Daily GK Updates - 23rd December, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.PM Modi launches Rs 100 commemorative coin in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's honour : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released Rs. 100 commemorative coin in honour of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's anniversary will be celebrated tomorrow (25thDecember) as Good Governance Day. Mr’ Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister thrice and led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from 1998 to 2004. Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on 16th of August this year at the age of 93 at the All India Institute of Medical Science, AIIMS in New Delhi.

2. PM inaugurates projects worth around 15K cr rupees in Odisha : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the projects worth around 15,000 crore rupees in Odisha, during his day-long visit to the state. The projects are related to health, road and highways, higher education and culture. Prime Minister Modi also dedicated the new campus of IIT-Bhubaneswar at Aragul built at a cost of 1,660 crore rupees. He will also inaugurate ESIC hospital in Bhubaneshwar costing over 73 crores.He also inaugurated the Lalitgiri Archaeological Museum which houses huge sculptures of the Buddha and various Buddhist deities.

3.  India’s first music museum to be set up in Thiruvaiyaru : According to State Minister for Culture and Tamil Development Shri K Pandiarajan, Country’s first music museum will be set up with assistance from the Central government in Thiruvaiyaru, Tamilnadu.Thiruvaiyaru is the birthplace of Saint Tyagaraja (one of the Trinities of Carnatic music). The Tyagaraja Aaradhana Music Festival which is held annually in January in Thiruvaiyaru attracts musical talents from all over the world.

4. Suresh Prabhu confers Skoch Golden Jubilee Challenger Award : The Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu gave away the Skoch Golden Jubilee Challenger Award at the 55th Skoch Summit in New Delhi.Mr. Prabhu was awarded for his contribution to reforms, particularly in the power sector reforms. A book titled India 2030 was also released on the occasion. The Skoch Challenger Awards are the highest independently instituted civilian honours.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.China launched its first Satellite for Space-based Broadband Services : China has launched its first communication satellite to offer broadband internet services to users worldwide. It is CASIC’s (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation) first satellite launch under China’s Hongyun project.  Under this project, China plans to give broadband internet connectivity to users all over the world by building a space-based communications network.The satellite aims to rival Google and other companies which have similar plans for providing Internet services worldwide.

 2.Patrick Shanahan to replace James Mattis as US Defense Secretary : United States President Donald Trump has announced that he will replace Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with his deputy Patrick Shanahan as acting Pentagon chief . Earlier, US Defence Secretary (26th) Jim Mattis has resigned from his post due to policy differences with President Donald Trump.The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.

3.India-China Film Festival begins in New Delhi : India-China Film Festival has begun at the Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi.Three-day long Film Festival is being organized during the 1st India-China High-Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges. Seven films including four Chinese and three Indian Films will be screened during the Festival. The opening film of the Festival was ‘CZ12’ also known as ‘Chinese Zodiac’.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. GST Council cuts rates on 17 items, 6 services : The Goods and Services Tax Council has cut rates on 17 items and six types of services during its 31st meeting on 22 December 2018.The GST rate on cinema tickets above ₹100 was cut from 28% to 18% and on tickets up to ₹100 from 18% to 12%. The Council decided that 5% GST would be levied on renewable energy devices and parts for their manufacture.

DEFENCE:

1.India successfully test-fires Agni-IV ICBM from Odisha coast : India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km. The test was part of a user trial by the Army. Agni-IV missile is equipped with advanced Avionics, 5th generation On Board Computer and distributed architecture. Ballistic missiles like Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi have already been inducted in the arsenal of the armed forces.It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances.