Daily Current Affairs 28th August, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 28 August 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Centre launches National GIS-enabled land bank system for 6 states to boost investments

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has e-launched the National GIS-enabled Land Bank system, which is being developed by the integration of the Industrial Information System (IIS) with the State GIS (Geographic Information System) Systems.

• The project was launched for six states, while other states and Union Territories would be brought on board by December 2020.
• IIS portal is a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas/clusters across the states.
• More than 3,300 industrial parks across 31 States/UTs covering about 475,000 hectare land have been mapped on the system.

Govt sets up expert panel to redefine DRDO for futuristic battles

The central government has set up an expert committee to redefine the role of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the current and futuristic defence and battlefield scenarios.

• To be led by Prof P Ramagopal Rao, Director IIT Delhi, the select panel will delve deep into the nature of work being carried out by each lab under the organisation.
• The committee will present a report to redefine the charter of work being carried out and minimize technology overlaps.

NHAI develops Vendor Performance Evaluation System

To establish a transparent and comprehensive ‘Performance Rating’ System for its Consultants, Contractors and Concessionaires, NHAI has developed a ‘Vendor Performance Evaluation System’. The Portal is available on the NHAI website.

• The portal based objective assessment of vendors’ has been initiated to track the performance of the vendors for various NHAI projects.
• Under this portal, the vendors are required to conduct a self-assessment and upload the documents related to the project activities being executed by them, on the portal. The submissions are reviewed at multiple levels by NHAI, based on which a vendor’s rating is generated.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Launches ‘DGNCC’ App for Online Training of NCC Cadets

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a mobile application ‘DGNCC’ to assist in online training of NCC cadets in the country.

• The mobile app “DGNCC”, aims at providing NCC cadets all training materials, including syllabus, training videos and frequently asked questions, on one platform.
• The app has been made interactive by including a query option.

Delhi government launches ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ campaign for students

The Delhi government has recently launched ”Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” campaign for students.

• A YouTube channel has been started on which a video will be launched every Wednesday through which students can practice for the week in order to maintain fitness and also make up for the loss of physical activity during the pandemic.

IIT Alumni Council to build world’s largest, fastest hybrid quantum computer

The Indian Institute of Technology’s Alumni Council has signed an agreement with Lomonosov Moscow State University and Russoft to access and transfer key technologies from Russia to build the world’s largest and fastest hybrid quantum computer in India.

• Under the agreement, the Russian state-owned companies will transfer critical modules in cryogenics, cryptography and modularised cloud management technology to IIT Alumni Council.
• The deal with the companies, which are key Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owners, are part of the Quantum Mission.

Just 24 Percent of Indian Households Have Internet Facility to Access E-education, Says UNICEF Report

Just 24 per cent of Indian households have internet connections to access e-education, and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide that is likely to widen the learning gap across high, middle and low-income families, according to a new UNICEF report titled ‘The Remote Learning Reachability’.

• The learning gap is likely to widen across high, middle and low-income families, as children from economically disadvantaged families cannot access remote learning.
• In India, over 1.5 million (15 lakh) schools have been closed due to the pandemic affecting 286 million (28.6 crore) children from pre-primary to secondary levels, (of which 49 per cent girls). This adds to the 6 million (60 lakh) girls and boys who were already out of school prior to the COVID-19.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ericsson and UNICEF launch global partnership to map school internet connectivity

Ericsson and UNICEF announced a global partnership to help map school connectivity in 35 countries by the end of 2023.

• Mapping the internet connectivity landscape for schools and their surrounding communities is a critical first step towards providing every child with access to digital learning opportunities.

BANKING & FINANCE

HDFC partners with Adobe to enhance digital customer experiences

HDFC Bank has announced a strategic partnership with Adobe to help improve digital experience journey of its customers.

• The company claims that the partnership will enable HDFC Bank to deliver personalised digital experiences to existing as well as new customers, at anytime and anywhere.

HDFC Bank’s customers can now look forward to:

• Usage of any device to do different types of end-to-end transactions.
• Opening of accounts digitally, without visiting an HDFC branch.
• A platform to apply for loans digitally from home 24×7.
• Managing investments without any physical interface.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launches ‘Smart Assist’, a real-time assistance service

Private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched a new technology service called ‘Smart Assist’ that provides real-time assistance to customers.

• Using a screen sharing feature, the agent will be able to assist customers live to fill up the proposal form and also help them in the policy purchase journey.
• Even if there is an error in the form that has to be corrected in the proposal form, this can be done through the screen-sharing process.

Greenko Energies signs MoU with NTPC for RE power solutions

Energy solutions provider Greenko Energies has entered into an agreement with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam to explore energy storage and renewable energy power supply solutions.

• The objective of the partnership is to explore the possibility of development of renewable energy based round-the-clock, flexible and dispatchable power supply offering based on integration of RE sources and pumped storage projects.

Innoviti partners with Visa to develop installments platform for face-to-face transactions

Innoviti announced that it had entered a partnership with Visa, the leader in payments technology to develop a platform that will enable issuers to extend credit to their cardholders at face-to-face point-of-sale (In India).

• It provides shoppers the ability to choose how they pay during the purchase with the introduction of a suite of platform capabilities leveraging Innoviti’s uniPAYNEXT platform and Visa’s APIs.
• Innoviti and Visa plan to collaborate and pilot a variety of installment use cases as part of this partnership going forward.

Mahindra inks pacts with Israeli firm to develop electric commercial vehicles

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has inked a pact with Tel Aviv-based REE Automotive to explore production of electric commercial vehicles for global markets.

• The strategic collaboration will leverage REE’s revolutionary electric vehicle corner module and platform technology of integrating powertrain, suspension and steering components in the arch of a vehicle wheel.

SPORTS

India plans to host BRICS Games during Khelo India Games in 2021

India are planning to host BRICS Games in 2021 and may align it with Khelo India Games, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.

• India will get the chairmanship of the five-nation independent international group in 2021.

AIFC and Football Coaches Australia Sign MoU for Development of Game

The Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Football Coaches Australia (FCA) to assist each other in development of football in the two countries.

• The two bodies will look to encourage the involvement of more female coaches and increase access to football for all participants.

Legendary tennis pair Bryan brothers announce retirement

US men’s doubles duo Bob and Mike Bryan announced the end of their legendary record-shattering tennis career, just days before the US Open where they made their Grand Slam debut in 1995.

• That haul included all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s and Olympic gold at London 2012.
• The brothers hold the all-time team record of 16 major titles from 30 grand slam finals

APPOINTMENTS

RIL appoints former Indian Oil chairman Sanjiv Singh as group president

Sanjiv Singh, former chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), has joined Reliance Industries as group president and member of the oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business leadership team.

• Singh, who superannuated from India’s largest oil firm on June 30, will be a member of the oil-to-chemicals(O2C) business leadership team.

AWARDS

29-Year-Old Marieke Lucas Rijneveld becomes youngest author to win International Booker Prize

29-year-old Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker prize for their debut novel ‘The Discomfort of Evening’.

• With this, Rijneveld has become the youngest author ever to win the prestigious prize.The
• The Discomfort of Evening is a dark story about a devout farming family in a strict Christian community in the rural Netherlands.

World War II Spy Becomes First Indian-origin Woman to Get Memorial Plaque in London

Britain’s World War II spy, Noor Inayat Khan, became the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a memorial Blue Plaque at her former family home in central London.

• The Blue Plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honours notable people and organisations who were connected with particular buildings across London.

OBITUARIES

Writer-journalist Gail Sheehy, author of bestselling book ‘Passages,’ passes away

Gail Sheehy, the journalist, commentator and pop sociologist whose best-selling Passages helped millions navigate their lives from early adulthood to middle age and beyond, has died in Southampton, New York. She was 83.

• She has written nearly 17 books, the most prominent and influential was “Passages” (1976), which examined the predictable crises of adult life and how to use them as opportunities for creative change. It sold 10 million copies, was named by the Library of Congress as one of the 10 most influential books of modern times and remained on The New York Times’s best-seller list for more than three years.

Renowned singer Archana Mahanta passed away

Noted singer Archana Mahanta passed away in Guwahati in a private hospital. She was 72.

• Ms. Mahanta was also a reputed artist of All India Radio, Guwahati also.

Computer pioneer Arnold Spielberg passes away

Arnold Spielberg, father of filmmaker Steven Spielberg and an innovating engineer whose work helped make the personal computer possible, has died at 103.

• Spielberg and Charles Propster designed the GE-225 mainframe computer in the late 1950s while working for General Electric.
• The machine allowed computer scientists at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which would be essential to the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and ‘80s.

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