Daily GK Updates - 17th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Govt. to set up 562 more Ekalavya schools: Centre will set up 562 more Ekalavya Model Residential Schools in tribal areas of the country. It has been announced in the Budget that by 2022, every block with at least 20,000 tribal persons will have an Ekalavya School. These schools will provide boarding & lodging facilities to tribal students & will be brought at par with the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala through high-quality education.

2. Sex ratio at birth (SRB) dips in 17 of 21 large States:The sex ratio at birth saw a decline in 17 out of 21 large States of the country, with Gujarat recording an alarming dip of 53 points. Gujarat is followed by Haryana, which registered a drop of 35 points, Rajasthan (32 points), Uttarakhand (27 points), Maharashtra (18 points). Improvement in SRB was witnessed in Punjab, which registered a rise of 19 points, followed by UP & Bihar.

3. Asha Bhosle honoured with Yash Chopra Award: Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has been honoured with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award. Bhosle, who is the fifth recipient of the award, was felicitated by actress Rekha during the ceremony. Bhosle illustrious music career spans 7 decades having recorded over 11,000 songs in 20 different languages. Previous recipients of the award are Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Shah Rukh Khan.

4. Naidu to inaugurate Theatre Olympics: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 8th edition of the Theatre Olympics at Lal Quila in New Delhi. The theme of the festival is – “Flag of Friendship”. The 51-day long nationwide theatre extravaganza will be held in 17 cities, including Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Patna. It is for the first time that India is hosting the event & more than 25 thousand foreign artists will participate.

5. Tiger census begins in Odisha: The biennial census of the big cat has began across different forests of Odisha. More than 900 cameras will be used to carry out the census.

While 40 tigers were spotted in Odisha during the previous census in 2016, the forest & environment department expect the numbers to go up this time. M-STrIPES App will be used which is expected to eliminate the error which is caused by camera trapping

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Munich Security Conference begins: The Munich Security Conference, in its 54th edition, began in Munich, Germany. World leaders and ministers are meeting in Munich to discuss pressing security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and the Syrian civil war. Among this year’s attendees are US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Chindits Trail Expedition flagged off: Indian Army flagged off a Chindits Trail Expedition to commemorate the spirit of Indian troops employed on Burma front in the 2nd World War. Expedition will cover a distance of 400 km in 4 phases over a period of 20 days. It will cover areas of Deogarh, Damoh & Nauradehi & will collaborate with local administration & forest department to connect with indigenous tribes inhabiting the region.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. India to land Chandrayaan-2 on Moon: India, which has been making strides in the space race, is set to land its Chandrayaan-2 on the Moon in April. Chandrayaan-2 is India’s second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan-1 which discovered the presence of water on the surface of the moon. The mission will cost around 800 crore rupees which includes cost of orbiter, lander and rover.

2. Kepler discovers nearly 100 new exoplanets: Team of scientists have confirmed the discovery of nearly 100 new exoplanets – planets located outside our solar system.

Discovery was based on data from the 2nd mission of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope released in 2014. The detected planets range from sub-Earth-sized to the size of Jupiter & larger. Newly discovered exoplanets brings the total no of exoplanets by K2 mission to almost 300.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. NDB to lend $100 mn for water project: India has signed 2nd loan agreement for $100 million with New Development Bank for efficient use of water in desert areas of Rajasthan. The objective is to rehabilitate 678-km-long Indira Gandhi Canal system to prevent seepage, conserve water & enhance water use efficiency. Project is aimed at rehabilitation of waterlogged areas & modernisation of irrigation management practices among others.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017: Sanjiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Finserv, has been named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017. Bajaj Finserv has emerged as the country’s leading name in financial services with solutions across lending, life and general insurance and wealth advisory. Bajaj will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from June 13-17, 2018.

2. ‘Startup of the Year’ 2017 – Minibasket: Milkbasket, India’s first and largest micro-delivery platform has been recognised as ‘Startup of the Year’ 2017 at the 7th Small Business Awards. Milkbasket delivers milk, bread, eggs, butter, juices and other daily need items every morning. The startup of the year award is dedicated to young SMEs, aged 7 years or less, with great potential to become big in local/international markets.

3. PNB Housing Finance and IFC tie up: PNB Housing Finance has tied up with International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, to raise $800 million for green and affordable housing in India. IFC’s move to invest in India’s housing programme is aimed at improving the supply situation in the market by expanding liquidity. The move comes as a big boost to Prime Minister Modi’s housing for all scheme by 2022.

SPORTS:

1. Federer becomes oldest world No.1 in tennis: Roger Federer has become the oldest world number one after he defeated his Dutch opponent Robin Haase at Rotterdam’s ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament. He became the oldest No. 1 male player, surpassing eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who holds the record at 33 yrs since September 2003. Federer is back on top after winning 3 majors in 13 months, including another Australian Open.