DAILY GK UPDATES 22ND JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 22ND JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi lays foundation stone AIIMS and revival of a fertilizer plant in Gorakhpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and revival of fertilizer factory which was closed for the last three decades in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

 

2. India ranks 110th on Sustainable Development Index: India ranks 110th on the list followed by Lesotho on 113th position, Pakistan (115), Myanmar (117), Bangladesh (118) and Afghanistan (139). The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively.

 

3. Centre forms a panel to prepare a draft bill on Ganga River: Centre has constituted a committee to prepare Draft Bill on Ganga to deal with all the issues related to the River. The committee will be chaired by the retired Justice Giridhar Malviya.

 

4. Green nod for Odisha Power Project: A State green panel has given first-stage clearance to Orissa Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL) for diverting 17.02 hectares of revenue forest land to set up a 4,000 MW UMPP in Sundargarh district in Odisha at a cost of ₹29,000 crore.

 

 

5. Kerala Tourism has secured two gold awards at PATA Awards: Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards in recognition of its trendsetting marketing initiatives. The two gold medals for 'Marketing Media' are in the categories of 'Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media' and 'E-Newsletter', which were clinched by the successful 'Visit Kerala' television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter respectively.

 

6. Odisha Government forms a judicial panel for reforms in Jagannath temple management: The Odisha government has constituted a judicial commission to study the functioning of the PuriJagannath Temple, which has in recent weeks witnessed major controversies over mismanagement of rituals by unruly servitors. The one-man commission will be headed by retired Orissa High Court judge BimalPrasad Das.

 

7. Kerala Government constitutes State Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation: The Kerala State Government has constituted a State Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (STAGI) on the lines of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). The Group will advise the State government on the policies and practices to be adopted and implemented under the National Immunisation Programme.

 

8. A film festival on Mother Teresa in Indian and abroad: The Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF), a film festival focusing on Mother Teresa's life and teachings is going to be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries. The festival will be kicked off from Kolkata on August 26 after which it will travel all over the world for the next six months. It will be organized by the World Catholic Association for Communication.

 

9. NMDC signs MoU with NEERI to develop sewage treatment plants: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP).

 

10. Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as CEO of UIDAI.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Fox News CEO Roger Ailes resigns: Roger Ailes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox News Channel has resigned from his post. He will be succeeded by Rupert Murdoch, Head of parent company 21st Century Fox and Founder of the empire that includes Fox.

 

2. Sony Pictures Networks bags broadcast right of International Champions: Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to telecast the 2016 edition of the International Champions Cup (football) in India. The matches this year will be held across North America, Europe, Australia, and China, and will see 17 of the top clubs from across the world participating in the highly anticipated season opening tournament.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. Corporation Bank launches ‘Green Pin’ facility: This is an online module for generation of Personal Identification Number (PIN) for credit card holders. The facility enables credit card users to generate PIN online. PIN is compulsory for all point-of-sale (POS) terminal transactions at a merchant establishment.

 

OBITUARIES:

2. Former French Cyclist Dominique Arnaud passes away at the age of 60.

 

DAILY GK UPDATES 21ST JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 21ST JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Seven Indian firms in Fortune 500 list: The list is topped by the retail giant Walmart with revenue of $482,130 million, followed by State Grid (revenue of $329,601 million) and China National Petroleum ($299,271 million) at the second and third place respectively. While among Indian firms, Indian Oil Corporation ranked highest at 161st place with revenue of $54.7 billion. However, another state-run firm ONGC has moved out of the rankings for 2016 and private gems and jewellery major Rajesh Exports has made its debut at the 423rd position.

 

2. India, Bangladesh has inaugurated Petrapolecheck-post: India and Bangladesh has opened the newly constructed modern integrated check-post at Petrapole-Benapole point of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal. The cost of the project is 200 crore.

 

 

3. Various Cabinet approvals: 

• Establishment of a new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri SwasthyaSuraksha Yojana (PMSSY) has been approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

• Another approval by the Union Cabinet is for the incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013 with an initial authorized share capital of 1 thousand crore rupees and a subscribed share capital of Rs. 90 Crore. SDC will be under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping.

• The 3rd approval for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 which has been approved by the Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi.

• The 4th approval by the Union Cabinet is for introducing amendments to the BenamiTransactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in Parliament. The amendments aim to strengthen the Bill in terms of the legal and administrative procedure so as to overcome the practical difficulties which may arise in the implementation of the provisions of the Bill when it becomes an Act.

• The 5th approval is for the signing of the Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique as at present there is no Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique.

• Sixth approval is for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which has been signed between India and Tunisia for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy.

 

 

4. India and Japan signed a Social Security Agreement: India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA) that will come into force on 1st October 2016. The SSA will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business linkages.

 

5. ECI launched National Electoral Roll Purification 2016: The programme was launched to improve health of Electoral Rolls (ERs) and to optimize the Polling Station (PS) location and area across the country. The motto of ECI for the year 2016 is No voter to be left behind.

 

6. BHEL commissions 40mw hydropower units in West Bengal: Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the third unit of the 4x40 MW Teesta Low Dam Hydro Electric Project (HEP) Stage-IV in West Bengal. A run-of-the-river Greenfieldproject located in Darjeeling district of West Bengal(WB), Teesta HEP is being set up by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), on the River Teesta.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Turkey declares 3-month state of emergency: Turkey's president has declared a three-month state of emergency following a failed coup. The decision was made following a meeting with cabinet ministers and top security advisers in Ankara. While declaring the imposition of the emergency Erdogan said that the measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. Federal Bank ties up with Reliance Jio Money: Federal Bank has signed an agreement with Reliance Jio Money for one-click payment service. Reliance JioMoney is a wallet application that will be launched soon for mobile devices where Federal Bank will enable a direct payment option for its customers.

2. IRCTC joins hands with SBI to promote rail ticketing: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has joined hands with the State Bank of India to chalk out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, including internet ticketing and unreserved ticketing system.

 

SPORTS:

3. BCCI conducts ‘English language and communication skills’: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has organised a course for umpires on English language and communication skills. The course has been designed by the British Council along with the International Cricket Council and is aimed at equipping the match officials with requisite communication skills.

DAILY GK UPDATES 20TH JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 20TH JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rohit Khandelwal becomes first Indian to win Mr. World Title: Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian to win the title of Mr. World at a grand ceremony at Southport in England. He received a whopping cash prize of 50,000 US dollars. However, the first runner-up crown went to Mr. Puerto Rico.

 

2. NITI Aayog and Intel India sign SOI to kick-off Atal Tinkering Lab Initiative for Young Innovators: NITI Aayog and Intel India sign Statement of Intent (SOI) to start Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) Initiative for Young Innovators as a part of its flagship programme the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). The aim of setting up Atal Tinkering Laboratories is to build relevant skill sets among youngsters and to provide access to technology that will enable solutions.

 

3. ECI launches SVEEP portal in Hindi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the SVEEP Portal in the Hindi language along with two other releases in the sidelines of the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers of States by the Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.

 

4. SC accepts structural reforms in BCCI: The Supreme Court (SC) has accepted the major recommendations of the Lodha Committee on reforms to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above 70 from becoming its members. The court has also accepted the recommendations of the committee headed by retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice R M Lodha to have a CAG nominee in the BCCI.

 

5. Paytm ties up with grocery retailer Heritage Fresh: Mobile payment and commerce platform Paytmhas entered into a strategic alliance with Hyderabad-based grocery retailer Heritage Fresh as Paytm aims to provide more and more users the convenience and safety of cashless transactions.

6. The Western Union appoints Sohini Rajola as new Vice-President: International remittance company the Western Union appointed Sohini Rajola as Regional Vice President, India and South Asia.

 

7. Sarvita Sethi appointed Coca-Cola VP-Finance for India and South West Asia.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Russian PM suspends its sports minister: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has suspended Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh, who was named in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. SBI launches Rs 7000 crore stressed assets fund with Brookfield: Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) SBI and Brookfield Asset Management have set up a joint venture (JV) with an initial commitment of over $1 billion to make investments in businesses with stressed assets.

 

SPORTS:

2. Steve Elworthy appointed as the MD of 2019 Cricket World Cup going to be held in England and Wales.

 

AWARDS:

3. Nigerian journalist wins BBC World News KomlaDumor Award: A Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelurehas won the second BBC World News Komla DumorAward for 2016. Didi Akinyelure is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria and presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent.

4. Indian boy’s project to safeguard fisherman bags Google Community Impact award in Asia region: An Indian boy from Tamil Nadu has won the community impact awards from Google for his project of mobile GPS that keeps fishermen safe from invisible maritime boundaries. 14-year old Advay Ramesh won the mentioned prize for Asia-Pacific region in the Google Science Fair of 2016.

 

OBITUARIES:

5. Oldest litigant of Ayodhya dispute Mohammad Hashim Ansari passed away at the age of 96.

 

6. Hockey legend Mohammad Shahid passed away at the age of 56.