Daily GK Updates - 2nd March, 2017

                        NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government Panel recommends legal framework to protect interests of migrants: Government appointed ‘Working Group on Migration’ headed by Partha Mukhopadhay has recommended necessary legal and policy framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country. The panel in its report stated that the migrant population makes substantial contribution to economic growth and so it is necessary to secure their Constitutional rights. The 18-member Working Group was constituted by Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) in 2015.

2. Thiruvananthapuram tops city governance ranking: ASICS: Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, has topped in city governance ranking of the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems (ASICS) 2016 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy. This year it was the fourth edition the annual survey which had evaluated 21 major cities from the 18 states. It highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and quality of life.

3. IMD predicts above normal temperature in 2017 summer: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast above normal temperature in most parts of the country during 2017 summer season. The predictions were given by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. The maximum temperatures in March to May 2017 are likely to be warmer by more than 1°C in north, northwest and parts of central India. In other parts, maximum temperature will be between 0.5 to 1°C more than the normal.

4. J S Deepak named India's next Ambassador to WTO: Telecom Secretary J S Deepak (IAS officer -1982 batch Uttar Pradesh) was named India's next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June 2017. Deepak has been shifted from the telecom ministry and has been made Officer on Special Duty in the commerce department with "immediate effect".

5. Sanjiv Singh appointed Indian Oil Corporation Chairman: Sanjiv Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the country’s largest commercial enterprise Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL).

6. Ajay Tyagi takes charge as 9th Sebi chief: IAS officer Ajay Tyagi is taking charge as the chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 2 March 2017. He has replaced Mr. U.K Sinha.  

7. Supersonic Prithvi Interceptor Missile Successfully Test-fired: Indigenously developed supersonic Prithvi interceptor missile was successfully test-fired from launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore, Odisha. 

8. World Bank offers over $1-billion loan to Maharashtra: The World Bank has announced an assistance programme of over $1 billion in the areas of urban transport and climate resilient agriculture in Maharashtra, over the next 2-3 years.

This was announced by the World Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Kristalina Georgieva. Over the last five years, World Bank had invested over $1.4 billion in Maharashtra in urban transport, rural water supply, and agriculture.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Free trip offered for tech job interviews in New Zealand: New Zealand capital Wellington has offered a free trip to techies to fill 100 open jobs in positions like business intelligence insights analysts, engineers, developers, and digital strategists. The four-day trip includes pre-arranged job interviews, meet-ups and exploration, with flights and accommodation paid for. However, the registration website crashed after receiving heavy traffic.

2. World's biggest banks fined $321 bn since financial crisis: World's major banks have paid $321 billion (₹21 lakh crore) in fines since the 2008 financial crisis for regulatory failings like money laundering and market manipulation, according to Boston Consulting Group. Almost 10 years after the onset of the crisis, the banking industry still hasn't completely recovered, BCG said. This tally is set to increase in coming years, it added.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Virat Kohli to receive Polly Umrigar Award & Ashwin to get Dilip Sardesai Award:

Indian Captain Virat Kohli will receive the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award. The award is given to India's International Cricketer of the Year at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards, to be held in Bengaluru on 8th March 2017. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been nominated for the Dilip Sardesai Award.

2. Luis Norton de Matos appointed new head coach of India U-17 Football Team: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Portugal's Luis Norton de Matos as the head coach of the India Under-17 team for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

3. NZ's Martin Guptill sets record of most 180+ scores in ODIs: New Zealand opener Martin Guptill set the record for most 180-plus individual ODI scores, bringing up his career's third against South Africa on Wednesday. Guptill, who scored 180* in Hamilton, has previously hit 237* against West Indies in 2015 and 189* against England in 2013. Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma have two 180-plus ODI scores each.

4. Tokyo 2020 to have transgender-friendly toilets: The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic venues are set to have gender-neutral public restrooms. At least one universal-use toilet has been planned for seven of the 11 venues the metropolitan government is building from scratch.

BANKING & FINANCE

5. Banks refusing to exchange soiled notes to be fined ₹10,000: Any bank branch that refuses to exchange soiled or scribbled currency notes from people will have to pay a penalty of ₹10,000, the RBI has clarified. However, a bank may levy a service charge if a person exchanges more than 20 notes, or notes worth ₹5,000 per day. The RBI also clarified that such notes continue to be legal tender.

6. Snapchat IPO values the company at $24 billion: Snapchat, now Snap, has given a final price for its IPO, setting the company's valuation at nearly $24 billion (₹1.6 lakh crore) at $17 (₹1,134) per share, according to The Wall Street Journal. During its last funding round, Snapchat was reportedly valued at about $20 billion. At this price, it would be the biggest technology IPO since Alibaba.

7. Govt. asks banks to provide mobile banking facility to customers by 31st March: The union government has asked all banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by 31st March in a bid to push digital transactions.

8. Reliance General Insurance, Catholic Syrian Bank tie up: Reliance General Insurance (RGI), a part of Reliance Capital, has entered into a bancassurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank.With this tie-up, RGI will offer its general insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank's 1.5 million customer base spread across its 430 branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.