Daily GK Update 08th July 2017

1. 12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany

i. Hamburg hosted the twelfth G20 Summit on the 7th and 8th of July, 2017. The G20, or group of 20, is an international meeting between heads of states, finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s leading economies.

ii. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting this year’s G20 Summit in Hamburg.
iii. Leaders of the G20 countries agreed to swift action and targeted exchange of information on terrorism and its financing. The leaders also decided that the private sector will also be involved in the global efforts to counter terror financing.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• G-20 was founded in 1999.
• The first meeting of G-20 was held in Berlin in 1999.
• The last G-20 summit was held in China in 2016.

2. 122 countries adopt 'historic' UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons

i. 122 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN meeting boycotted by all nuclear-armed nations. One country the Netherlands voting against while Singapore abstained.

ii. None of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel took part in the negotiations or the vote.
iii. Even Japan the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945 boycotted the talks as did most NATO countries.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Japan had suffered the Nuclear attack in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 during Second World War.

3. Center launches GST Rates Finder app to verify accurate tax rate under GST regime

i. Centre has launched an app – GST Rates Finder to verify the accurate tax rate on commodity and services under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the app in New Delhi.

ii. Through this app, user can determine GST rate by entering the name of the commodity or service. The search result will list all the Goods and Services containing the name which was typed in the search box. A taxpayer can search for applicable CGST, SGST, UTGST rate and Compensation Cess on a supply.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• GST council is headed by Finance Minister of India Mr. Arun Jaitley.

4. JIGYASA - Student-Scientist connect programme launched 

i. Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect program was officially launched in New Delhi recently. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this program.

ii. MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology and Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of HRD.
iii. “JIGYASA” is one of the major initiative taken up by CSIR at the national level, during its Platinum Jubilee Celebration Year.

Important Takeaways fromAbove News-

• Union Minister for Science & Technology is Dr. Harshvardhan.
• Mr. Prakash Javadekar is Union HRD Minister.

5. MRP to be sole price decider from Jan 1, 2018

i. From January 1, 2018, the price of a packaged good would no longer depend on where you bought it- be it a local Kirana store, a mall, a five-star hotel or an airport. The Consumer Affairs Ministry has amended the rules that govern packaged commodities to this effect.

ii. As per the amended Legal Metrology rules for packaged commodities, the Centre has clarified that the retail sale price shall be the maximum retail price (MRP) inclusive of all taxes, with the provision to round off the price to the nearest rupee or 50 paise.

6. Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance ties up with Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing bancassurance

i. Private life insurance company Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has entered into an alliance with the Kerala-based Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing various life insurance products.

ii. As part of the agreement, the Bank will be a corporate agent for 3 years. All the life insurance products of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance would be made available to customers of Dhanlaxmi Bank and would be sold by the licensed staff of the bank.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief executive officer of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company Limited is Anuj Mathur.
• MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank is G. Sreeram.

7. RBI allows NBFCs to offer new pension scheme

i. The Reserve Bank of India has allowed systematically important non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to sell and market the new pension scheme (NPS).

ii. NBFCs with asset size of Rs500 crore and above that have made a net profit in the preceding financial year be permitted to sell NPS to their clients after registration with the pension regulator. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• RBI Headquarters in Mumbai.
• The 24th Governor of RBI is Dr. Urjit Patel.
• Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 of India.

8. Saima Wazed Hossain appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South Asia

i. Saima Wazed Hossain, a globally renowned champion for the cause of autism spectrum disorder has been appointed as the WHO's goodwill ambassador for autism in the world body's Southeast Asia region.

ii. Her appointment is for a period of two years. As WHO Goodwill Ambassador, Hossain will be promoting the Thimphu Declaration which emphasizes on integrating the needs of autism affected people into national health and socioeconomic development plans. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Saima Wazed Hossain was designated as WHO Regional Champion for Autism in May 2016.
• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of WHO for the term of 5 Years.

9. Indian-origin man Guruswamy Jayraman awarded Australia’s highest civilian award

i. Guruswamy Jayraman, a 69-year-old Glenwood resident who migrated from Delhi to Australia in 1991, has been awarded Order of Australia for community work, the highest civilian award in Australia.

ii. He holds a graduate diploma in health counseling and in medical terminology and counseling.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The capital of Australia is Canberra.
• Its Currency is Australian dollar.
• Malcolm Turnbull is the PM of Australia.

10. Indian Ambassador to Peru Sandeep Chakravorty appointed New York Consul General

i. India’s Ambassador to Peru Sandeep Chakravorty has been appointed as the head of the Indian consulate in New York.
ii. The 1996 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer will replace Riva Ganguly Das as Consul General in one of the busiest Indian diplomatic missions overseas.
iii. Chakravorty (47) was India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka, before being appointed as Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia.