Daily GK Update - 24th June 2015

Modi's next 'Mann Ki Baat' on June 28

(i) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation in the next series of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on All India Radio on Sunday, June 28.

(ii) This is the ninth edition of the radio program in which he shares his thoughts with the citizens.

(iii) The Prime Minister has also invited citizens to share their thoughts and ideas for the programme on the Open Forum of MyGov.in.

(iv) Share thoughts and ideas for the programme on MyGov Open Forum, the Prime Minister said.

Steffi Graf is Kerala’s Ayurveda brand ambassador

(i) Tennis legend Steffi Graf was on Wednesday appointed the Ayurveda brand ambassador of God’s Own Country Kerala.

(ii) A decision in this regard was taken by the cabinet on Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

(iii) The tourism department had already held discussions and reached an agreement with the German former World number one tennis player, who had bagged 22 Grand slam single titles.

(iv) Kerala’s Ayurveda, an ancient system of health care which is famous for its holistic effect on body and mind, attracts large number of people from the country and abroad every year.

Former Puducherry Minister passes away

(i) Freedom fighter and former Puducherry Minister Dhakshinamurthy Mudaliar has died, his family sources said.

(ii) Dhakshinamurthy Mudaliar (91) was not keeping good health for the past few days and passed away at his native T.R. Pattinam in the district last night, the sources said.

(iii) Contesting the first assembly polls as a Congress candidate in 1963, Mr. Mudaliar won the TR Pattinam assembly constituency and rose to become the Health Minister in Chief Minister Edward Goubert’s cabinet.

Bangladesh to receive 1,100 MW of power from India from January

(i) Electricity-starved Bangladesh will begin receiving 100 MW of power from Tripura from early January. 

(ii) This will be in addition to the 500 MW it already receives from West Bengal and a like amount that is on the cards from the state — for a total of 1,100 MW — as the two countries enter a new phase of bilateral cooperation for regional benefit.

(iii) Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the power supply from Tripura with his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, during his visit to Dhaka on June 6—7. 

(iv) Mr. Modi has declared that India would enhance the supply of power to Bangladesh from the existing 500 MW to 1,100 MW.

(v) The Minister said PGCIL would erect around 20 km of transmission lines in Tripura, while the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) would lay 27 km of transmission line on its side.

NALCO has signed an agreement with GACL for setting up of caustic soda plant

(i) State-run NALCO has signed an agreement with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) for setting up of an integrated caustic soda plant and captive power plant in Gujarat’s Dahej at a cost of Rs 1,789 crores.

(ii) NALCO will hold 40 per cent equity in the project while the rest will be held by GACL, a Gujarat government owned company.

(iii) The agreement for the venture, being taken up as a backward integration initiative of the aluminium major was signed here by NALCO CMD N R Mohanty and GACL MD A M Tiwari, the Navaratna PSU said in a statement.

(iv) The capacity of the caustic soda plant will be 2.7 lakh tonnes per annum and that of the captive power plant will be 100 MW, it added.

Journalist Praful Bidwai passes away

(i) Praful Bidwai, a senior journalist and well-known columnist passed away on Tuesday evening. 

(ii) Mr. Bidwai died in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening due to a cardiac arrest, family friend Pamela Philipose said.

(iii) Mr. Bidwai was a fellow at Transnational Institute at Amsterdam in the Netherlands.