Daily GK Update 25th March, 2017

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'Earth Hour' being observed today: 25 March

i. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) is observing the 10th anniversary of 'Earth Hour' today i.e. 25 March,2017. 

ii. The worldwide event is held annually encouraging individuals to turn off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. It was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

Aadhaar mandatory for mobile connection

i. After making Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns and applying for a Permanent Account Number (PAN), the government has moved to make Aadhaar-based e-KYC (know your customer) mandatory for mobile phone connections.

ii. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directed all mobile phone service providers to reverify existing customers, prepaid and postpaid, using their unique Aadhaar identity number and biometric details. Aadhaar-based e-KYC would also be mandatory for customers procuring new SIM card.

Nellore in AP to get Post Office Passport Seva Kendra

i. The External Affairs Ministry and the department of posts announced the opening of a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. It would be the 86th POPSK in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts will be working closely for the early operationalisation of this POPSK at Nellore.

Pawan Hans to start 'Dilli Darshan' chopper rides at Rs 2,500 

i. National chopper operator Pawan Hans is set to launch its "Delhi Darshan" rides with a 10-minute sortie costing Rs 2,499 per person. 

ii. Besides, the state-owned aviation firm will also offer a 20-minute helicopter ride for Rs 4,999. The company's Chairman and Managing Director, B P Sharma, announced the roll out of these services from April 1, 2017.

Navy gets three naval systems from DRDO

i. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over three naval systems, developed by premier Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian Navy.

ii. The naval systems, given to Indian Navy, are USHUS-II submarine sonar, directing gear for hull-mounted sonar array and inertial navigation system for ship applications. 

Indian Navy fires surface-to-air missile from INS Vikramaditya

i. The country’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya successfully carried out the maiden test of the newly installed Barak short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM).

ii. The 44,500-tonne carrier was commissioned into the Navy in November 2013 at Severodvinsk in Russia.

CBEC renamed as CBIC under GST regime

i. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) will be reorganized for the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and will be renamed as the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) following Parliamentary approval.

ii.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has approved the reorganization of the field formations of the CBEC for the implementation of GST.

SBI's Arundhati Bhattacharya among world's greatest leaders

i. State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked 26th among the world's 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune Magazine.

ii. With this, Bhattacharya has become the only Indian corporate leader to be featured on the list. The list has been topped by Theo Epstein President, Baseball Operations in Chicago Cubs.

Osmania University to host 105th Indian Science Congress

i. The 105th session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) will be hosted by Osmania University, Hyderabad during January 3-7, 2018. 

ii. The theme of the 105th session of Indian Science Congress is 'Science and Technology - Reaching the Unreached’. This will be the sixth time that the university will be hosing the conferrer. The congress will be meeting in Hyderabad for the seventh time.

Ashwin breaks record for most wickets in a Test season

i. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has broken the record for most wickets in a single Test season, taking his 79th this season during the Dharamsala Test against Australia. 

ii. Ashwin went past South African pacer Dale Steyn, who had claimed 78 wickets in 12 Tests in 2007-08. Ashwin has taken seven five-wicket hauls this season in 13 matches.