Daily GK Updates - 15th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Railways Launches ‘SAARTHI’ App: Railways has launched an integrated mobile application to cater to various passenger requirements, including ticket booking, inquiry and ordering meal on a single platform. The app, called as Rail SAARTHI has been developed by CRIS and was unveiled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

2. Gujarat govt forms Saputara Area Development Authority: The Gujarat govt. has formed the Saputara Area Development Authority (SADA) for “comprehensive development” of its only hill station in tribal populated district of Dang. The authority will carry out planned development in 419-hectare area of ‘Saputara’ for tourism purpose.

3. Government relaxes FDI norms in various sectors to attract investment: The union govt. has relaxed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies, real estate and news broadcasting.

International UPDATES:

1. Lilly Singh appointed as UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador: UNICEF has appointed Indian-origin Canadian YouTube Lilly Singh as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador. Lilly who has around 11.9 million subscribers on YouTube, will use her channel to showcase the organisation’s work and urge millions of her followers to work for children’s rights. She has also started a new initiative on social media #GirlLove – which aims to end girl-on-girl hate.

2. Bill on defence co-operation with India passed in US: US House of Representatives has passed a $621.5 billion defence policy bill that proposes to advance defence cooperation with India. The National Defense Authorisation Act, 2018, was passed with 344 to 81 vote.

3. World Youth Skills Day is being observed today: The World Youth Skills Day is observed globally on 15th July every year to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development. In 2014, The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had established World Youth Skills Day.

4. Tougher conditions for defence funding to Pakistan - US: US House of Representatives has voted for 3 legislative amendments to impose tougher conditions for reimbursement of defence funding to Pakistan. Pakistan will now have to show satisfactory progress in fight against terrorism.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

1. ICICI Lombard files for IPO, becomes the first non-life insurance company to do so in India: ICICI Lombard General Insurance, the non-life insurance joint venture of ICICI Bank and Fairfax Financial Holdings has filed the draft red herring prospectus for its IPO. It is the first non-life insurance company to file for a public offering.

2. Apps contributed Rs 1.4 lakh cr to Indian GDP – ICRIER study: According to a study conducted by ICRIER along with the Broadband India Forum, Internet-based applications have contributed Rs 1.4 lakh crore to the country’s GDP in 2015-16. The contribution is estimated to grow to nearly 16% of the country’s GDP by 2020, the figure can grow to Rs 18 lakh crore by 2020.

3. TCS to close its Lucknow operations, says staff will be unaffected: Tata Consultancy Services has decided to close its operations in Lucknow after 33 years  & shift to Noida.

4. Mukesh Kumar Jain appointed MD & CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce: Mukesh Kumar Jain has been appointed as the managing director(MD)and chief executive officer (CEO) of Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) for a period of three years.

SPORTS:

5. Sundar Singh Gurjar wins gold in World Para Athletics Championships: Sundar Singh Gurjar has opened India’s account at World Para Athletics Championships by clinching gold in the men’s javelin throw event. In the F46 category, Sundar recorded his personal best effort of 60.36m and took the top honour.

6. BCCI retains IMG as IPL service provider: BCCI has renewed a 5 year deal with International Management Group as the service provider of IPL. IMG has been the service provider for IPL for last 10 years.