Monday 4 September 2017

Daily GK Update 04th September 2017



Portfolios-of-the-Council-of-Ministers
i. As a fresh set of ministers have been inducted into the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the third reshuffle since 2014. Nine new ministers were into the council of ministers and four have been promoted to the Union Cabinet.
ii. Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the Union Railway Minister after being inducted into the Union Cabinet. He replaced former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who had earlier offered to resign following multiple train derailments. Further, Nirmala Sitharaman was given the Defence Ministry, becoming only the second woman to hold the post after Indira Gandhi.

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i. The 9th BRICS Summit has started in Xiamen, China with a group photograph of leaders of the five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and was preceded by a warm handshake between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
ii. Modi was the third leader to reach the convention center, venue of the 9th BRICS Summit in this port city of China and was followed by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • The theme of the 9th BRICS Summit is "Stronger Partnership for a better future".
  • The 8th BRICS Summit held on 16th October 2016 at Goa, India.


i. China will give 500 million yuan ($76.4 million) for a BRICS economic and technology cooperation plan, and another $4 million for projects at the BRICS countries' New Development Bank stated Chinese President Xi Jinping.
ii. The announcement came amid questions over the relevance of BRICS and China's commitment to its New Development Bank (NDB) in light of the Belt and Road initiative and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • The 9th BRICS Summit was held  in China.
  • Xi Jinping is the President of China.


i. Nepal has signed a USD 635 million UN assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out the country’s development strategy for the next five years. The package involves 26 individual UN agencies.
ii. The National Planning Commission, apex advisory body of the Government of Nepal, and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Nepal signed the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • The Chairman of the National Planning Commission is Swarnim Wagle.
  • Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.


i. The National Nutrition Week is observed throughout the country from 1st to 7th September. The theme of the National Nutrition Week for 2017 is "Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health".
ii. The basic objective of this annual event is to intensify awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.


i. Kenneth I. Juster, deputy director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been nominated as the next U.S ambassador to India.
ii. The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him. The post has been vacant since January 20, 2017.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • Donald Trump is the Present and 45th President of America.

i. Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) kick-started its banking operations with about 25 operational branches across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
ii. The bank was given final small finance bank (SFB) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2017. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • Rajeev Yadav is the CEO of Fincare Small Finance Bank.
  • It is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.


i. Karnataka government will merge the existing seven health schemes to launch a unified health scheme- ‘Arogya Bhagya’. It will cover all 1.4 crore households of the state.
ii. The main theme of the ‘Arogya Bhagya’ scheme is ”Treatment First and Payment Next”. According to the Law Ministry, the State Cabinet had given administrative sanction for the unified schemes and it will come to effect from 1st November.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • Siddaramaiah is the Present CM of Karnataka.
  • Vajubhai Vala is the Governor of Karnataka.


i. Karnataka Bank has bagged the ‘best bank’ award among small banks for the use of technology for financial inclusion at the 13th IDRBT Banking Technology Excellence Awards 2016-17.
ii. Mahabaleshwara MS, MD & CEO of the bank, received the award from Sudarshan Sen, Executive Director of RBI, in Hyderabad.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • Karnataka Bank Headquarters in Mangaluru.
  • Mr.Mahabaleshwara M.S is the MD & CEO of Karnataka Bank.


i. Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
ii. The event held here focused on recognizing companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives and displaying commitment towards energy conservation.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) is a company promoted as a joint venture comprising the GMR Group (63%) in partnership with Government of India (13%), Government of Telangana (13%) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%).


i. Star India edged out Sony Pictures to secure the Indian Premier League's media rights with a bid of Rs 16,347.50 crore. The bidding for various media rights of the cash-rich league was held in Mumbai for a five-year period from 2018-2022.
ii. The winning bid will allow Star India to air content on their properties for a period of five years (2018-2022). The second highest bid was made by Sony, who bid Rs. 11,050 crores, for the rights. However, Sony’s bid was for the Indian region only as compared to Star’s bid which is global.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • In 2008, Sony Pictures Network won the IPL media rights for a period of 10 years with a bid of Rs 8200 crore.


i. Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

ii. 36-year-old Dhoni has also taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. In 90 Tests, Dhoni has taken 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings. In T20 Internationals, Dhoni has taken 43 catches and affected 23 stumpings.

Important Takeaways From Above News-
  • Former Sri Lankan Skipper Kumar Sangakkara is on the second position with 99 Stumpings on his name.


i. India has whitewashed host Sri Lanka 5-nil in One Day International cricket series. By winning all the 5 games, India became the first visiting country to inflict a 5-0 defeat on Sri Lanka.

ii. India had, earlier, also whitewashed the 3-match Test series. Indian Captain Virat Kohli made 30th ODI hundred in his only 194th game and is now jointly second highest in list of century makers alongside Ricky Ponting with only Sachin Tendulkar (49 hundreds) ahead of him.

Important Takeaways from Above News-
  • Jasprit Bumrah was named as the Player of ODI Series.


i. Pulitzer-prize winning poet John Ashbery, a post-modern American trailblazer, has passed away at age of 90 in Hudson, New York.
ii. His 1975 collection "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror" made history when he became the lone writer to earn three major accolades the same year for the same work: the Pulitzer in addition to a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Important Takeaways From Above News-
  • In 2012, Ashbery received the National Humanities Medal from then-president Barack Obama.

QUIZ-04


Q1. In which of the following state, PM Narendra Modi along with Union minister for road transport and highways has recently inaugurated highway and road projects worth Rs15,000 crore for the state?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Gujarat
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Maharashtra
(e) Karnataka
S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. Prime Minister NarendraModi along with Union minister for road transport and highways NitinGadkari inaugurated highway and road projects worth Rs15,000 crore for the state in Udaipur, Rajasthan. ShriKalyan Singh is the Governor of Rajasthan.

Q2. During the Indian-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue, India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies. This was ________ edition of Indian-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue.
(a) 8th
(b) 10th
(c) 12th
(d) 16th
(e) 18th
S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. During the 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue in New Delhi, India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies to combat the threat of terrorism and check terror financing.
Q3. ISRO has recently launched ____________, carrying IRNSS-1H from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
(a) GSLV-C54
(b) GSLV-B34
(c) PSLV-B54
(d) PSLV-C39
(e) GSLV-D45
S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched PSLV-C39 carrying Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1H). The satellite lifted off from the second launch pad of the SatishDhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, on board the rocket PSLV C39.
Q4. Name the person who recently took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
(a) Rajiv Gauba
(b) Sanjeev Gehlaut
(c) Dharmendra Kumar Singh
(d) Parmeet Mehrishi
(e) Vishal Sikka
S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. Rajiv Gauba took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr. Gauba joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as Officer on Special Duty in June 2017 and took charge as the Union Home Secretary upon the superannuation of Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.
Q5. Which of the following bank has been recently given scheduled bank status by RBI?
(a) Janalakshmi Small Finance Bank
(b) RGVN Small Finance Bank
(c) AU Financiers Small Finance Bank
(d) ESAF Small Finance Bank
(e) Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
S5. Ans.(e)
Sol. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, has been given scheduled bank status by RBI. Currently, Ujjivan SFB has 65 full-fledged brick and mortar branches in eight states and two Union Territories. Ujjivan SFB commenced its operations as a Small Finance Bank with effect from February 1, 2017.
Q6. Name the bank with which State-owned NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000 crore for partially funding its capital expenditure.
(a) Axis Bank
(b) HDFC Bank
(c) ICICI Bank
(d) SBI
(e) Central Bank of India
S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. State-owned NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000 crore with ICICI Bank for partially funding its capital expenditure. Gurdeep Singh is the MD and Chairman of NTPC.
Q7. The Cabinet of India has recently approved MoU on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund". What is the capital of Israel?
(a) Banku
(b) Astana
(c) Kabul
(d) Jerusalem
(e) Mogadishu

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Cabinet of India has recently approved MoU on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund". Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
Q8. Which of the following company has recently launched world's first ever Genomeceutical (gene controlling) range of products to India?
(a) SuncityPharma
(b) Unicity International
(c) Mankind Pharmaceuticals
(d) Lucid International
(e) Mole International
S8. Ans.(b)
Sol. Unicity International, headquartered in Orem, Utah, United States has launched world's first ever Genomeceutical (gene controlling) range of products to India.
Q9. Name the player who was appointed the first brand ambassador of tyre maker Bridgestone India.
(a) SainaNehwal
(b) JwalaGutta
(c) P V Sindhu
(d) PullelaGopichand
(e) ChetanAnand

S9. Ans.(c)
Sol. Badminton ace PV Sindhu, who recently won Silver at the World Championship, was appointed the first brand ambassador of tyre maker Bridgestone India.
Q10. The satellite IRNSS-1H recently lifted off from Andra Pradesh. It a part of the indigenous navigation system called _______________.
(a) RegOC
(b) RegIC
(c) SatIC
(d) NavOC
(e) NavIC
S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The satellite IRNSS-1H is a part of the indigenous navigation system called ‘NavIC,’ that was initially planned to have a constellation of seven satellites.
Q11. According to the External Affairs Ministry, ______________ has been appointed as the High Commissioner to Cyprus.
(a) R.K.Raghavan
(b) P. P. Mangalam
(c) Sudhakar Mishra
(d) Dilip Kumara
(e) Sudhir Masand
S11. Ans.(a)
Sol. According to the External Affairs Ministry, Former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan has been appointed High Commissioner to Cyprus. His specialization is cyber security.
Q12. Name the variety of Rice which is a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal that has got the geographical indication (GI) status, recently.
(a) Aurobindobhog Rice
(b) Gurudevbhog Rice
(c) Jasmine Rice
(d) Gobindobhog Rice
(e) Japonica Rice
S12. Ans.(d)
Sol. Gobindobhog rice, a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI) status.
Q13. Who is the present governor of Rajasthan?
(a) MridulaSinha
(b) VP Singh Badnore
(c) Kalyan Singh
(d) Krishan Kant Paul
(e) Kaptan Singh Solanki

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Shri Kalyan Singh is the Present Governor of Rajasthan.
Q14. Nicosia is the capital of ________________.
(a) Azerbaijan
(b) Cyprus
(c) Kazakhstan
(d) Somalia
(e) Rwanda
S14. Ans.(b)
Sol. Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades is the President of Cyprus.
Q15. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank is headquartered in _______________.
(a) Mangalore
(b) Jaipur
(c) Bengaluru
(d) Kolkata
(e) Mumbai

S15. Ans.(c)
Sol. Samit Ghosh is the MD & CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank. It is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

QUIZ-04


Q1. According to the Finance Ministry, what was the amount (approx.) collected in form of tax in July from just 64.42 per cent of the total taxpayer base?
(a) Rs 50,000 crore
(b) Rs 85,000 crore
(c) Rs 92,000 crore
(d) Rs 78,000 crore
(e) Rs 42,000 crore
S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. The goods and services tax, GST, launched on 1 July, has got off to a good start, with collections exceeding the revenue target for the first month. According to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, taxes worth Rs 92,283 crore were collected in July from just 64.42 per cent of the total taxpayer base.

Q2. The 9th BRICS Summit 2017 will be held in month of September in ___________.
(a) South Africa
(b) China
(c) Brazil
(d) India
(e) Russia
S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 9th BRICS Summit, Xiamen in China’s Fujian province during 3rd to 5th of September. The 8th BRICS Summit held on 16th October 2016 at Goa, India.
Q3. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has recently inaugurated a skill development program to connect with youth by upgrading their skill. The Program is named as _____________.
(a) YOUTH INDIA
(b) YOUNG INDIA
(c) SKILL INDIA
(d) YUVA
(e) START INDIA
S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development program. It is an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
Q4. DAD has recently organized its first Synergy Conference on Defence Pensions in New Delhi. DAD stands for ______________.
(a) Development Accounts Department
(b) Defence Artilaries Department
(c) Defence Accounts Department
(d) Defence Accommodation Department
(e) Defence Accounts Development
S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) organized its first Synergy Conference on Defence Pensions in New Delhi. The objective of the conference was to obtain feedback from the pensioners that would help the department to serve them better with constantly improving systems and procedures.
Q5. Name the CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange who has recently got approval for another five-year term as Chief of the company.
(a) Ashish Chauhan
(b) Vikrant Singh
(c) Narendra Bhagwat
(d) Mohan Kumar Mishra
(e) Amit Gauba
S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. Top stock exchange BSE's board has approved another five-year term for its chief Ashish Chauhan. Chauhan has joined BSE as deputy chief executive officer (CEO) in 2009. He was made MD and CEO for a period of five years with effect from November 2, 2012.
Q6. In which country, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently opened the Low Enriched Uranium Bank?
(a) Uzbekistan
(b) Kyrgyzstan
(c) Russia
(d) Azerbaijan
(e) Kazakhstan
S6. Ans.(e)
Sol. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has opened the Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan. The IAEA opened the bank to ensure the supply of nuclear fuel in the event of disruption due to political or market problems.
Q7. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization in 1957. It is headquartered in ___________.
(a) Geneva
(b) New York
(c) Paris
(d) Vienna
(e) Beijing

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization in 1957. It is headquartered in Vienna.
Q8. The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) launched the world's first diamond futures contracts to provide exporters with a hedging tool. Who is the Chairman of ICEX?
(a) Ajit Mittal  
(b) Ashok Sinha
(c) D. Vijayalakshmi  
(d) Lav Chaturvedi
(e) P.S. Gahlaut
S8. Ans.(b)
Sol. The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) launched the world's first diamond futures contracts to provide exporters with a hedging tool. India is a global diamond polishing hub where 14 out of every 15 rough diamonds in the world are polished. Mr Ashok Sinha is the Chairman of Public Interest Director of ICEX.
Q9. NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, has recently announced the winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017. Who among the following was not among top six contenders?
(a) Laxmi Agarwal
(b) Safeena Husain
(c) Meira Kumar
(d) Jamuna Tudu
(e) Arunima Sinha
S9. Ans.(c)
Sol. NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, has recently announced the winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017. Laxmi Agarwal, Safeena Husain, Kamal Kumbhar, Subasini Mistry, Arunima Sinha, and Jamuna Tudu were among top six contenders.
Q10. Tata group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) has appointed ___________ as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
(a) Puneet Chhatwal
(b) Anurag Badhana
(c) Pritam Das
(d) Priyanka Mahajan
(e) Arindam Chakraborty

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Tata group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) has appointed Deutsche Hospitality chief executive Puneet Chhatwal as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Q11. Sri Lankan cricket selection panel has recently stepped down in the wake of the country’s poor performance. The Selection Committee was headed by _______________.
(a) Chaminda Vas
(b) Arjun Ranatunga
(c) Dayasiri Jayasekara
(d) Kumar Sangakkara
(e) Sanath Jayasuriya
S11. Ans.(e)
Sol. The Sanath Jayasuriya-led Sri Lankan cricket selection panel has stepped down in the wake of the country’s horrible performance against India. Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president Mohan de Silva has confirmed that Sanath Jayasuriya’s panel has indeed stepped down.
Q12. With which of the following lender, Solar energy services company Freyr Energy has tied up to offer term loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh?
(a) HDFC Bank
(b) ICICI Bank
(c) IDBI Bank
(d) Axis Bank
(e) Karnataka Bank
S12. Ans.(d)
Sol. Solar energy services company Freyr Energy has tied up with Axis Bank to offer term loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for tenures up to five years, for solar rooftop installations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Q13. Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE) has come up with a ‘Point-of-Sale’ product targeted at the mass-market segment. The product is named as ____________________.
(a) PoS - Safal Bima Plan
(b) PoS - Sajag Bima Plan
(c) PoS - Easy Bima Plan
(d) PoS - Simple Bima Plan
(e) PoS - Health Bima Plan
S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE) has come up with a ‘Point-of-Sale’ product targeted at the mass-market segment. The product- ‘PoS - Easy Bima Plan’ is the first PoS product for the company and is a pure term insurance plan.
Q14. The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting was held in New Delhi. What is the capital of Tanzania?
(a) Astana
(b) Baku
(c) Cuba
(d) Vienna
(e) Dodoma
S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting was held in New Delhi. The capital of Tanzania is Dodoma. John Magufuli is the Present President of Tanzania.
Q15. Who is the Chief Executive Officer of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE)?
(a) Achal Sharma
(b) D K Sharma
(c) Anupam Surana
(d) Anuj Mathur
(e) Tarun Badhana
S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. Anuj Mathur is the Chief Executive Officer of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE). It was launched in June 2008.