Daily GK Updates - 29th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Government announced 1^st batch of 20 smart cities from 11 States and Delhi: The 20 smart cities were selected through the Smart City Challenge competition that saw the participation of 1.52 crore citizens from 97 cities and towns. Among the 20 cities and towns, 3 cities are from MP, two each from AP, Karnataka, TN, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from the remaining five made it to the winning list. 

2. Commemorative coins of Rs 150 and circulation coin of Rs 10 on Lala Lajpat Rai released.

3. $80 m loan from ADB to improve infrastructure in Agartala, Aizwal: The loan is the third tranche of $200 m financing facility under the North Eastern Region Capital Cities Development Investment Program.

4. Kerala to host global skill summit: Kerala will host a three-day ‘Nypunyam International Skill Summit and Skill Fiesta 2016’ next month with a view to bridging the gap between the job market requirement and the skill level of available workforce.

5. Gurdeep Singh appointed as the new CMD of NTPC Ltd.

6. Government lowers GDP growth rate to 7.2%: It has marginally revised downward the economic growth for 2014-15 to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3% after factoring in latest data on agriculture and industrial production.

7. Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh launched MITRA app for women safety.

8. Madhya Pradesh to impose ban on polythene from January 2017.

9. JS Deepak appointed as the new Telecom Secretary.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Iran, Airbus signed deal to buy 118 Airbus planes: Iran and Airbus have signed two agreements covering new aircraft orders and a comprehensive civil aviation co-operation package. The agreement includes purchase of 118 new Airbus aircrafts.

2. Indo-Pak Agreement on Rail Link extended for three years: India and Pakistan have extended their agreement relating to rail communication by mutual consent through diplomatic channels for next three years.

3. China, Iran signed 17 agreements to broaden bilateral cooperation: The agreements cover various fields such as energy, industrial capacity, finance, investment, communication, culture, judiciary, science and technology, news media, customs, climate change and human resources.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Navneet Kaur and Santosh Kadale won gold in Senior National Rowing Championship held in Hyderbad in the women’s and men’s category respectively.

2. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won 2016 Australian Open Women’s Doubles title.

3. Graham Ford named Chief Coach of Sri Lanka cricket ahead of India Tour.

OBITUARIES:

4. Former minister and freedom fighter Maheshwar Baug died at the age of 85.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

5. The book titled ‘The Turbulent Years, Volume II of memoirs of President Pranab Mukherjee’ released.

Daily GK Updates - 28th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 150^th Birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai celebrated: 150^th birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, also known as Punjab Kesri was celebrated on 28^th January 2016 across the country. 

2. Union Government launched National Job Portal for Persons with Disabilities: The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot launched the National Level Job Portal ‘www.disbilityjobs.gov.in’ for PWDs.

3. Union Cabinet approves raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions: The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions in Jammu and Kashmir and 4 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states.

4. CERT-In inks cyber security agreements with 3 nations: Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has signed cyber security agreement with its counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.

5. India overtakes Thailand as World’s largest rice exporter.

6. India successfully test fired Akash Missile at Chandipur: India test fired its indigenously built surface to air Akash missile from complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.

7. IPS Officer Aparna Kumar became India’s first civil servant to scale Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica.

8. CCEA approved hybrid annuity model for highway projects: The main objective of the approval is to revive highway projects in the country by making one more mode of delivery of highway projects. Under this model, the government will provide 40% of the project cost to the developer to start work while the remaining investment has to be made by the developer.

9. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar presented Rakshmantri Award for excellence for 2012-13 and 2013-14: Excellence in Performance: HAL, Best Performance in Exports: BEML, Best Performing Division of DPSUs: BEL(S&CS), Bengaluru.

10. Snow Leopard spotted for the first time in North Sikkim.

11. IRCTC restricts ticket booking to six per month.

12. Supreme Court appointed Justice Sanjay Mishra as UP Lokayukta.

13. AIF appointed MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga as co-chair.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust observed: It was observed on 27^th January 2016 across the world with the theme ‘Holocaust and Human Dignity’.

2. 1^st Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum held in Manama, capital city of Bahrain.

3. Intelsat 29e, the first of Intelsat EpicNG Satellites, launched into Orbit: The satellite was launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle. The high throughput platform should provide customers with superior connections at a lower cost.

4. Polygamy made mandatory in Eritrea: Eritrea’s Department of Religious Affairs issued a law that makes it mandatory for men of the nation to marry at least two women. Failing to adhere by the orders will lead to life imprisonment with hard labour.

5. UNICEF launched 2.8 billion US Dollar humanitarian appeal for children: It planned to increase the number of children in crisis who are given access to education from 4.9 million at the beginning of 2015 to 8.2 million in 2016.

6. 31 countries signed MCAA to boost transparency in international tax matters: 31 countries signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) to boost transparency in the functioning of multinational enterprises (MNEs) by allowing automatic exchange of country-by-country reports by tax administrators.

7. Wildest Planet System comprising of lonely planet 2MASS J2126 and its distant star TYC9486-927-1 discovered.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Australian batsman David Warner won Allan Border Medal 2016.

2. Pakistan cricketer Imran Farhat retired from International cricket.

3. Adam Lewis headed Independent Review Panel set up to safeguard integrity in Tennis.

4. Olympic Gold medallist Matthew Mitcham retired from diving.

5. Ishika Shah won 12^th Sub-junior National Snooker championship title.

AWARDS:

6. India activist Henri Tiphagne selected for Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2016.

7. Rod Laver honoured with Companion of the order of Australia for his eminent service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at the national and international level.

OBITUARIES:

8. Former India basketball captain Ranbir Chopra died at the age of 86.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

9. The book titled ‘Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition’ authored by Nisid Hajari won 2016 William E Colby Award.

Daily GK Updates - 27th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Chhattisgarh to invest Rs 60,000 crore on ‘Sampark Kranti’: Under the programme, the state would build roads, rail lines besides expansion of electrification and communication network in the areas that had not seen much development. 

2. Rajasthan signs MoU to join UDAY Scheme: It has become the third state to sign a MoU for joining the central government’s state electricity distribution utility revival scheme.

3. US-based Cognizant Technologies Solutions acquired KBACE Technologies.

4. First in Maharashtra: Nagpur Central Jail inmates get SBI ATM Cards: Around 140 inmates of the central prison here were given State Bank of India ATM Cards for use inside the premises, with plans to extend the service to all 800 prisoners of the facility.

5. TATA Trusts collaborates with MIT to improve learning at school: Tata Trusts collaborates with MIT and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to improve learning at secondary school level.

6. SC and ST Amendment Act, 2015 came into force: The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 came into force. The act was made to ensure more stringent provisions for prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

7. Union Government approved to set up solar energy panels over 10000 EWS houses in Tamil Nadu under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) (Urban).

8. Union Government and Chhattisgarh Government signed MoU on UDAY Scheme: Union Government and Chhattisgarh Government signed a MoU with Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Ltd under the scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana for operational and financial turnaround of the CSPDCL.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Armenia amend double taxation avoidance convention: It will enable the two countries to exchange information related to financial and banking transactions under the pact and help in preventing tax evasion.

2. International Customs Day observed across the world on 26^th January 2016.

3. Australia celebrated its National Day on 26^th January 2016.

4. Denmark parliament approved law on seizing valuables from Refugees: Danish Parliament, Folketing voted on a proposal to confiscate asylum seekers’ personal possessions in order to pay their upkeep.

5. Transparency International released Corruption Perceptions Index 2015: The index measured the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 168 countries and territories. Denmark stood first as it is the most corruption free country in the world while India was place 76^th.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI shortlists five companies for Audit and Risk Monitoring Mechanism: The Reserve Bank plans to procure an Audit Management and Risk Monitoring System (AMRMS) for the central bank from five potential shortlisted solution providers, including PwC and Quadrant 4 Software Solutions.

SPORTS:

2. ICC released Test, ODI and T20 Rankings: India topped the list of Test Rankings while Australia topped the table of ODI Rankings ahead of India. T20 Ranking was topped by West Indies.

AWARDS:

3. Ashok Chakra awarded posthumously to Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami.

4. Cottalango Leon selected for 2016 Technical Achievement Award of Academy of Motion Picture.

5. Chennupati Jagadish, Jay Chandra and Sajeev Koshy conferred with Australia’s highest civilian award ‘Companion of Order of Australia’.

Daily GK Updates - 26th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s 67^th Republic Day celebrated: President of France, Mr Francois Hollande was the Chief Guest of the 67^th Republic Day parade. A 76-member French Army contingent also took part in the parade. This was the first time when soldiers from a different country took part in a republic day parade in India. 

2. India and France signed MoU on purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets during President Francois Hollande’s visit.

3. Manipal Hospitals became Karnataka’s first centre for MRCP (UK) PACES examination: Manipal Hospitals Bangalore becomes the first centre in Karnataka for conducting the MRCP practical assessment of examination skills (PACES) mock exam in collaboration with UK-based Royal College of Physicians Federation.

4. International Solar Alliance headquartered in India with United Nations as Strategic Partner: PM Modi along with French President Francois Hollande laid the foundation stone of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) headquarters in National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.

5. President’s rule imposed in Arunachal Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won the Presidential elections of Portugal: He is a centre-right Social Democrats candidate and a former Journalist who won the elections by securing 52% of the total votes.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul retired from International Cricket.

2. FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2015 announced: The Netherlands’ Robert Van der Horst and Lidewij Welten won the men’s and women’s FIH Player of the Year awards respectively, for their performances in 2015. Goalkeeper of the Year (women)-Joyce Sombroek (The Netherlands), Goalkeeper of the Year (men)- David Harte.

AWARDS:

3. Actress Rekha honoured with 3^rd National Yash Chopra Memorial Award.

4. Kerala dentist Sanjeev Koshy honoured with Order of Australia, the highest civilian honour of Australia.

OBITUARIES:

5. Marvin Minsky, the pioneer of Artificial Intelligence died at the age of 88.

6. Hollywood actor Abe Vigoda passed away at the age of 94.

Daily GK Updates - 25th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Amit Shah re-elected as BJP President unopposed. 

2. India’s largest and tallest tricolour hoisted at Ranchi: India’s largest tricolour was hoisted atop the tallest pole at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, by defence minister Manohar Parrikar.

3. TranServ launches India’s first social mobile wallet Udio: India’s digital payment start-up company TranServ has launched country’s first Social Mobile Wallet name Udio. The digital wallet seeks to address the gap between real and virtual modes of payment as it has more social experience.

4. Padma Vibhushan for Dhirubhai Ambani, Rajnikanth, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Actor Rajnikanth, media baron Ramoji Rao, former J&K Governor Jagmohan and Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar were awarded with Padma Vibhushan. Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal got Padma Bhushan while actors Ajay Devgn and Priyanka Chopra got Padma Shri.

5. 6^th National Voter’s Day observed on 25^th January 2016 with theme Inclusive and Qualitative Participation.

6. India and France inked 16 pacts including chopper venture: The MoUs covered a wide range of sectors like urban development, urban transport, water and waste treatment and solar energy.

7. Alice Vaidyan appointed as the new CMD of GIC Re.

8. Union Government launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders.

9. ONGC received environmental nod for 53000 crore rupees KG Basin Project.

10. Maharashtra’s first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissioned in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district.

11. 9^th National Girl Child Day observed on 24^th January 2016.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won the Presidential elections of Portugal: He is a centre-right Social Democrats candidate and a former Journalist who won the elections by securing 52% of the total votes.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. PV Sindhu defeated Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour to win the Malaysia Master’s Gold title.

2. India won Blind T20 Asia Cup defeating Pakistan by 44 runs.

3. Japan’s Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu won ITTF World Junior Circuit in boys and girls categories respectively.

AWARDS:

4. J K Rowling to receive PEN Award for literary service.

OBITUARIES:

5. Malayalam Actress Kalpana passed away at the age of 51 in Hyderabad.

Daily GK Updates - 24th January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India submitted first Biennial Update Report to UNFCCC: The report was submitted towards fulfilment of the reporting obligation under the convention. As per the provisions of the convention, countries need to periodically provide information in the form of their National Communication. 

2. Andhra Pradesh Government launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme for tribal people: The scheme seeks to reduce rampant infant mortality and child marriages among tribal people. It is designed to provide a onetime financial assistance of Rs 50,000 rupees to each tribal woman who gets married.

3. Delhi Airport suspends sale of entry tickets for visitors in view of the present security scenario.

4. Ambedkar, ‘Swachh Bharat’ among themes for 67^th Republic Day tableaux: A giant statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, rare natural abode of Asiatic lions of Gir, white tiger safari and initiatives like ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Digital India’ are among the themes this year for the Republic Day tableaux.

5. Modi flags off hi-tech Varanasi-Delhi train: PM Modi flagged off a new train, Mahamana Express, connecting the city and New Delhi through Lucknow in 14 hours. The train is named after Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of BHU.

6. India and Oman conduct bilateral naval exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’: India and Oman will conduct 10^th edition of bilateral maritime exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ in the Arabian Sea.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UNESCAP released World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 report: The report highlights that the world economy stumbled in 2015 and only a modest improvement is projected for 2016/17. Global growth is expected at a mere 2.4% in 2015, making a downward revision by 0.4 percentage points from the UN forecasts presented in 2015.

2. Sri Lanka tops South Asia in human development: Sri Lanka has maintained its high ranking in human development. But the country’s performance in terms of average annual human development index (HDI) growth rate during 1990-2014 was lower than many other South Asian countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI asks banks to extend loans to women SHG: RBI has asked banks to provide loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at 7% interest rate to Women Self –Help Group (SHG) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) Aajeevika scheme during 2015-16.

OBITUARIES:

2. Eminent Tabla player Shankar Ghosh passed away at the age of 80.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd January, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jan Dhan accounts deposits cross Rs 30000 crore: Deposits in accounts opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion programme-PMJDY have crossed the Rs. 30000 crore mark. 

2. PM declassifies 100 files relating to Netaji: PM Modi made public digital copies of 100 secret files relating to Subhash Chandra Bose on his 119^th birth anniversary, which could throw some light on the controversy over his death.

3. MSDE, DoT signed MoU to develop National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector: Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Department of Telecom (DoT) together have agreed to make concerted joint efforts towards skill development by facilitating mobilisation of financial support under the National Ecosystem for Development of Telecom Skills.

4. BEPS guidelines of OECD to be implemented in India from 1 April 2016: The term BEPS is an acronym of Base Erosion and Profit Sharing and it was in news as India decided to implement it these guidelines. The BEPS refers to tax planning strategies that would exploit the gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little or no economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.

5. Chhattisgarh Government inked pact with central PSUs for Railway Projects: A special purpose vehicle SPV-Chhattisgarh Dakshin Railway Pvt Ltd was constituted through the agreement to build 142km railway line at a cost of 2000 crore rupees. The project aims at leading the economic development of tribal-dominated Bastar region.

6. New bird species named Himalayan Forest Thrush found in northeast India and adjacent parts of China.

7. Union Government notified stricter standards for Sugar Industry to minimise water pollution: The revised standards will lead to improved operational performance of sugar industries through implementation of wastewater discharge standards and waste water conservation and pollution control management protocol.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Scientists of California spotted the potential Planet 9: Konstantin Batygin and Michael E Brown, the researchers at the California Institute of Technology claimed it as a possible 9^th planet and their research papers were published in The Astronomical Journal.

2. 2016 NTI Nuclear Security Index released: Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a US-based think-tank released the 2016 Nuclear Security Index with the theme ‘Building a Framework for Assurance, Accountability and Action. The Index assessed global nuclear security conditions in 176 countries in two areas-the potential theft of weapons-usable nuclear materials and the potential sabotage of nuclear facilities. Australia was adjudged as the safest country while India got the 21^st rank.

3. Inaugural Best Countries report released at World Economic Forum: Germany is viewed as the best country in the world followed by Canada and the United Kingdom. India is ranked as the 22^nd best country in the World.

4. Japan lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Indian Olympic Association signed 2-year marketing deal with Infinity Optimal Solutions.

OBITUARIES:

2. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Nirmala Gajwani died at the age of 87.