Current Affairs Daily Digest – September 11 2019
1. Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-1924 book was released
Bengaluru-based historian Vikram Sampath’s book titled Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-1924 was released. The book was published by Penguin.
About the book:
Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-1924 book describes the life of freedom fighter and Philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was popularly known as Veer Savarkar.
2. Two new species of ginger was discovered from Nagaland
Research Scientists from the biological science Survey of India (BSI) have discovered 2 new species of ginger. Zingiber prenense has been discovered from the Peren district of Nagaland and Zingiber dimapurense was found within the Dimapur in Nagaland on 11th Sept.
3. Madhya Pradesh government offers cows for adoption online
The state government of Madhya Pradesh is launching an online service for those wanting to adopt a cow and provide sheds to them at gaushalas (cow shelters) across the State. People can adopt a cow for a minimum period of 15 days and can go on supporting it till animal’s lifetime. This initiative is part of Madhya Pradesh government’s ‘Project Gaushala’.
4. PM Modi meets PM of St. Vincent and Grenadines in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Prime Minister of St. Vincent and Grenadines Dr. Ralph Everard Gonsalves in New Delhi. Prime Minister R.E Gonsalves who is on a first ever visit of Prime Minister of St. Vincent and Grenadines to India is also participating in high-level United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) Symposium, a 12-day conference being held from 2-13 September 2019 at Greater Noida.
5. India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline inaugurated
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated South Asia’s first cross-border petroleum products pipeline from Motihari (in Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal through video conference.
Both leaders also expressed confidence that bilateral relations between India and Nepal will continue to further deepen and expand across diverse sectors. Also regular exchanges at highest political levels have laid down a forward-looking agenda for expanding India-Nepal partnership.
6. Prime Minister to Launch Kisan Man Dhan Yojana on the 12th of September
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is schedule to launch Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana on 12 September 2019 at Ranchi in Jharkhand. During his visit, PM Modi will also inaugurate- 400 Ekalvya Model Residential Schools to provide quality upper primary, secondary, and senior secondary level education to ST Stude.
7. Glasgow confirmed as host venue for COP26 climate summit
The UK has won the bid to host the 26th Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, following a partnership with Italy. Up to 30,000 delegates are expected to attend the event at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) at the end of next year.
8. India lost 31% of grasslands in a decade
India lost 31 per cent, or 5.65 million hectares (mha), of grassland area in a decade, showed data the Union government presented to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) during the ongoing 14th Conference of Parties (COP). The total area under grasslands reduced to 12.3 mha from 18 mha between 2005 and 2015.
9. Justice P Lakshmana Reddy appointed Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta
The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government appointed Justice P Lakshmana Reddy, a former judge of the AP high court, as the state’s Lokayukta for five years.
He was born in an agricultural family on April 18, 1945, in Paidipalem of Simhadripuram Mandal in Kadapa district, he enrolled as an advocate in December 1972 in Kadapa district court.
10. Blackstone to buy rest of Indiabulls’ stake in office assets for $616 mn
Alternative investment firm Blackstone Group Inc has agreed to acquire the 50% stake it didn’t already own in Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd’s office assets for Rs 4,420 crore ($616 million).
Mumbai-listed Indiabulls Real Estate said in a stock-exchange filing that the stake sale is part of its efforts to achieve zero net debt in the current financial year.
11.India and NITTTR signs MoU to set up digital simulation lab in Chandigarh
With an aim to impart better training quality for the large scale industralisation of the country, the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) and Swiss power major ABB India have signed the MoU to set up a digital simulation lab in Chandigarh.
12. PM Modi to launch National Animal Disease Control Programme
Taking a step closer towards realising the electoral promise of doubling farm income by 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) for eradicating the foot and mouth disease and brucellosis in livestock.
13. Centre sets up 3-member panel to oversee bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories
Centre has set up a three-member panel to oversee the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. In a tweet, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the committee will look into the distribution of assets and liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir between two successor Union territories, which will come into existence on 31st of October this year.
14. Tata Group to invest ₹300 crore to set up Indian Institute of Skills
The ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship has joined hands with Tata Group to set up an Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Mumbai, in which the latter will invest around ₹300 crore.
Inspired by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the IIS will be developed on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model, with the land coming from the government and capital from he Tata Group.
