Daily Current Affairs and GK | 27 August 2020

1. On 26 August 2020, the 110^th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa was celebrated.

• The 110^th birth anniversary of the great saint Mother Teresa was celebrated on 26 August 2020.
• She was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia.
• Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 and spent most of her life in India serving the destitute.
• She founded the Missionaries of Charity and served the poor, sick, orphaned and dying people on the streets of Kolkata for 45 years.
• She died on 5 September 1997 at the age of 87 in Kolkata.
• She was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979, Bharat Ratna and many other awards for her great works in 1979.
• On 4 September 2016, Mother Teresa was declared a saint.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. NITI Aayog released Export Preparedness Index 2020.

• Recently, NITI Aayog has released the Export Preparedness Index 2020.
• The EPI aims to identify challenges and opportunities, enhance the effectiveness of government policies, and promote a convenient regulatory framework.
• The EPI structure has 4 pillars - Policy, Business Ecosystem, Export Ecosystem, Export Performance and 11 sub-pillars - export promotion policy, institutional structure, business environment, infrastructure, transport connectivity, finance facilities, export infrastructure, trade support, R&D. Infrastructure, export diversification and development optimization are also included.
• Key points as per EPI 2020-
  • Most Indian states have performed well in terms of export diversity, traffic connectivity and infrastructure.
  • Most coastal states in India ae the best performers and Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have got the top three positions.
  • Among the land-locked states, Rajasthan has performed the best followed by Telangana and Haryana.
  • Uttarakhand is the best among the Himalayan states followed by Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Among the Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best, followed by Goa and Chandigarh.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. Ministry of Culture announced 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India.

• Recently, the Ministry of Culture has announced 7 new circles of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• New circles have been formed in states like Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat.
• Among them Trichy, Raiganj, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Jhansi and Meerut have been declared as new circles.
• Earlier there were 29 ASI circles across the country.
• Two new circles have been announced, including Lucknow and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Jhansi in Bundelkhand and Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh.
• Jabalpur has been declared a new circle along with Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. It will include the monuments of Jabalpur, Rewa, Shahdol and Sagar divisions.
• In Tamil Nadu, Trichy has been formed a new circle along with Chennai circle.
• Hampi mini circle of Hampi city has been converted into full blown circle.
• In West Bengal, Raiganj is formed a new circle with Kolkata.
• In Gujarat, a new circle has been announced to Rajkot along with Vadodara.

(Source: News on AIR)

4. Draft Health Data Management policy released under National Digital Health Mission.

• Recently the National Health Authority (NHA) has released the draft Health Data Management Policy in the public sector under the National Digital Health Mission (NHDM).
• One of the main objectives of this draft policy is to provide adequate guidance and create a framework for the safe processing of personal and sensitive personal data of individuals who are a part of the national digital health ecosystem.
• It includes various aspects related to health data such as data privacy, consent management, data sharing and security.
• The ambitious NDHM program was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Independence Day 2020.
• National Health Authority (NHA):
  • It is the apex body responsible for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, India's premier public health insurance / assurance scheme.
  • It has been established in 2018.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Two medical colleges and three super Speciality blocks were inaugurated in Rajasthan.

• Recently two medical colleges and three super Speciality blocks were inaugurated in Rajasthan.
• These was inaugurated by the country's Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan through video conference.
• These include medical college buildings in Bharatpur and Bhilwara and super-Speciality centers in Bikaner, Udaipur and Kota.
• On this occasion, State Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma said that Covid-19 positivity rate in the state is 3.4%, which is the lowest in the country.
• So far 9,86 people have died due to Covid infection in the state.
• Rajasthan:
  • It is a state in northern India.
  • It covers 10.4% of the total geographical area of ​​India.
  • It is the largest by area and the seventh largest by population.
  • The state capital is Jaipur.
  • The state governor is Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister is Ashok Gehlot.
  • The state has 25 Lok Sabha and 200 assembly seats.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Northern Command Equipment Display 2020 was inaugurated at Northern Command Headquarters, Udhampur.

• Lieutenant General, C Bansi Ponnappa who is the Chief of Staff of the Northern Command, inaugurated the display 2020.
• The ceremony was held under the aegis of the Northern Command Headquarters.
• The event was organized to promote the Make in India initiative in defense technology, which saw active participation for the Indian defense industry.
• The demonstration depicted counter-drone systems, alternative energy sources, situational awareness control measures, training channels.
• It also showed the progress made in the Indian defense industry towards self-reliance so that the government's initiative of Make in India could be encouraged.

7. Industry Ministers of BRICS countries met for cooperation in various fields including 5G and Artificial Intelligence.

• Recently industry ministers of BRICS countries held a video meeting to discuss ways to promote cooperation in various fields including 5G and Artificial Intelligence.

• During the meeting, China urged BRICS countries to cooperate in digital transformation, especially in 5G, AI and digital economy, to promote digital transformation of enterprises and their innovation capabilities and sustainable economic and social development.
• Currently India is working on making its supply chain more flexible and diversified rather than relying too much on any one country.
• Earlier generations of mobile networks
  • 1G - 1980s.
  • 2G - 1990s.
  • 3G - 2000s.
  • 4G - Since 2010.

• BRICS:
  • BRICS is a group formed by five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
  • These countries together represent 42% of the population, 23% of global GDP, 30% of geographical area and 18% of global trade.
  • Originally the first four were classified as BRIC in 2006, with South Africa joining in 2010 it became BRICS.

(Source: News on AIR)

8. James Anderson, the first fast bowler to take six hundred wickets in Test cricket.

• Recently England fast bowler James Anderson became the first fast bowler to take six hundred wickets in Test cricket.
• Anderson, 38, holds the record by achieving this success on the final day of the third and final Test match against Pakistan in Southampton, England.
• Although the match was a draw, England won the series by one-zero.
• In Test cricket, bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are the spinners who took more wickets than Anderson.

(Source: News on AIR)

9. Experts from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar came together to increase the conservation of river dolphins.

• Experts from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar have come together to increase the conservation of river dolphins in the region.
• Experts from these countries discussed future strategies for the conservation and revival of dolphins with regional cooperation.
• The river dolphin, a unique species found mainly in the rivers of Asia and South America, is now rapidly disappearing.
• India's national aquatic animal Gangetic dolphin has been declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Project Dolphin was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech on 15 August this year.
• This project will act as a catalyst to increase the dolphin population.

10. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the mental health rehabilitation helpline Kiran.

• Recently Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment started a helpline called Kiran for mental health rehabilitation.
• This effort will be made to resolve mental health issues in 13 languages ​​on the Kiran helpline number.
• It aims to address such issues across the country as stress, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, which have exacerbated the pandemic.
• Those calling the Kiran, Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline number will be advised about initial screening, first aid, psychological support, crisis management, mental well-being, preventing deviant behaviors, psychological crisis management, etc.
• There will be three levels of support - the caller will first be connected to the location-based helpline Centre, and then as per need referred to rehabilitation/clinical psychologists/psychiatrists. The third level will be follow-up.

(Source: The Hindu)

11. A project for education, nutrition and health for children was started in Rajasthan.

• Recently, a project focusing on health, nutrition and education among school children of 32 gram panchayats and poor children of slum in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan was launched.
• The project is supported by a group based in the United Kingdom, which will help connect children to the mainstream of society.
• For this, Vidya Jyoti India, based in Greenford, UK, has identified 2,500 children studying in government schools in Bharatpur, which will help children in I to VIII classes through food, books and basic necessities.
• As a part of the campaign, Vidya Jyoti India has joined hands with the Lupine Foundation of Bharatpur to provide nutritious meals twice a day to about 1,800 children in Gokul Nagar.

(Source: The Hindu)

12. New inland waterway trade route between India and Bangladesh will be started from 3 September.

• Recently, India and Bangladesh have agreed to start a new river trade route from 3 September.
• Under this, the first pilot will be operational on 3 September 2020 on the road connecting Sonamura in Tripura to Daudkhandi in Bangladesh.
• An agreement was signed by both sides in May 2020 to increase river trade by adding two new routes and five more ports to increase connectivity and reduce transport cost to India's north-eastern states.
• In 1972, India and Bangladesh signed the Inland Waterways Connectivity Agreement for bilateral trade on the Protocol for Inland Water Trade and Transit.
• The protocol has been expanded with the signing of a second addendum on 20 May 2020, which added two new routes and five ports of call. This takes the no of protocol routes to 10 and ports of call to 11.
• Bangladesh:
  • It is a South Asian country located on the Bay of Bengal.
  • Capital: Dhaka
  • Currency: Bangladeshi Taka

(Source: Economics Times)