Daily GK Updates - 6th September, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.   Government announces ‘One Rank One Pension’ but veterans reject key provisions: It said that OROP for the ex-servicemen will be implemented with effect from July 1, 2014, which will cost around Rs 10,000 crore to the exchequer per year. The expenditure of arrears would also be around Rs 10,000 to 12,000 crore. The Congress and the veterans, however, have rejected the government’s announcement and said the government has rejected six of their demands and about 46% of the ex-servicemen, who took VRS, will be hit by the decision.

II.      ICAR and NRC for Orchids, to work for commercialisation of organic Orchid cultivation in Sikkim: Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Nation Research Centre for Orchids have join hands for commercialisation of organic Orchid cultivation in Sikkim. Sikkim is home to a number of varieties of Orchids and hence is also known as the Orchid Capital of India.

III.      Government to invest Rs 8.5 lakh crore in Railways: The decision was announced at the 55^th Annual convention of Automotive Component Manufacturers of India in New Delhi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 I.       China and Tajikistan agreed to $500 mn currency swap deal: China and Tajikistan have agreed to 3.2 billion Yuan ($500 mn) currency swap deal. The deal signed by the central banks of both the countries will last for three years.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

 I.        HDFC Bank rolls out its CSR campaign in Odisha: It has rolled out its educational film ‘Dhanchayat’ in Odisha which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of borrowing money from the unorganised sector, particularly in rural areas. This film has been launched under the aegis of ‘Swachh Banking’, the bank’s latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

SPORTS:

II.       Narang achieves No.1 spot in Asian Ranking, Jitu is No.2: GaganNarang of India has achieved the number one spot in men’s 50m rifle prone shooting category in Asia and Pistol King JituRai was placed number 2 in men’s 50m pistol shooting.

III.     Vikas settles for silver in Asian Championships: Indian boxer Vikas Krishnan (75 kg) fought his heart out but still fell short as he settled for the silver medal at the Asian Championships.

AWARDS:

IV.      17^th century Pune temple gets UNESCO award: ParvatiNandanGanpati Temple, a 17^th century temple has been recognised with an ‘Honourable Mention’ in the 2015 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.