Daily GK Updates - 7th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India signs agreement to provide Sri Lanka with USD 318 million for Railway: India has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide fresh assistance of 318 million US $ credit line for the development of the railway sector in the Srilanka. India has already provided four Lines of Credit for the development of railway in Sri Lanka through its EXIM bank amounting around US $ 966 million.

2. Jaitley says that CAG will audit Goods and Services Tax Network: According to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will audit the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). GSTN is a company that provides technology backbone for the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In the GSTN, the central and the state governments will together own 49 % of the equity and the rest would be with some very responsible bodies like LIC Housing, National Stock Exchange, and HDFC Bank.

3. Health Minister JP Nadda launches 'Skills for Life, Save a Life' initiative: The union Health Minister ‘J P Nadda’ has launched ‘Skill for Life, Save a Life’ initiative to promote skill development in the health sector in New Delhi. The initiative aims to upscale the quality and quantity of trained professionals in the healthcare system.

4. Kalinga Literary Awards winners: Writer Anand Neelakantan, Poet Haraprasad Das and author Paramita Satpathy were announced winners of the Kalinga Literary Awards. Neelakantan was chosen for Kalinga International Literary Award, Haraprasad was chosen for Kalinga Literary Youth Award and Satpathy was chosen for Kalinga Karubaki Award.

5. Govt. to appoint Nyaya Mitras to expedite resolution of pending cases: Union Government will appoint Nyaya Mitras across the country to expedite the cases pending for last 10 years in lower courts. Retired judges will be appointed as Nyaya Mitras to expedite the over seven lakh fifty thousand cases pending across the country. Their responsibilities would include offering assistance to litigants who are suffering due to delay in trial.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Montenegro becomes NATO’s 29th member: Montenegro has formally become the 29th member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. To get there, Montenegro has stood up against its ally Russia which has sought to maintain strong historic and political influence in the country.

2. Fugan temple in China discovered after 1000 years: Fugan temple in China’s Chengdu city around 1,000 years after it was deemed to have been lost. It lasted from Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 A.D.) to Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.) Archaeologists unearthed 1000+ tablets inscribed with Buddhist scriptures and over 500 pieces of stone sculpture as well as glazed tiles with inscriptions.

3. World’s First Hybrid Aeroboat unveiled at Moscow: The world’s first hybrid “aeroboat” that has been built by an Indo-Russian joint venture was unveiled in Moscow. This Hybrid “aeroboat” is capable of travelling on land, water, snow and sand. The aeroboat is designed to access difficult terrain, such as flooded or marshy areas where the use of regular boats is made impossible. It has been designed by IIAAT Holding.

4. Sher Bahadur Deuba elected as the PM of Nepal: Nepali Congress Chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal. This is the tenth time in just over a decade that the leadership has changed hands. This will be Deuba’s fourth stint as PM of Nepal.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Monetary Policy Review - RBI keeps repo rate unchanged: RBI kept repo rate unchanged at 6.25% during its bimonthly monetary policy review on June 7, 2017. This is 4th time in a row that repo rate has been kept unchanged. Cash Reserve Ratio has also been kept at current 4%, Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) was cut by 50 basis points to 20%. The reverse repo rate under the LAF remains at 6.0 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.50 per cent.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Sun Pharma, the most valued Indian pharma company: Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries continues to be the most valued pharma company in India with a market cap of Rs1.23 trillion. Cadila Healthcare has become India’s 2nd most valuable pharmaceutical company in terms of market capitalisation beating Lupin. Its market cap stood at Rs55,000.57 crores.

BOOKS & AUTHORS:

3. ‘Ministry of Utmost Happiness’ of Arundhati Roy launched: The much awaited second novel of Arundhati Roy “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” has been launched. Arundhati Roy was the first Indian woman to win the prestigious Booker Prize with her 1997 work.

Daily GK Updates - 6th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. National Board of Wildlife clears Rutland Island for DRDO’s missile testing project: The Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife has approved Rutland Island (South Andaman) site for the country’s long-range missile test facility.

Since 2012, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been seeking the approval for the test facility. The proposal involves diversion of 49.978 acres forest of which 0.84 ha falls in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and 49.138 ha reserve forest within 10km of the Eco Sensitive Zone.

2. Habibganj to be India’s first private station: Bhopal’s Habibganj station has become the first railway station of the country to be built in a Public-Private partnership. Bansal Group will manage the same for a period of 8 years. Station will be powered by solar energy and will also be differently-abled friendly.

3. Honourable PM inaugurates the 5th international conference of SPIC MACAY at IIT Delhi:  SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) is a non-political, nationwide, a voluntary movement founded in 1977 by Dr. Kiran Seth at IIT Delhi. SPIC MACAY organizes an International Convention every year to expose the youth from across the world to the rich and multi-hued culture of India.

4. Central govt sets deadline for handling corruption cases against government employees: The Central Govt. has changed an over 50-year-old rule by setting a deadline of 6 months to complete probes in corruption cases involving government employees. Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)has amended Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules and decided time-line for critical stages of investigation and enquiry proceedings.

5. World Bank projects 7.2% growth rate for India: World Bank has projected 7.2% growth rate for India this year, against 6.8% growth in 2016. World Bank in its latest Global Economic Prospects, projects India’s growth to 7.5% in 2018 and 7.7% in 2019.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UN Russian Language Day: The United Nations (UN) Russian Language Day is observed annually on 6th June to maintain the equality of all six official UN languages. The day coincides with the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin (Russian poet), who is considered the father of modern Russian literature.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sachin Joins UN ‘Super Dads’ Campaign: Sachin Tendulkar joined Beckham, Jackman, Djokovic and Lewis Hamilton for UNICEF’s Super Dads campaign. Campaign highlights the significant role played by fathers in children’s early development. Super Dads initiative forms part of UNICEF’s EarlyMomentsMatter campaign, which aims to drive understanding of how children’s environments and experiences in early childhood can shape their future.

2. Ramkumar wins ITF Futures title: Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan lifted the ITF men’s Futures tennis title after outplaying Raymond Sarmiento. He outplayed Raymond Sarmiento 6-2, 6-2 in the finals.

BANKING & FINANCE:

3. SBI to organise mega farmers’ meet: Ahead of kharif season, SBI will meet 10 lakh farmers to understand their credit need and provide finance. The meeting will be organised at bank’s 15500 rural and semi-urban branches across the country on June 8.

4. Vijaya Bank to develop 100 Digital Villages: Vijaya Bank is going to develop 100 digital villages in various States to promote digital banking among rural population.

Bank would offer free Wi-Fi connectivity, mobile payment facilities, ATM cards, online banking and will carry out a door-to-door campaign to educate villagers.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

5. Apple unveils new operating system: Apple has unveiled iOS 11, a new and advanced operating system for its devices. It features a “Do Not Disturb while Driving” mode that turns iPhone screens black and stops users from replying to messages.

6. NSE launched in GIFT city: National Stock Exchange has launched its international exchange in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City. NSE IFSC Ltd is the global exchange which is promoted by NSE. It will remain operational for a longer period than NSE.

Daily GK Updates - 5th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO launches India’s heaviest rocket: ISRO launched India’s heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III along with a communications satellite GSAT-19 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 43.43m rocket that weighs 640 tonnes is capable of lifting payloads of up to 4000 kg into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

2. NTPC installs electric charging stations: National Thermal Power Corporation Limited has facilitated the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles at Delhi and Noida. The main objective of setting up EV charging points is to promote clean energy transportation.

3. Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh bags MGNREGA National Award: Ministry of Rural Development has selected Vizianagaram across the nation for the MGNREGA annual award for effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during 2015-16. Vizianagaram generated works for 3,61,668 households in 2015-16 and disbursed Rs. 483.42 crore as wages with an average of Rs. 106.

4. Bhandarkar, Sri Sri and Late Kalpana Chawla to get New York’s Bharat Gaurav Award: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar will be conferred with the Bharat Gaurav Award at the United Nations Hall, New York. He will be conferred with Bharat Gaurav Award along with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Late Kalpana Chawla.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Environment Day 2017: World Environment Day is observed on 5 June every year to raise global awareness worldwide for the protection of our environment and the planet Earth. World Environment Day was designated by the UN General Assembly in 1972. The theme for 2017 World Environment Day is ‘Connecting People to Nature’. This year’s host country Canada got to choose the theme.

2. Arab states break ties with Qatar: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates broke off relations with Qatar. The countries have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region. Qatar has been ejected from the Saudi-led coalition. Qatari citizens have been told they have 14 days to leave Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, and those countries also banned their own citizens from entering Qatar.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. RBI initiates prompt corrective action against Dena Bank: Reserve Bank of India has initiated Prompt Corrective Action for Dena Bank In view of high non-performing assets and negative return on assets. Earlier similar action was initiated against UCO Bank, IDBI Bank, and Indian Overseas Bank.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. India tops Global Retail Index: India has surpassed China to secure the top position among 30 developing countries on ease of doing business in retail sector. China stood at 2nd position.

3. India sinks in World Competitiveness list: India has been ranked 45th in IMD’s World Competitiveness list. Hong Kong topped the list while Switzerland and Singapore were ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.

4. NSDC signs MoU with Bird Academy: National Skill Development Corporation has signed a MoU with Bird Academy for skilling of unemployed youth in aviation and aerospace sector. More than 30000 unemployed youth across various states and 5000 women and tribal youths from underprivileged sections of the society will be trained.

Daily GK Updates - 4th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India tests Quick Reaction missile for 1st time: India successfully test fired Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile from Chandipur in Odisha. The missile’s strike range is 20 to 30 kms and is capable of hitting multiple targets. It is developed jointly by DRDO and Bharat Electronics.

2. All states agree to GST rollout from July 1: GST Council has cleared the pending rules, including transition provisions and returns. All the states have agreed to July 1 roll out of the Goods and Services Tax.

3. K K Paul launches Vidya-Veerta mission: Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul has launched Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan by presenting VC’s of universities with portraits of Param Vir Chakra recipients. It will be displayed at institutions to send out a message that not only soldiers but every citizen is responsible for country’s safety.

4. Mann appointed as Ambassador to Slovenia: Param Jit Mann has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Slovenia. He is presently Ambassador of India to the Slovak Republic.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Muslim children forced to drop ‘religious’ names in China: Muslim children in China’s Xinjiang region are being forced to change their names which have been deemed “overly religious” by authorities. As many as 15 names have been banned, including Islam, Quran, Mecca, Jihad, Imam.

2. UN General Assembly elects five non-Permanent UNSC Members: The UN General Assembly elected Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Poland and Peru as the non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2018. The General Assembly also voted to approve the Netherlands taking over from Italy in 2017 after the countries agreed to split a two-year term between them.

3. NASA to launch Sounding Rocket: NASA will launch a sounding rocket which will release blue-green and red artificial clouds. The rocket will eject vapour canisters between 10 to 20 km from the rocket’s main payload. The vapor tracers will allow scientists on the ground to view the movement of the particles in the ionosphere.

4. ‘Fireball’ hits computers globally: Chinese malware named ‘Fireball’ has infected over 250 million computers worldwide. It is designed to hijack browsers to changedefault search engine and track their web traffic on behalf of a digital marketing firm called Rafotech. It has the ability to spy on victims, perform efficient malware dropping and execute any malicious code.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sai Praneeth wins Thailand Grand Prix Gold Title: Indian shuttler ‘B Sai Praneeth’ (24-year) has clinched the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title by defeating Jonatan Christie (Indonesia) 17-21, 21-18, 21-19 in Bangkok, Thailand. This is Praneeth's second consecutive title win following the Singapore Open victory.

2. Sudha Singh claims gold medal: Rio Olympian Sudha Singh claimed a gold medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at 21st Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships.

3. Real Madrid first to retain 2017 UEFA Champions League title: Real Madrid defeated Juventus 4-1 in finals to win 2017 UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid became the first team to retain the UEFA Champions League.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Shashi Shekhar Vempati named CEO of Prasar Bharati: Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been named chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati. He will replace Rajeev Singh, who has been serving as interim CEO since February 2017.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Devendra Fadnavis launches portal Mahaswayam: The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has launched a web portal 'Mahaswayam' for job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs and training institutes. This web portal will cater to job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs, and training institutes who can avail details regarding skill development and employment.

2. Varanasi to get freight village: Varanasi will get India’s first ‘freight village’ spread over around 100 acres. The project will be setup close to the multi-mode terminal on the banks of the river Ganga. It is one-of-its-kind infrastructure platform, will anchor movement of goods by railways and roadways ultimately dovetailing with the waterways. It will be developed by Inland Waterways Authority of India.

3. Shashi Shekar Vempati is new Prasar Bharati CEO: Shashi Shekar Vempati has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharati for a period of five years on the recommendation of the three-member committee headed by the Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He will replace Rajeev Singh (interim CEO).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Leo Varadkar to be next Irish PM: An Indian-origin doctor Leo Varadkar is set to become the Republic of Ireland's next Prime Minister after winning the leadership of the Fine Gael party. He will succeed Enda Kenny as leader of the centre-right party. Varadkar will become the first gay Prime Minister and also be the country's youngest ever leader. Capital of Ireland is Dublin.

OTHER UPDATES:

1. Neelakanta to be a member of Umpires and Referees Committee: Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer has become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of Umpires and Referees Committee. His term as URC member is for 2 years.

2. West Indies cricket team's official name changed to 'WINDIES': The cricket board for West Indies has re-branded themselves as Cricket West Indies from the former West Indies Cricket board. The board also announced, the cricket team from now on will be officially known as ‘WINDIES’.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Airtel-Telenor merger gets regulatory approval from SEBI, BSE, NSE: Bharti Airtel has received the merger approval between Airtel and Telenor communications from SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange), National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE).

4. BEML bags Raksha Mantri award: BEML Ltd has bagged the ‘Raksha Mantri’s Award for Excellence’ under the group award category for design and development.

It has been awarded for design and development of 180 tonne class electric hydraulic excavator – BE1800E. BE1800E is the biggest-ever excavator designed and developed in India.

5. SEBI sets up a Committee on Corporate Governance: To improve standards of corporate governance of listed companies, Sebi has setup a Committee on corporate governance. The committee will be headed by Uday Kotak.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prithvi-II missile successfully test-fired: India has successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile (surface-to-surface) from Chandipur test range in Odisha as part of a user trial by the Army. The missile can carry 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. The missile has a strike range of 350 km.

2. India, Russia ink nuclear plant pact: India and Russia have signed an agreement on setting up the last two units of the Kundankulam nuclear power plant. The fifth and the sixth unit will cost about Rs 50,000 crore with half of it being funded by Russia. The reactors will be built by India’s Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Russia’s Atomstroy export.

3. ‘SPARROW-ITS’ launched: The Union Govt. has launched SPARROW ITS: Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window. It is in accordance with Govt’s policy to introduce online Annual Performance Appraisal Report for Group A services.

4. Union Govt. launches web platform INAM-Pro + : The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has launched INAM-Pro + web platform in New Delhi. INAM-Pro+ is an e-commerce platform for construction and infrastructure raw material for government and private procurement.

5. NAAC receives Asia Pacific Quality Network Award 2017: National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of India has received International Award of Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Quality Award 2017 for International Co-operation in Quality Assurance in Moscow, Russia. APQN Quality award are among the most prestigious International Awards in quality assurance of higher education.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Slovakian Lajcak to be next UNGA president: United Nations General Assembly has elected Miroslav Lajcak to be its next president. He will succeed Peter Thomson in September and chair the assembly’s 72nd session.

2. Global Peace Index 2017, India ranks 137^th: Iceland has been named the world’s most peaceful country, topping the Global Peace Index for the tenth consecutive year. Syria has been named the least peaceful country, followed by Afghanistan. India has moved up 4 position, from 141st last year to 137th this year.

3. Trump announces US withdrawal from Paris Agreement on Climate Change: US President Donald Trump has announced to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change. He said that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris Agreement.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. RBI appoints Ganesh Kumar as ED: Reserve Bank of India has appointed S. Ganesh Kumar as the new Executive Director. He will succeed Chandan Sinha.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Sanjiv Singh takes over as IOC Chairman: Sanjiv Singh has taken over as the Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation. He will replace B Ashok.

3. Vinay Dube named Jet Airways CEO: Jet Airways has appointed Vinay Dube as its Chief Executive Officer. He is currently senior vice president, Asia Pacific with Delta Air Lines Inc.

Daily GK Updates - 1st June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nirupama Rao appointed public policy fellow to US think-tank: Former Indian envoy to the US Nirupama Rao has appointed public policy fellow to a Washington-based think-tank. She will work on a project on the Sino-India ties for the top American think-tank. Ms Rao will be affiliated with the Wilson Centre's Asia programme.

2. Telangana Government launches T-Wallet: Telangana has launched a digital wallet titled as T-Wallet. It is the official digital wallet of the state, offering anytime anywhere platform for digital payments with no additional charge for citizens. Transaction Analysts has partnered with Telangana to develop T-Wallet. It is 1st official e-wallet from any state government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Japan launches satellite for high-precision positioning system to complement GPS: Japan launched a satellite from the Tanegashima space centre to help build a high-precision geo-location system that will complement the US-operated Global Positioning System (GPS).

2. India & Spain sign seven agreements: India and Spain have signed seven agreements in cyber security, renewable energy, technical cooperation in civil aviation, visa waiver for diplomatic passport holders. The agreements were signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with President of Government of Spain Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid.

3. NASA’s first mission to the sun: NASA is launching a spacecraft named ‘Parker Solar Probe’ to Sun in the summer of 2018. It will explore sun’s outer atmosphere and make critical observations that will answer decades-old questions about the physics of how stars work.

4. Global Day of Parents observed: The Global Day of Parents is observed on the 1st of June every year. The Global Day provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.

5. Jhumpa Lahiri Wins 2017 PEN/Malamud Award: Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri has been announced as the recipient of the 2017 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.

6. World Milk Day observed: The World Milk Day has been observed on 1st June each year since 2001. The World Milk Day is a day established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. ICC Champions Trophy 2017 begins in London: 2017 ICC Champions Trophy (8th edition) began in London with hosts England taking on Bangladesh in the opening encounter at Kennington Oval.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. ADB and PNB sign $100 million loan: The Asian Development Bank and Punjab National Bank has signed a $100 million loan. The loan will be used to finance large solar rooftop systems on industrial and commercial buildings throughout India. PNB will use the ADB funds to make further loans to various developers and end users to install rooftop solar systems.

3. Indian Railways introduces “Buy Now, Pay Later” service for bookings: Indian Railways has introduced ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service for passengers to book tickets.

It will allow passengers to make payment for tickets booked online within a window of 15 days.