Daily GK Updates - 10th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rajnath Singh commissions offshore patrolling vessel Sarathi in Goa: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has commissioned the offshore patrolling (OPV) vessel, Sarathi, at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), the defense shipyard in south Goa.

2. Odisha Government launches construction workers pension scheme: The Odisha government has launched the construction workers pension scheme. It ensures financial assistance of 300 rupees per month to all registered. All registered construction workers above 60 years of age will get the pension of Rs 300 per month while workers above 80 years of age will get the pension of Rs 500 per month.

3. MEA launches online module for Indian students studying abroad: For maintaining the records and database of Indian students studying abroad, Government of India has launched a Student Registration module in MADAD portal (madad.gov.in).

4. T R Zeliang receives Pangkor Dialogue Award in Malaysia: Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang has received 'Pangkor Dialogue Award 2016' in Malaysia for the efforts made by the people of the state for environmental preservation and promotion.

5. First LIGO Lab outside US may come up in Maharashtra’s Hingoli: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project that was given the in-principle approval by the Union Cabinet may come up in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district. It would be third such laboratory in the world, first outside the United States.

6. HDFC Ergo completes acquisition of L&T Insurance:HDFC Ergo General Insurance Company (HDFC ERGO) has completed the acquisition of 100 percent shares of L&T General Insurance Company (L&T Insurance) for Rs. 551 crore.

7. NHPC, BHEL ink pact for renovation of BairaSiul power plant: State-owned NHPC has entered a pact with BHEL for renovation and modernisation of 180 MW BairaSiul power station in Himachal Pradesh.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. IDBI AMC appoints DilipMandal as MD & CEO.

SPORTS:

2. Indian high jumpers win gold, bronze at Paralympics: India’s MariyappanThangavelu created history by winning a gold medal in the men’s high jump T-42 event at the Rio Paralympics. His compatriot Varun Singh Bhati clinched the bronze medal in the same event.

AWARDS:

3. Odisha bags 9^th Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016: Odisha bags 9th Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016 at the National Level gathering of important stake-holders in agriculture development at the Agriculture Leadership Summit at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

4. Chris Gayle launches his autobiography ‘Six Machine’ in India: Published by Viking-Penguin UK, the book was unveiled by Anurag Singh Thakur, President of the BCCI.

Daily GK Updates - 9th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. President approves GST Bill: President Pranab Mukherjee has signed the GST Constitution Amendment Bill thereby making it a law. GST Bill has been ratified by the Parliament, as well as 16 states.

2. ISRO launches INSAT-3DR from Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched GSLV rocket, which will carry the weather satellite INSAT-3DR from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

3. Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh ratifies GST Bill: Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh Assembly has ratified Goods and Service Tax (GST), Bill, to simplify the taxation by implementing single tax rates across the country.

4. Sikkim cleanest state in India as per survey: Sikkim has been adjudged the cleanest state while Jharkhand comes last in the list of 26 states. Gujarat is ranked 14th in the survey conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

5. Pepsico’sIndraNooyi only Indian-origin woman in Fortune list: PepsiCo CEO and Chairman IndraNooyi was ranked 2nd on the list of Fortune's 51 Most Powerful Women list. The list is topped by Mary Barra, CEO and Chairman of General Motors.

6. Ex-IAS officer J Sathyanarayana appointed part-time UIDAI Chief.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mexico sets up consulate in South India: Mexico has set up its consulate in south India in Chennai that will cater to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is the Latin American country’s 3rd consulate in India, with the other 2 being in Mumbai and Kolkata.

2. NASA launches first mission to collect samples from asteroid: The US space agency, NASA has launched its first mission to collect samples from an asteroid and return them to Earth in hopes of learning more about the origins of life. The unmanned spacecraft, known as OSIRIS-REx, blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. ICICI Bank introduces ‘Software Robotics’ to improve bank productivity: ICICI Bank, has announced the deployment of 'Software Robotics' in over 200 business processes across various functions of the bank. The software robots will reduce the response time to customers by up to 60%.

2. Sydicate Bank appointed JayantPurushottamGokhale as the new director.

Daily GK Updates - 8th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. OP Kohli sworn in as MP Governor: Senior BJP leader Om PrakashKohli today sworn in as the 26th governor of Madhya Pradesh.Kohli, who is also the Gujarat Governor, has been given the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh after Ram NareshYadav's tenure in office got over on Wednesday.

2. World’s biggest river island Majuli gets district status: Majuli, the 400 sq km island on the Brahmaputra River has become the first river island district of India.  With this Majuli become the 35th district of Assam.It regained the status of world's largest riverine island in the Guinness Book of World Records on September 1.

3. Andhra Pradesh passes resolution supporting GST Bill: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution supporting the Constitution Amendment and the Goods and Services Tax Bill.

4. Himachal Cabinet decides to amend hydro policy 2006:  Himachal Pradesh cabinet decided to amend the Hydropower Policy 2006 in respect to transfer of shares by Himachalis to non-Himachalis.

5. India Kazakhstan Joint Exercise ‘Prabal Dostyk-16”: India, Kazakhstan joint bilateral military exercise “PrabalDostyk -16” began in Karaganda region of Kazakhstan. The 14-day exercise will be a significant step towards fostering military as well as diplomatic ties between both countries. ‘PrabalDostyk’ means ‘Robust Friendship’.

6. India, Greece signMoU for air services agreement:India has signed a preliminary pact with Greece for bilateral Air Services Agreement that proposes to allow unlimited points of call for domestic airlines in the European nation.

7. Satbir Singh appointed as next Ambassador of India to Algeria.

8. CK Asnani assumes charge as CMD of Uranium Corporation of India Ltd.

9. Henkel elevates Shilip Kumar as president of its India business.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Paralympic Games begin in Brazil: The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games began on 7 September 2016 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The 15th Summer Paralympic Games will conclude on 18 September 2016.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Stuart Blackburn’s book based on Arunachal Pradesh wins MM Bennetts Award: Author Stuart Blackburn's "Into the Hidden Valley", a book based on Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, won the MM Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction 2016 in the UK.

Daily GK Updates - 7th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government approves Rs 450 crore SwadeshDarshan projects: he scheme was launched with an objective to develop 13 theme-based tourist circuits in the country and the approval for five was given in a meeting of the central sanctioning and monitoring committee.

2. UN Charter translated into Sanskrit: The UN Charter, the seminal treaty of the United Nations, has now been translated into Sanskrit. The Charter is available in all six official languages of the UN.

3. DharmendraPradhan launches ‘Gas4India’ campaign to boost natural gas use: The Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas DharmendraPradhanhas launched Gas4India campaign for the aimed at promoting the use of gas in the country.

4. Helpline no. 14401 for info on power cuts launched: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has created ‘UrjaMitra Helpline’ through which customers can get information on power outages from distribution companies by dialling 14401.

5. India’s light utility helicopter maiden flight successful: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has successfully completed test flight of indigenous Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Bengaluru.The LUH will replace the military’s obsolescent fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters that have flown for over three decades.

6. Filmmaker K G George to be honoured with J C Daniel Award:National award winner and veteran director K G George has been selected for the JC Daniel award 2015, Kerala Government's highest honour for outstanding contribution to Malayalam cinema.

7. 1^st phase of ESIC’s pilot project of telemedicine services inaugurated: Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment BandaruDattatreya inaugurated the first phase of telemedicine services of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for providing specialist medical services at a distance to insured workers.

8. Government approves 6 start-up centres: The Central government has approved six proposals to set up centres of excellence to promote and fund start-ups under the National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovation (NIDHI), a programme steered by the Department of Science and Technology. The proposals for six centres of excellence that were approved by the National Expert Advisory Committee include SINE-IIT Bombay, Venture Centre-NCL Pune, CIIE-IIM Ahmedabad and a research park at IIT-Gandhinagar.

9. Religare Enterprise appoints Sunil Godhwani as CEO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Chile expand preferential trading pact to boost economic ties: India and Chile have expanded their Preferential Trade Agreement with both offering to lower or eliminate tariffs on a number of items traded with each other. Chile has offered concessions to India on 1798 tariff lines with margin of preference (extent to which duties are lower than those offered to other countries) ranging from 30% to100%.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. ‘Thithi’ wins Best Film honour at 1^st BRICS Film Festival in New Delhi.

Daily GK Updates - 6th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Assam CM inaugurates Asia’s biggest digital library in Silchar: On the occasion of the 55th Teachers’ Day Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal inaugurated Asia’s biggest digital library dedicated to the memory of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, in NIT Silchar.

2. John Abraham roped in as brand ambassador of Arunachal Pradesh: The government of Arunachal Pradesh has roped in Bollywood bighead John Abraham as a brand ambassador for state tourism to boost tourism with the help of actor.

3. Haryana Government to develop 340 villages as Horticulture Villages: Haryana Government has decided to develop 340 villages as Horticulture Villages at a cost of 93 crore rupees during the Golden Jubilee year of the State.

4. GRSE hands over fast attack craft ‘Tihayu’ to Indian Navy: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) handed over the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC), “TIHAYU” to Indian Navy.

5. Rajasthan partners with Cisco for connected learning solution: Rajasthan’s education department has partnered with US-based technology firm Cisco to promote digital learning across the state using virtual digital room solutions. It aims to enhance the quality of education.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 11^th G20 Summit Concludes in Hanghzou, China: The 11th Summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) concluded in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.The theme of 2016 G20 Summit was Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.The chair of the summit was Xi Jinping, President of China. The 12th G20 summit 2017 will be held in Hamburg, Germany.

  

2. UK appoints ambassador to Iran for first time since 2011: The United Kingdom (UK) has appointed an ambassador to Iran for the first time since 2011. Nicholas Hopton, a former British ambassador to Qatar and Yemen, will take up the role.

3. 22-year old Indo-Japanese Priyanka Yoshikawa crowned Miss Japan.

4. Intel acquires Google’s Project Tango partner Movidius: Intel has acquired computer vision firm Movidius, which partnered with Google to develop 3D space mapping technology for Project Tango devices.

5. WHO certifies Sri Lanka malaria free: In a remarkable public health achievement, Sri Lanka was certified by WHO on having eliminated malaria.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. MobiKwik launches one step offline payments with ‘Bubble Pin’: MobiKwik, the fin-tech player has launched one-step offline payments with ‘Bubble Pin’. The pin is a combination of numbers and alphabets. Bubble pin also makes the transaction more secure as no phone number is required to be shared.

SPORTS:

2. ViratKohli remains at No. 2 in the latest ICC ODI Rankings, Rohit Sharma on 7^th while AB de Villiers has topped the rankings.

3. Sikki and Pranaav win Brazil Open Grand Prix: Indian mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra clinched their maiden Grand Prix title, bagging the Brazil Open with a straight game victory over Canadian combo of Toby Ng and Rachel Honderich in the finals, in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.

AWARDS:

4. LIFFI: NawazuddinSiddiqui, TannishthaChatterjee wins Best Actors Award: NawazuddinSiddiqui won the Best Actor award for his role in 'Manjhi-The Mountain Man'. TannishthaChatterjee won the award for her role in 'Rough Book'.AnantMahadevan won the Best Director honour at the debut edition of the Lonavla International Film Festival India (LIFFI).

OBITUARIES:

5. World’s oldest cricketer Lindsay Tuckett passes away at the age of 97: World's oldest cricketer, Lindsay Tuckett, passed away in Bloemfontein at the age of 97. Tuckett represented South Africa in nine Test matches against England between 1947 and 1949.

Daily GK Updates - 5th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Urjit Patel takes over as the 24^th Governor of RBI: Urjit Patel today assumed charge as the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.He succeeds RaghuramRajan, whose 3-year term came to end on September 4.

2. India Posts releases commemorative postage stamp on Saint Teresa: The Postal Department has released a commemorative stamp to honour the Mother Teresa’s canonization in Mumbai.

3. Ankasamudra to become a conservation reserve: The Karnataka State Wildlife Board, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has decided to declare Ankasamudra tank in HagariBommanahalli taluk as a bird conservation reserve.

4. Goa to host bird festival from Nov 11: Goa will host a three-day bird festival from November 11 to 13, targeting audiences from both within the country as also internationally. Goa's state bird “Bulbul” has been chosen as the logo for the festival.

5. Infosys sets up joint venture for Saudi Arabian Market: Software major, Infosys has entered into a joint venture (JV) with the Saudi Prerogative Company to offer IT services in the Middle Eastern country. The Bengaluru-based IT services firm will own 70% of the JV.

6. Kerala appoints Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador for anti-liquor campaign.

7. Odisha Government launches BijuKanyaRatnaYojana: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘BijuKanyaRatnaYojana’ (BKRY) and inaugurated 1,000 Anganwadi buildings as part of the celebration marking the birth centenary of legendary BijuPatnaik. The objective of the scheme is to improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and Child Sex Ratio (CSR) in the three districts.

8. Rajasthan launches e-stamping facility: The Rajasthan High Court launched the e-stamp facility in its Jodhpur and Jaipur benches simultaneously. The facility is already available in Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh.

9. Pondicherry Lt Guv launches Shramdaan movement in remote village: Lt. Governor KiranBedi has launched 'Shramdaan movement' as part of Swachh Bharat and SwachhPuducherryinitiative at a remote village.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Canada’s British Columbia becomes first foreign government to issue masala bonds: Canada’s British Columbia province has become the first foreign government to issue of masala bonds, a rupee-denominated bond.

2. World’s largest LEGO ship sets Guinness record: The World’s largest LEGO ship named Jubilee Seaways has created Guinness world record for set in Denmark, where employees of a shipping company successfully constructed the incredible 2,860 kg boat using over one million interlocking plastic bricks.

3. Ricky Ponting appointed brand ambassador for Tasmania: Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has been appointed brand ambassador of his home state Tasmania and will join a government-led trade mission to the subcontinent that will explore export opportunities.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton battles to second as NicoRoseberg wins Italian Grand Prix: German Formula One racing driver NicoRosberg won the Italian Grand Prix after close battle with his teammate Lawis Hamilton who also drive for the Mercedes AMG.

2. SriramBalaji and Sasi Kumar win titles in ITF events: Tamilnadu based tennis player SriramBalaji who ranked 546 restrained top seed Seong Chan Hong of Korea by 6-4, 7-6(3) for the title in the $10,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament held in HuaHin Thailand.

3. AbinavBindra announces retirement from Shooting.

4. Sakshi Malik appointed Wrestling Director of Rohtak University.

AWARDS:

5. Ecologist BibhutiLahkar bags Heritage Heroes Award of IUCN: Assam-based ecologist and conservation activist Bibhuti Lahkar has become the first Asian to be awarded the prestigious 'Heritage Heroes Award' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Lahkar received the award at the IUCN's ongoing World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

6. JSS Malappuram wins Unesco literacy award: The Jan ShikshanSansthan (JSS), Malappuram, has won the Unesco Confucius Prize for Literacy. The award has been conferred on the JSS in recognition of its literacy-linked skill development activities among the underprivileged in rural areas.

7. Dr HrushikeshMallick to get prestigious Sarala Award-2016: Noted Odia poet Dr.HrushikeshMallick will be honoured with the 37th edition of prestigious Sarala Award for his outstanding poetry. The annual award carrying a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation would be conferred on Mallick for his poetry work "Jeje Dekhi Nathiba Bharat”.

Daily GK Updates -4th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GumthalaGarhu becomes first Wi-Fi hotspot village in Haryana: In Haryana, village GumthalaGarhu near Pehowa in Kurukshetra district has become the first Wifi hotspot village in Haryana circle under bulk plan of BSNL.

2. MukundChoudhari assumes charge as CMD of Manganese Ore India Limited (MOIL).

3. Army Design Bureau formed to reduce dependence on imports: The ADDB will facilitate the weapons and technology building efforts between the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), industry and the army.Establishment of ADB was announced by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh at an Army seminar on Make in India. At the seminar, the Army Chief also launched the ‘Make in India Army Website’ that will serve as a one stop platform for information to vendors.

4. Reliance Industries launches Reliance Jio offering free voice calls, cheap Data plans: The Jio Welcome Offer will be effective from 5 September 2016 up to 31 December 2016. As part of the Jio Welcome Offer, users will have access to unlimited LTE data and national voice, video and messaging services along with the full bouquet of Jio applications and content free of cost.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mother Teresa is being declared saint by Pope Francis in Vatican City: Mother Teresa is being declared a saint by Pope Francis today at a canonisation ceremony in Vatican City.
The canonization comes on the eve of her 19th death anniversary. Once declared Saint, she will be known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

2. Bangladesh hangs Islamist tycoon Mir Quasem Ali: In Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami leader and media tycoon, Mir Quasem Ali was executed last night for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 Liberation War.

3. New species of Pterosaur from early Jurassic Era discovered in Patagonia: A group of scientists has discovered a new species of pterosaur from the early Jurassic period in the Patagonia region of South America. The new species has been named Allkauren koi from the native Tehuelche word ‘all’ for ‘brain’, and ‘karuen’ for ‘ancient’.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. DCB Bank rolls out mVisa card-less solution at retail outlets: DCB Bank, a new-generation private sector bank, has announced the launch of mVisa, a mobile based payment solution that will make payments at retail outlets much easier. Customers can pay now through their smartphones by scanning the unique Quick Response (QR) code at the retail outlet.

SPORTS:

2. Serena Williams sets women’s record of 307 victories in grand slams: In Tennis, world number one Serena Williams has created history by setting a record of most number of Grand Slam matches wins by a woman in the Open era. In the US Open last night, the American defeated Johanna Larsson of Sweden, 6-2, 6-1 to progress to the pre-quarterfinals and surpass Martina Navratilova's record of 306 wins.

OBITUARIES:

3. Veteran trade Union Leader Sharad Rao passes away at the age of 78.