Daily GK Updates - 31st October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Run For Unity on National Unity Day:  PM Modi Flags Off 'Run For Unity' On Sardar Patel's birth anniversary. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) is being celebrated to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary (142nd), who has played a huge role in unifying the country. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi. In 2014, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was introduced by the Government of India and inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India in 1947. Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875 in Nadiad village of modern day Gujarat to Zaverbhai and Ladbai. He was a lawyer & a political activist and played a leading role during the Indian Independence Movement. After independence, he was crucial in the integration of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.

2. PM Modi inaugurated Bidar-Kalaburagi new railway line in Karnataka: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bidar - Kalaburagi New Railway track (110-KM) to the Nation by unveiling a plaque at Bidar Railway Station, in Karnataka. Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track is in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. The distance between Bengaluru and New Delhi by 380km (travel time by six to eight hours). PM Modi also flagged off the DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) Service between Bidar and Kalaburagi.

3. India to host UN wildlife summit CMS COP13 in 2020: India will host the next United Nations (UN) global wildlife conference in 2020. According to the official announcement, India to be the host of the next CMS Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13. CMS COP is a triennial summit that brings together States through which migratory animals pass through held once in three years.

4. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale launches Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana in Mumbai: The Union Minister of state for social justice and empowerment, Ramdas Athawale has launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana in Mumbai. The Objective of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana, making quality medicines available at affordable price to all, particularly to the poor and underprivileged through exclusive outlets. Jan Aushadhi Medical store is set up with an aim to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare. This will be a revolutionary step in healthcare and they will also urge doctors to prescribe for generic medicines.

5. India tops list of new TB cases in 2016: According to the Global TB Report 2017 released by WHO, India has topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64% of the over 10 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide last year. India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa. Last year, an estimated 1.7 million people died from TB. India along with China & Russia accounted for almost half of around 5 lakh multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016.Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Tuberculosis is spread through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs a cough, spit, speak, or sneeze.

6. Delhi HC asks Navy to consider transgender for alternate job: During the course of the hearing, the bench said, "the mindset should change. In today's situation, a medical condition like this cannot be suppressed." The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after sex change, terming it an “out of the box situation”. “You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time you can accommodate her,” a bench of Justices G S Sistani and V K Rao suggested to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre and Navy. Calling for a change in mindset, the bench said the instant case was probably the only one of its kind in the armed forces and asked the Navy to consider the transgender for some other job.

7. Removal of Article 370 only viable solution to J-K issue-BJP:  Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's remark on Saturday that "when the people of Jammu and Kashmir ask for "azadi", most of them mean greater autonomy" had invited sharp criticism from the BJP. Amid a raging debate over autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP’s state unit on Monday said removal of Article 370, which grants special status to the state, was the only viable solution to the decades-old problem. “Removal of Article 370 and bringing Jammu and Kashmir on par with other states is the only viable solution to the issue,” BJP state spokesperson Professor Virender Gupta said in a statement in Jammu. He said this would be a befitting reply to separatists and Pakistan who are supporting and nourishing terrorism in the state and will pave the way to bring the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those of the Valley, into the national mainstream.

8. India, Pakistan DGMOs discuss LoC firing: Lt Gen A K Bhatt emphatically stated that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out in response to unabated support given by Pak Army to armed terrorists. In an unscheduled hotline conversation requested by Pakistan army, Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A K Bhatt spoke to his Pakistani counterpart on Monday afternoon and discussed firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. According to an official statement released by the Defence Ministry, “Pak DGMO alleged that Indian security forces had resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control. Lt Gen A K Bhatt emphatically stated that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out in response to unabated support given by Pak Army to armed terrorists who infiltrate across the border and target Indian Army posts with heavy calibre weapons.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  World Cities Day being celebrated today: The World is observing Cities Day on 31^st Oct with the commitment to work together for a planned and sustainable urban life in the wake of rapid growth of population and problems. This year, the United Nations (UN) has selected the theme ‘Innovative Governance, Open Cities’ to highlight the important role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion. The general theme of World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life.

2. Saudi Arabia to allow women into sports stadiums from 2018: According to the Chairman of the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia ‘Turki Al-Asheikh’, Saudi women will be able to attend sports events in stadiums starting from 2018.

Now, the authority will start the repair works at three main stadiums in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah to accommodate families starting in 2018. Restaurants, cafes and monitor screens will be set up inside the stadiums. The move is aimed at empowering and engaging women in the society as an integral part of the development process. In September 2017, the General Sports Authority allowed women to enter King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh for the first time to celebrate Saudi Arabia's National Day.

3. India sends the first shipment to Afghanistan via Iran’s Chabahar port: India has flagged off a shipment of wheat from Kandla port (Gujarat) for Afghanistan through Chabahar port (Iran). It was flagged off by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani through video conferencing. It paves way for operationalization of Chabahar port as an alternate, reliable connectivity for landlocked Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. Chabahar port is strategically located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Iran’s southern coast in Gulf of Oman near its border with Pakistan and can be easily accessed from India’s western coast.

4. Uhuru Kenyatta wins controversial Kenyan poll rerun: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of a controversial re-run of the Presidential election. According to country's Election Commission, Uhuru Kenyatta has won 98% of the votes with a turnout at just under 39% - less than half that was recorded in August's vote. Earlier, Mr. Kenyatta was also declared the winner in August which was annulled because of irregularities. Now, The Opposition has seven days to mount a legal challenge.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Indian Junior team win the bronze medal of Johor Cup Hockey: Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team beat hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the Bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, in Malaysia. Goals from Vishal Antil (15’, 25’), Vivek Prasad (11’) and Shilanand Lakra (21’) were enough for India to finish their tournament with the Bronze medal.

2. India & Tunisia agreed to jointly combat terrorism: India and Tunisia have agreed to jointly combat terrorism while ramping up co-operation in the field of security. A review of bilateral ties was undertaken at the 12th India-Tunisia Joint Commission Meeting in New Delhi. A roadmap for India-Tunisia partnership has been also initiated by Mrs. Swaraj and Mr. Jhinaoui to give a new impetus to bilateral relations. Six agreements in the fields of judicial co-operation, co-operation in youth issues, information and communications technology, trade and business, were signed.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India and World Bank signed USD 200 Million loan agreement for Assam: The World Bank and Government of India have signed a USD 200 million loan agreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural transformation project. The Project will support the state to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agricultural productivity and market access. Over five lacks farming households will directly benefit from the Project in over 16 Districts of Assam.

Daily GK Updates - 25th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NS Venkatesh has been appointed as CEO of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI): Before joining AMFI, Venkatesh served in Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) for over 19 years, where he held several senior positions, including that of chief financial officer and executive director. He was also working as the executive director at Lakshmi Vilas Bank.

2. Kanwaljit Singh Cheema appointed principal secretary BoA-Darjeeling:  West Bengal government appointed Kanwaljit Singh Cheema as the principal secretary of Board of Administrators (BoA) in Darjeeling. Kanwaljit Singh Cheema, was the principal secretary of the Mass Education Extension and Library Service Department. The BoA is a nine-member board.

3.  Meghalaya Election Department has entered Limca Book of Records for the formation of the biggest human logo comprising young voters in the state: The logo formation was part of Mission Unite (U and I towards Enrolment) as part of the Special drive to enroll young and left out voters. A total of 2,870 students, 113 schools, three colleges participated. The logo size was 120ft x 75ft.

4. MP aggressive in digital initiatives: As per a report by Coeus Age Consulting, Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the top state in terms of digital initiatives undertaken by State Government. Coeus Age Consulting is an organisation which provides consultancy services on various aspects of digital economy. A comparative assessment of digital initiatives by 36 states and Union Territories was undertaken by Coeus Age Consulting.

5.  Paika Bidroha: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar mentioned that from the next academic session, ‘Paika Bidroha’ of 1817 will be included in history text books as ‘the First War of Independence’. Paika Rebellion was an armed rebellion against British East India Company, which broke out in the year 1817 across Odisha. Combination of social-political-economic causes triggered the Paika rebellion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Central American country Nicaragua has signed the Paris Agreement on climate change: Only two countries, United States and Syria are left, who have not signed this global climate pact. Till June 2017, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, 148 of which have ratified it.

2. India’s gift to Bangladesh - memorabilia of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971: On 22nd October 2017, India gifted a memorabilia of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 to the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. During the war, about 10 million Bangladesh people took refuge in India. India and Bangladesh fought together to drive out the Pakistani occupation army. The memorabilia includes military equipment utilized during the war, artifacts, documents etc.

3. India – Indonesia CORPAT: The 30th edition of CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) and 3rd Bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy is being conducted in Belawan, Indonesia. The exercise will be held from 24th October to 5th November 2017. Indian Naval Ship Sukanya arrived at Belawan to participate in the 30th edition of CORPAT. CORPAT exercise is conducted on IMBL twice a year since 2002.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Manav Thakkar has become the first Indian to occupy the top spot with 3,455 points on the ITTF World Junior Circuit standings:  Manav Thakkar hails from Surat. He was previously placed at No. 5 position. He has reached the top position of top ITTF Junior Circuit standings after finishing runner-up at the 2017 Serbian Junior and Cadet Open, Belgrade.

2. India’s Divij Sharan and America’s Scott Lipsky won the European Open trophy in Antwerp, Belgium:  Divij Sharan and Scott Lipsky defeated Santiago Gonzalez and Julio Peralta by 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 in the finals. They won the 2017 European Open title. Divij Sharan has won his first title of the 2017 season on the ATP World Tour, and third overall, by winning the European Open trophy.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. RBI assigned task Force on ‘Public Credit Registry’: Reserve Bank of India has constituted a 10-member ‘High Level Task Force on Public Credit Registry (PCR) for India’. It will suggest a roadmap for developing a transparent, comprehensive and near-real-time PCR for India. The committee will be Headed by YM Deosthalee, ex-CMD, L&T Finance Holdings.

2. EEPC India - PNB Pact: Engineering Export Promotion Council of India has signed an MoU with PNB to provide easy access to finance for SMEs and merchant exporters of the council. PNB will provide finance with assurance that loans up to Rs. 10 crore would be provided within 6 to 7 weeks at competitive rates. PNB would also extend foreign currency loan facilities and provide advisory support to EEPC India members.

3. SBI ties up with Escorts Ltd: SBI announced that it has entered into a tie-up with Escorts Ltd to finance farmers for the purchase of Escorts tractors. As per the terms of the tie-up, farmers across India, who wish to purchase Powertrac and Farmtrac brand tractors manufactured by Escorts, will be provided finance facility by SBI at competitive interest rates. This will help a large number of small and marginal farmers.

4. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to make Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) compulsory for companies : Companies having aggregate fund-based and non-fund based exposure over Rs 5 cr. LEI is a unique 20 digit alphanumeric code that will be assigned to corporate borrowers. Fetching loan details on basis of LEI, will prevent banks from extending multiple loans to companies against the same collateral.

5. IndusInd Bank and MobiKwik announced the launch of a co-branded wallet, “IndusInd Mobikwik”: IndusInd Mobikwik wallet allows IndusInd bank’s customers to pay at the MobiKwik merchant network using their accounts. This wallet has a ‘direct debit feature’ which allows IndusInd Bank account holders to link their accounts just once and pay using the co-branded app as and when required.

OBITUARIES:

1. Noted Malayalam filmmaker I.V. Sasi passed away: He was 69 years old. He had been ill for a while. He has directed more than 150 movies in his 40 year career. He started his career as an art director for Kaliyalla Kalyanam in 1968. He made his debut as a director with the movie Ulsavam. He has won various awards like National Film Award, Kerala State Film Awards etc.

Daily GK Updates - 9th October, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoM Set Up to Review Composition Scheme:  A group of ministers (GoM) has been set up under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants. The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had constituted the GoM.With only 15.50 lakh businesses out of the total 98 lakh registered under the goods and services tax (GST) regime opting for the composition scheme, the GST Council has decided to set up the GoM to examine measures to make it more attractive.

                   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Rajesh Nath has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour of Germany: Rajesh Nath, the managing director of VDMA India, has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to Germany. The award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal Cross of Merit was instituted in 1951 and is Germany’s only honour that is awarded to both Germans and foreigners for achievements in the economic, social, political or intellectual realms.

                                OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. PNB MetLife Appoints Ashish Srivastava as MD & CEO: PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd (PNB MetLife),a life insurer, has appointed Ashish Srivastava as a new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the company.Prior to this elevation, Srivastava was an interim CEO at PNB MetLife. Srivastava joined PNB MetLife in 2013 as the Head of HR for the India business.

SPORTS:

1.India's Anupama Ramachandran wins World Open U-16 Snooker Championship: Anupama Ramachandran (India) has won the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia.In the Girls category, she defeated top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1.In boy category, Dylan Emery of Wales has claimed the title.Total 73 cueists from across the world have participated in this championship.

2.Rafael Nadal wins 2107 China open title: Top-ranked 16-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal (Spain) has won 2017 China 0pen title in Beijing.Rafael Nadal defeated Nick Kyrgios (Australia) 6-2, 6-1 to win his 6th ATP title of the year.In the women’s event, Caroline Garcia (France) defeated world no.1 Simona Halep(Romania) in straight sets of 6-4, 7-6 .

Daily GK Updates - 21st August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt all set to hike GST cess on luxury cars, via ordinance: The government is set to promulgate an ordinance within weeks, allowing an increase in goods and services tax (GST) cess on luxury cars and SUVs, as it seeks to restore tax revenue from the automobile industry that unintentionally got affected in the transition to the new indirect tax regime.

2. Number of PSU banks to fall to 10-15 after consolidation - Sanjeev Sanyal: The government is looking to reduce the number of public sector banks to 10-15, more than what was envisaged earlier, through a series of mergers and acquisitions so that none of the banks become too big to fail, said Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic adviser at the finance ministry. Earlier it was speculated that the number of PSBs might be reduced to 4-5.

3. AIADMK factions finally unite, Panneerselvam is deputy CM: The AIADMK factions finally merged following a power sharing arrangement. Palaniswami will remain the chief minister and O Panneerselvam will be his deputy. Panneerselvam will also be the AIADMK coordinator while Palaniswami will be the co-coordinator.

4. K Chandrasekhar Rao gets global agriculture leadership award: Chief Minister of Telangana ‘K Chandrashekhar Rao’ has been selected for the prestigious Agriculture Leadership Award-2017 for his innovative services rendered to the welfare of farmers and the farm sector. The Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) Committee headed by agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan has recommended the CM’s name.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China launches first cyber court in e-commerce hub of Hangzhou: China launched its first cyber (internet) court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou, amid a spike in the number of online disputes. The cyber court will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits. These cases handled by the court will be tried online.

2. China's army conducts military exercises 'to strike awe in India':  Global Times made sure to mention that the drills were conducted "amid tensions in Doklam" to "lay the ground for plateau warfare". More than 10 PLA units from the 'western theater command' participated in the drills. The units included aviation and armoured forces, said a China Central Television report.

3. World’s smallest surgical robot: British scientists have developed world’s smallest surgical robot which could transform daily operations for tens of thousands of patients. The robot, called Versius, mimics human arm & can be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic procedures including hernia repairs, colorectal operations.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. SBI waives processing fees on personal loans: State Bank of India has waived processing fees on most of its retail loans. It will waive upto 100 per cent processing fee on car loans, personal gold loans and other personal loans. The retail push comes three weeks after the bank announced a cut in the savings bank rate.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Rosneft closes $13-billion Essar Oil acquisition deal: The nearly $13-billion acquisition of Essar Oil Ltd by a consortium led by Russia’s Rosneft PJSC is believed to have been completed, sources close to the matter said. This paves the way for the Essar group to reduce its debt. The deal, which Essar termed the largest foreign direct investment in India, includes the sale of a 20 million-tonnes-per-year Vadinar refinery and Vadinar port in Gujarat to Rosneft, United Capital Partners and Trafigura Group Pte. Essar’s promoters, the Ruias, will retain a 2% stake in these assets.

3. McDonald’s terminates franchise agreement with CPRL for 169 restaurants: McDonald’s India Pvt. Ltd (MIPL), the Indian subsidiary of the American fast food chain on Monday terminated its franchise agreement with Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd (CPRL), the north and east India licensee of McDonald’s, the company said in a statement.

4. NTPC seeks shareholder nod to raise Rs15,000 crore via bonds: State-owned power giant NTPC Ltd has sought shareholders’ approval to raise Rs15,000 crore via non-convertible bonds on private placement basis domestically for capex, working capital and other corporate purposes. The special resolution is listed on the agenda of the annual general meeting scheduled for 20 September.

5. Chaayos plans to expand tea range, open more stores in India: Tea cafe chain Chaayos is planning to expand its range of tea-based packaged consumer goods and open more stores. Chaayos CEO Nitin Saluja says launching Chai Pattis to help customers enjoy top selling Chaayos Chai at the comfort of their homes.

6. Government imposes anti-dumping duty on tempered glass from China: The Union Finance Ministry (Revenue Department) has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain “textured toughened (tempered) glass” imported from China. This will help the local industry against the heavily dumped Chinese products.

SPORTS:

7. Indian hockey is on par with the best: Rupinder Pal Singh: Rupinder was named TOISA Hockey Player of the Year (Jury’s Choice) for an excellent 2016. He was part of a fruitful 2016 campaign during which India won the Asian Champions Trophy.

8. Shapath Bharadwaj wins bronze at Junior Shotgun World Cup: Shapath Bharadwaj (15-year) has won a bronze medal in the double trap event at the ISSF Junior Shotgun World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. Lakshay Sheoran and Manisha Keer combined to win a bronze in the mixed team trap competition.