DAILY GK UPDATES 22ND AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 22ND AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Manjula Chellur sworn in as Chief Justice of Bombay HC.

 

2. BSNL and Microsoft India join hands for effective connectivity and telecom solutions: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) inked pact with Microsoft India to offer telecom and IT solutions for big businesses promoting the demand for IT and cloud services. ii. MoU will assist audio and video needs of the BSNL's enterprise customers and government organizations.

 

3. Railways to partner with Google for showcasing its heritage: Google has agreed to partner with Railways to digitise its heritage assets and help create a digital repository for universal online access free of cost.

 

4. Vistara Airlines appoint Deepika Padukone as brand ambassador: Vistara, is an Indian domestic airline based in Gurgaon has announced that Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone will be their new brand ambassador.

 

5. Najma Heptullah sworn in as the Governor of Manipur. 

 

6. Uma Bharti launches Rs 560 crore projects under Namami Gange programme: Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti launched various Projects on the Bank of Ganga worth Rs. 560 crore under Namami Gange programme at Ganga Barrage in Kanpur. The Projects are Interception and diversion plan of Sisamau drain—worth Rs. 63 crore, Networking schemes at Bithoor–Worth Rs. 397 crore, River front development scheme at Bithoor–worth Rs. 100 crore, Ghats and five crematoria will be constructed at Bithoor.

 

7. Guruvayur included in PRASAD scheme: The famous Sreekrishna temple in Guruvayur has been included in the Union Tourism Ministry’s Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).

 

8. ‘Shankhachil’ selected for Montreal Film Festival: Director Goutam Ghosh's National award-winning film "Shankhachil", an Indo-Bangla joint production, has been selected for the coveted 40th Montreal World Film Festival.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indo-Canadian Sikh MP becomes Canada’s 1stwoman House leader: Indo-Canadian Sikh MP Bardish Chagger has been named as the new Leader of the government in Canada’s House of Commons, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the country’s history.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sania Mirza gets No.1 spot in women’s doubles by defeating Martina Hingis: Sania Mirza, paired with Barbora Strycova from the Czech Republic, defeated Martina Hingis and her partner Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-4.

 

AWARDS:

2. IOA Chief N Ramachandran awarded with the Olympic Order: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, N. Ramachandran was awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.

 

3. Kamal Haasan to get prestigious French honour: Famous Actor Kamal Haasan will be awarded the Chevalier de L'Ordre Arts et Lettres (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government.The Order is part of France’s premier award, the Legion of Honor.

 

OBITUARIES:

4. Prize-winning author Joyce Carol Thomas died at the age of 78: Joyce Carol Thomas was anAfrican-American poet, playwright, motivational speaker, and author of more than 30 children’s books.

DAILY GK UPDATES 21ST AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 21ST AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government selects four investment banks for share sale in HUDCO: Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), the nodal agency under the finance ministry that coordinates government disinvestment programme has selected four investment banks for the proposed share sale in HUDCO (Housing & Urban Development Corporation Limited). These four banks include Nomura, SBI Caps, ICICI Securities and IDBI Capital.

 

2. China’s high speed train maker launches operation in India: China largest high-speed train maker has announced the launch of its first joint venture (JV) plant in India with USD 63.4 million investments to manufacture and repair railway locomotives. The joint venture, named CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) Pioneer (India) Electric Co Ltd, is housed in Bavo Industrial District of Haryana between New Delhi and Bombay. The Chinese side holds 51% of the share.

 

3. NLC Ltd to add 6820 MW of power at cost of Rs 27,740 crore: Navaratna company NLC Ltd, which comes under the Ministry of Coal, is planning to add over 6,821 megawatt (Mw) of power, with an investment of over Rs 27,740 crore in these projects.

 

4. India pledges Rs 39.97 million for upgrading school in Nepal: India has pledged financial assistance worth 39.97 million Nepali Rupees for the construction of a new building and a hostel facility at a Sanskrit school in eastern Nepal.

 

5. Andhra Pradesh announces Rs 3 crore cash award, Group 1 cadre job for Sindhu: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has decided to felicitate the Olympic badminton star PV Sindhu with Rs. 3 crore reward in cash, a 1,000 sq yard site in the new capital city of Amaravati and a Group I cadre job in the State. The Cabinet also approved a Rs. 50 lakh cash reward to Pullela Gopichand, the former badminton star and coach of Sindhu.

 

6. Andhra Pradesh police launches pilot project on DNA profiling: Andhra Pradesh Police has launched DNA Index System (DIS), the first-of-its-kind initiative that allows generation of DNA profiles from live samples like saliva and blood stains. The system uses the latest DNA technology tool called RapidHITdeveloped by IntegenX of USA.

 

7. India ranks 39th in Asia Pacific on fixed broadband: India ranks a low 39th in terms of fixed broadband adoption among Asia-Pacific countries, with just 1.3% of its citizens subscribing to such a service in 2015, according to a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Macao, Australia and Singapore topped the list of 53 countries.

 

8. Maneka Gandhi inaugurates Animal Birth Control Centre in Dehradun: Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi inaugurated the state’s first animal birth control centre (ABC) at Kedarpuram. The centre will take up birth control measures with stray dogs the population of which has been rising in the city and the state.

 

9. Sunil Mittal re-appointed as the Chairman of Bharti Airtel for 5 years: Sunil Bharti Mittal has been re-appointed as the Chairman of telecom giant BhartiAirtel for another 5 years, with effect from October 1, 2016.

 

10. Amul MD R S Sodhi appointed on board of India Post Payment Banks.

 

11. Yogeshwar Sangwan concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to Georgia.

 

12. India world’s third biggest tech start-up hub: Assocham: India is home to the 3rd largest number of technology-driven start-ups in the world, with the US and the UK occupying the top two positions.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

OBITUARIES:

1. Former international test umpire SubrataBanarjee died at the age of 71.

DAILY GK UPDATES 20TH AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 20TH AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi to be new brand ambassador of incredible India: Indian government’s Tourism Ministry has decided that instead of getting a brand ambassador for the Incredible India campaign, it will make Prime Minister Narendra Modi the face of the campaign.

 

2. PM Modi’s monogrammed suit enters Guinness Records as ‘most expensive suit sold’: The monogrammed suit worn by Prime Minister NarendraModi during his meeting with American President Barack Obama last year, which created huge controversy, entered Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the most expensive suit sold’. The suit was sold at an auction for Rs 4.31 crore.

 

3. Two-day meeting of BRICS women Parliamentarian’s forum to begin in Jaipur today: The two-day meeting of the BRICS Women's Parliamentarian Forum will begin here on Saturday in which 42 delegates from member countries will participate. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate the meeting which will have different plenary sessions.

 

4. Kerala Cabinet approves new debt relief scheme: Kerala government has approved a new debt relief scheme for low income and poor people who face the threat of revenue recovery proceedings after they fail to repay loans taken from various financial institutions under the government. The scheme, expected to cause an additional burden of Rs 40 crore to the exchequer, would benefit more than 10,000 persons.

 

5. BEL head bags top award: SK Sharma, Chairman and MD, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), has been awarded as the Most Enterprising CEO in Electronics Sector by the Indo Global Business Council (IGBC), a policy think-tank based in New Delhi.

 

6. Cipla, Godrej recognized in Fortune ‘Change the World’ list: India’s pharmaceutical giant Cipla Ltd and consumer goods conglomerate Godrej have been recognized by Fortune magazine in a list of global firms changing the world for the good and having a positive social impact through their activities. The list has been topped by British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline and includes Swiss food products major Nestlé (5), India-born Ajay Banga-led Mastercard (7).

 

7. KVIC approves hike in wages of Khadi Artisans: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has approved a wage hike along with a hike in Market Development Assistance. The KVIC has informed that spinners will now earn 5.50 rupees instead of 4 rupees per hank with an additional 10 percent Market Development Assistance.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian-American inducted in Texas Women’s Hall of Fame: Renu Khator, Indian-American woman academic, will be inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame for making significant contribution for the benefit of the US' second largest state.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. Urjit Patel appointed as the next RBI Governor: Urjit Patel is the new Reserve Bank of India Governor, the Finance Ministry announced. Patel will succeed Raghuram Rajan as the RBI chair once he steps down on September 3, after his term comes to an end.

 

SPORTS:

2. P V Sindhu wins silver in women’s singles badminton: Rio Olympic 2016: India's P V Sindhutoday created history by winning a silver medal in women's singles badminton event at Rio Olympics 2016. She is the first Indian female and first ever Indian shuttler to win Olympic silver. Carolina Marin of Spain beat P.V. Sindhu of India to take gold and Japan's Nozomi Okuhara won bronze medal. She also became the fourth Indian to win silver at the Olympics.

 

3. Usain Bolt wins 200m to complete hat-trick: Jamaican's sprinter Usain Bolt has won the 200 metres final to add to his 100m title at the Rio Olympics 2016. Bolt eased to victory in the 200m final in 19.78 seconds.

DAILY GK UPDATES 19TH AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 19TH AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sachin Tendulkar adopts village in Osmanabadunder SAGY: Former Cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has selected Donja village in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra for development under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY).

 

2. IIT Kanpur adopts villages under NamamiGange: IIT-Kanpur has adopted 5 villages under the Namami Gange programme and will use its expertise to restrict the flow of sewage into the river. The task will be undertaken by the institute's civil engineering department.

 

3. Indian companies among top 200 carbon clean firms: Seven Indian companies have made it to a carbon-clean list of 200 largest companies worldwide ranked by their total clean-energy revenues. The list is topped by Japan's Toyota Motor. Indian companies are Suzlon Energy at 68 rank for its wind farms, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd at 106 for its wind electric generators and solar cells, Tata Chemicals at 114 for chemicals for biodiesel, solar energy, and fuel cells, Thermax Ltd is at 139, Exide Indus at 153 forelectric storage batteries, IDFC Ltd is at 155 for its green infrastructure financing, Havells India at 166 for energy meters.

 

4. NMCG and IOC sign MoU for industrial use of treated water: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) sign MoU for industrial use of treated water. This MoUhelps in the establishment of STP in Mathura which will provide treated water for industrial use.

 

5. E-auction portal for power transmission: Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched the process of tariff-based reverse auction in the transmission sector and also inaugurated a portal for electronic bidding for transmission projects. Union Minister has launched “Tarang” mobile App, “e-Trans” and “DEEP” (Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price) e-bidding web portals developed by Rural Electrification Corp which reverse auction is being introduced in transmission sector on the lines of coal sector in order to facilitate better price discovery in such projects.

 

6. India Post Payment Bank incorporated, to start ops in 2017: India Post Payments Bank has come into existence after it received certificate of incorporation from the Registrar of Companies, setting the stage for the new bank to begin operations in 2017.

 

 

 

7. India inks deal to ferry oil through Bangladesh: India has signed a short-term route agreement with Bangladesh to allow transport of petroleum goods from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh after heavy monsoon damaged roads and made the transportation between the two states difficult.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Alibaba Group launches ‘million books’ donation drive: Online and mobile commerce major The AlibabaGroup, along with Crossword and Ratna NidhiCharitable Trust has launched ‘Mission Million Books’, a pan-India initiative inviting Indian citizens to donate textbooks and educational material for the underprivileged.

 

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. SBI approves merger with associates: The board of country's largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has approved share swap ratio to merge 5 associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself. In the swap ratio an acquiring company will offer its own shares in exchange for the target company's shares during a merger or acquisition.

 

2. Doha Bank opens first branch in Kerala: Doha Bank QSC, one of the prominent banks in Qatar, is formally inaugurating its first branch in Kerala on August 27.

 

3. Federal Bank to use Chillr app: Federal Bank has partnered with Chillr, a mobile banking application that connects directly to a person’s bank account and enables instant money transfers, bill payments, phone recharge and e-commerce payments in a very secure environment.

 

AWARDS:

4. Hindi author Sunita Jain conferred Vyas SammanAward: Hindi scholar and writer Sunita Jain was awarded the prestigious 25th Vyas Samman 2015 for her poetry collection "Kshama". West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi conferred the award on the scholar.

OBITUARIES:

5. Love Story director Arthur Hiller passed away at the age of 92: The Canadian-born, dauntingly prolific Mr. Hiller ascended during the era of live television, and his versatility and workmanlike skill brought him a great deal of Hollywood work in TV and then film.