DAILY GK UPDATES 28TH AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 28TH AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO tests Scramjet Rocket Engine: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully test-fired its Scramjet Rocket Engine, which will use oxygen from the atmosphere thereby reducing launch cost, from the spaceport of Sriharikota.

 

2. PM Modi announces Task Force to prepare India for next three Olympics: After India’s dismal show in the concluded Rio Olympics 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said about constituting a task force, which will make various suggestions to the roadmap for the next three quadrennial Games 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 and 2028.

 

3. Sharmila Tagore appointed as a new member of the BCCC: Film actress Sharmila Tagore, theatre activist Arundhati Nag and film studies academician Ira Bhaskar have been appointed new members of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).

 

4. Himachal Health Minister launches ambulance mobile app: Himachal Pradesh Health Minister KaulSingh Thakur has launched a mobile application called '108 HP' to facilitate efficient access to ambulances for medical emergencies.

 

5. Punit Mishra named CEO of Zee Entertainment domestic broadcast business. 

6. India’s first Textile University to come up at Surat: The main aim of the university is to provide all kind of support including technology, research and development (R&D), skilled manpower etc. The university will build on over 250 acre land in Surat and it is expected to get operational in the next one and a half years.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, 2016: The 7th edition of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival 2016 Kicked off in the capital city of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thimbu on 26 August 2016.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

2. Sania Mirza wins Connecticut Open doubles title: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Monica Niculescu defeated KaterynaBondarenko of Ukraine and Chuang Chia Jung of Taiwan in the final.

 

3. India captain MS Dhoni sets world record in USA: ndia captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has set a world record, he captained India in a record 325th game (most by a player in history), across all three formats, to break Australian skipper Ricky Ponting'smark.

4. Lalita Babar, chess player Shardul Gagare to get SJAM Awards: Maharashtra’s sixth Chess GM Shardul Gagare, and steeplechase specialist LalitaBabar, who finished a creditable 10th in the Rio Olympics, have been chosen for the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai’s (SJAM) Golden Jubilee Annual Awards 2016.

DAILY GK UPDATES 27TH AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 27TH AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Gopal Murli Bhagat appointed as the new Executive Director of Corporation Bank.

 

2. Nagaland becomes the eighth state to pass GST Bill: The Nagaland State Assembly has passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, 8th State to ratify the tax reform.

 

3. India at 77th, Pakistan at 72nd and Bangladesh at 5th place in the World Risk Report 2016: The World Risk Report 2016, published by the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft, analyses the role that infrastructure plays in shaping a country’s disaster risk. India has been ranked 77th, Pakistan at 72nd, Bangladesh at 5th and topped by Island state of Vanuatu.

 

4. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi launches POCSO e-box: Women and Child Development Minister (WCD) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has launched Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses, POCSO e-box, in New Delhi. POCSO e-box is a platform where a child victim of sexual abuse can report such cases online.

 

5. Bengaluru to host the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2017: T capital of the country, Bengaluru, will host the 2017 Bharatiya Pravasi Divas. It is scheduled to take place on February 7, 8 and 9 of 2017.

 

6. US Postal Service honours Diwali festival with a forever stamp: The US Postal Service will commemorate the festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp on Oct 5 and on behalf of this a dedication ceremony to be hosted at Consulate General of India in New York.

 

7. Finance Ministry sets up a committee for digitalizing incentive payments: The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set up a committee to consider incentives such as cash back schemes and tax rebates for promoting card and digital payments in a step towards discouraging cash transactions. The 11-member committee will be headed by former Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal.

 

8. P Kumaran appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar.

 

9. World Bank sanctions Rs 980 crore for Brahmaputra dredging: The World Bank has announced a funding of Rs 980 crore to dredge the Brahmaputra as an initiative to develop waterways to Bangladesh and to other South East Asian countries which is give fillip to trade and industry in the Area.

10. 22nd edition of Delhi Book Fair begins today: The 22nd edition of the Delhi Book Fair will begin today at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

 

11. DIPP to launch awareness campaign on IPR: Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, DIPP, will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan to host 19th SAARC Summit on November 9 & 10 this year: Pakistan will host the 19th SAARC Summit on November 9 and 10 this year. The SAARC Summit Cell is headed by Ambassador Amjad Sial.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. Karnataka Bank launches UPI app KBL-SMARTz: Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank has come up with a mobile application named KBL-SMARTzbuilt on the unified payments interface (UPI) platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

 

SPORTS:

2. Indian Super League season 3 to begin from October 1: Season-3 of the Indian Super League (ISL) football would be held from October 1 to December 18, with the opening game scheduled in Guwahati.

 

3. BCCI submits Compliance Report to LodhaPanel: The BCCI submitted the first Compliance Report to the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Panel in regards to the implementation of reforms as per the apex court verdict.

DAILY GK UPDATES 26THAUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 26THAUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rail passengers to get insurance cover worth Rs 10 lakh at a premium of only 92 paisa: A travel insurance cover of up to Rs10 lakh can be availed while booking a train ticket online by paying less than one rupee from 31 August. A person booking a train ticket through the IRCTC website will be able opt for travel insurance cover for a premium of 92 paisa only from 31 August. Indian Railways subsidiary IRCTC has assigned the task to three private firms are ShriramGeneral Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance and Royal Sundaram General Insurance.

 

2. 1st BRICS film festival from September 2-6 in New Delhi: The film festival will showcase an amalgamation of culture, films, song, dance and food of the 5-member countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

 

3. Maharashtra to tie up with corporates to transform 1000 villages: Maharashtra CM DevendraFadnavis has announced the State government plans to transform 1,000 villages with the help of corporate sector, and the civil society over the next few years.

 

4. Indian Economy to grow 7.9% this fiscal: Goldman Sachs: US multinational banking firm Goldman Sachs says Indian economy is likely to grow 7.9% in this year 2016-17.

 

5. SRK, Akshay, Salman and Big B amid top 20 highest paid global actors: he list published by Forbes magazine considers earnings from June 2015, and featured Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar as the top two highest paid actors on 8th and 10th rank. The list also includes Salman Khan on 14th rank, which is followed by legend Amitabh Bachchan on 18th position. The list was topped by former WWE wrestler and present actor, Dwayne Johnson, who filled his pocket with as much as 64.5 million dollars through movies such as Central Intelligence and Fast & Furious 8.

 

6. Five Indian companies ranked among world’s 100 most innovative: The list is topped by Tesla Motors for the second consecutive year. Indian Companies: 1.  Asian Paints 18th position 2. Hindustan Unilever - 31st 3. Tata Consultancy Services - 66th 4. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries - 73rd 5. Larsen & Toubro stood at 89th spot.

 

7. Abhinav Bindra to head NRAI Review Committee on Rio Debacle: Olympic gold-medallist AbhinavBindra was named Chairman of a 5 member review committee to probe the shooters' Rio Games debacle but has recused himself from questioning them as he was himself a part of the team.

 

8. Pankaj Harjai appointed as the head of Lenovo’s Small and Medium Business (SMB).

9. Sugamya Pustakalaya- an online library for persons with visual disabilities launched: “SugamyaPustakalaya: A step towards an Accessible Digital India” (An online library for persons with visual disabilities) was launched by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology at a function organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

 

10. Satheesh Reddy conferred first IEI-IEEE Award: G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and DRDO's DG (Missiles & Strategic Systems), was conferred the first IEI-IEEE Award for engineering excellence 2015. The award is in recognition of his ‘significant national contributions towards missiles and aerospace technologies’.

 

11. BCCI signs MoU with TERI to promote renewable energy: Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) for promoting renewable energy.

 

12. CTTC-Bhubaneswar signs agreement with ISRO: Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneswar, has signed an agreement with ISRO for technology transfer and a contract for supply of spacecraft component.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal to end half-century war: Colombia's government and the country's biggest rebel group reached a historic deal Wednesday evening for ending a half-century of hostilities in one of the world's longest-running and bloodiest armed conflicts.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. RBI asks banks to provide loans to women SHGs in rural areas at 7%: RBI has asked banks to provide loans to women self-help groups in rural areas at 7% per annum, as per the government's revised guidelines for the current financial year.

 

SPORTS:

2. Ronaldo wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

3. Saina Nehwal drops to 9th spot, P V Sindhuremains at 10th spot in the latest BWF Rankings.

 

4. Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred with the Jharkhand Dungdung: Former Olympian Silvanus Dungdung Major DhyanChand Lifetime Achievement Award will be rewarded.

DAILY GK UPDATES 25TH AUGUST 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 25TH AUGUST 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Naqvi launches websites for Ministry of Minority Affairs: The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched new Hindi website and updated and revamped English website of the Minority Affairs Ministry.

 

2. Madhya Pradesh and Delhi assembly passes GST Bill: Delhi Assembly has ratified the Goods and Service Tax Constitution Amendment Bill. It is the third non-BJP-ruled state and overall the 8th to clear the proposed tax regime.

 

3. Navtej Sarna tipped to be the next Indian envoy to US: India's high commissioner to UK, Navtej Sarna, is likely to take over from Arun Singh as India's ambassador to the US.

 

4. Sakshi Malik will be brand ambassador of BetiBachao, Beti Padhao campaign: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that Sakshi Malik, India’s bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, will be the brand ambassador of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhaocampaign in the state.

 

5. Union Cabinet approvals: The Union cabinet approved a MoU with Myanmar for cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine. 

In another major step in fight against tax evasion, the Cabinet gave its approval to the revised DTAA between India and Cyprus that provides for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares instead of one based on residence.

The Union Cabinet approved of a new air services agreement between India and Fiji that would allow Indian airlines to fly to any point in the island nation. 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister ShriNarendra Modi has been approved of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa to establish cooperation in Grassroots Innovation.

6. New Railway line between Nandyala and Yerraguntla commissioned: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has commissioned a new railway line between Nandyala and Yerraguntla.

 

7. South India’s first Children court was inaugurated in Hyderabad: After Goa and Delhi, Telangana has become the third state to inaugurate south India’s first Children’s Court was inaugurated in Hyderabad. This court is a child-friendly court and sixth in the country with features like separate waiting rooms for children and a video camera trial for the accused, mandated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act-2012.

 

8. Deepika Padukone is World’s 10th highest paid actress, Indian Psychiatric Society’s new Brand Ambassador: Forbes magazine ranked out the world’s highest paid actresses and Hunger games star Jennifer Lawrence has topped the list for the second time in a row. Indian star Deepika Padukone is also among the top 10 highest-paid actresses in the world.

 

9. CMFRI inks pact with varsity to boost marine life research: The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is keen on boosting its research activities in marine biodiversity, with a special focus on the Gulf of Mannar.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. 21 banks to go live with Unified Payments Interface: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India has announced that customers of 21 banks will shortly be able to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for sending and collecting money via a smartphone using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA).

 

AWARDS:

2. Telangana Aarogyasri Trust bags FICCI Award: The GPS-enabled mobile app of the TelanganaAarogyasri Healthcare Trust bagged this year’s Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)’s healthcare excellence award.

 

OBITUARIES:

3. Former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana A R Kidwai passed away at the age of 96.