Daily GK Updates - 23rd August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Himachal Pradesh assembly ratifies GST Bill: The Bill was introduced by CM Virbhadra Singh on the first day of five-day monsoon session. Himachal Pradesh has become the fourth after Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand to ratify the Bill.

2. JagdishMukhi sworn in as Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar.

3. BrajendraNavnit, V Sheshadri appointed as Joint Secretaries of PMO: Senior IAS officers BrajendraNavnit and V Sheshadri have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in PMO as part of massive mid-level reshuffle.

4. Bajaj Finance ties up with India Post to facilitate two-wheeler purchase: Bajaj Finance Limited, a motorcycle finance company, has partnered with India Post to facilitate purchase of vehicles in Karnataka.

5. Telangana Government to create 17 new districts in October: The two-year-old Telangana government has issued draft notification on rearranging district borders to create 17 new districts.

6. Mahindra AMC launches new scheme:Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched an open ended scheme, which will generate long-term capital appreciation through a diversified portfolio of equity and equity related securities. Mahindra Mutual Fund KarBachatYojana - an open ended ELSS Scheme - with a three year lock-in period.

7. V P Singh Badnore sworn in as Punjab Governor.

8. Catholic Syrian Bank MD quits: Anand Krishnamurthy, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Kerala-based Catholic Syrian Bank, has submitted his resignation, a year after taking over the posts.

9. Government set to ban cash transactions of over Rs 3 lakh: The government is set to ban cash transactions over Rs 3 lakh as it seeks to clamp down on black money in the economy following recommendations from the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team.

10. GAIL signs MoU with Bloom Energy for fuel cell power generation: State-run GAIL (India) Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with California-based Bloom Energy for developing natural gas-based fuel cell power generation.

11. Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal launches mobile app for farmers: The app will provide basic information on weather updates, crop prices and expert advices. Praising the Agriculture Department initiative, he said this would go a long way to keep the farmers abreast with the changing agricultural practices and marketing support, coupled with the latest agronomical techniques to enhance productivity.

11. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to sign agreement with bankers for External Commercial Borrowing: Mumbai based container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port has signed an agreement with State Bank of India and Development Bank of Singapore for External Commercial Borrowing to the tune of USD 400 Million under External Commercial Borrowings.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China launches first Tibetan-language search engine: China has launched its first Tibetan-language search engine 'Yongzin'. The search engine will serve as a unified portal for all major Tibetan-language websites in China.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Ashok Chawla to take over as YES Bank non-executive chairman.

2. Mobikwik launches partial payment for bus ticket booking: The new entrant in the bus booking industry MobiKwik today announced its industry first initiatives to capture the lead position in the industry by end of 2016.

SPORTS:

3. National Sports Awards 2016: Rio Olympics 2016 medalists PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling) have been chosen for KhelRatna award for 2016. The highest sporting award of India will also be given to DipaKarmakar and JituRai. DipaKarmakar's coach Bisweshwar Nandi will be awarded Dronacharya Award for 2016.

4. Ahmedabad to host 2016 Kabaddi World Cup: Gujarat will play host to 12 kabaddi teams from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya, besides hosts India.

5. VikashAnand wins premier title in National Racing: Chennai hailed VikashAnand won a double to clinch the title in the MRF Formula 1600 category and a ticket for the Mazda Road to Indy shootout as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded in Chennai.

AWARDS:

6. Asian Filmmaker Award posthumously for Kiarostami at Busan: Late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has been selected for the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Busan International Film Festival. He passed away on July 4 at the age of 76.