Daily GK Updates - 11th October 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Uttarakhand Government launches 'solar briefcase' for remote areas: Uttarakhand Govt. and Swan Cultural Center & Foundation (a charitable funding agency) have launched ‘Solar Briefcase’ to provide electricity to far-flung areas in the hill state.101 families located in remote areas were provided solar briefcases & power packs by the Hans foundationThe Hans foundation in collaboration with the State Government has decided to provide off grid power to the deprived families by distributing 15,000 solar briefcases in Uttarakhand.Earlier in the day CM Rawat handedover the first Power pack to the temple committee of Kedarnath.

2.Bihar to provide reservation to persons with disabilities in government jobs: Bihar state cabinet has approved reservations for persons with disabilities in govt. jobs and educational institutions.The provision has been brought in accordance with the Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016.The cabinet also approved the establishment of a state advisory board for the empowerment of 'Divyangjan' as envisaged in the Act.Secretaries of various departments will serve as members of the board and it will also comprise representatives from districts.

3. President presents Lal Bahadur Shastri National award to Bindeshwar Pathak: President Ram Nath Kovind has presented 18th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award to ‘Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak’ for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics, and Management.Bindeshwar Pathak has contributed immensely in the direction of getting rid of the practice of manual scavenging.

4. Anupam Kher has been appointed as the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII): Film actor Anupam Kher has been appointed as the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He succeeded Gajendra Chauhan. Kher has worked in more than 500 films and over 100 plays in last three decades. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 by the Indian government. Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara. He has also been a part of international projects such as Bend It Like Beckham, Lust, Caution, and David O Russell’s 2013 Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook.

               INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Nisha Desai Biswal appointed as President of USIBC: Former Indian-American assistant secretary of South and central Asia ‘Nisha Desai Biswal’ has been appointed as the President of US India Business Council (USIBC).In 1975, the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) was formed as a business advocacy organization to enlighten and encourage the private sectors of both India and US to enhance investment flows.She previously served as the Assistant Administrator for Asia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

2. International Day of the Girl Child being observed today: The International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) is observed every year across the world on 11th October (6th- edition) to recognize girls’ rights and challenges girls face around the world.The theme of 2017 is “EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises".On the occasion, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi addressed a panel discussion on the Role of Sports in the Empowerment of Girls in New Delhi.

                             OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Mastercard lab to help India on inclusive digital economy goal: Mastercard has launched its first technology lab in the country (in Pune) to help India move towards digital economy and financial inclusion.This lab will be Mastercard's ninth such establishment in the world and the second in Asia Pacific after Singapore.Earlier this year, Mastercard co-innovated with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and other payments brands to develop Bharat QR.The QR (quick response) code is the world's first interoperable data acceptance solution that streamlines local electronic payments infrastructure.

2.IMF trims India growth forecast for current financial year to 6.7 %:According to the latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has trimmed India’s growth forecast for 6.7% from its earlier estimate of 7.2% for the financial Year 2017-18.It cited the lingering impact of demonetization and transition cost to the Goods & Services Tax (GST) For the slowdown.India is expected to regain the fastest growing major economy tag next year when it is forecast to grow 7.4%, slower than earlier estimate of 7.7% but higher than China's 6.5%.Earlier this month, RBI lowered its growth forecast for 2017-18 to 6.7% from 7.3%.

3. The India’s GDP forecast 7% for FY18 :The World Bank (WB), in its biannual economic update “South Asia Economic Focus (Fall 2017)”, has reduced India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.0% for 2017-18 from 7.2% estimated earlier. As per report, the unexpected slowdown in India’s growth story is because of the delayed consequence of demonetization, sharp decline in the growth rate of public expenditures and uncertainty created by the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Apart from WB, Both the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have also cut their growth projections for India to 7% and 6.7%, respectively, for fiscal 2017-18.

SPORTS:

1.Iceland, Smallest Country to Qualify for Football World Cup 2018: Iceland created history by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. This is the first time that Iceland qualified for the World Cup.Iceland became the smallest country to clinch a position at the 21st FIFA World Cup. The previous smallest country to have reached the World Cup was Trinidad & Tobago.

Daily GK Updates - 10th October, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Jagdish Mukhi takes oath as Governor of Assam: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi (74-years) has been administered the oath of office by Gauhati High Court Chief Justice, Ajit Singh at a function in Gauhati.Earlier, Prof Mukhi served as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The governors of the states have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level.The governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power lies with the chief ministers of the states and their councils of ministers.

2. J&K govt launches Aadhaar enrolment drive for students: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) govt. has started an Aadhaar enrolment drive for nearly 14 lakh school children in the state.Aadhaar enrolment centres have been set up in Phase-1 in six districts of the state which includes Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, Dodha, Kishtwar, and Samba.The rest of the districts will be covered in Phase-2 for which the necessary equipment, machinery, and other measures are being undertaken.

3.Haryana government to provide 50 pc subsidy on onion seed: Haryana Govt. has decided to provide 50% subsidy on onion seed on the first-come-first-serve basis to encourage farming of kharif onion in the state.The maximum amount limit of subsidy on the onion seed is 500 rupees per kg seed or 50%, whichever is less would be provided.The maximum quantity of seed provided is 10 kg per hectare per farmer.Now, farmers can obtain the seed of different varieties of kharif onion from seed sales centres of Haryana Seed Development Corporation and National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation by just depositing their share of the amount according to rules.

4. Vice President inaugurates 3rd International Conference on Yoga: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the third International Conference on Yoga in New Delhi.The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Yoga for Wellness’.Experts will deliberate on the scope of yoga in integrated medicine, and control of cancer, depression, gynecological disorders and pain management.Around 500 delegates from 44 countries are attending the conference to provide a common platform to AYUSH and allopathy practitioners, researchers, academicians, policymakers and students.

5. UP Cabinet approves digitalization of land maps: Uttar Pradesh state Cabinet presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has approved digitalization of land maps in 70 districts of the state.Rs. 5.21 crore has been made available for the digitization work.The maps will be available online and help check malpractices in a big way.

                INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s rank at 8th in the world’s most valuable nation brands: India has been ranked 8th out of 100 countries on a list of most valuable nation brands, according to Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017 report. The list is topped by US, followed by China, Germany, Japan and United Kingdom. In terms of valuation, India’s National Brand Value in 2017 is $2.04 trillion, down one percent from last year’s $2.06 trillion. However, India’s brand rating has improved from ‘AA-‘ to ‘AA’. Despite a rating improvement, India does not feature in the list of 10 best performing nation brands. Iceland topped the ‘Top 10 best performing nation brands’ list. Brand Finance measures the strength and value of the nation brands of 100 leading countries using a method based on the royalty relief mechanism employed to value the world’s largest companies.

                              OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Commerce & industry ministry okays eight industrial licenses for explosives: The commerce and industry ministry has approved eight industrial licenses for explosives.These industrial licenses for explosives with proposed investment of 51 crore rupees are likely to create 1,171 jobs.Industrial licensing was abolished for most of the industries but permits are needed for defense and explosives segments.

2. Gujarat cuts VAT on petrol, diesel by 4%: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced to reduce 4% VAT on petrol and diesel prices.Petrol price has been cut by Rs 2.93 per litre, while diesel price has been slashed by Rs 2.72 a litre.Reduction in VAT will cost the state exchequer around Rs 2,316 crore annually.Now, the current 24 % VAT on petrol and diesel will now come down to 20%.

3. IIT-Kharagpur  has signed a MoU with Samsung for digital academy: IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances. The academy was a part of Samsung’s corporate social initiative that aims at bridging the digital divide in the country by imparting skills to students on cutting-edge technology, Through this partnership with IIT-KGP, the academy planned to train over 100 students in the next three years. The course would be taught over 14 weeks through classroom lectures, assignments, lab room sessions, self-study and mini projects.

Daily GK Updates - 9th October, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoM Set Up to Review Composition Scheme:  A group of ministers (GoM) has been set up under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants. The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had constituted the GoM.With only 15.50 lakh businesses out of the total 98 lakh registered under the goods and services tax (GST) regime opting for the composition scheme, the GST Council has decided to set up the GoM to examine measures to make it more attractive.

                   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Rajesh Nath has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour of Germany: Rajesh Nath, the managing director of VDMA India, has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to Germany. The award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal Cross of Merit was instituted in 1951 and is Germany’s only honour that is awarded to both Germans and foreigners for achievements in the economic, social, political or intellectual realms.

                                OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. PNB MetLife Appoints Ashish Srivastava as MD & CEO: PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd (PNB MetLife),a life insurer, has appointed Ashish Srivastava as a new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the company.Prior to this elevation, Srivastava was an interim CEO at PNB MetLife. Srivastava joined PNB MetLife in 2013 as the Head of HR for the India business.

SPORTS:

1.India's Anupama Ramachandran wins World Open U-16 Snooker Championship: Anupama Ramachandran (India) has won the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia.In the Girls category, she defeated top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1.In boy category, Dylan Emery of Wales has claimed the title.Total 73 cueists from across the world have participated in this championship.

2.Rafael Nadal wins 2107 China open title: Top-ranked 16-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal (Spain) has won 2017 China 0pen title in Beijing.Rafael Nadal defeated Nick Kyrgios (Australia) 6-2, 6-1 to win his 6th ATP title of the year.In the women’s event, Caroline Garcia (France) defeated world no.1 Simona Halep(Romania) in straight sets of 6-4, 7-6 .

Daily GK Updates - 8th October, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian Air Force celebrates 85th anniversary: Air Force Day 2017 is being observed annually on 8th October across India.This is the 85th celebration of the Day that began in 1932.The Indian Air Force has displayed various Aircraft at Air Force Station Hindan air base near Delhi with parade and air display.

2.Prime Minister launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in Gujarat.Through this programme, the union govt. aims to reach each & every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunization programme.The special drive will focus on improving immunization coverage in select districts and cities to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by December 2018

3.President Kovind launches Rs.100crore clean water initiative:President Ram Nath Kovind launched spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s Rs.100crore clean water initiative for rural India in Kerala’s Kollam.He inaugurated Jivamritam filtration system which will provide drinking water to 1crore villagers across India.

                

                    INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Kim Jong-un promotes sister to centre of power: Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, was made an alternate member of the politburo – the top decision-making body over which Kim Jong Un presides.Twenty Eight year old Yo-Jong was blacklisted along with other North Korean officials by the US treasury in January this year over severe human rights abuses.

2.World Post Day is being observed: World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9th October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern.It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.Since then, countries around the world participate annually in the celebrations.

                              OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.Magicbricks launches India’s first online property bidding platform: Magicbricks announced the launch of India’s first online bidding platform for residential and commercial properties and tied-up with developer M3M for the inaugural ‘My Bid, My Home’.Magicbricks has been recently awarded the standardization, Testing, and Quality Certification (STQC) by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, making it the country’s only real estate portal eligible for a biding platform for properties.

SPORTS:

1. Samiya wins gold at U-15 Asian Junior Championship: Indian shuttler Samiya Imad Farooqui clinched the gold medal at the Under-15 women's singles competition at the Asian Junior Championship in Yangon, Myanmar.She defeated Indonesia's Widjaja Stephani 15-21, 21-17, 21-19.Earlier, P V Sindhu had won the gold in U-19 Asia Junior championship in 2012 at Gimcheon, South Korea.

2. RMV Gurusaidutt has won the 2017 men singles title at the Bulgarian International Future Series Tennis tournament: Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt has clinched the men’s singles title at the Bulgarian International Future Series tournament on October 9, 2017. Gurusaidutt, who has been out of action since the US Open in July 2016 due to an injury, defeated Muhammed Ali Kurt in the final by 21- 17, 21-16.

AWARDS/HONOURS:

1. Richard Thaler wins 2017 Nobel prize in economics : The Nobel economics prize 2017 has been awarded to Richard Thaler (72-years)of the University of Chicago for his contributions to behavioural economics.Thaler is an American economist & the Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.The 9-million-kronor (1.1 million US Dollars) prize was awarded to the academic for his understanding the psychology of economics.Behavioural economics, a research field in which insights from psychological research are applied to economic decision making.