KRISHNA MOHAN

Saturday, 13 May 2017

13 May 2017 Current Affairs

Amitabh Bachchan Appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis

Veteran Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, a Hepatitis B conqueror, was on 12 May, 2017 appointed the Who Goodwill Ambassador for the Hepatitis awareness programme in Southeast Asia Region. He says nobody should suffer from the disease. The famous actor has been brought on board to boost awareness and intensity action to arrest the Hepatitis epidemic. Announcing his association with WHO, Poonam Khetrapal Singh Regional Director for WHO Southeast Asia.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launches e-Krishi Samvad

The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh has launched a portal for addressing problems in the agricultural sector. The platform is known as e-Krishi Samvad and is a portal that allows agricultural workers and other stakeholders to directly approach the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with the problems they face. The platform is meant for farmers,students, researchers and entrepreneurs.

International Nurses Day 12 May 2017

International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated every year all around the world on 12th May. It was to commemorate the birth anniversary of the florence Nightingale and to mark the nurses contributions towards people’s health. Nurses Day was first proposed by the Dorothy Sutherland Can officer from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in the year 1953 and first proclaimed by the president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

VK Saraswat named as New JNU Chancellor

The HRD Ministry has named scientist and former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat as the next chancellor of JNU. A full time member of NITI Ayog, Saraswat will be replacing ISRO Chief K. Kasturirangan, who completed his term on 30 March, 2017. Saraswat was conferred Padma Shri in 1998, Padma Bhushan in 2013 and had served as a chief scientific advisor to the Minister of Defence.

India test fires surface to air missile “Spyder”

India on 11 May 2017 test fired a surface to air missile ‘Spyder’ from test range in Odisha as part of missile launch Practice of a series of tests of the short range quick reaction, Spyder was test fired from a mobile launcher at launch complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur and targeted a pilot less target aircraft.

AP Govt Jobs 2017 – Apply Online for 252 Diploma Apprentice Posts

Directorate of Town & Country Planning Guntur Jobs 2017 – Apply Online for 252 Diploma Apprentice Posts: Directorate Of Town And Country Planning, Government Of Andhra Pradesh, Guntur has advertised a notification for the recruitment of 252 Diploma Apprentice vacancies in Town & Country Planning Department in various Urban Local Bodies in the State of Andhra Pradesh. Eligible candidates can apply Online from 04-05-2017 to 18-05-2017. Other details like age, qualification, selection process, how to apply are given below…

Directorate of Town & Country Planning Guntur Vacancy Details:
Total No of Posts: 252
Name of the Posts:
Name of the Zone:
1. Zone-I: 27 Posts
2. Zone-II: 58 Posts
3. Zone-III: 77 Posts
4. Zone-IV: 90 Posts

Age Limit: Candidates age limit should be 18 years as on 01-04-2017.

Educational Qualification: Candidates should possess SSC or its equivalent and Diploma in Civil Engineering or Licentiate in Architecture Assistant ship awarded by the A.P. State Board of Technical Education and Training subject.

Selection Process: Candidates will be selected based on merit.

How to Apply: Eligible candidates can apply online through the website www.dtcp.ap.gov.in from 04-05-2017 to 18-05-2017.

Instructions to Apply Online:
1. Candidates should log on to the website www.dtcp.ap.gov.in.
2. Select the desired post & Read the Notification.
3. Click on “Click Here for Online Application”.
4. Fill all the details in the application form & Submit Ok.
5. Take print copy of application form for future use.

Important Dates:
Starting Date for Apply Online: 04-05-2017.
Last Date to Apply Online: 18-05-2017

Click here for Recruitment Advt

Click here to Apply Online

QUIZ-13

Q1. China and Iran have recently signed the first agreement on the reconfiguration of Iran's heavy water reactor. The rector is named as ___________.

(a) Barak Reactor

(b) Tehran Reactor

(d) Arak Reactor

(e) Iranian React-I

Q2. World Malaria Day is observed globally on ___________.

(a) 23 April

(b) 25 April

(d) 22 March

(e) 26 April

Q3. Name the Indian shot putter who has clinched gold in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet 2017.

(a) SagarLodha

(b) Joginder Singh

(d) SryashodYadav

(e) HarmanpreetLamba

Q4. Name the environmental activist who has been selected for Goldman Environmental Prize 2017 (also called as Green Nobel) from Asia region for championing the cause of State’s DongriaKondhtribals and safeguarding their land and culture.

(a) KailashSatyarthi

(b) Anil Agarwal

(d) Both (a) and (b)

(e) PrafullaSamantara

Q5. In the recent figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India stood on which rank in the military expenditure?

(a) 4th

(b) 5th

(d) 6th

(e) 7th

Q6. Name the Renowned Director and actor who has won the DadasahebPhalke award for the year 2016 for his outstanding contribution to the film industry.

(a) KasinathuniViswanath

(b) PrakashJha

(d) RakeshRoshan

(e) RajkumarSantoshi

Q7. Real estate developers’ body CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India) has signed a memorandum of understanding with which of the following lender to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector?

(a) Bank of India

(b) State Bank of India

(d) IDBI Bank

(e) Punjab and National Bank

Q8. India has replaced which of the following country as world's number two importer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)?

(a) China

(b) Austria

(d) Bangladesh

(e) Russia

Q9. An Indian shot putter has recently clinched gold in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet. The event was held in ___________.

(a) Japan

(b) China

(d) Sri Lanka

(e) UAE

Q10. What is the global theme for World Malaria Day 2016 was ____________.

(a) Come together against Malaria

(b) Malaria- Can not be tolerated

(d) End Malaria for Good

(e) None of the above themes is true

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. China and Iran have signed the first agreement on the reconfiguration of Iran's Arak reactor. The deal was concluded between the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a Chinese company at the official ceremony in the Austrian capital Vienna.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. World Malaria Day is observed globally on 25th of April every year. It is organized by World Health Organization (WHO).

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. Indian shot putter ManpreetKaur has clinched a gold in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China.

S4. Ans.(e)
Sol. Top environmental activist PrafullaSamantara of Odisha has been selected for Goldman Environmental Prize 2017 (also called as Green Nobel) from Asia region for championing the cause of State’s DongriaKondhtribals and safeguarding their land and culture.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. India's military expenditure grew around 8.5 percent in 2016, making it the world's fifth largest spender at $55.9 billion, figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. Renowned Director and actor KasinathuniViswanath has won the DadasahebPhalke award for the year 2016 for his outstanding contribution to the film industry. He will be the 48th recipient of the award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema, which consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of Rs10 lakh and a shawl.

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. State Bank of India and real estate developers’ body CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector. The MoU will be in force for a period of 3 years.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. India has replaced Japan as world's number two importer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The result is an outcome of the rigorous effort of Nation's call for a 'safer kitchen'.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Indian shot putter ManpreetKaur has clinched gold in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China.

S10. Ans.(d)
Sol. World Malaria Day is observed globally on 25th of April every year. It is organized by World Health Organization (WHO). The theme for World Malaria Day 2016 was 'End Malaria for Good'.

Friday, 12 May 2017

Daily GK Update 12th May, 2017

PM Modi visits Sri Lanka

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

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launch e-Krishi Samvad

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

Nitin Gadkari launches NHAI's Masala Bond in UK

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

India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica, expand research activity

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

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

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

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

LIC Housing Finance launches new home loan product

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

Justice Mukul Mudgal elected head of FIFA Governance Committee

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

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

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

Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award

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

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

President of Sri Lanka is Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister is Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. This is the administrative capital where most of the administrative institutions exist including Parliament of Sri Lanka.
The 14th United Nations Day of Vesak is celebrated from 12th May to 14th May in Sri Lanka
In 2017, United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Sri Lanka under the theme “Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace”
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is Shri Radha Mohan Singh.
The rupee-denominated offshore bonds are popularly known as Masala Bonds
The instrument has been exempted from taxation for transfer among non-residents while a low rate of five percent would be applicable for investors till 2020
Capital of UK is London and its currency is Pound Sterling
Theresa May is the PM of UK.

Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in Antarctica during 1984

Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built in 1989.

Chairman of LIC is Vijay Kumar Sharma
Life Corporation of India was founded on 1 September 1956 and its headquarter is Mumbai.

2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be hosted by India
2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia
FIFA president is Gianni Infantino.

Bengaluru named as the Silicon valley of India
Bengaluru also named as the Information Technology (IT) capital of India.
CEO of ICICI Bank is Chanda Kochhar
ICICI Bank headquarter is in Mumbai.

QUIZ-12

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

(a) Mander Gram Panchayat

(b) Akodara Gram Panchayat

(d) Gyanwath Gram Panchayat

(e) Shakul Gram Panchayat

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

(a) Newton

(b) Mashaal

(d) Aligarh

(e) Bahubali

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

(a) 24 April

(b) 23 April

(d) 21 March

(e) 20 March

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

(a) Andy Murray

(b) Roger Federer

(d) Stan Wawrinka

(e) Rafael Nadal

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

(a) Jakarta

(b) Padang

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (a) and b)

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

(a) SSP Chaurasia

(b) Aditi Ashok

(d) All of the above

(e) Only (a) and (b)

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

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Uttar Pradesh

(e) Bihar

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

(a) Suchitra Sen

(b) Rituparna Sengupta

(d) Nandita Das

(e) Moushumi Chatterjee

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

(a) San Francisco

(b) Vienna

(d) Hong Kong

(e) Tehran

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

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Uttar Pradesh

(e) Rajasthan

Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, 11 May 2017

Daily GK Update 11th May, 2017

India celebrates National Technology Day: 11th May

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

PM launches integrated case management system of Supreme Court

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

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

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

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

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

India, Russia agree to work closely in various sectors

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

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

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

Dena Bank classifies Videocon loan as ‘bad’

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

Sebi allows investors to buy mutual funds via digital wallet

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

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

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

Indian Navy ships; INS Karwar and Kakinada decommissioned

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

India, US officials discuss strengthening maritime security cooperation

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

IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for train tickets

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

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

Railways to acquire EoTT system to run trains without guards

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

Sanjay Mitra appointed as Defence Secretary

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

Twitter elevates Taranjeet Singh as Country Director for India

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

Konkona bags Best Director and Best Actress awards at New York Indian Film Festival

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

NBA inaugurates academy in India

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

Senior NCP leader A T Pawar Passes away

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