Daily GK Update 16-17th April, 2017

PM Modi on 2-day visit to Gujarat- Day 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the 2-Day visit to Gujarat. He launched various projects and schemes during his visit on the first day. The two main actions of the day one were-

1. Inauguration of the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat

2. Inauguration of Cattle Feed Plant and launch of irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat- PM inaugurated the SUMUL (the Surat District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited) cattle feed plant at Bajipura in southern Gujarat. He also laid the Foundation Stone for three Lift Irrigation Schemes and inaugurated the Drinking Water Supply Scheme for Vyara Town and Jesinhpur-Dolvan Groups of Tapi district.

Nepal President to arrive in India on five-day visit

i. Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. 
ii. This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015, following the promulgation of the new Constitution in Nepal. A high-level delegation comprising several ministers and MPs accompanying her.

Manipur CM launched DARPAN web applications to check corruption

i. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities. 
ii. The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN). The two web applications would monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability.

Maharashtra, the first state to stage special drive for transgenders to register as voters

i. Maharashtra has become the first state to launch a special awareness drive to ensure that transgenders in the state register as voters in greater numbers. 
ii. The state branch of the Election Commission of India (ECI)  launched the drive on April 15, celebrated as Third Gender Day. According to ECI officials, despite the approximate population of third genders in Maharashtra being pegged at more than 10 lakh, only about 1,700 are registered voters.

 Finance Ministry approves 8.65% interest rate on EPF
i. The Finance Ministry have permitted the Labour Ministry to go ahead with 8.65% rate of interest on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for 2016-17, which will benefit over four crores EPFO members. 




Prakash Javadekar launched RUSA Portal, Mobile App

i. Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) portal and mobile app in New Delhi. 
ii. The portal is one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, the decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources. The mobile application will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked for 24x7.

Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station

i. For the first time in Indian Railway history Habibganj station in Bhopal has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it. 
ii. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. However, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu clarified that trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.


Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers
i. Over 50 Indians, including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt, are among Forbes’ list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30 who are “pushing boundaries of innovation“. 
ii. The second Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ Asia list 2017 features 300 impressive young entrepreneurs 30 in 10 categories, including entertainment, finance and venture capital, retail, social entrepreneurs and enterprise technology, under the age of 30 years.  
iii. The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago.

India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank

i. India’s gross domestic product is expected to spike to 7.2% in the 2017-18 financial year from 6.8% the previous fiscal, according to a new World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”. 
ii. The international agency forecast that India’s economic growth will rise gradually to 7.7% in 2019-’20, underpinned by a recovery in private investments.

Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award

i. The sixth prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture given to R.R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, the government of India. 
ii. He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties.

Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’
i. An Indian environmental engineer Trupti Jain has won 2017 prestigious ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative Award’ for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash flood. ii. She, was one among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and were selected by an independent international jury.

BRICS envoys on Middle East meet in India 

i. Special Envoys of five BRICS member states who specialises on West Asian Affairs held a quiet meeting in Vishakhapatnam to assess current situation in the volatile region after use of chemical weapons in Syria and US retaliatory strike on the Syrian air base. 
ii. This was the first meeting of the BRICS special envoys on the Middle East held in India and gained significance following growing instability in West Asia and North Africa. 

Google launches Areo app

i. Google has launched a new food delivery and home services aggregator called Areo for the Indian market. The app is available as a free download on the Google Play store and is currently operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117

i. Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century died at the age of 117. Morano, born on November 29, 1899, died at her home in Verbania, northern Italy.

Arjun Gaind launches his book on Punjab

i. Author Arjun Gaind launched his latest book, 'Punjab: Building the Land Of Five Rivers' in Mumbai. A panel discussion was organised on the occasion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in which Punjab’s history, heritage, culture and growth were discussed. 

Sai Praneeth wins Singapore open Badminton

i. Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton beating his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.  
ii. This was the first time that two Indians featured in a men’s singles Superseries final and India became only the fourth country to have both players in a Super series final. The other three are China, Denmark and Indonesia.

Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title
i. Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. 
ii. The ace cueist defeated his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh. 


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• PM Modi is on 2-day visit to Gujarat
• Inaugurated the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat
• Inaugurated SUMUL, Cattle Feed Plant and launched irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat
• R.R. Hanchinal accloaded by M.S. Swaminathan Award
• He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement
• The award is in a name of M S Swaminathan, who was an Indian geneticist and international administrator.
• Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications Anti-Corruption Cell and DARPAN to check corruption and keep track of government activities
• Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation  is the full form of DARPAN
• Maharashtra becomes the first state to launch a special drive for transgenders to register as voters
• CM of Maharashtra is Devendra Fadnavis and governor of Maharashtra is C Vidyasagar Rao.
• Trupti Jain  has won 2017 'Cartier Women’s Initiative Award'
• The Cartier Awards are an international business competition that aims to encourage women entrepreneurs to solve contemporary global challenges.
• Habibganj station in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) has been handed over to a private firm to be operated by it
• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers in Asia including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt
• India has 53 achievers on the list, second only to China which has 76 honorees
• The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago
• B. C. Forbes is the founder of Forbes
• Finance Ministry approved 8.65% interest rate on EPF
• Employees Provident Fund Organization is full form of EPFO
• Arun Jaitley is the Finance Minister of India
• Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFO) of EPFO is D.R. V.P. Joy
• EPFO head office is in New Delhi.
• India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank
• The World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”
• The president of the World Bank is Jim Yong Kim and it is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States.
• Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in India (New Delhi) on a five-day visit
• Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and currency is Nepalese Rupee
• Prime Minister of Nepal is Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
• Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the RUSA portal
• RUSA full form is Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
• Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton.
• Sai Praneeth has defeated his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.
• Praneeth is a male Indian badminton player.
• World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117.
• Emma Morano was an Italian woman.
• Morano was born on November 29, 1899. 
• Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title.
• At the tender age of 18, Pankaj won his first World Title in 2003.
• He is the only person in the history of the game to have won both the billiards and snooker IBSF World Titles as well as the World Professional Billiards Championship.
• His excellence in the sport has also earned him the highest sporting honor - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006.
• Pankaj Advani Born in Pune on 24 July 1985.
• Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. 

QUIZ-17

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

(a) State Bank of India

(b) South Indian Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) Kotak Mahindra Bank

(e) ICICI Bank

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

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

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

(c) Indian Railway- The Development in Chronological Order

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

(e) None of the given options is true

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

(a) David Young Commission

(b) Bibek Young Commission

(c) Hilton Young Commission

(d) Smith Young Commission

(e) Rangarajan Young Commission

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

I. echallan

II. mParivahan

III. esuffar

IV. mrashta

V. esuvidha

(a) Both V and I

(b) Both I and IV

(c) Both IV and V

(d) Both III and II

(e) Both I and II

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

(a) 01st July 1954

(b) 01st July 1955

(c) 01st July 1956

(d) 01st July 1957

(e) 01st July 1958

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

(a) Shanghai, China

(b) Moscow, Russia

(c) New Delhi, India

(d) Curitiba, Brazil

(e) Pretoria, South Africa

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

(a) Jamaica

(b) Kenya

(c) USA

(d) China

(e) Kazakhstan

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

(a) Yoshinori Ohsumi

(b) Juan Manuel Santos

(c) Bob Dylan

(d) Sveriges Riksbank 

(e) Duncan Haldane

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

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

(b) Early Childhood and Irrespective of Gender

(c) Measures to Raise Awareness about Children

(d) Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination

(e) None of the given options is true

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

(a) Durban, South Africa

(b) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(c) Saint Petersburg, Russia

(d) Beijing, China

(e) New Delhi, India

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

(a) China

(b) Switzerland

(c) Denmark

(d) Norway

(e) USA

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

(a) P.V. Sindhu

(b) Carolina Marin

(c) Saina Nehwal 

(d) Sung ji-Hyun

(e) None of the given options is true

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

(a) S N Arya

(b) Pragati Sharma

(c) Anurag Bhushan

(d) Pooja Saini

(e) Naval Kishor

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

(a) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

(b) Patna, Bihar

(c) Nagpur, Maharashtra

(d) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

(e) Dehradun, Uttarakhand

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

(a) Andy Murray

(b) Roger Federer

(c) Stan Wawrinka

(d) Rafael Nadal

(e) Novak Djokovic

Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

QUIZ-16

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

(a) HDFC Chillr

(b) Citrus

(c) ICICI Pockets

(d) PayTM

(e) MobiKwik

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

(a) Utkarsh Discom Assurance Yojna

(b) Ujjwal Disha Assurance Yojna

(c) Ujjwal Discom Assembly Yojna

(d) Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna

(e) Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yatra

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

(a) Uttar Pradesh

(b) Odisha

(c) Tamil Nadu

(d) Gujarat

(e) Kerala

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

(a) Jabong.com

(b) Amazon

(c) Snapdeal

(d) Flipkart

(e) None of the given options is true

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

(a) Canada

(b) Germany

(c) Japan

(d) Italy

(e) China

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

(a) Jammu & Kashmir

(b) Uttarakhand

(c) Manipur

(d) Assam

(e) Himachal Pradesh

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

(a) Sushil Koirala

(b) Bidhya Devi Bhandari

(c) Pushpa Kamal Dahal

(d) Ram Baran Yadav

(e) Parmanand Jha

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

(a) e-moviesatya

(b) e-cinenirmaan

(c) e-cinepramaan

(d) e-moviepramaan

(e) None of the given options is true

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

(a) Kolkata, West Bengal

(b) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

(c) Patna, Bihar

(d) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

(e) Nagpur, Maharashtra

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

(a) Samir Brahmachari

(b) Sriram Kalyanaraman

(c) Avinash Chander

(d) Kshatrapati Shivaji 

(e) AS Kiran Kumar

Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily GK Update 15th April, 2017

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

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

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana tops target for 2016-17

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

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

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

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

RBI issues new framework for bad loans

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

Income Tax department launches 'Operation Clean Money-II'

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


PM Modi inaugurates new units in Koradi thermal power station

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

Nepal, China hold first ever military exercise

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

Former J&K Governor Girish Saxena dies

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

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

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

QUIZ-15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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