Daily GK Updates - 11th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. National Technology Day: Every year May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day. It is the day to commemorate the first of the five nuclear tests that were carried out on 11 May 1998.On 11 May 1998, Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) was initiated with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. Following the Pokhran-II tests, India became the sixth country to join the nuclear club. Theme of National Technology Day – “Technology for inclusive and sustainable growth”

2. Bengaluru tops list of most affordable tech cities worldwide: According to the Savills Tech Cities Index Bengaluru is the most affordable tech cities in the world followed by Cape Town and Santiago. Overall rank of Bengaluru was 20th on the list of 22 cities that were evaluated. Bengaluru is at the 17th position in terms of talent pool, the list is topped by Boston.

3.  Sanjay Mitra appointed as new Defense Secretary: The appointments Committee of the cabinet has approved the appointment of senior IAS officer (1982-West Bengal cadre) Sanjay Mitra (58- year) as the new defence secretary for two years tenure.

He will take over as the secretary after G Mohan Kumar (incumbent) completes his tenure on 24th May.

4. Ahmedabad to host biggest ever International Yoga Day event: According to the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev ‘Ahmedabad’ will host the biggest ever International Yoga Day event on the 21st June this year. About 5 lakh people will be participate in the event. This will be a non-political programme in partnership with Gujarat government which will also involve various social organizations.

5. Home min to inaugurate two mobile apps: Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated two important mobile applications MHA Grievances Redressal App and BSFMyApp in New Delhi. All the Paramilitary Force jawans and BSF personnel will be able to raise their problems on BSFMyApp. These problems will be settled at the level of the Force and Ministry. It is being tried that this app cannot be hacked.

6. First de-addiction centre for women: Punjab is all set to get its first government-run women drug de-addiction centre in the state. The 15-bedded centre, which is likely to become operational by next month, will come up in Kapurthala district. Currently, no government facility exists in the state which is meant exclusively for women drug addicts.

7. Liveability Index of cities: Ministry of Urban Development will launch measuring of Liveability Index of cities next month based on indigenously evolved Index. To start with, standards of 140 cities including 53 cities with population of 1 million and above and Smart Cities will be assessed. Cities will be assessed on 15 core parameters relating to Governance, security etc and will be ranked based on 79 aspects.

8. Railways to acquire EoTT system: The Indian Railways has planned to acquire the End of Train Telemetry equipments to run nearly 1000 trains without guards in the current fiscal. The EoTT system will help in establishing communication between the locomotive driver and the last wagon of the train and ensure that the train is running as a complete unit. Railways has floated global tenders of Rs. 100 crore.

9. DIPAM launches online investor facilitation platform: The Finance Ministry has set up an Investor Facilitation Platform to provide information about stocks of public sector units. The platform will be an interactive forum for all stakeholders, including investors, investment banks, law firms, public sector units and administrative ministries that are involved in stake sales. All users will have to register on the platform, which will then be authorized by Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UN court to hold public hearing on Kulbhushan execution: The International Court of Justice has announced that it will conduct public hearings on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence in Pakistan. India claims that Pakistan had abducted Jadhav from Iran and falsely accused him of spying for India.

2. Russia’s 72nd Victory Day Parade: Over 10,000 Russian troops on Tuesday marched with ballistic missiles, armoured tanks, and new aircraft systems to mark Victory Day. Victory Day commemorates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day Parade was recently took place in Red Square in Moscow.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. NBA opens its first academy in India: The National Basketball Association has opened its first academy in India. An elite basketball training center at Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in Greater Noida was officially thrown open for the upcoming male and female talent of the country.

2. India's Harpreet Singh wins bronze in Greco-Roman weight category: India's Harpreet Singh has won a bronze medal in Greco-Roman weight divisions of Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. He beat his rival Jun Ji Na(China) in 80 kg category. Gurpreet had earlier entered the bronze medal play-off round of Greco-Roman weight divisions in the 75 Kg category.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Apple acquires sleep tracking company Beddit: Apple has acquired Beddit, a Finnish company that makes sleep-tracking devices. Apple will reportedly integrate Beddit’s sleep-tracking technology with the Apple Watch as it explores the health and wellness market.

4. Dangal becomes highest grossing Indian film in China: Dangal has become the highest grossing Indian film in China, after earning Rs. 148.67 crore within a week of its release. Dangal replaced PK that had made Rs123 crore to be highest grossing Indian film in China. Director of Dangal – Nitesh Tiwari.

Daily GK Updates - 10th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Vikram Vishal has won the Indian National Science Academy medal for Young Scientists, 2017: He is an assistant professor in the Earth Sciences department at IIT-B. He has been awarded a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 and a bronze medal.

2. PM Modi launches ICMIS: Integrated Case Management Information System (ICMIS) will help the Supreme Court go paperless. It will help bring transparency, reduce manipulation and help the litigant know about the progress of the case on a real time basis.

3. India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica: India has decided to replace the Maitri research station in Antarctica with a new one in the next three to four years. India is poised to expand its research activity and a new ship, with special ice-cutting facility, will be procured for the purpose. India does not have laws for Antarctica and is currently governed by international laws.

4. SC to begin hearing on triple talaq from May 11^th: The Supreme Court will commence hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of ‘triple talaq’, ‘nikahhalala’ and polygamy practices among Muslims. Chief Justice of India JS Khehar will head the bench.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IMF warns Asia of its rapidly ageing population: IMF called on Asian economies to learn from Japan’s experience and act early to cope with rapidly aging populations. The population growth rate is projected to fall to zero for Asia by 2050. The challenges are particularly huge for Japan, which faces both an aging and shrinking population. Its labour force shrank by more than 7 percent in the past two decades.

2. Moon Jae-in wins South Korea presidential election: Moon Jae in is the 12th President of South Korea. He is a former human rights attorney and student activist. He is preceded by Park Geunhye who was impeached due to corruption charges.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. FIBA revises earlier rule banning headgears: International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has revised its earlier rule banning players from wearing headgear. It will enable India's Sikh players to wear turbans and play in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers in China.

Daily GK Updates - 9th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maharashtra government has imposed a ban over selling and serving foods high in fats, sugar and salt in school canteens: Schools have been asked to replace food items with healthy food such as whole grain, home-made rotis, parathas, rice, etc.
Although the Delhi high court and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had curbed junk food in schools in 2015 and 2016, no such regulations or guidelines were in place in Maharashtra until now.

2. 200 airports to be brought under regional air connectivity: Under the UDAN regional air connectivity scheme, 33 airports have been already included since its launch in addition to 75 taking the total to 108. There will be multiple rounds of bidding. All Greenfield airports would be built through the PPP route.

3. Konkona Sen Sharma wins Best Actress award for ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’: Konkona Sen Sharma has been named the Best Actress for the film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ at the 17th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival. She also received the Best Director award for her directorial debut, ‘A Death in the Gunj’. Director of Lipstick under my burkha – Alankrita Shrivastava

4. Sachin Tendulkar welcomes INS Tarkash to London: INS Tarkash, under the command of Captain Rituraj Sahu, set sail from Mumbai last month
INS Tarkash, a state of the art stealth ship. It is in the UK for naval exercises and to mark UK India Year of Culture 2017. It is the first time an Indian stealth frigate has docked at Canary Wharf in London.

5. India top user of WhatsApp video calls: WhatsApp has revealed that India is the top user of its video calling feature in terms of time spent. Indians are making 5 crore minutes of video calls daily. WhatsApp users globally make34 crore minutes of video calls every day. CEO of Whatsapp – Jan Koum. WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for US$19 billion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India unanimously elected as President of UN-Habitat: India has been unanimously elected as the President of UN-Habitat. The UN-Habitat promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across the world. It is only the third time that India has been elected to lead this important organization after 2007 and 1988.

2. Sohail Mahmood to be Pakistan’s new envoy to India: Mahmood is a top diplomat of Pakistan and will replace Abdul Basit.
Mahmood is currently Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey,

3. Venu Rajamony has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands: He is currently press secretary to President of India.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Jhulan Goswamibecomes the leading wicket taker in women’s ODIs: With 181 wickets Jhulan Goswami is the leading wicket taker. She over took former Australia pacer Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s (tally of 180). She has been awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. India to grow at 7.7 per cent in 2018-19: IMF: According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's growth is expected to rebound to 7.2% in the 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7% in 2018-19 after disruptions caused by demonetization.

Daily GK Updates - 8th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s 1st bio refinery plant inaugurated in Pune: The plant will produce ethanol from variety of biomass. The project is situated at Rahu in Pune district.

2. Justice CS Karnansentences Chief Justice of India to 5 yrs in jail: Calcutta High Court Judge C.S. Karnan has sentenced 8 Supreme Court judges to five years of “rigorous imprisonment” and imposed a fine of Rs. 1,00,000 each under SC/ST Act of 1989 and the amended Act of 2015. He said that the eight “shall undergo the sentence concurrently” and “fine amount shall be paid within a period of one week to the National Commission, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Constitutional body.

3. Odisha to introduce boat ambulances: Odisha will introduce boat ambulance service in four districts where people face difficulties in getting health service. The service will be available in the districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Kendrapara and Kalahandi. IIT, Chennai is providing technical support to this project

4. Every house to get smart ID in Haryana: The teams of Saksham and e-Numerator would visit houses to feed their GPS location in tablets and create smart house IDs online and link each house with biometric in Haryana. During the survey, the address of each house, photo, location, details of the owner of house, electricity connection, water connection, details of electronic devices, bank account numbers, IFSC code, Aadhaar and personal details would be gathered.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Red Cross Day: May 8:  Every year May 8 is celebrated as World Red Cross day. It is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.This date is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant, the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize. Theme of 2017 World Red Cross Day – “Less Known Red Cross Stories”

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Olive Ridley to be mascot of Asian Athletics: The Chief Minister of Odisha ‘Naveen Patnaik’ has released the logo and mascot of the ‘Asian Athletics Championships’ in presence of Olympians PT Usha and Anju Bobby George. More than 700 athletes from nearly 45 countries would participate in 42 sports events during the four-day sports extravaganza.

2. Great Britain wins Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Cup 2017: Great Britain has won the ‘Sultan Azlan Shah Cup’ after a gap of 23 years with a rousing 4 -3 victory in the final against Australia (defending champions) at Ipoh in Malaysia.

3. Devender Singh becomes 2nd Indian javelin thrower to qualify for world championship: Devender Singh has become the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to qualify for the world championships to be held in London. Devender Singh is a javelin thrower.

4. Heena Sidhu wins bronze medal in the Womens 10m Air Pistol: Heena Sidhu settled for the bronze medal in the Womens 10m Air Pistol category of the 48th Grand Prix of Liberation Plzen Shooting championships. She is the first Indian Pistol shooter to be Ranked World No.1 by ISSF.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

5. ONGC Videsh Ltd. produces record 12.6 million tons of crude oil in 2016-17: The overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC Videsh Limited) has produced a record 12.6 million tons of crude oil and equivalent gas from its assets abroad in 2016-17. The output was up from 8.92 million tons of oil and oil equivalent gas in 2015-16.

Daily GK Updates - 7th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Security forces conduct biggest combing operation in Kashmir since 90s: In view of growing attacks on policemen and incidents of bank robberies, a massive ”cordon and combing” operation had been launched by the security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The massive door-to-door joint search operation launched by the Army, paramilitary and J&K Police is probably the biggest such exercise in the past 15 years in the violence-hit South Kashmir.

2. India opens small arms manufacturing unit in MP in a joint venture with Israel: Strengthening defence ties, India has opened its first private small arms manufacturing plant at Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh in a joint venture with Israel. The JV company, Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems Pvt Ltd, will manufacture small arms in the plant for the Indian defence forces and also for exports. The plant will manufacture weapons like X95 assault rifle, Galil sniper, Tavor assault rifle, Negev light machine gun and the Ace assault rifle, which is similar to the Tavor but less advanced.

3. UN Technology innovation lab to be set up in Naya Raipur: The United Nations will set up a technology innovation laboratory in Naya Raipur, the new capital of Chhattisgarh, officials said. A meeting, presided over by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh concluded the same.

4. Sudarsan Pattnaik to create the world’s longest sand Buddha: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is all set to create the world’s longest sand Buddha in Sri Lanka. He will participate in the 14th International Vesak Day Celebrations organised by the Government of Sri Lanka.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Emmanuel Macron France’s next president: As no candidate won a majority in the first round a runoff was held between the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Macron is France’s youngest ever president

2. Hinduja brothers top UK rich list: The Hinduja brothers have topped the 2017 list of the richest people in the UK. Their estimated fortune stands at 16.2 billion pounds, a massive 3.2 billion pound hike over the previous year. Besides them, there are over 40 Indian-origin super-rich in this year's list.

3. Russia blocks social media app WeChat: Russia has blocked access to Chinese social media app WeChat for failing to give its contact details to the Russian communications watchdog. Last year Russia blocked U.S. social networking site LinkedIn for violating a law that requires data on Russian citizens to be stored on Russian servers.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Lasith Malinga becomes first bowler to take 150 wickets in IPL: He reached this landmark during the match against Delhi Daredevils. Malinga has played for Mumbai Indian’s since the inception of IPL in 2008.

2. Mumbai beat Delhi by biggest margin in IPL history: Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Daredevils by 146 runs, the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs in the IPL history. Delhi was dismissed at 66 – Third lowest score in the IPL.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Baahubali 2 becomes first Indian movie to earn Rs. 1,000 crore: ‘Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion’ has become the first ever Indian movie to achieve Rs. 1,000 crore earnings milestone. Baahubali collected 125 crore at the box office on Day One. It has proved to be the highest first day grosser in the history of domestic box office.

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.