Daily Current Affairs 20th July, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 20 July 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

TN CM announces formation of two new districts

The number of districts in Tamil Nadu will go up to 35 as the government announced its decision to carve out Tenkasi district from Tirunelveli district and Chengalpet district from Kancheepuram district.

India, China to carry out major military exercise ‘Hand in Hand’

India and China will carry out a major military exercise called ‘Hand-in-Hand’ in December, 2019. The exercise will take place at Umroi, Meghalaya.

• It will be based on counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Bank launches digital banking platform ‘InstaBIZ’ for MSMEs

ICICI Bank announced the launch of a new digital platform curated specially for MSMEs and self-employed customers to enable them to undertake their business banking transactions digitally and instantly.

• Called, ‘InstaBIZ’, it allows customers to avail as many as over 115 products and services in a digital and secure manner on their mobile phone or internet banking platform.
• Many of the services are first-in-the-industry and are available instantly.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Tata pips LIC to become India’s most valuable brand in 2019

The brand “Tata” has become India’s most valuable brand for the second straight year in 2019, according to the Brand Finance India 100 2019 report.

Andhra Bank unveils Al chatbot ABHi

Andhra Bank launched its Artificial Intelligence interactive assistant — ABHi. The Bank’s AI powered chatbot-ABHi uses latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithm to understand the customer query and fetch the relevant information from possible knowledgebase in a matter of milliseconds.

• With ABHi, customers will be able to get the information instantaneously 24×7, anytime they want.

SPORTS

Sprinter Hima Das wins 400 meter race to claim 5th gold of the month

Ace Indian sprinter Hima Das continued her dream run by winning the fifth gold of the month as won the 400 meter race with a season-best time of 52.09s in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

Shiva Thapa wins gold at President’s Cup in Kazakhstan

Indian boxer Shiva Thapa won a gold medal in the 63 kg category in the President’s Cup in Kazakhstan.

Commonwealth TT C’ship: Indian women’s, men’s team win title

Both the women’s and men’s Indian team displayed an impressive performance to win the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha.

• The women’s team defeated Singapore 3-0 to dethrone the previous champions whereas men’s team outclassed England 3-2.

India’s Arjun Bhati wins Junior World Golf Championship

India’s Arjun Bhati defeated Taiwan’s Jeremy Chen to win the FCG Callaway Junior world Golf Championship 2019 in Palm Desert, California.

North Korea wins Intercontinental Cup title

North Korea wins the 2nd edition of Intercontinental Cup football tournament. North Korea beats Tajikistan in the finals held in Ahmedabad. North Korea, Tajikistan, India and Syria participated in the event.

APPOINTMENTS

Governor Anandiben transferred to UP, Lalji Tandon replaces her in MP

In a major reshuffle, President Ram Nath Kovind appointed new Governors to six states with Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel being transferred to Uttar Pradesh in place of Ram Naik.

• Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon has been transferred to Madhya Pradesh to replace Patel. West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura and Nagaland have also got new Governors.
• The President has approved the appointments of former Union Ministers Jagdeep Dhankhar and Ramesh Bais as Governors of West Bengal and Tripura.
• Senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh Fagu Chauhan has been appointed Governor of Bihar while former Intelligence Bureau officer and interlocutor for the Naga peace talks RN Ravi has been appointed as Governor of Nagaland.

OBITUARIES

Sheila Dikshit passes away at 81

Former Delhi Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit passed away at the age of 81. Dikshit was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, having served in office for 15 years from 1998.

Veteran Bengali actor Swarup Dutta dies at 78

Veteran Bengali actor Swarup Dutta, best known for his versatile roles in films of the 1960s and 1970s passed away recently.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Shark Awareness Day

The World Wide Fund for Nature has released a report highlighting the risks to Sharks in the Mediterranean region on the occasion of Shark Awareness Day which is observed on July 14th every year. Theme for the year 2019 is “The sharks in crisis: a call to action for the Mediterranean.”

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