Daily GK Update 24th January, 2017

Daily GK Update 24th January, 2017

National Girl Child Day to be celebrated today (24 January 2017)
i.National Girl Child Day will be celebrated at a special function in New Delhi in view of exemplary achievements by nation's daughters during last year.
ii.They presented commendable performance at the Olympics and Paralympics besides historic induction of the first batch of female fighter pilots into the Indian Air Force (IAF).
iii.Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and Minister of State Krishna Raj will be addressing the audience.
iv.The occasion shall be marked by release of National Plan of Action for Children 2016.Ten districts under the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme for their exemplary performance will also be felicitated.

Rescheduled Education Loan will not be Considered for Computing NPAs:RBI
i.In a bid to encourage banks to provide loans for education, the Reserve Bank of India RBI has declared that rescheduling the period of payment of education loans due to the inability of the borrower because of unemployment will not be treated as restructured accounts for computing NPAs.
ii.Banks can allow three rounds of extension periods, each not more than 6 months, during the entire lifecycle of the education loan, to be applicable only on unemployment/underemployment borrowers.

T-Hub launches ‘GIS Innovation Hub’ powered by Esri India

i.T-Hub, the start-up engine catalysing innovation, today announced the launch of ‘GIS Innovation Hub’ (GIH) for start-ups. 

ii.The GIH is powered by Esri India, the Geographic Information System (GIS) software and solutions provider.The facility was inaugurated by Jack Dangermond, Co-founder, President and CEO of Esri Inc.

Jharkhand Annual Budget 2017-18

i.The Chief Minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das presented the state’s annual budget for 2017-18 on January 23, 2017 under the theme of Garib Kalyan Varsh The main focus of the budget is on agriculture, education and skill development, rural development and eliminating poverty.

ii.The Minister has presented a budget worth Rs 75,673.42 crore out of which Rs 57,861.32 crore would be revenue expenditure and Rs 18,812.10 crore would be capital expenditure. The total allocated state budget for 2017-18 is 19.7 percent more than the current year.

Stamp Cover on Sindhu, Sakshi and Dipa Released by Postal Department

i.The Indian postal department released a special stamp cover titled Golden girls of India – Pride of Nation on January 21, 2017 during a district-level philatelic exhibition in Agartala to honor the sporting personalities in the country.

ii.The special covers feature the 2016 Olympic medalist gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shuttler PV Sindu and wrestler Sakshi Malik. They were also awarded the nation’s highest sports award Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2016.

iii. Besides the three, the cover also depicted the image of Dipa’s coach Bishweshwar Nandi who was awarded the 2016 Dronacharya award.

BCSBI to organise ‘know your rights’ programme

i.To educate awareness on banking codes at grass root level, The Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI) will organise know your rights programme in all the states.For this, the organisation will adopt a three-fold approach in the awareness programme focussing Tier II cities, metros and other backward areas, Anand Aras, CEO, BCSBI said.

ii. With the opening up of innumerable Jan-Dhan accounts and increased usage of formal and transparent modes of financial transactions, it is now imperative for the lesser privileged section of the society to understand their rights.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Unanimously Passes Jallikattu Bill

i.Tamil Nadu assembly under the chairmanship of Chief Minister O Panneerselvam unanimously passed the Jallikattu Bill on January 23, 2017 to replace the ordinance issued on January 21, 2017 to allow the states traditional sport.

ii.The bill amends the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, making Jallikattu a permanent sport in rural Tamil Nadu.

Uber To Bring Food Delivery App ‘UberEATS’ In India

i.Transportation app Uber will soon launch its on-demand food delivery app ‘UberEATS’ in the Indian market.

ii.UberEATS is currently available in 58 cities globally, including Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei.The new app will give consumers, restaurant partners, and delivery partners more options across India.

Guided Pinaka rocket successfully test fired

i.The guided Pinaka rocket was successfully test—fired for the second time from launch complex—III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) launch pad at Chandipur.Defence sources said the test was conducted at 12:45 pm and Pinaka rocket mark-II, equipped with navigation, guidance and control kit, was transformed into a “guided Pinaka".

ii.The conversion facilitated range enhancement and improvement in Pinaka’s accuracy.

Kyoto Protocol: Govt gives nod to ratify second commitment period

i.The Centre  gave its nod to ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

ii.The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval to ratify the second commitment period of the international treaty, which was adopted by nations in 2012. So far, 65 countries have ratified the second commitment period.

Vodafone to invest Rs 3,000 cr in West Bengal in next 3 years

i.Vodafone India signed an MoU with the West Bengal government to invest Rs 3,000 crore for capacity augmentation and new business initiatives over next three years.

ii.The MoU signed on the sidelines of Bengal Global Business Summit 2017 .To improve Vodafone’s leadership position in the state by offering customers a SuperNet experience through enhanced network.

New Universal Rail Mill Worth Rs. 1200 crore Inaugurated in Bhilai Steel Plant

i.Moving towards the Make in India initiative, the Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated the new Universal Rail Mill at Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) on January 23, 2017 and flagged off the mills first and world’s longest single rail of 130 meters from the new Universal Rail Mill(URM).

ii.URM established at a cost of about Rs 1200 crore. It will take BSP’s total capacity to produce rails at 2.0 million tons per annum (MTPA). This will be the largest rail production capacity in any single location for a plant world over.

Delhi airport wins award for CSR

i.The Delhi International Airport (Private) Limited (DIAL) has won the ‘Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the transportation sector under the Aviation category for the year 2016

.ii.Delhi Airport has also been adjudged the world’s number one airport in ACI ASQ survey in 25- 40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category for two consecutive years - 2014 and 2015.

Birender Singh Yadav and Ashok Warrier accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Burkina Faso & Republic of Congo

i.Shri Birender Singh Yadav, 1997 batch IFS officer, presently High Commissioner of lndia to Ghana, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Burkina Faso, with residence in Accra.

ii.Shri Ashok Warrier, presently Ambassador of lndia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Congo.

IRDAI okays Swiss Re move to open Mumbai branch

i.Wholesale reinsurance provider Swiss Re has received approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to open a branch in the city.

ii. With the composite branch license, Swiss Re will be able to operate in India and it can offer both non-life and life and health reinsurance solutions directly to clients and brokers in the country.Swiss Reinsurance Company, India Branch, will begin its operation from February 1, 2017.

Utkarsh Micro Finance Launches its Small Finance Bank

i.Varanasi-based Utkarsh Micro Finance started operating its banking business as Utkarsh Small Finance Bank on January 23, 2017 to cater to the needs of the poor mainly in the northern belt. UK’s Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) has infused Rs. 150 crore in the tier II capital in the company.

ii.This makes Utkarsh the third company to operate as small finance bank after Capital Small Finance Bank and Equitas Small Finance Bank all of which got final approval from RBI to operate banking business on November 28, 2016.

Nepal Launches 10-year-plan to Reduce Depending on India for Vegetable Imports 

i.In a move to decrease dependence on vegetable imports from India, the Nepal Government has launched a 10-year plan to boost domestic production.

ii.The 10-year scheme aims to adopt modern farm techniques to boost vegetable productivity in the country and make the country self-reliant in food.

Turkish Parliament Approves Presidential Rule Paving Way for Referendum

i.The parliament of Turkey approved a constitutional reform on January 21, 2017 to strengthen the powers of the presidency by introducing presidential rule in the country and has led the way for a referendum on the issue by the public.

ii.If the bill will be passed then the President Tayyip Erdogan would serve the office until 2029

Goa First State to Send Postal Ballots Electronically to Service Voters

i.The Chief Election Commissioner(CEC) of India, Syed Nasim Zaidi informed that the state government of Goa has opted for an initiative involving electronic transmission of postal ballot to service voters in the upcoming assembly polls.

 ii.This initiative will make Goa the first state in the country to do so.

Ola appoints former PepsiCo executive Vishal Kaul as COO

i.Transportation app Ola  has appointed former PepsiCo executive Vishal Kaul as its Chief Operating Officer. 

 ii.He succeeds Pranay Jivrajka, who has been appointed as Founding Partner. Kaul most recently served as the General Manager of PepsiCo Foods for Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.

Foreign Secretary Jaishankar gets one-year extension

i.Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, whose tenure was to end on January 28, today got a one-year extension.The nod for the extension of his tenure till January 28, 2018 was given by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

ii.A 1977-IFS batch officer, Jaishankar was appointed Foreign Secretary on January 29, 2015 just few days before his retirement replacing Sujata Singh, whose term was abruptly curtailed by the government.

Siddhartha Murarka is now ICSI Chairman

i.Siddhartha Murarka has been appointed as the Chairman of the Eastern India Regional Council of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). 

ii.His term began from January 19, 2017. Murarka, a fellow member of the ICSI, was the head of risk management and compliance at a member firm of the PwC before starting his own practice.

iii.Murarka is also a “regular faculty”at ICAI and other professional bodies and chambers of commerce like the Merchant Chamber of Commerce and the BCCI

Virat Becomes Fastest Batsman to Score 1000 Runs as ODI Captain

i.Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman in the world to score 1,000 runs as captain in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) on January 22, 2017 in the third ODI against England at the Eden Gardens.

ii.The 28-year-old batsman took 17 innings to reach the landmark, breaking the earlier record set by South Africa’s AB deVilliers which was achieved in 18 innings.

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