Daily GK Updates - 27th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi inaugurates Dr.Kalam memorial in Rameshwaram: Paying glowing tributes to former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said a fitting tribute to the late leader would be to develop India in all spheres when the country celebrated its 75th independence day in 2022 on the occasion of inauguration of Dr.Abdul Kalam’s memorial. The memorial was built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a tribute to Kalam, coinciding with his second death anniversary.

2. Death due to flood caused by constant torrential rains in Gujarat: Over 6235 persons have been evacuated and an additional 214 persons are saved from floodwaters that wrecked havoc in many parts of Gujarat. Modi announce Rs.500 crore relief fund for Gujarat.

3. Mumbai Metro to launch India’s 1st mobile ticketing system: Mumbai Metro One on Wednesday announced the launch of India's first Mobile Ticketing System 'OnGo' which will help commuters pass the AFC gates using their mobile phones. The passengers can buy tickets using the app that will generate a QR code which can be used at the automated fare collection gates. (Extra notes: Mumbai Metro is a consortium formed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, MMRDA and Veolia Transport SA, France, which constructed Maharashtra's first 11.40 km metro rail in Mumbai running between Versova, Andheri and Ghatkopar.)

4. Bihar Governor gives 2 days to Nitish Kumar to prove majority: Governor of Bihar Keshari Nath Tripathi asked Nitish Kumar to prove his majority in the Bihar Assembly within two days of taking oath as Chief Minister on Thursday. After Kumar's resignation on Wednesday, BJP announced support to him for forming the new state government. Notably, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi also took oath as the new Deputy Chief Minister. Kumar’s resignation ended a month-long uncertainly following the CBI filing an FIR against Tejashwi, the former deputy chief minister in the Nitish cabinet.

5. India to overtake US as second-largest 4G phone base: According to a report by Counterpoint, with an estimated installed base of 340 million 4G devices, India will displace the US as the second largest market by next year. With a base of 150 million users, India is currently placed behind China and the US. Indian market is expected to grow at a faster pace, driven by increasing adoption of mobile Internet. Going forward, the market is expected to jump back to double digit growth ahead of a festive season in the second half of 2017, he added. Samsung led the smartphone tally with 24.1% share, followed by Xiaomi (15.5%), Vivo (12.7%), Oppo (9.6%) and Lenovo (6.8%). Overall, Samsung had a 25.4% share (feature and smartphone), followed by itel (10.2%), Xiaomi (7.2%), Micromax (7.1%) and Vivo (5.9%).

6. Bhushan Steel, Bhushan Power face insolvency action: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday allowed bankruptcy proceedings against debt-ridden Bhushan Steel and Bhushan Power & Steel (BPSL). The companies have 180 days to come up with a resolution — though they can ask for an additional 90 days in some situations — or face liquidation. Petition for launching the insolvency process was filed by SBI in case of Bhushan Steel while a similar plea was filed by PNB against Bhushan Steel & Power. SBI has claimed recovery of Rs 4,295 cr from Bhushan Steel & $490 million for foreign currency loan.(Need to know: BSE Bhushan Steel : 0.14% , Chairman of Bhushan Group: Brij Bhushan Singhal)

7. Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar Yojana – Taxi Subsidy Scheme for Jobless Youth in Punjab: Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar Yojana will definitely help jobless youth in making them self reliant. The scheme is expected to receive a great response after it is launched. Punjab govt has announced launch of this  scheme by flagging off over 100 uberMOTO bikes. Under the scheme state govt will be providing commercial two wheelers & four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidised rates. It will not only contribute towards improving last-mile connectivity but will also create thousands of economic opportunities for youth in the state. 1 Lakh taxis and commercial vehicles per year at subsidized rates. A few Impotant points are as follows

• Reconstruction of 22 district transport offices.
• Overhaul of the four RTA offices at Patiala, Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Bathinda.
• Completely transparent process for allotment of permits.
• Applications for driving license to be invited through online portal SAARTHI.
• Vehicle registrations to go online through VAAHAN web portal.

8. IRCTC to take over catering services:According to railways, Catering services in all trains with pantry cars will be handed over to IRCTC by the year-end. Till now, zonal railways were managing catering services in majority trains as per the catering policy 2010. This is being done in order to improve onboard food quality. Railways will also conduct 3rd party audit at pantry cars & base kitchens to ensure best practice.

9. “Minimum wage code bill” ensures Minimum wage across all sectors: Union Cabinet has approved new wage code bill which will ensure a minimum wage across all sectors by integrating 4 labour related laws. The bill seeks to empower Centre to set a minimum wage across all sectors in the country and states will have to maintain that. At present, the minimum wages fixed by the Centre and states are applicable to workers getting up to 18,000 rupees pay monthly.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Israel removes metal detectors from holy site in Jerusalem: After days of protests following installation of detectors at the Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa, Isreal removed the installations. This came after the protests claimed 7 lives. The Palestinians see the installation of metal detectors as an Israeli attempt to assert control over the holy site.

2. China to build first Mars simulation base: China plans to build its 1st Mars simulation base on Tibetan plateau in country’s northwest as it aims to send the 1st mission to the red planet by 2020. The project will incorporate education, tourism, scientific research & simulation training. China looks to catch up with India, US, Russia & EU in sending probes to Mars. The base might also include a set for shooting films and TV shows.

3. Australia quietly makes first uranium shipment to India three years after supply agreement: Three years after signing a civilian nuclear supply treaty, the Federal Government confirmed overnight the first shipment of Australian uranium has left for India. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop provided little detail about the inaugural sale, saying only that it was subject to commercial negotiations. This comes after India and Australia signed an agreement for civil cooperation in 2014 to meet India’s growing energy needs.

4. Ajit Doval’s China visit for a BRICS meeting has raised expectations on India and China finding a way to end the standoff in Doklam area in Sikkim sector: The group of NSAs would call on the Chinese president for an interaction on security issues relating to BRICS countries. The visit comes in the backdrop of ongoing standoff between India & China in the Doklam region. China currently holds Presidency of BRICS & is due to hold 2017 summit in September .

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.The Hockey India League is cancelled for 2018Due to some financial issue: The 6th edition of Hockey India League has been postponed to 2019 by Hockey India. This comes as the dates in 2018 clashes with the Indoor World Cup, which may bar foreign players’ participation in it. This will only be a temporary discontinuation and HIL will return in 2019. HIL in past 5 years has given rise to players who have gone on to make a name for themselves in world hockey.

2. Ashwin breaks 36-yr record of most wickets after 50 Tests: Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has broken Australian pacer Dennis Lillee’s record of 262 wickets in 50 Tests. Ashwin has taken 275 wickets in the five-day format.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Shikha Sharma as CEO and MD of Axis Bank, once again: India’s third largest private lender, Axis bank re-appointed her for a term of 2 years starting June 2018. Previously, she took charge as the CEO of Axis Bank in 2009.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Samsung registers highest operating profit in Q2: Samsung Electronics registered a record operating profit of $12.6 billion in Q2 of 2017. This is the result of growth in sales of its memory chips.

 

2. Jeff Bezos became the world’s richest person for a very short period of time: The 53-year-old king of e-commerce snatched away the mantle of world’s wealthiest person from 61-year-old Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, thanks to a morning surge in Amazon stock, according to a minute-by-minute Forbes ranking.Soon after the stock market opened, shares of Amazon spiked 1.8 percent — pushing Bezos’ net worth to USD90 billion, surpassing Gates’ USD89 billion. But Bezos’ reign lasted only four hours, and by the 4 p.m. close of the market, his net worth had slumped to a meager USD88.7 billion, dropping him below Gates — who had topped the list since 2013 — at USD89.8 billion.

3. Apple fined Rs.3200 crore for infringing US University’s patent: Apple was found guilty of infringement of the patent which related to computer processor technology owned by US-based University of Wisconsin-Madinson. The fine is more than double the damages initially imposed by the jury in 2015.

4.Whats App in news: WhatsApp has announced that it has reached 1 billion daily active users who transfer over 55 billion messages and one billion videos everyday. Monthly active users of WhatsApp are over 1.3 billion & supports 60 languages globally.

BOOKS/AWARDS:

1. Arundhati’s novel “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”,in Man Booker longlist: Arundhati Roy’s latest work of fiction, “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”, has made it to the longlist of this year’s Man Booker Prize. The book came after a 19-year-long hiatus since her debut novel “God of Small Things” that won the Booker Prize in 1997. The shortlist of six books will be announced on September 13, and the 2017 winner will be finally announced on October2017.

OBITUARIES:

1. Dharam Singh passes away: N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a heart attack. He was the 17th CM of Karnataka and was continuously elected as MLA for 7 times from  Jevargi constituency. He headed Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition govt from May 2004 to February 2006. He was a seasoned politician, was known for his gentle demeanour.

Daily GK Updates - 26th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 18th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrated: Nation is celebrating 18th Kargil Vijay Divas to remind India’s military prowess and the great sacrifice of our soldiers. On July 26, 1999, Indian army succeeded in reclaiming all the posts in Kargil region from Pakistan.

2. Rajnath Singh chairs first meeting of Island Development Agency (IDA): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired first meeting of newly constituted Island Development agency(IDA). The IDA was set up on June 01, 2017 following the Prime Minister’s review meeting for the development of islands.

3. Uttar Pradesh’s RERA website launched: UP- RERA’s (Real Estate Regulatory Act) registration platform “up-rera.in” website was launched in Lucknow. Now the builders of Uttar Pradesh can register their projects on the site and instantly get a RERA registration number. The builders have four days until 31st July to register their existing projects.

4. Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar Chief Minister: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigned from his post by submitting his resignation to Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi. Governor has accepted his resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker CM. This is a big blow to the Mahagathbandhan and the Congress.

5. Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme revised: The target of the scheme is to shift a part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into ‘demat’ gold bonds. However, the scheme has not performed as expected and hence the revision. According to the revision, the investment limit under the scheme per fiscal year has been increased to 4 kg for individuals, 4 Kg for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and 20 Kg for Trusts and similar entities notified by the Government. The ceiling will be counted on financial year basis and will include the SGBs purchased during the trading in the secondary market.  

6. Government approves first housing project on private land under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has approved construction of 30,000 affordable houses in Maharashtra’s Sholapur district for the urban poor on private land under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). It was approved by an Inter-ministerial Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC), chaired by HUA Secretary. It is first such project to be taken up on private land under PMAY(U). 

International UPDATES:

1. BRICS Youth forum opens in Beijing: The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum opened in Beijing, China to discuss the development of the youth in countries of the BRICS nations. The theme of the forum is 'Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth Development'.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. IMF retains India 2017 GDP growth forecast at 7.2%: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its July World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update has retained India’s projected GDP growth rate at 7.2% for 2017-18, slightly up from 7.1% in the previous year.

2. Yatra.com acquires Air Travel Bureau: India’s second largest online travel operator, Yatra.com has acquired corporate travel services provider Air Travel Bureau(ATB). ATB is India’s largest corporate travel services provider with client base of over 400 companies.

3. Axis Bank set to buy Freecharge from Snapdeal for up to Rs400 crore: Axis Bank Ltd is nearing a deal to buy digital payments platform Freecharge for Rs350-400 crore in cash, giving much-needed breathing space to the latter’s parent Snapdeal, which is separately in talks to sell itself to larger rival Flipkart.

SPORTS:

4. Kylie Masse wins 100m backstroke world gold in record time: Kylie Masse (21-year) stormed to women's 100m backstroke gold in a new world-record time at the world aquatics championships in Budapest.

Daily GK Updates - 25th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ram Nath Kovind sworn in as the 14th President of India: Shri Ram Nath Kovind was sworn-in as the 14th President of India by the Chief Justice of India Shri Khehar. The ceremony was attended by political dignitaries including the Prime Minister.

2. DD plans to replace logo, invites entries: Doordarshan, the state-owned broadcaster, is planning to change its iconic logo and create something youthful in a bid to tap the “children of liberalization”, moving away from nostalgia.

3. Vande Mataram mandatory in Tamilnadu schools, colleges, offices – Madras High Court: The Madras High Court has issued an order making the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ compulsory in schools, colleges and Government offices in Tamil Nadu. The National Song shall be played and sung in all schools/colleges/Universities and other educational institutions atleast once a week. However, court added that a person shall not be forced it sing it provided he or she has valid reasons.

4. Reliance Defence launches Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels: Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited has announced launch of its first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels at their shipyard in Gujarat. 2 NOPVs — ‘Shachi’ and ‘Shruti’ — are among five ships being constructed by RDEL under the P-21 project of the Indian Navy. Reliance Defence is the first private shipyard in India to obtain defence production licence & sign a contract for defence ships.

5. FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags effective from Jan 1, 2018: Food Safety & Standards Authority of India has banned use of stapler pins in tea bags effective Jan 1, 2018. Use of stapler pins in tea bags poses potential hazard to consumers since any loose staple pin consumed inadvertently with tea may cause a serious health hazard.

6. NIFTY breaches 10,000 mark for the first time: Nifty at NSE breached 10,000 level for the first time ever, to touch an all-time peak of 10,011 in the opening trade. Analysts believe continuous rally of global markets coupled with influx of foreign investment have kept the bull run going in stock market.

7. Uttar Pradesh to provide free power connection to BPL families: Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Srikant Sharma launched free power connection scheme for the BPL card holders in the state. Scheme would also benefit poor people who do not have BPL cards at present. Such people would have to pay b/w Rs. 80 to Rs. 120 for getting power connection.

International UPDATES:

1. World’s first fullscale floating wind farm setting up in Scotland: World’s 1st full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the north-east coast of Scotland. It will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for current conventional bottom-standing turbines.

OTHER UPDATES:

1. PSU banks plan capital raising amid NPA clean-up: Bank of Maharashtra and Dena Bank, both under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) prompt corrective action (PAC), have invited bids for empanelling merchant bankers for their capital raising plans. Bank of Maharashtra intends to raise up to Rs800 crore by way of qualified institutional placement (QIP). Dena Bank plans to raise up to Rs1,800 crore in this fiscal year through a variety of instruments, including follow-on public offering, rights issue and QIP.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Michael Kors to buy shoemaker Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion: Michael Kors will acquire Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion, clinching the London-based maker of strappy stilettos, handbags and perfume.

3. Sanjay Gupta appointed as Head of Marketing at Uber India: Ridesharing app Uber has appointed Sanjay Gupta as the Head of Marketing for its India operation. Gupta, who has over 15 years of experience, comes from online furniture portal Urban Ladder, where he was chief marketing officer.

4. Microsoft to shut down MS Paint: Microsoft’s Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is going to kill the 1985-released image editing feature Microsoft Paint. The company has revealed that Paint is no longer “in active development”, and may be removed from Windows altogether.

5. Sundar Pichai joins Alphabet’s board: Google’s chief executive officer Sundar Pichai is going to join Google’s parent company Alphabet’s board of directors.

He joins the company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin and 9 other veterans of technology, finance and automotive industries.

SPORTS:

6. India to host men’s World Boxing Championship in 2021: India will host men’s World Championship for the 1st time in 2021. International Boxing Association made the announcement at the end of its 2-day executive committee meeting in Moscow.

7. Indian weightlifter Konsam Ormila Devi bags gold medal: She won the gold medal at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal. She lifted 56kg in snatch and 70kg in clean & jerk for a total effort of 126kg in the 44kg weight category to finish on the top of the podium.

OBITUARIES:

8. Veteran Scientist Yash Pal passes away: Veteran scientist, administrator and popular science communicator, Professor Yash Pal died in Uttar Pradesh. A scientist of international repute, Mr. Pal was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2013.

Daily GK Updates - 24th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt. launches ‘SHe-box’ portal for central government’s women employees: Women and Child Development ministry has launched an online platform called “SHe-box” portal. It is an online platform to enable women employees of the central government to file complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace.

2. Lucknow Metro to provide free water, toilets at Metro stations: Lucknow Metro stations will be the 1st in India to provide free drinking water at all 21 metro stations of North-South metro corridor. Stations will have a kiosk providing purified, chilled water to commuters free. Lucknow Metro is also going to provide free toilet facility at each of its stations.

3. A glass of water at Re.1, IRCTC: Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation plans to install 1100 water vending machines at 450 stations in 2017-2018 to ensure clean drinking water at low cost across the country. A glass of 300 ml water dispensed through these machines will cost just Re 1.

4. Amitabh Bachchan’s UNICEF Ambassadorship extended: Superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s ambassadorship for Unicef has been extended for another two years. He will be working on eradicating measles and rubella infections for children.

5. ‘Mission Football’ launched in Meghalaya: Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma launched ‘Mission Football’ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports Complex, Shillong. Mission Football is an initiative to help develop skills of football enthusiasts and develop young footballers for the country.

6. Merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular gets CCI approval: The mega merger deal between Aditya Birla Group firm Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone India Ltd on Monday crossed a major hurdle with antitrust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) approving the proposal. The Vodafone-Idea merger will create India’s largest telecom firm, overtaking Airtel, and pose a stronger challenge to disruptor Reliance Jio

International UPDATES:

1. Spanish scientists discover novobiocin compound as anti-Zika drug: Researchers San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia, Spain have discovered novobiocin compound that could be used as a potential drug to fight the effects of a Zika virus infection.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. CCEA approves selling 51% stake in HPCL to ONGC: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved sale of government’s 51.11% stake along with management control in HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum) to ONGC. HPCL will continue as PSU after the acquisition.

SPORTS:

2. Prannoy clinches US Open title: Indian Shuttler H S Prannoy has won his maiden US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament title defeating his compatriot Parupalli Kashyap.

3. Froome wins fourth Tour de France: Britain’s Chris Froome won the Tour de France for the fourth time as Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to victory in Paris on the 21st and final stage.

4. Siwach wins gold at Commonwealth Games: World youth boxing champion Sachin Siwach clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas. Siwach defeated Welsh boxer James Nathan Probert 4-1 in the final to claim the gold in the light flyweight (49kg) category.

OBITUARIES:

5. The man who launched Aryabhata satellite, UR Rao, passes away: Former ISRO chairman and renowned scientist UR Rao passed away. Rao served as the chairman of ISRO for about 10 years, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 and was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1976. He had launched India’s first satellite Aryabhata in 1975.