Daily GK Updates - 27th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Manipur becomes 14^th state to join ‘UDAY’: Manipur has joined the Ujwal DISCOM (distribution company) Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme meant for revival of debt-stressed power distribution utilities and will get benefits of around Rs 263 crore.Manipur is the 14th state to join the UDAY. It is also the first North Eastern state to opt for the UDAY for improving the efficiency of the DISCOM.

2. Haryana to open Yoga Centres at Municipal level: Yoga centres will be opened in all municipal committees, councils and corporations in Haryana. The announcement was made by Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij.

3. Odisha Government approves 3 investment projects worth Rs 874 crore: The Odisha government has approved three projects involving investment of nearly 870 crore rupees. The projects will generate employment potential of 630 persons.The projects are expansion of Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited in Khurda; 2.50 lakh hectolitre capacity brewery plant in Dhenkanal district and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Common User Facility Centre in Jharsuguda district.

4. Lok Sabha passes Child Labour Amendment Bill: The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill was passed by LokSabhawhich prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations except in family business, with the provision for the imprisonment of up to two years for any violation.

5. Centre approves Rs 1601 crore for Skill Development Programme: The Union Government has approved nearly 1600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative 'Himayat'. Under it, youths from both rural and urban areas of J&K would be imparted with training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years.

6. India’s CSIR ranked world’s 12^th best government institute: The Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has been ranked world's 12th best government institution. The institutes were ranked by a prestigious Scimago Institutions Rankings that ranks institutes based on the research performance, innovation and social impact.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Brazil free of Measles: WHO: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the last year. Brazil saw no domestic cases of measles from 1985 to 2000, although it broke out in 2013 in the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Ceara.

2. IOM becomes part of United Nations: The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution approving an agreement to make the International Organisation for Migration part of the UN as a related organisation. IOM, which assisted an estimated 20 million migrants in 2015, is an intergovernmental organisation with more than 9,500 staff and 450 offices worldwide. The headquarters of the United Nations is in Manhattan, New York City, and experiences extraterritoriality.

3. LeEco acquires Vizio for $2 billion: Chinese electronics firm LeEco is buying American TV manufacturer Vizio for $2 billion. As per the deal, VIZIO hardware and software businesses will be owned and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of LeEco.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI slaps penalty on UCO Bank, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India and Canara Bank: RBI has imposed penalty of Rs 2 crore each on Allahabad Bank and UCO Bank and Rs 1 crore on Bank of India for violation of anti-money laundering norms.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed an aggregate penalty of Rs. 2 crore on Canara Bank.

SPORTS:

2. MuttaiahMuralitharan to enter ICC Hall of Fame: Spin legend MuttaiahMuralitharan will be the first Sri Lankan to be included in the ICC's Hall of Fame. Australia's Arthur Morris, Karen Rolton and George Lohmann of England are the three along with Muralitharan to share the honours.

3. BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur to join Territorial Army: BJP MP and Anurag Thakur will be commissioned into the Territorial Army (TA) as a regular officer on 29th July 2016.

AWARDS:

4. Bezwada Wilson and T M Krishna win Ramon Magsaysay Award: Classical singer ThodurMadabusi Krishna and National Convenor of SafaiKarmachariAndolan Bezwada Wilson featured in this year's list of winners of the coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's.

OBITUARIES:

5. Former diplomat ArundhatiGhose passes away at the age of 76: Veteran diplomat ArundhatiGhose, who led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996, passed away here early on Tuesday aged 76.