Daily GK Update: 2nd January 2016

1. DAVA project bags 2015 eASIA award for trade facilitation

i. The Drug Authentication and Verification Application (DAVA) project of The Department of Commerce has won the 2015 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category. The award was announced by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation (APCTF) and Tehran based (Iran) Electronic Business.

ii. The eASIA award is administered by AFACT which aims to development and promotion of trade facilitation, electronic business policies and activities in the Asia Pacific region.

iii. DAVA project was launched by Union Government in June 2015. It seeks to create an integrated platform for implementation of the Track and Trace system for exporters and domestic markets of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. The project aims to cover all the drugs manufactured in India and contribute considerably in enhancing the brand image of our pharmaceutical exporters.

iv. It will also provide simpler platform for the regulatory agencies and consumer for establishing drug authentication. Under this project, the DAVA application has been incorporated with value-added features like availability of stocks for a drug in an area/retailers/ wholesalers at a point of time.

v. Using it drugs can easily be identified and recalled due to traceability of stocks which in turn helps in prevention of black marketing which especially arises during epidemics.

2. Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam conferred 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award

i. Foremost south Indian classical vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam has conferred with prestigious 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award. The prestigious award was bestowed upon him by renowned mathematician Manjul Bhargava at 89th annual conference of the Madras Music Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

ii. With this, he became seventh artistes to be conferred with this award before completing 50 years of age. Others are Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer, G.N. Balasubramaniam, M.L. Vasanthakumari and M. Balamuralikrishna

iii. By profession he is Charted Accountant but in 2000 became full-time musician. He had started performing Carnatic music from 1987. Gaana Padhmam (2013), Vani Kala Sudhakara (2010) and the title Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu Government (2006) etc.

iv. It is a prestigious award bestowed annually upon an expert of Carnatic Music by the Madras Music Academy. The award’s name has been derived from Sanskrit which means treasure of Music and art in English. This honour is considered one of the highest awards in Carnatic music.

3. Government constitute Kamlesh Chandra Committee to study wage structure of Gramin Dak Sevaks

i. The Union Government has constituted a committee to examine the wage structure, service conditions of the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) in the Department of Posts (DoP). It is one member committee comprising of Kamlesh Chandra, Retired Member of Postal Services Board.

ii. The Committee will be assisted by Senior Administrative Grade Officer T.Q. Mohammad who will act as Secretary to the GDS Committee. The Committee will go into the service conditions of GDS and suggest changes as considered necessary. Examine the present system of Branch Post Offices, engagement conditions and existing structure of wage and enrolments paid to the GDS and recommend necessary changes.

iii. Review the existing Services Discharge Benefits Scheme and also other social security benefits for the GDS and suggest necessary changes. Review the existing facilities as well as welfare measures provided to the GDS and suggest necessary changes.

iv. Examine and suggest any changes in the

(a) method of minimum qualification for engagement as GDS.

(b) Conduct and disciplinary rules of GDS, particularly keeping in view the proposed induction of technology in the Rural Post Offices.

4. Indian-origin cancer expert Harpal Singh Kumar knighted

i. An Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar was honoured with a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer. Mr. Singh’s name has appeared in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list that includes several other Indian-origin individuals.

ii. Harpal Singh Kumar was born in India in 1965. He had founded Nexan Group, a venture capital-backed medical devices company in 1997. Later he had joined Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRTL) as chief executive in 2002 and was promoted as COO of Cancer Research UK in 2004.

iii. He is the chairman of the Board at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) and also chairman of the Cancer Outcomes Strategy Advisory Group (COSAG) in England. He has won the Mobil Prize, Metal Box Prize, and Hughes Prize.

iv. Knighthood is one of the highest honours bestowed upon an individual in the UK and it doesn’t carry any military obligations to the sovereign. The knighthoods are conferred by the Queen or a member of the Royal Family acting on her behalf in Britain. Queen usually presents insignia at the ceremony.

5. CMPDI Chairman assumes charge

i. Shekhar Saran has taken over as Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Ranchi-based Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDI) from this month. Prior to this, he served as the Director (Technical) of CMPDI.

ii. A mining engineer and MBA, he started his career in the coal industry from Sohagpur area of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in 1981.

6. Eight states to implement DBT in kerosene from April 1

i. Eight states have agreed to implement direct benefit of transfer in kerosene in 26 districts, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Friday. The scheme will be implemented from April 1, 2016 and till then state governments will be consulted in the run up to the scheme. 

ii The scheme will be implemented in three districts of Chhattisgarh, two in Haryana, three in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jharkhand, four in Madhya Pradesh, two in Maharashtra, three in Punjab and three in Rajasthan.

iii. In these districts, the consumer will pay the un-subsidised price of kerosene at the time of purchase and subsequently the subsidy amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the beneficiary, an official statement said. 

iv. Calculations of the savings will be based on the net savings in kerosene consumption at the state level from the baseline which would be 90 per cent of the 2015-16 allocation. The implementing states will be advised to take all necessary steps to ensure that eligible and genuine beneficiaries particularly in rural areas are able to access the full entitlement of kerosene. 

v. Kerosene subsidy outgo for the financial year 2014-15 was ₹ 24,799 crore. The government expects DBT in kerosene to ensure that genuine beneficiaries get the subsidy benefit while preventing illegal diversion. 

7. Telangana become first state to accept e-motor insurance policies

i. Electronic motor insurance policies are legally accepted by the police and transport authorities in Telangana from today, making it the first state in the country to do so. The e-Vahan Bima, an electronic motor insurance policy issued in digital form with Quick Response (QR) code, has been formally launched here by the Minister for IT, K T Ramarao.

ii. As these policies can be stored and accessed on smart phones, the process of verification will become easier for commuters as well as police. There are 84 lakh vehicles in the state and 50 per cent of them do not have insurance.

iii. Driving a vehicle without a motor third party insurance is an offence under Motor Vehicle Act 1988 as it pays for legal liability in case of any injury or damage to any third party life or property caused by the use of vehicle in a public place.

iv. "The launch of e-Vahan Bima and digital acceptance will help the poor accident victims in the state and also ensure better compliance,’’ Ramarao said after formally launch of the initiative here on Saturday.

v. Going forward, registration certificates of vehicles and driving licences should be verified electronically, he added. The initiative was a joint effort by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) of India, Department of Information Technology, police and transport departments of the state.

8. Film-maker Shyam Benegal to head panel on Censor Board revamp

i. To put an end to recent controversies surrounding the Censor Board, the Centre has set up a Committee headed by noted film-maker Shyam Benegal to work out a revamp plan and submit its report within two months.

ii. Noting that film certification has to ensure that in doing so (giving certification), “artistic creativity and freedom do not get stifled/curtailed and the people tasked with the work of certification understand these nuances,” the committee is expected to provide a “holistic framework and enable those tasked with the work of certification of films to discharge their responsibilities keeping in view this framework,” a statement from Information & Broadcasting Ministry said.

iii. The other members of the Committee are Hindi film director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, adman Piyush Pandey, film critic Bhawana Somaaya, Nina Lath Gupta of National Film Development Corporation and Joint Secretary (Films).

iv. Among other things, the committee would be expected to take note of the “best practices in various parts of the world, especially where the film industry is given sufficient and adequate space for creative and aesthetic expression.”

v. It has been tasked with recommending broad guidelines/procedures under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act/Rules for the benefit of the chairperson and other members of the Screening Committee.

vi. The committee will also look into the staffing pattern of Central Board of Film Certification, known as the Censor Board, and recommend a framework to provide efficient/transparent user-friendly services.