Daily GK Updates - 21st June, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Namma Kolhapuri chappal gets GI boost: Maharashtra's extremely popular footwear industry, renowned for its handcrafted leather Kolhapuri chappal has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has granted the GI tag for Kolhapuris to four districts of Maharashtra- Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli and Satara, along with four in Karnataka- Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot and Bijapur.

Note: A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place. Geographical Indication Tag provides rights and protection to holders. For a product to get GI tag, it has to have a unique quality, reputation or characteristic which is attributable to its geographic origin.

2. Venkaiah Naidu suggests automatic lapsing of bills if Rajya Sabha fails to clear them within five years: Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu came up with suggestions “if a bill is not passed for five years in the Rajya Sabha, then such bill should be deemed as lapsed automatically“to tackle the issue of lapsing of bills due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and the long pendency of legislation in the Upper House, in some cases for more than 30 years. According to Article 107 of the Constitution, bills passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha get lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. As many as 22 bills passed by the 16th Lok Sabha got lapsed as they cannot be cleared in the Rajya Sabha.

Note: Laws pending in Rajya Sabha: At end of the 248th session of the Rajya Sabha 55 bills were pending before the Upper House including the now lapsed bills. The Upper House now has 33 bills pending. Three are pending for more than 20 years. Six are pending for 10 to 20 years. Fourteen are pending for five to 10 years and the rest are pending for up to 5 years. The oldest pending bill is the Indian Medical Association (Amendment) Bill, 1987 that is pending for more than 32 years.

3. 35000 km of highways to be built by 2022 under Bharatmala: According to the President of India, construction or upgradation of about 35,000 kilometres of national highways are to be undertaken by 2022 under the 'Bharatmala Project'. Also under the 'Sagarmala Project', a network of good quality roads are to be constructed in coastal areas and areas adjoining ports.

4. IIIDEM (ECI) Orgnises Capacity Building Program on ‘Electoral Technology’: The India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) (ECI) organized five-day training programme on Use of Technology in Elections for Election Officials of Union Election Commission of Myanmar. The Capacity Building Programs on Electoral technology is the 7th program in the series of the 09 programs scheduled across 2018-2019.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day of Yoga: 21 June: The International Day of Yoga is being observed on 21st June every year. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. This is the 5th Edition of International Day of Yoga. This year, the International Yoga Day's theme is "Climate Action" and it will be celebrated at the UN on 20 June as "Yoga with Gurus," followed by a panel discussion on 21 June.

Note: The idea of the International Day of Yoga was first proposed by PM Modi during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, 2014. The first International Yoga Day (IYD) was celebrated across the world on 21st June 2015.

2. World Music Day: 21 June: World Music Day is observed on 21st June every year with the aim to shed light on the importance of music. On Music Day, the citizens of a city or country are allowed and urged to play music in their neighborhoods or in public spaces. World Music Day has its origins in France, but soon got adopted by over 120 nations across the world, including India. In France, it is known as ‘Fête de la Musique’ meaning “festival of music” to honour both amateur and professional musicians.

Note: The idea was conceived in the 1970s by American musician Joel Cohen— then working for a French radio station—as he wanted bands to play on the evening of June 21 to welcome the first day of summer. The first World Music Day took place on June 21, 1982.

3. World Hydrography Day: 21 June: World Hydrography Day (WHD) is being observed annually on 21 June to publicise the work of hydrographers and the importance of hydrography. The theme of this year is – “Hydrographic information driving marine knowledge”. Since 2006, the day is observed annually on 21 June. It was adopted by the International Hydrographic Organization as an annual celebration to publicise the work of hydrographers and the importance of hydrography.

Note: The International Hydrographic Organization is an intergovernmental consultative and technical organization that was established in 1921 to support the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment. The IHO headquarters is in Monaco.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. World Archery appoints Abhinav Bindra to sort AAI mess: Abhinav Bindra was appointed as an independent person by the World Archery to sort out the ongoing mess in the Archery Association of India (AAI). The development comes a day after the world body de-listed the AAI for violating the constitution by unanimously electing two parallel bodies in Chandigarh and New Delhi. The suspension would prevent Indian archers from participating at any world event, including the Asian Archery Championships, an Olympic qualifying event.

2. Bronze for India in the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike Athletics meet: Annu Rani won the women’s javelin bronze in the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet, an IAAF World Challenge event. While Croatia’s Sara Kolak took the gold and Slovenia’s Martina Ratej bagged the silver.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. SEBI sets up panel to review margins on derivatives: NSE Clearing Ltd. will head the panel set up by SEBI to review margins on derivatives. The panel will submit its recommendations to the Secondary Market Advisory Committee. These margins on the derivatives segment are pushing up the cost of trading while not managing risk in the most efficient manner.

Note: Chairman of NSE Clearing Ltd.: Mr. Harun R Khan; SEBI Headquarter: Mumbai, Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi.

2. CCI approves Indiabulls Housing Finance and Lakshmi Vilas Bank merger: Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger of the Indiabulls Housing Finance and Lakshmi Vilas Bank. Lakshmi Vilas Bank is going to merge with Indiabulls Housing Finance in a share swap deal with intent to create a combined entity with a larger capital base and wider geographical reach. After the merger, Indiabulls Housing Finance will get access to low cost deposits, geographical diversification and expanded client base and cross selling opportunities.

3. Apollo Munich to merge with HDFC ERGO: HDFC Ltd. has signed a definitive agreement with Apollo Munich Health Insurance to buy out the entire Apollo Hospitals Group’s stake of 50.8% for ₹1,136 crore and another 0.4% stake held by a few employees for ₹10.84 crore. Post the acquisition of shares by HDFC, Apollo Munich would be merged with the former’s general insurance subsidiary — HDFC ERGO. ERGO is a subsidiary of Munich Re, which has been a joint venture partner of HDFC ERGO since 2008. Munich Re will continue to hold 49% stake in HDFC ERGO post the merger. The acquisition would make HDFC ERGO the second-largest private sector insurer in the combined accident and health insurance vertical, with an 8.2% market share.

Note: HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd. is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd. and ERGO International AG, the primary insurance entity of Munich Re Group. HDFC holds 51 per cent, and ERGO the other 49 per cent. The headquarters is located in Mumbai. Ritesh Kumar is the CEO of HDFC ERGO.

4. Sundaram Fin to buy entire BNP Paribas stake in housing arm for Rs 1,000 crore: Sundaram Finance Ltd (SFL) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance have reached an agreement under which BNP Paribas Personal Finance will sell its entire 49.9 per cent equity stake in Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance Ltd (SBPHFL) to SFL for a consideration of about ₹1,000 crore. The proposed acquisition follows BNP Paribas Group’s decision to exit the retail housing finance business.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. 249 startups were given financial support with FFS: DPIIT: According to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Fund of Funds for Startups have provided financial support to 249 startups in last 3 years. The DPIIT is the monitoring agency and Small Industries Development Bank of India is the operating agency for FFS. FFS contributes to the corpus of SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). The AIFs in turn have to invest at least twice the contribution under FFS in startups.

2. Group of Secretaries constituted on e-Commerce: A Standing Group of Secretaries (GoS) has been constituted on e-Commerce by Ministry of Commerce and Industry. GoS under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is constituted to ensure inter-ministerial/inter-departmentalcoordination on resolving issues, cutting across Ministries and Departments of Government of India in e-Commerce.

Note: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goyal; Secretary of DPIIT: Ramesh Abhishek.

3. Tech Mahindra signs contract with Airbus: Software and business re-engineering services firm Tech Mahindra announced the signing of a multi-year contract with Airbus for cabin and cargo design engineering. Tech Mahindra said it is aiming to grow its cabin engineering business over the next few years. The company is betting big on next-generation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, robotics, automation, Blockchain and 5G, to solve real business problems of the customers by delivering innovative solutions and services.

Note: Tech Mahindra Limited is a multinational Information Technology (IT) Software and business re-engineering services firm. It is a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group. Chairman of Tech Mahindra: Anand Mahindra, Headquarter: Pune; Airbus's corporate headquarter: Leiden, Netherlands. CEO of Airbus: Guillaume Faury

Daily GK Updates - 28th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Arunachal, British Council sign MoU for cultural cooperation : The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with The British Council in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.The MoU was signed by Tayek Talom, Director of Higher and Technical Education of Arunachal Pradesh, and Alan Gemmell, Director, British Council India, on the sidelines of the Tawang Festival. As per the MOU, as many as 50 faculty members from government higher education institutions will be trained by the British Council every year, starting from December. Further, 50 students of higher and technical education institutes will be trained in English language skills annually.

2. Meghalaya launches Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries The Meghalaya government is all set to launch a new scheme Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries on October 26 next to meet the requirements of the state. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 51 crore for scheme and the State Government has already received the first installment of Rs 25 crore.The Union Government under the scheme is targeting to enhance the fish production from 107.95 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to about 150 lakh tonnes by the end of the financial year 2019-20.

3. Kerala the best State for teenage girls in India – Report : Kerala tops the TAG index which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls, as a part of the survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi Kali.Compiled and published by the Naandi Foundation, with grant support from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, this report is touted as the nation’s first report on what it means to be a teenage girl in India.Kerala is followed by Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh as the top States, while the top three cities were found to be Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

4. Portal to promote Odia language, literature inaugurated in Odisha : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a new web portal of ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ (www.ova.gov.in) to promote the Odia language and literature at the Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar. The new website will be helpful in the promotion of Odia language at the international level, especially for the Non Resident Odias (NROs) Three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed by the Odisha Government with the University of Chicago library, CDAC and Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru to expedite digitisation of Odia literature and development of Odia software

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indo-Canadians pledge $7mn to build hostels for poor children in India : Indo-Canadian expatriates have donated more than $7 million dollars to a Toronto-based non-profit organisation which builds and runs education hostels in rural India. The non-profit AIM for SEWA (Canada) builds hostels in far-flung, rural areas of India to educate children from poor families.At this year’s annual gala dinner in Toronto attended by former Miss India Pooja Batra, many Indo-Canadians pledged donations to AIM for SEWA to take its collections to over $7 million dollars to promote education of poor rural kids in India.

2. Higgins re-elected Irish President again : Michael D Higgins has been re-elected Irish president after winning a landslide victory with 822,566 votes. The 77-year-old professor and campaigner will serve his second term after first being elected in 2011. Mr Higgins is Ireland’s ninth president.

3. International Animation Day 2018 : International Animation Day is celebrated on October 28, commemorating the day in 1892 when Charles-Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique made its first public appearance in Paris. The day recognises and celebrates the artists, technicians and scientists behind the art of animation in all its forms and avatars.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Former SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya appointed as independent director of Wipro : Wipro said it had appointed former State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya as an independent director beginning January 1, 2019. Bhattacharya’s appointment is for a period of five years.

2. UN names Human Rights Prize winners for 2018 : The United Nations has hailed the “inspiring” work of four individuals and organisations as it announced the winners of its Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2018.The honour was given to Asma Jahangir, the late Pakistani lawyer and leading human rights defender, along withTanzanian activist Rebeca Gyumi, Brazil’s first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapichana and Irish human rights groupsFront Line Defenders.

SPORTS:

1. Vinales Wins Australian MotoGP : Maverick Vinales ended his and Yamaha’s lengthy droughts when he won the Australian MotoGP as newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez failed to finish after starting from pole for the fifth straight year. Yamaha had gone without a win in 25 races since Valentino Rossi won the Dutch GP last June, the longest winless streak in its history. 

Daily GK Updates - 26th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.PM Modi inaugurates farmers' conclave Krishi Kumbha in Lucknow : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated three-day farmers' conclave 'Krishi Kumbh 2018' in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (via video conferencing).The 'Krishi Kumbh' is being organized to promote modern technique and diversification in agriculture that could help in doubling farmers income.The Kumbh will witness Israel & Japan (as official partners) while Haryana & Jharkhand (as partner states).The summit would introduce farmers to the evolving dynamics of farming so that they could increase their earnings by tapping the vast potential in agriculture and post-harvest management of crops.

2. HRD Minister launches web portal of SPARC in New Delhi : The Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar has launched the web portal “sparc.iitkgp.ac.in.” in New Delhi.SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) scheme aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.SPARC will improve research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world from 28 selected nations. 

3.Shri Rajnath Singh attends 57th Raising Day Parade of Indo-Tibetan Border Police : The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh attended the 57th Raising Day Parade of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.The ITBP jawans are deployed in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected areas.On this occasion, 1 Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, 05 President’s Police Medals for istinguished Service, 23 Police medals for meritorious service and 1 Jeevan Raksha Padak were awarded.

4.Maneka Gandhi inaugurates the fifth edition of Women of India National Organic Festival : The Union Women and child development minister Maneka Sanjay ‘Gandhi’ has inaugurated the Women of India National Organic Festival (5^th edition) at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi. (26th Oct to 4th November 2018). The objective of the ten days long ‘Organic Festival’ is to boost organic culture and promote women, organic farmers and entrepreneurs

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NATO's biggest military maneuvers begin in Norway : The NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) biggest military maneuvers (since the Cold War) has begun in Norway.The wargames bring together around 50,000 personnel from all 29 NATO allies, plus partners Finland and Sweden.Around 65 vessels, 150 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles will also participate in the drill, which takes place in central and eastern Norway, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. It will go on till November 7.

2.India, Bangladesh sign several agreements for enhancing inland and coastal waterways connectivity : India and Bangladesh have signed several agreements for enhancing inland and coastal waterways connectivity for trade and cruise movements.The two countries have signed an agreement to use Chattogram and Mongla Ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India.A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been signed for movement of passenger and cruise services.

3.China successfully tests world’s largest Cargo Drone : China has successfully tested the world’s largest cargo drone Feihong-98(FH-98), carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes (1,500 Kg). This commercial drone ‘Feihong-98’ has been developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology.The FH-98 has a maximum take-off weight of 5.25 tonnes (flight height of 4,500 metres) a cruising speed of 180 kmph, and a maximum range of 1,200 kms.

4.India wins 2018 CAPAM International Innovations Awards : India has won the prestigious 2018 Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award.This award celebrates the spirit of innovation in the public service by recognising organisations that have made significant contributions to improve governance and services in the public sector.The Union Government had sent entries for 2018 CAPAM International Innovations Awards, under various categories.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Wipro appoints ex-SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya as the Independent director : Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya has been appointed as an independent director of Wipro (IT company) for a term of 5 years (from 1^st Jan 2019), subject to the approval of shareholders.Bhattacharya graduated from Kolkata's Lady Brabourne College in 1977 and picked up banking as a career option for supporting the family following her father's retirement from Bokaro Steel plant as an engineer.On 7^th October 2013, Bhattacharya became the first woman to be appointed as chairman of SBI.

SPORTS:

1.Pooja Dhanda wins Bronze Medal in World Wrestling Championships in Budapest : Pooja Dhanda has won a bronze medal in the women's freestyle (57kg weight class) in Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.Dhanda defeated Grace Bullen of Norway 10-7.Earlier, Bajrang Punia's had settled for a silver in the 65kg category.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  The ‘Halwa ceremony’ begins: The printing of union budget documents 2018-19 started with the traditional annual Halwa ceremony. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley performed the symbolic Halwa ceremony along with Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla and other senior officials at North Block in New Delhi. The Halwa ceremony will stay in Budget printing press until the Budget is presented in Parliament.1st of Feb 2018, Mr. Jaitley will present the Union Budget in Parliament.

2.Om Prakash Rawat appointed new Chief Election Commissioner: Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat (1977-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre) has been appointed the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).He succeeds the incumbent CEC, A K Joti (retires today).Former Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa has been also appointed as Election Commissioner to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Rawat’selevation.In August 2004, Mr. Rawat was appointed the principal secretary to then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babu Lal Gaur and remained in office till January 2006.

3. 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018: The best of Bollywood in the year 2017 at 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018, held at the NSCI Dome in Worli, Mumbai(Maharastra)'Hindi Medium' bagged honors in the categories of Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) for Irrfan Khan's impeccable performance.Vidya Balan won her career's sixth Filmfare award for her passionate portrayal of a middle-aged homemaker who turns into a radio jockey in 'Tumhari Sulu' as she claimed the Black Lady for the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female).

                                               INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Eight-edition of International Conference on Wild Silk Moths begins in Assam: the three-day International Conference (eight-edition) on Wild Silk Moths has begun in Guwahati, Assam.Scientists, delegates from 15 countries have come together to discuss strategies and share knowledge on improving wild silk production and quality globally.India is holding the event for the second time with an aim to explore latest research and development.

2. Fourth India International Science Festival to be held in Lucknow: The fourth edition of the India International Science Festival will be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.The decision was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the 4th India International Science Festival (IISF) chaired by the Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. In December, 2015, The first IISF was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi.

3. First missile attack drill held by Tokyo since WW-II:Tokyo held an evacuation drill simulating a missile attack since World War II.The drill comes amid tensions over North Korea’s missile programme which had threatened to sink the country and turn it into ashes.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Richest 1% held 73% wealth generated in 2017 in India- Survey :The survey released by the International rights group Oxfam has revealed that the richest 1% in India held 73% of the wealth generated in 2017 in India.The survey also showed that 67 crore people constituting India’s poorer half increased their wealth by 1% last year . 

SPORTS:

1. Soloman Deksisa wins 15th edition of Mumbai Marathon: Solomon Deksisa (Ethiopia) has won the Mumbai Marathon (15th edition) with a time of two hours, nine minutes and 33 seconds, prize money worth USD 4 lakhs 5,000. Another Ethiopian, Shumit Akalnaw became the first runner-up, while Joshua Kipkorir (Kenya) came second.Indian Olympic athletes, T Gopi has won in the Indian Elite category, Nitender Singh Rawat came second.Sudha Singh (Central Railways) has won the Mumbai Marathon in the Indian Elite Women category.It is the largest mass participation (44,407 runners) sports event in the continent.

Daily GK Updates - 21st January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. “Cyber Surakshit Bharat” launched by MEITY: In order to strengthen cybersecurity ecosystem in India, Ministry of Electronics & IT has announced Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative in association with NeGD & industry partners. It will be operated on the three principles of Awareness, Education and Enablement. It is the first public-private partnership of its kind & will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in cyber security.

2. Commencement of ‘Livability Index’: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri has announced commencement of the country’s first-ever ‘Livability Index’ to rank 116 cities. Cities will be assessed on 15 core parameters like governance, social infrastructure, education, employment etc. ‘Livability Index’ will also take into account physical infrastructures like housing, open spaces, land use, energy and water availability among others.

3. In an initiative to empower Persons with Disabilities, 100 websites of various State Govts/UTs under Accessible India Campaign were launched:  Accessible Websites are those websites into which Persons with Disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web. ERNET India (MEITY) is executing the project which is funded by DEPwD under Accessibility India Campaign.

4. CRPF special DG Sudeep Lakhtakia has been appointed as the new chief of National Security Guard(NSG): Lakhtakia will take over from S P Singh, the current chief of the elite counter-terror force. NSG is special forces unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs which was raised in 1984 for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances.

5. Innovation in Governance Award 2018: Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh was felicitated with Dr. Kalam Innovation in Governance Award 2018. The award was conferred on him by Rajya Sabha Secretary General Desh Deepak Verma for exemplary work in improving governance. The foundation was set up in the memory of former President A J Abdul Kalam. It works in various areas for development of the society.

6. India is the world’s largest consumer of petcoke: The environment ministry has placed restrictions on the use of imported petroleum coke in Delhi & its surrounding region to curb rising air pollution: Only consented & registered industrial units of NCR States shall be permitted to directly import pet coke. India is the world’s largest consumer of petcoke & imports over half its annual petcoke consumption of about 27mn tonnes mainly from US.

7. President Kovind felicitated exceptional women achievers who are the first to set a milestone in their respective fields at Rashtrapati Bhawan: Over 100 women were selected after an extensive research process by Women & Child Development Ministry. The women who have been felicitated are those who have been the first in any field like first woman judge, first woman porter, first Olympian etc.

8. Tamilnadu to host first ever Defence Expo: According to defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tamil Nadu will host its first-ever bi-annual defence exhibition in April. The exhibition will take place from April 11 to 14 and nearly 80 countries are expected to take part in it. Arrangements will be made for the Navy, Army and Air Force to display their equipment in the exhibition.

9. Arun Jaitley, Union Finance & Corporate Affairs minister, launched the National CSR Data Portal & Corporate Data Portal in Delhi: The initiative is a significant step towards driving accountability & transparency for corporate India. By making the portals accessible to general public, it will ensure high level of compliance and also in institutionalizing and consolidating the CSR activities.

10. Newly appointed chairman of ISB: Harish Manwani, non-executive chairman of HUL, has been appointed as the chairman of executive board of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad:  Manwani will take over from Adi Godrej, chairman of Godrej group, starting April this year. Manwani has been on the board of ISB since April 2006. ISB is a premier management institution in India having campuses in Hyderabad & Mohali.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UN special envoy visits Rohingya camp: UN special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee visited Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh’s coastal town of Cox’s Bazar. Lee was also supposed to visit her native Myanmar, but govt there unexpectedly banned her from visiting the country. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar. They have been regarded as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Allahabad Bank became First to issue shares: Allahabad Bank has became the 1st public sector lender to offer an employee stock option scheme, under which it will offer 5 crore ordinary shares to its staff. Proceeds from share sale will be used to raise core capital of the bank which has long ago been placed under prompt corrective action by RBI. Bank may issue shares in 1 tranche & will complete the transactions in this financial year.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. ONGC To Buy Government Stake In HPCL: Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has agreed to buy the government’s majority stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp for Rs. 36,900 crore. The deal is part of the govt’s objective to combine various public sector enterprises to give them the capacity to bear higher risks & create more value for shareholders. The proceeds from the HPCL stake sale will help the government pay for welfare programmes.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. Axis Bank with Srijan NGO initiated Buddha Fellowship Programme: Axis Bank is partnering with NGO Srijan through an initiative called Buddha Fellowship Programme to help nurture talent for development sector. Buddha Fellows are a cohort of IIM grads working in rural areas with farmer producer companies, govt departments to scale up projects in livelihood, health & education sectors. The bank is mentoring 15 grads from IIM at Kolkata, Ahmedabad & Shillong.

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 - 23rd August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union cabinet sets PSU bank mergers in motion: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said a ministerial panel will be set up to supervise merger proposals from 21 PSU banks, adding that the objective of the planned consolidation is to create strong banks. Prime Minister Modi will decide who all will be there in the ministerial panel, referred to as the alternative mechanism. After the banks that are interested in getting merged secure in principle approval from the ministerial panel, they will take steps as per regulatory requirements.

2. Supreme Court to deliver verdict tomorrow on right to privacy: A nine-judge constitution bench headed by chief Justice J.S. Khehar had on 2 August reserved its verdict after hearing marathon arguments for six days over a period of three weeks, during which submissions were advanced in favour and against the inclusion of the right to privacy as a fundamental right. The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce on 24th August its judgement on the vexatious issue whether the right to privacy can be held as a fundamental right under the Constitution.

3. New cadre policy for IAS, IPS officers finalized – Govt.: A new policy for cadre allocation has been finalised by the Central government for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other officers, aimed at ensuring “national integration” in the country’s top bureaucracy. Officers of all-India services—the IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS)—will have to choose cadres from a set of zones instead of states.

4. ISRO to launch back-up navigation satellite on 31st August: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it will launch its navigation satellite ‘IRNSS-1H’ on 31 August to augment the existing seven satellites of the NavIC constellation. To be launched on board PSLV-C39, IRNSS-1H will be a ‘back-up’ navigation satellite for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation, as its three rubidium atomic clocks on board have stopped functioning. 

5. Raghuram Rajan pens book on RBI stint: Raghuram Rajan’s commentary and speeches in ‘I Do What I Do: On Reform, Rhetoric & Resolve’ convey what it was like to be at the helm of RBI in those turbulent times. It is being published by Harper Collins. This is not Rajan’s first book. He co-authored Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists with Luigi Zingales and wrote Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy, for which he was awarded the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs prize for best business book.

6. Kaifiyat Express derails in Uttar Pradesh’s Auriya district: Kaifiyat Express, travelling from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, collided with a dumper at around 2:50am between Pata and Achhalda railway stations, injuring 50 persons. HRD ministry junks plan for common engineering entrance examination: The human resource development (HRD) ministry has decided to junk the plan of introducing a common engineering entrance exam from next year. It is noteworthy that, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the country’s technical education regulator, had announced in March that a national-level common entrance examination for engineering colleges would be conducted from the next academic year in 2018.

7. Union cabinet clears transfer of AAI’s 40 acre land to MMRDA for Mumbai Metro: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved transferring 40 acres of land owned by the Airports Authority of India to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The land at RR station, Dahisar, would be transferred to the MMRDA for its metro shed. In return, 40 acres of state government land at Gorai would be swapped.

8. Ashwani Lohani appointed new Chairman of Railway Board: Ashwani Lohani was on Wednesday appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board after AK Mittal tendered his resignation following recent train accidents.

9. Drones to guard Gujarat’s river-beds against sand mafia: In an attempt to crack down upon the illegal sand mafia operating in and around the river beds of Sabarmati, Orsang, Tapi and Narmada, the Gujarat government for the first time will be deploying drones for mining surveillance. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mark Wahlberg world’s highest-paid actor, Shahrukh, Salman, Akshay in top 10: Mark Wahlberg soared to the top of the world’s highest paid actors on an annual Forbes magazine list that highlighted a huge disparity between male and female Hollywood stars. Wahlberg, 46, earned an estimated $68 million in 2017. The magazine named “La La Land” Oscar winner Emma Stone as the world’s highest paid actress with an estimated 2017 take of $26 million.Three of Bollywood’s biggest stars—Shahrukh Khan ($38 million), Salman Khan ($37 million) and Akshay Kumar ($35.5 million)—took the eighth, ninth and 10th places on the Forbes list, respectively. 

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. RBI to issue Rs 200 notes, notifies finance ministry: “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 24 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and on the recommendations of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India, the Central Government hereby specifies the denomination of bank notes of the value of two hundred rupees,” the finance ministry notified through the Gazette of India. Finance ministry notified issuing of Rs 200 notes, making it a legal tender and paving the way for its circulation by RBI.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Investors seek Nandan Nilekani’s appointment to Infosys board: As many as 12 key domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have written to Infosys, batting for co-founder Nandan Nilekani’s appointment to the board, and expressing their concerns over Vishal Sikka’s resignation from the post of chief executive officer (CEO) last week.

3. Five airports to allow Ola, Uber bookings at kiosks: Airports Authority of India has tied up with Ola and Uber to allow for cab bookings from airport kiosks at Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknow and Bhubaneswar. This will help passengers in booking cabs at the kiosks instead of depending on the mobile apps.

SPORTS:

4. IPL brand value jumps 26% to touch $5.3 billion: IPL brand value jumps 26% in 2017 to over $ 5.3 billion from $ 4.2 billion in 2016 on the back of the renewed title sponsorship deals of the popular T20 tournament.

5. Wayne Rooney announces retirement from international football: Wayne Rooney announced his retirement from International football. He said, "I will always remain a passionate England fan. One of my very few regrets is not to have been part of a successful England tournament side."