Daily GK Updates - 22nd November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Modi Govt. 3rd most trusted in the world: Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ranked as the third most trusted government in the world as per Government at a Glance 2017. It was published by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. As per the report, nearly 74 percent of Indians have expressed confidence in their national government. The list is topped by Switzerland and followed by Indonesia.

2. RSS chief, Yogi Adityanath to attend ‘Dharma Sansad’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend a three-day ‘Dharma Sansad’ beginning November 24 that will be organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to discuss the Ram Temple issue.It is being organised at the time when talks of resolving the Ram Temple dispute outside court has gathered momentum. Art of Living Foundation chief Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is trying to resolve the dispute by mediating between different parties.

3. Brahmos completes cruise missile triad: In a major boost to the strike capability of Indian Air Force, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile — “Brahmos” created history when it was successfully test-fired from a Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jet against a target in the Bay of Bengal.With this, Brahmos completes the cruise missile triad, it can be launched from land, sea and air. The supersonic cruise missile has already been successfully launched from sea and land.

4. Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be open to public for four days a week: The Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be open for public viewing for four days a week — Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday — from tomorrow, according to an official statement on Wednesday. Registration charge for the visit is Rs 50 per head, it said. Children below the age of eight years will be exempt from these charges. People can visit on these four days anytime between 9 am and 4 pm, except on gazetted holidays.

5. Parab Fest takes off in Koraput, Odisha: ‘Parab-2017’, the annual cultural festival of Odisha’s Koraput district, showcasing the tribal art and culture, started. Parab 2017 started from the shrine of goddess Sankulai Devi of B Singhpur under Borigumma block, with a tribal dance. The objective of this festival is to protect  & promote the region’s rich cultural heritage. A 5-day Pallishree Mela will be organised on 21 December 2017

6. Ira Joshi appointed as the new DG of Doordarshan News: Ira Joshi was appointed as the Director General of Doordarshan News following the retirement of Veena Jain.

Earlier, Ira Joshi was the Press Information Bureau (PIB) director general. PIB Director General Ghanshyam Goel has been made the new Director General of Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), replacing Esther Kar.

7. Parliament Winter Session likely to be held from December 15 till January 5: The Winter Session of Parliament is likely to be held from December 15 till January 5, sources told The Indian Express. A decision in this regard was reportedly taken during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Union Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters that dates of the session will not clash with the assembly elections in Gujarat.

8. FOGSI launches ‘Manyata’ movement: Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) launched ‘Manyata’, a nationwide movement emphasising the need for quality care for mothers during and immediately after childbirth. FOGSI has launched ‘Manyata’ in partnership with MSD for Mothers, MacArthur Foundation and Jhpiego. The movement was flagged off by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Robert Mugabe resigns as the President of Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe has resigned as President of Zimbabwe with immediate effect after 37 years in power, ushering a new era for a country as uncertain as it is hopeful. The man who ruled with an autocrat’s grip for so many years finally caved to popular and political pressure hours after parliament launched proceedings to impeach him.

2. Nepal-India border to be sealed for 72 hours ahead of polls: Nepal will shut its border crossings with India from Friday for 72 hours ahead of the first phase of parliamentary and provincial assembly elections on November 26 for security reasons. Nepal is holding provincial and parliamentary elections in two phases on November 26 and December 7. The elections are seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India becomes second largest fish producing country in the world: Combining the production of all types of fisheries, the total fish production has reached 11.41mn tones, with this India has become the second largest fish producing country in the world. China is the largest fish producer country in the world. The scheme ‘Blue Revolution’ has been launched for the integrated development of fisheries sector in the country.

2. Samsung partners with Uttar Pradesh government to set up 20 healthcare centres: Samsung India, a subsidiary of the South Korea-based electronics major, on Wednesday said it has partnered with the Uttar Pradesh government to set-up 20 new smart healthcare centres across the state to provide healthcare equipments, reports news agency PTI. The smart healthcare programme aims to offer affordable and quality healthcare to patients from the economically and socially weaker sections of society. Since 2015, Samsung has collaborated with 18 government hospitals across the country for the programme.

3. ”Infrastructure” status to Logistics sector: The government has given infrastructure status to logistics sector, covering cold chain and warehousing facilities. It is done in a move to attract more funding at competitive rates for these segments.

4. Mastercard, Mswipe tie-up: swipe, a domestic maker of Point of Sale (PoS) terminals, has partnered MasterCard to digitise merchant acquisition and can now enable a shopkeeper anywhere in India to acquire a card swipe machine. Mswipe will enable a merchant to complete the ‘know-your-customer’ (KYC) requirement using a mobile application that will scan documents.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Andhra Bank launches scheme to push Entrepreneurship: Andhra Bank has launched scheme for self help groups (SHG) to encourage entrepreneurship. The scheme ‘Pattabhi Sitaramayya’ has been introduced to commemorate the birth anniversary of its founder Bhograju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, and the silver jubilee of the SHG-Bank linkage programme in the country.