Daily GK Update 12th May, 2017

PM Modi visits Sri Lanka 

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the two-day visit to Sri Lanka which is a sign of “strong relationship” between the two countries and brings to the fore the shared heritage of Buddhism.
ii. During his two-day visit, he will participate in the International Vesak Day celebrations, the biggest festival of Buddhists, inaugurate a hospital built with Indian assistance and address the Indian-origin Tamil community, besides attending some other programs.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launch e-Krishi Samvad 

i. Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched e-Krishi Samvad an online interface at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.
ii. It is an internet-based interface and is a unique platform that will provide direct and effective solutions to the problems faced by farmers and stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

Nitin Gadkari launches NHAI's Masala Bond in UK

i. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange, UK. 
ii. The initially benchmarked issue of Rs. 1,500 crore was upsized to Rs. 3,000 crore at a price yielding 7.30 percent annually in view of the highly positive response from the investor market.
iii. The transaction marks the largest ever in the five-year issuance and the largest inaugural transaction in Masala Bond market. 

 India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica, expand research activity

i. India has decided to replace the Maitri research station in Antarctica with a new one in the next three to four years. 
ii. The country is also drafting laws to safeguard its interest in Antarctica and is poised to expand its research activity in the coldest continent with the special ice-cutting facility will be procured for the purpose.

SBI revises service charges; to charge ATM withdrawals at Rs. 25

i. State Bank of India (SBI) has announced another revision in service charges with effect from June 1, 2017. All cash withdrawals through ATM will now be charged at Rs. 25 per transaction. Only RuPay classic card will be issued for free.
ii. State Bank of India has clarified that the proposed hike in ATM withdrawal charges will be applicable only to customers of its mobile wallet State Bank Buddy.
Few major changes done by SBI are as follows-

1. Limit of four ATM withdrawals in a month only applies to the Basic Savings Banks deposit account.
2. All Normal Saving Bank accounts will continue to get eight free ATM transactions (5 SBI ATMs + 3 other bank ATMs) in Metros & 10 free transactions in Non-Metro (SBI ATM + 5 Other Bank ATMs) free apart from the bank transaction.
3. Anyone making upto Rs 1 lakh transfer on IMPS will be charged with Rs 5 per transaction plus service tax.
4. Between Rs 1 lakh – Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2 lakh – Rs 5 lakh, service charges are at Rs 15 and Rs 25 each plus service tax.
5. On Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) account, no charged will be levied for four withdrawals, more than that Rs 50 plus service tax will be charged at any SBI branch, while at any other bank Rs 20 plus tax.

LIC Housing Finance launches new home loan product

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

 Justice Mukul Mudgal elected head of FIFA Governance Committee

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



Bengaluru ranked 20th in world's most affordable tech city Index

i. Bengaluru has been named the world’s most affordable tech city in the new Savills Tech Cities Index 2017. The Indian technology hub is the most affordable out of 22 cities that were graded on different parameters.
ii. Overall, Bengaluru ranks 20th among tech cities in the world while Austin topped the list, followed by San Francisco and New York. But when it comes to the cost of living index, Bengaluru tops the charts with a weekly residential rent for tech employees and household.

Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award 

i. ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship.
ii. She received the annual award which was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplishments either in their careers or through service.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update for Exams are as follows-

• President of Sri Lanka is Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister is Ranil Wickremesinghe.
• The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. This is the administrative capital where most of the administrative institutions exist including Parliament of Sri Lanka.
• The 14th United Nations Day of Vesak is celebrated from 12th May to 14th May in Sri Lanka
• In 2017, United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Sri Lanka under the theme “Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace”
• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is Shri Radha Mohan Singh.
• The rupee-denominated offshore bonds are popularly known as Masala Bonds
• The instrument has been exempted from taxation for transfer among non-residents while a low rate of five percent would be applicable for investors till 2020
• Capital of UK is London and its currency is Pound Sterling
• Theresa May is the PM of UK.
• Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in Antarctica during 1984
• Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built in 1989.
• Chairman of LIC is Vijay Kumar Sharma
• Life Corporation of India was founded on 1 September 1956 and its headquarter is Mumbai.
• 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be hosted by India
• 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia
• FIFA president is Gianni Infantino.
• Bengaluru named as the Silicon valley of India
• Bengaluru also named as the Information Technology (IT) capital of India.
• CEO of ICICI Bank is Chanda Kochhar
• ICICI Bank headquarter is in Mumbai.

QUIZ-12

Q1. Panchayati Raj Diwas was celebrated recently (April 24) across India. Which of the following Gram Panchayat was the first to become open defecation free (ODF) in the country?

(a) Mander Gram Panchayat

(b) Akodara Gram Panchayat

(c) Kuther Gram Panchayat

(d) Gyanwath Gram Panchayat

(e) Shakul Gram Panchayat

Q2. Name the Bollywood film that has recently won the best film honor at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

(a) Newton

(b) Mashaal

(c) Lunch Box

(d) Aligarh

(e) Bahubali

Q3. World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is observed globally on __________.

(a) 24 April

(b) 23 April

(c) 21 April

(d) 21 March

(e) 20 March

Q4. Name the player who has recently won the Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament 2017.

(a) Andy Murray

(b) Roger Federer

(c) Novak Djokovic

(d) Stan Wawrinka

(e) Rafael Nadal

Q5. Various Sports including Cricket and Sambo has been removed from the program list in order to remove the burden from the organizers of the 2018 Asian Games. The Asian Games 2018 will be held in _________.

(a) Jakarta

(b) Padang

(c) Palembang

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (a) and b)

Q6. Name the player/s who is/are in the winners at the second Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017.

(a) SSP Chaurasia

(b) Aditi Ashok

(c) Ali Sher

(d) All of the above

(e) Only (a) and (b)

Q7. The National Health Mission (NHM) in which of the Indian state has launched a mobile-based application named 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women.

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Madhya Pradesh

(c) Haryana

(d) Uttar Pradesh

(e) Bihar

Q8. Name the Veteran actress who has received the lifetime achievement award at the 80th Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards 2017.

(a) Suchitra Sen

(b) Rituparna Sengupta

(c) Shahana Goswami

(d) Nandita Das

(e) Moushumi Chatterjee

Q9. China and Iran have signed the first agreement on the reconfiguration of Iran's Arak reactor. The deal was concluded between the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a Chinese company at the official ceremony in which of the following cities?

(a) San Francisco

(b) Vienna

(c) Beijing

(d) Hong Kong

(e) Tehran

Q10. In a bid to expand the green cover, the Indian Railways has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with which of the following state government, under which trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the railway tracks in the state.

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Madhya Pradesh

(c) Himachal Pradesh

(d) Uttar Pradesh

(e) Rajasthan

Solutions

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. Every year April 24 is being observed as National Panchayati Raj Diwas across India. This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993. Kuther Gram Panchayat of Himachal Pradesh recieved the award for its best works. This Gram Panchayat was the first to become open defecation free (ODF) and was awarded sum of five lakh Rupees.

S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. Bollywood film "Newton" has won the best film honor at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The lead actor of the film is Raj Kumar Rao. Amit Masurkar-directed "Newton", is a political satire. It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segment.

S3. Ans.(b)
Sol. World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is being observed on 23rd April 2017. The day seeks to raise awareness about the importance of reading and promote publishing and the protection of copyright around the globe. It is a yearly event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

S4. Ans.(e)
Sol. Rafael Nadal has won the Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament 2017. He defeated Albert Vinolas at a summit clash in Monaco. With this Rafael claimed a record 10th Monte Carlo Masters title.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. One of the sports to miss out from the programme list of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang is cricket. Apart from cricket, skateboarding, sambo and surfing are among the other sports which have been removed from the programme in order to reduce the burden on Indonesian organizers. This measure was taken as a part of the series of changes aimed at reducing the total number of events from 493 to 431.

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. SSP Chawrasia, Aditi Ashok and Ali Sher were among the winners at the second Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017. Aditi, who finished second in the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit in 2016 with the help of two victories, bagged Outstanding Achievement as a Player award. Chawrasia, who successfully defended his Indian Open title in 2017, bagged the Award for the Men's Player of the Year. Ali Sher, the Delhi Golf Club caddy-turned-pro-golfer, was feted for an Outstanding Playing Career. 

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. The National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana launched a mobile-based application named 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women, parents and health workers on the importance of ante and post natal care, institutional delivery, and immunization.

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. Veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee has received the lifetime achievement award, at the 80th Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. China and Iran have signed the first agreement on the reconfiguration of Iran's Arak reactor. The deal was concluded between the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a Chinese company at the official ceremony in the Austrian capital Vienna.

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. In a bid to expand the green cover, the Maharashtra government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways, under which trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the railway tracks in the state.

Daily GK Update 11th May, 2017

India celebrates National Technology Day: 11th May

i. On 11th May 1998 India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out nuclear tests at Pokhran, Rajasthan. 
 ii. Technology Development Board, Ministry of Science and Technology is celebrating 19th National Technology Day, at Vigyan Bhawan. The theme of the function is “Technology for inclusive and sustainable growth”.


PM launches integrated case management system of Supreme Court

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the integrated case management system of the Supreme Court in the presence of the Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar.

ii. The system will help litigants access data and retrieve information online and will be a step towards a paperless Supreme Court. 

iii. It will help usher transparency, reduce manipulation and help the litigant know about the progress of the case on a real-time basis.

Government sets up a high-level task force to compute timely data on employment

i. The government of India has set up a high-level task force to compute timely data on employment in the country, a move that will go a long way to help government frame policies and take steps that can create jobs in the country. 
ii. The task force has been created under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog's vice chairman Arvind Panagariya. The other members of the task force are labor secretary Sathiyavathy, secretary statistics T.C.A. Ananth, Pulak Ghosh of NITI Aayog and Manish Sabharwal (member RBI Board).

India, Russia agree to work closely in various sectors

i. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dimitry Rogozin arrived in New Delhi recently on a one-day visit to attend IRIGC-TEC meeting. 
ii. India and Russia agreed to work closely in various sectors, including security, nuclear energy, and disaster management.

IFSC at GIFT inks pact with GNLU to start course on IFSC regulations

i. India's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance-Tec City (GIFT)  entered into an agreement with Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) to collaborate on efforts for Skill Development in the field of International Financial Services & Regulations. 
ii. Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), GNLU will introduce a new course on International Financial Services Centre from its June 2017 Semester. It will also organize a program for Lawyers covering IFSC, International Arbitration and related fields. 


Dena Bank classifies Videocon loan as ‘bad’ 

i. Dena Bank has become the first lender to classify Videocon Industries as a bad loan. With the default on payments, Dena Bank has declared Videocon Industries account as non-performing asset (NPA) in the fourth quarter ended March 2017. 
ii. The total exposure of lenders to the electronic goods maker has pegged at approx Rs 40,000 crore.

Sebi allows investors to buy mutual funds via digital wallet 

i. Markets regulator Stock Exchange board of India (Sebi) allowed investors to buy mutual fund schemes for up to Rs 50,000 through digital wallets, making it easier for them especially the young generation to purchase these instruments.  
ii. The move is part of the efforts to promote digital payments in the MF industry and channelise household savings into the capital market.

29th edition of CORPAT between India-Indonesia begins in Port Blair

i. The 29th edition of  Co-ordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India-Indonesia commenced in Port Blair. 
ii. The Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Sutedi Senoputra has arrived at Haddo Wharf, Port Blair to mark the commencement of the IND–INDO CORPAT. The closing ceremony of the CORPAT is scheduled at Belawan, Indonesia from 22 – 25 May 2017.

Indian Navy ships; INS Karwar and Kakinada decommissioned
i. Two minesweepers of the Indian Navy INS Karwar and INS Kakinada were decommissioned after being in service for over 30 years. 
ii. The two ships were bid adieu at a ceremony in the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. 
iii. INS Karwar was the first of the ‘Natya’ class minesweepers acquired from the erstwhile Soviet Union. The ship was commissioned on July 14, 1986.INS Kakinada was the second of the class and was commissioned on December 23, 1986.

India, US officials discuss strengthening maritime security cooperation

i. Top Indian and American officials discussed ways to strengthen maritime security cooperation during the two-day India-US Maritime Security Dialogue in Rhode Island. 
ii. The implementation of the decisions taken at the first Maritime Security Dialogue between the two countries.

IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for train tickets

i. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is now offering home delivery of rail tickets and will allow passengers to make payment through any payment mode, including cash. 

ii. Broad-basing the customer service, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has now introduced pay-on-delivery (PoD) service, allowing passengers to book train tickets online and pay at the time of delivery. 

Railways to acquire EoTT system to run trains without guards

i. The Indian Railways will float global tenders worth over ₹100 crore for acquiring  End of Train Telemetry (EoTT) equipment to run 1,000 trains without guards. 
ii. This equipment is used to establish communication between the locomotive driver and the last wagon of the train to ensure that the train is running with all coaches/wagons as a complete unit.  
iii. EoTT system comprises two units — one unit called cab display unit (CDU) fitted on the locomotive and the other is sense and brake unit (SBU) fitted on the last coach or wagon of the train.

Sanjay Mitra appointed as Defence Secretary

i. The government has named Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra as its new defence secretary in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.
 ii. Mitra will take over as the secretary after the present incumbent, G Mohan Kumar, completes his tenure on May 24,2017 an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). 

Twitter elevates Taranjeet Singh as Country Director for India

i. Microblogging platform Twitter has elevated Taranjeet Singh as its Country Director for India. Mr. Singh was earlier leading the charge for sales and marketing support for Twitter’s advertisers in India.
ii. Recently, Twitter had launched a lighter version of its platform 'Twitter Lite' for users in India.


Konkona bags Best Director and Best Actress awards at New York Indian Film Festival
i. Konkona Sensharma has been named the best director for her directorial debut ‘A Death in the Gunj’ and the best actress for ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ at 2017's New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF). 
ii. Presented by the Indo-American Arts Council, the film festival took place from April 30 to May 7, 2017. 


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

Senior NCP leader A T Pawar Passes away
i. Senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Arjun Tulshiram Pawar passed away after prolonged illness. 
ii. The leader, who had for many years represented Kalwan, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Nashik district, lost the 2014 state Assembly election.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update for Exams are as follows-

• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation was founded in 1999
• IRCTC headquarter is in New Delhi.
• Road Transport and Highways Secretary is Sanjay Mitra
• Sanjay Mitra takes over as the new defence secretary after the replacing of  G Mohan Kumar.
• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• First Railway Minister of India is John Mathai.
• Jagdish Singh Khehar is the 44th Chief Justice of India after replacing of Justice Tirath Singh Thakur
• Supreme Court becomes Paperless moving towards Digital Court.
• Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is the chairperson of Technology Development Board
• The Government of India constituted the Technology Development Board (TDB) in September 1996, under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995
• Port Blair is the Capital of Andaman and Nicobar
• Sunil Lanba is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of Indian Navy.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India was established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
• Chairman of SEBI is Ajay Tyagi after replacing of U.K. Sinha
• Sebi headquarter is in Mumbai.
• The vice chairman of NITI Aayog is Mr. Arvind Panagariya
• Jack Dorsey is the CEO of Twitter
• Headquarter of Twitter is in California, USA.
• The official name for Russia is the Russian Federation
• Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake is in Russia
• Dmitry Medvedev is the current PM of Russia
• The capital of Russia is Moscow and its currency is Russian ruble.
• Dena Bank headquarter is in Mumbai
• Chairman of Dena Bank is Shri. Ashwani Kumar
• The tagline of Dena Bank is 'Trusted Family Bank'.
• Full form of IFSC is International Financial Services Centre
• Full form of GNLU is Gujarat National Law University 
• Full form of GIFT is Gujarat International Finance-Tec City.

QUIZ-11

Q1. India and South Korea have signed an Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Industry cooperation between their shipbuilding yards. What is the capital of South Korea?

(a) Beijing

(b) Seoul

(c) Pyongyang

(d) Bangkok

(e) Tokyo

Q2. Which among the following insurance company has become the first reinsurer to open an office at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)?

(a) Oriental Insurance Company Limited 

(b) National Insurance Company Limited 

(c) United India Insurance Company

(d) The New India Assurance Company Limited 

(e) General Insurance Corporation of India

Q3. Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad has inaugurated welfare initiatives of the Department of Justice. These initiatives are-

(a) Pro-bono legal services

(b) Tele-law service-

(c) Nyaya Mitra Project

(d) All of the above

(e) None of the given options is true

Q4. The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with ____________.

(a) Bank of Guyana

(b) Bank of Japan

(c) Federal Reserve 

(d) People's Bank of China

(e) European Central Bank

Q5. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted its first-ever mock exercise on the forest fire in ___________ to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire.

(a) Madhya Pradesh

(b) Punjab

(c) Uttarakhand

(d) Rajasthan

(e) Kerala

Q6. AU Financiers India, a non-banking finance company (NBFC), has converted itself into a small finance bank by the name AU Small Finance Bank. Who is the chairman of the board of AU Small Finance Bank?

(a) Mannil Venugopalan

(b) Vipul Reddy

(c) Utkarsh Kumar

(d) Varsha R Rama

(e) None of the given options is true

Q7. Which company has won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 in the category of Innovative Product/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model?

(a) Maharashtra Industries Directory

(b) Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC)

(c) Organic Fertilizers Kerala

(d) Rajasthan Handloom & Handicraft Industries

(e) None of the given options is true

Q8. Which among the following countries has successfully launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft named Tianzhou-1?

(a) North Korea

(b) Japan

(c) China

(d) Russia

(e) Singapore

Q9. Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines _____________ and Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan met for the 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

(a) Harsimrat Kaur Badal

(b) Radha Mohan Singh

(c) Giriraj Singh

(d) Piyush Goyal

(e) Ram Vilas Paswan

Q10. Which city has been designated World Book Capital 2017? 

(a) Bern, Switzerland

(b) Nairobi, Kenya

(c) Madrid, Spain

(d) New Delhi, India

(e) Conakry, Guinea

Solutions

S1. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and South Korea have signed an Inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Industry cooperation between their shipbuilding yards. Seoul is the capital of South Korea.

S2. Ans.(e)
Sol. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) has become the first re-insurer to open an office at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad has inaugurated three welfare initiatives of the Department of Justice. The services launched are- 1. Pro-bono legal services- Through the Pro bono legal services, lawyers who want to provide legal services free of cost can register themselves on a web-based platform. 2. Tele-law service- It aims to connect marginalized communities with lawyers through video conferencing facilities, to be set up at Common Service Centres (CSCs). 3. Nyaya Mitra Project- It aims to reduce pendency in lower courts, with a special focus on cases which are more than ten years old.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Bank of Guyana. 

S5. Ans.(c)
Sol. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted its first-ever mock exercise on the forest fire in Uttarakhand to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire. The mock exercise was conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS), which identifies stakeholders and clearly attributes roles and responsibilities to each one of them. It also generated awareness among the local population about the Do's and Don'ts to be followed to prevent and respond to a forest fire.

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. AU Financiers India, a non-banking finance company (NBFC), has converted itself into a small finance bank by the name AU Small Finance Bank. AU obtained a fresh certificate of incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Ministry on April 13, 2017, and the Reserve Bank of India on April 19, 2017, notified the commencement of operations of this small finance bank. Mr. Mannil Venugopalan is the Chairman of Board of AU small financial Bank.

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 in the category of Innovative Product/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model. The Golden Peacock Awards were established by the Institute of Directors (IOD) in India in 1991. The GNFC won from among 313 applicants for Golden Peacock Global Award for Innovative Product/Service. Applicants for 2017 included SMEs, and public, private, and government enterprises.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. China has successfully launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft named Tianzhou-1. It is programmed to conduct scientific experiments after reaching the now-crewless Tiangong 2, China's second space station. China aims to build up the permanent space station by 2022. China becomes the 3rd country after US and Russia to Master the techniques of refueling in Space.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal and Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Ignasius Jonan met for the 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy. The reports of three Joint Working Groups were presented to two Ministers during the Energy Forum.

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. Conakry, the capital of Guinea has been designated World Book Capital 2017.

Daily GK Update 10th May, 2017

World Migratory Bird Day: 10th May

i. The World Migratory Bird Day is observed every year on 10 May. 
ii. The theme of WMBD 2017 is “Their Future is Our Future – A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People”. 

Supreme Court becomes paperless, digital court 

i. The Supreme Court has taken its first step towards becoming a paperless, digital court.

ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the digital filing system at a function in New Delhi where the Integrated Case Management System will be connected with the Supreme Court website.


SAMADHAN: Rajnath Singh coins an acronym to wipe out left-wing terror 

i. Presiding over a review meeting of the states affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE). Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced a new strategy against the Maoists—SAMADHAN. 
ii. The Minister explained the acronym as S-smart leadership, A-aggressive strategy, M-motivation and training, A-actionable intelligence, D-dashboard-based KPIs (key performance indicators) and KRAs (key result areas), H-harnessing technology, A-action plan for eachtheatre and N-no access to financing.

DIPAM launches online investor facilitation platform

i. The Finance Ministry has set up an Investor Facilitation Platform that will provide information about stocks of public sector units. 
ii. Set up by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), the platform will be an interactive forum for all stakeholders, including investors, investment banks, law firms, public sector units and administrative ministries that are involved in stake sales. 

Cashkaro.com ties up with YES Bank to launch card-linked offers

i. Banking on the Government's drive to promote a cash-less economy, cashback portal Cashkaro.com has tied up with YES Bank to launch card-linked offers as part of its loyalty programme for both offline and online shoppers. 
ii. The offer will be currently available on all YES BANK debit cards, and will be extended to all other payment products of YES Bank in the near future.

Oracle launches cloud computing service for India

i. Technology giant Oracle has launched its cloud computing service for India, which aims to support the government's GST rollout in July and plans to open data centres in the country. 
ii. In an effort to simplify the tax regime in India and to ensure higher compliance with tax laws, Oracle's ERP solution aims to provide support for GST Network integration, statutory reporting, payment processing, among others. 

Moon Jae-In began his five-year term as president of South Korea

i. South Korea's liberal leader Moon Jae-In took the oath as president, tasked with navigating the country out of rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear program and the risk of a rift with the United States. 
ii. The National Election Commission said Moon, of the Democratic Party, took 41.1 percent of the votes, far ahead of Conservative Hong Joon-Pyo, his closest rival on 24.03 percent.

Apple tops $800 bn market cap for first time

i. Apple Inc became the first US company to top the $800 billion mark in market capitalization slightly more than two years after it crossed the $700 billion thresholds. 
ii. The iPhone maker's shares have gained 33 percent this year and almost 50 per cent since the US election in November 2016 and the company now represents about 4 percent of the $21.7 trillion that makes up the entire S&P 500 index.

Jhulan Goswami becomes world's highest wicket-taker in ODIs

i. Jhulan Goswami, India’s fast bowler, is now the leading wicket-taker in Women’s ODIs, going past Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick record of 180 wickets. 
ii. She now has 181 wickets in 153 matches at an average of 21.76 with two five-wicket and 4 four-wicket hauls. She won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in 2007.

N'Golo Kante named Football Writers' Footballer of the Year

i. N'Golo Kante has been voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association. 
ii. Kante is the fifth player in six seasons to complete the awards double having last month been named Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers' Association.



Important Takeaways from above GK Update for Exams are as follows-

• 2017 ICC Women's World Cup will be hosted by England
• 2013 ICC Women's World Cup  won by Australia
• In 2010 and 2012, Jhulan Goswami was conferred with Arjuna Award and Padam Shri respectively.
• Moon Jae-In has replaced Park Geun-Hye
• Capital of South Koria is Seoul and its Currency is Won (KRW)
• The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal
• The Supreme Court of India came into existence on 26th January, 1950
• The First Chief Justice of Supreme Court was Harilal Jekisundas Kania.
• Union Home Minister of India is Rajnath Singh
• Rajnath Singh announced a new strategy against the Maoists—SAMADHAN.
• DIPAM is headed by Finance Minister of India Shri Arun Jaitley
• From 27th May, 2004, the Department of Disinvestment is one of the Departments under the Ministry of Finance
• The Department of Disinvestment was set up as a separate Department on 10th December, 1999 and was later renamed as Ministry of Disinvestment from 6th September, 2001
• The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) from 14th April, 2016.
• The GST is governed by GST Council and its Chairman is Union Finance Minister of India Arun Jaitley.
• GST is a destination-based tax on consumption of goods and services
• It is amalgamating a large number of Central and State taxes into a single tax
• Oracle headquarter is in the United States of America.
• World Migratory Bird Day is observed on 10th May
• The theme of WMBD 2017 is “Their Future is Our Future – A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People”
• Yes Bank CEO and MD is Rana Kapoor 
• Headquarter of Yes Bank in Mumbai
• The tagline of Yes Bank is 'Experience our Expertise'.