Daily GK Updates - 20th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CBDT Clarifies No TDS or Advance Tax Credit for Income under PMGKY:The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on cleared that income declared under PradhanMantriGaribKalyanYojna (PMGKY) would not be entitled to get any credit by way of advance tax paid or the tax deducted at source (TDS) or tax collected at source (TCS). 

2. Government Launches Web-Portal ‘ShaGun’ for Monitoring SarvaShikshaAbhiyan:PrakashJavadekar launched a dedicated web portal ‘ShaGun’ on  for continuous monitoring of the elementary education scheme SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA) and promote the development of education sector of India.

3. PM to address 3 day National Conference in Kutch:Prime Minister NarendraModi has delivered inaugural address on a three-day National Conference of Central and State Ministers and Secretaries of Tourism, Culture and Sports in Kutch, Gujarat.

4. UDAN scheme set for take-off: The first flight is likely to take off next month under the government's ambitious regional connectivity scheme UDAN with the AAI receiving 43 initial proposals from 11 bidders for 190 routes under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN.The scheme UDAN (UdeDeshKeAamNaagrik), seeks to boost regional air connectivity and provides various incentives to airlines..

5. India, UAE to hold 1st strategic dialogue in New Delhi:Ahead of the visit of the UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , who will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day function this year, India UAE is scheduled to hold their first strategic dialogue in New Delhi.

6. PM NarendraModi inaugurates second Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi:Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi inaugurated the second edition of Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. The conference has been organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and Delhi based prestigious think tank Observer Research Foundation.The theme of the three day conference is “The New Normal: Multilateralism in a multipolar world”. 

7. Govt inks MoU with National Yuva Cooperative Society to set up 1,000 JanaushadhiKendras:The government has signed an agreement with the National Yuva Cooperative Society to set up 1,000 JanaushadhiKendras across the country and targets to open such medical stores in every block and gram panchayat to provide quality medicines at an affordable price.

8. Centre releases Rs 2,207cr to J&K as special assistance during current financial year:Centre has sanctioned over 2,207 crore rupees to Jammu and Kashmir as special assistance during current financial year to expedite completion of area-specific schemes. 

9. 10th Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) Begins in Jaipur:The 10th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) was inaugurated Jaipur Literature Festival at the historic Diggi Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan jointly by Chief Minister VasundharaRaje, veteran lyricist Gulzar, American poet Anne Waldman and spiritual writer SadhguruJaggiVasudev.

10. Entrepreneurship Development Scheme inaugurated in Mizoram:Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma inaugurated the Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (EDS) under the New Economic Development Policy (NEDP).

11. Suresh Prabhu unveils Mission 41k energy plan for Railways:Indian railways, minister Suresh Prabhu unveiled Mission 41k, a plan that would save Rs 41,000 crore over 10 years through an integrated energy management system, reported Livemint.

12. 9.2 lakh cr rupees remonetised till date:RBI Governor Urjit Patel appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and briefed the panel about government's recent decision to demonetise high value currency.

13.World Bank Sanctions Rs 1,376 Cr For Tripura Power Upgradation:Washington based World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1,376 crore for upgradations and improvement of the Tripura power system network on this was announced by Tripura’s power minister ManikDey.

14. Delhi Police commissioner Alok Verma appointed next CBI chief:A 3-member committee headed by PM Modi selected Alok Kumar Verma as next CBI chief for a period of 2 years. Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer, has been Delhi Police chief for the last 11 months. Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana was acting as CBI's interim director.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Lloyd’s Gets Final Approval from IRDAI to Open First Branch in India: London’s insurance giant Lloyd has received the final approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on to set up its first branch in India.

2. Alibaba Becomes Worldwide Sponsor of Olympic Games through 2028: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group entered into a long-term partnership through 2028 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This makes Alibaba the worldwide sponsor of Olympic Games through 2028.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Punjab Royals bagged ProWrestling League Season 2 title: Punjab Royals have bagged the Pro Wrestling League Season 2 title.In the summit clash in New Delhi, the Punjab team beat Haryana Hammers 5-4.Punjab reigned supreme with their foreign imports Vladimir Khinchegashvili, VasilisaMarzaliuk and IliasBekbukatov, besides India's Nirmla and Jitendra doing the damage in the crucial ties of the day.