Daily GK Update 08th February, 2017

 Daily GK Update 08th February, 2017

RBI's Monetory Policy February 2017 : Keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.25%

i. RBI governor Urjit Patel led Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the key repo rate unchanged at 6.25% in the first monetary policy review of 2017 and after Budget 2017. 

ii. Limit on cash withdrawal from savings banks accounts to be relaxed in 2 stages. From 20 February, 2017 limit to be increased from Rs 24k to Rs 50K. From 13 March, 2017 there will be no limit on cash withdrawal from savings bank accounts. 

iii. 9.92 lakh crore new notes infused into market as on January 27, 2017.Inflation seen at 4-4.5% for April-September,2017. For January-March, 2017 CPI stay below 5%

Policy rates:

Repo Rate- 6.25%

Reverse Repo Rate- 5.75%

Marginal Standing Facility Rate- 6.75%

Bank Rate-  6.75%

Reserve Ratio:

CRR- 4%

SLR- 20.50%

3-day global conference on Nuclear Terrorism to begin in New Delhi

i. The Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism begins in New Delhi. Nearly 150 delegates from various partner countries and international organisations will take take part in the three-day event. 

ii. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will inaugurate the meet organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Atomic Energy.

iii. The meeting highlights India’s commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 

SC clears plan to verify mobile phone users through Aadhaar

i. The Supreme Court has approved the government‘s plan to record the identification details of mobile subscribers through an e-KYC (Know Your Customer) mechanism linked to Aadhaar in a bid to enhance national security and prevent fake users.

ii. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar asked the government, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, to put in place the mechanism within a year. 

iii. The mechanism would cover at least 100 crore mobile phone subscribers, 90% of whom use pre-paid cards.

International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting held in New Delhi

i. The 23rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting was held in New Delhi. The 3-day conference was organized by the Broadcast Engineering Society (India). 

ii. The theme of the conference is 'Hybrid Technologies in Broadcasting New Opportunities'. In this EXPO, nearly 300 companies from 25 countries displayed their products directly or through their dealers and distributors in India. 

Over 13,000 Divyangs have been given jobs by Centre

i. Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh stated that 13 thousand Divyangs have been given jobs in various central government departments. 

ii. Talking to media in New Delhi yesterday,Dr Singh said efforts are on to fill all the 15,694 vacancies in the central government. He said till now nearly 84% of vacant posts meant for Divyangs have been filled.

No cash withdrawal limit from March 13,2017:RBI

i. The Reserve Bank of India announced that the cash withdrawal limit on savings accounts will be scrapped from March 13, 2017 . 

ii. Further, the current limit of withdrawal fixed at ₹24,000 per week will be raised to ₹50,000 per week from February 20,2017 the RBI added. The limits on bank withdrawals were placed after demonetization

Federal Bank ties up with data portal for loans against warehouse receipts

i. Federal Bank has partnered with leading online data and information portal Commodity Online for the distribution of loans against warehouse receipts and collateral management services across the country.

ii. Commodity Online will roll out an agri commodity financing platform through its flagship portal www.commodityonline.com where farmers and traders can track commodity markets and warehouses online and get financing for their commodities quickly.

iii. According to Mohan K, Deputy General Manager (SME & Agri), Federal Bank, the bank’s partnership with Commodity Online enables it to aggressively get into the online space to provide financing for agri commodities with collateral management across India.

Bank of Baroda, IFFCO launch co-branded debit card for farmers

i. In a novel initiative that would push digitalisation and cashless economy, Bank of Baroda (BOB) has tied up with IFFCO, a cooperative, to provide co-branded debit cards with inbuilt overdraft facilities to the farmers.

ii. In this regard, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between G.B.Panda, General Manager (government relationship) BOB and Yogendra Kumar, General Manager (Marketing) IFFCO.

iii. Under this MOU, two lakh co-branded debit cards will be issued to the farmers beginning with the state of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently more cards will be issued across rest of India.These co-branded debit cards will be exclusively used for the purchase of IFFCO products only.

iv. BOB has agreed to issue the co-branded debit cards to the farmers with an overdraft limit of Rs. 2,500 per cardholder.BOB will also provide 2500 PoS machines initially at the various locations across India recommended by IFFCO at mutually agreed terms and conditions.

ICICI Securities partners with Saxo Bank

i. ICICI Securities, a subsidiary of ICICI Bank, has entered into a strategic partnership with Saxo Bank, an online multi-asset trading and investment specialist.

ii. This partnership will offer Saxo's trading and investment capabilities via a digital platform to Indian investors.

iii. It will enable ICICI Securities' 4 million clients of ICICIdirect.com to diversify their investments outside of the domestic Indian market and access multi-asset investment opportunities on 36 stock exchanges across 24 countries, through SaxoTraderGo.

iv. Clients opting for these services to invest outside India will gain access to third party research with Tradingfloor.com.

HDFC Bank, KMB go live with Bharat Bill Payment System

i. Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are live with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) that is aimed at easing utility and other repetitive bill payments for consumers.

ii. The BBPS is a centralised system created by the National Payments Corporation, involving banks and non-banks and allows agents to access bill payments services in an interoperable manner, HDFC Bank stated. 

iii. A customer can pay multiple bills from a single platform without the hassle of visiting multiple websites or issuing individual cheques, or also registering billers with her bank for standard instructions for debit.

Adani appoints Purdie as CEO for renewable energy unit in Australia

i. The Adani Group has appointed Jennifer Purdie as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its renewable energy business unit in Australia in a bid to drive its plans to become the largest renewable energy player in the country.

ii. Adani’s aim is to become the largest renewable energy industry participant in Australia with a total capacity of 1,500 MW in the near term.

HDIL to launch budget homes in Mumbai Metropolitan Region

i. Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd will soon launching its new budget homes brand in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

ii. Through this brand, HDIL aims at making quality housing at affordable prices accessible to a wider section of people.

iii. Under this brand, HDIL will provide affordable homes within Rs. 50 lakh inclusive of stamp duty and registration in Mumbai’s suburbs and within Rs. 20 lakh, including stamp duty and registration charges, in the Vasai–Virar region.

Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos wins Senate confirmation vote

i. In United States, Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's controversial nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, by the slenderest possible margin. 

ii. US Vice-President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to secure her cabinet role, splitting the chamber 50-50. 

Foreign direct investment zooms 60 pc to USD 4.68 bn in Nov 2016
i.With the government taking steps to improve ease of doing business and relax regulations, foreign direct investment into the country surged by 60% to USD 4.68 billion in November 2016.
ii. The FDI stood at USD 2.93 billion in November 2015.During the period, India received maximum FDI from Singapore, Mauritius, the UK, the US, the Netherlands and Japan, an official stated.

National Badminton Championship: Sourabh Verma clinches Men’s Singles title

i. Sourabh Verma clinched the Men’s Singles title defeating Lakshya Sen in the 81 st Senior National Badminton Championships tournament played in Patna. Sourabh beat Lakshya Sen 21-13, 21-12. 

ii. Rituparna Das claimed the Women's Singles title defeating Reshma Karthik in the tournament. Second seed Rituparna defeated 9th seed Reshma 21-12, 21-14.

iii. In Women's doubles event, the pair of Aparna Balan and Prajakta Sawant clinched the title defeating the pair of Shikha Gautam and Sanyogita Ghorpade 21-9, 21-11. 

iv. In the mixed doubles, the duo of Satwik Sai Raj and Maneesha K defeated Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan 21-14, 21-18 to claim the title.In Men's doubles event, the duo of Satwik Sai Raj and Chirag Shetty clinched the title defeating Nand Gopal K and Sanyam Shukla 21-17, 16-21 and 21-16.

Quiz-8

Quiz-8

Q1. Who has emerged as the India's Sportsperson of the Year 2016 in a poll conducted by India?
Answer: Virat Kohli

Q2. Who has been appointed as the New Prime Minister of Romania?
Answer: Sorin Grindeanu

Q3. Name the Chess Player, who has won all three gold medals in Western Asia youth chess championship 2016?
Answer: Kush Bhagat

Q4. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the period of enhanced PPI limit of Rs 20,000 as part of efforts to promote digital payments recently. What is the full form of PPI?
Answer: Prepaid Payment Instruments

Q5. Who has taken charge as the new Chief of Army Staff recently?
Answer: General Bipin Rawat

Q6. In which state India's first laser technology-based advanced AVMS RTO is installed, recently?
Answer: Gujarat

Q7. World famous 11-day gala festival Bargarh Dhanua Jatra has been begun on 02nd January 2017 in which state?
Answer: Odisha

Q8. The Supreme Court has removed BCCI President _____________ from their posts.
Answer: Anurag Thakur

Q9. Senior citizens will now be assured what per cent interest on their deposits up to Rs 7.5 lakh which will remain the same for next 10 years?
Answer: 8 per cent

Q10. India has successfully test-fired its home-grown long range intercontinental ______________ nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-IV from the Abdul Kalam Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.
Answer: surface-to-surface

Q11. India has ranked third among the countries offering the highest average annual salary to expatriates, according to HSBC Holdings data. Which country has ranked highest in the world to average annual salary?
Answer: Switzerland

Q12. In which city PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the five-day annual Indian Science Congress, recently?
Answer: Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Q13. Which E-commerce company has been awarded a patent for launching a giant flying warehouse that would acts as a launch pad for drones to deliver items within minutes?
Answer: Amazon

Q14. Name the three Month Campaign, which has been launched by EPFO to enrol more workers and sets Re 1 fine for late registration, recently?
Answer: Enrollment and Establishment coverage campaign 2017

Q15. Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar has been sworn-in as the ____________ Chief Justice of India. 
Answer: 44th

ఎస్‌బీఐ కొలువుల జాతర

ఎస్‌బీఐ కొలువుల జాతర

2,313 పీవో పోస్టుల భర్తీ.. నోటిఫికేషన్ జారీ

దరఖాస్తు గడువు మార్చి 6

తొలిసారిగా డిగ్రీ ఫైనల్‌ విద్యార్థులకూ చాన్స్‌

స్టేట్‌ బ్యాంక్‌ ఆఫ్‌ ఇండియా(ఎస్‌బీఐ)లో కొలువుల జాతరకు తెరలేచింది. భారీ సంఖ్యలో ప్రొబెషనరీ ఆఫీసర్‌(పీవో) పోస్టులను భర్తీ చేయనున్నారు. మొత్తం 2,313 పోస్టుల కోసం సోమవారం నోటిఫికేషన్ విడుదలైంది. ఈ మధ్య కాలంలో, అందునా అధికారిక స్థాయి పోస్టులతో విడుదలైన భారీ ప్రకటన ఇదేనని చెప్పొచ్చు. ఏ డిసిప్లినలోనైనా డిగ్రీ ఉత్తీర్ణులు దరఖాస్తు చేసుకోవచ్చు. డిగ్రీ ఫైనల్‌ ఇయర్‌/ఫైనల్‌ సెమిస్టర్‌ చదువుతున్న వారు సైతం దరఖాస్తు చేసుకొనే వెసులుబాటును తొలిసారిగా ఎస్‌బీఐ కల్పించింది. సివిల్స్‌ మాదిరిగానే జనరల్‌ అభ్యర్థులు నాలుగు సార్లు మాత్రమే పీవో పరీక్ష రాసేలా నిబంధనను సవరించింది. మెయిన్ ఎగ్జామ్‌లో నేరుగా జనరల్‌ అవేర్‌సెస్‌ ఒక టాపిక్‌గా ఉంది. దానిని జనరల్‌/ఎకానమీ/బ్యాంకింగ్‌ అవేర్‌నె్‌స్‌గా మార్చింది. అలాగే రీజనింగ్‌లోనే కంప్యూటర్‌ ఆప్టిట్యూడ్‌ను కలిపేసింది. ప్రిలిమినరీ పరీక్షను యథాతథంగా ఉంచింది.

మొత్తం పోస్టుల్లో 1010 జనరల్‌, 606 ఓబీసీ, 347 ఎస్సీ, 350 ఎస్టీ వర్గాలకు ప్రత్యేకించారు. కొద్దికాలంగా అనుసరిస్తున్న మాదిరిగానే ప్రిలిమినరీ, మెయిన్ ఎగ్జామ్‌ల ద్వారా ఇంటర్య్వూకు అభ్యర్థుల ఎంపిక ఉంటుంది. ఏప్రిల్‌ 29, 30, మే 6, 7 తేదీల్లో ప్రిలిమినరీ పరీక్షను ఆన్‌లైన్‌ పద్ధతిలో నిర్వహిస్తారు. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లో చీరాల, చిత్తూరు, గుంటూరు, కాకినాడ, కర్నూలు, నెల్లూరు, ఒంగోలు, పుత్తూరు, రాజమండ్రి, శ్రీకాకుళం, తిరుపతి, విజయవాడ, విశాఖపట్నం, విజయనగరం; తెలంగాణలో హైదరాబాద్‌, కరీంనగర్‌, ఖమ్మం, వరంగల్‌ పట్టణాల్లో ప్రిలిమినరీ పరీక్ష జరుగుతుంది. ఒక పోస్టుకు 20మంది చొప్పున మెయిన పరీక్షకు ఎంపిక చేస్తారు. మెయిన పరీక్షను జూన 4న ఆనలైనలో నిర్వహిస్తారు. ఏపీలో గుంటూరు, కర్నూలు, విజయవాడ, విశాఖపట్నం; తెలంగాణలో హైదరాబాద్‌లో మాత్రమే మెయిన పరీక్ష ఉంటుంది. ఆసక్తి ఉన్న అభ్యర్థులు మార్చి 6 లోపు దరఖాస్తు చేసుకోవాలి.

Quiz-7

Quiz-7

Q1. The Women and Child Development Ministry has received a nearly 26 percent increase in budget allocation this year with the total money set aside climbing to _____________ from Rs 17,640 crore last year.

(a) Rs 70,730 crore

(b) Rs 49,000 crore

(c) Rs 19,042 crore

(d) Rs 22,095 crore

(e) Rs 11,210 crore

Q2. In which among the following cities, the tenth edition of Sula Fest has celebrated? 

(a) Surat, Gujarat

(b) Nashik, Maharashtra

(c) Indore, Madhya Pradesh

(d) Kolhapur, Maharashtra

(e) Jaipur, Rajasthan

Q3. Which among the following countries has witnessed the highest growth of 23.3 per cent in domestic air travel demand worldwide in 2016 according to International Air Transport Association (IATA)?

(a) USA

(b) France

(c) Japan

(d) China

(e) India

Q4. The 40-year-old Indus Waters Treaty between ________________________ has been an outstanding example of conflict resolution but scarcity of water in the basin states since the early 1990s has brought the agreement under strain and its “survival appears weak”, according to a United Nations (UN) report. 

(a) India and China

(b) India and Nepal

(c) India and Pakistan

(d) India and Sri Lanka

(e) None of the given options is true

Q5. The most expensive silk saree was made by Chennai Silks and was sold for around how much amount in January 2008, according to Guinness World Records?

(a) Rs. 40 Lakh

(b) Rs. 60 Lakh

(c) Rs. 80 Lakh

(d) Rs. 20 Lakh 

(e) Rs. 50 Lakh

Q6. The Sports Ministry budget got a substantial hike of Rs 350 crore in the union budget for 2017-18, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Parliament. How much amount has allocated compared to Rs 1592 crore earmarked last year for Sports Ministry budget?

(a) Rs 9715 crore

(b) Rs 1342 crore

(c) Rs 1943 crore

(d) Rs 5191 crore

(e) None of the given options is true

Q7. Name the person, who has been appointed as the principal economic adviser in department of Economic affairs? 

(a) Amulya Patnaik

(b) Alok Verma

(c) Vikram Limaye 

(d) Arun M Kumar

(e) Sanjeev Sanyal

Q8. The National Rail Museum has celebrated its 40th anniversary on 01st February 2017. National Rail Museum is located at- 

(a) New Delhi

(b) Kolkata

(c) Mumbai

(d) Pune

(e) Chennai

Q9. Joginder Singh has passed away recently. Joginder Singh was the former chief of-

(a) Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)

(b) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

(c) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

(d) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

(e) None of the given options is true

Q10. Name the person, who has been appointed as new CEO and Managing Director of National Stock Exchange (NSE), two months after the sudden exit of Chitra Ramkrishna from the top post?

(a) Alok Verma

(b) Vikram Limaye

(c) Arun M Kumar

(d) Sanjeev Sanyal

(e) Amulya Patnaik

Q11. Pankaj Advani has won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways in a one-sided final. Apart from clinching his __________ national title overall, Advani broke several other records.

(a) 29th

(b) 21st

(c) 23rd

(d) 22nd

(e) 26th

Q12. In a massive crackdown on unauthorised agencies offering Aadhaar-related services illegally and charging excessive money from the public, UIDAI has got shut down 12 such websites and 12 mobile apps available on the Google Play store. What does UIDAI stand for-

(a) Universal Identification Authority of India

(b) Unique Identification Authority of India

(c) Unique Industrial Authority of India

(d) Unique Identification Association of India

(e) Umbrella Identification Authority of Investment

Q13.  Which among the following bank has decided to steeply raise the charges on certain transactions, capping cash component in others and also introducing charges on certain transactions from 01st March 2017?

(a) Bandhan Bank

(b) IDFC Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) ICICI Bank

(e) Axis Bank

Q14. A truly global event taking place every year on 04th February World Cancer Day unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer. Taking place under the tagline of……………...

(a) No more. No Smoking

(b) Our world. Our life

(c) Together we. Are United

(d) We can. I can

(e) None of the given options is true

Q15. Name the former Consulate General of India (CGI), who has been appointed as convener of the high-level panel on ways to improve India's Haj policy and also look into the issue of subsidy to the pilgrimage in light of 2012 Supreme Court order on gradually reducing and abolishing it by 2022.  

(a) Lympo DN Dhungye

(b) Sugandh Rajaram 

(c) JS Mukul 

(d) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

(e) Jeddah Afzal Amanullah

                                                                   Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Women and Child Development Ministry has received a nearly 26 percent increase in budget allocation this year with the total money set aside climbing to Rs 22,095 crore from Rs 17,640 crore last year. The amount budgeted for 'Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana' saw four times jump with Rs 2,700 crore being set aside this year as compared to Rs 634 crore in 2016-17. As per this scheme Rs,6,000 will be provided for mothers who seek institutionalised delivery and vaccination. 

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. The tenth edition of Sula Fest has begun from 03rd February 2017 at the Sula Vineyards in Nashik, Maharashtra. The line-up for the three-day festival, which has also feature professional wine tastings and grape stomping, includes artists Infected Mushroom and Nucleya. Tickets for Sula Fest, which is offering a camping stay facility, range from RS. 1500 to Rs. 4900.

S3. Ans.(e)
Sol. Emerging as a stand-out performer, India witnessed the highest growth of 23.3 per cent in domestic air travel demand worldwide in 2016 twice that of neighbouring China, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). The global airlines’ grouping has stated that domestic India market topped the growth chart for the second year in a row with passenger volumes surging twice as that of China. “Domestic air travel rose 5.7 percent in 2016. Capacity rose 5.1 percent and load factor were 82.2 percent, up 0.5 percentage points over 2015.

S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. The 40-year-old Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan has been an outstanding example of conflict resolution but scarcity of water in the basin states since the early 1990s has brought the agreement under strain and its “survival appears weak”, according to a UN report. “The treaty fails to address two issues: the division of shortages in dry years between India and Pakistan, when flows are almost half as compared to wet years, and the cumulative impact of storages on the flows of the River Chenab into Pakistan,” said the UNDP report titled ‘Development Advocate Pakistan’.

S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The most expensive silk saree was made by Chennai Silks and was sold for around Rs.40 lakh in January 2008, according to Guinness World Records. The saree featured reproductions of 11 paintings by Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma and took about 4,760 man-hours to produce. The saree, studded with gold, diamond, emerald, and other precious stones, weighed around 8 kilograms.  

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Sports Ministry budget got a substantial hike of Rs 350 crore in the union budget for 2017-18, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Parliament. Jaitley allocated a total of Rs 1943 crore, compared to Rs 1592 crore earmarked last year. The steep increase in the budgetary allocation comes at a time when Indian athletes are preparing for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2018. The hike also comes in the wake of India’s dismal showing at the Rio Olympics where it won just two medals – a silver and bronze.

S7. Ans.(e)
Sol. Sanjeev Sanyal has appointed as principal economic adviser in department of Economic affairs. A Rhodes Scholar with a degree in Economics from Oxford and an alumnus of Delhi’s Sriram College, Sanyal is son of a former bureaucrat.

S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. The National Rail Museum in New Delhi celebrated its 40th anniversary on 01st February 2017. The museum, which houses a large collection of life-size rail exhibits, allows visitors to take a tour on a toy train. Its attractions include the saloons of the Maharajas of Indore and Mysore and Fairy Queen, the oldest working steam locomotive still in operation.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Joginder Singh, who oversaw an investigation of several high-profile cases including Bofors scam and Bihar's fodder scam has passed away at aged 77 years.

S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Leading stock exchange National Stock Exchange (NSE) on 03rd February 2017 has selected IDFC chief Vikram Limaye as its new CEO and Managing Director, two months after the sudden exit of Chitra Ramkrishna from the top post. NSE's board approved Limaye's name for the top position but a formal announcement would be made later as some formalities need to be completed from his side. The approval of the board, chaired by Ashok Chawla, comes after a four-member search panel suggested Limaye's name from amongst the shortlisted candidates.

S11. Ans.(a)
Sol. Champion cueist Pankaj Advani has won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways in a one-sided final on 03rd February 2017. Apart from clinching his 29th national title overall, Advani broke several other records. He became the only Indian men’s cueist to be the holder of all national billiards and snooker titles at the same time – Billiards, 6-red Snooker and 15-red Snooker.

S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. In a massive crackdown on unauthorised agencies offering Aadhaar-related services illegally and charging excessive money from the public, UIDAI has got shut down 12 such websites and 12 mobile apps available on the Google Play store. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has further directed authorities for a closure of another 26 such fraudulent and illegal websites and mobile applications.

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. In a bid to discourage cash transactions, the country’s second-largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has decided to steeply increase the fees for savings account holders on a slew of activities involving cash. HDFC Bank has decided to steeply raise the charges on certain transactions, capping cash component in others and also introducing charges on certain transactions from 01st March 2017. The bank has capped the third-party transactions at Rs. 25,000 a day, reduced the number of free cash transactions at branches to four from five earlier and also raised the fee for non-free transactions by a steep 50 per cent to Rs.150. Earlier, it used to allow Rs. 50,000 cash transactions, both withdrawals and deposits per day, the official said, adding the review is only for salary and savings accounts.

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. A truly global event taking place every year on 04th February World Cancer Day unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer. Taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, World Cancer Day 2016-2018 will explore how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer.

S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. The Centre has formed a six-member committee to give a report on ways to improve India's Haj policy and also look into the issue of subsidy to the pilgrimage in light of 2012 Supreme Court order on gradually reducing and abolishing it by 2022. Former Consulate General of India (CGI), Jeddah, Afzal Amanullah has been appointed as convener of the high-level panel, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi that the committee will submit its report in a month or two on how India's Haj policy can be improved and how the pilgrims can get maximum concessions.

Daily GK Update 07th February, 2017

Daily GK Update 07th February, 2017

HRD Ministry to set up NTA to Conduct Exams for Higher & Secondary Education

i. The Union Human Resource Development Ministry led by ‎under Prakash Javadekar is set to constitute a National Testing Agency (NTA) which will be responsible for conducting examinations for higher and secondary education.

ii. The announcement was made in the Union Budget 2017-18  by the Finance Minister who proposed to set up NTA as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing agency to conduct all entrance exams to higher education. 

iii. The main aim of setting NTA is to ease the work of the bodies like CBSE, AICTE, from the responsibilities of conducting exams, and eventually enable them to focus more on academics.

5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Uttarakhand, tremors also felt in Delhi-NCR

i. A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.8 on Richter scale hit Uttarakhand last night (06 February 2017), with tremors also felt in Delhi and other parts of northern India.

ii. Operations head at National Seismological Bureau JL Gautam said, the epicentre of the quake was Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand.

Andhra Pradesh: First Smart Police Station inaugurated

i. In Andhra Pradesh, the first Smart Police Station, having look and feel of a corporate-style office, started functioning. 

ii. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the first model police station at Nagarampalem in the capital region Amaravati.He also inaugurated the second model police station in old Guntur town. 

Railways Approves Rail Project in Andaman and Nicobar

i. The Railway Ministry is set to develop the first ever railway line in Andaman and Nicobar Island that currently has no rail network.

ii. The Ministry of Railway is set to approve the project that will construct 240-km broad gauge railway line connecting Port Blair with Diglipur, the largest town on Andaman Island. It will connect the two islands with bridges and stations along the coast.

Tripartite MoU signed among M/o of Tourism, M/s NPCC & NBCC and Govt of J&K for Implementation of Tourism Projects In J&K

i. A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed among the Ministry of Tourism, M/s NPCC & NBCC and Government of J&K on  for the implementation of Tourism projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

ii. As a part of the new initiative, Development of Tourism in the State New Projects, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned two projects, one each to NPCC and NBCC in the J&K which will be implemented by September 2017.

iii. The first project sanctioned to M/s NBCC includes Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Gulmarg Baramulla  Kupwara Leh. The total outlay of the project is Rs. 96.62 Crore.

iv. The project under M/s NPCC includes Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Mantalai Sudhmahadev  Patnitop in Jammu & Kashmir. The total outlay of the project is Rs. 97.82 Crore.

Bank of Maharashtra ties up with Cigna TTK

i. Public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra has partnered with insurance company Cigna TTK Health to market the insurer’s products in the bank’s branches across the entire country.

ii. Under the agreement, the bank will offer the all of Cigna TTK’s superior health insurance products to its 2 crore customers through its network of over 1,896 branches, its 14,000 bank employees across the country as well as through its digital platforms.

Axis Bank ties up with Earthport 

i. India’s third largest private bank, Axis Bank has tied up with Earthport Plc, a cross-border payment network, to enable faster outbound cross-border payments for its customers through Earthport’s state-of-the-art global payments network.

ii.  Axis Bank has become the first bank in India to connect with Earthport’s global payments network, which spans over 60 countries.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Starts Pilot Operation in Bengaluru

i. The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank officially started its operation with 5 pilot branches in Bengaluru. Samit Ghosh is the MD and CEO of the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.

ii. The five pilot branches of the Ujjivan SFB would offer full services to its customers. The  Ujjivan Small Finance BankSmall Finance Bank will test its technology, channels, people and processes for a period of one month as a part of its pilot launch.

iii. The Bank aims to launch about 14 branches by March 2017 and extend services across 457 branches in 24 states in a planned and phased manner over the next few months.

Indian Coast Guard to have Joint Exercise with UAE Coast Guard

i. In an effort to strengthen the bilateral relations between India and UAE, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pavak made a goodwill visit at the Mina Al Rashid (Dubai Port) from February 4 to 7, 2017.

ii. The Indian Ambassador in UAE Navdeep Suri visited the Indian Navy ship on February 5, 2017. During the stay at port Rashid, a series of activities is scheduled to take place between Indian and UAE coast guard. 

iii. As a part of the visit, a joint exercise is scheduled to take place between Indian coast guard and UAE coast guard to enhance co-operation and exchange of operational expertise.

Indian-Origin British Sculptor Anish Kapoor Wins $ 1 Million Israeli Prize

i. Renowned Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor was honored with the prestigious $1 million 2017 Genesis Prize by Israel for his utmost contribution for Jewish community.

ii. However, the money received by the innovative artist would be contributed by him to help the Syrian refugees and expand Jewish engagement in the global effort to reduce the refugee crisis.

iii. The 62-year-old Anish was chosen by the prize committee headed by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky.

Queen Elizabeth II marks Sapphire Jubilee

i. Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s longest reigning sovereign, has became the first British monarch to reach her Sapphire Jubilee, with 65 years on the throne.

ii. The 90-year-old monarch is marking the landmark as a day of private contemplation at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk as it also coincides with the day her father, George V who has died

UN Agency Calls for International Collaboration on Wheat Rust to Curb Threat to Global Supplies 

i. According to a new study conducted by scientists in collaboration with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), two new groups of wheat rust have been identified that posed threat to wheat produced in Africa, Asia and Europe in 2016.

ii. As per the data, the two new groups have been identified as yellow rust and stem rust. The finding calls for the need for early detection and rapid action to keep the fungus under control.

India to host World Billiards Championship for next four years

i. The Billiards and Snoooker Federation of India (BSFI)informed that India will host the World Billiards Championship for the next four years.

ii. In 2016, the World Billiards Championship was held in Bengaluru.In the prestigious tournament, Pankaj Advani won in the 150-UP format beating Peter Gilchrist of Singapore.

iii.The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) is the central authority that deals with the growth and development of cue sports in India.

Alastair Cook resigns as England Test captain

i. Alastair Cook has resigned as England Test captain after a record 59 matches in the role. Cook tendered his resignation to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves, but intends to continue playing Test cricket. 

ii. Cook, England's leading scorer in Tests with 11,057 runs, became captain in August 2012.He has led England in a record 69 one-day internationals between 2010 and 2014. He has been the country's most capped Test skipper and has scored more Test centuries than any previous captain.

Iran Lifts Ban on American Wrestling Team

i. Iran lifted up the ban it had imposed on United States Wrestlers, thus allowing them to participate in the Freestyle World Cup to be held in Iran in February 2017.

ii. Iran had banned the American team on February 3, 2017 after the decision of US President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend Visas to seven Muslim majority countries including Iran. 

iii. However, the United States Federal Judge suspended the ban imposed by US Government on Iranian Nationals travelling to the U.S. But the Trump administration is again appealing to reinstate the travel ban.The Freestyle World Cup is to be held in the Iranian city of Kermanshah from February 16 to February 17, 2017.