Daily GK Updates - 21st September, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.        Election Commission releases NOTA symbol for all polls: The Election Commission of India has introduced a symbol for ‘None of the above’ (NOTA) option to facilitate voters in exercising their NOTA option in elections. The symbol for NOTA option was designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

II.            Housing.com acquires Plat and BigBHK: Housing.com has acquired Plat, an online network for agents and BigBHK, property management software targeted at rental suppliers, to strengthen its supply side product portfolio.

III.   P Siva Kumar, CVRDE Director, elevated as Distinguished Scientist: CVRDE stands for Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment. It is located at Avadi in Tamil Nadu.

IV.     National Tourism Awards 2013-14 presented: President Pranab Mukherjee presented the awards at VigyanBhawan in New Delhi. Gujarat was awarded the best state for Comprehensive Tourism Development. Gwalior was adjudged as the Best Heritage City. Department of Tourism of Kerala received the award for most innovative use of Information Technology.

V.            Jammu and Kashmir government banned sale of Ambuja Cement in state: There were complaints of malpractices against the company. The initial enquiry found that the company sold underweighted cement bags (upto 400 to 600 grams) at two different MRP rates in the region.

VI.            Four new Isotopes discovered by researchers at Manipal University: Researchers from the Manipal Centre of Natural Sciences at Manipal University, Karnataka in collaboration with researchers at GSI, Germany claimed to have discovered four new atomic nuclei to be added to the chart of the Nuclides. The paper was published in the journal Physics Letters B by H M Devaraja. The nuclei are one isotope each of the elements Berkelium (Bk-97) and Neptunium (Np-93) and two isotopes of Americium (Am-95).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            International Day of Peace observed globally: The International Day of Peace was observed on 21^st September 2015 across the world to recognise the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. The International Day of Peace is also a day ceasefire.

II.            Nepal adopts new Constitution: Nepal has adopted new Constitution marking the country’s transition to a secular and democratic republic. The new Constitution was unveiled by Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav at a special ceremony held in Parliament at Kathmandu.

III.            Egypt’s president swears in new government: The new government sworn in by President Abdel Fattah-el-Sissi is headed by former petroleum minister Sherif Ismail, who has been appointed as the Prime Minister.

IV.            China launches newly­-developed smaller version Long March-6 carrier rocket: China has successfully launched a newly developed smaller version of carrier rocket Long March-6 as part of the country’s space program. It was launched from the base in the Northern Province of Shanxi and was carrying 20 micro satellites into the space.

V.            Alexis Tsipras led Syriza party won Greece Elections: It secured 35% of total votes resulting in 144 seats in the 300 seat parliament. It is expected to form a coalition government with Independent Greeks Party, a partner in the previous government as well.

VI.            India, UN ESCAP tie up to boost Disaster Warning Systems: India signed a USD one million partnership with UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific to support disaster risk management in the Asia Pacific region, with a key focus on strengthening early warning systems for coastal hazards like Tsunamis, floods and cyclones.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

I.               Mariko Kipchumba of Kenya won 2015 Beijing International Marathon.

II.          Ajay Jayaram wins silver medal in 2015 Korea Open Badminton tournament.

III.    Sebastian Vettel wins 2015 Singapore Grand Prix of Formula One.Earlier, he had won Malaysian GP and Hungarian GP.

IV.  After Ajinkya Rahane, SaniaMirza also conferred with Cricket Club of India’s honorary lifetime membership.

AWARDS:

   I.     Urdu Scholar ShamimHanfi awarded with JnangarimaManadAlankaran Award by BhartiyaJnanpith in New Delhi.

II.     Viola Davis becomes first African-American to win best actress Emmy award for her role as a defence lawyer in ‘How to get away with murder’.

OBITUARIES:

   I.      Renowned Malayalam playback singer RadhikaThilak died of cancer at the age of 45.

II.        British-American romance novelist Jackie Collins died of cancer at the age of 77.

III.     BCCI President JagmohanDalmiya passed away in Kolkata at the age of 75.

       Veteran Communist Leader Sadhan Gupta died at the age of 98.

Daily GK Updates - 20th September 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            ‘E-Vidyavahini’ computer literacy vehicle launched: Taking forward the ‘Digital India Mission’, Faridabad Deputy Commissioner launched ‘E-Vidyavahini’, a computer literacy vehicle that will travel to the urban and rural belts of the district.

II.            ISRO gets Sri Lanka’s approval for SAARC satellite project: Sri Lanka has given its approval for SAARC satellite project, one of the mandatory requirements for ITU registration before the launch even as the ISRO waits for nod from other countries.

III.            ASTROSAT, India’s first astronomical mission, set for September 28^th launch: ASTROSAT, satellite for the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial objects is scheduled for launch on 28^th September 2015.

IV.            Gujarat Government to set up new SRP battalion to boost security: In a bid to strengthen security at critical installations like power plants, ports and dams, Gujarat Government has decided to create an additional battalion of the State Reserve Police of 1200 armed personnel.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            21^st International Day for Prevention of Ozone Layer celebrated: The 21^st International Day for the prevention of Ozone layer was celebrated on 16^th September.

II.            India was ranked 34^th, gaining 14 positions compared to last year in the Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI): The GDI ranks the business growth of 60 leading countries.

III.            8.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Chile; Tsunami warnings issued: In Chile, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit Illapel, the capital of Choapa province. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued Tsunami warnings for Chile, Peru and Hawaii.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.         LIC to infuse Rs 143 crore in Corporation Bank: State owned Corporation Bank said LIC will infuse 143 crore rupees into the bank by way of preferential equity. The capital infusion into the bank by LIC will be by way of issue equity shares on preferential basis to the country’s largest insurer.

SPORTS:

II.               Mandeep receives Arjuna Award: Commonwealth Games and Asian Championship silver medallist boxer MandeepJangra received his Arjuna Award from the Union Sports Minister SarbanandaSonowal.

AWARDS:

   I.       ChandaKochar to get Asia Game Changer Award: ICICI Bank CEO ChandaKochar is among the three Indians selected for this year’s Asia Game Changer Award given by Asia Society to honour true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia.

Daily GK Updates 19th September, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            PM launches Rs 45K crore scheme to strengthen power distribution from Varanasi: He has launched the Rs 45000 crore Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) which will strengthen distribution networks and ensure 24 X 7 power supply to all by 2022.

II.            64 Netaji secret files released, Mamata wants centre to follow: 64 secret files relating to NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose that could help throw light on his mysterious disappearance- an enduring enigma for seven decades- were released by the West Bengal Government with CM Mamata Banerjee asking the centre to follow the suit.

III.            Union Government presented VishwakarmaRashtriyaPuraskar and National Safety Awards 2013: 28 VishwakarmaRashtriyaPuraskarwere shared between 132 individuals and 98 individuals were given the NSA 2013.

IV.            Sunil Duggal has been appointed as the new CEO of Hindustan Zinc.

V.            Academician SachidanandaMohanty nominated as UNESCO member: The Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Orissa has been nominated as a member for Commission on Education for UNESCO by the president of India. The tenure for this membership is for 4 years.

VI.            Indian Railways developed prototype of Hybrid Vacuum Toilet: It is hybrid because the design is based on both vacuum toilets and bio-toilets. It was developed by the Development cell of the Indian Railway Board and is considered as the 1^st of its kind to be used in any railways in the world.

VII.            Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare banned sale of Diclofenac in multidose vial for human use: From now on, it will be sold only in single dose vial packaging. The decision was based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and is aimed at protecting vultures from extinction.

VIII.            Metro man E Sreedharan to serve UN High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport: He has been invited by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to serve on his HLAG-ST for a period of three years.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            8^th Edition of Global Innovation Index 2015 released: The 8^th edition of the Global Innovation Index was released jointly by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The index is topped by Switzerland. India’s ranking slipped to 81 compared to 76 in 2014, but it has remained at the top of the regional ranking of Central and Southern Asia.

II.            President and PM of Burkina Faso ousted in a military coup: Members of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RPS) detained the transitional President Michel Kafando and PM Y. Isaac Zida in the capital Ouagadougou.

III.            Japan’s Diet removed restrictions on overseas deployment of Self Defence Forces for military use: The remilitarization bills passed by Japan’s parliament can be termed as historic as they allow Japan to be militarily proactive after 70 years.

IV.            India and Laos ink two MoUs to strengthen bilateral ties: Both the countries have inked two key MoUs on Air Services and Quick Impact Projects under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) programme to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari and his counterpart President of Laos C. Sayasone in the capital city of Vientiane. VP Hamid Ansari is on a four day visit to Cambodia and Laos. It was the 1^st visit of an Indian VP to Laos.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

I.               Ajinkya Rahane honoured with life membership by CCI: Ajinkya Rahane, India’s most consistent batsman in the last couple of years, has been conferred with the Honorary Life Membership by the Cricket Club of India (CCI).

AWARDS:

   I.            Senior Journalist Shekhar Gupta feted with V Krishnamurthy Award: He was presented the award for excellence by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah.

OBITUARIES:

   I.            Veteran Marathi Cricket Commentator and writer BalPandit died at the age of 86.

Daily GK Updates - 18th September, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.            Jet Airways’ Krishnan Balakrishnan joins GoAir as CFO.

II.            Union Government launches PMKKKY for mining affected people: Union Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) for the welfare of people affected by mining related operations. It is to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods to people in areas affected by mining.

III.            Perumanna Gram Panchayat becomes first Panchayat in Kerala to declare a water policy: Perumanna Gram Panchayat in Kozhikode district of Kerala has become the first panchayat in the state, to declare its own water policy. The water policy has been framed in the lines of the state government’s water policy declared in 2008.

IV.            Madhya Pradesh Government launched M-Shiksha-Mitra mobile app for teachers: It has become the 1^st ever state to launch such a mobile app for teachers. The app developed by NIC will provide various services and teaching-related work to a teacher in a simple and easy way.

V.            Expert Group on tackling cyber-crimes submitted its report to Ministry of Home Affairs: The committee advised the government to set up Indian Cyber-Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to monitor, analyse and counter cyber-crimes.

VI.            4^th meeting of India-Kuwait Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons held in New Delhi: During the meeting both sides discussed various issues of bilateral engagement in the hydrocarbon sector and expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved on the decisions taken during 3^rd Joint Working Group signed in 2014 in Kuwait.

VII.            Hero Cycles acquired Firefox Bikes in all-cash transaction: The world’s largest bicycle manufacturer by volume, Hero Cycles acquired Firefox Bikes Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed sum in an all-cash deal.

VIII.    Supreme Court stayed implementation of Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015: The Act prescribes for minimum educational qualifications for contesting in local bodies’ elections.

IX.            Mahesh Rangarajan resigned as Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

   

 I.            NASA may launch its Mars sample return mission by 2022: A mission that could bring chunks of rock samples collected by NASA’s 2020 Mars rover back to earth for analysis could launch as early as 2022. NASA’s Ames Research Centre has developed a draft proposal for the ‘Red Dragon’ project which would see NASA team up with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX.

II.            Disney Researchers invented ways to network VLC devices using IoT Technology: Disney Researchers announced that Internet of Things (IoT) technology can be successfully used in Visible Light Communication (VLC) devices to network them and thereby creating smarter devices.

III.            Report titled ‘Achieving the malaria MDG target released by WHO & UNICEF: The report concluded that the malaria Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to stop and reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015 was achieved. India stood at third place after Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo in terms of number of cases and number of deaths due to malaria.

IV.            Pakistan to generate 40,000 MW nuclear power as part of Nuclear Energy Vision 2050: An announcement in this regard was made by the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Agency (PAEA) at the 59^th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference at Vienna, Austria.

V.            Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka released: It concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both sides- Sri Lankan Security Agencies and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

VI.            2000 year old Nangchen Stupa with Lord Buddha’s relics sent by Emperor Ashoka restored in Qinghai Province of China.

VII.            India and US created Join Challenge Coin to mark partnership: Both the countries jointly created a Joint Challenge Coin to symbolize their unique partnership in creating a next-generation aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. One side of the coin reads ‘Together we go’ and ‘Chale Saath Saath’ in Hindi which is the vision statement of both the countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.            CAD to be around 1.5% of GDP this fiscal: RBI: RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel said that the central bank expected Current Account Deficit (CAD) 1.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the current fiscal.

II.            Government mulls raising FDI limit in private banks to 100%: Seeking to further relax foreign investment norms, the government is considering increasing the foreign direct investment limit in private banks to 100%, from the existing 74%.

SPORTS:

III.               Skeet shooter Mairaj Khan books Olympics quota: Veteran skeet shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan clinched a Rio Olympics quota place for India at the ongoing ISSF Shotgun World Championships.

IV.               National Athletic Coach Nikolai Snesarev resigned: Renowned Russian middle and long distance coach Dr. Nikolai Snesarev whose contract runs till the end of 2016 Rio Olympics, resigned from his position due to poor infrastructure and lack of facilities.

AWARDS:

    

V.            Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi awarded with 2015 Nansen Refugee Award by UNHCR: It was awarded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to her for dedicating her life to bring education to refugee girls in Pakistan.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

VI.            Book titled ‘Two years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights’ authored by Salman Rushdie was released.