Daily GK Updates - 7th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Two new languages discovered in India: A professor of the University of Hyderabad has discovered two new languages- ‘Walmiki and Malhar’. These languages are spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Walmiki is spoken in Koraput of Odisha and on the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh. The second language Malhar is spoken in a remote and isolated hamlet about 165 km away from Bhubaneswar.

2. ‘Quit Addiction’ helpline number on all tobacco products: All tobacco products will have a national toll-free number printed on them from September tto assist users to quit the addiction. The toll-free number will help in creating awareness among tobacco users and give them access to counselling services to effect behaviour change. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified new sets of health warnings for all tobacco product packs.

3. Govt. bans the import of “love hormone” oxytocin: The Union government banned imports of the hormone oxytocin to stop its misuse in the livestock industry. It causes hormonal imbalances and shortens the lives of milch animals. Oxytocin is released naturally in the human body and is often called as “love hormone”. The government has decided to rely on domestic production to satisfy requirements of the hormone.

4. Ganga Hariteema Yojana launched in UP: In Uttar Pradesh, “Ganga Hariteema Yojana” (Ganga Greenery Scheme) has been launched in 27 districts of the state located on the bank of river Ganga. The objectives of the schemes include enhancing green cover in the catchment areas of the river Ganga and to control the land erosion. Plantation will be carried out in one-kilometre areas from the banks of the river under the scheme.

5. “Uzhavan” App for farmers launched by TN government: Tamil Nadu government has launched the bi-lingual “Uzhavan” (farmer) app that will allow ryots to have access to nine types of services. The app can be used by farmers to get information on farm subsidies, book farm equipment and details about crop insurance. The app is available in Tamil and English language & includes information on the availability of seeds and fertilisers at stores.

6. “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan” on Ambedkar Jayanti: The Prime Minister has announced that on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti a “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan” would be organised starting from 14th April to 5th May 2018. This Abhiyan will reach out to poor households, spreading awareness about government welfare schemes and other initiatives. Universal coverage under 7 welfare programmes in 21058 villages has been contemplated under this Abhiyan.

7. Chhattisgarh awarded ‘State of the Year’ at IBL awards: Chhattisgarh bagged the ‘State of the Year’ Award under the ‘business leader” category as part of the India Business Leadership for the increase in business and services activities. Union Information Technology and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave the award at India Business Leader Awards. Chhattisgarh has been ranked 4th in World Bank’s list of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

8. First tulip garden in Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu got its first tulip garden at Sanasar in Ramban district of Jammu region. This is the first tulip garden of Jammu region and second after the tulip garden of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The garden has been set up on half an acre area of land adjacent to the Sanasar lake.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Health Day observed: The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of World Health Organization. This year marks the 70th anniversary of World Health Day. The theme for this year was “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere” and the slogan is “Health for All”.

2. Sugar tax comes in UK to save children from tooth decay: Britain rolled out a sugar tax on soft drinks in an attempt to tackle obesity and tooth decay in children. All revenues raised through the tax will directly fund new sports facilities in schools as well as healthy breakfast clubs. The other countries which have introduced such similar taxes are Mexico, France and Norway.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. IAF’s biggest combat exercise “Gagan Shakti” to be held: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is going to conduct its biggest ever combat exercise along Pakistan and China borders. The exercise – Gagan Shakti, 2018- will take place from April 10 to 23. For the first time, the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will be taking part in the exercise and will perform both the offensive and defensive roles.

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. RH300 sounding rocket launched from Kerala: The RH300 sounding rocket, developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as part of a study to enrich available atmospheric data, was launched on 6th April from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Kerala. This was the 21st launch of RH300 sounding rocket. The RH-300 MKII sounding rocket is utilised to study the Equatorial and lower ionosphere regions of the atmosphere.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. FPI investment limit in Govt Securities hiked: The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the Government, hiked the foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment limit in Central government securities (G-Sec). FPIs will now be allowed to invest up to 5.5% of outstanding stock of G-secs in 2018-19 and 6% of outstanding stock of securities in 2019-20. The central bank also set a 9% limit for FPI investment in corporate bonds.

SPORTS:

1. Paes becomes most successful doubles player: Leander Paes created a new world record by becoming the most successful doubles player in Davis Cup history after winning his 43rd match. Paes combined with Rohan Bopanna to create the new record.

He made his Davis Cup debut in 1990 alongside Zeeshan Ali. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi weaved the longest unbeaten winning streak of 24 matches.

2. Sathish Sivalingam wins Gold medal at CWG 2018: Weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam won the gold medal by winning the men’s 77kg event at Commonwealth Games 2018. In the previous Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Sathish had won gold. Hence he became the first ever male Indian weightlifter to win gold in two different editions of the Commonwealth Games.

Daily GK Updates - 6th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Delhi and Maharashtra top in the list of Hospitality Index by Airbnb: Global hospitality chain Airbnb announced that New Delhi and Maharashtra have been recognised as the most hospitable city and state respectively, according to its Hospitality Index. As per the index, the most hospitable states were Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala. New Delhi led the charts as the most hospitable city in the country, followed closely by Jaipur, Cochin and Mumbai.

2. “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” at Bijapur launched: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has approved establishment of the first multipurpose “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” on the pilot basis for establishment in Bijapur  District of Chhattisgarh. The Kendra will provide skill and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing facility. The Kendra will have processing facility for Tamarind brick making & Mahua flower storage facility.

3. Ministry of Coal launched UTTAM APP: Ministry of Coal launched ‘UTTAM App’ for Coal Quality Monitoring. UTTAM stands for – Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal (uttam.coalindia.in). The Ministry of Coal and Coal India Limited (CIL) developed UTTAM, aims to provide an App for all citizens and coal consumers to monitor the process of Third Party Sampling of coal across CIL subsidiaries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India, Azerbaijan sign two documents: India and Azerbaijan have inked two documents for the visa waiver for diplomatic, official and service passports holders and cooperation between diplomatic training institutes. The agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to that country. Mrs Swaraj is there to be part of 18th NAM Ministerial Conference in Baku.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Sanjeev Nautiyal is the MD & CEO of SBI Life: SBI Life Insurance Company Limited appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as its new MD and CEO. Sanjeev Nautiyal started his career with State Bank of India in 1985 as a probationary officer in bank’s Lucknow circle. In the immediately preceding assignment, he was the Chief General Manager of the bank’s Ahmedabad circle.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Monetary Policy Review: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5th April kept the repo rate and reverse repo rate unchanged at 6 percent and 5.75 percent respectively. The real Gross Domestic Product growth in FY19 is seen at 7.4 percent as against 6.6 percent in FY18. The RBI revised CPI inflation projection for 2018-19 to 4.7-5.1% in the first half of the financial year and 4.4% in the second half.

2. RBI bars banks from crypto-currency related services: RBI directed all regulated entities including banks not to provide services to businesses dealing in virtual currencies like bitcoins, so as to protect consumers and check money laundering. The RBI asked entities, which are already into such services to stop providing this kind of services within three months. The RBI has directed all payment system operators to store all data within India.

3. RBI defers implementation of Indian Accounting Standards adoption by 1 year: The Reserve Bank of India has deferred the adoption of ‘Indian Accounting Standards’ (Ind AS) by banks, for a year, due to the unpreparedness of banks to migrate to the new accounting system. The earlier deadline for banks to switch to the Ind AS was from 1 April 2018. Ind-AS is a global accounting practice that lenders are mandated to adopt that may lead to initial credit losses.

4. RBI decides to set up Data Sciences Lab: Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up Data Sciences Lab to improve its forecasting, surveillance and early warning detection abilities which will aid policy formulation. RBI said the lab will comprise experts and budding analysts, who are trained in Computer Science, Data Analytics, Statistics, Economics, Econometrics and Finance. The unit will become operational by December 2018.

SPORTS:

1. Weightlifter Deepak Lather wins bronze medal at CWG: Indian weightlifter Deepak Lather won the bronze medal in the men’s 69 kg category on the Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games. Gareth Evans of Wales claimed gold medal while Sri Lanka’s Indika won the silver medal. India till now has four medals at the Gold Coast Games and all four have come from weightlifting.

2. Sanjita Chanu won gold medal at CWG 2018: Weightlifter Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu won India its second gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games by outshining in the women’s 53 kg category event. She set a new record in the game by lifting a total of 192 kgs which includes 84 kgs in a snatch and 108 kgs in clean and jerk.

Daily GK Updates - 5th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. National Maritime Day of India observed: The National Maritime Day in India is observed on April 5 every year. The National Maritime Day is observed annually to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian owned ship “SS Loyalty” which sailed from Bombay to London in 1919. In 2018, the theme of the National Maritime Day is ‘Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity’.

2. EC to set up Sakhi Polling Booths: The Election Commission (EC) will set up Sakhi/Pink polling booths for the first time in the Karnataka assembly elections. These pink polling booths will have completely female staff including presiding officers, polling officers, micro observers and security personnel. The pink booths are aimed at empowering women and increasing their participation in the poll process.

3. AIIB Conference held in Vishakhapatnam: The second lead-up Conference to 3rd Annual Meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on ‘Enhancing Port and Coastal Infrastructure’ was held in Visakhapatnam. The Conference was organized by the Ministry of Finance, AIIB, CII and Research and Infrastructure System for Developing Countries.

4. CCI to have 3 members only: The Cabinet approved rightsizing of Competition Commission of India (CCI) by halving the number of its members to three. CCI currently has one chairperson and six members. It will now have one chairperson and three members. This would lead to “faster turnaround in hearings” that is expected to result in speedier approvals.

5. India ranked third in facing “most cyber threats”: India ranked third in the list of countries where the highest number of cyber threats were detected, and second in terms of targeted attacks in 2017, according to security software firm Symantec. India was ranked second globally when it comes to spam and phishing (misleading emails, weblink etc). Symantec detected 133 targeted attacks in India which are the work of organised groups.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India, Azerbaijan sign two documents: India and Azerbaijan have inked two documents for the visa waiver for diplomatic, official and service passports holders and cooperation between diplomatic training institutes. The agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to that country. Mrs Swaraj is there to be part of 18th NAM Ministerial Conference in Baku.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. X plane to be developed by NASA: NASA is set to develop an ‘X-plane’ designed to fly faster than the speed of sound without producing the noise typical of supersonic flights. The X-plane’s mission is to provide crucial data that could enable commercial supersonic passenger air travel over land. The X-plane makes a quiet sonic boom due to its unique shape and design.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. NRDC to develop ASEAN technology data bank: The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) will establish a technology data bank for ASEAN region as part of ASEAN-India Innovation Platform. The corporation has been entrusted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to manage the platform for a period of four years. The proposed data bank will link existing data banks of available technologies in the ASEAN region.

2. Flipkart signs a pact with Make My Trip (MMT): Flipkart and MakeMyTrip (MMT) have struck a partnership wherein the online retailer will start to sell travel services on its platform. MakeMyTrip’s multiple brands, including MMT, Goibibo and redBus, will leverage the large customer base of Flipkart platform to drive online bookings in travel services. The new partnership will start with domestic flight, hotels, bus and holidays bookings.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. IndusInd Bank got RBI nod to acquire IL&FS: Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has received RBI’s approval to buy the securities services arm of IL&FS. In March 2017, the bank entered an agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to acquire 100% stake in ISSL. Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) is the promoter shareholder of IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL).

SPORTS:

1. Mirabai Chanu wins gold in women’s weightlifting at CWG: Mirabai Chanu secured India’s first gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she finished first in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting event at Gold Coast. Mirabai Chanu broke the Commonwealth Games’ weightlifting record by lifting 196 kg. The previous Games’ record was 175 kg set by Augustine Nwaokolo of Nigeria in 2010. This is her 2nd CWG medal following the silver she won in Glasgow.

2. P.Gururaja wins silver medal in Weightlifting in 56 kg category: Weightlifter P Gururaja opened India’s medal account on the first competition day of the 21st Commonwealth Games by winning the silver medal in Weightlifting. In the 56 kilogram category, P Gururaja lifted a total weight of 249 kg to finish second in the event. Malaysia took the Gold medal, while Sri Lanka got the Bronze medal.

Daily GK Updates - 4th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. IIM Ahmedabad, IISc Bengaluru, JNU among top 10 universities according to NIRF: The Indian Institute of Science is India’s top university followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Banaras Hindu University, declared the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The NIRF which works under the Ministry of Human Resource Development released the list of top 10 universities in the country. All the top three universities retained their previous year rank.

2. India’s first blockchain implemented: The platforms—RXIL, A.TReDS and M1xchange—approved by the RBI had been set up to bring together buyers, sellers and financiers for discounting the MSME invoices and provide them with timely funding. This is billed as India’s first live blockchain implementation in the enterprise financial segment. US-based MonetaGo has designed and implemented the production solution.

3. Indian scientist Shyam Salim gets global recognition: Shyam S Salim, Principal Scientist at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), has been elected as an executive member of the ‘International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade’ (IIFET) based in the USA. Shyam is an expert in fisheries economics at CMFRI. IIFET is the forum for the exchange of research, information, and ideas on the economics of fisheries management.

4. “Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” launched: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS) launched “Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” campaign in New Delhi. It is a nationwide campaign and will culminate on 10th of this month marking the 100th year of Champaran Satyagraha. The campaign commemorates Champaran Satyagraha to spread the message of Swachhata across the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. International Mines Awareness Day observed: International Day for Mines Awareness is observed to spread the awareness about the threat caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian populations. The theme for 2018 is “Advancing Protection, Peace and Development”. On 8 December 2005, the UN declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. Icarus, the farthest star ever seen: Scientists have detected the most distant star, Icarus, ever viewed, located more than halfway across the universe. The star was formally named MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star-1. Scientists used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to spot the star. The star is 9.3 billion lights years away from Earth and it is about twice as hot as our sun.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Jio Payments Bank began operations: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that Jio Payments Bank has commenced its banking services. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) was one of the 11 applicants which were issued the in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank in August 2015. Telecom major Bharti Airtel was the first to begin payment bank services in November 2016.

2. MoU between Indian Army and HDFC Bank: A Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and HDFC Bank on the Defence Salary Package. The first MoU between HDFC Bank and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was renewed on 13 Mar 2015. Indian Army has MoUs on Defence Salary Package with 11 public and private sector banks.

SPORTS:

1. 21st edition of Commonwealth Games inaugurated in Australia: The 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games commenced in Gold Coast, Australia. The inaugural ceremony was held at the Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast. For the first time, there will be the same number of men’s and women’s medal events at the Games. The Indian contingent at the ceremony, which consists of over 200 athletes, was led by flag-bearer P V Sindhu, the Rio Olympic silver medallist.

2. India’s Selena, Shreya clinched bronze in TT: India’s Selena Selvakumar and Shreya Shivakumar clinched two bronze medals at the 2018 Ivory Coast Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Tournament in Abidjan, Africa. Selena settled for the bronze in the junior girls’ singles. Shreya teamed up with China’s Yininghua Hu got a medal in the junior girls’ doubles category of the event which is part of the International Table Tennis Federation.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Asia Index, an arbitrage rate index launched by BSE: Asia Index, a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), has launched arbitrage rate index. It will provide market participants with a transparent benchmark to compare the performance of similar arbitrage strategies. The index will be rebalanced every month, effective after the close of business a day prior to the expiration of the futures contract.

2. Peace pact between Mizoram govt and HPC-D: A landmark peace accord was signed between Mizoram Government and Manipur-based Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) in Aizawl. The peace pact aims to end nearly three decades of insurgency in Hmar inhabited areas of Mizoram. The peace pact agreed for setting up of Sinlung Hills Council consisting of 14 members to accelerate speedy development in north and northeastern parts of Mizoram.

3. Arun Jaitley re-appointed as leader of RS: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was once again appointed as the Leader of the Rajya Sabha (RS) following his re-election to the House. In June 2014, Mr Jaitley was appointed the leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.

4. Mangaluru airport adjudged India’s cleanest in an AAI survey: The Mangalore International Airport has been adjudged the cleanest airport in the country. In the survey conducted across 53 airports in the country by AAI, Mangaluru airport was adjudged the cleanest. A team of officials from AAI had inspected the airport terminal, parking area, toilets, commercial stalls, the road leading to the airport and customer lounge.

5. Subscribers under APY surpasses 97 lakh: The government revealed that at the end of Financial Year 2017-18, 97.05 lakh subscribers have enrolled under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) scheme. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has taken various initiatives for the expansion and ease of operations under the APY. Under the scheme, a subscriber would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs.1000 to Rs.5000 per month.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Mukesh Ambani is the 3rd richest Asian in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Mukesh Ambani is Asia’s third-richest man and is ranked 19 in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Apart from Ambani, there are 23 Indians in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index top 500 lists. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates still hold on to the top two spots.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. New plant species found in Western Ghats: Researchers have discovered a new plant species from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Classified as a sedge, the grass-like plant has been named ‘Fimbristylis agasthyamalaensis’ after the locality from which it was found. The new species belongs to the Cyperaceae family.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Ola acquires transportation app Ridlr: Cab aggregator Ola announced the acquisition of end-to-end public transport ticketing and commuting app, Ridlr. Ridlr enables users to search and book public transport options on their mobile phones.

2. Microsoft enabled Digital Payments Support launched on its app Kaizala: Microsoft enabled digital payments services on its enterprise social network app “Kaizala” in India.

Microsoft has integrated payment services of YES BANK and MobiKwik. Payment integration with Microsoft Kaizala will enable users to quickly send or receive money without having to leave the Kaizala application.

3. Debjani Ghosh is the new NASSCOM President: Debjani Ghosh, former managing director of Intel South Asia, is the new president of NASSCOM. She replaced R.Chandrashekhar whose term has completed.

4. Manufacturing PMI at five-month low in March: Manufacturing activity remained in the positive for the eighth consecutive month in March but fell to a five-month low. The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell from 52.1 in February to a five-month low of 51.0 in March.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI lets banks spread bond losses across four quarters: The Reserve Bank of India allowed banks to spread out the provisioning to cover losses on their government bond portfolio across four quarters. This dispensation to spread the so-called mark-to-market provisioning is available for the quarters ending December 2017 and March 2018. Banks using such option will have to make the disclosure in their notes to accounts of the quarterly results.

2. Axis Bank, Karur Vysya Bank removed from bullion importers list: The Reserve Bank of India dropped Axis Bank from a list of banks it has cleared to import gold and silver in the current financial year that began April 1. Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia were among the 16 banks allowed to import bullion. Two other small banks Karur Vyasa and South Indian Bank were also dropped from the RBI list.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Mamta Banerjee’s dream project ‘Rupashree’ rolled out: The West Bengal government has rolled out Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s dream project ‘Rupashree’ which provides one-time financial support to the marriages of poor women. ‘Rupashree’ scheme follows the chief minister’s ambitious ‘Kanyashree’ project which has drawn global applause. Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 25,000 will be credited to her bank account before her marriage.

2. SIDBI celebrates its Foundation Day: SIDBI celebrated its foundation day as the day of Sampark (connect), Samwad (interaction), Suraksha (security) and Sampreshan (disseminate) on 2nd April. On this occasion, SIDBI launched a series of initiatives. SIDBI launched ‘Samridhhi-the virtual assistant’ on banks revamped universal loan portal ‘www.udyamimitra.in’. It will answer standard queries of aspirants 24*7.

3. Naitwar Mori Project’s foundation stone laid: Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, laid the founda tion stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) in Uttarkashi. NMHEP is located on the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The project was allocated to SJVN Ltd by the Government of Uttarakhand.

4. Hyderabad tops in Global City Momentum Index: Hyderabad has been ranked the top city in the short-term Momentum Ranking of JLL’s annual ‘Global City Momentum Index’. The report identifies urban economies and real estate markets which are currently undergoing the most rapid growth.

5. Centre allows states to set up crop insurance firms under PMFBY: The Centre has allowed states to set up their own insurance companies for implementing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Launched in April 2016, PMFBY provides comprehensive crop insurance from pre-sowing to post-harvest against non-preventable natural risks. Presently, five public sector insurers and 13 private insurance companies are empanelled for implementation of the scheme.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Autism Awareness Day observed on April 2: World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on 2 April every year. It is designated by United Nations to raise awareness about people with autism throughout the world. The 2018 World Autism Awareness Day observance will focus on the importance of ’empowering women and girls with autism’.

2. First International Justice Conference in Morocco: Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Law and Justice embarked on a visit to Marrakech, Morocco, for the first International Justice Conference. The conference is being organised by Morrocco in celebration of the judicial reforms undertaken by it in 2017.

3. Carlos Alvarado to be next Costa Rica President: Carlos Alvarado, Costa Rica’s centre-left presidential candidate, is set to be the country’s next leader after elections on 1st April. Costa Rica’s electoral council made the announcement based on ballots from 91% of polling stations.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. NASA test launches Mars landing parachute, ASPIRE: A supersonic parachute that will help NASA missions to land on Mars, was successfully launched into the sky. The Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) was launched on March 31 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in the US. The test was meant to mimic the conditions that a spacecraft would experience during a red planet entry, descent and landing.

DEFENCE:

1. Khanjar V military exercise concludes: The 5th Indo-Kyrgyzstan joint training exercise ‘Khanjar V’ culminated recently with a ‘Joint Tactical Validation Exercise’ in Mizoram. Kyrgyzstan in the exercise was represented by the military contingent of the military unit of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. SEBI doubles investment limit of angel funds: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) decided to double the investment limit by angel funds in venture capital undertakings to ₹10 crore. The SEBI board has approved amendments to Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) regulations with respect to ‘Angel Funds.’ The regulator would raise the maximum period of accepting funds from an angel investor to five years, from three years.

SPORTS:

1. Kerala wins Santosh trophy: Kerala won its sixth Santosh Trophy title in Kolkata on 1st April. Kerala had beaten Bengal in the tie-breaker to claim its sixth Santosh Trophy title. The Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation.

Daily GK Updates - 1st April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. E-way bill system comes into force: The Uniform System of e-way Bill for inter-State movement of goods has come into force from April 1, 2018. Under the new system, every transporter will have to carry a system-generated bill to move goods from one place to another. The e-way bill will be mandatory for inter-state transportation of goods with a value of 50 thousand rupees and above.

2. Delhi becomes the first city to roll-out Bharat Stage VI fuel: With an aim to combat the rising levels of air pollution in Delhi-NCR region, petrol pumps in the capital have started supplying ultra-clean Bharat Stage VI grade fuel. This move makes New Delhi the first city in the country to switch from BS-IV grade fuels to BS-VI. The major difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new ​BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.

3. India becomes the world’s second largest mobile phone producer: As per the information shared by Indian Cellular Association, India is now the second largest mobile phone producer in the world after China. Annual production of mobile phones in India increased from 3 million units in 2014 to 11 million units in 2017. India replaced Vietnam to become ​the second largest producer of mobile phones in 2017.

4. India’s longest elevated road inaugurated: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a 10.3 km long Hindon Elevated Road, touted to be the longest elevated road in the country. It will be connecting Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad to UP Gate, shortening an hour-long journey to just 18 minutes. The entire stretch of the Hindon Elevated Road is built on 228 single-pier pillars.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India to assist Seychelles for civilian projects: India is giving financial support to five civilian projects in Seychelles amounting to $8.36 million, notwithstanding the fact that Delhi’s plans to build military infrastructure on Assumption Island in the strategically located Indian Ocean country has hit a rough patch. Of the total $ 8.36 million support, $3.45 million will be devoted towards the construction of a state-of-the-art Magistrate’s Court with all modern amenities in Seychelles capital Victoria.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Russia test fired new ICBM ‘Sarmat’: The Russian military has successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile ‘SARMAT’. The RS-28 Sarmat can cross South Pole as well as the North Pole, the shortest route between Russia and US and can strike targets anywhere in the world. Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voyevoda, the world’s heaviest ICBM known as “Satan” in the West.

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. ISRO loses contact with GSAT-6A satellite: ISRO has lost contact with the GSAT-6A, India’s most powerful communication satellite, in less than 48 hours after it was launched. The GSAT-6A, the 2nd in the series of GSAT-6 satellites to provide high speed broadband on mobile phones was designed for a life of 10 years. This is the second mission failure for Isro in six months, with the previous one being the PSLV-C39.

2. China’s Tiangong-1 space lab is all set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere: China’s Tiangong-1 or Heavenly Palace space station is set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere b/w March 31 & April 1. Scientists have underlined that the danger of Tiangong-1 being hit by falling debris is tiny, as the structure is likely to burn up in the atmosphere during its re-entry. In 2011, China launched Tiangong-1 as a prototype for Beijing’s goal of establishing a permanent space station.

3. S Korea, US began joint military drills: South Korea & US have kicked off their annual joint military exercises after they were delayed about a month for Olympics. Foal Eagle field exercise, which involves combined ground, air, naval & special operation troops, will continue for a month while the computer-simulated Key Resolve is scheduled for 2 weeks. The two drills would involve 23,700 US troops & 300,000 South Korean forces.

4. First bank to roll out AI-run voicebot: Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the country’s first artificial intelligence-powered voice-bot ‘Keya’ in the banking sector. Keya uses automatic speech recognition, natural language understanding and text-to-speech technology. The ​voice-bot uses natural language understanding to navigate the customer directly to the destination where he can get his issue resolved.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Allahabad Bank cuts lending rates: Allahabad Bank has reduced the base rate and benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by 45 basis points each. The Bank has the slashed base rate to 9.15% from 9.60%. BPLR has been brought down to 13.40% from 13.85%. The reduction in the rates will lower EMIs for its borrowers.

SPORTS:

1. Cricketer Irfan Pathan joins J&K in a player-cum-mentor role: Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association has appointed former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan as the coach-cum-mentor of its senior state side for 2018-19 season. He will be the coach-cum-mentor of J&K team for a period of 1 year. He will also be holding coaching clinics in various parts of J&K for the development of the game.

2. New head of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit: BCCI has appointed former Rajasthan Director General of Police Ajit Singh as the head of its Anti-Corruption Unit. He will replace former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar. He will take charge of the office ahead of IPL and will be based out of BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

3. Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj was adjudged ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ : At an event  at the Telangana Sports Journalists Association annual awards for 2017. She is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs. In December 2017, she was named as one of the players in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year.

4. Sloane Stephens won Miami Open: US Open champion Sloane Stephens defeated Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to win her first Miami Open title. Sloane Stephens has now won 6 WTA titles & has never lost in a final. This win will move Stephens into world top 10 for the first time. Stephens had beaten 3 former Grand Slam champs – Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, and Victoria Azarenka to make the final.