Today's GK Update: 22nd March 2018

Important Dates

1. The World Water Day being observed today

• The World Water Day is observed on 22nd March every year, to raise awareness about the importance of water.
• The theme this year is, 'Nature for Water', exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges the world faces in the 21st century.
• Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home.

2. Bihar celebrates 106th foundation day today

• Today, Bihar is celebrating its 106th foundation day, a number of programmes have been organized throughout the state on the occasion.
• The theme for this year's celebrations is "Centenary of Champaran Satyagraha and Elimination of Dowry and Child Marriage”.
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a three-day Bihar Diwas celebration in Patna.
• Mr. Naidu has also released four books 'Ek Tha Mohan', 'Bapu Ki Chiththi', 'Champaran Ki Kahani' and 'Neel Ke Dhabbe' on this occasion.
• On this day in 1912, the State was carved out of a United Bengal.

National Affairs

3. IRCTC introduces billing through Point of Sale in trains

• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand-held machinesin trains to check overcharging by vendors.
• This will help not only making passengers aware of relevant information but also in improving the passenger satisfaction.
• The POS billing machines will be introduced in trains in a phased manner.
• Earlier, IRCTC has introduced POS machines in ‘New Delhi -Karnataka Express’ on a pilot basis.

Note:

• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the Indian railways.
• It's tagline is " Lifeline of the nation".

4. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the 5-Day visit to India

• Today, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India.
• The German President will be accompanied by a delegation of CEOs, Indologists, and media persons.
• Mr. Steinmeier  will visit Varanasi, New Delhi and Chennai.
• Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and the 6th largest trading partner in the world.

Note:

• The Federal President of Germany is the Head of state of Germany.
• Germany has a parliamentary system of government in which the Chancellor is the nation's leading political figure and de facto chief executive.

5. Air India's direct flight service to Israel to begin today

• Today, the state-run carrier Air India has introduced a direct thrice a week flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv, Israel.
• It will be a new beginning in the people-to-people contact and diplomatic ties between India and Israel.
• The Air India will be operating its 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
• Earlier, Saudi Arabia has permitted the airline to use its airspace, enabling it to take a shorter route.

6. Union Cabinet approves the launch of ‘Ayushman Bharat’

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister ‘Narendra Modi’ has approved the launch of National Health Protection mission ‘Ayushman Bharat’.
• The Scheme has the benefits cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year.
• The target beneficiaries under the scheme will be over 10 crores poor and vulnerable, families.
• A beneficiary will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public and private empaneled hospitals across the country.
• The scheme will subsume the ongoing centrally sponsored schemes- Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and senior citizen health insurance scheme.

7. Govt launches free wi-fi service for Udwada in Valsad district of Gujarat

• The Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and Communication Minister Manoj Sinha jointly launched through video conferencing, free wi-fi service for Sansad Adarsh Gram, Udwada in Valsad district of Gujarat.
• Under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana 16.48 lakh rupees was allotted for providing Wi-Fi facility by BSNL in Udwada village.

Note:

• Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana is a rural development programme broadly focusing on the development in the villages and spread motivation among the people on the social mobilization of the village community.

8. Kerala declares Jackfruit as official fruit of the state

• The Kerala government has declared jackfruit as its official fruit to promote as a brand in markets across the country and abroad.
• Kerala has been producing around 320 million jackfruits every year.
• The agricultural office in Ambalavayil in Wayanad will be used as a research station for jackfruit.

Note:

• Jackfruit is also the national fruit of Bangladesh and the state fruit of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu.

Science & Defence

9. India successfully flight-tests supersonic cruise missile BrahMos

• Today, India successfully flight-tested its precision strike ‘BrahMos’ weapon at Pokhran test range, Rajasthan.
• The sleek supersonic cruise missile flies at almost three times the speed of sound, at Mach 2.8.
• The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.

Note:

• The BrahMos has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia under BrahMos Aerospace.
• The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moskva.

Banking & Finance

10. The government sets up a task force to draft new Direct Tax Law

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has constituted a task force to review the Income Tax Act, 1961 and to draft a new Direct Tax Law in consonance with the economic needs of the country
• The Finance Ministry has also sought suggestions and feedback from stakeholders and general public in the format provided on the departmental website.
• The format can be downloaded from the website and suggestions may be sent through e-mail at rewriting-itact@gov.in. by 2nd April,2018.

What is Direct Tax?

• Direct Tax is the tax directly paid to the Government by the taxpayers.
• It is imposed directly by the Government and cannot be transferred to any other entity for payment.

Examples of Direct Taxes in India:

• (i) Income Tax (ii) Wealth Tax (iii) Corporation Tax

11. West Indies qualify for 2019 World Cup

• The West Indies qualified for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup after defeating defending champions Scotland by five runs via the Duckworth-Lewis (DL) Method in a Super Six fixture of the World Cup Qualifier.
• Scotland were 125 for five in 35.2 overs when a heavy downpour prevented further play in the match.
• The Windies innings was wrapped up for 198 in 48.4 overs.
• Now, Windies finished the Super Six with maximum eight points and qualified for the World Cup.

Today's GK Update: 17th March 2018

International Appointments

1. China's parliament re-elects Xi Jinping as president

• Xi Jinping (64-year) has been re-elected as President of China for a second five-year tenure by country’s parliament.
• He has been also elected as the head of the powerful Central Military Commission (high command of the Chinese military).
• On 11th March, over 2900 deputies of the NPC have voted for the constitutional amendment for removing the two-term limit for President and Vice President proposed by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).
• Wang Qishan (69-year) has been elected as vice president, with 2969, one vote less in the carefully choreographed poll.

Note:

• The President is elected by the National People's Congress (NPC), China's highest state body which also has the power to remove the President and other state officers from office.
• Prior to March 2018, the President and Vice President were limited to two consecutive terms.
• Now, these limits were removed at the 2018 National People's Congress.

Honors & Awards

2. Indian film 'Halkaa' bags top honor at Montreal fest

• Indian filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda's ‘Halkaa’ has bagged the Grand Prix de Montreal at the gala.
• Halkaa was selected among seven international children's filmsfrom different countries in the official competition of the festival.
• The film is a take on a slum child's heroism, aspirations, and dreams.
• The film stars child actor Tathastu, Ranvir Shorey, and Paoli Dam.

Obituaries

3. Malayalam writer M Sukumaran passes away

• Noted Malayalam writer ‘M Sukumaran’ (76-year) passed away at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Sukumaran was the recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi (in 20016) and Kerala Sahitya awards (in 1976).
• His short stories 'Sangaganam' and 'Unarthupattu' have been made into films.

National Affairs

4. NITI Aayog releases SATH-E project today

• NITI Aayog has released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) project in New Delhi.
• It will introduce system-wide governance transformation in School Education.
• The roadmaps will operate between 2018 to 2020.
• It will lay out detailed interventions which will be taken by the three participating States (Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha) aiming to become ‘Role Model States’ in school education.

5. Singer Daler Mehndi convicted in the human trafficking case

• The Patiala court of Punjab has awarded a two-year prison sentence to Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi for 2003 human trafficking.
• The court found him & his brother Shamsher Mehndi (died last year) guilty of taking ten people to the United States 20 years ago as part of their singing troupe, in return for money.

6. CISF launches a mobile app for lost items at airports

• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched a mobile application 'Lost and Found',
• The objective of this mobile app is that the passengers can directly register complaints and get status of their complaint immediately from the airports under CISF security cover.
• The mobile phone application can also be used to place a request for obtaining technical consultancy provided by the force.
• The CISF guards 59 civil airports across the country.

7. ADB commits USD 120 mn loan to improve rail infra

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed 120 million USD loan for completion of works for double-tracking and electrification of railways tracks along high-density corridors to improve the operational efficiency of Indian railways.
• The tranche 3 loan is part of the 500 million USD multi-tranche financing facility for Railway Sector Investment Programme approved by the ADB Board in 2011.
• The project will help to develop an energy-efficient, safe, and reliable railway system that will result in reduced travel time along project rail routes and improved operational and financial efficiency.

International Affairs

8. Four nations recommended for graduation from UN's least developed country

• According to the United Nations Committee for Development Policy, four countries (Bhutan, Kiribati, Sao Tome & Principe and the Solomon Islands) will be recommended for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category.
• They are set to move up from the ranks of poorest nations due to their increasing national earning power as well as access to better health care and education.
• Two more countries, Vanuatu and Angola, are scheduled for graduation in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

9. RBI issues PCA framework to maintain sound financial health of banks

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a Prompt Corrective Action(PCA) framework to maintain the sound financial health of banks. 
• According to the Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla, it facilitates banks in breach of risk thresholds for identified areas of monitoring including capital, and profitability to take corrective measures in a timely manner. 
• The framework is not intended to constrain the performance of normal operations of the banks for the general public. 

Note:

• RBI has placed eleven Public Sector Banks including Bank of India, Dena Bank, Central Bank of India, UCO Bank, IDBI Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Corporation Bank and Allahabad Bank under the PCA framework.

Sports

10. Deepa Malik becomes Asian rank 1 in Javelin F-53 Category

• Indian para-athlete Deepa Malik has won the gold medal in the F-53/54 category javelin event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
• Deepa Malik became the Asian rank one in the F-53 category.
• Now, Deepa has also qualified for the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia (Scheduled, October 2018).

11. Nepal earn ODI status for the first time

•  Nepal has gained ODI status for the first time in their history after defeating Papua New Guinea (PNG) by six wickets in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier play-off in Harare.
• A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs (usually 50 overs).

Note:

• The first ODI was played on 5th January 1971 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• The following four teams currently have this status
• Scotland (from 27 June 2006).
• United Arab Emirates (from 1 February 2014).
• Netherlands (after 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier).
• Nepal (after 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier).

Today's GK Update: 7th March 2018

National Appointments

1. Neiphiu Rio appointed Nagaland Chief Minister

• The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader Neiphiu Rio (67-year) has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor P.B. Acharya under clause (1) of Article 164 of the Constitution of India.
• Governor of Nagaland has proposed to administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the council of ministers on 8th March at Khouchiezie.
• The Governor also requested the Chief Minister-elect to prove majority on the House floor on or before 16th March.
• The NDPP won 16 seats, BJP (11 seats), National Development Front (NDF), 27 seats and others four seats in the election, paving way for the Rio-led party to form the next government.

National Affairs

2. UNICEF: India’s child marriage numbers dropped sharply

• According to the latest report of UNICEF, the proportion of girls getting married in India has nearly halved in a decade (2006-16) which has contributed significantly to a global decline in child marriage.
• 25 million child marriages were prevented worldwide in the last decade, where India was at the forefront.
• India constitutes more than 20% of the world’s adolescent population and accounts for the highest number of child marriages in South Asia.
• Now, 27% of girls (around 1.5 million girls) get married before they turn 18 in India, sharp decline from 47% a decade ago.
• UNICEF estimates that 12 million girls a year are married globally.

Note:

• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a United Nations (UN) programme that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

3. Health Ministry extends the last date of submission for Logo and Tagline Competition

• The Health Ministry has extended the last date of submission for Logo and Tagline Competition for Ayushman Bharat until 18th March(earlier 6th March).
• The competition will be done through a digital crowdsourcing campaign on MyGov portal. 
• The main theme of the logo will be ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and the guiding principle will be 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah'.
• The objective of the competition is to generate awareness among the population about the health sector initiatives and engage them towards ownership in shaping a healthy India.

4. NFAI to host Women's Film Festival in Pune

• The National Film Archives of India (NFAI) will organize a Women's Film Festival from (9–11th) March at Pune.
• The theme of the 9th edition of the festival is Travelling Women.
• A tribute will be paid to the iconic actress Sridevi.
• The festival will feature other acclaimed films including Away We Go, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Wild.

5. Sukhad Yatra App & Toll-free number for Highway users launched

• The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has launched a mobile App ‘Sukhad Yatra App’ and a Toll-free Emergency number (1033) for Highway users in New Delhi.
• Sukhad Yatra mobile application has been prepared by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to empower Highway user.
• Its key feature includes provision for the user to enter road quality-related information and to report any accident or pothole on the highway.
• It can also be used by users to purchase FASTag tag and further facilitate highway user experience.
• The Toll-free number (1033) will enable users to report an emergency condition and highway-related feedback.
• The service is supported by a multi-lingual support and user location tracking features to provide the user with accurate and responsive complaint resolution.

6. Global Firepower ranks India’s military as fourth strongest

• India’s military is placed at fourth on a Global Firepower (GFP) list 2017.
• Now, 133 countries included in the Global Firepower (GFP) list in 2017 on the basis of their global military powers.
• Pakistan ranked 13th in the Global Firepower (GFP) list 2017.
• India has managed to maintain its position among the top five military powers in the world.
• The list is topped by the US followed by Russia and China respectfully.

International Affairs

7. The Marshall Islands become the first Country to adopt a Cryptocurrency as its Official Currency

• The Pacific island nation “Marshall Islands” has become the first Country in the world to adopt a Cryptocurrency SOV (Sovereign) as its Official Currency.
• In February 2018, Venezuela became the first country to launch its own cryptocurrency when it launched the ‘virtual Petro’, backed by crude oil reserves.
• The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island country located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line.
• Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia.

Note:

• A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency.
• Bitcoin became the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009.

8. European Development Bank approves India’s membership

• India is all set to become the 69th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) after shareholders of the international financial institution gave their nod to the country’s candidature.
• The EBRD’s Board of Governors voted in favour of India’s membership application.
• The minimum initial investment towards the membership of EBRD will be approximately €1 (one) million.
• However, this assumption is based on India deciding to buy the minimum number of shares (100) required for obtaining the membership.

Note:

• The EBRD was founded in April 1991 by representatives of 40 nations from 3 continents and two European institutions, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Economic Community (EEC, now European Union – EU).

Sports

9. Manu Bhaker & Om Prakash Mitharval bag gold at ISSF Shooting World Cup

• India’s Manu Bhaker partnering with Om Prakash Mitharval bagged Gold in the 10 meter Air Pistol Mixed team event in the ISSF shooting World Cup in Mexico.
• Earlier, Manu also won the coveted yellow metal in the 10 meter Air Pistol Individual event.
• Besides Manu, Shahzar Rizvi has also won a Gold in the ongoing tournament in the 10 meter Air Pistol event.

Today's GK Update: 6th March 2018

National Appointments

1. Conrad Sangma sworn-in as Meghalaya Chief Minister

• The National People’s Party (NPP) President ‘Conrad Sangma’ was administered the oath of office and secrecy as 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya by Governor Ganga Prasad at Raj Bhavan in Shillong.
• Governor, Ganga Prasad also administered the oath of office to 11 ministers.
• Earlier, He was invited by the Governor to form the government after he staked the claim with the support of 34 MLAs (NPP-19, UDP-6, PDF-4, BJP-2, HSPDP-2) in 60-member Assembly.
• Conrad Sangma is the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker late PA Sangma.
• Currently, Mr. Sangma is the Member of Parliament(MP), Lok Sabha from Tura Parliamentary constituency.

Science & Defence

2. Andaman & Nicobar Command to host Naval Event 'Milan' from today

• Today, the Andaman Nicobar command is organizing the biennial get-together of foreign navies called ‘Milan-2018’ at Port Blair (conclude on 13th March).
• The theme of the Milan is friendship across the seas.
• During multilateral Exercise at sea with an aim to enhance regional cooperation for combating Unlawful Activities at sea will be organized.
• An international maritime seminar cultural and social exchanges, band concert, ship visit, sports and city parade are the highlights of Milan 2018.
• This prestigious international event will also see the participation of 38 delegates from the sixteen participating countries.

National Affairs

3. HRD Ministry invites suggestions on rationalizing curriculum for class 1 to 12th

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has invited suggestions on rationalizing curriculum for class 1 to 12th to ensure all round development of students.
• The objective of seeking suggestions is to make the content more balanced in various subjects offered as prescribed by the NCERT and CBSE.
• The Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar urged all stakeholders including teachers, educationalists, parents, students to send their suggestions on the issue.
• It may be submitted online in the prescribed format till 6th March 2018.

4. I&B Minister Smiriti Irani inaugurates FICCI Frame in Mumbai

• The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Smiriti Irani has inaugurated 2018 edition of FICCI Frame in Mumbai.
• The three- day global convention covering the entire gamut of Media and Entertainment Industry.
• The event will have more than 35 knowledge sessions by experts besides having over 200 high profile speakers from across the world.
• This year a maiden edition of Content Market has been added with over 70 buyers for a curated slate of new Indian Films.

5. Centre sets up a committee to study issues in Fintech space

• The union govt. has set up a steering committee (eight-member) headed by Subhash Chandra Garg (Economic Affairs Secretary) to consider various issues relating to the development of Fintech space in India.
• The eight-member committee headed by Subhash Chandra Garg (Economic Affairs Secretary) will also focus on how Fintech can be leveraged to enhance financial inclusion of MSMEs.
• The Committee will take stock of the developments in the fintech sector globally, and in India.
• It will also work with Government agencies like UIDAI to explore creation and use of unique enterprise identification number.

6. Govt to constitute a group for changes in SEZ policy

• According to the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu, the union government will constitute a group to suggest necessary changes in the policy for Special Economic Zone (SEZs).
• The SEZs are export hubs and contribute significantly to the country's total outbound shipments.
• The developers and units of these zones enjoy certain fiscal and non-fiscal incentives like no requirement of a licensee for import and no routine examination by customs authorities of export and import cargo.
• The union government has decided to constitute a task force on the commodity for finding out short-term solutions and formulating long-term strategies to tackle the problems.

Obituaries

7. Veteran Bollywood actor Shammi passes away

• Veteran Bollywood actor Shammi (89-year) passed away after a prolonged illness.
• Shammi acted in movies like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Preet Na Jane Reet, Aamne - Saamne, Upkar, Ittefaq and many others.
• Her perfect comic timing in TV shows like ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, Shriman Shrimati and others brought smiles to many faces.

Sports

8. Telangana CM announces cash prize of Rs. 2 crores for Aruna Reddy

• Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has announced a cash prize of 2 crore rupees for Aruna Reddy, the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the World Cup.
• Earlier, Aruna Reddy clinched a bronze medal in women's vault at the Gymnastics World Cup held in Melbourne.

9. Viswanathan Anand wins Tal Memorial rapid title

• World Rapid Chess Champion ‘Viswanathan Anand’ has lifted the Tal Memorial rapid trophy in Moscow.
• The win came after an easy final round draw against Boris Gelfand (Israel).
• Anand finished with six points out of a possible nine, scoring four wins and four draws.
• The trophy adds to Anand's world rapid title won in Riyadh over two months ago.