Daily GK Update 23rd June 2017

1. ISRO’s PSLV-C38, carrying 31 satellites, lifts off from Sriharikota 

i. Adding another feather in its cap, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) workhorse rocket PSLV C-38 blasted off from the spaceport of Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh carrying the Cartosat-2 series satellite - a dedicated satellite for the defense forces - along with 30 co-passenger satellites.

Here is all you need to know about the launch- 

1. The 30 satellites will together weigh 243 kg and the total weight of all the 31 satellites, including Cartosat, is about 955 kg.
2. The rocket will sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun synchronous orbit (SSO).
3. The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries - Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the US as well as one Indian nanosatellite.
4. PSLV-C38 was launched from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
5. According to ISRO, the images sent by Cartosat satellite would be useful for cartographic, urban, rural, coastal land use, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and man-made features.

Important Takeaways-

• Chairman of ISRO is A S Kiran Kumar.
• ISRO was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre is located in Sriharikota Andhra Pradesh.

2. Iportant Cabinet Approvals: 22 June 2017

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved following agreements and MoUs in different fields.

The Cabinet has approved- 

1. Amendment of the Bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) between India and the Netherlands by incorporating the “Country of Residence” Principle into the said SSA.
2. MoU between Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for bilateral cooperation in the field of water resources management.
3. Constitution of Indian Naval Material Management Service (INMMS) as an Organized Group ‘A’ Engineering Service.
4. MoU on cooperation in the textiles, clothing and fashion sectors between India and Australia 
5. MoU on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space between India and Armenia.
6. MoU for cooperation in Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy between India and Sri Lanka.

3. Uttarakhand 4th and Haryana 5th ODF States in the country 

i. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana have declared themselves as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India, respectively.

ii. The two states joined the league of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala, which were the first three states to be declared ODF.

Important Takeaways-

• Sikkim was the first ODF state of the country.
• Swachh Bharat Mission was Launched on 2 October 2014 with the Main Objective To fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean and hygienic India.

4. Bengaluru firm Mypetrolpump, 1st in India to deliver diesel at home 

i. Bengaluru has become the country's first city where one can have fuel delivered at one's doorstep, just like milk and newspapers, only weeks after oil ministry announced that the Centre was thinking of rolling out such a system.

ii. Mypetrolpump, a one-year-old startup, conducted a soft launch with three delivery vehicles -each with a capacity of 950 liters. Above 100 liters, one needs to pay the diesel price plus one additional rupee per liter.

Static Takeaways-

• Bengaluru is also called as Silicon Valley of India.
• Bannerghatta National Park is situated in Bengaluru.

5. World Bank sanctions 44 million dollars for ASPIRe 

i. World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project. The loan was sanction by World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) in its meeting held at Washington DC, USA.

ii. The project aims at improving predictability and transparency in budget execution and efficiency in tax administration in Assam. ASPIRe project is based on three important components:

1. Strengthening public finance institutional capacity

2. Strengthening expenditure and revenue information systems

3. On project management, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination.

Important Takeaways-

• The world Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States.
• Jim Yong Kim is the President of the World Bank.

6. Major reshuffle in central bureaucracy, Rajiv Gauba named new Home Secretary 

i. Urban development secretary Rajiv Gauba will be the new home secretary after the completion of the tenure of Rajiv Mehrishi on August 30.

Other important Appointments are as follows-

1. Yudhvir Singh Malik- Secretary, Road Transport, and Highways.
2. Subhash C. Garg- Secretary of Economic Affairs.
3. Aruna Sundarajan- Telecommunications Secretary.
4. Avinash K. Srivastava- Consumer Affairs Secretary
5. Rajiv Kapoor- Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
6. Sanjeevanee Kutty- Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Defence Ministry.
7. Ajay Kumar Bhalla- Power Secretary.

7. Union Government launches VAJRA scheme to attract Indian scientists abroad 

i. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) under Ministry of Science and Technology has launched the Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty (VAJRA) scheme in a bid to bring together the Indian scientists abroad and India-based researchers for conducting joint researches in India.

ii. The web portal of VAJRA was launched by Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan. The motive behind the launching of VAJRA scheme is to bring the best of the world to India and conduct research in the country itself. It aims to convert brain-drain into brain-gain.

Important Takeaways-

• Union Minister of Science and Technology is Mr. Harsh Vardhan.

8. RBI reconstitutes Oversight Committee; appoints three more members 

i. The Reserve Bank of India reconstituted the Oversight Committee by appointing three more members. The high-level panel was formed to examine the process to resolve mounting bad loans in the banking sector. According to the RBI former chief vigilance commissioner, Pradeep Kumar will head the now reconstituted 5-member panel.

ii. Besides Kumar, the other members of the committee are former SBI Chairman Janki Ballabh, former Canara Bank Chairman and MD MBN Rao, former Chairman of L&T Finance YM Deosthalee and S Raman, member SEBI. Raman would be inducted into the panel from September 7, 2017 after he completes the term at SEBI. The expansion follows promulgation of the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 last month.

Banking Takeaways-

• The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• RBI was nationalized in 1949.
• Urjit Patel is the 24th Governor of RBI.

9. AMRUT Scheme: 53 New Projects for 9 Cities Approved in Odisha

i. The state government approved 53 urban projects with a total investment of Rs 538 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The scheme, launched in nine urban places in the state since 2015-16 fiscal, has aimed at strengthening drinking water distribution network, development of sewerage system, storm water management, up-gradation of city transport system and development of amusement parks.

ii. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Balasore, Bhadrak and Baripada are the nine places where the scheme is being implemented with fund sharing patter of 50:50 between the Centre and state government. 

About the Scheme-

• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
• Launched on 24 June 2015
• Main Objective: Providing basic services (e.g. water supply, sewerage, urban transport) to households and build amenities in cities which will improve the quality of life for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged.

10. Mizoram launches scheme for better treatment of HIV-Hit people

i. Mizoram Health Minister Lal Thanzara has launched the ‘Test and Treat Strategy’ of the Mizoram state AIDS Control Society (MSACS) to improve treatment for HIV affected people in the state.
ii. Under the ‘Test and Treat Strategy’, the HIV-affected people would be given free Anti Retrovira Therapy (ART) irrespective of the CD4 count.

Important Takeaways-

• The capital of Mizoram is Aizawl.
• The CM of Mizoram is Pu Lal Thanhawla.

11. Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra to be honored by Queen Elizabeth II

i. Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra has been selected for prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award with 60 others from all 53 Commonwealth countries.
ii. He will be honored by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony to be held in the Buckingham Palace, UK on June 29, 2017.

Important Takeaways-

• The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognizes and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth countries.