Daily GK Updates - 28th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. e-Commerce firms like Flipkart and Snapdeal to deduct TCS under GST: As per the new GST law, E-commerce giants Flipkart and Snapdeal will have to deduct 2% TCS(Tax Collected at Source) while making payments to their suppliers and deposited TCS amount with the governmentE-commerce firms like Flipkart and Snapdeal to deduct TCS under GST. The new model GST law provides for 1 per cent TCS and 1 per cent tax levied on inter-state movement of goods. It will not apply to aggregators like Ola,Uber etc.

2. UNESCO Salon Competition: Toonz wins award for ‘Magical Piano’: 'Magical Piano', a short film by the Toonz Media Group has won an award at the prestigious UNESCO Salon Youth Video Competition 2016. Dr Avaneesh, Head of Development, Toonz Media Group received the award from Salon Films Chairman Fred Wang and UNESCO chief of Public Relations and Partnerships, Armelle  Arrou.  ‘Magical Piano’ is the story of a child who receives a magical piano for his birthday. The story was written by Mayul Verma from Agra, India.

3. Delhi has overtaken Mumbai to become India’s economic capital: Oxford Economics Study: According to data released by Oxford Economics, Mumbai is at number 31 among 50 top metropolitan economic entities globally in 2015, while Delhi is at 30. The Delhi extended urban agglomeration (EUA) had a Gross domestic product (GDP) at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of $370 billion.Mumbai EUA had a GDP of $368 billion.

4. PM Modi flags off state of art Hamsafar train from Kushinagar, UP: PM NarendraModi flagged off the Humsafar train between Gorakhpur and Delhi`s AnandVihar terminus from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.

5. Railways and IRCTC include transgender as the third gender: Indian Railways and IRCTC have included "transgender as the third gender" in the option alongside male and female in ticket reservation and cancellation forms.

6. PM launches Indian Police app that helps you locate nearest police stations:An app launched by Prime Minister NarendraModi on 27th November helps the citizen locate the nearest police stations wherever he or she is Not just that, the Indian Police app provides the names of the police stations, the telephone numbers, the distance from the place where you are and how much time it will take to reach whichever police station one wants to go to.

7. Amitabh Bachchan starrer Pink to be screened at UN Headquarters on Special Invitation: Pink, the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Bollywood film, has been invited by the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for a special screening at its headquarters in New York, USA.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan appoints Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa as Army Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen Qamar Bajwa has been appointed as the chief of Pakistan Army by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He will replace Gen Raheel Sharif who will retire on November 29, 2016.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board sets up two advisory panels: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has sets up 2 high-level committees under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to consolidate and amend laws relating to reorganisation as well as insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time-bound manner.The Advisory committee on service providers consists of 9 members; the panel is led by educationist Mohandas Pai. Corporate insolvency and liquidation panel is chaired by noted banker UdayKotak.

2. Ola teams up with SBI, PNB for setting up mobile ATMs: Indian online transportation Network Company Ola cabs has tied up with lenders like State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) to set up mobile ATM in the cab to help people withdraw cash easily. Ola will first introduce the service on the test basis in its cabin Kolkata and Hyderabad where the taxis with POS machine and a bank officer will be parked at different locations and an amount of Rs. 2,000 can be withdrawn per card.

SPORTS:

3. IAS officer wins gold in Para-Badminton Championship: Uttar Pradesh-based IAS officer Suhas LY won the Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Beijing after defeating Indonesia's Harry Susanto 21-4, 21-11 in the final.

OBITUARIES:

4. Marathi litterateur Anand Yadav passes away at the age of 80.

Daily GK Updates - 27th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. RBI introduces Incremental CRR to manage excess liquidity in Banking System: In order to absorb the surge in liquidity in banking system following demonetisation of high value notes, the Reserve Bank introduced an incremental Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of 100 per cent for the fortnight which began from 26th November 2016. CRR is the portion of the deposits which banks are required to park to the RBI. Currently it is at 4 per cent.

2. IFFI nominates 8 movies for ICET UNESCO Gandhi Medal: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has nominated eight movies for this year’s International Council for Film, Television and Audio-visual Communication UNESCO Gandhi Medal. Festival Director Senthil Rajan said,Allama is the only Indian film competing for the prestigious award. The remaining seven are from Canada, Spain, Iran, Turkey, Israel, The Netherlands and Latvia. All 8 films are being screened at the ongoing IFFI in Panaji, Goa.

3. Assam Hill Station to host festival on sports, culture: Assam's picturesque hill station Haflong will host the three-day 'Judima Festival' next month. The theme of the festival, to be held on December 18-20, will be centered on preservation, promotion and nurturing of ethnic culture, music, dance, craft and folk-art of Dimasa tribals living in Dima Hasao district of the state.

4. Jharkhand adopts new bill to curb job racket: The Jharkhand government has introduced a strict law against placement agencies to rein in those involved in exploiting people on the pretext of giving employment outside the state. The government framed ‘Jharkhand Nizi Niyozan Abhikaran and Gharelu Kamgar (viniyam) vidheyak 2016 (Jharkhand private employment agency and domestic employee bill) which was passed by the assembly recently..

5. Old Rs 500 notes valid for stamp purchase in UP till December 15: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to allow old currency notes of Rs 500 for purchasing stamps. Giving this information, Inspector General of Registration Anil Kumar said that in this regard necessary orders have been issued.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New Zealand and Australia most searched by Indian Travellers: Skyscanner has drawn comparisons between travel searches from 2015 and 2016, highlighting the places where Indian travellers will be ushering in 2017. Crunching numbers from over 50 million users every month, New Zealand emerged as a favourite among Indian travellers, witnessing a growth of 52 per cent in travel searches from last year. With a host of airlines offering economical deals to the country, New Zealand is now well within the reach of the aspriring traveller.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sachin 3^rd Indian Boxer to win gold at Youth World Championship: Sachin Singh became only the third Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the Youth World Championships after registering a 5-0 unanimous win over Cuba's Jorge Grinan in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 16-year-old boxer, who fought in the 46-49 kg weight category, will be given Rs.1 lakh as a reward for his performance at the championship.

2. PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open Super Series Final: She lost to fourth seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, in straight games, 15-21 and 17-21. This was Ying's fifth victory over Sindhu. The ace Indian has defeated the Taiwanese thrice in the past.

Daily GK Updates - 26th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Constitution Day: 26^th November: The Constitution Day of India is being observed on 26th November to spread awareness of Indian Constitution. On this day in 1949, constitution of India was adopted and came into force on January 26, 1950 marking the beginning of a new era in the history of free India. This year it is second edition of the Constitution Day. On this occasion Prime Minister Narendra has released two books on Constitution ‘Making of Constitution’ and ‘New Version of Constitution of India’.

2. Centre forms committee to push cashless transactions: The Union Government has constituted a new committee to form a strategy to expedite the process of transforming India into a cashless economy. The committee will be headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

3. Rajiv Gandhi assassin Nalini Sriharan to release book on prison life: Nalini Sriharan who has remained in prison for more than 24 years acclaiming the title as the longest serving women prisoner in India, has finally given a nod to release a book about her prison life. In it she explains about the torture she went through inside the prison and her surprise meeting with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.The book titled, ''Rajiv Gandhi assassin, hidden truths, Priyanka meeting Nalini'' was written by Egalaivan with Nalini's permission.

4. Culture ministry releases coins to mark 500^th anniversary of Hindu saint: Shri Narendra Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Culture released a Commemorative Non-Circulation Coin of Rs.500 and a Circulation Coin of Rs.10 on November 25, 2016, to mark a year-long celebration of “500th Anniversary of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s coming to Vrindavan”.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. South Indian Bank launches contactless debit card: The Kerala-based South Indian Bank has launched contactless debit card which is based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Customers can also use this card as contact chip card.

SPORTS:

2. Mary Kom to receive ‘Legends Award’ from International Boxing Association: Celebrated Indian boxer M C Mary Kom is all set to add another honour to her glittering career when she receives the 'Legends Award' from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) on its 70th anniversary on December 20.

OBITUARIES:

3. Senior Journalist Dileep Padgaonkar passes away at the age of 72: Noted journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Times of India’, Dilip Padgaonkar passed away on 25 November 2016, following a heart attack and multi-organ failure.

4. Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro passes away at the age of 90: He was commander in chief of the 1959 Cuban revolution 1959 and had successfully built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States during Cold War.

5. Co-creator of Mig-29 Ivan Mikoyan dies aged 89:He was a lead engineer at MiG Aircraft Corporation's design bureau, founded by his uncle Artyom Mikoyan. He awarded the USSR State Prize twice for his contributions to the MiG project and remained a company adviser until his death.

Daily GK Updates - 25th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. N V Srinivasan appointed as Indo-American Chamber of Commerce President: NVS and Associates Managing Partner, N V Srinivasan is elected as its National President of Trade body Indo-American Chamber of Commerce for the period 2016-17 by the committee of the Chamber during the meeting held in Mumbai.

2. Government approves new 62 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya: he Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on November 23, 2016, gave approval for opening of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in each of the 62 uncovered districts for which an amount of Rs.2,871 crore has been allocated.

3. Upgraded Jaguar DARIN III aircraft receives IOC: The upgraded Jaguar DARIN III twin-seat aircraft on 24 November 2016 received the Initial Operation Clearance (IOC). IOC is a significant milestone for India’s military aviation sector. This completion of IOC for DARIN III was announced by Deputy Chief of IAF, Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria. In recent past, he flew the aircraft at HAL airport in Bengaluru.

4. Tribal celebrate Wangala harvest festival in Meghalaya: Garotribals People of Meghalaya celebrated the harvest festival of Wangala to marks the end of a period of toil for farmers wanting a good output from their fields. Wangala harvest festival celebrated in Meghalaya. On the first day of the festival, the people offer their agriculture produce to the Sun God, while on the second day or Kakkat, they will dance Wangala Dance.

5. Andhra Pradesh CM launches Water Distribution Monitoring Portal: Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu has launched the ‘Smart Water Distribution Monitoring’ web portal, which will enable the people to track the status of drinking water in the nearby water tanks. The Water Distribution Monitoring portal can be accessed from the website ourvmc.org. The portal has Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that helps in reduction of water wastage as well as ensures uninterrupted water supply to the households.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: 25 November: The 2016 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed across the world on 25 November annually. The theme for this year is “Orange the World - raise funds to end violence against women”.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Australia’s Former Women’s team’s captain Karen Rolton inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame.

Daily GK Updates - 24th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bank deposits with RBI hit record high after demonetization: In the wake of demonetisation, bank deposits with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have reached a record high of Rs. 4.3 trillion, beating the earlier record of Rs. 1.7 trillion in May 2009. The RBI accepts money from various banks by offering government securities as collateral. The Indian banking system had collected deposits worth Rs. 5.12 trillion as of 18 November.

2. IIT Kharagpur named top university in India for jobs: For the second time in a row, IIT Kharagpur has been named the top university in India in terms of jobs and placements, by QS Employability Ranking of top 200 universities across the world. IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and Delhi University also feature on the list. Stanford University in the US has topped the list globally.

3. Government appoints new NHAI Chairman: The government has appointed Yudhvir Singh Malik as the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Malik, an 83 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, was earlier posted as special secretary in Niti Aayog.

4. BHEL commissions 93 MW unit at RIL’s Hazira Power Plant: State-run power equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 93 MW steam turbine-based captive power plant (CPP) at Hazira in Gujarat for Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Turkey to chair 2017 Energy Club of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: Turkey will chair the Energy Club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2017. With this, it became the first non-full member country to be the chairman of a club in the organisation. Ankara's proposal for non-SCO member countries to host the term presidency of the Energy Club was accepted in a meeting on 22 November 2016.

2. China launches Tianlian I-04 satellite: China has successfully launched the Tianlian I-04 satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province of Southwest China. This data satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket. The launch of the Tianlian I-04 marks the 241st mission of China's Long March series of rockets.

3. Donald Trump picks Indian-American Nikki Haley as UN Envoy: US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations. Haley will be the first woman to join Trump's administration. She would replace Samantha Power as the next US Ambassador to the UN.

4. ITU International Telecommunication Union released Measuring the Information Society Report 2016: UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) released the 2016 edition of the Measuring the Information Society Report. The report was launched on 22 November 2016 during the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS). WTIS was held in Botswana, South Africa from 21 November to 23 November 2016.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Zydus Cadila CMD Pankaj Patel becomes new FICCI President: Pankaj R Patel, chairman & managing director of Cadila Healthcare Ltd (Zydus Cadila) has been elected as the new President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for the year 2017.

2. Government asks NABARD to disburse Rs 21,000 crore to farmers: The Government has allowed NABARD to disburse Rs 21,000 crore to cash-starved farmers, helping them sow winter crops like wheat ahead of the sowing season, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta said today.The government’s demonetisation move, which swept away 86% of currency in circulation, has badly hit farmers leaving them without cash just ahead of the sowing season.

3. SEBI officials to chair IOSCO Panels: Two officials of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Parmod Kumar Nagpal and Amarjeet Singh are elected as chairpersons of two committees set up by IOSCO (International Organisation of Securities Commissions) announced by IOSCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Committee chairman by Mr. Ashley Ian Alder.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Thai Princess Sirindhorn to be conferred first ‘World Sanskrit Award’: Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess of Thailand, on 21 November 2016 was conferred with the first World Sanskrit Award. She was honoured for her exemplary contribution for the promotion of Sanskrit language for the year 2015.

2. Switzerland to share Information on Indians Holding Swiss Bank Account from 2018: In a big step towards fighting black money stashed overseas, Switzerland has agreed to automatic sharing of information with India on Swiss bank accounts of Indians as of September 2018 and onwards. The Joint Declaration was inked by Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes Sushil Chandra and Deputy Chief of Mission of Swiss Embassy in India, Gilles Roduit.

3. Barack Obama awards his last Presidential Medals of Freedom: U.S. President Barack Obama has bestowed the nation's highest civilian honour for the last time as president. The awards have honour the work of Americans ranging from global philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates to legendary athletes, artists, activists, scientists and others.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Airtel Payments Bank starts pilot services in Rajasthan: Airtel Payments Bank Ltd (Airtel Bank), a subsidiary of the country’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel, has rolled out a pilot of its banking services in Rajasthan. Customers in towns and villages across Rajasthan will now be able to open bank accounts at Airtel retail outlets, which will also act as Airtel banking points and offer a range of basic, convenient banking services.

AWARDS:

2. Indian journalist gets International Press Freedom Award: Indian Journalist Malini Subramaniam has been conferred with the International Press Freedom Award for her reporting from Chhattisgarh's Naxal-infested Bastar area.

OBITUARIES:

3. Acclaimed Physicist and Ex- ISRO Chief Prof MGK Menon dies at 88: A recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, Menon had also served as Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at the age of 35.

4. Padma Vibhushan awardee musician M Balamuralikrishna dies at 86: He started learning music at the age of three and has composed over 400 songs in different languages including Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil.

5. Renowned Hindi and Bhojpuri writer Dr. Viveki Rai passes away at 92.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sangai Festival 2016 begins in Manipur: The 10-day-festival ‘Sangai Festival 2016’ inaugurated by Manipur CM OkramIbobi Singh on November 21, 2016. It will continue till November 30, 2016, with the theme: ‘Destination Manipur’. The main aim is to celebrate the festival to promote Manipur as a potential tourist destination.

2. India joins CERN as Associate Member: India became an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory. Becoming Associate Member of CERN, will enhance participation of young Indian scientists and engineers in various projects.Presently, CERN has 22 member states, four associate member states.

3. India test fires Agni-I ballistic missile from Odisha coast: The Intermediate-range missile is capable of hitting a target 700 km away. It is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne. Agni-I missile is equipped with the sophisticated navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision.

4. Mahesh Bhalla appointed as Chief Mentor of Startups Club of India: Mahesh Bhalla, former Executive Director of Dell’s Consumer & SMB business in India, has been appointed as Chief Mentor of Bengaluru based Startups Club India.

5. Naidu inaugurates multimedia exhibition on theme of ‘Azaad 70 Saal, Yaad Karo Kurbani’: Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a multimedia exhibition on the theme of ‘Aazadi 70 Saal, Yaad Karo Kurbani’ to commemorate 70 years of India’s Independence and its depiction through films. The multimedia exhibition has been organised by National Film Archives of India, NFAI at the International Film Festival of India, IFFI in Goa.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Bhullar wins Indonesia Open, Jeev Milkha Singh tied-second: Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar has won the $300,000 BANK BRI-JCB Indonesia Open for the second time in his career. Two-time Asian Tour number one JeevMilkha Singh finished tied-second in the tournament, which was his best result since 2012.

AWARDS:

2. Akshaya Mukul wins Shakti Bhatt prize: Senior journalist AkshayaMukul has been awarded the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for his book "Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India".

3. Radhika Menon awarded IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea: Captain Radhika Menon on 21 November 2016 was bestowed with the 2016 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Menon was honoured with the prestigious award for her role in the rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in the Bay of Bengal in June 2015. iii. With this, Captain Menon became the first female to receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.

OBITUARIES:

4. Ex- Governor of Madhya Pradesh Ram Naresh Yadav died at the age of 89.

5. Irish Novelist William Trevor died at the age of 88: Trevor won the Whitbread Prize thrice and was nominated five times for the Booker Prize.