Daily GK Updates - 21st February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. MP, Rajasthan set up SPV for implementation of Smart City Plans: Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Government have set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) for the implementation of Smart City Plans. SPVs have been set up for five cities-Jabalpur, Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan.

2. Swachh Himachal Padhai bhi, Safai Bhi campaign launched: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has launched the unique campaign in Dharamshala and with this HPCA becomes the first cricket association in the county to work towards Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

3. Vibrant North East event concludes in Guwahati: The three-long Vibrant North East event concluded in Guwahati, Assam. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur.

4. ISRO successfully tests cryogenic engine of GSLV Mark 3 rocket.

5. K N Vyas appointed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Chief.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Faustin Archange Touadera wins 2016 Presidential Elections of Central African Republic (CAR).

2. Vietnam lodges formal complaint against China: Vietnam has lodged a formal complaint to the UN over China’s placement of a surface to air missile battery on a disputed island in the South China Sea.

3. Powerful category 5 cyclone Winston lashed Fiji.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum hits fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls.

Daily GK Updates - 20th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government of India approves highway contracts worth Rs 6000 crore: These contracts are for six states-Punjab, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha.

2. Prasra Bharti signs historical MoU with EBC: It has signed a MoU with Empressa de Brazil Communicacao (EBC) in connection with several broadcast related activities including exchange of news, programmes and co-production.

3. Cipla acquires 2 US Generic Drug companies: Indian Pharmaceutical giant Cipla Ltd, has acquired two US Generic Drug Companies, InvaGen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Exelan Pharmaceutical Inc.

4. Uma Bharti to inaugurate Jal Manthan 2016: Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti will inaugurate ‘Jal Manthan-2’ on February 22, 2016. The main theme of two day event is ‘Integrated Approach for Sustainable Water Management’.

5. World Bank to support Rajasthan on energy reforms: It has decided to support Rajasthan Government on energy reforms. The decision was taken at a meeting between World Banks country director in India, Onno Ruhl and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje.

6. Odisha Government launched Pucca Ghar Yojana for construction workers: CM Naveen Patnaik announced that pucca houses will be built for 50,000 construction workers during the current financial year with a cost of Rs 500 crore.

7. First Phase of Kerala’s smart city project inaugurated.

8. K N Vyas appointed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Chief.

9. Nitin Kapadia appointed Head of Standard Chartered Securities.

10. Jharkhand State Budget 2016-17 presented by CM Raghubar Das in the legislative Assembly.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Skype launches Group Video Calls on IOS and Android Phones and Tablets: Microsoft has announced that they are going to begin rolling out an update to Skype for IOS and Android that will support group video calling.

2. Christine Lagarde appointed for second term as IMF Chief.

3. US launches anti-dumping probe on tyres form India, Sri Lanka.

4. Japan launched astronomy satellite ASTRO-H: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched astronomy satellite ASTRO-H from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture.

5. 6 Indian-American scientists selected for Presidential Early Career Awards: Shwetak Patel (University of Washington), Rahul Mangharam (University of Pennsylvania), Sachin Patel (Vanderbilt University Medical Centre), Milind Kulkarni (Purdue University) Vikram Shyam (NASA) and Kiran Musunuru (Harvard University) were named as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by President Barak Obama.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Aditya Birla, Idea form JV for Payments Bank: Aditya Birla Nuvo, one of the eleven entities that have received in-principle approvals from the RBI to set up payments bank.

SPORTS:

2. Indian Women Cricket Team won three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, 3-0.

OBITUARIES:

3. Renowned Novelist Harper Lee passed away at the age of 89: She was the author of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She died in her home town, Alabama, US.

Daily GK Updates - 19th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Make in India Campaign concludes in Mumbai: The event has secured investment commitments worth Rs 15.2 lakh crore, with host Maharashtra alone accounting for Rs 8 lakh crore.

2. BHEL commissions GVK Goindwal Sahib’s 270-MW unit in Tarn Taran district of Punjab.

3. Punjab to sign MoU with British Pig Association to promote and develop piggery in the state.

4. Robin Chaurasiya nominated for ‘Global Teacher Prize’: Robin Chaurasiya, an Indian teacher who runs a non-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city’s red light areas has been named in the top 10 short-list for a global prize for teachers by UK based Varkey Foundation.

5. Alok Kumar Verma to be next Delhi Police Chief.

6. Tata unveils first ever India-made Robot ‘Brabo’: Dubbed ‘Tata Brabo’, the robot has been showcased in the Make in India week in Mumbai.

7. NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA) ties up with German Institutes DLR Cologne and Institute of Solar Energy Fraunhofer to carry out research in the fields of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic respectively.

8. BAIN Capital, GIC, Advent invest $350 mn in QuEST Global, a pure-play engineering and R&D services provider.

9. Denmark’s Universal Robots launched collaborative Robot line in India.

10. Thermal Powertech Corporation of India Ltd (TPCIL) signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Telangana discoms.

11. India and Nepal signed 4 MoUs to boost cooperation in economic, energy and cultural fields during Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli’s visit to India.

12. MRF Chief K M Mammen selected as Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).

13. Amit Mitra, West Bengal Finance Minister named Chairman of GST Committee of State Finance Ministers.

14. City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) inked 11 MoUs worth Rs 30,000 crore for the development of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) projects.

15. Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) signed MoU with Jaina Mobiles Industries for setting up of an Electronics Cluster in Industrial Model Township Sohna, district Mewat, Haryana.

16. Union Government nod for building of 82000 houses for poor in urban areas of 163 cities.

17. Kalikho Pul sworn in as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister.

18. Kajol appointed as part time member of the Prasar Bharti Board.

19. AP Government appoints Narasimha Murthy as Advisor (Financial Services).

20. Infosys Consulting Holding appointed Michael Pesch as CEO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Myanmar sign Standard Operating Procedure on Joint Patrol: The 4^th edition of India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) was conducted jointly by ships of both navies along the International Maritime Boundary Line in the Andaman Sea.

2. WHO issues $56 million plan to combat Zika Virus: The WHO said that $56 million were needed to combat the Zika virus until June, including for the fast-tracking vaccines, diagnostics and research studies into how it spreads.

3. Apple launches payments service ‘Apple Pay’ in China.

4. US President Obama signed a new law, North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, imposing sanctions against North Korea, aimed at punishing it for its provocative recent nuclear test and rocket launch.

5. Nepal decided to constitute 11-member political committee over provincial demarcations.

6. Team led by Pierre Maxted of the Keele University in Staffordshire of UK, discovered five new Jupiter like planets named WASP-119b, WASP-124b, WASP-126b, WASP-129b and WASP-133b.

7.Indian-origin Ashutosh Tiwari-led Utah Engineers discovered 2D Semiconducting material made of Tin Monoxide.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Karnataka Bank bags IBSA Banking Technology Award in the category of ‘Best Risk and Fraud Management initiative-Runners up’ amongst small banks.

2. SBI opens ‘Japan Desk’ in New Delhi for inbound Japanese investments in India and vice-versa.

SPORTS:

3. Rio Haryanto becomes Indonesia’s first Formula 1 driver and will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

AWARDS:

4. Warren Richardson, an Australian Photographer wins 59^th World Press Photo of 2015.

5. Command Hospital (Eastern Command) received Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital.

OBITUARIES:

6. Eminent vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away at the age of 107.

7. Former West Indies cricketer Andy Ganteaume died at the age of 95.

8. Polish Film Director Andrzej Zulawski passed away at the age of 75.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

9. Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography ‘Playing It My Way’ entered into the Limca Book of World records for being the best-selling adult hardback across both fiction and non-fiction categories.

Daily GK Updates - 18th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Arun Jaitely releases ‘India-2016’ and ‘Bharat-2016’ Year Books: Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting ArunJaitely released the books having comprehensive information about the county and various states and union territories including functioning of government and the economy.

2. ENVIS Portal launched by Union Government: PrakashJavadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched Environment Information System (ENVIS) portal and mobile application.

3. Cabinet approves Trade Facilitation Agreement: The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to notify the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to keen on projecting India as a business friendly destination.

4. Lyricist Sameer Anjaan enters Guinness Book of World Records for writing the most number of songs for Bollywood films.

5. Nitin Seth to join Flipkart as Chief People Officer.

6. Jayant Mishra appointed as the Director General of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

7. Jharkhand Government and Adani Group inked MoU to set up thermal power plant: The MoU was signed for investment of 15000 crore rupees in the state to set up a 1600 MW capacity thermal power plant in Godda and Sahibganj district of the state.

8. Odisha Government to introduce self-certifying scheme for industries to set up units: This scheme will ease the process of doing business in the state by shortening the inspection process at the initial levels required for non-hazardous industries to set up units.

9. Paani Foundation joined hands with Maharashtra Government for water conservation: Paani foundation is a non-profit organisation found by Aamir Khan and his wife KiranRao.

10. Apple to set up Technology Development Centre in Hyderabad.

11. Tamil Nadu Government announced Free Bus Pass Scheme for senior citizens.

12. Tata Motors and Bharat Forge tied up for $11 billion Indian Army’s FICV Programme: The Future Infantry Combat Vehicle Programme (FICV) involves development of compact combat vehicles for the Indian Army that will replace Russian-designed BMP series armed vehicles that are in operation since 1980.

13. Amendment to the Delimitation Act, 2002 and Representation of the People Act, 1950 approved.

14. Union Cabinet approved nomination of NITI Ayog CEO as part-time member of Telecom Commission.

15. Northern Central Railway commissioned ultra-modern computer based signalling system at Khurja Jn.

16. PM Modi released guidelines for PradhanMantriFasalBimaYojana at KisanMela in MP: The Yojana will come into force from the 2016 Kharif Season. It aims at boosting the agricultural sector of India and envisages a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for Kharif crops, and 1.5% for Rabi crops while the premium for annual commercial and horticulture crops will be 5%.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. United Nations and Columbian Government launched trust fund for peace-building needs: The Fund will be managed by the UN and the Government, in close cooperation with interested donors to especially support conflict areas in the lead-up to and aftermath of possible peace agreements with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army.

2. 1^st Silk Road train arrives in Tehran from China: The train had started its journey from China’s eastern Zhejiang province and it took 14 days to reach final destination.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Renowned Indologist David Shulman awarded Israel Prize for his breakthrough studies in the fields like philosophy and religion.

Daily GK Updates - 17th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tata Teleservices subsidiary m-RUPEE tied-up with IRCTC: m-RUPEE, a subsidiary of Tata Teleservices announced that it has tied up with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation to provide additional payment gateway.

2. CBDT resolves international tax disputes worth Rs 5,000 crore under Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP).

3. Coal India Ltd arm to set up country’s largest coal washery in Korba district of Chattisgarh.

4. HCL Technologies wins $2.8 billion deal from Volvo, largest IT outsourcing deal in recent times: The deal involves HCL buying the IT technology arm of Volvo for $138 million that mandates it to take over 2500 employees and 40 customers of Volvo globally on its rolls.

5. Amazon to acquire online payment service provider Emvantage Payments Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed amount.

6. Uber inks pact with Maharashtra government to create 75000 jobs.

7. Prithvi-II missile, capable of carrying up to 1000 kg warhead test fired from ITR Chandipur.

8. Union Government launched Non Tax Receipt Portal: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched Non-Tax Receipt Portal (NTRP) to electronically collect over Rs 2 trillion annually in non-tax receipts.

9. India’s 1^st lightest gun ‘Nidar’ launched: India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver Nidar weighing merely 250 grams was successfully launched to ‘boost’ the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

10. World’s cheapest Smartphone ‘Freedom 251’ is going to be launched by Ringing Bells: Noida based Ringing Bells is all set to launch the world’s cheapest 3G smartphone at just Rs 251 in India today.

11. Punjab National Bank declared Vijay Mallya led United Beverages Holdings Ltd as wilful defaulter.

12. Amazon launched ‘Tatkal’ initiative for small and medium businesses to go online and sell products on Amazon.

13. BAE Systems, Mahindra join hands for Howitzer facility.

14. Union Cabinet clears LIGO-India Gravitational Wave observatory.

15. Cabinet approves collaboration between AYUSH and WHO.

16. West Bengal Government launched Utkarsh Bangla Scheme for school-dropouts: The scheme is aimed at giving vocational training to school dropouts in the field of Tailoring, driving, repairing television and other electronics. Each Youth will get training ranging from 400 to 1200 hours.

17. Haryana, South Korean state of Chungcheongbuk to collaborate on technology and development.

18. Flipkart hires Fidelity International’s India head Nitin Seth as Chief People Officer.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Taylor Swift received the Best album of the Year award for her album ‘1989’.

2. 1^st Silk Road train arrives in Tehran from China: The train had started its journey from China’s eastern Zhejiang province and it took 14 days to reach final destination.

3. 3^rd US-Asean summit session begins in California: The summit between leaders from the Associations of Southeast Asian Nations and the United States has begun in California.

4. PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk led Ukrainian Government survived no-confidence motion.

5. Indo-British Asif Kapadia won 2016 Grammy Award for Best Music Film.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. SBI launches SBI e-Smart SME e-Commerce Loan: The sellers can apply for loan online and get immediate sanction-thereby enabling ‘loans at the click of a button’.

2. SBI, Thomas Cook tie up for Holiday Savings Account for online customers: The country’s largest lender SBI travel firm Thomas Cook to offer a recurring deposit to the bank’s customers to save for their future holiday.

3. Yes Bank partnered with UltraCash partner to launch payments service.

SPORTS:

4. Dominic Thiem defeated Nicolas Almargo to win ATP Argentina Open.

5. Indian women football team defeated Nepal to bag gold at 12^th South Asian Games.

6. Jauna Murmu, Ranjit Nayak included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme that was formulated with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

7. ICC Cricket for Good and UNICEF launched Team Swachh clinics in partnership with BCCI.

8. Badminton Asia Cup: India beats Singapore, enters quarterfinals.

9. Indian Railways won 36^th National Chess Team Championship.

10. 2016 South Asian Games concluded, India finished at top with 308 medals.

AWARDS:

11. Fashion designer Manish Arora conferred Knight of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest honour.

OBITUARIES:

12. Former UN General Secretary B. Ghali passed away at the age of 93 in Cairo, Egypt.

13. Renowned Malayalam writer Kakkattil passed away at the age of 62.