Daily GK Update 27th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 27th March, 2017

World Theatre Day- 27th March

i. World Theatre Day is observed globally on 27th March every year. World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), France. 

ii. The first World Theatre Day Message was written by Jean Cocteau in 1962.

Environment Ministry official to chair animal welfare board

i. The government has notified that Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory advisory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) will now be permanently chaired by a senior MoEF official. 

ii. This step came into effect due to the recently held Jallikattu Protest in Karnataka. Central Government applies its preference now in the management of the organization by making a new Board of 18 members, chaired by Sharad Singh Negi, Special Secretary and Director-General (Forests).

CCEA approved closing of CHBL and ICBL

i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved closure/winding up of CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and IndianOil - Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) Biofuels Limited (ICBL). 

ii. Joint Ventures between CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and IndianOil-CREDA Biofuels Limited (ICBL) were formed for carrying out energy crop (Jatropha) plantation and production of bio-diesel in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

AP tops in Aadhaar seeding of Jan Dhan accounts

i. The list of state with highest seeded Aadhaar numbers was topped by Andhra Pradesh which had linked 87.73 per cent of its Jan-Dhan accounts with Aadhaar numbers followed by Tripura at 87.08 per cent and Telangana 83.56 percent.

ii. Post demonetization of specified bank notes on November 8, 2016, more accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) have been seeded with Aadhaar numbers.

GIC to be first PSU general insurer to launch IPO

i. General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re) is likely to be the first PSU insurer to tap the capital market as the Finance Ministry has started scouting for merchant bankers to manage its Initial Public Offering (IPO), yet not officially released.

ii. The government holds 100 per cent stake in GIC Re, which provides reinsurance support to 54 general and life insurance companies, both public and private, in the Indian market.

 Karnataka Bank’s launched platinum card

i. Karnataka Bank has launched the ‘MoneyPlant RuPay International Platinum Debit Card’ to provide more privileges to its premium and HNI (high net worth individual) customers.

ii. The card can be used for domestic and international cash withdrawals and purchases. The card has a withdrawal limit of Rs5,000 and purchases limit ofRs2 lakh a day at point-of-sales terminals and e-commerce sites.

Repco ties up with NHB 

i. Repco Home Finance Ltd (RHFL) has signed an agreement with National Housing Bank (NHB) for implementation of a credit-linked subsidy scheme for the middle-income group.

ii. The scheme will be implemented for one year with effect from January 1, 2017, in all statutory towns. The scheme divides middle-income group into two categories with annual household income up to Rs12 lakh and Rs 18 lakh. 

iii. The subsidy will be available for the two brackets for a loan amount of Rs 9 lakh and Rs 12 lakh at the rate of 4 per cent and 3 per cent per annum, respectively, for a tenure of 20 years. The maximum subsidy amount for an individual beneficiary is Rs 2.35 lakh.

Pawan Hans ties-up with HAL to train helicopter pilots

i. State-run Pawan Hans has joined hands with public sector chopper maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to train helicopter pilots.

ii. Pawan Hans is a joint venture where state-owned ONGC holds 49 per cent.

BHEL commissions 250-MW eco-friendly unit in Gujarat

i. State-owned power equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 250-MW eco-friendly unit using low-grade coal (lignite) as a primary fuel.
ii. The lignite-based thermal unit, based on circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) technology, is the second such facility to be commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company’s (BECL) 2x250-MW thermal power project at Padva in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.

Conference on 'Make in India' held in Houston

i. A first-ever Houston India conference on 'Make in India' was held in Houston, the USA, for bringing together various constituencies that have an interest in doing business in India and discussing the latest developments.

ii.  The two-day Houston India Conference was hosted by Asia Society Texas Center which began on 25th March 2017. The theme of the Conference is 'Make in India -The Inside Story'.

HDFC Bank's Aditya Puri named in world's 30 Best CEOs list

i. American financial magazine Barron's has listed the name of HDFC Bank Managing Director Aditya Puri’s name in its list of world’s 30 best CEOs. 

ii. He holds the 23rd position in the list beating social media giant Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg who is listed on the 30th spot.

iii. The top position has been secured by Mary Barra of General Motors.

Anupam Kher receives Kala Ratan Award from Vice President

i. Veteran actor Anupam Kher was honored with the Kala Ratan Award by Vice President Hamid Ansari at Punjab University, Chandigarh. 

ii. Anupam Kher was honored him the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.

BSF gets first woman combat officer after 51 years

i. Tanushree Pareek became the first woman combat officer to be commissioned in the 51-year history of the BSF, the country’s largest border guarding force.

ii. A resident of Rajasthan’s Bikaner, she is the first woman to join the force in the officer rank after she was selected in the all-India exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2014.

World's largest capstone discovered by archaeologists in Telangana

i. The archaeology department of Telangana has discovered the world's largest capstone after excavating an ancient human burial site in Siddipet district, Telangana. The capstone of the menhir burial reportedly weighs about 40 tonnes. 

Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait retires from cricket

i. Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait has announced his retirement from international cricket. Tait who last played for Australia in a Twenty20 international against India in January 2016, cited his chronic elbow trouble as the reason for quitting the game. 

14-year-old becomes first girl to swim from Sea Link to Gateway of India

i. Gauri Singh, 14-year-old girl became the first girl to explore the route from Sea Link near Worli Koliwada to the Gateway of India. 

ii. The 36 km long distance route, which she started was completed in 6 hours and 30 minutes.

FIFA U-17 World Cup: Kolkata to host final

i. FIFA confirmed that the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata will be the venue of the final of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup to be held later in 2017.

ii. The World Cup gets underway from October 6, 2017 and the slogan of the tournament will be "Football Takes Over". 

QUIZ-27

Q1. BHEL's first 800-MW supercritical plant has become operational which of the following Indian State?

(a) Gujarat

(b) Karnataka

(c) Telangana

(d) Maharashtra

(e) Rajasthan

 Q2. State Bank of India and CREDAI have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector. What does 'E' stands for in CREDAI?

(a) Export

(b) Expenditure

(c) Estimated

(d) Estate

(e) Exchange

Q3. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has tied up with Sentifi, leader in algorithmic-based analysis, for social media updates of 40,000 globally-listed stocks. Sentifi is __________ based company.

(a) Switzerland

(b) Japan

(c) Finland

(d) Indonesia

(e) USA

Q4. Name the sports person, who has been appointed as a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI), recently.

(a) Saina Nehwal

(b) Sushil Singh

(c) Jwala Gutta

(d) P V Sindhu

(e) Abhinav Bindra

Q5. Name the Bank that has recently signed an agreement with Avenues India Pvt Ltd, a payment solution provider to provide merchants with seamless access to point-of-sales (POS) and payment gateway products.

(a) IDBI Bank

(b) HDFC Bank

(c) Yes Bank

(d) Bandhan Bank

(e) Kotak Mahindra Bank

Q6. India with World Health Organization (WHO) has recently signed a 'call for action' and pledged to scale up measures to end the Tuberculosis by ____________.

(a) 2025

(b) 2030

(c) 2035

(d) 2020

(e) 2023

Q7. Name the regulatory body that has recently allowed celebrities to endorse Mutual Fund products at the industry level.

(a) RBI

(b) NABARD

(c) EPFO

(d) IRDAI

(e) SEBI

Q8. Name the person, who has been appointed by the central government as a member of the western area local board of Reserve Bank of India.

(a) B P Kanugo

(b) Dilip Shanghvi

(c) R Gandhi

(d) Vipin Kunoma

(e) K. Srinivasan

Q9. Name the Indian-American high school student who has won the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search bagging the top award of 250,000 dollars.

(a) Indrani Das

(b) Aaron Yeiser

(c) Arjun Srinivasan Ramani

(d) Richa Roy

(e) Anjuma Bhattacharya

Q10. Name the only Institute of India that has been placed in top 30 position in recent Asia University Rankings 2017 of the Times Higher Education.

(a) IIM-Ahmedabad

(b) BITS-Pilani

(c) IISc-Bengaluru

(d) VIT-Vellore

(e) IIT-Roorkee

                                                              ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(b)

Sol. Power equipment maker BHEL has commenced commercial operations of its first 800-MW unit, a supercritical thermal plant in Karnataka.

S2. Ans.(d)

Sol. State Bank of India and real estate developers’ body Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector.

S3. Ans.(a)

Sol. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has tied up with Sentifi, a Switzerland company and leader in algorithmic-based analysis, for social media updates of 40,000 globally-listed stocks.

S4. Ans.(c)

Sol. India's most successful Badminton Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has been appointed a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).

S5. Ans.(d)

Sol. Bandhan Bank has signed an agreement with Avenues India Pvt Ltd, a payment solution provider to provide merchants with seamless access to point-of-sales (POS) and payment gateway products.

S6. Ans.(b)

Sol. India with World Health Organization (WHO) signed a 'call for action' and pledged to scale up measures to end the Tuberculosis by 2030.

S7. Ans.(e)

Sol. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed celebrities to endorse Mutual Fund products at the industry level and issued new advertising code that will require fund houses to communicate in a simple manner with the public.

S8. Ans.(b)

Sol. Sun Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi has been appointed by the central government as a member of the western area local board of Reserve Bank of India.

S9. Ans.(a)

Sol. An Indian-American high school student, Indrani Das, 17, of New Jersey, has won the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search bagging the top award of 250,000 dollars.

S10. Ans.(c)

Sol. The Times Higher Education (THE) released its Asia University Rankings 2017. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has been ranked best Indian University and has been placed at 27th position among the universities in Asia.

Daily GK Update 26th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 26th March, 2017

Bangladesh celebrates 46th Independence Day

i. On March 26 Bangladesh celebrates its Independence day.

ii.Bangladesh's President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at National Memorial in Savar paying respects to those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom.

Vettel wins Australian Grand Prix

i.Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari. 
ii.It was Vettel's fourth win for Ferrari and his first since the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2015.







Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services

i. Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes.
ii. Christened as Railwire Saathi, the Wi-Fi kiosks will function like a PCO for Digital India and enable people to use services like e-commerce, online banking and much more.

India becomes third largest aviation market in domestic traffic

 

i. India has become the third largest aviation market in terms of domestic passenger traffic, beating Japan. 
ii. United States with 815 million passengers in 2016 enjoyed the top position, followed by China with 490 million.


Cheteshwar Pujara sets a record by scoring the most runs in a Test season by an Indian

i.Pujara achieved the landmark for scoring the most runs in a Test season, surpassing the mark of 1269 by Gautam Gambhir which he achieved in the 2008/09 season.

ii.He has scored 1316 runs at an average of 65.8 in the season, the most ever by an Indian batsman in Tests. 
iii. He needs 168 runs to break Ricky Ponting’s mark, who holds the record for the most runs ever by a batsman in a season, with 1483 runs at an average of 78.05.

QUIZ-26

Q1. Name the mission that was recently launched by the Union government to achieve Blue Revolution with the holistic development and management of fisheries in the country.

(a) Mission Blue

(b) Mission Aqua-Blue

(c) Mission Streamline

(d) Mission Fingerling

(e) None of the given options are true

Q2. According to the Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey released which of the following city has emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian cities.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) Hyderabad

(c) Mumbai

(d) Delhi

(e) Ahmedabad

Q3. Full-service airline Jet Airways has recently announced a partnership with ride-hailing app ________ to book airport cabs through the Jet Airways app itself.

(a) Ola

(b) Meru

(c) Uber

(d) BookMyCab

(e) MyCabs.com

Q4. Nongthombam Biren Singh has been recently appointed as the Chief Minister of Manipur. He has replaced _________.

(a) Sarbananda Sonowal

(b) Okram Ibobi

(c) P A Sangma

(d) Kiren Rijiju

(e) Najma A. Heptulla

Q5. Shashank Manohar has recently resigned as International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman after merely eight months in office. Who is the CEO of ICC?

(a) Zaheer Abbas

(b) Mustafa Kamal

(c) N. Srinivasan

(d) Rajiv Shukla

(e) Dave Richardson

Q6. Name the state, which has bagged the Rs. 415-cr solar power project order from McNally Bharat Engineering Company Ltd, recently.

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Karnataka

(c) Himachal Pradesh

(d) Assam

(e) Maharashtra

Q7. Name the Public lender, which has entered into a corporate agency tie-up for its products with the Future Generali India Insurance Company, recently.

(a) SBI

(b) Central Bank of India

(c) IDFC Bank

(d) UCO Bank

(e) Dena Bank

Q8. 20 projects worth Rs 1,900 Crore have been approved for swift implementation of Namami Gange Programme in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi. Who is the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation?

(a) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

(b) Uma Bharati

(c) Najma A. Heptulla

(d) Harsimrat Kaur Badal

(e) Nirmala Sitharaman

Q9. Name the Bank that has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with real estate developers’ body Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector.

(a) Allahabad Bank

(b) Punjab National Bank

(c) State Bank of India

(d) UCO Bank

(e) IDBI Bank

Q10. Name the scheme that was recently launched by government for developing export linked infrastructure in states with a view to promote outbound shipments.

(a) TIES

(b) LIES

(c) KIES

(d) MIES

(e) DIES

Q11. Name the city in which the International Conference on the Vision Zero and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) held recently.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) Chandigarh

(c) Mumbai

(d) New Delhi

(e) Pune

Q12. Commonwealth day is observed globally on ________ by 52 commonwealth countries.

(a) 24th March

(b) 13th March

(c) 17th March

(d) 24th April

(e) 19th March

Q13. Name the two Indian companies that have been named in the list of world's most ethical companies by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.

(a) Mahindra and Tata

(b) Patanjali and Dabur

(c) Tata Steel and Wipro

(d) Dabur and Tata

(e) None of the given options are true

Q14. Name the person who has been appointed as the Vice President of the 2017 U-17 Fifa World Cup organizing committee, recently.

(a) Shashank Shekhawat

(b) Rajiv Shukla

(c) S. Chandrasekharan

(d) T. Nigam

(e) Babul Supriyo

Q15. What is the theme of Commonwealth day 2017?

(a) An Inclusive Commonwealth

(b) A Healthy Commonwealth

(c) Commonwealth in Healthy Environment

(d) Let's Play With Spirit

(e) None of the above themes are correct

                                                      ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(d)

Sol. The Union government has launched Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue Revolution with the holistic development and management of fisheries in the country.

S2. Ans.(b)

Sol. According to the Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey released Hyderabad emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian cities for the third year in a row.

S3. Ans.(c)

Sol. Full-service airline Jet Airways has announced a partnership with ride-hailing app Uber to book airport cabs through the Jet Airways app itself. The airline will partner Uber and facilitate travel from the airport once a passenger has booked a ticket on the Jet Airways app.

S4. Ans.(b)

Sol. The Congress leader Okram Ibobi announced to resign after BJP named Nongthombam Biren Singh as the party’s leader to form the government with the majority win.

S5. Ans.(e)

Sol. Shashank Manohar has resigned as International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman after merely eight months in office, citing personal reasons. Mr. Manohar (59) mailed his resignation letter to ICC CEO Dave Richardson without clarifying the exact reason for this sudden move to end what was to be a two-year-tenure.

S6. Ans.(a)

Sol. McNally Bharat Engineering Company Ltd has bagged a Rs. 415.29-crore order from Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd.

S7. Ans.(d)

Sol. Private Insurer Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) has entered into a corporate agency tie-up for its products with public lender UCO Bank.

S8. Ans.(b)

Sol. 20 projects worth Rs 1,900 Crore have been approved for swift implementation of Namami Gange Programme in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi. Uma Bharti is the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

S9. Ans.(c)

Sol. State Bank of India and real estate developers’ body Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector.

S10. Ans.(a)

Sol. The government has launched a new scheme Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) for developing export linked infrastructure in states with a view to promote outbound shipments.

S11. Ans.(d)

Sol. The International Conference on the Vision Zero and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) began at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

S12. Ans.(b)

Sol. Commonwealth day is observed globally on 13th of March every year by 52 commonwealth countries.

S13. Ans.(c)

Sol. Two Indian companies, Tata Steel and Wipro, have been named in the list of world's most ethical companies by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.

S14. Ans.(e)

Sol. A Singer turned Union minister Babul Supriyo has been appointed Vice President of the 2017 U-17 Fifa World Cup organizing committee, All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel revealed recently.

S15. Ans.(a)

Sol. The theme of Commonwealth day 2017 is 'An Inclusive Commonwealth'.

Daily GK Update 25th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 25th March, 2017

'Earth Hour' being observed today: 25 March

i. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) is observing the 10th anniversary of 'Earth Hour' today i.e. 25 March,2017. 

ii. The worldwide event is held annually encouraging individuals to turn off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. It was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

Aadhaar mandatory for mobile connection

i. After making Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns and applying for a Permanent Account Number (PAN), the government has moved to make Aadhaar-based e-KYC (know your customer) mandatory for mobile phone connections.

ii. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directed all mobile phone service providers to reverify existing customers, prepaid and postpaid, using their unique Aadhaar identity number and biometric details. Aadhaar-based e-KYC would also be mandatory for customers procuring new SIM card.

Nellore in AP to get Post Office Passport Seva Kendra

i. The External Affairs Ministry and the department of posts announced the opening of a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. It would be the 86th POPSK in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts will be working closely for the early operationalisation of this POPSK at Nellore.

Pawan Hans to start 'Dilli Darshan' chopper rides at Rs 2,500 

i. National chopper operator Pawan Hans is set to launch its "Delhi Darshan" rides with a 10-minute sortie costing Rs 2,499 per person. 

ii. Besides, the state-owned aviation firm will also offer a 20-minute helicopter ride for Rs 4,999. The company's Chairman and Managing Director, B P Sharma, announced the roll out of these services from April 1, 2017.

Navy gets three naval systems from DRDO

i. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over three naval systems, developed by premier Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian Navy.

ii. The naval systems, given to Indian Navy, are USHUS-II submarine sonar, directing gear for hull-mounted sonar array and inertial navigation system for ship applications. 

Indian Navy fires surface-to-air missile from INS Vikramaditya

i. The country’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya successfully carried out the maiden test of the newly installed Barak short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM).

ii. The 44,500-tonne carrier was commissioned into the Navy in November 2013 at Severodvinsk in Russia.

CBEC renamed as CBIC under GST regime

i. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) will be reorganized for the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and will be renamed as the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) following Parliamentary approval.

ii.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has approved the reorganization of the field formations of the CBEC for the implementation of GST.

SBI's Arundhati Bhattacharya among world's greatest leaders

i. State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked 26th among the world's 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune Magazine.

ii. With this, Bhattacharya has become the only Indian corporate leader to be featured on the list. The list has been topped by Theo Epstein President, Baseball Operations in Chicago Cubs.

Osmania University to host 105th Indian Science Congress
i. The 105th session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) will be hosted by Osmania University, Hyderabad during January 3-7, 2018. 
ii. The theme of the 105th session of Indian Science Congress is 'Science and Technology - Reaching the Unreached’. This will be the sixth time that the university will be hosing the conferrer. The congress will be meeting in Hyderabad for the seventh time.

Ashwin breaks record for most wickets in a Test season

i. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has broken the record for most wickets in a single Test season, taking his 79th this season during the Dharamsala Test against Australia. 

ii. Ashwin went past South African pacer Dale Steyn, who had claimed 78 wickets in 12 Tests in 2007-08. Ashwin has taken seven five-wicket hauls this season in 13 matches.