Daily GK Updates - 22nd November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Modi Govt. 3rd most trusted in the world: Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ranked as the third most trusted government in the world as per Government at a Glance 2017. It was published by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. As per the report, nearly 74 percent of Indians have expressed confidence in their national government. The list is topped by Switzerland and followed by Indonesia.

2. RSS chief, Yogi Adityanath to attend ‘Dharma Sansad’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend a three-day ‘Dharma Sansad’ beginning November 24 that will be organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to discuss the Ram Temple issue.It is being organised at the time when talks of resolving the Ram Temple dispute outside court has gathered momentum. Art of Living Foundation chief Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is trying to resolve the dispute by mediating between different parties.

3. Brahmos completes cruise missile triad: In a major boost to the strike capability of Indian Air Force, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile — “Brahmos” created history when it was successfully test-fired from a Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jet against a target in the Bay of Bengal.With this, Brahmos completes the cruise missile triad, it can be launched from land, sea and air. The supersonic cruise missile has already been successfully launched from sea and land.

4. Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be open to public for four days a week: The Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be open for public viewing for four days a week — Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday — from tomorrow, according to an official statement on Wednesday. Registration charge for the visit is Rs 50 per head, it said. Children below the age of eight years will be exempt from these charges. People can visit on these four days anytime between 9 am and 4 pm, except on gazetted holidays.

5. Parab Fest takes off in Koraput, Odisha: ‘Parab-2017’, the annual cultural festival of Odisha’s Koraput district, showcasing the tribal art and culture, started. Parab 2017 started from the shrine of goddess Sankulai Devi of B Singhpur under Borigumma block, with a tribal dance. The objective of this festival is to protect  & promote the region’s rich cultural heritage. A 5-day Pallishree Mela will be organised on 21 December 2017

6. Ira Joshi appointed as the new DG of Doordarshan News: Ira Joshi was appointed as the Director General of Doordarshan News following the retirement of Veena Jain.

Earlier, Ira Joshi was the Press Information Bureau (PIB) director general. PIB Director General Ghanshyam Goel has been made the new Director General of Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), replacing Esther Kar.

7. Parliament Winter Session likely to be held from December 15 till January 5: The Winter Session of Parliament is likely to be held from December 15 till January 5, sources told The Indian Express. A decision in this regard was reportedly taken during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Union Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters that dates of the session will not clash with the assembly elections in Gujarat.

8. FOGSI launches ‘Manyata’ movement: Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) launched ‘Manyata’, a nationwide movement emphasising the need for quality care for mothers during and immediately after childbirth. FOGSI has launched ‘Manyata’ in partnership with MSD for Mothers, MacArthur Foundation and Jhpiego. The movement was flagged off by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Robert Mugabe resigns as the President of Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe has resigned as President of Zimbabwe with immediate effect after 37 years in power, ushering a new era for a country as uncertain as it is hopeful. The man who ruled with an autocrat’s grip for so many years finally caved to popular and political pressure hours after parliament launched proceedings to impeach him.

2. Nepal-India border to be sealed for 72 hours ahead of polls: Nepal will shut its border crossings with India from Friday for 72 hours ahead of the first phase of parliamentary and provincial assembly elections on November 26 for security reasons. Nepal is holding provincial and parliamentary elections in two phases on November 26 and December 7. The elections are seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India becomes second largest fish producing country in the world: Combining the production of all types of fisheries, the total fish production has reached 11.41mn tones, with this India has become the second largest fish producing country in the world. China is the largest fish producer country in the world. The scheme ‘Blue Revolution’ has been launched for the integrated development of fisheries sector in the country.

2. Samsung partners with Uttar Pradesh government to set up 20 healthcare centres: Samsung India, a subsidiary of the South Korea-based electronics major, on Wednesday said it has partnered with the Uttar Pradesh government to set-up 20 new smart healthcare centres across the state to provide healthcare equipments, reports news agency PTI. The smart healthcare programme aims to offer affordable and quality healthcare to patients from the economically and socially weaker sections of society. Since 2015, Samsung has collaborated with 18 government hospitals across the country for the programme.

3. ”Infrastructure” status to Logistics sector: The government has given infrastructure status to logistics sector, covering cold chain and warehousing facilities. It is done in a move to attract more funding at competitive rates for these segments.

4. Mastercard, Mswipe tie-up: swipe, a domestic maker of Point of Sale (PoS) terminals, has partnered MasterCard to digitise merchant acquisition and can now enable a shopkeeper anywhere in India to acquire a card swipe machine. Mswipe will enable a merchant to complete the ‘know-your-customer’ (KYC) requirement using a mobile application that will scan documents.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Andhra Bank launches scheme to push Entrepreneurship: Andhra Bank has launched scheme for self help groups (SHG) to encourage entrepreneurship. The scheme ‘Pattabhi Sitaramayya’ has been introduced to commemorate the birth anniversary of its founder Bhograju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, and the silver jubilee of the SHG-Bank linkage programme in the country.

Daily GK Updates - 15th November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. India’s first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit held: India’s first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit began in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The event has been organized by NITI Aayog in partnership with the government of US. The event is a part of 8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held in India. The summit has been organized mainly with the motive to inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in tribal youth.

2. NCERT conducts largest ever survey-NAS: National Achievement Survey (NAS), the largest ever assessment survey on a national level was conducted by NCERT. NAS was conducted for the Classes 3, 5 and 8 in government and government-aided schools. The survey is to ascertain learning level of students. The inferences drawn from the analytical reports will be used to design classroom interventions.

3. Jharkhand celebrates 17th statehood day: Jharkhand is a state in eastern India carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand state accounts for 40% of the mineral resources of India. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, visited Jharkhand and paid tributes to freedom fighter Birsa Munda at his statue at Birsa Chowk, Ranchi.

4. International Lavi Fair begins in HP: Traditional International ‘Lavi fair’ was held from 11th -14th November 2017 in Rampur, Himachal Pradesh. Lavi Fair has been an important point of trade between India and Tibet for centuries. The fair is visited by tourist and traders from distant places. It provides a good opportunity for promotion and sale of woolens, dry fruits and other traditional crafts and products.

5. India’s first offshore desalination plant to be built: Scientists from NIOT will build India’s first offshore desalination plant about 40km from the Chennai coast. The capacity of the plant will be 10 million liters of water per day. The plant will operate on Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD), a low cost and environment-friendly technology to get potable water.

6. West Bengal gets GI Tag for ‘Rosogolla’: The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry announced that West Bengal has been awarded the GI status for ‘Rosogolla’. The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry has said that the ‘Rosogolla’ originated in West Bengal and not Odisha. West Bengal and Odisha have been fighting a legal battle over the origin of the sweet meat ‘Rosogolla’ since June 2015.

7. Vijay Dimri appointed as the President of 36th IGC: Scientist Vijay Prasad Dimri was appointed as the President of the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC). It is a global platform for the advancement of earth science, to be held in New Delhi in 2020.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Asgardia launched Asgardia-1 into space: The Space Kingdom of Asgardia (virtual nation) launched its first satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into space from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Asgardia – so-called ‘virtual nation’ is the project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli. The Asgardia-1 satellite, which is about the size of a loaf of bread, contains half a terabyte of data

2. Borut Pahor of Slovenia’s wins second term as Prez: Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor wins Second Term in Runoff Election. He received nearly 53 percent of votes.

3. Saudi Arabia recognizes Yoga as a Sport: The Saudi Arabian government has approved the practice of yoga as a sports activity. This news came from a social media post of Nouf Marwaai, founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation in Saudi Arabia.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. CRISIL, SIDBI tie up to launch CriSidEx: Rating firm Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have signed a MoU to launch CriSidEx, a sentiment Index for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). This index will provide insights into employment, business environment, and foreign trade trends in the MSME sector.

SPORTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel wins Brazilian GP: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix, a Formula One championship race, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Valtteri Bottas started the race at the pole position. Vettel controlled the race after taking the lead from Valtteri Bottas. The Formula One world championship title had already been decided at the Mexican Grand Prix, two weeks earlier.

2. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal retires from all forms of cricket: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket two years after a remodeled bowling action that was deemed illegal twice by the autorities. Ajmal was once celebrated as the world’s number one bowler in one-day internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 cricket, and was almost as successful in Tests.

Daily GK Updates - 14th November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Children’s Day observed across India: Children’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of November in India as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru, who was born on November 14, 1889. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru or Chachaji, was known for his love for children. Prior to 1964, India celebrated Children’s Day on 20 November, which was observed as the Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations.

2. India to get its first ‘Air Dispensary’: Northeast is all set to get India’s first-ever “Air Dispensary” based in a helicopter. The Union Ministry of Development of Northeast has already contributed Rs. 25 crore funding for this initiative.

3. 37th India International Trade Fair begins in New Delhi: 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) has begun at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The 14-day annual event has been organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). This year the theme of the fair is “Startup India Standup India”. Vietnam is the Partner Country, while Kyrgyzstan is the Focus Country.  Jharkhand is participating as a Partner State in the event.

4. Indian Railways to launch Project Saksham: Railways will launch the country’s largest time-bound “upskilling” exercise for government employees to upgrade the skill sets of its 13 lakh-strong workforce with a single drive spanning 9 months. Project Saksham will start in January 2018 and go on until September 2018.

5. Bharat Net, Phase 2 launched: Central Government launched the Phase 2 of Bharat Net project to connect 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed broadband by March 2019. Bharat Net Project, formerly known as National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was launched by Central Government in October 2011 with an aim to deploy high-speed optical fiber cables across rural areas of India.

6. India Youth Development Index: Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore released the India Youth Development Index and Report. The objective of constructing YDI 2017 is to track the trends in Youth Development across the States. The Index enables recognizing the high and low performing states, identifies the weak domains and informs the priority areas of intervention for youth development.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Diabetes Day 2017: World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign. It is celebrated every year on 14th November. The theme of World Diabetes Day 2017 is Women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future.

2. Founding Ceremony of International Solar Alliance held in Bonn: A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held in Bonn, Germany. The ISA is a treaty-based alliance of 121 prospective solar-rich Member Nations situated fully or partially between the Tropics & aims at the development of solar energy globally.

3. 10th South Asia Economic Summit begins in Kathmandu: The 10th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES) has begun in Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the 3-day summit is “Deepening Economic Integration for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in South Asia”.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Asian Bankers Association summit to be held in Mumbai: For the first time, Mumbai is to host the 34th annual conference of the Asian Bankers Association on 16th and 17th November 2017. Summit will be hosted by State Bank. The theme for this year’s summit is ‘Asia’s turn to transform’.

SPORTS:

1. Pankaj Advani wins his 17th title at ISBF World Billiards Championships: Indian cueist Pankaj Advani has won his 17th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2017 in Doha, Qatar. Pankaj beat Mike Russell of England by 6-2 (0-155, 150-128, 92-151, 151-0, 151-6, 151-0, 150-58, 150-21) and won his 17th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2017.

2. Rafael Nadal receives ATP World No. 1 award: Tennis player Rafael Nadal was presented the ATP World Number 1 award on court, at the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena, in London. Rafael Nadal replaced Andy Murray of Britain at Number 1 position on 21 August 2017.

Daily GK Updates - 13th November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. India’s first Military Literature Festival to be held: India’s first Military Literature Festival (MLF) will be held in Chandigarh, between December7 and 9, 2017. It is a tribute to the armed forces, whose contributions to the nation remain etched in history as iconic events.

2. Child Rights Week to be observed: The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the Child Rights Week (Hausla 2017) from 16th to 20th November 2017. The commemoration of the festival “Hausla 2017” will provide an occasion to showcase the talents of children and to provide them with a space to express their dreams and aspiration.

3. Odisha, Bengal to hold joint exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’: The governments of Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal will soon organize a joint security exercise named as ‘Sagar Kavach’. It is to further tighten the existing coastal security mechanism along the 630 km long coastline. Sagar Kavach security exercise is a realistic drill to check the efficacy of the security parameters and preparedness of various security forces.

4. Cabinet approval for restructuring National Rural Drinking Water Programme: Cabinet has accorded its approval for continuation and restructuring of National Rural Drinking Water Programme. The scheme was launched to ensure good quality service delivery to the rural population. The restructuring will make the programme flexible and will enable the Ministry towards to reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable Piped Water Supply.

5. Award of President’s Standard & Colours: Mr. Ramnath Kovind will give the prestigious President’s standard to 223 Squadron and 117 Helicopter Unit during a ceremonial parade scheduled to be held at Air Force Station Adampur on 16th November 17. The Commanding Officer of 223 Squadron, Group and 117 Helicopter Unit will receive the President’s Standard. This honour is an acknowledgement of the meritorious service rendered by the selected units.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Pneumonia Day observed:  On 12th November 2017, World Pneumonia Day was observed all over the world. It was first observed in 2009 when over 100 organisations joined to form the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. It helps to highlight the severity of pneumonia and encourages more organisations to look at ways of fighting the disease.

2. APEC summit held in Vietnam: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held on 10th and 11th November, 2017 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’. Leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries attended this meeting. This was the first APEC meeting for several leaders.

3. Global Climate Risk Index released: India is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events, according to global climate risk index.

Haiti, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are at top five positions in the fresh list of nations facing climate risk. The ranking was released here by ‘Germanwatch’, an independent Berlin-based development and environmental organisation.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Cartoon Network’s first amusement park to come up in Surat: Turner International India and Rajgreen Group are making Amaazia – India’s first Cartoon Network-branded amusement park, in Surat. Cartoon Network’s popular characters will be part of the amusement park. Amaazia will be divided into four major sections – a theme park branded by Cartoon Network, a water park, a family recreational hub and a service apartment and retail shopping area.

SPORTS:

1. Bharat Khandare to be the first India-born fighter in UFC: Bharat Khandare is all set to be the first Indian-born Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). He was first approached by UFC three years back but the deal did not go through because of his prior commitments. Earlier this year Arjan Singh Bhullar became the first Indian to sign up in the UFC.

2. New Ombudsman of AIFF named: Supreme Court appointed former captain of the football team, Bhaskar Ganguly, as ombudsman of All India Football Federation. Ganguly had served as captain of the Indian team at the 1982 Asian Games.

Daily GK Updates - 9th November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kerala launches ‘She Pad’ scheme: Kerala launched a new scheme for school students named ‘She Pad’ in Kerala. CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the ‘She Pad’ scheme will benefit the girls of classes 6 to 12 in Kerala and will be implemented in 300 schools this year. Free sanitary napkins, storage spaces and environment-friendly incinerators at all government-aided schools in Kerala will be provided as part of the project.

2. Chennai in UNESCO’s Creative cities list: 64 cities from 44 countries have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities by Director-General, Irina Bokova. Chennai is the third Indian city on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities list after Jaipur and Varanasi. Chennai has been for contribution in music.

3. Uttarakhand celebrates its 17th formation day: Uttarakhand state is celebrating its 17th formation day with much fanfare and gaiety today. On 9th November 2000, Uttarakhand became the 27th state of the Republic of India, being created from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh.

4. Haryana signs MoU with Art of Living Foundation: Haryana signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vyakti Vikas Kendra, a training institute of the Art of Living Foundation. MoU is for helping jail inmates to maintain and improve their health and reduce physical and mental stress. Vyakti Vikas Kendra will regularly conduct yoga, meditation and other programmes for the welfare of prisoners in all the prisons of Haryana.

5. 2nd edition of India International Cherry Blossom festival begins in Shillong: The 2nd edition of four-day India International Cherry Blossom festival (World’s only Autumn Cherry Blossom Festival) has begun at the 5thGround, Polo Grounds, Shillong. The State Govt is focusing on promoting tourism potential of the State by organizing such festivals which will not only boost tourism but also protect and preserve the forest and wildlife biodiversity.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Goncourt Prize 2017 announced: The Goncourt Prize is the most prestigious award in the French-speaking world. L’ordre du jour is a 160-page book. Eric Vuillard’s novel L’ordre du jour (in English ‘Agenda’), story of how German industry and finance backed Adolf Hitler, won the top Goncourt Prize 2017 award.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. ICEX completes 1st diamond contract: Indian Commodity Exchange said that it has successfully completed first-ever diamond futures contracts settlement. Its total traded quantity in November expired for 5,382.08 carats valued at Rs 173.32 crore. ICEX had commenced operations on 28th August 2017 with the launch of three monthly diamond futures contracts – from November 2017, December 2017 and January 2018 expiry.

SPORTS:

1. Mary Kom wins Asian Boxing Championships: Mary Kom, who will be turning 35 on November 25, won the gold medal in the Asian Boxing Championships in the Light Flyweight category. She defeated DPR Korea’s Kim Hyang Mi in the final bout 5-0 by unanimous decision. Indian boxer Sonia Lather, who made it to the final of the Featherweight category, won a silver medal.

2. Saina Nehwal becomes National Champion, beats PV Sindhu: World number 11 Saina Nehwal became the national champion for the third time, defeating world number 2 PV Sindhu in the women’s singles final of Senior National Badminton Championships, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Nehwal, who had previously won senior nationals in 2006 and 2007, won with the scoreline of 21-17, 27-25.

3. Aussie Mitchell Starc makes history with two hat-tricks: Mitchell Starc became the 1st man to take 2 hat-tricks in the same first-class game. He became only the 18th player in first-class cricket history and the first in 39 years to achieve the feat.

4. Mascot released for AIBA (Boxing) Championship: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BFI president Ajay Singh released the championship’s official logo and anthem. The championship will be held from November 19 to 26. The official mascot, named Guppy, is a female version of Assam’s one-horned rhino. The World Championship’s official anthem is ‘Make Some Noise’.

Daily GK Updates - 1st November, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Suresh Chukkapalli appointed as Consul General of Korea: Suresh Chukkapalli, Chairman of Phoenix Group of Hyderabad, has been appointed as Honorary Consul General in Hyderabad by the Republic of Korea.

2. Five states celebrate their Foundation Day: Five states — Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka — are celebrating their foundation day today, Wednesday, November 1.

3. ERO-Net launched in Rajasthan: Rajasthan’s Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Bhagat launched the Election Commission’s web-based project, ERO-Net. By using this, voters can register their names on electoral rolls. It could not identify multiple entries of a voter.

4. India tops list of new TB cases in 2016: According to ‘Global TB Report 2017’ released by World Health Organization (WHO), India has topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64% of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis cases worldwide in 2016. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease which affects the lung and is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The World Bank Releases Doing Business Report 2018: According to the World Bank’s released report, 'Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs', India ranked 100th (earlier 130th) among the 190 countries, assessed by the Doing Business Team. The Doing Business Report assesses covers 10 indicators which span the lifecycle of a business. India is the only country in South Asia and BRICS economies to feature among most improved economies of the DB Report this year. India's rank has improved in 6 of the 10 indicators and Distance to Frontier (DTF) has improved in 9 of the 10 indicators.

2. World Vegan Day 2017 observed: In 1994, the Chair of the Vegan Society Louise Wallis decided to set November 1 as World Vegan Day. Veganism is practiced both as a diet (to abstain from all food items using animal products) as well as a philosophy (which rejects the commodity status of animals). One who practices either of the two is said to be a vegan.

3. Jackson named top-earning dead celebrity: Michael Jackson, who died in the year 2009 is still generating millions of dollars. Jackson named top-earning dead celebrity for the 5th time. He was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. TV Narendran appointed as Global CEO of Tata Steel: Tata Steel Ltd promoted T V Narendran as chief executive officer and managing director globally. Narendran is 52 years old. He was serving as Managing Director (India and South East Asia) for the past four years.

SPORTS:

1. Diya Chitale wins silver medal at ITTF World Cadet Challenge: Indian table tennis player Diya Chitale won a silver medal in the girls’ doubles category of the 2017 ITTF World Cadet Challenge, in Suva, Fiji.  Diya also won a gold medal in the Team event, as part of Team Asia.

2. Heena Sidhu wins Gold at Commonwealth Shooting Championships: Ace Indian shooter Heena Sidhu has bagged gold in women’s 10m Air Pistol event at Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane, Australia. Heena shot a score of 240.8 in the finals to beat Australia’s Elena Galiabovitch, who has to settle for silver after posting 238.2. India also got its second medal through Deepak Kumar as he won bronze in men’s 10m Air Rifle event.

3. Birendra re-elected as President of IWLF: Birendra Prasad Baishya was re-elected as President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) in the Annual General Body Meeting. The newly formed Executive Committee of IWLF consists of seven vice-presidents, and Sahdev Yadav has become the secretary general.

OBITUARIES:

1. Kannada writer and journalist, Khadri Achyuthan, dies at 71: Veteran Kannada writer and journalist Khadri Achyuthan died after a brief period of illness at 71 years age. He has also contributed to the coinage of new Kannada words. He is a veteran journalist, author, academic and translator of various literary works.He has written a book in Kannada on ISRO. He has worked on Kannada translations of Sardar Patel and Dr. Ambedkar.

Daily GK Updates - 29th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt. approves Rs. 7,000 crore for 6 New IIT Campuses: The Union Cabinet has approved over Rs 7,000 crore for construction of permanent campuses of six new IITs across the country. Campuses will be built at Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwad (Karnataka), Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) and Goa.

2. Assam launches “Assam Darpan” portal: Assam Chief Minister launched a web portal ‘Assam Darpan’ where details of government schemes and projects would be available to the people. The platform has been developed as a part of the Digital India Programme.

3. A coffee table book on the Department of Defence Production released: Nirmala Sitharaman released a coffee table book on the Department of Defence Production, titled ‘A journey towards self-reliance’. “A journey towards self-reliance” is the first ever coffee table book on DDP. It narrates the post-independence years of development, production of arms, ammunition and defence equipment, with a view to achieve self-reliance for the Armed Forces of India.

4. OPV Vikram handed over to the Indian Coast Guard: An offshore patrol vessel (OPV), entirely developed in-house by Larsen and Toubro and the country’s first-ever such defence craft to be built in a private shipyard, was handed over to the Coast Guard. The vessel is named as “Vikram”. This is the first of the seven vessels for which the Rs 1,432-crore contract was made.

5. Shipping Ministry offers grant to JNPT: Shipping Ministry announced that it has sanctioned Rs 25 cr to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and another Rs 50 cr to the Karwar port in Karnataka. Funds are given for development of coastal berth under the flagship Sagarmala project. Sagarmala project was launched by Union Shipping Ministry in 2015, with an aim to modernize India’s Ports which will contribute in country’s economic growth.

6. New initiative named #AsktheSpokesperson launched: The Ministry of External Affairs launched the “#AsktheSpokesperson” initiative on Twitter, to create better awareness and understanding of foreign policy issues to general public. It is launched on Twitter handle @MEAIndia. Initiative will be a regular feature to engage and educate the public about foreign policy matters in simplified terms.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Catalonia gets independence from Spain: Catalonia declared independence from Spain after lawmakers in the autonomous region voted to declare independence.

The decision was made during a secret vote in Barcelona on 27th October 2017. After the declaration, the Spanish government dismissed the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet. It allowed Madrid to directly administer the region.

2. World’s first hydrogen-based tram becomes operational: The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no pollutants. No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is controlled under 100 degrees Celsius.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India is the second largest smartphone market in the world now: India has overtaken the United States and become the 2nd largest smartphone market in the world, according to independent analyst Canalys. Canalys has released a report recently that states, India has become the second largest smartphone market in the world. The 1st position is occupied by China.Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and Lenovo are considered the top five vendors in India

2. First Insurance Policy for Cancer patients:  Star Health and Allied Insurance (SHAI) has introduced first-ever health insurance cover for people already diagnosed with cancer. This insurance policy has been named ‘Star Cancer Care Gold’. It covers the risk of recurrence, the spread of cancer (metastasis) and second cancer (second malignancy). Policy has two sum-insured options – Rs. 3 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh.

SPORTS:

1. Patna Pirates won Pro Kabaddi Title: Pardeep Narwal scored incredible 24 points to steer Patna Pirates to third consecutive Pro Kabaddi title. Pardeep, who had scored 76 points in three playoffs, helped Patna come from behind and thump Gujarat Fortunegiants 55-38 in the summit clash of Pro Kabaddi season 5.

2. England wins first-ever FIFA U-17 title: England won the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup for the very first time after a 5-2 win over European U17 champions Spain. The final was held in Kolkata.