Daily GK Updates - 19th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. NDRF celebrates its 13th Raising Day: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrated its 13th Raising Day in New Delhi. The Director Intelligence Bureau, Rajiv Jain was the chief guest on this occasion. The meeting highlighted the disaster threat of country and important changes taken place in Disaster Management in India and across the world.

2. Anandiben to be the next Governor of MP: Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has been named the next Madhya Pradesh Governor. She replaces Om Prakash Kohli, who has additional charge of the office of MP Governor along with the office of Gujarat Governor. In 2016, she resigned as CM on the ground that she was completing 75 years.

3. Maharashtra becomes the first state to have Public Cloud Policy: Maharashtra has become the first state in the country that has come out with a public cloud policy, virtually mandating its departments to shift their data storage onto the cloud.

This move has created a $2 billion opportunity for the industry. The policy will result in additional private sector investments as the government is one of the biggest creators and consumers of data.

4. Delhi launches Girl Child Week: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched Girl Child Week programme to celebrate the girl child and spread awareness on gender equality. The Girl Child Week in Delhi is from 18 January to 24 January 2018. It is noteworthy that 24th January is celebrated as National Girl Child Day.

5. Blockchain academy to come up in Kerala: Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) and Blockchain Education Network have planned to jointly set up Kerala Blockchain Academy at Technopark campus, in Thiruvananthapuram. It will be first of its kind in India. The aim is to utilise blockchain technology for the welfare of public, promote innovations and entrepreneurship with blockchain technology.

6. Antenatal check-ups under PMSMA crosses 1 crore mark: J P Nadda, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, stated that antenatal check-ups under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) has crossed 1cr mark. PMSMA was launched in 2016 with an objective to ensure comprehensive and quality antenatal checkups to pregnant women.

7. Book on Self-Development unveiled by hon’ble Prez: President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a book on heartfulness techniques and principles titled ‘The Heartfulness Way’. Kamlesh D. Patel is the author of this book. It is the fourth Global Guide of Heartfulness. Joshua Pollock is the second author of this book. It was launched by Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu.

8. Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Yojana approved by Maha. Govt.: Maharashtra Govt has approved a Rs. 4,000 crores project aimed at promoting climate-resilient agriculture. The project, named Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Yojna, will be implemented in 5,142 villages across 15 districts. Around 70% of the project’s cost will be borne by the World Bank while the state will contribute 30% over six years.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Mangalajodi Eco Trust won UNWTO Award: Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust of Odisha was awarded the “Innovation in Tourism Enterprise” award, at the 14th UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) Awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain. Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust is promoted by RBS Foundation India and Indian Grameen Services. It is a community owned and run entity. It is located on the banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha.

2. World’s largest underwater cave found in Mexico: Divers of Great Maya Aquifer Project have discovered world’s largest underwater cave in Mexico. It is located near the beach resort of Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is made of two massive underwater caverns. The combined length of Sac Actun-Dos Ojos system stands at nearly 215 miles. This is much larger than Ox Bel Ha cave system, Mexico, which stretches 168 miles long.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. INS Vikramaditya affiliated to Bihar Regiment and IAF’s No.6 Squadron:Indian Naval Ship Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy’s largest ship and its sole aircraft carrier was formally affiliated to the Indian Army’s highly-decorated and battle-hardened Bihar Regiment and the Indian Air Force’s No 6 Squadron. It is tasked with maritime strike operations with its Jaguar fighter aircraft.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Mauritius comes out as the largest source of FDI in India: Mauritius is the largest source of foreign investment in India (21.8% share), followed by the US and the UK, according to a census by the Reserve Bank of India. It is according to the Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies 2016-17, released by RBI. Total sales, including exports, of foreign subsidiaries in India increased by 18.7% during 2016-17.

2. S Selvakumar Appointed CMD Of SPMCIL: The government appointed senior IAS officer S Selvakumar as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL). Selvakumar has replaced Anurag Agarwal. The state-owned SPMCIL produces banknotes, coins, postage stamps, non-judicial stamps and other official documents.

3. AU Bank inks MoU with LIC: Banking finance company AU Small Finance Bank has signed an MoU with LIC to offer Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. Under the MoU, LIC will give a life cover of Rs. 2 lakh in case of death to the customer at a nominal premium of Rs. 330 per annum. The company will also offer loans under government’s affordable housing and subsidy schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

4. WhatsApp Unveils Business App: Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has rolled out a feature that connects small businesses with customers. Currently, only Android users can access the feature and they can avail of it through the latest update of the app. The new feature will be available first in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, UK and the US before being launched globally in the coming weeks.

Daily GK Updates - 18th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. ‘Namaste Shalom’ Magazine to be launched:  A monthly magazine titled ‘Namaste Shalom’ will be launched to mark Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Mumbai visit. The magazine, on bilateral relations between the two friendly nations, will be launched at the Magen David Synagogue at Byculla in south Mumbai. The magazine is planned to carry forward the great initiative of Modi & Netanyahu to strengthen India-Israel relations.

2. GPS, panic buttons mandatory on vehicles from April1: The government has made it mandatory to have Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in passenger transport vehicles from April 1. All taxis, buses and public transport vehicles, except three-wheelers and e-rickshaws, will have to install GPS and an alert button. The road transport ministry has reiterated the deadline amid reports that most of the states had not done much to meet the target.

3. Nirmala Sitharaman becomes the first woman defence minister to fly in Sukhoi 30: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman undertook a sortie in IAF s frontline combat jet Sukhoi-30 MKI in the western sector of Rajasthan. She is the first woman defence minister of India to fly a sortie in an IAF Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

4. Odisha CM launches ‘Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana’: The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has launched the Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana (MMKSY) for the welfare of the artists in Odisha. Under MMKSY Scheme, artists across the state will get a monthly assistance of Rs. 1200. Around 50,000 artists across Odisha will be benefited from this scheme. In new eligibility criteria, a male artist can avail assistance under the scheme after attaining the age of 50 years (earlier 60 years), the female artist has been reduced to 40 years (earlier 50 years).

5. Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards presented: President Kovind presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships & Awards for 2016 to an eminent group of musicians, dancers & theatre artists. 4 eminent artists & scholars were conferred fellowships of Akademi, namely Arvind Parikh, R Vedavalli, Ram Bajaj & Sunil Kothari.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships & awards are national honours bestowed by the govt in the field of performing arts.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Britain appoints Minister for Loneliness: United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed a “minister for loneliness” in a bid to tackle social isolation. This comes after a report revealed that nine million people in the country suffered from loneliness. Tracey Crouch, whose official title is Minister for Sport and Civil Society, will take on the additional role, created in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox.

2. Koreas to march under single united flag: North & South Korea have agreed to march together under a single “unified Korea” flag at next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea. The 2 countries have marched under the flag before, in rare shows of unity, first at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, and at a number of sporting events since. The nations have also agreed to form a joint North & South Korean women’s ice hockey team.

3. BBIN pact - Vehicle movement finalized: Bangladesh, India, and Nepal agreed upon operating procedures for trans-border movement of passenger vehicles under Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) motor vehicles agreement. The BBIN motor vehicles agreement (MVA) was signed by the transport ministers of the BBIN countries in Thimphu, Bhutan. The objective of the agreement to facilitate seamless flow of passenger and cargo traffic in the sub-region.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. India test-fires ICBM Agni-V: India has test-fired its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile in its final operational configuration from Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. Nuclear-capable Agni-V missile can reach northern-most parts of China with its strike range of over 5,000-km Once Agni-V is inducted, India will join the super-exclusive club of countries with ICBMs alongside US, Russia, China, France & UK.

2. India, Japan hold joint naval exercise: Ships & aircraft of Indian Coast Guard & its Japanese counterpart conducted a joint naval drill in Chennai. As many as 9 ships & 8 aircraft of Indian Coast Guard along with Japanese Coast Guard Ship ‘Tsugaru’ with helo participated in the biennial Search & Rescue Exercise 2018. Observers from 17 countries and members of National Maritime Search & Rescue Board also witnessed the drill.

3. India & US to conduct joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’: The Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle, USA. A 45-member Special Forces team from Indian Army’s Southern Command will train alongside US soldiers in the third week of January. ‘Vajra Prahar’ is an Indo-US Special Forces joint training exercise, which is conducted alternately in India and the US. The last edition of the exercise was held in Jodhpur in March 2017.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. JAXA launches new observation satellite ASNARO-2: Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite, equipped with X-band radar. ASNARO-2, developed by Japanese tech firm NEC, will perform Earth-observation tasks for five years from its orbit at an altitude of about 500 km. This was the first launch of a JAXA Epsilon rocket ordered by a private company.

SPORTS:

1. Kohli named ICC Cricketer of the Year: Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli has been named as International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year 2017. He was also named the ICC ODI Player of the Year & recipient of Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. Kohli had an outstanding year in the 50-over format where he scored 6 centuries at an astonishing average of 76.84. He has also been named the captain of Men’s ODI & Test Teams of the Year.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. HDFC becomes the first Indian bank to cross Rs. 5 trillion m-cap: India’s most-valued bank HDFC Bank has crossed Rs5 trillion market capitalisation for the first time, making it the 1st Indian bank to achieve this milestone. TCS & RIL are the other two companies which have crossed market capitalisation of Rs5 trillion. HDFC Bank’s steady 20% profit growth quarter-after-quarter, as well as its immunity to bad loans crises, has helped it achieve this feat.

2. Government to set up $350 million fund for solar projects: Central govt will set up a $350 million fund to finance solar projects. It is a part of India’s efforts to achieve its ambitious target of adding 175 GW in renewable energy by 2022. India, which receives twice as much sunshine as European nations, expects renewable energy to make up 40% of installed power capacity by 2030. India’s installed renewable power capacity is currently about 60 GW.

3. iCreate centre to support innovation inaugurated: PM Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu inaugurated the iCreate centre in Ahmedabad’s Deo Dholera Village. iCreate paves way for the two nations to jointly script new stories of success through innovation, which the two leaders have been strongly advocating. iCreate centre aims to provide technology & assistance to innovative & imaginative minds in their entrepreneurial journey.

4. Grab acquires payments start-up iKaaz: Grab, Uber’s biggest competitor in Southeast Asian markets has acquired Bengaluru-based software start-up iKaaz.

iKaaz’ technology spans across areas like NFC, QR-code, audio-based payments as well as bill payments, online payments & peer-to-peer.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. SBI to raise Rs 20,000 crores: The board of State Bank of India has given nod to raise Rs 20,000 crore for financing affordable housing and infrastructure projects through long-term bonds. Affordable housing segment has gained momentum after the government provided infrastructure status to it in the last year’s budget. Govt. is also providing interest subsidy to buyers on low-cost homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

2. Yes Bank to mobilise $1 billion by 2023 for solar projects: YES Bank will mobilise $1 billion till 2023 & $5 billion till 2030 towards financing solar energy projects in India. The announcement was made at International Solar Alliance conference organised at World Future Energy Summit 2018 in Abu Dhabi. This comes on the back of $400-million co-finance agreement by the Bank & EIB for construction of new solar power plants & wind farms across India.

Daily GK Updates - 17th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Kerala, Bangla and Odisha opt out of aspirational scheme: West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha have opted out of the Central Government’s Transformation of Aspirational Districts scheme. Aspirational districts refer to selected 115 backward districts that are lagging on specific development parameters. Central Government has undertaken a major policy initiative for rapid transformation of these districts.

2. Haryana government to set up SAT:  The Haryana government paved the way for setting up of a State Administrative Tribunal. The state Cabinet, under the Chairmanship of CM Manohar Lal Khattar, approved the Haryana State Administrative Tribunal Rules, 2017. The establishment of the SAT will prove advantageous and essential in view of the increasing number of court cases.

3. Haj subsidy scrapped: Thousands of Muslims who go on Haj pilgrimage each year will no longer get subsidised or cheaper air tickets. The big move would help empower Muslims with dignity, said union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The subsidy will be used for educating girls. Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow people to go on the Haj by ship, which is cheaper than flying.

4. Adults have right to marry anyone: SC: The Supreme Court said “any adult” has the “right to marry anyone”, and nobody, including parents, khap panchayats or society, can question their choice of spouse. The decision was given by a Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by NGO Shakthi Vahini, which asked the court to direct the central and state governments to take action to prevent honour crimes.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. AB Singh takes over as Chief of Staff, WNC: Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh took over as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command from Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh. Vice Admiral AB Singh was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command prior to his current appointment.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. First image taken by Cartosat-2: The first-day image captured by India’s recently launched weather observation Cartosat-2 series satellite shows a part of Indore city in Madhya Pradesh. The image was acquired on January 15, three days after the launch of the satellite. Cartosat-2 Series satellite was successfully launched onboard the PSLV-C40 rocket on January 12 by ISRO from its spaceport at Sriharikota. 

SPORTS:

1. Goldberg to be in WWE Hall of Fame: WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) announced that Goldberg will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class at a ceremony in 6th April 2018, in New Orleans. Goldberg retired from in-ring competition in 2017. He is the first to be listed in the WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class. He is 51 years old.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. India attends its first SCO meeting: India, for the first time, took part in a meeting of the international military cooperation departments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation since joining the bloc last year. An Indian delegation led by Major General Ajay Seth participated in the meeting.

2. CIPAM Launches Competition for students: Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), under the department of industrial policy and promotion, has launched a competition for college and university students. Its aim is to foster a culture of innovation and creativity in the youth. The competition invites students to submit films on piracy and counterfeiting.

3. Indian Oil signs LoI with Israeli Firms: Indian Oil Corporation has signed letters of intent with Phinergy, an Israeli start-up, & YEDA, a technology spin-off from Israel’s Weizmann Research Institute. The agreement with Phinergy allows IndianOil to work on adoption of advanced energy systems for the domestic market. This association could lead to the setting up of manufacturing units for these energy systems, initially in India.

4. TCS bags over $690 million deal: India’s largest IT services firm TCS has signed an over GBP 500 million deal with M&G Prudential, the UK and European savings and investments business of Prudential plc. TCS will digitally transform M&G Prudential’s business and deliver enhanced service for its UK savings and retirement customers.

The value of this agreement exceeds GBP 500 million over 10 years.

Daily GK Updates - 16th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Oil refinery work starts in Barmer: Prime Minister inaugurated the commencement of work of an oil refinery at Pachpadra. Dharmendra Pradhan, the minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, tweeted out saying the Barmer Refinery and Petrochemicals Project of HRRL will bring an unprecedented surge in infrastructure development.

2. Joint estimation of tigers in Sunderbans: The first joint estimation of tigers in the Sunderbans, spread across India and Bangladesh, began on Monday, with a training workshop. Eminent tiger biologist Qamar Qureshi said the Sunderbans houses the fifth largest tiger population in the world. The region hosts 75% of all big cats in the world.

3. Sudhir Dalvi gets Janakavi Sawlaram award: Sudhir Dalvi was presented the Janakavi P Sawlaram award at a function in Thane, Maharashtra. Sudhir Dalvi was handed over the Janakavi P Sawlaram award along with a citation by Meenakshi Shinde, Thane Mayor. The Janakavi P Sawlaram award is instituted by Thane Municipal Corporation in association with the Janakavi P Savlaram Kala Samiti. Dancer Jaishree T was awarded the Ganga Jamuna award. Sudhir Dalvi is best known for his role as ‘Valmiki’ in tv serial ‘Ramayan’.

4. Aadhaar mandatory for bail in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh High Court has issued a directive to all trial courts in the state to mandatorily obtain Aadhaar Cards of accused persons. The order is an attempt to curb the rampant practice of obtaining bail on the basis of forged revenue papers or by impersonating the real surety. High Court has also instructed that trial courts should verify the genuineness of Aadhaar card and revenue papers.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Romanian PM Mihai Tudose resigns after losing party support: Romania's Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigned after losing the backing of his party due to internal power struggles. Mr. Mihai handed in his resignation after senior members of the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) voted to withdraw their support at a leadership meeting. Tudose's resignation will have to be signed off by center-right President Klaus Iohannis.

2. Brazil bans buying cryptocurrencies: Brazil’s securities regulator prohibited local investment funds from buying cryptocurrencies. Brazil regulator bans funds from buying cryptocurrencies. The prohibition has been imposed, citing the reason that Cryptocurrencies cannot be considered financial assets. Owing to this decision, Brazilian funds cannot directly invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. ‘Elcysma Ziroensis’ discovered in Andhra Pradesh: A new moth species named ‘Elcysma Ziroensis’ has been discovered in the Talle Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. This discovery has been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. This new species has been scientifically named Elcysma Ziroensis. It would be commonly called Apatani Glory. This has been named after a local tribe called Apatani.

2. NASA discovers “SPT0615-JD”: NASA scientists have spotted the farthest known galaxy in the universe. “SPT0615-JD” galaxy is a cluster of 500 million year-old stars. The image of SPT0615-JD was captured by NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. The images were captured through gravitational lensing. SPT0615-JD was found in Hubble’s Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey and companion S-RELICS Spitzer programme.

SPORTS:

1. Assam wins 8th Sub-junior Hockey Championship: Assam Hockey won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division), at Hojai Hockey stadium, in Assam. Assam Hockey beat Hockey Rajasthan 3-2 in the final and won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division).

2. Rajyavardhan Rathore launches ‘Khelo India’ Anthem: The Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore has launched the official anthem and mascot of Khelo India School Games (from 31st January this year). The anthem aims to focus on brotherhood, equality, and solidarity in sports. Now, an athlete wins a medal at Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics, the coach gets the incentive.

3. Nation's Cup tournament: Indian boxers claim 11 gold medals: Indian boxers have claimed 11 gold medals and both the team championship trophies in the Nation's Cup tournament for junior and youth women in Sombor, Serbia. The junior team won 13 medals(nine gold, two silvers and two bronze medals)while the youth team clinched four medals(3 gold and one bronze).

Daily GK Updates - 15th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian Army Day celebrated: The nation celebrated the 70th Army Day today. Army Day is celebrated on 15th January every year in India, in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa's (then a Lieutenant General) taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15th January 1949. The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in the national capital New Delhi as well as in all headquarters. 

2. India’s International Camel festival starts: The two-day long, 25th International Camel festival kick-started today in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. Organised by Department of Tourism, Art & Culture, Bikaner Camel Festival is a yearly event, organised in January, which the city celebrates in honour of ship of the desert, Camel.

3. Rajnath Singh inaugurates Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infra: Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a two-day International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in New Delhi. The workshop has been organized by National Disaster Management Authority. Good practices in making infrastructure disaster resilient and identifying critical gaps in current practices that need to be addressed in the coming years were the main objectives of the workshop.

4. UIDAI to enable face authentication: UIDAI has decided to enable face authentication in fusion mode on registered devices by 1st July 2018. It will help in inclusive authentication of those who are not able to biometrically authenticate due to their worn out fingerprints, old age or working conditions. It will be allowed only in fusion mode along with one more authentication factor combined with either fingerprint or iris or OTP.

5. First agro options contract in guar seeds launched on NCDEX: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched options trading in guar seed on commodity bourse NCDEX. NCDEX Agri-Options in Guar Seed aims to provide farmers better engagement in the commodity markets. NCDEX is the second exchange after MCX to launch options trading in commodities. Guar seed is a major contributor to revenue generation, hence making it a suitable commodity to start with for Options.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Iran lifts the ban on internet use: The Iranian government lifted the ban on the usage of internet in Israel, including the Telegram message app. The ban was forced upon by the government as there were huge protests in parts of Israel on account of unemployment and rising prices. The protests were held with the help of social media and hence in order to gain control, the government had to impose the ban on internet.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Government to raise 15 new battalions: The government is planning to raise 15 new battalions in the country’s two important border guarding forces – the BSF and the ITBP. It is being done to fortify defence along the strategic frontiers with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. While the BSF is the country’s largest border guarding force with a strength of about 2.5 lakh, the ITBP is about 90,000-personnel strong.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. SEBI approves Vijay Kumar’s appointment as NCDEX MD & CEO: SEBI has approved the appointment of Vijay Kumar as the MD and CEO of NCDEX. Kumar, a former chief business officer at NCDEX, is likely to assume the office next week. He is an agro-industry veteran, having worked for Cargill and National Bulk Handling Corporation.

SPORTS:

1. Anil Khanna appointed as the of the Finance Commission of IOA: Sports administrator Anil Khanna has been named as the Chairman of Finance Commission of Indian Olympic Association. Indian Olympic Association is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at Olympic Games.

Daily GK Updates - 14th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Amendment in Act leads to ‘enemy’ properties worth Rs 1 trillion being auctioned: Over 9,400 ‘enemy’ properties, worth more than Rs 1 trillion, are set to be auctioned by the home ministry starting the process of identifying all such estates. The properties were left behind by people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China. The move came after the amendment of the 49-year-old Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act.

2. Migrant Workers to Have Orange Passports: New passports for citizens who have Emigration Check Required (ECR) status will have orange cover jackets, instead of the traditional dark blue. Indian passports have a blue cover, diplomatic and official passports have white and red jackets, respectively. Applicants who haven’t cleared 10th standard are given a passport with ECR category.

3. NFHS4 names Delhi and Punjab as the richest states in India: On the basis of data from fourth round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4), people in Delhi and Punjab are the richest, with more than 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile. The survey was conducted among more than 6 lakh households in 2015-16. The index has been prepared on the basis of scores on ownership of consumer goods and household characteristics.

4. Google Doodle as a tribute to Mahasweta Devi: Google celebrated the 92nd birthday of eminent Bengali littérateur and social activist Mahasweta Devi with a doodle on 14th January, 2018. Hailing from a family of prolific playwrights and writers, Mahasweta Devi wielded the power of the pen to bring to light the plight of “suffering spectators”. Her first book, Jhansir Rani was a biography of the Rani of Jhansi.

5. U5MR declines in India: Under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in India has shown an impressive decline of 9 per cent, from 43 per 1,000 in 2015 to 39 per 1,000 in 2016. The data comes from the recently-released 2016 sample registration system (SRS) bulletin. The number of under-five deaths in the country have come down to below 1 million with nearly 1,20,000 fewer under-five deaths in 2016 as compared to 2015.

6. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav begins in Karnataka: The seventh edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat matrix, is set to begin in Karnataka. The state paired with Karnataka is Uttarakhand. The event will cover a profusion of art forms from classical and folk, music and dance, theatre to literature and visual arts.

7. Teen Murti to be renamed as ‘Teen Murti Haifa’: As a symbolic gesture of friendship with Israel, India will rename the iconic Teen Murti Chowk, a war memorial. The new name of the memorial which was the official residence of the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru will be, Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Israeli PM Netanyahu set to visit India: Israeli PM is set to visit India where a series of events that will showcase the growing friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Israeli prime minister. PM Modi will break protocol to receive Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, at the airport.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. China commissions new missile frigate ‘Rizhao’: China’s Navy has commissioned a new missile frigate, named ‘Rizhao’, in a naval port in China’s Dalian located in the Liaoning Province. Rizhao is China’s indigenous missile frigate. It is 140-meter-long and 16-meter-wide with the capability to displace more than 4,000 tonnes.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Japan tops, India at 30th position on Global Manufacturing Index by WEF: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index. Japan has been found to have the best structure of production in the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’. It is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10.

2. BSE’s INX lists IRFC’s first Green Bond: The BSE’s India International Exchange, India INX, has listed the IRFC’s green bonds on its debt listing platform – the global securities market. With this, the Indian Railway Finance Corporation’s green bonds have become the first debt security to be listed on an exchange at International Financial Services Centre in Gujarat’s GIFT city. The bonds have an annual yield of 3.835 percent.

3. World Bank to recalculate EODB rankings: World Bank has announced that it will recalculate the national rankings of business competitiveness going back to at least four years. The announcement was after a complaint by Chile, the ranking of which has come down from 34th in 2014 to 57th in 2017. The last major changes in the methodology and parameter of the EODB rankings were done under the watch of Romer’s predecessor Kaushik Basu.

4. India’s first IT trade union gets registered in Pune: The Pune chapter of the Forum for IT Employees (FITE) has become the first officially registered trade union for the IT sector in India. FITE was formed in Bengaluru a few years ago to fight the layoffs in IT sector. The FITE also helped affected employees file cases under the Industrial Disputes Act before the offices of the Labour Commissioner and the labour court.

5. Bangla tops DIPP’s BRAP 2017: Bangla currently tops the list of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion’s Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2017. It is followed by Gujarat. The rankings are based on implementation only and scores of feedback evaluation have not been considered.

Daily GK Updates - 13th January, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indu Malhotra becomes the first woman lawyer directly appointed for SC judgeship: The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra as the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the apex court. She will be the seventh woman judge since independence to make it to the Supreme Court.In 1989, the first woman to be appointed as a judge of the apex court was Justice M Fathima Beevi.

2. 3rd edition of annual Raisina Dialogue to begin: The third edition of the annual Raisina Dialogue between India and Israel will be inaugurated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 16, 2018. The event will see a series of high-powered panel discussions on geopolitical issues. Agriculture and water are the major strategic cooperation areas between the two nations.

3. Election Commission panel to suggest changes to Representation of People Act, 1951: In view of social media expansion, Election Commission (EC) of India has constituted a 14-member committee chaired by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha to suggest changes to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act. The Act prohibits poll campaign in the last 48 hours of voting. The Committee will study the impact of social media during the silence period and suggest modifications to the election law and model code of conduct.

4. J&K govt to open 17 new degree colleges in the state: According to the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State Minister for Higher Education Altaf Bhukhari, the state cabinet has approved the opening of 17 new degree college in the state. These colleges shall be established in the uncovered areas of the State adding that the locations for these colleges are being worked out by the department.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World's largest solar thermal plant to be built in South Australia: The world's largest solar-thermal power plant has been given development approval by the South Australian government. The capacity of the plant will be 150-megawatt. The construction of power plant will begin in 2018 at an estimated cost of $509 million.

2. Russia plants new missiles in Crimea: Russia deployed a new division of S-400 surface-to-air missiles in Crimea, Russian news agencies reported, in an escalation of military tensions on the Crimean peninsula. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, triggering economic sanctions by the EU and U.S. and a tense stand-off in the region.

3. China breaks India’s internet monopoly in Nepal: China on Friday became Nepal’s second internet service provider, breaking India’s monopoly in providing internet access to the Himalayan Kingdom. The Hong Kong and Beijing based China Telecom Global (CTG) — a company formed in 2012 — has teamed up with Nepal Telecom to provide alternate cyber-connectivity to Nepal.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Forex reserves surge to all time high: India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.758 billion to mount a new record high of $411.124 billion. The reserves had crossed the $400-billion mark for the first time on September 8, 2017 but had since been fluctuating. Expressed in the US dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of change due to the non-US currencies.

2. HDFC to raise Rs11,104 crore from investors including GIC, KKR: Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd (HDFC) will be raising around Rs11,104 crore from marquee institutional investors like KKR, GIC and Premji Invest among others. Separately, the country’s largest mortgage lender will also be raising up to Rs1, 896 crore through qualified institutional placement (QIP).

3. Shoppers Stop allots Rs179.26 crore shares to Amazon: Retail chain Shoppers Stop said it has allotted shares worth Rs179.26 crore to Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC, an investment arm of Amazon.com. As part of the deal, Shoppers Stop will have an exclusive flagship store on the Amazon marketplace. The two companies have an existing partnership since 2016 under which Shoppers Stops private and exclusive brands (Stop, Kashish, Haute Curry, RS by Rocky Star) have been listed on the Amazon marketplace.

4. TCS bags its biggest contract - ‘$2-plus bn’ contract with Transamerica: TCS has signed the ‘largest contract to date’ to become a third party administrator (TPA) for Transamerica. It will take care of Transamerica’s life insurance, annuity, supplemental health insurance and workplace voluntary benefits products. The multi-year agreement, worth more than $2 billion, would enable Transamerica to rapidly enhance its digital capabilities.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. IDFC Bank to merge with Capital First: IDFC Bank will merge with Warburg Pincus-backed Capital First in an all-share deal. V Vaidyanathan, the current chairman of Capital First, will become the MD and CEO of the merged entity, succeeding Rajiv Lall. Post-merger, the combined entity of IDFC Bank and Capital First will have assets under management of Rs 880 billion and will serve more than five million customers.

2. India a top borrower from China-sponsored AIIB in 2017: India has emerged as a top borrower from the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with USD 1.5 billion worth of loans last year and USD three billion more in the pipeline. Indonesia has emerged as the second largest borrower with about USD 600 million loans. China is the largest shareholder with 26.06% voting shares in the bank.

India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5% followed by Russia 5.93% and Germany with 4.5%.

SPORTS:

1. Sarjubala, Sarita Devi win National Women’s Boxing Championship: Former world silver medallist Sarjubala Devi representing Manipur claimed the gold in 48 kg category in the National Women’s Boxing Championships. While L Sarita Devi representing the All India Police, AIP picked up a gold medal in the 60 kg category.