Daily GK Updates - 12th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Bihar Government bans the sale of loose cigarettes: Bihar Government has banned the sale of loose cigarettes in the state. This decision aims to be deterrent to kids and youngsters who start smoking by buying loose cigarettes. In this regard, state health department has issued notification under Section 20 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. Bihar is the 12th state in the country to bring such a ban into effect after Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and others.

2. Nitin Gadkari releases India’s first-ever Highway Capacity Manual: The Minister of Road Transport & Highways Mr Nitin Gadkari, released India’s first ever Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) in New Delhi. The manual is also known as Indo-HCM and it has been developed by CSIR – CRRI on the basis of an extensive, country-wide study of the traffic characteristics on different categories of roads like a single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads, and the associated intersections on these roads.

3. Centre drafts 10-city plan to clean Ganga: The Centre has drafted a plan to check the flow of sewer water into the river Ganga by installing sewage treatment plants (STP) in 10 major cities. These cities reportedly contribute about 65% of the total polluted water flowing into the river. As per an official of National Mission for Clean Ganga, these STPs would ensure 100% sewage treatment.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Asia’s largest Christian meet at Maramon: The 123rd Maramon Convention which is billed as Asia’s largest week-long annual Christian meet began. It started with a call to conserve river Pampa and the environment at its traditional venue on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Sunday afternoon.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. NITI Aayog suggests setting up of separate debt office in India: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar made a strong case for setting up an independent debt management office, saying better servicing of loans could lead to substantial reduction in India’s interest payments. At present, the government debt is managed by the RBI. The interest payment on the public debt is estimated to rise from Rs 5.3 lakh crore in 2017-18 to Rs 5.75 lakh in 2018-19.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. Indian engineer, Vikas Sathaye, awarded at Sci-Tech Oscars: Vikas Sathaye, an engineer from Mumbai, is part of a four-member team that bagged the ‘Scientific and Engineering Award’ at the Oscars 2018 Scientific and Technical Awards. The team was honoured for the development and implementation of Shotover K1 Camera System. The six-axis stabilised aerial camera mount gets attached to the base of helicopters and helps in shooting steady footage.

SPORTS:

1. Sharmila Nicollet becomes the first Indian Golfer to qualify for China LPGA Tour: Sharmila Nicollet has become the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China Ladies PGA Tour. The 26-year-old Bengaluru golfer fought her way back into the tournament in the last two rounds to earn a card for the Tour. Sharmila had played on the Ladies European Tour before losing her full card, played her three rounds in the CLPGA Tour Qualifying School.

2. Rohan More becomes the first Asian to swim across Ocean Seven: Rohan More became the first Asian as well as the first Indian to swim across the Ocean Seven. He is the youngest to complete it. He swam across the Cook Strait between North and South Islands of New Zealand in 8 hours and 37 minutes. With this, More becomes only the ninth person in the world to complete it. He has also received the Tenzing Norgay Award from the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

OBITUARIES:

1. Johann Johannsson passes away: Acclaimed Icelandic musician and Oscar-nominated composer Johann Johannsson has passed away aged 48. In 2014, he was nominated for BAFTA, Grammy and Oscar awards for his score for ‘Theory of Everything,’ and won the Golden Globe award. Johannsson also recorded several albums of his own, including “Fordlandia” and “Orphee.”