Daily GK Updates - 17th June, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 1st session of 17th Lok Sabha has begun: First session of 17th Lok Sabha has started. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first MP to take oath in the 17th Lok Sabha. The inaugural session of the new Lok Sabha has started with the swearing in of its members. All the members will be administered the oath by the Pro-Tem Speaker Virendra Kumar. The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will continue till June 26. 

2. Central Government granted the approval to set up of e-Foreigner Tribunal (e-FT) in Assam: The Union Government has permitted to set up e-Foreigner Tribunal (e-FT) in Assam. It is a quasi-judicial authority which assesses the question of the authenticity of a person’s citizenship. It should be set up by July 31, 2019, when the final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC) is published. The proposed integrated e-FT IT system will be implemented across the state for effective monitoring and resolution of cases registered with Foreigner Tribunal.

3. ADB approves Rs 1,650 cr infra projects in Tripura: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a project worth Rs 1,650 crore to develop infrastructure in 7 districts of Tripura. The ADB will provide Rs 1,650 crore, out of which 80 per cent will be grant-in-aid and the state will have to repay 20% loan in due course of time. The project will be taken up in Khowai, Ambassa, Dharmnagar, Kailashahar, Udaipur, Bishramganj and Belonia.

4. Assam govt to set up Skill University at Darrang district: Assam government will set up a Skill University at the cost of 850 crore rupees at Darrang district. This will be perhaps the first skill university of the country with a capacity of 10 thousand seats. The International Yoga Day will be observed at 459 centres of the Skill Development Mission.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Zuzana Caputova sworn in as Slovakia’s first female President: Anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova (45-years) was sworn in as Slovakia’s first female president. Caputova scored a convincing victory against Smer-SD candidate Maros Sefcovic. Her allies from the Progressive Slovakia/Together party hope to use the momentum to unseat the ruling party in a 2020 general election. Caputova is the fifth president in modern Slovak history.

Note: The President of the Slovak Republic is the head of state of Slovakia and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Slovakia Capital: Bratislava, Currency: Euro

2. Brazil development bank’s head resigns: The head of Brazil's powerful state development bank ‘Joaquim Levy’ (former finance minister) quit, fueling a political crisis. Levy's sudden departure follows a tumultuous week for a government less than six months into its term, in which Bolsonaro fired his third minister.

Note: BNDES is one of the largest development banks in the world (after the Chinese Development Bank, which boasts assets of around RMB 7.52 trillion, or around $1.2 tn). The BNDES has three integral subsidiaries: FINAME, BNDESPAR and BNDES Limited. Together, the three companies comprise the BNDES System.

3. Union Power Minister participated in G20 Ministerial Meeting: Union Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh participated in G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on 15-16 June, 2019.

Note: Japan Capital:Tokyo, Currency: Japanese yen, PM: Shinzo Abe

4. World Day to Combat Desertification: 17 June:  In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 the "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought" to promote public awareness of the issue. The slogan for World Day to Combat Desertification 2019 is “Let's grow the future together”. India will host the 14th session of Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), from 7 to 18 October 2019, in New Delhi. 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. FIH Series Finals: India beat South Africa 5-1 in title clash: In the FIH Men's Series Finals, India defeated South Africa by 5 goals to one in a summit clash at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The goals were scored in the 2nd, 11th, 25th, 36th and 50th minutes.

2. Indian men's recurve team bags Silver Medal in Archery World Championships: Indian men's recurve team bagged a silver medal in the Archery World Championships at Den Bosch in The Netherlands, thus ending India's campaign with one silver and two bronze medals in the Championships. The Indian trio of Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das and Pravin lost to Chinese team of Ding Yiliang, Wei Shaoxuan and Feng Hao 6-2 in the summit clash. The men's recurve team was playing in the final of World Championships after a gap of 14 years. This was India's sixth silver at the World Championships where the country is yet to win a gold medal. This was also for the first time since 2014 that the Indian men's team made the final of a world event. The silver and two bronze at the 2019 World Championships took India's overall count to eight medals in the premier biennial competition.

3. Joshna Chinappa wins record 17th National Title in Squash: Joshna Chinappa made a record for the most number of national titles after beating her Tamil Nadu state-mate Sunayna Kuruvilla. Joshna broke an age-old landmark set by Bhuvneshwari Kumari who held the record for 27 Years winning consecutive titles from 1976 to 1991.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Jammu and Kashmir Bank now under RTI, CVC guidelines: The Jammu and Kashmir Bank will now come under the purview of Right to Information Act and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)guidelines as per the decisions taken by the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank to ensure greater transparency and accountability.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. 44th Matri Shree Media Awards: Twenty-nine journalists from print and electronic media and a social activist felicitated with the Bharat Mata Shield at the 44th Matri Shree Media Award ceremony.

Note: The Matri Shree Media Awards was constituted during the Emergency to felicitate people for their contribution towards journalism. The first award was presented to journalist Lala Jagat Narayan.

2. Suman Rao from Rajasthan Crowned Miss India 2019: Suman Rao from Rajasthan has won the Femina Miss India World 2019 beauty pageant during a star-studded ceremony at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. Shivani Jadhav from Chhattisgarh clinched Femina Miss Grand India 2019 title and Shreya Shanker from Bihar won Miss India United Continents 2019 title during the grand finale of the beauty pageant. Now, Suman Rao will represent India at Miss World 2019 in Thailand. Telangana's Sanjana Vij was adjudged as Miss India Runner Up 2019.