127th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar: 14 April
i. Nation remembers Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary today i.e 14 April 2017. ii. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chief architect of the Constitution of India, was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, which is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. He was also the first law minister of India.
iii. Prime Minister Modi launched several crucial initiatives to further the digital payments revolution in India on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti in Nagpur. These projects include the launch of BHIM Aadhaar platform for merchants, cash back and referral bonus schemes for BHIM and declaring about 75 townships going less-cash.
France, India ink pact to upgrade Railways
i. The French Minister of State for Transport Alain Vidalies signed an agreement with Indian Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for collaboration in railway areas such as high-speed and semi-high speed rail, modernisation of current operations and infrastructure, station renovation and operations, suburban trains and safety systems.Women can retain maiden names in passports, PM announced
ii. Stating that he wanted women to be at the centre of the developmental schemes as the government is working in different ways to empower them through various schemes like Mudra and Ujjwala.
Haryana launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety
i. Similar to that of Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’, the Haryana government has launched ‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women safety in the state. ii. Under this operation, the 'Flying Squad' is patrolling those areas where anti-social elements are committing crimes against women. The team is formed by Chief Minister of Haryana Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar.
Jharkhand police initiates Tare Zameen Par programme for underprivileged kids
i. Jharkhand Police has initiated 'Tare Zameen Par programme' to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand. ii. This programme is aimed to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives.
iii. As a part of the programme, the state police appealed the locals to donate bags, shoes, books and clothes to improve the basic amenities of the children in the Naxal-affected areas.
Bank Boards Bureau evolves 'GRAF' for PSBs
i. The Bank Boards Bureau (BBB) has evolved a Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF) for public sector banks to ensure that they have the ability to compete successfully with private sector banks, small finance and payments banks, foreign banks and non-banking finance companies. ii. The framework is guided by the latest global benchmarking on governance practices provided by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervisions guidelines on corporate governance principles for banks released in July 2015.
Postal department, SBI join hands to promote cashless transactions
i. Department of Posts has joined hands with State Bank of India to promote 'SBI buddy e-wallet' and Point of Sale (POS) machines for cashless transactions at post office counters while booking speed post and registered post items. ii. Higher officials have dedicated SBI buddy e-wallet and SBI POS machines at Chandigarh General Post Office for the general public.
I-T CPC in Bengaluru gets new unique pin code for taxpayers benefit
i. Taxpayers wanting to send their paper Income Tax Return (ITR) acknowledgment forms or documents related to refunds and others to the I-T department's CPC in Bengaluru can now send it to a unique pin code '560500'. ii. The Department of Post has allotted the pin code to the Central Processing Centre (CPC) to ensure that letters and emails sent by taxpayers and assessees are not lost and reach the centre without delay.
IRDAI launches web portal for insurers
i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a web portal for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.ii. The portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' is also open to intermediaries in the insurance business.
Grasim gets RBI approval to hike FII limit
i. The Reserve Bank has allowed Aditya Birla Group firm Grasim Industries to raise the foreign shareholding to 49% from the existing limit of 30%. ii. RBI has notified that foreign institutional Investors/foreign portfolio investors can now invest the paid-up capital of Grasim Industries Ltd under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).
Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya takes charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI
i. Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya took charge as Whole Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi. ii. He will look after the fields like Administrative Law Wing, Information Technology, Limited Insolvency Examination, National Insolvency Examination, Finance Accounts and Communication.
Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award 2015-16
i. The Union Ministry of Agriculture has selected Himachal Pradesh for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for the commendable increase in food grains production. ii. Himachal Pradesh is being selected for this award for the third time. The award would carry a trophy, citation and cash prize. The state was also conferred the Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12 for the increase in wheat production and in 2014-15 for increasing food grains production.
Indian wins top prize at UN challenge for open source tool
i. An Indian software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik has won the top prize at a global challenge for an open-source tool that enables users to interactively view UN General Assembly resolutions and gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns of member states. ii. He also won the 'Unite Ideas UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge' for his Global Policy.
Cisco launched 5th global and 1st in India cyber range lab in Gurugram
i. US-based tech giant Cisco launched its fifth global cyber range lab in Gurugram, Haryana with an aim to train Indian firms and government agencies on real-world cyber attacks. ii. This is the first cyber range lab in India. The facility was inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai.
i. A book on Draupadi named 'the Flaming Tresses of Draupadi' written by senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was released by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. ii. The book is an English translation by D A Shankar of Moily’s original work in Kannada.
Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-
- Nation remembers BR Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary i.e. 14 April 2017
- He was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, which is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar
- He was also the first law minister of India
- Unified Payment Interface (UPI) based app BHIM was launched by PM Modi which has been named after Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
- Pranab Mukherjee released the book named 'the Flaming Tresses of Draupadi' authored by M Veerappa Moily
- The book was translated into English by D A Shankar
- Moily is best known for his book Shree Ramayana Mahanveshanam, which received the Moortidevi Award of the Bharatiya Jnanpith.
- Haryana govt launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety
- Haryana CM is Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar
- Governor of Haryana is Kaptan Singh Solanki.
- Cisco launched its fifth global cyber range lab in Gurugram, Haryana
- The facility was inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai
- Cisco was formed in 1984 and it is headquartered in California, USA
- Chuck Robbins is the current CEO of Cisco
- India and France inked pact to upgrade Railways
- France PM is Bernard Cazeneuve
- The capital of France is Paris and its Currency is Euro
- French Minister of State for Transport is Alain Vidalies.
- Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award for 2015-16
- The total food grains production has increased from 14.94 lakh tonne to 16.34 lakh tonne in Himachal Pradesh
- Radha Ram Mohan Singh is the Union Agriculture and farmer welfare Minister of India
- The Capital of Himachal Pradesh is Shimla and its Chief Minister is Mr. Virbhadra Singh
- Postal department and SBI joined hands to promote cashless transactions in India
- SBI buddy e-wallet and SBI POS machines at Chandigarh General Post Office has been dedicated to the general public
- Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya is the Chairperson of Mumbai Headquartered State Bank of India
- Tare Zameen Par programme launched in Jharkhand
- CM of Jharkhand is Raghubar Das
- Governor of Jharkhand is Draupadi Murmu.
- Tare Zameen Par programme launched in Jharkhand
- CM of Jharkhand is Raghubar Das
- Governor of Jharkhand is Draupadi Murmu.
- BBB has evolved a Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF) for public sector banks
- Banks Board Bureau is an autonomous body of Union Government of India tasked to improve the governance of Public Sector Banks.
- IRDAI has launched a web portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.
- Full form of IRDAI is Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
- IRDAI Chairman is T.S Vijayan and its headquarter is in Hyderabad.
- Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya took charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI
- The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) was established on October 1, 2016, in accordance with the provisions of The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
