Daily GK Updates - 1st April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. E-way bill system comes into force: The Uniform System of e-way Bill for inter-State movement of goods has come into force from April 1, 2018. Under the new system, every transporter will have to carry a system-generated bill to move goods from one place to another. The e-way bill will be mandatory for inter-state transportation of goods with a value of 50 thousand rupees and above.

2. Delhi becomes the first city to roll-out Bharat Stage VI fuel: With an aim to combat the rising levels of air pollution in Delhi-NCR region, petrol pumps in the capital have started supplying ultra-clean Bharat Stage VI grade fuel. This move makes New Delhi the first city in the country to switch from BS-IV grade fuels to BS-VI. The major difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new ​BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.

3. India becomes the world’s second largest mobile phone producer: As per the information shared by Indian Cellular Association, India is now the second largest mobile phone producer in the world after China. Annual production of mobile phones in India increased from 3 million units in 2014 to 11 million units in 2017. India replaced Vietnam to become ​the second largest producer of mobile phones in 2017.

4. India’s longest elevated road inaugurated: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a 10.3 km long Hindon Elevated Road, touted to be the longest elevated road in the country. It will be connecting Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad to UP Gate, shortening an hour-long journey to just 18 minutes. The entire stretch of the Hindon Elevated Road is built on 228 single-pier pillars.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India to assist Seychelles for civilian projects: India is giving financial support to five civilian projects in Seychelles amounting to $8.36 million, notwithstanding the fact that Delhi’s plans to build military infrastructure on Assumption Island in the strategically located Indian Ocean country has hit a rough patch. Of the total $ 8.36 million support, $3.45 million will be devoted towards the construction of a state-of-the-art Magistrate’s Court with all modern amenities in Seychelles capital Victoria.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Russia test fired new ICBM ‘Sarmat’: The Russian military has successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile ‘SARMAT’. The RS-28 Sarmat can cross South Pole as well as the North Pole, the shortest route between Russia and US and can strike targets anywhere in the world. Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voyevoda, the world’s heaviest ICBM known as “Satan” in the West.

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. ISRO loses contact with GSAT-6A satellite: ISRO has lost contact with the GSAT-6A, India’s most powerful communication satellite, in less than 48 hours after it was launched. The GSAT-6A, the 2nd in the series of GSAT-6 satellites to provide high speed broadband on mobile phones was designed for a life of 10 years. This is the second mission failure for Isro in six months, with the previous one being the PSLV-C39.

2. China’s Tiangong-1 space lab is all set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere: China’s Tiangong-1 or Heavenly Palace space station is set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere b/w March 31 & April 1. Scientists have underlined that the danger of Tiangong-1 being hit by falling debris is tiny, as the structure is likely to burn up in the atmosphere during its re-entry. In 2011, China launched Tiangong-1 as a prototype for Beijing’s goal of establishing a permanent space station.

3. S Korea, US began joint military drills: South Korea & US have kicked off their annual joint military exercises after they were delayed about a month for Olympics. Foal Eagle field exercise, which involves combined ground, air, naval & special operation troops, will continue for a month while the computer-simulated Key Resolve is scheduled for 2 weeks. The two drills would involve 23,700 US troops & 300,000 South Korean forces.

4. First bank to roll out AI-run voicebot: Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the country’s first artificial intelligence-powered voice-bot ‘Keya’ in the banking sector. Keya uses automatic speech recognition, natural language understanding and text-to-speech technology. The ​voice-bot uses natural language understanding to navigate the customer directly to the destination where he can get his issue resolved.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Allahabad Bank cuts lending rates: Allahabad Bank has reduced the base rate and benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by 45 basis points each. The Bank has the slashed base rate to 9.15% from 9.60%. BPLR has been brought down to 13.40% from 13.85%. The reduction in the rates will lower EMIs for its borrowers.

SPORTS:

1. Cricketer Irfan Pathan joins J&K in a player-cum-mentor role: Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association has appointed former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan as the coach-cum-mentor of its senior state side for 2018-19 season. He will be the coach-cum-mentor of J&K team for a period of 1 year. He will also be holding coaching clinics in various parts of J&K for the development of the game.

2. New head of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit: BCCI has appointed former Rajasthan Director General of Police Ajit Singh as the head of its Anti-Corruption Unit. He will replace former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar. He will take charge of the office ahead of IPL and will be based out of BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

3. Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj was adjudged ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ : At an event  at the Telangana Sports Journalists Association annual awards for 2017. She is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs. In December 2017, she was named as one of the players in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year.

4. Sloane Stephens won Miami Open: US Open champion Sloane Stephens defeated Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to win her first Miami Open title. Sloane Stephens has now won 6 WTA titles & has never lost in a final. This win will move Stephens into world top 10 for the first time. Stephens had beaten 3 former Grand Slam champs – Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, and Victoria Azarenka to make the final.