Daily GK Update 23rd and 24th April, 2017

National Panchayati Raj Diwas being observed today

i. Every year April 24 is being observed as National Panchayati Raj Diwas across India. This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.
ii. The Kuther Gram Panchayat of Himachal Pradesh will get the award for its best works. This Gram Panchayat was the first to become open defecation free (ODF).

World Book & Copyright Day being observed today

i. World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is being observed on 23rd April 2017. The day seeks to raise awareness about the importance of reading and promote publishing and the protection of copyright around the globe.
ii. The event is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
iii. Conakry, the capital of Guinea has been designated World Book Capital 2017.

Haryana launches mobile app 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women

i. The National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana launched a mobile-based application named 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women, parents and health workers on the importance of ante and post natal care.
ii. From the second trimester of pregnancy, till the child is one-year-old, the application will deliver 72 times appropriate audio messages to registered mobile numbers on pregnancy, child and childbirth care every week.

Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Railways to expand green cover

i. In a bid to expand the green cover, the Maharashtra government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways, under which trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the railway tracks in the state.

China, Iran sign first agreement on reconfiguration of Arak reactor

i. China and Iran have signed the first agreement on the reconfiguration of Iran's Arak reactor.
ii. The deal was concluded between the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a Chinese company at the official ceremony in the Austrian capital Vienna.

Moushumi Chatterjee gets BFJA lifetime achievement award

i. Veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee has received the lifetime achievement award, at the 80th Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards.
ii. The BFJA, the oldest association of film scribes in the country was founded in 1937. Bengali film actor Prosenjit Chatterjee was given the best actor award for his role in "Sankhachil", while Rituparna Sengupta was given the best actress crown for her role in "Rajkahini" along with Paoli Dam for "Natoker Moto" (2015).

'Newton' wins best film honor at Hong Kong International Film Festival

i. Bollywood film "Newton" has won the best film honor at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The lead actor of the film is Raj Kumar Rao.
ii. Amit Masurkar-directed "Newton", is a political satire. It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segment.

Aditi Ashok, SSP Chawrasia win Golf Industry Awards
i. SSP Chawrasia and Aditi Ashok were among the winners at the second Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017. Aditi, who finished second in the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit in 2016 bagged Outstanding Achievement as a Player award.
ii. Chawrasia, who successfully defended his Indian Open title in 2017, bagged the Award for the Men's Player of the Year. 
iii. Ali Sher, the Delhi Golf Club caddy-turned-pro-golfer, was feted for an Outstanding Playing Career. Ali Sher won the Indian Open back in 1991 and was honored with an Arjuna Award in the same year.

Cricket removed from 2018 Asian Games programme

i. One of the sports to miss out from the programme list of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang is cricket.
ii. Apart from cricket, skateboarding, sambo and surfing are among the other sports which have been removed from the programme in order to reduce the burden on Indonesian organisers.
iii. This measure was taken as a part of the series of changes aimed at reducing the total number of events from 493 to 431.

Monte Carlo Masters: Nadal wins Men's Singles; Bopanna and Cuevas lift men's doubles

i. Rafael Nadal has won the Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament 2017. He defeated Albert Vinolas at a summit clash in Monaco. With this Rafael claimed a record 10th Monte Carlo Masters title.
ii. Earlier, India's Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas lifted the men's doubles crown at the Monte Carlo Masters after win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in Monaco.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• National Panchayati Raj Diwas is observed on 24 April Nationally
• Kuther Gram Panchayat of Himachal PradeshGram Panchayat was the first to become open defecation free (ODF)
• This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992
• 23 April is a symbolic date for world literature.
• World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is being observed every year on 23rd April.
• World Book and Copyright Day is organized by the UNESCO. 
• UNESCO stands for- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
• Irina Bokova is Director-General of UNESCO.
• World Book Capital for 2017: Conakry, Guinea.
• UNESCO Headquarters is in Paris, France.
• The Constitution of UNESCO, signed on 16 November 1945, came into force on 4 November 1946.
• National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana launched a mobile-based application named 'Kilkari'
• Manohar Lal Khattar is the CM of Haryana
• Kaptan Singh Solanki is the governor of Haryana
• Maharashtra govt signed an MoU with Railways to expand green cover
• C. Vidyasagar Rao is the governor of Maharashtra
• Devendra Fadnavis is the CM of Maharashtra
• China and Iran signed the first agreement on reconfiguration of Arak reactor
• The agreement was signed officially in Vienna, the Capital City of Austria
• President of Iran is Hussan Rouhani and its currency is Iranian Rial.
• Xi Jinping is President of China and its currency is Renminbi
• Moushumi Chatterjee receives BFJA lifetime achievement award 2017
• Prosenjit Chatterjee was given the best actor award for "Sankhachil"
• Rituparna Sengupta was given the best actress crown for her role in "Rajkahini".
• "Newton" has won the best film honor at the Hong Kong International Film Festival
• Amit Masurkar is the director of movie "Newton"
• It also won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award at the 67th Berlin Film Festival.
• Aditi Ashok, SSP Chawrasia and Ali Sher won Golf Industry Awards 2017
• Ali Sher was honored with Arjuna Award in 1991
• Cricket removed from 2018 Asian Games programme
• Director General of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is Husain Al-Musallam
• The total number of events has been reduced from 493 to 431
• The 2018 Asian Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang
• It is 18th edition of Asian Games
• Nadal wins Men's Singles title at Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament 2017
• India's Rohan Bopanna and Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas lifted the men's doubles crown
• The tournament was held in Monaco
• Rafael Nadal defeated Albert Vinolas

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Daily GK Update 22nd April, 2017

World Earth Day being observed today

i. The World Earth Day is being observed all over the world on 22 April with the message to protect the environment.
ii. The campaign theme for 2017 is 'Environmental and Climate Literacy'. The first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launches Probono Services, Legal Aid Schemes, Nyaya Mitra

i. Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated three welfare initiatives of the Department of Justice. The services launched are-

1. Pro-bono legal services- Through the Pro bono legal services, lawyers who want to provide legal services free of cost can register themselves on a web-based platform.

2. Tele-law service- It aims to connect marginalized communities with lawyers through video conferencing facilities, to be set up at Common Service Centres (CSCs). 
3. Nyaya Mitra Project- It aims to reduce pendency in lower courts, with a special focus on cases which are more than ten years old.

1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’ held in Jakarta

i. Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal and Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Ignasius Jonan met for the 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
ii. The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy. The reports of three Joint Working Groups were presented to two Ministers during the Energy Forum.

GIC Re- first insurance company to sets up base in GIFT City, Gujarat

i. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) has become the first re-insurer to open an office at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).

China successfully launched first cargo spacecraft

i. China successfully launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft named Tianzhou 1.
ii. It is programmed to conduct scientific experiments after reaching the now-crewless Tiangong 2, China's second space station. China aims to build up the permanent space station by 2022.
iii. China becomes the 3rd country after US and Russia to Master the techniques of refueling in Space.

RBI signs MoU with the Bank of Guyana

i. The Reserve Bank of India signed an MoU)on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Bank of Guyana.
ii. Earlier, RBI has signed 40 such MoUs, one Letter for Supervisory Co-operation and one Statement of Co-operation.

AU Financiers converts to small finance bank

i. AU Financiers India, a non-banking finance company (NBFC), has converted itself into a small finance bank by the name AU Small Finance Bank.
ii. As an NBFC, AU had a network of 300 branches spread across 10 States namely Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Goa.

NDMA conducted first mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand

i. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted its first-ever mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire.
ii. The mock exercise was conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS).

India, South Korea sign MoU for Defence Industry

i. India and South Korea have signed an Inter-governmental MoU for Defence Industry cooperation between their shipbuilding yards.
ii. The Indian side was represented by Secretary of Defence Production A K Gupta and South Korea was represented by his counterpart Chang Miyung Jin, in New Delhi. India has nominated Hindustan Shipyard at Vishakhapatnam whereas South Korea is yet to nominate its shipyard.

GNFC wins Golden Peacock Award

i. The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 in the category of Innovative Product/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model.
ii. The Golden Peacock Awards were established by the Institute of Directors (IOD) in India in 1991.
iii. Rajiv Kumar Gupta, the managing director of the GNFC, was given the award at a ceremony at the 27th World Congress at the Dubai Global Convention.

Veteran Journalist Nora Chopra passes away
i. Veteran Journalist Nora Chopra passed away at 64 due to multi-organ failure.
ii. A senior journalist and columnist, Smt. Chopra was widely admired and respected for her journalistic skills.




Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• World Earth Day is observed globally on 22 April
• The campaign theme for 2017 is 'Environmental and Climate Literacy'
• The first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970.
• Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad is Minister of Law and Justice
• He launched 3 welfare initiatives viz. Pro-bono legal services, Tele-law service and Nyaya Mitra project
• 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’ held in Jakarta
• Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia
• Currency of Indonesia is Indonesian rupiah
• GIC Re becomes the first insurance company to sets up base in GIFT City, Gujarat
• GIC Re is wholly owned by the government and was designated as the national reinsurer in 2001
• Mrs. Alice G Vaidyan is the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of GIC Re
• It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• China launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft named Tianzhou 1
• China becomes the 3rd country after US and Russia to Master the techniques of refueling in Space
• Capital of China is Beijing, its  Currency is Renminbi and its President  Xi Jinping
• RBI signs MoU with the Bank of Guyana
• The MoU was signed on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information
• Dr. Gobind N. Ganga is the Governor of Bank of Guyana
• Guyana Country in South America with its capital in Georgetown
• AU Financiers India converted itself into a small finance bank
• New Name is AU Small Finance Bank
• Mr. Mannil Venugopalan is the Chairman of Board of AU small financial Bank
• National Disaster Management Authority conducted its first-ever mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand
• Mock exercise was conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS)
• India and South Korea   signed an  MoU for Defence Industry cooperation
• The agreement was signed in New Delhi
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hanwa Techwin of South Korea signed a contract to manufacture the K9 Vajra-T tracked self-propelled artillery guns for the Indian Army
• GNFC won the Golden Peacock Award 2017
• Justice Dr. Arijit Pasayat was the Chairman of Jury
• Rajiv Kumar Gupta is the managing director of the GNFC
• Full form of GNFC is Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd

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Daily GK Update 21st April, 2017

11th Civil Services Day function held in New Delhi

i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day program (20-21 April) in New Delhi.
ii. Civil Services Day is celebrated in India every year on 21st April. The function was organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai

i. The 3rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' was held at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai from 19th-21st April 2017.
ii. It was inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. First of its Kind exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO) along with Union Ministry of Steel.

Narendra Modi, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Time’s ‘most influential people’ list

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to an annual list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ 2017, released by the Time magazine.
ii. The list features pioneers, artists, titans, leaders and icons from around the world honored for “the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions, the genius of their solutions to problems that no one before them could solve.”

Tata Power inks pact for electricity distribution in Ajmer

i. Tata Power has signed an agreement with Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (AVVNL) for electricity distribution in Ajmer for 20 years.
ii. Tata Power has formed a Special Purpose Company (SPC), TP Ajmer Distribution Ltd. The SPC will be operating and maintaining the distribution network in the Ajmer city and would also be responsible for managing the billing and collections.

Sri Lanka to host the 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017

i. The 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017 will be hosted by Sri Lanka from 12-14 May 2017.
ii. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day. He will inaugurate UN Vesak Day in Colombo on May 12, 2017.
iii. Vesak Day is regarded by all Buddhist traditions as the anniversary of the birth of the Buddha.
iv. The theme of this edition is ‘Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace’.

Italian mayor wins UNESCO Peace Prize

i. The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees, media reported.

Reliance Industries Ltd. become most-valued Indian company

i. The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) regained its status as India’s most valued firm by market capitalization.
ii. RIL overtook Tata Group’s crown jewel TCS. TCS had replaced RIL as the most valued firm more than four years ago.

Mongolia launched its first satellite Mongol Sat-I

i. Mongolia launched its first satellite named Mongol Sat-I, part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.
ii. It is 1227 Megahertz satellite. The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS). The Satellite helps with space research, map making and preparing for natural disaster.

Video gaming to be featured at 2022 Asian Games
i. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced Video gaming as full sports at the 2022 Asian Games which is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from 10-25 September 2022.
ii. OCA has entered into the collaboration with Alisports, a unit of China's Alibaba Group.
iii. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:

• Civil Services Day is celebrated in India every year on 21st April
• Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day program in New Delhi
• First such function was held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 21 April 2006
• 3rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' was held in Mumbai
• It was inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh
• It was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO)
• Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians listed in ‘100 most influential people in the world’ 2017, by the Time magazine
• The profile of Modi was written by author Pankaj Mishra
• The profile of Vijay Shekhar Sharma was written by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani
• Tata Power has signed an agreement for electricity distribution in Ajmer for 20 years
• Tata Power has formed a Special Purpose Company (SPC), TP Ajmer Distribution Ltd
• Anil Kumar Sardana is the CEO of Tata Power
• Sri Lanka will host the 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day
• The theme of this edition is ‘Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace’
• Vesak Day is also known as Buddha Poornima.
• The UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina Nicolini
• The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945
• UNESCO has 195 Members and eight Associate Members
• IRINA BOKOVA is the Director-General of UNESCO
• UNESCO is Headquartered in Paris, France
• Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) become most-valued Indian company
• It has replaced Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
• RIL is led by Mukesh Ambani
• Mongolia has launched its first satellite named Mongol Sat-I
• The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)
• Capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar and its currency is Mongolian togrog
• Video gaming is full sports at the 2022 Asian Games
• 2022 Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from 10-25 September
• The first Asian games was held in 1951 in New Delhi
• 2018 Asian games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia

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Daily GK Update 20th April, 2017

Madhya Pradesh government, DMRC inked pact to supply power from Rewa project

i. Madhya Pradesh government has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to supply 24 per cent of electricity generated from the Rewa ultra mega solar project to be set up in the state.
ii. The rest of the power will be supplied to the state.

World economy to grow at 3.5 per cent in 2017: IMF

i. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected a marginally higher than expected growth for the world economy at 3.5 per cent in 2017.
ii. IMF projected the world economy to grow at a pace of 3.5 percent in 2017, up from 3.1 percent in 2016, and 3.6 per cent in 2018.

China to host BRICS Film Festival in June, 2017

i. The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27, 2017.
ii. There will be 30 films from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) screened during the festival.
iii. The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, in September 2016. 

First Made in India industrial robot- BRABO

i. TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has launched India’s first industrial-articulated robot and it goes by the name “BRABO”.
ii. The robot is indigenously developed for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India. This is the first time that an industrial robot has been conceptualized, designed and manufactured in India.

RBI caps bank exposure to REITs, InvITs at 10%

i. The RBI permitted banks to invest up to 10% of the unit capital of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) or Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
ii. The banks’ exposure to REITs/InvITs will be within the overall ceiling of 20% of the net worth permitted for direct investments in shares, convertible bonds/ debentures, units of equity-oriented mutual funds and Venture Capital Funds (VCFs).

'One Part Woman' wins Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Mathorubhagan

i. The English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English 2016.
ii. The translation was done by Aniruddhan Vasudevan and the book was published by Penguin. 

Sagar Baheti, the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete Boston Marathon

i. Bangalore-based Sagar Baheti has become the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston Marathon, the world's oldest and the hardest marathon to qualify for.
ii. Baheti completed the approximately 42.16 km distance in just over four hours.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:

• Madhya Pradesh government and DMRC inked pact to supply power (24% of Electricity) from Rewa project
• Shri Rajiv Gauba is the Chairman of DMRC
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the CM of MP and its Governor is Om Prakash Kohli (Additional charge)
• IMF has projected world economy to grow at 3.5% in 2017
• Projection in 2016 was 3.1%
• Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries
• Managing Director of IMF is Christine Lagarde
• Maurice Obstfeld, economic counselor and director of IMF Research Department released the projection officially.
• BRICS Film Festival 2017 will be held in China
• BRICS countries includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
• The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India
• BRICS summit will be held in September 2017 in China’s Xiamen city
• TAL Manufacturing Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors
• BRABO is the first Made in India industrial robot
• The robot is indigenously developed for MSME in India
• The RBI permitted banks to invest up to 10% of the unit capital of an REITs or InvITs
• RBI is headquartered in Mumbai and its Governor is Mr. Urjit Patel
• RBI has recently allowed banks to invest in REITs & InvITs
• The English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English
• The cash prize for the award is Rs 50,000
• Sagar Baheti becomes the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete Boston Marathon
• He completed the approximately 42.16 km distance in just over four hours
• Boston is a City in Massachusetts

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Daily GK Update 19th April, 2017

UP Govt Renames Gorakhpur and Agra Airports

i. The UP government changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled.
ii. The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport after the founder of the Nath monastic movement.
iii. The Agra Airport will be renamed after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport. The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'.

Rajasthan State govt, HPCL sign agreement for Rs 43,129 cr Barmer refinery

i. In Rajasthan, the state government and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) signed an agreement for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery.
ii. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL.

Navy’s missile destroyer dedicated to Chennai

i. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami dedicated the Indian Navy’s indigenously designed ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, INS Chennai to the city Chennai.
ii. INS Chennai is commanded by captain C. R. Praveen Nair and has 45 officers. The ship was commissioned by ex-Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar in 2016. It is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.

India jumps to 8th place on Global FDI Confidence Index

i. India has jumped one spot to 8th rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.
ii. USA has topped A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index for the fifth year in a row. The top 5 countries in A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index 2017 are:

1. USA

2. Germany

3. China

4. UK

5. Canada

RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir

i. The Reserve Bank of India has set up two new Offices of the Banking Ombudsman for the State of Jammu and Kashmir (in Jammu) and Chhattisgarh (in Raipur).
ii. The Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Reserve Bank of India, Jammu and Chhattisgarh will have the jurisdiction over the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh which, hitherto was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi-I and Bhopal, respectively.

RBI signed MoU with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan

i. The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan.
ii. The MoU was signed by Mr. Phajo Dorjee, Deputy Governor on behalf of Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and Mr. S S Mundra, Deputy Governor on behalf of Reserve Bank of India.

SEBI launched revamped website with user-friendly features

i. SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) launched its revamped website having several user-friendly features and compatible with all desktop and mobile devices.
ii. The website now also allows visitors to share web pages on their social media network. The new website is compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for making web content more accessible to differently abled people and also conforms to the guidelines for Indian government websites.

ICICI Bank data centre becomes country's first IGBC Platinum rated project

i. The ICICI Bank Data Centre in Hyderabad has achieved the distinction of becoming the country's first Platinum rated project under IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Green Data Centre Rating System.
ii. Prem C Jain, Chairman, IGBC presented IGBC plaque to Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank at a programme organized on recently in Hyderabad.
iii. IGBC Green Data Centre Rating System would facilitate in providing tremendous tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible benefits include 20 to 25 percent reduction in Power Usage Effectiveness, 25 to 30 percent reduction in water consumption. Intangible benefits include enhanced air quality, excellent daylighting, health, and well-being of the staff operating such facility.

Vinay Shah, appointed as new MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance

i. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has appointed Vinay Shah as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director of its mortgage loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing Finance.
ii. He comes in place of Sunita Sharma after Government had elevated her to Managing Director of LIC.

Former AP minister Devineni Rajashekhar passes away

i. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Devineni Rajashekhar had died due to cardiac arrest in Hyderabad.
ii. He was made the Education Minister in NTR Cabinet in 1994. He was elected to AP assembly from Kankipadu in 1983 and retained the seat in 1985, 1989, and 1994.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:

• The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport
• Agra Airport has been renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport
• The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'
• Rajasthan State govt and HPCL have signed an agreement for Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery
• The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel
• Chief Minister of Rajasthan is Mrs. Vasundhara Raje
• Union Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas is Shree Dharmendra Pradhan
• Indigenously designed ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, INS Chennai was dedicated to the city Chennai
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami
• Sunil Lanba is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)
• India ranked 8th in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index
• The USA topped the list
• Among the emerging economies, India and China were the top two performers
• RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir
• J&K till now was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi-I
• Chhattisgarh till now was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, Bhopal
• RBI is headquartered in Mumbai and its Governor is Mr. Urjit Patel.
• RBI signed MoU with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan
• The MoU was signed on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information
• Prime minister of Bhutan is Tshering Tobgay and its capital is Thimpu
• SEBI launched revamped website with user-friendly features
• Securities and Exchange Board of India is full form of SEBI
• Shri Ajay Tyagi Chairman is the Chairman of SEBI and its Headquarter is in Mumbai
• ICICI Bank data center becomes country's first IGBC Platinum rated project
• Chanda Kochhar is the MD & CEO of ICICI Bank
• Headquarter of ICICI bank is in Mumbai
• The event was organized in Hyderabad
• Vinay Shah has been appointed as the new MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance
• He has replaced Smt. Sunita Sharma
• Smt. Sunita Sharma had been  elevated to Managing Director of LIC
• Shri. Vijay Kumar Sharma is the Chairman of LIC and it is Headquartered in Mumbai
• Former AP minister Devineni Rajashekhar passed away in Hyderabad
• He was made the Education Minister in NTR Cabinet in 1994
• N. Chandrababu Naidu is the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

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