General Knowledge Current Affairs

Sunday, April 21, 2019

First Indian woman scientist in London's Royal Society

Gagandeep Kang is the first Indian woman scientist to be selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Gagandeep Kang is a clinician scientist and a professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences at the famous Christian Medical College, Vellore. She is the current executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, which is an autonomous institution under the department of biotechnology of the science and technology ministry. Before Kang, two Indian origin women scientists - British microscopist Pratibha Gai (2016) and American microbiologist Lalita Ramakrishnan (2018) - had received the honour.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony for the Years 2014, 2015 and 2016

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Chhayanaut (a cultural organisation of Bangladesh) and Shri Ram Vanji Sutar respectively. Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh is a highly accomplished and senior most guru, exponent, chorographer, prolific writer and scholar of Manipuri dance. His name is synonymous with the propagation of Manipuri dance both in and outside Manipur. Chhayanaut is a cultural organization of Bangladesh which has played a leading role in the promotion of Tagore’s works and Bangla arts and literature not only within Bangladesh, but all across the world. It has also rushed to the aid of people at times of famines, floods or riots, bringing people together to resolve crisis with songs of protest on their lips. Shri Ram Vanji Sutar is a renowned sculptor and scholar. He has made more than 600 monumental sculptures in last eighty years. He has sculptured the mammoth 182 meter high statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the world’s tallest statue (The Statue of Unity) which has recently been installed at Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat.

Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is appointed as Chief of Naval Staff

The Government have appointed Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, presently Flag Officer Commander-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Eastern Naval Command as next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from afternoon of May 31, 2019. The present Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba retires on the same day. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

India Bags First Prize at The International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has won the First Prize in the category of TV Cinema Spot at the prestigious international Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019. The Golden City Gate Tourism Multi-media Awards are given annually in various categories related to the Tourism and Hospitality sectors. The ‘Golden City Gate’ is a creative multi-media international competition for countries, cities, regions and hotels. The entries received for the awards are judged by an international jury comprising film and tourism experts. The annual award ceremony takes place at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading tourism trade show.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

PM Modi launches Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in Gujarat. He also distributed the PM-SYM pension cards to select beneficiaries. Over two crore workers at three lakh Common Service Centers across the country witnessed the launch event through video conference Terming it as a historic day, the Prime Minister dedicated PM-SYM Yojana to the forty two crore strong unorganized sector workers in the country. He said that the scheme will assure a monthly pension of Rs.3000 for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age. It is for the first time since independence that such a scheme is envisaged for the crores of workers engaged in the informal sector.

Monday, March 4, 2019

PM launches One Nation, One Card in Ahmedabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched One Nation, One Card for transport mobility at a function in Ahmedabad today. The Indigenous Automatic Fare Collection System based on One Nation One Card Model i.e. National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is the first of its kind in India. India’s First Indigenously Developed Payment Eco-system for transport consisting of NCMC Card, SWEEKAR (Swachalit Kiraya: Automatic Fare Collection System) and SWAGAT (Swachalit Gate) is ased on NCMC Standards. These are bank issued cards on Debit/Credit/Prepaid card product platform. The customer may use this single card for payments across all segments including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail. The stored value on card supports offline transaction across all travel needs with minimal financial risk to involved stakeholders. The service area feature of this card supports operator specific applications e.g. monthly passes, season tickets etc.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Apurvi Chandela wins gold in 10m air rifle

Apurvi Chandela shattered the world record on her way to the gold medal in women’s 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. The Indian shot an astonishing 252.9 to win the top prize on day one of the competitions at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Apurvi Chandela became the only Indian shooter to qualify for the 10m Women Air Rifle final. She finished at the 4th spot in the Qualification round with 629.3 Anjum Moudgil and Elavenil Valarivan did not qualify for the final.