Daily GK Updates - 30th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to held in Varanasi : The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in the holy city of Varanasi from January 21 to 23, 2019.The theme of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”.The Ministry of External Affairs will also organize four Know India Programmes and online “Bharat Ko Jaaniye Quiz”.

2. Ayushman Bharat Diwas on 30th April : As part of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, Ayushman Bharat Diwas is being celebrated across the country on 30th April.During the event, information regarding Ayushman Bharat Scheme is being provided to people during health camps organised in rural areas.The Ayushman Bharat programme seeks to provide easily available and affordable medical facilities in the remote parts of the country.

3.  Dadasaheb Phalke’s birthday : Google dedicated a Doodle to ‘Father of Indian Cinema’ Dadasaheb Phalke on his 148th birth anniversary.Phalke made his directorial debut in 1913 with “Raja Harishchandra”, India’s first full-length feature.In 1969, the Government paid homage to this visionary filmmaker by dedicating an award in his name, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which recognises lifetime contributions to Indian cinema.

4. Kavinder Gupta is new deputy CM of J&K : Former Jammu and Kashmir speaker Kavinder Gupta took oath as a minister in the Mehbooba Mufti government.Gupta took oath as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, replacing BJP’s Nirmal Singh, who will now become the assembly speaker.Kavinder Gupta is a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Gandhinagar constituency in Jammu district.

5. Odisha launched Odisha Skills : Odisha government has inaugurated ‘Odisha Skills 2018’, the state-level chapter of India Skill competition organised by National Skill Development Corporation.The competition would give a platform to the students of Odisha to show their talents.A skill-cum-common facility centre for filigree craftsman of the city was also inaugurated.

6. Gujarat to launch water conservation project : The Gujarat Government will start a month-long initiative from May 1 to increase its water conservation capacity.Tasks like deepening ponds, desilting water reservoirs and check dams & repairing Narmada canal networks will be undertaken during the 31-day statewide “Sujalam Sufalam Water Conservation Initiative”.The government aims to increase rain water conservation capacity in the state.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Pakistan to take part in war games : In a first, India and Pakistan will be part of a multi-nation counter-terror exercise in Russia in September.The military exercise will take place under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.The military drill would be held in the Ural mountains of Russia, and almost all SCO member countries will be part of it.

2. World’s oldest spider discovered in Australia : Scientists have discovered what may be the world’s oldest recorded spider – a 43-year-old arachnid in Australia.The Giaus Villosus trapdoor matriarch, had outlived the previous world record holder, a 28-year old tarantula found in Mexico.The spider has recently died during a long-term population study.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. HDFC Bank launched humanoid IRA 2.0 : HDFC Bank has announced the launch of IRA 2.0, its interactive humanoid in Bengaluru.IRA will interact with customers, answer bank-related queries, frequently asked questions, and guide them inside the branch with voice-based navigation.HDFC Bank also launched its virtual assistant ‘EVA’ on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.The first version of IRA is currently stationed in Kochi.

2. PHDCCI, Indian Yoga Association sign MoU : The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and the Indian Yoga Association (IYA) signed a MoUThe MoU will facilitate interaction and cooperation between the two organisations to promote wellness, spiritual and cultural tourism in the Krishna Circuit.Places associated with Lord Krishna constitute the Krishna Circuit in Uttar Pradesh.

SPORTS:

1. Pankaj Roy, Gaekwad to get Lifetime Award : Former India batsman and two-time national coach Anshuman Gaekwad and former opener, late Pankaj Roy, have been recommended for the prestigious Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).The cash prize for the award is ₹25 lakh each.The BCCI Annual Awards will be held before the historic Test between India and Afghanistan in Bengaluru.

2. Prajnesh won maiden singles title : Prajnesh Gunneswaran has clinched his first ever singles tennis title on the ATP Challenger circuit.The 28-year-old from Chennai, ranked 260, pocketed $21,600 and earned 125 points.It was second final at the Challenger level for left-handed Prajnesh, who had lost the Pune summit clash to Sadio Doumbia in October 2016.

3. N Sikki Reddy recommended for Arjuna Award : Women’s doubles shuttler N Sikki Reddy has been recommended for Arjuna Award by the Badminton Association of India.G Sudhakar Reddy, who coached Kidambi Srikanth in his early days, has been recommended for Dronacharya Award.The 24-year-old Sikki had won the mixed team gold medal and the women’s doubles bronze at the recent Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast.