Focus Merit

Category: All Current Affairs

Germany’s 1966 World Cup goal-keeper Hans Tilkowski passes away

January 7, 2020

Hans Tilkowski, the West Germany goal-keeper in the 1966 World Cup final against England passes away at age 84. Tilkowski was best known outside Germany for conceding England’s third goal in extra time in the 1966 final, with the score at 2-2, when Geoff Hurst’s shot hit the bar and bounced downward. The decision to award the goal started decades of debate and much-disputed video analysis. Tilkowski always said he was sure the ball did not fully cross the line.

Veteran former Italy international, Daniele De Rossi announces retirement

January 7, 2020

AS Roma legend and World Cup winner – Veteran former Italy international, Daniele De Rossi announced his retirement from football , just six months after joining Argentine giants Boca Juniors. De Rossi played only seven matches for the Buenos Aires outfit, scoring once, but stated that he needed to return home for family reasons.

Lucknow: PM Modi to inaugurate Defence Expo 2020

January 7, 2020

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that ‘Defence Expo-2020’ will be held in Lucknow in February this year. Defence Expo 2020 will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5. The theme of the Defence Expo India – 2020 will be ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’ and focus will be on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.

Uttar Pradesh will become a destination for defence manufacturing and aerospace manufacturing. This is only the second time that the biennial event will be held outside Bengaluru. In 2018, Chennai hosted the biennial show for the first time ever. A number of foreign defence firms will bring their top-tier products to the Def Expo. The event offers an opportunity for Indian firms to get engaged in Business-to-Business (B2B) interaction with foreign companies.

‘Retinuz’ App for visually challenged to read currency

January 7, 2020

Retinuz, an Android mobile application using artificial intelligence, can rightly identify the denomination of the newly introduced currency notes for visually challenged at a single tap. It can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store.

Retinuz comes alongside Reserve Bank’s MANI (Mobile Aided Note Identifier). Both apps scan currency notes, identify them and read out the information, but Retinuz can be used offline, unlike MANI. Retinuz works at night as well, as the app automatically switches on the torch on the mobile phone to scan the currency notes. The app scanner reads the colour pattern and width of the printed denomination for identification.

Isro-Astrophysics Institute partners to set up optical telescope

January 7, 2020

The Indian Space Research Organization signed a pact with Indian Institute of Astrophysics to establish an optical telescope under “Project NETRA”. The organisation also tied up with NIT-Karnataka to set up a regional academic centre for space to promote research and development.

Project NETRA was launched by ISRO in September 2019. Under the Project, ISRO plans to set up observational facilities that will help in making early warnings to satellites about debris and hazards in their orbit. It includes radars, telescopes, control centres and data processing units. The aim is to make the facilities powerful enough to track even the smallest particle of 10 cm diameter up to a range of 3,400 km.

Apart from ISRO, DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation) operates NETRA (Network Traffic Analysis). It is a software network used to analyse internet traffic. It is used by Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other intelligence agencies of Government of India.

PayPal unveils Adoption Assistance Programme

January 7, 2020

Digital payments player PayPal has unveiled a new adoption assistance programme aimed at enhancing the parental support benefits for employees. The new policy will offer financial support of upto Rs one lakh per adoption for adoptive parents. This covers reimbursement of adoption expenses such as CARA registration, child placement, foster care and establishment of legal guardianship.

PayPal stated that it offers paid adoption leave of 16 weeks for female employees and paternity leave of two weeks. The move is a part of the company’s endeavour to ensure a work-life balance for employees keeping in mind the evolving family dynamics and work culture

Indian Bank signs MoU with Women Entrepreneurs Welfare Association

January 7, 2020

The Indian bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Women Entrepreneurs Welfare Association (WEWA) of Tamil Nadu(TN) to provide training and credit linkage to its women entrepreneurs to establish business.

The Indian bank will provide loans to the WEWA members at discounted rates. Training will be given to the WEWA members in the INDSETIs (Indian Bank Self Employment Training Institutes).

Wipro partners up with HAL to make 3D-printed aircraft parts

January 7, 2020

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Wipro 3D, the metal additive manufacturing business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, have partnered to develop 3D-printed components that could potentially be used on aircraft manufactured by state-run HAL. Wipro 3D is the first Indian company to locally develop an industry-grade metal-additive 3D-printing machine, jointly with the Indian Institution of Science.

As part of the memorandum of understanding, HAL and Wipro 3D will jointly design, develop, prove out, manufacture and repair aerospace components using metal 3D printing technology. This initiative between HAL and Wipro 3D will create a unique synergy of capabilities that can accelerate the adoption of metal additive manufacturing in aerospace in India. Metal 3D printing has the potential to play a significant role in the success of national aerospace and defence platforms including HAL’s own needs. Globally, the aerospace industry has been one of the foremost adopters of metal 3D printing.

IRDA introduces a standard health cover policy ‘Arogya Sanjeevani’

January 7, 2020

The ‘Arogya Sanjeevani’ policy is a first of its kind standard health insurance product. As per the guidelines issued by the IRDAI, every general and standalone health insurer should offer a standard health product, the Arogya Sanjeevani Policy, with a minimum sum insured of Rs 1 lakh, with a upper limit of Rs 5 lakh. The policy term will be for one year. The minimum entry age will be 18 years with lifelong renewability and there is no exit age.

The policy covers 22 diseases and treatments with a varying waiting period of from 24 to 48 months. It will be offered on indemnity basis, and should not be combined with critical illness covers or benefit-based covers. The premium under this product will be the same across India, and no geographic location and pricing will be allowed. The insurers will now come up with product filing to the regulator and will have to offer it from April 1, 2020.

West Bengal Govt to provide insurance coverage to Ganga Sagar pilgrims

January 7, 2020

The West Bengal Government will provide insurance coverage of five lakh rupees each to the Ganga Sagar pilgrims. The administration has done necessary arrangements for drinking water supply and accommodation facilities for the devotees.

Thousands of pilgrims assemble at Sagar Island to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Hooghly River and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and offer Pooja at the Kapil Muni temple.