Daily GK Updates - 8th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I. ‘Neeranchal’ programme gets cabinet nod: The World Bank-assisted ‘National Watershed Management Project’ or ‘Neeranchal’ received the approval for implementation by the Union Cabinet. The project aims to fulfil the watershed component of the PradhanMantriKrishiSinchaiYojana (PMSKY) to reduce surface runoff of rainwater, increase groundwater levels and better water availability in rain-fed areas.

II.           Government approves Rs 500 crore project for war memorial, museum: Acceding to a long-pending demand of the armed forces, the government approved a Rs 500 crore project for building a National War Museum near India Gate in memory of over 22,500 soldiers who laid down their lives post-independence.

III.    Union Cabinet approved Productivity Linked Bonus for Railway Employees: It approved the payments of Productivity-Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for the financial year 2014-15 to about 12.58 lakh non-gazetted railway employees excluding RPF/RPSF personnel.

IV.  Union Cabinet approved setting up of three AIIMS under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana at Nagpur (Maharashtra), Manglagiri (Andhra Pradesh) and Kalyani (West Bengal).

V.       Union Cabinet approved Framework for Cooperation in Blue Economy between India and Seychelles: The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi gave its ex-post facto approval to the protocol for cooperation in the field of blue economy.

VI.        SC refused to modify its order limiting Aadhaar use to LPG, Kerosene and PDS.

VII.    Union Cabinet approved Protocol on Double Taxation Avoidance with Israel and Vietnam: The Protocol provides for internationally accepted standards for effective exchange of information on tax matters including bank information and information without domestic tax interest.

VIII.   High Level Anil Baijal panel suggested Uniform Tax Treatment for CSR Works.

IX.  National Green Tribunal directed commercial vehicles entering Delhi to pay Pollution Tax in addition to toll tax.

X.     83^rd Air Force Day observed across India: The Indian Air Force Day 2015 was celebrated on 8^th of October across India. This is the 83^rd celebration of the day that began in 1932.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.            A R Rahman named Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles: Oscar winning composer A R Rahman has been named the Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles.

II.            UNCTAD released Trade and Development Report 2015: The report titled ‘Making the International financial architecture work for development’ was released at UNCTAD headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The report says that India’s GDP will grow at 7.5% in 2015.

III.      American chemical company, DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman announced retirement.

IV.     Hoesung Lee elected as the Head of Inter-governmental panel for Climate Change: The Korean professor of economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development was elected as the Head of the Inter-Governmental Panel for Climate Change at its 42^nd session in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

V.      Swetlana Alexievich wins Nobel Prize in Literature: She is a Belarussian journalist and prose writer. She was given the award ‘for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time’.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.        RBI to be payment aggregator for GST: The Finance Ministry released reports that the RBI can act as the aggregator of payments, and businesses will have to mandatorily register with the goods and services tax network (GSTN) portal to avail of benefits of the new tax system.

SPORTS:

II.     NCC National Games declared open: The Director General of the National Cadet Corps inaugurated the NCC National Games 2015 at DG NCC Camp, Delhi Cantt.

III.   Cyclist Deborah Herold became first-ever Indian to win five medals at Taiwan Cup: She became the 1^st ever Indian cyclist to win in women’s elite section.

IV.   Russia retained 2015 Women’s European Volleyball Championship: Russia defeated Netherlands 3-0 to win its 19^th title.

AWARDS:

   V.    Indian firm Nualgi won Popular Choice Award at Climate CoLab of MIT: With this, Nualgi became the 1^st Indian company to win the annual MIT contest at Cambridge.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

VI.       Book titled ‘The Courage to Act- A Memoir of a crisis and its aftermath’ authored by Ben S Bernanke released.

Daily GK Updates 7th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            INS Astradharani commissioned into Indian Navy: The Indian Navy commissioned the 1^st indigenously designed and built torpedo launch and recovery vehicle INS Astradharani at the Naval Base in Visakhapatnam.

II.            India and Germany signed 125 million Euros loan agreement to fund two projects under Green Energy Corridor:Government of India and Federal Republic of Germany signed two loan agreements worth 125 million Euros for financing two projects under the Green Energy Corridor programme in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Green Energy Corridor programme seeks to facilitate the flow of renewable energy into the national grid.

III.     Utkal starts ‘Project Saksham’ to empower rural women: In its bid to empower rural women, Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL), a unit of Aditya Birla Group, has launched a unique project for the welfare of communities living in the vicinity of its project area in Odisha. ‘Project Saksham’ the new initiative involves an advanced training-cum-garment manufacturing unit at Tikiri in Rayagada district.

IV.      2016 PravasiBhartiya Divas (PBD) Conference to be held in New Delhi: The PBD Conference 2016 will be organised with an objective for developing a new paradigm for engagement with the Diaspora over the next decade.

V.            Growth of eight core sectors increased by 2.6% in August 2015.

VI.        Bank of Maharashtra to raise Rs 394 crore from Government: The shareholders of Bank of Maharashtra at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) approved the bank’s proposal for capital infusion of Rs 394 crore by the Government of India.

VII.   Three-member Achary Panel recommended 400% hike in basic salary of Delhi MLAs.

VIII.     Ashok Vemuri resigned as CEO of iGate Corporation.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.       2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar: They were awarded with the Nobel Prize for having mapped how cells repair damaged DNA and safeguard the genetic information at a molecular level.

II.            Indian-American Shital Patel appointed as USA Funds’ Chief Info Officer.

III.     WWF Report Hidden Himalayas: Asia’s Wonderland released: According to the report, 211 new species like sneezing monkey, walking fish and jewel like snake were discovered in the Eastern Himalayas region between 2009 and 2014.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  

I.          IMF released World Economic Outlook October 2015 update: The report projects global growth for 2015 at 3.1%, which is 0.3% lower than in 2014, and 0.2%  point below the forecasts in July 2015 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update. India’s growth is expected to strengthen from 7.3% in 2015 to 7.5% in 2016.

II.        RBI relaxed norms of FPI investment in Government Securities: The RBI relaxed the norms of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) of government debt and also announced higher investment limits in rupee terms in government securities with a view to bring in an additional 1.2 lakh crore rupees.

SPORTS:

III.      Sergey Karjakin wins 2015 World Cup Chess Championship: Sergey Karjakin of Russia has won the 2015 World Cup Chess Championship held at Baku, Azerbaijan.

AWARDS:

   IV.   Raif Badawi, James Fenton shared 2015 PEN Pinter Prize: Badawi was named as the 2015 International Writer of Courage by Fenton himself during a public event held at British Library in London.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

V.       Book titled The Clintons’ War on Women authored by Roger Stone and Robert Morrow released.

Daily GK Updates - 6th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            ADB to grant Rs 1500 crore to Madhya Pradesh for skill development: Asian Development Bank has decided to give around Rs 1500 crore ($240 million) for skill development in Madhya Pradesh. 96 ITI’s will be set up with the help of ADB and NABARD.

II.            Germany to provide 1 Billion Euro loan to Indian solar power sector: An MoU to this effect was signed by Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal and the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller in New Delhi.

III.            MoU signed to set up Indo-German ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Farm Sector: An MoU between the German Agribusiness Alliance and the Agriculture Skill Council of India for the purpose of jointly establishing ‘Indo-German Centres of Excellence in Agriculture’.

IV.            ISRO develops hailstorm app to assess crop damage:To fasten payment of crop insurance claims to farmers, the centre launched a pilot project programme Kisan, which will use satellite and drone-based imaging and other geospatial technology to get timely and accurate data on crop yields.

V.            Union Government launches 2^nd phase of Mission Indradhanush: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the second phase of Mission Indradhanush to achieve full immunisation of children below two years.

VI.     Amodoli programme launched by Odisha Government in Naxal-affected Rayagada district: To help patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach nearest hospital, the state government of Odisha launched a healthcare programme named ‘Amodoli’.

VII.    Telangana Government announced 50% subsidy on purchase of seeds: It was done reduce input costs for farmers in the Rabi season in view of the Kharif failure.

VIII.  Department of Biotechnology tied-up with Prakash Lab to distribute  Foldscope to students: The Department of Biotechnology tied up with US firm Prakash Lab to provide the Prakash Lab’s  low cost paper folding microscope, the Foldscope to students in India.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.     India accounts for largest number of Poor People: World Bank Report: India accounted for the largest number of poor people in any country in 2012, but its poverty rate was lowest among countries having large number of poor population, a latest World Bank report said.

II.      Neutrino scientists win Nobel Prize for Physics: Japan’s Takaaki and Canada’s Arthur B. McDonald the 2015 Nobel Prize for Physics for their discovery that neutrinos have mass, the award giving body said.

III.     Jack Dorsey appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter.

IV.      World Habitat Day observed on 5^th October 2015: United Nations celebrated World Habitat Day on 5th October 2015. It is observed on 1^st Monday of October every year to generate awareness about the state of human settlements and the future of the cities.

V.       US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries signed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement: It was signed to lower trade barriers, bolster worker protections and set standards for a raft of industries. TPP is designed to facilitate trade among the US and a host of other countries scattered across both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

VI.      Islamic state destroyed Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

VII. California signed Right to Die Bill for terminally ill people into a law: The California allowed terminally ill patients to legally end their lives under a doctor’s supervision after state governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.          UCO Bank registered highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets.

AWARDS:

II.  Tamil writer PerumalMurugan wins Indian Language Festival (ILF) ‘Samanvay Bhasha Samman’.

III.       Shashi Kapoor honoured with Lifetime Achievement award at Jagran Fest.

OBITUARIES:

 IV.        Renowned Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell died at the age of 67.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

V.      Book titled ‘Ruled or Misruled story and destiny of Bihar authored by Santosh Singh released.

Daily GK Updates - 5th October,2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:
I.GAIL to take 10% stake in TAPI natural gas pipeline project: Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project was in news as the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is expected to take 10% stake in the project. The objective of this project is to transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan then to India.
II.Flipkart appointed Sriram Venkataraman as Chief Financial Officer.
III.Ashish Bahuguna given additional charge of chief Executive Officer of FSSAI:  The decision was taken following the shift of Yudhvir Singh Malik to NITI Ayog as an Additional Secretary.
IV.DRDO inaugurated world’s highest Research Centre in Ladakh: It inaugurated an Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Chang La. Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir at 17600 feet above mean sea level. It is the world’s highest terrestrial research and development centre.
V.National Anti-Drug Addiction Day was observed on 2 October: It was observed to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who condemned the use of drugs.
VI.India and Germany signed 18 MoUs: India and Germany signed a deal to fast track business approvals, an arrangement to make it easier for German companies to operate in Asia’s third largest economy that was announced as Chancellor Angela Merkel visited New Delhi
VII.Mahindra Inter-trade appoints Sumit Issar as MD

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
I.Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone opened to public for the 1st time in 12 years: Iraq’s PM Haider-al-Abadi declared Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone open to the public for the 1st time in 12 years.
II.26th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea: 26th edition of the Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea. The expanded version of the 18-day long CORPAT that will conclude on 21st October will also see the 1st ever bilateral exercise between the two nations.
III.Ruling Social Democratic Party led coalition won Portuguese general elections: Out of the total votes polled, the PSD and the CDS-People’s Party coalition secured 37% votes out of which the share of the PSD is just over 32%. With this win, incumbent PM Pedro Passos Coelho is set to hold the post for the next four years.
IV.Malaysia ordered shut down of schools due to choking smog: The schools were closed for two days because of possible health risks posed by the thick haze from Indonesian forest fires.
V.Israel banned Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City: The unprecedented action was taken after two Israelis were stabbed to death by Palestinians.
OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:
I.The World Bank raised the International Poverty Line to 1.90 USD per day from existing 1.25 USD.

SPORTS:
II.Portugal’s Pinto won Asia’s premier Mountain Bike Racing: Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won Asia’s premier mountain bike race and got the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’ for the second time.
III.China won 2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship: China defeated Philippines by 78-67 in the final and the victory has won the nation a direct qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

AWARDS:
I.Tiruchirapalli City Municipal Corporation won Skoch Award for Effective Solid Waste Management using Information and Communication Technology based solutions.
II.Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 announced: It was given to jointly to William C Campbell (Ireland) and Satoshi Omura (Japan) for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites. China’s Youyou Tu got the other half of the prize, who used traditional herbal medicine to find a new kind of antimalarial agent.

OBITUARIES:
I.Noted Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao died at the age of 81.