GK & Current Affairs Daily Online Free Practice Quiz for 18th Oct 2019

Mastercard and its brand ambassador MS Dhoni have launched Team Cashless India campaign. It aims to bring more merchants and customers on board to boost digital payments in India. The move is in line with Mastercard’s endeavor to create an ecosystem that encourages users to use digital payments for their day-to-day purchases.

Debayan Saha, an Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur graduate, has invented a device called PM 2.5. The device aims to curb air pollution. The device, when fitted near the silencer pipe in vehicles, will curb air pollution.

Uttar Pradesh State government is planning to organize India’s first training and performance program of world-famous KHON Ramlila. It is a masked form of Ramlila art of Thailand. The program will be organized by the Culture Department of Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with the Thai government.

India is the sixth-largest producer of coffee in the world. It produces about 5% of the total world coffee production. Countries like India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal account for almost 33% of the world’s coffee production in Asia.

India ranked third in the 2019 Hurun Global Unicorn List. It accounts for 21 of the world’s 494 unicorns. China topped the list with 206 Unicorns, followed by the US with 203 Unicorns. The first edition of the Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019 was released by the Hurun Research Institute.

Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on 15 October every year. The Day is observed to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap. It also encourages people to hand as it is an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Kiran Uniyal, the wife of Colonel of Indian Army, has created Individual Guinness World Records for almost full contact knee strikes (one leg) (female) in 3 minutes with 263 strikes and The most full contact knee strikes alternate legs in one minute with 120 strikes.

ICICI Bank has launched a new fixed deposit scheme of ‘FD Health’, offering the dual benefit of investment growth via FD and protection through a critical illness coverage. The customers will be offered the insurance cover free of cost for the first year and thereafter, they can renew it.

Every year International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated on October 17. Father Joseph Wresinski, born to immigrant parents in a poor neighbourhood of France grew up in chronic poverty and was ordained a priest in 1946, was the major inspiration to commemorate the day. He urged the United Nations to declare the IDEP. And, then in 1987, Father Joseph Wresinski unveiled a commemorative stone honouring victim of poverty, hunger, violence and fear in presence of more than 100,000 people at the Human Rights and Liberties Plaza, Paris, France. United Nations then declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) in 1992. The theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2019 is: Acting together to Empower Children, their families and Communities to End PovertySDG and Poverty.

Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, Sitting District & Sessions Judge (North East) of the Delhi’s Karkardooma Courts, has been appointed as the new Union Law Secretary.It is the first time a sitting judge has been appointed as Law Secretary.AK Mendiratta will be on this post till March 30, 2023, or until he attains the age of 60, whichever is earlier.

Conference on ‘One Nation One Tag – FASTag was inaugurated by Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi. The conference is held to roll out the process for having a unified electronic system across the country. V.K Singh, MoS Road Transport and Highways, Gen. (Retd.), ministers and senior officials from several states were also present on the occasion.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced global economic growth forecast to 3 percent during 2019-20. IMF estimated India’s GDP growth for the year 2019-20 to 6.1 percent.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Food Safety Mitra Scheme to engage motivated individuals with the food safety ecosystem at ground level. He also launched Eat Right Jacket and Eat Right Jhola.

The Indian Army organized Sangam Youth Festival at Bhaderwah in Jammu and Kashmir. About 1500 students of 32 different colleges and universities participated in the Sangam Youth Festival held in Jammu and Kashmir.

Argentine footballer Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Shoe Award for the sixth time for scoring 36 goals for Barcelona. He is the first player to win this award for three consecutive years.