Daily GK Updates - 6th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian Military ranked 4th strongest in the World: Out of 133 countries, India is ranked fourth on a global index for its military strength. Only the United States, Russia and China are ranked above India on the list, according to the latest report of the Global Firepower index 2017. India maintained its position above France in the top five military powers in the world.

2. Karnataka opens its ambitious project ‘Arogya Karnataka’: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah unveiled a healthcare scheme named ‘Arogya Karnataka’ aimed at benefitting about 1.43 crore households in the state. It will provide quality primary, secondary and tertiary treatment to both BPL and above-poverty-line (APL) families in the state. Through the scheme, all the BPL households will get free treatment at government hospitals

3. India’s first Helicopter Taxi Service Launched in Bengaluru: India’s first helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru to fly passengers from Kempegowda International Airport to Electronic City. The service is expected to reduce the time taken to cover the distance from 2 hours to 15 minutes. The helicopter will seat up to six people apart from the pilot and the service will cost Rs3,500 plus GST.

4. Biplab Deb to be Tripura’s Chief Minister: The Bharatiya Janata Party has named the party’ State president Biplab Kumar Deb as the chief ministerial candidate for Tripura. Jishnu Devvarma, a member of the royal family there, has been named for Deputy Chief Minister. Governor of Tripura: Tathagata Roy

5. Assam government extends AFSPA by six months: The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 by six more months in the state. AFSPA gives special rights to security forces to carry out operations in “disturbed areas.” It is noteworthy people in many north-eastern states want the AFSPA to be removed, however, the act continues to be in force owing to security concerns.

6. India’s child marriage numbers drop sharply – UNICEF report: The proportion of girls getting married in India has nearly halved in a decade, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said. UNICEF said 25 million child marriages were prevented worldwide in the last decade, with the largest reduction seen in South Asia. Currently, 27% of girls, or nearly 1.5 million girls, get married before they turn 18 in India. This is a sharp decline from 47% a decade ago. UNICEF HQ: New York

7. Jhunjhunu has best sex ratio in Rajasthan: Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, which had the lowest sex ratio at birth (SRB) in the state in 2011, has become the district with the highest SRB in the state. The district has increased its ratio from 837 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011 to 955 girls in December 2017. The district administration said its crackdown on sex-determining centers caused the improvement.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Marshall Islands becomes the first country in the world to have its own Cryptocurrency: The Marshall Islands is creating its own digital currency in a bid to raise money. In doing so it has become the first country in the world to recognize a cryptocurrency as legal tender. The small Pacific Island nation passed the Sovereign Currency Act to create the ‘sovereign’, or SOV. The cryptocurrency will have equal status with the US dollar in the country. An Israeli group helped the government do so.

Capital of Marshall Island: Majuro | President: Hilda Heine

2. Sri Lanka declares state of emergency for 10 days: Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency for 10 days, to curb heightening violence targeting the island’s Muslim minority. The development follows days of anti-Muslim attacks in Kandy, located in Sri Lanka’s Central Province. Sri Lanka is the second country in the region to promulgate a state of emergency this year. In February, Maldivian President declared Emergency Rule for a fortnight.

3. UK world’s largest legal cannabis producer-UN: The UN has revealed that the UK is the world’s largest producer and exporter of medical cannabis. It produced 95 tons of legal cannabis in 2016, accounting for 44.9% of the world total, a report by the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board stated. Notably, the UK has refused to allow medical cannabis in the country.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI slaps penalty on Axis Bank and Indian Overseas Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on private sector Axis Bank for violation of non-performing asset (NPA) classification norms, and Rs 2 crore on state-run Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for not complying with the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. A statutory inspection of Axis Bank, with reference to its financial position, revealed “violations of various regulations issued by RBI in the assessment of NPAs”, or bad loans.

OBITUARIES:

1. Shammi Aunty passes away: Veteran Bollywood actor, who was fondly called ‘Shammi aunty’ by many in the film fraternity passed away at the age of 89. Born as Nargis Rabadi she has appeared in over 100 films.She was well-known for her work in television series like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, and Shriman Shrimati. She had made her debut in Bollywood at the age of 18 with Ustad Pedro.