Daily GK Updates - 16th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Swati Shingade bags the first prize of DD Mahila Kisan Award: Swati Shingade of Pune, Maharashtra has bagged the first prize of DD Mahila Kisan Award for 2018-19.The award was presented by Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash to Ms Shingade at a grand finale event organised by DD Kisan Channel in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Surya Prakash said, the Kisan Channel has provided a platform to the women farmers and the aim of the channel is to make aware the people about the various schemes of the government.

2. Manmohan Singh presents an award to Arun Jaitley for implementing GST :  Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the BusinessLine Changemaker Of The Year award to Union Minister Arun Jaitley for successfully introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Jaitley received the award on behalf of the GST Council. The award was also presented to the petitioners against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality.

3. Padmanaban Gopalan wins the Commonwealth Youth Award for The Asian Region :  A social entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu, Padmanaban Gopalan, founder of No Food Waste, was named the winner of the Commonwealth Youth Award for the Asian region worth 3,000 Pounds at a ceremony at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. His initiative runs a geo-mapping platform, which allows users to drop food at located “hunger spots” and has so far recovered over 650,000 meals across 14 cities and the platform has been used by over 12,000 volunteers.

4.  Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to head transformative mobility panel :  Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will head the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, which is being set up to promote clean and sustainable mobility initiatives in the country. The Union Cabinet on March 7 had approved setting up of the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. The terms of reference of the mission include ensuring implementation and compliance of the decisions and recommendations of the steering committee.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Vienna placed at the top position in the Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey 2019 : The Austrian capital Vienna topped the new Mercer Quality of Living Survey. Thirteen out of the world’s 20 best places to live are in Europe. Zurich, Switzerland's biggest city, came in second place for overall quality of living, followed by Auckland, Munich and Vancouver in joint third place. Luxembourg was named as the safest city in the world, followed by Helsinki in Finland and the Swiss cities of Basel, Bern and Zurich.

2.  First BRICS Sherpa meeting under the Presidency of Brazil concludes successfully :  The first BRICS Sherpa meeting under the Presidency of Brazil concluded yesterday at Curitiba in Brazil. Secretary, Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs, T S Tirumurti led the Indian delegation at the two-day meeting. During the meeting, India conveyed its support for the priority areas set out by Brazil, particularly to take forward BRICS cooperation on counter-terrorism in a meaningful and concrete manner with BRICS member countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Kent RO receives the Best Domestic Water Purifier Award 2019 :  One of the leading brands in the water purifier industry, Kent RO Systems Pvt. Ltd. has been bestowed with the Best Domestic Water Purifier Award 2018-19 for its RO+UV+UF technology at the Water Digest Water Awards. Water Digest Water Awards backed by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and UNESCO. Kent has become the first choice when people think of a water purifier and winning awards like these just reflect on the kind of quality that we intend to provide to our users.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SBI Yono App to allow cardless withdrawals :  The State Bank of India has launched the YONO Cash service for its customers which will allow them to withdraw cash from ATMs without their debit cards. A part of SBI's digital banking platform, You Only Need One (YONO),the cardless cash withdrawal service will be available across 16,500 ATMs of the bank in the country. Such SBI ATMs will be called YONO Cash Point.

SPORTS:

1.India to host U-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020 :  India will host the Under-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020. This was announced by the President of International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino after the council meeting in Miami, USA on 15th March 2019. The tournament in India will be the seventh edition and the second to be held in Asia after Jordan in 2016. This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men's World Cup in 2017.

2. Karnataka lifts maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy :  Karnataka defeated Maharashtra to win their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on 14th March 2019. With the win, Karnataka set a record of most number of wins in a row by an Indian domestic team as they won 14 T20 matches to lift the coveted T20 trophy. Karnataka also equalled Indian Premier League outfit Kolkata Knight Riders’ record of 14 consecutive wins.

3. JP Duminy to retire from ODIs after ICC World Cup 2019 :  South African all-rounder JP Duminy announced that he would retire from ODIs after the ICC World Cup in England. However, he will continue to be available for South Africa in T20 Internationals. The 34-year-old made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2004 and has played 193 matches in the format.

4. SC appoints PS Narasimha as a mediator to resolve disputes of admin in BCCI :  The Supreme Court (SC) has appointed senior advocate P S Narasimha as a mediator for resolving various disputes related to cricket administration in the country. Narasimha is assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) matter. According to the SC bench, the game must go on, asking Narasimha to act as a mediator in the cricket administration disputes.

Daily GK Updates - 15th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.President of India presents Gallantry Awards : The President Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred three Kirti Chakras and fifteen Shaurya Chakras to Armed Forces at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.Two Kirti Chakras (Ysepoyvrahma Pal Singh & Rajendra Kumar Nain) and one Shaurya Chakra (Dhanawadera vindrababan) were given posthumously. The President also conferred fifteen Param VishishtSeva Medals, one Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and twenty-five AtiVishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces for distinguished service of an exceptional order.

2. President of India inaugurates festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Gandhinagar : The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) in Gandhinagar. The aim of this festival of innovation and entrepreneurship is to provide a platform for new innovators for building linkages with potential stakeholders. FINE is an initiative to recognise, respect, showcase, reward innovations and foster supportive ecosystem for innovators. Mr Kovind presented the 10th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation Awards on the occasion. Prakash Singh Raghuvanshi (Uttar Pradesh) has been awarded lifetime achievement award for his innovations in new varieties of agriculture crops.

3. Areca nut gets ‘Sirsi supari’ geographical indication tag : Arecanut (supari or betel nut) is the latest entrant in the list of agricultural produce with a GI (geographical indication) tag.The Registrar of Geographical Indications (Government of India) accorded a GI tag, ‘Sirsi Supari’, to areca nut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines GI as a search sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities due to that origin.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Consumer Rights Day being observed today: The World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated globally on 15th March to promote basic rights of all consumers.

The theme for this year is ‘Trusted Smart Products’. The first World Consumer Rights Day was observed in 1983 and become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. In India. we also observe the National Consumer Day on the 24th of December every year.

2.  15th March: The world sleep day : The world sleep day 2019 observed on 15th March to celebrate healthy sleep and draw attention towards its related issues including medicine, education and social aspects. The theme for this year is 'Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging'. The day is observed annually on the Friday before the March Equinox on the Earth.

3. Google shuts down instant messaging app 'Allo' : Google Allo instant messaging mobile app finally shutting down. The ‘Allo app’ uses phone numbers as identifiers, and allows users to exchange messages, files, voice notes and images. Google Allo (launched in 2016) was an instant messaging mobile app by Google for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems, with a web client available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

4. WHO launches new global influenza strategy :  The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 to protect all people from the threat of influenza. The objective of the strategy is to prevent seasonal influenza, control the spread of influenza from animals to humans, and prepare for the next influenza pandemic.’ Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications and for health care workers.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.WEF recognised Naresh Lokesh as Young Global Leader for 2019 :  According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Andhra Pradesh IT minister ‘Nara Lokesh’ has been recognised as the Young Global Leader, The list has 127 of the world's most promising social activists, business leaders, public servants, artists and technologists under the age of 40. The individuals are expected to take part in the five year-programme that will help them to identify new ways to learn new ideas.

2. MoHUA partners with Microsoft for Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal :  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has partnered with Microsoft India to use the platform Project Sangam of Microsoft on its Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal. Now MoHUA has trained more than 110,000 municipal functionarieson best sanitation practices across 4,000 plus cities in India. With this partnership, the MoHUA has increased the features on the Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI categorises IDBI Bank as private sector lender :  As per RBI notification, IDBI Bank has been categorized as ‘a private sector lender’ following the acquisition of majority stake by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). Earlier (In January 2019) , LIC completed the process of picking up a controlling 51% stake in the nearly crippled IDBI Bank. IDBI Bank has been categorized as a ‘private sector bank’ with effect from 21st January 2019. IDBI Bank has been under the prompt corrective action framework of RBI that bans it from corporate lending and branch expansions, salary hikes and other regular activities.

DEFENCE:

1. U.S. Special Forces hold an exercise with NSG in Hyderabad :  The United States Special Forces Group stationed in Japan involved in a joint exercise with India's National Security Guard (NSG) in Hyderabad. The US forces are from the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group stationed out of Okinawa in Japan. The overall aim of the program was to enhance professionalism and the ability to operate together during times of crisis.

SPORTS:

1.  Dipa Karmakar qualifies for vault finals in Artistic Gymnastics World Cup : India's Dipa Karmakar (25-year) has made it to the Vault Finals after finishing third in the qualifying round of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup at Baku in Azerbaijan.The, who had finished fourth in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, performed a higher difficulty Hand front 540 vault for the first time in the competition. Dipa had claimed a bronze at the vault event of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany in November 2018.

Daily GK Updates - 14th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.India gets first TIR shipment via Chabahar Port from Afghanistan : The first shipment under the United Nations ‘Transports Internationaux Routiers’ (TIR) convention arrived in India from Afghanistan through Iran’s Chabahar Port. The consignments arrived at port of Nhava Sheva, Mumbai and Mundra on 13th March 2019, officials said.

2. M R Kumar appointed LIC Chairman : The Union government appointed M R Kumar as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). He will succeed MD Hemant Bhargava who had been named interim chairman after VK Sharma's retirement on 31st December 2018. T C Suseel Kumar and Vipin Anand have been appointed as Managing Directors (MD) of the LIC for five years. Currently, MR Kumar is the Zonal Manager, Delhi at LIC while TC Suseel Kumar is Zonal Manager, Hyderabad. Vipin Anand is Zonal Manager of the Western zone.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Indian and Pak delegations hold talks on Kartarpur :  the delegations from India and Pakistan are holding talks at Attari border town in Punjab to finalize the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor. According to MEA spokesman "Talks begin between India and Pakistan to discuss and finalize the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor, at Attari, Amritsar, that will facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit the holy shrine of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur". The issues like alignments of structures essentially from the engineering point of view would also be discussed.

2. World Kidney Day being observed :  World Kidney Day is observed annually on the second Thursday in March. The theme for this year is ‘Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere’. The day is observed to create awareness on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease. According to the WHO report, 850 million people worldwide are now estimated to have kidney diseases from various causes. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes at least 2.4 million deaths per year and is now the 6th fastest growing cause of death.

3. India ranks 11th in gold holding: World Gold Council : India (world’s largest consumer of gold) has the 11th largest gold reserve, with the current holding pegged at 607 tonnes, as per the latest report by the World Gold Council (WGC). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is included and is third on the list with total gold reserves of 2,814 tonnes. The list is topped by the U.S., which claims of gold reserves of 8,133.5 tonnes, followed by Germany with 3,369.7 tonnes. Italy and France complete the top five list with reserves of a little over 2,400 tonnes each.

4. India, U.S. agree to build six nuclear power plants in India :  India and the U.S. have agreed to build six American nuclear power plants in India, in a boost to  bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation. The two countries said this in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 9th round of India-U.S. Strategic Security Dialogue, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Andrea Thompson, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, on March 13.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.RBI to inject liquidity via forex swaps : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to inject rupee liquidityinto the system through long-term foreign exchange buy/sell swap — a first-of-its-kind instrument used for liquidity management. The RBI would conduct dollar-rupee buy/sell swap auction of $5 billion for a three-year tenor on March 26. This is the first time the central bank is using a foreign exchange auction to augment banking liquidity after generally using bond purchases for the same all these years. RBI has infused more than Rs 2.36 lakh crore through such purchases so far this fiscal. The US dollar amount mobilized through this auction would also reflect in RBI’s foreign exchange reserves for the tenor of the swap while also reflecting in RBI’s forward liabilities,” RBI said.

2. HDFC Bank becomes the 3rd company to cross Rs 6 lakh crore m-cap :  HDFC Bank has become the third listed entity to achieve a market cap of Rs 6 lakh crore after Reliance Industries and TCS. On 13th March 2019, shares of the country’s largest private bank gained 2.6% to hit an all-time high of Rs 2,226. This resulted in the market capitalisation of the bank reaching nearly Rs 6.1 lakh crore for the first time, which makes it more valuable than all the listed public sector banks put together.

3. Bank of Baroda launches child daycare facility at HQ :  Bank of Baroda has launched Crèche – Child Daycare facility within its Mumbai Corporate Office premises. The public sector bank said it will bear 60% of costs for each child, the rest to be borne by parent.

SPORTS:

1. Special Olympics World Games 2019 to begin today at Abu Dhabi in UAE :  Special Olympics World Games 2019 begin at Abu Dhabi in UAE this evening. The event has already made history by welcoming a record-breaking 200 nations at the Games. Of the 200 nations, 195 will compete in the Games and five will observe. More than 2,500 women will fly the flag for their nation, with almost half of them performing in athletics competitions. Saudi Arabia will send female athletes for the first time, with 14 women participating.

OBITUARIES:

1. Formula One director Charlie Whiting has died in Australia :  Formula One race director Charlie Whiting (66-years) has died from a pulmonary embolism three days before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the Federation for international auto racing, issued a statement saying Whiting died on March 14 morning in Melbourne. A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in the lung, usually caused by a blood clot.

Daily GK Updates - 13th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Dipa Karmakar selected as Barbie Role Model : Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar (25-year) has been selected as Barbie role model, as the company celebrates its 60th anniversary. Karmakar has been chosen along with 19 other successful women(from 17 countries), included in the collection of Barbie dolls inspired by real-life heroes. She was part of the ‘Shero’ program launched in 2015 by the company.

2. Megha Engineering enters Limca records : Megha Engineering Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) has found a place in the Limca Book of National Records and Asia Book of Records for completing a power sub-station in seven months (normally it takes 15-18 months). NP Kunta sub-station was taken up to connect Ultra Mega Solar Power Plant built in Ananthapur with Power Grid, to facilitate the supply of 1500 MW of electricity.

3. Mizoram Cabinet approves Liquor Prohibition Bill :  The Mizoram state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Zoramthangahas approved the proposed liquor prohibition bill, 2019 in the state. The bill would be introduced in the state Assembly during the Budget session. There was total prohibition in Mizoram from 1997 till January 2015 with the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act in force in the state. Earlier, Lal Thanhawla government allowed opening of wine shops in the state from March 2015.

4. C Lalsawta sworn in as Mizoram’s first Lokayukta chairman : Mizoram Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of office to Mr. C Lalsawta (Retired IAS officer) as the first Chairman of the newly-constituted Lokayukta at Raj Bhavan in Aizawl. Mr. Lalsawta (1981-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer) was the Principal Secretary of the Finance department in the State from 2008 to 2011. The Lokayukta (also Lok Ayukta) is an anti-corruption ombudsman organization in the Indian states.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.DGCA decides to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft with immediate effect : The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft with immediate effect. The decision comes in the wake of Ethiopian Airlines crash (killed all 157 people) in Addis Ababa. The planes will be grounded until appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations. Spice Jet has around 12 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, Jet Airways (5) in its fleet in the country

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.  India's internet base crosses 500 million mark :  According to a newly released Kantar IMRB ICUBE report, Internet user base in India has exceeded 500 million marks. It is likely to reach 627 million by the end of 2019. The number of internet users is estimated to be 566 million as of December 2018 (annual growth -18%). The report finds 493 million Indians (total user base-87%) are defined as regular users, having accessed the internet in the last 30 days.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.Axis Bank names Rakesh Makhija as new Chairman :  Private sector lender Axis Bank has named ‘Rakesh Makhija’ (67-years) as its new Non-Executive (Part-Time) Chairman for a period of three years. Mr. Makhija (Chairman of SKF India) will take over from Sanjiv Mishra(current Axis Bank Chairman), when his term comes to an end on 17thJuly 2019. He has been an Independent Director on the board of Axis since October 2015.

2. Bank of India raises Rs 660 crore by selling shares to employees :  State owned Bank of India (BoI) has raised Rs 660.80 crores by issuing shares to employees under Employee Share Purchase Scheme (ESPS). The bank issued 6,25,52,188 shares of Rs 10 each to eligible employees. It offered a discount of 24.28% on the applicable price to the employees and about 94.70% of the total employees participated in the scheme.

OBITUARIES:

1. Veteran Hindi Newsreader Vinod Kashyap passes away :  Veteran Hindi Newsreader Vinod Kashyap (88-years) passed away following a prolonged illness.

She served All India Radio for about 30 years. The veteran newsreader started her career in Radio as a drama artist

2.  U.S Olympic gold medallist Kelly Catlin passes away :  America’s finest and most remarkable cyclists ‘Kelly Catlin’(23-year) passed away in the USA. Catlin helped a dominant US team to three consecutive world titles in the pursuit between 2016 and 2018. She also won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Daily GK Updates - 12th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.MP government issues an ordinance to give 27% quota to OBCs :  The Madhya Pradesh government has issued an ordinance raising reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 27% (present 14%). The ordinance was sent to Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel for her assent on. The ordinance could be issued before the Lok Sabha poll model code of conduct comes into effect.

2. Hasmukh Adhia appointed as Chancellor of Gujarat Central University : Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia (1981-batch Gujarat cadre officer) has been appointed as the Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat for five years term. SA Bari is the current vice chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat. Mr Adhia retired on 30th November 2018. Earlier, the Union government also nominated him as the Chairman of Bank of Baroda(BoB).

3. 'Metro Man' Sreedharan appointed a principal advisor to MRTCs in J&K: The Jammu and Kashmir Governor administration has approved the appointment of ‘E Sreedharan’ (86-years) as the principal advisor to two mass rapid transit systems to be built in Jammu and Kashmir. The governor administration has approved setting up of two MRTCs Jammu Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and the Srinagar Mass Rapid Transit Corporation for the two capital cities. Sreedharan is a retired IES (IRSE) officer and is popularly known as the "Metro Man".

4.  BBC journalist Priyanka Dubey gets Chameli Devi Jain award :  BBC journalist ‘Priyanka Dubey’ has won the ‘Chameli Devi Jain Award-2018’ for an Outstanding Woman Journalist for the year 2018 at a function in Delhi. She was chosen for her multi-faceted, investigative and interrogative reportage. Priyanka Dubey works as a bilingual correspondent with the BBC at its Delhi bureau.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.International Food and Hospitality fair begins in New Delhi :  The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry ‘Suresh Prabhu’ has inaugurated the International Food and Hospitality fair ‘AAHAR’ (34th edition) at Pragati Maidan (Hall 7-12A) in New Delhi. The five-day fair will feature a wide range of food products, machinery, hospitality and Decoration and Confectionery items from over 560 participants from India and abroad. Around 20 countries, including the US, Russia, China, UK, Germany, Italy and Singapore will participate in the fair.

2.  PM Modi & Sheikh Hasina jointly unveil e-plaques for development projects in Bangladesh :  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasian (Bangladesh Prime Minister) jointly unveiled e-plaques for development projects in  Bangladesh  (through video conference). Both leaders unveiled e-plaques for the supply of buses and trucks, the inauguration of 36 community clinics, 11 water treatmentplants, and extension of National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh. The National Knowledge Network will connect scholars and research institutes in Bangladesh, to India and the world.

3. New visa agreement between India & Maldives comes into effect :  The new visa agreement between India and Maldives, providing a liberal visa policy for Maldivian citizens seeking medical treatmentas well as education and business opportunities in India, came into force. Under the agreement, Maldivian businessmen and tourists can stay in India for 90 days without a visa. The main aim behind the move is to boost people-to-people ties between the two countries.

4. 116-year-old Japanese woman officially named the oldest person :  Japanese woman, Kane Tanaka (116-years) has been honoured as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records. The global authority on records officially recognised Kane Tanaka in a ceremony. The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman,Chiyo Miyako (117-years) who passed away in July 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  PNB sanctions loans worth Rs 689 crore to 1,600 MSMEs :  Punjab National Bank (PNB) has sanctioned loans worth Rs 689crore to over 1,600 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It has sanctioned it through the ‘ psbloansin59minutes.com’ portal as part of its effort to promote such industries. Under the Mudra Yojana, the bank has offered loan to over 2.69 lakhsmall entrepreneurs till February 14, 2019. MSMEs through this portal can avail loans of up to Rs 1 crore in 59 minutes or less than an hour.

SPORTS:

1.Zinedine Zidane re-appointed as coach of Spanish football club Real Madrid till 2022 :  Former French football player ‘Zinedine Zidane’ (46-year) has been re-appointed as the coach of Spanish football club Real Madrid(highest-earning football club) till 2022. He replaces Santiago Solari, who was sacked after less than five months in charge. Real Madrid was the highest-earning football club in the world (annual revenue of € 750.9 million) in 2018.

2. Fifth SAFF Women's Championship kicks off in Biratnagar Nepal :  The 2019 SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Women's Championship (5th edition) was scheduled to be held from in Biratnagar. Nepal (from 12–22 March 2019). The current SAFF members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan Withdraws Participation in 2019 SAFF Women's Championship.

Daily GK Updates - 11th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kerala’s Marayur Jaggery gets Geographical Indication Tag :  Idukki’s The Marayoor Jaggery, the traditional and handmade product from Idukki district of Kerala received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Central Government. The Marayoor jaggery finally managed to get the GI Tag after two years of continuous efforts by the Agricultural Department of the state. The GI tag will provide more windows of opportunity to the traditional sugarcane farmers in Marayoor.

2. WB CM announces a new scheme ‘Yuvashree Arpan’ for employment of youth :  West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced a grant of 1 lakh to graduates of the state’s 214 polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), to set up small businesses. The CM also introduced the scheme, Yuvashree Arpan, in Howrah district.

3. NCRB celebrates its 34th Inception Day :  National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has celebrated its 34th Inception Day. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) formed in 1986 mandated to empower the Indian Police with Information Technology. Bureau is implementing & monitoring agency for implementation of Crime & Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan of Government of India.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Chief Scientist at WHO :  Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation. She is currently a Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

2. Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue – 2019 : The 2nd edition of Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) – 2019 was held in Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. The aim is on involving the global strategic community in reviewing India’s opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Golden Peacock Innovative Product Award – 2019 : ACKO General Insurance was awarded Golden Peacock Innovative Product Award – 2019 for its contextual micro insurance product –’Ola Ride Insurance’. Golden Peacock Awards, instituted by Institute of Directors in 1991, are now regarded as Holy Grail of Corporate Excellence Worldwide. Acko General Insurance is a private sector general insurance company in India. Founded in November 2016, the company received its license from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India in September 2017.

SPORTS:

1. 2019 South Asian Games :  The 2019 South Asian Games (SAG), officially the XIII South Asian Games, is a major multi-sport event will be held in September 2019. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC), formed in 1983. At present, SAG are joined by eight members namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

2. 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup :  The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men’s national basketball teams. The tournament will be hosted in China and it will mark a new era for the competition as described.

Daily GK Updates - 10th March, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.India’s 17th Lok Sabha elections to be held in 7 phases : The Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has announced, India’s 17th Lok Sabha elections (largest festival of democracy) will begin from 11th of April this year. Legislative Assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will be held simultaneously with the general elections. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force in the entire country with the announcement of the polls. Ninety crore electorates of 29 states and 7 Union territories will elect 543 Lok Sabha members in seven phases from 11th April to 19th May 2019. The counting will be held on the 23rd of May 2019.

2. Prime Minister Modi attends 50th Raising Day celebrations of CISF :  The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi attended the 50th Raising Day celebrations of Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister reviewed the parade of the CISF personnel and presented the service medals for distinguished and meritorious services. He also laid a wreath at the Martyr’s Memorial and signed the visitor’s book. The CISF provides security cover to 300 industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments located all over India.

3. PM Modi flags off Noida City Centre-Electronic City section of Delhi Metro's Blue Line : Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Noida City Centre-Noida Electronic City section’ (6.6-km) of the Delhi Metro's Blue Line. The Noida City Centre and Noida Electronic City (fully elevated section) consist of six stations - Sector 34, Sector 52, Sector 61, Sector 59, Sector 62 and Noida Electronic City. The metro stretch will benefit the people of Noida a great deal as well as connect the satellite city to Delhi. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of two thermal Power Plants through video conferencing, 1,320 MW Super Thermal Power Project at Khurja (Bulandshahar) and the 1,320 MW thermal power plant at Buxar (Bihar).

4. Uttarakhand CM launches free milk scheme for Anganwadi children : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched the Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana in Dehradun. Under the Amrit Yojana, 2.5 lakh children (at 20,000 Anganwadi kendras) will be given 100 ml milk twice a week for free in the state. Flavoured, sweet, skimmed milk powder will be made available to the 20,000 Anganwadi Kendra across the state.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Palestinian president appoints Mohammad Shtayyeh as new PM :  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has chosen Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh (60-years) as the new prime minister of Palestinian. Earlier in January, Mr Abbas accepted the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Earlier, Mr Shtayyeh served as minister of housing and construction in addition to serving as head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR). Mr. Shtayyeh is an economist with a PhD from the University of Sussex in England.

2.  Ethiopian Airlines grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet after crash :  An Ethiopian Airlines had grounded its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleetafter a crash that killed 157 people on board including eight crew. The crash occurred around the town of Bishoftu (60-kilometre south-east of the Addis Ababa) shortly after take-off from the Bole International Airport, Ethiopia. The Boeing 737 Max-8 was carrying passengers from 33 countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. ACKO General Insurance honoured with Golden Peacock Award 2019 :  ACKO General Insurance has been awarded the coveted ‘Golden Peacock Innovative Product Award – 2019’ for their contextual microinsurance product “Ola Ride Insurance” in a ceremony in Dubai. The award was presented to Mr. Biresh Giri at an event in Dubai. Acko introduced the revolutionary Ola Ride Insurance ‘a first of its kind in the Indian market’ in March 2018. The Awards are bestowed annually and are designed to encourage total improvement in each sector of our business.

SPORTS:

1.One gold, four silver medals for India at Finland boxing tourney :  India’s Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg-category) has won the gold medal at the 38th GeeBee Boxing Tournament in Helsinki, Finland. While three-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (60kg category) and three others claimed silver medals. Sumit Sangwan, former youth world champion Sachin Siwach and Naveen Kumar got bronze in their categories.

2.  Iniyan becomes India’s 61st Grandmaster : P. Iniyan (16-year) has become the 61st Grandmaster of India (the highest title a chess player)after crossing 2,500 points during the Noisiel Open 2019, held in Paris. Iniyan also won the silver medal in this tournament by increasing 18 points and has a rating of 2,513.