Daily Current Affairs and GK | 3 September 2020

1. First female Cardiologist of India, Dr S Padmavati, passed away.

• The first female cardiologist of India, Dr S Padmavati, has passed away recently at the age of 103 due to COVID-19.
• She was born in Burma in 1917 and in 1942, she had migrated to India.
• She was popularly known as “God Mother of Cardiology”.
• She was the founder of All Indian Heart Foundation and set up the National Heart Institute in 1981 in Delhi.
• She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1967 and Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

(Source: The Hindu)

2. Aveek Sarkar elected new chairman of PTI.

• Aveek Sarkar has been elected new Chairman of Press Trust of India.
• He is the Editor Emeritus and Vice Chairman of the Ananda Bazar Group of Publications (ABP group).
• He will succeed Vijay Kumar Chopra who is the Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers.
• Mr. Sarkar was the founding Managing Director of Penguin India.
• He played a major role in the acquisition of STAR News by ABP Group in 2003.
• Press Trust of India:
  • It is India’s premier news agency with more than 400 journalists associated with it.
  • It was registered in 1947 and started operating in 1949.
  • It is run by the Board of Directors with Chairmanship going by rotation at the Annual General meeting.
  • Vice Chairman: Mr. Vineet Jain

(Source: Business Standard)

3. INDRA 2020, bilateral naval exercise, to be held in Andaman Sea.

• India and Russia will hold Indra 2020 in the Andaman Sea near to the strategic Strait of Malacca.
• Three Russian navy ships and Indian Navy ships, along with some aircraft, will participate in this exercise on 4 and 5 September.
• This is the first bilateral naval exercise as all such exercises were cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.
• India has recently withdrawn from the Kavkaz-2020, multilateral military exercise in Russia, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese troops’ participation.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to Russia to participate in the SCO defence ministers meet.
• In July, the Indian Navy conducted PASSEX (Passage Exercise) with the USS Nimitz strike group near Andaman & Nicobar Island.
• India is keeping an eye on the movement of Chinese Naval Ships in the Indian Ocean Region as its presence has increased in the past few years in the name of Anti-Piracy patrols.
• China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017.
• INDRA Exercise:
  • It is a joint tri-services exercise conducted between India and Russia.
  • The first edition of this exercise was held in 2003.
  • It was conducted as a single service exercise alternately between India and Russia.
  • The first joint tri-services exercise was conducted in 2017.

4. IIT Bombay students develop an Indian alternative to Camscanner.

• Students at IIT Bombay launched an Indian alternative to the banned Chinese app Camscanner.
• The app is called AIR Scanner and is available free of cost.
• The app will be mainly used for scanning documents.
• This will give a major push to Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Kavin Agrawal, the final-year B.Tech students in the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay, have developed this app.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Health assistant ‘Robot Rakshak’ developed by Indian Railways.

• Indian Railways has designed and developed a health assistant ‘Robot Rakshak’ that will remotely communicate between doctor and patient.
• This robot can measure various health parameters, including temperature, pulse, and oxygen percentage.
• It can also give food and medicines to the patients.
• It can work continuously for 6 hours with full battery charging and can carry a weight of up to 10 kg.
• It can be operated with an Android mobile app and does not require any mobile data as it is based on Wi-Fi.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Three RPF personnel conferred with Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards.

• The President of India honoured the three Railway Protection (RPF) personnel with Jeevan Raksha Padak awards.
• The awardees are as follows:
  • Late Shri Jagbir Singh, Constable/Northern Railway- Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak (posthumous)
  • Shri Shivcharan Singh, Constable/ Western Railway- Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak
  • Shri Mukesh Kumar Meena Head Constable/North Western Railway- Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak
• Jeevan Raksha Padak awards:
  • These are an offshoot of the Ashok Chakra series of Gallantry Awards.
  • These were instituted in the year 1961.
  • The award is given to a person for saving someone’s life in cases like accidents, drowning in water, natural calamities, fire incidents, etc.
  • It is given in the three categories as follows:
    1. Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak- It is awarded for conspicuous courage in saving life under circumstances of very great danger to the life of the rescuer.
    2. Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak- It is awarded for courage and promptitude in saving life under circumstances of great danger to the life of the rescuer.
    3. Jeevan Raksha Padak- It is awarded for courage and promptitude in saving life under circumstances of grave bodily injury to the rescuer.

7. Shailendra Dashora joins as new Chief Postmaster General, J&K circle.

• Shailendra Dashora has joined as the new Chief Postmaster General in Jammu.
• He is a 1984 batch Indian Postal Service Officer.
• Soon after assuming the charge, he reviewed the functioning of Postal Department in the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
• Jammu and Kashmir:
  • After suspending Article 370, the government has reorganized Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh on 31^st October 2019.
  • Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is located to the north of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
  • Its winter capital is Jammu and summer capital is Srinagar.
  • LG of J &K: Manoj Sinha
  • Important rivers flowing through the region are: Tawi, Ravi, Jhelum, Chenab

(Source: News on AIR)

8. ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo’ campaign launched by Madhya Pradesh government.

• The government of Madhya Pradesh has launched the ‘Gandagi Bharat Chhodo’ campaign.
• The campaign was divided into five themes-
  • Cleanliness Oath
  • Continuous reduction in urban waste emissions
  • Cleanliness in COVID conditions
  • Separation of waste from sources of houses
  • Launching a special cleanliness campaign for public places
• The campaign became a mass movement as around 35 lakh citizens participated in this campaign.
• Madhya Pradesh:
  • Madhya Pradesh ranks second in terms of area in the country after Rajasthan.
  • The state capital is Bhopal.
  • The Chief Minister is Shivraj Singh Chauhan, and Governor is Anadiben Patel.
  • The state animal of MP is Barasingha.
  • The state bird of Madhya Pradesh is the Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Dudhraj).
  • Madhya Pradesh has 29 seats in the Lok Sabha and 230 seats in the state legislative assembly.

9. Sumit Nagal, first Indian to win grand slam singles main draw match in 7 years.

• Sumit Nagal has become the first Indian to win grand slam singles main draw match at Grand Slam in the last 7 years.
• He has entered into the second round of the US Open Tennis tournament by defeating Bradley Klahn.
• Somdev Devvarman had reached the second round of the Australian Open, US Open and French Open in 2013.
• Sumit Nagal is 23 years old and is world number 122.
• He will face Dominic Thiem of Austria in the second round of the US Open.
• US Open Tennis Championships:
  • US Open is one of the Grand Slam tournaments. The other three are- Australia Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
  • US Open 2020 is the 140^th edition of tennis’ US Open.
  • Rafael Nadal won the Men’s singles in 2019.

(Source: News on AIR)

10. Ministry of Women and Child Development invites nominations for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021.

• Nominations have been invited for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar:
  • The award was instituted in 1996 to felicitate meritorious children, individuals and institutions. The awards are given in two categories:
  • Bal Shakti Puraskar:
    1. It was formerly known as the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement.
    2. It was instituted in 1996.
    3. The awards are presented every year in the week before Republic Day.
    4. The Bal Shakti Puraskar awardees participate in the Republic Day parade on 26^th January.
    5. The award is given to recognize the extraordinary achievements of children in various fields, including innovation, scholastic, sports, art and culture, social service and bravery.
  • Bal Kalyan Puraskar:
    1. It was formerly known as National Child Welfare Awards.
    2. The awards were instituted in 1979.
    3. It is given to Individuals and Institutions for their outstanding contribution towards service for children in the field of child development, child protection and child welfare.

(Source: MoWCD)

11. Launching of National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) approved.

• Union cabinet has granted approval to launching of Mission Karmayogi-National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB).
• The institutional structure of Mission Karmayogi comprises of Prime Minister’s Public Human Resources Council (PMHRC), Capacity Building Commission, Special Purpose Vehicle, Cabinet Secretary headed coordination unit.
• Comprising of some Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, eminent public HR practitioners, thinkers, global thought leaders and Public Service functionaries, PMHRC will be the apex body to give strategic direction to reforms aimed at capacity building.
• Capacity Building Commission will be setup to bring a uniform approach in management and regulation of capacity building ecosystem. It will supervise central training institutions.
• 100% Government owned Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will own and operate iGOTKarmayogiPlatform.
• Integrated Government Online Training-iGOTKarmayogiPlatform will be set up to deliver Mission Karmayogi.
• Core guiding principles of Mission Karmayogi are shift from rule to role, emphasis on on-site learning, calibrating all Civil Service positions to a Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRACs) approach and providing opportunities to civil servants to work on their Behavioral, Functional and Domain Competencies.

12. Cabinet approves signing of MoUs with Finland and Japan.

• Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Japan and another MoU between India and Finland.
• The purpose of MoU between India and Japan will be to improve quality and testing of Indian textiles and clothing for the Japanese market.
• The MoU will be signed in between between Textiles Committee, India and M/s Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan.
• After the MoU, M/s Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan will assign Textile Committee as their cooperative Testing and Inspection service providers in India.
• The purpose of MoU between India and Finland will be to increase cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources.
• Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Tokyo and the currency is the Japanese Yen.
• Finland is a North European country whose capital and largest city is Helsinki, and its currency is Euro. Sweden and Gulf of Bothnia are located to west of Finland and Russia is located to its east. Norway is located to its North.

13. India jumps four places and Switzerland achieves first rank in GII 2020.

• India has improved its ranking by four places and Switzerland has achieved first rank in Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020.
• India is ranked at 48^th place among 131 economies in GII 2020. India was ranked at 52^nd in GII 2019.
• Sweden, USA, UK and Netherlands follow Switzerland. Yemen is ranked at lowest (131) in all GII pillars.
• India has shown most improvement in three pillars of GII. They are Institutions, business sophistication and creative output.   
• India is at first place among top three innovation economies in Central and Southern Asia region in GII 2020. Iran and Kazakhstan are at 2^nd and 3^rd places in in Central and Southern Asia region.
• Global Innovation Index (GII):
  • It is annually published and compiled by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
  • Overall GII score is the average of the Innovation Input Sub-Index and Innovation Output Sub-Index. While Innovation Input Sub-Index comprises of five pillars, Innovation Output Sub-Index comprises of two pillars.
  • The theme of GII 2020 is Who Will Finance Innovation?

14. ‘Water Heroes – Share Your Stories’ Contest launched by Ministry of Jal Shakti.

• ‘Water Heroes – Share Your Stories’ Contest has been launched by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• The contest has been launched from September 1, 2020.
• Entries for the contest will be invited every month till #1^st August 2021.
• The contest carries a cash prize of 10,000 rupees and a certificate.
• Maximum 10 entries can be considered every month for the award.
• The contest has been launched to reach the people on the issue of water conservation and management.

15. DST secretary launches brochure featuring Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) under NIDHI programme.

• Department of Science & Technology (DST) secretary has launched a brochure featuring Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) programme.
• The brochure has been developed by Venture Centre, National Implementation Partner for NIDHI- Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) program.
• The brochure provides details about the working of EIRs and is a depository of all EIRs.
• Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Programme is a component of the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing innovations (NIDHI) programme of DST.
• It is aimed at providing guidance to aspiring and budding entrepreneurs from other entrepreneurs who are innovative, experienced and highly successful.
• It supports budding or aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue promising technology business idea for 18 months.
• NIDHI programme of DST was launched in September 2016 to promote innovation and nurturing ideas. As per National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) of DST, NIDHI programme has following components:
  • NIDHI-GCC - Grand Challenge and Competitions
  • NIDHI-PRomotion and Acceleration of Young and Aspiring technology entrepreneurs (NIDHI-PRAYAS)
  • NIDHI-Entrepreneur In Residence (NIDHI-EIR)
  • Startup-NIDHI
  • Start-up Centre in collaboration with MHRD
  • NIDHI-Technology Business Incubator (TBI)
  • NIDHI-Accelerator
  • NIDHI-Seed Support System (NIDHI-SSS)
  • NIDHI Centres of Excellence (NIDHI-COE)
  • NIDHI Startup Corridors

16. Introduction of Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 approved.

• The introduction of Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 in Parliament has been approved by Cabinet.
• Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 makes Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi and English as official languages in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Earlier, Urdu was the official language of Jammu and Kashmir. As per 2011 census, Kashmiri is the mother tongue of 53% of the population. It is the most widely spoken language.
• Other languages such as Dogri, Gojri, and Pahari are also spoken in J&K.

17. Turkey would like to have a dialogue with Greece.

• Turkey’s foreign minister has said that Turkey would like to have a dialogue with Greece to share gas and oil resources in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• There is a conflict between Turkey and Greece as Turkey has earlier sent its research vessel (Oruc Reis) and warships to explore hydrocarbon (gas and oil) resources. 
• The forces of Turkey and Greece are carrying out exercises between Cyprus and Greek Island of Crete.
• Turkey has justified its activities in eastern Mediterranean as its right and accused Greece of taking provocative action.
• Greece has claimed that Turkey is searching for hydrocarbon resources in the areas which form part of Greece’s continental shelf.
• As per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1994, the continental shelf is 200 nautical miles from the shore of the coastal state. It may also be beyond 200 nautical miles up to the limit of 350 nautical miles in some cases.
• Greece is a country in Southeast Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Its capital is Athens, and the currency is the Euro.
• Turkey is a country located in Eurasia. Its capital is Ankara and the currency is Turkish lira. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is its President.

18. A robot for measuring vital signs of COVID patients.

• Boston Dynamics of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will test a robot for measuring vital signs of COVID patients.
• The robot is named ‘Spot’ and is controlled by a handheld device.
• It can measure vital signs (body temperature, breathing rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation) in healthy people from a distance of 2 metres.
• It can lower the risk to healthcare workers assessing people having symptoms of COVID-19.

19. UNSC rejected Pakistan’s attempts to list Indians as designated terrorists.

• The UN Security Council committee has blocked the designations of Indians Angara Appaji and Gobina Patnaik as designated terrorists.
• The attempt was made by Pakistan to list Indians as designated terrorists under list 1267 Committee for Counterterrorism Sanctions.
• Pakistan alleged that a four Indians group, including Angara Appaji and Gobinda Patnaik, formed an Afghanistan based Indian terror syndicate and was organizing the banned terror groups Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan and Jammat Ul Ahrar to carry out attacks in Pakistan. 
• Earlier, the names of two other Indians- Ajoy Mistry and Venumadhav Dongara were blocked by UNSC.
• United Nations Security Council:
  • It is one of the six major organs of the United Nations.
  • Established: 24 October 1945
  • Headquarters: New York, United Nations
  • There are 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members in the council.
  • 5 permanent members- Russia, USA, UK, France and China

20. 75^th anniversary of end of the second World War in the Pacific.

• China commemorates the 75^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific.
• During this war, China faced brutal invasions in much of its territory by Japan.
• In 1937, Japan launched a full-on invasion of China. During this, urban warfare and atrocities like the notorious Rape of Nanking were observed.
• Armies under the leadership of Chiang Kai Shek fought most of the significant battles, but guerrillas of the Communist Party under Mao Zedong diverted soldiers with low-level engagements.
• Japan formally surrendered on 2 September 1945, but China marks the end of the war on 3 September.  
• World War II:
  • It began on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland and continued till 1945.
  • The majority of the world’s countries were part of two groups- the Allies and the Axis.
  • Allied powers included US, China, USSR, Britain and France while Axis powers included Germany, Japan and Italy.

(Source: The Hindu)