Daily GK Updates - 10th October, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Jagdish Mukhi takes oath as Governor of Assam: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi (74-years) has been administered the oath of office by Gauhati High Court Chief Justice, Ajit Singh at a function in Gauhati.Earlier, Prof Mukhi served as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The governors of the states have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level.The governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power lies with the chief ministers of the states and their councils of ministers.

2. J&K govt launches Aadhaar enrolment drive for students: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) govt. has started an Aadhaar enrolment drive for nearly 14 lakh school children in the state.Aadhaar enrolment centres have been set up in Phase-1 in six districts of the state which includes Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, Dodha, Kishtwar, and Samba.The rest of the districts will be covered in Phase-2 for which the necessary equipment, machinery, and other measures are being undertaken.

3.Haryana government to provide 50 pc subsidy on onion seed: Haryana Govt. has decided to provide 50% subsidy on onion seed on the first-come-first-serve basis to encourage farming of kharif onion in the state.The maximum amount limit of subsidy on the onion seed is 500 rupees per kg seed or 50%, whichever is less would be provided.The maximum quantity of seed provided is 10 kg per hectare per farmer.Now, farmers can obtain the seed of different varieties of kharif onion from seed sales centres of Haryana Seed Development Corporation and National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation by just depositing their share of the amount according to rules.

4. Vice President inaugurates 3rd International Conference on Yoga: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the third International Conference on Yoga in New Delhi.The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Yoga for Wellness’.Experts will deliberate on the scope of yoga in integrated medicine, and control of cancer, depression, gynecological disorders and pain management.Around 500 delegates from 44 countries are attending the conference to provide a common platform to AYUSH and allopathy practitioners, researchers, academicians, policymakers and students.

5. UP Cabinet approves digitalization of land maps: Uttar Pradesh state Cabinet presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has approved digitalization of land maps in 70 districts of the state.Rs. 5.21 crore has been made available for the digitization work.The maps will be available online and help check malpractices in a big way.

                INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s rank at 8th in the world’s most valuable nation brands: India has been ranked 8th out of 100 countries on a list of most valuable nation brands, according to Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017 report. The list is topped by US, followed by China, Germany, Japan and United Kingdom. In terms of valuation, India’s National Brand Value in 2017 is $2.04 trillion, down one percent from last year’s $2.06 trillion. However, India’s brand rating has improved from ‘AA-‘ to ‘AA’. Despite a rating improvement, India does not feature in the list of 10 best performing nation brands. Iceland topped the ‘Top 10 best performing nation brands’ list. Brand Finance measures the strength and value of the nation brands of 100 leading countries using a method based on the royalty relief mechanism employed to value the world’s largest companies.

                              OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Commerce & industry ministry okays eight industrial licenses for explosives: The commerce and industry ministry has approved eight industrial licenses for explosives.These industrial licenses for explosives with proposed investment of 51 crore rupees are likely to create 1,171 jobs.Industrial licensing was abolished for most of the industries but permits are needed for defense and explosives segments.

2. Gujarat cuts VAT on petrol, diesel by 4%: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced to reduce 4% VAT on petrol and diesel prices.Petrol price has been cut by Rs 2.93 per litre, while diesel price has been slashed by Rs 2.72 a litre.Reduction in VAT will cost the state exchequer around Rs 2,316 crore annually.Now, the current 24 % VAT on petrol and diesel will now come down to 20%.

3. IIT-Kharagpur  has signed a MoU with Samsung for digital academy: IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances. The academy was a part of Samsung’s corporate social initiative that aims at bridging the digital divide in the country by imparting skills to students on cutting-edge technology, Through this partnership with IIT-KGP, the academy planned to train over 100 students in the next three years. The course would be taught over 14 weeks through classroom lectures, assignments, lab room sessions, self-study and mini projects.