Daily GK Updates - 16th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Start-up India: This is the beginning of big bang start up boom in India, says Softbank CEO: Finance Minister ArunJaitley kick-started PM Modi’s ambitious Start-up India mission at VigyanBhawan in New Delhi.

2. NarendraModi initiative has Kochi’s ‘Start-up Village’ plotting more success: Start-up Village commenced operations as India’s first public-private technological business incubator with the aim of creating at least 48 start-up companies in five years. However within three and a half years, it achieved its targets, becoming home to over 70 start-ups in typical incubation mode.

3. World Bank to be anchor investor in Rail Development Fund: Prabhu: The World Bank would be the anchor investor in the new Railway Development Fund, which would be used to fund the modernisation of Indian Railways as said by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

4. Flipkart ties-up with Mahindra for KUV100 online bookings: Online marketplace Flipkart has tied up with auto major Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to exclusively launch the latter’s newest SUV-KUV100. Consumers can book the SUV on Flipkart from January 18^th, 2016.

5. Cardiac monitoring firm wins tech contest hosted by Google at Start-up India: Cardiac Design Labs, a start-up that has come up with an innovation to help cardiac patients in rural India access critical care through a wearable device, came out triumphant at a live contest hosted by tech firm Google at the Start-up India event.

6. 6^th Asian Mining Congress will be held in Kolkata.

7. 68^th Army Day celebrated on 15^th January 2016.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Chinese President Xi launches Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: China-backed AIIB, in which India and 56 countries have joined as founding members, was formally opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

2. World Bank released report titled World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends: The report explored the impact of the internet, mobile phones, and related technologies on economic development across the world including India. 

3. Tsai Ing-wen elected Taiwan’s first female President.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. India saved 1 billion US dollars annually using Aadhaar: World Bank: As per the report, transfer of fuel subsidy to bank accounts using the Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) saved about 1billion per year when applied throughout the country on account of reduced leakage and efficient gains.

AWARDS:

2. Dr Jancy James selected for Prof M V Pylee Award for the Distinguished Academician of India.

3. EasterineKire wins The Hindu Prize for her novel ‘When the River Sleeps’.

OBITUARIES:

4. Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Rahim Qureshi died of cardiac arrest at the age of 81.

Daily GK Updates - 15th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. DRDO successfully test fired anti –tank missile Nag in Rajasthan: The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully test fired Nag anti-tank missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajsthan.

2. ‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’: India and Japan joint Coast Guard exercise begins: The 15^th Edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart titled ‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’ has begun off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in Bay of Bengal.

3. India’s Grid-linked solar generation capacity crosses 5000 MW mark: Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced that India’s grid-connected solar power generation capacity has crossed the 5000 MW mark.

4. Union Government signed a loan agreement with World Bank for Neeranchal National Watershed Project: All 28 states which implement the watershed project will benefit from this project. The project was approved by the Union Government with a total budget of 2142 crore rupees in which India would bear 1071 crore rupees and the rest 50% cost will be borne by the World Bank. It will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in Hydrology and water management, agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.

5. Madhya Pradesh Government signed four MoUs with Singapore: The MoUs were signed in the field of urban planning, skill development, clean energy and food processing. .

6. First ‘Mahila Squad’ commissioned for High-Altitude Posts of India-China border: A freshly-trained contingent of 500 women personnel will become the first ‘mahila’ squad to be deployed in high-altitude posts along the India-China border. The squad was commissioned into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Panchkula.

7. Centre plans to connect 585 agri markets under NAM by FY18: The Union Government plans to connect 585 agricultural produce markets under its National Agricultural Market (NAM) initiative by March 2018.

8. Country’s first ‘Water Tourism’ to begin in MP in February: Named as ‘Jal Mahotsav’, the 10-day extravaganza will be inaugurated on February 12 in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asia’s largest man-made water reservoir.

9. Kamal Haasan and Gautam Ghosh included in Shyam Bengal Committee on functioning of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WHO declares world’s worst ever Ebola outbreak over: The World Health Organisation announced that the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged west Africa for two years was over after Liberia, the last affected country , received all clear.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

2. Former World No. 1 Russian tennis player Marat Safin inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame.

3. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the Sydney Open Women’s Double title.

4. Ronaldinho announced as Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football Tournament.

AWARDS:

5. Ankita Anand wins prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 (Asia-Pacific): She was awarded for her sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the diktat of khap panchayats in Haryana.

OBITUARIES:

6. Lagaan actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay died of heart attack at 66.

7. Filmmaker Anil Ganguly died at the age of 82.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

8. 3^rd revised edition of the book titled ‘Objective Railway Engineering-Track, Works and Others’ was released in New Delhi.

Daily GK Updates - 14th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sikkim becomes India’s first fully organic state: Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.

2. Pilot project on DBT for kerosene to start soon: In order to cover more households under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, the union minister of state for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan informed that soon kerosene customers would be able to get their subsidy directly into their bank accounts.

3. R Shivakumar appointed Chairman of Assocham Karnataka.

4. Sachin opens railway police safety drive: Master blaster and former captain of the Indian cricket team Sachin Tendulkar launched two safety and awareness initiatives by the Mumbai Railway Police. The two initiatives, SAMEEP (Safety Alert Messages Exclusively for Passengers) and B-SAFE, were launched at the RPF headquarters in Wadi Bunder.

5. Centre approves Rs 791 crore as Drought assistance for Telangana.

6. Government limits Foreign Travel by Bureaucrats to four a year.

7. Jharkhand to add drinking water crisis in local disasters list: The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting and will cover those districts where the rainfalls have been less than 75% of the normal or where the groundwater level has gone below by four metres or more.

8. Jharkhand to set up fast track courts for trial of witchcraft-related attacks.

9. Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 2^nd liquid chemical berth of Mumbai Port Trust: With commissioning of this berth, the cargo handling capacity of the Port will increase by 2.5 MMT per annum.

10. Bhaskar Bhat becomes Tata SIA Airlines Chairman.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WHO declares world’s worst ever Ebola outbreak over: The World Health Organisation announced that the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged west Africa for two years was over after Liberia, the last affected country , received all clear. 

2. USA increased H-1B and L-1 visa petition fees.

3. India tops Asia in sending scientists, engineers to US: Report: India continued its trend of being the top country of birth from Asia for immigrant scientists and engineers in US, with 950,000 out of the continent’s total 2.96 million, according to a new report.

4. UN released dataset titled Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 Revision: The dataset analysed trends in migration flows across the world, even country as well as region wise, between 2000 and 2015.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. SBI launches dedicated branch for start-ups in Bengaluru: State Bank of India launched its wealth management offering and inaugurated a dedicated branch for start-ups. While the wealth management service ‘Exclusif’ is targeted at the fast-growing affluent segment in the country. ‘SBI InCube’-the branch for start-ups-would offer advisory services to the budding entrepreneurs under one roof.

2. RBI allows banks to provide all services at off-site ATMs: It has allowed banks to offer the whole array of services even at off-site ATMs. Off-site ATMs are the ones that set up on a standalone basis and are not on the premises of a bank branch.

SPORTS:

3. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis create world record for most successive victories by winning their 29^th women’s doubles match in a row en route to their entry into the women’ doubles final of the WTA Sydney International.

AWARDS:

4. Subhashini Vasanth honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award: She was awarded for her endeavour to help people in distress and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families across the country.

5. UNICEF presented David Beckham with Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award

OBITUARIES:

6. Actor Alan Rickman, known for his role as ‘Snape’ in Harry Potter series, died at the age of 69.

Daily GK Updates - 13th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kerala declared first state to attain Total Primary Education: Vice President Hamid Ansari declared Kerala as the first state to attain ‘Total Primary Education’ and described the achievement as ‘histroric’.

2. CII Partnership Summit 2016 concluded in Vishakhapatnam: The 22^nd edition of Confederate of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit-cum-Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Investment Summit was concluded at Vishakhapatnam.

3. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group signed MoU to set up naval facility in Vishakhapatnam: Reliance Defence Ltd, a unit of Anil Ambani led Reliance Infrastructure Ltd signed a MoU with Andhra Pradesh Government to set up a world class naval facility in the state.

4. Amitabh Bachchan made honorary life member of Mohammedan Sporting.

5. 20^th National Youth Festival inaugurated in Naya Raipur: The five day long annual festival is celebrated by the Union Government in partnership with a state government on the occasion of birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

6. Indra Nooyi becomes ‘most generous graduate’ of Yale School of Management: The Prestigious Yale School of Management will name its deanship in honour of PepsiCo’s India-Born CEO Indra Nooyi as she gifted an undisclosed amount to her alma meter, becoming the school’s biggest alumni donor and the first woman to endow a deanship at a top b-school.

7. PM sets up panel to fast-track bullet trains: The PMO has constituted a committee under Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog, to hasten the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for bullet trains between the two cities.

8. NHAI signs MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under ISRO and NECTAR for use of spatial technology for monitoring national highways.

9. Union Government announced green-field petrochemical complex and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Vishakhapatnam.

10. C Sridhar assumes charge as West Zone IG.

11. Union Cabinet approved MoU between Indian and Maldives for co-operation in health sector.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Lenovo to launch new smartphone under Google’s Project Tango: The term Project Tango was in news as Lenovo, a Chinese multinational computer technology company, announced that it entered into a partnership with Google for the project.

2. Conference of QCG on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation held in Islamabad: The purpose of the conference was to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s government. The conference was participated representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US.

3. Indian-American professor developed Galacto-Seismic method to hunt Dark Matter: An international team of scientists led by Indian-American Sukanya Chakrabarti deviced a new method, glactoseismology, to detect dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter.

4. US and Jordan signed Joint Action Plan on cooperation to counter Nuclear Smuggling.

5. US-India Business Council (USIBC) Board of Directors selected Council board members Edward Monser and Punit Renjen as Vice Chairs.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Government unveils Rs 8800 crore crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): In order to provide relief to drought-hit farmers, the government announced a new Rs 8800 crore crop insurance scheme, with significantly lower premium, to cover for loss of crop to natural calamities. Farmers will pay only 2% of the premium fixed by insurance company for kharif food-grains/oilseeds crops and 1.5% for rabi food-grains/oilseeds crops under the PMFBY. The remaining sum of premium would be borne by the centre and state governments equally.

2. SBI opens branch in Seoul, South Korea: Country’s largest lender has opened a branch in Seoul, South Korea to predominantly finance growing trade and investment relations between Korean and Indian companies.

3. India largest recipient of World Bank Loans over 70 years: India is the largest recipient of World Bank, amounting to $102.1 billion, between 1945 and 2015 according to the Bank’s lending report.

SPORTS:

4. FIFA dismisses Jerome Valcke as General Secretary.

OBITUARIES:

5. 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War hero Lt General J F R Jacob died at the age of 92.

6. Monte Irvin, Hall of Fame outfielder passed away at the age of 96.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

7. The book titled ‘Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Polity in Perspective’ edited by Prof Alexander was released by Vice President Hamid Ansari.

Daily GK Updates - 12th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, the Vishakhapatnam steel plant, has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Government for an investment of around Rs 38500 crore in various projects.

2. Ashish Saraf appointed as vice-president of Airbus India.

3. Ansari dedicates to the nation Kerala’s first film institute: Vice-President Hamid Ansari dedicated to the nation the K R Narayanan Institute of Visual Sciences and Arts, a first of its kind initiative of Kerala government at nearby Thekkumithala.

4. BHEL commissions 520 MW thermal power unit in Andhra Pradesh: The unit has been commissioned at the 2x520 MW Vizag Thermal Power Project of Hinduja National Power Company Limited (HNPCL), Vishakhapatnam.

5. Mizoram celebrated ‘Missionary Day’ on 11 January: Missionary Day, anniversary of the arrival of two Welsh Christian missionaries, was observed and celebrated across the Christian-dominated north eastern state of Mizoram.

6. Union Railway Ministry inaugurated Implementation of E-enabled Track Management System: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated implementation of E-enabled Track Management System and Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.

7. ADB to fund $840-m corridor between Vizag and Chennai: The Asian Development Bank will extend a $625 million loan to the proposed $840 million Vishakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, according to Teresa Kho, Country Director-India, ADB.

8. Constro 2016 to focus on ‘Smart City’ concept: The 2016 edition of the Constro exhibition will be held in Pune from January 14-17 and will focus on the Smart City concept. In view of the Government’s mission of creating 100 smart cities, ‘Constro 2016’ will focus on two themes: ‘Emerging Technologies for Smart City and Skill Development’.

9. Telangana becomes first state to make gender education compulsory at Graduate level: In this regard, the state introduced a bilingual textbook titled, Towards a World of Equals.

10. Kullu Folk Dance finds place in Guinness Book of World Records: The colourful Kullu folk dance (Nati), which saw participation of 20,000 dancers during Kullu Dussehra festival has entered the Guinness book of world records.

11. PwC India sets up centre of excellence for forensics in Hyderbad.

12. Andhra Pradesh signs MoU worth of Rs 5,242 crore in Tourism and Hospitality.

13. CIRB became India’s second centre to produce to cloned buffalo: Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar claimed to have successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring ‘Cirb Gaurav’.

14. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off Lokmanya Tilak-Kazipet Anandwan Express.

15. National Youth Day observed on 12 January to mark birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

16. Bharthi Sihag assumes additional charge of NMDC Chairman.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian origin girl wins Hindi Literary Award in Singapore: Samia Khan, a nine-year old Indian origin girl in Singapore has won the first prize for writing a story in Hindi in a literary competition at the inaugural ‘Hindi Prerna Awards’.

2. Illumina, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos launched start-up GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer tests: Illumina, the world’s largest DNA sequencing company, announced the launch of the start-up named GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer-tests.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. HDFC Life has sets up subsidiary at Dubai International Finance Centre: It has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) called the ‘HDFC International Life and Re Company Ltd (HILRCL0 with an initial capital outlay of $12.33 million.

2. Binny Bansal appointed as new CEO of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal as Executive Chairman.

3. SBI to monetise non-crore assets, list few units over three years.

SPORTS:

4. Stephen Fleming named coach of Pune IPL Team.

5. Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or award for world’s best player for fifth time.

AWARDS:

6. EPFO bags National Award on e-Governance: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has won the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).

OBITUARIES:

7. British Singer David Bowie died at the age of 69.