Daily GK Update 29th March, 2017

AAI, DRDO and Govt. of Jharkhand Signed a Tripartite MoU

i. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Government of Jharkhand signed an MoU for the development of the Deoghar Airport in Deoghar district of Jharkhand.
ii. The existing Deoghar Airport will be developed for operations of A-320 and C-130 Aircraft. The time frame given to develop and operationalize the Deoghar Airport is two years.

1st time India becomes Net Exporter of Electricity

i. As per Central Electricity Authority, the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, 1st time India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity.
ii. During the current year 2016-17 (April 2016 to February 2017), India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan.

SBI launches 'Unnati' credit card

i. SBI Card launched a unique credit card ‘SBI Card Unnati’ targeted at all SBI customers, including Jan Dhan account-holders across the country.
ii. As per the statement of SBI Card CEO, Vijay Jasuja, any SBI customer with a balance of at least Rs 25,000 in his/her savings account with the bank would be eligible for the Unnati credit card without the need for any credit score or credit history.

Karnataka Bank’s PoS installations reach 10,000-mark

i. The total tally of PoS (point-of-sale) installations of Karnataka Bank Ltd has reached 10,000. The bank has been offering PoS services since 2011.
ii. This service enabled the merchant establishments to accept card payments and boost their business. The bank is also providing ‘PoS Manager’, an android mobile app to help merchants.

Paytm, The first e-commerce company to become ASCI member

i. The country’s fast-growing e-commerce industry Paytm is all set to become a member of the self-regulatory voluntary organization Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) from April, 2017.
ii. The move is significant because advertising violations by e-commerce companies, which are big spenders on television, print and digital media, have been on the rise in recent years.
iii. The Alibaba-backed Paytm has also set up a new company named Paytm Financial Services, which will sell financial products like insurance and mutual funds to its planned payments bank account holders.

IRDAI imposed penalty on ICICI Pru Life
i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company on various charges.
ii. The charges include free look cancellations not being in line with regulations and delay in processing surrenders/partial withdrawals.

 INLCU L51 commissioned into India Navy

i. Indian Navy inducts surveillance ship INLCU L51, the first of the eight ships of the Landing Craft Utility MK IV Class, was commissioned into the India Navy in Port Blair.
ii. The commissioning of the ship adds a feather to the glorious chapter in the nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives and indigenisation efforts in the field of warship design and construction.

NTPC commissions 55 MW solar project at Bhadla
i. State-run power producer NTPC has commissioned 55 Mega Watt (MW) of Bhadla Solar Power Project in Rajasthan.
ii. With this, the installed capacity of Bhadla Solar Power project has become 260 MW and that of NTPC's solar power projects has become 620 MW.


Sima Kamil becomes first woman to lead a major Pakistani bank

i. United Bank Limited (UBL) has appointed Sima Kamil as the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank.
ii. She will take charge on June 1, 2017 by replacing outgoing CEO Wajahat Hussain. She is the first woman to head a major commercial bank in Pakistan.


UN appoints David Beasley to head World Food Programme

i. United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David Beasley to head the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).
ii. Beasley will run the affairs of the world’s largest humanitarian organization, serving more than 90 million beneficiaries in 80 countries.
iii. He has replaced Etharin Cousin, who has been the WFP executive director since 2012.

Anil Ambani inducted into the Atlantic Council
i. Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been inducted into the international advisory board of global think-tank the Atlantic Council.
ii. The Atlantic Council headquartered in Washington, DC. The Atlantic Council chaired by Jon Huntsman Jr.



Bhubaneswar to host men’s hockey World League Final 2017

i. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed Bhubaneswar as the venue for two of its major events the Men’s Hockey World League Final in December 2017 and the men’s World Cup in 2018.
ii. The Kalinga Stadium in the Odisha capital was confirmed as host after the state government signed a deal with FIH to sponsor the two events.

R Ashwin receives Sir Garfield Sobers trophy

i.India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received Garfield Sobers Trophy for being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year as well as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
ii. With this Ashwin has become the third Indian and the 12th player overall to win the award after Rahul Dravid in 2004 and Sachin Tendulkar in 2010.


Important takeaways from above G.K. update are as follows:

1.Ravichandran Ashwin received Garfield Sobers Trophy

2.R Ashwin is the third Indian to receive this Trophy. Rahul Dravid was first (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar was second (2010)
3. Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy awarded annually by the ICC to its chosen world player of the year
4.The trophy is handcrafted by leading international crystal manufacturer Swarovski
5.The trophy is named after former West Indies cricket captain Sir Garfield Sobers.
6.South Carolina Governor David Beasley will head the Rome-based World Food Programme.
7.He has replaced Etharin Cousin who has been WFP Executive Director since 2012
8.Secretary-General of United Nations is Antonio Guterres
9.IRDAI headquarter is in Hyderabad, Telangana
10.IRDAI was established  in 2002
11.T S Vijayan is the chairman of IRDAI
12.Karnataka bank headquarter is in Mangalore, Karnataka
13.The bank was founded in 1924
14.Karnataka bank CEO is Polali Jayarama Bhat.
15.The bank is providing ‘PoS Manager’ mobile app to help merchants.
16.Indian Navy inducts INLCU L51
17.Chief of Naval staff (CNS) is Sunil Lanba the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy.
18.Paytm is the first e-commerce company to become ASCI member
19.Paytm is a 100% subsidiary of One97 Communications
20.Paytm has set up a new company named Paytm Financial Services
22.Vijay Shekhar Sharma is the founder and CEO of Paytm.
23.India becomes Net Exporter of Electricity for the 1st time
24.India has exported to Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan
25.AAI, DRDO and Govt. of Jharkhand Signed a Tripartite MoU for the development of the Deoghar Airport in Jharkhand
26.Minister of State for Civil Aviation is Sh. Jayant Sinha
27.Chief  Minister of Jharkhand is Sh. Raghubar Das.
28.Bhubaneswar to host  Men’s Hockey World League Final, 2017 and men’s World Cup in 2018
29.FIH headquarter is in Switzerland and its President is Narendra Batra
30.SBI launched 'Unnati' credit card for SBI customers
31.Chairman of SBI is Mrs, Arundhati Bhattacharya and is headquartered in Mumbai
32.Headquarter of SBI Card is in Gurugram and its  CEO is Vijay Jasuja
33.Piyush Goyal is Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines.
34.Sima Kamil appointed as new president and CEO of United Bank Limited
35.UBL headquarter is in Karachi, Pakistan
36.UBL bank was founded in 1959.