GK Update 08th February 2018
By: D.K Chaudhary
1. President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurates Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav
i. The President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 88th Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav of Lord Gomateshwara in Hassan district of Karnataka.
ii. Mahamastakabhisheka of Gommateshwara, who is also known as Bahubali takes place once in 12 years. It is an important Jain pilgrimage centre and lakhs of tourists visit Shravanbelagola to see 57 feet tall monolithic stone statue.
- Karnataka CM- Siddaramaiah, Governor- Vajubhai Vala.
2. Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-II Missile Successfully Test-Fired
i. India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the Army from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, in Odisha.
ii. Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It is a surface-to-surface missile and has a strike range of 350 km.
- S Christopher is the chairman of DRDO.
- DRDO Headquarters in New Delhi.
- General Bipin Rawat is the Present Chief of Army Staff.
3. First-Ever Pelican Festival Held at Atapaka Bird Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh
i. The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to hold the first-of-its-kind, one-day Pelican Festival at the Atapaka Bird Sanctuary on Kolleru.
ii. Kolleru is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country. Atapaka village is located on the borders of the Krishna and the West Godavari districts.
- Andhra Pradesh CM- N Chandrababu Naidu, Governor- ESL Narasimhan.
4. CSE Ranked Top Environment Policy Think Tanks in India
i. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has been ranked the top environment policy think tanks in India while it has secured the 16th position in global rankings, climbing up two positions from the last year.
ii. The rank was given by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
- TTCSP conducts a research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world.
5. Google and NCERT Join Hands to Teach Students Digital Safety
i. Google and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a pact to integrate a course on ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ in information and communication technology curriculum. It was signed on the occasion of Safer Internet Day (06th February).
ii. The curriculum developed by NCERT in collaboration with Google will be used to train students from class I – class XII across 1.4 million schools in India. The curriculum is spread into four themes – being smart, being safe, being a digital citizen and being future ready.
