Daily GK Updates - 27th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Gopal Murli Bhagat appointed as the new Executive Director of Corporation Bank.

2. Nagaland becomes the eighth state to pass GST Bill: The Nagaland State Assembly has passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, 8th State to ratify the tax reform.

3. India at 77^th, Pakistan at 72^nd and Bangladesh at 5^th place in the World Risk Report 2016: The World Risk Report 2016, published by the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft, analyses the role that infrastructure plays in shaping a country’s disaster risk. India has been ranked 77th, Pakistan at 72nd, Bangladesh at 5th and topped by Island state of Vanuatu.

4. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi launches POCSO e-box: Women and Child Development Minister (WCD) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has launched Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses, POCSO e-box, in New Delhi. POCSO e-box is a platform where a child victim of sexual abuse can report such cases online.

5. Bengaluru to host the PravasiBhartiya Divas 2017: T capital of the country, Bengaluru, will host the 2017 BharatiyaPravasi Divas. It is scheduled to take place on February 7, 8 and 9 of 2017.

6. US Postal Service honours Diwali festival with a forever stamp:The US Postal Service will commemorate the festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp on Oct 5 and on behalf of this a dedication ceremony to be hosted at Consulate General of India in New York.

7. Finance Ministry sets up a committee for digitalizing incentive payments: The Finance Minister ArunJaitley has set up a committee to consider incentives such as cash back schemes and tax rebates for promoting card and digital payments in a step towards discouraging cash transactions. The 11-member committee will be headed by former Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal.

8. P Kumaran appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar.

9. World Bank sanctions Rs 980 crore for Brahmaputra dredging: The World Bank has announced a funding of Rs 980 crore to dredge the Brahmaputra as an initiative to develop waterways to Bangladesh and to other South East Asian countries which is give fillip to trade and industry in the Area.

10. 22^nd edition of Delhi Book Fair begins today: The 22nd edition of the Delhi Book Fair will begin today at PragatiMaidan in New Delhi.

11. DIPP to launch awareness campaign on IPR: Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, DIPP, will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan to host 19^th SAARC Summit on November 9 & 10 this year: Pakistan will host the 19th SAARC Summit on November 9 and 10 this year. The SAARC Summit Cell is headed by Ambassador Amjad Sial.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Karnataka Bank launches UPI app KBL-SMARTz: Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank has come up with a mobile application named KBL-SMARTz built on the unified payments interface (UPI) platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

SPORTS:

2. Indian Super League season 3 to begin from October 1: Season-3 of the Indian Super League (ISL) football would be held from October 1 to December 18, with the opening game scheduled in Guwahati.

3. BCCI submits Compliance Report to Lodha Panel: The BCCI submitted the first Compliance Report to the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Panel in regards to the implementation of reforms as per the apex court verdict.

Daily GK Updates - 26th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rail passengers to get insurance cover worth Rs 10 lakh at a premium of only 92 paisa: A travel insurance cover of up to Rs10 lakh can be availed while booking a train ticket online by paying less than one rupee from 31 August. A person booking a train ticket through the IRCTC website will be able opt for travel insurance cover for a premium of 92 paisa only from 31 August.Indian Railways subsidiary IRCTC has assigned the task to three private firms are Shriram General Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance and Royal Sundaram General Insurance.

2. 1^st BRICS film festival from September 2-6 in New Delhi: The film festival will showcase an amalgamation of culture, films, song, dance and food of the 5-member countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

3. Maharashtra to tie up with corporates to transform 1000 villages: Maharashtra CM DevendraFadnavis has announced the State government plans to transform 1,000 villages with the help of corporate sector, and the civil society over the next few years.

4. Indian Economy to grow 7.9% this fiscal: Goldman Sachs: US multinational banking firm Goldman Sachs says Indian economy is likely to grow 7.9% in this year 2016-17.

5. SRK, Akshay, Salman and Big B amid top 20 highest paid global actors:he list published by Forbes magazine considers earnings from June 2015, and featured Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar as the top two highest paid actors on 8th and 10th rank. The list also includes Salman Khan on 14th rank, which is followed by legend Amitabh Bachchan on 18th position. The list was topped by former WWE wrestler and present actor, Dwayne Johnson, who filled his pocket with as much as 64.5 million dollars through movies such as Central Intelligence and Fast & Furious 8.

6. Five Indian companies ranked among world’s 100 most innovative: The list is topped by Tesla Motors for the second consecutive year. Indian Companies: 1.  Asian Paints 18th position 2. Hindustan Unilever - 31st 3.Tata Consultancy Services - 66th 4.Sun Pharmaceutical Industries - 73rd 5. Larsen & Toubro stood at 89th spot.

7. AbhinavBindra to head NRAI Review Committee on Rio Debacle: Olympic gold-medallist AbhinavBindra was named Chairman of a 5 member review committee to probe the shooters' Rio Games debacle but has recused himself from questioning them as he was himself a part of the team.

8. PankajHarjai appointed as the head of Lenovo’s Small and Medium Business (SMB).

9. SugamyaPustakalaya- an online library for persons with visual disabilities launched: “SugamyaPustakalaya: A step towards an Accessible Digital India” (An online library for persons with visual disabilities) was launched by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology at a function organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

10. Satheesh Reddy conferred first IEI-IEEE Award: G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and DRDO's DG (Missiles & Strategic Systems), was conferred the first IEI-IEEE Award for engineering excellence 2015. The award is in recognition of his ‘significant national contributions towards missiles and aerospace technologies’.

11. BCCI signs MoU with TERI to promote renewable energy:Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) for promoting renewable energy.

12. CTTC-Bhubaneswar signs agreement with ISRO: Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneswar, has signed an agreement with ISRO for technology transfer and a contract for supply of spacecraft component.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal to end half-century war: Colombia's government and the country's biggest rebel group reached a historic deal Wednesday evening for ending a half-century of hostilities in one of the world's longest-running and bloodiest armed conflicts.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. RBI asks banks to provide loans to women SHGs in rural areas at 7%: RBI has asked banks to provide loans to women self-help groups in rural areas at 7% per annum, as per the government's revised guidelines for the current financial year.

SPORTS:

2. Ronaldo wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

3. Saina Nehwal drops to 9^th spot, P V Sindhu remains at 10^th spot in the latest BWF Rankings.

4. Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred with the Jharkhand Dungdung: Former Olympian Silvanus Dungdung Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award will be rewarded.

Daily GK Updates - 25th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Naqvi launches websites for Ministry of Minority Affairs: The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) & Parliamentary Affairs ShriMukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched new Hindi website and updated and revamped English website of the Minority Affairs Ministry.

2. Madhya Pradesh and Delhi assembly passes GST Bill: Delhi Assembly has ratified the Goods and Service Tax Constitution Amendment Bill. It is the third non-BJP-ruled state and overall the 8th to clear the proposed tax regime.

3. NavtejSarna tipped to be the next Indian envoy to US: India's high commissioner to UK, NavtejSarna, is likely to take over from Arun Singh as India's ambassador to the US.

4. Sakshi Malik will be brand ambassador of BetiBachao, BetiPadhao campaign: Haryana CM ManoharLalKhattar has announced that Sakshi Malik, India’s bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, will be the brand ambassador of the BetiBachao, BetiPadhao campaign in the state.

5. Union Cabinet approvals: The Union cabinet approved a MoU with Myanmar for cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine.

In another major step in fight against tax evasion, the Cabinet gave its approval to the revised DTAA between India and Cyprus that provides for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares instead of one based on residence.

The Union Cabinet approved of a new air services agreement between India and Fiji that would allow Indian airlines to fly to any point in the island nation.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been approved of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa to establish cooperation in Grassroots Innovation.

6. New Railway line between Nandyala and Yerraguntla commissioned:Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has commissioned a new railway line between Nandyala and Yerraguntla.

7. South India’s first Children court was inaugurated in Hyderabad: After Goa and Delhi, Telangana has become the third state to inaugurate south India’s first Children’s Court was inaugurated in Hyderabad. This court is a child-friendly court and sixth in the country with features like separate waiting rooms for children and a video camera trial for the accused, mandated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act-2012.

8. DeepikaPadukone is World’s 10^th highest paid actress, Indian Psychiatric Society’s new Brand Ambassador: Forbes magazine ranked out the world’s highest paid actresses and Hunger games star Jennifer Lawrence has topped the list for the second time in a row. Indian star DeepikaPadukone is also among the top 10 highest-paid actresses in the world.

9. CMFRI inks pact with varsity to boost marine life research: The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is keen on boosting its research activities in marine biodiversity, with a special focus on the Gulf of Mannar.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. 21 banks to go live with Unified Payments Interface: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India has announced that customers of 21 banks will shortly be able to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for sending and collecting money via a smartphone using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA).

AWARDS:

2. Telangana Aarogyasri Trust bags FICCI Award: The GPS-enabled mobile app of the TelanganaAarogyasri Healthcare Trust bagged this year’s Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)’s healthcare excellence award.

OBITUARIES:

3. Former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana A R Kidwai passed away at the age of 96.

Daily GK Updates - 24th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. President Pranab Mukherjee launches AkashvaniMaitree channel: India state radio broadcaster's AkashvaniMaitree Channel, a special Bengali channel targeted at the Bengali-speaking audience of India, Bangladesh and in other countries, was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee.

2. Union Cabinet clears Surrogacy Bill: The Union Cabinet Today cleared the draft Surrogacy Bill 2016, aimed at regulating commissioning of surrogacy in the country in a proper manner. The bill aims to safeguard rights of surrogate mothers and make parentage of such children legal.

3. Maharashtra to have own law for internal security: The newly drafted Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA) has proposed setting up of Special Security Zones (SSZ) where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited. Maharashtra is the first State in the country to draft its own internal security act.

4. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat Assembly Ratifies GST Bill: The Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh state Assembly passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, becoming the fifth, sixth and seventh state to pass the bill respectively.

5. India is 7^th wealthiest country, China second: The New World Wealth, India is ranked 7th among the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of private wealth held by individuals. The New World Wealth is a research consultancy that tracks the global wealth sector.The Top 5 Counties are: 1. US 2. China3. Japan 4.  UK 5. Germany.

6. Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Maharashtra and AAI sign MoU on Regional Connectivity Scheme:The Maharashtra State government, Civil Aviation Ministry and Airports Authority of India signed a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 23-August-2016 at Mumbai. The MOU pave the way for collaborative process of these agencies together for successful launch of the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

7. India and Germany sign pact on vocational training: India and Germany today signed an agreement that aims to foster conditions that will help create and improve workplace-based vocational training in India's industrial clusters.

8. India’s Oscar entry for 2017 to be picked by Ketan Mehta: The Film Federation of India (FFI) has kickstarted the process to cherry pick the film, which will officially represent India at the 89th Academy Awards next year. And the deadline for submitting entries for the foreign film category Oscar is October 1. Ketan Mehta has been approached to head the 17-member jury which comprises technicians and artists within the film industry.

9. Delhi to get all new Aerospace Museum: Delhi will soon have a sprawling new Aerospace Museum close to the international airport focused mainly on Nation's rich aviation history. New Aerospace Museum is not only meant to preserve the glorious tradition of the IAF but also to create awareness in general public about India's rich Aerospace heritage.

10. P D Gupta appointed VC of Homi Bhabha National Institute.

11. Volvo Auto India hires Nalin Jain as CFO.

12. Two Indian-American women named White House fellows: Astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi from California and physician Tina R Shah from Chicago are among the 16 White House Fellows appointed from across the nation for the year 2016-17.

13. Airtel and Vodafone unveil e-KYC solution to use Aadhar number for SIM activation: Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have started rolling out Aadhaar based e-KYC solution following the notification by the Department of Telecom, Government of India. Telecom operator Vodafone will roll out e-KYC facility across 4,500 stores in India that will quickly activate SIMs of its customers with an Aadhaar number.

14. Odisha Cabinet approves Startup Policy 2016: Odisha Cabinet has approved the “Odisha Startup Policy 2016” to promote entrepreneurship for start-up ventures with provision of government incentives. The policy will chart out a roadmap to place Odisha among the top three investment destinations in the country by 2020.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pfizer to acquire oncology specialist Medivation for $ 14 bn: The US-headquartered pharma major Pfizer Inc has entered into an agreement to acquire MedivationInc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising small molecules for oncology, for a total enterprise value of approximately $ 14 billion.

2. China’s unmanned submersible sets new national record: China's unmanned submersible has dived to a depth of 10,767 metres at the world's deepest ocean point, setting a new record for the country to enable it to explore ocean beds for minerals and other natural resources.

3. Toxic gas leak at Bangladesh fertilizer unit sickens 250; plugged: About 250 people, including children, have fallen sick and hundreds of residents have been evacuated from their homes after a toxic gas leak from a fertiliser unit in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong.

4. North Korea test fires new ballistic missile: North Korea today test fired a new ballistic missile. South Korea's military said, it was launched from a submarine in the Sea of Japan, off North Korea's eastern coast.

OTHER UPDATES:

OBITUARIES:

1. Mathrubhumi former editor K KShreedharan Nair passed away at the age of 86.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Himachal Pradesh assembly ratifies GST Bill: The Bill was introduced by CM Virbhadra Singh on the first day of five-day monsoon session. Himachal Pradesh has become the fourth after Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand to ratify the Bill.

2. JagdishMukhi sworn in as Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar.

3. BrajendraNavnit, V Sheshadri appointed as Joint Secretaries of PMO: Senior IAS officers BrajendraNavnit and V Sheshadri have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in PMO as part of massive mid-level reshuffle.

4. Bajaj Finance ties up with India Post to facilitate two-wheeler purchase: Bajaj Finance Limited, a motorcycle finance company, has partnered with India Post to facilitate purchase of vehicles in Karnataka.

5. Telangana Government to create 17 new districts in October: The two-year-old Telangana government has issued draft notification on rearranging district borders to create 17 new districts.

6. Mahindra AMC launches new scheme:Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched an open ended scheme, which will generate long-term capital appreciation through a diversified portfolio of equity and equity related securities. Mahindra Mutual Fund KarBachatYojana - an open ended ELSS Scheme - with a three year lock-in period.

7. V P Singh Badnore sworn in as Punjab Governor.

8. Catholic Syrian Bank MD quits: Anand Krishnamurthy, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Kerala-based Catholic Syrian Bank, has submitted his resignation, a year after taking over the posts.

9. Government set to ban cash transactions of over Rs 3 lakh: The government is set to ban cash transactions over Rs 3 lakh as it seeks to clamp down on black money in the economy following recommendations from the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team.

10. GAIL signs MoU with Bloom Energy for fuel cell power generation: State-run GAIL (India) Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with California-based Bloom Energy for developing natural gas-based fuel cell power generation.

11. Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal launches mobile app for farmers: The app will provide basic information on weather updates, crop prices and expert advices. Praising the Agriculture Department initiative, he said this would go a long way to keep the farmers abreast with the changing agricultural practices and marketing support, coupled with the latest agronomical techniques to enhance productivity.

11. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to sign agreement with bankers for External Commercial Borrowing: Mumbai based container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port has signed an agreement with State Bank of India and Development Bank of Singapore for External Commercial Borrowing to the tune of USD 400 Million under External Commercial Borrowings.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China launches first Tibetan-language search engine: China has launched its first Tibetan-language search engine 'Yongzin'. The search engine will serve as a unified portal for all major Tibetan-language websites in China.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Ashok Chawla to take over as YES Bank non-executive chairman.

2. Mobikwik launches partial payment for bus ticket booking: The new entrant in the bus booking industry MobiKwik today announced its industry first initiatives to capture the lead position in the industry by end of 2016.

SPORTS:

3. National Sports Awards 2016: Rio Olympics 2016 medalists PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling) have been chosen for KhelRatna award for 2016. The highest sporting award of India will also be given to DipaKarmakar and JituRai. DipaKarmakar's coach Bisweshwar Nandi will be awarded Dronacharya Award for 2016.

4. Ahmedabad to host 2016 Kabaddi World Cup: Gujarat will play host to 12 kabaddi teams from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya, besides hosts India.

5. VikashAnand wins premier title in National Racing: Chennai hailed VikashAnand won a double to clinch the title in the MRF Formula 1600 category and a ticket for the Mazda Road to Indy shootout as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded in Chennai.

AWARDS:

6. Asian Filmmaker Award posthumously for Kiarostami at Busan: Late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has been selected for the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Busan International Film Festival. He passed away on July 4 at the age of 76.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Manjula Chellur sworn in as Chief Justice of Bombay HC.

2. BSNL and Microsoft India join hands for effective connectivity and telecom solutions: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) inked pact with Microsoft India to offer telecom and IT solutions for big businesses promoting the demand for IT and cloud services. ii. MoU will assist audio and video needs of the BSNL's enterprise customers and government organizations.

3. Railways to partner with Google for showcasing its heritage: Google has agreed to partner with Railways to digitise its heritage assets and help create a digital repository for universal online access free of cost.

4. Vistara Airlines appoint Deepika Padukone as brand ambassador: Vistara, is an Indian domestic airline based in Gurgaon has announced that Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone will be their new brand ambassador.

5. Najma Heptullah sworn in as the Governor of Manipur.

6. Uma Bharti launches Rs 560 crore projects under Namami Gange programme:Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti launched various Projects on the Bank of Ganga worth Rs. 560 crore under NamamiGange programme at Ganga Barrage in Kanpur. The Projects are Interception and diversion plan of Sisamau drain—worth Rs. 63 crore, Networking schemes at Bithoor–Worth Rs. 397 crore, River front development scheme at Bithoor–worth Rs. 100 crore, Ghats and five crematoria will be constructed at Bithoor.

7. Guruvayur included in PRASAD scheme: The famous Sreekrishna temple in Guruvayur has been included in the Union Tourism Ministry’s Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).

8. ‘Shankhachil’ selected for Montreal Film Festival: Director Goutam Ghosh's National award-winning film "Shankhachil", an Indo-Bangla joint production, has been selected for the coveted 40th Montreal World Film Festival.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indo-Canadian Sikh MP becomes Canada’s 1^st woman House leader: Indo-Canadian Sikh MP Bardish Chagger has been named as the new Leader of the government in Canada’s House of Commons, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the country’s history.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sania Mirza gets No.1 spot in women’s doubles by defeating Martina Hingis: Sania Mirza, paired with Barbora Strycova from the Czech Republic, defeated Martina Hingis and her partner Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-4.

AWARDS:

2. IOA Chief N Ramachandran awarded with the Olympic Order: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, N. Ramachandran was awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.

3. Kamal Haasan to get prestigious French honour: Famous Actor Kamal Haasan will be awarded the Chevalier de L'Ordre Arts etLettres (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government.The Order is part of France’s premier award, the Legion of Honor.

OBITUARIES:

4. Prize-winning author Joyce Carol Thomas died at the age of 78: Joyce Carol Thomas was an African-American poet, playwright, motivational speaker, and author of more than 30 children’s books.