Daily GK Update 16-17th April, 2017

PM Modi on 2-day visit to Gujarat- Day 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the 2-Day visit to Gujarat. He launched various projects and schemes during his visit on the first day. The two main actions of the day one were-

1. Inauguration of the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat

2. Inauguration of Cattle Feed Plant and launch of irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat- PM inaugurated the SUMUL (the Surat District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited) cattle feed plant at Bajipura in southern Gujarat. He also laid the Foundation Stone for three Lift Irrigation Schemes and inaugurated the Drinking Water Supply Scheme for Vyara Town and Jesinhpur-Dolvan Groups of Tapi district.

Nepal President to arrive in India on five-day visit

i. Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. 
ii. This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015, following the promulgation of the new Constitution in Nepal. A high-level delegation comprising several ministers and MPs accompanying her.

Manipur CM launched DARPAN web applications to check corruption

i. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities. 
ii. The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN). The two web applications would monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability.

Maharashtra, the first state to stage special drive for transgenders to register as voters

i. Maharashtra has become the first state to launch a special awareness drive to ensure that transgenders in the state register as voters in greater numbers. 
ii. The state branch of the Election Commission of India (ECI)  launched the drive on April 15, celebrated as Third Gender Day. According to ECI officials, despite the approximate population of third genders in Maharashtra being pegged at more than 10 lakh, only about 1,700 are registered voters.

 Finance Ministry approves 8.65% interest rate on EPF
i. The Finance Ministry have permitted the Labour Ministry to go ahead with 8.65% rate of interest on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for 2016-17, which will benefit over four crores EPFO members. 




Prakash Javadekar launched RUSA Portal, Mobile App

i. Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) portal and mobile app in New Delhi. 
ii. The portal is one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, the decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources. The mobile application will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked for 24x7.

Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station

i. For the first time in Indian Railway history Habibganj station in Bhopal has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it. 
ii. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. However, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu clarified that trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.


Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers
i. Over 50 Indians, including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt, are among Forbes’ list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30 who are “pushing boundaries of innovation“. 
ii. The second Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ Asia list 2017 features 300 impressive young entrepreneurs 30 in 10 categories, including entertainment, finance and venture capital, retail, social entrepreneurs and enterprise technology, under the age of 30 years.  
iii. The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago.

India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank

i. India’s gross domestic product is expected to spike to 7.2% in the 2017-18 financial year from 6.8% the previous fiscal, according to a new World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”. 
ii. The international agency forecast that India’s economic growth will rise gradually to 7.7% in 2019-’20, underpinned by a recovery in private investments.

Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award

i. The sixth prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture given to R.R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, the government of India. 
ii. He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties.

Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’
i. An Indian environmental engineer Trupti Jain has won 2017 prestigious ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative Award’ for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash flood. ii. She, was one among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and were selected by an independent international jury.

BRICS envoys on Middle East meet in India 

i. Special Envoys of five BRICS member states who specialises on West Asian Affairs held a quiet meeting in Vishakhapatnam to assess current situation in the volatile region after use of chemical weapons in Syria and US retaliatory strike on the Syrian air base. 
ii. This was the first meeting of the BRICS special envoys on the Middle East held in India and gained significance following growing instability in West Asia and North Africa. 

Google launches Areo app

i. Google has launched a new food delivery and home services aggregator called Areo for the Indian market. The app is available as a free download on the Google Play store and is currently operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117

i. Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century died at the age of 117. Morano, born on November 29, 1899, died at her home in Verbania, northern Italy.

Arjun Gaind launches his book on Punjab

i. Author Arjun Gaind launched his latest book, 'Punjab: Building the Land Of Five Rivers' in Mumbai. A panel discussion was organised on the occasion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in which Punjab’s history, heritage, culture and growth were discussed. 

Sai Praneeth wins Singapore open Badminton

i. Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton beating his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.  
ii. This was the first time that two Indians featured in a men’s singles Superseries final and India became only the fourth country to have both players in a Super series final. The other three are China, Denmark and Indonesia.

Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title
i. Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. 
ii. The ace cueist defeated his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh. 


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• PM Modi is on 2-day visit to Gujarat
• Inaugurated the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat
• Inaugurated SUMUL, Cattle Feed Plant and launched irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat
• R.R. Hanchinal accloaded by M.S. Swaminathan Award
• He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement
• The award is in a name of M S Swaminathan, who was an Indian geneticist and international administrator.
• Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications Anti-Corruption Cell and DARPAN to check corruption and keep track of government activities
• Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation  is the full form of DARPAN
• Maharashtra becomes the first state to launch a special drive for transgenders to register as voters
• CM of Maharashtra is Devendra Fadnavis and governor of Maharashtra is C Vidyasagar Rao.
• Trupti Jain  has won 2017 'Cartier Women’s Initiative Award'
• The Cartier Awards are an international business competition that aims to encourage women entrepreneurs to solve contemporary global challenges.
• Habibganj station in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) has been handed over to a private firm to be operated by it
• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers in Asia including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt
• India has 53 achievers on the list, second only to China which has 76 honorees
• The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago
• B. C. Forbes is the founder of Forbes
• Finance Ministry approved 8.65% interest rate on EPF
• Employees Provident Fund Organization is full form of EPFO
• Arun Jaitley is the Finance Minister of India
• Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFO) of EPFO is D.R. V.P. Joy
• EPFO head office is in New Delhi.
• India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank
• The World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”
• The president of the World Bank is Jim Yong Kim and it is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States.
• Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in India (New Delhi) on a five-day visit
• Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and currency is Nepalese Rupee
• Prime Minister of Nepal is Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
• Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the RUSA portal
• RUSA full form is Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
• Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton.
• Sai Praneeth has defeated his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.
• Praneeth is a male Indian badminton player.
• World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117.
• Emma Morano was an Italian woman.
• Morano was born on November 29, 1899. 
• Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title.
• At the tender age of 18, Pankaj won his first World Title in 2003.
• He is the only person in the history of the game to have won both the billiards and snooker IBSF World Titles as well as the World Professional Billiards Championship.
• His excellence in the sport has also earned him the highest sporting honor - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006.
• Pankaj Advani Born in Pune on 24 July 1985.
• Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship.