Daily GK Updates - 17th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Kerala, Bangla and Odisha opt out of aspirational scheme: West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha have opted out of the Central Government’s Transformation of Aspirational Districts scheme. Aspirational districts refer to selected 115 backward districts that are lagging on specific development parameters. Central Government has undertaken a major policy initiative for rapid transformation of these districts.

2. Haryana government to set up SAT:  The Haryana government paved the way for setting up of a State Administrative Tribunal. The state Cabinet, under the Chairmanship of CM Manohar Lal Khattar, approved the Haryana State Administrative Tribunal Rules, 2017. The establishment of the SAT will prove advantageous and essential in view of the increasing number of court cases.

3. Haj subsidy scrapped: Thousands of Muslims who go on Haj pilgrimage each year will no longer get subsidised or cheaper air tickets. The big move would help empower Muslims with dignity, said union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The subsidy will be used for educating girls. Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow people to go on the Haj by ship, which is cheaper than flying.

4. Adults have right to marry anyone: SC: The Supreme Court said “any adult” has the “right to marry anyone”, and nobody, including parents, khap panchayats or society, can question their choice of spouse. The decision was given by a Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by NGO Shakthi Vahini, which asked the court to direct the central and state governments to take action to prevent honour crimes.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. AB Singh takes over as Chief of Staff, WNC: Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh took over as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command from Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh. Vice Admiral AB Singh was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command prior to his current appointment.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. First image taken by Cartosat-2: The first-day image captured by India’s recently launched weather observation Cartosat-2 series satellite shows a part of Indore city in Madhya Pradesh. The image was acquired on January 15, three days after the launch of the satellite. Cartosat-2 Series satellite was successfully launched onboard the PSLV-C40 rocket on January 12 by ISRO from its spaceport at Sriharikota. 

SPORTS:

1. Goldberg to be in WWE Hall of Fame: WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) announced that Goldberg will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class at a ceremony in 6th April 2018, in New Orleans. Goldberg retired from in-ring competition in 2017. He is the first to be listed in the WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class. He is 51 years old.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. India attends its first SCO meeting: India, for the first time, took part in a meeting of the international military cooperation departments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation since joining the bloc last year. An Indian delegation led by Major General Ajay Seth participated in the meeting.

2. CIPAM Launches Competition for students: Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), under the department of industrial policy and promotion, has launched a competition for college and university students. Its aim is to foster a culture of innovation and creativity in the youth. The competition invites students to submit films on piracy and counterfeiting.

3. Indian Oil signs LoI with Israeli Firms: Indian Oil Corporation has signed letters of intent with Phinergy, an Israeli start-up, & YEDA, a technology spin-off from Israel’s Weizmann Research Institute. The agreement with Phinergy allows IndianOil to work on adoption of advanced energy systems for the domestic market. This association could lead to the setting up of manufacturing units for these energy systems, initially in India.

4. TCS bags over $690 million deal: India’s largest IT services firm TCS has signed an over GBP 500 million deal with M&G Prudential, the UK and European savings and investments business of Prudential plc. TCS will digitally transform M&G Prudential’s business and deliver enhanced service for its UK savings and retirement customers.

The value of this agreement exceeds GBP 500 million over 10 years.