Daily GK Updates - 15th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian Army Day celebrated: The nation celebrated the 70th Army Day today. Army Day is celebrated on 15th January every year in India, in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa's (then a Lieutenant General) taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15th January 1949. The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in the national capital New Delhi as well as in all headquarters. 

2. India’s International Camel festival starts: The two-day long, 25th International Camel festival kick-started today in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. Organised by Department of Tourism, Art & Culture, Bikaner Camel Festival is a yearly event, organised in January, which the city celebrates in honour of ship of the desert, Camel.

3. Rajnath Singh inaugurates Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infra: Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a two-day International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in New Delhi. The workshop has been organized by National Disaster Management Authority. Good practices in making infrastructure disaster resilient and identifying critical gaps in current practices that need to be addressed in the coming years were the main objectives of the workshop.

4. UIDAI to enable face authentication: UIDAI has decided to enable face authentication in fusion mode on registered devices by 1st July 2018. It will help in inclusive authentication of those who are not able to biometrically authenticate due to their worn out fingerprints, old age or working conditions. It will be allowed only in fusion mode along with one more authentication factor combined with either fingerprint or iris or OTP.

5. First agro options contract in guar seeds launched on NCDEX: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched options trading in guar seed on commodity bourse NCDEX. NCDEX Agri-Options in Guar Seed aims to provide farmers better engagement in the commodity markets. NCDEX is the second exchange after MCX to launch options trading in commodities. Guar seed is a major contributor to revenue generation, hence making it a suitable commodity to start with for Options.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Iran lifts the ban on internet use: The Iranian government lifted the ban on the usage of internet in Israel, including the Telegram message app. The ban was forced upon by the government as there were huge protests in parts of Israel on account of unemployment and rising prices. The protests were held with the help of social media and hence in order to gain control, the government had to impose the ban on internet.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Government to raise 15 new battalions: The government is planning to raise 15 new battalions in the country’s two important border guarding forces – the BSF and the ITBP. It is being done to fortify defence along the strategic frontiers with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. While the BSF is the country’s largest border guarding force with a strength of about 2.5 lakh, the ITBP is about 90,000-personnel strong.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. SEBI approves Vijay Kumar’s appointment as NCDEX MD & CEO: SEBI has approved the appointment of Vijay Kumar as the MD and CEO of NCDEX. Kumar, a former chief business officer at NCDEX, is likely to assume the office next week. He is an agro-industry veteran, having worked for Cargill and National Bulk Handling Corporation.

SPORTS:

1. Anil Khanna appointed as the of the Finance Commission of IOA: Sports administrator Anil Khanna has been named as the Chairman of Finance Commission of Indian Olympic Association. Indian Olympic Association is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at Olympic Games.