Daily GK Update 02nd April, 2017

Post merger, SBI begins operations as unified entity 

i. 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, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore. With the merger, the SBI joins the league of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets. 

ii. The total customer base of the bank reaches 37 crore with a branch network of around 24,000 and nearly 59,000 ATMs across the country. The merged entity now has a deposit base of more than Rs 26 lakh-crore and advances level of Rs 18.50 lakh crore. 

American singer & song writer Bob Dylan accepts Nobel literature award

i. American singer and song writer Bob Dylan has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature, 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.

ii. 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.

NDB invests $1.5 billion in 7 projects in 2 years of operation

i. 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.

ii. The New Development Bank was created with an objective of financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries. The Bank seeks to complement the efforts of other multilateral development institutions. And, it also seeks to establish a network of global, regional and local partnerships with multilateral and national development banks as well as other institutions and market players.

Jepkosgei smashes three world records at Prague Half Marathon

i. 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.

ii. 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.

World Autism Awareness Day: 02nd April 2017

i. The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 2 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination". World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world.

ii. Autism is a lifelong neurological condition that manifests during early childhood, irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status. The term Autism Spectrum refers to a range of characteristics. Appropriate support, accommodation, and acceptance of this neurological variation allow those on the Spectrum to enjoy equal opportunity and full and effective participation in society.

Second annual meeting of BRICS New Development Bank held in New Delhi

i. A new financial order built by the emerging BRICS economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. New Delhi is playing host to Second Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) also known colloquially as BRICS bank. This is the first time the meet is happening in India. MOUs were signed between NDB and European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and International Investment Bank (IIB). 

ii. India has sought USD 2 billion loans for various projects from the NDB. India has also signed a 350 million dollar loan agreement with NDB for financing Development and Upgradation of Major District Roads in Madhya Pradesh. This is the First Loan Agreement for NDB assisted project in India. In the event Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that India has successfully implemented a number of reforms and Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 percent in 2017 and at the rate of 7.7 per cent in 2018.

PM Narendra Modi opens Asia's longest tunnel 

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The road tunnel will reduce the travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by approximately two hours. 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. 

ii. The world's sixth road tunnel has a transverse ventilation system enabled and controlled by ABB software. It also boasts features like Integrated Traffic Control System (ITCS), Video Surveillance System, FM Rebroadcast System, Entrance Detection Control System and Active Firefighting System. There are 124 closed-circuit TV cameras for surveillance inside the tunnel. In case of a traffic violation, the control room will inform the traffic police deployed outside the tunnel, who will fine the violators on the spot. The new 9.2 kilometre Chenani-Nashri tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir, the longest highway tunnel in Asia, will feature a state-of-the-art ABB ventilation system to ensure that users have access to fresh air as they drive through it.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

• State Bank of India was established on July 1, 1955.
• Five associates and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank became part of the State Bank of India.
• State bank of India is the country's largest lender.
• Chairperson of SBI is Mrs. Arundhati Bhattacharya.
• The headquarter of SBI is in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• SBI joins the league of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets. 
• The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 was awarded to Bob Dylan
• Mr. Bob Dylan is American singer-songwriter.
• Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded by the Swedish Academy.
• Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian ever to receive a Nobel Prize.
• Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of his work Geetanjali, a collection of poems, in 1913.
• NDB has an initial authorized capital of US$ 100 billion. 
• Mr. K.V. Kamath (India) is President of NDB.
• The headquarter of NDB is in Shanghai, China.
• The New Development Bank (NDB) floated by the BRICS nations.
• The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• Joyciline Jepkosgei has completed her fifth half marathon just in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds.
• Joyciline Jepkosgei is from Kenya.
• Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic.
• The World Autism Awareness Day observed on 02nd April.
• World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day.
• The 2017 theme for World Autism Awareness day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination".
• World Autism Awareness day encouraging the Member States of the United Nations.
• Antonio Guterres is Secretary-General of United Nations (UN).
• New Delhi is playing host to Second Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB).
• AIIB stands for Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
• Arun Jaitley is Finance Minister of India.
• India has sought USD 2 billion loans for various projects from the NDB.
• The 9.2 km long road tunnel is built between Chenani in Udhampur District and Nashri in Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir.
• It is also known as Patnitop Tunnel.
• Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is the country's first and the world's sixth road tunnel with a Transverse Ventilation System.
• It is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the heart of the Himalayas.
• The 24.5-kilometer long Laerdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri road tunnel. 

QUIZ-02

Q1. Yogi Adityanath has been recently named as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is the Member of Parliament from which Constituency?

(a) Sultanpur

(b) Balia

(c) Gonda

(d) Gorakhpur

(e) Firozabad

Q2. Amitabh Bachchan has recently launched the world's first app for breast health. What is the name of that app?

(a) ABC of Breast Health

(b) Cure Breast Health

(c) Preventing Breast Health

(d) Care for Breast Cancer

(e) None of the given options are true

Q3. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the 5th foundation day function of BIRAC in New Delhi, recently. What does 'B' stands for in BIRAC?

(a) Biological

(b) Biotechnology

(c) Biometric

(d) Bilingual

(e) None of the given options are true

Q4. Name the major E-commerce group that has recently declared to launch an app named 'A-Z GST Guide' for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST).

(a) e-bay

(b) Flipkart

(c) Snapdeal

(d) Smartdeal

(e) Amazon

Q5. Name the cellular company that has recently been merged with Vodafone India Ltd.

(a) Aircel

(b) Uninor

(c) Idea

(d) Tata DOCOMO

(e) None of the given options are true

Q6. Name the newly appointed MD and CEO of IDBI Bank.

(a) Kumar Mangalam

(b) Mahesh Kumar Jain

(c) J P Dutta

(d) Saurabh Sharma

(e) Nilesh Kushwaha

Q7. Name the sports person who has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup 2018.

(a) Shahid Afridi

(b) Rahul Dravid

(c) Sachin Tendulkar

(d) Brian Lara

(e) Kumar Sangakkara

Q8. The three days 'International Buddhist Conference' was organized recently by the Ministry of Culture, in which of the following Indian States?

(a) Uttar Pradesh

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Bihar

(d) Telangana

(e) Maharashtra

Q9. Name the CEO of Aditya Birla Group.

(a) Aditya Birla

(b) Santrupt Misra

(c) Amitav Ghosh

(d) K K Malik

(e) Sunder Sen

Q10. Who has won the BNP PARIBAS OPEN, ATP Indian Wells Masters title after defeating Stan Wawrinka in California, USA, recently?

(a) Rafael Nadal

(b) Novak Djokovic

(c) Andy Murray

(d) Roger Federer

(e) Andre Agassi

                                                              ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(d)

Sol. Yogi Adityanath has been recently named as the 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is the Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur Constituency.

S2. Ans.(a)

Sol. Amitabh Bachchan has recently launched the world's first app for breast health. The app named ‘ABC of Breast Health’ will provide information in 12 languages.

S3. Ans.(b)

Sol. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan has recently inaugurated the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in New Delhi.

S4. Ans.(e)

Sol. E-commerce major Amazon India has come out with a new program for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), which is set to be rolled out from July 1, 2017 called the ‘A-Z GST Guide’.

S5. Ans.(c)

Sol. The boards of Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group have approved a merger between Idea Cellular and Vodafone India Ltd.

S6. Ans.(b)

Sol. Mahesh Kumar Jain, who was Managing Director & CEO at Indian Bank, has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank.

S7. Ans.(a)

Sol. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup 2018.

S8. Ans.(c)

Sol. The three days 'International Buddhist Conference' was organized by Ministry of Culture and Nava Nalanda Mahavira Deemed University in Rajgir, Bihar.

S9. Ans.(b)

Sol. CEO of Aditya Birla Group is Santrupt Misra.

S10. Ans.(d)

Sol. Roger Federer (Switzerland) claimed his fifth BNP PARIBAS OPEN, ATP Indian Wells Masters title after defeating Stan Wawrinka in California, USA.

Daily GK Update 1st April, 2017

Government launched two mobile apps- echallan and mParivahan

i. 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.

ii. 'eChallan' is an integrated enforcement solution to manage traffic violations.

iii. 'mParivahan' is an empowering app for the citizen which provides access to various services, information and utilities related to the transport sector.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Visits India

i. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is on a 6-day visit to India.

ii. This year marks the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations. Malaysia’s father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, visited India in 1962.
iii. India and Malaysia signed their strategic partnership in 2010. India has trained Malaysian pilots for the Russian SU-30 aircraft. 

Japan commits 371 bn yen assistance for infra projects in India

i. Japan has committed an 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) of 371.345 billion yen (about Rs 21,590 crore) under 2016-2017 for various infrastructure projects, including the dedicated freight corridor, in India.

ii. The notes in this regard were exchanged in New Delhi between S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India.

Kanha tiger reserve becomes first in India get official mascot

i. Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh has become the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot of its own.

ii. The Mascot has been named 'Bhoorsingh the Barasingha' to present the hard ground swamp deer as the spirit of the reserve and spread awareness to save it from possible extinction. Barasingha or Swamp Deer is the State animal of Madhya Pradesh.

 82nd Establishment Day of RBI- 01st April 2017
i. 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.
Click here to read more

IIT-Madras signs MoU with Indian Army

i. The Indian Army has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M).

ii. The objective of the agreement is to identify and enhance the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces.


Vanaja Sarna appointed as CBEC's new Chairman

i. Vanaja N. Sarna was appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

ii. She has replaced Najib Shah after his retirement. Prior to becoming Member of the CBEC, she held the charge of Director General of Vigilance and Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department.

SBI gets new logo and enters in the league of top 50 Global Banks

i. From April 1, the associate banks which will be merging with State Bank of India will sport the lender's signage and logo, with its iconic keyhole set against the background of inky blue.

ii. On the design, “SBI” legend will be seen in white colour and will be written in a new font called Effra.

iii. As per the Reserve Bank of India, all branches of the associate banks will function as branches of SBI from April 1, 2017.
iv. With The merger, State Bank of India will enter the league of Top 50 Global Banks with a balance sheet size of Rs. 41 trillion.

Axis Bank ties up with Wells Fargo for US remittances

i. Axis Bank has tied up with Wells Fargo (the third largest American bank by assets) to offer real-time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home.

ii. Under the arrangement between the two banks, any member of the Indian diaspora with an account with the Wells Fargo will be able to transfer money to their relatives back home and there will be no transaction fee applicable to the money transfers from the USA. But the relative or the beneficiary in India will need to have an account with Axis Bank.

Kotak Mahindra Bank launches 8-11 app to double customer base

i. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months.

ii. 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.

Railway Minister released Book Titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry'

i. 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.

ii. 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.

iii. In addition, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu also launched Hi-speed free Wi-Fi services for the visitors at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

• Government launched two mobile apps named echallan and mParivahan
• Apps are available on Google Playstore
• Prime Minister of Malaysia is Mr.Najib Razak
• Tunku Abdul Rahman is Malaysia’s father of independence
• Capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur and its Currency is Malaysian ringgit
• Japan has committed an 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) of 371.345 billion yen
• Kenji Hiramatsu is the Ambassador of Japan to India
• Currency of Japan is Japanese yen and its Prime minister is Shinzō Abe
• Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh becomes first in India get official mascot
• Name of the mascot is 'Bhoorsingh the Barasingha'
• Barasingha or Swamp Deer is the State animal of Madhya Pradesh
• RBI was set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission.
• Reserve Bank of India was established on 01st April 1935.
• Sir Osborne Smith was the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
• Urjit Ravindra Patel is present and 24th Governor of RBI.
• The Reserve Bank of India was nationalized on 1st January 1949.
• C. D. Deshmukh was the first Indian governor of RBI.
• The headquarter of RBI is in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 
• IIT-Madras has signed an MoU with the Indian Army
• The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is General Bipin Rawat
• Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) is Lieutenant General Sarath Chand
• Director of IIT- M is Bhaskar Ramamurthy.
• Vanaja N. Sarna is now the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)
• She has replaced Najib Shah
• CBEC has been renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) under GST Regime
• Public Lender State Bank of India gets a new logo
• State Bank of India will enter in the league of Top 50 Global Banks with a balance sheet size of Rs. 41 trillion
• SBI will be written in a new font called Effra
• Chairman of SBI is Mrs. Arundhati Bhattacharya
• Axis Bank has tied up with Wells Fargo for US remittances
• Wells Fargo is the third largest American bank by assets
• Wells Fargo & Company WFC is a diversified, community-based financial services company
• WFC was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco
• Axis Bank is Headquartered in Mumbai and its CEO is Shikha Sharma.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank launched the '811 banking app
• Headquarter of  Kotak Mahindra Bank is in Mumbai and was founded in 2003
• Uday Kotak is the executive vice-chairman and MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank 
• Railway Minister released the book titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry'
• Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is the Railway Minister of India
• He launched Hi-speed free Wi-Fi services for the visitors at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.

QUIZ-01

Q1. Legendary American jazz singer Al Jarreau passed away in Los Angeles. He was ____________ years old.
Answer: 76

Q2. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched its first fully integrated capacity development centre, South Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in ____________, recently.
Answer: New Delhi

Q3. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declared _______________ as 21st district of West Bengal. The new district is from Darjeeling.
Answer: Kalimpong

Q4. The total foodgrain production in the country has been pegged at record 272 million tonne, recently. It is higher by 6.94 million tonnes than the previous record production of 265 million tonnes in 2013-14. It is a noticeable success in the field of agriculture. Who is the union minister of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare?
Answer: Radha Mohan Singh

Q5. The 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercise kicked off at the Sattahip Royal Thai Marine Corps Base in Chonburi Province, Thailand .Cobra Gold 2017 is the ________________ edition of the multinational drill and is co-organized by United States and Thailand.
Answer: 36th

Q6. Union Health Secretary C.K. Mishra has recently launched a kit that will provide information on adolescent related issues such as puberty and mental health, among others. What is the name of that kit?
Answer: Saathiya Resource Kits

Q7. Astronomers of NASA have discovered seven Earth-like Exoplanets, recently. Name of this Exoplanet system is _____________.
Answer: TRAPPIST-1

Q8. The WTO's trade facilitation agreement, which seeks to ease customs norms, came into effect with its two-third members ratifying the pact, recently. Director-General of WTO is ________________ and its Headquarter is in _________________, respectively.
Answer: Roberto Azevêdo, Geneva

Q9. In the recent list of ICC women’s' ranking India’s one day captain Mithali Raj and batter Harmanpreet Kaur were placed on 2nd and 10th positions, respectively. Name the First Rank holder in the list.
Answer: Meg Lanning

Q10. The country's largest telecom services provider, Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has recently acquired a telecom service provider company. What is the name of that company?
Answer: Telenor India

Q11. India is among nine countries that will be part of a global health network focused on improving the quality of care for new mothers and babies and strengthen national efforts to end preventable deaths of pregnant women and newborns by ____________.
Answer: 2030

Q12. National Crime Agency (NCA) of Britain has arrested two persons in connection with the spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), recently. Where is the Headquarter of NCA?
Answer: London

Q13. Strata Manufacturing PJSC (Strata), the advanced composite aero-structures manufacturing company, wholly owned by Mubadala Development Company  and Reliance Defense Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on advanced aerospace manufacturing capabilities between India and ______________.
Answer: The UAE

Q14. Bharat Electronics unveiled its new communication network, BELCOMNET, for the Defense/Paramilitary forces and export market. BELCOMNET, designed and developed by BEL, is a V/UHF secure voice communication network with user specific encryption algorithm. Who is the newly appointed Director (HR) of BEL?
Answer: Mr. R N Bagdalkar

Q15. Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the defense arm of Kalyani Group, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to incorporate a joint venture company (JVC) in India. The MoU was signed in ______________ at Aero India, by Joseph Weiss
Answer: Bengaluru

Daily GK Update 31st March, 2017

President inaugurated 'Namami Brahmaputra' festival in Assam

i. The biggest river festival of India, Namami Brahmaputra, begins in 21 districts of Assam.

ii. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the festival on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, which is considered country's only male river.

iii. The main purpose of the 5-day festival (31st March to 4th April) is to give a boost to the investment and tourism prospect in the state.

India signs First Loan Agreement with New Development Bank

i. The Loan Agreement for New Development Bank (NDB) financing of US$ 350 Million for Development and Upgradation of Major District Roads Project in Madhya Pradesh was signed between Government of India and the New Development Bank (NDB).

ii. This is the First Loan Agreement for NDB assisted project in India. The objective of the Project is upgradation of major district roads (Approx. 1,500 km) in Madhya Pradesh to improve connectivity of the interior areas of the state with the national and state highway networks. The project implementation is 5 years.

Mental Healthcare Bill passed in Parliament

i. Parliament passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016, which provides healthcare and services to the people with mental illness and also decriminalizes suicide.

ii. The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in August 2016. The Mental Healthcare Bill secured approval in Lok Sabha too, recently. On the clauses decriminalizing suicide, the bill states that a person who attempts suicide should be presumed to have severe stress, and shall not be punished.

iii. Under the Mental Healthcare Bill, the punishment for flouting of provisions will attract up to six months in prison or Rs 10,000 fine or both.

RBI says payment systems to remain closed on April 1

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said all payment systems will remain closed on April 1, in a change from its earlier directive asking banks to remain open on the first day of the next fiscal beginning April.

ii. Electronic fund transfers using payment channels like RTGS (Real-time gross settlement) and NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer) would remain closed on Saturday. However, debit card and credit card transactions would remain unaffected. 

Interest rates on small savings schemes cut by 0.1%

i. The returns on small savings schemes, including Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC) and Kisan Vikas Patra, will be lowered by 0.1 percent for the April-June quarter.

ii. Interest rates on all nine small savings schemes will be lower by 0.1%. Interest rates are reviewed quarterly.

iii. According to finance ministry notification, investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.9%, the same as a five-year National Savings Certificate.

Karnataka Bank, SBI Card launch co-branded credit card
i. Karnataka Bank and SBI Card have launched co-branded credit cards for the customers of Karnataka Bank.

ii. Through this alliance, Karnataka Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants of the co-branded credit card named ‘Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card’ and ‘Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card’.

Sunaina Singh appointed as new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University

i. Sunaina Singh has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University. She was Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad-based EFL University. She has replaced George Yeo.

ii. The University has received a total of 160 applications for the position and six people were called for interviews and three names were then sent to the Visitor. Singh’s name was on top.

El Salvador becomes first country in the world to ban metals mining

i. El Salvador, Central America’s smallest nation, has become the first country in the world to ban metals mining nationwide.

ii. The new law, supported by 70 lawmakers, bans all exploration, extraction, and processing of metals both in open pits and mines.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks Sunita Williams’ spacewalking record

i. American astronaut Peggy Whitson made history when she floated outside the International Space Station (ISS).

ii. She broke the record for the most spacewalks by a woman. Whitson at the age of 57, is making her eighth career spacewalk, surpassing the record of seven previously held by American Sunita Williams.
iii. Ms. Whitson earned a doctorate in biochemistry and served as the first female space station commander in 2008.

India's S V Sunil named player of the year for 2016 in Asian Hockey Awards

i. Indian forward player S V Sunil was named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016.

ii. Drag-flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh was chosen as the Promising Player of the Year in the continental body’s annual awards.

Sachin Tendulkar launches own mobile app
i. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched his Android and iOS app called '100MB'. The app has been developed by Pune-based technology firm JetSynthesys.
ii. The app allows users access to their personal social media account within the app and access to exclusive information and interaction with Tendulkar.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

• The 5-day long Festival 'Namami Brahmaputra' begins in Assam
• Inaugurated by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee
• Prime Minister of Bhutan is Mr. Tshering Tobgay
• Brahmaputra River is country's only male river
• India signs First Loan Agreement of US$ 350 Million with New Development Bank for the first time
• The project implementation duration is 5 years
• The Government of Madhya Pradesh and MPRDC are the implementing agencies
• Judiciary capital of Madhya Pradesh is Jabalpur
• New Development Bank (NDB) is headquartered in Shanghai, China
• BRICS countries are members of NDB
• Parliament passed the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016
• punishment for flouting of provisions will attract up to six months in prison or Rs 10,000 fine or both
• The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in August 2016 and now passed in Lok Sabha too.
• All payment systems will remain closed on April 1
• Electronic fund transfers using payment channels like RTGS and NEFT would remain closed on Saturday
• India signs First Loan Agreement of US$ 350 Million with New Development Bank for the first time
• The project implementation duration is 5 years
• The Government of Madhya Pradesh and MPRDC are the implementing agencies
• Judiciary capital of Madhya Pradesh is Jabalpur
• New Development Bank (NDB) is headquartered in Shanghai, China
• BRICS countries are members of NDB.
• Sunaina Singh appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University
• She has replaced George Yeo
• Nalanda University is located in Nalanda District of Bihar
• It was established in 2014.
• El Salvador has become the first country in the world to ban metals mining
• El Salvador is Central America’s smallest nation
• Capital and largest city of El Salvador is San Salvador
• Salvador Sánchez Cerén is the president of El Salvador
• NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks Sunita Williams’ spacewalking record
• She is making her eighth career spacewalk
• She was the first female space station commander in 2008
• S V Sunil named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016
• Harmanpreet Singh was named as the Promising Player of the Year
• Karnataka Bank and SBI Card have launched co-branded credit cards for the customers of Karnataka Bank named ‘Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card’ and ‘Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card’
• Polali Jayarama Bhat is CEO of Karnataka Bank and its Headquarter is in Mangalore
• Vijay Jasuja is CEO of SBI Card and its Headquarter is in Gurgaon.