Daily GK Updates - 3rd January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Former RAW chief Rajinder Khanna appointed Deputy NSA: Former chief of the country's external intelligence agency RAW, Rajinder Khanna has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). Mr. Khanna is at present Officer on Special Duty (Neighbourhood Studies) in the National Security Council Secretariat.

2. India’s second largest rooftop solar plant: State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd today said it has commissioned the country’s second-largest rooftop solar power plant. The firm has installed a 5.76 MWp (Mega Watt peak) solar plant at its petrochemical complex at Pata in Uttar Pradesh. The plant over the roofs of warehouses covers a total area of 65,000 square meters.

3. A B Mathur appointed interlocutor for talks with ULFA: Government has appointed AB Mathur as the interlocutor on their behalf to hold talks with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Mathur has already served as the former special secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). ULFA is a separatist outfit operating in Assam for the indigenous Assamese and seeks to establish a sovereign Assam with an armed struggle in the Assam conflict.

4. Karnataka to obtain electric vehicles: Karnataka would obtain electric vehicles under the Centre’s FAME-India scheme. Karnataka is set to procure and ply 40 electric buses, 100 four wheelers and 500 three wheelers along with setting up of charging infrastructure. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric (FAME) vehicles, is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, for promoting eco-friendly vehicles.

5. Nagaland declared as ‘disturbed area’: The entire Nagaland has been declared as “disturbed area” for six more months, till June- end, under the AFSPA. AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice. Under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No. 28 of 1958), the central government declared the whole of the said State to be a ‘disturbed area’.

6. Govt exempts cruise tourists with e-visa from biometric enrolment till 2020: According to the Shipping Ministry, the Home Affairs has exempted cruise tourists arriving with e-visa from the requirement of biometric enrolment for a period of three years to promote cruise tourism in the country. This will make immigration clearance of such passengers faster, leaving them with more time to spend on shore. E-Visa has been in place in the five major ports of Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin and Chennai.

7. Parliament passes NABARD (Amendment) Bill, 2017: Parliament has passed the (NABARD)National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill, 2017 with the Rajya Sabha approving it. The Bill seeks to amend the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. The Bill allows the union govt. to increase the authorized capital of the Bank from Rs. 5,000 crores to Rs. 30,000 crores. The capital can be increased further by the government in consultation with the RBI.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Turkey’s Bird Language in UNESCO’s List: The unusual and very efficient whistle language used as a means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey entered the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO has accepted the “bird language” of Black Sea villagers as an endangered part of world heritage in need of urgent protection. The UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.

2. Pakistan to use Chinese Currency Yuan: The central bank of Pakistan gave its green signal to using the Chinese currency, Yuan for bilateral trade with China.

The decision to cozy up to Beijing comes just a day after US President Donald Trump vowed to stop all aid to Islamabad. Adoption of the Yuan would mean that Pakistan & China would be able to replace the US dollar for transactions in China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. New night frog species found in Kozhikode: Scientists have just discovered the “mewasinghi” Night frog, belonging to a genus endemic to the Western Ghats, from Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. According to a scientific paper published in The Journal of Threatened Taxa, the new night frog “Nyctibatrachus Mewasinghi” is light brown in colour with an off-white underside.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. JNPT wins “Samudra Manthan - Caring Organisation of the Year” award: India’s Premier Container Port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has won the “Samudra Manthan - Caring Organisation of the Year” award. The port is fully committed to the welfare of its employees and their families.