Daily GK Update 03nd March, 2017

Daily GK Update 03nd March, 2017

Indian Navy successfully test-fires missile from Kalvari submarine

i. The Indian navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously built Kalvari class submarine.

ii. The weapon was fired from the submarine, the first of India’s six Scorpene-class submarines which are being built under the Project 75 and it “successfully hit” a surface target during the trial in the Arabian Sea.

iii. The submarines were designed by French naval defense and energy company DCNS and are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.

Centre approves over 4,000 PG seats in medical colleges & hospitals

i. Centre has approved over 4,000 Post Graduate seats in medical colleges and hospitals across the country for the academic session 2017-18. 

ii. Health Minister J P Nadda in an official statement stated that with this, the total number of PG seats available in the country will go up to over 35 thousand. He also said this will further boost nation's resolve to strengthen tertiary care and improve the medical education in the country. 

iii. Centre had announced the creation of additional 5,000 PG medical seats every year during this year's (2017) budget with an aim to bolster availability of specialist doctors at secondary and tertiary levels. 

Govt launches nationwide 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' 

i. The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar has launched 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in Gurugram, Haryana to raise awareness on sanitation and cleanliness.

ii. Mr. Tomar has decided to observe 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' from March 1 to 8, 2017 across the country. Over 1,500 women sarpanches of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and all women sarpanches of Gurugram division are participating in this event. 

iii. PM Modi will take part in a closing ceremony of the program on March 8, 2017 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Himachal okays proposal to make Dharamshala its second capital

i. The Himachal Pradesh cabinet approved the proposal to make Dharamshala as the second capital of the state.

ii. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who had earlier during his winter sojourn to Kangra had expressed his desire to make Dharamshala as the second capital. 

Government’s biotech innovation BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre set up in Bengaluru

i. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms – C-CAMP, technology, and innovation hub, will house the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) Regional Entrepreneurship Centre (BREC) in Bengaluru.

ii. The center has been set up with the objective of encouraging the spirit of bio-entrepreneurship, facilitating the creation of life science start-ups and mentoring start-ups to increase their chances of success.

JNU wins Visitor's Awards 2017 for best university

i. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has won the annual Visitor's Award for the 'Best University', 2017.

ii. Deepak Pant from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh won the Visitor's Award for 'Innovation' while the Visitor's Award for 'Research' has been jointly won by Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Professor Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University.

iii. President Pranab Mukherjee will present the Visitor's Awards on 06 March 2017 at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of the 'Festival of Innovations'. 

GAIL signs 1st time-swap deal for US LNG with Gunvor

i. State-run gas company Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) has signed a time-swap deal with Swiss trader Gunvor to sell some of its US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as the Indian firm tries to ease the burden of its costly foreign LNG supplies.

ii. It is the first time-swap agreement by GAIL, which is trying to juggle its LNG portfolio to cut costs for price-sensitive Indian customers after a sharp fall in Asian spot prices made its US gas unattractive.

DRDO Hands Over 3 Developed Products to Indian Army

i. Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over three of its products for induction into the Indian Army in a formal function.The products are namely:

(a) Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), SWATHI

(b) NBC Recce vehicle

(c) NBC Drugs

ii. The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar who presided the function handed over the products to the Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on behalf of DRDO.

Jindal Steel to make high nitrogen steel for DRDO

i. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a technology transfer agreement with Haryana-based Jindal Stainless Ltd.(JSHL) for manufacturing High Nitrogen Steel (HNS). 

ii. HNS has higher ballistic strength. It is not only tough but also has good strength. It is non-magnetic and corrosion-resistant. Its cost is about 40% less than that of Rolled Homogeneous Armour steel (RHA). 

MTNL appoints P K Purwar as Chairman and Managing Director

i. P K Purwar was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of state-run telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for five years. 

Singareni Collieries records new highs in coal output, dispatches

i. Singareni Collieries Company Limited has set a new record with coal production of 58.7 lakh tons and highest dispatches of 57 lakh tons in a month during February 2017.

ii. The mining company’s 1,200 MW power plant has also logged high plant load factor. With this, SCCL recorded a growth of 9.31% in coal production against 53.7 lakh tons during February 2016.