Daily GK Updates - 26th August, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G Satheesh Reddy appointed the chairman of DRDO : The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Dr G Satheesh Reddy (Scientific Advisor of Defence Minister) as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development & Chairman of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for a period of two years.His appointment will be effective from the date of assumption of charge.DRDO was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production with the Defence Science Organisation.

2. U K Varma appointed ASSOCHAM Secretary General : The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has appointed former bureaucrat Uday Kumar Varmaas its new Secretary General.He succeeds DS Rawat.He has extensive administrative experience at the highest levels of administration both in the Madhya Pradesh government and central government.Mr Varma retired from the position of Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India in 2013.

3. 26^th August: Sanskrit Divas : The Sanskrit Divas is observed every year on Shravan Purnima (26^thAugust 2018).The Special functions are being organised in different parts of the country to mark the day.Special programmes and different competitions on Sanskrit are being organised at Lal Bahadur Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth New Delhi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sushma Swaraj inaugurates 3rd Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi : The union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the two- day 3rd Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi (capital of Vietnam).This conference will serve as a platform to the countries to come closer and exchange better views on the economic & strategic importance of the region and neighbourhood.The theme for the year is “Building Regional Architectures”.This year around 43 countries are participating while 28 ministers and officials are set to address the event.

2. Fourth Asian electoral stakeholder forum (AESF-IV) begins in Colombo : The fourth Asian electoral stakeholder forum (AESF-IV) has begun in Colombo (Sri Lanka) to discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region.The two-day forum is being held for the first time in South Asia with support from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka and the Asian network for free elections (ANFREL).The AESF will be attended by more than 250 delegates from 45 countries.The theme is, 'Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together'.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  Punjab National Bank gets top rank in digital transaction : According to Punjab National Bank (PNB), a Department of Financial Services report has rated it as number one state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions.The Nirav Modi scam-hit bank is also rated as the sixth overall amongst all banks in India for digital performance.

SPORTS:

1. Tejinder Pal Singh Toor wins a Gold medal in Shot-Put : India's Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (23-year) wins the Gold medal in Men's Shot Put at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.He won the event with an Asian Games record throw of 20.75 meters.It's the eighth men's Shot-Put gold for India in Asian Games history.

OBITUARIES:

1. US Senator John McCain passes away : US Senator John McCain (81-year) passed away after losing a battle with brain cancer.McCain was also a Republican presidential nominee in 2008. A fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down.While in the custody he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.

Daily GK Updates - 24th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Modi inaugurates Mundka-Bahadurgarh Metro link : Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Mundka-Bahardurgarh metro network through a digital video link between PMO and Bahadurgarh.With the opening of the 11.2km Mundka-Bahadurgarh stretch of Green Line, Delhi Metro makes its third foray into Haryana, connecting Bahadurgarh to the heart of Delhi.With the opening of this section, Delhi Metro network will expand to 288 km with 208 station.

2. Panel to lay down standards for metro systems : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of setting up of a committee to lay down standards for metro rail systems in India.The committee will be headed by retired Indian Engineering Service (IES) officer E Sreedharan, also known as “Metro Man”. Sreedharan served as the managing director of Delhi Metro between 1995 and 2012.

3. Chief Minister of the Year’ award : Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was conferred the ‘Chief Minister of the Year’ award for her remarkable work in e-governance.The award was given to her at the 52^nd Skoch Summit held in New Delhi.Efforts of the chief minister and state government were appreciated in implementing the prime minister’s Digital India campaign for benefitting the common man.

4. Kalki to be conferred with French honour : Kalki Koechlin will be conferred with French distinction of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contribution in enhancing Indo-French ties in cinema.Kalki, who has French roots, has done films such as Dev.D, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara & Shanghai to name a few.The honour comes in recognition of an actor, who has interpreted striking roles in the Indian film industry.

5. SKY Scheme for farmers to generate solar power : The Gujarat government has launched a solar power scheme for farmers – Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY).

Under the scheme farmers would not only be able to generate electricity for their captive consumption but will also be able to sell the surplus power to the grid and earn an extra buck.The extra electricity given to grid would be purchased at a rate of Rs7 per unit for a period of 7 years.

6. Ramdev to get wax statue at Madame Tussauds : Baba Ramdev will soon have a wax replica at the Madame Tussauds museum of London.Baba Ramdev will be the second saint to be depicted at the notable wax museum after Swami Vivekanand.Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London, displaying the waxworks of famous and historic people and also popular film characters.

7. 24°C as the default setting for ACs : Power Ministry has suggested air-conditioner manufacturers to keep default setting at 24°C in a bid to save energy.It has also suggested that manufacturers should carry out labelling indicating optimum temperature setting for benefit of consumers, both from financial & health point of view.Having a default setting at 24°C will result in savings of 20 billion units of electricity in a year.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Navy chief Admiral Lanba to visit Bangladesh : Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Lanba will be on a five day goodwill visit to Bangladesh.The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral defence relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.The Admiral Lanba will inaugurate the first edition of Indian Navy-Bangladesh Navy Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT).

2. US and South Korea suspend training exercises : The United States and South Korea have agreed to indefinitely suspend two exchange program training exercises.The announcement comes on the heels of the summit in Singapore between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Freedom Guardian along with two Korean Marine Exchange Program training exercises have been suspended.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANACE:

1.Bank heads to appear before parliament panel : Heads of 11-state owned banks will apprise a parliamentary committee about the problems of mounting bad loans and increasing fraud cases.They will be appearing before the standing committee on finance, headed by veteran Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily, which is looking into issues relating to banking sector.The rising number of frauds and NPAs have become a serious cause of concern.

SPORTS:

1. Amit wins gold at World Para Athletics : India’s Amit Kumar Saroha has clinched the gold medal in the men’s club throw F51 event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Tunisia.The wheelchair-bound Indian athlete produced the season’s best performance of 29.42m to bag the gold.Amit Saroha is an Asian Para Games medalist and an Arjuna Awardee, competing in the F51 category in Discus throw and Club throw.

2. Sunil Mittal becomes honorary chairman of ICC : Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, will step down as the Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce.He will now function as the Honorary Chairman of ICC commencing July 1, 2018.He will be succeeded by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, as ICC Chairman.Mittal was only the 3^rd Indian to have been appointed the chairman of the ICC since it was constituted in 1919.

3. Second Youngest Chess Grandmaster : R Praggnanandhaa made history by becoming the 2^nd youngest chess grandmaster in the world by earning his 3^rd GM norm during Gredine Open.Praggnanandhaa who is just 12 years, 10 months and 14 days old is also the youngest Indian Grandmaster.Ukraine’s Serget Karjakin remains the youngest ever Grandmaster.Viswanathan Anand, India’s first ever GM, was 18 years old when he earned his 3^rd norm.

Daily GK Updates - 16th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1.Odisha CM inaugurates bridge connecting Jharsaguda district with Sambalpur: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated a ‘2.5 km long bridge’ constructed over river Ib (a tributary of Mahanadi) that will connect Jharsaguda district with Sambalpur. It will help connect the coal region of Brajarjnagar & Belpahar in Jharsuguda district with Sambalpur & boost economic activities in the area.The bridge has been constructed at a cost of over 117 crore rupees.It will reduce the distance between Lakhanpur and Sambalpur by 50 kilometers.

2. Himachal Pradesh Celebrates its 71st Foundation Day: Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 71st foundation day with much fanfare and gaiety. Several cultural events were organized across the state. It may be recalled that the hill state came into existence after the merger of 30 odd princely states in 1948. The main event was held at Ridge Maidan in Shimla, where Chief Minister Jairam Thakur reviewed the ceremonial Parade presented by police, home guards and NCC cadets.

3. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched in Telangana: Launching the ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’ in Telangana, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan stated the number of LPG distribution points in the State will be increased to 1,000 from the existing 707 for quicker and efficient delivery of gas cylinders.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1.  NASA to launch washing machine-sized spacecraft: NASA is to launch a washing machine-sized spacecraft that aims to vastly expand mankind's search for planets beyond the solar system.The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch today from Cape Canaveral, Florida.Its main goal over the next two years is to scan more than 200,000 of the brightest stars for signs of planets circling them and causing a dip in brightness known as a transit.

2. PM Modi leaves on 5-day visit to Sweden & UK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting two European countries Sweden, Germany and the UK for bilateral meetings and for the India-Nordic Summit and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).In the first leg, Prime Minister will attend the first-ever India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm which is being co-hosted by India and Sweden.In the second leg (Wed-Fri) of his visit. Mr. Modi will address a unique event ‘Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath’ in London on Wednesday.The Prime Minister will also participate in the CHOGM being hosted by the United Kingdom.

3. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Begins in London: The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) has begun in London, the UK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the event on 19th and 20th of April. The theme of the summit is 'Towards a Common Future'. The biennial event has brought together delegates from 53 Commonwealth nations.

4. UN launches Road Safety Fund: United Nations’ Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed announced the launch of the ‘UN Road Safety Trust Fund’ to stimulate action that can save lives and prevent injuries and sufferings associated with road accidents. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the development arm of the UN in Europe, is designated as the Secretariat for the Trust Fund. A contribution ofUSD 1500 to the fund could help save one life and prevent 10 serious injuries.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank Pips SBI to Become India’s 2nd Most Valuable Bank: Shares of private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd beat India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) for the first time to become the second most valued bank in the country. Data from BSE showed that Kotak Mahindra Bank has a market capitalization of Rs2,22,560.69 crore after its shares rose 1.7%. SBI market capitalization stood at Rs2,22,043.74 crore. Its shares were trading at Rs248.80 on BSE, down 1% from its previous close.

SPORTS:

1. India ends the campaign in third spot with 26 Gold Medals at CWG 2018 : India has eventually finished their 21st Commonwealth Games campaignon the third spot at Gold Coast, Australia.Legendary Boxer MC Mery Kom leading Indian delegation carrying tricolor in a colorful ceremony.Indian competitors ended their campaign in the third place, with 66 medals including 26 Gold, 20 Silver and 20 Bronze medals.Australia stood first in the medal tally with 198 medals (80 Gold, 59 Silver and 59 Bronze) followed by England 136 medals.

2. Indian Swimmer Double Crosses Bangla Channel, Sets World Record: Pune-based 17-year-old swimmer Sampanna Ramesh Shelar has set a world record to double cross the Bangla Channel. Shelar, is the first person to swim to and fro from Saint Martin's Island Jetty to Teknaf in Bangladesh also known as the Bangla Channel. He has completed the journey of 32.2 kilometres in 9 hours and 10 minutes.