Daily GK Update 2nd April 2015

Sunita Tomar, the face of India's anti-tobacco campaign, died

(i) Sunita Tomar, the face of India’s anti-tobacco campaign, died on 1 April 2015 at her native village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. She was 28. 

(ii) In 2014, she shot a 30-second video titled Sunita highlighting the devastating effect of smokeless tobacco. 

(iii) In the video she shared her experience, which later was used by the government for its anti-tobacco drive to warn people against consumption of smokeless gutkha and pan masalas.

(iv) She teamed up with Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) to produce the video which tells about her struggle with oral cancer. 

(v) Sunita was among the 60 percent oral cancer patients of India who die within a year or two of their diagnosis because they turned too late for treatment. 

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved uniform gas price for urea plants

(i) As per the estimation of the Department of Fertilizer (DOF), the decision will lead to additional production of around 37.13 lakh million tones (MT) of urea in existing fertilizers units over the next four years, that is, from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

(ii) Further, the decision will reduce import dependence and will result in saving of 1550 crore rupees of subsidy.

(iii) It is expected that the cost of production of urea at pooled price would be less than the price of imported urea, which will encourage the existing urea units to produce beyond their reassessed capacity.

RBI approved the amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank with Kotak Mahindra Bank

(i) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 April 2015 sanctioned the scheme of amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank Ltd. with Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. 

(ii) The Scheme will come into force with effect from 1 April 2015. 

(iii) With this sanction, all branches of ING Vysya Bank will function as branches of Kotak Mahindra Bank with effect from 1 April 2015.

(iv) The Scheme was sanctioned in exercise of the powers contained in Sub-section (4) of Section 44A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Facebook's new app 'Riff' allows users to make posted videos go viral

(i) According to a report, when users create a Riff video for the first time, they can tag a friend and make it trend.

(ii) The app is available on both iOS and Android mobile devices. 

(iii) It originated after last year's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge when people began posting videos of them upturning buckets of ice water on their heads in the name of charity.

Iran says 'seize the moment' as talks hit final stretch

(i) "We are a few metres...from the finishing line, but we are well aware that the final metres are the hardest," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters, as he arrived back in Switzerland to rejoin the negotiations.

(ii) The stakes were very high, he said, adding at issue was the question of non-proliferation, and "Iran's reintegration into the international community."

(iii) Fabius was re-joining US Secretary of State John Kerry and their counterparts from Germany and Britain, as well as political directors from Russia and China.

(iv) A US official confirmed Kerry held four hours of late-night talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU deputy foreign policy chief Helga Schmid, adding to days of already bruising negotiations.

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved Amaravathi as capital of the State

(i) Andhra Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on 1 April 2015 approved that Amaravathi will be the new capital city of the state. 

(ii) The capital will come up at Tullur in Vijayawada-Guntur region of the state.

(iii) The name of Amaravathi as state capital was finalised in view of its historical, spiritual and mythological significance.

(iv) Besides this, AP cabinet also approved the first phase of the master plan prepared by Singapore government agencies and the new industrial policy, which will accelerate industrialisation of the state. 

Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died

(i) Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died on 1 April 2015 due to cardiac arrest in a private hospital of Saket in New Delhi. He was 79. 

(ii) He is survived by his wife and daughter Ananya Vajpeyi. 

(iii) Kailash Vajpeyi was born in 1936 at Hamirpur of Uttar Pradesh and began his career as a journalist and subsequently started teaching at Delhi University.

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Daily GK Update 31st March 2015

1. Kohli steady at no. 4, Dhawan rises to no. 6 in ICC rankings

(i) A lacklustre World Cup performance notwithstanding, Virat Kohli remained the highest-

placed Indian batsman at fourth even as Shikhar Dhawan rose a rung to sixth in the latest ICC ODI rankings issued today.

(ii) Apart from Kohli and Dhawan, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the other Indian batsman to be inside the top-10, hanging on to the eighth spot.

(iii) Australia retained the ODI Shield and won USD 175,000 after finishing as the number—one ranked side on the April 1 cut—off date. India collected USD 75,000 for finishing second in the team rankings.

(iv) Among the bowlers, Australia’s Mitchell Starc has surged to the top for the first time in his career following a stellar performance in the World Cup that also fetched him the player of the tournament award.

2. Daniel Vettori retired from all forms of International Cricket

(i) Daniel Vettori, the cricketer of New Zealand on 30 March 2015 retired from all forms of International Cricket. 

(ii) The veteran spinner officially announced his retirement after the final match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. 

(iii) In his final match against Australia, he scored nine runs and took 0-25 from five overs. 

(iv) But his 13 wickets and his economy rate throughout the tournament helped New Zealand in qualifying for the World Cup final for the first time.

3. Big B inaugurates ‘India by the Nile festival’ in Egypt

(i) India’s megastar Amitabh Bachchan inaugurated the third edition of the India by the Nile festival during a ceremony attended by the top crux of Egypt’s diplomatic, social and business circle here.

(ii) The 72-year-old actor was excited about his three-day visit to the Egypt’s capital and commended the Embassy of India and Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Egypt for their efforts to organise the festival.

(iii) Mr. Bachchan is set to visit the Pyramids on Tuesday and also be a part of a special session with noted film journalist and author Sidharth Bhatia at the Cairo Opera House.

4. God’s Bankers authored by Gerald Posner released

(i) God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican: Gerald Posner

Book titled God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican authored by Gerald Posner was released on 3 February 2015. 

(ii) Posner is an American investigative journalist and an author, through this book he has tried to present the secret side of the 200-year history of Vatican finances and the Vatican Bank, the Catholic Church's completely independent financial institution.

4. A look at Bharat Ratna 2015

(i) President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday conferred Bharat Ratna, country's highest civilian award, on acclaimed educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya. On Friday, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred with the honour.

(ii) The Padma awards, which include Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, were also given to many noted persons by the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday.

5. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took over as Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command

(i) Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on 30 March 2015 took over charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command. 

(ii) He took the charge from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema at a ceremonial parade held at the Naval base in Kochi. 

(iii) Prior to assuming command, Vice Admiral Lanba laid a wreath at the War Memorial.

(iv) Vice Admiral Cheema will now assume the charge of the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command on 31 March 2015 on the retirement of the present incumbent, Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chopra.

6. SEBI proposes new fund-raising platform for start-ups

(i) To help start-ups and young entrepreneurs raise funds, the Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) of India today proposed an ‘Alternate Capital Raising Platform’, wherein such firms can raise money from institutions and HNIs from the capital markets under a relaxed regulatory regime.

(ii) However, retail investors would be restricted from investing in such companies, given the risks involved therein, SEBI said, while adding that the adequate disclosures would be required to be made without hampering the capital-raising potential of such firms in new-age sectors like technology.

(iii) The move is aimed at helping such companies raise funds from within India and stop their flight to overseas markets.

7. Union Cabinet gave its approval for the Approach and Key Components of e-Kranti

(i) The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 gave its approval for the Approach and Key Components of e-Kranti: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0. 

(ii) e-Kranti is an important pillar of the Digital India programme and the programme has been envisaged by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

8. Himachal Pradesh Government launched India’s first e-Vidhan Mobile apps

(i) Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on 30 March 2015 launched part one of e-Vidhan Mobile apps. 

(ii) The app could be accessed by all the members 45 minutes before the question hours on android and tablets having information about the day business.

(iii) With this launch, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first state assembly in the country to launch e-Vidhan Mobile apps. 

(iv) This e-Vidhan system will help the state to save about 8 crore rupees per annum that is spent on the paper.

9. Tamannaah launches her online jewellery design store

(i) Accomplished actor Tamannaah will showcase her talent as a jewellery designer after winning hearts of youth with her gorgeous roles in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. 

(ii) The actress, with a penchant for designing, has launched an online jewellery store ‘www.witengold.com’ promising unique and exquisite designs for every occasion.

(iii) She will also wear the personally designed jewellery in her future films. 

(iv) “My next Tamil film – Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga will showcase my designs. It means people can actually see me wearing the kind of products I am designing,” she said.

10. SBI to divest up at 10% stake in its life insurance venture

(i) State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday said it plans to divest up to 10 per cent stake in its life insurance arm SBI Life. 

(ii) “The executive committee of the central board has today authorised divestment of SBI’s stake in SBI Life Insurance by up to 10 per cent,” SBI said in a statement.

(iii) SBI Life Insurance is a joint venture between SBI and BNP Paribas Cardif of France. 

(iv) At present, SBI owns 74 per cent of the total capital and BNP Paribas Cardif has the remaining 26 per cent in the joint venture.

(v) SBI Life Insurance has an authorised capital of Rs. 2,000 crore and a paid-up capital of Rs. 1,000 crore, according to its website. 

(vi) Earlier this month, the Parliament had passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015 which seeks to increase foreign investment in private sector companies to 49 per cent from the existing 26 per cent, among other things.

11. IBM to invest $3 billion in 'Internet of Things' unit

(i) IBM is investing $3 billion to build an “Internet of Things” division aimed at harnessing the massive trove of data collected by smartphones, tablets, connected vehicles and appliances and using it to help companies better manage their businesses.

(ii) IBM estimates that 90 per cent of all data generated by mobile and “smart” devices is never analysed. 

(iii) The company hopes to change this by teaming up with companies such as Twitter and the Weather Co., the owner of the Weather Channel, and developing cloud-based data services and tools for app developers.

(iv) IBM plans to launch an online service that helps insurance companies extract insight from connected vehicles, to create new pricing and services customised to individual drivers.

Read more »

Daily GK Update 30th March 2015

1. Madan Mohan Malaviya posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna

(i) Freedom fighter and educationist, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on 30 March 2015 was conferred the highest civilian award of the country Bharat Ratna (posthumous). 

(ii) His family members received the award from President Prabab Mukherjee at a function in the Ashoka hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

(iii) The award was given to Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya or Mahamana Malaviya’s family for his outstanding work in the field of education and the country's freedom struggle.

(iv) Pandit Malaviya was born on 25 December 1861 in Allahabad. He studied at Calcutta University and became a school teacher. 

(v) Later he also practiced as a lawyer and even a newspaper editor. He was the founder of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Hindu Mahasabha.

2. BHEL bags a power plant contract in Telangana

(i) The government of the state of Telangana has been taking planned and precautionary steps to ensure sufficient power in upcoming years. 

(ii) CM K Chandrashekar Rao, recently announced that Telangana would become a state with surplus power. 

(iii) The state-run heavy electrical equipment manufacturer BHEL has confirmed that it has bagged a contract of over Rs 5,000 crore worth. 

(iv) The PSU got finalized for executing a thermal power plant at Manuguru in Khammam district. 

(v) “Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TSGENCO) has awarded Bhel with an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) order for setting up a 1,080 MW thermal power plant in the state,” BHEL said in a statement.

(vi) “Valued at over Rs. 5,000 crore, the order envisages setting up a thermal plant at Manuguru in Khammam District of Telangana,” it said, the equipment maker has to commission the project in 24 months.

3. Saina, Srikant won India Open Super Series Badminton Women's & Men's Singles titles

(i) Indian shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth on 29 March 2015 won the women’s and men's singles titles of the 275000 dollar India Open Super Series badminton tournament. 

(ii) In the final clash played at the Siri Fort Indoor Complex in New Delhi, Saina defeated former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-16, 21-14.

(iii) Later in the title clash of the men’s section, World Number Four and second seed Srikanth defeated sixth seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 18-21, 21-13, 21-12. 

(iv) It is second Super Series title of his career.

(v) Earlier on 28 March 2015, Saina Nehwal became the first woman badminton player from India to be ranked number one in the world. 

(vi) She is the second Indian player to achieve this feat, after Prakash Padukone.

4. Earth Hour 2015 observed globally from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm local time

(i) Earth Hour 2015 was observed globally on 28 March 2015 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The tagline for the global campaign was Change Climate Change. 

(ii) This was the ninth edition of the Earth Hour that started in 2007.

(iii) Earth Hour 2015 was observed across 172 nations and territories and around 1400+ iconic landmarks of the world switched off the lights.

(iv) Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) since 2007 when it was first observed in Sydney, Australia. 

5. Sebastian Vettel defeats Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Malaysian Grand Prix

(i) Finally, the top F1 podium sees a different name from a team no stranger from the top position. 

(ii) Sebastian Vettel from team Ferrari crossed the chequered flag to beat Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and  Nico Rosberg in the Malaysian Grand Prix. 

(iii) The German racer who finished 5th in the last year’s championship enjoyed his fourth win in Malaysia and first time in a Ferrari.

6. Russia, Australia, Netherlands to join AIIB

(i) A late surge among top European countries, including Germany, France, Britain, and now Russia along with Australia to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), has imparted a new sense of realism to Beijing’s Silk Road plans.

(ii) If implemented, they are likely to shift the global balance of economic power towards Eurasia.

(iii) On Saturday, Russia, Australia and the Netherlands, announced its decision to join the China-led AIIB. 

(iv) The decision of key European powers along with South Korea to join the bank, overriding strong objections from the United States, has split the Atlantic Alliance on this issue.

7. Aditi Arya won the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 title

(i) Aditi Arya of Delhi won the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 title on 28 March 2015 at the 52nd edition of the beauty contest held at Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai. 

(ii) She was crowned with the title by Koyal Rana, Femina Miss India 2014.

(iii) The first runner-up was Aafreen Rachel Vaz of Mangaluru, Karnataka and the second runner-up was Vartika Singh of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

(iv) Aditi Arya will represent India at Miss World 2015; Aafreen Rachel will participate at Miss International 2015, while Vartika Singh will take part at the Miss Grand International beauty pageants.

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Daily GK Update 29th March 2015

Kangaroos leap over Kiwis in 7-wicket WC final win

(i) In yet another display of world-beating tenacity, Australia rode on fifties by captain Michael Clarke — his final ODI — and Steve Smith — who continued with his relentless run of form — to defeat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the World Cup 2015 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

(ii) As Smith pulled the winning boundary to crush a New Zealand fairytale and clinch a fifth World Cup for Australia on Sunday, Clarke's side celebrated a glorious end to a journey marked by a period of self-doubt and grief for a fallen teammate.

(iii) Captain Clarke retires from one-day cricket with his legacy intact but his team will charge on to the 2019 tournament with renewed belief in their ability to re-generate, adapt and rebound from the stiffest of challenges.

Federal Reserve chief Yellen sees gradual rate hikes starting this year

(i) Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signalled that the U.S. central bank will likely start raising borrowing costs later this year, even before inflation and wages have returned to health, but emphasised the return to normal interest rates will be gradual.

(ii) A downturn in core inflation or wage growth could force the Fed to delay the first increase to borrowing costs since 2006, the central bank’s chief said on Friday, but policymakers should not wait for inflation to near the Fed’s 2 per cent goal before tightening monetary policy. 

(iii) The Fed has held short-term borrowing costs near zero since December 2008.

Cyrus Vandrevala, Jasminder Singh bag Asian Business Award

(i) Investor Cyrus Vandrevala and hotelier Jasminder Singh were the prominent winners at an Asian Business Awards ceremony in London. Mr. Vandrevala, formerly a resident of Mumbai and co-founder of investment company Intrepid Capital Partners (ICP), received the Global Investor of the Year Award at the ceremony on Friday night.

(ii) ICP recently announced a Rs.1,000-crore facility for the housing and infrastructure sectors in western India. 

(iii) The company promises to in due course raise the lending to Rs. 5,000 crore.

(iv) Both Mr. Singh and Mr. Vandrevala figured among the billionaires in the first ever Global India Rich List compiled by London’s Raymedia earlier this month.

ISRO navigation satellite in orbit

(i) India on Saturday demonstrated its ability to establish an independent regional navigation satellite system, as ISRO’s PSLV C-27 successfully launched Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) 1-D satellite into the intended orbit.

(ii) “We will now be able to make use of our receivers to locate ourselves independently,” ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said. This is the first launch this year and the first under his chairmanship.

(iii) While the ambit of the U.S. GPS was global, the IRNSS was meant for regional coverage, he said, replying to a query. “The globe comes later, the country comes first.”

(iv) IRNSS 1-D is the fourth of the series of seven satellites, which would form ISRO’s IRNSS.

Lee among the tallest leaders of our times: Modi

(i) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described Singapore’s founder prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as “among the tallest leaders of our times”.

(ii) Mr. Modi arrived in Singapore early on Sunday to join a host of world leaders for the funeral of Lee, who died at the age of 91 on Monday after a long battle with pneumonia.

(iii) “The passing away of Lee Kuan Yew marks the end of an era.He was among the tallest leaders of our times,” Mr. Modi said addressing the media.

(iv) “He was a global thinker, who saw things ahead of others. He was an advocate of economic progress, but also made tireless efforts to advance peace and stability in our region,” he said.

(v) “In India, we deeply valued his friendship and his support for the country’s economic progress and global role.”

India's forex reserves up by $4.26 bn

(i) India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $4.26 billion to $339.99 billion for the week ended March 20, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showed.

(ii) The RBI is cautious about the US Fed’s stand that the rate hike might take place in the later part of the year.

(iii) With higher interest rates in the US, the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) are expected to be led away from the emerging markets such as India.

(iv) The US Fed dropped an assurance to be “patient” in raising interest rates and signalled the hike could come by mid to late this year.

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Daily GK Update 28th March 2015

Delhi Government launched India’s first e-ration card Service

(i) Delhi Government on 27 March 2015 launched India’s first e-ration card service. The service was launched by the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal.

(ii) In this service, E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards and it would enable the beneficiaries of Public Distribution System (PDS) to get the cards online from the government’s web portal without hassles.

(iii) The new service is expected to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system.

(iv) The service would cut down the delays in preparation of ration card and would ensure the fast delivery to the beneficiaries.

Saina becomes World No. 1

(i) Saina Nehwal has what it takes to be World No. 1. She is taking over the top spot from Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui.

(ii) Officially, Saina will hold the coveted spot from April 3.

(iii) With Li Xuerui — at the top for 119 weeks since December 20, 2012 — choosing not to defend the points earned in reaching the final of the Indian Open last year for being fully fit to defend her Malaysia Open title next week, the ranking points earned by Saina in reaching the final of the Indian Open here on Saturday were enough to overtake the Chinese.

TC Goyal to retire from the post of Managing Director of DLF Limited

(i) TC Goyal, the Managing Director realty major DLF Limited, will retire on 31 March 2015. This was informed by the company in a filing to Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 26 March 2015.

(ii) He will also resign as director of the company. His resignation has been accepted by the Board of Directors of DLF Limited.

(iii) Mohit Gujral and Rajeev Talwar would be jointly responsible for affairs of the company after the retirement of TC Goyal. Mohit Gujral and Rajeev Talwar are the Whole Time Directors of the company.

Tim Cook to donate millions to charity

(i) American multinational Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook has announced that he will donate millions of dollars of his wealth to charity before he dies, a media report said on Saturday.

(ii) Mr. Cook said he would leave his wealth, worth over $800 million, to philanthropic causes after paying for his 10-year-old nephew’s college education, BBC reported citing a Fortune magazine interview. 

(iii) With the commitment, Mr. Cook has become part of a growing trend among wealthy individuals like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who are giving away their fortunes to charity.

(iv) According to Fortune magazine, Mr. Cook holds $120 million worth of Apple shares and a further $665 million of restricted stocks.

RBI signed Currency Swap Agreement with Central Bank of Sri Lanka

(i) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 25 March 2015 signed a 400 million US dollar currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. 

(ii) The agreement is valid for a period of three years from the date of signing.

(iii) According to the agreement, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make withdrawals of US dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of 400 million US dollar or its equivalent. 

(iv) This agreement will further economic co-operation between the two countries and also bring in more financial stability in the region.

Railways aim to eliminate direct discharge toilets by 2020-21

(i) Aiming to eliminate direct discharge toilets from its entire fleet of passenger coaches by 2020-21, Railways has drawn up an action plan to replace them with environment-friendly bio-toilets.

(ii) “While 17,338 existing toilets in trains have been replaced with bio-toilets till date, our aim is to equip the entire coaching fleet with bio-toilets,” said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project.

(iii) According to the action plan, all new coaches would be fitted with bio-toilets by 2016-17, while the retrofitting of existing coaches with bio-toilets will continue.

(iv) For the 2015-16 fiscal, Railways has set the target to fit 17,000 bio—toilets in long—distance trains as part of its ’Swachh Rail -- Swachh Bharat’ programme.

Russia joins Asian infrastructure bank

(i) Russia has decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the latest country to sign up as the application deadline draws close, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov said on Saturday.

(ii) He made the announcement at the 2015 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia in the coastal town of China’s southern island province of Hainan, Xinhua reported.

(iii) According to the Asia Development Bank (ADB) data, Asia’s infrastructure demand is expected to reach some $730 billion per year by 2020, but the supply of investment funds from the World Bank and the ADB falls far short of the demand.

RBI to trim bank exposure

(i) Concerned over the rising NPAs (non-performing assets) in the banking sector, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to lower the ceiling on how much a bank can lend to a single corporate group.

(ii) Under the proposal, banks can lend up to 25 per cent of their core capital to a single corporate group.

(iii) Currently, they have been given flexibility, with riders though, to lend up to 55 per cent of their core capital to a single corporate group.

(iv) The apex bank has proposed that the revised lower ceiling could come into effect from January 1, 2019.

(v) The RBI also wants to align its lending caps to companies with the 25 per cent norm set by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, which comes into effect from January 1, 2019.

Read more »

Daily GK Update 27th March 2015

1. Twitter launches Meerkat-killer app Periscope

(i) The Periscope app, like Meerkat, allows anyone to stream live video to a wide audience with their smartphone. 

(ii) The new app "lets you share and experience live video from your mobile phone" and is "a perfect complement to Twitter, which is why we acquired the company in January," Twitter's Kevin Weil said in a blog post.

(iii) The Periscope team outlined a range of possibilities for the service, including how it can turn any smartphone user into a global reporter.

(iv) "What if you could see through the eyes of a protester in Ukraine? Or watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia?" the Periscope team blog said.

(v) "It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation. 

(vi) While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video."

(vii) The team said it sees tremendous potential for the app, which is available to iPhone users with one for Android devices in the works.

2. Supreme Court stayed AFT's decision to quash Army's 2009 Promotion Policy

(i) The Supreme Court of India on 26 March 2015 stayed the decision of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) to quash the Army's promotion policy for the rank of Colonel from January 2009. 

(ii) The 2009 promotion policy of Army is based on Command Exit Model (CEM).

(iii) The decision of AFT was stayed by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justice TS Thakur (head of the bench), Justice R Banumathi and Justice Amitava Roy.

(iv) The decision of AFT was quashed by the SC after the Defence Ministry appealed before the SC and justified the CEM policy. 

(v) It justified the promotion policy on the grounds that the Army, being the employer, has a right to have its promotion policies and that the AFT should not have interfered in the policy decision.

3. Vikas Swarup appointed as MEA spokesman

(i) Diplomat Vikas Swarup was appointed as an official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 25 March 2015. 

(ii) Swarup a 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer is also author of bestseller debut novel Q&A, on which the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire was based. 

(iii) Swarup succeeds incumbent spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin and will take the charge of the office on 18 April 2015.

(iv) Syed Akbaruddin, who became the spokesman of MEA in December 2011, has been appointed as Chief Coordinator of the Indo-Africa Forum Summit. 

(v) The India-Africa Summit is scheduled to be hosted by New Delhi on 29 October 2015.

4. India ranks 37 out of 102 countries in Open Government Index 

(i) India has been ranked 37 out of 102 countries in the Open Government Index, that measures the government openness based on the general public's experiences and perceptions. 

(ii) In the World Justice Project's (WJP) Open Government Index 2015 report, India was ranked at the 37th place, with an overall score of 0.57, followed by 

(iii) Among the other leading emerging market countries, Russia was ranked at the 67th position and China was placed further down at 87th place. 

(iv) Moreover, India (37th rank globally) also topped the regional ranking among South Asian countries, followed by Nepal (40th rank), Sri Lanka (52), Bangladesh (73), Pakistan (83) and Afghanistan (89). 

5. IndiGo heads towards $400 mn IPO as air travel booms 

(i) India's biggest airline by market share, IndiGo, is preparing to file a draft prospectus by May for a stock listing to raise $300 million to $400 million, two people with knowledge of the plans said, aiming to cash in on a boom in budget air travel. 

(ii) IndiGo, owned by hospitality and travel company InterGlobe Enterprises, has built a profitable base helped by its low-cost model using a single type of narrow-body planes. 

(iii) By contrast, rivals like SpiceJet and Air India are losing money - even as millions more Indians travel each year - due to high operating costs and tough competition that has kept fares among the lowest in the world. 

6. Infosys to Give 6.5-9% Hike This Year

(i) Infosys, the country's second largest software services firm, will give out pay hikes in the range of 6.5 per cent to 9 per cent to employees in India for the financial year 2015-16.

(ii) Effective April 1, the Bangalore-based firm is offering average hike of about 6.5 per cent, sources said.

(iii) On the other hand, top performers at the firm will be given a hike of about 9 per cent, while salaries of onsite employees will be raised by about 2 per cent, they added.

(iv) Infosys' company spokesperson confirmed the news.

(v) Last year, Infosys had given salary hikes of about 6-8 per cent to employees in India, and about 1-2 per cent for onsite employees.

7. TB drug reminder services launched

(i) Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad and The Union (International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease) have introduced a Tuberculosis (TB) intervention programme that will send reminders to patients about administration of drugs and also notify cases to authorities.

(ii) Patients will get reminders through SMS, voice calls and even counselling if they skip taking the prescribed TB drugs, doctors said. 

(iii) A special software has been developed that will automatically upload patient information to TB notification website Nikshay of Government of India. 

(iv) The software at the same time will support treatment adherence for patients.

(v) While launching the intervention programme, hospital officials said that out of 2.2 million (22 lakh) fresh cases, 50 per cent prefer private sector for TB treatment.

8. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Receives Bharat Ratna, India's Highest

Civilian Honour

(i) Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the country's most-respected politicians, has been conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, today.

(ii) The leader, who has been ailing for the last few years, received the award at his Delhi home from President Pranab Mukherjee.

(iii) Mr Vajpayee, 90, was the country's first non-Congress Prime Minister who served a full five-year term - from 1998 to 2004. 

(iv) Among his boldest initiatives was the historic bus journey to Lahore in 1999 when he signed the landmark Lahore Declaration with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with both sides pledging to push for peace and security.

(v) India's second nuclear test at Pokhran, in May 1998, also took place during his tenure.

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Daily GK Update 26th March 2015

1. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the National Super Computing Mission

(i) Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi approved the National Super Computing Mission on 25 March 2015.

(ii) The mission aims at bringing the High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities within the reach of the scientific community by augmenting indigenous supercomputing infrastructure.

(iii) The mission will be implemented at an estimated cost of 4500 crore rupees over a period of seven years.

(iv) The mission will be jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) through the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore respectively.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched PRAGATI platform for redressal of grievances

(i) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. 

(ii) PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at addressing grievances of common man. 

(iii) PRAGATI aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing Union Government programmes and projects as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

(iv) It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).

(v) Prime Minister will hold a monthly programme where he will interact with the Government of India Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries through Video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals.

3. Dalal Street Investment Journal presented the 6th PSU Awards

(i) Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ) presented its sixth Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Awards on 24 March 2015 in New Delhi.

(ii) The awards were given in recognition of performance excellence and their contribution to the economy.

(iii) Fifteen PSUs were selected under various categories based on their performance in the year 2014. 

(iv) The performance assessment was based on a model developed by KPMG considering various financial parameters such as productivity, efficiency, efficacy, profitability, corporate social responsibility, etc.

4. India and Qatar inked six agreements to increase commercial and economic exchanges

(i) India and Qatar on 25 March 2015 signed six agreements to increase commercial and economic exchanges between India and Qatar. 

(ii) The deals have a special focus on the Make in India initiative. 

(iii) These six agreements were inked in New Delhi in presence of Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

(iv) Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani was on a two day official visit to India on 25 March and 26 March 2015.

1. Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons
2. MoU for Cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology
3. MoU between Ministry of Earth sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for Scientific and Technical cooperation
4. MoU between Diplomatic Institute of MOFA, Qatar and Foreign Service Institute, MEA
5. MoU for cooperation in the field of Radio and Television
6. Agreement for Mutual Cooperation and Exchange of News

5. NASA's Curiosity rover discovered biologically useful Nitrogen on Mars

(i) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Curiosity rover found evidence of nitrogen on the surface of Mars. 

(ii) The discovery adds to the evidence that ancient Mars was habitable for life.

(iii) The finding was published by the NASA on its website on 24 March 2015.

(iv) The discovery was made by a team of scientists using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument placed aboard the rover. 

(v) Nitrogen was found in the form of Nitric Oxide which was released when Martian sediments were heated.

(vi) The discovery assumes significance because of the critical role of nitrogen as the building block of RNA and DNA which control life processes.

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