Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 August 2020

1. The great Indian classical musician Pandit Jasraj died in New Jersey, USA.

• Recently, the great Indian classical musician Pandit Jasraj died in New Jersey, USA at the age of 90.
• Pandit Jasraj's journey of music has been around eight decades.
• Though he belonged to the Mewati Gharana, he is also known for Khayal's traditional singing and thumri.
• Pandit Jasraj gave his voice in the Oscar-winning film ‘Life of Pi’.
• The Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 1990 and the Padma Vibhushan in the year 2000.
• He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. Inauguration of e-portal called "Swasthya" related to tribal health and nutrition.

• Recently the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal "Swasthya" related to tribal health and nutrition.
• This portal is an initiative towards achieving the goal of welfare of tribal population of the country.
• All information related to the health and nutrition of tribal population of India is provided on this portal at one place.
• The health portal has compiled new ways of treating tribal people from different parts of the country and related case studies so that people can take advantage of each other's experiences.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. Digha-Gopalpur coastal highway under construction in Odisha will serve as an economic corridor.

• Recently, Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Digha-Gopalpur coastal highway under construction in Odisha would serve as an economic corridor.
• It will operate primarily between the two major ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
• It will play an important role in the supply chain during natural disasters such as coastal cyclones and floods, besides facilitating transportation of agricultural commodities and fishery products.
• According to the proposal, a 451 km long coastal highway will be built and will be named 516-A.
• It will be built from Gopalpur in Odisha to Digha in West Bengal.
• In the first phase, a 240 km long road from Gopalpur to Ratanpur will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,196 crore.

4. Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements 2020.

• The Vice President of India, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, has released the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020.
• ARIIA is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, implemented by AICTE and the Innovation Cell of the Ministry.
• It provides systemic rankings to higher education institutions and universities based on indicators related to innovation, startup and entrepreneurship development among students and faculties in the country.
• ARIIA 2020 has six award categories -
  • Centrally funded institutions
  • State funded universities
  • State funded autonomous institutions
  • Private / Deemed Universities
  • Private institutions
  • A special category for women only higher educational institutions - This special category aims to encourage women and bring gender equality in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• IIT-Madras has become the top institute again in ARIIA 2020 under the ‘best centrally funded institution’ category followed by IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi.
• If we talk globally, in the last 5 years, India has jumped 29 places in the Global Innovation Index. India was ranked 81 in the Global Innovation Index in 2014, while in 2019, the country has achieved 52^nd position.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. LG of Ladakh RK Mathur inaugurates double lane motorable bridge over the Indus River.

• Recently, LG of Ladakh RK Mathur inaugurated a 60-meter double lane motorable bridge over the Indus River at Choglamsar.
• He also dedicated this bridge to the public.
• This bridge connects five major villages with the city of Leh.
• The bridge has been constructed under the Central Road Fund at an estimated cost of Rs 8.21 crore.
• Central Road Fund (CRF) is a non-lapsable fund created under the Central Road Fund Act 2000.
• Indus River:
  • It is one of the largest river valleys in the world.
  • The river originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Tibet region, which is in the Kailash Mansarovar Range near Mansarovar Lake. This river eventually immerses its water in the Arabian Sea.
  • Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Shyok, Gilgit and Hunja are its major tributaries.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Renowned Carnatic musician and famous Veena player Dr. B. Siva Kumar died.

• Recently famous Carnatic musician and famous Veena player Dr. B. Siva Kumar died in Trichy.
• He was 53 years old.
• Dr. Shiv Kumar had learned the nuances of music from such giants as Mr. R. Krishnamurthy, Mrs. Ranganayaki Rajagopalan and N. Ravikiran.
• Dr. Shiv Kumar has an MA in Music from Bharti Dasan University and PhD in Music.
• He has also been awarded the Tamil Iyal Isai Nataka Sangam Award and the Tamil Isai Sangam Award for Ragam Tanam Pallavi performance.

(Source: News on AIR)

7. ISA will host the First World Solar Technology Summit on 8 September 2020.

• The First World Solar Technology Summit will be organized by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 8 September 2020.
• The event aims to use the next generation of technologies along with state-of-the-art technologies, which will accelerate efforts towards using solar energy more efficiently.
• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address of the First World Solar Technology Summit and it will be presented by ministers of all ISA member countries.
• Nobel laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham will present the keynote address during the inauguration ceremony.
• High-level dignitaries and CEOs of the world of scientific research and development are participating in this conference.
• In this conference, low cost, innovative and inexpensive solar technologies will be discussed.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA):
  • It was jointly launched by Prime Minister Modi and the President of France in 2015 during the COP-21 in Paris.
  • The purpose of the alliance is to contribute to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and large-scale use of solar energy.
  • In this group till now, those countries could be members, which are situated between Cancer and Capricorn.

8. An industrial corridor will be built between Mysuru and Bidar in Karnataka.

• Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Dr. C.N. Ashwathnarayan has said that an industrial corridor will be built between Mysuru and Bidar.
• This will make it easier to achieve the goal of enhancing the development of state industry and commerce.
• It will be built in accordance with the modules of the Bengaluru-Chennai and Bengaluru-Mumbai corridors.
• This corridor will help the Government of Karnataka to achieve its target of reaching 35 million crore rupees GDP in the coming five years.
• Recently the Government of Karnataka has taken several steps to promote inter-state development.

9. Infant mortality rate in Haryana has come down to 4.6%.

• Recently, Haryana National Health Mission clarified that infant mortality rate in the state has come down to 4.6%.
• According to him, 1,208 infants died in the state between April and June in the year 2020, while in 2019 there were 1,264 deaths in the same period.
• Of these 1208 infants, 649 boys and 559 girls were involved.
• Infant mortality rate:
  • Infant death is the death of young children under 1 year of age.
  • Infant mortality is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births.

(Source: The Hindu)

10. The 11^th century Lingaraj temple of Odisha will be given a facelift.

• Recently the Odisha government has approved a redevelopment plan to give a facelift to the 11^th century Lingaraj temple.
• Redevelopment work will be carried out in the peripheral area of ​​the 55-meter-high temple spread over 66 acres around the temple, called Ekamravan Kshetra.
• Lingaraj Temple:
  • It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.
  • It is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha.
  • It is built in the Kalinga architectural style.
  • The temple is believed to have been built by the kings of the Somvanshi dynasty, with further construction by the Ganga rulers.

(Source: The Hindu)

11. Rakesh Asthana appointed as Director General of Border Security Force.

• Recently Rakesh Asthana has been appointed as Director General of Border Security Force (BSF).
• He is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre.
• He will hold this post till July 31, 2021.
• Mr. Asthana is currently serving as the Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
• He will continue to hold the additional charge of Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau.
• Also, IPS officer of 1986 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre, V S K Kaumudi has been appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Apart from this, Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer M D Javed Akhtar has been appointed as Director General, Fire Service, Civil Defense and Home Guard.

12. IIMC celebrated its 56^th Foundation Day on 17 August 2020.

• The 56^th Foundation Day was celebrated by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication on 17 August 2020.
• A series of online programs were organized at IIMC's regional centers and headquarters in Delhi across the country.
• On the occasion a lecture was given by Mr. Amit Khare, Chairman, IIMC and Secretary of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India and Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC):
  • There is an Indian media center of learning funded and promoted by the Government of India.
  • It is an autonomous society under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
  • The institute was formally inaugurated in 1965 by the then Information and Broadcasting Minister in-charge, Indira Gandhi.
  • It has its main institute in New Delhi, in addition five regional institutions are located in Aizawl (Mizoram), Amravati (Maharashtra), Dhenkanal (Odisha), Jammu (J&K) and Kottayam (Kerala).