Daily GK Updates - 23rd April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Books On Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Movement: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has released 3 books based on Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran movement of 1917. He released the books titled – ‘Mister M K Gandhi Ki Champaran Diary’, ‘Champaran Andolan 1917’ and ‘Pir Muhammad Munis: Kalam Ka Satyagrahi’.Champaran movement is acknowledged as the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

2.India topped the remittances chart for 2017: According to World Bank, India has retained its position as the top remittances receiving country with its diaspora sending about USD 69 billion back home in 2017.Remittances to India picked up sharply by 9.9% to USD 69 billion in 2017, reversing the previous year’s dip. Remittance inflows improved in all regions and top remittance recipients were India with followed by China & Philippines

3. Indeed inked pact with TASK: Global job site Indeed has announced its collaboration with Telangana Academy for Skill & Knowledge to support skill development of youth in Telangana.TASK was established by govt of Telangana to enable a platform b/w govt, academia & industry to enhance employability of youth.

Through this MoU, Indeed will offer TASK students the chance to attend lectures & career development workshops.

4. Road safety week 2018: With the objective to sensitise people about road safety, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is organizing the 29th edition of Road Safety Week from 23rd to 30th April.During the week, creating awareness about various causes of road accidents & measures to prevent them will be highlighted through various activities.1.5 lakh persons in India are killed in road crashes every year.

5. India’s best Gram Panchayat: West Bengal’s Digambarpur Gram Panchayat has bagged the Centre’s award for the best Gram Panchayat in the country.

Of the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country, the central government had selected1000 and watched their function.The state of West Bengal is also in the top in generating rural employment across states.

6. India’s first cashless island: Manipur’s Karang has become the first cashless island of the country.Karang, a remote region was cut-off from the (Bishnupur) district due to insurgency for a long time.Incentives were provided for training towards digital payments and five POS machines were installed on the island.An online channel was launched to create awareness about the digital payments.

7. ISRO to launch slew of military satellites: Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up to launch a slew of important satellites in the coming months. Some of these satellites are significant as they will help military keep an eye on our neighbours & safeguard our land & sea borders.ISRO will launch a dedicated satellite, Gsat-7A, for Indian Air Force & an advanced remote sensing satellite, Risat-2A, for surveillance purpose.

   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s first female foreign ministers meeting: Canada and the European Union will host the world’s first female foreign ministers’ meeting in September. Female foreign ministers from about 30 countries will be invited to the gathering, which is aimed at deepening global discussion on women’s empowerment. The meeting will be held for 2 days starting on September 21st in Canada.

2. Mario Benitez elected as Paraguay’s president: Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected as the president of Paraguay. Benitez garnered 46.44% of the vote, compared with 42.74% for his main rival Efrain Alegre. He is the son of the late private secretary of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay for 35 years.

3. World Book And Copyright Day 2018: World Book and Copyright Day is a yearly event on April 23rd, organized by UNESCO, to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The World Book Capital for World Book and Copyright Day 2018 will be the city of Athens, Greece.The 2018 edition is entitled “READING, it’s my right!”, and it will be an opportunity to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.Ex-foreign secretary Jaishankar to join Tata: Tata Sons has announced appointment of S Jaishankar as the Tata Group’s President, Global Corporate Affairs.Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977 holding key roles during his career including stints as High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador to China and US.Jaishankar will work with Tata Companies to help them strengthen their business presence in their respective geographies globally.

2. Axis Bank picks Egon Zehnder to find new CEO: Axis Bank has appointed global recruitment firm Egon Zehnder to find a successor for MD and CEO Shikha Sharma.In December 2017, the bank’s board had approved the reappointment of Ms. Sharma for three years, but early this month she said that she would step down in December 2018.Axis Bank is the third largest private-sector banks in India.

SPORTS:

1. Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters Title: World Number 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori by 6-3, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo Masters final to win his 31st Masters title.Nadal also became the first man in the Open era to win the same title 11 times.It gave him a 76th title overall and ensured the Spaniard keeps his top ranking ahead of Roger Federer.World No. 36 Nishikori was chasing his first ever Masters title.