Daily GK Update 20th April, 2017

Madhya Pradesh government, DMRC inked pact to supply power from Rewa project

i. Madhya Pradesh government has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to supply 24 per cent of electricity generated from the Rewa ultra mega solar project to be set up in the state.
ii. The rest of the power will be supplied to the state.

World economy to grow at 3.5 per cent in 2017: IMF

i. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected a marginally higher than expected growth for the world economy at 3.5 per cent in 2017.
ii. IMF projected the world economy to grow at a pace of 3.5 percent in 2017, up from 3.1 percent in 2016, and 3.6 per cent in 2018.

China to host BRICS Film Festival in June, 2017

i. The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27, 2017.
ii. There will be 30 films from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) screened during the festival.
iii. The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, in September 2016. 

First Made in India industrial robot- BRABO

i. TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has launched India’s first industrial-articulated robot and it goes by the name “BRABO”.
ii. The robot is indigenously developed for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India. This is the first time that an industrial robot has been conceptualized, designed and manufactured in India.

RBI caps bank exposure to REITs, InvITs at 10%

i. The RBI permitted banks to invest up to 10% of the unit capital of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) or Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
ii. The banks’ exposure to REITs/InvITs will be within the overall ceiling of 20% of the net worth permitted for direct investments in shares, convertible bonds/ debentures, units of equity-oriented mutual funds and Venture Capital Funds (VCFs).

'One Part Woman' wins Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Mathorubhagan

i. The English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English 2016.
ii. The translation was done by Aniruddhan Vasudevan and the book was published by Penguin. 

Sagar Baheti, the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete Boston Marathon

i. Bangalore-based Sagar Baheti has become the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston Marathon, the world's oldest and the hardest marathon to qualify for.
ii. Baheti completed the approximately 42.16 km distance in just over four hours.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:

• Madhya Pradesh government and DMRC inked pact to supply power (24% of Electricity) from Rewa project
• Shri Rajiv Gauba is the Chairman of DMRC
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the CM of MP and its Governor is Om Prakash Kohli (Additional charge)
• IMF has projected world economy to grow at 3.5% in 2017
• Projection in 2016 was 3.1%
• Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries
• Managing Director of IMF is Christine Lagarde
• Maurice Obstfeld, economic counselor and director of IMF Research Department released the projection officially.
• BRICS Film Festival 2017 will be held in China
• BRICS countries includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
• The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India
• BRICS summit will be held in September 2017 in China’s Xiamen city
• TAL Manufacturing Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors
• BRABO is the first Made in India industrial robot
• The robot is indigenously developed for MSME in India
• The RBI permitted banks to invest up to 10% of the unit capital of an REITs or InvITs
• RBI is headquartered in Mumbai and its Governor is Mr. Urjit Patel
• RBI has recently allowed banks to invest in REITs & InvITs
• The English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English
• The cash prize for the award is Rs 50,000
• Sagar Baheti becomes the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete Boston Marathon
• He completed the approximately 42.16 km distance in just over four hours
• Boston is a City in Massachusetts

QUIZ-20

Q1. Name the mobile maker company that has become the first brand ever to sponsor front jerseys of two IPL teams in the same edition and will have its logo feature on the front jersey of both the teams.

(a) Oppo

(b) Vivo

(c) Lava

(d) Gionee

(e) Xiomi

Q2. The famous Berhampur ThakuraniYatra festival has begun recently (April 2017) in which of the following Indian states?

(a) Karnataka

(b) Odisha

(c) West Bengal

(d) Kerala

(e) Gujarat

Q3. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas officially launched the low emission Bharat stage (BS)-IV Grade fuel in Odisha, recently. The foundation Day of Odisha is commonly known as __________

(a) Nisakal Diwas

(b) Adhar Diwas

(c) Utkal Diwas

(d) Parvan Diwas

(e) Gotham Diwas

Q4. Prime Minister NarendraModi has recently announced to lay the foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga at Sahebganj in which of the following State?

(a) Uttarakhand

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Uttar Pradesh

(d) Bihar

(e) Haryana

Q5. The Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) lends a $175 million loan to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. Name the President of ADB.

(a) Takehiko Nakao

(b) San Ki Baan

(c) Adams Peter Yon

(d) Hikanzo Abe

(e) Chigobara Hayat

Q6. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has recently appointed ___________ as its chairman for 2017-2018.

(a) SandeepJ ajodia

(b) B P Kanugo

(c) Geetha Kumari

(d) Raman Roy

(e) Deepak Daas

Q7. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed globally on ___________.

(a) 23 March

(b) 29 March

(c) 6 April

(d) 16 April

(e) 10 April

Q8. Name the cricketer who has recently become an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gulf Oil India just for a day.

(a) ViratKohli

(b) VirenderSehwag

(c) Sachin Tendulkar

(d) Rahul Dravid

(e) M S Dhoni

Q9. Name the company that has recently become the seventh entity to receive a final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank.

(a) Vodafon M-Pesa

(b) Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd

(c) BhartiAirtel Payment System

(d) Reliance Payment System

(e) None of the given options are true

Q10. Cabinet has recently signed anMoU on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media between India and __________________.

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Malaysia

(c) Japan

(d) Bhutan

(e) Myanmar

Q11. According to the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016 India's travel and tourism sector ranks ____________ in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

(a) 3rd

(b) 5th

(c) 9th

(d) 7th

(e) 6th

Q12. Which of the following Indian state has decided to provide a one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born after August 24, 2015, under the 'AapkiBeti, HamariBeti' scheme.

(a) Punjab

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Haryana

(d) Bihar

(e) Uttar Pradesh

Q13. India has recently decided to set up a 240 million pound fund to finance clean energy projects with which of the following country?

(a) Japan

(b) UK

(c) Malaysia

(d) Bangladesh

(e) Russia

Q14. IDBI Bank has reduced interest rates, ranging from 50 to 75 basis points, on retail term deposits (RTD). CEO of IDBI Bank is __________.

(a) Chanda Kocchar

(b) Shikha Singh

(c) Suman Roy

(d) Mahesh Kumar Jain

(e) Devendra Rawat

Q15. As per the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2016 which country has topped in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

(a) Norway

(b) Sweden

(c) USA

(d) Switzerland

(e) Denmark

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Gionee has become the first brand ever to sponsor front jerseys of two IPL teams in the same edition and will have its logo feature on the front jersey of both the teams.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. The famous Berhampur Thakurani Yatra festival is one of the biggest festivals of southern Odisha, has been celebrated recently.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. DharmendraPradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas officially launched the low emission Bharat stage (BS)-IV Grade fuel in Bhubaneswar. The launch was made on the special occasion of UtkalDiwas which is the foundation day of Odisha.

S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Prime Minister NarendraModi will lay the foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga at Sahebganj in Jharkhand. The state of the art terminal, to be constructed at an estimated cost of 280 crore rupees, is an important component of the development of the National Waterway-1 from Varanasi to Haldia. 

S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) lends a $175 million loan to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. TakehikoNakao is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) appointed Raman Roy (Managing Director of Quatrro Global Services) as its chairman for 2017-2018.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. 6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly.

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. The former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni became an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gulf Oil India just for a day.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd becomes the seventh entity to receive a final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank.

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Cabinet has recently signedanMoU on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media between India and Bangladesh.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. India's travel and tourism sector ranks 7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to a new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Haryana government has decided to provide a one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born after August 24, 2015, under the 'AapkiBeti, HamariBeti' scheme.

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and the UK decided to set up a 240 million pound fund to finance clean energy projects, as per the statement of Finance Minister ArunJaitley.

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. IDBI Bank has reduced interest rates, ranging from 50 to 75 basis points, on retail term deposits (RTD) with effect from April 5, 2017. CEO of IDBI Bank is Mahesh Kumar Jain.

S15. Ans.(c)
Sol. As per the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2016 United States of America has topped in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

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