Daily GK Updates - 10th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. National Legislators’ Conference inaugurated: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated National Legislators Conference on the theme ‘We For Development’ in New Delhi. The motive of the conference is to bring MPs and MLAs on a single platform where ideas and plans for development can be exchanged. The conference will hold discussions on how women help in the development work being done for the country where ideas on projects and plans can be debated. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will give a presentation on the first day and the plenary will be presided over by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will address the concluding session.

2. French President arrives in India: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in India on 9th March for a four-day visit. An agreement on the Jaitapur nuclear power plant, which is being built with French assistance, is expected to be signed during the visit. The two sides will also sign an agreement on co-development of a full-fledged satellite constellation in the maritime domain.

3. First cyber police station of Haryana established: The first cyber police station of Haryana has been established in Gurugram where cyber offences related cases will be registered. The cyber police station was inaugurated by the chief executive officer of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA)

4. Raju and Chowdhary resign: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ministers have resigned but will continue to be a part of NDA. PM Modi will control the Civil Aviation Ministry.

5. National e-Mobility Programme launched: The objective of the National e-Mobility Programme is to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem including vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators etc. The Programme will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) which will procure electric cars. The electric cars will replace existing diesel and petrol vehicles.

6. Suresh Prabhu given the charge of Aviation Ministry: Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu given additional charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry. The President, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed that Suresh Prabhu shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in addition to his existing portfolio.

Suresh Prabhu was the former Minister of Railways.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Sanjeev Gupta appointed as UK Skills Ambassador: Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta appointed by Britain's Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to nurture manufacturing skills. Mr. Gupta was appointed to the flagship programme to give children and young people the direct structured experience of the industry while still at school or college. The Industrial Cadets annual awards ceremony was held in London. Mr. Gupta is an Executive Chairman of UK-based GFG Alliance.

2. ISA targets 1000 GW of solar energy: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is working for the deployment of over 1,000 GW of solar energy and aims to mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar energy project by 2030. The International Energy Agency (IEA) also signed a joint partnership declaration with the ISA. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will sign a joint partnership declaration on 11th March 2018.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. ‘Juniper Cobra’ Israel-US joint military drill held: US and Israeli had launched the so-called “Juniper Cobra 2018” military drill that simulates a missile attack on Israel. It is the largest combat exercise between Israel and the US. Since 2001, Israeli and US forces have conducted a total of eight Juniper Cobra joint combat exercises, including the most recent exercise in February 2016.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Airtel Payments Bank fined Rs. 5 crore by RBI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 crores on Airtel Payments Bank for flouting Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and operating guidelines.  Airtel Payments Bank had opened customer accounts without a clear/specific consent of the customers. Know your customer is the process of the banks identifying and verifying the identity of its account holders.

SPORTS:

1. Virat Kohli appointed as the Brand Ambassador for Uber India: Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli named cab-hailing startup Uber's first Brand Ambassador in India. Kohli will also be involved in a series of marketing and customer experience initiatives.

2. Anjum Moudgil wins silver:  Anjum Moudgil won her first International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup Silver medal in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) event at the Guadalajara, Mexico. This was India’s eighth medal of the competition and the first silver after having won three Golds and four Bronze medals. India still leads the medals tally with eight medals while China is in second place.

3. Jharkhand teenager, Gora Ho, gets gold at Asia Cup: Gora Ho, a teenager from the tribal belt of Jharkhand, won gold partnering Akash and Gaurav Lambe in the team recurve event at the Asia Cup. The trio beat Mongolia’s Adiyasuren Baasankhuu, Otgonbold Baatarkhuyag and Gantugs Jantsan by 27-26 in a tiebreaker match. With this India finished with three gold and two bronze medals at the Asia Cup Archery Stage 1 meet in Bangkok.