Daily GK Updates - 26th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government approves Capital Goods Policy, aims 21 million new jobs by 2025: The objectives of the National Capital Goods Policy are to create an ecosystem for a globally competitive capital goods sector to achieve total production in excess of Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025 from the current Rs 2.3 lakh crore, and also to raise direct to increase direct domestic employment from the current 1.4 million to at least 5 million and indirect employment from the current 7 million to 25 million by 2025.

2. EPFO doubles insurance for subscribers to Rs 6 lakh: The Government has enforced the decision of retirement fund body EPFO to almost double the maximum sum assured under its insurance scheme from 3.6 lakh to 6 lakh for its 4 crore subscriber.

3. Government waives over Rs 9000 crore loans of HFCL: The Union Cabinet has waived off loans worth more than Rs 9079 crore owed by Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd (HFCL) as part of a financial restructuring package for the PSU.

4. Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India and Maldives: It has granted ex-post facto approval to the MoU signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.

5. Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India and Japan: It has given ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India and Japan for promoting sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power development in India.

6. HRD Ministry launches portal: The Ministry of Human Resource Development has announced the launch of a multilingual knowledge portal www.bharatavani.in. It aims to not only ensure universalization of education but also creation of a knowledge society in the digital age.

7. Union Government gives approval to 6 new IITs: The new IITs will be functional at Tirupati (AP), Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwar (Karnataka), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Goa, Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, the cabinet also gave approval to convert the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad into an IIT.

8. Union Cabinet approves MoU between ISRO and United Arab Emirates Space Agency.

9.  Union Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to Amendments in Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950: The approval was given to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in respect of five states, namely Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

10. Union Road Transport Minister NitinGadkari launches safety feature-rich Nirbhaya buses: He launched 20 Nirbhaya buses of Rajasthan State Transport Corporation with multiple safety measures to better protect women passengers. The buses are equipped with safety features like VTS, CCTV and panic buttons on every seat.

11. Draft rules of Juvenile Justice Act 2015 released: Maneka Gandhi has released the draft model rules to repeal the existing rules for effective implementation of Juvenile Justice Act. The rules take care of the development needs of children and child friendly procedures are incorporated in it.

12. Cabinet clears Railway Projects worth Rs 11000 crore.

13. Dial 139 for wait-listed ticket cancellation: Railway passengers can now cancel their wait-listed and RAC train tickets by just dialing 139.

14. ISRO to test Air-breathing Propulsion System: It has decided to test an Air-breathing Propulsion System after the successful test of Reusable launch vehicle technology demonstration (RLV-TD).

15. Gujarat CM launches Ujala Scheme from Vadodara: Under this Central Scheme, the state government will distribute more than one crore LED bulbs at subsidized rate of Rs 80 to Rs 85 per piece. The bulb will have a 3-year replacement warranty. It will be of 7 to 8 watt capacity.

16. Telangana Government signs MoU with Eclat Health Solutions.

17. Aditya Birla Fashion buys India rights of Forever 21 to acquire its India business from its current franchisee, Diana Retail Pvt Ltd for an unspecified amount.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World leaders kick off G7 talks with economy in focus: The World leaders begin two days of G7 talks in Japan with the deteriorating global economy, terrorism and refugee crisis, China’s controversial maritime claims and a possible Brexit headlining on top the agenda.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Islamic Banking to debut in Gujarat: Saudi Arabia based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has announced to open its first branch in India at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

SPORTS:

2. Mirza, Bopanna and Paes win at French Open: The Indian contingent got off to a winning start at the French Open. Mirza-Hingis pair defeated the Russian pair of DariaKasatkina and Alexandra Panova. Paes and Bopanna also win their first game at the French Open.

Daily GK Updates - 25th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India signs US$ 500 million loan agreement with World Bank: The Government of India has signed US$ 500 million loan agreement with the World Bank for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project.

2. Government of India renames disability department-‘divyang’ replaces ‘viklang’: The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will now be known as ‘Divyangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag’ in Hindi and dropped the word ‘viklangjan’ from its previous nomenclature.

3. Government revises norms of Performance in Credit Rating Scheme: The Government of India has approved the revision in guidelines of the Performance in Credit Rating Scheme which aims to increase its credibility and effectiveness for both banks and borrowers. Under the revised guidelines, the fee to be paid to the rating agencies shall be based on the turnover of the micro and small enterprises which has been categorised into three slabs.

4. Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as the 12^th Chief Minister of Kerala after the 14^th Assembly elections held recently.

5. UGC approves new norms for deemed universities: The University Grants Commission has brought out a new set of regulatory norms for deemed universities in order to reduce subjectivity and government interference and focus more on quality. According to the UGC Regulations, 2016, an institution will be eligible to become a deemed university if it has undergraduate and five post graduate programmes with research in existence for three years.

6. Rail Hamsafar Saptaah to be launched to celebrate achievements: Indian Railways will launch Rail Hamsafar Saptaah from 26^th of this month to 1^st June- a week-long celebration to highlight Railway achievements during the last two years. Each day will focus on a particular theme and will be observed as Swachchta Divas, Satkar Divas, Sewa Divas, Satarkata Divas, Saamanjasya Divas, Sanyojan Divas and Sanchaar Divas.

7. Union HRD Ministry to launch ASMITA, student tracking system: ASMITA is acronym for All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis and shall be launched under Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY). SAY aims to track the educational journey of school students from Class I to Class XII across the 15 lakh private and government schools in the country.

8. Minsiter of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu inaugurated five new activities: The five new projects are New AC Weekly Express train between H. Nizamuddin and Pune, Expansion of VIKALP Scheme of Alternate Train Reservation to Delhi-Howrah, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Secunderabad circuits, Pilot Project of Sale of Unreserved Tickets through Hand Held Terminals, Launching of Ergonomically Redesigned and Optimised Tools for Track Gangs, Keymen and Patrolmen, Pilot project for improving safety at unmanned level crossing.

9.  Mahindra incorporates Trringo.com as wholly-owned subsidiary.

10. BHEL commissions 800 MW Yeramarus Thermal Power Station in Raichur, Karnataka.

11. Freecharge names Kunal Shah as Chairman and Govind Rajan as the new CEO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World First Humanitarian Summit held at Istanbul, Turkey: The summit was inaugurated by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and hosted by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended by world leaders of UN member states, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.   

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. FIFA’s acting Secretary General Markus Kattner dismissed over bonus payments.

AWARDS:

2. US Engineer Frances Arnold wins Millennium Technology Prize for her work ‘directed evolution’ in Finland: Directed Evolution is a method of rewriting DNA to improve medicines and develop green fuels.

OBITUARIES:

3. Newly elected AIADMK MLA S.M Seenivel passed away at the age of 65.

4. Pink Panther star, Burt Kwouk passed away at the age of 85.

Daily GK Updates - 24th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. President signs ordinance keeping state boards out of NEET this year: The ordinance on NEET is aimed at partially overturning a Supreme Court order that had taken into account the multiple medical entrance exams by states and private colleges as well as allegations of corruption.

2. Indigenously built INS Tarmugli commissioned into Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

3. India imposes ban for travel to Libya in view of prevailing security situation: India has banned its nationals from travelling to Libya, irrespective of the purpose of the visit, in view of the prevailing security situation in that country.

4. NALCO signs MoU with Iran Government to set up smelter plant in Chabahar: The National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) has signed a MoU with the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (IMIDRO) to explore the possibilities of setting up a smelter on joint venture in Iran.

5. Sumitra Mahajan to inaugurate 3-day NERCPA Conference: The Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate the three day conference of the Northeast Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (NERCPA) in the Assembly house on 30^th of May.

6. BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal takes oath as Chief Minister of Assam.

7. Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 promulgated: The Ordinance empowers the state government to formulate laws to implement the Odisha Official Language Act 1954. This will facilitate use of Odia language in transaction of official businesses of the Government.

8. National Green Tribunal (NGT) bans over 10-year old light and heavy diesel vehicles in six Kerala cities namely Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi, Kollam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur.

9.  13 new Smart cities namely Lucknow, Warangal, Bhagalpur, Raipur, New Town Kolkata, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Ranchi, Agartala, Imphal, Port Blair and Panaji unveiled by Government.

10. ‘E-Municipal Council’ building to come up in Bundi, Rajasthan: An ‘e-municipal council’ office equipped with solar panels and biometric entry and exit to provide files at a click, and detailed digital mapping of the city with a database of its demographical and geographical information.

11. S K Sharma appointed as the CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

12. Lt. General S K Saini appointed as the new Commandant of Indian Military Academy (IMA).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Thailand and Myanmar to be connected through a 1400-km road: The three countries will soon be connected by a 1400-km highway to boost the trade and cultural exchanges among them.

2. World Bank launches $500 million insurance fund to fight pandemics: The World Bank group has launched Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility and launched a $500 million fund to fight Pandemics in poor countries and creating the world’s first insurance market for pandemic risk. It will accelerate both global and national responses to future outbreaks with pandemic potential.

3. UK grants asylum to Maldivian Ex-President Mohamed Nasheed. 

4. US lifts embargo on sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. India Post payments bank will be functional by March 17: Union Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has stated that the India Post’s payment bank will start functioning from March 2017 and serve as a wider platform to implement financial inclusion programmes.

SPORTS:

2. FIFA’s acting Secretary General Markus Kattner dismissed over bonus payments.

3. The Sports Ministry has stated that the medal winners from the Rio Olympics 2016 will be considered for Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards.

OBITUARIES:

4. Veteran CPI(M) leader K Anirudhan passed away at the age of 92.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s first reusable space shuttle, RLV-TD launched from Sriharikota: ISRO has successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. The Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator is considered as the first step towards realising a Two Stage to Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle.

2. India and Iran sign 12 bilateral agreements in various areas: Both the countries have signed 12 MoUs and agreements in various fields including building and operating the Chabahar port by India. The other agreements include cooperation in culture, science and technology, library sciences, cooperation between the EXIM Bank of both the countries etc.

3. India and Oman signed 4 MoUs/Agreements on defence cooperation: India and Oman have signed 4 MoUs in Muscat during the visit of Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Oman. The MoUs are in the field of Defence Cooperation between Ministry of Defence of Sultanate of Oman and Ministry of Defence of India, MoU between the Royal Oman Police (Coast Guard) and Indian Coast Guards in the field of Marine Crime Prevention at Sea, etc.

4. Government constitutes IEPF Authority: Government has constituted the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) Authority, moving ahead with efforts to further strengthen the framework for safeguarding the interest of investors.

5. AIADMK Chief J Jayalalitha sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the 6^th term.

6. Himachal Pradesh launches artificial propagation programme of Mahseer fish for conservation: Himachal Pradesh fisheries department has started an artificial propagation programme for rehabilitation and conservation of Golden Mahseer Fish. Under the programme, a hatchery has been set up in the state with an outlay of Rs 6 crore to rear Mahseer fish and release its fingerlings into the wild.

7. Gujarat CM launches ‘Smart Village’ program: The state government will select 300 villages for Smart Village Program that will get 80 lakh to 2 crore rupees cash assistance to improve public facilities in the village.

8. Kiran Bedi appointed as the Lt Governor of Puducherry.

9. Five Indian cars namely Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Celerio and Eeco, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon failed crash tests by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India-Pakistan school Students Exchange Program gets innovation award: India-Pakistan school Students Exchange Program has won innovation award as in the program, the students have been interacting with each other through handwritten letters, audios and visual recording that are reflective of a shared history of the two neighbours before partition.

2. Ken Loach’s film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ wins Palme d’Or at the 69^th Cannes Film Festival held in France.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Ajay Shirke elected as BCCI Secretary as Former secretary Anurag Thakur was elected as the BCCI President.

2. China wins Uber Cup Badminton tournament for the 14^th time defeating South Korea 3-1.

3. Mohun Bagan football club beats Aizwal FC 5-0 to lift 14^th Federation Cup title for the 14^th time.

4. Denmark wins first Thomas Cup Badminton tournament defeating Indonesians 3-1.

5. R Ashwin jumped to 2^nd place in ICC Test Bowlers ranking while England’s Stuart Broad leads the ranking.

6. Pankaj Advani creates history by winning Asian 6-Red Snooker title.

AWARDS:

7. Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling conferred with Nepal’s literary award ‘Yug Kavi Siddhicharan’ for his commendable contribution in promoting Nepali literature in India.

OBITUARIES:

8. World’s oldest Olympic champion, Sandor Tarics passed away at the age of 102: He was born in Budapest, Hungary but later shifted to San Francisco where he worked as a University Professor.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ratan P Watal appointed as Principal Adviser for Social Sector in NITI Aayog: Former Finance Secretary R P Watal appointed as Principal Advisor (Social Sector) in NITI Aayog for 3-years.

2. SEBI tightens P-notes norms to check money laundering: Market regulator SEBI tightened the norms for investing in Participatory Notes (P-Notes). It has been mandatory for P-Notes users to follow the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

3. Union Cabinet approved ordinance to keep states out of NEET for one year: The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance to exempt the State Boards from the purview of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for one year.

4. Kayakalp Fortnight initiative launched at AIIMS New Delhi by JP Nadda: The aim of Kayakalp Fortnight is to intensify Kayakalp initiative under the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan. Under the initiative, various activities towards cleanliness will be undertaken during the fortnight.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian Journalist Philip Abraham elected as the Deputy Mayor of Loughton Town in United Kingdom.   

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. SBI seeks to take over 5 associate PSBs, Bhartiya Mahila Bank: The country’s largest lender has decided to merge its five associate banks and the Bhartiya Mahila Bank with itself.

SPORTS:

2. Anurag Thakur unanimously elected as BCCI President.

AWARDS:

3. Indian American Rakesh K Jain received US National Medal of Science 2015 from Barak Obama. 

Daily GK Updates - 21st May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 27^th India and Indonesia CORPAT concludes in Belawan: The 27^th edition of the India-Indonesia CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) has concluded in Belawan, Indonesia. The exercise is being carried out to keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.

2. After liquor, Bihar government bans gutka and pan masala: The ban on both packaged and unpackaged edible items containing tobacco content will remain effective for a period of one year.

3. Indigenous faecal incontinence management device ‘Qora’ launched: The technology for the medical device was developed by Consure Medical, New Delhi, to address ‘a new level of care for patients outside the ICU’.

4. World Bank arm IFC to invest $68 million in Apollo health: World Bank subsidiary arm International Finance Corporation (IFC) is planning to invest US$68 million (about INR 460 crore) in Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd.

5. International Finance Corporation (IFC) will invest $20 million in Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd through equity-linked instruments.

6. Cairn India CEO Mayank Ashar quits because of personal reasons.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. G-7 Summit: Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors meet in Sendai: Finance Ministers and central bank governors from the group of seven developed nations kicked off the first day of their meeting in Sendai, Japan.

2. US House of Representatives gave nod to bolster defence ties with India on par with NATO: In this regard, an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDDA) was approved by the house. The amendment is dubbed as ‘Enhancing Defence and Security Cooperation with India’.

3. Binali Yildirim all set to become the Prime Minister of Turkey. 

4. United Nations appoints Irish President Mary Robinson and Kenyan Diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino climate.

5. 42 year old woman Lhakpa Sherpa has become the 1^st lady to climb the Mount Everest for the seventh time.

6. HiFire hypersonic superjet technology successfully tested in Australia.   

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. HSBC Bank to shut down half of its branches in India, 300 jobs to go.

SPORTS:

2. Belgian Mourad Laachraoui wins European Taekwondo title.

3. Rodger Federar withdraws from French Open after failing to recover from a back injury.

OBITUARIES:

4. Emmy Award winning actor Alan Young died at the age of 96.

Daily GK Updates - 20th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Five State Assembly Elections 2016 Results: The 2016 Kerala Assembly Elections has won by the CPI (M) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) by the absolute majority by winning 91 seats (44.94% votes) of the total 140 seats. So, as a result Pinarayi Vijayan is set to become the next CM of Kerala. In Assam, BJP and its alliance partners have won an absolute majority by winning 87 seats out of 126. Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is all set to become the CM. In West Bengal, the ruling TMC has won the elections. Ruiling AIADMK Party under the leadership of J Jayalalitha has emerged victorious. The Congress managed to wrest power in the union territory of Puducherry in alliance with the DMK winning 17 of the 30 assembly seats.

2. President inaugurates Intelligent Operations Centre in Rashtrapati Bhavan: He also launched a mobile application ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township. The President announced that the estate will work around the ‘4H’ theme of humane, Hi-Tech, Heritage and Happy Township.

3. Cyclonic storm    ROANU to strike Andhra Pradesh coast as per IMD.

4. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi to access environmental impact on health.

5. Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh launches PEHAL Programme: The programme aims to expedite development works and government schemes through effective implementation at grass-root level.

6. ‘Medicine with the Red Line’: A public awareness campaign was launched by the Union Government to curb irrational use of anti-biotics.

7. India and Slovenia signed Double Taxation Avoidance convention in the capital city of Ljubljana.

8. TATA Power acquires 30 MW wind farm in Sangli district of Maharasthra.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Buddhist Conference begins in Nepal: A two day international Buddhist Conference has begun in Nepal to celebrate the 2,560^th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. The theme of the conference is ‘Lumbini, Nepal: the birth place of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace.

2. Beijing-New Delhi Yoga Conference opens in China: The five day conference is featuring activities including courses from Indian yoga masters and yoga introductions for communities.

3. Indian Journalist Philip Abraham elected as Deputy Mayor of Loughton town in United Kingdom. 

4. Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as the first woman President of Taiwan.   

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India loose to China in the semi-final of Uber Cup: Indian women’s team settled for a bronze medal after suffering a 0-3 defeat at the hands of defending champions China in the semi-finals of the Uber Cup Badminton Championship held at Kunshan in China.

AWARDS:

2. Mukesh Ambani awarded with Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

OBITUARIES:

3. CBS News Journalist Morley Safer passed away at the age of 84.

4. Veteran Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil passed away at the age of 80.