Daily GK Updates - 30th September, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ministry of environment notifies new Wetland rules: The environment ministry has notified the new Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 which prohibit a range of activities in wetlands. The rules prohibit activities like the conversion of wetland for non-wetland uses including encroachment of any kind, setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries.

2. EC makes paper trail machines mandatory in all future polls: Election Commission has issued a formal direction to use VVPAT or paper trail machines in all future Lok Sabha & assembly elections. VVPAT is a machine which dispenses a slip with a symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The slip drops in a box but the voter cannot take it home. Several parties have been pressing for the use of these machines to dispel doubts about EVM tampering.

3. President appoints new Governors: President Kovind has appointed 5 new Governors for the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Assam & Meghalaya. BD Mishra was appointed as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh while Satya Malik & Jagdish Mukhi were appointed as the governors of Bihar & Assam respectively. Banwarilal Purohit was appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu while Ganga Prasad was made the governor of Meghalaya.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. First Indian woman to scale Mt Manaslu: An Indian Police Service Officer of UP Cadre, Aparna Kumar became the first Indian woman to scale Mount Manaslu, which is the 8th highest mountain peak in the world. Exactly at 10.00 am on September 25, Kumar took up a mission to climb Mount Manaslu in the west-central part of Nepal.

2. International Translation Day being observed today: International Translation Day is celebrated every year on 30thSeptember on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. This year, the United Nations celebrates for the first time International Translation Day.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. HDFC to partner with top educational institutes: HDFC Bank will be partnering with 50 technology & business schools to tap into emerging fintech ideas. The objective is to identify potential fintech ideas at incubation & entrepreneurship cells in the institutes at a nascent stage & help them evolve into a consumer-ready product.

2. Green Masala Bond launched in the UK: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency has launched a new Green Masala Bond on London Stock Exchange’s new International Securities Market to raise funds to finance renewable energy projects across India. The 5 year dated bond raised approximately $300 million, with a coupon of 7.125%.

3. Tata Motors bags order for 10,000 e-cars: Tata Motors has won the first contract to supply electric vehicles to replace petrol & diesel cars used by govt & its departments as part of a plan to cut demand for fossil fuels. First 500 electric vehicles will be supplied to EESL in Nov & the remainder will be delivered in the 2nd phase. Tata Motors will supply the electric version of its Tigor sedan, for which batteries will be imported.

BANKING/FINANCE:

4. RBI to sell sovereign bonds worth Rs. 10000 crore through Open Market Operations: Reserve Bank of India would sell govt bonds worth Rs 10,000 crore through Open Market Operations to mop up liquidity from the system. As part of the OMO, the RBI will sell government securities maturing in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, & 2030.

5. RBI increases foreign investor limits in G-secs: The Reserve Bank has increased foreign portfolio investors' investment limits in central and state government securities by an aggregate Rs 14,200 crore for the October-December period. Limits for investment by FPIs for the December quarter have been increased by Rs 8,000 crore in Central government securities and by Rs 6,200 crore in state development loans.

OBITUARIES:

6. Veteran actor Tom Alter dies of skin cancer: Veteran theatre and film personality Tom Alter died after losing his battle against stage four skin cancer. In 2008, he was bestowed with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of India, for his service to the field of arts and cinema.