Daily GK Update 21th & 22 nd May 2017

1. May 21st is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in the memory of former Indian PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi
i. All over India, May 21st is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in the memory of former Indian PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi who passed away on this day.
ii. On this day in the year 1991, former India’s PM Rajiv Gandhi was killed brutally by terrorist attacks. Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, while conducting an election campaign in Sriperumbudur (located near Chennai) in Tamil Nadu was assassinated by a suicide bomber on 21 May 1991.


Static Takeaways-

• Rajiv Ratna Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989.
• He took office after the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, his mother, to become the youngest Indian premier.

2. Arunachal’s Anshu Jamsenpa is the first woman to scale Mt Everest twice in 5 days

i. Arunachal Pradesh mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa has become the world’s first woman to scale Mt Everest twice in five days.

ii. Her ascent of the world’s tallest peak in the Himalayas at 7.45 am on 21st May 2017 was her fifth overall and the second after 16th May 2017.

Static Takeaways-

• Mount Everest height is about 8,848 meters above sea level
• First Persons to climb Mt Everest in 1953 are Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

3. NASA names bacteria after Abdul Kalam

i. Scientists at NASA have named a new organism discovered by them after the much-loved A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
ii.The name of the bacterium is Solibacillus kalamii, the species name is after Dr. Abdul Kalam and genus name is Solibacillus which is a spore-forming bacteria.

Static Takeaways-

• Dr. Kalam was the 11th President of India became on 25th July 2002
• APJ Kalam also known as Missile Man of India and his full name is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
• India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) was developed by Dr. APJ Kalam for ISRO
• NASA headquarter is in Washington, D.C. USA.

4. Tejas Express to make its debut on Mumbai-Goa route

i. India’s state-of-the-art high-speed train Tejas Express, which can run up to the speed of 200km per hour, has made its trip between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, and Karmali, North Goa.
ii. The train will cover a distance of 579km in 8.5 hours with halts at Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Ratnagiri and Kudal.
iii. The 15-coach train has two classes chair car and executive chair car and is equipped with facilities like secured gangways, automatic doors, LCD screens, Wi-Fi, tea-coffee vending machines, magazines, bio-toilets, hand dryers etc.

Static Takeaways-

• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• First Railway Minister of  Independent India is John Mathai.

5. Tata Sons appoints Saurabh Agrawal as Group CFO

i. Tata Sons has appointed Saurabh Agrawal, an investment banker who was formerly with the Aditya Birla Group, as its Group Chief Financial Officer. He will join the company from July 2017. 

ii. Agrawal, among India’s most successful investment bankers, brings with him over two decades of experience in the capital markets.

Static Takeaways-

• Chairman of Tata Sons is N. Chandrasekaran
• Founder of Tata is Jamsetji Tata and it was founded in 1868.

6. Cochin Port Trust bags two awards

i. Cochin Port Trust has received two Best Performance Awards from Ministry of Shipping for the highest growth in operating surplus and also for achieving third highest growth in cargo traffic among the major ports in the year 2016-17.
ii. The awards were received from Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari by P Raveendran, Chairman, and A V Ramana, Deputy Chairman, Cochin Port Trust at a function held at Goa Port Trust.

Static Takeaways-

• CM of Kerala is Pinarayi Vijayan and governor is P.Sathasivam
• Periyar Tiger Reserve is situated in Kerala.

7. India's Prashant Ranganathan wins top intel International science award in US

i. An Indian boy has won the world’s largest pre-college science competition, The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in the US in the environmental engineering category for his project on biodegradation of pesticides. 
ii. The name of his project was ‘Biodegradation of Chlorpyrifos using native bacteria’ which was based on the theme that farmers should not use pesticides.

Static Takeaways from above News-

• The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) is a program of Society for Science & the Public (the Society)
• This is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

8. Deveshwar, Soumitra Chatterjee conferred Bengal's highest civilian award

i. Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee and Y.C. Deveshwar were conferred the Banga Samman, West Bengal's highest civilian award, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
ii. The Banga Samman awards were instituted in 2011 after Banerjee came to power. Celebrated artists, singers, sportspersons, filmmakers, intellectuals have been honored with these awards in the past.

Static Takeaways-

• CM of West Bengal is Mamta Banerjee and governor is Keshari Nath Tripathi
• The Buxa Tiger Reserve is situated in West Bengal.

9. Karnataka Bank inks pact with LIC

i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India for selling life insurance products of LIC.
ii. The bank signed the corporate agency agreement with LIC in Mangaluru, Karnataka. The bank will be able to provide the vast choice of life insurance products to its customers across all its 769 branches with this MoU.

Static Takeaways from above News-

• Mr.Mahabaleshwara M.S is the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank
• V. K. Sharma is the current chairman of LIC
• LIC is Headquartered in Mumbai.

10. Hassan Rouhani wins Presidential Re-election in Iran

i. Hassan Rouhani was re-elected as the President of Iran after winning Iranian presidential elections 2017. 
ii. This is his second term as Iran's President. He was first elected as Iran's President in 2013. 
iii. In the Iranian Presidential Elections, Hassan Rouhani defeated his Conservative opponent Ebrahim Raisi by winning 57% of the total seats. The elections were labeled as the “most competitive ever”.

Static Takeaways from above News-

• Tehran is the Capital of Iran and its Currency is Iranian rial.

11. Alexander Zverev win Italian Open title by defeating Novak Djokovic

i. Alexander Zverev defeated the world no. 2 ranking player Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the Italian Open, 2017. The final was held in Rome, Italy. 
ii. The 20-year-old Zverev became the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic won in Miami a decade ago at 19. 
iii. The Italian Open women's Singles Title 2017 was won by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.

Static Takeaways from above News-

• Alexander Zverev is the professional German tennis player
• Italian open is also known as Rome Masters and Italian Championship
• Rome is the Capital city of Italy
• The currency of Italy is Euro.

12. Bengaluru FC wins Federation Cup

i. The Bengaluru FC defeated Mohun Bagan (2-0) to lift 38th Federation Cup football tournament at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha. 
ii. In the tightly contested tussle befitting a final, BFC overcame a bit of hard luck to ride on C.K. Vineeth’s extra-time brace and bag the prestigious title despite the unavailability of two of key players, Sunil Chhetri and Cameron Watson.


Static Takeaways from above News-

• Bengaluru FC is currently owned by Mumbai-based Company, JSW Group
• The Club was formed in July 2013
• Federation Cup was started in the year 1977

13. Mumbai Indians win IPL title for the third time

i. In Cricket, Mumbai Indians lifted the 10th Indian Premier League trophy for the third time, as they recorded a scintillating 1-run win against Rising Pune Supergiant in the title clash at Hyderabad during final.
ii. Mumbai successfully defended a total of 129 and restricted Pune to 128/6 to lift their third IPL trophy. Krunal Pandya from Mumbai Indians was named the man of the match.

Static Takeaways-

• Orange Cap in IPL 2017 refers to the most runs taken by a batsman which is David Warner from Sunrise Hyderabad team has taken 641 runs in 2017 tournament.
• Purple Cap in IPL 2017 refers to the most wickets taken by a bowler which is Bhuvneshwar Kumar from Sunrise Hyderabad team has taken 26 overall wickets in 2017 tournament.
• Hyderabad team was the winner of 9th IPL tournament in 2016.

Vizag Steel Plant Recruitment 2017 – 238 MT, JMO

Vizag Steel Plant Recruitment 2017 – Apply Online for 233 MT & JMO Posts: Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Vizag Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam has published notification for the recruitment of 233 Management Trainee (MT) & Junior Medical Officer vacancies. Eligible candidates may apply online from 17-05-2017 to 31-05-2017. Other details like age limit, educational qualification, selection process, application fee & how to apply are given below….

Vizag Steel Plant Vacancy Details:
Total No. of Posts: 233
Name of the Post:
1. Management Trainee (Technical): 223 Posts
2. Management Trainee (F&A): 03 Posts
3. Junior Medical Officer: 07 Posts

Age Limit: Candidates age limit should be 27 years (i.e Born not earlier than 01-05-1990) for Post No. 01 & 02 and 30 years (i.e Born not earlier than 01-05-1987) for Post No. 03 as on 01-05-2017. Age relaxation is applicable to 05 years for SC/ ST candidates, 03 years for OBC (Non Creamy Layer) candidates & 10 years for PWD Candidates. For more relaxation details refer the notification.

Educational Qualification: Candidates should possess Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Technology in the disciplines of Mattallurgy/ Mechanical/ Electrical/ Chemical/ Civil/ Ceramics/ Mining from a University/ Institute recognized by AICTE with minimum 60% of marks in the aggregate of all years/ semesters and all subjects (50% in aggregate for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates) for Post No. 01, Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline with minimum 60% of marks in aggregate of all years/ semesters and all subjects from a recognized University (50% in aggregate for ST Candidates) and have passed final examination of ICAI or ICWAI for Post No. 02 & MBBS Degree from any recognized University/ State or Central Government Institution/ Medical College recognized by Medical Council of India (MCI) for Post No. 03 with relevant experience.

Selection Process: Candidates will be selected based on Written Test followed by Interview.

Application Fee: Candidates should pay Rs. 500/- for General and OBC candidates through Challan/ Pay-in-Slip should be deposited in RINL-VSP Recruitment Account No. 30589461220 at any of the Core Banking Branches of State Bank of India (SBI).

How to Apply: Eligible candidates may apply online through the website www.vizagsteel.com from 17-05-2017 to 31-05-2017.

Instructions to Apply Online:
1. Before applying online caniddates should have valid e mail id & password
2. Candidates log on the webiste www.vizagsteel.com
3. Click on Careers ——-> “Click here to register online for recruitment for the posts of MT(Tech), MT(F&A) and Jr. Medical Officers vide Recruitment Advertisement No. 02/2017″
4. Read all instructions & fill all the details login your self
5. Check once before submit the form
6. After submission, take a print out of online application for future us

Important Dates:

Starting Date to Apply Online	17-05-2017
Last Date to Apply Online & Payment of Fee	31-05-2017
Download of Admit Cards	15-06-2017 to 25-06-2017
Date for Written Test	25-06-2017 at 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Reporting Time	09:00 AM
Last Date for receipt of objections, if any, to the Answer Key	27-06-2017
Release of Final Answer Key	03-07-2017
Date for Written Test Results	10-07-2017
Date for Interview	25-07-2017 onwards

For more details like pay scale, emolument, experience & other information click on the link given below….

Click here for Recruitment Advt

Click here to Apply Online

Read more: Vizag Steel Plant Recruitment 2017 – 238 MT, JMO, Specialist & Other Posts 

QUIZ-22

Q1. The World Press Freedom Day 2017 is celebrated globally under the theme _______________.

(a) Together with Journalism

(b) Free Journalism free World

(c) Salute to the Critical Minds

(d) Critical Minds for Critical Times

(e) None of the given themes are true

Q2. Department of Commerce, Government of India has recently (May 2017) organized the 4th National Standards Conclave in which of the following Indian cities?

(a) Bengaluru

(b) New Delhi

(c) Mysore

(d) Chennai

(e) Chandigarh

Q3. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced the winners of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held in California, USA. Which of the following show has won the award for Outstanding Game Show?

(a) Entertainment Tonight

(b) General Hospital

(c) Natosh

(d) Jack and Jones

(e) Jeopardy

Q4. Name the past president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) who was recently conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit SungnyeMedal of the Republic of Korea for his services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea in Kolkata.

(a) Rajive Kaul

(b) Jagmohan Dalmiya

(c) Sudhir Khandelwal

(d) Sunil Kumar Jagga

(e) SanjeevRajan

Q5. The Telecom Ministry of India has recently launched a portal for Information sharing on Mobile Towers and EMF Emission Compliances in an event organized at New Delhi. The web portal is named as ____________.

(a) Doorsanchar

(b) Samanvay Sanchar

(c) Gyan Sanchar

(d) Tarang Sanchar

(e) Desh Sanchar

Q6. Name the person who has been appointed as the new chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament of India.

(a) Rajiv Mohan

(b) Mallikarjun Kharge

(c) S R Rangasami

(d) T Balaraman

(e) Sachin Bansal

Q7. Shabana Azmi starrer film ____________ was recently awarded the Special Jury Remi Award at the 50th annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (WHIFF).

(a) The Black Pearl

(b) Soye Khwaab

(c) The Black Beard

(d) The Revenge

(e) The Black Prince

Q8. As per the UN report, India is expected to achieve how much percent growth the year 2017?

(a) 6.90

(b) 7.00

(c) 7.10

(d) 7.20

(e) 7.40

Q9. Minister of Road Transport and Highways has inaugurated two exhibitions namely 'The Highway Saga: Past Present and Future' and SRISHTI exhibition in New Delhi. SRISHTI stands for _____________.

(a) Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transport of India

(b) Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transforming India

(c) Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transferring India

(d) Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transition of India

(e) Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Truncation of India

Q10. Name the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications of India.

(a) Siddhartha Goswami

(b) Kamal Narayan

(c) ManojSinha

(d) Suresh Thakur

(e) SantoshSehgal

Q11. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle. India started adopting the April-March financial year from ____________.

(a) 1877

(b) 1890

(c) 1901

(d) 1867

(e) 1926

Q12. Chhattisgarh has recently auctioned India’s most expensive limestone block. This block is named as ____________.

(a) Tesla-I

(b) Cao-II

(c) Limestone-III

(d) HardRock-I

(e) Kesla-II

Q13. India successfully carried out a fresh user trial of 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. Abdul Kalam Island was previously known as ________________.

(a) Rajiv Gandhi Island

(b) Wheelers Island

(c) Odisha Island

(d) Snickers Island

(e) Whirling Island

Q14. Chhattisgarh has recently auctioned India’s most expensive limestone block in Raipur District. The previous national record was held by _____________.

(a) Madhya Pradesh

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Rajasthan

(d) Bihar

(e) Maharashtra

Q15. Who is the Cabinet Minister of Road Transport and Highways?

(a) Rajnath Singh

(b) Smriti Irani

(c) Amit Shah

(d) Prakash Javedkar

(e) None of the given options is true

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Every year, 3rd May is celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day. It is celebrated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. The theme for World Press Freedom Day is Critical Minds for Critical Times.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. Department of Commerce, Government of India in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) has organized the 4th National Standards Conclave on 1-2 May 2017 at New Delhi.

S3. Ans.(e)
Sol. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced the winners of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held in California, USA.  Jeopardy show has won the award in the category of Outstanding Game Show.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. Chairman of Nicco group and past president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Rajive Kaul was conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Sungnye Medal of the Republic of Korea for his services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea in Kolkata.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways, formally launched the 'TarangSanchar portal' in an event organized at New Delhi. The web portal is for Information sharing on Mobile Towers and EMF Emission Compliances.

S6. Ans.(b)
Sol. Mallikarjun Kharge is the new chairman of the 21-member (14 from LokSabha and 7 from RajyaSabha)  Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. Kharge has replaced Congress leader K V Thomas whose term ended on April 30.

S7. Ans.(e)
Sol. Hollywood film The Black Prince, featuring singer-poet SatinderSartaaj and veteran actress ShabanaAzmi, was awarded the Special Jury RemiAward at the 50th annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (WHIFF).

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. As per the UN report, India is expected to achieve 7.1 percent growth this year as re-monetisation restores consumption, and infrastructure spending increases. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched its annual flagship report 'The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017'. The report said India's growth would edge up to 7.5 percent for 2018.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Minister of Road Transport and Highways NitinGadkari has inaugurated two exhibitions namely 'The Highway Saga: Past Present and Future' and 'Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transforming India (SRISHTI)’ at VigyanBhawan in New Delhi.

S10. Ans.(c)
Sol. Manoj Sinha is the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications of India.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle. India started adopting the April-March financial year from 1867.

S12. Ans.(e)
Sol. Chhattisgarh successfully auctioned its third limestone block, Kesla-II to Dalmia Cement in a bidding that went on for a record 23 hours with the highest bid received 96.15% of IBM (Indian Bureau of Mines) prices which are 20 times more than the reserve price.

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. India successfully carried out a fresh user trial of 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. Abdul Kalam Island was previously known as Wheelers Island.

S14. Ans.(c)
Sol. Chhattisgarh successfully auctioned its third limestone block, Kesla-II to Dalmia Cement in a bidding that went on for a record 23 hours with the highest bid received 96.15% of IBM (Indian Bureau of Mines) prices which are 20 times more than the reserve price. The previous national record was held by Rajasthan at 67.94 percent of IBM prices for its limestone block of Nagaur District.

S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. Nitin Gadkari is the Cabinet Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

QUIZ-21

Q1. Name the joint military exercise that begun between India and Nepal, recently. 
Answer: Surya Kiran-XI

Q2. Name the first smart tribal model village, that was recently inaugurated in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Answer: Habbi

Q3. What is the Capital and Currency of Oman?
Answer: Muscat, Rial

Q4. Name the player, who has won his third consecutive Brasil Open title, 2017.
Answer: Pablo Cuevas

Q5. India has announced a policy  OALP  for conducting oil and gas exploration in India. In OALP, term 'A' stands for _____________.
Answer: Acreage

Q6. Name the Eminent writer, who has been honoured with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan, recently.
Answer: Mahabaleshwar Sail

Q7. 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 __________.
Answer: Rajasthan

Q8. Name the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) that was commissioned recently in Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka.
Answer: INS Tillanchang

Q9. The banking system of which country is now the biggest in the world according to the Financial Times.
Answer: China

Q10. Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya, who passed away recently, was a popular ________ folk singer.
Answer: Bengali

Q11. India ended their campaign in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup 2017 with five medals at New Delhi. China topped the list with how many medals?
Answer: 12

Q12. Name the scheme that has recently been launched by the Haryana government for senior citizen of the state.
Answer: Tirtha Darshan Scheme

Q13. Social networking site Facebook has recently launched a new initiative named _____________, to support women-founded or co-founded startups.
Answer: SheLeadsTech

Q14. Name the player, who has recently won the Dubai Tennis Championships, 2017.
Answer: Andy Murray

Q15. An Eminent personality Mr. M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the 30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organization, recently. He is famous ___________.
Answer: Author and Journalist

Daily GK Update 20th May 2017

India betters ranking in international tourist arrivals

i. India has jumped 16 places in the revised United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) rankings to settle at 24th for 2014 and 2015. Earlier, India was ranked 41st and 40th in 2014 and 2015 as per the global ranking, respectively.

ii. UNWTO is the United Nation’s agency managing promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and its barometer ranks countries in terms of their ITAs- comprising both foreign tourist arrivals as well as non-resident arrivals.

Static Takeaways-

• Headquarter of UN World Tourism Organization is in Madrid, Spain
• Mr. Taleb Rifai is Secretary-General of the UNWTO

Hyderabad’s Turbo Megha Airways first private airline to get UDAN licence

i. Turbo Megha Airways has become the first private airline to get a licence to fly under UDAN, the government scheme for subsidized regional flights.

ii. The Hyderabad-based airline which flies as TruJet stated that it will launch flights on Hyderabad-Cuddapah, Hyderabad-Nanded and Nanded-Mumbai routes.

iii. The five airlines awarded the rights to fly UDAN flights so far are Air India, SpiceJet, Turbo Megha, Air Odisha and G.R. Gopinath led Deccan Air.

Static Takeaways-

• Full form of UDAN is 'Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik'
• UDAN scheme was declared by civil aviation ministry of India in October 2016. The scheme was launched in January 2017
• Under this yojana traveler can buy tickets at Rs. 2500.Only 50% of the seats in a flight belonging to this scheme.

Visakhapatnam railway station cleanest, Darbhanga dirtiest says survey

i. The Visakhapatnam railway station is the cleanest, followed by Secunderabad, among the 75 busiest stations in the country. According to a survey, the report of which was released by railway minister Suresh Prabhu, the Jammu railway station occupied the third spot, while the New Delhi station was ranked at 39 among the busiest stations.

ii. The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India. The Darbhanga railway station in Bihar was the dirtiest among the busiest stations.

iii. The railway station in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was ranked at 14th position.

Static Takeaways-

• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• First Railway Minister of India is John Mathai.

BSNL signs pacts with Facebook, MobiKwik

i. State-owned telecom operator BSNL has inked a clutch of agreements with Facebook and MobiKwik as its looks to popularize the internet and its value added services among customers.

ii. The pacts were signed to commemorate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (17 May).

iii. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Facebook, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will provide connectivity for the social network’s 'Express Wi-Fi Program’.

iv. The third MoU of BSNL with Disney India will provide premium online gaming services to mobile customers of the telecom operator.

Static Takeaways-

• Director of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is Shri Anupam Shrivastava
• Founder of Facebook is Mark Zuckerberg
• Founder of Mobikwik is Bipin Preet Singh.

ISRO receives 2014 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

i. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented now the 2014 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

ii. The award was announced by a jury headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari in 2014, consists of a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 crore.

iii. The Prize was awarded to ISRO in recognition of its path-breaking achievements culminating in the Mars orbiter mission and its significant contributions in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.

Static Takeaways-

• ISRO Chairman is A. S. Kiran Kumar and its headquarter is in Bengaluru

Bilateral Exercise Between Indian & Republic Of Singapore Navy SIMBEX-17 Commences

i. As part of 'SIMBEX-17', the ongoing Bilateral Naval Exercise between Navies of the Republic of Singapore and India, Indian Naval Ships Shivalik, Sahyadri, Jyoti and Kamorta are participating.

ii. SIMBEX is an acronym for "Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercises". Bilateral cooperation between Singapore and India was first formalized when RSN ships began training with the Indian Navy in 1994.

iii. This years edition of SIMBEX-17 being held in the South China Sea would be the 24th in the series.

Static Takeaways-

• Sunil Lanba is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of Indian Navy

Japan cabinet approves bill allowing emperor’s abdication

i. Japan's cabinet approved a bill that would allow Emperor Akihito to step down, paving the way for the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries.

ii. Abdication must take place within three years of the bill becoming law.

iii. In August 2016, he publicly cited age and declining health, which was interpreted as his wish to hand the crown to his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito.

Static Takeaways-

• Shinzo Abe is the current Prime Minister of Japan
• Currency of Japan is Yen and its capital is Goku
• Central bank of Japan is named Bank of Japan
• 2020 summer Olympic games are going to be held in Tokyo and its Ambassador is GOKU (Character of a cartoon show).

Purnima Barman & Sanjay Gubbi Win The Prestigious ‘Green Oscars’ Award

i. Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Purnima Barman of Assam have won the prestigious Whitley Award, popularly known as Green Oscars, for their efforts in wildlife conservation.

ii. The awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity Whitley Fund for Nature Conservation. While Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in Karnataka.

iii. Ms. Barman has won the award for her work in conservation of Assam’s Greater Adjutant Stork and its habitat.

Static Takeaways-

• The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is the UK registered charity offering Whitley Awards and ongoing support to outstanding nature conservationists around the developing world

QUIZ-20

Q1. Name the squash player who recently scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title held in Chennai.

(a) Dipika Pallikal Karthik

(b) Saurav Ghoshal

(c) Abdul Bari

(d) Joshna Chinappa

(e) Anuroop Dayal

Q2. India and Turkey has recently signed an agreement to strengthen co-operation in combating terrorism. What is the Capital of Turkey?

(a) Cairo

(b) Ankara

(c) Monaco

(d) Pattaya

(e) Berlin

Q3. Name the Chief Minister of one of the Indian state who has been selected for the ‘Transformative Chief Minister Award 2017’ in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level.

(a) Nitish Kumar

(b) Pinarayi Vijayan

(c) Chandrababu Naidu

(d) Siddaramaiah

(e) Naveen Patnaik

Q4. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently announced new office-bearers for the year 2017-18. Who has been appointed as the new President of CII?

(a) Shobana Kamineni

(b) D. Naushad Forbes

(c) Abdulla Ansari

(d) Humani Dutta

(e) Usha Gupta

Q5. Asha Parekh’s autobiography “Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl” was released recently in New Delhi. 'The Hit Girl' has been penned down by __________.

(a) Javed Akhtar

(b) Kamaal Rashid

(c) Salaman Rushdi

(d) Khalid Mohamed

(e) Manoj Darsheel

Q6. Name the city that has recently become the first city in the world to get its own Microsoft font.

(a) Geneva

(b) Dubai

(c) New Delhi

(d) Cairo

(e) Paris

Q7. Union government has recently launched two schemes “One IP- Two Dispensaries” and “Aadhaar based Online Claim Submission” on the occasion of International Labour Day. Who is the present Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment?

(a) D. V. Sadananda Gowda

(b) Gopinath Munde

(c) Bandaru Dattatreya

(d) Maneka Gandhi

(e) Anant Geete

Q8. Union Human Resource Development Minister PrakashJavadekar launched a nationwide campaign to encourage Universities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers. What is the name of this campaign?

(a) Vidyathi-VeertaAbhiyan

(b) Vidya-Shakti Abhiyan

(c) Vidya-VeeranganaAbhiyan

(d) Vidya-VeertaAbhiyan

(e) Shakti-VeertaAbhiyan

Q9. Name the first person from the North-Eastern Region who took over as the New Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.

(a) Anthony Lianzuala

(b) AnupSisodia

(c) MukulRanjan

(d) RupeshNathGoel

(e) AbdurKazir

Q10. Name the recipient of ‘Transformative Chief Minister award' for 2016.

(a) ShankhaGhosh

(b) UpulChaturvedi

(c) Suparna Samantha

(d) Jaya Bhattacharya

(e) Amitabh Kant

Q11. Name the current Union Human Resource Development Minister of India.

(a) SmritiIrani

(b) Kalraj Mishra

(c) Radha Mohan Singh

(d) PrakashJavadekar

(e) Thawar Chand Gehlot

Q12. The World Press Freedom Day is observed globally on _________

(a) 1st May

(b) 3rd May

(c) 30th April

(d) 2nd May

(e) 29th April

Q13. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO has co-organized the World Press Freedom Day's main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in _________________.

(a) Geneva, Switzerland

(b) New York, USA

(c) Jakarta, Indonesia

(d) Barcelona, Spain

(e) Saint John, Canada

Q14. Which of the following Indian state has recently become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle?

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Uttar Pradesh

(c) Odisha

(d) Tripura

(e) Madhya Pradesh

Q15. The World Press Freedom Day was observed recently by UNESCO. Who is the Director-General of UNESCO?

(a) Peter Thomson

(b) Ban Ki-moon

(c) Antonio Guterres

(d) Irina Bokova

(e) Juan Somavia

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. JoshnaChinappa scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title with a thrilling win over compatriot DipikaPallikalKarthik in the women's final. The event was organized in Chennai.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and Turkey have strongly condemned the “use of double standards” in combating terrorism and agreed to strengthen cooperation in effectively dealing with the menace both bilaterally and at multilateral fora. The Capital of Turkey is Ankara and its Currency is Turkish lira.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has been selected for the ‘Transformative Chief Minister Award 2017’ in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently announced new office-bearers for the year 2017-18. Ms. ShobanaKamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., has assumed office as the new President of CII. She is the first woman President of CII.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan launched renowned actress of her age, Asha Parekh’s autobiography “Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl” in New Delhi. 'The Hit Girl' has been penned down by the renowned film critic Khalid Mohamed.

S6. Ans.(b)
Sol. Dubai has become the first city in the world to get its own Microsoft font. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, launched the Dubai Font recently.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment, ShriBandaruDattatreya launched two schemes “One IP- Two Dispensaries” and “Aadhaar based Online Claim Submission” on the occasion of International Labour Day (1st May).

S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. Union Human Resource Development Minister PrakashJavadekar launched 'Students for soldiers- a nationwide Vidya-VeertaAbhiyan' to encourage Universities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers. The aim of this Abhiyan is to instill a sense of patriotism and nationalism among students.

S9. Ans.(a)
Sol. Mr. Anthony Lianzuala took over as the New Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance with effect from May 1, 2017, in New Delhi. He is the First person from the North-Eastern Region to hold this position.

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The recipient of ‘Transformative Chief Minister award' for 2016 was Amitabh Kant, CEO of NitiAayog.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. PrakashJavadekar is the current Union Human Resource Development Minister of India.

S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. Every year, 3rd May is celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day. It is celebrated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. UNESCO, the Government of Indonesia, and the Press Council of Indonesia co-organized the World Press Freedom Day's main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1-4 May 2017.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle. A decision to this effect was taken at the state cabinet meeting held in Bhopal.

S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. Every year, 3rd May is celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day. It is celebrated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Irina Bokova is the Director-General of UNESCO.