Daily GK Update - 18th March, 2021

 NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. Govt announces new scheme for tourist vehicle operators: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced a new scheme for tourist vehicle operators, under which any tourist vehicle operator may apply for an “All India tourist authorization and permit” through online mode. The new set of rules will be known as “All India Tourist Vehicles Authorization and Permit Rules, 2021”. This will come into effect from April 01, 2021.

About the rules: The new rules for permits are aimed at promoting tourism across the states in our country, while simultaneously, helping to grow the revenue of state Governments. The permits will be issued, after relevant documents are submitted and fees deposited, within 30 days of submission of such applications. The authorization/permit will be granted, for a period of three months or its multiples thereof, not exceeding three years at a time.

Note: Minister of Road Transport and Highways: Nitin Gadkari.

 2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Advisor P K Sinha resigns: Former Cabinet Secretary and Principal Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) P.K. Sinha has relinquished his high-profile position on personal grounds. He was appointed in the PMO first as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) briefly and then as Principal Advisor, a specially created position for him, in September 2019 after the 2019 parliamentary polls. Besides him, two senior officials are serving as Advisors in the PMO: Bhaskar Khulbe and Amarjit Sinha, both 1983 batch retired IAS officials. Mr. Sinha is a retired 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre and served in various capacities during the UPA and the NDA regimes. His is the second high profile exit from the PMO after PM’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra had resigned after the last Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, he was Secretary, Ministry of Power in the government of India and served as Cabinet Secretary for four years from 2015.

 3. Odisha Farmer’s Solar Car Gets Thumbs-Up Online: An Odisha farmer gained attention of people on social media by generating electric four-wheeler that runs on a solar powered battery. Sushil Aggarwal from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district had built a four-wheeler powered by an 850 Watts motor and 100 Ah/54 Volts of battery. After fully charged the vehicle can travel up to 300 km. He told that he had built this car inside a workshop at his home during the COVID-19 lockdown. He told that the solar-powered battery took around 8 and a half hours to be fully charged. He further stated that “It is a slow charging battery. Such batteries have a long life, it will last 10 years.”

What are solar cars: They are powered by electricity through the use of solar energy. Sun’s energy is directly converted into electrical energy by the Photovoltaic (PV) cells.

Benefits are: (1) Fossil fuel will be used in less; (2) Solar energy is free; (3) It does not cause pollution; (4) It will never run out, etc.

Some limitations are: (1) You will get solar power during the day and less on cloudy days; (2) It has been seen that solar equipments are expensive; (3) To store solar energy, expensive batteries are needed for cars to be able to run in night, etc.

 4. Hurun India Wealth Report 2020 announced: The Hurun India Wealth Report, 2020 was released on March 16, 2020. The report identifies a novel household category in India called the ‘New Middle Class’ which accounts for an average savings of Rs 20-lakh per annum. The report highlights that these households have a major allocation towards physical assets like primary residential property and automobiles. As per the report, the total number of such cumulative households in India stands at 633,000.

About the report: The report further states that there are around 4,12,000 dollar-millionaire households or affluent households across India which are having a net worth of Rs 7 crore. As per the report, the Hurun Rich Listers comprise a wealth of Rs 1,000 crore. This category of the report comprises 3000 number of cumulative households in India. The ‘Indian middle class’ has earnings of over Rs 2.5-lakh per annum while they have a net worth of less than Rs 7 crore. The ‘Indian Middle Class’ category accounts for 56400,000 families in India.

 5. Ordnance Factories’ Day: 18th March: In India, the Ordnance Factories’ Day is observed on 18th of March every year. The day commemorates the foundation of the first Ordnance Factory in colonial India at Cossipore near Kolkata where production started on March 18, 1802. The Indian Ordnance Factories operate under the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The day is celebrated by displaying the rifles, guns, artillery, ammunition etc in exhibitions all over India. Currently, the Ordnance Factories organisation comprises 41 factories grouped into five operational divisions of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. WHO declares El Salvador malaria-free: El Salvador is the first country in Central America to be certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization. WHO grants a certification of malaria elimination when a country proves “beyond a reasonable doubt” that there has been no indigenous transmission of the disease nationwide for the previous three consecutive years. El Salvador hasn’t had a malaria outbreak since 1996 and has reported no indigenous cases since 2017. In 1990, the country had 9,000 cases per year, a figure that declined to 26 by 2010. WHO credited El Salvador’s sustained domestic funding for malaria prevention, detection, and treatment for the success.

Note: El Salvador President: Nayib Bukele; El Salvador Capital: San Salvador; Currency: El Salvador colon.

 2. India-Finland Virtual Summit 2021: The India-Finland Virtual Summit was held on March 16, 2021, with the participation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland Ms Sanna Marin. The virtual summit was organised to discuss the entire gamut of bilateral issues as well as other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

About the Summit:

(1) The two leaders reviewed the ongoing bilateral engagements and committed to further expand and diversify the relationship across sectors such as trade and investment, innovation, education, emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, 5G/6G, and quantum computing.

(2) The two leaders also discussed the Covid-19 situation including their respective vaccination drives and emphasized the importance of global efforts for urgent and affordable access to vaccines across all nations.

(3) The leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the India-EU partnership, cooperation in the Arctic region, WTO and UN reforms. Both sides noted the potential for India and Finland to cooperate in undertaking developmental activities in Africa.

Note: Finland: Capital: Helsinki; Currency: Euro.

 3. Global Recycling Day 2021: 18th March: Global Recycling Day is observed every year on March 18 to create awareness among the masses about the rapid pace at which our natural resources are being used. The day also promotes the concept and practice of recycling. Every year, events are organised by environmentalist and activists to promote the cause. In 2021, the theme of Global Recycling Day is “Recycling Heroes”. Its main aim is to recognise the people, places and activities that showcase the importance of recycling in preserving natural resources. Recycling has helped in reducing carbon emissions by over 700 million tonnes every year. Notably, over 1.6 million people are employed around the world in the recycling industry. In this decade, the yearly contribution of recycling will increase up to $400 billion.

 OTHER UPDATES:

 SPORTS

 1. Virat Kohli becomes first player to score 3000 runs in men’s T20I: Indian captain Virat Kohli has breached the 3000-run mark in Twenty20 Internationals with his last shot in the second T20I against England. Kohli’s knock of 73 runs, which came off 49 balls, also helped India to level the five-match T20I series. He also became the third captain in international cricket to score 12000 runs as a captain. He joined legendary captains Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith in the elite list.

 2. UAE’s Mohammad Naveed, Shaiman Anwar banned for 8 years from all cricket: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed eight years ban on former UAE players Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar Butt from all cricket, for trying to fix matches during the T20 World Cup qualifiers in 2019. The ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal had found them guilty of breaching the Anti-Corruption Code in January 2021. The bans are backdated to 16 October 2019, when they were provisionally suspended for attempting to corrupt matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in the UAE. Naveed was the captain and leading wicket-taker. Anwar was the opening bat. Both had long international careers and were well versed in the threat from match-fixers. Both have been charged with two breaches each, the first of which is Article 2.2.1, which stands for ‘contriving, or being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of matches in the upcoming ICC World T20 Qualifiers 2019.’

Note: Chairman of ICC: Greg Barclay; CEO of ICC: Manu Sawhney; Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

 BANKING AND FINANCE

 1. RBI: Image-based Cheque Truncation System in all branches by Sep 30: The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to implement the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) in all branches by September 30 this year. The move is aimed at faster settlement of cheques resulting in better customer service. The Apex bank said that to leverage the availability of CTS and provide a uniform customer experience irrespective of the location of her/his bank branch, it has been decided to extend CTS across all bank branches in the country. To facilitate this, banks will have to ensure that all their branches participate in image-based CTS under respective grids by September 30.

About Image Cheque clearing system: There’s now a new way of clearing cheques more easily and quickly across the UK. The Image Clearing System allows banks and building societies to exchange images of cheques instead of moving paper around the country. This new approach means you can withdraw money much sooner.

What is Cheque Truncation System: A cheque truncation system is an arrangement that facilitates the electronic processing of a cheque with the use of Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR) data and the scanned image of the instrument without involving any physical exchange or movement of the financial instrument.

 BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 1. Samsung sets up Innovation Lab at Delhi Technological University: Samsung India has announced that it has inaugurated a Samsung Innovation Lab at Delhi Technological University (DTU) to focus on collaborative research and training. It has set up the innovation lab under the Samsung Innovation Campus initiative as part of its new #PoweringDigitalIndia vision. With this addition, Samsung now has eight technical labs spread across the country as part of its Samsung Innovation Campus initiative, which was earlier called Samsung Digital Academy.

About the project:

(1) As part of the lab, engineers at Samsung R&D Institute, Noida (SRI-N) will work with students and faculty at DTU on collaborative research projects on smartphone domains.

(2) The students and faculty at DTU will work on domains such as Application Framework, Multimedia, Health and Security, at the lab.

(3) Projects will focus on technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Computer Vision. So far, over 200 students have worked with SRI-N engineers on research projects and have received training.

(4) Collaborative research projects will be open to B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD students at DTU, who will receive certificates for their contribution at the end of each project. Samsung Innovation Campus is the company’s global citizenship program that aims to bridge proficiency gaps by skilling students on cutting-edge technology.

Note: Samsung Founder: Lee Byung-chul; Samsung Founded: 1 March 1938, Seoul, South Korea; Samsung Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea.

 AWARDS AND HONOURS

 1. Gowsalya Shankar honoured with International Woman of Courage 2021: The U.S. Consulate honoured Tamil Nadu-based anti-caste activist and human rights defender Gowsalya Shankar with a nomination for the International Woman of Courage (IWOC) Award. The IWOC Award Certificate of Nomination was handed over to her by U.S. Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin at an event ‘Courageous Women Inspire a Better World’ held in the city. Ms Gowsalya was U.S. Mission India’s nominee for the 2021 U.S. Secretary of State’s IWOC Award, which honours women who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to improve the lives of others.  Ms Gowsalya launched the Shankar Social Justice Trust in March 2017 to fight atrocities against caste-based violence. The trust provides psychological, legal and moral support to victims and builds awareness against social discrimination and injustice.

 OBITUARIES

 1. Audio cassette tape inventor Lou Ottens passes away: The Dutch inventor of audio cassette tapes, Lou Ottens passed away. Dutch engineer credited with inventing the cassette tape and playing a major role in the development of the first CD. In 1963, Ottens presented the first cassette tape at the Berlin Radio Show electronics fair.  After the fair deal signed between Sony and Philips to patent his creation that gained worldwide popularity. Ottens also worked on the CD development project. The device that he made was equipped with a directional antenna which he termed as “Germanenfilter” because it was resistant to the jammers used by the Nazi regime. In 1960, Ottens with his team developed the first portable tape recorder and two years later, he invented CDs.

Daily GK Updates - 24th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.National Panchayati Raj Diwas: In India, April 24th is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Diwas every year.This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010.

2.First digital village in Arunachal:Nirjuli village-1 in Papum Pare district was declared as the first digital village of Arunachal Pradesh.Digital village aims at cashless transactions even in sabji mandis to make payment through mobile.The state government also promised to  promote V-set linked customer service point (CSP) for digitalisation.

3.India’s first hospital for eye tumours: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is India’s first public hospital to start plaque brachytherapy facility for the treatment of eye tumours.The facility is a form of local radiation delivered to the eye through a radioactive device which is attached to the eye for a temporary period of time.AIIMS was established in 1956.

4.Newton wins best film honour: Actor Rajkummar Rao-starrer “Newton” has won the best film honour at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.Amit Masurkar-directed “Newton”, which also stars Anjali Patil, is a political satire.It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segmen

5. Quality Mark Award Scheme: The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has supported the National Dairy Development Board developed initiative of “Quality Mark” Award Scheme for dairy Cooperatives.The NDDB is in the process of registering the quality mark logo under Trademarks Act, 1998.Since its formation on 6th January, 2016, NDDB has received 53 applications for award of the Quality Mark.

6. Utkrisht Double-Decker AC Yatri Express:The Indian Railways will launch in July the Utkrisht Double-Decker AC Yatri (Uday) Express+ , a special class service for overnight journey that will ply on high-demand routes.The main USP of this train is that it will have fares lower than that of 3AC class.It runs at a speed of 110 km/hr.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New types of blood cells discovered: Scientists, including those of Indian origin, have identified new types of blood cells in the human immune system.The cells are new classes of types of white blood cells called dendritic cells and monocytes.Researchers used a technique called single-cell genomics to analyse gene expression patterns in individual human blood cells.

2. Freight train connects Russia with China: A freight train connecting Russia with China arrived in Ganzhou an inland city in Jiangxi province, carrying goods from Moscow on April 24.The freight train travelled more than 7000 km.This freight train connecting Russia and China is expected to bring resources from Europe and boost local development.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. GNFC wins Golden Peacock Award: The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award in the category of InnovativeProduct/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model.The Awards were established by the Institute of Directors in 1991.The GNFC won from among 313 applicants.

SPORTS:

1. Cricket removed from 2018 Asian Games:  One of the sports to miss out from the programme list of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang is cricket.Apart from cricket, skateboarding, sambo and surfing have also been removed.This measure was taken as a part of the series of changes aimed at reducing the total number of events from 493 to 431.Also omitted from the list are kurash and belt wrestling events.

2.Nadal wins 10th Monte-Carlo title:  Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters for a record-breaking 10th time by defeating  Albert Ramos-Vinolas.He, who now has 50 clay court titles and 70 in all, will be aiming for a 10th French Open title as well next month. He became the first man in the Open era to win the same event 10 times.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Books On Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Movement: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has released 3 books based on Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran movement of 1917. He released the books titled – ‘Mister M K Gandhi Ki Champaran Diary’, ‘Champaran Andolan 1917’ and ‘Pir Muhammad Munis: Kalam Ka Satyagrahi’.Champaran movement is acknowledged as the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

2.India topped the remittances chart for 2017: According to World Bank, India has retained its position as the top remittances receiving country with its diaspora sending about USD 69 billion back home in 2017.Remittances to India picked up sharply by 9.9% to USD 69 billion in 2017, reversing the previous year’s dip. Remittance inflows improved in all regions and top remittance recipients were India with followed by China & Philippines

3. Indeed inked pact with TASK: Global job site Indeed has announced its collaboration with Telangana Academy for Skill & Knowledge to support skill development of youth in Telangana.TASK was established by govt of Telangana to enable a platform b/w govt, academia & industry to enhance employability of youth.

Through this MoU, Indeed will offer TASK students the chance to attend lectures & career development workshops.

4. Road safety week 2018: With the objective to sensitise people about road safety, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is organizing the 29th edition of Road Safety Week from 23rd to 30th April.During the week, creating awareness about various causes of road accidents & measures to prevent them will be highlighted through various activities.1.5 lakh persons in India are killed in road crashes every year.

5. India’s best Gram Panchayat: West Bengal’s Digambarpur Gram Panchayat has bagged the Centre’s award for the best Gram Panchayat in the country.

Of the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country, the central government had selected1000 and watched their function.The state of West Bengal is also in the top in generating rural employment across states.

6. India’s first cashless island: Manipur’s Karang has become the first cashless island of the country.Karang, a remote region was cut-off from the (Bishnupur) district due to insurgency for a long time.Incentives were provided for training towards digital payments and five POS machines were installed on the island.An online channel was launched to create awareness about the digital payments.

7. ISRO to launch slew of military satellites: Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up to launch a slew of important satellites in the coming months. Some of these satellites are significant as they will help military keep an eye on our neighbours & safeguard our land & sea borders.ISRO will launch a dedicated satellite, Gsat-7A, for Indian Air Force & an advanced remote sensing satellite, Risat-2A, for surveillance purpose.

   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s first female foreign ministers meeting: Canada and the European Union will host the world’s first female foreign ministers’ meeting in September. Female foreign ministers from about 30 countries will be invited to the gathering, which is aimed at deepening global discussion on women’s empowerment. The meeting will be held for 2 days starting on September 21st in Canada.

2. Mario Benitez elected as Paraguay’s president: Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected as the president of Paraguay. Benitez garnered 46.44% of the vote, compared with 42.74% for his main rival Efrain Alegre. He is the son of the late private secretary of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay for 35 years.

3. World Book And Copyright Day 2018: World Book and Copyright Day is a yearly event on April 23rd, organized by UNESCO, to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The World Book Capital for World Book and Copyright Day 2018 will be the city of Athens, Greece.The 2018 edition is entitled “READING, it’s my right!”, and it will be an opportunity to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.Ex-foreign secretary Jaishankar to join Tata: Tata Sons has announced appointment of S Jaishankar as the Tata Group’s President, Global Corporate Affairs.Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977 holding key roles during his career including stints as High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador to China and US.Jaishankar will work with Tata Companies to help them strengthen their business presence in their respective geographies globally.

2. Axis Bank picks Egon Zehnder to find new CEO: Axis Bank has appointed global recruitment firm Egon Zehnder to find a successor for MD and CEO Shikha Sharma.In December 2017, the bank’s board had approved the reappointment of Ms. Sharma for three years, but early this month she said that she would step down in December 2018.Axis Bank is the third largest private-sector banks in India.

SPORTS:

1. Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters Title: World Number 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori by 6-3, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo Masters final to win his 31st Masters title.Nadal also became the first man in the Open era to win the same title 11 times.It gave him a 76th title overall and ensured the Spaniard keeps his top ranking ahead of Roger Federer.World No. 36 Nishikori was chasing his first ever Masters title.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd April, 2018

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Punjab govt to set up ‘book banks’ : The Punjab government has decided to set up ‘book banks’ in different schools so that needy students do not have to buy books at the start of every academic year and also to prevent “wastage of paper”.The students would be asked to submit their old books which would be provided to needy children free of charge.It is a voluntary initiative and is not binding on any student.

2. Aamir Khan, Kapil Dev to get Award : Aamir Khan and Kapil Dev will receive the 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards, at a ceremony on April 24.Khan will be honoured with the Vishesh Puraskar for Best Film ‘Dangal’, while Dev for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cricket.The event will be organised by Master Dinanath Smruti Pratishthan and Hridayesh Arts.

3. First-ever Indian Filmmaker in Madame Tussauds Collection : Karan Johar has become the first-ever Bollywood filmmaker to get a place at the famous Madame Tussauds. The process has begun in London and it will take about six months for the wax figurine to be ready. 

                                               INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Earth Day 2017: Earth Day is an annual :event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week focussing on environmental issues. The 2018 campaign theme ‘End Plastic Pollution’ will provide the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.

2. Brahmos supersonic missile test fired: The Indian Navy successfully tested the supersonic BrahMos land-attack cruise missile from stealth frigate, Teg in the Bay of Bengal.The missile, which last month was tested with an extended range of 450-km from the earlier 290-km.The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

3. ISRO to launch South Asia Satellite: India plans to launch on May 5 the ‘South Asia Satellite’ that will benefit all the countries in the region, except Pakistan which is not a part of the project.It will be launched from Sriharikota.Sources said the satellite is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.Each country would be responsible for content generation and its use.

4. NSCI Safety Awards – 2016: Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattatreya awarded NSCI Safety Awards 2016 to 70 Organisations at a function held in New Delhi.The Government framed the National Policy on Occupational Safety, Health and Environment in 2009.National Safety Council is a self-supporting non- profit autonomous society coming under the purview of Ministry of Labour and Employment

5. First India-Indonesia Energy Forum held:  The 1st India Indonesia Energy Forum was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy.India is third largest importer of coal from Indonesia. India’s imports of coal from Indonesia amounted to $3.5 billion in 2016.

                                      OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Fino Paytech to digitalise rural banks : Fino Paytech will help NABARD to help the rural bank digitization drive in the states of Haryana, MP, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra.It will provide over 5000 Aadhaar enabled micro ATMs financial inclusion gateway services to district central cooperative banks and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies across these states.NABARD deals with services related to agriculture.

2. Loan for India’s 1st waterway project: The World Bank has approved a loan of $375 million for the ambitious inland waterways project between Haldia in West Bengal and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.The 1390 km waterway project of the shipping ministry would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2000 deadweight tonnage (DWT).It was declared as a waterway in October 1986.

SPORTS:

1. The 2018 Indian Super Cup Football tournament : Bengaluru FC has won the first edition of Indian Super Cup Football tournament on April 20, 2018. In the final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, they defeated Kolkata football giants East Bengal by a convincing margin of 4-1. The competition is sponsored by Hero MotoCorp and is officially known as the Hero Super Cup.

2. The 2018 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix tournament : Daniel Ricciardo, an Australian racing driver who is currently competing in Formula One for Red Bull Racing, has won the 2018 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix tournament at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. The race was the third round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship and marked the fifteenth time that the Chinese Grand Prix has been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship.

OBITUARIES  :

1. The noted dance music star  Tim Bergling passed away : Tim Bergling, who is one of the world’s biggest dance music stars, has passed away in Muscat, Oman on April 21, 2018. He is popularly known as DJ Avicii. He was a Swedish musician, DJ, remixer and record producer. His club anthems include Wake Me Up, Levels, and recently, Lonely Together with Rita Ora.

Daily GK Updates - 21st April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Schemes to facilitate access to justice: Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated 3 welfare initiatives that would facilitate access to justice for the poor.Prasad launched the schemes, namely, ‘Pro-bono (in public interest) legal services’, ‘Tele-law service’ and ‘Nyaya Mitra’, which aim to connect those in need of legal aid with lawyers through use of technology.

2. India’s first industrial Robot:TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd. has created India’s first industrial robot called BRABO.BRABO—short for “Bravo Robot”—has been priced between Rs 5-7 lakh and can even be bought on equated monthly instalments, or EMIs. It was manufactured at the TAL’s Pune factory.

3.LIC appoints new MD and CEO: Life insurance Corp of India has appointed Vinay Shah as the new managing director and chief executive director of its mortgage loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing Finance.He succeeded Sunita Sharma.Shah has been with LIC since 1983. Prior to this assignment, he was executive director marketing.

4.Country’s first village of books: India’s first village of books will open on May 4 in Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.The Maharashtra government has got 75-odd artists to paint the walls of the 25 premises at Pustakanche Gaon (village of books).The village includes nearly 25 premises, which include 3 temples, 2 schools, 7 houses and several lodges and homestays spread on a stretch of 2 km in Bhilar village.

5.National nutrition scheme in Assam: Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has assured to bring the national nutrition scheme on track in Assam in a meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.They also discussed the modalities to strengthen the scheme.The Union Minister also hailed the state government’s role in conservation of rhino and other endangered species in national parks and sanctuaries.

  INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italian mayor wins Unesco Peace Prize: The UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina (Giusi) Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees.Lying closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily, Lampedusa is the first European landfall for people fleeing war and economic hardship in Africa and the Middle East.

2. RBI opens banking ombudsman in Jammu: The Reserve Bank has opened a new ombudsman office in Jammu as part of its efforts to expand banking grievances complaint cells across the country.Earlier all complaints were under the jurisdiction of New Delhi.There are two banking ombudsman offices in New Delhi.The office in Jammu will have the jurisdiction over entire Jammu and Kashmir

3.China to host BRICS Film Festival: The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27.Chinese director Xie Fei will be the president of the festival jury.The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, last September

4. Former Iranian President disqualified: Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified from running in next month’s presidential election.The decision was taken by the Guardian Council, a clerical body charged with vetting candidates for the May 19 election.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously urged him not to run.

5. Mongolia launches its first satellite: Mongolia launched its first satellite as part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.The 1,227-megahertz satellite, called Mongol Sat-1, will help landlocked Mongolia expand its television, telecoms and broadband services.The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India 8th on FDI confidence index: India has climbed one spot to the eighth rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.The index shows that investor confidence in India has been growing steadily over the last two years, making it one of the top two emerging market performers on the FDI Index, along with China.

SPORTS:

1. Video gaming at 2022 Asian Games: Video gaming will be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital prowess. The Olympic Council of Asia says it will introduce esports to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Daily GK Updates - 20th April, 2018

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The impeachment motion against CJI: Opposition parties led by Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad have submitted an impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.Around 60 opposition leaders signed the motion, while TMC and DMK MPs refrained from it.The move comes after CJI-led Supreme Court bench dismissed petitions seeking a probe into Judge BH Loya’s death.

2.Chhattisgarh to Distribute Free Smartphones: Chhattisgarh govt. will start distributing smartphones to over 50 lakh people for free from May under the Sanchar Kranti Yojana.Under the scheme, 40 lakh phones will be given to women heads of households in villages having population of more than 1,000. Smartphones will help to apprise people with the government’s welfare schemes and about the processes to avail benefits.

3. Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting begins: The two-day 25th Commonwealth heads of Govt meeting began in London.The Summit focuses on peace, prosperity, security, trade and investment. Discussions on strengthening cooperation in the fight against global terrorism & cyber crime are expected.It is after 20 years that the UK is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting.PM Narendra Modi is attending the summit for the first time.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.New partnership announced between India-UK: The British government announced a new trade partnership between India-UK.India would be investing more than 1 billion pounds in UK which will aid in creating 5,750 British jobs.The new partnership was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talks with the British Prime Minister Theresa May.

2.Scientists in Spain create a new record: Researchers based out in Spain cramp down light to lesser than a nanometer,that is, a space of 1 atom.The team did so by squeezing plasmons into a gap between graphene and metal.This is the smallest confinement done till date.This work was performed in collaboration with MIT (USA) and University of Minho (Portugal).

3.Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA chief: US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump-nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine to serve as NASA’s 13th administrator.His confirmation following a vote in the Senate ends the longest span of time that NASA has operated without a permanent leader.Bridenstine, a pilot in US Navy Reserve currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee & Science, Space & Technology Committee

4. Cuba gets its first non-Castro President: Cuba has selected First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba.Miguel is the first leader outside the Castro dynasty to lead the country since the 1959 revolution.Raul Castro will remain head of the Communist party, designated by the constitution as “the superior guiding force of society and the state”.

5. Spielberg becomes 1st director to gross $10b: Three-time Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has become the first director to gross more than $10 billion at the box office.Spielberg’s latest film ‘Ready Player One’ has helped him achieve this milestone.Spielberg is unlikely to lose the top spot any time soon as his closest rivals – Peter Jackson, Michael Bay and James Cameron all are currently around the $6 billion figure.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India, Eritrea to sign MoU: To facilitate a structured dialogue for strengthening bilateral cooperation among themselves, India & Eritrea will sign a MoU on Foreign Office Consultations.India & Eritrea enjoy cordial relations in political, commercial, education and other areas.Over the years, India has provided Eritrea with capacity building assistance in legislative drafting, technical scholarships & food aid.

2.Yes Bank got RBI’s nod to open offices: Yes Bank has received the Reserve Bank of India’s approval to open two representative offices in London and Singapore.The opening of these new offices will help in further diversification andexpansion of financial services to the NRI diaspora.Yes Bank opened its first representative office in Abu Dhabi in April 2015.

3. Standard Chartered ties up with Zoho: Standard Chartered Bank has announced an alliance with Zoho to offer solutions to enhance corporate banking experience.Bank’s business account holders can now pay their suppliers & automate reconciliation right from Zoho Books. The collaboration with Zoho offers clients a revolutionary experience, enabling them to interact seamlessly, resulting in simpler reconciliation & faster payments.

4. Tata Sons appoints new Group Chief HR Officer: Tata Sons has appointed long-time group employee Nupur Mallick as its new Group Chief Human Resource Officer.Currently, Mallick is director, Human Resources for Tata Consultancy Services in the UK and Ireland.She will take over from S. Padmanabhan who will continue to be executive chairman of Tata Business Excellence Group and head, Sustainability Group.

SPORTS:

1. India to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics: Indian Olympic Association has decided to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics as well as the 2032 Summer Olympics.The bidding process for 2026 Youth Olympics is likely to start in early part of 2020.Besides India, Thailand has also expressed interest to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.IOC chief Thomas Bach, who is on a 2 day visit to India, said India has the capability to host big Olympic events.

Daily GK Updates - 19th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Petrol pumps to be closed on Sundays: Beginning 14 May, petrol pumps in eight states will be closed on Sundays.Nearly 20,000 outlets in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Haryana would be shut for 24 hours on Sundays, starting 14 May.The decision was made in view of the Prime Minister’s call during his recent “mann ki baat” programme to conserve oil to save the environment

2. Sri Lanka to offer India port development: Sri Lanka is now set to allow India to jointly develop the Trincomalee port in northeastern part of the country.Sri Lanka has readied an MoU for joint development of the project and that it’s likely to be signed during PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Colombo.Sri Lanka, however, has backed China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative about which India has serious reservations.

3. WB Govt brings Social Security Yojana:West Bengal Government has introduced the Social Security Yojana by converging five separate beneficiary schemes for workers in the unorganised sectors and for self-employed people.Around 5 crore people will benefit from the Yojana, with around 1 crore getting direct benefits.The State Government has started another scheme – State Nutrition Mission.

4.New Film Institute in Itanagar: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced that a Film Institute will be set up in Itanagar.Mr Naidu said that the institute will start functioning from a temporary campus with an introduction of 10 week short term course from 15th of May this year.An investment of 200 crore rupees will be made for the institute for the students of North East region.

5. UP airport to be named after Gorakhnath: UP state cabinet has decided to name an upcoming airport terminal at Gorakhpur Air Force station after Mahayogi Gorakhnath.Mahayogi Gorakhnath is known as the founder of the Nath monastic movement.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest of the Gorakhnath Math.He is also a five-time MP from Gorakhpur.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.China Names places in Arunachal Pradesh: China has announced its own names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh.China claims the state as ‘South Tibet’, while India says Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and is inseparable from the country.The names announced by China are Wo’gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoid ngarbo Ri, Mainquka, B mo La and Namkapub Ri.

2. UK parliament votes on snap election: Britain’s parliament is to vote on holding a snap election in June.Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking to make strong gains against the opposition ahead of gruelling Brexit negotiations.An early election would therefore be the fourth big vote in four years after the general election of 2015.

3.UN to issue stamps for Yoga Day: United Nations will issue special stamps commemorating the International Yoga Day on June 21 this year.UN Postal Administration will issue the new special event sheet to commemorate Yoga Day that has been marked annually since 2015.The special sheet consists of stamps with images of the sacred Indian sound “Om” and various yogic postures.

4. India, Russia to hold combat exercise: In the first such tri-Service wargames, India will hold a major combat exercise with Russia this year.The Indra exercise, to be held in Russia, will include assets and manpower from the Army, Navy and IAF.

This is the first time India will deploy the three services together for an exercise with a country.Moscow Conference on International Security will be held on April 25-26.

5.World Liver Day being observed today:The World Liver day is observed on the 19th April every year to spread awareness about the second largest organ ‘liver’ in the body.This year, the theme of World Liver Day 2018 is 'Riding New Waves in Liver Diagnosis, Staging & Treatment'.Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol, and drugs.According to WHO (World Health Organization), liver diseases are the 10th most common cause of death in India.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Goldman Sachs for Flipkart merger talks: Bengaluru-based ecommerce marketplace Flipkart has appointed Goldman Sachs as an advisor for the “proposed acquisition” of rival Snapdeal.Last week, Flipkart had announced its acquisition of eBay.in as part of a $1.4 billion fundraising round.Snapdeal has raised about $1.65 billion from about two dozen investors, including SoftBank and SoftBank-backed Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba.