Daily GK Updates - 28th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GAAR will be effective April 1, 2017, onwards: CBDT: The Union Finance Ministry has announced that the General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) will be effective from the 1 April, 2017. In this regard Income Tax (IT) department has issued a slew of clarifications on implementation of GAAR, seeking to address concerns of foreign investors over implementation of the anti-evasion measure.

2.India ranked 79th in the Corruption Perception Index 2016: India has been ranked at 79th spot out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2016 released by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).

3. PSU oil companies, Andhra Pradesh govt ink pacts:The public sector oil companies such as the HPCL, ONGC and the GAIL have signed MoUs for investing ₹1.65 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh on several projects, many of them in the Krishna-Godavari basin, according to Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas DharmendraPradhan.

4. Telangana signs MoU for aero skill academy: The Telangana government has signed a memorandum of agreement with French firm Aerocampus Aquitaine, known for aircraft maintenance skill training, to create a world-class aero skill academy.

5. Andhra Pradesh Launches Rs 100 cr fund of funds for Fintech Startups:The Andhra Pradesh under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced Rs 100-crore fund of funds on January 25, 2017 to invest in Fintech startups.

6. ISRO successfully ground-tests Cryogenic Upper Stage engine meant for rocket GSLV-Mark-III:ISRO successfully ground-tests Cryogenic Upper Stage engine meant for rocket GSLV-Mark-III

7.Students’ start-up launches food pre-ordering app: Fed up with waiting endlessly after ordering food in a canteen Some students of National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) at Surathkal in Mangalurutaluk have found a solution for it with an app to pre-order food in canteens within their campus.

8.Indian Hotels appoints Chandrasekaran non-executive Additional Director: Tata group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Co today announced the appointment of Tata Sons Chairman-designate N Chandrasekaran as non-executive Additional Director.

9. Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Exercise, TROPEX 17 Begins:The Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), an annual Indian Navy exercise kicked started off the Western Seaboard. 

10. Surya NamaskarYajna Recognised in US Congress: The annual “Surya NamaskarYajna” or “Health for Humanity Yogathon” has been recognized in the US House of Representative on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

11. Sri Venkateswara College wins Great Britain debate in Delhi:The Delhi edition of the Great Britain Debate organised by the British High Commission and hosted by the Lady Sri Ram College was won by Anmol Sharma and SidaqBatra of Sri Venkateswara College.

12. President appoints BanwarilalPurohit as Governor of Meghalaya:President Pranab Mukherjee has given Governor of Assam BanwarilalPurohit additional charge of Meghalaya.  Besides, President also gave Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh.

13. Dr Vijay Bhatkar appointed new vice-chancellor of Nalanda University:President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Dr Vijay Bhatkar, architect of India’s first supercomputer the Param series, as the chancellor of Nalanda University.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Scientists creates world’s first stable semi-synthetic organism: Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), US have created world’s first stable semi-synthetic organism, a single-celled bacterium with an expanded genetic code.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. 119 banks connected with Aadhaar-enabled payment system: Minister:The government stated that 119 banks are connected with the Aadhaar-enabled payment system and 33.87 crore transactions have taken place through Aadhaar-enabled payment systems.There are 111 crore Aadhaar enrolments done so far out of the total population of 125 crore in India.

2.SBI Launches Wealth Management Product SBI Exclusif in Kochi: The State Bank of India has launched a new wealth management product named 'SBI Exclusif' in Kochi, Kerala. Later it will be rolled out in other cities of the state during the course of the year.

SPORTS:

3. DragonBall Z Fans Can Rejoice As Tokyo 2020 Unveils Son Gokuas Olympics Ambassador:In order to woo the young audiences at the 2020 Olympics, the organisers of the Tokyo Games have unveiled Japan's cult anime character Son Goku as its ambassador. 

4. Sports Ministry reconstitutes committee to identify athletes under TOP Scheme:The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has reconstituted TOP committee with objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.