QUIZ-17

Q1. Which among the following bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months?

(a) State Bank of India

(b) South Indian Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) Kotak Mahindra Bank

(e) ICICI Bank

Q2. Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has released the book titled __________________________________ jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi.

(a) Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry

(b) Indian Railway- The Historical Development of Railways in India

(c) Indian Railway- The Development in Chronological Order

(d) Indian Railway- The Chapters Dealing with Different Periods

(e) None of the given options is true

Q3. The Reserve Bank of India has completed its 82nd establishment day on 01st April 2017. RBI was set up on the basis of the recommendations of-

(a) David Young Commission

(b) Bibek Young Commission

(c) Hilton Young Commission

(d) Smith Young Commission

(e) Rangarajan Young Commission

Q4. The government has launched two mobile apps ______________________ that provide access to various services and information, and enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident. 

I. echallan

II. mParivahan

III. esuffar

IV. mrashta

V. esuvidha

(a) Both V and I

(b) Both I and IV

(c) Both IV and V

(d) Both III and II

(e) Both I and II

Q5. The State Bank of India, the country's largest lender has started functioning as unified entity from 01st April 2017 post merger of its five associate banks, besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank. State Bank of India was established on-

(a) 01st July 1954

(b) 01st July 1955

(c) 01st July 1956

(d) 01st July 1957

(e) 01st July 1958

Q6. The BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) has invested in seven projects totaling $1.5 billion in about two years of its operation. Where is the headquarter of NDB?

(a) Shanghai, China

(b) Moscow, Russia

(c) New Delhi, India

(d) Curitiba, Brazil

(e) Pretoria, South Africa

Q7. Joyciline Jepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds. She is from-

(a) Jamaica

(b) Kenya

(c) USA

(d) China

(e) Kazakhstan

Q8. Name the American singer and songwriter, who has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature 2016, more than three months after the awards ceremony.

(a) Yoshinori Ohsumi

(b) Juan Manuel Santos

(c) Bob Dylan

(d) Sveriges Riksbank 

(e) Duncan Haldane

Q9. The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 02 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is-

(a) Opportunity and Full and Effective Participation in Society.

(b) Early Childhood and Irrespective of Gender

(c) Measures to Raise Awareness about Children

(d) Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination

(e) None of the given options is true

Q10. In which among the following cities, the second annual meeting of BRICS's New Development Bank (NDB) has been concluded.

(a) Durban, South Africa

(b) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(c) Saint Petersburg, Russia

(d) Beijing, China

(e) New Delhi, India

Q11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The 24.5-kilometer long Laerdal Tunnel in _________ is the longest road tunnel in the world.

(a) China

(b) Switzerland

(c) Denmark

(d) Norway

(e) USA

Q12. Who has won the India Open badminton championship 2017 in New Delhi?

(a) P.V. Sindhu

(b) Carolina Marin

(c) Saina Nehwal 

(d) Sung ji-Hyun

(e) None of the given options is true

Q13. Diplomat Vipul, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer has taken up the charge as the new Consul General of Dubai. Mr. Vipul has succeeded-

(a) S N Arya

(b) Pragati Sharma

(c) Anurag Bhushan

(d) Pooja Saini

(e) Naval Kishor

Q14. Which among the following cities, the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) 2017 has been concluded?

(a) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

(b) Patna, Bihar

(c) Nagpur, Maharashtra

(d) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

(e) Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Q15. Which among the following player has won the Miami Open 2017 Singles title?

(a) Andy Murray

(b) Roger Federer

(c) Stan Wawrinka

(d) Rafael Nadal

(e) Novak Djokovic

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months. Customers will be able to open an account on the 811 banking app with zero balance. Only Aadhaar and PAN card would be required to open 811 account which would provide access to over 100 features on mobile. The account offers up to 6 percent interest rate on savings deposits.

S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu released the book titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry' jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi. The theme of this book is the historical development of railways in India, organized into chapters dealing with different periods of development in chronological order.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India has completed its 82nd establishment day on 01st April 2017. The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank of the country. The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (II of 1934) provides the statutory basis for the functioning of the Bank, which commenced operations on April 1, 1935.

S4. Ans.(e)
Sol. The government has launched two mobile apps, echallan and mParivahan, that provide access to various services and information, and enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident. 'eChallan' is an integrated enforcement solution to manage traffic violations through an Android-based mobile app and back-end web application, for use by the Transport Enforcement Wing and Traffic Police.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. The State Bank of India, the country's largest lender has started functioning as unified entity from 01st April 2017 post merger of its five associate banks, besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank. The five associate banks merged with the SBI are State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT). With the merger, the SBI joins the league of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets. State Bank of India was established on July 01, 1955.

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. The BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) has invested in seven projects totaling $1.5 billion in about two years of its operation. NDB began operations in July 2015. Seven projects have been done so far which aggregate around $1.5 billion. Six of them are in the renewable energy sector and one in transport financing. The headquarter of NDB is in Shanghai, China.

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds. The 23-year-old, who was competing in just her fifth half marathon, clocked splits of 30:05 and 45:37 to improve the 10km and 15km world records. Defending champion Violah Jepchumba of Kenya finished second in 65:22, with Fancy Chemutai third.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature 2016, more than three months after the awards ceremony. The academy, which awards the coveted prize, ended prolonged speculation as to whether the 75-year-old troubadour would use a concert stopover in Stockholm to accept the gold medal and diploma awarded to him.
They were handed to Dylan at a "private ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden" attended by 12 academy members and Sara Danius, the academy's permanent secretary.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 02 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination". World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day, encouraging the Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world.

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The second annual meeting of BRICS's New Development Bank (NDB) has been concluded in New Delhi, India.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel is Asia's longest bi-directional highway tunnel, which will cut the distance between Jammu and Srinagar to around 250 km from the current 350 km. The 24.5-kilometer long Laerdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world.

S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. Olympic silver-medallist P.V. Sindhu has defeated Carolina Marin in straight sets 21-19, 21-16 in 47 minutes at the India Open badminton championship 2017 final in New Delhi. With this victory, she avenged her Olympic final defeat over the same opponent.

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Diplomat Vipul, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer took up the charge as the new Consul General of Dubai.
Mr. Vipul has succeeded Anurag Bhushan. Before joining the Consulate at Dubai, he was working in the office of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He had earlier served at India’s diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and Egypt.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. The 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) 2017 has been concluded in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Governor Dr. K.K. Paul has inaugurated the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference at the FRI in Dehradun.

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. Roger Federer (Switzerland) has defeated Rafael Nadal (Spain) and won the Miami Open 2017 Singles title in Florida, USA.

QUIZ-16

Q1. ALTBalaji, the digital platform of Balalji Telefilms Ltd has announced a partnership with mobile wallet major ______.

(a) HDFC Chillr

(b) Citrus

(c) ICICI Pockets

(d) PayTM

(e) MobiKwik

Q2. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme named UDAY recently. UDAY stands for-

(a) Utkarsh Discom Assurance Yojna

(b) Ujjwal Disha Assurance Yojna

(c) Ujjwal Discom Assembly Yojna

(d) Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna

(e) Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yatra

Q3. The Government of India has signed a contract for the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid 2016 with GEM Laboratories for extracting Hydrocarbons at Neduvasal. Neduvasal located in-

(a) Uttar Pradesh

(b) Odisha

(c) Tamil Nadu

(d) Gujarat

(e) Kerala

Q4. Which among the following e-commerce giant has made its entry in UAE by acquiring Souq.com, the Middle East’s largest online retailer?

(a) Jabong.com

(b) Amazon

(c) Snapdeal

(d) Flipkart

(e) None of the given options is true

Q5. In which among the following countries, the 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) will be held?

(a) Canada

(b) Germany

(c) Japan

(d) Italy

(e) China

Q6. In the Historic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally open the longest road tunnel of South Asia, Chenani-Nashri Tunnel on 2nd April 2017. Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is located in-

(a) Jammu & Kashmir

(b) Uttarakhand

(c) Manipur

(d) Assam

(e) Himachal Pradesh

Q7. India and Nepal have renewed the fuel supply agreement between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) for another five years. Who is the present president of Nepal?

(a) Sushil Koirala

(b) Bidhya Devi Bhandari

(c) Pushpa Kamal Dahal

(d) Ram Baran Yadav

(e) Parmanand Jha

Q8. Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the online film certification system, _____________' with an aim to censor corruption and promote clean cinema.

(a) e-moviesatya

(b) e-cinenirmaan

(c) e-cinepramaan

(d) e-moviepramaan

(e) None of the given options is true

Q9. The 3rd G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) Meeting under the G-20 German Presidency was held in-

(a) Kolkata, West Bengal

(b) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

(c) Patna, Bihar

(d) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

(e) Nagpur, Maharashtra

Q10. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly working on the development of Dual Frequency (L and S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). Who is present chairman of ISRO?

(a) Samir Brahmachari

(b) Sriram Kalyanaraman

(c) Avinash Chander

(d) Kshatrapati Shivaji 

(e) AS Kiran Kumar

Solutions

S1. Ans.(e)
Sol. ALTBalaji, the digital platform of Balalji Telefilms Ltd, has announced a partnership with mobile wallet major MobiKwik. The Over-the-top (OTT) entertainment platform ALTBalaji will offer 250 hours of original content and subscribers can now avail themselves of 25 per cent cashback while paying for the service using MobiKwik wallet.

S2. Ans.(d)
Sol. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY). With this, 26 states have joined the scheme. The government estimates that Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura will gain net benefits of approximately Rs 4,178 crore, Rs 309 crore and Rs 810 crore respectively. 

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Government of India signed a contract for the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid 2016 with GEM Laboratories for extracting Hydrocarbons at Neduvasal in Tamil Nadu.

S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Amazon, the USA based e-commerce giant made its entry in UAE by acquiring Souq.com, the Middle East’s largest online retailer. This agreement brings Amazon into a fast-growing market as it expands into a wide range of services. The deal’s specific value was not announced officially yet.

S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) will be held in Vancouver, Canada between September 9-15 2017. The theme will be 'Weaving new connections'.

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. In the Historic move, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will formally open the longest road tunnel of South Asia- Chenani-Nashri Tunnel on 2nd April 2017. The 9.2 km long road tunnel is built between Chenani in Udhampur District and Nashri in Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir.

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and Nepal have renewed the fuel supply agreement between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) for another five years. Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the present president of Nepal.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the online film certification system, 'e-cinepramaan' with an aim to censor corruption and promote clean cinema. The new system of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will make the entire process of certification transparent and efficient.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. The 3rd G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) Meeting under the G-20 German Presidency was held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on 28th and 29th of March, 2017. The first two G-20 FWG meetings under the G-20 German Presidency have already been held at Berlin in December 2016 and at Riyadh in February 2017. Since the inception of the FWG in 2009, this is the fourth occasion that India is hosting this meeting.

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly working on the development of Dual Frequency (L and S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). AS Kiran Kumar is present chairman of ISRO.

Daily GK Update 15th April, 2017

PM launches GNFC’s cashless/less cash township model across 12 States

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched in Nagpur, a cashless/less cash township model, developed by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC), across 81 townships in 12 States. 
ii. These townships will deliver 2.5 lakh cashless transactions per day, translating into 9 crore cashless transactions in a year. 
iii. GNFC’s township at Bharuch in Gujarat became India’s first cashless township after demonetization.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana tops target for 2016-17

i. Loans extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) during 2016-17 have crossed the target of Rs 1,80,000 crore for 2016-17.

ii. The Union Budget has announced a target of Rs. 2.44 lakh crore for Mudra Loans during 2017-18. There would be a special focus within the Mudra Scheme on convergence with other government schemes, deepening connect with borrowers and meeting credit requirements of trainees completing skilling course

UP govt, Centre sign MoU for 'Power for All' scheme

i. Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre have signed an MoU for the 'Power for All' scheme in the state.  
ii. The aim of this scheme is to ensure 24-hour quality power supply in the state by October 2018 and electric connection to every house and agriculture field by 2019.   
iii. The project will cost above rupees 40 thousand crore out of which 20 thousand crore will be spent till 2018.

RBI issues new framework for bad loans

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new set of enabling provisions titled 'Revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework' to resolve the problem of banks mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. 
ii. The new set of provisions, effective from April 1, 2017 override the existing PCA framework and are based on the financials of each bank as of March 2017. 
iii. Under the revised framework, if a bank crosses the third level of risk threshold (where a bank’s common equity tier I capital falls below the threshold of 3.625 per cent by 3.125 per cent, or more) it will either be amalgamated or merged, or taken over by another entity.

Income Tax department launches 'Operation Clean Money-II'

i. The Income Tax department has launched the second phase of the ‘Operation Clean Money’ to investigate over 60,000 individuals with an aim to detect black money generation post demonetisation. 
ii. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the income tax department has detected the flow of black money into the banks amounting to over Rs 9,334 crore between November 9, 2016 and February 28, 2017. 


PM Modi inaugurates new units in Koradi thermal power station

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 1980 MW of the Koradi super-critical thermal power project of state-run Mahagenco near Nagpur in Maharashtra to the nation. 
ii. The 1,980 MW capacity includes three units of 660 MW each. The plant currently has one unit of 200 MW, two units of 210 MW each and with the addition of the three units of 660 MW each, its total capacity has increased to 2,600 MW.

Nepal, China hold first ever military exercise

i. Nepal and China will hold the first-ever joint military exercise named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ from 17 April 2017 with a special focus on combating terror and disaster management. 
ii. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, that is bordering between Nepal and China. 

Former J&K Governor Girish Saxena dies

i. Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra Saxena has passed away at the age of 90. 
ii. Saxena was an Indian Police Service officer of the 1950 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. 
iii. He served two terms as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as the head of Research and Analysis Wing from 1983 to 1986.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• UP and Centre have signed an MoU for the 'Power for All' scheme in the state
• CM of Uttar Pradesh is Yogi Adityanath
• Governor of UP is Shri Ram Naik
• PM Narendra Modi launched in Nagpur a cashless/less cash township model
• Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd is full form of GNFC
• GNFC’s township at Bharuch in Gujarat became India’s first cashless township
• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana tops target for 2016-17, loans cross target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore
• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) was launched on 8th April 2015 by PM Narendra Modi
• IT department has launched 'Operation Clean Money-II'
• Operation Clean Money is launched with an aim to detect black money 
• The first phase of ‘Operation Clean Money’ was launched on January 31, 2017
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is the policy-making body of the income tax department
• RBI issued new framework for bad loans named as 'Revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework'
• The head office of RBI is in Mumbai and was formed in 1 April 1935
• Urjit Patel is the 24th governor of RBI
• B P Kanungo is the newly appointed Deputy governor of RBI.
• Nepal and China will hold the first-ever joint military exercise named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ 
• Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak
• Nepal capital is Kathmandu and currency is Nepalese Rupee
• China capital is Beijing and currency is Renminbi/Yuan.
• PM Modi inaugurated new units of 1980 MW  in Koradi thermal power station
• Koradi is located near Nagpur, Maharashtra
• CM of Maharashtra is Devendra Fadnavis and Governor is C. Vidyasagar Rao.
• Former J&K governor Girish Chandra Saxena has passed away
• He served two terms as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir
• He also as an advisor to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

QUIZ-15

Q1. United Bank of India (UBI) has launched a railway ticket booking facility by having a direct tie-up IRCTC. United Bank of India (UBI) based in-
Answer: Kolkata

Q2. Name the bollywood actress, who has been roped as brand ambassador for Indian government's cleanliness initiative Swachh Bharat Mission, recently?
Answer: Shilpa Shetty

Q3. India and Bangladesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the sustainable development of ------------- with financial aid from India.
Answer: Sylhet city

Q4. Which international organisation have signed USD 375 million pact for loans and grants to develop 800 km Visakhapatnam—Chennai Industrial Corridor, which is the first phase of a planned 2,500-km East Coast Economic Corridor?
Answer: Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Q5. FDI in India has grew 18% during 2016 to touch $46 billion, data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). What is the meaning of "I" in FDI?
Answer: Investment

Q6. The Karnataka bank was the winner in ‘Best financial inclusion initiatives (small bank)’ category in ‘IBA-Banking Technology’ awards held recently. The IBA- Banking Technology award was held in _____________.
Answer: Mumbai

Q7. Cabinet has recently approved MoU between India and ______________ for promotion and development of cooperation in civil aviation security in India.
Answer: Australia

Q8. The Third National Biodiversity Congress (NBC) 2017 was held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, recently. What was the theme of NBC, 2017?
Answer: Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Sustainable Development

Q9. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu unveiled a new Express train for common man Equipped with cushioned seats, aluminium composite panels, and LED lights, with specially designed colorful coaches, recently. Name of that Express train is ___________.
Answer: Antyodaya Express

Q10. _______________ based non-banking finance company Microfinance institution Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd. has launched an instant loan approval at a village near Bassi in Jaipur district, Rajasthan, recently.
Answer: Hyderabad

Q11. Name the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jasper Infotech-owned digital payments platform FreeCharge who has recently resigned from his post.
Answer: Govind Rajan

Q12. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced that India will be hosting the Combined World Cup for shooting in 2019 during the meeting held in New Delhi, recently. Who is the President of NRAI?
Answer: Raninder Singh

Q13. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IoT Acceleration Consortium (ITAC) to collaborate to address digital technology shifts, recently. ITAC is ______________ based company.
Answer: Japan

Q14. Name the Person who has been appointed as the chairman of TATA Group's Indian Hotels, recently.
Answer: N Chandrashekaran

Q15. Cabinet approved signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Greece, recently. What is the currency of Greece?
Answer: Euro

Daily GK Update 14th April, 2017

127th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar: 14 April 

i. Nation remembers Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary today i.e 14 April 2017.  
ii. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chief architect of the Constitution of India, was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, which is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. He was also the first law minister of India. 
iii. Prime Minister Modi launched several crucial initiatives to further the digital payments revolution in India on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti in Nagpur. These projects include the launch of BHIM Aadhaar platform for merchants, cash back and referral bonus schemes for BHIM and declaring about 75 townships going less-cash.

France, India ink pact to upgrade Railways

i. The French Minister of State for Transport Alain Vidalies signed an agreement with Indian Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for collaboration in railway areas such as high-speed and semi-high speed rail, modernisation of current operations and infrastructure, station renovation and operations, suburban trains and safety systems.


Women can retain maiden names in passports, PM announced

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that women are free to retain their maiden names in their passports now after the marriage. 
ii. Stating that he wanted women to be at the centre of the developmental schemes as the government is working in different ways to empower them through various schemes like Mudra and Ujjwala. 

Haryana launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety

i. Similar to that of Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’, the Haryana government has launched ‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women safety in the state. 
ii. Under this operation, the 'Flying Squad' is patrolling those areas where anti-social elements are committing crimes against women. The team is formed by Chief Minister of Haryana Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar.

Jharkhand police initiates Tare Zameen Par programme for underprivileged kids

i. Jharkhand Police has initiated 'Tare Zameen Par programme' to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand. 
ii. This programme is aimed to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives. 
iii. As a part of the programme, the state police appealed the locals to donate bags, shoes, books and clothes to improve the basic amenities of the children in the Naxal-affected areas.

Bank Boards Bureau evolves 'GRAF' for PSBs
i. The Bank Boards Bureau (BBB) has evolved a Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF) for public sector banks to ensure that they have the ability to compete successfully with private sector banks, small finance and payments banks, foreign banks and non-banking finance companies. 
ii. The framework is guided by the latest global benchmarking on governance practices provided by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervisions guidelines on corporate governance principles for banks released in July 2015.

Postal department, SBI join hands to promote cashless transactions
i. Department of Posts has joined hands with State Bank of India to promote 'SBI buddy e-wallet' and Point of Sale (POS) machines for cashless transactions at post office counters while booking speed post and registered post items. 
ii.  Higher officials have dedicated SBI buddy e-wallet and SBI POS machines at Chandigarh General Post Office for the general public. 

I-T CPC in Bengaluru gets new unique pin code for taxpayers benefit

i. Taxpayers wanting to send their paper Income Tax Return (ITR) acknowledgment forms or documents related to refunds and others to the I-T department's CPC in Bengaluru can now send it to a unique pin code '560500'. 
ii. The Department of Post has allotted the pin code to the Central Processing Centre (CPC) to ensure that letters and emails sent by taxpayers and assessees are not lost and reach the centre without delay. 

IRDAI launches web portal for insurers

i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a web portal for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.
ii. The portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' is also open to intermediaries in the insurance business.



Grasim gets RBI approval to hike FII limit
i. The Reserve Bank has allowed Aditya Birla Group firm Grasim Industries to raise the foreign shareholding to 49% from the existing limit of 30%. 
ii. RBI has notified that foreign institutional Investors/foreign portfolio investors can now invest the paid-up capital of Grasim Industries Ltd under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). 

Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya takes charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI

i. Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya took charge as Whole Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi. 
ii. He will look after the fields like Administrative Law Wing, Information Technology, Limited Insolvency Examination, National Insolvency Examination, Finance Accounts and  Communication.

Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award 2015-16

i. The Union Ministry of Agriculture has selected Himachal Pradesh for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for the commendable increase in food grains production. 
ii. Himachal Pradesh is being selected for this award for the third time.  The award would carry a trophy, citation and cash prize. The state was also conferred the Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12 for the increase in wheat production and in 2014-15 for increasing food grains production.

Indian wins top prize at UN challenge for open source tool
i. An Indian software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik has won the top prize at a global challenge for an open-source tool that enables users to interactively view UN General Assembly resolutions and gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns of member states.  
ii. He also won the 'Unite Ideas UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge' for his Global Policy.

Cisco launched 5th global and 1st in India cyber range lab in Gurugram
i. US-based tech giant Cisco launched its fifth global cyber range lab in Gurugram, Haryana with an aim to train Indian firms and government agencies on real-world cyber attacks. 
ii. This is the first cyber range lab in India. The facility was inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai.

Pranab Mukherjee released book on Draupadi by Veerappa Moily

i. A book on Draupadi named 'the Flaming Tresses of Draupadi' written by senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was released by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. 
ii. The book is an English translation by D A Shankar of Moily’s original work in Kannada. 


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

• Nation remembers BR Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary i.e. 14 April 2017
• He was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, which is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar
• He was also the first law minister of India
• Unified Payment Interface (UPI) based app BHIM was launched by PM Modi which has been named after Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
• Pranab Mukherjee released the book named 'the Flaming Tresses of Draupadi' authored by M Veerappa Moily
• The book was translated into English by D A Shankar
• Moily is best known for his book Shree Ramayana Mahanveshanam, which received the Moortidevi Award of the Bharatiya Jnanpith.
• Haryana govt launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety
• Haryana CM is Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor of Haryana is Kaptan Singh Solanki.
• Cisco launched its fifth global cyber range lab in Gurugram, Haryana
• The facility was inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai
• Cisco was formed in 1984 and it is headquartered in California, USA
• Chuck Robbins is the current CEO of Cisco
• India and France inked pact to upgrade Railways
• France PM is Bernard Cazeneuve 
• The capital of France is Paris and its Currency is Euro
• French Minister of State for Transport is Alain Vidalies.
• Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award for 2015-16
• The total food grains production has increased from 14.94 lakh tonne to 16.34 lakh tonne in Himachal Pradesh
• Radha Ram Mohan Singh is the Union Agriculture and farmer welfare Minister of India
• The Capital of Himachal Pradesh is Shimla and its Chief Minister is Mr. Virbhadra Singh
• Postal department and SBI joined hands to promote cashless transactions in India
• SBI buddy e-wallet and SBI POS machines at Chandigarh General Post Office has been dedicated to the general public
• Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya is the Chairperson of Mumbai Headquartered State Bank of India
• Tare Zameen Par programme launched in Jharkhand 
• CM of Jharkhand is Raghubar Das 
• Governor of Jharkhand is Draupadi Murmu.
• Tare Zameen Par programme launched in Jharkhand 
• CM of Jharkhand is Raghubar Das 
• Governor of Jharkhand is Draupadi Murmu.
• BBB has evolved a Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF) for public sector banks
• Banks Board Bureau is an autonomous body of Union Government of India tasked to improve the governance of Public Sector Banks.
• IRDAI has launched a web portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.
• Full form of IRDAI is Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
• IRDAI Chairman is T.S Vijayan and its headquarter is in Hyderabad.
• Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya took charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) was established on October 1, 2016, in accordance with the provisions of The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.