Daily GK Updates - 23rd June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WCD Ministry to get SKOCH Award : Ministry of Women & Child Development receives the ‘Best Performing Social Sector Ministry’ SKOCH Award.The ministry achieved results through schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao has achieved huge success and improved sex ratio.The Minister, Maneka Gandhi shared details of 6 months maternity leave, Sexual Harassment at Work Place Act, SHe-box, One stop centres, Women help line (181).

2. India’s 1st robotic telescope launched : The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in Ladakh is Indian’s 1st robotic telescope & is the one of the world’s highest astronomical observatories at 4,500 m.It is a part of Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH) program along US, the UK, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Israel.The telescope is designed to observe dynamic events in the universe.

3. 19th All India Conference of Finger Print : 19th All India Conference of Directors of Finger Print Bureaux was held in Hyderabad.The prominent recommendations concerning issue to modernize Finger Print Bureaux, creation of database for suspects, amendment of identification of prisoners act.It was recommended to change the name of the conference to All India Conference of Fingerprint science.

4. PM to inaugrate number of projects in MP : PM Modi to inaugurate economical urban transport scheme named ‘Sutra Seva’ in Indore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.Modi will dedicate the Mohanpura Irrigation Project worth Rs 3,866 crore in Rajgarh district to the people of the state.He wiil also distribute awards to winners of Swachh Survekshan 2018 – Indore, Bhopal and Chandigarh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi inaugurates nature center in New York : PM Modi inaugurated the ‘YO1 Nature Cure Center’ in the Catskills area of New York on the occasion of 4th International Day of Yoga.YO1, which means youthful in Sanskrit, is the first of its kind nature cure center in America located in Monticello in the scenic region of Catskills.The centre will be a wellness destination that will offer therapies based on ancient Indian Yoga and Pranayam.

2. Seychelles president on six-day trip to India : Seychelles president Danny Faure, who is on a 6-day visit to India will visit Gujarat, Goa and Uttarakhand.India will hand over a Dornier aircraft to Seychelles President even as project to jointly develop military infrastructure on Assumption Island was cancelled.The ministers would talk about cooperation between the 2 countries, in the fields of trade, defence and security.

3. International Widows’ Day : June 23, the world is commemorating International Widows’ Day as stipulated by the United Nations.According to UN Women’s 2018 Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to assist nearly 10% of the 258 million widows globally live in extreme poverty.It was formally adopted on December 21, 2010 by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

4. Indian peacekeepers in sudan awarded UN medal : The 7 Garhwal Rifles Infantry Battalion Group was awarded the United Nations Medal for selfless service in the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.Indian Battalion played an active and decisive role in ensuring peace and stability in Jonglei State.India is a leading contributor to the United Nations Peacekeeping missions. India contributes over 6,000 troops in 14 missions across the world.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. FICCI awarded at X international IT forum : The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) was awareded at X International IT Forum at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.FICCI was awarded for its support and active participation at the forum, consecutively for two years.The forum brought together industry leaders from BRICS and SCO nations to interact in the fields of information technology and digital transformation.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Arjit Basu: New MD of State Bank of India : The appointments committee of the cabinet has appointed Arijit Basu as the new Managing Director of State Bank of India till October 31, 2020.Prior to this, Basu was heading the corporate accounts group as the Deputy MD.SBI’s Managing Director B. Sriram will take charge as the MD and CEO of IDBI Bank after existing Chief MK Jain got recently appointed as the RBI Deputy Governor.

2. MK Jain takes charge as RBI deputy governor : M.K. Jain has assumed charge as the fourth Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Jain has come in place of SS Mundra who retired last year.Jain was the MD & CEO of IDBI Bank before being appointed as Deputy Governor for a term of three years.The other 3 deputy governors are N S Vishwanathan, Viral V Acharya and B P Kanungo.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Women Wizards Rule Tech’ programme : NASSCOM unveiled a programme named Women Wizards Rule Tech.It aims to increase the number of women in senior levels in the Information Technology (IT) industry.The Women Wizards Rule Tech was announced in March at the Nasscom Diversity and Inclusion Summit in Chennai as a joint initiative by the Nasscom Sector Skills Council and the Data Security Council of India.

2. Vishwas Mandalik & yoga institute to get award : Vishwas Mandalik from Nasik and the Yoga Institute in Mumbai have been selected as recipients of the Prime Minister’s award.They are being awarded for their outstanding contribution for promotion and development of yoga for the year 2018.The selection was done from among 186 nominations received under different categories.

3. Chief Economic Advisor Subramanian resigned : The Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) of India, Arvind Subramanian had resigned from the post and will return to the US because of “pressing family commitments”.The announcement was made by Mr Arun Jaitley.Subramanian was appointed as CEA to the finance ministry in October 2014, for the period of three years.In 2017 his term was extended for a year.

4. Haryana to give star ranking to panchayats : Haryana government has decided to give star rankings to its panchayats on the basis of 7 social parameters under state’s 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme.A total 1,120 villages have achieved the rankings & will be awarded Rs.1 lakh for achieving each parameter.Ambala topped the star ranking with 407 stars followed by Gurugram with 199 stars & Karnal with 75 stars.

5. Surat Selected for best smart city award : Surat city has been awarded best city award under the Smart City Mission’s award for implementation of projects in urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development.Bhopal and Ahmedabad have been selected as joint winners under innovative idea award category.The Ministry of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issued the award.

6. 5th National Standards Conclave : The 5th National Standards Conclave was held in New Delhi.It was organised by Department of commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry(CII).The theme of conclave was Implementing the Indian National Strategy for Standardization.2 reports were released by the Commerce Minister, Suresh Prabhu Indian National Strategy for Standardization(INSS)and CII-ASL Study on TBT/SPS Notifications.

7. Yoga World record created in Kota : Guinness world record was created by conducting the largest yoga session on International Yoga Day at Kota, Rajasthan where 1 lakh people together performed yogic exercises.Yoga guru Ramdev conducted the yoga session attended by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, ministers, officers and local people at RAC ground.The previous record was that of 55,524 people performing yoga in Mysore in 2017.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US dismisses 3rd party role in Kashmir dispute : The US administration has dismissed a third-party role in resolving the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.“We believe the pace, scope and character of any discussion on Kashmir are for the two sides to determine,” it said.This comes after Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said trilateral cooperation between India, China and Pakistan could help resolve the issue.

2. Canada legalized marijuana : Canada has become the second nation in the world the first G7 nation to legalize marijuana.Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana’s production, sale and consumption in December 2013.Medical marijuana is already legal in Canada.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India raises import duties on many items : India raised import duties on almost 30 items including agricultural and steel products in protest against the US imposing higher levies on products shipped from the country.Earlier, US hiked tariffs on certain steel and aluminium products which had tariff implication of $241 million on India.China, EU and other trading partners have also hiked tariffs in protest.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI revised Housing Loan limits : RBI revised the upwards housing loan limits under Priority Sector Lending (PSL). ​Housing loans of up to Rs 35 lakh for residences costing less than Rs 45 lakh will now be treated as PSL to give a boost to the low-cost segment.The housing loan limits for eligibility under priority sector lending will be revised to Rs 35 lakh in metropolitan centres and to Rs 25 lakh in other centres.

Daily GK Updates - 21st June. 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.4th International Yoga Day : The 4th International Yoga day is being celebrated across the world. In India PM Narendra Modi started the event at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.The theme for Yoga Day 2018 is “Yoga for Peace”.June 21 is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, hence day was selected by UN Assembly.The first International Day of Yoga was observed all over the world on June 21,2015.

2. India to construct war memorial in France : India will construct a war memorial at Villers Guislain to honour the valour and sacrifice of its soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought for peace in the World War-I.During the World War I, Villers-Guislain had witnessed a fierce battle in which the British Indian cavalry regiments were heavily involved.This will be the second such memorial in Europe after Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial

3. Telangana Police launched “Cop Connect” : The Telangana police have launched a mobile-based app ‘Cop Connect’, dedicated to provide real time information to over 60,000 police officers in the State.The internal messaging app, developed on the lines of WhatsApp but has no limitation like restricted number of users in a group.The app is secure as a separate server for this purpose in the data centre of the IT wing of the department.

4. KVIC adopts Jagatpur for Swachhata Abhiyaan : The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has adopted Jagatpur village in Delhi for its Swachhata Abhiyaan. The sanitation drive by KVIC began with a plantation drive and ended with cleanliness drive along the bank of the Yamuna river.Under KVIC’s Swachhata Mission, the next cleanliness drive will be in Mumbai’s Juhu Beach.The current KVIC Chairman is Vinai Kumar Saxena.

5. Haryana to give kids ₹50 for planting trees : The Haryana government has decided to introduce a scheme under which school children will be given ₹50 for planting trees every six months for a period of three years.The scheme will cover students from Classes 6 to 12 of both government and private schools.

It will be launched on July 10.

6. J&K comes under Governor’s rule : Jammu and Kashmir came under Governor’s rule for the fourth time in a decade since Governor NN Vohra assumed the office on June 25, 2008.It is also the eighth time the state witnesses the Centre’s rule in the last 41 years.This comes after the BJP pulled out of the BJP-PDP coalition government in J&K.

7.Javadekar launched National Digital Library : HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the National Digital Library of India.The library will become a single window platform for all educational needs.Users can register for free on the National Digital Library from Google Play store.The library can be accessed at ndl.iitkgp.ac.in.The library is an integrated platform for schools, colleges, universities, teachers, and students.

8. Punjab launched Mobile App- ‘I-Hariyali’ : The Punjab Government has launched a mobile application named ‘i-Hariyali’ aimed at increasing the state’s green cover.The mobile application would enable the users to order free plant saplings.The ‘i-Hariyali’ app, under ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’ can be downloaded from the app store for free.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s 1st Humanitarian Forensics Centre : The world’s 1st International Humanitarian Forensics Centre was launched at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.It is a joint venture of International Committee of the Red Cross in India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.The Centre will conduct various academic and professional programmes, training, research and provide technical expertise to support operations in the field of humanitarian forensics.

2. Nepal, Bhutan spend more than India on health : India spends 1% of its gross domestic product on public health.According to the National Health Profile 2018 report, there is one allopathic doctor for 11,082 people in the country’s villages.Low-income nations like Bhutan and Nepal spend 2.5% and 1.1% of its GDP respectively on public health.India aims to increase its public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025.

3. 7,400 Indians sought asylum in the US in 2017 : At least 7,400 Indians sought asylum in the US last year, the UN refugee agency said.The UNHCR revealed in its annual Global Trends report that the US received the largest number of asylum requests, while the highest number of claims were filed by Afghan nationals.Wars, persecution and other violence led to the displacement of 68.5 million people globally.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. England set a new ODI world record with 481/6 : England made the highest one-day international total of 481-6 as they defeated Australia by 242 runs at Trent Bridge. The England broke their own record of 444-3 set against Pakistan in 2016 at same venue.With this the England captain, Eoin Morgan became the highest ODI run scorer for his country.This is England’s biggest ODI win and Australia’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs.

Daily GK Updates - 20th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India BPO promotion scheme : The Union government is planning to expand its BPO promotion scheme under the Digital India initiative.The government has proposed to more than double the number of seats under the scheme.The India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS), envisaged under Digital India Programme, seeks to incentivize establishment of 48,300 seats in respect of BPO/ITES operations across the country.

2. Anukreethy Vas crowned Miss India 2018 : Tamil Nadu’s Anukreethy Vas was named Miss India at the 55th Femina Miss India 2018.Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who won the title last year, crowned Anukreethy, who will go on to represent India at Miss World.Haryana’s Meenakshi Chaudhary stood second while Andhra Pradesh’s Shreya Rao Kamavarapu ranked third.Malaika Arora and Irfan Pathan were among the judges.

3. Free meal on Sunday in case of train delay : Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said that free meals will be provided to passengers if trains get delayed by five-six hours because of maintenance works on tracks on a Sunday.“We are also considering free meals to passengers travelling on unreserved tickets,” Goyal added.The Railways will also rework its passenger train timetable to reflect all the planned traffic blocks.

4. Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti Resigns : Jammu & Kashmir’s Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation to the Governor after BJP announced to pull out of an alliance with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).The reason for the pullout was failure to control the situation in the state and meet its promises.

BJP’s General Secretary Ram Madhav also called for Governor’s rule in Jammu & Kashmir.

5.workshop on Cyber Security Framework 2018 : A workshop on cyber security for Department of Defence was organised by Department Defence Production, MoD. It was inaugurated by Defence Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.The framework is in line with guidelines for organisations to target the area of cyber security and identify improvements in the area.Joint Secretary and Chief Information Security Officer of DDP is Dr Amit Sahai.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan has more nuclear warheads than India : Pakistan, with 140-150 nuclear warheads, is ahead of India which has 130-140 warheads, according to a report by global think-tank SIPRI.“India and Pakistan are both expanding their nuclear weapon stockpiles as well as developing new land-, sea- and air-based missile delivery systems,” the report stated.Meanwhile, US and Russia are on top with 6,450 and 6,850 warheads, respectively.

2. World Refugee Day : World Refugee Day, international observance observed June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 decided that, from 2001, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day.UNHCR host World Refugee Day events in order to draw the public’s attention.

3.India, Italy agreed to revitalise ties : India and Italy agreed to boost cooperation in counter-terrorism and cybersecurity as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the top Italian leadership and discussed steps to revitalise bilateral ties.It was the first major political exchange between the two countries.Ms. Swaraj is there on the first leg of her seven-day tour of four European countries.

4.Google to train 8000 Indian journalist : Google will provide training to 8,000 journalists in English and six other Indian languages on fact checking.Training workshops will be conducted in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada.Google News Initiative India Training Network will select 200 journalists from cities across India and train them during 5 day train-the-trainer boot camps.

5. SAARC launches social enterprise programme : SAARC Development Fund launches a social enterprise development programme (SEDP) to fund 80 entities annually across eight-member states.SDF was established in April 2010 and its council comprises finance ministers of these eight SAARC countries.The SDF CEO is Sunil MotiwalSDF has already committed $73.74 million for social window projects out of which it has disbursed $47 million.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANANCE:

1. ICICI Bank Names Sandeep Bakhshi As COO : The ICICI Bank board has appointed ICICI Prudential Life Insurance CEO Sandeep Bakhshi as whole-time director and chief operating officer (COO).It is a new top position at India’s second largest private bank, to steer all its businesses.Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank’s managing director and CEO will remain on leave until a committee investigating allegations of impropriety completes its work.

DEFENCE:

1. Dhanush artillery gun clears final trials : The indigenously upgraded artillery gun Dhanush has successfully completed final user trials and is ready for induction into the Army.Dhanush is an upgraded version of the Swedish Bofors gun procured by India in the mid-1980s.This was the third and final phase of user exploitation firings in which six Dhanush guns were fired in battery formation at the Pokhran field firing range.

Daily GK Updates - 19th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Nitin Gadkari to attend water conference : Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation & Shipping, Nitin Gadkari is going to attend a conference on International Decade for Action: Water for sustainable development 2018 – 2028.It is being held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 20-21 June.It aims to promote national & international action on integrated and sustainable water resource management worldwide.

2. Yoga Ambassador tour in Kerala : Around 60 yoga exponents from 22 countries would participate in yoga ambassador tour in Idukki district of Kerala.The tour has been organised by Association of Tourism Trade Organisation, India (ATTOI) in association with Ministry of Ayush and Kerala tourism and will conclude on 21st June.The tour was inaugurated by Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State, Ministry of AYUSH.

3. 11th Common Review Mission report : Shri Ashwini Choubey, Minister of Health and Family welfare released the 11th Common Review Mission (CRM) report.The report stated that the country had registered 22% reduction to 130 from 167 in Maternal Mortality rate (MMR) since 2013.The report also focussed on creation and conversion of Sub health centers as health and wellness centers (HWC) to achieve the aim of 150000 HWC by 2022.

4. Inter-governmental meeting on anti-doping : The 15th annual Asia and Oceania region inter-governmental  meeting on Anti-doping begins in Colombo, Sri Lanka.The 2 day meeting would be based on how to ensure compliance with world anti-doping code, support capacity building & also conduct research to prevent athletes falling victims to doping.World Anti – Doping Agency (WADA) is the governing body with its president Sir Craig Reedie.

5. Govt agrees with Google for flood forecasting : Central Water Commission, India’s apex technical organization in the field of Water Resources, has entered into a Collaboration Agreement with Google.CWC would use state-of-the-art advances made by Google in the in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and geospatial mapping for effective management of water resources.It will give flood-related information to the masses.

6. 3-day national yoga olympiad-2018 : A 3-day National Yoga Olympiad was inaugurated at the National Council of Educational Research and Training in CIET in New Delhi.This is the third consecutive year of National Yoga Olympiad of NCERT and this year about 500 students from 26 States and 4 RIEs are participating.Two books – Joy of Theatre and Sangeet — training packages were released on the occasion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Brazil & India firm most vulnerable to hikes : According to a report from Mckinsey Global Institute, a 200 basis-point increase in interest rate would spark a sharp price in corporate debt especially in case of Brazilian and Indian firms.This is seen as central banks of many emerging economies have raised interest rates, a similar thing done by RBI.It also said advanced economies would be protected from such increase of interest.

2. Goa and Hawaii to sign sister agreement : The government of Goa and US state of Hawaii will sign a sister agreement as the draft was cleared by State Cabinet.This would enhance the cooperation between Goa and Hawaii and would include areas such as trade, tourism, sports, technology, yoga, skill development, agriculture and Ayurveda.This would also boost the infrastructure project such as Mandovi river project & Zuari river bridge

3. Jeff Bezos becomes richest man in the world : Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the richest man in the world with a net worth of USD 141.9 billion according to the Forbes world’s billionaire list.Bezos beat the principal founder of Microsoft Corp. Bill Gates, who is the second richest man with a total wealth of USD 92.9 billion.Bezos’ company Amazon has now become the second most valuable company in the world after Apple.

4. 7th OPEC international Seminar : The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill development & Entreprenuership Dharmendra Pradhan to participate in the 7th OPEC International seminar as a special guest in Vienna, Austria on 19th June.The visit is crucial as global oil prices are at highest since 2014 and are impacting India’s increasing economy.He will also be visiting Germany and will take part in a yoga event.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. IRDAI set up panel to review marketing firms : IRDAI has formed a panel to review the regulations pertaining to insurance marketing firms.The committee is headed by Suresh Mathur, Executive Director, IRDAI, with nine more members.The new distribution channel of insurance marketing firms was introduced in 2015 by IRDAI, with the objective of increasing insurance penetration in the country through an area-wise registration approach.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.Bank credit rises 3.4% in Dec. 2017 quarter : Bank credit grew 3.4% on a sequential basis in the December 2017 quarter.It was due to better performance by private sector banks and an uptick in industrial credit after two successive quarters of declines, according to the Reserve Bank data.At the end of the December quarter, bank credit stood at ₹80.62 trillion compared with ₹77.95 trillion in the Sept 2017 quarter as per the RBI data.

Daily GK Updates - 18th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 4th Meeting of Governing council – NITI Aayog : The 4th meeting of governing council of NITI Aayog was held in New Delhi chaired by PM Narendra Modi.The meeting aimed to double the farmers’ income and progress of flagship scheme such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush.It planned for a 3 year action plan to develop a new agenda for “New India 2022.

2. Yoga Camp at Muktinath Temple : The 4th international Yoga day in Nepal was celebrated by locals by participating at Yoga camp at Muktinath Temple at a height of 12500 feet above sea level.The yoga camp was organised by Indian embassy in Kathmandu.The International yoga day is celebrated on 21st June each year since 2015 and was declared unanimously by United Nations General Assembly.

3. AP’s largest petroglyph site at Kandanathi : Dr. Raghu of Yogi Vemmana university has discovered Andhra Pradesh’s largest petroglyph site at Kandanathi.The site has nearly 200 engravings, peckings that belong to Mesolithic, Neolithic period.The petroglyph at Kandanathi reveal the presence of the Boya community divided into groups – Mandla (herdsmen) and Yenubothula (buffalomen).

4. Universities to hold convocation every year : The HRD Ministry has written to all universities mandating them to hold convocation every year after few universities were found skipping the event.“The event carries a huge significance for graduating students and is a moment of pride for their families,” officials said.Interestingly, Jawaharlal Nehru University recently held its second convocation, 46 years after its first convocation.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ivan Duque became Colombia’s President : Colombia has chosen Ivan Duque to be its next president after a long and divisive campaign that often centred on a controversial peace process with leftist rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).Duque, who will turn 42 just before taking office will be Colombia’s youngest ever President.Bogota is the capital of Colombia.

2. India to open 4 new air gateways to Nepal : India has agreed to open 4 new air gateways to Nepal in the eastern and western part of the country, aimed to facilitate international traffic.The eastern part would connect Patna and Kolkata of India with Kathmandu and Dhaka while the western part would connect Kathmandu with Delhi.

The routes will be operational till 2019.

3. Sushma Swaraj on a 7 day tour to 4 Countries : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a 7 day tour of 4 European countries – Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, which is aimed to strengthen trade ties and revamp pending EU-India free trade pact.During her visit she would celebrate 20th anniversary for India – French Partnership.She would also be the 1st ever external affairs minister to visit Luxembourg.

4. India excluded from UK’s relaxed student visa : India has been excluded from the UK’s new list of countries considered “low risk”, whose applicants will undergo reduced checks while applying for student visas.The countries on the list include the US, Canada and China among others.Students from these countries would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to study at UK universities.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. US pips India as top greenfield FDI place : The USA has surpassed India as top greenfield FDI destination with a total FDI of USD 87.6 billion.The number of greenfield FDI projects sharply fell by 21% during this year in case of India as compared to previous year.China received a total FDI of USD 50.3 billion in the year 2017 while India received an FDI of 25.1 billion in 2017.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Northeast India’s first small bank opened : Northeast India’s first small bank, North East Small Finance bank (NESFB) started its services.Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi (North East) Microfinance Limited received the Small Finance Bank License from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on March 31, 2017.Tata Trust chairman Ratan Tata and Assam’s finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the first 28 branches of the bank.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. ISRO clears GSAT – 11 for Launch : ISRO has cleared GSAT – 11 for launch, which was recalled from Kourou in French Guinea for checks, after another satellite GSAT 6A, had lost contact which was launched earlier.The 5,700 Kg Satellite was to launch on 26 May 2018 from Kourou, site in South America which India uses to launch heavy satellites. Arianespace is the space agnecy that launches India’s Satellite from this site.

SPORTS:

1. Brooks Koepka wins US open 2018 : Brooks Koepka wins US Open 2018 by defeating Tommy Fleetwood at Shinnecock Hills becoming first player in 3 decades to successfully defend his title.Earlier the record was in name of Curtis Strange who won back to back titles in 1988 and 1989.The victory comes less than 2 months after Koepka returned from left wrist injury that kept him out of action since Jan 2018.

2. Roger Federer wins Mercedes Cup : Roger Federer wins Mercedes Cup 2018 in Stuttgart by beating Milos Raonic of Canada.He had already secured number one in the world ranking by defeating Nick Kyrgios in the semi- final and this is his 98th tour title.He will be competing at Halle Open in June 2018

Daily GK Updates - 17th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maharashtra government, Quebec ink pact : The Maharashtra government and Canada’s Quebec province have signed a pact to increase the economic cooperation especially in areas like information technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and welfare of the tribal community.The pact was signed between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis and Philippe Couillard, Prime Minister of Quebec province of Canada.

2. PM Modi to chair NITI Aayog meeting : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Governing Council will also review the work done during the previous year and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities.The Governing Council of NITI Aayog is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development.

3. Tripura starts 24×7 mobile policing service : The Tripura government launched the GPS (Global Positioning System) and wireless-based 24×7 mobile policing service.

It will help in curbing crime, especially against women.To operate the ‘mobile policing’ service, a police van or a small vehicle with police personnel would keep patrolling round-the-clock in their assigned zone.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Japan to allow more foreign workers : Japan adopted an economic plan that would allow more foreign workers as the rapidly aging country seeks to make up for its declining workforce.Japan would relax visa requirements in sectors facing severe labour shortages such as nursing care, agriculture, construction and transport.

The workers would be allowed to stay in the country for only up to 5 years as visitors, not as immigrants.

2. Nepal, China to sign deal for 3 oil depots : An agreement on building oil storage depots at three locations in Nepal with Chinese assistance is expected to be signed.

As per the agreement, the building oil storage depots would have a combined capacity of 110,000 kilo litre.The construction of the project is expected to be completed by mid 2019. The site for this purpose has been specified.

3. Peggy Whitson retires as astronaut : NASA’s record-breaking astronaut, Peggy Whitson, retired after returning from her last and longest spaceflight.Whitson was the first woman to command the International Space Station, holding the position twice, and the oldest woman ever to fly in space.She was also the only woman to have served as chief of NASA’s male-dominated astronaut corps

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Muthoot Fincorp, NSDC to train 10,000 youth : Muthoot Fincorp Limited announced its partnership with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).Under the scheme, Muthoot Fincorp targets to train over 10,000 people over the next three years and make them job ready under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.NSDC has approved a target of 3,000 candidates in the first year and 3,500 each in the subsequent two years.

2. India’s exports hit six month high in May : India’s exports grew 20.18 percent to $28.86 billion in May, recording the highest number in six months.India’s trade deficit widened to a four-month high of $14.62 billion in May as imports surged nearly 15%.Even though exports outpaced imports, higher oil import bill wiped away the benefits of a contraction in gold imports.

3. Panel to vet insurance marketing firm norms : Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a committee to review regulations governing the Insurance Marketing Firms (IMF).Such firms, which serve as a distribution channel for insurers, are governed by regulations announced about three years ago.IRDAI had approved IMF in 2015 as a measure to increase insurance penetration in the country.

OBITUARIES:

1.Veteran journalist Adiraju passes away : Senior journalist and writer Adiraju Venkateswara Rao passed away in Hyderabad.He worked for several Telugu and English dailies and news agencies including Andhra Jyothi, Udayam, Deccan Chronicle, Indian Express, Himachal Times and Hindustan Samachar at Hyderabad and Delhi.He played an active role in the separate Telangana agitation in 1969.