Daily GK Updates:11th January 2016

1.Balkrishna Garg conferred with 2015 Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award

Veteran hindi poet Balkrishna Garg was on 8 January 2016 conferred with the 2015 Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award in New Delhi. He received the award for his Baa Geet, which is a collection of poems for children.

The award was presented by Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust (NBT) Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma.

It was the second award to be conferred since its inception in 2014 and consists of a cash prize of 75000 rupees, a shawl and a citation.

The award was instituted in the memory of Harikrishna Devsare, a renowned Hindi writer known for his work in the field of children’s literature, who passed away in 2013.

2.Milos Raonic won 2016 Brisbane International Tennis men’s singles trophy

Milos Raonic of Canada on 10 December 2015 won the 2016 Brisbane International Tennis men’s singles trophy.

To win the title, the 14th world ranking player defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-4 6-4 in the final match held at Brisbane in Australia. At present, Roger Federer is at the third position in the world singles ranking.

For Raonic, it was the 8th World ATP tour title in his career and the first title in the 2016 season.

Winners in other categories

• Women’s Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)

• Men’s Doubles: Henri Kontinen (Finland) & John Peers (Australia)

• Women’s Doubles: Sania Mirza (India) & Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

3.Rene Holten Poulsen named Denmark's sportsperson of 2015

Danish kayaker Rene Holten Poulsen on 9 January 2016 was named the Denmark’s sportsperson of the year 2015.

The Sports Confederation of Denmark and Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper voted to award Poulsen the prize, which is known as Sports Name of the Year and is among the country's top sports prizes.

About Rene Holten Poulsen

• Rene Holten Poulsen is a professional kayaker and medallist at the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships.

• He won a silver medal in the men's K-2 1000 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

• He had won a total of six medals in international championships in 2015, including two World Cup medals, three European Championship medals and one European Games bronze medal.

• For his 2015 achievements, Poulsen has also been nominated for the World Paddler Awards 2015.

4.President inaugurated 88th Annual Conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan

The President Pranab Mukherjee on 10 January 2016 inaugurated the three day long 88th annual conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan in Ranchi, Jharkhand. 

In this conference, delegates from all over the country attend to hold thematic discussions, meet Bengali authors, novelists, and poets, attend literary sessions, exchange thoughts with scholars of the other languages.

All participants of the conference would also be encouraged to contribute towards Indian literature continously.

About Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan

• Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan is an annual convention of Bengali literary personages of India.

• Under the great Bengali literary personalities like Atul Prasad Sen, Kazi Nazrul Islam and others, the Sammelan prospered to have branches every major city and town of India.

•It serves Bengali literature and Bengali culture in almost all the states of India. The central office of the organization is located at New Delhi.

• It was initially known as Prabasi Banga-Sahitya Sammelan and was held annually.

• The first annual conference was held in Benares in 1922 and presided over by Kobiguru Rabindranath Thakur. And in 1923 its Varanasi session was patronized by Rabindra Nath Tagore.

• Between 1922 and 1980 the conference travelled all over India, from major cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Lucknow, and Hyderabad, to small cities like Srinagar and Guwahati.

• After Independence, in 1953 the coinage 'Prabasi' was dropped and 'Nikhil Bharat' (All India) was adopted in the context of the free nation.

• The organization publishes a regular Bengali journal called 'Sammelani' and various other books related to Bengali literature and culture.

5.Process to formulate new constitution began in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka on 9 January 2016 began the process to formulate new constitution. In this regard, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented a resolution in the Parliament to set up a Constitutional Assembly.

The primary objective behind framing the new constitution is to replace the current executive president headed constitution adopted in 1978.

The present constitution, especially the powerful nature of the Presidency, has become controversial due to the growing authoritarian tendencies in a single office.

Details related to constitution making process

• The proposed Constitutional Assembly (CA) will consist of incumbent members of parliament as its members.
• The CA will evolve a Constitution Bill, as per the Article 75 of the Constitution, after the completion of deliberations and collecting views and advice from the people.

• The Speaker of Parliament will be the Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly and there will be seven Deputy Chairmen of the Constitutional Assembly, who shall be elected by the Constitutional Assembly.

• However, the primary responsibility of drafting the constitution will rest on a steering committee of 17 members.

• To come into effect, the draft Constitution Bill should be approved the Parliament with a special majority followed by a referendum.

6.Book titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT authoured by Jain Acharya Maharaj released

MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT: Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji  Maharaj

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 January 2016 released a book titled “MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT “(My India Noble India) written by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj.

This is the 300^th book of Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj. The book release function was organized by Sahitya Satkar Samiti of Ratnatrayee Trust in Mumbai.

The book, My India, Nobel India, will be available in four languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.

The author through his book has highlighted various social evils, deficiencies prevailing at individual level, and also expressed his anger about those evils.

7.14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi

The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. The event was inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by Priti Patel, MoS for Employment, United Kingdom.

Apart from the main event in New Delhi, the day was celebrated by the MEA, across the world, through its missions/posts abroad.

On this occasion, Sushma Swaraj announced that the government is considering Aadhaar cards to non-resident Indians (NRIs) and allowing women workers to Gulf countries only through the government agencies to ensure they were not duped by recruiting agents or firms.

The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was unique for two reasons-

1) It was the first limited edition of the PBD. The government, in 2015, took a decision to limit the PBD conference as a biannual event and extend the PBD across the world and throughout the year. In effect, the next PBD conference will be held in 2017.

2) It was organised for the first time by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the government’s decision to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with it. Earlier it used to celebrated by the MOIA.

About Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

• It is being held annually since 2003 to bring the Indian Diaspora on a single platform and leverage their resources in nation building activities.

• The day is held annually on 9 January 2015 to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India.

• Apart from the PBD, regional PBDs were also held across the world. The most recent, 9th RPBD was held in November 2015, in Los Angeles, the USA.

• The 13th PBD was held in Gujarat marked the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa.

8.Nepal elected as UNICEF’s executive board member for 2016-2018

Nepal on 9 January 2016 was elected to the UNICEF executive board, representing the group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.

Nepal's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Durga Prasad Bhattarai, was also unanimously elected vice-president to the Bureau of the Executive Board of the UNICEF for 2016.

Nepal recently completed its terms as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for 2013-2015 and as vice-president from Asia-Pacific region at the executive board of United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Office for Project Services for the year 2015.

Nepal had contributed to the UNICEF by remaining in the executive board in different times including 1982 to 1985, 1992 to 1995 and 2002 to 2004.

About United Nations Children's Fund

• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a United Nations program that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

• It is one of the members of the United Nations Development Group and its Executive Committee.

• UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

• Maurice Pate, American humanitarian and businessman, co-founded the United Nations Children's Fund with Herbert Hoover in 1947.

• In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. However, it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this previous title.

9.International Kite festival started in Ahmedabad

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 10 January 2016 inaugurated the 28th edition of International Kite Festival at Sabarmati River front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The Kite festival of Gujarat marks Uttarayan, the day when winter begins to turn into summer, according to the Indian calendar.

The five-day annual event saw participation of about 98 foreign kite flyers from 28 different nations and 55 participants from 8 different states and 28 kite flyers from Gujarat.

While inaugurating the festival, Chief Minister Patel claimed that the festival has boosted the kite-making industry along with attracting foreign tourists in Gujarat. She also said that in last one decade the business of kite making has grown from 100 crore rupees to 700 crore rupees.

The international kite festival is simultaneously organized in other cities of the state including Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Porbandar, Mandvi, Botad, Surendranagar, and Modhera.

About Uttarayan
Uttarayan is the sign for farmers that the sun is back and that harvest season is approaching which is called Makara Sankranti. This day is considered to be one of the most important harvest days in India.

10. 11th World Hindi Day observed on 10 January

10 January: World Hindi Day

The 11th World Hindi Day was celebrated on 10 January 2016. To mark the occasion, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through its missions/posts abroad and the Department of Official Language (Rajbhasha) conducted special events to spread the greatness of the language.

The day was first observed on 10 January 2006. And, it is in addition to the National Hindi Divas that is being celebrated annually on 14 September.

National Hindi Divas is celebrated to mark the day, 14 September 1949, on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union.

While the focus of the World Hindi Day is the promotion of the at the global stage, the National Hindi Divas is held across the country.

About Hindi

• Hindi as a language is the fourth most spoken language of the world. 
• In India, Hindi is used as a mother tongue by around 258 million people.
• It is a native language for most people living in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• Outside Asia, Hindi is an official language in Fiji. The Constitution of Fiji states 3 official languages, namely English, Fijian, and Hindi. The dialect of Hindi spoken there is known as Fiji Baat or Fiji Hindi.
• At present Hindi as a language is spoken in more than 20 countries around the world and is being taught in 150 Universities of the world.

Constitutional Provision for Hindi language

Official Language policy of the Union has been explained in detail under Article 120 (Part-V), Article 210 (Part-VI) and, especially in Part XVII, Article 343, 344 and from 348 to 351.

11.Noted Hindi writer Ravindra Kalia passed away

Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. He was 78.

Kalia had been suffering from liver cirrhosis.

The writer is known for his works like Nau Saal Chotti Patni andGhalib Chutti Sharab.

The former Bharatiya Jnanpith director, Kalia was also the editor of several literary magazines, including Naya Gyanodaya.

Born on 11 November 1938 in Jalandhar, Punjab, Kalia was mainly famous for writing stories, novels, memoirs and satires.

The writer had been honoured with Uttar Pradesh (UP) Premchand Memorail Award, UP Sahitya Bhushan Award, UP Lohia Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani award and Pdumlal Bakshi Award of Madhya Pradesh Government.

12. 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards announced in California

The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced on 11 January 2015 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the US. These annual awards honour the best in Motion Pictures and Television for the year 2015.

The Revenant won the Best Motion Picture – Drama while best Actor and best Director Awards were conferred to Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Inarritu for the same movie. Brie Larson won the best actress award for ‘The Martian’ Movie.

List of winners of the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards:

MOTION PICTURES

Category	Film	Name
Picture, Drama	The Revenant
Picture, Musical or Comedy	The Martian
Actor, Drama:	The Revenant	Leonardo DiCaprio,
Actress, Drama:	Room	Brie Larson,
Director	The Revenant	Alejandro Inarritu,
Actor, Musical or Comedy	The Martian	Matt Damon
Actress, Musical or Comedy	Joy	Jennifer Lawrence
Supporting Actor	Creed	Sylvester Stallone,
Supporting Actress,	Steve Jobs	Kate Winslet
Foreign Language	Son of Saul
Animated Film	Inside Out
Screenplay:	Steve Jobs	Aaron Sorkin,
Original Score	The Hateful Eight	Ennio Morricone
Original Song                     "Writing's on the Wall" music and lyrics	Spectre	Sam Smith, Jimmy Napes

TELEVISION

Category	Film	Name
Series, Drama	Mr. Robot
Actor, Drama:	Mad Men	Jon Hamm
Actress, Drama:	Empire	Taraji P. Henson
Series, Comedy	Mozart in the Jungle
Actor, Musical or Comedy	Mozart in the Jungle	Gael Garcia Bernal
Actress, Musical or Comedy	Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	Rachel Bloom,
Movie or Limited Series:	Wolf Hall
Actor, Limited Series Movie	Show Me a Hero	Oscar Isaacor TV
Actress, Movie or Limited Series	American Horror Story: Hotel	Lady Gaga
Supporting Actor,  , Limited Series or TV Movie	Mr. Robot	Christian Slater
Supporting Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie:	The Affair	Maura Tierney
Cecil B. DeMille Award:		Denzel    Washington

13.DRDO successfully test fired New Tank Ammunition for Arjun MBT

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 6 January 2016 successfully test fired the new Penetration-Cum Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition tank at Chandipur, Odisha.  This was specially designed for Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT).

The trials were conducted jointly with Army and were aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ammunitions on derelict tank fitted with instrumentation to measure the shocks, blast pressure and temperature at various locations and on advanced imaging systems.

The trials were very effective and the damage was devastated with the firing of ammunition successfully destroying the target tank and severely damaging its turret, barrel, tracks, ammunition bin, various sights, antennas etc.

The trials were unique as for the first time such evaluation was carried out in India which gave a quantum jump in the fire-power of Arjun tanks.

About The New Ammunition Tank:

• The ammunitions was developed by Pune based DRDO laboratories Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL). 
• An innovative chemical composition was developed by HEMRL after extensive research for the TB ammunition. 
• During the development phase, these ammunitions were evaluated against different simulated targets which are armour plates, concrete structures and fortifications. 

About Arjun  Main Battle Tank (MBT)

A state-of-the-art weapon and ammunition system was developed by the DRDO for the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) by adopting novel design concepts and latest technological advancement at par with the industrially advanced countries.

 The system is capable of destroying modern heavy targets up to a range of 5000 metres. 
All aspects leading to ergonomics, product reliability, maintenance, ease of operation, and futuristic performance enhancement have been incorporated in the design of the system.
The following indigenous technologies have been developed and established during the course of the system development.

• Electro slag refined (ESR) steel for gun barrels

• Partial length autofrettaging of gun barrels

• High pressure packing rings for recoil system

• Tungsten alloy penetrators

• Fin stabilised kinetic energy shot

• Special alloy steel obturating cups for cartridge cases

• Semi-combustible cartridge case and primer.

14. Stanislas Wawrinka won third consecutive Chennai Open title

Stanislas Wawrinka on 10 January 2016 won his Chennai Open title. In the summit clash at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium of Chennai, he defeated Croatian Borna Coric 6-3, 7-5. 

This is the fourth Chennai Open title for the Swiss player and the third consecutive win, who first won it in 2011. 

With this win, Wawrinka lifted the cup and got the award money of 75700 US dollars and got away with 250 ATP ranking points.

He extended his run of dominance in Chennai to a 12-match win streak, including 24 consecutive sets won. The Swiss completed the first three-peat in tournament history, becoming the ninth different active player to do so at an ATP World Tour event. The 30 year old notched his 12th tour-level crown overall and eighth on hard courts.

15. Maria Teresa de Filippis, first female Formula One driver, died

Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to compete in a world championship Formula One grand prix, passed away on 8 January 2016 in Italy. She was 89.

De Filippis participated in five World Championship Grands Prix; however, she scored no championship points. Although she remained largely unsuccessful in her Formula One racing career, she is remembered as a pioneer in motor racing, a sport dominated by men.

About Maria Teresa de Filippis

• Born on 11 November 1926 in Naples, Italy, de Filippis began her racing career at the age of 22.

• She won her first race, driving a Fiat 500 on a 10 km drive between Salerno and Cava de' Tirreni.

• She took part in various motor racing events, including hill climbing and endurance racing, before being given the chance to drive in Formula One.

• She finished second in a sportscar race supporting the 1956 Naples Grand Prix, driving a Maserati 200S.

• On 18 May 1958, she was given the opportunity to enter the Monaco Grand Prix, the second round of the 1958 Formula One season, in one of the 250Fs.

16.Rhythm and blues singer Otis Clay passed away

Otis Clay, American R&B and soul singer and Blues Hall of Fame inductee, died on 8 January 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. He was 73.

Clay, the one-time Grammy nominee, passed away following a heart attack.

About Otis Clay

• Born on 11 February 1942, Clay started his singing career with local gospel group, the Voices of Hope.

• In 1965, he signed with One-derful! Records in Chicago to make secular recordings.

• After releasing a series of gospel-tinged soul records, his first hit came in 1967 with That's How It Is (When You're In Love), which reached to Number 34 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

• In 1968, his contract was bought by Atlantic Records, who launched their subsidiary Cotillion label with Clay's version of the Sir Douglas Quintet hit, She's About A Mover. The record became Clay's biggest pop hit, reaching Number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• His biggest hit came in late 1972 with Trying To Live My Life Without You.

• His last national hit single was All Because Of Your Love.

• He was a nominee for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

• He was one of the 2013 inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame.

17. Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis won Brisbane Tennis trophy

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis on 9 January 2016 won the WTA Brisbane Tennis trophy. In the final at Brisbane, the top seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated German Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5, 6-1.

They also stitched a 26-match winning streak together, which has brought them six titles in a row at the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, WTA Finals and now at Brisbane.

It is the longest winning streak since Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci's 25 in a row in 2012. They won five titles in a row, at Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, the French Open and 's-Hertogenbosch.

The last doubles team to win more than 25 consecutive matches was Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva who had notched up 28 straight victories in 1994.