Daily GK Updates - 7th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES: 

1. President presents Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations to Defence Personnel: Constable Gautam Koch of Assam Armed Branch who made supreme sacrifice fighting ULFA insurgents in Assam’s Difu was awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously. Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar Singh who made supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in J&K was awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously.

2. 4^th SAIEVAC Ministerial Meeting to be held in New Delhi: The eight nations composing the South Africa Initiative to End Violence Against Children, SAIEVAC are assembling in New Delhi next week for their 4^th Ministerial Meeting.

3. Union Government approves proposal of Infosys to set up IT SEZ: The Union Government has approved the proposal of Infosys to set up an IT/ITeS special economic zone (SEZ) in Bengaluru in an area spread over 4 hectares.

4. Offshore patrol vessel IGCS Shourya launched: Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has launched Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Shaurya at Panaji.

5. Australian State of Victoria, Swinburne University signed two MoU with India to provide medical technology.

6. India and Japan to sign MoU for Cooperation in Sports: India and Japan has decided to exchange sports persons, coaches, experts and administrators to improve the standard of the game between both nations.

7. Facebook and NASSCOM sign MoU to Support Start-Ups: Facebook and the trade body of Indian IT firms ‘National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)’ has signed an agreement to build a product design initiative to engage the country’s young entrepreneurs into becoming problem solvers and solution builders.

8. Flipkart to launch its own map services: The e-commerce giant Flipkart has partnered with a Bengaluru based social technology company ‘MapUnity’ to launch its map services.

9. Somnath Ghosh has been appointed as the next ambassador to Tajikistan.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Enda Kenny re-elected as Ireland’s Prime Minister: Mr Kenny is the first Fine Gael leader in history to secure two terms in power back to back. He secured the support of a diverse group of independents and managed to strike a deal with opposition party Fianna Fail.

2. Nepal recalls its Ambassador to India over charges of non-cooperation: It has recalled its Ambassador to India over charges of non-cooperation and indulging in anti-government activities.

3. Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines to conduct joint water patrols to curb kidnappings: The three countries have agreed to conduct coordinated sea patrols and establish a hotline to combat piracy and kidnappings in waters bordering the three nations.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Yes Bank gets SEBI nod to provide custodian services: It has received a ‘Custodian of Securities’ license from the markets regulator SEBI to allow the entity to offer custodial services to financial market participants, including FIIs and Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).

SPORTS:

2. South African former cricketer Mickey Arthur appointed as Pakistan cricket team’s head coach.

3. Pakistan beat India at Asian Kabaddi Championships in Islamabad.

Daily GK Updates - 6th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bankruptcy Bill 2016 passed in Lok Sabha: It aims to defuse the crisis of the looming bad loans in the banking sector and also to cover individuals, companies and partnership firms. The bill proposes setting up of an Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Fund.

2. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launches new train services for J&K: He flagged off two new train services for Jammu and Kashmir from the Rail Bhavan in New Delhi. These trains will ply on the Banihal-Baramulla-Budgam route.

3. Cabinet apprised IT agreement between India and Qatar: The Union Cabinet has apprised of the MoU between India and Qatar for promoting bilateral cooperation in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

4. Snapdeal acquires TargetingMantra: E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal has acquired Gurgaon-based predictive marketing technology start-up TargetingMantra for an undisclosed amount.

5. Google partners Idea for direct carrier billing: It has entered in a partnership with telecommunication major Idea Cellular to offer direct carrier billing in India. Idea user will now be able to make purchases on Google Play Store directly through their postpaid and prepaid accounts.

6. Sudhir Yadav has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Tihar Jail.

7. Kumar Rajesh Chandra appointed as Aviation Security Wing Chief.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Zimbabwe to print own version of US Dollar: It is all set to introduce its own version of US Dollars in order to ease a cash shortage in the country.

2. Musician Angelique Kidjo honoured with Amnesty International top human rights award: The issuance of the 500 euro banknote will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknote of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. State Bank of India launches card-less payment solution for offline transactions: The country’s largest bank, SBI has launched a mobile payment solution that will enable customers to make digital payments at offline stores by scanning a QR (quick response) code on their smartphones at merchant outlets.

2. ICICI Bank, first Indian bank to partner with New Development Bank: The largest private sector lender of India has become the first financial institution in the country to tie up with the New Development Bank to explore opportunities around bond issuance, co-financing, treasury management and human resource.

SPORTS:

3. Cricketer Rohit Sharma unveils India’s first ever sports expo in Pune: It is the first sports expo being held in the country organised by city-based Steps Sports Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

4. India finishes fourth at the Junior Shooting World Cup while Italy topped the points table.

AWARDS:

5. Andhra Pradesh Harita-Priya Agriculture Project wins 2016 WSIS Prize: It has won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 Prize in the e-Agriculture category.

6. Indian Author and Social Science Professor Prashar Kulkarni has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2016, in the Asia region for his ‘politically grounded, funny’, fiction ‘Cow and Company’ about four men in search of a cow.

Daily GK Updates - 5th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba to be next Navy chief: He will take over on 31^st of this month following the retirement of Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan.

2. President of India present Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu awards: The total awards are 52 which include 46 Niryat Shree and 6 Niryat Bandhu Awards. The Niryat Shree Awards accorded to exporters for their contribution in 12 categories. Niryat Bandhu Awards presented to Export Promotion Councils and Banks for their support to the exporting community.

3. Projects worth Rs 2, 446 crore approved under Namami Gange Programme: The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 2446 crore and these projects have been carved to improve the facilities of Ghats and crematoria for reduction of pollution load into river Ganga.

4. Reliance Power to set up plant in Bangladesh: It is all set to set up a power plant in Bangladesh as it got the approval for the first phase of Reliance Power’s Project. As per the approval, the company will set a 3,000 MW gas based power plant.

5. Bhupendra Kainthola appointed as Director of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

6. Swiss honour for Yash Chopra: Late Director Yash Chopra, who captured the verdant Swiss valley in his films, has been honoured with a special statue by the Switzerland Government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 49^th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank started at Frankfurt (Germany): The Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has also reached there to attend the ADB’s board of governors meet.

2. European Central Bank (ECB) decided to end production and issuance of 500 euro banknote: The issuance of the 500 euro banknote will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknote of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.

3. Researchers from the University of Montreal created a programmable DNA thermometer that is 20,000 times smaller than human hair.

4. Mexican Diplomat Patricia Espinosa selected as the next Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank opens IFSC banking unit at GIFT City in Gandhinagar: IFSC is India’s first and only financial centre.

2. IREDA may be converted into a Green Bank: IREDA, the state run Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency can be converted into a Green Bank to enable its access funding from overseas banks. But this will be done without any alteration in its basic structure.

3. Wilful defaulters owe Rs 66,000 crore to government banks: The number of wilful defaulters of Public Sector banks rose from 5554 to 7686 in three years to December 2015 while the amount involved more than doubled to Rs 66, 190 crore from Rs 27, 749 crore.

4. Corporation Bank gets MSME Award: Corporation Bank has been awarded ‘excellence award on empowering MSME’s’ by the Federation of Industry, Trade and Services (FITS). The MD & CEO of the bank is Jai Kumar Garg.

SPORTS:

5. Seven Indian shuttlers qualify for Rio Olympics: The list includes Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy.

Daily GK Updates - 4th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Lok Sabha passes Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015: It passed the bill for the establishment of funds under the public accounts of centre and each state towards compensatory afforestation.

2. 63^rd National Film Awards ceremony held in New Delhi: Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut received National Awards for their roles in ‘Piku’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ respectively. Actor Manoj Kumar was conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke Award and ‘Bahubali’ won the best film award.

3. Piyush Goyal unveil portal on payment to contract workers: The portal provides access to all contract workers, through a Workers Identification Number (WIN), to view their personal details and payment status. Contract workers can also register their grievances through this portal.

4. Commerce Ministry launches web-based dashboard for export, import data: The dashboard will provide an accurate perspective to the general public on the facts around the trade performance in India. It will provide a graphical collection of export and import from India.

5. India to host festival in Egypt to mark Tagore’s birth anniversary: To mark the 155^th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, India will organise a cultural festival in Egypt next week. It will build the connections between the people of the two countries who share strong cultural bonds.

6. NSE to launch new exchange for MSME: This new exchange will help MSMEs to file their bill against large companies, which can be accepted electronically and auctioned so that these small enterprises are paid immediately.

7. Jindal Brothers sign Rs 6,500 crore power deal: JSW Energy Ltd, led by Mr. Sajjan Jindal has agreed to buy a 1000 MW power plant of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), which is located in Chattisgarh.

8. Uber ties up with Alipay globally: Uber, the online cab aggregator has announced its partnership with the third party payment platform, Alipay.

9. Sameer Chadha appointed as the Partner and CEO of KPMG India Pvt Ltd.

10. Progeria affected teen Nihal Bitla died at the age of 15 in a hospital in Telangana.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Financial inequality highest in India and China as per IMF report: According to the International Monetary Fund report, financial inequality is highest in India and China among Asia Pacific countries despite the two being among the fastest growing economies.

2. World’s smallest engine powered by light created: It was created at Cambridge University by UK based researchers. The engine is fuelled by lasers and gold and a few billionth of a metre in size, which uses lights to power the engine. 

3. Italian sports car maker Ferrari appointed Fiat Chrysler’s chief Sergio Marchionne as the new CEO.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. England’s world no.1 Mark Selby won World Snooker Championship 2016.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Railway Minister launched e-enabled application, PMIS to monitor Railway Projects: The application will be used for proper monitoring of all the Railway projects throughout the country.

2. RajyaSabha passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015: The bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in order to regulate the mining sector in the country.

3. Supreme Court appointed R M Lodha-panel to reform Medical Council of India: The court appointed the panel as the MCI is often been accused of indulging in corrupt practices.

4. Supreme Court banned all diesel cabs in NCR-Delhi from May 1, 2016.

5. DilipTuli appointed as Senior Vice President of Housing.com.

6. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu launched ChandrannaBimaYojana: Under the scheme, any insured worker who meets an accidental death and permanent disability will be paid 5 lakh rupees. The worker who suffers partial disability will be paid a sum of 3 lakh rupees.

7. Madhya Pradesh High Court terms reservation in promotions in the State as unconstitutional.

8. Maharashtra Government launched AdiPraman, online app for tribal caste validity certificate: With this Maharashtra becomes the first state to provide caste validity certificates online.

9. Government launches MICE initiative for up-gradation of tourism sector: Union Government has launched an initiative name MICE which is based on meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions for the up-gradation of the tourism sector in India.

10. BHEL commissions 600 MW thermal power plant at the Jhabua Thermal Power Project (TPP) located in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh.

11. Kishore Biyani appointed as the MD of Bharti Retail.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Wide Fund (WWF) released report titled ‘Protecting People through Nature’: The report says that nearly half of the iconic 229 natural and mixed world heritage sites in 96 countries around the world, including Western Ghats, face significant threats.

2. Astronomers discovered 3 Earth like planets using TRAPPIST telescope: Michael Gillon led team of astronomers of the University of Liege in Belgium used the TRAPPIST telescope to observe the ultra-cool dwarf stars 2MASS J23062928-0502285, now also known as TRAPPIST-1.

3. World Press Freedom Day observed across the world on 3 May 2016 with the theme ‘Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms-This is your right’.

4. Indian-American Sikh woman, HarmeetKaurDhillon elected as National Committee Woman of the Republican National Committee of US.

5. ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism begins in Brunei: The nine day exercise seeks to strengthen the strong bilateral ties and extensive maritime interactions between India and ASEAN countries.

6. Google acquires Toronto based start-up Synergyse, developed by Indian-origin businessman VarunMalhotra.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Leicester City crowned English Premier League champions for the 1^st time in 132-years history.

2. Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy named Football Writers Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year 2016.

3. Indian Team comprising of DeepikaKumari, Bombayla Devi Laishram and Laxmirani Majhi bagged one silver and two bronze medals at the Archery World Cup held at Shanghai, China.

4. Rohit Sharma signs as Brand Ambassador for Hublot Watches.

5. Sachin Tendulkar to be India’s Goodwill Brand Ambassador along with Salman Khan and Abhinav Bindra.

6. Virat Kohli nominated for Khel Ratna and Ajinkya Rahane for Arjuna Award

Daily GK Updates - 2nd May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi launches country’s first solar-powered e-boats in Varanasi: He launched the country’s first solar powered e-boats at the AssiGhat in the river Ganga, Varanasi.

2. PM Modi launched PradhanMantriUjjwalaYojana: The scheme was launched at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. It aims to provide cooking gas connections to five crore below poverty line beneficiaries, especially women, over the next three years.

3. EPFO launches One Employee-One EPF Account drive: The initiative of launching the Mission consolidation One Member One EPF Account is a step towards encouraging EPF members to access enhanced IT enabled services through Universal Account Number that are linked with Aadhaar.

4. Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia have now become the classical languages of India.

5. India and New Zealand sign agreement for direct Air Service: Both the countries signed a bilateral air service agreement that would facilitate the operation of direct flights between the two countries. The agreement was signed by President Pranab Mukherjee and PM of New Zealand John Key.

6. Paytm ties up with Wipro for payments bank.

7. Airtel and GBI announce partnership for West Asia: Airtel, the enterprise arm of BhartiAirtel and networking player GBI has announced the partnership to increase its reach in West Asian countries.

8. Reliance Defence gets 15 new defence licenses.

9. Jammu and Kashmir Government signs MoU with IIT Delhi to set up IIT in Jammu.

10. Ajay Mittal takes charge as new Information and Broadcasting Secretary.

11. Indian Railways signed MoU with Haryana and Punjab to plant trees alongside Railway tracks.

12. IISc Professor S Ramaswamy elected as the Fellow of the Royal Society.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Wipro inaugurates Saudi’s 1^st all-women IT park: IT Service Company Wipro has inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first all women business and Technology Park at the Princess Nourah Bint Andulrahman University in Riyadh.

2. International Labour Day observed across the world on May 1, 2016: The theme for this year was ‘Celebrating the international labour movement.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. NABARD partners with Germany for food security initiative: It entered into collaboration with the German government for a special programme on ‘Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security’.

SPORTS:

2. Mercedes driver NicoRoseberg won Russian Grand Prix held at Sochi.

AWARDS:

3. Indian-American journalist, Neela Banerjee received the Edgar A. Poe Award and was felicitated by US President Barack Obama.