Daily GK Potion – 1st to 3rd August 2015

1. Government signs landmark Nagaland peace treaty with NSCN(I-M)
   • With an aim of ending insurgency in Nagaland, government today signed an accord with key outfit NSCN(IM) which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a “historic” step to usher in peace in the state.
   • The signing of the pact is the culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with first breakthrough in 1997 when ceasefire agreement was sealed.
   • Describing the accord as “historic”, Modi said, “Today, we mark not merely the end of a problem, but the beginning of a new future.”
2. India to host meeting of 14 Pacific island nations
   • On August 21, India will host the heads of 14 island nations at the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), in what is seen as a first step towards greater engagement with the region, which is important from an economic and geostrategic standpoint.
   • The upcoming summit in Jaipur is expected to pave the way for agreements in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, solar energy, e-networks for coordination in telemedicine and tele-education, space cooperation and climate change.
3. India women’s recurve team claims silver in World Archery Championship
   • The Indian women’s recurve archery team of Deepika Kumari, Laxmirani Majhi and Rimil Buriuly had to settle for the silver as they lost the World Championship final 4-5 to Russia in an edge-of-the-seat encounter at the Christiansborg Palace.
4. Spices Board launches subsidy scheme to boost production
   • The Spices Board has launched a raft of measures to support farmers by offering various subsidies and sensitise them on the need to enhance the quality of spices through post-harvest improvement techniques, as a part of boosting spices production in the country.
   • Under the new schemes, cultivators of small cardamom in Kerala and Tamil Nadu would be provided with a sum of  Rs.70,000 a   hectare for replanting, while farmers in Karnataka would get up to Rs.50,000 a hectare. The cultivators would also be given aid for planting material production.
   • Besides, they would be given a subsidy of Rs.1 lakh for purchasing improved cardamom curing devices and 50 per cent subsidy for GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) kits and bee-keeping boxes.
• Under the Board’s farm mechanisation programme, small cardamom growers in these states would be given  50 per cent subsidy for purchasing equipment for plant protection and washing, grading and polishing cardamom.
5. Indian Autistic Golfer Ranveer Singh Wins Gold Medal in Special Olympics
   • Golfer Ranveer Singh Saini created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.
   • The 14-year-old autistic golfer achieved the feat in GF Golf-Level 2 Alternate Shot Team Play event.
6. India to produce at least dozen billionaires among start-ups by 2020, says Assocham
   • India is expected to produce at least a score of billionaires and many times millionaires among the start-ups in the next five years with e-commerce, financial services and other technology driven fields generating the maximum interest, an Assocham study on start-ups has pointed out.
   • It said the maximum of value creation is expected in the fledgling e-commerce, music-entertainment, payment gate-ways and city transport aggregators such as radio taxis.
7. First National Handloom Day to be celebrated on 7th August, 2015
   • The Central Government has decided to declare 7th August as National Handloom Day every year beginning from this year 2015, throughout the country.
   • The first National Handloom Day will be launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in Chennai on 7th August, 2015.
   • Observance of National Handloom Day would generate awareness about the importance of handloom industry as a part of our rich heritage and culture, promote handloom products and lead to increase in income of weavers as well as enhance their confidence and pride.
8. Tamil Nadu to institute award in memory of Abdul Kalam, celebrate his birth anniversary as Youth Awakening Day
   • Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has announced that an award named after late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam would be given away to an individual in recognition of his or her contribution in scientific development, humanities and students’ welfare.
   • The chief minister said her government was taking several initiatives on the basis of the principle “Vibrant India; Prosperous Tamil Nadu.”
   • The award will be given away every year during Independence Day. It will carry a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a gold medal weighing eight gram and a certificate

Read next : Daily GK Potion – 4th and 5th August 2015 ››

Read previous: « Daily GK Potion – 31st July 2015

« Back to current affairs