Daily GK Updates - 21st April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Schemes to facilitate access to justice: Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated 3 welfare initiatives that would facilitate access to justice for the poor.Prasad launched the schemes, namely, ‘Pro-bono (in public interest) legal services’, ‘Tele-law service’ and ‘Nyaya Mitra’, which aim to connect those in need of legal aid with lawyers through use of technology.

2. India’s first industrial Robot:TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd. has created India’s first industrial robot called BRABO.BRABO—short for “Bravo Robot”—has been priced between Rs 5-7 lakh and can even be bought on equated monthly instalments, or EMIs. It was manufactured at the TAL’s Pune factory.

3.LIC appoints new MD and CEO: Life insurance Corp of India has appointed Vinay Shah as the new managing director and chief executive director of its mortgage loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing Finance.He succeeded Sunita Sharma.Shah has been with LIC since 1983. Prior to this assignment, he was executive director marketing.

4.Country’s first village of books: India’s first village of books will open on May 4 in Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.The Maharashtra government has got 75-odd artists to paint the walls of the 25 premises at Pustakanche Gaon (village of books).The village includes nearly 25 premises, which include 3 temples, 2 schools, 7 houses and several lodges and homestays spread on a stretch of 2 km in Bhilar village.

5.National nutrition scheme in Assam: Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has assured to bring the national nutrition scheme on track in Assam in a meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.They also discussed the modalities to strengthen the scheme.The Union Minister also hailed the state government’s role in conservation of rhino and other endangered species in national parks and sanctuaries.

  INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italian mayor wins Unesco Peace Prize: The UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina (Giusi) Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees.Lying closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily, Lampedusa is the first European landfall for people fleeing war and economic hardship in Africa and the Middle East.

2. RBI opens banking ombudsman in Jammu: The Reserve Bank has opened a new ombudsman office in Jammu as part of its efforts to expand banking grievances complaint cells across the country.Earlier all complaints were under the jurisdiction of New Delhi.There are two banking ombudsman offices in New Delhi.The office in Jammu will have the jurisdiction over entire Jammu and Kashmir

3.China to host BRICS Film Festival: The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27.Chinese director Xie Fei will be the president of the festival jury.The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, last September

4. Former Iranian President disqualified: Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified from running in next month’s presidential election.The decision was taken by the Guardian Council, a clerical body charged with vetting candidates for the May 19 election.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously urged him not to run.

5. Mongolia launches its first satellite: Mongolia launched its first satellite as part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.The 1,227-megahertz satellite, called Mongol Sat-1, will help landlocked Mongolia expand its television, telecoms and broadband services.The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India 8th on FDI confidence index: India has climbed one spot to the eighth rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.The index shows that investor confidence in India has been growing steadily over the last two years, making it one of the top two emerging market performers on the FDI Index, along with China.

SPORTS:

1. Video gaming at 2022 Asian Games: Video gaming will be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital prowess. The Olympic Council of Asia says it will introduce esports to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.