Daily GK Updates - 25th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rishi Gaur appointed as Country President of Sodexho India on-site services:

Rishi Gaur was on 23 November 2015 appointed as Country President of Support services company Sodexho India On-site Services with effect from 1 September 2015. Prior to joining Sodexho, Gaur was associated with WNS Global Services, Accenture and CITIL across various functional areas. He has a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT-Varanasi and a Post-Graduate degree in Management from IIM Ahmedabad.

2. Urban Development Minister launched portal for small traders’ e-Lala

Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on 23 November 2015 inaugurated ‘e-lala’, an e-commerce portal of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in New Delhi. The e-lala initiative is aimed at promoting the interests of 5.77 crore small businesses in the context of rapid expansion of e-commerce in the country. E-lala will enable physical stores to have their own online stores enabling them to retain their customer base besides additional source of growth in business. E-lala, a city and location based portal, seeks to promote business-to-business and trader-to-customer transactions in a city. It seeks to eliminate middlemen and resulting in reduced cost of goods and services. With the emerging global threat from e-commerce to small traders, e-lala initiative will address the problem with proper outreach and marketing strategies.

3. Foodpanda ties up with IRCTC

IRCTC is Indian railways’ catering, tourism and online ticketing platform. Passengers can now order meals of their choice through foodpanda’s aggregator model from a wide variety of cuisine options. To ensure that food reaches consumers in the best condition, food panda will deploy its own delivery fleet to fulfill all deliveries. The service will be initially launched at the New Delhi Railway station post and then it will be rolled out in Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Swati Dandekar appointed Executive Director to Asian Development     Bank by Obama

Indian-American politician Swati Dandekar was on 20 November 2015 nominated as executive director to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with ambassadorial rank by US President Barack Obama. Dandekar, 64, will succeed Robert M Orr, who has held the position since 2010. Dandekar will serve as one of 12 international directors and hold the title of ambassador. 

2. Argentina’s President-elect Macri promises an end to divisive politics

Mauricio Marci has upended Argentina's political establishment by defeating the ruling leftist party, in power for more than 12 years, in Sunday's election. Marci has promised market-oriented reforms to revive the economy. These could include currency devaluation, lower energy subsides, and easing protectionist policies like currency controls. He is also likely to distance Argentina from Latin America's hard-left governments like that of Venezuela.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

1. Ratan Tata invests in Singapore startup Crayon Data:

Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata has invested an undisclosed amount in Singapore-based big data company Crayon Data. The investment was made in his personal capacity. 

OBITUARIES:

2. Noted litterateur Surendra Upadhyay passes away :

Noted litterateur and former chairman of Rajasthan Brijbhasha Academy, Professor Surendra Upadhyay died due to cardiac arrest. 

3. Noted labour economist T. S. Papola passes away:

Noted labour economist Dr. T.S. Papola passed away in New Delhi. He was 74. He had served as an advisor with the erstwhile Planning Commission of Union Government for eight years from 1987 to 1995.

SPORTS:

4.  Hockey India announces NTPC as sponsors:

Hockey India, the apex organization governing field hockey in India, has announced NTPC Limited, the largest power utility of the country as an Official Partner for the Hero Hockey World League Final 2015. The Hero Hockey World League Final will be played at the newly inaugurated Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Hockey Stadium, Raipur, India from the 27th November- 6th December 2015.

AWARDS:

5. Kuldip Nayar got Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement award

Kuldip Nayar, a veteran journalist and author was honoured with Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award in Delhi. He has authored many famous books such as Distant Neighbors: A Tale of the Subcontinent, India after Nehru, India House, and The Judgment: Inside story of the emergency in India, The Martyr: Bhagat Singh Experiments in Revolution etc.