Daily GK Updates - 31st August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Goa assembly ratifies GST Bill: The Goa Legislative Assembly today unanimously passed a resolution ratifying the amendments to the Constitution to pave way for the presidential assent to the Goods and Services (GST) Bill, 2016. Goa is the 15th State Assembly to ratify the Bill. With this, 50% of States have passed the Bill paving way for the presidential assent.

2. NPCI launches Bharat Bill Payment System pilot project: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a pilot project for Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) with 26 Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units (BBPOUs).

3. India jumps 19 places in Logistics Performance Index as per World Bank report: India jumped 19 places in the Logistics Performance Index to rank 35th in this year’s list. The World Bank has recently released a Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 report titled ‘Connecting to Complete 2016’.The logistics' list was topped by Germany.

4. Ten Sports sold to Sony Pictures for Rs 2,600 crore: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and ZEE have entered into definitive agreements to acquire TEN Sports Network and its subsidiaries for $385 million.

5. First Military heritage website launched: India's first military heritage website, coloursofglory.org was launched by Glory Foundation at Chennai. A veteran of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, city based Captain D.P.Ramachandran who is also the executive trustee of the foundation declared the war heroes of South India held great significance to the history of India.

6. Government panel clears 16 highway projects across 11 states:The Government has approved 16 highway projects in 11 states to be executed at a cost of 7,457 crore rupees. The projects are in Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim.

7. Union Minister JP Nadda unveiled MeraAspatal- My Hospital Initiative: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda launched the ‘MeraAspataal’ (my hospital) initiative. This move seeks to empower the patients by seeking their views on the quality of experience in a public healthcare facility.

8. PTC fin arm ties up with banks for clean energy project loans: Upon this collaboration these banks set to letter of credit (LC) based on the issue letter of comfort (LOC) issued by PFS, to project companies in the renewable space with diligence on certain parameters.

9. Gujarat becomes the 1^st state to distribute 2 crore LED Bulbs: Under the Government’s initiative of affordable LEDs for all (UJALA) scheme, Gujarat has become the 1st state to distribute 2 crore LED bulbs.

10. Goa Government signs MoU with Google India: The Goa government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Google India to promote digital literacy and drive the digital transformation in the state.

11. Jharkhand becomes the first state to implement PFMS: Jharkhand is the first state in the country to have implemented Public Fund Management System (PFMS). Development Commissioner AmitKhare said Union Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa appreciated the implementation of Jharkhand's public fund management system.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Mobikwik joins hand with 12 state electricity boards: India's largest digital payment company in India, MobiKwik has announced coalition with 12 state electricity boards. The MobiKwik took this initiative ahead of its expansion plan to set up a national base for utility payments.

2. AnuradhaRao is MD, CEO of SBI Mutual Fund.

SPORTS:

3. Bhutan set to host Asian Tennis Tour event next month: Land of the thunder dragon’s Nation Bhutan is set to become the fourth Asian country to host a tournament on the Asian Tennis Tour. India, Thailand and Iran have already hosted a series of tournaments, both men and women, on ATT and Bhutan is scheduled to host its maiden event from September 16 to 18.

AWARDS:

4. 100 year old athlete from India wins Gold Metal at Masters Games: India’s 100-year-old athlete, Man Kaur has won Gold medal at the American Masters Games in the 100-meter dash. She took a minute-and-a-half to cross the finish line in Vancouver.

Daily GK Updates - 30th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. P V Sindhu to be Commandant in CRPF: Central Reserve Police Force India (CRPF) has decided to appoint Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu as its brand ambassador and bestow the honorary rank of Commandant on the ace badminton player.

2. India and US sign Logistic Exchange Pact boosting defence ties: India and the US have signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

3. India and Myanmar sign four agreements: 

a. The first agreement pertains to the construction of 69 bridges on the Tamu-Kalewa section of the trilateral highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand.

b. The second agreement is on upgrading the Kalewa-Yargi section of the trilateral highway.

c. The third agreement is for cooperation in the field of renewable energy,

d. The fourth agreement cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.

4. Telangana, Haryana assembly ratifies GST Bill: The Telangana and Haryana Assembly have unanimously ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST).

5. India to grow at 7.6% in FY’ 17 as per RBI: The RBI, in its Annual Report, has projected India's growth rate at 7.6% in 2016-17, up from 7.2% last year.

6. PM Modi inaugurates 1^st phase of SAUNI Yojna in Jamnagar:PM NarendraModi has inaugurated the first of the 4 phases of the ambitious irrigation (worth Rs 12000 Cr.) scheme, Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojana (SAUNI), at the Aji-3 dam near Rajkot.

7. Ananth Kumar launches ‘PharmaSahiDaam’ mobile app: The Union minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar launched a mobile App. developed by NPPA, which shows the MRP fixed by NPPA for various scheduled drugs on the real time basis.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. NABARD sanctions loan for 10 MW solar plant in Haryana: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 204.67 crore under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for rural infrastructure in Haryana. This aid was provided under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund for projects including a 10 MW solar plant at Panipat thermal power station.

2. Flipkart’s PhonePe ties up with Yes Bank to launch UPI-based app: Mobile payments start-up PhonePe Internet Pvt. Ltd, which is owned by Flipkart, in partnership with private lender Yes Bank launched unified payments interface (UPI) based payments app.

SPORTS:

3. Yogeshwar Dutt’s bronze medal might turn to silver: Wrestler YogeshwarDutt's London 2012 bronze might be upgraded to silver. The upgrade has been triggered by a positive dope test of late Russian wrestler BesikKudukhov, the original silver winner in the 60-kg freestyle event. Following the upgrade, India now has eight Olympic silver medals.

AWARDS:

4. Dogri writer Padma Sachdev gets Saraswati Samman: Padma Sachdev was awarded the prestigious SaraswatiSamman for the year 2015 for her autobiography 'Chitt-Chete' in Dogri language. She was felicitated by Delhi's Lt Governor Najeeb Jung in New Delhi on 29 August 2016.

OBITUARIES:

5. Noted painter, art historian Dinanath Pathy passed away at the age of 74.

6. Former MP Governor Mohammad Shafi Qureshi passed away at the age of 87.

Daily GK Updates - 29th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. August 29 is Sports Day to mark Dhyan Chand’s birthday: National Sports Day in India is celebrated on August 29 to mark hockey legend Dhyan Chand's birthday. Dhyan Chand, considered as the greatest player in hockey, played a key role in India's three consecutive Olympic triumphs in 1928, 1932 and 1936.

2. GST Bill unanimously passed in Maharashtra: The Maharashtra Assembly's has unanimously passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill. GST is a tax levied when a consumer buys a good or service. It is meant to be a single, comprehensive tax that will subsume all the other smaller indirect taxes on consumption like service tax, excise duty etc.

3. West Bengal passes resolution to rename the state: The West Bengal Assembly today passed the resolution to rename the state to 'Bangla' in Bengali, 'Bengal' in English and 'Bangal' in Hindi.Earlier last month, the Mamata Banerjee government had approved the change of name to either Bongo or Bangla.

4. Mehbooba Mufti launches UJALA scheme in Jammu and Kashmir: CM, Mehbooba Mufti has formally launched the Ujala Scheme in Jammu and Kashmir with the distribution of LED bulbs.

5. HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar inaugurates IIT in Dharwad: Union HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar formally inaugurated the institute in Dharwad. The inauguration, which was planned last month end, had to be postponed due to the KalasaBanduri agitation.

6. AM Naik names SN Subrahmanyan as next Larsen and Toubro Chief.

7. Amit Chandra inducted as non-executive director of Tata Sons.

8. Carborundum Universal inaugurates R&D centre at Hosur: Murugappa Group firm Carborundum Universal (CUMI) inaugurated its Research and Development centre at its industrial ceramics division in Hosur, Tamil Nadu (TN).

9. Amazon launches dedicated online Telugu book store: E-commerce portal Amazon.in has announced the launch of a dedicated online Telugu book store with a wide-range of over 10,000 Telugu titles.

10. Wipro’s Chief Learning Officer Abhijit Bhaduri quits: AbhijitBhaduri, chief learning officer of Wipro has resigned. Bhaduri will start his own executive coaching company.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Doha Bank opens branch in Kerala: Qatar's based Doha Bank has opened a branch; Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the branch. Doha Bank is one of the largest commercial banks in the State of Qatar.

SPORTS:

2. Nico Roseberg wins 2016 Belgian Grand Prix: Mercedes driver NicoRosberg from Germany has won the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix of Formula One. It was Rosberg’s overall tenth championship title of F1 in his career and the sixth win in the 2016 season.

3. Western Railway wins all India railway athletics championships: Western Railway won the overall team championship in the 82nd All India Railway athletic Championship held at Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu. Central railway stood 2nd and Southern Railway 3rd in the overall team category.

AWARDS:

4. Four athletes get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: Four athletes, including Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu, gymnast DipaKarmakar, shooter JituRai and Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik received the Rajiv KhelRatna award from President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.

Daily GK Updates - 28th August, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO tests Scramjet Rocket Engine: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully test-fired its Scramjet Rocket Engine, which will use oxygen from the atmosphere thereby reducing launch cost, from the spaceport of Sriharikota.

2. PM Modi announces Task Force to prepare India for next three Olympics: After India’s dismal show in the concluded Rio Olympics 2016 Prime Minister NarendraModi said about constituting a task force, which will make various suggestions to the roadmap for the next three quadrennial Games 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 and 2028.

3. Sharmila Tagore appointed as a new member of the BCCC: Film actress Sharmila Tagore, theatre activist Arundhati Nag and film studies academician Ira Bhaskar have been appointed new members of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).

4. Himachal Health Minister launches ambulance mobile app: Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur has launched a mobile application called '108 HP' to facilitate efficient access to ambulances for medical emergencies.

5. Punit Mishra named CEO of Zee Entertainment domestic broadcast business.

6. India’s first Textile University to come up at Surat:The main aim of the university is to provide all kind of support including technology, research and development (R&D), skilled manpower etc. The university will build on over 250 acre land in Surat and it is expected to get operational in the next one and a half years.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, 2016: The 7th edition of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival 2016 Kicked off in the capital city of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thimbu on 26 August 2016.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

2. Sania Mirza wins Connecticut Open doubles title: Indian tennis ace SaniaMirza and her Romanian partner Monica Niculescu defeated KaterynaBondarenko of Ukraine and Chuang Chia Jung of Taiwan in the final.

3. India captain MS Dhoni sets world record in USA: ndia captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has set a world record, he captained India in a record 325th game (most by a player in history), across all three formats, to break Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's mark.

4. Lalita Babar, chess player ShardulGagare to get SJAM Awards: Maharashtra’s sixth Chess GM ShardulGagare, and steeplechase specialist Lalita Babar, who finished a creditable 10th in the Rio Olympics, have been chosen for the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai’s (SJAM) Golden Jubilee Annual Awards 2016.

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.