Daily GK Update - 21st January 2015

1. Bibek Debroy joins as full time member of NITI Aayog 

i. Noted economist Bibek Debroy today assumed charged as full time member of the NITI Ayog (National Institution for Transforming India). Government had announced the appointment of Debroy and DRDO chief V K Saraswat as full-time members earlier this month.
ii. An economist by profession, he was educated at the Presidency College (Calcutta), the Delhi School of Economics and the Trinity College (Cambridge).
iii. Debroy worked as a consultant in the Department of Economic Affairs in Finance Ministry.
iv. Debroy has also authored several books, papers and popular articles, and has been a Consulting Editor of some financial newspapers in the country.

2. India set to overtake China next year: IMF
i. International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that India will grow 6.5 per cent in 2016, overtaking China which, it projected, will slowdown to 6.3 per cent.
ii. In a separate forecast, the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects UN WESP report too predicted a smart recovery for India during 2015.It pegged its 2015 India growth forecast lower than the IMF’s –at 5.9 per cent.

iii. At 6.3 per cent, the UNWESP 2016 India growth forecast is, however, closer to that of the IMF.
iv. The IMF said that global growth will receive a boost from lower oil prices, which reflect to an important extent higher supply in many advanced and emerging market economies.

3. Government to allocate 36 coal blocks to PSUs
i. The government today kick-started the process of allocating cancelled coal mines to state-owned firms, it will initially allot 36 blocks.
ii. Of these 36 coal blocks, one mine will be given to the steel sector while the rest will be given to the power sector.
iii. For schedule II (producing mines) category 23 blocks will be put on offer and the auction would be between February 14 and February 22.
iv. With regard to Schedule III mines (ready to produce mines) he said another set of 23 mines will be auctioned between February 25 and March 5.

4. EU decided to lift ban on import of mangoes from India
i. European Union (EU) decided to lift a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India. The proposal to lift the ban was voted unanimously by the European Commission’s standing committee on plant health.
ii. The decision to lift the ban was made after India, the world’s biggest producer of Mangoes made significant improvements in plant health controls and certification system.
iii. European Union issued a temporary ban on import of Indian mangoes on 1 May 2014 after fruit flies and other quarantine pests were found in 207 consignments. The consignment infested with fruit flies were found by authorities in Brussels. The ban was supposed to be effective till December 2015.
iv. EU accounts to almost 50% of the total exports of fruits and vegetables from India, UK is the top exporter.

5. India world's second-most trusted nation: Survey
i. India has emerged as the second-most trusted country in the world in terms of faith reposed on its institutions even as globally trust levels have fallen, says a survey.
ii. Trust in institutions in India has improved sharply in 2015 with the country moving up three notches to the second place among 27 nations.
iii. While the number of "truster" countries are at an all-time low of six in 2015 including UAE, India, China and Netherlands, the number of "distruster" countries has grown significantly to 13 including Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, South Africa and Italy.
iv. The list is topped by UAE with 84 per cent trust. India (79 percent),Indonesia (78 per cent), China (75 per cent), Singapore (65 per cent) and Netherlands (64 per cent) are the others that have recorded highest levels of trust.

6. 2015 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 
i. The 45th World Economic Forum kick started in Davos,Switzerland today.
ii. Ahead of the start of its annual meeting in Davos on Tuesday, the WEF published 14 measures of inclusive growth as it responded to criticism that the gathering of 2,500 business leaders, academic and policymakers has become an exercise in hand-wringing about the gap between rich and poor.



iii. Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, Pope Francis, Jim Kim, the president of the World Bank and Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, are among those who have stressed the need to ensure that the fruits of economic progress are shared more equally. Carney will be taking part in a panel in Davos this week titled: “A richer world but for whom”.

21:31 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 20th January 2015

1. Jaipur Literature Festival all set to begin
i. The eighth edition of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is all set to open on 21st January 2015. The event, which is now the world’s largest free literary festival, will see a galaxy of literary and musical stars come together for a vibrant celebration of creative expression.
ii. To be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the event is seen as an agenda-setter on key issues from the global economic crisis to the rise of e-books, the current state of politics in the Middle East to the increasing importance of Indian language publishing. 
iii. This year the Festival will look at gender equity in India in a series titled `Women Uninterrupted', supported by UN Women to mark the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Conference on Gender, leading up to the world summit at the UN this September, as well as `The Seven Deadly Sins' that polarize society.

2. Hyderabad to host World Congress on Information Technology in 2018
i. Hyderabad will host the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in 2018. This will be the first WCIT to be held in India and the theme of the 2018 WCIT will be Future of enterprises.
ii. As part of this, the Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao would visit the US, the UK and other countries to invite the bigwigs of the IT industry to the 2018 event.
iii. WCIT 2016 is to be held in Brazil.
In 2014, the 19th WCIT was held in Guadalajara in Mexico. The theme was Building the Digital Age Together.
The first WCIT was held in 1978 and it is held since then every two years.

3. India’s growth to reach 6.3 per cent in 2016: UN WESP report
i. According to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report, India’s growth in terms of GDP is expected to reach 5.9 per cent in 2015 and 6.3 per cent in 2016.
ii. India's growth recovery is partly the result of improved market sentiment after the new government took office in the second quarter of 2014 and had announced plans to reform the bureaucracy, labour laws and public subsidies.

About United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report
This report is published at the beginning of each year by the combined efforts of

• UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
• UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• 5 UN regional commissions.
• World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

4. Singapore's GIC to invest Rs 1,020 crore in Bandhan Financial Services 
i. Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC is investing 10.2 billion rupees ($165.5 million) in India's Bandhan Financial Services, which is setting up one of the country's two newest banks 
ii. The company will get a total equity investment of 16 billion rupees, including 5.8 billion rupees from existing investor IFC 



iii. IFC, part of the World Bank Group, owns 10.8 percent of Bandhan and its stake will increase after the latest investment. 
iv. Bandhan and IDFC were the only two companies which won bank permits from the central bank last year in what was the first bank licensing process in a decade. 

5. Shubham, 13, Silicon Valley’s youngest entrepreneur, develops Braille printer

In Silicon Valley, it’s never too early to become an entrepreneur. Just ask 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee.

i. The California eighth-grader has launched a company to develop low-cost machines to print Braille. Tech giant Intel Corp. recently invested in his start-up, Braigo Labs.

ii. Mr. Shubham wants to develop a desktop Braille printer that costs around $350 and weighs just a few kilograms, compared with current models that can weigh more than nine kilograms. 
iii. The machine could be used to print Braille reading materials on paper, using raised dots instead of ink, from a personal computer or electronic device.

6. Twitter buys Indian mobile marketing start-up ZipDial 
i. Twitter Inc said it will buy Indian mobile phone marketing start-up ZipDial, reportedly for $30 million to $40 million, as the U.S. microblogging service looks to expand in the world's second-biggest mobile market. 
ii. Bengaluru-based ZipDial gives clients phone numbers for use in marketing campaigns. The start-up's clients include International Business Machines Corp, Yum! Brands Inc's KFC and Procter & Gamble Co 's Gillette. 

This acquisition significantly increases our investment in India, one of the countries where we're seeing great growth,' Twitter said
iii. The service capitalises on a local tradition of communicating through so-called missed calls. 

7. Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani appointed as chairperson of CBFC
i. Union Government has reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In this regard, government has appointed 1 chairperson and 9 board members.
ii. Pahlaj Nihalani was appointed chairperson. He will be office in for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
iii. 9 Members are: BJP leader Vani Tripathi Tikoo, filmmakers Ashoke Pandit and Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, film writer Mihir Bhuta, Syed Abdul Bari, Ramesh Patange, actor George Baker, actor-filmmaker Jeevitha and actor- playwright S Ve Shekhar.

8. Former PM Manmohan Singh adopted Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat
i. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh adopted Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY). Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat is located in Kamrup district of Assam.
ii. Manmohan Singh represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana aims to cover 2500 villages by 2019. Under the project, each Member of Parliament (MP) will take up the responsibility of providing infrastructure and developing three villages by 2019.
iii. The objective of the project is to create a holistic development of all adopted villages by the MPs in all aspects —human, personal, social, economic and environmental development, including provision of basic amenities, services, security and good governance.

9. TCS ends RIL's 23-year run as most profitable firm
After 23 years, India has a new numero uno when it comes to net profit
i. Information technology major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) posted a net profit of Rs 5,328 crore for the quarter ended December, overtaking long-standing champion Reliance Industries Ltd. 
ii. In Indian business history it's the first time that an IT company has topped the profit charts.



iii. TCS has also become the world's third largest employer of people in the technology sector, with over 3 lakh employees. And given the pace at which it is growing, it could become the second largest employer this year, crossing Hewlett-Packard, and would be fast closing in on leader IBM.

02:17 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 18th - 19th January 2015

1. Mukherjee launches Pulse Polio Immunization Programme
i. President Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme by administering polio drops to children at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. The National Immunization Day was held on 18th Jannuary when children under 5 years age were  given polio drops as part of the Government's drive to sustain polio eradication from the region. 
iii. India has been implementing the Pulse Polio Programme since 1995.
iv. In India, the last case of wild polio was reported on January 13, 2011. The South-East Asia region of WHO has been certified on March 27, 2014 as "polio free", meaning that transmission of wild poliovirus has been interrupted in this block of 11 countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste for the last three years.

2. Manjul Bhargava to lead Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s teach in India programme 
i. Fields medallist Manjul Bhargava will be the face and facilitator of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet education project to rope in eminent scholars and scientists abroad to teach students at IITs and central universities.

ii. Bhargava, who is the first person of Indian origin to win the coveted international prize for his work in mathematics agreed to 'recruit' scientists in the US and across the world to participate in the Global Initiative of Academic network (GIAN), a shortterm teaching programme under which scholars abroad will be invited to teach in India.
iii. GIAN is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brainchild. The project is expected to figure once again on the Indian agenda when Obama arrives here.

3. Twitter ropes in Taranjeet Singh to head business in India 
i. Microblogging site Twitter has hired Taranjeet Singh as business head for its operations in India. 
ii. Singh will responsible for increasing commercial opportunities for Twitter and work closely with brands and agencies to maximise the value of real-time marketing for live public conversations.
iii. Taranjeet has more than 19 years of sales and business development experience. He was previously sales director of South Asia for BBC Advertising. 

4. 24 Children, including 8 girls selected for National Bravery Awards
i. Four of the awards have been given posthumously. The children will receive their awards from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 24th of January, and will also participate in the Republic Day parade.
ii. 16 year old Resham Fatma of Uttar Pradesh, a victim of Acid attack, will be conferred the Bharat Award for showing exemplary courage while fighting off her tormentor, whose marriage proposal she had turned down.
iii. The prestigious Geeta Chopra Award has been conferred on 13 year old Gunjan Sharma of Assam who displayed exemplary valor in saving her friends from the clutches of the abductor.
iv. The Sanjay Chopra Award has been given to 16 year old Master Devesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh who displayed outstanding courage while confronting two chain-snatchers.

5. PSU bank employees to hold 4-day strike from Jan 21 on wage revision issue
i. Public sector bank (PSB) employees have decided to go on a 4-day strike from January 21 to protest against the "rigid and callous attitude" of Central Government in resolving the long pending wage revision issue.
ii. The decision is in response to the strike call given by United Forum Of Bank Unions, which has more than ten lakh employees and officers of banking Industry under its umbrella.
iii. The wage revision for bank employees is due from November one, 2012

6. Indian-American Frank Islam receives Martin Luther award
i. An eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Islam has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
ii. He is awarded in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the great leader through his efforts in international service and civil engagement.
iii. The award, which carries the name of Martin Luther King Jr., an apostle of peace, is about building bridges between humanity.
iv. The award was presented to Islam by Harry Johnson, president of the Memorial Foundation Inc. and one of the honorary vice chairs of the event, which was held at Willard Intercontinental.

7. Telecom Commission clears Rs 3700-cr base price for 2,100-MHz
i. The Telecom Commission (TC) approved a base price of Rs 3,700 crore for each MHz of 2,100-MHz spectrum to be auctioned on February 25. 
ii. The final reserve price is 36 per cent higher than the Rs 2,720 crore recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
iii. The previous Telecom auction was cancelled amid the speculation of bad and crony practices in the bandwidth allocation.

8. Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Restarts Power Generation
i. Power generation at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) has restarted after the first unit's reactor and turbine tripped on January 14, said Power System Operation Corporation Ltd. (POSCO).
ii. India's atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, 650 km from Chennai.
iii. Ever since the first unit at KNPP started commercial generation December 31, 2014 it has been producing around 940 MW per day or around 2.25 crore units per day.

9. AB de Villiers: South Africa batsman smashes century record
i. South Africa batsman AB de Villiers hit a century off 31 balls to record the fastest ever one-day international ton.
ii. De Villiers, 30, set the new landmark during an innings of 149 against the West Indies in Johannesburg.

iii. He smashed nine fours and 16 sixes in beating the previous ODI record of 36 balls by New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson against West Indies last year.
iv.South Africa scored 439-2 as they registered their highest ever ODI score, beating the 438-9 in a win against Australia in March 2006.

10. Sydney Open 2015 Winners
i. Czech Petra Kvitova beats compatriot Karolina Pliskova to win the Women's Sydney International. 

ii. The world No.4 and second seed needed to win two tie-breakers to clinch victory over her team mate in a big hitting contest at the Ken Rosewell Arena.
iii. While in the Men's section, Viktor Troicki crushed fellow qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Sydney International.
iv. In the first ATP final in history featuring two qualifiers, Troicki dispatched Kukushkin in 64 minutes after breaking the Kazakh twice in each set.

01:50 - By Unknown 0

GK Update - 17th January 2015

1. LCA Tejas Ready for Crucial Handover

i. The first of the indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is likely to be handed over to the Indian Air Force. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is expected to hand over the aircraft to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.


ii. This will start the process of induction of fighters being built at home under a project that was commenced in 1983 and has already cost the exchequer over Rs.17,000 crores.
iii. 20 aircraft will be built by 2017-2018, to make the first squadron of the aircraft.
iv. The LCA programme was initiated in 1983 to replace the ageing MiG-21s in Indian Air force's combat fleet but has missed several deadlines due to several reasons.

2. Tamilmani likely to be interim DRDO chief
i. K. Tamilmani, Chief Controller of Aeronautics Cluster in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is likely to become the interim head of the organisation.
ii. Dr. Tamilmani, the senior-most of the seven cluster heads in the DRDO, is the Director of the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Bangalore.
iii. The government on Tuesday terminated the 18-month contract of Dr. Chander and asked him to step down on January 31, ahead of his term that would have ended in May 2016.
iv. A proposal to de-link the position of Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister from the Director-General, DRDO, was under consideration as part of a major overhaul of the organisation.

3. Filmmaker Shaji N Karun quits Censor Board
i.  Another 12 members of the Board followed Leela Samson suggestion of quitting “en masse” and tendered their resignations.
ii. CBFC members including Ira Bhaskar, M.K. Raina, Pankaj Sharma, T.G. Thyagarajan, Shaji Karun, Anjum Rajabali, Shubra Gupta, Nikhil Alva, Rajeev Masand, Mamang Dai, K.C Sekhar Babu and L.K. Prabhu tendered their resignations on Saturday in a joint email to I&B Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore.
iii. The award-winning filmmaker Shaji N Karun said the board members were not happy about the approach of not just the present NDA Government but also about the approach of the previous Congress-led UPA regime towards the Board. 

4. Beagle 2 spacecraft found intact on surface of Mars after 11 years
i. Beagle 2 was launched in 2003 onboard the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft. It was designed to land on the planet’s surface on Christmas Day that year but following ejection from Mars Express it was never heard from again. 

ii. UK’s Beagle 2 successfully landed on the surface of Mars in 2003 but failed to fully deploy its solar panels. Without these, it could not communicate with Earth and scientists lost contact.
iii. The discovery images come from the HiRISE camera on Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
iv. Beagle 2 cost around £50m. It was comparatively cheap for a space mission, with some industrial work being performed on a cost-only basis. 

5.  S.K. Sinha - first non-Muslim to lead the Bangladesh’s top judiciary, 
i. Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has been appointed the 21st Chief Justice of Bangladesh. 
ii. Justice Sinha is the first Chief Justice from the country’s ethnic minority Hindu community.
iii. He was the senior-most judge of Appellate Division of the Supreme Court who was made the next Chief Justice. 
iv. Justice Sinha will serve just over three years as the Chief Justice with his retirement due in early 2018.
v. Born in 1951, Justice Sinha hails from Tilokpur village of north-eastern Moulvibazar district. 
vi. A law graduate, he was enrolled as an advocate of the district court, Sylhet in 1974 and practised there for several year.

6. Book on Sonia Gandhi titled The Red Sari written by Javier Moro released in India
i. The Red Sari, an unauthorized biography of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, was released by Roli Books in India. The book has been written by Spanish author Javier Moro.
ii. The book describes about how Sonia Gandhi’s courage, honesty, and dedication have made her a leader in the eyes of one-sixth of humanity that is from her idyllic childhood to her passionate love affair, and from her days as a docile daughter-in-law to her current status of being the only Indian politician to have refused Prime Ministership.
iii. This book also examines the lives of the famous Nehru-Gandhi family set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War, the Emergency, Operation Blue Star, and other events that have shaped modern Indian history.
iv. Originally, the book was written in Spanish language and was titled El Sari Rojo. It was first published in 2008.
v. The English version of the book was not allowed to release in India in 2010 because it was argued by the Congress Party and Sonia Gandhi's lawyers that the book is full of untruths, half-truths, falsehoods, defamatory statements, completely imaginary and invented conversations

7. HAL Chairman R K Tyagi conferred with JGBS-Top Rankers’ Excellence Award
i. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman R.K. Tyagi was on 16 January 2015 conferred with the JGBS-Top Rankers' Excellence Award for CEO of the year 2014.
ii. Tyagi played a key role in 2014 being a successful year for HAL through series of initiatives. The year was dedicated for Integrity, Customer Focus and Quality (ICQ).  
iii. The award has been instituted by Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) and Top Rankers’ Management Consultants.
iv. HAL recently contributed to the success of Mars Orbiter Mission and GSLV Mk III launch in 2014.

8. Sania Mirza wins Sydney Open title with Bethanie
i. India's Sania Mirza won her first title of the season and 23rd of her career when she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands shocked top-seeded Americans Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones in the summit clash of the Sydney International.
ii. The unseeded Indo-American combine humbled the top seeds 6-3, 6-3 in just 69 minutes.
iii. Sania and Bethanie earned 470 ranking points each and split $39,000 as prize money.

01:40 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 16th January 2015

1. Haryana picks Ramdev as brand ambassador

i. The Haryana government plans to promote yoga and ayurveda in a big way, and has appointed yoga guru Ramdev as its brand ambassador. 

ii.  Haryana's minister of sports and health Anil Vij said a herbal forest would be developed over thousands of acres of land in the state where plants of 25 thousand species of ayurvedic herbs would be grown under the supervision of the yoga guru and his close aide Balkrishna.
iii. An ayush wing was being established in all the hospitals of Haryana for which 550 doctors would have to do a refresher course under the supervision of the yoga guru.
iv. Haryana would be developed into an Ayurvedic University whereas a yogic centre of international standards would be built in Panchkula.

2. Censor Board chief Leela Samson decides to quit

i. Citing "interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers" appointed in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) by the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Bharatnatyam danseuse Leela Samson has quit as Censor Board chief.
ii. She put in her papers on Thursday amid reports that the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) had cleared the release of the film MSG – The Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the lead role. 



3. Siddhartha Chatterjee appointed as CTO of Persistent Systems Ltd 

 i. Siddhartha Chatterjee was appointed as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Persistent Systems Ltd with effect will be based at the United States branch of the company.

 ii. Chatterjee is a graduate in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. 
iii. Chatterjee has served as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill from 1994 to 2001.
iv. He had also served as a post-doctoral scientist at the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) at Moffett Field, California from 1991 to 1994.

4. Noted RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal conferred with Giraffe Hero award 2015

i. Renowned Indian RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal was conferred with the Giraffe Hero award 2015 by a US-based NGO The Giraffe Heroes Project. ii. The award will be presented to him on 22 January 2015.

iii. Agrawal was awarded for his bravery in utilising the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 for public good despite innumerable challenges. Agrawal also holds the Guinness record of filing highest number of published letters to the editors.

5. China Food and Drug Administration approved new vaccine to treat Poliomyelitis

i.  Chinese drug regulator China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) approved a new vaccine S-IPV to treat the Poliomyelitis.
ii.  The vaccine S-IPV is known as Ai Bi Wei in China. It is manufactured by the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences located in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province.
iii. The vaccine will be given to Chinese children as part of routine disease prevention and will help the global fight against the polio virus. The World Health Organization is also considering use of this new vaccine in its global polio treatment program.

6.  RBI issued final guidelines for banks to act as Insurance brokers

i . Reserve Bank of India issued final guidelines for banks to act as insurance brokers.  Earlier, the banks were allowed to undertake insurance business as agents of insurance companies on fee basis with an aim to increase insurance penetration in the country. 
ii. The banks were allowed to look forward for participation in insurance business in accordance to Union Government’s notification in which it allowed banks to do business of insurance under Section 6(1)(o) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

7. Trade deficit of India declined to ten month low in December 2014

i. Trade deficit of India declined to ten month low of 9.43 billion US dollars in December 2014. The data was released by the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
ii. The trade deficit in December 2014 was narrowed by 44 percent from November 2014 due to fall down of global oil prices and fall of demand for gold.
iii. Imports of India declined by 4.8 percent to 34.8 billion US dollars in December 2014 as compared to 36.6 billion US dollars in December 2013.
iii. Exports of India fell by 3.8 percent to 25.4 billion US dollars and outbound shipments were valued at 26.4 billion US dollars in December 2014.

19:51 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 15th January 2015

1. PM Narendra Modi to launch 'Beti Bachao' scheme 

i. the Modi government's big bang flagship scheme will be `Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (BBBP), which will help address the country's low child sex ratio. 
ii. The scheme will be launched by PM Narendra Modi on January 22 and will focus on a multi-sectoral approach to tackling the problem of the vanishing girl child. 
iii. The Rs 100-crore scheme is expected to be monitored by the Maneka Gandhi-headed ministry of women and child development (WCD) in coordination with the ministries of health and HRD.
iv. The Objectives - 

• To prevent genderbiased sex selection by stringent enforcement of laws, especially by strengthening the implementation of PreConception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Pro hibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PC&PNDT Act) with strict punishments for violations. 
• BBBP will also ensure access and availability of essential requirements related to nutrition, healthcare, education and protection and elimination of discrimination against a girl child which can lead to low self-esteem, lifelong deprivation and exclusion from the mainstream. 
• Initiatives will be taken to encourage girls to express their views and to be heard, to help them participate actively , effectively and equally at all levels of social, economic, and political leadership. 

v. Targets of the Scheme - 

• A toilet in every girls' school in 100 vulnerable districts.
• An innovation fund at state-level to encourage best practices in improving child sex ratio (CSR) and gender inequities.
• District-level awards to schools strengthening girl child education.

2. RBI Changed Key Rates 

i. In a move that brought huge cheer to the markets, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75%. 
ii. The central bank kept the Cash Reserve Ratio ( CRR) unchanged at 4.0%.

iii. Reasons for the Repo Cut :

• Plunging Oil prices in the Global arena and hence in India keeping the Inflation levels in the check.
• WPI increased at the rate of a mere 0.11% as against the expected increase of 0.6%.
• Retail inflation is at 5% as against an expected 5.4%.
• Fiscal deficit target is well in reach at 4.1%. 

3. Pakistan to ban JuD and Haqqani network

i.  Pakistan plans to ban 10 terror outfits, including 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the dreaded Afghan-based Haqqani Network, a move seen by experts as a "paradigm shift" in the country's security policy in the wake of Peshawar school massacre. 
ii. The move came a day after the US declared the fugitive chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Mullah Fazlullah as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'.
iii. The UN security council designated the JuD a front for the LeT after the Mumbai attacks. Since then, the UN and US have sanctioned several JuD leaders. 

4. Naqvi gets 1-year jail term

i. Union Minister of State for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was sentenced to a one-year jail term.
ii. Naqvi and 19 others were convicted by a Rampur court for breaching prohibitory orders in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha election.
iii. Judicial magistrate Manish Kumar pronounced Mr. Naqvi guilty under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act and Section 144 of the Cr.PC.
iv. In 2009, Section 144 was imposed in Rampur when local BJP workers staged a protest after the arrest of the BJP district president. Over 200 people were named in the charge sheet. 

5. Centre to implement biometric attendance system soon 

i. The Centre is set to implement Aadhaar-based biometric system for attendance in all government departments and state-owned entities spread across Delhi.
ii. Department of electronics & information technology (DeitY) has so far implemented Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) in 54 government locations in Delhi that requires fingerprint-based attendance for employees entering into the office premise. 
iii. We are rolling out biometrics attendance system in 394 government organizations and agencies within the Delhi region while 300 of them have actually started working on implementing it.

6. Army Day celebrated on 15 January 

i. India on 15 January 2015 observed the 67th Army Day. The day is celebrated to commemorate the day, when Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa on 15 January 1949 became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army post Independence. He had succeeded General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India.
ii. To mark the day, all three service chiefs, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Robin K Dhowan and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha paid tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate by laying floral wreath and remembering the martyred soldiers.

7. Anupam Shrivastava appointed as CMD of BSNL

i. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved appointment of Anupam Shrivastava as CMD of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
ii. BSNL's Director Enterprises A N Rai is currently handling the additional charge of CMD.
iii. As Zonal Director for North Zone he is responsible for monitoring growth and maintenance of Telecom Network in 8 Circles.

8. Brett Lee retires from all forms of cricket

i. Australian pace bowler Brett Lee on Thursday announced he is to retire from all forms of cricket after a 20-year career.
ii. The 38-year-old called time on his international commitments in July 2012, but continued to play Twenty20 in both the Australian Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League.
iii. Lee played 76 Tests for Australia, taking 310 wickets, and 221 one-dayers with 380 dismissals.

19:39 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 14th January 2015

1. H.S.Brahma to be the next chief Election Commissioner of India.

i. Shri H.S. Brahma is all set to assume charge as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India.
ii. VS Sampath, Chief Election Commissioner, demits office on 15th January 2015, capping less than six years of an eventful tenure.


iii. Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath, turns 65 tomorrow, the upper age limit under the Constitution for holding the post.
iv. H.S.Brahma will be the 19th Chief Election Commissioner of India, He was the other election Commissioner along with Ahmed Zaidi in the outgoing Sampath regime.
v. H.S. Brahma, retired Indian Administrative Service officer of Andhra Pradesh State cadre (1975 Batch) assumed charge as Election Commissioner of India on 25th August, 2010. 

2. DRDO chief Avinash Chander removed

i.  The Modi government removed Avinash Chander, chief of top defence research organisation DRDO, 15 months before his contract was supposed to end.
ii. Chander was also the scientific advisor to the defence minister.
iii. Chander joined DRDO in 1972 after completing graduation in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. Chander is the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic missile systems.
iv. The action could have been taken against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment that the 'laid back' attitude in the DRDO will not be tolerated. 

3. PVR set to acquire movie exhibition company SPI Cinemas

i. The Ajay Bijli led PVR group is set to acquire Chennai's premier movie exhibition company SPI Cinemas, popularly known as Sathyam Cinemas. 
ii. This could end up to be the biggest deal in India's multiplex sector. the deal may close for a rather steep valuation of approximately Rs 750-1,000 crore for just 40 odd screens, located predominantly in the Southern metro.
iii. last month Carnival Cinemas paid a little over Rs 700 crore to buy out Anil Ambani's Big Cinemas that has 242 screens across the country. 

4. Union Ministry of Health proposed COTPA (Amendment) Bill 2015

i. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 13 January 2015 proposed the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Amendment) Bill 2015 (COTPA).
ii. The bill seeks to amend some provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
iii. Provisions of the COTPA (Amendment) Bill 2015
• The bill proposes to ban on-site advertising of tobacco products and shops selling cigarettes and other tobacco products will no longer be able to display the brand names.
• It proposed scrapping of designated smoking areas from hotels, restaurants and airports making an exception only for international airports to prevent exposure of non-smokers to harmful emissions.
• The penalty for smoking in restricted areas has been raised from 200 to 1000 rupees.

5. Bharatiya Mahila Bank inks pact with Lakme Salons to fund franchisees 

i. Bharatiya Mahila Bank today inked an agreement with HUL arm Lakme Salons to bring easy financing options to fuel women entrepreneurship. 
ii. This partnership would help encourage more women to become Lakme Salon's business partners. 
iii. Mahila Bank has opened the 40th branch and will close the fiscal with 40 more. 
iv. The loan book of the bank currently stands at Rs 400 crore and has plans to close the fiscal with Rs 800 crore and deposit books to Rs 1,000 crore from the present Rs 600 crore. 

6. Canara Bank bags 3 MSME awards 

i. Canara Bank has bagged three awards at the annual flagship event "MSME Banking Excellence Awards-2014" organised by Chamber of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (CIMSME). 
ii. Canara Bank has been adjudged as the "Best Bank Award-Winner" among other awards.
iii. The awards were presented by Union Minister for MSME Kalraj Mishra on the occasion.

7. Infosys CEO dedicates $250 million to innovate in India

i. Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and disclosed that his company will spend USD 250 million (over Rs 1,500 crore) to fund innovations in software and services in India.
ii. Infosys will develop software for managing the kumbh mela scheduled in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) in 2016.

iii. The chief of India’s second largest IT services firm also discussed with Modi ways in which the company can participate in the Prime Minister’s vision of smart and digitally empowered India.
iv. Infosys formed USD 500 million Innovation Fund. Of this, Rs. 1,500 crore, will be dedicated to just innovation in India. 

8. India will catch up with China’s growth rate in 2016-17: World Bank

i.  The World Bank has said that India would catch up with China’s growth in the year 2016-17.
ii. The World Bank in its report also forecast a growth rate of seven per cent each in the fiscal year 2016 and 2017 as against China’s 7 per cent and 6. 9 per cent respectively.
iii. Regional growth is projected to rise to 6.8 per cent by 2017, as reforms ease supply constraints in India, political tensions subside in Pakistan, remittances remain robust in Bangladesh and Nepal, and demand for the region’s exports firms

19:32 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 13th January 2015

1. AS Kiran Kumar appointed as new ISRO chief

i. AS Kiran Kumar on Monday was appointed as the new Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief.
ii. He was the director of Satellite Application Centre and joined ISRO in 1975.He was also behind the success of India's Mars Orbiter Mission which entered the Martian orbit on September 24.

iii. Kumar has contributed to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, LEO and GEO platform based imaging sensors starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest TMC adHySI payloads for Chandrayaan-1 missions.

2. Raghuram Rajan named Governor of the Year in Central Banking Awards 2015

i. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has won "Governor of the Year" in the Central Banking Awards for 2015 on Monday. 
ii. Jacques de Larosiere winning the Lifetime Achievement Award after a lengthy struggle for monetary order while Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements, was handed the inaugural award for Economics in Central Banking, designed to recognise significant contributions to the field. 
iii. This is a recognition of the part the Reserve Bank of India and its staff have been playing in bringing macroeconomic stability to the Indian economy.

3. Retail inflation up at 5% in Dec on higher food prices

i. Retail inflation moved up marginally to 5 percent in December as prices of some food items, including fruits and vegetables, increased.
ii. In November, retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 4.38 percent, the lowest level since government started computing the new series of data in January 2012.
iii. The consumer inflation rose to 5.32 percent in urban India and 4.71 percent in rural area during December.
iv. RBI was planning to ease the interest rates in the next revision riding on a lower inflation rate.
v. RBI is scheduled to announce its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy on 3rd February. 

4. India’s Mars Orbiter team wins US award

i. India’s Mars Orbiter programme team has won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category from the US based National Space Society (NSS).
ii. This award will be presented to an ISRO representative during the National Space Society’s 2015 International Space Development Conference, the 34th ISDC, to be held in Toronto, Canada.

iii. Note - India’s Mars Orbiter launched on Nov 5, 2013 that went into Mars orbit on Sep 24, 2014 achieved two significant mission firsts in terms of an Indian spacecraft that has gone into orbit around Mars on the very first try and that no other country has ever done this. Secondly, the spacecraft is in an elliptical orbit with a high apoapsis, and has a high resolution camera which is taking full-disk colour imagery of Mars.
iv. The Mars Orbiter programme team located in Bangalore is headed by Mylswamy Annadurai.

5. Zomato acquires U.S. firm

i. Indian restaurant search services provider Zomato acquired U.S.-based rival Urbanspoon for about $50 million in one of the biggest overseas deals by an Indian startup.
ii. Company is said to be in talks to raise about $100 million in fresh funding.
iii. The acquisition of Urbanspoon, which marks Zomato's entry into the United States, Canada and Australia, will result in its presence in 22 countries, covering more than one million restaurants.
iv. Founded in 2008, Zomato is currently valued at around $660 million.

6. Deepak Parekh appointed as Chairman of BAE Systems India (Services) Private Limited

i. Deepak Parekh appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of BAE Systems India (Services) Private Limited with effect from 1 January 2015.
ii. Parekh was appointed as a member of the BAE Systems’s Independent Advisory Board for India association in 2010.
iii. Indian Government honoured Parekh’s performance with the Padma Bhushan in 2006.

7. Australia launched Online Visa Pilot Programme for Indian business and tourism visitors

i. Australia launched Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling Australia.
ii. It covers online lodgement of subclass 600 visas for Indian business and tourism visitors. It will be rolled out through selected travel agents across India.
iii.  India has the potential to contribute between 1.9 billion US dollars and 2.3 billion US dollars annually to tourism industry by 2020. 

8. Cristiano Ronaldo retains the Ballon d’Or

i. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for the second year in a row and the third time in his career, ahead of Argentinean Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer of Germany.

ii. Joachim Low’s feat in guiding Germany to the 2014 FIFA World Cup earned him the Coach-of-the-Year award.
iii. Colombian James Rodriguez won the Puskas Award for the goal of the year.
iv. Contributing to Ronaldo’s win were 37.66% of the votes coming from 181 of the national team coaches, 182 of the national team captains, and 181 of the media representatives who voted. 
v. Messi was second with 15.76% and Neuer, third with 15.72%. 

08:46 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 12th January 2015

1. NRIs can vote through postal ballots

i. Centre gave their nod to the proposal prepared by a 12-member committee led by Vinod Zutshi, Deputy Election Commissioner, for ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors’.


ii. The Centre told the Supreme Court that the EC’s recommendation to extend voting rights to NRIs through postal ballots have been accepted in letter and spirit.
iii. Chief Justice H L Dattu and A K Sikri asked the Centre to inform it about “further steps taken to implement the suggestions.”
iv. The poll panel had contended that the move to allow NRIs to use proxy voting on the lines of defence personnel and e-ballot facility will require changes in the law and a legislative framework.

2. Golden Globe Awards announced 

i. the 72nd Golden Globe Awards announced in Beverly Hills, California 
ii. Coming of age tale "Boyhood" won the coveted Golden Globe for best drama on Sunday.
iii. while the quirky period caper "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was the surprise winner for best comedy or musical, in a big upset to awards season front-runner "Birdman."

List of award winners - 

• Best Motion Picture-Drama: Boyhood
• Best Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
• Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical: The Grand Budapest Hotel 
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical: Amy Adams, Big Eyes
• Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical: Michael Keaton, Birdman
• Best Animated Film: How To Train Your Dragon 2
• Best Foreign Language Film: Leviathan (Russia)
• Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
• Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
• Best Director-Motion Picture: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
• Best Screenplay: Birdman
• Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
• Best Original Song - Motion Picture: John Legend and Common, "Glory," Selma

3. Govt to sell stake in PSUs

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the divestment programme would be pursued on priority and involve more than one PSU during this period.
ii. There are reports that the government is looking to sell 10 per cent stake in Coal India to raise Rs 24,000 crore.
iii. The government has realised Rs 1,715 crore from disinvestment proceeds so far in the current fiscal 2014-15.
iv. Government have set a target of Rs 43,425 crore from sale of its shares in listed companies.

4. Microsoft ties up with Idea for paid apps, games

i. Handset maker Microsoft Devices has partnered with Idea Cellular to help subscribers of the telecom services firm pay for apps as part of monthly bills. 

ii. Idea users will be able to purchase premium apps and games from the Windows Store on Microsoft Lumia as well as other Windows-based smartphones and pay for them through integrated billing. 
iii. The smartphone market in India is poised to grow over 70 per cent this fiscal and the app ecosystem is also booming. 
iv. The Windows Store, competes with Google's Play Store and Apple's App store besides other smaller platforms. 

5. National Youth Day observed across India on 12 January

i. The day is observed annually to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda.
ii. This is the 152nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
iii. The Union Government in 1984 had declared that 12 January, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda will be observed as the National Youth Day. 

iv. Swami Vivekananda's lectures and writings are a source of inspiration for youth and have motivated numerous youth organisation.
v. His writings derive their inspiration from Indian spiritual tradition and the broad outlook of his Master Sri Ramakrishna.
vi. All his teachings can be found in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, in nine volumes, published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata.
vii. He is best known for his inspiring speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893 in which he introduced Hinduism, his words began with words, Sisters and brothers of America.

6. SDSC-SHAR director MYS Prasad chosen for Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award 2015

i. The director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota Range (SHAR) MYS Prasad was on 10 January 2015 selected for the Vikram Sarabhai memorial award 2015. 
ii. The award will be presented to MYS Prasad by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).
iii. Prasad was selected for his outstanding contribution to Research and Development in the field of space science in his long career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  
iv. The Vikram Sarabhai memorial award was instituted by the Indian Science Congress Association in 1997-98. The award carries a Gold Medal and is given in every alternate years. 

7. EC announces Delhi Assembly poll dates; voting on Feb 7, counting on Feb 10

i. Voting for Delhi Assembly Elections 2015 would be held in a single phase on February 7 with the counting of votes scheduled for February 10,Delhi has 70 Assembly seats.
ii. The total electorate of Delhi is 1.3 crore and the total number of total stations are 11763. Model Code of Conduct has come into force from today.

iii. Last time Arvind Kejriwal challenged Modi - in the Lok Sabha polls - the people of Varanasi had left him humbled.
iv. The Congress forms the third axis of politics in Delhi but given the party's weak performance in successive Assembly polls after the Lok Sabha poll defeat, the battle is essentially between the BJP and the AAP.
v. The EC appears to have taken care while finalising the dates so as to ensure that it does not come in the way of school annual examinations, including those conducted by the CBSE that usually start early March.
vi. In 2013, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 31 MLAs, followed by AAP which got 28 MLAs.

8. Stan Wawrinka wins Chennai Open

i. Stan Wawrinka's notched a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene to win the Chennai Open.
ii. It was the second consecutive title victory at Chennai and third overall for the top-seeded player, who did not drop a set in the tournament.
iii. It was the third time the two players met at the Chennai Open with Bedene winning their quarterfinal match in 2013 and Wawrinka prevailing at the same stage last year.

08:29 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 11th January 2015

1. Vibrant Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi promises to make India easiest place to do business 
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today promised to make India the "easiest" destination to do business with a stable tax regime and a predictable, transparent and fair policy environment. 

ii. he said a single window clearance for projects is being set up at both central and state level. 
iii. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), India would be the only country among world's top economies which would increase its pace of growth this year.
iv. Recent initiatives towards a favourable enviornment is - 
FDI in construction has been liberalised, 100 per cent foreign investment has been allowed in railways, the defence sector has been opened for FDI up to 49 per cent and a similar level in the insurance sector. 

2. Investers Boom in Gujrat

i. Reliance will invest Rs.1,00,000 crore in Gujarat across its businesses, including the Gujarat petrochemical complex, in the next 18 months.
ii. As part of the investment programme, RIL will partner with thousands of small businesses and Gujarati entrepreneurs to create virtuous cycle of prosperity, Mr. Ambani said.
iii. Kumarmangalam Birla said the diversified Aditya Birla Group will invest Rs. 20,000 crore over a period of time in the state to ramp up capacities across various existing facilities.
iv. On the anvil are brownfield expansions at our cement plant in Sevagram, the VSF plants in Vilayat and Bharuch, and along with that, expansion in metal plants (among others) here.

3. World Bank projects 6.4% economic growth in India in 2015

i. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said that the Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.4 per cent in 2015 and accelerate further in the next year.
ii. After slowing to sub-five per cent growth in the previous two financial years, the economy has started showing signs of pick-up as it expanded by 5.7 per cent and 5.3 per cent in the second and third quarter of 2015.
iii. Mr. Jim said, he was “very encouraged” by the recent proposal of a Constitution amendment bill for Goods and Services Tax.
iv. GST will create one common market and substantial saving for companies on logistics, especially if the structure of the GST is uniform.

4. Facebook is the leader of social media

i. The findings of a survey by a US-based global think tank Pew Research Centre that involved 1,597 internet users revealed that 71 per cent of US adults were hooked to Facebook in 2014.
ii. The figure up significantly from 63 percent in 2013, Forbes magazine reported.
iii. For micro-blogging site Twitter, the percentage of users logging in daily decreased from 46 percent in 2013 to 36 percent last year.

5. SunEdison inks pact with Omnigrid

i. SunEdison and Omnigrid Micropower Company (OMC), which is engaged in building small-scale power plants with renewable sources have entered into an agreement to develop 5,000 rural projects, representing 250 MW of electricity, throughout India over the next three to five years.
ii. SunEdison and OMC have an offering that can help telecommunication organisations meet their regulatory requirements and provide energy to local communities.
iii. SunEdison is currently building 60 mini grids across India - this initiative will further accelerate our efforts towards the Prime Minister's Energy Vision of making electricity available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. Federer notches 1,000th match win, claims Brisbane title

i. Roger Federer notched his 1,000th career victory and collected his 83rd title with a seesawing 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win over third-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada in the Brisbane International final.

ii. The 17-time major winner broke Raonic’s serve in the third game and again in the opening game of the second set before Raonic broke back for 2-2 and then dominated the tiebreaker.
iii. Only retired greats Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) have won more than 1,000 matches on the men’s tour.

08:20 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 10th January 2015

1. John Kerry Heads for India to Attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit

i. US Secretary of State John Kerry headed for India to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit during which he will address investors to boost economic ties and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a broad range of bilateral and global issues, including climate change.
ii. "The Secretary would be emphasising the importance and future potential of our economic partnership with India, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told PTI.


2. Sindhushree Khullar appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog

i. Senior bureaucrat Sindhushree Khullar appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog with effect from 1 January 2015. She will serve the position for one year.
ii. She is 1975-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service’s (IAS) Union Territories cadre. In March 2013, she was appointed as Secretary of the Planning Commission on contract basis for two years. 
iii. Noted Economist Arvind Panagariya was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog. Economist Bibek Debroy and former DRDO chief V K Saraswat were appointed as full-time members of NITI Aayog.

3. Rajiv Mehta appointed new DGP of Meghalaya

i. Senior IPS officer Rajiv Mehta has been appointed as the new Director General of Police in Meghalaya.
ii. He is currently serving as the Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Delhi.
iii. Mr. Mehta replaces P.J.P. Hanaman who retired on December 31 and will take charge from acting DGP S.K. Jain.

4. Sirisena's first overseas visit will be to India

i. Sri Lanka's newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena will make his first State visit overseas to India.
ii. 'Mr. Modi invited our President to come to India first. He proposes to go next month," said Rajitha Senaratne, senior politician and spokesman of Mr. Sirisena.

5. UN to Host New Libya Peace Talks in Geneva Next Week

i. The United Nations said that it would host a new round of peace talks between Libya's warring factions in Geneva next week.
ii. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement that its head "Bernardino Leon" had proposed a freeze in military operations for a few days "in order to create a conducive environment for the dialogue".

6. Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015

i. Mohammad Hamid Ansari on 9 January 2015 presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to sixteen personalities. The awards were presented during the occasion of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
ii. Apart from fifteen awardees, Senator Liza Singh from Australia also received the award as he could not accept the award in 2014

NOTE: About the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards
a. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was constituted by the Union Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to honour the contributions of Non-Resident Indians in their respective profession. The award is given by the President of India.
b. Organized annually since 2003, the award is presented to a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin or an organization established and run by the NRIs.

7. SpaceX Launches for NASA, Aims for Rocket Landing at Sea

i. A SpaceX rocket has blasted off with supplies for the International Space Station.
ii. The unmanned Falcon rocket soared into a clear pre-dawn sky at Cape Canaveral, Florid
iii. The primary mission for SpaceX is delivering more than 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of food, experiments and other items ordered up by NASA.

08:34 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 9th January 2015

1. Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat to opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena 

i. Sri Lanka's long-time leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has been defeated in the presidential election.
ii. Official results showed Maithripala Sirisena, a former ally of the incumbent, had won 51.3% of the vote.
iii. Sirisena met the next Prime Minister Ranil Vickramaisnghe at the Independence Square, Colombo to discuss the future course of action.
iv. Less than two months ago, when the president called snap elections, this outcome was unimaginable. There was no big opposition candidate in sight.
v. Then suddenly Mr Sirisena, then the health minister, switched sides, propped up by heavyweight politicians and later supported by many minority groups.

2. SEBI proposes e-IPO norms(Electronic-Initial public offer)

i. Investors can bid for shares through Internet and eventually on mobiles, while already listed PSUs will be provided a 'fast-track' route for share sales to meet the disinvestment targets.
ii. For already listed companies ,Sebi has proposed a fast-track route for raising of funds through FPOs (Follow-on Public Offers) or Rights Offers (where funds can be raised from existing shareholders).

iii. The fast-track route of raising capital has been proposed for companies having public shareholding market valuation of as low as Rs 250 crore, as against Rs 3,000 crore currently.
iv. Currently, applications for IPOs can be uploaded on a real-time basis only through ASBA (Application Supported by Blocked Amount). Only self-certified syndicate banks are authorised to manage it.
v. With regard to fast-track issuances of Follow on Public Offer (FPO) and rights issue, Sebi proposed that route can be extended to companies having an average market capitalisation of between Rs 250 crore to Rs 3,000 crore.

3. Qantas rated as ‘World’s Safest Airline for 2015′

i. AirlineRatings.com, safety and product rating website, has announced its top ten safest airlines and top ten safest low cost airlines for 2015 from the 449 it monitors.
ii. Top of the list again is Qantas which has a fatality free record in the jet era.
iii. Making up the remainder of the top ten in alphabetical order are: Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific Airways, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
iv. Over its 94-year history Qantas has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in safety and operations and is now accepted as the world’s most experienced airline.

4. Google CEO Larry Page emerges as 'business person of the year' for 2014

i. Larry Page, Google's CEO has emerged as the 'business person of the year' for 2014, edging past the likes of Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to Fortune magazine.
ii. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who led Fortune list in 2012, failed to make in to the top 20 list.
iii. The list is based on various parameters like financial results of the company including 12-month and three year growth in profits and revenues, company's stock performance and total shareholder returns over the same periods.

5. KKR partners GIC to set up India real estate lending company

i. KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co), American multinational private equity firm, had set up a non-banking financial company in the country for lending to the real estate sector, with an investment from Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

ii. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, which has shown interest in the realty segment in the recent past, will also invest in the newly formed company.

6. Governor’s rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir

i. Centre has imposed Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir on 9 January 2015, accepting the state's Governor N.N. Vohra's recommendations.


ii. Mr. Vohra sent a report to the President after Omar Abdullah asked him to relieve him as caretaker Chief Minister.
iii. More than a fortnight after the results of the Assembly elections have been out, neither PDP which emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats nor BJP with 25 could get the magic figure of 44 to stake claim to form a government in the 87-member House. NC has 15 MLAs while the Congress 12.

7. Vaccine Raksha Blu for bluetongue disease launched

i. To counter the deadly bluetongue disease, Raksha Blu vaccine was launched on 8 January 2015 by Gachibowli facility of Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) in Hyderabad, Telangana.
ii. The vaccine was launched with an aim to minimise the economic loss of the animal farming community that occurs due to bluetongue disease.
iii. The vaccine has been developed to protect the animals against five strains of the ‘bluetongue’ virus prevalent in the country. Per dose of the vaccine will be available for farmers at an expense of 5 rupees.
NOTE: The vaccine is the result of collaborative efforts of IIL, TANUVAS (Tamil Nadu University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research). The vaccine was developed in three years.

8. Tatas’ Vistara starts flying
i. Marking Tatas’ re-entry into the Indian aviation space after over six decades, new airline Vistara on Friday flew its first flight, and said its aim will be to “do it right” without making a big splash.
ii. Tatas hold a majority 51 per cent stake in Vistara — a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which holds the remaining 49 per cent.

iii. The first Vistara flight flew from Delhi to Mumbai today — over six decades after Tata Airlines was rechristened as Air India, and eventually nationalised in 1950s.

08:29 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 8th January 2015

1. 12 dead in shooting at French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris 

i. Twelve people, 10 journalists and two policemen, have been killed, and 10 others wounded in the shooting massacre at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
ii. Hollande confirmed the deaths, and said that at least 40 were “saved.” 
iii. The numbers of victims is likely to rise, the French president added. Flags across France have been lowered in mourning for victims of the attack.
iv. Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) is a controversial French satirical newspaper that came under attack over the publication of caricatures of Muslim leaders and the Prophet Mohammed in 2011.
v.  The attack in the newspaper offices is the worst militant attack in recent decades in France, which has a five-million-strong Muslim population.

2. PM inaugurates 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Sammelan

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
ii. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Dandi Kutir- a unique exhibition on father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi depicting various stages of his life and work at Salt mount near Mahatma Mandir. 

iii. India will be building a monument in Guyana dedicated to the arrival of Indian indentured labourers in the country, Guyanese president Donald Ramotar is the chief guest at the event.
iv.About Bhartiya Pravasi Divas - India has been holding PBD for 12 years now to coincide with the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi back to India from South Africa in order to acknowledge the contribution of the Indian diaspora to the development of the country. 
v. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the young barrister Gandhi, who eventually went on to lead the country to independence. 

3. PIO, OCI schemes merged,Coins and stamps released at PBD.

i. The Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes have been merged to ensure one type of facilities and also grant exemption from weekly police reporting.
ii. Mr. Modi said the visa-on-arrival facility has been made available to NRIs in 43 countries. In addition, the facility of Electronic Travel Authorization (e-Visa) has also been introduced to save time.
iii. In order to spread knowledge about India among young NRIs, Mr. Modi proposed that an online quiz contest as part of future PBDs.
iv. At the occasion, two stamps of Rs. 25 and Rs. 5 and two coins of Rs. 100 and Rs. 10 denominations were released in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.

4. ICCI Bank launched Contactless credit and Debit cards

i. ICICI Bank on 7 January 2015 launched contactless credit cards and debits cards called Coral Contactless Credit Card and Expressions Wave Debit Card respectively.
ii. These cards will enable customers to make electronic payments by waving the cards near a merchant terminal instead of dipping or swiping the cards.

iii. These cards are powered by MasterCard contactless and Visa payWave technologies.
iv. The key advantage of these two cards is speed and security. 
The speed of transactions will add momentum to high value payments and the level of security is higher since the card doesn’t leave the customer during the transaction process.

5. Atul Khare appointed as the UN Under-Secretary-General

i. Atul Khare was on 7 January 2015 appointed as the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support (DFS). He will succeed Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh.
ii. His appointed was announced by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Khare is currently providing charitable medical advice in India.
iii. Khare joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1984 and has served Indian diplomatic missions in France, Mauritius, Senegal, Thailand and the United Kingdom. 

6. New Jersey to host international conference on Hindi in April

i. The International Hindi Conference with the theme of "Expanding World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges," would be held in New Jersey in April.
ii. To be attended by Hindi scholars from various parts of the world, in particular from the US and India between April 3-5, participants of the International Hindi Conference would discuss the current status of the teaching and learning of Hindi among other things. 
iii. This conference will provide a forum for community members and leaders, language experts, policy makers, education administrators, advocates and other stakeholders from different parts of the US, Canada, South America and Caribbean countries, such as, Trinidad and Tobago along with experts from India to get together and share their views and research, examine a wide spectrum of opportunities, make plans for the future.

7. Gujarat govt announces industrial policy for 2015

i. The Gujarat government on Thursday announced its new industrial policy for 2015 aimed at making the state a global manufacturing hub, ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit set to begin from 11th January.
ii.  it would play a pivotal role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' dream and make Gujarat a global manufacturing hub, said an official release issued in Ahmedabad.
iii. Key focus areas of this policy include infrastructure development, simplification of labour laws and motivation of new innovations through technology transfer. 
iv. Industries like auto components, engineering, drugs, cement and chemicals are flourish in Gujarat. Now, we wish to boost value addition in these existing resources.

08:24 - By Unknown 0

Daily GK Update - 7th January 2015

1. Railways' earnings up by over 12% 
i. Railways has earned Rs 1,14,656.13 crore during April-December 2014, registering an increase of 12.57 per cent.
ii. It had earned Rs 1,01,856.45 crore during the same period in the previous year.


iii. The total earnings from goods during April-December, 2014 were Rs 77,161.55 crore as compared to Rs 68,776.35 crore in the corresponding period in 2013, showing an increase of 12.19 per cent, according to the Railway Ministry data.
iv. The total number of passengers booked during April- December 2014 were 6,256.16 million compared to 6,360.15 million during the same period in 2013, showing a decrease of 1.64 per cent.

2. NASA Closer Than Ever to Finding Earth's 'Twin'

i. Two of the eight are the most Earth-like of any known planets found so far outside our solar system, astronomers told the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Washington.
ii. The discovery doubles the number of known planets that are close in size to the Earth and believed to be in the so-called "Goldilocks zone" of the stars they orbit.
iii. The promising discoveries are that of the planets named as - Kepler 438b and Kepler 442b.

3. Google, New ally for 'Digital India' project

i. Vinton Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, met Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss the role technology giant can play in supporting the government’s vision for a Digital India.
ii. Vinton Cerf said, "We have some ideas. We want to share with them those ideas to find out which of them make sense. Maybe they will have better ideas than us.”
iii. The government’s ambitious Digital India project aims to connect all gram panchayats by broadband Internet, promote e-governance and transform India into a connected knowledge economy.

4. IBA raises wage revision offer to 12.5%
i. The United Forum of Bank Employees has deferred the all-India bank strike.
ii.  the IBA had improved its offer of wage revision by raising the monthly salaries of banks employees and officers to 12.5 per cent.
iii. The unions have refused to accept the offer which they termed was too low.

4. 500 Firms Approach Ministry to Make PF Optional

i. As many as 500 companies have approached the Ministry of Labour to consider revamping of the laws governing salary payment and granting employees a choice in how they are paid their salary.
ii. The petition asks the government to give employees the choice to decide on three issues.

• Firstly, whether to make their 12 per cent employee contribution to Provident Fund or opt out of it.
• secondly whether to pay 12 per cent employer contribution to the Employee Pension Scheme or to an individual account opened with the National Pension Scheme.
• And thirdly, whether to pay their ESI contribution to the ESI corporation or purchase insurance from any IRDA regulated insurance company.

iii. Currently, in a cost to-company model informal employees can take home their entire salary while employees in the organised sector "lose" a part of their earnings to schemes like PF, Employees State Insurance (ESI), Professional Tax, Employees Pension Scheme, statutory bonus and gratuity.

5. Amitabh Bachchan named as the Brand Ambassador of AP health sector

i. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan on 6 January 2015 named as the Brand Ambassador of  Andhra Pradesh (AP) health sector.

ii. His appointment was announced by the AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas in Hyderabad.
iii. Being the brand ambassador of AP health sector, he will be participating in various health-related campaigns of AP government.
iv. Bachchan will not take any remuneration for the services he would be rendering to the state as its health ambassador.

6. President signed Ordinance to amend Citizenship Act, 1955

i. President Pranab Mukherjee signed the Ordinance that amends’ Citizenship Act, 1955.
ii. The ordinance provides life-long Indian visa facility to Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and exempts them from appearing before the local police station on every visit.

iii. It merges Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), thus making PIO eligible for life-long visa and bringing them on equal footing with OCI.
iv. It relaxes the requirement of 12 months in cases related to citizenship by registration and naturalization. Instead it allows for breaks up to 30 days if the Union government is satisfied that special circumstances exist, and has recorded them in writing.

7. Nilesh Shah resigned as MD & CEO of AXIS Capital Limited

i. Nilesh Shah resigned as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD &CEO) of Axis Capital Limited.
ii. Shah joined Axis Bank as President, Strategic Initiatives—Corporate Banking in March 2011. He took over as MD & CEO of Axis Capital in November 2013.
iii. Prior to joining Axis, he was the Deputy-MD at the ICICI Prudential Asset Management. At ICICI he quit after serving for seven years when assets more than quadrupled.

09:25 - By Unknown 0