Daily GK Updates - 1st February, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Income Tax Department launches Operation Clean Money: The Income Tax Department (ITD) launched Operation Clean Money (Swachh Dhan Abhiyan), an e-platform to analyse large cash deposits made during the demonetisation window (9 November to 30 December 2016). Under it, e-verification of large cash has been done using data analytics for comparing the demonetisation data with information in ITD databases.

2. Textile Ministry inaugurates Meghalaya’s first ever Apparel and Garment Centre at Ampati: Meghalaya’s 1st ever Apparel and Garment Making Centre was inaugurated jointly by CM of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma and Union Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani at Ampati in South West Garo Hills.

3.  India, Russia holds high-level consultations on counter-terrorism: India and Russia have held high-level consultations on counter-terrorism issues in New Delhi. Both sides shared views and assessment on the threats posed by increasing terrorist activities including India’s concern on state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism. The Indian delegation was led by Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) while the Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Oleg V. Syromolotov.

4. Labour migration rose to 90 lakh over last 5 years: Economic Survey: According to Economic Survey 2016-17, the inter-state migration of workers in India has increased substantially to 90 lakh annually between 2011-16 period compared to the previous years. The estimate of labour migration in India was based analysis of census data of 2011 and railway passenger traffic in the unreserved category and new methodologies including the Cohort-based Migration Metric (CMM).

5. Union Cabinet gives nod to modify Scheduled Castes list in Odisha: The Union Cabinet had approved the amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to modify the list of SC in Odisha. It also approved amending the Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964 to change the name of the Union territory to Puducherry from Pondicherry.

6. Economic Survey backs Universal Basic Income: It suggests that a more efficient way to help the poor will be to provide them resources directly, through a UBI. It will be an efficient substitute for a plethora of existing welfare schemes and subsidies.

7. Surajkund Mela begins in Haryana: The 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela began in Faridabad, Haryana today. This year Jharkhand has been chosen as the theme state whereas Egypt is the partner country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mt. Everest to be remeasured by Survey of India: According to the Survey General of India, Swarna Subba Rao, the exercise is being done to understand plate movements and for scientific studies. Murmurs doing the round also say that the height of the peak has shrunk following the Nepal earthquake.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING:

1. Reliance Defence signs contract with Ministry of Defence to construct 14 fast track patrol vessels for Indian Coast Guard: The medium range, high speed vessels would be deployed for patrolling within the exclusive economic zone, anti-smuggling, costal surveillance, anti-piracy, search and rescue operations. It will also provide support as front-line warships during emergencies.

OBITUARIES:

2. E. Ahamed passes away: Former Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed passed away following a cardiac arrest.

Daily GK Updates - 31st January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Economic Survey 2016-17 – Highlights:

Union finance Minister Arun Jaitley tabled the Economic Survey 2016-17 in Parliament budget session. The survey prepared by chief economic adviser in the finance ministry Arvind Subramanian. The survey projects the economy to grow in the range of 6.75% to 7.25% in fiscal year 2017-18 in the post-demonetisation year. It says that the adverse impact of demonetisation on GDP growth will be transitional. 

Major highlights from the Economic Survey 2016-17

Growth Forecast:

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2016-17 pegged at 6.5%, down from 7.6% in last fiscal 2015-16.

Economic growth to rebound to 6.75 to 7.5% in 2017-18.

Farm sector to grow at 4.1% in 2016-17, up from 1.2% in 2015-16.

Growth rate of industrial sector estimated to moderate to 5.2% in 2016-17 from 7.4% in 2015-16.

Service sector is estimated to grow at 8.9% in 2016-17 GST, other structural reforms should take the growth rate trend  to 8-10%.

Taxation: Prescribes cut in individual Income Tax rates, real estate stamp duties.

IT net could be widened gradually by encompassing all high income earners.

Time table for cutting corporate tax should be accelerated. Tax administration could be improved to reduce discretion and improve accountability.

Goods and Services Tax (GST): Fiscal gains from GST will take time to realise.

Fiscal Deficit: Implementation of muted tax receipts, wage hike to put pressure on fiscal deficit in 2017-18. For fiscal health of the economy fiscal prudence for both centre and states is needed. Fiscal windfall from low oil prices to disappear in 2017-18.

Inflation: The average consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate declined to 4.9% in 2015-16 from 5.9% in 2014-15. CPI-based core inflation remained sticky around 5% in the 2016-17. Oil prices, seen rising by one-sixth in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal 2016-17 prices which could dampen India’s economic growth.

Monetary Policy: monetary easing headroom may be capped due to sharp rise in prices in 2017-18. Market interest rates seen lower in 2017-18 due to demonetisation. Government Debt to GDP ratio: It was 68.5% in 2016, down from 69.1% in 2015. Banking: Suggests setting up public sector asset rehabilitation agency (PSARA) to take charge of large bad loans in banks. With government backing, PSAR can overcome coordination and political issues on bad loans.

Demonetisation: The adverse impact of demonetisation on GDP growth will be transitional. It will affect growth rate by 0.25-0.5%, but to have long-term benefits It may affect supplies of certain agricultural products like sugar, milk, potatoes and onions. Remonetisation will ensure that the cash squeeze is eliminated by April 2017. Universal Basic Income (UBI): Advocates the concept of UBI as an alternative to the various social welfare schemes in an effort to reduce poverty. It will be alternative to plethora of state subsidies for poverty alleviation. UBI would cost between 4 and 5% of GDP.

2. BNHS launches climate change programme in Central Himalayas: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched climate change programme to assess the status, distribution and conservation of finches and pheasants in the Central Himalayas. The first study will be funded by Oracle and facilitated by CAF-India.

Currently, there are nearly 50 species of pheasants and 62 species of finches in the Indian subcontinent. Several of these species are listed under the ‘Globally Threatened’ category created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

3. Vampire star caught in the act by Indian space observatory ASTROSAT: India’s first dedicated space observatory ASTROSAT has captured the rare phenomenon of a 6 billion year old Vampire star preying on a bigger celestial body. The Findings were published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters in the fourth week of January 2017. The findings were made by a team of scientists from IIA, Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

4. Union Government launches Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign: The Union Government on 30 January 2017 launched nationwide Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign (SLAC). The Campaign was launched on the occasion of Anti-Leprosy Day. The Anti-Leprosy Day is observed annually in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi to rememorize his selfless efforts and care for the people affected by leprosy.

5. North East Seed biodiversity festival begins in Agartala : The two-day North East Seed Biodiversity Festival cum Workshop of Traditional Crops 2017 has begun in Agartala (Tripura).The chief guest for the function was Pabitra Kar ( Deputy Speaker, Tripura Legislative Assembly.)

6. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao - no provision for individual cash transfer component: Union Govt has clarified that Beti Bachao Beti Padhao has no provision for individual cash transfer component. The clarification came following reports that certain unauthorized sites, organisations, NGOs and individuals are distributing forms in the name of cash incentive under the scheme.

7. UberMOTO launches service in Hyderabad: Cab-hailing firm Uber has launched two-wheeler aggregation service UberMOTO in Hyderabad. The firm, which has signed an agreement with the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd recently, formally launched the services. Using the app, people can hire two-wheelers for short-distance commute at cheaper rates.

8. 12^th Raising Day of NDRF observed:  National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has observed 12th Raising Day celebrations.

9. Finance Ministry to aid Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh for rail safety:
The Union Finance Ministry has agreed to contribute partially to a new dedicated railway safety fund named as ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh’ in the upcoming Union Budget 2017-18.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. H-1B reform bill introduced in US House of Representatives: Legislation has been introduced in the US House of Representatives which, among other things, calls for more than doubling the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders to 130,000 dollars. The current H-1B minimum wage is 60,000 dollars. This will make it more difficult for firms to use the program to replace American employees with foreign workers, including from India. 

2. Miss France Iris Mittenaere crowned Miss Universe 2016: Miss France Iris Mittenaere has been crowned Miss Universe, 2016 securing victory over the 85 other contestants in the final of the 65th ceremony of the world famous beauty pageant, in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Iris Mittenaere of France received the crown from Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, while Raquel Pelissier of Haiti and Andrea Tovar of Colombia became the first and second runners-up respectively.

3. Moussa Faki Mahamat named as AU Commission chair : Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat has been elected as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission, in a vote held at the bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on 30^th Jan 2017.

4. Tsar, the rare tiger-lion offspring: An extremely rare cross between a tiger and a lion has been born in a travelling zoo in southern Russia, one of only a few dozen of the animals believed to exist. Named Tsar, the two-month-old liger cub, is the offspring of a tigress Princess and lion Caesar. Ligers (Lion + Tiger) can grow to be the biggest cat in the animal kingdom, weighing more than 400 kilograms. A liger called Hercules in the United States is currently listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest feline in the world, at a weight of 418 kilograms and length of 3.33 metres.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Dushyant Chautala appointed President of Table Tennis Federation of India: Dushyant Chautala on 30 January 2017 was appointed the President of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

2. PV Sindhu wins Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Title: Top seed Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has won her maiden women's singles crown at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow (UP).

BANKING/FINANCE:

3. India Post Payments Bank starts pilot services: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) kicked off its operations by rolling out pilot services in Raipur and Ranchi.

AWARDS:

4. Priyanka Chopra among 150 most fashionable women: Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, who has been turning heads on the red carpet with her elegant choice of outfits, has made it to the list of Harper's Bazaar's 150 most fashionable women.

OBITUARIES:

5. Hollywood Legend & Harry Porter actor John Hurt dies at 77 : The versatile actor Sir John Hurt, who could move audiences to tears in The Elephant Man, terrify them in Alien, and spoof that very same scene in Spaceballs, has died. He was 77.Twice nominated for an Oscar for playing the tortured John Merrick in David Lynch's The Elephant Man and for his role as the heroin addict Max in Midnight Express. 

Daily GK Updates - 30th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SC appoints Committee of Administrators headed by Vinod Rai to run BCCI: The Supreme Court has appointed former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai as head of four-member Committee of Administrators to run Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

2. Karnataka government to amend law for conducting "Kambala": The Karnataka government has decided to bring an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960 for conducting traditional sports of Kambala and bull-cart race in the State.

Kambala is an annual traditional Buffalo Race (he-buffalo) held in coastal districts of Karnataka to entertain rural people of the area. Slushy/marshy paddy field track is used for Kambala. The sports season generally starts in November and lasts till March.

3. Atomic clocks on indigenous navigation satellite IRNSS-1A develops snag: The atomic clocks on the first satellite IRNSS-1A of the NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), the indigenously built satellite-based positioning system, has developed a technical snag. One of the three crucial rubidium timekeepers (atomic clock) on IRNSS-1A satellites failed six months ago and the other two followed subsequently. ISRO will soon launch one of its back up navigation satellites as a replacement to IRNSS-1A satellite.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Seven new countries join BEPS agreement: Seven new countries Lithuania, Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Malta, Mauritius and Russia – have signed Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for Country-by-Country Reporting (CbC MCAA). With this, the total number of signatories has increased to 57 including India (signed in May 2015). CbC MCAA is a tax co-operation agreement to enable automatic sharing of country-by-country information.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING:

1. IndiaPost gets payments bank licence from RBI: IndiaPost under Department of Posts (Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology) received final payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With this, India Post became the third entity after Bharti Airtel and Paytm to receive final payments bank licence to roll-out of banking operations commercially under the permit.

Daily GK Updates - 29th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India Post becomes 3^rd entity to receive licence to start payment bank operations: IndiaPost has become the third entity to receive a final license last week from the Central Bank to start its payment bank operations. Country’s largest telecom service provider BhartiAirtel and digital payments firm Paytm are the other two to have received the license while only Airtel has started operations so far.

2. National Immunization Day: 29^th January 2017: Today (29th January 2017) is National Immunization Day. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the countrywide programme for 2017 by administering polio drops to children aged below five years at a function in RashtrapatiBhavan. The programme will cover around 17 crore children aged under five years in an effort to maintain the country's polio-free status.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Denmark to appoint world’s first ‘digital ambassador’: Denmark has announced it will appoint a 'digital ambassador' to manage its relationship with technology giants like Google and Apple, becoming the first country to do so. "Such companies have become a type of new nations and we need to confront that," said Denmark's Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen. The companies' market values are large enough to enter G20, he added.

2. Alibaba’s financial arm acquires MoneyGram: Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba’s financial arm, has reached an agreement to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for $880 million, in a deal that will expand the firm’s business in the US after India and Thailand.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. 2017 Australian Open: Roger Federer wins men’s title: For the first time since 2010, Roger Federer has won the Australian Open, beating long-time rival Rafael Nadal in the finals in Melbourne, Australia on 29th January 2017. Federer won a closely contested five-set showdown, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

2. Australian Open: Serena beats sister Venus for record 23^rd slam title: In Australian Open tennis, Serena Williams beat her sister Venus Williams in the final today to win her 23rd Grand Slam singles title. The dominant American swept past her rival 6-4, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena to finally clinch the record for Open-era major titles, nearly 18 years after winning her first.

Daily GK Updates - 28th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GAAR will be effective April 1, 2017, onwards: CBDT: The Union Finance Ministry has announced that the General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) will be effective from the 1 April, 2017. In this regard Income Tax (IT) department has issued a slew of clarifications on implementation of GAAR, seeking to address concerns of foreign investors over implementation of the anti-evasion measure.

2.India ranked 79th in the Corruption Perception Index 2016: India has been ranked at 79th spot out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2016 released by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).

3. PSU oil companies, Andhra Pradesh govt ink pacts:The public sector oil companies such as the HPCL, ONGC and the GAIL have signed MoUs for investing ₹1.65 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh on several projects, many of them in the Krishna-Godavari basin, according to Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas DharmendraPradhan.

4. Telangana signs MoU for aero skill academy: The Telangana government has signed a memorandum of agreement with French firm Aerocampus Aquitaine, known for aircraft maintenance skill training, to create a world-class aero skill academy.

5. Andhra Pradesh Launches Rs 100 cr fund of funds for Fintech Startups:The Andhra Pradesh under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced Rs 100-crore fund of funds on January 25, 2017 to invest in Fintech startups.

6. ISRO successfully ground-tests Cryogenic Upper Stage engine meant for rocket GSLV-Mark-III:ISRO successfully ground-tests Cryogenic Upper Stage engine meant for rocket GSLV-Mark-III

7.Students’ start-up launches food pre-ordering app: Fed up with waiting endlessly after ordering food in a canteen Some students of National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) at Surathkal in Mangalurutaluk have found a solution for it with an app to pre-order food in canteens within their campus.

8.Indian Hotels appoints Chandrasekaran non-executive Additional Director: Tata group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Co today announced the appointment of Tata Sons Chairman-designate N Chandrasekaran as non-executive Additional Director.

9. Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Exercise, TROPEX 17 Begins:The Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), an annual Indian Navy exercise kicked started off the Western Seaboard. 

10. Surya NamaskarYajna Recognised in US Congress: The annual “Surya NamaskarYajna” or “Health for Humanity Yogathon” has been recognized in the US House of Representative on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

11. Sri Venkateswara College wins Great Britain debate in Delhi:The Delhi edition of the Great Britain Debate organised by the British High Commission and hosted by the Lady Sri Ram College was won by Anmol Sharma and SidaqBatra of Sri Venkateswara College.

12. President appoints BanwarilalPurohit as Governor of Meghalaya:President Pranab Mukherjee has given Governor of Assam BanwarilalPurohit additional charge of Meghalaya.  Besides, President also gave Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh.

13. Dr Vijay Bhatkar appointed new vice-chancellor of Nalanda University:President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Dr Vijay Bhatkar, architect of India’s first supercomputer the Param series, as the chancellor of Nalanda University.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Scientists creates world’s first stable semi-synthetic organism: Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), US have created world’s first stable semi-synthetic organism, a single-celled bacterium with an expanded genetic code.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. 119 banks connected with Aadhaar-enabled payment system: Minister:The government stated that 119 banks are connected with the Aadhaar-enabled payment system and 33.87 crore transactions have taken place through Aadhaar-enabled payment systems.There are 111 crore Aadhaar enrolments done so far out of the total population of 125 crore in India.

2.SBI Launches Wealth Management Product SBI Exclusif in Kochi: The State Bank of India has launched a new wealth management product named 'SBI Exclusif' in Kochi, Kerala. Later it will be rolled out in other cities of the state during the course of the year.

SPORTS:

3. DragonBall Z Fans Can Rejoice As Tokyo 2020 Unveils Son Gokuas Olympics Ambassador:In order to woo the young audiences at the 2020 Olympics, the organisers of the Tokyo Games have unveiled Japan's cult anime character Son Goku as its ambassador. 

4. Sports Ministry reconstitutes committee to identify athletes under TOP Scheme:The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has reconstituted TOP committee with objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.

Daily GK Updates - 27th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 68th Republic Day: Ashok Chakra to Havildar Hangpan Dada for sacrificing his life for nation: Havildar Hangpan Dada, who killed four terrorists before laying down his life in Kupwara on May 26 last year, has been awarded Ashok Chakra, the highest peace time gallantry award.

2. India ranks sixth on eight great powers in 2017: American foreign policy magazine: India is ranked at the sixth spot, behind China and Japan, in a list of eight great powers for the year 2017 by a leading American foreign policy magazine which is topped by the US.

3. Telangana ranks 2nd in Walnut’s cashless score card: Telangana ranked second in the `Cashless India Scorecard’ prepared by Walnut app to track the growth of digital payments in the country.The scorecard is meant for comparing how each state is moving towards a cashless economy post- demonetisation based on an aggregate and anonymised analysis of Walnut’s over five million user data.

4. Kerala CM Inaugurates e-Health Kerala scheme at Peroorkada Hospital: The Chief Minister of Kerala, PinarayiVijayan launched the IT Project, e-Health Kerala which is named JeevanRekha , at Peroorkada Model Government Hospital

5. Mysuru gets India’s 1st post office passport kendra: The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar inaugurated India’s first Post  Office Passport SevaKendras (POPSK) at Metagalli post office in Mysuru.

6. Arunachal launches ‘DulariKanya’ scheme to check infant mortality:Arunachal Pradesh launched ‘DulariKanya’, a special scheme to check infant mortality in the state.

7.RBI Prohibits FDI in Non-Cooperative Countries: The Reserve Bank of India has prohibited the Indian entities on January 25, 2017 from making direct overseas investments in any entity that is located in ‘non co-operative countries and territories’, as identified by the inter-governmental body Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

8. Meghalaya Governor resigns after allegations of sexual misconduct: Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan has resigned after a controversy was triggered by reports in local media, which accused him of sexual misconduct. 67-year-old Shanmuganathan tendered his resignation from the post.

9. Sena medal for 3 soldiers who gunned down BurhanWani: 3 personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army have been awarded the Sena Medal for killing HizbulMujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

10. The annual cultural extravaganza of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Chaos-2017, kicked off, with the theme of wanderlust.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Trump appoints Indian-American attorney to key White House post: US President Donald Trump has appointed prominent Indian-American attorney UttamDhillon to a key White House position.Dhillon, who served as chief oversight counsel for the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee.

2. Pharmaceutical Firm Johnson & Johnson to Buy Actelion for $30 Billion:The U.S. healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson buys Switzerland based bio-pharmaceutical firm, Actelion, for $30billion (27.9 billion euros).

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Karnataka Bank inks pact with Tirth Agro Technology:Karnataka Bank Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajkot-based Tirth Agro Technology Pvt Ltd (manufacturer of agricultural equipment and implements) for financing agricultural mechanisation.

SPORTS:

2. Delhi Dynamos appoint Ashish Shah as new CEO:Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos announced that they have appointed Ashish Shah as their new CEO.  

3. Sumo wrestler becomes first Japanese athlete to receive highest honour in 19 years:Japan based sumo wrestler Kisenosato was promoted to the highest rank of the wresting, Yokozuna on January 25, 2017 after winning his first title at the New Year Grand Sumo  Japan Wrestler Tournament with a 14-1 record.

4.Usain Bolt Loses an Olympic Medal due to Positive Doping of Team-Mate Nesta Carter:Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt will have to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals won in the 4x100m relay event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to his Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter who was tested positive for a banned substance.

AWARDS:

5.National Geoscience Award for Keshav Krishna: A Keshav Krishna, a scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has been selected for the National Geoscience Award for 2016.The award given by the Union Ministry of Mines is in recognition of his work in the field of geo-environmental studies.

OBITUARIES:

6.Russian envoy Alexander Kadakin passes away: .Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, a fluent Hindi-speaking career diplomat considered a great friend of India, passed away at a hospital here after a brief illness.

Daily GK Updates - 26th January, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nation celebrates its 68^th Republic Day: India celebrates its 68th Republic Day today (26th January 2017). On January 26, 1950, the Constitution of India came into force, and Republic Day is celebrated to honour that day. On this day in 1950, the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad took the oath. President Pranab Mukherjee has started the ceremony by hoisting the Indian flag, following which the Republic Day Parade from Rajpath. The parade starts from Rajpath and ends at Red Fort in Delhi. Every year on Republic Day, India invites a visiting head of state, who is the state guest of honour (chief guest) for the ceremony. This year's guest of honour is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

2. Madhya Pradesh CM announces total ban on polythene bags: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a total ban on polythene carry bags from May 1, 2017 across the state. "Use of polythene carry bags and their littering was affecting environment and cleanliness.

3. DU becomes first public varsity with ‘monumental’ flag: DU is the first public university in the country to get a monumental flagpole, according to the Flag Foundation of India. The 100-feet high flag was hoisted by former MP Naveen Jindal.

4. MakeMyTrip launches India’s 1^st social luxury travel magazine: India's largest online travel portal MakeMyTrip has launched the first ever social luxury travel magazine called 'Luxury Travel Times'. The mobile-only magazine is targeted at luxury travellers and is released through innovative ad platforms like Facebook Canvas &Instagram-Stories.

5. BurjKhalifa lights up in ‘Tricolour’ to mark 68^th Indian Republic Day: The LED shows were to be held on both days along with complimenting Dubai Fountain shows. In addition to the shows, the Indian Consulate in Dubai has a flag-hoisting ceremony at the consulate premises by Consul General Anurag Bhushan, followed by flag-hoisting at the Indian High School grounds in OudMetha, Dubai.

6. Gujarat Government pardons 439 prisoners on Republic Day eve:Gujarat government has ordered released of 439 prisoners on humanitarian grounds on the eve of 68th Republic Day. Over half of these prisoners were serving the life sentence in different jails in Gujarat. The decision to pardon the remaining sentences of these 439 prisoners was taken by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US President Trump orders 2,000-mile wall to be built on Mexico border: President Donald Trump has signed directives to build a wall along the US border with Mexico and crack down on US cities that shield illegal immigrants, proceeding quickly on sweeping and divisive plans to kerb immigration and boost national security. The Republican President is also expected to take steps in the coming days to limit legal immigration, including executive orders restricting refugees and blocking the issuing of visas to people from several Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and North African countries including Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen.

OTHER UPDATES:

OBITUARIES:

1. US Emmy award-winning actress Mary Tyler Moore has passed away: Emmy award-winning US actress Mary Tyler Moore has passed away at the age of 80. She was best known for her television roles in the 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show and the eponymous The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s.