Sunday 20 October 2013

Today's GK (18-10-13)



India and Hungary Signed MoU for Promotion of Traditional Systems of Medicine

India and Hungary signed the bilateral agreement for the promotion and development of traditional systems of medicine on 17 October 2013. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on behalf of India by Santosh Chowdhary, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Zolton Banog, Minister of National Resources of Hungary in the presence of Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India and Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, at Hyderabad House.

Eleanor Catton, 28, New Zealand Author Won the Man Booker Prize 2013

Eleanor Catton, 28, New Zealand author won the Man Booker prize 2013 for her second novel entitled The Luminaries, published by Granta, on 15 October 2013. The prize was given at London’s Guildhall by The Duchess of Cornwall. Eleanor Catton was given a trophy, and Emmanuel Roman along with 50000 Pound.

It is very important to note that she is the last winner of the Man Booker Prize which is presently confined to the writers from the Commonwealth nations, Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Commonwealth of Nations (or just Commonwealth Nations) is actually an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states which were mostly the territories of the British Empire. From 2014, the Man Booker Prize will be opened for the writers from all over the world, provided that the book is in English language.

Eleanor Catton is the youngest novelist to win this literary prize. Apart from this, she has also set the record of the longest winning novel- The Luminaries which is of 852 pages.

Exhibition on Development of the Hungarian Cultural Roots Inaugurated at NGMA

The Secretary, Union Ministry of Culture Ravindra Singh and Minister of Human Resources, Government of Hungary Zoltán Balog on 17 October 2013 inaugurated an exhibition entitled From Organic Forms to Light Art: Selection from the Contemporary Hungarian Art at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi.

Prime Minister Released Book on Indian Painting by Prof. B.N. Goswami


Book: Indian Painting: Themes, History and Interpretations: by Professor B N Goswami

The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh on 18 October 2013 released a book on Indian painting written by Prof. B.N. Goswami in New Delhi.
About Professor B N Goswami

Prof. B.N. Goswami is a distinguished art historian, and a leading authority on Indian art and is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Union Government Appointed G B Pradhan as the Chairperson of the CERC

Union Government of India appointed on 17 October 2013 Gireesh B. Pradhan, former Secretary of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, as the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).

About Gireesh B. Pradhan

• Gireesh B. Pradhan , a Maharashtra Cadre IAS officer of the 1977 batch,
• He retired from the post of Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in June 2013.
• He also served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
•He served in various capacities in the districts of Sholapur, Kolhapur, Shindhudurg and Thane till 1983 after which he moved to the Central Government.

About Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)

• Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is a statutory body functioning under section 76 of the Electricity Act 2003.
•It was initially constituted under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998 on 24 July 1998.

Global Slavery Index 2013 Estimated 30 Million People in the World Affected by Slavery

The inaugural Global Slavery Index published on 17 October 2013 revealed that around 30 million people across the world were living in the modern-day slavery. The Global Slavery Index 2013 was compiled by the Walk Free Foundation. The Walk Free Foundation explained in the meanwhile that India, by far, had the largest population of enslaved people. The problem of slavery was also prominent in West African nation of Mauritania, where the population of the slaves was 4 percent.

The Walk Free Foundation also explained that the annual Global Slavery Index will help all the Governments of the world to tackle with the problem

Union Cabinet approved all-weather Zojila Tunnel Project

The Union Cabinet on 17 October 2013 cleared the proposal for construction of a 14-km tunnel at Zojila pass in Ladakh region. The project envisages construction of an all-weather road involving 9000 crore Rupees investment to ensure undisrupted round-the-year connectivity between Ladakh and Srinagar.

The Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11578 ft on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway (NH-1), which remains closed during the winter season on account of heavy snowfall and inclement weather.

About Zojila Tunnel Project

• The proposed tunnel project passing through Zojila is one of the highest mountain passes in India. Located at an altitude of about 12000 feet on National Highway-1 the Zojila tunnel along with another 6.5 km long tunnel at Z-Morh in Sonmarg will provide road connectivity to Ladak and Srinagar areas round the year.

Sarojini Varadappan, the Renowned Social Worker Died at 92

Sarojini Varadappan, the renowned social worker died on 17 October 2013 in Chennai following a brief illness. She was 92 years old. Sarojini Varadappan was a daughter of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Bhakthavatsalam.

A. Krishnakumar Appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of Philips Electronics India Ltd

The Philips board of management appointed A. Krishnakumar as the Managing Director and CEO of Philips Electronics India Ltd on 17 October 2013.He will take over charge from December 2013.

At present A. Krishnakumar is acting as the President and Head of Philips Healthcare Business.

The Philips board of management also appointed Rajeev Chopra, current CEO and Managing Director of Philips Electronics India Ltd, as Global Head of the Philips Consumer Luminaire Business Group.

Chinese Scientists Developed Li-Fi Technology; Internet through Lightbulbs

Scientists from Fudan University, Shanghai successfully developed Li-Fi Technology-a new cheaper way of getting connected to internet by using signals sent through light bulbs instead of radio frequencies as in ‘Wi-Fi’.

According to the School of Information Science and Technology at Fudan University, researchers modulated Internet signals to a 1watt LED lamp. Under the light, four computers were able to access the Internet.

About Li-Fi Technology

The LED-based alternative to Wi-Fi, dubbed Li-Fi, or Light Fidelity, refers to a type of visible light communication technology that delivers a networked, mobile, high-speed communication solution in a similar manner to Wi-Fi.

As with radio waves, light is also a type of electromagnetic wave. The basic rule for sending and receiving Internet signals via light waves is similar to that for radio waves. Light-emitting diodes are switched on and off much faster than the eye can detect, which makes the light source appear to be continuous.

By adding a microchip to an LED bulb to control on and off switching, the data will flow as binary code: an on LED is a logical "1" while when off it is a logical "0".

The term Li-Fi was coined by Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh in the UK and refers to a type of visible light communication technology that delivers a networked, mobile, high-speed communication solution in a similar manner as Wi-Fi.

Sample Li-Fi kits will be on display at the China International Industry Fair that will kick off on 5 November 2013 in Shanghai.

Manipur Defeated Haryana to Lift 54th Subroto Cup Football Tournament

Radha Madhav Sanskrit Vidhyalaya, Nambol, Bishnupur (Manipur) lifted the Girls' title of the 54th Subroto Cup football tournament on 17 October 2013. The final match was held at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi.

Manipur won against Government Senior Secondary School, Alakhpura, Bhiwani (Haryana) by six goals to four. It is the second time that the Manipur team lifted the Girls’ title of Subroto Cup football tournament.

In the meanwhile, in Under-17 Boys' category, Magurmari High School, Kokrajhar (Assam) edged out Reverend Saiathanga Memorial (Mizoram) to enter in the final. The winners won by a One-Nil margin.

In the Girls’ final match, the match was taken to the penalty shoot-out, where Ratanbala, D Grace, Ranjana Chanu, Ranjibala Devi, Sunita Devi scored for Manipur and Sanju, Munesh and Nisha scored for Haryana.

About the Subroto Cup Football Tournament

• The Subroto Cup Football Tournament is primarily an inter-school football tournament in India, which is named after Indian Air Force Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee.
• The tournament was started in the year 1960 and since then, it is conducted every year.
• It is conducted by the Indian Air Force, with support from India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• The rule of the Subroto Cup Football Tournament is that at first, inter-school tournaments are organised in all the states of India, starting from Sub-division, district and division level culminating in the inter-school finals at the national level. The school teams which win the state inter-school championships are thereafter invited to participate in the main Subroto Mukerjee Cup Tournament at Delhi.
• The Subroto Cup Football Tournament is played on the Knock-out/League format according to the laws and rules relating to Football Association as well as accepted and interpreted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
• The duration of a game in the Subroto Cup Football Tournament is 30 minutes each half with an interval of 5 minutes.

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