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Wednesday, 26 April 2017

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

Cabinet approves listing of 11 CPSEs on stock exchanges

i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for the listing of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on stock exchanges.
ii. As approved, the listing of CPSEs will be through the public offer of shares up to 25 per cent of Government of India's shareholding.

CPSEs are:-

1. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)

2. IRCON International Limited

3. Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) Ltd.

4. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd.

5. RITES Ltd.

6. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

7. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.

8. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL)

9. North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) Ltd.

10. MSTC Ltd.

11. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. (MIDHANI)

Petrol, diesel prices to change every day from May 1

i. As per the announcement of government from May 1, 2017, petrol and diesel prices will change every day in sync with international rates.
ii. State-owned fuel retailers Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will launch a pilot for daily price revision in five select cities which are Puducherry, Vizag in Andhra Pradesh, Udaipur in Rajasthan, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and Chandigarh from May 1, 2017 stated by Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan

PM Modi becomes the most followed world leader on Instagram

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most followed world leader on photo-sharing app Instagram with a whopping 6.9 million followers, surpassing US President Donald Trump.
ii. Mr. Modi is also the most "effective world leader" on the platform. Trump, who occupies the second spot, has 6.3 million followers while Pope Francis is in third place with 3.7 million followers.

Government sets up a panel to examine framework for Virtual Currencies

i. The Government has set up an Inter-Disciplinary Committee to examine the existing framework with regard to Virtual Currencies.
ii. The Committee will take stock of the present status of Virtual Currencies both in India and globally. It will also examine the existing global regulatory and legal structures governing these Currencies.
iii. The Finance Ministry stated that the committee will suggest measures for dealing with such currencies including issues relating to consumer protection and money laundering. The Committee will be chaired by Special Secretary of Economic Affairs, Shri Dinesh Sharma.

India, Australia sign sports partnership

i. India and Australia have started a partnership aimed at increasing cooperation in sports, in the presence of visiting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
ii. The partnership will advance India-Australia cooperation in four areas athlete and coach training and development, sports science, sports governance and integrity, and grassroots participation.
iii. Sports Minister Vijay Goel has launched a major grassroots programme named 'Khelo India' for developing a sporting culture at grass-root level.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu relaunches ‘Adarana Scheme'

i. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the re-launch of 'Adarana scheme' for improving traditional occupations.
ii. It is for the uplift and all-round development of people belonging to the Backward Classes stated by CM Naidu.

Pink patrol, security app for women in Bengaluru

i. A fleet of pink patrol vehicles to attend to the distress calls from women and an exclusive police mobile phone distress application have been introduced in Bengaluru as part of an effort to improve the safety and security of women in the city.
ii. The pink patrol cars called the 'Pink Hoysalas' and the Suraksha mobile phone app were unveiled by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The app has been developed by the Bengaluru city police IT team and can be downloaded on Android and iOS phones.

Bank accounts to be blocked if not self-certified by April 30, 2017

i. As part of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliance, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has asked the banks/financial institutions to link their accounts with Aadhaar number and self-certification from customers by April 30, 2017, to avoid closure of accounts.
ii. It is clearly directed the banks to obtain a self-certification for the accounts opened between July 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015.

World Bank approves $375-mn loan for India’s first waterway project

i. The World Bank has approved a $375 million loan to India’s first inland water transport fairway National Waterway 1 (NW1) project on a 1,360 km stretch of the Ganga river between Varanasi and the seaport of Haldia for bringing thousands of jobs in cargo logistics and transportation.

Amazon receives RBI approval for e-wallet

i. Amazon India has received the RBI’s approval for an e-wallet 'Amazon Pay', which the e-tailer had applied for early last year.
ii. The licence has been issued to Amazon Online Distribution Services on March 22, 2017 and is valid for five years.

Karnataka Bank gets new MD and CEO

i. Mahabaleshwara Mavinakudige Subrahmanya has been appointed as the new MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank Ltd.
ii. He succeeds Polali Jayarama Bhat, who voluntarily stepped down 15 months ahead of his three-year term as MD and CEO.
iii. Mr. P J Bhat is the new part-time non-executive chairman of Karnataka Bank

Haldia Port Tops the List in the First Ever Ranking of Ports on Sanitation Parameters

i. Haldia Port in West Bengal has topped the List in the First-Ever Ranking of Ports on Sanitation Parameters.
ii. The survey was done on the twelve major ports under the Ministry of Shipping. The exercise was undertaken during the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ observed from the 16th to 31st of March 2017

UN chief Guterres names Achim Steiner as new administrator of UNDP

i. United Nation (UN) chief Antonio Guterres has named a German Achim Steiner, as the new administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
ii. Headquartered in New York City, the UNDP seeks to reduce poverty, improve social development and encourage women's empowerment.

Tata Motors arm launches Made-in-India robot
i. TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has launched a Made-in-India robot catering primarily to micro, small and medium industries.
ii. The indigenously built robot TAL Brabo is available in two variants of payloads of 2 kg and 10 kg, priced at ₹5 lakh and ₹7 lakh, respectively.
iii. This is the first robot conceptualized and designed in India.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

Amazon India has received the RBI’s approval for an e-wallet named 'Amazon Pay'
RBI 24th governor is Urjit Patel and its headquarter is in Mumbai
Amazon CEO is Jeff Bezos and Headquarter is in United States.
World Bank has approved a $375 million loan to National Waterway (NW1)
The NW 1 project is to create a water transport fairway on a 1,360-km stretch of the Ganga river between Varanasi and Haldia
Haldia Port is situated in West Bengal
World Bank CEO is Kristalina Georgieva and its Headquarter is in Washington, D.C., U.S.A
World Bank was founded in 1944.
Bank accounts be blocked if not linked with Aadhaar number and self-certification by April 30, 2017
Customers whose account opened between July1, 2014 to August 31, 2015 have to submit their self-certication by April 30, 2017.
The pink patrol cars called the 'Pink Hoysalas' and the Suraksha mobile phone app were launched by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru
N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the re-launch of ‘Adarana’ scheme
The scheme is for improving traditional occupations for people belonging to backward class.

Petrol and Diesel prices will change every day from May 1, 2017
Dharmendra Pradhan is the Petroleum Minister
Five cities selected which are Puducherry, Vishakapatnam, Udaipur, Jamshedpur and Chandigarh.
Haldia Port in West Bengal has topped the List in the First-Ever Ranking of Ports on Sanitation Parameters
The exercise was undertaken during the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’
Minister of Shipping is Sh. Nitin Gadkari
Haldia and Vizag ports bagged the first and second ranks respectively
‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014.
Mahabaleshwara Mavinakudige Subrahmanya is the new MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank Ltd
He succeeded Polali Jayarama Bhat
Mr. P J Bhat is the new part-time non-executive chairman of Karnataka Bank
India and Australia have started a sports partnership
Sports Minister Vijay Goel has launched a major grassroots programme named 'Khelo India'
Malcolm Turnbull is the Prime Minister of Australia
Government sets up a committee to examine framework for Virtual Currencies
The committee will be chaired by Special Secretary of Economic Affairs, Shri Dinesh Sharma.
CCEA has given its approval for the listing of 11 CPSEs on stock exchanges.
CPSEs stands for Central Public Sector Enterprises.
CCEA stands for Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
UN chief named Achim Steiner to head UNDP
Antonio Guterres is the chief of United Nation
United Nation Headquarter is in New York, U.S.A and was founded in 1945
PM Modi emerged as the most followed world leader on Instagram
PM Modi followed by US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis at the second and third position.

PM Modi launched special digital exhibition marking 100 years Champaran Satyagraha

i. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi finally inaugurated an exhibition titled “Swachhagraha – Bapu Ko Karyanjali – Ek Abhiyan, Ek Pradarshani” in the New Delhi to mark the 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s first experiment of Satyagraha in Champaran.
ii. He also launched an ‘Online Interactive Quiz’ at the event which is being organized by the National Archives of India.

Centre releases nearly Rs. 23,443 crore to States under MGNREGS

i. Ministry of Rural Development has released nearly Rs. 23,443 crore to the States as the first tranche for this Financial Year, under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
ii. The Government is laying considerable emphasis on Water Conservation and Water Management works under MGNREGS.

Survey General of India Completes 250 Years

i. The Survey General of India (SOI) completes 250 years.
ii. The government launched 'Nakshe mapping portal' a dedicated website allowing the access to the public to download 3,000 maps prepared by the Survey of India (SOI) but made Aadhaar mandatory for the purpose.
iii. Harsh Vardhan, minister of science and technology, stated that the motto behind making Aadhaar mandatory for using this service was to make it available only to Indians.

President of India inaugurated first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017

i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017 on April 7, 2017, in New Delhi.
ii. The slogan of the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit was 'Unite for a Healthy Mind’. In the Summit special emphasis was given to people suffering from the problem of Depression.

Shri Rajnath Singh chairs 11th Inter-State Council Standing Committee
i. The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council in New Delhi.
ii. The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence Shri Arun Jaitley and various states Chief Minister attended the meeting for examining in detail various recommendations of Punchhi Commission.
iii. The commission recommended that the person who is slated to be a Governor should not have participated in active politics at even local level for at least a couple of years before his appointment.

Malvika Sinha appointed RBI Executive Director
i. The Reserve Bank has appointed Malvika Sinha as Executive Director following the appointment of B P Kanungo as Deputy Governor.
ii. As Executive Director, she will look after foreign exchange department, department of government and bank accounts and internal debt management wing, RBI stated in a release.

Manappuram Finance to launch co-branded prepaid card with YES Bank

i. Kerala-based NBFC Manappuram Finance will launch its own co-branded prepaid card in the tie-up with YES Bank to promote digital financial transactions.
ii. The 'Manappuram YES Bank Prepaid Money Card' can be pre-loaded up to a maximum amount of Rs. 50,000 and then be used to withdraw money from all ATMs. As the card works on the popular MasterCard and RuPay networks, it can also be used for online transactions and at merchant establishments with PoS terminals.

Fino Paytech inks deal with ICICI group companies

i. Fino Paytech, which just received the Reserve Bank of India's licence to launch a payments bank, has inked a deal with ICICI group companies to distribute insurance products and tied up with Exide Life insurance to sell products via its distribution channel. ii. Fino Payments Bank will sell life and general insurance products of ICICI Prudential and ICICI Lombard.

Ajit Kumar Srivastava, Shabri Bhattasali named new CBDT members

i. Senior bureaucrats Ajit Kumar Srivastava and Shabri Bhattasali were appointed members of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.
ii. The CBDT functions under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. CBDT has introduced the Electronic PAN (e-PAN) card for individuals and for 19,704 newly incorporated companies as it tied up with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

Mukta Dutta Tomar appointed India's Ambassador to Germany

i. Mukta Dutta Tomar has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany.
ii. She is presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Earlier, Gurjit Singh was holding this post till in March 2017.

Atu Zumvu becomes first Naga cop to receive ‘Shaurya Chakra’ award

i. For the first time since Nagaland officially gained recognition as a state, a state Police Officer Atu Zumvu has been awarded one of the nations' military honour, ‘Shaurya Chakra' award at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. Nagaland attained statehood in 1963 and since then this is the first time a police officer from the state has been honored with this award.

Former Supreme Court judge Shiva Kirti Singh to head TDSAT

i. The government has appointed retired Supreme Court judge Shiva Kirti Singh as the next chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) after replacing of Justice Aftab Alam who was retired in June 2016.
ii. The appointment is for a period of three years from the date of assumption of office.

Kristin Davis appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
i. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced the appointment of internationally acclaimed actress and philanthropist Kristin Davis as its Goodwill Ambassador.
ii. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors are celebrity representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who use their talent and fame to advocate for refugees.

Carme Chacon, Spain's first female defence minister, dies

i. Carme Chacon, the first female defense minister of Spain and a prominent socialist party leader, has died aged 46.
ii. Before taking charge of the defense ministry, she had previously been the minister of housing and a national lawmaker.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

Supreme Court judge Shiva Kirti Singh appointed as next chairman of TDSAT
Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal is full form of TDSAT.
Atu Zumvu becomes first Naga cop to receive ‘Shaurya Chakra’ award
Nagaland attained statehood in 1963
Shurhozelie Liezietsu is the newly appointed Chief Minister of Nagaland
Mukta Dutta Tomar appointed India's Ambassador to Germany
She has replaced Gurjit Singh
Smt. Sushma Swaraj is the Union External Affairs Minister of India
Rs. 23,443 crores released for MGNREGS for Mission Water Conservation
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is the full form of MGNREGS.
Minister of Rural Development is Narendra Singh Tomar.
Narendra Modi inaugurated a 'special digital exhibition' on the Champaran Satyagraha on 10th April 2017 in New Delhi
The exhibition will be titled as “Swachhagraha – Bapu Ko Karyanjali – Ek Abhiyan, Ek Pradarshani”
Champaran Satyagraha was started in Champaran district of Bihar in 1917.

Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017
The slogan of the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit was 'Unite for a Healthy Mind’
World Health Day is celebrated globally on 7th of April
The Theme of 2017 World Health Day is 'Depression: Let's Talk'
Carme Chacon the first female defense minister of Spain dies at 46
Madrid is Capital of Spain and its currency is Euro
Mariano Rajoy is the Prime Minister of Spain.
Fino Paytech signed pact with ICICI group companies
Fino Paytech, just received the Reserve Bank of India's licence to launch a payments bank
Headquarter of ICICI bank is in Mumbai
CEO of ICICI bank is Chanda Kochhar
Ajit Kumar Srivastava and Shabri Bhattasali were appointed as new CBDT members

Central Board of Direct Taxes is the full form of CBDT
CBDT has introduced the Electronic PAN (e-PAN) card in collaboration with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Survey General of India (SOI) completed 250 years
The government launched 'Nakshe mapping portal' allowing the public the access to download 3,000 maps
Shri Harsh Vardhan is the Cabinet minister of science and technology
Manappuram Finance tied up with Yes Bank
Head office of Manappuram Finance in Thrissur, Kerala
Headquarter of Yes Bank in Mumbai
NBFC full form is Non-Banking Financial Companies.

Daily GK Update 08th April, 2017- Download PDF

Dear Readers,

Study Daily Current Affairs from Daily GK Update on GNDU HUB, and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. Its time to gear up your preparations for SBI PO 2017, and with daily dose of current affairs you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

Daily GK Update 08th April, 2017- Download PDF

April Magazine for Competition Exam 2017

Study Daily Current Affairs from Daily GK Update on GNDU HUB, and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. Its time to gear up your preparations for SBI PO 2017, and with daily dose of current affairs you can easily prepare G.A and score well.