Daily GK Updates: 25th Sept 2014

1.    Prime Minister launches 'Make in India' campaign
 

Who: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Where: at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi
What: launched Make In India Campaign
When: 25 September 2014
Why: to make India a manufacturing hub
 
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched his pet “Make in India” campaign to put India prominently on the global manufacturing map and, in turn, facilitate the inflow of new technology and capital, while creating millions of jobs
ii. The ambitious scheme, that also puts in place the logistics and systems to address in a timely manner queries of potential investors, was unveiled along with a logo, a portal and brochures on 25 identified growth sectors before Who’s Who of the corporate world from India and abroad at the Vigyan Bhavan conference complex in New Delhi. 
iii. Pointing to campaign logo, he said: “This is the step of a Lion… Make in India.” 
iv. Make in India is not a slogan but a mission to be accomplished with a single-minded commitment.
2.    PM asks India Inc to develop India first, then go abroad
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked India Inc to first focus on developing the country and then look abroad.
ii. "FDI also means First Develop India and not just Foreign Direct Investment. Both the FDIs should move on parallel tracks," the PM said, while launching the 'Make in India' campaign here on Thursday.
iii. Modi stressed on effective and easy governance, besides employment generation. "Investors have to understand that the purchasing power of India has to go up for expanding," he said.
iv. Kicking off the ‘Make in India’ campaign, he said his government’s focus will be on physical infrastructure creation as well as creating a digital network for making India a hub for global manufacturing of goods ranging from cars to software, satellites to submarines and paper to power.
3.    Modi to be conferred with honorary doctorate degree by US varsity
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the international community, the Southern University System of Louisiana in United States has decided to confer an honorary doctorate degree for his work in the field of inclusive growth.
ii. The announcement could add a new dimension to the India-US relationship especially in the context of Modi’s imminent visit to the Washington and other US cities.
iii. Baton Rogue is the capital of Louisiana State and about 150 km from New Orleans. Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, who has Indian roots, was born in Baton Rogue.
v. If Modi accepts the invitation of the University, then the honorary doctorate would be awarded on December 11, 2015 by the Dr Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy of the university. He would also be the Commencement Speaker for Fall 2015 session of the university.
vi. He will also be requested to inaugurate the global headquarters of the Centre for ICT Enabled Social Transformation.
4.    Hinduja brothers presented Lifetime Achievement Award in UK
i. Leading NRI businessmen G P Hinduja and S P Hinduja have been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Business at a ceremony in the House of Lords.
ii. The award, constituted by the Indo-European Business Forum (IEBF), was presented to the Hinduja brothers at the event which was hosted by Baroness Sandip Verma, an Indian- origin minister in the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.
iii. IEBF was founded back in 2007 by Indian-origin lawyer Vijay Goel as a non-profit platform to promote business ties between India and the EU.
5.    India to contribute USD 12 million to UN to tackle Ebola
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved 12 million dollars assistance to United Nations to fight Ebola virus in Africa. 
ii. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, 10 million dollars will be contributed to UN Secretary General's Fund and an additional 2 million dollars will be given for purchase of protective gear to tackle Ebola.
iii. Ebola virus hit the African continent earlier this year and has killed nearly 2,200 people in several countries there. The UN Security Council has declared the outbreak of the virus in West Africa a threat to international peace and security.

6.    Adani gets Australian approval for rail project
i. Adani Mining on Thursday took a step closer to the development of Australian $2.2 billion ($1.94 billion) coal mining project in Australia after the federal government approved construction of a rail haulage line.
ii. The Australian unit of Adani Enterprises needed the approval of Environment Minister Greg Hunt to proceed with the 300-km (186-mile) line, after last month gaining clearance from the state of Queensland.
iii. Known as the North Galilee Basin Rail project, it is being designed to connect collieries owned by Adani and potentially other developers in the largely unpopulated Galilee Basin to the east coast port of Abbot Point.
iv. Despite analyst views that Adani’s project would be unprofitable at current coal prices, the company remains committed to pushing ahead with it to supply power stations in India.
Note: India is home to the world’s fifth-largest coal reserves but still needs to resort to imports as state-owned Coal India , which accounts for about 80 per cent of the country’s output, frequently falls short of its output target.
7.    Indian economy showing turnaround; ADB ups 2015 growth to 6.3%
i. Revising India’s GDP upwards by 0.3 per cent to 6.3 per cent in 2015, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said the economy shows a new promise of turnaround after the election brought a stable government in May.
ii. “India shows new promise of a turnaround. After winning a decisive parliamentary election victory, the new (Modi-led) government is better positioned than the old to pursue the reform necessary to unlock the economy’s growth potential.
iii. “This Update maintains the 5.5 per cent growth forecast for 2014 but upgrades....to 6.3 per cent, the forecast for 2015, when reform can begin to bear fruit,” ADB said in its Outlook 2014 Update released today.
8.    Amul jumps to rank 15th in IFCN listing
i. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells Amul brand of milk products ranked 15th among the top dairy organisations in the world in the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) – a global dairy knowledge organisation.
ii. Amul has been emerged as the fastest growing dairy organisation as it jumped from the rank of 20 in 2012 to the current slot of 15th in terms of milk procurement and turnover per kg milk.
iii. Among the other top-ranked dairy organisations in the IFCN list included multi-national majors like Dairy Farmers of America - USA, Fonterra Cooperative Group - New Zealand, Nestle – Switzerland, Danone – France among others.
Note: In spite of India being largest producer of milk in the world, its largest dairy brand, Amul figures much lower in the IFCN list as compared to other international players. “This is mainly because of Amul being primarily present in India and its operations mainly focused in Gujarat,” 
9.    Govind Mishra gets Saraswati Samman 2013 for novel 'Dhool Paudhon Par'
i. Renowned Hindi author Govind Mishra was conferred the 'Saraswati Samman' for his novel "Dhool Paudhon Par" published in 2008 at a function in New Delhi on Monday. 
ii. Giving away the award, constituted by the K K Birla Foundation, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that it has been recognised as the highest literary award in India. 
Note: Govind Mishra is the second Hindi author who was conferred this honour after it was given to Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991. Born on August 1, 1939, in Atarra (Banda, Uttar Pradesh), Mishra completed his BA and MA (English) at the University of Allahabad. 
10.  Atapattu appointed SL head coach
i. Marvan Atapattu's appointment as Sri Lanka's first full-time local coach in 15 years has been confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket, following a six-week vetting process, and his three-month tenure as interim coach.

11.  Rowers sign off with 2 more bronze, India 15th at Asiad
i. Indian rowers were the star performers, bagging two bronze medals, while the unheralded women shooters added another bronze as India maintained their 15th position in the overall standings with a tally of 15 in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon on Thursday.
ii. Armyman Swaran Singh Virk rowed his way through exhaustion to the third spot in single sculls before the men’s squad added the eights title on yet another mixed day for the Indian contingent.
iii. The double trap women’s team of Shagun Chowdhary, Shreyasi Singh and Varsha Varman, brought some cheer for the largely off the mark shooters with their bronze medal on the sixth day of competitions.

12.Rajat Sharma appointed as the president of News Broadcasting Association
Who: Rajat Sharma
What: appointed as the new president of the News Broadcasting Association
When: 24 September 2014

India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma on 24 September 2014 was appointed as the new president of the News Broadcasting Association (NBA) for the year 2014-2015.

Rajat Sharma will replace KVL Narayan Rao who was the president of NBA for four consecutive years. However, Rao will remain a member of NBA board.

Anurradha Prasad was named as the new honorary treasurer of NBA. Meanwhile, Ashok Venkatramani will continue to be the vice president of NBA.

News Broadcasters Association (NBA)

•    The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) is the apex body of the national news broadcasters.
•    It is the collective voice of the news and current affairs broadcasters in India .It is funded entirely by its members.
•    The NBA has presently 26 leading news and current affairs broadcasters as its members. The NBA presents a unified and credible voice before the Government on matters that affect the growing industry.

13. 3rd Meeting of SAARC Culture Ministers adopted Delhi Resolution

Who: The 3rd meeting of SAARC Ministers of Culture
Where: New Delhi
What: was held
When: from 24 September 2014 to 25 September 2014
 
The 3rd meeting of SAARC Ministers of Culture was held in New Delhi from 24 September 2014 to 25 September 2014.  The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Culture Shripad Naik.

They adopted the Delhi Resolution as a roadmap for cultural relations in the SAARC region for the period 2014–17.

Delhi Resolution
•    To declare 2016–17 as the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage. For 2015–16, Bamiyan will be the SAARC cultural capital and the inauguration ceremony of Bamiyan as SAARC cultural capital will take place in April 2015.
•    To formulate proposals for transnational nominations for the world heritage list and a regional list of heritage sites.
•    To recognize the impact and contribution of maritime routes and the monsoon as also other inland relations
•    To enhance interaction between member countries by redefining cultural linkages through transnational nominations
•    To promote SAARC culture online by launching a dedicated SAARC website on culture, with emphasis on digitization of rare manuscripts, rare books and other articles of intangible cultural value.
•    To strengthen cultural institutions in the SAARC region, promote cultural festivals showcasing themes that are unique to the region within SAARC member states, and enable meaningful exchange programmes for artists, performers, writers and scholars.
•    To establish a SAARC Cultural Heritage Committee (SHC) and build cultural institutions, which, in turn, will bolster efforts in preservation, maintenance, as well as digital mapping of historic sites in member countries, and simultaneously develop inventories of cultural assets in museums and other repositories of the region and apply best practices and standards therein.
•    To promote the literatures produced in the local languages of the regions, and make them available to readers across the world through translations, not only into English, but also through direct translation from one SAARC language to another, and also to provide financial support to writers to work on creative projects, collaborate with other writers and provide them increased exposure to other cultures.
•    To accord the highest priority to the preservation of folklores and other oral traditions that embody local narratives and local cultures, both in order to facilitate a better understanding of our shared past in this age of global cultural memes, and to envision the cultural future of the region anew.
•    To promote visual and performing arts from the SAARC region in other parts of the world to mirror the vast riches – both cultural and geographic – that adorn these lands, as part of a sustained campaign of cultural diplomacy to attract tourists to these places and stimulate SAARC tourism.
•    To support, on mission-mode, the improvement of literacy of SAARC populaces, and further, promote a reading habit among the citizens by providing access to books and other reading materials through establishing libraries in remote places.
•    To promote the urge and interest of the SAARC country visitors to archeologically important places and heritage sites by fixing a common rate for entrance therein.
The SAARC Culture Ministers agreed to meet in Bangladesh for the fourth Culture Ministers meeting.

14.Union Cabinet approved agreement on grid connectivity with Nepal 

Who: Agreement on grid connectivity with Nepal
What: Approved by Union Cabinet
When: 24 September 2014
 
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 September 2014 approved the India-Nepal Agreement on Electric Power Trade, Cross-Border Transmission Interconnection and Grid Connectivity.

The approval will facilitate and strengthen cross-border electricity transmission grid connectivity and power trade between the two countries.

The agreement would also provide a framework for imports, by Indian entities, of surplus power generated from future hydroelectric plants in Nepal, on mutually acceptable terms and conditions.
Nepal currently imports 200 MW of electricity from India annually. Besides, the constructions of the new cross-border transmission lines that are under construction will more than double the transmission capacity over the next two years.

Background
The power trade was approved in the light of the decision made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal in August 2014. During Modi’s visit it was decided that negotiations on the power trade agreement would be concluded within 45 days.

15. Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar & Steve Waugh selected as 2014 Bradman Honouree

Who: Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh
What: Selected as Bradman Honouree
When: 22 September 2014
 
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh of Australia were selected as Bradman Honouree 2014. It was announced by The Bradman Foundation. They will be honoured at the Gala Dinner of the Bradman Foundation on 29 October 2014 in Sydney.It was announced by the Bradman Foundation on 22 September 2014.It was announced by the Bradman Foundation on 22 September 2014.

Sachin Tendulkar was selected for Bradman Honouree because he has scored more Test runs than any other cricketer in history and bestrode the international cricket stage for 24 years.

Tendulkar was identified by Sir Donald Bradman early in his career as the batsman whose technique most closely resembled to Sir Donald Bradman.

Steve Waugh was selected because he was the most successful captain of Australia and also embodies values of Bradman like courage, honour and determination.

About Bradman Honourees
The Bradman Foundation, a non profitable organisation was established in 1987 with the support of Sir Donald Bradman. It was established to promote cricket as a valuable cultural and sporting force within the community.

Every year two Bradman Honourees were selected for their significant contribution to international cricket as exemplified by Sir Donald Bradman. The Award is issued specifically with regard to how much the cricketer reflect Sir Donald’s expressed values including courage, honour, integrity, humility and determination.

16. Union Cabinet approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas

Who: Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas
What: Union Cabinet approved it
When: 24 September 2014
 
The Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014 approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas. The mission will begin from 2 October 2014 and will be implemented over a period of five years.
The mission will be implemented in over 4041 statutory towns of the country and will cost around 62009 crore rupees of which 14623 crore rupees will be borne by the Union Government.

The Mission is the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and will be implemented by Union Ministry of Urban Development. The rural component of the Mission will be implemented by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Main elements of the Mission
  • The Mission includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, Municipal Solid Waste Management.
  • The Programme consists of components for providing (i) Individual household toilets; (ii) Community and public toilets; and (iii) Municipal Solid Waste Management in all 4041 statutory towns
  • It would cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh seats of public toilets and solid waste management facility for all towns.
Aim of the Mission
  • It aims towards bringing a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices and generating awareness among citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.
  • It also aims at strengthening of urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems to fulfill these objectives and creating an enabling environment for private sector participation in capital expenditure and operational expenditure.
Background
The plan of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was mentioned in the Union Budget 2014-15 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 July 2014. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was proposed in the Union Budget under Drinking Water & Sanitation plan. As proposed, the Abhiyan will cover every household with sanitation facility by the year 2019

17. Suresh Parbhu selected as PM’s Sherpa for G-20 summit

Who: Suresh Parbhu
What: Selected as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Sherpa
When: 23 September 2014
 
Suresh Prabhu on 23 September 2014 was appointed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sherpa for the Group of 20 annual Summit 2014. He was selected by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The G-20 annual summit will be held in Brisbane from 15 November to 16 November 2014.

Suresh Prabhu will attend the G20 Sherpa’s meeting that is going to be held in Canberra, Australia from 30 September to 1 October 2014. Sherpa is a senior official responsible for preparing the agenda for leaders to consider during the summit.

About Suresh Prabhu
• Prabhu is Member of Parliament of 14th Lok Sabha of India.
• He served as cabinet minister of Industries, Environment and Forests, Fertilizers & Chemicals and Power, Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises.
• At present, he is the chairperson of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water
• He is also a member of the Global Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum.


18. EAC under Union MoEF gave CRZ clearance for Bay of Bengal Gateway Submarine Cable System

Who: Expert Appraisal Committee of MEoF
What: Gave CRZ clearance for Bay of Bengal Gateway Submarine Cable System
When: 24 September 2014
 
Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 24 September 2014 granted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for Bay of Bengal Gateway Submarine Cable System.

The EAC cleared the Indian part of the 100 Gigabit-per-second (100G) Bay of Bengal Gateway submarine cable system project at Mumbai and Chennai. However, the EAC asked the proponents of the project to follow the strict compliance of CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) clearance conditions.
Vodafone Group has already under taken the work at the cable landing point in Mumbai while Infotel Telecom Ltd, a Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Company is carrying out the works at Santhome Beach, Chennai.

About Bay of Bengal Gateway Submarine Cable System (BBGCS)
The Bay of Bengal Gateway cable system (BBGCS) that navigate over 8000 km is expected to enhance robustness and reliability of international connectivity in the six countries via landing points in Barka (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Mumbai and Chennai (India), Ratmalana (Sri Lanka), Penang (Malaysia) and Singapore.

The project is being carried out by a conglomerate that includes Alcatel-Lucent, a Euronext and NYSE-listed company, Vodafone Group, Omantel, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, Reliance Infocom, Dialog and Telekom Malaysia. It was started in May 2013 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014.

The Cable system will create a high-speed bridge between Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East, with Singapore being a major cable hub with connection into to the Far East and Barka in Oman with submarine and terrestrial connections to Europe, Africa and the GCC.

19. Malayalam filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair selected for 2013 JC Daniel Award of Kerala Government

Who: MT Vasudevan Nair
What: selected for the 2013 J C Daniel Award
When: 23 September 2014
 
Noted writer and filmmaker Madathil Thekkepaattu (MT) Vasudevan Nair on 23 September 2014 was selected for the JC Daniel Award for lifetime achievement for the year 2013. The award given by the Kerala government recognises the overall contribution of MT to the Malayalam film industry.

He will be presented with the award at a function on 17 October 2014 at Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

He was selected for the award by a jury headed by noted writer and Malayalam University Vice-Chancellor K Jayakumar.

Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair
• MT Vasudevan Nair debuted as scriptwriter with the 1965 film Murappennu.
• His debut novel Naalukettu (The Legacy) won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958.
• MT Vasudevan Nair is the winner of the Jnanpith award in 1995 for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature.
• He also received Padma Bhushan award in 2005.
• He has directed seven films so far and written the screenplay for around 54 films.
• He also won the National Award for best screenplay four times in his career.
• His debut film as director Nirmalyam won the national award for best film in 1974.

J C Daniel Award
• The Department of Cultural Affairs under Government of Kerala instituted the award in honour of JC Daniel in 1992.
• Daniel was considered as the father of Malayalam cinema for producing, directing, writing, photographing, editing and acting in the Vigathakumaran in 1928. It was the first film made in Kerala.
• The award is a part of the Kerala State Film Awards and honours lifetime achievements and outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema.
• The award comprises of a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees, statuette and a citation.
• The first J C Daniel Award in 1992 was presented to the producer T. E. Vasudevan.







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