Daily GK Updates - 9th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Amit Shah, Smriti Irani win, Ahmed Patel of Congress retains RS seat: Congress leader Ahmed Patel has retained his Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat. While Amit Shah become a Member of Parliament for first time and third vacant seat from Gujarat has been won by Smt. Smriti Irani.

2. Yudh Abhyas, Inod-US military exercise to be conducted: The 13th Yudh Abhyas exercise will be held from September 14-27 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the US. Over 200 Indian soldiers from the Gorkha Rifles will take part in the military exercise. Yudh Abhyas started in 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership programme.

3. 75 years of “Quit India Movement”: Nation is celebrating 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement with “Sankalp se Siddhi – The attainment through resolve” being the theme for 2017. Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 9th August (midnight), 1942, demanding an end to British Rule in India. It was in this movement that Gandhiji came up with the slogan “Do or Die”

4. 62.45% households in India have access to toilets: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation released the findings of the survey of 1.4 lakh rural households, undertaken by the Quality Council of India (QCI) between May and June this year.

The survey, covering 4626 villages across all States and Union territories, claimed that 62.45% of the households had access to a toilet. The survey also pointed that 91.29% of the people who had access to a toilet also used it, indicating a change in sanitation behaviour. Northeastern States of Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland were top performers with 95% rural households covered by toilets. In Bihar, only 30% of the rural household had access to toilets and was the worst performing state.

5. NITI Aayog partners with 6 states for Education and Healthcare reforms: NITI Aayog has announced partnership with 3 States each to radically transform their Health & Education sectors. NITI Aayog has shortlisted UP, Assam & Karnataka under its Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital initiative to transform their health sector. MP, Jharkhand & Odisha have also been selected by NITI Aayog under its SATH initiative to transform their education sector.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. South African Zuma survives no-confidence vote: South African president, Jacob Zuma has narrowly survived a motion of no confidence against him in the parliament. Out of 384 parliamentarians who cast ballots in a no-confidence motion, 177 voted in favor of motion to remove Zuma from office while 198 voted against it.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Flipkart launches Budding Star Programme to assist employees: Flipkart has launched Budding Star Programme to help employees achieve their dreams by providing financial assistance & paid leave. Employees who have completed 6 months will be eligible for this programme & can receive up to Rs. 3 lakh in assistance.

2. Bajaj Auto ties up with Triumph Motorcycles: Bajaj Auto has announced a partnership with UK’s Triumph Motorcycles to jointly make mid-capacity motorcycles for Indian and global markets. With Bajaj’s low-cost expertise the partnership will address the budget segment buyers looking for bikes having engine capacity of 400cc-800cc.

SPORTS:

3. Van Niekerk wins men’s 400m title at World Atheletics, London: Olympic Champion Wayde Van Niekerk won men’s 400 m event and retained his title in World Athletics Championships in London. He clocked 43.98 seconds to finish.

4. Real Madrid wins UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year, defeating Manchester United in finals to win 2-1 in Macedonia.

Daily GK Updates - 8th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sankalp Parva to be observed on August 15: Centre has decided to observe this Independence Day as ‘Sankalp Parva’ and asked the people to dedicate themselves to social causes. The centre wants to drive the people of India from ‘Sankalp’ to ‘Siddhi’ in a period of 5 years.

2. Deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution: The government is planning to install a 24X7 seamless virtual fence with sensors along the India-Pakistan border to curb infiltration bid. A pilot project for deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution which includes different types of sensors, day and night vision cameras has been taken up. The pilot project has been undertaken in 2 stretches of 5 to 6 kms each in Jammu sector.

3. Shia board proposes to build mosque at distance from the disputed Babri site: The Babri Masjid was a Shia property and only Shia Central Waqf Board is entitled to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the issue, the Shia board said.  The Board told the SC that a mosque could be built in a Musilm-dominated area at a distance from the disputed Babri site at Ayodhya.

4. Congress accuses the government and RBI of printing two types of notes: Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that government was printing two kinds of Rs.500 and Rs.2000 notes and called it as the biggest scam of the country.

5. Justice Dipak Misra to be next the Chief Justice of India: Justice Dipak Misra has been appointed as the 45th Chief Justice of India. He is known for some landmark judgements including the death sentence of Yakub Memon.

6. Assam declared a disturbed area for one more month: Centre has declared entire Assam as a “disturbed” area under controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for 1 more month. Assam is under AFSPA since 1990.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Framework for crafting code of conduct in South China Sea being mulled: Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia & China have adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in South China Sea. It seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Axis Bank joins the bandwagon, cuts savings account interest rate: Axis Bank has cut savings account interest rate by 50 bps to 3.5% on balances of up to Rs. 50 lakh.

Axis Bank will continue to offer an interest rate of 4% per annum on savings account balances of Rs. 50 lakh and above. SBI was the first one to do so.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. 331 “shell companies” under SEBI’s radar: Market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India has directed stock exchanges to initiate action against 331 firms that it suspects are shell companies & are listed on bourses. Exchanges have also been asked to appoint an independent auditor to conduct audit of these companies.

3. Amazon signs an agreement with Dept. of Handlooms, Telangana: Amazon India has said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Telangana Department of Handloom and Textiles. It aims to educate, train and enable weavers and artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country.

4. Health & wellness startup CureFit signs actor Hrithik Roshan as ambassador: Hrithik has been signed up for 5 years at Rs100 crore. It is said to be one of the largest endorsement deals signed by an Indian startup. Company plans to introduce HRX workout plan across all CureFit-run Cult fitness centres and on the mobile app, which is expected to rake in Rs250cr annual business in the next couple of years.

SPORTS:

5. McLeod wins IAAF World Championships in London: Omar McLeod of Jamaica won the 110m Hurdles final at the London 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

6. India wins 8 medals at Junior Boxing Championships: India finished the Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines with two silver and six bronze medals. Satender Rawat (80+kg) and Mohit Khatana (80kg) settled for silver medals after losing their final bouts in the Asian Junior Boxing Championships.

Daily GK Updates - 7th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CO sensors developed by IISc: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science have developed a highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. Nanostructure-based gas sensors are very effective due their high surface-to-volume ratio.

2. National Handloom Day celebrated: National Handloom Day is being observed to give an impetus to sector & encourage use of hand-made loom in the country. 7th August has been chosen due to its special significance as it was on this day that Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.  1st National Handloom Day was observed on 7th August, 2015 in Chennai.

3. Chabahar Port to start by 2018 – Nitin Gadkari: According to Nitin Gadkari the strategic Chabahar Port will be operational by 2018. As per an MoU signed, India is to equip & operate 2 berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of $85.21 million & annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million on a 10-year lease.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UK agrees to pay $47billion to leave EU: Britain is prepared to pay up to €40 billion (USD47 billion dollars) as part of a deal to leave the European Union.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Britannia’s largest plant set to come up in Maharashtra: India’s leading FMCG Britannia Industries would set up its largest plant in Maharashtra in a food park at Ranjangaon. The park would have the largest biscuits manufacturing plant with six lines, along with cake and rusk.

2. TCS to start GST Shiksha hub for small and medium enterprises: TCS iON has announced its partnership with Laghu Udyog Bharati to launch GST-related content to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. It aims to provide relevant information on GST to all MSMEs on a real-time basis, helping them to be updated on any GST-linked development.

3. FB has the maximum profit per employee: Facebook which employed 20,658 persons in past quarter made roughly Rs 1.2 cr per employee. Microsoft made Rs 33 lakhs & Alphabet Rs 29 lakhs per employee, 4 times less profit per employee than FB.

4. Luxury cars to cost more as GST council recommends car cess hike from 10% to 25%: Sport Utility Vechicles, mid-sized, large, and luxury cars will cost more as the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council has approved a proposal to hike cess on them to 25%.

SPORTS:

5. Kerala HC lifts life ban imposed on cricketer Sreesanth: He was banned in 2013 for his alleged spot fixing in IPL & was charged alongside 2 of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila & Ankeet Chavan. This comes as a relief for Sreesanth.

6. Alexander Zverev wins Citi Open title at Washington: German Alexander Zverev won over South African Kevin Anderson at the Citi Open in Washington.

7. India wins bronze in wheelchair basketball world meet: The Indian men and women’s wheelchair basketball teams won Bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament for Wheelchair Basketball.

Daily GK Updates - 6th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Venkaiah Naidu elected as Vice President of India: M Venkaiah Naidu was elected as the 13th Vice-President of India. He defeated Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi by 272 votes.

2. India will have 100% literacy rate in next 5 years: Union HR Development Minister Prakash Javedkar said class 6 to 12 students are being trained to educate illiterate members of their families. The literacy rate of 18% in the post-independence era has gone up to 80% now in India.

3. Rajiv Kumar - new Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog: Noted economist Rajiv Kumar has been named as the next Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, think-tank that replaced Planning Commission. He will succeed Arvind Panagariya, who had recently quit as Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog.

4. Pindra district launches SwachhtaBandhan and Bhai No. 1 campaigns, “toilets” gifted: To promote cleanliness and sanitation amongst the villagers, the local govt. has come up with unique ideas. Under the campaign brothers gifted “toilets” to their sisters on the day of Rakshabandhan. This will ensure that the practice of “open defecation” is curbed to some extent.

5. Government merges NCRB with BPRD: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been merged with another central police organisation the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) by the government. BPRD Director General will head the merged new entity, NCRB Director, an Additional DG rank post will report to the former.

6. S. Aparna appointed as ED to World Bank to represent India: S. Aparna, an IAS officer from Gujarat cadre has been appointed as Executive Director, World Bank to represent constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Sri Lanka for 3 years. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared her name for the position.

7. Akshay Kumar appointed as the brand ambassador of the UP Cleanliness Mission: He promised to proactively work towards making UP the open defecation free state, a cause in line with the theme of his upcoming movie Toilet Ek Prem Katha. The state government aims to make Uttar Pradesh open defecation free by October 2, 2018.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Japan marks 72 years since world’s first atomic bomb attack: US dropped an atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima in 1945 at the end of World War II. The bomb claimed the lives of 1.4 lakh people followed by another bombing in Nagasaki three days later.

2. Sri Lankan Navy commissions AOPV, an India built vessel: Sri Lankan Navy has commissioned an India-built state-of-the-art Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel. Built at Goa Shipyard, SLNS Sayurala is 1st ever platform purchased from a foreign ship builder to boost search & rescue capabilities.

3. Paul Kagame elected as the President of Rwanda: This will be his third consecutive term as the president. He won international praise for stability and economic development he brought in Rwanda since the 1994 genocide

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. SEBI asks banks to disclose default in payment to banks within a day: SEBI has made it mandatory for companies to disclose any instance of default on payment of interest or repayment of principal to banks within a day of default. It is expected the banks have Rs. 10 trillion of stressed assets.

SPORTS:

2. India beat Sri Lanka in Test Series: India defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs in the second Test to clinch 8th successive Test series win. Virat Kohli is now only behind Ricky Ponting who won 9 test series consecutively.

3. Mo Farah wins 6th world championship gold: British runner Mo Farah won gold in Men’s 10,000 meter race in London. He now has 10 consecutive global track distance titles.

4. Justin Gatlin stuns Usain Bolt: In his farewell 100m, Bolt clocked a time of 9.95 seconds but was left behind by Justin Gatlin who clocked 9.92 seconds to claim Gold.

5. Vijender wins WBO boxing title: Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh outslugged his Chinese opponent Zulpikar Maimaitiali to win his 2nd WBO boxing title. He retained his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title & claimed opponent’s WBO Oriental Super Middleweight belt.

Daily GK Updates - 5th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mughalsarai to be renamed after Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay: The place where Pt. Deen Dayal died, the Mughalsarai junction, is to be renamed after him. The station, located in UP, is on is located on the main Howrah-Delhi Grand Chord line.

2. Delhi Police ties up with Uber for quick access to “Himmat”: Uber is collaborating with Delhi Police to allow quick access to Himmat, a women safety mobile app, through the rider app. This is Delhi Police’s first partnership with a technology company to intensify its focus on safety of women in the city.

3. Actor Sharada selected for the prestigious Prem Nazir award: National award winner Uravasi Sharada has been selected for this year’s Prem Nazir Award. Apart from the National Awards, she has been bestowed with several prestigious awards such as the Kerala State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards South, and Nandi Award.

4. $329 million loan pact with AIIB: India has signed a loan agreement with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for financing of $329 million for Gujarat Rural Roads Project. This will connecting the rural areas of Gujarat with better road connectivity.

5. Assam to distribute 13 lakh Soil Health Cards among farmers: Atul Bora, the Agriculture Minister of the State said that already more than 1 lakh 41 thousand cards have been distributed and the remaining are being distributed aggressively. The soil cards are given after testing the type of soil and nutrient quality. Through the soil cards instructions are given as to which part of the farm or field need which micro-nutrient because of deficiencies.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US Army orders to stop the use of Chinese-made drones: US Army has ordered its members to stop using drones made by Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology because of “cyber vulnerabilities” in the products.

2. JK Rowling is the World’s highest earning author: Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has been named the world’s most highly-paid author by Forbes with earnings of $95m this year.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) to buy 50% in GSPL: Board of Indian Oil Corporation has given its in-principle approval for acquiring up to 50% equity in GSPL LNG terminal in Gujarat for an estimated Rs 750 cr. GSPL is a joint venture between GSPC and Adani.

2. Canara Bank hits overseas bond market: Canara Bank has hit the international bond market with a USD 400-million issue as part of its USD 2-billion medium term note programme. The lender is likely to raise USD 400 million through bond sale issue, which will be drawn through its London branch and will be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

3. Indusind crosses 1 trillion market capitalization, 6th Indian bank to do so: IndusInd Bank has become the 6th listed Indian bank to join club of lenders that have seen their market capitalisation soar past Rs1 trillion mark. HDFC, ICICI, SBI, Kotak and Axis are other bank that have market capitalisation over 1 trillion mark.

  

SPORTS:

4. Jadeja becomes the second fastest Indian to reach the 150 wicket mark: Ravindra Jadeja has become the 2nd fastest Indian to reach 150 Test wickets, behind teammate Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin had reached the milestone in 29 Tests while Jadeja managed it in 32 games.

Daily GK Updates - 4th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government disinvests 6.83% of equity in Hindustan Copper Limited: The Union Govt. has disinvested 6.83% of the paid up equity in Hindustan Copper Limited through offer for sale. The government is likely to get approximately 400 crore Rupees from this disinvestment.

2. Lok Sabha passes Banking Regulation Bill, will replace BR Act 1949: Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2017, which was promulgated in May, was passed in Lok Sabha. It will replace Banking Regulation Act 1949, giving govt power to authorise RBI to issue directions to banks to initiate insolvency resolution in case of a default. Bill empowers RBI to issue directives for resolution & appoint authorities to advise banking companies on stressed asset resolution.

3. Government ends 10-yr pact with GVK-EMRI before the schedule: Department of Health & Family Welfare has terminated its 10-year contract with GVK-EMRI which provides emergency response service 108 Arogya Kavacha. Decision was taken citing certain shortcomings of GVK-EMRI group such as delay in providing services, shortage in manpower & not addressing employees’ grievances.

4. Non-performing teachers beyond 50 to be retired compulsorily – Bihar Govt.: Bihar Govt. has decided to compulsory retire non-performing head masters, teachers, and education department officials above the age of 50 years. Those teachers had failed thrice in the assessment test would also be removed.

5. Telangana will become the first state in India to bring AI in public health screening: Telangana government has signed an agreement with Microsoft India to adopt cloud-based analytics solution for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram. It will also use of Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare, the artificial intelligence platform with multiple stakeholders, for eye screening.

6. Bengaluru to have country’s first Heli-taxi service: The Kempegowda International Airport will become the first airport in the country to have a helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service for those who cannot afford to spend time battling traffic to travel across the city. The service, which will be operated by Thumby Aviation Private Limited, is expected to take off within three months.

7. Tata Memorial ties up with IDA for early detection and prevention of Oral Cancer: Tata Memorial Centre has joined hands with Indian Dental Association to start India’s 1st digital initiative for prevention & early detection of oral cancer.

The 2 launched a special course on Oral Cancer on World Head and Neck Cancer Day to create awareness of oral cancer.

8. Lok Sabha passes NABARD (Amendment) Bill: Lok Sabha has passed NABARD  (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by voice vote that seeks to amend National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. The Bill allows central govt to increase authorise capital of Bank from Rs. 5,000 cr to Rs.30,000 cr.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. USISPF set up: A new representative body — US- India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) — is being set up to further enhance business relations between the two countries. The body will work closely together with businesses and government leaders to achieve its goals of driving economic growth

2. Israel launches first environmental research satellite VENμS: Israel launched the country’s first environmental research satellite from a launch site in French Guinea. It in a joint venture between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and its French counterpart CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales).

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Bharat 22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) launched: Bharat 22 will comprise shares of 22 companies. ETF will have a single company cap of 15%, while a sectoral cap of 22% will also be in place. Bharat-22 ETF will comprise of the government’s holding in SUUTI, CPSE ETF and PSU banks.

2. Mohammad Mustafa has been appointed as CMD of SIDBI: The Appointments Committee of the cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for a period of three years.

3. Toyota, Mazda tie-up over electric vehicles: Japanese auto giant Toyota and smaller rival Mazda agreed a capital tie-up to focus on joint development of electric vehicles. The move comes as the automotive industry is faced with a major shift towards greener transport and greater use of information technology.

SPORTS:

4. Neymar becomes world’s most expensive footballer: Brazil’s football star Neymar become the world’s most expensive footballer at Rs.1,680 crores. Paris based Saint-Germain (PSG) signed him for a five year deal from Barcelona.

5. World Athletics Championships begins in London: 25 Indian athletes are taking part in this event. India has taken part in every championship since the first one in 1983.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian Army develops app for soldiers: The Indian Army has developed a mobile application named ‘Humraaz’ through which serving soldiers can track details like postings and promotions. With the help of this app, soldiers can view their monthly salary slips and Form 16 too. The app has been developed in-house by the Army.

2. Lok Sabha passes 2 bills extending CGST, IGST to J & K: Lok Sabha has passed 2 bills extending Central GST and Integrated GST to Jammu and Kashmir. The step will ensure greater economic integration of the state with rest of the country.

3. KRAS unit inaugurated at Hyderabad: KRAS, a joint venture b/w Kalyani Strategic Systems & Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel inaugurated their state-of-the-art facility at Hyderabad. KRAS would be India’s first private sector advanced defence sub-systems manufacturing entity.

4. No detention policy in schools to be scrapped: Cabinet has approved scrapping of no-detention policy in schools till Class 8. Policy was introduced under RTE 2009 according to which schools were not allowed to fail or expel a student up to Class 8. It will now allow states to detain students in class V & class VIII if they fail in the year-end exam.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Wray to replace Comey as FBI director: The US Senate has  confirmed Christopher Wray as the man to lead the FBI. He will replace James Comey, who was abruptly fired by US President Donald Trump amid the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election.

2. BRICS Agriculture Research Platform – Nod from Cabinet: Cabinet has approved a MoU between India & BRICS countries to set up BRICS Agriculture Research Platform.

Proposal was presented by Narendra Modi to establish BRICS Agriculture Research Centre during 7th BRICS Summit in Russia.

3. Germany tests face recognition surveillance: Germany has test launched a face recognition surveillance system at Berlin’s railway station that would contribute to anti-terrorism efforts. It aims to determine whether cameras can automatically recognize faces of specific persons & single them out from crowd. When a criminal/terrorist suspect enters/exits public transport facility, the system would immediately warn police to take prompt action.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for tatkal tickets: Railways has announced that people can now book their ticket under the tatkal quota on  IRCTC website & can pay later. For tatkal tickets IRCTC users will be able to pay via cash, debit card or credit card by opting to have tickets delivered at their doorstep.

2. Airtel and Telenor receive NCLT nod: The proposed merger between Bharti Airtel and Telenor India has been approved by the National Company Law Tribunal. Airtel will get 43.4 units of 4G spectrum in 1800 MHz band once the Telenor deal is concluded.

3. Google’s Internet Saathi programme reaches one lakh villages: Google India has reached a milestone of 100,000 villages with its Internet Saathi programme which was launched as a pilot in Rajasthan in July 2015 along with Tata Trusts.

Google will also be expanding the program in two new states – Haryana and Bihar.

SPORTS:

4. Paralympian Jhajharia recommended for Khel Ratna: Two-time Paralympic gold-medallist Devendra Jhajharia became the first paralympian to be recommended for the country’s highest sporting honour – the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. He won a gold in javelin at 2016 Rio Paralympics, is the only Indian to win 2 Paralympic golds. He had won his medals in the javelin throw event.

OBITUARIES:

4. Renowned scientist Pushpa Mitra Bhargava passes away: Renowned scientist Pushpa Mitra Bhargava passed away due to illness. Bhargava was a recipient of over 100 national & international awards and the Legion d'Honneur of France in 1998.