Daily GK Updates - 18th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s largest Charkha is to be on display at IGI Airport, New Delhi: The world’s largest wooden Charkha (spinning wheel) is planned to be installed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

2. New centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies: National Mission for Clean Ganga under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) announced the formal launch of Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies in New Delhi.

3. US Jury slaps $940 million fine on Tata Consultancy Services and Tata American International Corp. in trade secret case while TCS denies any wrong doing.

4. Konkani museum to be set up in Mangaluru: ManddSobhan, a Konkani cultural organisation will set up a Konkani Museum in Mangaluru.

5. 69^th Himachal Day celebrated 17^th April in the state: Himachal Pradesh is celebrating 69^th Himachal Day. On the occasion, a state-level function would be held at Ghumarvin town in Bilaspur district where Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will unfurl the national flag.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Heritage Day observed across the world on 18^th April 2016: The day was observed with an aim to create awareness among the people to conserve and protect the valuable assets and cultural heritage across the world. This year’s theme was ‘The Heritage of Sport’.

2. Forbes releases first ever ‘Global Game Changers’ list’: Three Indians make the cut: The list is topped by Mark Beniff of Salesforce.com and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was ranked 30. Three Indians namely Rahul Bhatia of InterGlobe Enterprises, Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India and Sunny Varkey of GEMS Education were ranked 3^rd, 23^rd and 26^th respectively.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Banks to share all transaction details in Standard Format: From now onwards all the banks have to share the transaction details in a standard format. The revenue intelligence and central security agencies are looking seriously into money laundering and financial fraud cases.

2. FSS to provide UPI solution for 6 banks: Financial Software and Systems Pvt Ltd (FSS) has inked agreements with six banks to provide Unified Payment Interface (UPI) solution across the country on a hosted platform.

SPORTS:

3. Sri Lankan spinner RanganaHerath retired from T20Is and ODIs.

4. NicoRoseberg of Mercedes wins Chinese Grand Prix for sixth straight Formula 1 victory.

5. Australia won 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup of Hockey by defeating India by 4-0 in the final held in Ipoh, Malaysia.

AWARDS:

6. T N Ninan gets Mumbai Press Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Daily GK Updates - 17th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Delhi ranked 44^th among world’s 50 future-ready crisis: National capital of India, Delhi has been ranked 44^th among the world’s ‘50 future-ready economies’ that are embracing technology for growth. It was revealed by the recently released report ‘Future-ready economies model’ by the Information Technology major Dell.

2. Indian Army conducts Shatrujeet battle exercise in Rajasthan: The sole purpose of the exercise was to evaluate the capability of the Indian Army and fine tune its proactive war strategy to respond swiftly to any threat to nation’s security.

3. Google extends free internet service through WiFi to 10 railway stations: The free internet service was extended as part of Google’s tie up with Railtel, the internet provider arm for Indian Railways. The 10 ten stations include Pune, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Raipur, Ranchi, Vijaywada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad), Ernakulum Jn and Vishakhapatnam.

4. Nuclear capable K-4 undersea ballistic missile successfully test fired from INS Arihant from Vishakhapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G20 countries seek to crackdown on tax havens, terror financing: In this regard a communiqué was issued by G20 countries after meeting of its Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks on the side-lines of the annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank at Washington.

2. WADA revoked accreditation of Moscow Anti-doping Centre for corruption in sport in Russia.

3. EU Parliament cleared joint system for sharing air passenger data to fight terror.

4. Pepsi-Cola sign got historic landmark designation in New York: The sign of 60 feet high and 120 feet long was built in 1936 and installed atop Pepsi bottling plant in an industrial area bordering the East River in Long Island City.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Kane Williamson named as Wisden Almanack’s Cricketer of the Year 2016.

OBITUARIES:

2. Hero Group founder Satyanand Munjal passed away at the age of 99.

3. British playwright Arnold Wesker died at the age of 83.

Daily GK Updates - 16th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi inaugurated Maritime India Summit 2016: The is India’s first ever Maritime Summit and the flagship event organised by Union Ministry of Shipping held at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai from 14^th April to 16^th April, 2016.

2. India, US to collaborate on tackling offshore tax evasion: India and the US have agreed to enhance collaboration on tackling offshore tax evasion and increase cooperation in sharing of cross-border tax information.

3. BRICS Bank disburses $250 million loan for Renewable Energy Project to Canara Bank: The New Development Bank (NDB), commonly known as BRICS Bank, has sanctioned its first batch of loans, including $250 million to India’s renewable energy projects.

4. Jharkhand Government launched Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for Widows: Raghubar Das, the CM of Jharkhand has launched the ‘Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana’ for widows on the 125^th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar. The scheme has a target to build 11,000 houses for the current financial year with a budget allocation of Rs 80 crore. 

5. 69^th Himachal Day being celebrated in the state: Himachal Pradesh is celebrating 69^th Himachal Day. On the occasion, a state-level function would be held at Ghumarvin town in Bilaspur district where Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will unfurl the national flag.

6. Supercomputer Param Kanchenjunga unveiled at NIT Sikkim.

7. Panagarh Airbase of West Bengal renamed as Air Force Station Arjan Singh after the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.

8. P P Pandey appointed as in-charge of Gujarat DGP.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Canada ranks near bottom on UNICEF’s ‘fairness’ report card: Canada’s poorest children are falling further behind, according to a UNICEF report card that ranks the country in the bottom third among OECD and EU nations when it comes to inequality in the well-being of its youngest citizens. 

2. Ukrainian Parliament appoints Volodymyr Groysman as new Prime Minister.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Federal Bank launched Campus Wallet for Students: This is a student identity card integrated with banking technology. The ID card facilitates students to make petty payments within their school/college campus without opening a bank account with an aim to streamlining and easing the administrative tasks.

OBITUARIES:

2. Former Malian Photographer Malick Sidibe passed away at the age of 80.

Daily GK Updates - 15th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Odd-even 2.0 begins in the capital with public appeals, ‘zero’ peak time traffic: The second phase of the odd even vehicle rationing scheme in force here on Friday morning with appeals to follow its provisions from the government matched by visible compliance from Delhi’s citizens.

2. Swaraj Abhiyan to start pilot run of its electoral plunge with MCD polls: Swaraj Abhiyan is not a political party but the upcoming by-election in MCD is an occasion to create a model of how it may intervene in electoral politics in the future.

3. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurated opening of 100 more Aahar Centres across the State as part of Government’s cheap meal programme for the poor.

4. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) board reconstituted and Ram Bahadur Rai appointed as Chairman. 

5. Narendra Modi launches village self-governance campaign: The main aim of the campaign is to spread awareness about the various schemes that the centre has launched keeping rural India in mind.

6. India was world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015 as per a report from the World Bank attracting $69 billion from abroad.

7. Flipkart’s Chief Product Officer quits.

8. Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma to head Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)’s Payments Banks Group.

9. Susmita Pande appointed as the Chairperson of National Monument Authority.

10. Delhi Government banned chewable tobacco for a year.

11. Water levels in 91 major reservoirs alarmingly low as per data released by Central Water Commission.

12. PM Modi launched online trading platform e-NAM for farm goods: This online portal will help in trading agriculture produce and it promises to liberate farmers from the clutches of middle-men and realise fair market value for their yields.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Bank and AIIB sign first Co-Financing Framework Agreement.

2. Barack Obama appoints MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga to his new commission on Enhancing National Cyber-security.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India’s ace boxer Mary Kom named International Boxing Association (AIBA) ambassador for Women’s World Championship.

2. England batsman James Taylor retired from International Cricket.

Daily GK Updates - 14th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Piyush Goyal launches ‘Deep’ E-Bidding & E-Reserve Auction Portal: The government has replaced the conventional tendering process for power purchase by state power distributors with an e-bidding platform in an attempt to make the bidding more efficient and transparent by bringing power procurement contract details to the public domain. Deep stands for Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price.

2. Government launches Carpool app: Days before the second phase of the odd even anti-traffic scheme which begins from April 15, the government today launched ‘PoochhO Carpool app’ to help people explore carpooling options during the 15 day car-rationing exercise.

3. Cabinet nod to adopt statue of SAWEN to check wildlife crimes:  It has given its approval for Indian to adopting the Statue of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) and becoming its formal member in order to strengthen ties with the member countries in controlling the trans-boundary wildlife crime through communication, coordination, collaboration, capacity building and cooperation in the region.

4. Indigenously developed surface to air supersonic Akash missile system successfully test fired from complex-3 of the ITR at Chandipur. 

5. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis launched Mission Drinking Water: The mission was launched in the backdrop of recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region of the state.

6. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved Social Boycott Bill 2016: The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat. The bill states that social boycott is prohibited and its commission shall be an offence.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nauru becomes 189^th member of IMF, World Bank: The tiny South Pacific island nation Nauru has become the 189^th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. The capital of Nauru is Yaren and its currency is Australian Dollar.

2. Sushila Karki selected as the Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Aishwarya Rai won Global India of the Year Award at a function held in Mumbai.

Daily GK Updates - 13th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to notch up to 7.5% growth in 2016-17: IMF: International Monetary Fund has declared the India’s growth is projected to notch up to 7.5% in 2016-17 and as per IMF prediction India will overtake the China’s GDP by more than 1%.

2. India and US ‘agree in principle’ on sharing military logistics: India and the United States announced an in-principle logistics exchange agreement to enable their militaries to use each other’s assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

3. India ranks 44 in 2016 Global Connectivity Index, Digital India seen as driver of growth: Huawei has announced its third Global Connectivity Index report during the Global Analyst Summit 2016 in Shenzhen, China. US, Singapore and Sweden topped the rankings.

4. Cabinet announces Mufti Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme to supplement NFSA.

5. India and Germany signed agreement on NamamiGange Programme: The project will closely cooperate with other national and international initiatives including Indo-German bilateral projects like Support to National Urban Sanitation Policy (SNUSP) and Sustainable Environment-friendly Industrial Production (SEIP).

6. Haryana Government decided to rename Gurgaon and Mewat as Gurugram and Nuh respectively.

7. MeeranBorwankar appointed as the new DG of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).

8. Woman biker VeenuPaliwal died in a road accident in Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G7 Foreign Minister’s meet held in Hiroshima.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Federal Bank launched Campus Wallet for Students: This is a student identity card integrated with banking technology. The ID card facilitates students to make petty payments within their school/college campus without opening a bank account with an aim to streamlining and easing the administrative tasks.

SPORTS:

2. India’s SSP Chawrasia, who clinched the Hero Indian Open last month, has been named the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month for March.

3. England batsman James Taylor retired from International Cricket.

AWARDS:

4. AishwaryaRai won Global India of the Year Award at a function held in Mumbai. 

5. Former Army General J J Singh conferred Highest French Civilian honour ‘Officier de l Orde national de la Legion d Honneur’ (Officer of the Legion of Honour).

6. Padma Sachdev selected for SaraswatiSamman 2015 for her autobiography titled Chitt-Chete, written in Dogri language.

Daily GK Updates - 12th April, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. President presents Padma Awards to 56 eminent personalities: The names who were honoured with Padma Bhushan are Rajnikant, classical singer Dr Girija Devi, journalist RamojiRao. Singer Udit Narayan and tennis player SaniaMirza have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Actor Priyanka Chopra, writer DhirendraNathBezbaruah got the Padmashree.

2. PM to inaugurate 3^rd Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in Delhi: In this conference, more than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders are gathering to discuss issues related to tiger conservation.

3. Panama Papers: India to attend OECD meet in Paris: India will take part in a special meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris on 13^th April to firm up cooperation between countries in the wake of the ‘Panama Papers leak’.

4. India and Maldives sign six agreements to boost ties: The agreements were signed in the fields of double taxation, exchange of information, defence cooperation, space research, tourism cooperation, conservation and restoration during the visit of Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

5. Shan-e-Punjab Express becomes India’s first train fitted with CCTV cameras.

6. Tata starts U.K Steel sale: Tata Steel, the country’s largest steel producer, has signed an agreement to sell the loss-making 4.5 million tonne long-product Scunthorpe Steel Plant in Britain to UK-based investment firm Greybull Capital for a nominal consideration, with the latter taking assets and relevant liabilities.

7. Fairfax India to invest $300 million in Sanmar Chemicals.

8. BhartiAirtel first entity to get Payments Bank licence from RBI: It has partnered with Kotak Mahindra Bank for the licence through AMSL.

9. LAVA International announces MS Dhoni as its Brand Ambassador.

10. Varanasi Kathak dancer SoniChaurasiya breaks the Guinness World Record for longest dance performance by continuously dancing for 123 hours and 30 minutes.

11. ViratKohli named as Brand Ambassador of Premier Futsal Football League: Futsal is the newer and shorter five-a-side variant of Football.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G7 Foreign Minister’s meet held in Hiroshima.

2. Ukraine PM ArseniyYatsenyuk to resign: Yatsenyuk’s government has been besieged by war, corruption and economic struggles. His cabinet survived a no-confidence vote in February, but two parties left the governing coalition in protest that the prime minister wasn’t ousted, a move that deprived the coalition of a majority in Parliament.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Federal Bank and Phillip Capital tie-up announced at Singapore: The Indian bank major Federal Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Phillip Capital (India) Pvt Ltd; a subsidiary of the Singapore headquartered Phillip Capital Group, for managing NRI Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).

SPORTS:

2. Indian teams clinch Asian Kho-Kho Championship Title: Both Men’s and Women’s teams have won the category’s championship titles at the Asian Kho-Kho Championship held in Indore.

3. WTA Rankings: Serena Williams maintains top spot while Polish AgnieszkaRadwanska returned to the second place.