Daily GK Updates - 24th September, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Andhra CM Naidu declares 2017 as e-Pragati Year: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared the year of 2017 as e-Pragati year. The flagship program will help the government to make real-time governance. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Andhra Pradesh Sports Policy 2017.

2. “Make in India” push for body armours: NITI Aayog has been asked to set up an inter-ministerial empowered committee to prepare a roadmap to ‘encourage domestic manufacturing’ of lightweight body armours for army & para-military forces. Committee will be headed by Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat and will have representatives from DRDO, DIPP, Ministry of Defence & Home Affairs.

3. President Ram Nath Kovind’s first foreign trip will be to Africa: President Ram Nath Kovind will make his first foreign trip as head of state to the strategically-significant African continent in the first week of October. The President will visit to Ethiopia and Djiboui. Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia is the seat of African Union, had hosted the first India-Africa summit outside India in 2012.

4. Govt unveils new PPP policy: Govt. has announced new public-private partnerships to promote private investments in affordable housing in line with its Housing for All target by 2022. 8 PPP options for the private sector to invest in affordable housing segment were announced by the minister of housing & urban affairs Hardeep Singh. The assistance of up to Rs.2.50 lakh per house will be available for building houses on private lands.

5. Rajiv Mehrishi takes oath as the new CAG: Former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi took over as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. Mehrishi succeeded Shashi Kant Sharma.President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mehrishi (62) at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Mehrishi will have a tenure of about three years.

6. “The Shershah of Kargil” - The biography of Captain Vikram Batra Unveiled: Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra was martyred at the tender age of 24. The biography of Captain Vikram Batra "The Shershah of Kargil" has been written by 21-year-old Deepak Surana.

7. Books on Indian values, morals a must as per the New Multi-Purpose Stall policy of Indian Railways: Books on Indian culture & morals are now to be displayed for sale at all platform kiosks, a new stall policy to all zonal railways has mandated. Railway Board has instructed all general managers to ensure that such books are found in stalls, under its new Multi-Purpose Stall policy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Angela Merkel Wins 4th Term as Chancellor of Germany: Angela Merkel won a fourth term as chancellor in Germany elections that lifted the far-right party Alternative for Germany into parliament for the first time since the immediate aftermath World War II.

2. India, US, Afghanistan Join Hands for 1st Trade Show in Delhi: For the first time, India, US and Afghanistan will hold a joint trade and investment show in Delhi, as New Delhi steps up to its role of being a bigger development partner to Afghanistan. The trade event, sponsored by the US and hosted by India, will be inaugurated by Afghan CEO Dr Abdullah.

3. DRUZBA 2017, Pak-Russia joint military drill started: The joint exercise DRUZBA 2017 between special forces of Pakistan and Russian armies started in Minralney Vody, Russia. Pakistan and Russia are holding two-week long joint military drill focusing on counter-terrorism operations to enhance military ties between the two countries.

4. Mobile phone ban on Rohingya refugees: Bangladesh has banned telecom companies from selling mobile phone connections to Rohingya refugees, citing security concerns for the latest restrictions. Ban could be lifted once biometric identity cards were issued to these refugees

5. Saudi Arabia allows women into stadium: Saudi Arabia has allowed women into a national stadium for the first time as it launched celebrations to mark the 87th anniversary of its founding. This marks a shift from previous celebrations in the kingdom where women are effectively barred from sports arenas. This measure represents another step into relaxing some norms as part of its “Vision 2030” plan for economic and social reforms.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sports Ministry Recommends P.V. Sindhu for Padma Bhushan: Olympic silver medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu has been recommended for the prestigious Padma Bhushan, country’s third highest civilian award, by the Sports Ministry.She is two-time bronze medallist at World Championship. In March 2015, Sindhu was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri.

2. India bags 4 more Medals at 5th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan: In the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, India bagged four medals. Sajan Prakash of India finished second with the silver medal in the Men's 100-metre butterfly event. Divya Gurling Shilwant and Pratiksha Chandrakant Parhar bagged a bronze each in women's Alysh classic in 70 kg and 75 kg categories in the Belt Wrestling Discipline.Wrestler Keduovilie Zumu from Nagaland won the bronze medal in the 90 kg category of Kazakh Kuresh style belt wrestling. India is at 11th spot in the medals tally with 5 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze.

3. ICC to probe into Sri Lanka cricket: The International Cricket Council has launched an anti-corruption investigation in Sri Lanka. ICC, however, did not specify if any particular series involving the country is under the scanner.

4. India Becomes World No. 1 in Both ODIs and Tests: India beat Australia by 5 wickets in the third ODI played between the two sides at Indore. The victory helped them to pip South Africa to claim the no. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings. This now means that India is now at the top of both the Test and ODI rankings.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

5. Amazon buys 5% equity in Shoppers Stop: Shoppers Stop has approved a proposal to sell 5% equity in the company for Rs179.25 cr to Amazon NV Holdings LLC. Shoppers Stop will use the funds to continue its investments in expanding physical and online retail businesses. The two retailers will conduct “joint marketing” initiatives while Shoppers Stop will open Amazon Experience Centres where Amazon can showcase its brands.

6. ‘Fly Now Pay Later’ Scheme launched by Etihad Airways now: UAE’s carrier Etihad Airways has launched a ‘fly now and pay later’ scheme which provides people with an option of paying ticket fare in monthly instalments. The initiative is designed to allow families to book flights with convenience. Etihad Airways is the first in Gulf region to offer fully automated online instalment plans

7. Acko gets final IRDA license: Indian insurance sector regulator IRDAI has given the final nod to online non-life insurer Acko General Insurance. The company is looking to start operations by Dec selling mostly auto, travel & health insurance products to retail customers through an online channel.