Daily GK Updates - 27th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to get database on disasters by 2020 : India will get a national database on disasters, which includes information on deaths, people affected and economic losses, by 2020.As India is a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, it has become imperative for the country to have a database ready by 2020.A baseline, using data from 2005-15, will be developed in order to track improvements in disaster management.

2. 23rd meeting of Western Zonal Council : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the 23rd meeting of Western Zonal Council at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.During the last 3 years or so, two Council meetings and 3 Standing Committee meetings of the Western Zonal Council were held.Zonal Councils were set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination among the Stat

3. BIS grants first license for Liquid Chlorine : Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) granted First Licence to M/s Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd for Liquid Chlorine on All India basis.This is the First Licence granted on All India basis. The license has been made operative with effect from 12th April, 2018 for a period of one year.This product is in liquid form and stored in metal containers and used in paper, pulp, textile bleaching.

4. Indu Malhotra sworn in as SC Judge : Senior lawyer Indu Malhotra was sworn in on 27th April as Supreme Court Judge.It is for the first time that the apex court has two women judges — the other being Justice R. Banumathi. Justice Malhotra is the fifth woman Judge of the top court.Justice Fatima Bibi was the first woman Judge of the Supreme Court.She is the 1st woman lawyer from the Supreme Court bar to be directly elevated

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Christine appointed as envoy on Myanmar by UN : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland as his new special envoy on Myanmar.Burgener was the Ambassador of Switzerland to Germany since 2015.From 2009 to 2015, she served as Ambassador to Thailand and led efforts to mediate between the two sides in the violence that erupted in Thailand in 2010.

2. India-Nepal IGC meeting began in Kathmandu : India-Nepal Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting on trade, transit and cooperation to control unauthorised trade in Kathmandu started on 26th April.The meeting provides a regular platform to review the implementation of past trade and transit agreements.IGC also deliberate upon day-to-day problems in regulation of Nepalese traffic-in-transit and issue of Indian investments in Nepal.

3. Intellectual Property Day observed on 26 Apr : World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April.The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life”.The theme for this year was “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. NITI & ITC to transform agriculture sector : NITI Aayog and ITC will collaborate in the area of agriculture and allied sectors in order to strengthen farming systems.The partnership is for a period of four years till April 2022 .The prime objective is to increase net returns from farming through reduction in costs of production and increasing productivity of major crops in each of the identified district.

2. World Bank loan for Biopharma Mission : The government has secured a loan of about Rs. 1,600 crore from the World Bank to develop new vaccines, medical devices and medicines.The money will be disbursed over five years and is part of the Department of Biotechnology-led National Biopharma Mission.The goal is to have 6 to 10 new products in the next five years and it will create a slew of jobs.

3. CSIR bags Intellectual Property Award : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been awarded the National Intellectual Property Award, 2018 for being the top research and development organisation for patents and commercialisation.The award was handed over by Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu to mark the World Intellectual Property Day.The CSIR was established in 1942.

DEFENCE:

1. BARC offers first indigenous bulletproof vest : The Bhabha Atomic Reseach Centre (BARC) has developed a next-generation bulletproof jacket for the Indian armed forces, which is not only cheaper but also much lighter.The bullet jacket, named Bhabha Kavach, will reduce the weight of jacket by nearly 50%.Bhabha Kavach is made of boron carbide and carbon nanotube polymer composite.

SPORTS:

1. AITA nominates Yuki, Bopanna for Arjuna award : The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has nominated country's top singles player Yuki Bhambri and doubles expert Rohan Bopanna for the Arjuna award.Recently, Yuki Bhambri reclaimed his place in top-100 (career-best rank - 83) after a string of impressive performances.Rohan Bopanna had won the French Open mixed doubles title last year with Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, was nominated last year after the deadline had passed.