Daily GK Update 14th June 2017

IRDAI takes over management of Sahara Life Insurance 

i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has taken over the administration of Sahara India Life Insurance, a first of its kind move in the insurance sector.
ii. R.K. Sharma, general manager, IRDA has been appointed as the administrator with “immediate effect” to manage Sahara India Life Insurance Company.

iii. The current board of Sahara India Life is headed by Chairman OP Srivastava. Sanjay Agarwal is whole-time director and CEO.

Takeaways from Above News-

• Lucknow-based Sahara India Life Insurance was the first wholly Indian owned life insurance company in the private sector.
• It is promoted by Sahara Pariwar Group headed by Subrata Roy.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list with maximum child labor in the state– CRY report 

i. According to the Child Rights and You (CRY) report, over 8 lakh children in India between the age group 5 and 6 years are engaged in child labor.

ii. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of 2,50,672 children engaged in labor, followed by Bihar with 1,28,087 children and Maharashtra where the number stands at 82,847.
iii. The report has outlined that reach of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which was introduced with the intent of providing a strong base to these children, is quite limited as it covers only 50% percent of this population.

Takeaways from Above News-

• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was Launched on October 2, 1975, by Government of India.
• Its Objective is to provide food, organization preschool education, and primary healthcare to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
• CRY is an organization working to restore child rights in India.
• It was founded in the year 1979 by Rippan Kapur.

Sikkim govt signs MoU with British Council 

i. The Human Resource Development department of Sikkim government signed an MoU with the British Council to enhance the quality of education in the state. The MoU will improve the educational structure of the schools of Sikkim.

ii. The purpose of the MoU is to support the aims and aspirations of the young people of Sikkim through collaborative projects in the area of English, education, and skills by strengthening the capacity of the teachers and other professionals, working with youth in the state and support its cultural economy.

Static Takeaways from Above News-

• Khangchendzonga National Park is situated in Sikkim.
• Rangit Dam is a famous Dam in Sikkim.

G7 environment ministers meeting 2017 held in Bologna, Italy 

i. Group of Seven (G7) Environment Ministers Meeting was held in Bologna, Italy to discuss issues ranging from climate change to sustainable development and litter at sea. The meeting was attended by the Environment Ministers of the seven countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan) and the Commissioners of the European Union for Environment and Climate.

ii. ‘5-year Bologna Roadmap’ was adopted at the meeting, which focuses on important issues such as resource efficiency indicators, citizen involvement, awareness on food waste and economic analysis of the efficient use of resources.

Takeaways from Above News-

• G7 members include US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan.
• G7 presidency rotates annually between member countries. The Presidency for the year 2017 is held by Italy. Canada will hold the G7 presidency in 2018.
• Rome is the Capital of Italy.
• Paolo Gentiloni is the Prime Minister of Italy.

India's first canal top solar PV system at NTPC Mouda 

i. State-run power giant National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has energized India's first 150 kWp canal top solar PV System on cooling water (CW) channel inside power station premises at its 2,320 MW, Mouda Thermal Power Project, near Nagpur in Maharashtra. 

ii. This novel Solar PV system makes use of side walls of CW channels as load bearing structure thereby significantly decreasing cost of civil and mounting structure.

Important Takeaways from above News-

• NTPC was Incorporated on November 7, 1975.
• Shri Gurdeep Singh is the Chairman and MD of NTPC.

Telangana launches PashuBazar website for online cattle sale

i. The Telangana government has launched a website to facilitate this service. The online sale or purchase of cattle through pashubazar.telangana.gov.in website will help farmers as the cattle need not be brought to shandies every time and farmers can save on transportation cost on cattle.

ii. Special Chief Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Suresh Chanda launched the website developed with NIC’s support. The Pashu Bazaar platform was developed to help farmers to sell their animals without physically taking them to weekly markets. The farmer can keep maximum five registrations for sale at any time.

Takeaways from above News-

• K. Chandrashekar Rao is the CM of Telangana.
• E. S. L. Narasimhan is the Governor of Telangana.

India ratifies two key ILO conventions on child labour

i. India ratified two key ILO conventions on child labor, according to a statement issued by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who is in Geneva stated that the ratification reaffirmed India’s “commitment to a child labor free society”.

ii. According to ILO, the Government of India deposited with the International Labour Office the instruments of ratification of the two fundamental ILO Conventions concerning the elimination of child labor, the Minimum Age Convention (No 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182).
iii. India is the 170th ILO member state to ratify Convention No 138, which requires states to set a minimum age under which no one shall be admitted to employment or work in any occupation, except for light work and artistic performances.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• ILO Director-General is Guy Ryder.
• The ILO was created in 1919.
• ILO Headquarters in  Geneva, Switzerland.

NASA confers Exceptional Public Service Medal to Michael A'Hearn posthumously

i. NASA has posthumously awarded the Exceptional Public Service Medal to Michael A’Hearn, one of the world’s leading comet scientists. A’Hearn died at the age of 76.

ii. The NASA Medal is for “fundamental work on comets and small bodies of the solar system, leadership in space missions, and ensuring public access to data from NASA missions and related projects.” 

Takeaways from above News-

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the full form of NASA.
• Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. is NASA Acting Administrator.
• NASA was established in 1958.

Virat Kohli becomes No.1 ranked ODI batsman

i. In a major shakeup at the top of the rankings after the group stages of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Indian captain Virat Kohli displaced South Africa’s AB de Villiers as the No.1 ranked ODI batsman in the world while Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood took over from Proteas pacer Kagiso Rabada as the No.1 ranked bowler.

Top three ODI Batsman are-

1. Virat Kohli (IND)
2. David Warner (AUS)
3. AB de Villiers (SA)

Top Three ODI Bowlers are-

1. Josh Hazlewood (AUS)
2. Imran Tahir (SA)
3. Mitchell Starc (AUS)

Ex-Uttarakhand CM Pokhriyal authors book on Vajpayee ‘Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal Ji’

i. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank, has officially handed over the first copy of the 450-page book titled -‘Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal Ji’ to the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee.