Daily GK Update - 1st And 2nd Feb 2015

Steel Minister inaugurates new plate mill at RSP

(i) Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday inaugurated the rolling facilities of the new plate mill at SAIL’s Rourkela plant.

(ii) The new 4300 mm wide plate mill, the state owned steel major said, is one of the widest plate mills in the country. 

(iii) The mill includes advanced features like computerized control system for plan view rolling process and has a capacity of one million tonne per annum with provision for expanding it to 1.8 million tonne per annum.

Carl Djerassi, father of birth control pill passes away

(i) Carl Djerassi, 91, the chemist widely considered the father of the birth control pill, died on Saturday.

(ii) Djerrasi died of complications of cancer in his San Francisco home, Stanford University spokesman Dan Stober said.

(iii) Djerassi, a professor emeritus of chemistry at Stanford, was most famous for leading a research team in Mexico City that in 1951 developed norethindrone, a synthetic molecule that became a key component of the first birth control pill.

India and China jointly launched Visit India Year in China

(i) India and China on 2 February 2015 jointly launched the Visit India Year in China in Beijing during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to China.

(ii) The initiative is aimed at enhancing the flow of tourists from China to India and to strengthen the people to people bond. China will support the promotion of Indian tourist resources in its country. 

Macro-economic indicators favour rate cut by RBI, say bankers

(i) With inflation under control, bankers believe that macroeconomic indicators are conducive for a further rate cut of 0.25 per cent by RBI on Tuesday, even as some expect the central bank to maintain a status quo.

(ii) The improving fiscal situation, in the wake of a record Rs. 22,577 crore garnered from CIL stake sale, and weakness in manufacturing sector are among pointers towards a possible cut in rates, experts said.

(iii) However, some bankers said the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan may go for a status quo and would like to wait for cues from the Budget presentation on February 28 before undertaking any rate cut.

Mithileshwar awarded with Shrilal Shukla Sahitya IFFCO Award 2014

(i) Hindi novelist Mithileshwar was on 31 January 2015 awarded with Shrilal Shukla Sahitya IFFCO Award 2014. 

(ii) He is the fourth recipient of this literary award.

(iii) Mithileshwar belongs to Bhojpur district and is known for his insight into the rural heartland of India. He began writing during his student period. 

Prasanth Kumar appointed as CEO of MindShare South Asia

(i) Prasanth Kumar was on 1 February 2015 appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MindShare APAC South Asia with effect from 1 March 2015. 

(ii) He will succeed the current CEO Ravi Rao.

(iii) Prasanth Kumar will report to Srinivas, CEO of GroupM South Asia and Gowthaman Ragothaman, COO of MindShare Asia Pacific.

Base year change pushes 2013-14 GDP growth to 6.9%

(i) The Modi Government, on Friday, sharply revised India’s 2013-14 GDP growth estimate to 6.9 per cent from 4.7 per cent. 

(ii) The 2012-13 growth estimate was revised to 5.1 per cent from 4.5 per cent.

(iii) Former Finance Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram said that the data released showed that the 10 years of the UPA government recorded the highest decadal growth since Independence.