Daily GK Updates - 5th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. J&K village gets electricity first time : A village in J&K’s Rajouri district, Narla Bambal, received electricity connection and metalled road for the first time since Independence.It is the district’s last village to be connected to the rest of the state by road, reports said.“All the developmental works in these areas can now be done without any problem,” Rajouri District Collector Shahid Iqbal said.

2. Punjab orders mandatory dope test : Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a mandatory dope test for all government employees, including police personnel, from the time of their recruitment through every stage of their service.Drug screening will be mandatory in cases of promotions, and also be a part of annual medical examinations.The state’s Chief Secretary has been asked to issue an order.

3. UNESCO to set up Design University for Gaming : UNESCO has come into an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up a ‘Design University for Gaming’ in Visakhapatnam.A UNESCO delegation met with CM Chandrababu Naidu and asked for 100 acres of land to develop the city as an ‘International Gaming and Digital Learning Hub’.They will develop edutech gaming in the state, with the target of providing 50,000 jobs in 10 years.

4. CCI launched an Online Guidance System : The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched an Online Guidance System for determining notifiability of merger & acquisitions.The Guidance System has been named as “Do It Yourself (DIY): A notifiability check for mergers & acquisitions under the Competition Act, 2002”.It is a part of CCI’s outreach initiatives and measures to simplify compliance requirements regarding combinations.

5. Centre approved WIPO treaties : The Union Cabinet approved the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty, 1996.It extends coverage of copyright to the internet and digital environment.The approval is a step towards the objective laid in the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy.It will enable creative right-holders enjoy the fruit of their labour, through international copyright system.

6. CMSMS and ‘Khan Prahari’ App launched : Shri Piyush Goyal launched the Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS) and Mobile Application ‘Khan Prahari’.It is developed by CMPDI, Ranchi a Subsidiary of CIL and Bhaskarcharya Institute of Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG).The basic objective of CMSMS is reporting, monitoring and taking suitable action on unauthorised coal mining activities.

7. Agartala airport’s name changed : Union Cabinet gave its approval to rename the Agartala Airport, Tripura as ‘Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport, Agartala’.Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore, ascended the throne of the erstwhile Tripura Princely State.Due to his initiative, an aerodrome at Agartala was constructed that is second busiest airport in the North East and provides crucial air connectivity to Tripura.

7. ISRO’s first ‘pad abort’ test successful : The first ‘pad abort’ test critical for a future human space mission was conducted successfully by ISRO.‘PAT’ is the 1^st in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system technology of a manned mission in the future.Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure to quickly pull the crew module along with astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in event of a launch abor

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s First All-Digital Art Museum at Tokyo : The world’s first digital art museum opened at the MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo, a collaboration between the developer and art collective TeamLab.Owing to projection-mapping technology, the artworks react to movement and touch, inviting visitors to imagine they possess new superpowers.In 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics visitors to Tokyo will experience something unique.

2. WIPO treaties approved : The Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and United Kingdom regarding cooperation between both countries in the sphere of Law & Justice.A Joint Consultative Committee will also be set up.It concerns exchange of experience by legal professionals, government functionaries for resolution of disputes.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Oil prices- Main risk to Indian economy : According to MOODY’s survey Oil prices, Pace of Banks’ balance sheet clean-up and investment are the main risks to the Indian economy.These issues were raised at MOODY’s 4th annual India credit conference held at Mumbai and Singapore in June 2018.Banks have not been able to raise capital from equity market as planned under government’s recapitalization mesurer.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI grants licence to Bank of China : The Reserve Bank of India has issued the license to Bank of China to launch operations in India.With this, Bank of China becomes the second Chinese bank after the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to have a branch in India.Bank of China is one of the four biggest state-owned commercial banks in China.Bank of China opened its first branch in South Asia in Pakistan’s Karachi in 2017.

  

SPORTS:

1. Sports Authority of India’s name changed : Union Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced that Sports Authority of India (SAI), will now be known as ‘Sports India’.SAI is a successor organization of the IXth Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982.It aims at the joint preparation of long term sports-specific development plans by National Sports governing bodies and federations of India (NSFs).

Daily GK Updates - 4th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt approves hike in Minimum Support Price : The Centre approved the raise in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for kharif crops in line with its budget announcement to ensure that farmers get at least 1.5 times of the production cost.The MSP for paddy has been hiked to around ₹1,750 per quintal from previous year’s ₹1,550 and corn increased to ₹1,700 from ₹1,131.The MSP of cotton (medium staple) has been increased to Rs 5,150.

2. Special drive launched by Gujarat CM : CM of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani launched a special drive called ‘Poshan Abhiyan’ to eradicate malnutrition among children.‘Purna’ project was also launched under this drive for malnutrition girls under the age group of 14-18 years.Nutritious food will be served to these children through Anganwadi centres and Rs 270 crore has been allocated by the government to control malnutrition in girls.

3. UP Government announced new policy : UP Government announced a new Defence Manufacturing Policy, called ‘UP Defence Aerospace Unit and Employment Generating Policy, 2018’.The policy is for the entrepreneurs who are willing to invest and would project an investment of Rs. 50,000 crores for upcoming 5 years.The policy is also expected to generate 2.5 lakh jobs.

4. Rajat Sharma becomes DDCA president : Renowned journalist Rajat Sharma has been elected as the President of Delhi & District Cricket Association.Sharma surpassed former World Cup winning Indian cricketer Madan Lal by 517 votes to register his win.Sharma is currently the Chairman and Editor in Chief of India TV and has been awarded Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 2015 in the field of Literature and Education.

5. SC verdict on Delhi CM vs L-G : LG has no independent decision-making power and cannot behave as an obstructionist.Except for the three issues, including land, law and order, Delhi government should be allowed to legislate.LG being the administrative head of Delhi must be informed of all executive powers but he cannot stall all the decisions of the council of ministers.

6. Bengaluru to get India’s first e-waste plant : The country’s first e-waste recycling unit will come up in Bengaluru, Union minister of chemicals and fertilisers Ananth Kumar said.A 2016 study by Assocham and KPMG ranked India among the top five countries in e-waste generation.The e-waste recycling unit will be set up by the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET).

7. India’s first global mobility summit : NITI Aayog, in collaboration with various ministries & industry partners will organise ‘MOVE: Global Mobility Summit’ in New Delhi.This Summit will help drive Government’s goals for vehicle electrification & renewable energy integration & speed up India’s transition to a clean energy economy.It aims to engage with key stakeholders within the rapidly transforming global mobility landscape.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA set to test supersonic flights : NASA is set to test a flight manoeuvre that will allow jets to travel at a speed faster than sound without generating the sonic boom.NASA showed that a repurposed fighter jet F/A-18 can be used to generate quiet sonic thumps over a particular area.The Gulf Coast city was chosen since it is near the Gulf of Mexico and enables the F/A-18 to keep its loud sonic beams out to the sea.

2. Bhutan PM to visit India : Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay would be arriving in Delhi for a 3-day visit to India.Both the nations would be discussing about host issues such as security ties and economic cooperation.This visit is expected to advance the ‘exemplary ties of friendship’ between both the nations.Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. SAIL appointed new CMD : Saraswati Prasad has been appointed as the new CMD of the Steel Authority of India.Saraswati Prasad has also taken over the additional charge of the post of managing director and chairman of SAIL on July 1, 2018.The appointment was made after the retirement of former CMD P.K. Singh.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.60.5 Lakh shares to be sold by Dena Bank : Dena Bank would be selling 60.5 lakh shares in three entities, which also includes SIDBI.It would be requesting for quotation for purchase of equity shares in three public sectors.The bank will sell 1.563% of the total paid-up equity capital in NSDL E-Governance.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. TPREL commissions 100 Mw solar project : TPREL, an arm of Mumbai-based private power producer Tata Power announced it has commissioned a 100 Megawatt solar power project at Anthapuramu Solar Park in Andhra Pradesh.With this, the overall operating renewable energy capacity of the company stands at 2,215 Mw in India.The project is under the second phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission through Viability Gap Funding.

2. IndiaFirst Ties Up With Oxigen : IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited, a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal and General (UK), has announced its tie-up with Oxigen Services India Pvt. Ltd.It will establish the distribution of its insurance products at Oxigen retail outlets.Oxigen is one of the leading providers of money transfers and prepaid recharges as low as Rs. 10.

3. First woman DGP assumes office : The first woman Directorate General of Police of Puducherry, S. Sundari Nanda assumed office on Monday.She is replaced by outgoing DGP S.K Gautam, who is transferred to New Delhi.Ms.Nanda has earlier served as the Special Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Delhi Police.

4. Karnataka to release water : The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), directed Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu and other States.The CWMA, which is yet to appoint full-time members, is scheduled to meet every 10 days during the monsoon months.The CWMA consists of a Chairman, a senior and eminent engineer, 2 whole-time members, 6 part-time members and a Secretar.

5. Rajasthan approves 1% reservation for Gujjars : The Rajasthan government announced 1% reservations for five communities– Gujjar, Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Raika, and Gadariya– under the Most Backward Classes (MBC) category.This comes after Gujjar leaders threatened to launch protests during PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming Jaipur visit.The Gujjars were seeking 5% reservation within OBC quota to not violate the 50% Supreme Court-mandated cap.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New World heritage site-Chiribiquete Park : Being the ninth site in Colombia to be given the status of world heritage site, Chiribiquete park is the country’s largest park and has one of the highest rates of plant diversity in the northern Amazon.It is located on one of the world’s oldest rock formations, the Guiana Shield.It was first declared a national park in 1989.It also bears traces of ancient human life.

2. NASA to use submarines for hunting meteorite : Scientists from several organisations in the US, including NASA, are planning to use remote-operated submarines to hunt for the remains of an outer space object.The Nautilus research ship of the non-profit group Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) will aid in the scavenger hunt, Digitaltrends.The object splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on March 7.

3. 1st image of baby planet being formed : Astronomers say they’ve captured the first confirmed image of a planet forming in the dust swirling around a young star.Scientists said the planet appears as a bright spot in the snapshot taken using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile.It is said to have a cloudy atmosphere and a surface temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit).

4. Sri Lanka to shift its naval base : Sri Lanka is shifting one of its naval base to a port controlled and built by China.This move will strengthen the security at a harbour that China might use for military purposes.The base is currently in the Galle district and will be moved 125 km east along the southern coast of Sri Lanka to Hambantota.

5. Israel enacted a new law : Israel government enacted a new law which will financially penalize the Palestinian Authority for paying stipends to the Palestinians killed or jailed by Israel.Out of 120 seats in the Parliament, 87-15 voted in favor of this legislation.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly demanded to stop the Palestinians from paying stipends to the prisoners and their families.

6. Longest total lunar eclipse of century : The moon will enter the shadow of the earth for about 4 hours, and the event will be seen clearly across at least 3 continents.According to the Dubai Astronomy Group, the eclipse will last for about 1 hour and 43 minutes and will also feature a “blood moon”.“Blood moon” is a non-scientific term used to refer to the red tinge on a fully eclipsed moon.

7. Andres Manuel elected as Mexico’s President : Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been elected as Mexico’s President with over 53% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission.Obrador, who has won the presidency at the third attempt, promised to tackle violence and wipe out corruption.The 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor will formally take power on December 1.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Bharti Infratel to merge : The Bharti Infratel has got the approval of competition watchdog Competition Commission of India for merging its operations with Indus Towers.The proposed merger values Indus Towers at an enterprise valuation of ₹ 71,500 crore & will create one of the largest mobile tower entities worldwide with 1.63 lakh towers in all 22 telecom circles.The combined company will own 100% of Indus Towers.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NABARD assigns 735 Cr for projects in Bengal : NABARD has sanctioned Rs 735.53 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for West Bengal.They include six solar power, one medium irrigation, five minor irrigation and 12 flood protection projects.The work on the irrigation projects is expected to benefit 11,554 hectares of land and provide supply of water in commercial areas.

2. India’s 1st khadi mall in Jharkhand : India’s first khadi mall would come up in Jharkhand and would provide a major boost for khadi and other handicrafts industry.The Jharkhand Khadi Board would be providing people employment along with training, raw materials and machinery.Apart from this, the role of the urban market along with rural haats and tourists spots would also generate significant revenue.

3. TBN Radhakrishnan : New CJ of Hyderabad court : Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan, presently Chief Justice of Chattisgarh High Court, will assume charge as Chief Justice of Hyderabad High Court.The new Chief Justice is likely to be sworn in any time next week by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan.Justice Ramesh Ranganathan had been Acting Chief Justice of Hyderabad High Court from July 30, 2016.

4. Stainless steel charkha unveiled at Sabarmati : BJP president Amit Shah unveiled a stainless steel Charkha at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad.The charkha, which is 21 feet in length, 11 feet in height, and 6.5 feet in breadth, is made of chromium-nickel stainless steel and is installed on the Sabarmati Riverfront across the Sabarmati Ashram.The move is said to popularise Khadi amongst youth in the country.

5. 1st meeting of Cauvery Water Management Board : The first meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Board will be held in New Delhi to resolve the dispute among southern states.The meeting of the 9-member board will be chaired by the Central Water Commission Chairman S Masood Hussain.The meeting will discuss the issues including water storage in Cauvery basin reservoirs with the judgement of the Supreme Court in this regard.

6. Dalai Lama launches ‘Happiness Curriculum’ : The Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Dalai Lama launched the ‘Happiness Curriculum’ in the Delhi government schools on July 2.The new initiative that focuses on holistic education would cover around eight lakh students.The curriculum focuses on meditation, moral teachings, and mental exercises, with the aim of turning students into good human beings.

7. Conference of States Power Ministers : A conference of Ministers for Power, New & Renewable Energy of States & Union Territories will be held on 3rd July at Shimla.The aim conference is to review various ongoing schemes & deliberate on a host of issues related to the energy sector.The conference would of lines of UDAY performance assessment, shifting to the prepaid system in 3 years & 24X7 Power for All – from 1st April 2019.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. RCEP trade bloc at Tokyo meet 2018 : Asian trade ministers from the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes China, Japan and India but not the US, met in Tokyo on 1st July.The partnership would include the 10 members of the ASEAN as well as South Korea, Australia & New Zealand.The development in RCEP could put pressure on the US to consider rejoining the TPP, as the US-China trade war continues.

2. ROK & DPRK reopen maritime communication : North Korea and South Korea Sunday reopened maritime communication channel for the first time in 10 years with vessels from the 2 countries making contact.North Korean patrol boat responded immediately when the South Korean Navy contacted it via an international radio channel in the western sea.The Korean govt on both sides are working on confidence-building measures to boost cooperation.

3. PSLV bags first Australian order : The Indian PSLV launcher has bagged its first order from Australian startup.Fleet Space Technologies, an IoT (Internet of Things) startup, said that its first 10-kg nanosatellite Centauri I would fly to space on a PSLV.The company is planning a series of 10-kg nanosatellites about the size of a shoebox to enable low-cost connectivity for agriculture, logistics, mining sectors.

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE:

1.Golden Globe Race 2018 : Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy will be participating in the prestigious Golden Globe Race that commences from Les Sables d’Olonne harbour in France on 1st July.The uniqueness of the race is that use of GPS, satellite communication, navigational aids, etc is forbidden.Cdr Tomy will be sailing in sailing vessel ‘Thuriya’ has been built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Ltd at Goa.

SPORTS:

1. Australia wins Champions Trophy 2018 : World Champions Australia defeated India 3-1 via shoot-off after both teams were locked at 1-1 in regulation time to clinch its 2nd consecutive Champions Trophy hockey title.It was the 37th and final edition of the tournament with Australia winning 15th Champions Trophy title. It was being held at Breda.India won their consecutive silver medal while the Netherlands won the bronze medal.

2. Lee Chong Wei wins 12th Malaysia Open title : Malaysian Lee Chong Wei beat Japanese shuttler Kento Momota 21-17, 23-21 to grab the Malaysia Open title for a historic 12th time.In the women’s singles final, top seed Tai Tzu Ying from Taiwan saw off China’s He Bingjiao.Indian campaign had ended with the defeat of PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth in their semi-finals.Lee Chong Wei is currently world number 6.

Daily GK Updates - 1st July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Swaraj inaugurates heads of missions meet : Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the 9th Heads of Mission Conference in New Delhi.Government is likely to brief the diplomats on economic reform taken for improving ease-of-doing business in India.Theme of the conference is ‘Unprecedented Outreach: Unparalleled Outcomes’.It comes at a time when India is monitoring important global developments including sanctions imposed by US on Russia & Iran.

2. Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the Kalidas Award : Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon has received the National Kalidas Samman for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh government.The award was conferred in recognition of her insightful and sensitive portrayal of the identity and spirit of women through her meaningful paintings in a variety of media.Menon is India’s most accomplished artists and is the recipient of the Padma Shri.

3. Money in Swiss banks : India has moved up to 73rd place in terms of money parked by its citizens & companies with Swiss banks.India had slipped to 88th place with a 44% plunge in such funds in 2016, but the latest data shows an increase of over 50% during 2017 to CHF 1.01 billion (about Rs 7,000 cr).UK continued to account for the largest chunk at about CHF 403 billion of the total foreign money with Swiss banks.

4. July 1 to be celebrated as ‘GST Day : The government will celebrate July 1, 2018, as ‘GST Day’ to mark the first anniversary of the new indirect tax regime.Goods and Services Tax was rolled out in the intervening night of June 30 and July 1, 2017, in a ceremony held in the Central Hall of Parliament.GST binds India into an Economic Union, promotes ‘Make in India’ and has improved ‘Ease of Doing Business.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Asia’s first patent arbitration centre : Asia’s 1^st arbitration centre specialised in intellectual property will open in Tokyo to resolve growing number of disputes in the region.International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo is set to have around a dozen arbitrators from around the world, who would try to resolve disputes within a period of 1 year.IACT is due to handle disputes between non-Japanese companies, if both parties agree.

2. Final Nepal-India EPG meeting ends : The 9^th & final meeting of Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations concluded in Kathmandu.The Representatives from Nepal & India deliberated upon various bilateral issues including 1950 Peace & Friendship treaty, trade, transit and border.EPG is a joint mechanism consisting of experts & intellectuals from India & Nepal to make suggestions for updating existing bilateral agreements.

3. UNESCO adds 8 pre-Islamic Iranian sites : UNESCO has added 8 pre-Islamic Iranian archeological sites to its World Heritage List.The sites collectively appear on the worldwide list as the “Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars region (Islamic Republic of Iran)”.With the latest addition, Iran now has 24 sites on the heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

4. Vitorino to be the head of UN migration agency : Portugal’s Antonio Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino has been elected as the new head of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).Vitorino succeeds William Lacy Swing, who is leaving the IOM after serving two five-year terms as director general.Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration

5. World heritage tag for Victorian and Art Deco Victorian Gothic & Art Deco : Buildings of Mumbai have been declared as a World Heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.The decision was taken at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in Bahrain.With this, Mumbai gets its 3rd such site – Elephanta Caves and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus are also on the UNESCO list.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Recommendations for the post of MD in PSB : Bank Boards Bureau has recommended names of 15 officials for the posts of MD and CEO in several public sector banks.The bureau has recommended Anshula Kant, the current deputy managing director of SBI for the post of MD in the bank.The post was vacant following the resignation of B. Sriram as the MD of the bank.The other 14 names recommended include 6 current DMDs of SBI.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. Agni-V to be inducted soon : India is in the process of inducting the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile system – Agni-V.The missile system, with a strike range of 5,000 km and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, is being inducted into the elite Strategic Forces Command.The missile is capable of bringing targets across China including its prominent cities like Beijing & Shanghai under its range.

SPORTS:

1. India clinch Kabaddi Masters title : Putting up yet another superlative show, India thrashed Iran 44-26 to emerge champions of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai.

India is the reigning world champions and has won gold medals in all the Asian Games to date, and all World Cup events so far.The six-nation invitational tournament was organised by International Kabaddi Federation.

Daily GK Updates - 30th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Aadhaar Virtual ID to be started from July 1 : UIDAI has recently declared to accept Virtual ID from their users from 1st July from service providers and agencies like banks and telecom companies.This will give the users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication.The Virtual ID will be a temporary and revocable 16 digit random number mapped to a person’s Aadhaar number.

2. Arunachal to repeal anti-conversion law : BJP-ruled Arunachal Pradesh is likely to repeal the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act or the Anti-Conversion Law which was passed in 1978.The law was adopted to check Proselytism: an act of attempting to convert people to another religion or opinion. But now the govt thinks that it is undermining secularism.Arunachal was the 3rd State after Odisha and MP to enact this law.

3. Govt to link 22,000 rural markets to e-NAM : Centre has announced that 22,000 rural markets would be linked to Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by 2020 as part of its drive to double the income of farmers.These rural markets will be upgraded to Gramin Agricultural Markets & linked with e-NAM to enable farmers to sell directly to potential buyers.e-NAM is an electronic unified national market for agricultural commodities

4. India exports Rs 18,000-crore worth spices : India exported a record 10,28,060 tonnes of spices and spice products valued at Rs 17,929.55 crore in 2017-18.There is an increase of 8% in volume and 1% in rupee terms in the year ended March 2018, compared to the previous financial year.The export of value-added products like curry powder/paste, spice oils and oleoresins also increased in volume and value during the period

5. Govt notifies Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 : Govt has recently notified Electoral Bonds, which may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India.Political Parties registered under Section 29A of Representation of People Act, 1951 shall be eligible to receive Electoral Bonds.Electoral Bonds shall be valid for 15 days from the date of issue & no payment shall be made after the expiry date

6. NITI Aayog releases first Delta ranking :NITI Aayog has launched the first Delta ranking (incremental progress) for the Aspirational Districts.The ranking is based on self-reported data of districts across 5 developmental areas of Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development & Basic Infrastructure.The ranking is a tool to identify sectors and indicator specific challenges.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Agriculture JWG between Gujarat and Israel : Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and Israel’s Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel and announced a joint working group in the fields of agriculture and allied sectors.The initiative is taken as a step to double the farmers’ income by 2022.This Agriculture Plan would also explore opportunities for using the hi-tech protective cultivation and precision farming methods of Israe

2. Mumbai is 5th-least punctual airport : ReportAccording to the British aviation intelligence firm OAG, Mumbai is the fifth-least punctual airport in the world in terms of on-time performance out of 513 airports.Japan’s Nagoya Komaki airport was ranked the best with 94.5% on-time performance during the 12-month period.

The top Indian airport on the list was Port Blair, which recorded 84.6 per cent on-time performance and ranked 65.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Fiscal deficit hits 55% due to higher capex : The Centre’s fiscal deficit for the first two months of the fiscal year 2018-19 stood at Rs 3.45 trillion, this is a sign of growing economy.The fiscal deficit target for 2018-19 is Rs 6.24 trillion, or 3.3 percent of the gross domestic product.The difference between total revenue and total expenditure of the government is termed as fiscal deficit.

2. Kerala govt signs MoU with Nissan : A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Kerala government and Nissan officials to boost digital operations.The first phase of the digital hub will come up over 30 acres of land in Technocity, 20 kilometres outside Thiruvananthapuram.The company is looking at providing 500 direct jobs by the end of April 2019 with indirect employment for software development

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. World Bank: Maha most vulnerable to climate : Maharashtra is among the states where people’s standards of living are most vulnerable to climate change, says a World Bank study released, titled “South Asia’s Hotspots”.The study projects that India could shave off 2.8% of GDP by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions continue unmitigated.Many districts will see 9% – 11% decline in standards of living with Chandrapur district topping at 12.4%

SPORTS:

1. Dutee Chand sets new national record in 100m : Dutee Chand broke her 100m national record at 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Guwahati.The 22-year-old Dutee, representing Odisha, ran 11.29 sec in the semifinal race to better her national record of 11.30sec and later clinched the gold in 11.32sec.She has already qualified the 2018 Asian games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang.

Daily GK Updates - 29th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Pipeline across Maha Prosperity Corridor : Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has proposed setting up a natural gas pipeline along the Maharashtra Prosperity Corridor.The corridor will be an eight-lane 701-km hi-speed super communication expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai.The Rs 46,000 crore project is being planned to boost agro-industries and port-led developments in the state.

2. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw elected to MIT board : India’s biotech queen Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has been elected as a full-term member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Shaw is also ranked among the world’s most influential people in bio-pharma by Forbes magazine.Shaw was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 2006.

3. MP to be awarded for reducing MMR : Madhya Pradesh will be awarded for reducing maternal mortality under Prime Minister’s Safe Motherhood Campaign.An unprecedented 48-digit decline in maternal deaths in Madhya Pradesh has been registered.The maternal mortality rate was 221 in the year 2011-13, which has now dropped down further to just 173.

4. World’s 1st medicine made from marijuana : Epidolex is the world’s first medicine made from marijuana.The drug does not cause intoxication or a high and is approved by US FDA.

It is created by GW Pharmaceuticals. It is an oral solution of cannabidiol (OSC) will be used to cure severe forms of epilepsies in children.The New England Journal of Medicine had first provided the evidence that marijuana can cure epilepsy.

5. National Centre at AIIMS : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the National Centre for AIIMS in New Delhi.The Multi-Speciality healthcare will have 200 general ward beds.Mr Modi also inaugurated the 555 bed Super Speciality Block in Safdarjung Hospital.Mr Modi inaugurated the Connection Motorable Tunnel between AIIMS, Ansari Nagar and Trauma Centre.

6. 1st government blockchain centre in Hyderabad : The Centre has decided to set up a Centre of Excellence for blockchain technology in Hyderabad to drive innovation.The Centre of Excellence proposed to come up at C-DAC’s Hyderabad unit.The plan is to use blockchain technology to digitise and secure land records for Telangana.ICICI Bank was the first to execute transactions using Blockchain technology.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki on July 16 : U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold their 1st summit on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.The 2 leaders will discuss relations between US and Russia and a range of national security issues.It meeting would also entail high-level talks on US sanctions on Russia and Russia’s rejoining the Group of Seven industrialised countries to make it the G8 again.

2. Mount Agung volcano erupts in Bali : Bali closed its international airport Friday after Mount Agung volcano began spewing volcanic ash and vapor higher than two kilometers (6,500 feet) into the air.Over 300 flights have been canceled, according to airport authorities, impacting the travel plans of thousands of people.Indonesia is the world’s most active volcanic region and lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fir.

3. N Korea:’worst human trafficking country’ : According to the annual ‘2018 Trafficking in Persons Report’, North Korea has been ranked as worst human trafficking country in the world, along with China, Russia and Iran.The report said that the North Korean govt continued to use forced labour in prison camps.South Korea has been ranked at the highest category for the 16th consecutive year, along with US, UK, France and Canada

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. ICICI Bank gets new part-time chairman : ICICI Bank has appointed former bureaucrat Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as its non-executive part-time chairman.

Chaturvedi is a 1977-batch IAS officer, who retired as the Oil Secretary in January 2013.The term of M K Sharma, the current chairman of ICICI Bank, ends on June 30.

2. Indian money in Swiss banks rises 50% : Money parked by Indians in Swiss banks rose over 50% to Swiss Francs (CHF) 1.01 billion (₹7,000 crore) in 2017, reversing a three-year downward trend.The surge comes as a surprise given India’s continuing clampdown on suspected black money stashed abroad.The Indian money in Swiss banks had fallen by 45% in 2016, marking their biggest ever yearly plunge.