Friday, 21 April 2017

Daily GK Update 21st April, 2017



11th Civil Services Day function held in New Delhi
i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day program (20-21 April) in New Delhi.
ii. Civil Services Day is celebrated in India every year on 21st April. The function was organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai
i. The 3rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' was held at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai from 19th-21st April 2017.
ii. It was inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. First of its Kind exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO) along with Union Ministry of Steel.

Narendra Modi, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Time’s ‘most influential people’ list

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to an annual list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ 2017, released by the Time magazine.
ii. The list features pioneers, artists, titans, leaders and icons from around the world honored for “the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions, the genius of their solutions to problems that no one before them could solve.”

Tata Power inks pact for electricity distribution in Ajmer

i. Tata Power has signed an agreement with Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (AVVNL) for electricity distribution in Ajmer for 20 years.
ii. Tata Power has formed a Special Purpose Company (SPC), TP Ajmer Distribution Ltd. The SPC will be operating and maintaining the distribution network in the Ajmer city and would also be responsible for managing the billing and collections.

Sri Lanka to host the 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017

i. The 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017 will be hosted by Sri Lanka from 12-14 May 2017.
ii. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day. He will inaugurate UN Vesak Day in Colombo on May 12, 2017.
iii. Vesak Day is regarded by all Buddhist traditions as the anniversary of the birth of the Buddha.
iv. The theme of this edition is ‘Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace’.




Italian mayor wins UNESCO Peace Prize
i. The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees, media reported.


Reliance Industries Ltd. become most-valued Indian company


i. The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) regained its status as India’s most valued firm by market capitalization.
ii. RIL overtook Tata Group’s crown jewel TCS. TCS had replaced RIL as the most valued firm more than four years ago.

Mongolia launched its first satellite Mongol Sat-I

i. Mongolia launched its first satellite named Mongol Sat-I, part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.
ii. It is 1227 Megahertz satellite. The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS). The Satellite helps with space research, map making and preparing for natural disaster.

Video gaming to be featured at 2022 Asian Games

i. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced Video gaming as full sports at the 2022 Asian Games which is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from 10-25 September 2022.
ii. OCA has entered into the collaboration with Alisports, a unit of China's Alibaba Group.
iii. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows:


  • Civil Services Day is celebrated in India every year on 21st April
  • Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day program in New Delhi
  • First such function was held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 21 April 2006
  • 3rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' was held in Mumbai
  • It was inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh
  • It was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO)
  • Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians listed in ‘100 most influential people in the world’ 2017, by the Time magazine
  • The profile of Modi was written by author Pankaj Mishra
  • The profile of Vijay Shekhar Sharma was written by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani
  • Tata Power has signed an agreement for electricity distribution in Ajmer for 20 years
  • Tata Power has formed a Special Purpose Company (SPC), TP Ajmer Distribution Ltd
  • Anil Kumar Sardana is the CEO of Tata Power
  • Sri Lanka will host the 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017
  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day
  • The theme of this edition is ‘Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace’
  • Vesak Day is also known as Buddha Poornima.
  • The UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina Nicolini
  • The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945
  • UNESCO has 195 Members and eight Associate Members
  • IRINA BOKOVA is the Director-General of UNESCO
  • UNESCO is Headquartered in Paris, France
  • Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) become most-valued Indian company
  • It has replaced Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
  • RIL is led by Mukesh Ambani
  • Mongolia has launched its first satellite named Mongol Sat-I
  • The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)
  • Capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar and its currency is Mongolian togrog
  • Video gaming is full sports at the 2022 Asian Games
  • 2022 Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from 10-25 September
  • The first Asian games was held in 1951 in New Delhi
  • 2018 Asian games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia

QUIZ-21


Q1. The Reserve Bank of India has released the first Bi-monthly monetary policy of the new financial year (2017-18). The Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has been hiked to ___________ from 5.75%.
(a) 6.25%
(b) 6.15%
(c) 6.10%
(d) 6.00%
(e) 5.95%

Q2. The FMCG industry has emerged as the highest paying industry in India with an average annual cost to company (CTC) of Rs. 11.3 lakh according to Randstad survey, 2017. What does 'C' stands for in FMCG?
(a) Customer
(b) Costume
(c) Consumer
(d) Custom
(e) Conference

Q3. World Health Day is celebrated on _____________ every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.
(a) 17 April
(b) 7 April
(c) 17 March
(d) 27 March
(e) 10 April

Q4. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to slash clearance time for which one of the following nation-wide payment system in an attempt to enhance the efficiency of the electronic payment system and add to customer convenience?
(a) National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT)
(b) Real-time gross settlement systems (RTGS)
(c) Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)
(d) Airpay
(e) CCAvenue

Q5. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate a three-day National Children’s Film Festival in which of the following Indian States?
(a) Telangana
(b) Karnataka
(c) Bihar
(d) Andhra Pradesh
(e) Maharashtra

Q6. India has signed a mega defense deals worth over 2 billion dollars for advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to further tighten the bilateral strategic partnership with which one of the following countries?
(a) Bangladesh
(b) Israel
(c) Oman
(d) Russia
(e) France

Q7. P V Sindhu has recently jumped three places to achieve a career-best world number two ranking in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. Name the President of BWF.
(a) San Ki Baan
(b) TakehikoNakao
(c) Poul-Erik Hoyer
(d) Matthew Prior
(e) MackeyAraos

Q8. Sports Ministry of India has recently appointed Australian Dave Smith as the coach for _________.
(a) 400 Meter Relay
(b) 100 Meter Sprint
(c) Shot put
(d) Athletics
(e) Race walking

Q9. The theme of 2017 World Health Day is _____________.
(a) Towards a Healthier World
(b) Cancer: A long term Fight
(c) A Step Ahead Healthier World
(d) Depression: Let's Talk
(e) None of the given themes are true

Q10. The Reserve Bank of India has released the first Bi-monthly monetary policy of the new financial year (2017-18). The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate is 6.50% now. What was the previous MSF rate?
(a) 6.25%
(b) 6.75%
(c) 6.00%
(d) 5.75%
(e) 6.85%

Q11. In the recently announced 64th National Film Awards, who has been declared as the Best Actor?
(a) Salman Khan
(b) Amitabh Bacchan
(c) Amir Khan
(d) Akshay Kumar
(e) Shahrukh Khan

Q12. Ratnakar Bank limited (RBL) Bank announced the opening of its Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) Banking Unit (IBU) at GIFT City. GIFT City is situated in which of the following Indian states?
(a) Karnataka
(b) Kerala
(c) Gujarat
(d) Punjab
(e) New Delhi

Q13. The amount invested in KisanVikasPatra (KVP) would get doubled in ______ months.
(a) 110
(b) 113
(c) 116
(d) 115
(e) 100

Q14. Name the person who has taken over as Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy, recently.
(a) Ashok Sehgal
(b) RamanujanRao
(c) P V Narasimhan
(d) K V Prabhakaran
(e) BhimarayaMetri

Q15. In the 64th National Film Awards which one of the following film was declared as the Best Hindi Film for 2016?
(a) Dangal
(b) Neerja
(c) BajrangiBhaijan
(d) Pink
(e) Rustam

 


Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India has released the first Bi-monthly monetary policy of the new financial year (2017-18). The Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has been hiked to 6% from 5.75%.

S2. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry has emerged as the highest paying industry in India with an average annual cost to company (CTC) of Rs. 11.3 lakh across all levels and functions according to Randstad survey, 2017.

S3. Ans.(b)
Sol. World Health Day is celebrated on 7th of April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to slash clearance time for National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) in an attempt to enhance the efficiency of the electronic payment system and add to customer convenience.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate a three-day National Children’s Film Festival in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is the largest film festival for children in the country giving the audience quality and wholesome entertainment.

S6. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and Israel signed a mega defense deals worth over 2 billion dollars for advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, to further tighten the bilateral strategic partnership ahead of Prime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Israel in July.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. Rio Olympics silver medalist P V Sindhu jumped three places to achieve a career-best world number two ranking in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. Poul-Erik Høyer is the President of BWF.

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. Sports Ministry of India has recently appointed Australian Dave Smith as the coach in Race Walking category.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. World Health Day is celebrated on 7th of April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization. The theme of 2017 World Health Day is 'Depression: Let's Talk'. 

S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India has released the first Bi-monthly monetary policy of the new financial year (2017-18). The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate are at 6.50% decline from 6.75%.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. In the recently announced 64th National Film Awards, Akshay Kumar has been declared as the Best Actor for Rustam.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Ratnakar Bank limited (RBL) Bank announced the opening of its Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) Banking Unit (IBU) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). GIFT City is situated in Gujarat.

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. The amount invested in KisanVikasPatra (KVP) would get doubled in 113 months.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. BhimarayaMetri has taken over as Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy (IIM Tiruchirappalli). He succeeded PrafullaAgnihotri.

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. In 64th National Film Awards Neerja was declared as the Best Hindi Film for 2016.

Thursday, 20 April 2017

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).

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

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