Fortune's Businessperson of the Year 2020

• The Fortune ranked Shantanu Narayen, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Adobe in 8th position and Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard in 9th position in its list of Businessperson of the Year 2020.

• The list is topped by Elon Musk, co-founder & CEO of Tesla. He is also CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.(SpaceX). He tops the list for the second time.

• Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Launched the Upgraded USGI PULZ Mobile App

• The Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited, a non-life insurance company launched the upgraded Mobile application - USGI PULZ to enhance service delivery. The Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture of Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Karnataka Bank Ltd, Dabur Investment Corporation and Sompo Japan Insurance Inc, a leading general insurer from Japan.

• The app helps you to view motor and health insurance policy details, download policy documents, renew policies, file claims and track claim status online.

About Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited:

• MD & CEO- Sharad Mathur
• Headquarters, Mumbai, Maharashtra

RIL Tops 2020 Fortune 500 Ranking List of Indian Companies

• Fortune India announced the 2020 Fortune 500 Ranking List of Indian companies. The list is topped by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) with revenue of Rs 615,854.00 crore. RIL retains the top rank for the 2nd time.

• The 500th position is secured by IOL Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals with Rs 1,889.53 crore revenue. RIL, IOCL, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, SBI and Bharat Petroleum Corporation made into the 2020 Fortune Global 500 List.

• About Fortune India 500:

• It is a ranking of the top 500 corporations in India compiled on the basis of latest sales and gross revenue figures.

• 1st issue of Fortune India was published in September 2010 with Dibyendra Nath Mukerjea as the editor and Pavan Varshnei as the president.

• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal constitutes Task Force to impart Technical Education in Mother Tongue

• Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' constituted a Task Force for preparing a blueprint on imparting Technical Education in Mother Tongue. The Task Force will be headed by Secretary of Higher Education (Amit Khare).

• The Task Force will submit a report in 1 month based on suggestions made by various stakeholders. The NEP 2020 had mandated that the Medium of instruction up to Grade 5, which can be extended till Grade 8 will be in Mother Tongue/Regional Language.

Kuldeep Handoo appointed as "Fit India" movement ambassador

• Srinagar born Wushu coach and the first Dronacharya Awardee from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Kuldeep Handoo is appointed as the Ambassador of Fit India movement.

• Kuldeep Handoo born in Srinagar, is the first recipient form the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to receive Dronacharya Award

• A former Wushu Athlete who won 11 gold medals in National and 6 in International stage, is the Wushu coach of Team India.

• He also serves as Inspector of police in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Kuldeep Handoo received other awards such as Jammu and Kashmir Police medal award, for meritorious service, The Parshuram Award, an honour of sports in the state of Himachal Pradesh

IAF Carries out Firing of Surface-to-Air Missiles Akash, Igla in Suryalanka, Andhra Pradesh

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out the Firing of Indigenously Developed Akash Missile System (Surface-to-Air Missile) & Russian-origin Short-Range Igla Missile (Surface-to-Air Missile) as part of a drill which took place at Air Force Station in Suryalanka, Andhra Pradesh.

• Both the Akash Missile System & Short Range Igla Missiles were fired

Akash Missile System:

• It is a Nuclear Capable Missile Defence System developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). It is India's first indigenous missile designed by DRDO.

• It can fly upto a speed of 860 meters per second (Mach 2.5) and can target jets, drones, Air-to-Surface Missiles & Ballistic Missiles.

• It can be Launched from both tanks and trucks and has a range of 30 Kms. It is in operational service with both the Indian Army and IAF.

Igla Missile:

• The Igla Missile is a Russian man-portable infrared homing Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM). They are possessed by both Indian Army and IAF.

IIT Kanpur Researchers Develop "Damaru" Inspired Lattice for Vibration Isolation in High Speed Trains and Stealth Submarines

• Under the SPARC project of Ministry of Education, IIT Kanpur researchers develop a 'Dambaru' or 'Damaru' inspired lattice, which shows tremendous application in vibration isolation in high speed trains, Stealth submarines and Helicopters rotors.

• The hour-glass shaped meta-structure provides superior absorption of electromagnetic and sonic waves.

• Theoretically, this absorption could provide "invisibility" of an object either in optical or in acoustic domain.

• The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) promotes research ecosystem of India's Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating collaboration between Indian Institutions and World's best institutions.

• The Ministry of Education provides funds for infrastructure development and as scholarship to the research fellows.

Assam Proposed to set up its 6th National Park - "Raimona National Park" in the Ripu Reserved Forest

• The Assam government has proposed to establish its 6th National park, the "Raimona National Park" in the Ripu Reserved Forest of the state which was severely damaged due to militancy.

• The proposal to upgrade an area of 422 square kilometer notified Ripu Reserve forest under Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve into Raimona National Park has been submitted to Jagadish Mukhi, the governor of Assam.

• The Ripu Reserved Forest is a part of the buffer zone of the Manas National Park along the borders of Bhutan.

The Ripu forest along with the Chirang Reserve forest has the largest known population of endangered golden langur.

• Around 30% of this reserve forest has been encroached and cut down since 1989 due to the insurgency related issues.

• National Parks- Kaziranga National Parks, Manas National Parks, Dibru-Saikhowa National Parks, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Parks.

Uday Shankar elected as the President of FICCI;Succeeds Sangita Reddy

• The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) elected Uday Shankar as its President for the year 2020-21.He will succeed Sangita Reddy. Mr. Shankar is the first person from the media and entertainment industry to lead a national industry chamber like FICCI.

• Uday Shankar (58) is the outgoing president of The Walt Disney Company for Asia Pacific and the chairman of Star and Disney India.

• He also serves as the Vice-President of FICCI.

• Created Hotstar, now globally expanded as Disney+ Hotstar.

• Earlier served as the President of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and chairman of FICCI's Media and Entertainment Committee.

• As the Editor and news director at TV Today Group, he launched Aaj Tak in 2000 and Headlines Today in 2003

Maharashtra Government approves Proposal to rename Residential Colonies with Caste-Based Names

• The Maharashtra cabinet cleared a proposal to rename all the residential settlements and localities in the state based on caste names.

• It has been done with an aim to maintain social harmony and national unity. They will now be given names like Samata Nagar, Bhim Nagar, Jyoti Nagar, Shahu Nagar, Kranti Nagar.

Facebook-Backed Libra Association Renamed Itself as Diem

• Libra Association, a Facebook-backed digital payment group has renamed itself as 'Diem'.

• It's currency name has also been changed from Libra currency to Diem. Diem will be backed by government currency. Diem, which means "day" in Latin, now aims to initially launch a single dollar-backed digital coin.

Shia Cleric & Scholar Maulana Kalbe Sadiq Passed Away at 83

• Prominent Shia cleric and Islamic scholar Maulana Kalbe Sadiq passed away at the age of 83 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

• He was an educationist, philanthropist, who served as the senior vice president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).

• He was described as India's "second Sir Syed Ahmad Khan".

HDFC Life in Association with Ketto India has Initiated 'PromisewalaDabba'

• HDFC Life in association with Ketto India has initiated 'PromisewalaDabba', a nationwide crowdfunding campaign. This is to support the Dabbawalas of Mumbai, who have been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown.

• As part of the campaign, a PromisewalaDabba will be delivered that includes essential supplies such as staple food ingredients, spices and accompaniments, sanitizers and toiletries to their homes.

Virat Kohli – Quickest Batsman to score 12, 000 runs:

• Virat Kohli became the Quickest Batsman to reach 12, 000 runs in ODIS.

• He has taken 242 innings to achieve this record. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record of reaching 12, 000 runs in 300 innings

• Kohli is the 6th player to reach 12,000 runs list, the others are Sachin Tendulkar (India), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) & Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka).

• Virat Kohli - Fastest Batsman to score 22, 000 runs:

• Virat Kohli became the Fastest Batsman to score 22,000 International runs, he has taken 462 international innings to achieve the record.

• He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar who took 493 international innings to achieve the record.

• Kohli is the Third Indian after Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and the 8th Batsman in the history of International Cricket to make it to 22000 plus runs for the club.

• Others in the List are Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis (South Africa) Dravid, Brian Lara (West Indies) & Sachin Tendulkar.

Japan to host 7-team FIFA Club World Cup in 2021

• FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) announced that Japan will host the existing Seven-Team format of FIFA Club World Cup in December, 2021. It will be the 18th Edition of FIFA Club World Cup.

• The year 2021 will witness 2 FIFA Club World Cup Tournaments - The 2020 Edition FIFA Club World Cup (17th Edition) will be held in Qatar from February 1-11,2021 and the 2021 Edition of FIFA Club World Cup will take place in Japan in December, 2021.

• Originally a redeveloped 24-Team Club World Cup was scheduled to take place in China in 2021, it is now scheduled to take place at a later date.

• About Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA):

• President- Gianni Infantino

• Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland