Daily GK Updates - 3rd September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Vietnam sign 12 agreements to boost bilateral ties: India and Vietnam have signed 12 agreements for cooperation in areas, including defence and IT, to boost bilateral ties. PM Modi said New Delhi will provide $500 million credit line for Vietnam for defence cooperation. India also offered a grant of $5 million to set up a software park in Vietnam.

2. Maharashtra Governor sworn in as Tamil Nadu’s acting Governor: ChennamaneniVidyasagarRao, Governor of Maharashtra, was sworn in as the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu.

3. India and Egypt sign agreement in area of Maritime Transport: The agreemnt would help the two nations to step-up co-operation on the seas not only in terms of maritime commerce but also in transit of naval vessels.

4. K KAggarwal elected as the National President of Indian Medical Association (IMA).

5. BHEL commissions Unit-4 of Teesta Low Dam Hydropower project: State-run BHEL has commissioned the 4th and last unit of the 4x40 MW Teesta Low Dam Hydro Electric Project (HEP) Stage-IV in West Bengal.

6. CCI slaps Rs 6700 crore fine on 10 cement companies:The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed the penalty of over Rs 6,700 crore on 10 cement companies including ACC, Lafarge, Ultratech, Jayprakash Associates, Binani and their trade association the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) on charges of cartelisation in the sector.

7. PM announces Rs 200 crore for sports in J&K: With a view to engaging youth of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in constructive sporting activities, a special package of Rs. 200 crore has been announced by Prime Minister NarendraModi.

8. World’s first made-in-India leprosy vaccine out on pilot basis: The Indian Institute of Immunology in New Delhi has developed mycobacterium indicuspranii (MIP), an exclusive and completely domestic vaccine for leprosy.

9. Majuli names world’s largest river island: Majuli Island on the Brahmaputra in Assam was declared the largest river island in the world, toppling Marajo in Brazil, by Guinness World Records. The river island covers an area of around 880 sqkm.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China ratifies Paris global climate agreement: China and the US are expected to announce ratification jointly before or at the weekend's G20 Hangzhou Summit. China is the world's largest emitter of harmful carbon emissions causing climate change.

2. G-20 Summit 2016 start in Chinese city of Hangzhou tomorrow: Two-day G-20 Summit of the world's major economies will start in the Chinese city of Hangzhou tomorrow to discuss efforts to reform global economic governance. The theme of the summit is toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Bangladesh hire former Sri Lankan cricketer Thilan Samaraweera as batting coach.

2. Zaheer Khan gets MCC’s Honorary Life Membership.

OBITUARIES:

3. Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov died at the age of 78.

4. Actor Jon Politopasses away: on Polito, best known for his frequent presence in Coen Brothers films, died of cancer in Duarte, California. He was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010.iii .The actor had been in more than 100 films, TV shows and Broadway plays.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Puducherry, Odisha and Rajasthan ratifies GST Bill: The PuducherryOdisha and Rajasthan Legislative Assembly have unanimously ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill for Goods and Services Tax (GST).

2. First BRICS film festival to begin in New Delhi from today: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting RajyavardhanRathore will inaugurate the festival. The film festival is the run up to the BRICS summit which is to be held in Goa next month from 15th to 16th.

3. Country’s economic growth recorded 7.1% in first quarter of current fiscal:The country's economy grew at 7.1 % in the April to June quarter of the current fiscal, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office.

4. Gujarat signs MoU with aviation ministry: The Gujarat government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of civil aviation to develop 11 airports and airstrips to boost regional connectivity.

5. Justice Dhingra hints at irregularities in Haryana land deals case: ustice S.N. Dhingra has submitted a 182-page report to the Haryana government on granting of Change of Land Use (CLU) licences in 4 villages of Gurgaon during the rule of the previous Congress government, hinting at irregularities.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Deep Kumar Upadhyay re-appointed as Nepal’s envoy to India.

2. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, satellite destroyed in explosion: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its Cape Canaveral launch pad during a test, destroying a commercial satellite that Facebook had planned to use to extend Internet access in Africa.

3. LG Electronics ties up with Amazon on smart-home services: LG Electronics Inc. has tied-up with Amazon.com Inc on smart-home services. This tie-up will help to enable the services of Amazon such as the Alexa virtual assistant on some of the electronics maker's devices.

4. Jackie Chan to receive lifetime achievement Oscar: Martial arts expert and actor Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime achievement Oscar. The announcement was made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Chan made his movie debut at the age of 8.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Union Bank rolls out mobile app: Union Bank of India has launched USSD (unstructured supplementary service data) based ‘*99#’ mobile application on Play Store on Android platform. This ‘*99#’ mobile app does not require internet connectivity to perform banking and other value-added services.

2. DCB launches ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution: DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution that will make payments at retail outlets much easier.

AWARDS:

3. Bezwada Wilson, TM Krishna wins Ramon Magsaysay Award: Karnataka-born Bezwada Wilson, a prolific campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging in India, and Carnatic singer T M Krishna from Chennai, were chosen for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016.

4. Kiran M Shaw appointed ‘Knight of Legion of Honour’ by France: Biocon chairperson and managing director (M) KiranMazumdar Shaw has been appointed 'Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur' (Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour) for her outstanding contribution and dedication to Biosciences and Research field globally.

OBITUARIES:

5. Australia’s oldest surviving test player dies: ustralia's oldest surviving Test cricketer, Len Maddocks, has passed away aged 90. Maddocks, a batsman and wicket-keeper, played seven Tests for Australia between 1954 and 1956, and managed the Australian cricket team on its 1977 tour of England.

6. Noted Assamese poet NaliniDharBhattacharyaa died at the age of 95: Noted Assamese poet, literary critic and author and winner of the SahityaAkademi award Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya passed away in Guwahati early Friday morning.

Daily GK Updates - 1st September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Cabinet Approvals: Cabinet approves the dissolution of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited. Union Cabinet approved MoU between CERT-In and CERT-UK in the field of cyber Security. Union Cabinet approves Project Development Fund for CLMV countries. Union Cabinet approved the scheme for the grant of Permanent Residency Status (PRS) to foreign investors.

2. Union Cabinet approves simplification of FDI Policy 2016 in various sectors: Private Security: The earlier policy permitted 49% FDI under government approval route in Private Security Agencies. FDI in Defence Sector up to 100%, Earlier FDI regime permitted 49%.Pharmaceutical: 100% FDI under automatic route in Greenfield pharma, FDI up to 100% under government approval in Brownfield pharma and 74% FDI under automatic route in Brownfield pharmaceuticals.

3. Odisha CM to share his thoughts through radio every month: Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, would share his thoughts on different issues through the radio for 10 minutes every month. The State government has decided to launch ‘BijuGoan Radio’ through which the Chief Minister would address the people soon.

4. Madhukar Gupta committee submits its report to centre: Madhukar Gupta committee was formed to review security at India-Pakistan border; the report running close to thousand pages submitted its report to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Madhukar Gupta, former home secretary in April 2016, for strengthening border protection and addressing the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan Border.

5. Ashok Chawla is new Chancellor at Teri University: The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) has officially appointed former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla as the new Chancellor of Teri University.

6. BRICS convention on Tourism to begin today:The two-day long "BRICS Convention on Tourism" will begin today at world heritage site Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.

7. MoUD, Amar Chitra Katha sign MoU to publish comic book on Swachh Bharat Mission: Storyteller to generations of Indians, Amar Chitra Katha will now publish and distribute a special edition of a comic book focusing on Swachh Bharat Mission.

8. President of Egypt to arrive on three-day visit to India today: President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, is arriving on a three-day visit to India today. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, officials and business leaders.

9. Anuradha Rao appointed as MD, CEO of SBI Mutual Fund.

10. Kerala to form JV with Railways for infrastructure projects: Kerala has decided to enter into joint venture agreement with Railways for rail projects in the state under the 51:49 equity partnership arrangements.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Michel Temer sworn in as new Brazil President.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Sudarshan Patnaik wins prize in Moscow Sand Art Show: India's Sand artist SudarsanPattnaik has won the people's choice prize for his sand sculpture titled "Mahatma Gandhi - World Peace" at the ninth Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship 2016.

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.