Daily GK Updates - 6th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maharajas’ Express to begin new circuits 'Southern Sojourn' & 'Southern Jewels': Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to launch two new circuits (Southern Sojourn & Southern Jewels) of its flagship luxury train Maharajas' Express this year. The ‘Southern Sojourn’ will cover Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Ernakulam, Kumarakom and Trivandrum. The ‘Southern Jewel’ will cover Chettinad, Mahabalipuram, Mysore Hampi and Goa. 

2. Madhya Pradesh assembly declares 'Narmada' living entity: The Madhya Pradesh govt. has passed a resolution granting river Narmada (1312-km-long) the status of a living entity and committed itself to the protection of its legal rights. Earlier in its judgment, the Uttarakhand High Court had declared Ganga, Yamuna and their tributaries living entities with the status of a legal person.

3. 34 MoUs worth Rs 2 lakh crores signed at India Integrated Transport & Logistic Summit: According to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, MoUs worth 2 lakh crore Rupees have been signed at three-day India Integrated Transport and Logistic Summit in New Delhi. Total 34 investment pacts committed and more than 15 pertain to setting up multi-modal logistics parks by state governments.

4. Assam declared as ‘Disturbed’ Area under AFSPA for 3 more months: The government has declared the entire Assam as a “disturbed” area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for another 3 months. As per the notification, the entire Assam besides bordering areas of Meghalaya has been declared as “Disturbed Areas”. In addition, the government has placed three districts of Arunachal Pradesh, namely, Tirap, Changlang and Longding and other areas falling under 16 police stations bordering Assam as “disturbed” area under the AFSPA.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China’s C919 Passenger Jet completed its Maiden Flight: China’s home-grown C919 passenger jet has completed its maiden flight. China’s C919 is a symbol of China’s ambitions to take market share from Boeing and Airbus in the lucrative global jet market estimated to be worth $2 trillion over the next two decades. It is a part of China’s broader “Made in China 2025” plan aimed at boosting its domestic high-tech manufacturing.

2. Nepal's Supreme Court orders reinstatement of Chief Justice Sushila Karki: Nepal's first woman Chief Justice Sushila Karki has resumed office after the Supreme Court (SC) ordered her reinstatement and directed Parliament to put on hold the impeachment motion against her. The court issued the order saying that the impeachment move was against the spirit of the country's Constitution.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Lionel Messi's suspension lifted by FIFA: The world soccer's ruling body FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) has lifted a four-match international suspension on Argentina forward Lionel Messi. Earlier, he was banned for insulting an assistant referee during a qualifier against Chile in March. The decision based on television images as the incident was missed by match officials.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. RBI makes substantial changes in norms for dealing with stressed loans: The Reserve bank of India (RBI) has made substantial changes in the norms for dealing with stressed loans and warned the banks they will be penalized for missing Non-Performing Assets (NPA) resolution timelines. Any non-adherence to these instructions and timelines specified under the Framework shall attract monetary penalties on the concerned banks. Earlier, the union government has notified an ordinance empowering the Reserve Bank to issue directions to banks to initiate insolvency resolution process in case of a default under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

3. Heads of 7 PSU Banks Appointed: In a major restructuring in the banking sector, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed heads of seven public sector banks besides shifting managing directors of PNB and Bank of India. PNB Managing Director (MD) Usha Ananthasubramanian has been appointed as the head of Kolkata-based Allahabad Bank. Melwyn Rego of Bank of India will head the Syndicate Bank. Rajkiran Rai G, currently executive director of Oriental Bank of Commerce will head Union Bank of India as its MD and CEO for a period of three years. R Subramaniakumar, currently executive director of Indian Overseas Bank, has been made as its MD and CEO. Sunil Mehta, currently the executive director of Corporation Bank will head the PNB in place of Usha Ananthasubramanian. The executive director of Canara Bank Dinabandhu Mohapatra will be the MD and CEO of Bank of India. R A Sankara Narayanan, currently executive director of BoI will be the MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank.

4. RBI tightens Rules for JLFs: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened the rules around making the Joint Lenders’ Forum (JLF) more effective, directing banks not to break any rules and to meet all deadlines. The RBI has said that any breach of rules would attract a monetary penalty.

Daily GK Updates - 5th May, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Patanjali Research Institute in Haridwar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Patanjali Research Institute at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Patanjali Research Institute has been established by Patanjali Yogpeeth with an aim to globally establish the Great Vedic knowledge of Ayurveda of our ancient India's saints and sages. An amount of Rs. 2000 crore was spent on building the Patanjali Research Centre.

2. Over 2 crore LPG connections given under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY): The PMUY scheme has been implemented across 600 districts in the country and LPG distribution process has been integrated through digital Platforms. 4600 new distributors were added in the last 3 years primarily in the rural areas. Last 3 years saw 10% growth in LPG demand and 38% beneficiaries of the scheme belong to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

3. Draft Rules for No Fly List for Banning Unruly Passengers Unveiled: The government has released draft rules for a ‘no-fly list’ for banning unruly passengers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had set up a committee to come up with the final draft of the new set of rules. The new rules would be opened for public comments for a period of one month. After receiving comments, the civil aviation ministry would study the comments and then will release the final Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

4. SAMPADA Scheme for re-structuring the schemes of MoFPI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved re-structuring the schemes of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) under new Central Sector Scheme called as SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) for the time period 2016-20.

5. BB Kumar appointed new ICSSR chairman: The union Human Resource Development ministry has appointed  Braj Bihari Kumar as the new chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) for a term of three years.

6. New Chairmen appointed: Chairman of Tea Board of India and Chairman of Coffee Board of India: Prabhat Kamal Bezboruah has been appointed as the Chairman of the Tea Board of India (till November 2018). Renowned coffee grower M S Boje Gowda has been appointed as Chairman of the Coffee Board of India (till December 2018).

7. India launches South Asia Satellite GSAT-9: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) carrying GSAT-9, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The main goal of the GSAT-9 satellite is to provide communication channels and meet the telecommunication needs of the SAARC nations.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China to launch its own encyclopedia as a rival to Wikipedia: China has the plan to launch its own online encyclopedia next year rivaling Wikipedia and Britannica (Britain’s Encyclopedia). The main objective of this project is to guide public thought. China fears that its citizens who use Wikipedia are being corrupted by foreign influences. Around 20,000 scholars and academics have been tasked to create more than 300,000 entries before launch in 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Union Sports Ministry announces changes in National Youth Awards: The Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Vijay Goel has revamped the National Youth Awards (NYA) to promote transparency in the selection process. The number of Awards in the Organization category has now been increased from one to ten and the prize money is now two lakhs with a Trophy and Certificate.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Quikr acquires home services start-up Zimmber: Online classifieds company Quikr has announced the acquisition of on-demand household services provider Zimmber. Zimmber will benefit from synergies with Quikr Services and other Quikr verticals. 

Daily GK Updates - 4th May, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES: 

1.  Indore ranked the cleanest city in India: The Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has announced the Swachh Survekshan 2017 Report, Indore (Madhya Pradesh) is the cleanest city in India in the survey. Bhopal is ranked second and Vishakhapatnam is in the third position. Gonda (Uttar Pradesh) has been ranked as the dirtiest city among surveyed. The 'Swachh Survekshan' was commissioned in 434 cities and towns which saw the participation of 37 lakh citizens.

2. Gadkari inaugurates The Highway Saga, SRISHTI exhibitions: The Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari inaugurated two exhibitions (the Highway Saga Past Present and Future and Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transforming India) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The Highway Saga exhibition will depict the evolution of road transport in India.

3. Cabinet clears ordinance to tackle bad loans of banks: The Union Cabinet has cleared the ordinance to amend Banking Regulation Act for the issue of Non-Performing Assets (NPA) in the banking system. The Banking Regulation Act will give more powers to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and its committees to act on behalf of banks while deciding on NPAs.

4. Union Cabinet Clears New National Steel Policy: The Union Cabinet has approved the National Steel Policy (NSP)-2017 to encourage the steel sector. The policy aims to enhance domestic steel consumption and transform Indian steel industry into a technologically advanced and globally competitive steel industry.

5. Vijayawada Airport becomes International Airport: The Union Cabinet has approved the declaration of Vijayawada Airport as International Airport, as per the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Vijayawada airport is currently undergoing infrastructural upgradation and improvement in facilities for international operations.

6. MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurates world-level weapon production unit, Punj Lloyd Defence System: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has inaugurated the world level weapon production unit, Punj Lloyd Defence System, at Bhind district in the state. It is the first small weapon manufacturing unit in private sector in the country. It has been set up in the joint partnership of Punj Lloyd and Israel Weapon Industry under the Make in India Programme.

7. Banganapalle Mango of Andhra Pradesh gets GI Tag: The Registrar of Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, has accorded GI Tag for the much famed Banganapalle Mango of Andhra Pradesh. Henceforth, Andhra Pradesh government will be the registered proprietor of the GI tag for Banganapalle mangoes.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal Dy PM Bimalendera Nidhi withdraws his resignation: Nepal Deputy Prime Minister & Home Minister Bimalendera Nidhi has withdrawn his resignation after a meeting the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at Kathmandu. Earlier, he had resigned expressing dissatisfaction over registration of impeachment motion in Parliament against Chief Justice Sushila Karki.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India Ranked 100th in FIFA Rankings: As per the updated FIFA world football rankings, the Indian national football has managed to secure a 100th spot and entered into the top 100 of FIFA rankings. This is the first time in 21 years that India has been ranked into top 100.

BANKING & FINANCE

2. Global gold demand declined by 18% during the first quarter of 2017: According to the World Gold Council's latest Gold Demand Trends report, Global gold demand declined by 18% during the first quarter of 2017.

3. ADB predicts 7.4 percent growth for Indian economy this fiscal: According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Indian economy will grow 7.4% this fiscal, and 7.6% in the next fiscal. India had grown 7.1% in the previous fiscal.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

4. Shabana Azmi starrer 'The Black Prince' awarded at film fest in Houston: The Hollywood film The Black Prince starring singer-poet Satinder Sartaaj and actress Shabana Azmi has been awarded the Special Jury Remi Award at the 50th annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (WHIFF). The film is a historic biopic on the poignant life story of the last king of Punjab, Maharajah Duleep Singh and his relationship with Queen Victoria.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd May, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Madhya Pradesh becomes 1st state to shift to January to December financial year: Madhya Pradesh has become the first Indian state to switch to the January-December financial year from existing April-March cycle. A decision to this effect has been taken at the state cabinet meeting in Bhopal. This will break a 150-year old tradition of adopting the financial year from April to March.

2. India’s Second Tallest Flag Pole inaugurated in Kolhapur: India’s second tallest flag pole (303 feet high) in Kolhapur (Maharashtra). The pole has been constructed in the Police training academy garden as a part of the Kolhapur beautification project. The country’s tallest flag pole (360 feet high) is located at the Indo-Pak Attari Border.

3. AIIB grants $160 mn for Andhra Pradesh Power project: China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved USD 160 million loan for a power project in Andhra Pradesh, the first credit from the bank for an Indian project.

The AIIB, in which India is the second largest shareholder after China, has approved the project with the objective to strengthen the power transmission and distribution system in Andhra Pradesh, said a bank statement.

4. Indian army successfully test fires Block-III version of BrahMos cruise missile: Indian Army (IA) has successfully test-fired an advanced (Block-III) version of the BrahMos land-attack cruise missile from a mobile autonomous launcher (MAL)in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The missile has been developed by the ‘BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited’, a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) India.

5. Govt. to set up Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra at Rajghat: The union government will set up ‘Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra’ under Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajghat in New Delhi. Under the mission, around four crore individual toilets have been created.

6. Mr. Anthony Lianzuala: New Controller General of Accounts: Anthony Lianzuala took over as the New Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, in New Delhi. A graduate from the Hindu College of Delhi University, he is highly credited for his IT initiatives in the North-Eastern Region.

7. Mallikarjun Kharge appointed as new chairman of PAC: Mallikarjun Kharge is the new chairman of the 21-member (14 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 'World Press Freedom Day' being observed today: The ‘World Press Freedom Day’ is observed on 3rd May every year across the world to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The theme of the year  2017  is ‘Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies’.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE

1. Infosys Finacle and the Commercial Bank of Qatar have completed a pilot on the “first ever” cloud-based blockchain network to process international remittances: The bank, along with its subsidiary Alternatifbank (ABank) in Turkey, and its associates National Bank of Oman and United Arab Bank in the UAE, have formed a grid for routing cross-border business transactions across the India-GCC corridor.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

2. IREDA to raise $300 million: The government’s principal clean energy financing arm, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) seeks to raise at least $150 million through Masala bonds. This issuance will have a Green shoe Option to retain over-subscription up to $150 million. The proceeds from the fund raise will be used for lending to renewable energy projects in accordance with IREDA’s Green Bond Framework, approved by the Climate Bonds Initiative, UK.

3. SEBI sets up panel on cyber security: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has set up a high-level panel on cyber security to suggest measures to safeguard the capital markets from attacks. The four-member committee would be chaired by Madhabi Puri Buch, whole-time member at SEBI. The panel will oversee and provide overall guidance on cyber security initiatives to the regulator and for the entire capital market.

4. UN report says India expected to achieve 7.1% growth this year: According to a UN report, the economic growth for India is projected to be stable at 7.1% in 2017 before edging up to 7.5% in 2018.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd May, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar to launch Vidya - Veerta Abhiyan: Today, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched a nationwide ‘Vidya - Veerta Abhiyan’ to encourage Universities todisplay portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers at a function in New Delhi. The aim of this Abhiyan is to inspire a sense of patriotism and nationalism among students. The ‘Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan’ to create walls of heroes - displaying the portraits of the heroes in institutions of higher learning. The Vice Chancellors (VC) from Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU), Delhi University(DU), Jamia Milia Islamia, Jammu and IIT Delhi, among others, will receive the portraits from the Minister to put it in their educational institutions.

2. Jaitley hands over DRDO developed devices to forces:  The union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over a number of devices like NDRF included 'E-Nasika', a hand-held equipment which is capable of rapid detection of chemical agents well below their toxic limits to National Security Guard (NSG), Delhi Police (DP) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The devices developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).

3. DoT launches portal for info on mobile tower radiation: The Telecom Minister 'Manoj Sinha' has launched a 'Tarang Sanchar' portal that will allow people to track radiation emitted from mobile towers within a locality and check their compliance with the stipulated norms. The site will help in clearing "myths and misconceptions" about mobile towers and emissions from them. The portal will empower consumers to know the towers working in a particular area, and whether they are compliant to the Electromagnetic field (EMF) emission norms defined by the government.

4. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launches Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan: The Minister for Human Resource and Development, Prakash Javadekar has launched Students for soldiers- a nationwide Vidya – Veerta Abhiyan to encourage Universities and educational institutions across the country to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers. The portraits of Param Veer Chakra decorated soldiers were handed over to the Vice Chancellors of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jammu and IIT Delhi, among others, to put it in their educational institutions. The “wall of heroes” depicting portraits of brave soldiers who showed exemplary bravery in defending the nation is expected to instil a sense of patriotism and nationalism among students

5. Department of Telecommunications launches Portal for Information on Mobile Tower Radiation: The Department of Telecommunications has launched a web portal called the ‘Tarang Sanchar’ web portal that will allow tracking of radiation emitted from mobile towers within their locality and check for their compliance with the Electromagnetic field (EMF) emission norms defined by the government. The web portal is aimed at myths and misconceptions about mobile towers and emissions from them.

6. Tejas Express: New Premier Train between Mumbai and Goa: Indian Railways is expected to launch a new 20 coach premier train called the Tejas Express connecting Mumbai and Goa in June. The Tejas service aims to provide comfort to passengers in the inter-city journeys. Once the Mumbai-Goa run becomes operational, the Railways is likely to extend the Tejas service in Delhi-Chandigarh route. The Tejas service was promised in the Union Railway Budget 2016-17.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India & Turkey sign three agreements: India and Turkey have sign three agreements on diplomacy, cultural exchange and on telecommunication during delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Erdogan. It is the first official trip at the presidential level from Turkey to India in seven years. The visiting dignitary held wide-ranging talks with President Pranab Mukherjee on key bilateral and regional issues.

2. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro calls for new constituent body: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro will form a new constituent National Assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution. The new body will be made up of pro-government worker's groups along with civic society groups. Only half of the 500-member assembly, or less, would be elected and political parties would not participate.

3. India-Turkey inks Three Agreements: India and Turkey have signed three agreements following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first foreign visit after winning the April 16 referendum that will transform Turkey into a presidential form of democracy. The previous visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to India was made in 2008. In total three agreements were signed by both the sides in the fields of ICT, training and culture.

Ø  An agreement for a cultural exchange programme for the years 2017-2020 was signed.

Ø  A MoU was signed between the Foreign Services Institute (FSI) of India and the Diplomacy Academy of Turkey.

Ø  A MoU was signed for cooperation in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also assured India of Turkey’s full support in the fight against terrorism and for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. During his visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was conferred the Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the Jamia Millia Islamia university for “his contribution to strengthen international cooperation, peace and diplomacy as well as for his extraordinary humanitarian aid to millions of refugees.”

OTHER UPDATES: 

SPORTS:

1.  Hockey India recommends Sardar Singh for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Hockey India has recommended senior player and former captain Sardar Singh for India's highest sporting honor, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. SV Sunil, Dharamvir Singh, and Deepika have been recommended for the Arjuna Award while RP Singh and Sumrai Tete have been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award. Coaches Sandeep Sangwan and Romesh Pathania have been recommended for the Dronacharya Award.

A committee of Sports Ministry will decide on the recommendations made by the respective sports federation.

2. Joshna Chinappa becomes first Indian to win Asian Squash title: Joshna Chinappa has become the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title with a thrilling win over Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the women's final in Chennai. Chinappa held off a fighting Pallikal 13-15, 12-10, 11-13, 11-4, 11-4 in 78 minutes to win the title.

NATIONAL APPOINTMENT:

3. Shobana Kamineni is the new CII President: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has announced Ms. Shobana Kamineni (Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd.) as the new President of CII for the year 2017-18. She takes over from Dr. Naushad Forbes (Co-Chairman, Forbes Marshall Limited). Shobana is an active member of CII and has been a recipient of prestigious national awards for Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Ms. Kamineni holds a B.A. in Economics from Stella Maris College, Chennai and an accelerated Diploma in Hospital Administration from Columbia University, New York.

4. Anthony Lianzuala takes over as Controller General of Accounts: Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer (1982-batch) Anthony Lianzuala took over as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Union Ministry of Finance, in New Delhi. He is the First person from the North-Eastern Region to hold this position. Shri Lianzuala's earlier roles include positions in Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Ministries of Information & Broadcasting, Consumer Afairs, Food & Public Distribution, Commerce, and Rural Development.

OBITUARIES:

5. Sufi legend Begum Yaman passes away: Famous Sufi singer ‘Begum Yaman K. Khan’ (52-year) passed away after multiple organ failures. She was the daughter of legendary Sitar Maestro (late) ‘Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan’. Begum Yaman used to sing all forms of Indian semi-classical music and was probably the only female singer in India of Sufi style of music in its purest form. She was the recipient of ‘Hasrat Amir Khusrao Award’ by Urdu Press Club International and an award for her excellence and contribution to semi-classical and Sufiana kalam by Balkan-Ji-Bari International.

HONORS & AWARDS:

6. Andhra Pradesh CM ‘Chandrababu Naidu’ bags USIBC award: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister ‘Chandrababu Naidu’ has been selected for the  Transformative Chief Minister Award' in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level. The award would be presented at the USIBC West Coast Summit in the Silicon Valley on 8th May 2017. Last year’s recipient of this award was CEO of Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant.