Daily GK Update 3rd June 2017

Odisha to have first automatic coastal warning for disasters in India

i. Odisha is the first State in India to have developed an automatic public address system that can be activated along its entire coast.
ii. The State government is all set to commission the ambitious Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) that would enable loud sirens go off simultaneously from towers at 122 locations by July 2017.
iii. Odisha can now warn the vast population residing along its 480 km-long coast by pressing a single button from a control room in the State capital in the event of the occurrence of natural disasters like a tsunami or a cyclone.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Odisha CM is Naveen Patnaik and Governor is Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir.
• Simlipal National Park is situated in Odisha

Varanasi to get India’s 1st freight village

i. Varanasi will get the country's first 'freight village' spread over around 100 acres. 

ii. The plan to set up this project close to the upcoming multi-mode terminal along the Ganga has attracted major players including Dubai Port World and IL&FS. 

iii. It will be developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Static Takeaways-

• IWAI was created by Government of India on 27 October 1986 for development and regulation of Inland waterways for shipping and navigation.

RBI initiates ‘prompt corrective action’ for Dena Bank

i.  The Reserve Bank of India has initiated prompt corrective action (PCA) for Dena Bank in view of high net non-performing assets and negative return on assets. Last month (May 2017), the central bank had initiated PCA for IDBI Bank and UCO Bank in view of high NNPAs and negative ROA.
ii. Prompt Corrective Action is the action which will not have any material impact on the performance of the bank infact it will contribute to improve the internal controls of the bank and improvement in its activities.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Dena Bank Chairman and MD is Ashwani Kumar and its headquarter is in Mumbai
• Urjit Patel is the 24th governor of RBI and its headquarters is in Mumbai.

SBI, World Bank finance ₹400-cr solar projects

i. State Bank of India and the World Bank announced that they had financed 100 MW of rooftop solar projects worth Rs400 crore in India.
ii. SBI has availed of a loan of $625 million from the World Bank for on-lending to viable Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar PV (GRPV) projects undertaken by developers, aggregators and end-users, for installation of rooftop solar systems.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Chairman of SBI is Arundhati Bhattacharya and its headquarters is in Mumbai
• Jim Yong Kin is the President of World Bank and its headquarters is in Washington, D.C, USA

BoI conducts ‘Star Mahotsav’

i. Bank of India conducted a mass-contact programme, ‘Star Mahotsav’, across its branch network. ii. The thrust was in contacting every customer at their doorstep for recovery of bad loans, disbursement of retail loan, including housing and vehicle loan, disbursement under MSME and agriculture, and promotion of its products including debit/credit cards, PoS machines, internet banking, etc. 

Static Takeaways-

• Dinabandhu Mohapatra is a CEO and MD of Bank of India
• Bank of India headquarters is in Mumbai.

Airtel-Telenor India merger plan gets Sebi, BSE, NSE nod

i. Bharti Airtel has received approvals from the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI), BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India for its proposed merger with Telenor India.
ii. Airtel entered into an agreement with Telenor South Asia Investments in February, 2017 to buy Telenor India’s operations in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West) and Assam. These seven circles contribute about 35% to Airtel’s total revenue.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Sunil Bharti Mittal is the Chairman of  Bharti Airtel.

Shashi Shekar Vempati is new Prasar Bharati CEO

i. Shashi Shekar Vempati has been appointed as the CEO of Prasar Bharati on the recommendation of the three-member committee headed by the Vice-President, and consisting of the Chairman, Press Council of India, and the President’s nominee.
ii. He will replace Rajeev Singh, who has been serving as interim CEO since February 2017. Shashi Shekar Vempati will be the first non-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer to head the public broadcaster.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Prasar Bharati Board Chairman is A. Surya Prakash
• Head office of Prasar Bharati is in New Delhi.

Indian-American Amul Thapar appointed as Judge in US Court of Appeals

i.  Amul Thapar, an Indian-American legal luminary, has been appointed a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Donald Trump.
ii.  Before his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Thapar served on the District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• George Washington was the first President of USA
• The Capital of USA is Washington, D.C, USA and the Currency is US Dollar.

Leo Varadkar to be next Ireland PM

i. Indian-Origin Leo Varadkar is set to become the Republic of Ireland's next Prime Minister after winning the leadership of the Fine Gael party.
ii. The 38-year-old will become the first gay Prime Minister and will also be the country's youngest ever leader. He will succeed Enda Kenny as leader of the centre-right party within weeks.

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• Irish Capital is Dublin and Currency is Euro.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic sworn in as new President of Serbia

i. Aleksandar Vucic has been sworn in as Serbia's new president, promising to work for peace and stability in the war-weary Balkans while strengthening the country's armed forces. 

ii. Vucic formally stepped down from his prime minister's post and took over his new role after his landslide win in April's election.

Static Takeaways-

• Serbia Capital is Belgrade and its Currency is Serbian Dinar.

West Indies cricket team’s official name changed to WINDIES

i. The cricket board for West Indies, on its 91st anniversary, has re-branded themselves as Cricket West Indies from the former West Indies Cricket Board.  
ii. The board also announced in a media release on their official website that the cricket team from now on will be officially known as ‘WINDIES.’

Static Takeaways for SBI PO Mains Exam-

• West Indies was 2016 ICC Twenty20 World Cup Winner.
• 2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Winner was West Indies.

QUIZ-03+

Q1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched its football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) from _____________.
Answer: Wanaka, New Zealand

Q2. The 2nd quarterly review meeting on the Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) was held recently at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu & Kashmir. On this occasion how many new Iconic places to be taken under the Phase II of Swachh Iconic Places initiative were announced?
Answer: 10

Q3. Who was crowned as Miss Teen Universe 2017 at the event held in Managua, Nicaragua?
Answer: Srishti Kaur

Q4. Who is the Managing Director and Group CEO of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)?
Answer: Ajay Pandey

Q5. e-SOT and e-PRAN card launched for Atal Pension Yojana subscribers, recently. What is the full form of SOT?
Answer: Statement of Transaction

Q6. The government has appointed retired Supreme Court judge ___________ as the next chairman of Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
Answer: Shiva Kirti Singh

Q7. For the first time since Nagaland officially gained recognition as a state, a state Police Officer Atu Zumvu has been awarded one of the nations' military honour, ‘Shaurya Chakra’. Nagaland attained statehood in which year?
Answer: 1963

Q8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book authored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi, recently. The book is titled as __________.
Answer: Matoshree

Q9. The government has recently set up an 'Inter-Ministerial Committee' to monitor the regional air connectivity scheme named _________.
Answer: UDAN

Q10. Name the novel authored by Colson Whitehead that has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, recently.
Answer: The Underground Railroad

Q11. ESAF Small Finance Bank has launched a social deposit scheme called _____________ in Thrissur, Kerala.
Answer: Hrudaya Deposit scheme

Q12. Name the mobile manufacturing company that has recently partnered with Airtel and BSNL to set up 5G internet speed in India to introduce a fast internet ecosystem in the country.
Answer: Nokia

Q13. Carme Chacon, the first female defense minister of which country has passed away recently.
Answer: Spain

Q14. Name the person who has recently become the youngest noble prize winner to address Canadian parliament.
Answer: Malala Yousafzai

Q15. The first rail freight service ‘British goods’ has started recently from the UK to which country?
Answer: China

QUIZ-03+

Q1. Name the professor of Hyderabad University who has been awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for the year 2016.

(a) Gajraj Rajaram

(b) Vimal Seshubai

(c) Piyush Ananta Lakshmi

(d) Nirmal Kumar Viswanathan

(e) Satyabrata Rout
S1. Ans.(e)

Sol. Satyabrata Rout, a professor from the Department of Theatre Arts, S N School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for the year 2016.

Q2. Which of the following city in the country made a new Guinness world record for the maximum number of people sweeping a single venue?

(a) Indore

(b) Bhubaneswar

(c) Vadodara

(d) Varanasi

(e) Bhopal

S2. Ans.(c)

Sol. Vadodara, which was declared the 10th cleanest city in the country made a new Guinness world record for the maximum number of people sweeping a single venue. Around 5,058 residents of the city came together to achieve the feat at the venue.

Q3. Name the Indian actress who has been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for being an international icon.

(a) Deepika Padukon

(b) Priyanka Chopra

(c) Freida Pinto

(d) Purva Bedi

(e) Aishwarya Rai Bacchan

S3. Ans.(b)

Sol. Actress Priyanka Chopra will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for being an international icon. Star will be given the award under the newly introduced 'Internationally Acclaimed Actress' category at a ceremony.

Q4. The government launched new campaign called _____________ for promotion of toilet usage in the rural areas across the country.

(a) Bapu Hanikarak

(b) Good Morning Squad

(c) Subah Savere

(d) Darwaza Band

(e) Subah-e-Bharat

S4. Ans.(d)

Sol. The government launched new campaign called Darwaza Band for promotion of toilet usage in the rural areas across the country. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who leads the campaign, is proposed to be joined by Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Q5. The Employees Provident Fund Organization has approved hike in investment limit in exchange traded funds (ETFs) to ___________ from the existing 10%.

(a) 15%

(b) 14%

(c) 13%

(d) 12%

(e) 16%

S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Employees Provident Fund Organization has approved hike in investment limit in exchange traded funds (ETFs) to 15%, from the existing 10%. Union Labour Minister is Bandaru Dattatreya.

Q6. Government-run Prasar Bharati has got into an agreement with Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Television (SNRT) to step up cooperation in the broadcasting sector. SNRT is ____________ based company.

(a) Austria

(b) Sweden

(c) Morocco

(d) Indonesia

(e) Belgium

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Government-run Prasar Bharati has got into an agreement with Morocco's Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Television (SNRT) to step up cooperation in the broadcasting sector.

Q7. Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has been recently appointed as the Chancellor of which of the following University.

(a) Banaras Hindu University

(b) Jamia Millia Islamia

(c) Aligarh Muslim University

(d) Delhi University

(e) Jawaharlal National University

S7. Ans.(b)

Sol. Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has been appointed as the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. 77-year old Heptulla succeeds Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A. Zaki, he will complete his five-year term this month. Ms. Heptulla will also serve for the term of five-years.

Q8. Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar has recently launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile App. The Android-based app was introduced by ______________.

(a) Universal Grants Committee

(b) University Guarantee Commission

(c) Unilever Grand Commission

(d) Universal Guarantee Committee

(e) University Grants Commission

S8. Ans.(e)

Sol. Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile App. The Android-based app was introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi. This mobile app will help students register complaints to counter the menace of ragging.

Q9. Name the Indian fencer who has become the first Indian to win a gold medal in an international fencing event in the Turnoi Satellite Fencing Championship at Reykjavik (Iceland).

(a) Larsena Moitra

(b) Shivani Sharma

(c) Mona Kesri

(d) Bhavani Devi

(e) Aparna Bajpai

S9. Ans.(d)

Sol. Indian fencer C A Bhavani Devi struck gold in the Turnoi Satellite Fencing Championship at Reykjavik (Iceland). Bhavani Devi, who hails from Chennai, defeated Great Britain’s Sarah Jane Hampson.  With this win, Bhavani Devi has also become the first Indian to win a gold medal in an international fencing event.

Q10. Constantine Mitsotakis, a former prime minister of which of the following country has passed away recently?

(a) Greece

(b) Belgium

(c) Egypt

(d) Austria

(e) Uganda

S10. Ans.(a)

Sol. Constantine Mitsotakis, a former prime minister of Greece remembered for fierce confrontations with Greece's liberal and socialist parties has passed away.

Q11. The government has recently expanded the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) by adding two more members. Banks Board Bureau (BBB) is currently headed by _______________.

(a) Chandra Bhushan Tiwari

(b) Shivaraman Ray

(c) Vinod Rai

(d) Vipul Shah

(e) Kamaal Rao

S11. Ans.(c)

Sol. The government has recently expanded the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) by adding two more members. Banks Board Bureau (BBB) headed by Vinod Rai. The Bureau started functioning from April 01, 2016 as an autonomous recommendatory body.

Q12. Gujarat based GCMMF has signed an MoU with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for fodder acreage assessment using satellite observation and space technology. What does 'F' stands for in GCMMF?

(a) Food

(b) Federation

(c) Firm

(d) Foundation

(e) Fraternity

S12. Ans.(b)

Sol. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has signed an MoU with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for fodder acreage assessment using satellite observation and space technology.

Q13. GCMMF markets its products under the brand name of _______________.

(a) Gopaljee

(b) Nestle

(c) Parag

(d) Amul

(e) Paras

S13. Ans.(d)

Sol. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has signed an MoU with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for fodder acreage assessment using satellite observation and space technology. GCMMF markets its products under the brand name of 'Amul'.

Q14. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was recently in News. Who was the founder of ISRO?

(a) Vikram Sarabhai

(b) Satish Dhawan

(c) A P J Abdul Kalam

(d) C V Raman

(e) None of the given option is true

S14. Ans.(a)

Sol. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Vikram Sarabhai was the founder of ISRO.

Q15. Five associates of SBI were recently merged in it. Which of the following is not among them?

(a) State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur

(b) State Bank of Mysore

(c) State Bank of Travancore

(d) State Bank of Hyderabad

(e) State Bank of Manipur
S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. 1st April was the record date in India as the merger of State Bank of India took place (SBI) with five of its associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank. The five associate banks are State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Travancore (SBT), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) and State Bank of Patiala (SBP).

QUIZ-03

Q1. Which of the following Ships has recently been decommissioned by the Indian Navy after being in service for over 30 years?

(a) INS Karwar

(b) INS Khukri

(c) INS Kakinada

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (a) and (b)

Q2. The Indian Railways has recently decided to float global tenders worth over Rs 100 crore for acquiring EoTT equipment to run 1,000 trains without guards. What does 'TT' stand for in EoTT?

(a) Ticket Training

(b) Train Telemetry

(c) Train Telepathy

(d) Train Telecommunication

(e) Truncated Telepathy

Q3. The government has named Road Transport and Highways Secretary ____________ as its new defence secretary in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.

(a) Piyush Mishra

(b) Satyam Bansal

(c) SupriyaGangwar

(d) Sanjay Mitra

(e) Mahesh Sen

Q4. In a promising step for Indian basketball, the national Basketball Association (NBA) inaugurated its first ever academy in which of the following city?

(a) Mumbai

(b) New Delhi

(c) Kolkata

(d) Gandhinagar

(e) Greater Noida

Q5. Eminent personality ArjunTulshiramPawar passed away after prolonged illness. He was famous __________.

(a) Writer

(b) Politician

(c) Director

(d) Playback Singer

(e) Sitar Player

Q6. Name the company that has recently became the first US Company to top the $800 billion mark in market capitalization slightly more than two years after it crossed the $700 billion thresholds.

(a) Microsoft

(b) Google

(c) Apple Inc.

(d) Samsung

(e) ASUS

Q7. Name the Retd. Justice of India who was recently elected as the head of International Federation of Association Football governance committee at the 67th Congress in Bahrain.

(a) SumantaRaje

(b) Deepak Saneda

(c) Unmukta Chandra

(d) MukulMudgal

(e) IshantNadda

Q8. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways NitinGadkari launched the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Masala Bond at _______________.

(a) Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Germany

(b) Shanghai Stock Exchange, China

(c) London Stock Exchange, UK

(d) Italian Stock Exchange, Italy

(e) SWX Swiss Exchange, Switzerland

Q9. In 2017, United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Sri Lanka under the theme-

(a) Follow Footsteps of Lord Buddha

(b) Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace

(c) The New World TowardsEnlightment

(d) The Teachings of Buddha for Sustainable World Development

(e) None of the given themes are true

Q10. Which of the following city has been named as the world’s most affordable tech city in the new Savills Tech Cities Index 2017?

(a) New York

(b) Beijing

(c) California

(d) Seoul

(e) Bengaluru

Q11. Bahrain is the capital city of _______________.

(a) Hawaii

(b) Pattaya

(c) Manama

(d) Nauru

(e) Rwanda

Q12. LIC Housing Finance launched a new product named ___________ which will offer loans for construction, purchase of the house or flat and repairs or renovation to the existing properties.

(a) GrihaShobha

(b) Griha Siddhi

(c) GharSampanna

(d) Grihasthi

(e) Riddhi Siddhi

Q13. The chief of which of the following Bank has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship?

(a) ICICI Bank

(b) SBI

(c) Axis Bank

(d) Allahabad Bank

(e) Syndicate Bank

Q14. Name the player who was recently named as an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), London.

(a) Sachin Tendulkar

(b) Rickey Ponting

(c) Kiran Morey

(d) Brian Lara

(e) VVS Laxman

Q15. Name the present Chairman of LIC.

(a) AnuoSaroha

(b) VikramJalans

(c) U K Sinha

(d) V K Sharma

(e) Sanjeev Kamath

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Two minesweepers of the Indian Navy INS Karwar and INS Kakinada were decommissioned after being in service for over 30 years. The two ships were bid adieu at a ceremony in the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. The Indian Railways will float global tenders worth over Rs100 crore for acquiring  End of Train Telemetry (EoTT) equipment to run 1,000 trains without guards. This equipment is used to establish communication between the locomotive driver and the last wagon of the train to ensure that the train is running with all coaches/wagons as a complete unit.

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. The government has named Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra as its new defence secretary in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle. Mitra will take over as the secretary after the present incumbent, G Mohan Kumar, completes his tenure

S4. Ans.(e)
Sol. In a promising step for Indian basketball, the national Basketball Association (NBA) inaugurated its first ever academy in Greater Noida. This is latest of the several steps that the National Basketball Association (NBA) the governing body of the game in US has taken to promote the game in India over the past few years.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. Senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister ArjunTulshiramPawar passed away after prolonged illness. The leader, who had for many years represented Kalwan, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Nashik district

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Apple Inc. became the first US company to top the $800 billion mark in market capitalization slightly more than two years after it crossed the $700 billion thresholds. The iPhone maker's shares have gained 33 percent this year and almost 50 percent

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. Justice (Retd.) MukulMudgal was elected as head of International Federation of Association Football (FIFA’s) governance committee at the world football governing body’s 67th Congress in Bahrain’s capital city of Manama.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways NitinGadkari launched the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange, UK. The NHAI witnessed an overwhelming response from a wide range of investors; some of them were first-timers to participate in a Masala Bond market.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. In 2017, United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Sri Lanka under the theme “Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace”

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. Bengaluru has been named the world’s most affordable tech city in the new Savills Tech Cities Index 2017. The Indian technology hub is the most affordable out of 22 cities that were graded on different parameters.

S11. Ans.(c)
Sol. Bahrain is the capital city of Manama.

S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. LIC Housing Finance launched a new product `Griha Siddhi' which will offer loans for construction, purchase of the house or flat and repairs or renovation to the existing properties. Under the new product, borrowers will be offered the interest rate of 8.40% up to Rs 25 lakh and for loans up to Rs 1 crore the interest rate will be 8.50% per annum. For women borrowers, the mortgage lender is offering a special interest rate of 8.35% for loans up to Rs 25 lakh.

S13. Ans.(a)
Sol. ICICI Bank chief ChandaKochhar has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. Legendary batsman, VVS Laxman was named an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club, as he became the fourth Indian to do so. Laxman joins fellow Indian icons Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and SouravGanguly on the prestigious list of MCC Honorary Life Members.

S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Chairman of LIC is Vijay Kumar Sharma.