Daily GK Update 29th June 2017

1. India’s communication satellite GSAT-17 successfully launched

i. India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-17 has been successfully launched from Kourou in French Guiana. GSAT-17 with a lift-off mass of about 3,477 kg carries payloads in Normal C-band, Extended C-band and S-band to provide various communication services.

ii. The Satellite also carries equipment for meteorological data relay and satellite-based search and rescue services being provided by earlier INSAT satellites.
iii. This was third satellite launch by ISRO this month, the other two being first developmental flight of GSLV MkIII and PSLV C-38 missions launched from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Dr. K Sivan is the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
• French Guiana is an overseas region of France on the northeast coast of South America.
• Its Capital is Cayenne.

2. India Signs Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 35 Million

i. An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 35 Million from World Bank for “Assam State Public Financial Institutional Reforms Project” was signed in New Delhi.

ii. The program size is USD 44 million, of which USD 35 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget. The program duration is 5 years.
iii. The objective of the project is to improve predictability and transparency in budget execution and efficiency in tax administration in Assam.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The President of the World Bank is Mr. Jim Yong Kim. 
• It was founded in 1944. 
• It Headquarters in Washington DC, USA. 
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is the full form of IBRD.

3. Sharjah named 'World Book Capital 2019' by UNESCO

i. Sharjah, a city in the United Arab Emirates was named 'World Book Capital for the year' 2019 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.

ii. The city was selected because of the very innovative, comprehensive and inclusive nature of the application, with a community-focused activity program containing creative proposals to engage the very large migrant population.
iii. The program runs with a slogan ‘Read - you are in Sharjah’. It focuses on six themes: inclusivity, reading, heritage, outreach, publishing, and children. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• As the nineteenth cities to bear the title since 2001, Sharjah follows Athens (2018) and Conakry (2017).
• The Full form of UNESCO is United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
• UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France

4. 6th Joint Trade Committee Meeting between India and Myanmar held in New Delhi

i. The 6th India - Myanmar Joint Trade Committee (JTC) Meeting co-chaired by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce & Industry from India and Dr. Than Myint, Union Commerce Minister from Myanmar was held in New Delhi.

ii. The Joint Trade Committee plays a key role in facilitating issues related to the enhancement of the bilateral economic partnership between the two countries.

Important Takeaways From Above News-

• Naypyidaw is the Capital of Myanmar.
• The Name of Burma was changed to Myanmar in 1989.

5. India’s first blood bank for Cattle to come up in Odisha

i. Odisha is all set to become the first state in the country to have a blood bank for the cattle. Acc. to the Vice-chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Surendra Nath Pasupalak, it is the first of its kind blood bank established on the premises of OUAT at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.25 crore.

ii. After approval from the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP), the OUAT is now awaiting approval from the state government. The project will have a 60:40 sharing between the Centre and the state government.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Naveen Patnaik is the CM of Odisha
• Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir is the governor of Odisha.

6. Election Commission joins hands with Facebook to Launch First Time Nationwide “Voter Registration   Reminder”

i. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has joined hands with Facebook to launch nationwide voter registration reminder aimed at reminding eligible Indian voters to register themselves on the electoral rolls.

ii. As a part of the initiative, Facebook will activate a unique ‘Register Now’ button reminding all the eligible Indian users to enroll themselves as voters. The reminder will be made available for four days beginning July 1.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Dr. Nasim Zaidi is the Chief Election Commissioner of ECI.

7. Union Government appoints Rajesh Shah as NIFT Chairperson

i. The Union Government (Ministry of Textiles) has appointed Shri Rajesh V. Shah as Chairperson on the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

ii. He has replaced Shri Chetan Chauhan as per the provisions of the National Institute of Fashion Technology Act, 2006.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• NIFT was Set up in 1986 and it comes under the Union Ministry of Textiles.

8. Kaushik Basu takes over as president of International Economic Association

i. Former chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu has taken over as president of the International Economic Association (IEA). Basu's three-year term started from June 23.

ii. Mr. Basu has also served as senior vice-president and chief economist at the World Bank from 2012 to 2016. He is currently the C. Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The IEA is a leading organization for professional economists and it seeks to shape global economic policy and research.
• The IEA was founded in 1950.
• IEA headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.

9. BCCI forms Committee to oversee Lodha Panel Reforms

i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the formation of a special seven-member committee to identify the ‘few critical points’ for the general body of the cricket board to consider before they are submitted to the Supreme Court.

ii. This committee will be responsible for identifying those points that are difficult to be implemented, in regards to the Justice RM Lodha Committee reforms. The seven-member committee has Rajeev Shukla, Sourav Ganguly, Naba Bhattacharjee, TC Mathew, Jay Shah, Amitabh Choudhary and Anirudh Chaudhary.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Lodha Panel was set up by the Indian Supreme Court in January 2015.

10. National Statistics Day: 29th June

i. The National Statistics Day, celebrated every year on June 29 to mark the birth anniversary of renowned statistician Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis.

ii. He was the first Indian statistician to receive world recognition. In 1933, he had founded the first Indian statistical journal Sankhya.

11. Vidya Balan named ambassador of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

i. Actress Vidya Balan has named an ambassador of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

ii. It will be held in August 10-22, 2017, which showcase over 60 films. In 2017, IFFM has diversity as its central theme.