landing at INS Vikramaditya.
• India has become one of the few countries to land a fighter jet on a naval aircraft carrier.
• LCA Tejas:
  • It is the single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft.
  • It was designed by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) and ADE (Aeronautical Development Agency) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
  • The naval variant was built by DRDO, HAL, ADA, CSIR, and others.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
  • It is an agency of Indian government that conducts research and development for military.
  • It was formed in 1958.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Current Chairman: G. Satheesh Reddy

5. Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said enthroned as the new Sultan of Oman

• Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has been crowned as the new Sultan of Oman.
• Oman:
  • It is a West Asian country located on the southeast side of the Arabian Peninsula.
  • The capital of Oman is Muscat and its currency is Omani Rial.

6. India became number 1 shooting nation

• Leaving behind China and the USA, India topped as the shooting nation in the world based on its performance in 2019.
• India topped all Rifle-Pistol World Cups and Finals in 2019.
• The overall medal tally of India is 21 Gold medals, 6 silver, and 3 bronze medals.
• China and the U.S.A got 2^nd and 3^rd rank, respectively.

7. Jasprit Bumrah selected for Polly Umrigar Award

• Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top one-day international bowler, has been awarded Polly Umrigar Award as announced by BCCI.
• In the women's category, Poonam Yadav was awarded for the best international player.
• Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award and the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for women were given to former India captains Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra respectively.
• Polly Umrigar Award is given to the best male international cricketer. A citation, trophy and a cheque of Rs. 15 lakhs are given as a part of this award.

8. Yashaswini scheme for women entrepreneurship launched in Goa

• Yashaswini scheme for women entrepreneurship was launched in Goa by Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles, Smriti Irani.
• Under the scheme, women self- help groups will be given the interest-free loan of INR 5 lakh to start a business.
• Swasthya Sakhi Project and breast cancer screening initiative were also launched on this occasion.

10. India’s 1^st cybercrime prevention unit AASHVAST launched in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

• India's first cybercrime prevention unit AASHVAST has been launched in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• It is one of the many Gujarat Police’s initiatives.
• Cyber Assured Assistance Service Helpline for Victims At Shortest Time (AASHVAST) is a helpline for cybercrime victims.
• VISHWAS- Video Integration and State Wide Advance Security was also launched.
• VISHWAS aims at using video analysis for Law and Order Management, Proactive traffic management, etc.
• NETRANG project was inaugurated under which 33 district command and control rooms will be set up.

10. Hormuz Peace Initiative attended by India

• Hormuz Peace Initiative organized in Tehran in Iran was attended by India.
• China, Oman and Afghanistan also attended Iran's event.
• The initiative aims at establishing peace in Strait of Hormuz amid U.S- Iran tensions.

11. Two Indian Coast Guard ships- Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur commissioned at Kolkata

• Two Indian Coast Guard Ships- Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur were commissioned at Kolkata.
• I.C.G.S. Annie Besant will be docked in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• I.C.G.S. Amrit Kaur will be docked in Haldia, Kolkata.

12. Kaziranga National Park has one of the highest wetland bird count in a wildlife reserve in India

• In the 2^nd wetland birds survey, Kaziranga National Park in Assam recorded one of the highest bird count available in wildlife reserves in India.
• It has 19,225 birds belonging to 96 species of wetland birds.
• The 1^st wetland bird survey was conducted in 2018.
• Kaziranga National Park:
  • It is located in Assam.
  • It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Which of the following port has been renamed as the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee port?
A. Jawaharlal Nehru Port 
B. Kolkata Port
C. Mormugao Port
D. Visakhapatnam Port

2. Under which of the following projects, old ports are being modernized and new Ports are also being developed?
A. Sagarmala Project
B. Bharatmala Project
C. Harbour Project
D. None of the above

3. National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12^th January to commemorate the birth anniversary of which of the following significant personalities?
A. Lal Bahadur Shashtri
B. Swami Vivekananda
C. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D. Bhagat Singh

4. Who is the current chairman of DRDO?
A. K. Sivan
B. R. Subramaniam
C. G. Satheesh Reddy
D. Jaideep Ghosh

5. Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has sworn in as the sultan of which country?
A. Qatar
B. UAE
C. Bahrain
D. Oman

6. India has become the number one nation in the world due to its top performance in the year 2019 in which game?
A. Shooting
B. Archery
C. Swimming
D. Chess

7. Which of the following Indian cricketer received the Polly Umrigar Award?
A. Virat Kohli
B. K L Rahul
C. Jasprit Bumrah
D. Shikhar Dhawan

8. Yashashwini Scheme has been launched recently in which of the following states?
A. Gujarat
B. Goa
C. Rajasthan
D. Haryana

9. A Cybercrime prevention unit has been launched in Gujarat named-
A. VISWAS
B. CYBEREYE
C. NETRANG
D. AASHVAST

10. India recently attended the Hormuz Peace Initiative that was held in-
A. Tehran
B. Doha
C. Muscat
D. Dubai

11. Which of the following Indian Coast Guard Ships has been commissioned at Kolkata recently?
A. Annie Besant
B. Amrit Kaur
C. Vijayalaxmi Pandit
D. Both A and B

12. Kaziranga National Park is located in-
A. Mizoram
B. Assam
C. Odisha
D. Andhra Pradesh


Solution:

1. B
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. D
6. A
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. A
11. D
12. B