Daily GK Update 17th March, 2017

Cabinet Approvals

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in its meeting has approved several MoUs.

Some important cabinet approvals are as follows:

1. National Health Policy, 2017 approved by Cabinet Focus on Preventive and Promotive Health Care and Universal access to good quality health care services.

2.  MoUs for cooperation in Youth and Sports Matters with Indonesia and the Kyrgyz Republic.

3.  MoU between India and Bangladesh on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs). 

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India joins WHO call to end TB by 2030 in South East Asian

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

ii. India among other countries in the South East Asian Region, which bear half of the global tuberculosis burden. India reports 2.8 million new TB cases annually and nearly half a million deaths due to the disease.

iii. Six of the region's countries Bangladesh, Democratic People's Republic (DPR) Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand are among the 30 high TB burden nations globally.

IISc, Bengaluru Placed Among Top 50 in THE’s Asia Universities Ranking

i. The Times Higher Education (THE) released its Asia University Rankings 2017. The top rank in the Asia University Rankings was attained by the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the second consecutive year. 

ii. According to the 2017 ranking, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has been ranked best Indian University and has been placed at 27th position among the universities in Asia.  

iii. Besides, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay was another Indian university among top 50 placed at 42 position.

Bandhan Bank, Avenues India tie up

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

ii.  Merchants are expected to have a faster and more direct access to POS machines, payment gateways, and competitive financing options.

BSE ties up with Sentifi for algo analysis, updates

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

ii. Sentifi analyses in real time the public online communication of more than 60 lakh persons and organizations relevant to the financial markets. Under the partnership, Sentifi would track, analyze and report social media messages on various stocks which would be provided on the BSE website. 

SEBI allows celebrity endorsements in MFs

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

ii. SEBI stated that it has permitted celebrity endorsements at the industry level for the purpose of increasing awareness of mutual funds as a financial product category. 

Dilip Shanghvi appointed as member of RBI's western board 

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

ii. The appointment is for four years with effect from March 11, 2017, as per the central bank.

Jwala Gutta appointed SAI governing body member

i. India's most successful Badminton Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has been appointed a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
ii. The 14-time national champion and two-time Olympian Jwala won the bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships. She is also a 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games champion and a silver medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Games in women's doubles.

Indian-American Teen Indrani Das Wins 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search

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

ii. Indrani, a student at the Academy for Medical Science Technology in Hackensack, won the prestigious high school science and mathematics competition for her new approach to neurological damage.

ONGC to invest Rs 21,500-crore in India's deepest gas find

i. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will invest over Rs 21,500 crore to develop India's deepest gas discovery by 2022-23, helping it more than double output from its prime KG basin block.

ii. ONGC, which had last year firmed up an investment of Rs 34,012 crore in bringing to production 10 oil and gas discoveries in its Bay of Bengal block KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5), plans to invest another Rs 21,528 crore in developing the ultra-deepsea UD-1 find.

Aeries Financial Tech, Rubique form tie-up

i. CASHe, a fin-tech product promoted by Aeries Financial Technologies, has entered into a strategic partnership with online marketplace for financial products Rubique.

ii. Under the partnership, Rubique will enlist CASHe on its online platform for borrowers to avail viable short-term loan products from CASHe. 

iii.CASHe disburses multiple loan products ranging from Rs. 5,000-1 lakh payable over 15, 30 and 90 days.

Changi voted World's Best Airport for 5th consecutive year

i. Singapore's Changi Airport has been voted the World's Best Airport by air travellers at the 2017 World Airport Awards for the fifth consecutive year. 

ii. The 2017 World Airport Awards are based on 13.82 million customer nominations across 105 nationalities of air travellers, with 550 airports worldwide taking part.

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China, Saudi Arabia ink deals worth about $65 billion  

i. China and Saudi Arabia have signed preliminary deals that is about $65 billion while four-day visit by Saudi King Salman to China. 

ii. China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming stated that President Xi Jinping and King Salman inked a total 14 cooperation agreements, including a memorandum of understanding on 35 projects for production capacity and investment cooperation.

NEXTracker partners with to APL Apollo Tubes to expand domestic manufacturing

i. Global solar tracker manufacturer, NEXTracker has partnered with APL Apollo Tubes for manufacturing a bulk of its products in India. 

ii. NEXTracker will be increasing its local steel content percentage to over 80% by volume and weight of its final product. NEXTracker also assess that the association with new Indian steel manufacturer reduces shipment time by up to 50%.

 SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launches EchoStar 23 Satellite 

i. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket conducted its third flight of the year to launch a commercial communications satellite in the geosynchronous transfer orbit. 

ii. The launch took off from NASA’s Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carried the EchoStar 23 communications satellite into orbit. 

iii. Having a mass of around 5,500 kilograms (12,000 lb), EchoStar XXIII was the heaviest geosynchronous payload yet launched by the Falcon 9 and will operate at 45 degrees west in geostationary orbit.

Pakistan successfully test-fires surface-to-sea missile

i. Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of a land-based anti-ship missile, bolstering the operational reach of the country’s navy to launch long-range, anti-ship missiles from land. 

ii. The trial of the missile was conducted from the coastal region and the missile secured a hit on a target placed at sea. The missile is equipped with advanced technology and avionics, which enable engagement of targets at sea with a high degree of accuracy.

QUIZ-17

QUIZ-17

Q1. Which one of the following companies has agreed to buy Opel brand from General Motors in a deal valuing the business at $2.3 billion, recently?

(a) Volkswagen

(b) PSA Group

(c) BMW

(d) TATA Motors

(e) Maruti Suzuki

 Q2. Name the bank that has recently launched three technology services named FASTag, UPI and BBPS.

(a) SBI

(b) Kotak Mahindra

(c) Karur Vysya Bank

(d) City Bank

(e) IDBI Bank

Q3. 'BCCI Annual Awards for 2015-16' was held recently in ___________.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) New Delhi

(c) Ahmedabad

(d) Mumbai

(e) Chandigarh

Q4. Name the country that has recently signed an agreement with India to amend the existing Agreement and Protocol for an avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion in New Delhi.

(a) Indonesia

(b) Belgium

(c) Oman

(d) Uganda

(e) Austria

Q5. The International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2017) was held in New Delhi, recently (March 2017). It was ___________ edition of ICEGOV.

(a) 16th

(b) 8th

(c) 6th

(d) 10th

(e) 12th

Q6. Which of the following state has launched 24*7 helpline number 181 to assist women in distress on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th March 2017)?

(a) Assam

(b) Odisha

(c) Manipur

(d) Uttarakhand

(e) Jharkhand

Q7. In 'BCCI Annual Awards for 2015-16', who won the Best Umpire in Domestic cricket award?

(a) Vipul Sharma

(b) Nadeem Ghauri

(c) Amiesh Saheba

(d) Sunil Banerjee

(e) Nitin Menon

Q8. Name the state that has recently launched a housing scheme estimated at Rs 1,580 crore.

(a) Kerala

(b) Assam

(c) Tamil Nadu

(d) Maharashtra

(e) Gujarat

Q9. Name the ballistic missile that was recently launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

(a) Hormuz 2

(b) Nagah 3

(c) Bomani 3

(d) Narou 4

(e) Wahadu 1

Q10. Parliament recently approved a bill granting women working in the organized sector paid maternity leave of ___________ weeks up from 12 weeks now.

(a) 23

(b) 26

(c) 24

(d) 18

(e) 22

Q11. Name the Eminent writer, who has been honored with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel ‘Hawthan’, recently.

(a) Milind Bhattacharya

(b) Swaroop Vishkarma

(c) Roop Nath Joshi

(d) Mahabaleshwar Sail

(e) T Padmanabhan

Q12. Indian Public Sector Undertaking Company National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has commissioned 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla, recently. Bhadla solar Plant is located in __________.

(a) Punjab

(b) Gujarat

(c) Haryana

(d) Madhya Pradesh

(e) Rajasthan

Q13.  Name the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) that was commissioned recently in Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka.

(a) INS Viraat

(b) INS Arihant

(c) INS Tillanchang

(d) INS Vishal

(e) INS Vikramaditya

Q14. The banking system of which one of the following countries is now the biggest in the world, according to the Financial Times?

(a) China

(b) Japan

(c) Australia

(d) France

(e) USA

Q15. Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya, who passed away recently, was a popular ________ folk singer.

(a) Gujarati

(b) Bengali

(c) Asami

(d) Punjabi

(e) None of the given options are true

                                                            ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(b)

Sol. PSA Group has agreed to buy Opel from General Motors in a deal valuing the business at 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), creating a new regional car giant to challenge market leader Volkswagen.

S2. Ans.(c)

Sol. Karur-based Karur Vysya Bank’ s Chief Executive K. Venkataraman has rolled-out of three technology services FASTag, UPI and BBPS.

S3. Ans.(a)

Sol. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 'BCCI Annual Awards for 2015-16'. The awards were given away at a ceremony held in Bengaluru March 8, 2017 which also marks the International Women’s Day. 

S4. Ans.(b)

Sol. India and Belgium have signed an agreement to amending the existing Agreement and Protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income in New Delhi.

S5. Ans.(d)

Sol. The 10th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2017) was held in New Delhi from March 7-9, 2017.

S6. Ans.(b)

Sol. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched 24*7 helpline number 181 in Odisha to assist women in distress on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th March 2017).

S7. Ans.(e)

Sol. In 'BCCI Annual Awards for 2015-16' Nitin Menon won the Best Umpire in Domestic cricket award.

S8. Ans.(c)

Sol. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami launched a housing scheme estimated at Rs 1,580 crore. The scheme was being implemented by the state government with Central assistance for the economically poor

S9. Ans.(a)

Sol. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has successfully tested a ballistic missile named Hormuz 2. Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard's aerospace division said the missile destroyed a target from a distance of 250 kilometers (155 miles).

S10. Ans.(b)

Sol. Parliament approved a bill granting women working in the organized sector paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks now, a decision which will benefit around 1.8 million women.

S11. Ans.(d)

Sol. Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honored with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan.

S12. Ans.(e)

Sol. Indian Public Sector Undertaking company National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has commissioned 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan.

S13. Ans.(c)

Sol. The Vice Admiral Girish Luthra has commissioned INS Tillanchang to the Indian Navy in Karwar, Karnataka. INS Tillanchang is a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) and will add to the firepower of the Indian Navy.

S14. Ans.(a)

Sol. China’s banking system has surpassed that of the eurozone to become the world’s largest by assets, a sign both of the country’s increased influence in world finance and its reliance on debt to drive growth since the global financial crisis.

S15. Ans.(b)

Sol. Popular Bengali folk singer Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya passed away in a road accident at Palsit in West Bengal’s Burdwan district. Born in Silchar in Assam, Bhattacharya made a name for himself in the Bengali music industry by popularizing rural folk traditions.

QUIZ-16

Q1. Name the City in which a two-day North-East Business Summit (NEBS) held, recently.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) Chennai

(c) New Delhi

(d) Mumbai

(e) Chandigarh

 Q2. Which of the following organization has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by March 31st, 2017 under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS)?

(a) OPFO

(b) EPFO

(c) EPSO

(d) UPSO

(e) None of the above options are true

Q3. Which of the following institutes has recently won the 2017 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system?

(a) IISC- Bangalore

(b) IIT- Bombay

(c) IIT- BHU

(d) IIT- Madras

(e) IIT- Roorkee

Q4. Name the first state to launch web-based portal to showcase the government’s performance and achievements to the citizens of the state.

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Karnataka

(c) Assam

(d) Kerala

(e) Madhya Pradesh

Q5. Name the country that will host Mobile World Congress (for the first time) to be held in September 2017.

(a) Barcelona

(b) India

(c) Indonesia

(d) China

(e) Japan

Q6. Shri Arvind Padmanabhan has died recently of cardiac arrest. He was famous ____________.

(a) Politician

(b) Nuclear Scientist

(c) Journalist

(d) Kathak Dancer

(e) Both (a) and (c)

Q7. Name the country, which has topped the Bribery Rate Index of Asia-Pacific countries, recently.

(a) Pakistan

(b) Japan

(c) China

(d) India

(e) Bangladesh

Q8. Vice President Hamid Ansari was recently on a two-day visit to attend the 21-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit (March 2017).

(a) Barcelona

(b) China

(c) Austria

(d) Oman

(e) Indonesia

Q9. Name the mega cultural festival of India that started in Egypt, recently.

(a) India by the Nile

(b) Fest of India

(c) Colors of India

(d) India at a glance

(e) India at Giza

Q10. Which of the following banks launched “Aadhaar Pay”, the country’s first Aadhaar-linked cashless merchant solution recently following successful pilots across 16 states?

(a) HDFC Bank

(b) ICICI Bank

(c) IDFC Bank

(d) Axis Bank

(e) IDBI Bank

ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(c)

Sol. A two-day North-East Business Summit (NEBS) begun in New Delhi. The summit aims to display the strengths, potentials, and initiatives of the North-East, promote investment the region and also have focused deliberations on strategic areas like healthcare, connectivity, agriculture, food processing and energy.

S2. Ans.(b)

Sol. The Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by March 31st, 2017 under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS).

S3. Ans.(d)

Sol. Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has won the 2017 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system.

S4. Ans.(a)

Sol. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a comprehensive web-based platform Pratibimba to showcase the government’s performance and achievements to the citizens. After Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka has such dash board which will help to report, track and measure departmental performance on programmes, projects and promises made by the government.

S5. Ans.(b)

Sol. India to host its first mobile congress on 27 September 2017 with a special focus on reaching out to the South East Asian markets at Pragati Maidan, Delhi.

S6. Ans.(c)

Sol. Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan, an Executive Editor at IANS, died of cardiac arrest.

S7. Ans.(d)

Sol. According to the Global Corruption Barometer released by Transparency International (TI), in Berlin for 16 Asia Pacific countries India tops the list for being the most corrupt nation.

S8. Ans.(e)

Sol. Vice President Hamid Ansari was on a two-day visit to Indonesia to attend the 21-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia from March 6-7, 2017.

S9. Ans.(a)

Sol. India has organized the fifth edition of the mega cultural festival 'India by the Nile' in Egypt on 8th March to showcase the diversity of the country's culture, arts and cuisine for building enduring partnership between the two ancient civilizations.

S10. Ans.(c)

Sol. IDFC Bank has launched India’s first biometric-based payment system 'Aadhaar Pay' in New Delhi. The Aadhaar Pay app has been developed by IDFC Bank under the guidance of the Ministry of IT, NITI Aayog, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Daily GK Update 16th March, 2017

Captain Amarinder Singh to be sworn-in as CM of Punjab 

i. Captain Amarinder Singh, who led the Congress to victory in Punjab after a decade, will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the second time.

ii. Congress had won 77 of the 117 state Assembly seats in the recently held polls. The Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the largest opposition party with 20 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance finished third with 18 seats.

Govt approves National Health Policy 

i. The government has approved the National Health Policy which proposes to provide assured health services to all in the country. 

ii. The policy was approved at the meeting of Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.  The policy increases the gambit of sectors covered in the Primary Health Centre (PHC) level and envisages a comprehensive approach.

Cabinet approves setting up of 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas

i. Fifty new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) will be established across the country to provide quality education to around 50,000 students with the Cabinet giving a go ahead to the project.

ii. The schools, which will be set up under the civil sector for classes 1 to 5.

iii. By providing a common syllabus and system of education, the KVs are intended to ensure that the children of government employees do not face education disadvantages while their parents are transferred from one location to another.

Namami Gange: 20 projects approved for swift implementation

i. 20 projects worth Rs 1,900 Crore have been approved for swift implementation of Namami Gange Programme in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi. The Executive Committee (EC) of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved these projects. 

ii. Out of 20 projects which were given EC approval, 13 are in Uttarakhand that includes creating new sewage treatment plants, upgrading existing STPs and laying of sewage networks in Haridwar at an estimated cost of approximately Rs 415 crore. 

iii. This plan is aimed at treating sewage water generated by not only city's 1.5 lakh local dwellers, but also by people who visit the holy place for various purposes. 

Cabinet clears special assistance for EAPs in Andhra Pradesh

i. The Cabinet has approved financial assistance for bifurcated Andhra Pradesh by way of special dispensation in funding of Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) and also the irrigation component of Polavaram project.

ii. The special assistance will be provided to the state towards repayment of loan and interest for EAPs signed and disbursed from 2015-16 to 2019-20.The Centre will also fund 100% of the irrigation component of the Polavaram project starting from 1st of April, 2014.

Govt launches new scheme for developing export linked infrastructure

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

ii. Launched by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, TIES seeks to bridge the infrastructure gap and provide forward and backward linkages to units engaged in trade activities.

 iii. The TIES would focus on projects like customs checkpoints, last mile connectivity, border haats and integrated check posts.

iv. The scheme, to be implemented from April 1, would have a budgetary allocation of Rs 600 crore for three years with an annual outlay of Rs 200 crore. It will be implemented from 2017-18 till 2019-20.

UCO Bank, Future Generali tie up

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

ii. The PSU lender will provide a window at its bank branches for marketing FGII’s offerings. Apart from UCO, the company has tie-ups with over 100 banks across the country. 

HDFC Bank to offer online loans against securities

i. HDFC Bank launched an instant digital Loan Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with the National Securities Depository Ltd.(NSDL).

ii. The bank stated that customers can avail themselves of overdraft facility against shares in three steps:
(a) Select the shares to be pledged on net banking
(b) Accept agreement through one-time password (OTP)
(c) Pledge the shares with NSDL online through OTP.

iii. Demat customers can calculate their eligibility for overdraft limit against shares, and open a current account instantly.

State Bank of India signs MoU with CREDAI

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

ii. The MoU will be in force for a period of 3 years.

iii. CREDAI is the largest real estate association in the country with over 11,500 members.

McNally Bharat bags Rs. 415-cr solar power project in AP

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

ii. The project entails design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, commissioning and operation and maintenance of 500-MW grid connected solar photovoltaic power project including civil works in Andhra Pradesh.

BHEL's first 800-MW supercritical plant becomes operational

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

ii. Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) and BHEL are the main equity partners of RPCL, the owner and operator of this power plant. The milestone was achieved for the first unit of the 2x800-MW Yeramarus thermal power station of Raichur Power Corporation Ltd (RPCL), in Raichur district of Karnataka. 

International Vision Zero Conference Begins In New Delhi

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

ii. The aim is to focus on the Occupational Safety and Health issues and challenges in the Manufacturing, Construction and Mining sector and provide a forum for promoting safety and health at work by exchanging knowledge, practices, and experience. 

iii. The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State (Independent) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya.

Chennai Port Trust signs MoU with the Government of Puducherry

i. Chennai Port Trust and the Government of Puducherry has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for handling EXIM cargo originating from Puducherry Port hinterland in New Delhi. 

ii. The aim is to promote industrial growth in the region, generate substantial employment and attract investment by major industries. Around 5 Lakh to 10 Lakh tonnes of cargo is expected to be handled between this two ports.

India's contribution to UN increases to Rs 244 crore

i. India's contribution to the United Nations rose 55% to Rs 244 crore in 2015-16 compared with the previous fiscal. 

ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Lok Sabha that the government had also made voluntary contributions to the tune of Rs 22 crore to international organizations, including UN agencies, in the last financial year.

iii. The country contributed Rs 244 crore to the UN last fiscal compared with Rs 157 crore in 2014-15.

 Annual Krishi Unnati Mela Begins in New Delhi

i. The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela was inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa, New Delhi. 

ii. To provide information on new farm schemes and technologies and another welfare scheme that will help to double the farmer’s incomes by 2022. 

iii. As a part of the event, the Minister also gave away Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puraskar 2016 to recognize the contribution of Krishi Vigyan.

Justice Sharma sworn in as Upalokayukta of Assam

i. Justice Chittaranjan Sharma sworn in as Assam's Upalokayukta by Governor Banwarilal Purohit. 

ii. He was administered the oath of office by the governor at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhawan. Justice Sharma was a former Judge of the Gauhati High Court.

Tata Steel, Wipro in world's most ethical companies' list 

i. Two Indian companies namely Tata Steel Limited and Wipro Limited have been named in the list of World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by American think tank Ethisphere Institute. 

ii. Wipro is one among the two Information technology category firm named in the list. The other firm in that category is US based Xerox Corporation. 

iii. Besides, Tata Steel is also one of the two companies named in the metals, minerals and mining category. US-based Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc is the other company in this segment.  

iv. World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 list consists of 124 firms. US based Ford Motor Company has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 8th straight year.

Babul Supriyo named vice-president of FIFA U-17 World Cup

i. Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Babul Supriyo has been named as Vice President of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup organizing committee stated by Praful Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF).

ii. For the first time, India to host FIFA U-17 World from October 6 to 28, 2017. Host cities are Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, Margao and Guwahati.

Joanna Rowsell Shand Announces Retirement

i. Two times Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement from international cycling. 

ii. The 28-year-old track cyclist won gold in the women’s team pursuit at London Olympics 2012 and Rio Olympics 2016.