Daily GK Updates - 18th April, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Disabled persons granted exemption from standing during National Anthem in movie halls: The Supreme Court has granted an exemption to six categories of disabled people from standing when the national anthem is played before the screening of a film in theatres. The six categories include people suffering from cerebral palsy, Parkinson disease, muscular dystrophy and other categories of disability. 

2. President inaugurates Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017): The President inaugurated Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017) that is set to highlight India’s potential to boost its services exports across sectors at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida. The event has been organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry together with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Services Export Promotion Council.

3. PM inaugurates phase-I of the Link-2 pipeline canal of SAUNI project: Prime Minister has inaugurated phase-I (Link-2) pipeline canal of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana in Botad district of Gujarat. He laid foundation stone for the Phase-II (Link-2) of the SAUNI Yojana in Saurashtra. The design of Link-2 is to pump Narmada water in 17 dams spread across Botad, avnagar and Amreli districts of Gujarat.

4. INS Chennai dedicated to Chennai: Naval Ship ‘INS Chennai’, a ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, was dedicated to Chennai in the presence of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command

5. Rajasthan govt to sign reworked MoU with HPCL for Barmer refinery: The Rajasthan government has signed a reworked MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL.

6. Centre initiates steps to bring TV, digital media under Working Journalists Act: The Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has initiated steps to bring the electronic and digital media journalists too under the ambit of the ‘Working Journalists Act’. The Labour Ministry will ensure stringent enforcement of the labour laws and implementation of Wage board recommendations in the newspaper industry.

7. Manipur CM launched ‘DARPAN’ web applications to check corruption: The Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has launched the two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities.

The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public and Nation (DARPAN). 'DARPAN' would upload details of projects right from the initial stage till sanction of the fund, progress of work and photos the work sites.

8. Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station: First time in Indian Railway history ‘Habibganj’ Railway station in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. The trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.

9. Google launches Aero for hyper-local services in India: Internet giant Google has launched an app "Aero" that will aggregate all hyperlocal services and food delivery apps in the country. This is the first time that Google is entering the business of food delivery and home services in India. Google- Aero is an accreditor that provides services through other startups in the domain.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Australia abolishes 457 Visa Programme largely used by Indians: Australia has abolished the 457 Visa Programme used by thousands of temporary foreign workers, a majority of them Indians to address growing unemployment in that country. Instead, Australia wants to adopt ‘Australians first’ approach to skilled migration.

2. Turkey cabinet agrees to extend emergency after referendum: Turkey cabinet has agreed to extend for another three months the state of emergency imposed after last July's failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sagar Baheti: India’s first visually impaired athlete to complete Boston Marathon: Sagar Baheti has become the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston Marathon. The 2017 Boston Marathon has been recorded as the second hottest marathon in a decade.

2. India win 11 medals at US Open Karate Championship: India won a total of 11 medals, including three gold, two silver, and six bronze, at the recently-concluded US Open Karate Championship in Las Vegas. Sensei Yashpal Singh Kalsi, Abhishek Sengupta, Rantej Singh, Harcharan Singh Chowhan and Shaifali Agarwal were part of the five-member Indian team.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

3. SBI surpasses ONGC to become India’s most valuable PSU firm: State-run lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday surpassed energy firm ONGC to become the country’s most valuable public sector unit (PSU), in terms of market valuation. The market cap of SBI stood at ₹2.35 lakh crore, against ONGC’s ₹2.32 lakh crore. Among the top 10 most valued Indian companies, SBI is at the fifth position.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

4. Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’: An Indian environmental engineer  (46-year) has won 2017 'Cartier Women's Initiative Awards' here for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods.

She receives a USD 100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring.

5. Haryana PRIs selected for Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar-2017:  Five Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRI) of Haryana have been selected for the 'Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar-2017'. 'Bhalkhi Gram Panchayat' of Rewari district has been selected for 'Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar-2017.'

6. Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award: Rayappa Ramappa Hanchinal has been chosen for the sixth ‘Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award’ for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties. He is the Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, New Delhi.

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Daily GK Updates - 17th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flags-off first-ever train with glass roof coaches on Visakhapatnam-Araku route through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar: The aim is to provide a delightful travelling experience of the picturesque Araku valley.  It is a 40-seat coach with a cost of Rs. 3.38 crore.

2. The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) will launch its own portal and mobile app in New Delhi: The portal will act as a one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources under this scheme.  The gallery of the portal will provide a rich repository of the projects initiated under RUSA.

3. Supreme Court raps Sahara group over failure to deposit money, orders auction of Aamby Valley: The supreme Court Compelled to take strict action following the Sahara group’s non-submission of over Rs 5,000 crore, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the sale of the group’s luxurious AambyValley at Lonavala and appointed Bombay High Court’s official liquidator for selling the property. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal President to arrive in Delhi on five-day visit: Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari has arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015.

2. China to launch first cargo spacecraft for space lab: China’s first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is to be launched into space between April 20 and 24 to dock with the orbiting experimental space station. The cargo spacecraft was transferred with a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket from the testing centre to the launch zone in Wenchang, southern China’s Hainan Province.

3. Philippine President wins Time Magazine's Most Influential Person poll: Philippine President ‘Rodrigo Duterte’ has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world. US Sen. Bernie Sanders and Russian President Vladimir Putin won the reader poll in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. B Sai Praneeth clinches 2017 Singapore Open Super Series: Indian badminton player ‘B Sai Praneeth’(24-year) has won men’s single title, beating ‘Kidambi Srikanth’ (the world No 29) 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in the 2017 Singapore Open Badminton tournament.

2. Gayatri Pullela wins twin crowns in Jakarta: National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta.

3. Sebastian Vettel wins 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has won the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix, beating his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton.

OBITUARIES:

4. Internet Pioneer 'Robert Taylor' Passes Away: Pioneer of Modern Computing and the Internet'Robert Taylor' (85-year) has passed away at his home in Woodside, California, USA. Rob Taylor was instrumental in creating the internet and the modern personal computer.  Taylor's team also developed the networking technology Ethernet and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get word processing program called Bravo that would become the basis for Microsoft Word.

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Daily GK Updates - 16th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sale of whiteners, thinners to minors banned in Delhi: Juvenile Justice Board on Saturday ordered the Delhi government to issue a notification to ban the sale of whiteners, thinners and vulcanised solutions to children below the age of 18 years to check drug abuse. The board further asked the government to assign one de-addiction centre per district, observing that the existing centres in the national capital region are overcrowded.

2. Union Government launches Aadhaar Seeding Application: Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment launched Aadhaar Seeding Application. The Application aims efficient service delivery and widening the reach of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits. The Application was launched at the 217th special meeting of the Central Board of Employees Provident Fund (CBEPF/EPFO) in New Delhi.

3. Cab safety measures for women included in new Taxi Policy Guidelines: The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has recommended the safety measures concerning safety of women commuters availing of cab services. These measures have been recommended by the Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, WCD Minister, to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping (MoRTH). The Union WCD Minister has launched a hashtag, #HelpMeWCD, where any woman or child facing harassment/ violence can directly report their cases by tweeting.

4. MoU between NSFDC & Development Commissioner (Handlooms) signed: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) and the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) in New Delhi. The MoU was signed between the NSFDC under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Development and Commissioner (Handlooms) under the Union Ministry of Textiles.The objective of this MoU is to help Scheduled Caste weavers and their families by promoting the production and marketing of high value, quality handlooms products at Block level Cluster in various States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US successfully tests new nuclear gravity bomb: The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced that it along with the US Air Force successfully field-tested a modernised gravity nuclear bomb B61-12 on March 14 at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The test was intended to evaluate the weapon's "non-nuclear functions" and the aircraft's capability to deliver the weapon, NNSA said.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

1. Mukulita Vijayawargiya takes charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI: Mukulita Vijayawargiya  took charge as Whole Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi. Vijayawargiya will look after Administrative Law Wing of IBBI. She will also look after Information Technology, Limited Insolvency Examination, National Insolvency Examination, Finance and Accounts and Communication.

2. RBI issues new framework for bad loans: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new set of enabling provisions titled ‘Revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework’ to resolve the problem of banks mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. Under the revised framework, if a bank crosses the third level of risk threshold (where a bank’s common equity tier I capital falls below the threshold of 3.625 per cent by 3.125 per cent, or more) it will either be amalgamated or merged, or taken over by another entity.

3. Department of Post and SBI tie-up: They have tied up to promote SBI buddy e-wallet and POS machines through Post Office counters.

OBITUARIES:

4. Pioneering HIV/AIDS researcher Mark Wainberg passes away: Mark A. Wainberg was a Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. 

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Daily GK Updates - 15th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UP govt. & Centre sign MoU for 'Power for All' scheme: The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government and the union govt. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 'Power for All' scheme in the state to ensure that consumers get quality electricity at an affordable price. The aim of this scheme is to ensure 24-hour quality power supply in the state by October 2018 and electric connection to every house and agriculture field by 2019.

2. Chandrababu Naidu launches CM Connect app: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu has launched a new mobile app 'CM at Velagapudi. The app runs on Microsoft’s Kaizala platform. The app will be useful in receiving feedback from the public directly on any given issue.

3. Haryana launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety: The Haryana government has launched ‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women safety in the state. ‘Operation Durga’ has been launched so that ‘flying squads’ patrol those areas where such anti-social elements committed crimes against women.

Flying Squad will visit public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands and railway stations and caught persons indulging in crime activities against women like eve-teasing, stalking, harassment and other such activities.

4. Jharkhand police initiates Tare Zameen Par program for underprivileged kids: The Jharkhand Police has initiated ‘Tare Zameen Par program’ to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district, Jharkhand. This program is aimed to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives.

5. ISRO to share technology for manufacturing of Lithium-ion batteries for production of electric vehicles:  The government has directed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to share battery technology for mass production of Lithium-Ion batteries for electric vehicles. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under ISRO has developed indigenous technology to manufacture high-power batteries for use in two- and three-wheelers and their feasibility tests conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was found to be successful.

6. PM launches cashless/less cash township models across 12 states: Prime Minister has launched 81 cashless/less cash townships across 12 states in Nagpur. The model of cashless/less cash township was developed by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) under the auspices of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. GNFC’s township at Bharuch (Gujarat) had become India’s first 100% cashless township after demonetization.

7. Himachal Pradesh bags ‘Krishi Karman Award 2015-16’: The Union Ministry of Agriculture has selected Himachal Pradesh for the ‘Krishi Karman Award 2015-16’ for the commendable increase in food grains production.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Fully-airconditioned Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express inaugurated: The Railways Minister of Bangladesh Mazibul Hoque and Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla inaugurated a fully-airconditioned Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express train in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

2. India-Australia sports partnership launched: India and Australia on Wednesday started a partnership aimed at increasing cooperation in sports. It will advance India–Australia cooperation in four areas – athlete and coach training and development, sport science, sport governance and integrity, and grassroot participation.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Pankaj Advani beats Sourav Kothari to win Asian Billiards Championship title: The ace cueist ‘Pankaj Advani’ (31-year) has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. He defeated compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 to clinch the Asian Billiards Championship title in Chandigarh.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

2. India's exports jumps 27.6% in March: According to Commerce and Industry Ministry, India's exports grew by 27.6% to 29.23 billion dollars in March this year as compared to same period in last year. It grew on account of the robust performance by sectors like petroleum, textiles, engineering goods and gems and jewellery. Exports witnessed a growth of 4.71% at 274.64 billion dollars against 262.3 billion in 2015-16.

3. IRDAI launches web portal for insurers: The IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) has launched a web portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online. The portal also open to intermediaries in the insurance business.

4. Forex reserves down USD 956.4 mn to USD 368.998 bn: According to the Reserve Bank said(RBI), India's foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 956.4 million to USD 368.998 billion for the week ended April 7 due to fall in foreign currency assets.  Also, the Special Drawing Rights with the International Monetary Fund were down by USD 3.1 million to USD 1.443 billion.

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Daily GK Updates - 14th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prime Minister launches BHIM-Aadhaar platform: Prime Minister has launched BHIM-Aadhaar platform from Nagpur. BHIM-Aadhaar platform is the merchant interface of the BHIM App that has been launched for making digital payments using the Aadhaar platform. BHIM App was launched in December 2016 to provide a one-stop solution for all digital payments. The newly launched BHIM-Aadhaar platform will help people to pay digitally using their biometric data like thumb imprint on a merchant’s biometric enabled device like a smart phone or a biometric reader.

2. 127th Birth Anniversary of Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar celebrated: 127th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was celebrated at the Parliament House complex. The President, Vice President and Prime Minister paid floral tributes to the statue of Ambedkar present in the Parliament House Lawns. The celebrations were organized by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

3. ASCI issues guidelines for celebrities endorsing products: The advertising industry watchdog Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has come up with a set of guidelines for celebrities endorsing products. The guidelines have been developed to protect consumer interest while encouraging celebrities and advertisers to refrain from endorsing misleading advertisements.

4. Income Tax Department launches Operation Clean Money-II: The Income Tax department has launched the second phase of the ‘Operation Clean Money’ to investigate over 60,000 individuals with an aim to detect black money generation post demonetisation. The first phase of ‘Operation Clean Money’ was launched on January 31, 2017. In the first phase, the department went through e-verification of large cash deposits into the banks after the demonetisation and had sent online queries and investigated around 17.92 lakh persons.

5. Biggest conventional bomb in India is known as 'SPICE': The biggest conventional bomb that India has is called the 'Smart Precise Impact and Cost Effective' or SPICE bomb, which is under the command of the Indian Air Force. It is manufactured by Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd. The 2,000-pound bomb is a precision-guided bomb that can be carried on French-origin Mirage 2000 fighter jets.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal and China to conduct Sagarmatha Friendship-2017: Nepal and China is all set to hold their first ever joint military exercise named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ from April 17 to April 26. The 10 day long joint exercise will focus on combating terror and disaster management. This is the first time it is holding a joint exercise with China.        

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. PV Sindhu slips to 5th rank after 1st round exit in Malaysia: Shuttler PV Sindhu slipped three places to fifth rank in the latest Badminton World Federation rankings, following her first-round exit at the Malaysia Open last week. Sindhu had touched a career-best second rank last week after registering a victory at the India Open. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal remained at ninth place despite her first-round exit in the same tournament.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

2. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana crosses loan targets: Loans disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) have crossed its target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore in the financial year 2016-17. In this year’s budget, Rs 2.44 lakh crore has been set as a target for Mudra loans for the financial year 2017-18.

3. Service tax to move up from 15% to 18% under GST, says Adhia: Services sector could attract a higher tax rate of 18% from the current 15% under GST, thus making services “slightly” more expensive, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said.

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Daily GK Updates - 13th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM ‘Narendra Modi’ becomes the most followed world leader on Instagram: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most followed ‘world leader’ on photo-sharing app ‘Instagram’ with a whopping 6.9 million followers. He surpassed US President Donald Trump (6.3 million followers) and Pope Francis (3.7 million followers).

2. Justice Gita Mittal appointed as acting Chief justice of Delhi High Court: The senior-most judge of Delhi High Court Justice Gita Mittal has been appointed as the acting Chief justice of Delhi High Court.

3. 33 years to Operation Meghdoot: Operation Meghdoot was an Indian armed forces operation launched 33 years ago on 13 April 1984. It was an operation launched by Indian Armed Forces to capture the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir. The operation resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen glacier, giving India strategic advantage and also maintaining status quo.

4. Union Cabinet hikes MSP of raw jute by 300 per quintal: The union cabinet has approved hike of 300 per quintal in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for ‘raw jute’ by Rs. 300 (9.4 %) per quintal to Rs. 3,500 to boost farmer’s income. The decision will benefit the jute industry which supports the livelihood of 40 lakh farm families and provides direct employment to 3.7 lakh workers.

5. Union Power ministry launches URJA MITRA app: The Union Power ministry has launched ‘URJA MITRA’ app for empowering citizens by real-time information sharing on the power supply. The app is a first of its kind which provides a central platform, web-portal “urjamitra.com” as well as a mobile app for state power Distribution utilities.

6. Cabinet approves listing of 11 CPSEs: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved listing of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises. The CCEA has also approved reservation of shares for the eligible employees of 11 CPSEs in accordance with the extant provisions of Sebi regulations.

7. IIPE to be set up at Vishakhapatnam: The government has approved setting up of Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh as Institute of National Importance through an Act of Parliament.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kristin Davis appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador: The UN Refugee Agency ‘UNHCR’ has appointed internationally acclaimed American actress and philanthropist “Kristin Davis” as its Goodwill Ambassador.  UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) promotes the interests and welfare of refugees across the world.

2. UN chief Guterres names Achim Steiner as new administrator of UNDP: The United Nation chief ‘Antonio Guterres’ has named ‘Achim Steiner’ (Germany) as the new administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNDP seeks to reduce poverty, improve social development, and encourage women's empowerment.

3. Malala receives Canadian citizenship: Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai became the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.

4. G20 Digital Ministerial Meet: The G20 Digital Ministerial Meeting was held in Dusseldorf, Germany. It concluded with adaptation of declaration on ‘Shaping Digitalisation for an Interconnected World’.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Union Govt. sets up a panel to examine framework for Virtual Currencies: The circulation of Virtual Currencies which are also known as Digital and Crypto Currencies has been a cause of concern. The Committee will submit its report within three months.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Amazon to launch its digital wallet: Amazon India has received a payments wallet license from the Reserve Bank of India. The US retailer is looking to allow users to shop on its platform, make offline payments, buy bus and rail tickets and pay for utilities through its digital wallet.

3. Nokia to partner with Airtel, BSNL: Nokia will partner with Airtel and BSNL for developing 5G networks in India. 5G is supposed to be the next level of evolution in wireless broadband technology, but at speeds which are much higher than the current 4G LTE networks.

BOOKS & AUTHORS:

4. Asha Parekh’s autobiography: Asha Parekh’s autobiography, The Hit Girl , was launched by Salman Khan in Mumbai on April 12. The autobiography is written with Khalid Mohamed.

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Daily GK Updates - 12th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM releases LS Speaker’s book ‘Matoshree’: Prime Minister ‘Narendra Modi’ has released a book ‘Matoshree' authored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi. The book 'Matoshree' covers the life and times of legendary ‘Devi Ahilyabai Holker’ who ruled the Holkar Empire spread over the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795.

2. National Geoscience Awards 2016: National Geoscience Awards, previously known as the National Mineral Awards, was instituted by the Ministry of Mines in 1966, to honour individuals and teams of scientists for their extraordinary work in fundamental, applied geosciences, mining and allied fields.

3. Jamini Roy’s 130th Birth Anniversary: Jamini Roy was an Indian painter. He was one of the most famous pupils of Abanindranath Tagore, whose artistic originality and contribution to the emergence of modern art in India remains unquestionable.

4. National Hindi Sevi Samman Awards announced: Director of the Central Hindi Institute, N.K. Pandey has announced the names of 26 writers from different categories for the prestigious ‘Hindi Sevi Samman Award 2015’. The ‘Hindi Sevi Samman Awards’ were instituted by Central Hindi Institute, Agra in 1989.

5. Kiren Rijiju inaugurates 2-day NDMP review workshop in Delhi: The workshop has been organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Discussions at this workshop will form a part of the deliberations at the upcoming National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR).

6. India & Georgia signed a joint statement on free trade agreement: The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia ‘GiorgiGakharia’ and the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry ‘Nirmala Sitharaman’ have signed a Joint Statement on the launching of the Joint Feasibility Study on the bilateral Free Trade Agreement. The purpose of establishing the Joint Feasibility Study Group is to provide an opportunity for more in-depth and systematic examination of potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

7. SCOPE Awards: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) Awards at the 8th Public Sector Day function held in New Delhi. The President said that celebrating this Day is an acknowledgement of the invaluable contribution made by our Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) since independence.

8. 1st time Ranking of Ports on Sanitation: For the first time ever, the twelve major ports under the Ministry of Shipping have been ranked on sanitation parameters. Haldia and Vizag  ports bagged the first and second ranks respectively.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. 12th April: International Day of Human Space Flight: The United Nations (UN) celebrates the International Day of Human Space Flight on 12th April every year. The day remembers the first human space flight by ‘Yuri Gagarin’ on 12th April,1961.

It was proclaimed at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 7th April, 2011.

2. Egypt declares three-month state of emergency: President of Egypt 'Abdel Fattah el-Sisi' has announced a three-month state of emergency following attacks on two Coptic churches. The measure needs to be approved by the parliament before it is implemented.

3. 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram Celebrated in London: The centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's ‘Sabarmati Ashram’ has been celebrated in London with the screening of a documentary to re-tell Gandhi's story. The documentary 'Sabarmati Ashram- The Home of Gandhi's Experiments with Truth was screened at the Nehru Centre.

4. Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations at UN: Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations at the UN will focus on the empowerment of the poor and the marginalised using information and communication technologies to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals. The theme of the 126th Birth Anniversary of Ambedkar, at the UN reflects his vision of “equality, social justice and empowerment of the poor and the marginalised sections of the society”.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India School team beat Malaysia to lift ‘Asian School Hockey Championship’: The Indian School team beat Malaysia (defending champion) 5-1 to lift the title at the fifth Asian School Hockey Championship at the Aishbagh Stadium, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. NABARD to raise ₹7,000 crore: To give a fillip to affordable rural housing, the Nabard is planning to raise ₹7,000 crore, which in turn will be deployed with a Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) special purpose vehicle (SPV) that will undertake projects under the aegis of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G). The PMAY-G aims to provide a pucca (permanent) house with basic amenities to all homeless by 2022.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

3. ICIJ wins Pulitzer for Panama Papers: The Pulitzer Prizes honoured International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) for its work on Panama Papers. The ICIJ spearheaded a team of over 300 reporters, spread across six continents, to expose the offshore tax havens used by high-profile individuals across the world

BOOKS & AUTHORS:

4. Book - ‘Hope in a challenged democracy’: ‘Hope in a challenged democracy’ An Indian narrative’ authored by Shri Ashwini Kumar. The volume is a collection of speeches and writings that have a wide sweep ranging from law and Constitution to democratic institutions, economic changes, and foreign relations.

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