Daily GK Updates - 18th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.   ‘Sajibu Nongma Panba Cheiraoba’ the New Year of Manipuri lunar calendar: It was celebrated in Manipur on 18th March. The festival was celebrated on the first day of the Manipuri month, Sajibu, which usually falls in the month of March end or early part of April. Sanamahi, the domestic deity of the people of Manipur is worshipped on this day.

2.   The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will set up India’s first offshore wind turbines at Arichamunai near Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu:  This region was selected on the basis of the quality and speed of the wind which was found to be good. The MNRE will install 4 to 5 wind turbines, each with the capacity to generate a minimum of 6 MW of power.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.    Indo-French Naval exercise Varuna 2018: The first phase of Indo-French joint naval exercise Varuna 2018 began on March 19, 2018, at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Vasco da Gama, Goa. The exercise is being held in the Arabian Sea, off the Goa coast. The second and third phases of the exercise will be held at the Chennai coast in April 2018 and in La Reunion Island in May 2018, respectively.

2.  Global Recycling Day – 18^th March: To promote action on recycling, recycling associations across the globe are observing the first Global Recycling Day on 18th March. By 2025, India’s waste management sector is expected to be worth US$13.62 billion with an annual growth rate of 7.17 percent. Polyethylene Terephthalate is a food grade plastic which is used for food and pharma packaging has the highest rate of recycling.

3.      Disaster Risk Reduction workshop help between India and Japan: It was inaugurated on 19th March. The two-day workshop is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Government of Japan. The workshop’s aim is to develop a specific bilateral Action Plan on areas of cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction.

4.    Victory of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 4^th term: Vladimir Putin will lead Russia for another six years, after securing victory in the presidential elections held on 18th March. Putin, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, won more than 75% of the vote. He was well ahead of his nearest rival Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.   Israel Junior 2018 -  Purva Barve: Purva Barve won the women’s singles (Under-19) title at the Israel Junior badminton tournament 2018 held in Rishon LeZion. The title is her first in 2018 and third overall. Earlier she won the Israel Junior 2017, Italian Junior International 2017 apart from a bronze at the Russian Junior White Nights 2017.

2.  Ranji winner Vidarbha clinched maiden Irani Cup title: Vidarbha has lifted their maiden Irani Trophy at Nagpur on 18th March after they beat ‘Rest of India’ by virtue of their massive first innings lead. It is their second title in the domestic cricket season after they won Ranji Trophy. Rest of India were bowled out for 390, falling short of Vidarbha’s first-innings total by 410 runs.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1.   WTO ministerial meet in Delhi - 50 nations to take up global trade issues: The meeting would be more of an "ice-breaker" as it is being held after the collapse of talks at the Buenos Aires WTO Ministerial in December. The informal meeting of ministers will provide an opportunity to engage in free and frank discussions with the hope that it will lead to political guidance on some major issues. It further said that safeguarding and strengthening the multilateral trading system was never as important as it is today, and the WTO is also facing systemic challenges, particularly its dispute settlement arm.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1.   ‘HAMMER’ Spacecraft: NASA is up to build a huge nuclear spacecraft that is capable of shunting or blowing up dangerous space rocks and safeguarding life on Earth. The spacecraft named Hammer (Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response) is an eight-tonne spaceship which could deflect a giant space rock. The 1,600-foot-wide asteroid Bennu is circling the sun at 63,000 mph.

Daily GK Updates - 17th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  “Elecrama – 2018”: The United Kingdom became the Indian electrical industry’s international partner for the  Elecrama 2018, which was held from March 10 to 14, at the World Utility Summit. Elecrama is the flagship showcase of the Indian Electrical Industry ecosystem and the largest congregation of power sector. The event enabled to share lessons on building a cleaner, smarter and more efficient power sector.

2.    FINE - Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship: President of India will inaugurate Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) and will present Gandhian Young Technological Innovation awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 19, 2018. FINE is an initiative to recognise, showcase, reward innovations and to foster a supportive ecosystem for innovators. It is a platform for innovators for building linkages with potential stakeholders.

3.  SATHE Roadmaps:  NITI Aayog is all set to release comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education ’ project at NITI Aayog. SATHE will introduce System-wide Governance Transformation in School Education. These roadmaps present customized, action-oriented programmes, outlining interventions at the individual, district and State level.

4.   Ban on plastics in Maharashtra: Maharashtra has decided to ban the use of plastic from the Maharashtrian new year day “Gudi Padva” to be held on 18^th March 2018. The ban would cover the production, use, storage, sale, import and transportation of plastic. The plastic used to cover medicines, forest and horticulture products, the use of plastic in special economic zones for export purposes are exempted from the ban.

5.  OSDMA joins hands with RIMES: The Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) will collaborate with the Thailand-based Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for strengthening its early warning services and enhancing preparedness for management of hazards in the State. OSDMA and RIMES would forge a partnership in the field of drought monitoring. RIMES is already working with the Tamil Nadu.

6.      Two-tier Panchayati Raj in Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed a bill to remove Anchal Samiti, intermediate level of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, and set up a two-tier system in the state. In a two-tier system, the strength of elected members would be reduced. In a two-tier system, planning and execution of schemes would be faster as there would be a direct connection between Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishad.

7.   Kerala’s State fruit or the official fruit –“Jackfruit”: The jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit known for its distinctive taste and aroma. Kerala will make an official declaration in this regard on March 21, 2018. The government plans to promote the ‘Kerala Jackfruit’ as a brand in markets across the country and abroad due to its nutritious and organic value.

8.   Arunachal to be the 4^th state to declare death for raping minors: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana have already prescribed the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls under 12 years. Arunachal Pradesh is to be such 4^th state. The State Assembly on 16th March passed the Criminal Laws (Arunachal Pradesh) Amendment Bill 2018. The bill seeks to amend, among others, section 354, 354 (B), 354 (D) of Indian Penal Code for harsher punishment.

9.  Inauguration of  “Women of India Organic festival-2018”: 1st Mumbai Edition of Women of India Organic festival in Mumbai was inaugurated on 16th March. The event will promote Women farmers & Entrepreneurs engaged in organic produce from across India. This year’s theme of the festival is “Good for Women; Good for India; Good for You”. “Women of India Festival 2018” is celebrated since 2015.

10. 8th Theatre Olympics to be hosted by NSD: The National School of Drama (NSD) will host the “8th Theatre Olympics” at Mumbai in later March. The Mumbai chapter of the 8th Theatre Olympics is organised by the NSD in collaboration with the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra. The eighth edition of this global theatre festival is being held in 17 cities. The theme for the eighth edition is ‘Flag of Friendship’.

11. Inauguration of Indian Science Congress in Imphal: Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 105th Indian Science Congress at Manipur University at Imphal. The theme of the Indian Science Congress is “Reaching the Unreached Through Science and Technology”. This is the second time in over a century that the Indian Science Congress is being held in the North-East.

12. ‘LaQshya’ programme by Union Health Ministry:  The Union Health Ministry announced the launch of LaQshya, a programme aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatre. The programme will improve the quality of care maternity operation theatres, and obstetrics Intensive Care Units and High Dependency Units. The programme aims at implementing ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving results within 18 months.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.   Xi-Jinping got re-elected: China’s Parliament re-elected Xi Jinping as the country’s president and also the chairman of Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China on 17th March. On March 11, China passed a constitutional amendment to remove any term limits enabling Xi Jinping to hold presidential office beyond 2023. Wang Qishan was elected as Vice President of China.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  Sanjivani Jadhav grabbed bronze: India’s long-distance athlete Sanjivani Jadhav bagged a bronze medal at the 14th Asian Cross-Country Championship held at Guiyang in China. Sanjivani clocked 28 minutes 19 sec in the senior women’s 8 km event to finish 3rd. In the team ranking, India finished 3rd in senior women’s event and bagged bronze medal with 28 points, finishing behind 1st placed Japan (12) and 2nd placed China (14).

2.    ‘Cricketer of the Year’ – Kannanur Lokesh Rahul: KL Rahul is the ‘Cricketer of the Year’ in the sixth edition of Wisden India Almanack. The Almanack pays a tribute to India’s women cricketers, with a wonderful cover picture of celebration at the World Cup. Shantha Rangaswamy, India’s first woman superstar, has been inducted into the Wisden Ind ia Hall of Fame. Priyank Panchal, Hasan Ali and Tamim Iqbal are the other Cricketers of the Year.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1.   The Reserve Bank of India has issued a Prompt Corrective Action framework to maintain the sound financial health of banks:  The framework facilitates banks in breach of risk thresholds for identified areas of monitoring, such as capital, asset quality and profitability, to take corrective measures. The RBI, through corrective framework, encourages banks to abstain from riskier activities.

2.    INDIA and ADB Sign $120 Million Loan: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement with India to improve the operational efficiency of Indian railways. The loan amount will be used for doubling the railway tracks and electrification of tracks along high-density corridors. The investment program is targeting routes in the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1.   India’s First Cloned Assamese Buffalo – ‘Sach Gaurav’ (Male Calf): He born for the first time at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes in Hisar. The calf was born to a Murrah buffalo. It was also the first to be born in the field, 100 km from the cloning laboratory at Hi-Tech Sach Dairy Farm. This was the second cloned male buffalo after Hisar-Gaurav. Assamese buffaloes are found in north-east India.

Daily GK Updates - 16th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Citizen Services App launched by NCRB: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched a mobile app called ‘Citizen Services’ on the occasion of its 33rd Inception Day. The application has been developed in-house by the NCRB. It will offer various essential police related services to the citizens. The application comprises a bouquet of 9 police related services for the citizen.

2. 105th Science Congress inaugurated in Manipur: PM Modi inaugurated the 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC) in Imphal, Manipur. Theme for 2018 is "Reaching the unreached through science and technology". He is also scheduled to lay down the foundation stones of different projects at Luwangpokpa Multi Sports Complex at Luwangshangbam and Mary Kom’s Boxing Academy in Imphal West district.

3. TDP pulls out of NDA: The Telugu Desam Party has decided to quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The BJP and its Andhra ally TDP have been sharing a sour relationship over the issue of granting ‘Special Category’ Status to Andhra Pradesh. As the TDP quits the NDA, it has become the first party to leave the coalition since it came to power at the Centre in 2014.

4. Krishi Unnati Mela kicked off in Delhi: The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela began in New Delhi with a focus on doubling farmers’ income. The objective of the event is to create awareness among farmers about the latest agriculture-related technological developments. During the mela, latest agriculture and allied sector technologies will be displayed at more than 800 stalls.

5. Odisha to collaborate with RIMES for DM: The Odisha government will collaborate with Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for strengthening its early warning services. The partnership will be forged between Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) and RIMES in field of drought monitoring and early warning. Both entities will ink Memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration and evolve institutional mechanism between them for better coordination. The RIMES is an intergovernmental body registered under United Nations. It is owned and managed by 45 collaborating countries in the Asia Pacific and Africa.

6. India’s first cloned Assamese buffalo ‘Sach-Gaurav’ born: The Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) claimed that India’s first cloned Assamese buffalo male calf named Sach-Gaurav was born in Hisar, Haryana. It was born to Murrah buffalo, at Hi-Tech Sach Dairy Farm, 100 km from cloning laboratory, making it first buffalo calf to be born.

7. NITI Aayog releases SATH-E: NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’ project. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog released the forward-looking blueprints. These roadmaps, which operate between 2018 to 2020, lay out detailed interventions which will be taken by the three participating States- Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha – aiming to become ‘Role Model States’ in school education.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Oklahoma, the first US state to use Nitrogen gas for execution: Oklahoma plans to start using nitrogen gas for executions, in what would be the first such method of capital punishment in the United States. The state is turning to nitrogen after it and other states became unable to acquire drugs required for lethal injections because of opposition from manufacturers to their products being used for capital punishment. Nitrogen is an odorless and tasteless gas that makes up about 78% of the air humans breathe but causes death when inhaled without any oxygen. Oklahoma has not carried out an execution since 2015.

2. Nepal Chief Justice, Gopal Parajuli, sacked: Nepal’s Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli has been sacked for faking his date of birth in order to remain in office longer. A judicial council concluded that Parajuli should have retired 7 months ago when he turned 65, the age of retirement for official positions in Nepal. Parajuli became Chief Justice last June after his predecessor Sushila Karki – the first woman to hold the position turned 65.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Exports grow by 4.5% in Feb 2018: India’s exports grew by 4.5% in February-2018 to 25.8 billion dollars. It was 24.7 billion dollar during the same period in February-2017. This announcement was made by the Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia. During April to February period of the current fiscal, exports recorded a growth of 11% to $273 billion. Imports also rose by 10.4% to $37.8 billion during the last month.

2. Tata group Chief Ethics Officer Rajan quits: Tata Son’s Chief Ethics Officer Mukund Rajan will leave the group to evaluate entrepreneurial pursuits in the coming months. Rajan, who was the former MD of Tata Teleservices, was appointed as the group spokesperson and brand custodian in Feb 2013. Rajan who is also the brother of ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was the youngest director to be appointed on the boards of major Tata companies.

3. Future Group signs up as an associate sponsor for Vivo IPL: Future Group has been signed as an associate sponsor with Star India for the upcoming Vivo-IPL 2018. Future Group will be an associate sponsor by joining brands like Asian Paints, Dream 11, MakeMyTrip among others taking the tally to 8 brands. Vivo IPL 2018 will be presented in 5 regional languages along with English to a never-before 700 million viewers through multiple screens & languages.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. ‘Digital Export Import’ payments by Yes Bank: Yes Bank has launched a robotics-based ‘Digital Export Import’ payments solution as a part of its Yes Transact Smart Trade product suite. It aims to bring over 1 lakh trade transactions going entirely digital, across major geographies including China, US. The product uses robotics process automation & helps in eliminating the requirement of documents submission for import & export payments.

SPORTS:

1. Baskaran Adhiban won Reykjavik Open: India’s Baskaran Adhiban clinched the title in the 33rd Reykjavik Open with an impressive performance that saw him win five of the nine games. Adhiban became only the second Indian after Abhijeet Gupta (in 2016) to win the prestigious Reykjavik Open. He was the 2008 World Under-16 Champion and the 2009 Indian champion.

2. Nepal gains ODI status in cricket: A six-wicket win over Papua New Guinea has rewarded Nepal with One-Day International (ODI) status for the first time ever. Nepal was awarded Affiliate status by the ICC in 1988, and was promoted to Associate rank in 1996. After Afghanistan, Nepal are taking quick strides in terms of developments.

Daily GK Updates - 15th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Asia Pacific Regional Conference (IACP) inaugurated: Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in New Delhi. The theme of the conference is "Challenges to Policing in 2020 - How is Cyber Space shaping our approach to Cybercrime and Terrorism, how do we perform within it and take advantage of it".

2. India offers Madagascar USD 80 million LoC: India has decided to offer Madagascar a USD 80 million Letter of Credit (LoC) for agriculture and mechanization. Madagascar is straddled in the Indian Ocean and alongside the strategic Mozambique channel. The island country is the fourth largest in Africa, in terms of size. Madagascar is also a member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

3. India ranks 78th on energy transition index: India has been ranked at 78th among 114 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) energy transition index. The index listed countries based on their ability to balance energy security, environmental sustainability and affordability. The overall list was topped by Sweden, followed by Norway at the 2nd position and Switzerland at the 3rd rank.

4. IATA partners with civil aviation ministry: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the National Aviation University to enhance human resource availability in India’s aviation industry. The 3 parties to the MoU formalised this partnership on sidelines of Wings India 2018. India is expected to be 3rd largest aviation market in the world.

5. AYUSH Drug QOL-2C for Cancer Patients: Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has undertaken the development of a coded drug AYUSH QOL-2C for cancer patients. The clinical studies were conducted at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru and AIIMS, New Delhi in breast cancer patients. The study was also conducted at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur in lung cancer patients.

6. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and Iran: The Union Cabinet has approved an Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income between India and Iran. The Agreement will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Iran & vice versa. The agreement will improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. First-ever female director of CIA: Gina Haspel, the newly nominated first-ever female director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is a career intelligence officer with more than 30 years' experience. Ms. Haspel, 61, has extensive overseas experience and has served as chief of the station on several postings. Her leadership positions in Washington include deputy director of the National Clandestine Service - the CIA agent that co-ordinates clandestine operations - and chief of staff for the director of the National Clandestine Service.

2. India and Madagascar ink deal: India and Madagascar have signed an agreement under which, both the countries will explore various ways of co-operation in the field of defence. An amended air service agreement was also signed to support efforts towards improving connectivity between the two countries. The Madagascar President decorated President Ramnath Kovind with second highest civilian honour Grand Cross.

3. Damascus the cheapest and Singapore the costliest city in the world: New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai are among the cheapest cities in the world, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit’s “The Worldwide Cost of Living” survey. Syria’s capital, Damascus is the cheapest city in the world. Singapore is the world’s most expensive city.

The Worldwide Cost of Living is a biannual survey that compares 400 individual prices across 160 products and services.

4. Finland is the happiest nation on earth-UN Report: Finland has overtaken Norway to become the happiest nation on earth, according to the UN’s 2018 World Happiness Report. Burundi in East Africa is the unhappiest place in the world. For the first time, the UN also examined the happiness levels of immigrants in each country. The World Happiness Report is an annual publication from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. IAF lands its heaviest aircraft, C-17 Globemaster, in Arunanchal Pradesh: The Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time flawlessly landed its largest transport US-manufactured aircraft, C-17 Globemaster at strategic Tuting Advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh. The landing of this aircraft is seen as part of IAF’s move to strengthen its overall operations in the border state. The aircraft is used for airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Amazon’s debit card launched: Amazon.com Inc launched its first-ever debit card in Mexico, part of a push to encourage shoppers without bank accounts to buy online. Part of the challenge is attracting consumers who are wary of online fraud and do not have access to credit and debit cards. Less than a third of adults in Mexico have credit cards, according to a 2017 government report.