Daily GK Update 19th April, 2017

UP Govt Renames Gorakhpur and Agra Airports

i. The UP government changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled.
ii. The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport after the founder of the Nath monastic movement.
iii. The Agra Airport will be renamed after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport. The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'.

Rajasthan State govt, HPCL sign agreement for Rs 43,129 cr Barmer refinery

i. In Rajasthan, the state government and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) signed an agreement for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery.
ii. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL.

Navy’s missile destroyer dedicated to Chennai

i. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami dedicated the Indian Navy’s indigenously designed ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, INS Chennai to the city Chennai.
ii. INS Chennai is commanded by captain C. R. Praveen Nair and has 45 officers. The ship was commissioned by ex-Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar in 2016. It is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.

India jumps to 8th place on Global FDI Confidence Index

i. India has jumped one spot to 8th rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.
ii. USA has topped A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index for the fifth year in a row. The top 5 countries in A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index 2017 are:

1. USA

2. Germany

3. China

4. UK

5. Canada

RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir

i. The Reserve Bank of India has set up two new Offices of the Banking Ombudsman for the State of Jammu and Kashmir (in Jammu) and Chhattisgarh (in Raipur).
ii. The Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Reserve Bank of India, Jammu and Chhattisgarh will have the jurisdiction over the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh which, hitherto was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi-I and Bhopal, respectively.

RBI signed MoU with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan

i. The Reserve Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan.
ii. The MoU was signed by Mr. Phajo Dorjee, Deputy Governor on behalf of Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and Mr. S S Mundra, Deputy Governor on behalf of Reserve Bank of India.

SEBI launched revamped website with user-friendly features

i. SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) launched its revamped website having several user-friendly features and compatible with all desktop and mobile devices.
ii. The website now also allows visitors to share web pages on their social media network. The new website is compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for making web content more accessible to differently abled people and also conforms to the guidelines for Indian government websites.

ICICI Bank data centre becomes country's first IGBC Platinum rated project

i. The ICICI Bank Data Centre in Hyderabad has achieved the distinction of becoming the country's first Platinum rated project under IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Green Data Centre Rating System.
ii. Prem C Jain, Chairman, IGBC presented IGBC plaque to Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank at a programme organized on recently in Hyderabad.
iii. IGBC Green Data Centre Rating System would facilitate in providing tremendous tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible benefits include 20 to 25 percent reduction in Power Usage Effectiveness, 25 to 30 percent reduction in water consumption. Intangible benefits include enhanced air quality, excellent daylighting, health, and well-being of the staff operating such facility.

Vinay Shah, appointed as new MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance

i. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has appointed Vinay Shah as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director of its mortgage loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing Finance.
ii. He comes in place of Sunita Sharma after Government had elevated her to Managing Director of LIC.

Former AP minister Devineni Rajashekhar passes away

i. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Devineni Rajashekhar had died due to cardiac arrest in Hyderabad.
ii. He was made the Education Minister in NTR Cabinet in 1994. He was elected to AP assembly from Kankipadu in 1983 and retained the seat in 1985, 1989, and 1994.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:

• The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport
• Agra Airport has been renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport
• The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'
• Rajasthan State govt and HPCL have signed an agreement for Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery
• The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel
• Chief Minister of Rajasthan is Mrs. Vasundhara Raje
• Union Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas is Shree Dharmendra Pradhan
• Indigenously designed ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, INS Chennai was dedicated to the city Chennai
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami
• Sunil Lanba is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)
• India ranked 8th in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index
• The USA topped the list
• Among the emerging economies, India and China were the top two performers
• RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir
• J&K till now was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi-I
• Chhattisgarh till now was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, Bhopal
• RBI is headquartered in Mumbai and its Governor is Mr. Urjit Patel.
• RBI signed MoU with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan
• The MoU was signed on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information
• Prime minister of Bhutan is Tshering Tobgay and its capital is Thimpu
• SEBI launched revamped website with user-friendly features
• Securities and Exchange Board of India is full form of SEBI
• Shri Ajay Tyagi Chairman is the Chairman of SEBI and its Headquarter is in Mumbai
• ICICI Bank data center becomes country's first IGBC Platinum rated project
• Chanda Kochhar is the MD & CEO of ICICI Bank
• Headquarter of ICICI bank is in Mumbai
• The event was organized in Hyderabad
• Vinay Shah has been appointed as the new MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance
• He has replaced Smt. Sunita Sharma
• Smt. Sunita Sharma had been  elevated to Managing Director of LIC
• Shri. Vijay Kumar Sharma is the Chairman of LIC and it is Headquartered in Mumbai
• Former AP minister Devineni Rajashekhar passed away in Hyderabad
• He was made the Education Minister in NTR Cabinet in 1994
• N. Chandrababu Naidu is the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

QUIZ-19

Q1. The Centre has constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric vehicles and their components. The Board will be chaired by _____________.

(a) Shri Harish Bhagwat

(b) Shri Prakash Javedkar

(c) Shri Rajyavardhan Rathore

(d) Shri Girish Shankar

(e) Shri Nitin Gadkari

Q2. A national conference on Communicating India will be organized in which of the following Indian cities that will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore.

(a) Kolkata

(b) New Delhi

(c) Bengaluru

(d) Chennai

(e) Varanasi

Q3. Name the IPS officer who has been appointed as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat.

(a) Vimala Roy

(b) Falguni Upadhyay

(c) GeethaJ ohri

(d) Urmika Vansh

(e) Veera Joshi

Q4. The Government of India has recently announced a fund of ____________ for the first express highway project in the northeast region which be developed along the Brahmaputra river in Assam.

(a) Rs 25,000 Crore

(b) Rs 30,000 Crore

(c) Rs 35,000 Crore

(d) Rs 40,000 Crore

(e) Rs 45,000 Crore

Q5. Amazon India has launched an initiative called 'Amazon Classroom', a virtual training program to help sellers in learning online shopping. Name the CEO of Amazon.

(a) Larry Page

(b) Jeff Bezos

(c) Tim Cook

(d) John S. Watson

(e) Jeremy Stoppelman

Q6. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Name the country that has joined the SASEC program as its seventh member.

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Bhutan

(c) Myanmar

(d) Maldives

(e) Nepal

Q7. Name the Bank/Banks that sold Rs.1,800crore Ballarpur Industries loans to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company.

(a) ICICI Bank

(b) HDFC Bank

(c) Axis Bank

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (b) and (c)

Q8. The WTO’s dispute settlement set up a panel to resolve the dispute between ___________ and India over imposition of safeguard import duty on iron and steel products.

(a) Japan

(b) Pakistan

(c) China

(d) Afghanistan

(e) Myanmar

Q9. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee declared ___________ as the 22nd district of the state.

(a) Chenani

(b) Ghorghram

(c) Bhorangram

(d) Jhargram

(e) Nasaini

Q10. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the SASEC's Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. What is full form of SASEC?

(a) South Asean Specific Economic Cooperation

(b) South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation

(c) South Asia SubRegional Essential Cooperation

(d) South Asean Standard Export Corporation

(e) None of the given options are true

                                                            Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. the Centre has constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric (& hybrid) vehicles and their components. The Board will be chaired by the ShriGirish Shankar, Secretary of the Department of Heavy Industry.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. A day-long national conference on Communicating India will be organized in New Delhi which will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting RajyavardhanRathore.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. A 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) GeethaJohri has been appointed as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat.

S4. Ans.(d)
Sol. The first express highway project in the northeast region will be developed along the Brahmaputra riverin Assam at an estimated investment of Rs 40,000 crore inaugurated by Union Road Minister NitinGadkari.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. To make on-boarding easy for new sellers, Amazon India has launched an initiative called Amazon Classroom, a virtual training program to help teach them the nuances of online selling. Jeff Bezos is CEO of Amazon

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Myanmar has joined the SASEC program as its seventh member.

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. ICICI Bank and Axis Bank sold Rs.1,800crore of loans to paper maker Ballarpur Industries Ltd to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company.

S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. The WTO’s dispute settlement set up a panel to resolve the dispute between Japan and India over imposition of safeguard import duty on iron and steel products

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared Jhargram as the 22nd district of West Bengal.

S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi.

Daily GK Update 18th April, 2017

The International Day for Monuments and Sites: 18th April

i. Every year on 18 April, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites (also called as World Heritage day).
ii. The theme for 2017 is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism".


Suresh Prabhu Launched 'Vistadome' Coaches 

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched India's First Train With Glass Ceiling, LED Lights And Rotable Seats in 'Vistadome' Coaches.
ii. He has flagged off the train with Vistadome coaches between Visakhapatnam and Araku through video conferencing from Rail Sadan in Bhubaneswar.
iii. He Inaugurated the Life Line Express at Sindhudurg, Maharashtra of Konkan Railway.

PM Modi inaugurated Link-II of SAUNI project in Botad, Gujarat

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated phase-I of the Link-II pipeline canal of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana in Botad district of Gujarat.
ii. This will be the second milestone in the Rs 12,000 crore project to pump Narmada water in 115 dams of arid Saurashtra region after the PM dedicated to public phase-I of the Link-I canal in August 2016.

President inaugurates Kempegowda festival in New Delhi
i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Kempegowda Festival in New Delhi.
ii. The festival is organized by the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation.




BHEL commissions 2 units at Maharashtra thermal power project 

i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned two units of 270 MW at RattanIndia Nasik Power Ltd's, Maharashtra. 
ii. With the commissioning of these units, BHEL has commissioned eight sets for RattanIndia in Maharashtra in which 3 sets at Nasik and 5 sets at Amravati.

BEML bags Hindustan PSU award
i. Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) a defence public sector has received the Hindustan PSU Award under the category ‘Fastest Growing Organisation – Miniratna’.
ii. Umesh Chandra, Executive Director, received the award on behalf of the company. The award was presented by Nitin Gadkari a Union Minister of State for Road Transport.

PNB launches three new products on foundation day

i. On the occasion of its Foundation Day, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched three new products for its customers.
ii. The three new products are automated electronic toll collection to facilitate hassle-free toll payment/ collection, a credit card mobile App and a scheme for financing a grid connected Roof Solar Power Project.

SBI surpasses ONGC to become most valued PSU stock

State Bank of India (SBI) surpassed oil exploration major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to become most valued public sector undertaking (PSU) stock in terms of market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade. SBI with m-cap of Rs 239,808 crore was ahead of ONGC having m-cap of Rs 236,003 crore, BSE data showed.



ISRO, BHEL tie-up for lithium-ion batteries 

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to help develop low-cost lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.



Philippine President Duterte wins TIME 100 Reader Poll 

i. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world. 
ii. Rodrigo also known as Digong, is a Filipino politician and jurist who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines.

Gayatri Pullela wins twin crown at Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix

i. National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta.
ii. Gayatri eked out a hard-fought win over her doubles partner Samiya Farooqui to win the girls U-15 singles title.
iii. She later teamed up with Samiya to clinch the U-15 doubles title with a straight-game 21-17, 21-15 win over Indonesian pair of Kelly Larissa and Shelandry Vyola.

Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2017

i. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) won the Bahrain Grand Prix 2017 by defeating Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
ii.  It was Sebastian's 3rd victory in Bahrain and 44th of his career. Sebastian Vettel belongs to Germany.




Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• SBI surpass ONGC to become most valued PSU 
• SBI headquarter is in Mumbai and it was founded in 1955
• ONGC headquarter is in Uttarakhand and it was formed in 1956
• SBI slogan is The Banker to Every Indian
• SBI chairman is Arundhati Bhattacharya 
• ONGC chairman is Dinesh K Sarraf
• BHEL and ISRO tie-up for lithium-ion batteries 
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is a full form of BHEL
• Indian Space Research Organization is a full form of ISRO
• BHEL headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded in 1964
• CEO of BHEL is Atul Sobti
• ISRO was founded in 1969 and its Headquarter is in Bengaluru
• ISRO founder is Vikram Sarabhai and CEO is Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar
• Gayatri Pullela wins twin crown at Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta
• Samiya Farooqui was her doubles partner
• Gayatri Pullela is the daughter  of National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand
• BHEL has successfully commissioned two units of 270 MW at Maharashtra
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is a full form of BHEL
• BHEL headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded in 1964
• CEO of BHEL is Atul Sobti.
• 16th Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world
• PM Modi had been named among the probable contenders for the annual list of the most influential people in the world. 
• Philippine Capital is Manila and Currency is Philippine Peso
• Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2017
• He defeated Lewis Hamilton
• Sebastian Vettel belongs to Germany
• Bahrain is an Arabian country with its capital in Manama.
• India's First Train With Glass Ceiling, LED Lights And Rotable Seats in 'Vistadome' Coaches has been launched by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
• The train is running between Visakhapatnam and Araku 
• Inaugurated the Life Line Express at Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.
• The International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated on 18th April
• The day is celebrated by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)
• The theme for 2017 is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism”
• Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched three new products for its customers viz.  automated electronic toll collection,  a credit card mobile App, a Roof Solar Power Project.
• PNB CEO is Usha Ananthasubramanian
• PNB Headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded on 12th April 1895.
• PM Modi inaugurated phase-I of the Link-II pipeline canal of SAUNI Yojana
• Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation is full form of SAUNI

QUIZ-18

Q1. India-Malaysia has recently signed seven agreements including air services agreement and MoUs in education and sports. What is the capital of Malaysia?

(a) Penang

(b) Selangor

(c) Kuala Lumpur

(d) Malaysian City

(e) Mallacca

Q2. Name the state that has become the 27th State to join the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Mizoram

(c) Tripura

(d) Kerala

(e) Arunachal Pradesh

Q3. Name the person who has been recently appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

(a) KumariBhatnagar

(b) Jaya Biswas

(c) NeelamSulema

(d) Indira Banerjee

(e) SulekhaSubrato

Q4. The Government has recently launched a comprehensive scheme for power loom sector development at over 45 locations in the country. What is the name of that scheme?

(a) PowerTex India

(b) Loompower India

(c) TextilePower India

(d) Powerloom India

(e) None of the given options are true

Q5. Name the person who has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

(a) SandeepJajodia

(b) B P Kanugo

(c) Sumit Kumar Rao

(d) Amit Gupta

(e) Rajiv Kumar Chander

Q6. The Madhya Pradesh government has launched an app named ____________ to provide various municipal services online.

(a) MP i-Seva

(b) MP e-Safai

(c) MP i-Safai

(d) MP e-nagarpalika

(e) MP e-Cleaning

Q7. Which of the following Indian Universities has topped the list of country's official higher education rankings, recently announced by the HRD Ministry?

(a) Banaras Hindu University

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru University

(c) IISc-Bengaluru

(d) Delhi University

(e) Aligarh University

Q8. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist ___________ passes away, recently.

(a) LakshmikantBai

(b) Sarana Begum

(c) KishoriAmonkar

(d) Girija Lakshmi Pandit

(e) SuvarnalekhaKumari

Q9. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has recently banned Guatemala's former football chief Brayan Jimenez for lifetime. Name the President of FIFA.

(a) IssaHayatou

(b) SeppBlatter

(c) Stanley Rous

(d) Gianni Infantino

(e) JoãoHavelange

Q10. After the merger of subsidiary bank in the State Bank of India, the base rate or the minimum lending rate of the bank has been reduced from 9.25% to ___________.

(a) 9.10%

(b) 9.15%

(c) 9.20%

(d) 9.00%

(e) 8.95%

Q11. Name the Cab aggregator that has integrated with Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to simplify digital payment options for its customers.

(a) Uber

(b) Ola

(c) Meru

(d) Mycab

(e) Tesla

Q12. Phoenix India Research and Development Group launched the first bio-gas fuelled bus in which of the following Indian cities keeping a flat fare of just Rs 1.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) Chennai

(c) Kolkata

(d) Mumbai

(e) Chandigarh

Q13. Name the country that has topped in a doping violation report published by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for 2015.

(a) Norway

(b) China

(c) Japan

(d) Russia

(e) Italy

Q14. A Malaysian company MTN has recently agreed to help set up a technology park in which of the following Indian State that’s expected to attract private sector investment of $100 million in the first phase.

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Arunachal Pradesh

(c) Assam

(d) Maharashtra

(e) Tripura

Q15. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have also recently joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, UjjwalDiscom Assurance Yojna (UDAY). UDAY scheme was launched in ___________.

(a) 2010

(b) 2012

(c) 2013

(d) 2014

(e) 2015

Solutions

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. India-Malaysia have recently signed seven agreements including air services agreement and MoUs in education and sports. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. Mizoram has become the 27th State to join the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. Justice Indira Banerjee, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Government has launched PowerTex India, a comprehensive scheme for power loom sector development, simultaneously at over 45 locations in the country.

S5. Ans.(e)
Sol. Rajiv Kumar Chander has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva.

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Madhya Pradesh government has launched an app named ‘MP e-nagarpalika’ to provide various municipal services online.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. IISc- Bengaluru has topped the list of best universities of country's official higher education rankings, recently announced by the HRD Ministry.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist KishoriAmonkar passes away. She was 84.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has recently banned Guatemala's former football chief Brayan Jimenez for lifetime. Gianni Infantino is the President of FIFA.

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. After the merger of subsidiary bank in the State Bank of India, the base rate or the minimum lending rate of the bank has been reduced from 9.25% to 9.1%. SBI cuts lending rates by 0.15%.

S11. Ans.(b)
Sol. Cab aggregator Ola has integrated with Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to simplify digital payment options for its customers.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Phoenix India Research and Development Group launched the first bio-gas fuelled bus in Kolkata keeping a flat fare of just Rs 1.

S13. Ans.(d)
Sol. India has been ranked third for the third year in a row in a doping violation report published by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for 2015. The list was topped by Russia.

S14. Ans.(a)
Sol. A Malaysian company MTN has agreed to help set up a technology park in Andhra Pradesh that’s expected to attract private sector investment of $100 million in the first phase.

S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have also recently joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, UjjwalDiscom Assurance Yojna (UDAY). UDAY Scheme was launched in November 2015.

Daily GK Update 16-17th April, 2017

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

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

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

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

Nepal President to arrive in India on five-day visit

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

Manipur CM launched DARPAN web applications to check corruption

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

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

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

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




Prakash Javadekar launched RUSA Portal, Mobile App

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

Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station

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


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

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

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

Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award

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

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

BRICS envoys on Middle East meet in India 

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

Google launches Areo app

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

World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117

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

Arjun Gaind launches his book on Punjab

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

Sai Praneeth wins Singapore open Badminton

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

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


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

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