Daily GK Updates - 25th March, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 'Earth Hour' being observed today: 25 March: The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) is observing the 10th anniversary of 'Earth Hour' today i.e. 25 March,2017. The worldwide event is held annually encouraging individuals to turn off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. It was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

2. Indian Navy fires surface-to-air missile from INS Vikramaditya: The country’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya successfully carried out the maiden test of the newly installed Barak short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM). The 44,500-tonne carrier was commissioned into the Navy in November 2013 at Severodvinsk in Russia.

3. Tanushree Pareek becomes BSF's first woman field officer: Tanushree Pareek, a resident of Rajasthan became BSF's first woman field officer. She led the passing-out parade at the BSF Academy as the first woman field officer. 

4. Aadhaar to be mandatory for getting Telecom connection: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has sent a notice to all telecom operators that all mobile phone subscribers (prepaid and post-paid) will have to be verified using e-KYC.

5. Pawan Hans set to launch its "Delhi Darshan" rides from 1st April: Through this ride the visitors can experience the beauty through aerial view of Pritampura Tower, Majnu Ka Tila, Red Fort, Rajghat, Akshardham Temple and surrounding areas by paying about Rs. 5,000 rupees for a 20-minute ride and about Rs. 2,500 for a ten-minute ride.

6. Nellore in AP to get Post Office Passport Seva Kendra: The External Affairs Ministry and the department of posts announced the opening of a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. It would be the 86th POPSK in the country.

7. Assam Forest department starts elephant census starts: Today, the Forest department has started the five-day long elephant census in Assam. As per last census (in 2011), there was 5,620 elephants in Assam.

8. Osmania University to host 105th Indian Science Congress: The 105th session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) will be hosted by Osmania University, Hyderabad during January 3-7, 2018. The theme of the 105th session of Indian Science Congress is 'Science and Technology - Reaching the Unreached’.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 116 million African children to get polio vaccines: According to World Health Organization(WHO),116 million children in 13 countries in west and central Africa are to receive polio vaccines as part of its efforts to eradicate the disease from the continent.

The synchronized vaccination campaign programme will see all children under the age of 5 in these countries immunized from today in a coordinated effort to raise childhood immunity to polio.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Ashwin breaks record for most wickets in a Test season: Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has broken the record for most wickets in a single Test season, taking his 79th this season during the Dharamsala Test against Australia. 

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. SEBI bans Reliance Industries from equity derivatives trading for one year: Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) has banned Reliance Industries and 12 other entities from equity derivatives trading for one year. The case relates to alleged fraudulent trading in the futures and options space in the securities of RIL's erstwhile listed subsidiary Reliance Petroleum Ltd.

2. SBI's Arundhati Bhattacharya among world's greatest leaders: State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked 26th among the world's 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune Magazine.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

3. French Mathematician Yves Meyer wins Abel Prize 2017: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has announced that the 2017 Abel prize has been awarded to mathematician ‘Yves Meyer’ for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets”.The prize ceremony will be at Oslo in May.

Daily GK Updates - 24th March, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Suresh Prabhu announced scaling up of ‘VIKALP Scheme’ for Railway Passengers: The Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced the scaling up of ‘VIKALP Scheme’ for waitlisted passengers at a progrmme held in New Delhi. The scheme will become effective on 1st April 2017. Prabhu has also released the Water Management Policy of Indian Railways to improve water use efficiency by setting up water recycling plants, rainwater harvesting plants, sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants on railway land.

2. CCEA approved North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase- I: The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Phase - I of the North-East Road Network Connectivity Project in New Delhi. The National Highways (NHs) of 403 kilometers will be developed in Meghalaya (52km) and Mizoram (351km). The civil works are expected to be completed by 2021 and the maintenance works are expected to be completed by 2025.

3. NCST approves proposal for 5 additional seat for tribal in Sikkim Assembly: The National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) has approved the proposal for five additional seats for tribal in the Sikkim Assembly. The proposal of increasing reserve seats for Schedule Tribes from 12 to 17 in 32 members in Sikkim Assembly and now it would be increased to 40. The five seats would be reserved for Limbu and Tamang tribes.

4. Five Indian cities included in World Heritage List: According to Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma, five Indian cities were included in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The five Indian cities included in the list are Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai.

4. Bharti Airtel acquires 4G business of Tikona Networks: Indian global telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel has acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business for Rs 1,600 crore.

5. Radha Mohan Singh launched Book titled '50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution': The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched a Coffee Table Book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” commemorating National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Golden Jubilee year.

6. India ranks 87th on Energy Architecture Performance Index: WEF: India ranked 87th among the surveyed 127 countries on a Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (EAPI) released as part of report of Geneva- based World Economic Forum (WEF). EAPI focuses on tracking specific indicators to measure the energy system performance of the countries.

7. Government notifies third Protocol amending India-Singapore DTAA: The Union Finance Ministry has notified third Protocol amending India-Singapore Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The agreement came into force in February 2017 and was signed in December 2016. The Third Protocol amends the DTAA between both countries to provide for source-based taxation of capital gains arising on sale of shares in a company

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. March 24: World TB Day: The World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) is observed every year on March 24 to raise public awareness about the global epidemic of Tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. WTD is observed to commemorate discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, bacillus (bacteria) causing TB on 24th March, 1882 by German microbiologist Dr Robert Koch. This discovery had opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB. 2017 Theme (Campaign): “Unite to End TB”.

2. Sea ice hits record winter low at both poles: Scientists: According to US and European scientists, the extent of sea ice at both poles has hit new record lows for this time of the year. The disappearing sea ice comes as the Earth marks three consecutive years of record-breaking heat and temperature rise, raising fresh concerns about the accelerating pace of global warming. 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Indian Navy to scale Everest as part of 'Seabed to Summit': An Indian Navy team is set to scale Mount Everest as a part of its 'Sagar Tal se Sagar Matha (Seabed to Summit)' expedition. The 24-member team, with personnel from INS Chakra and INS Chennai, will plant an ice-axe on the 8,848-metre high peak.

2. India finish with 13 medals at para Athletics meet in Dubai: India's para athletes won 13 medals in the season opening 9th Fazza International IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. Out of the 13 medals, India won five gold, three of which were won by Sundar Singh Gurjar. The 21-year-old Gurjar, who missed Rio Paralympic Games last year, won a gold each in shot put, javelin throw and discus throw competitions.

BANKING & FINANCE:

3. World Bank signs US$ 100 million credit agreement with Uttarakhand, Centre: The World Bank has signed a 100 million US dollar credit agreement with the Centre and Uttarakhand in New Delhi to improve the quality of health care services in all 13 districts of the state. The project aims to reduce the financial risk for its citizens and make affordable, quality health care available to all. 

HONOURS & AWARDS:

4. Raghu Rai honored with Lifetime Achievement at National Photography Awards: Renowned photojournalist Raghu Rai has conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Photography Awards organized by the photo division of the I&B ministry in New Delhi. He is known for his books, Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black and White.

OBITUARIES:

5. Noted Writer Ashokamitran passes away: Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran (86-year) passed away in Chennai after a brief illness.He was given the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for his work 'Appavin Snegidhar' (collection of short stories). Earlier, he was given the Tiru Vi Ka Award in 2014 for his contribution to Tamil literature.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd March, 2017

­­­­                     NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Cabinet approves setting up of National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes: The Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NSEBC) as a constitutional body. In this regard, constitutional amendment bill for amending Constitution mainly by insertion of Article 338B will be soon introduced in the Parliament.

2. Cabinet approves of proposal to establish a Fund of Fund for Start-ups:  The Union Cabinet has approved proposals to tweak Fund of Funds of Start-ups (FFS) rules to enable greater flow of resources. FFS was established in June 2016 with a corpus of Rs. 1,000 crores.

3. Union Cabinet approves amendments to Customs and Excise Act to facilitate GST Regime: The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Customs and Excise Acts related to abolition of cesses and surcharges on various goods and services to facilitate implementation of GST Regime Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. It has approved the following proposals: Amendment to Customs Act, 1962; Amendment to Central Excise Act, 1944. Amendments to Customs Tariff Act, 1975. Repeal of Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 and Amendment/repeal of the provisions relating to Acts under which cesses are levied.

4. Cabinet approves amendments to NABARD Act, 1981: Union Cabinet has approved proposal for amending National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. Decision in this regard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

5. Cabinet approves MoU between India and US in field of Cyber Security: The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln) and the US Homeland Security Department on cooperation in the field of Cyber Security. The MoU was signed in January 2017 in New Delhi. It intends to promote closer co-operation and exchange of information pertaining to the Cyber Security between both strategic partners in accordance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations and on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and reciprocity.

6. Union Cabinet approves amendment to RTE Act, 2009: The Union Cabinet has approved the amendment to Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The amendment seeks to ensure all teachers, in position as on March 2015, acquire minimum qualifications prescribed by academic authority to extend period for such training for 4 years up to March 2019. 

7. CCEA approves North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase I: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved North East Road Network Connectivity Project (NERNCP) Phase I for development of 403 kms of National Highways in Meghalaya and Mizoram. Out of total 403 km, approximately 351 km will be in developed in Mizoram and 52 km in Meghalaya. The project will be executed in EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) Mode.

8. Rajya Sabha passes HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014: The Rajya Sabha has passed HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014. The Bill seeks to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV. It aims to prevent social stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV). It also seeks to strengthen legal accountability and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances to probe discrimination complaints against those who discriminate against PLHIV.

9. Assam Government launches SaCReD initiative to make Majuli carbon neutral island: Assam Government launched Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative to develop Majuli, the world’s largest river island, as the country’s first carbon neutral district. It was launched by state Chief Minister Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the occasion of International Day of Forests (observed on March 21).

10. Gujarat Assembly passes bill for the establishment of 4 private & 2 govt. Universities: The Gujarat state Assembly has passed bills for the establishment of four private and two government-run universities in the state.

Four new private universities are Swarnim Startup and Innovation University (Gandhinagar), P P Savani University (Surat), Indrashil University (Ahmedabad) and Karnavati University (Gandhinagar). Two new private universities are Birsa Munda Tribal University at Rajpipla in Narmada district and the Gujarat Organic Agricultural University.

11. Shaheed Diwas (86^th Martyrdom Day) observed: The nation paid tributes to freedom fighters (Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev) on their 86th martyrdom day. On this day in 1931, British rulers had executed them in Lahore for their revolutionary activities against the British rule.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Meteorological Day 2017 observed globally: The United Nations' (UN) World Meteorological Day is annually held on or around 23^rd March to remember the World Meteorological Organization's establishment on that date in 1950. The theme of WMD 2017 is 'Understanding Clouds' to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water.Nation paying tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev on their 86th martyrdom day.

2. India ranks 131 on Human Development Index (HDI): India has ranked 131 out of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Report (HDR) in the latest released report of the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP).

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. ISSF World Cup: Ankur Mittal wins double trap gold in double trap event: Indian shooter Ankur Mittal (24-year) clinched his first men's double trap event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.

He defeated his Australian rival, James Willet.

2. Austria: India bags 18 medals in Olympics World Winter Games: India’s special athletes have won 18 medals so far in the ongoing 2017 Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. The medal tally includes six gold, four silver, and eight bronze. The team of 89 differently-abled sports person of the Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) is participating in the competition. Over 2,600 athletes from 105 nations are taking part in the event.

3. Indian para-athletes win 8 medals in IPC Athletics Grand Prix: Indian Para-athletes bagged eight medals (3 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze) in the 9th Fazaa International IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. India is currently at the seventh spot out of 48 participating countries. Sundar Singh Gurjar (21-year) won a gold each in men's Javelin Throw F-46 and Discus Throw F-46 competitions. The third Indian gold was bagged by Narender Ranbir in men's Javelin Throw F-44 with an effort of 47.75m.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd March, 2017

­­­­                     NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  CBSE unveils new exam format for class VI to IX: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has unveiled new exam format for Class VI to IX.

The move will be implemented from the upcoming academic session.

2. Majuli: India’s first carbon neutral district, as a biodiversity heritage: The chief minister of Assam ‘Sarbananda Sonowal’ has launched initiatives to develop Majuli as India’s first carbon neutral district and as a biodiversity heritage. He also launched the “Forests are Lives” campaign to celebrate the importance of Assam’s rich forest and biodiversity.

3. Maharashtra Govt. makes Aadhaar mandatory for crop insurance schemes: The Maharashtra government has made Aadhaar mandatory to farmers for availing crop insurance schemes from the next Kharif season. Now, the farmers of the state will have to link it with the Aadhaar number before June this year to avail crop insurance schemes. The scheme is applicable to food grain and horticulture sectors.

4.  India ranks 131 in 2016 Human Development Index: India was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries.   The index was published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  Top three countries are: Norway (0.949 score), Australia (0.939) and Switzerland (0.939). The HDI is a measure for assessing countries progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life (life expectancy), access to knowledge and access to a decent standard of living.

5. World Water Day observed: World water day is observed annually on 22nd March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The theme of 2017 for World Water Day is 'Why Waste Water?'. The first International World Water Day, designated by the United Nations, was commemorated in 1993.

6. Bihar Diwas celebrated: Bihar Diwas (105th) is observed every year on 22nd March, marking the formation of the state of Bihar. Three-day celebrations of foundation day of the state have been inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar. It was on this day when the British carved out the state from Bengal Presidency in 1912.

7. 4 Indian cities among cheapest globally: EIU: Four Indian cities are among the cheapest to live in globally, while Singapore (last in the list) has been ranked as the most expensive for the fourth consecutive year, according to a 'Worldwide Cost of Living 2017' report by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Almaty has been ranked as the cheapest city in the world followed by Lagos. 

8. ISRO commissions world’s third-largest hypersonic wind tunnel:  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third-largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.  In this regard, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar commissioned two facilities – a 1-m Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and a 1-m Shock Tunnel.

                      INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Canadian teacher wins global teacher prize: A Canadian teacher 'Maggie MacDonnell' has been named the winner of the annual Global Teacher Prize at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. She teaches at the Ikusik School in Salluit, an Inuit village deep in the Canadian Arctic. She was awarded for her achievements within the local community that survives amidst harsh conditions and her effort in helping to reduce teenage suicide rates.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  ICC names Ankur Khanna as new Chief Financial Officer: Ankur Khanna has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He will join the ICC by the end of March 2017.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

2. Upendra Tripathy appointed as Interim Director General of ISA: Upendra Tripathy (IAS- Karnataka Cadre) has been appointed as the full-time interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on 30th November, 2015 as a coalition of the solar resource rich countries on the first day of the Paris Climate Conference (CoP21).

3. Samsung Pay launched in India: Samsung Electronics on Wednesday announced the launch of its flagship mobile payments service, Samsung Pay, in India. 

Samsung Pay can be used to make purchases using debit or credit card to make payments. The cashless payment solution also supports mobile wallets like RuPay cards and UPI apps.

4. Madhabi Puri Buch appointed as SEBI whole time member: The government has announced Madhabi Puri Buch as new whole time member of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). She will be in the office for period of three years. She is currently serving in the New Development Bank, Shanghai. This is the first time that a women and a person from private sector has been chosen for a key post with the market regulator.

HONOURS & AWARDS

5. President of India presents Gallantry Awards: The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has presented the Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations at a Defence Investiture Ceremony at ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’ in New Delhi.

He conferred Kirti Chakra (one) and Shaurya Chakras(twelve) to Armed Forces Personnel for displaying exemplary leadership, an extreme presence of mind, conspicuous gallantry and courage beyond the call of duty. Kirti Chakra given to Major Rohit Suri (The Parachute Regiment).

Daily GK Updates - 21st March, 2017

­­­­                     NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India ranks 122 in 2017 World Happiness Report:  India ranked at 122 out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017 published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network on the eve of International Day of Happiness (20 March). The rankings are based factors such as  inequality, life expectancy, GDP per capita, public trust (i.e. a lack of corruption in government and business), and social support. Together they are used to generate a happiness score of country on a scale from 1 to 10.

2. Uttarakhand HC recognise Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as living entity:  The Uttarakhand High Court has recognized the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as so-called living entities. It is for the first time any court in India has recognized a non-human as a living entity. The two rivers are sacred for the Hindus, sustain millions of people in the country but have seen years of damage at the hands of humans.

3. India’s first sign language dictionary to come up soon: Government:   The Union Government will soon launch country’s first-of-its-kind Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people. It is being developed in both print and video format by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).  It will give uniform language to 50 lakh hearing-impaired and 20 lakh speech-impaired people in the country.

4. IIT-Madras inks pact with Tanstia-FNF Service: IIT-Madras and small scale industry body Tanstia-FNF Service Centre have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) fortechnology transfer of water treatment analysis kits designed to treat drinking water mainly in rural areas. The research at IIT-Madras for developing the filter and the kit was funded by International Development Research Centre, Canada.

5. NBCC to execute social housing project in Mauritius: National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), a Navratna construction major under the Ministry of Urban Development will execute a US $ 20 million (Rs.130 crore) social housing project in Mauritius. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between NBCC and Mauritius.

6. “FICCI Frames-2017” starts in Mumbai: The 18th edition of Asia’s largest convention on the business of media and entertainment “FICCI Frames-2017” has started in Mumbai, Maharashtra from March 21.  The 3-day international convention will covers the entire spectrum of Media & Entertainment.  The theme of this year’s convention is “Digital-Divide or Dividend”. Canada is partnering the event.

7.  India home to 101 billionaires, Mukesh Ambani tops the list: Forbes India is home to world’s fourth highest number of billionaires with Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani (33rd position globally) leading the club of more than 100 super rich Indians. The list has been topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for the fourth year in a row. 

8. Five Indians in WEF’s 100 Young Global Leaders list: Five Indians have made it to the World Economic Forum's list of 100 Young Global Leaders under 40 years of age. These include Paytm Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Blippar app's Founder Ambarish Mitra, journalist in Fortune India Hindol Sengupta, Swaniti Initiative's Rwitwika Bhattacharya and The Tamara Coorg hospitality's Shruti Shibulal. All the people in the list are entitled to a five-year leadership journey.

Every batch of medicines would undergo testing before it is distributed.

                      INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  International Day of Forests: 21st March: The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Forests 2017 is observed on 21st march, which promotes the importance of forests and trees in our lives. The theme for this year is 'Forests and energy'.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Roger Federer wins ATP Indian Wells Masters title: Swiss star Roger Federer (35-years) has won the ATP Indian wells Masters title in California, USA.

He defeated Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-4, 7-5. Federer joined Novak Djokovic as the only man to win five Indian Wells titles. Earlier, he has won his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. He had earlier won this title consecutively three times between 2004 and 2006 and in 2012.

2. Cheteshwar Pujara becomes first Indian to face 500 balls in Test innings: Cheteshwar Pujara has become the first Indian to face 500-plus balls in an innings, going past the mark against Australia. He broke past Rahul Dravid's record of 495 balls, which were the most faced by an Indian in one Test innings.

BANKING & FINANCE:

3. Bharatiya Mahila Bank to be merged with SBI: The Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) will be merged with the country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) from 1^st April, 2017. The merger would mean 103 branches and business of Rs. 2,000 crores added to SBI. The bank employees, who had joined on deputation, would be transferred back to their previous banks.

4. Branches of SBBJ, SBH, SBM, SBP and SBT to operate as branches of SBI from April 1, 2017: All branches of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will function as branches of State Bank of India from April 1, 2017. The Customers, including depositors of all the five Banks will be treated as customers of State Bank of India with effect from April 1, 2017.

5. Govt proposes to lower cash transaction limit to Rs 2 lakh: The government on Tuesday proposed to cap cash transactions at Rs 2 lakh instead of the proposed Rs 3 lakh.  The proposal was made in the finance bill. The bill proposes to levy a service charge on all cash transaction above Rs 2 lakh.

6. ICICI bank launched mobile banking app “Mera iMobile”: The ICICI bank has recently launched a mobile banking app “Mera iMobile” for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services.

Daily GK Updates - 20th March, 2017

­­­­                     NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Union cabinet clears 4 GST supplementary legislations for introduction to parliament: Today, in the meeting of union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared four supporting Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislations, paving the way for their introduction in Parliament soon. The four supporting legislations, the Compensation Law, the Central-GST (C GST), Integrated-GST (I-GST) and Union Territory-GST (UT-GST) would be introduced as Money Bill. Once approved by Parliament, the states would start taking their State-GST (S-GST) bill for discussion and passage in the respective state assemblies. Earlier, the GST Council had given approval to the four legislations as also the State-GST bill. While the S-GST has to be passed by each of the state legislative assemblies, the four other laws have to be approved by Parliament.

2.  The 5th foundation day function of BIRAC: The Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan  inaugurated the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council in New Delhi. More than 300 Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Industry Experts, and Policy Makers including large number of stakeholders both national and international is taking part in the event. The discussion will focus on the impact the Biotech Ecosystem is making on the Indian economy and the opportunities which exist for the Indian Biotech Sector as a global player.

3. Bikaner passport seva kendra inaugurated: The Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has inaugurated a passport seva kendra at a post office in Bikaner (Rajasthan). Similar kendra will be inaugurated in Jhunjhunu, Kota, Jhalawar (RPT Jhalawar) and Jaisalmer by 31^st  March. The central government has taken this step of opening passport seva kendras in post offices for people's convenience.

4. 1.04 crore people hit by arsenic contamination in Bengal:  According to recent report tabled in the Lok Sabha, West Bengal has the highest number of arsenic-affected people in the country. State’s 83 blocks in eight districts have ground water affected by arsenic contamination. Despite the State government’s efforts to curb the Arsenic menace, there is still a lot to be done. So far, state government was able to provide safe drinking water to 52% of the arsenic-affected areas in Bengal.

5. Justice Navniti Prasad Singh took oath as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court: Kerala Governor Sathasivam administered Justice Navniti Prasad Singh the oath at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). Justice Singh is the former judge in the Patna High Court. Earlier, the acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court Justice TB Radhakrishnan has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.

6. Cheneni-Nashiri: India’s Longest Road Tunnel completes trial run: India’s longest surface tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district is complete. It will be open to traffic soon, following successful completion of trial runs for peak and off-peak hours.   The 9-km-long tunnel at Chenani passes through the lower Himalayan mountain range on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway. The 9-km-long twin-tube tunnel located at an elevation of 1,200 metres. It is an important part of a 286-km-long four-lane project on the highway.

                      INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UK to trigger Brexit process on March 29: UK PM Theresa May will trigger the two-year process of leaving the European Union on March 29, UK ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow formally notified the EU President Donald Tusk on Monday. Adding that the UK expects to receive a response from the EU within 48 hours, May's official spokesperson said, Britain will exit EU on March 29, 2019.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Tamil Nadu wins Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016-17: Tamil Nadu beat Bengal by 37 runs in the final of Vijay Hazare trophy 2016-17 on Monday. With this win, Tamil Nadu become the only team to win the tournament five times. Tamil Nadu first scored 217 runs in 47.2 overs then restricted Bengal team at 180.

2.  Shahid Afridi appointed as ambassador of Blind Cricket World Cup: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup 2018. The announcement was made by the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC). Blind Cricket World Cup will be hosted by PBCC in theUnited Arab Emirates(UAE) and Pakistan in January 2018.

3. K T Irfan wins bronze in Asian 20km Race Walk Championships: National record holder K T Irfan clocked an impressive timing to win a bronze in the 20 kilometer men's event in the Asian Race Walk Championships at Nomi in Japan.

Irfan finished the race in 1 hour 20 minutes and 59 seconds, a tad slower than his national record timing of 1 hour, 20 minutes, 21 seconds. Earlier, he had set the national recode while finishing 10th in the 2012 London Olympics. Kim Hyun-Sub(Korea) took the gold in while Georgiy Sheiko (Kazakhstan) bagged the silver in the event.

BANKING & FINANCE

4. The union Govt. swaps chief executives of IDBI Bank & Indian Bank: The Union govt. has swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Indian Bank and IDBI Bank. Managing Director & CEO at Indian Bank Mahesh Kumar Jain has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank. IDBI Bank CEO Kishore Piraji Kharat has been appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank.

5. World Bank announces 57 billion US dollar for sub-Saharan Africa: World Bank has announced 57 billion US dollar financing for sub-Saharan Africa over the next three fiscal years (2017-2019). Of that total, 45 billion dollars will come from the International Development Association (IDA), 8 billion dollars from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and USD 4 billion dollars will come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

6. Idea Cellular approves merger with Vodafone India: Today, the board of directors of Idea Cellular has approved the scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India Limited (VIL) and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited (VMSL) with the company. The transaction is subject to necessary approvals from concerned authorities like SEBI, Department of Telecom, RBI and others.

Vodafone will hold a 45.1% stake in the combined entity, Aditya Birla Group will hold 26% and the remaining shares will be held by the public. The merger is expected to be completed by March 2019, and the newly merged entity will named at a later date. Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla has been appointed as the Chairman of Vodafone-Idea merged entity.

7. Snapdeal appoints Jason Kothari as CEO of FreeCharge: E-commerce firm Snapdeal announced the appointment of Jason Kothari as the Chief Executive Officer of its digital payment platform FreeCharge. In addition to taking on the role of CEO, Jason will continue his key leadership role as Chief Strategy and Investment Officer at Snapdeal.

8. Amazon India brings out ‘A-Z GST Guide’ program: E-commerce major Amazon India has come out with a new program for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), called the ‘A-Z GST Guide’.

The programme in its pilot phase has already trained over 5,000 sellers on the Amazon platform. The portal provides resources in the form of tutorials, blogs, and free online training sessions.

OBITUARIES

9. Former Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra passes away: Former bureaucrat turned politician Pyari Mohan Mohapatra (77-year) passed away at a hospital in Mumbai. He was the former Rajya Sabha member and founder of the Odisha Jan Morcha. Mohapatra is widely credited with Biju Janata Dal’ unstoppable growth from until 2012 and political advisor of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.