Daily GK Updates - 2nd May, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.14 Cities In India are World’s most polluted : Delhi and Varanasi are among the 14 Indian cities that figured in a list of 20 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 levels in 2016, according to the data released by the WHO.Other Indian cities were Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur. PM 2.5 includes pollutants like sulfate, nitrate and black carbon.

2. eOffice system launched by Hyderabad police : The Hyderabad city police launched the ‘eOffice’ System in the city Police Commissionerate office as a citizen-friendly initiative. eOffice is a ‘product suit’ developed by NIC and it aims at handling files in a more efficient and transparent manner to improve the responsiveness to citizens. The system helps in faster clearance of files and it envisions a paper-less office.

3. Vibrant North East 2018’ from May 3 :  The ‘Vibrant North East 2018’, an event in which people would be made aware of central government’s schemes and programmes, will be held in Guwahati from May 3. The main purpose of the event is to disseminate information about the schemes, grants and projects of the Central government. This will be the fourth edition of the ‘Vibrant North East’ expo in Guwahati.

4. Government extends MEIS export benefits : Over 35 handicraft products such as candles, paper and clay articles would be entitled for export benefits.These export benefits are provided under Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS).Under this scheme, the government provides duty credit scrip to exporters.The rates vary from product to product and the export destination, as envisaged in the foreign trade policy.

5. Government to host farmers welfare workshops :  In an outreach to farmers, the Government is organising ‘Kisan Kalyan Karyashala’ at the block level across the country on 2nd May.The workshops will be part of the ongoing ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’.‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’ is a rural-centric campaign that had started on April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, and will end on May 5.

6. Subhash Chandra appointed as IRDAI Chairman : Former IAS Officer Subhash Chandra Khuntia was appointed as the new Chairman of Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for three-years.Khuntia will succeed T S Vijayan, who completed his five-year term in February.

His appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

IRDAI regulates Insurance sector of the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA to track Earth’s ice and water : NASA is gearing up for the upcoming launch of its Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission.The mission will map changes in water and ice around the world by detecting variations  in Earth’s gravity & it involves 2 identical spacecraft that will orbit the Earth.The mission is a joint project between NASA and the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Germany.

2. India & Japan to work together : India and Japan have agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in energy development space as well as contribute to worldwide energy security and solutions to climate change issues.Both countries agreed to initiate the discussion towards development of Electric Vehicles.They will work together in promoting well-functioning energy markets.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Core sector growth slows to 4.1% in March : The growth of eight core sectors slowed to a three-month low of 4.1% in March due to weak performance in six sectors including coal, crude oil and natural gas.The other sectors which showed slower growth rates were refinery products, steel and electricity.The Index of Eight Core Industries consists- coal, steel, cement, crude oil, natural gas, fertilizers, electricity & refinery products.

2. Telecom sector to get ombudsman : In a move aimed at empowering mobile consumers, the Telecom Commission cleared a proposal for creation of an Ombudsman under the. sector regulator to resolve subscriber complaints.As per the decision of Telecom Commission, the Ombudsman will be created by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).The TRAI will be free to set up as many Ombudsman as per requirement

DEFENCE:

1. Vijay Prahar exercise under way in Rajasthan : More than 20,000 troops of strike formations of the Indian Army’s South Western Command were engaged in “Vijay Prahar”exercise near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The aim of the exercise is to fine-tune jointmanship with the Indian Air Force.The other aspects which were focused were fighting capabilities through armed helicopters and fighting and operate in the nuclear environment.

SPORTS:

1. Harendra Singh to coach men’s hockey team : Hockey India has appointed Harendra Singh as coach of India’s men’s team, while Sjoerd Marijne will take over as chief coach of women’s side.Harendra led the junior men’s hockey team to the World Cup title in 2016.Before joining the Indian women’s team, Marijne had a successful tenure with the Netherlands’ women’s team.

2. Salah named writers’ Footballer of the Year : Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.The Egypt star – the first African winner of the award – also won the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award in April.Salah has scored 31 goals in 34 league appearances for Liverpool this season.