Daily GK Update 25th July 2017

1. Arun Jaitley launches Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana pension scheme with 8% fixed rate

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savings.

ii. Under this scheme, there will be an assured return of 8 per cent over a tenure of 10 years. It can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this scheme.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Present chairman of LIC is V K Sharma.

2. BoB signs MoU with DGS&D for services to govt’s e-marketplace

i. Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D) for extending various banking services to Government e-Marketplace (GeM). 

ii. DGS&D has been mandated to set up GeM, an initiative intended to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurements.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda is P. S. Jayakumar.
• Headquarter of Bank of Baroda is in Vadodara.

3. Karamjyoti Dalal wins bronze medal at World Para Athletics

i. India’s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017 in the discus-throw. In the women’s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a throw of 19.02 m.

ii. Earlier, Sundar Singh Gurjar had opened India’s account at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships by winning gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event. Later, Amit Saroha won silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51 category. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The first IPC Athletics World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994.

4. Kerala to host literary festival with ‘Tolerance’ as theme

i. Kerala will be hosting the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE) at Chengannur, a town in Kerala’s coastal Alappuzha district from 24 July 2017.

ii. The core theme of the festival this year is ‘tolerance’. So creative writers, journalists, theatre and film personalities from across the industry will be seen deliberating on the theme at a time when the country as a whole is witnessing raging debates over intolerance.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief Minister of Kerala is Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Governor of Kerala is Palaniswamy Sathasivam.

5. Sanjay Kothari appointed Secretary to new President

i. Sanjay Kothari, Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board, has been appointed as Secretary to President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.

ii. Senior journalist Ashok Malik has been named as Press Secretary to Kovind, by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Senior Gujarat-cadre forest service officer Bharat Lal will be Joint Secretary to Kovind.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Kovind will be sworn in as the 14th president of India on July 25.

6. MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay appointed Joint Secretary in PMO

i. Senior diplomat and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.

ii. Baglay, a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Baglay's appointment to the post for three years.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Gopal Baglay has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India’s Ambassador to France.

7. Vijay Goel, Nitin Gadkari flag off 10th 'Slum Yuva Daud'

i. Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today flagged off the 10th Slum Yuva Daud at Khichripur in New Delhi. 

ii. The Slum Yuva Daud is a part of the Adopt a Slum campaign of the Sports Ministry and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan. Thousands of youth from Delhi slums participated in the run which started from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Khichripur and ended at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium, Trilokpuri. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief Minister of Delhi is Arvind Kejriwal.

8. Partnership with PNB MetLife to provide insurance cover for borrowers

i. Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer.

ii. The bank has also introduced KBL MLLS, an app for its employees to instantly calculate the insurance cover and premium based on loan liability of the borrowers.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank Mahabaleshwara M.S.
• Sameer Bansal is the Director of PNB MetLife.

9. SBI and Carlyle to jointly acquire GE Capital's stake in SBI Card

i. State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the second-largest credit card franchise in India.

ii. SBI Card is operated through two joint venture companies , SBI Cards & Payment Services and GE Capital Business Process Management Services, which issue credit cards and process card transactions in the Indian market. Following the transactions, SBI and Carlyle will own 74 percent and 26 percent respectively in each of the two entities.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chairman of SBI is Arundhati Bhattacharya.
• Headquarter of SBI is in Mumbai.

Daily GK Update 23rd and 24th July 2017

1. Kiren Rijiju inaugurates RIWATCH Museum in Arunachal Pradesh

i. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh. 

ii. Later, on the sideline of his visit to Roing, Rijiju also inaugurated the 235-meter long Chimari Bridge, which would serve as a life line between the National Highway 52 of Roing-Tezu. 

2. Meghalaya CM launches ‘Mission Football’ in Shillong

i. Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma launched ‘Mission Football’ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports Complex, Shillong recently.

ii. Mission Football is an initiative to help develop skills of football enthusiasts and develop young footballers for the country. It is a dedicated program for talent identification and nurturing of talents to develop national and international players.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Banwarilal Purohit is the present Governor of Meghalaya.

3. India to host Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017

i. India will host the fifth Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in November 2017. One of the largest cyber security conferences in the world, GCSS will be held in New Delhi.
ii. Union Minister for electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that prime minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the conference whose theme will be based on Cyber4All: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace.

iii. It is the first time ever that the Global Conference on Cyber Space is taking place outside Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Global Conference on Cyber Space is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of cyberspace.
• The conference was incepted in the year 2011.

4. India ranks 132 in Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index

i. India has ranked 132nd out of 152 countries on the inaugural “Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index” released by international NGO Oxfam in association with Developmental Finance International.

ii. Sweden led the index while Nigeria remained the worst performer. Among India’s neighboring countries, China’s rank is 87; Pakistan fared worse than India at 146 while Bangladesh ranked at 148.

The top 5 countries in the list are-

1. Sweden

2. Belgium

3. Denmark

4. Norway

5. Germany

5. India, Bangladesh sign pact to connect both countries by waterways

i. India and Bangladesh have signed a pact to connect both the countries by waterways. The waterways will facilitate movement of passengers and goods between India’s northeast and West Bengal with Bangladesh.

ii. Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya stated in Agartala that infrastructure for the services would be set up along the major rivers in Bangladesh, West Bengal and the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka.
• Prime minister of Bangladesh is Sheikh Hasina.
• Abdul Hamid is the President of Bangladesh.

6. Navy Chief Sunil Lanba begins tour of Mozambique and Tanzania

i. Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had begun an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and Tanzania with an aim of exploring new avenues of bilateral defence cooperation. Admiral Lanba, who also heads the powerful Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), will visit first Mozambique.

ii. Later on his tour, Admiral Lanba will begin his five-day-long visit to Tanzania on July 26. He is scheduled to meet President of Tanzania John Magufuli, Defence Minister Hussein Mwinyi and other higher delegations. India and Mozambique have a Joint Defence Working Group (JDWG) for defence and security cooperation.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Capital of Mozambique is Maputo.
• Filipe Nyusi is the President of Mozambique.
• The Capital of Tanzania is Dodoma.
• John Magufuli is the President of Tanzania.

7. World’s largest supercarrier USS Gerald R Ford commissioned in USA

i. US Navy commissioned world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford into the fleet. The commissioning ceremony was held at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in presence of US President Donald Trump.
ii. USS Gerald R. Ford is the first ship in this new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald Ford and has been built by Newport News Ship Building Company. The massive 1,106-foot-long carrier is powered by two new generation nuclear reactors.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Admiral John Richardson is the Chief of Naval Officer of US Navy. 

8. UK govt appoints Brenda Marjorie Hale as first female President of SC

i. The UK government appointed Brenda Marjorie Hale as the first female President of the Supreme Court, the senior-most judge of the country. Hale, 72, will take charge as the head of Britain’s top judging panel in September following the retirement of current President, Lord Neuberger.

ii. She has served as Neuberger’s deputy since 2013. Three new justices have also been appointed to the Supreme Court – Lady Justice Black, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Lord Justice Brigg – who will take up the role when Lady Hale is sworn in officially as President on 2nd October.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Capital of UK is London.
• The Prime minister of UK is Theresa May.

9. Raveesh Kumar to be next ministry of external affairs spokesperson

i. Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch IFS officer who is currently posted in Frankfurt, Germany as Consul General of India, is understood to be the next spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs.

ii. Kumar will replace Gopal Baglay, who was appointed the joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. The IFS officer started his career at the Indian Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by a stint in Thimphu and London.

10. ICC Women's World Cup final : India lose to England by 9 runs 

i. Indian eves lost to England by a narrow margin of nine runs in the ICC Women's World Cup final at Lord's in London. Chasing a target of 229, Indian middle-order collapsed like a pack of cards, being bowled out for 219 in 48.4 overs. 

ii. Opener Poonam Raut was top scored with 86, while Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 51. Earlier, Natalie Sciver's 51 and Sarah Taylor's 45 laid the foundation for England's decent total of 228 for 7. For England, it was their fourth Women's World Cup. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Captain of England women's cricket team is Heather Knight.

11. Former ISRO Chairman U R Rao passes away at 85

i. Eminent space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away due to age related ailments. He was 85.

ii. He was currently serving as the chairman of the governing council of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Rao served as the chairman of ISRO for 10 years from 1984-1994.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The current chairman of ISRO is A. S. Kiran Kumar. 
• Rao was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 for his contribution to Indian space technology.

Daily GK Update 22nd July 2017

1. Arun Jaitley launches Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana pension scheme with 8% fixed rate

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savings.

ii. Under this scheme, there will be an assured return of 8 per cent over a tenure of 10 years. It can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this scheme.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Present chairman of LIC is V K Sharma.

2. BoB signs MoU with DGS&D for services to govt’s e-marketplace

i. Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D) for extending various banking services to Government e-Marketplace (GeM). 

ii. DGS&D has been mandated to set up GeM, an initiative intended to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurements.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda is P. S. Jayakumar.
• Headquarter of Bank of Baroda is in Vadodara.

3. Karamjyoti Dalal wins bronze medal at World Para Athletics

i. India’s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017 in the discus-throw. In the women’s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a throw of 19.02 m.

ii. Earlier, Sundar Singh Gurjar had opened India’s account at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships by winning gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event. Later, Amit Saroha won silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51 category. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The first IPC Athletics World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994.

4. Kerala to host literary festival with ‘Tolerance’ as theme

i. Kerala will be hosting the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE) at Chengannur, a town in Kerala’s coastal Alappuzha district from 24 July 2017.

ii. The core theme of the festival this year is ‘tolerance’. So creative writers, journalists, theatre and film personalities from across the industry will be seen deliberating on the theme at a time when the country as a whole is witnessing raging debates over intolerance.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief Minister of Kerala is Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Governor of Kerala is Palaniswamy Sathasivam.

5. Sanjay Kothari appointed Secretary to new President

i. Sanjay Kothari, Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board, has been appointed as Secretary to President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.

ii. Senior journalist Ashok Malik has been named as Press Secretary to Kovind, by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Senior Gujarat-cadre forest service officer Bharat Lal will be Joint Secretary to Kovind.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Kovind will be sworn in as the 14th president of India on July 25.

6. MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay appointed Joint Secretary in PMO

i. Senior diplomat and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.

ii. Baglay, a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Baglay's appointment to the post for three years.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Gopal Baglay has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India’s Ambassador to France.

7. Vijay Goel, Nitin Gadkari flag off 10th 'Slum Yuva Daud'

i. Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today flagged off the 10th Slum Yuva Daud at Khichripur in New Delhi. 

ii. The Slum Yuva Daud is a part of the Adopt a Slum campaign of the Sports Ministry and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan. Thousands of youth from Delhi slums participated in the run which started from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Khichripur and ended at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium, Trilokpuri. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief Minister of Delhi is Arvind Kejriwal.

8. Partnership with PNB MetLife to provide insurance cover for borrowers

i. Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer.

ii. The bank has also introduced KBL MLLS, an app for its employees to instantly calculate the insurance cover and premium based on loan liability of the borrowers.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank Mahabaleshwara M.S.
• Sameer Bansal is the Director of PNB MetLife.

9. SBI and Carlyle to jointly acquire GE Capital's stake in SBI Card

i. State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the second-largest credit card franchise in India.

ii. SBI Card is operated through two joint venture companies , SBI Cards & Payment Services and GE Capital Business Process Management Services, which issue credit cards and process card transactions in the Indian market. Following the transactions, SBI and Carlyle will own 74 percent and 26 percent respectively in each of the two entities.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chairman of SBI is Arundhati Bhattacharya.
• Headquarter of SBI is in Mumbai.

Daily GK Update 21st July 2017

1. FM Arun Jaitley releases National Trade Facilitation Action Plan

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan. The WTO-Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) was a major milestone for the global trading system.

ii. This Action Plan gives a time bound map, not only for implementing TFA, but also for India's initiatives for trade facilitation and ease of doing business which goes beyond TFA. According to a Finance Ministry statement, all actions covered under the plan have been categorised by prioritising the activities into short, mid and long term.

2. ICICI Bank offers up to Rs 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs

i. Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank will be selling personal loans of up to Rs 15 lakh through its ATMs that can be availed of by select salaried customers even if they haven't previously applied for one. 

ii. The facility offers a bouquet of features - swift application in simple steps, multiple eligible loan amount options up to Rs. 15 lakh based on pre-checked CIBIL scores and instant transfer of the money to the customer’s account.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• CEO of ICICI Bank is Chanda Kochhar.
• Headquarter of ICICI is in Mumbai.

3. India's first Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers in Telangana

i. In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in Telangana's Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. 

ii. The ‘eco-bridges’ will be constructed at key spots along the 72 km-long, and at some places over a kilometre wide, right flank canal of the Pranahita barrage in the Bejjur and Dahegaon mandals.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Kawal Tiger Reserve is located at Jannaram mandal of Mancherial District in Telangana state of India.
• Chief Minister of Telangana is KC Rao.

4. India-Japan agreement on peaceful uses of N-energy comes into force

i. India-Japan agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy has come into force recently. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Ambassador of Japan to India Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic notes in this regard. The agreement was signed on 11th November 2016 in Tokyo during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan.

ii. The agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between the two sides and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.

Important Takeaways From Above News-

• The Capital of Japan is Tokyo.
• The Currency of Japan is Japanese yen.
• Shinzo Abe is the PM of Japan.

5. President inaugurates Bicentenary Celebration of Paika Rebellion

i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of Paika Rebellion of Odisha organised by the Union Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.

ii. Many scholars, researchers and historians have opined that the Paika Rebellion of 1817 was India’s first organised armed rebellion against British Raj.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Present Chief Minister of Odisha is Naveen Patnaik.

6. SEBI inks pact with ESMA for information exchange on CCPs

i. Markets regulator SEBI has entered into a pact with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) for exchange of information concerning Central Counterparties (CCPs). CCPs are entities that help facilitate clearing and settlement activities. 

ii. The MoU establishes cooperation arrangements, including exchange of information regarding CCPs which are established and authorised or recognised in India by SEBI and which have applied for EU recognition under EMIR.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Headquarter of SEBI is in Mumbai.
• Present chairman of SEBI is Ajay Tyagi.

7. Telangana launches 'Janahitha' for speedy redressal of public grievances

i. The Telangana government launched a special portal called “Janahitha” to receive complaints from the public.

ii. The programme was inaugurated in Suryapet district on a pilot basis by Telangana Energy minister G Jagadish Reddy. The portal, which has been developed by Telangana’s IT department, is a single window for all grievances and their redressal management.

8. Indian Army inks MoU with DRDO to raise MRSAM defence system regiment

i. The Indian Army has signed MoU with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM) defence system.

ii. The MRSAM is an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system. It can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS aircraft.  It is capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at ranges of more than 50 km. The system will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO with the involvement of DPSUs and private sectors.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chief of Indian Army is General Bipin Rawat.

9. Kamal Haasan to be brand ambassador of Tamil Thalaivas

i. Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan has been appointed brand icon of Pro Kabaddi League franchise Tamil Thalaivas, co-owned by India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The winner of the Pro Kabaddi League 2016 was Patna Pirates.

Daily GK Update 20th July 2017

1. Ram Nath Kovind elected 14th President of India

i. The NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind has been declared by the Secretary General of Lok Sabha Anoop Mishra as elected President of India. Mr. Kovind got 7,02,044 votes while his opponent, the joint Opposition candidate Meira Kumar, got 3,67,314 out of a total of 10,69,358.

ii. Succeeding Pranab Mukherjee, Kovind will be sworn in as the 14th president of India on July 25. Kovind will be the seventh youngest person to be anointed to the coveted post. He is also the second Dalit after KR Narayanan to adorn the coveted post. He is the first President from Uttar Pradesh.

Know More About Ram Nath Kovind

2. Important Cabinet Approvals: 19th July 2017

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved following agreements and MoUs on different fields.

The Cabinet has approved- 

1. MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
2. MoU between India and Netherlands on cooperation in space technology.
3. IRDAI's admission as a signatory to International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU).
4.  Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
5.  Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017. 
6.  Revision of Indian Community Welfare Fund guidelines.
7.  Cadre Review of Indian Defence Accounts Service, IDAS  

3. Patnaik dedicates to Nation Odisha’s longest bridge

i. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state's longest bridge and named it after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

ii. The 2.88 km bridge over the river Kathajodi will connect the state capital of Bhubaneswar with Cuttack reducing the distance between the two cities by 12 km.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• S C Jamir is the Present Governor of Odisha.

4. MoU Signed Between Department of Defence Production and GSL

i. Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a Miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) signed an MoU for the financial year 2017-18 with Ministry of Defence.

ii. This year’s MoU target for ‘Revenue from Operations’ has been set at Rs1150 crore, which is 43 percent higher than the financial year 2016-17 target of Rs800 crore.
iii. Notably, in the financial year 2016-17, the Shipyard achieved historical high VoP of Rs1030 crore and PBT of Rs177 crore. GSL was adjudged as ‘Best Performing Shipyard’ by MoD.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Dr. Subhash Bhamre is the Union Minister of State for Defence
• Shri Arun Jaitley is the Defence Minister of India.

5. L K Advani receives Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions in Lok Sabha

i. Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha. JD-U leader Sharad Yadav also received the Lifetime Achievement Award as a Rajya Sabha representative from Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function organized by the Lokmat Media Group to honor distinguished Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members.
ii. The other awardees from the Lok Sabha-

• Best Parliamentarian- Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran,
• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Congress leader Kumari Sushmita Dev and 
• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi.

iii. The awardees from the Rajya Sabha-

• Best Parliamentarian- CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, 
• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan and 
• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- Congress MP Rajni Patil.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Smt. Sumitra Mahajan is the Present Speaker of Lok Sabha.
• Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Present Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

6. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi tops poll of most powerful Arab women: Forbes

i. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the UAE Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful Arab women in government for 2017, according to Forbes Middle East.

ii. Ms. Qasimi was followed by two women from Egypt - Sahar Nasr, the country’s minister of investment and international cooperation and Ghada Wali, the minister of social solidarity.
iii. Forbes has also released a list of the top 100 most powerful Arab business women for 2017, and the UAE represents the highest number of women, with 18, followed by Egypt, with 16.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Abu Dhabi is the Capital of  UAE.
• Forbes is an American business magazine and was founded in 1917
• The headquarter of Forbes is in New York City, USA.

7. Australia joins International Solar Alliance led by India and France

i. Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015 in Paris. It is co-led by India and France.

ii. The aim of ISA is to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity. India on its part through the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is contributing $1 million to the ISA fund.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Capital of Australia is Canberra.
• Malcolm Turnbull is the present Prime Minister of Australia.

8. India on track to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2017: ADB report

i. According, to Asian Development Bank supplement report India is expected to achieve the projected growth rate of 7.4 per cent in 2017 and further up to 7.6 per cent next year on strong consumption demand, with South Asia leading the growth chart in Asia and the Pacific.

ii. According to the report, South Asia will be the fastest growing of all sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific, with growth on track to meet original projections of 7 per cent in 2017 and 7.2 per cent in 2018.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Headquarter of ADB is in Manila, Philippines.
• President of Asian Development Bank is Takehiko Nakao.

9. Google introduces recruiting app 'Hire' for businesses

i. Google has launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized businesses that also integrates seamlessly with G Suite.  It is a move to compete with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn.

ii. Hire makes it easy to identify talent, build strong candidate relationships and efficiently manage the interview process end-to-end"

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• CEO of Google is Sundar Pichai