Daily GK Updates - 25th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu presented his second rail budget this year:He kept the fares unchanged. In his budget speech, he said that for this budget he owes its inspiration to vision of PM Modi.

Highlights: The Capital plan of Rs 1.21 lakh crore. Operating ratio kept at 92% FY17 as against 90% in current year. To generate revenues of order of Rs 1, 84,820 crore next year which is a 10.1% higher than revised target of current year.

2. India extends $1 million aid to cyclone-hit Fiji: Cyclone-hit Fiji will receive one million dollars as immediate assistance from the Indian Government.

3. Union Government to introduce Coal Linkage Auction Policy for Power Corporation: Union Government to introduce coal linkage auction policy for Power Corporation which did not have such co-ordinations with Coal India Ltd.

4. Infosys extends Vishal Sikka’s term by two years till 2021.

5. SBI launches new branch for e-commerce loans: Banking giant SBI has taken another leap in this space with the launch of SBI e-smart SME, a working capital loan offering for sellers on e-commerce platforms.

6. INS Arihant-India’s first nuclear submarine ready to operate: The submarine has passed several deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests over the past five months.

7. India to induct women in combat roles: President: The Government has decided to induct women in all military combat roles in the future. The announcement was made by President Pranab Mukherjee.

8. Rajendra Singh appointed as the first Non-Navy Officer to head Indian Coast Guard.

9. Indian Government to provide wi-fi at 25,000 spots in country: The Indian Government has planned to set up wi-fi facilities at 25,000 spots in the country by March 2016. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Afghanistan’s National Women’s Cycling Team nominated for 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for their dedication.

2. Mastercard to launch payments by selfie: Mastercard is launching new mobile technologies that will allow customers to authenticate their online purchase using selfies or fingerprints. The technology will be rolled out by big banks in the US, Canada, UK and some European countries over the next few months.

3. Facebook launched Telecom Infra Project: It has announced the Telecom Infra Project, which will look at developing new and alternative technologies to build and deploy telecom infrastructure, with partners including Aricent, HCL Technologies, Intel, Nokia and T-Mobile.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. PNB declares 904 firms including Kingfisher Airlines and UB Holdings as wilful defaulters.

SPORTS:

2. Australia replaces India as world No.1 in ICC Test Rankings.

AWARDS:

4. GVK Bio wins Global CSR Excellence and Leadership Awards in the category of Best Environment-Friendly Project.

Daily GK Updates - 24th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Government to sell its 5% stake in NTPC: Government will sell its 5% stake in India’s largest power producer NTPC at a floor price of Rs 122 per share to raise Rs 5029 crore. 

2. Naval Exercise IBSAMAR 2016 between India, South Africa and Brazil kicked off in Goa: IBSAMAR is abbreviated as India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime.

3. Tamil Film Kanavu Variyam wins 2016 Remi Award: Tamil film Kanavu Variyam has won the prestigious 216 Remi Award in the United States.

4. World’s first fast-acting Anti-Rabies drug to be launched in India: World’s first fast-acting anti-rabies drug Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb) will be launched in India very soon.

5. Rahul Taneja appointed as Chief People Officer of Jet Airways.

6. CGPDTM issues revised patent guidelines for Computer Related Inventions: The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) has issued an order excluding software patients in its revised guidelines for Computer Related Inventions (CRIs).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US Air Force tested Minuteman missile from California: The US Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Minuteman 3 with a range of 4200 miles was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

2. Pakistan parliament becomes the 1^st in world to run entirely on solar power: Pakistan parliament became the first in the world to completely run on solar power. A venture supported by close ally China with a whopping $55 million funding.

3. Vienna is the world’s best city to live in: Survey: Austria’s capital is the best place in the world to live, according to an international survey on quality of life that has no Indian city in the top 100. 

4. Indian-origin playwright Ismail Mahomed conferred Knighthood by French Government for his lifelong devotion to the promotion of arts.  

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Reserve Bank of India extends currency swap arrangement with SAARC Nations: In order to enhance economic cooperation and strengthen financial stability, RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap arrangement to SAARC nations till mid-November 2017.

SPORTS:

2. India beat Bangladesh by 47 runs in the first match of Asia Cup T20.

3. Bangladesh ODI Cricket Captain Mashrafe Mortaza set to become United Nations Development Programme’s national goodwill ambassador for youth.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Swachh Paryatan’ mobile app launched by the centre: The Ministry of Tourism in co-ordination with Ministry of Culture has launched the Swachh Paryatan mobile app in order to facilitate general public to communicate their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around tourist destinations. 

2. ONGC approves Rs 5050 crore investment in Tripura: The public sector oil major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has approved an investment for Rs 5050 crore in Tripura for drilling of wells and creation of surface facilitates to produce 5.1 mmscmd gas from the states fields.

3. India remains world’s largest arms importer: India continues to remain the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 14% of the global arms imports in the 2011-2015 time frame.

4. Madhya Pradesh’s Katni to have India’s largest railway bridge: Its total length would be 21 km included the down line of the bridge would be 7 km.

5. CII signs MoU with Dubai Exports to boost trade: With the aim to strengthen India-UAE economic ties, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed a MoU with Dubai Exports to boost trade and explore business opportunities.

6. Vinay Kumar Singh appointed as MD of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

7. Haryana to become the first state to have Aquifer Mapping: With the climate changes in the recent years, the groundwater sources have gone down to a critical level. To find out the exact location of the Aquifer rocks a new mapping technique is to be introduced in Haryana by May making it as the first state to have such mapping.

8. Bihar becomes the sixth state to enter into the Uday Scheme.

9. Union Environment Ministry held 9^th meeting of National Steering Committee on Climate Change: The committee chaired by Ashok Lavasa approved the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on adaptation submitted by governments of Telangana, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh for funding under the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC) at a total cost of Rs 108 crore.

10. Udai Kumar appointed as MD and CEO of Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India Ltd (MSEI).

11. Union Finance Minister inaugurated Exhibition on Coin and Currency of India in New Delhi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US Air Force tested Minuteman missile from California: The US Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Minuteman 3 with a range of 4200 miles was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

2. Indian-origin Sikh Amar Singh appointed Kuala Lumpur Police Commissioner.

3. Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Syria to come into effect on 27^th February. 

4. Indian-origin playwright Ismail Mahomed conferred Knighthood by French Government for his lifelong devotion to the promotion of arts.

5. Bees can help boost food security of two billion small farmers at no cost as per United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Dnipro FC wins 2016 Nagjee International Club Football Tournament.

2. Long jumper Prem Kumar won silver in 7^th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at Doha, Qatar.

OBITUARIES:

3. Singer Bhuvaneshwari Mishra passed away at the age of 67.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prime Minister inaugurated Rurban Mission in Chhattisgarh: He launched the ‘Rurban Mission’ for developing 300 villages across the country as urban growth centres aimed at improving the country’s basic infrastructure at Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh.

2. 42^nd Khajuraho Dance Festival begins in Madhya Pradesh: It began with Odissi group dance of Ranjna Gauher and others. The festival will showcase classical dances including Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Odissi and Kuchipudi, depicting the ancient tales like ‘Mahisasur Mardini’ and ‘Krishna Rasa’.

3. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President CSIR Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicates Systems for Detecting of Adulteration and Analysis of Milk (Ksheer Scanner) to the people of India.

4. India and Armenia sign MoU on Agriculture Cooperation: The MoU provides for setting up of a joint working group (JWG) and preparation of work plans in priority areas of farm sector.

5. Ricoh India wins Rs 344 crore contract to supply computer hardware to Odisha schools.

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

7. India and Nepal signed 7 agreements including utilisation of Indian grant of 250 million USD to boost bilateral cooperation: The agreements covered utilisation of Indian grant of 250 million USD to Nepal for post-earthquake reconstruction and another on improving of roads in Terai region.

8. Malayalam film ‘Ottal’ named best children’s film at Berlin International Film Festival in Germany: It was honoured with the Crystal Bear Award in the ‘Generation K-Plus’ section.

9. Justice Vineet Saran appointed as the new Chief Justice of Odissa High Court.

10. Empowered Group of State Transport Ministers chaired by Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunus Khan formed to suggest measures on transport sectors.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ri Myong Su appointed as new military chief of North Korea.

2. Pangolin, the critically endangered scaly anteater: It was in news as 20^th February 2016 was observed as the 5^th Annual World Pangolin Day.

3. International Mother Language Day observed on February 21: The theme for the year is ‘Quality education, language(s) of instruction and learning outcomes.

4. Bangladesh paid homage to 1952 Language Movement martyrs at Central Shaheed Minar: The Central Shaheed Minar is a national monument, which was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor in collaboration with Novera Ahmed. 21 February is marked as Language Martyrs day in Bangladesh.

5. World Day of Social Justice observed across the world on 20^th February with theme ‘A Just Transition-environmentally sustainable economies and societies’.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. PIB clears India Post’s Rs 800 crore proposal for Payments Banks: The Public Investment Board has approved the Rs 800 crore proposal from India Post for setting up a payments bank and it will be placed before the cabinet within a month for final approval.

SPORTS:

2. Punjab Warriors win 2016 CIL Hockey India League (4^th Edition) defeating Kalinga Lancers 6-1.

3. Triple jumper Renjith Maheshwary won silver in 7^th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.

4. Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Neil Robertson to win 2016 Welsh Open Snooker Tournament.

5. Italy’s Sara Errani clinched Dubai Tennis Championships title defeating Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova.

6. Former French Open Champion Italy’s Francesca Schiavone won Rio Open Tennis title: She defeated Shelby Rogers of America.

OBITUARIES:

7. Italian Novelist Umberto Eco passed away at the age of 84: He was famous for his novel ‘The Name of the Rose’.

Daily GK Updates - 21st February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

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

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

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

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

3. Powerful category 5 cyclone Winston lashed Fiji.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

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

Daily GK Updates - 20th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Nitin Kapadia appointed Head of Standard Chartered Securities.

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

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

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

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

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

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

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

SPORTS:

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

OBITUARIES:

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

Daily GK Updates - 19th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20. Infosys Consulting Holding appointed Michael Pesch as CEO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

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

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

SPORTS:

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

AWARDS:

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

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

OBITUARIES:

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

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

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

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

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