Daily GK Update 3rd - January - 2015

Jiji Thomson to be Kerala chief secretary

(i) Sports Authority of India (SAI) director general Jiji Thomson is set to become the next chief secretary of Kerala.

(ii) The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has approved premature repatriation of Thomson to his cadre state Kerala, said an order issued in this regard. 

(iii) he will leave for his home state next week to take charge.

(iv) Thomson, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, will take over from present incumbent, EK Bharat Bhushan, who will retire on January 31.

Former ISRO Chairman V R Gowarikar died in Pune

(i) Senior Scientist and former Chairman of ISRO Vasant Ranchhod Gowarikar died after a brief illness in Pune, India on 2 January 2015. He was 82. 

(ii) Chiefly known as the Father of the Indian Monsoon Model, Gowarikar was the first scientist to develop first indigenous weather forecasting model that predicted monsoon correctly. 

(iii) Between 1991 and 1993, he served as Scientific Advisor to late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

10 crore Jan Dhan accounts, 73% zero balance

(i) The government on Friday said that banks had gone past the target of opening 10 crore Jan Dhan accounts and had managed to cover 98% of the households, prompting to now launch a "challenge" to find out if any family remained without access to basic banking facility.

(ii) In recent weeks, there has also been a significant increase in the funds deposited in the Jan Dhan accounts with the corpus in the 10.36 crore accounts going past Rs 8,000 crore, according to data available with the finance ministry. 

(iii) But 7.6 crore accountholders, which is around 73% of all Jan Dhan accounts, had zero balance on December 30.

Niti Aayog likely to start functioning next week

(i) Within hours of the government announcing a new body to replace Planning Commission, the Yojana Bhawan staff began hectic preparations to welcome new vice-chairman of Niti Aayog and other members who are likely to be appointed shortly. 

(ii) The landmark sign board in front of Yojana Bhawan has been repainted as Niti Aayog and rooms to seat the senior functionaries are being decked up. 

(iii) Noted economist, Arvind Panagariya is tipped to be the first vice-chairman of the Niti Aayog. 

RBI Eases Know-Your-Customers Norms for NBFCs

(i) Amending rules for NBFCs with regard to their KYC exercise, the Reserve Bank today relaxed the time limit during which such due diligence is required.

(ii) The rules have been eased due to practical difficulties and constraints in getting Know-Your-Customers (KYC) documents at frequent intervals.

(iii) "Full KYC exercise will be required to be done at least every 2 years for high risk individuals and entities.

Kumar Sangakkara: Sri Lanka batsman becomes quickest to 12,000 Test runs

(i) Sangakkara achieved the feat in his 224th innings, during Sri Lanka’s second Test with New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

(ii) India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Australia’s Ricky Ponting took 247 knocks to pass the 12,000 mark, a milestone also reached by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and India’s Rahul Dravid.

(iii) Sangakkara has notched 37 hundreds and 51 fifties in his 130 Tests to date at an average of 58.38, with a highest score of 319 against Bangladesh in Chittagong earlier this year

Over 20,000 people contracted Ebola in 2014: WHO

(i) The number of people infected with the deadly Ebola virus reached 20,381 people by the end of 2014, and 7,989 of them died of the disease, according to figures released on Friday by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

(ii) The data includes confirmed, suspected and probable cases recorded in Guinea Conakry and Sierra Leone until Dec 31 and in Liberia until December 28.

(iii) The country most severely affected by the epidemic is Sierra Leone, where 9,633 infections and 2,827 deaths have been reported, followed by Liberia with 8,018 infections and 3,423 deaths.

West Bengal to woo investors at summit

(i) The State is organising Global Business Summit on January 7 and 8 Projecting itself as an ideal investment destination.

(ii) The Government of West Bengal is organising Bengal Global Business Summit — Bengal Leads 2015 — on January 7 and 8 to attract investment from foreign and domestic companies.

(iii) Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari are expected to attend. 

(iv) Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee will speak on the occasion besides interacting with investors.

Ravindra Jadeja may miss out on India squad for the 2015 World Cup

(i) India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja may miss out on the squad for the 2015 World Cup, to be announced on January 6.

(ii) Jadeja suffered a shoulder injury during the ongoing Australia-India Test series which may keep him out of action for a long time.

(iii) The 26-year old, who has been nursing his injury in Chennai, has not yet reached the expected mark to return to competitive cricket.

Court orders public notice on plea to wind up UBHL

(i) In a major set back to UB (Holdings) Ltd. (UBHL), the Karnataka High Court, on Friday, ordered issuance of public notices on pleas of three foreign firms, a consortium of Indian banks and an oil company for winding up of UBHL for its failure to pay dues as per the corporate guarantee given by it on behalf of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. (KAL).

(ii) Justice A. S. Bopanna passed the order while admitting petitions filed by Switzerland-based IAE International Aero Engines, England-based Rolls Royce and Partners Finance Ltd. and RRP Engine Leasing Ltd., consortium of banks led by State Bank of India and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL). 

(iii) The public notices in newspapers will have to be issued in the first week of February.

Discrimination against Dalits in giving Bharat Ratna: Mayawati

(i) Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday charged the NDA government with discriminating against Dalit icons like Kanshi Ram while awarding Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya.

(ii) She also attacked the Narendra Modi government for adopting the “ordinance route” on key issues.

Saina disappointed by Padma Award snub

(i) Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal has been left disappointed after the Sports Ministry decided to reject her application for the prestigious Padma Bhushan award this year, citing norms.

(ii) Badminton Association of India (BAI) had recommended Saina’s name for the award to the Sports Ministry in August last year but the ministry picked two-time Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar as it felt he was a more deserving candidate.

(iii) The ministry guidelines say that there needs to be a gap of five years between two Padma awards. 

(iv) So if they can send his name, why they didn’t recommend my name as I have completed the five years gap. I felt bad about it,” Saina, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010, told PTI.