Daily GK Update - 8th January 2016

1. Rajan is The Banker's central banker of the year

i. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan was named The Banker magazine's Global and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year 2015, for stabilising the Indian rupee, initiating key reforms to attract much needed foreign capital in the country and reining in a runaway price appreciation. The Banker is a prestigious monthly magazine of the Financial Times Group.

ii. "India is the one global economy that arguably weathered the capital outflow and currency storms in emerging markets that were fuelled by uncertainty over the US Federal Reserve interest rate hike in 2015," the magazine said in its article on Rajan.

iii. The RBI governor has been named central bank governor of the year several times by other international magazines. In October 2014, Euromoney and in January 2015, Central Banking awarded him the best central banker award for his contribution in stabilising the Indian economy.

iv.  After he took over in September 2013, the first priority for the RBI governor was to stabilise the local currency, which hit a record low of 68.87 a dollar on August 28. Through a series of innovative measures, including attracting dollars from non-resident Indians by offering higher interest rate on deposits, Rajan stabilised the rupee. The local currency soon moved back below the psychological level of 60 a dollar.

v. Steps like offshore rupee bonds, nicknamed Masala Bonds, and RBI's efforts in pushing green bonds were two other key achievements of Rajan, the magazine noted. The magazine also noted Rajan's efforts in cleaning banks' balance sheets from bad debts and introducing 23 new sets of banks in 2015.

2. Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, MEA merged

i. In order to avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency, the government on Thursday merged the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the Ministry of External Affairs. Announcing the merger, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Thursday, “As Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, I realised that a substantial work of MOIA is done through our missions abroad. Therefore, I proposed to Hon’ble Prime Minister that MOIA should be merged with the Ministry of External Affairs.”

ii. Sources, however, indicated that the decision to merge MOIA with MEA was taken as senior diplomats wanted officials dealing with foreign workers-related issues and emergencies to have better diplomatic back-up and coordination.

iii. Explaining the official line, a spokesperson of MEA said the merger of MOIA was to avoid “duplication” as most of the work of MOIA was done by Indian missions abroad. “Even the information for answering the questions related to MOIA in Parliament used to be provided by the Indian missions,” said the spokesperson.

iv. But reportedly, the MEA, which has been short of staff, wanted greater number of officials with diplomatic experience in key positions in MOIA to deal with emergencies involving Indians in various crisis-prone countries in West Asia. The merger is expected to increase efficiency in MEA’s emergency work abroad.

v. The post of Protector General of Emigrants is responsible for issuing registration certificates to recruitment agents who send workers abroad, especially to the Gulf region.

3. Indo-French military exercise Shakti-2016 started

i. India and France on 8 January 2016 started their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise Shakti-2016 in Rajasthan. This is the third edition in the series of bilateral exercises under this banner and is being held in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan's Bikaner.

ii. The exercise will be focused on counter terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-urban terrain under United Nations Mandate. It is an important step for the armies to train together and gain from each other's rich operational experience.

iii. French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade, which had taken part in the Afghan war, will participate in the Shakti-2016. The contingent led by Major Thibaut De Lacoste Lareymondie arrived Jodhpur on 6 January 2016.

iv. On the other hand, the Indian contingent to participate in the exercise will be the 2nd Battalion of Garhwal Rifles, part of the Sapta Shakti Command. Both countries have troops deployed in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations and therefore sharing each other's military experiences will pay meaningful dividends.

v. The French 35th Infantry Regiment was raised in 1604 by a member of the gentry from Lorraine whose surname was Nemond. It has at least 12 battle honours to its credit. The battalion has varied combat experiences, having served in Algeria, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, amongst other places.

4. First Company of Ganga Task Force deployed Ganga Gram Yojana launched

i. As a major initiative towards fast track implementation of Namami Gange Programme the first company of Ganga Task force Battalion was deployed at Garhmukteshwar yesterday. Speaking on the occasion Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti said that three such companies will be deployed soon at Kanpur, Varanasi and Allahabad.

ii. The Minister said the Jawans of the Ganga Task force will be deployed on the banks of the river Ganga to ensure that industry and civilians do not pollute the river. She said that keeping Ganga clean is not the responsibility of our Jawans only but it is the duty of every Indian living near the river to keep it clean.

iii. In the first phase of the progamme 200 villages have been selected. In these villages open drains falling into river Ganga will be diverted and alternative arrangements for sewage treatment will be made. The villages will have toilets in every house hold. It is proposed to incur and expenditure of Rs. One crore on every village.

iv. These villages will be developed under the Sichewal model. It may be noted that Sichewal is situated in Punjab, where cooperation of the villagers has been solicited for the water management and waste disposal in a meticulous way. 

v. Earlier the Minister inspected two under construction sewage treatment plants at Garhmukteshwar. These STPs are expected to be operational by June this year. The Minister also inaugurated Namami Gange Photo exhibition at Garhmukteshwar and administered the pledge to the people to keep Ganga clean. The Minister also reviewed the progress of Namami Gange progamme at Garhmukteshwar with local officials.

5. Sailesh appointed new Registrar General, Census Commissioner

i. Senior IAS officer Sailesh was today appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner. 

ii. Sailesh, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is presently Additional Secretary in Home Ministry. 

iii. He has been appointed in place of C Chandramouli, who completed his tenure today. 

iv. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sailesh as Registrar General and Census Commissioner for a period till July 28, 2017, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.

6. Tata Steel bags PM’s trophy

i. Tata Steel has been declared as the winner of Prime Minister’s Trophy for being the ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ in the country for the performance year 2013 – 2014. This Award has been conferred on the Company for the eighth time. In addition it has also received Certificate for Excellence twice and Steel Minister’s Trophy once, since this trophy was instituted in 1992-93.

ii. The Company went through three rounds of rigorous assessment, adjudged by a panel of distinguished judges. The enthusiasm and involvement of its employees including the Union Leadership team was highly appreciated by the panel of judges for the Prime Minister’s Trophy, reaffirming the core strength of Tata Steel – its skilled and motivated workforce that has a will to excel.

iii. Tata Steel has always strived to set the benchmark of excellence in efficiency, quality and sustainability in all it’s operations. The Prime Minister’s trophy, instituted in 1992-93 on the suggestion of the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, recognizes the outstanding performance of the integrated steel plants.

iv. The award is intended to spur steel plants to achieve international standards of efficiency, quality and economy in their operations. The primary objective of the scheme is to generate a sense of competition among the steel plants so that they continuously benchmark themselves with the best and improve their performances.

7. Amitabh Kant appointed as CEO of NITI Aayog

i. Amitabh Kant was on 7 January 2016 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Kant will take over the office of CEO in March 2016, when he retires from service.

ii. On 1 January 2016, Kant was given the additional charge of the CEO of NITI Aayog following the completion of tenure of previous CEO Sindhushree Khullar on 31 December 2015.

iii. He is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre. Kant is currently serving as the Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

iv. He has also served as the CEO of India’s largest industrial infrastructure project the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation. He has also been steering the Union Government’s two major campaigns to attract investments and create jobs – Make In India and Start Up India.

8. Devender Kumar Sikri appointed as Chairman of Competition Commission of India

i. Devender Kumar Sikri was on 7 January 2016 appointed as Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). He succeeds Ashok Chawla, whose tenure as the Chairman of CCI ended on 7 January 2016 itself.

ii. Sikri will have a tenure of about two and half years, i.e. till he attains the age of 65 years.

iii. Sikri is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre. He has held various positions in Centre as well as in his cadre state Gujarat. He superannuated as Secretary, Department of Justice on 31 July 2013.

iv. He had also been Secretary in the Union Ministry of women and child development, Registrar General of Census. He also served as the Collector of Rajkot and Jamnagar.

9. Indigenously Built ASW Corvette INS Kadmatt commissioned in Visakhapatnam

i. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kadmatt was on 7 January 2016 commissioned in the Indian Navy at naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R K Dhowan. INS Kadmatt is the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class ASW corvettes and is the latest ship after Shivalik class, Kolkata class and INS Kamorta. In all these ships, an excessive amount of weapons and sensors had been integrated to provide a Common Operational Picture (COP).

ii. The ship was manned by 13 officers and 180 sailors with Commander Mahesh Chandra Moudgil as the first Commanding Officer. The ship is an integral part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command to safeguard the Eastern Seaboard of India.

iii. It was designed 90 per cent indigenously by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and constructed by M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. Directorate of Naval Design (DND) is the Navy’s Design Organisation undertaking indigenous design of all surface combatants.

iv. INS Kadmatt is named after one of the large islands amongst the Lakshadweep group of Islands off the west coast of India. The ship had been constructed using high grade steel (DMR 249A) produced in India. With a displacement of 3500 tonnes, the sleek and magnificent ship spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam.

10. Operation Green Hunt to hunt Maoists

i. Operation Green Hunt, an all-out offensive by India’s paramilitary forces and the state's forces against the Naxalites came in news on 8 January 2016. The operation which is believed to start in November 2009 along five states in the "Red Corridor” came in news after Maoists called a two-day bandh opposing it in Nuapada, Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts of Odisha.

ii. The bandh call was given by the Mainpur-Nuapada Divisional Committee of the CPI (Maoist). The Committee is protesting against the Operation by security forces against the ultras in the south-western part of the State.

iii. The term Operation Green Hunt was coined by the Chhattisgarh police officials to describe one successful drive against the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the state. Later, the term was erroneously used by media to describe the wider anti-Naxalite operations. 

iv. On the other hand, Union Government do not use the term Operation Green Hunt to describe its anti-Naxalite offensive. Earlier, the operation also came in news in December 2014 when the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) claimed that the Sukma ambush was answer to Operation Green Hunt. Maoists killed at least 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Sukma district of south Chhattisgarh on 1 December 2014.

11. Union Government allowed traditional bull-taming sports Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu

i. The Union Government on 8 January 2016 allowed the conduct of the traditional bull-taming sports, Jallikattu, in Tamil Nadu. The ban on the sports was lifted few days before the traditional harvest festival will begin in Tamil Nadu. Jallikattu is celebrated around pongal in southern state of Tamil Nadu.

ii. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a gazette notification with regard to holding traditional sports that use bulls as performing animals including Jallikattu across India.

iii. The notification said that bulls can be exhibited and trained as performing animal at different events of different states as per the customs or tradition of any community.

iv. The events that use bulls as performing animals are Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat. But these events are allowed only in those districts where it is being traditionally held annually but with the permission of district collector or the district magistrate. 

v. The notification also specifies that bullock cart race shall be organised on a proper track, which shall not exceed two kilometers. On the other hand, in case of Jallikattu, the moment the bull leaves the enclosure it shall be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metre.

12. Quikr acquired online real estate portal Commonfloor.com

i. Quikr on 7 January 2016 announced acquisition of the property search website Commonfloor.com for an undisclosed amount in a majority stock-swap transaction. Quikr bought the website in a distress sale orchestrated by Tiger Global Management Llc.

ii. After the deal, Quikr will be valued at about 1.5 billion US dollars based on the share-swap ratio. The merger is expected to be completed over the next two to three months. It will also give Commonfloor access to Quikr’s 30 million consumers and harness the potential of the cross-category nature of the platform. QuikrHomes will benefit from CommonFloor’s structured data and domain expert.

iii. Quikr is an Indian classified advertising platform. It was founded by Pranay Chulet in 2008. It is headquartered in Bangalore. It has listings in over 1000 cities in India in categories such as mobile phones, household goods, cars, real estate, jobs, services and education.

iv. CommonFloor.com is an Indian real estate portal founded in 2007 by three computer science graduates from IIT Roorkee and JSSATE. On 8 January 2015, CommonFloor received funding from Google Capital.

13. Miguel Tabuena won Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month

i. The Philippines' Miguel Tabuena on 7 January 2016 was voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for December 2015. Tabuena won the award ahead of Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai and India's Himmat Rai. The trio were nominated by a selection panel before going into a voting process.

ii. Born on 13 October 1994, Miguel Tabuena is a Filipino professional golfer. As an amateur golfer, he won the events in Malaysia and Singapore and won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games in the men's individual event.

iii. He turned professional in 2011. He has played on the Asian Tour since 2011 and picked up his first win at the 2015 Philippine Open.

iv. He became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008.

Daily GK Update - 7th January 2016

1. Mufti Sayeed passes away, Mehbooba likely to succeed as CM

i. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, a crafty politician who took on the powerful Abdullah family and rose to become the country’s first Muslim Home Minister, died today at AIIMS here after his platelets dropped dangerously.

ii. Sayeed, 79, who took charge of the State on March 1 last year heading a PDP—BJP alliance, breathed his last this morning after remaining on ventilator for the past few days. He was flown from Srinagar in a special plane on December 24 and admitted to the AIIMS where he was diagnosed with sepsis (life threatening complication of an infection) and pneumonia. During hospitalisation his platelets had dropped dangerously, doctors said.

iii. He is the second J&K Chief Minister to die in office, the first one being Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who died on September 8, 1982. Sayeed’s daughter 56-year-old Mehbooba is expected to take over as the first woman Chief Minister of the state with PDP leaders throwing their weight behind her. But this will require the approval of BJP.

iv. Sayeed is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son. Jammu and Kashmir government has declared a seven-day mourning and holiday today. Flags will be flown at half mast.

v. The mortal remains of the Chief Minister would be flown to Srinagar where the body will be kept for people to pay homage. He is likely be buried in his ancestral village Bijbehera in South Kashmir, about 48 km from Srinagar.

vi. Sayeed took over as chief minister of PDP-BJP coalition on March 1 last year. In the 87-member J and K Assembly PDP won 28 seats and BJP 25 while opposition National Conference got 15 and Congress 12.

2. Wattan Ko Jano initiative: A programme that aims to expose youth from J&K to rest of India

i. Wattan Ko Jano, an initiative being carried out by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government, was in news on 6 January 2016. The initiative came in news after more than 240 youth in the age-group of 15 to 24 from J&K met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

ii. Watan Ko Jano initiative was conceived by the J&K State Rehabilitation Council in 2011. It essentially is a Youth Exchange Programme under which the children of militancy-hit victims, orphanages, and weaker sections of society are identified by Jammu and Kashmir State Rehabilitation Council as beneficiaries under the programme in the state.

iii. The initiative aims at exposing youth from the state to the vibrant development and vitality of culture of people residing in other states of the country.

iv. Earlier on 29 December 2015, a group of 250 such youngsters participated in the Watan Ko Jano tour and met Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

3. Paramilitary forces to have 33% reservation for women in constable level position

i. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved 33% reservation for women in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) at constable-level positions.

ii. There will be 33% reservation for women at constable-level posts in Central Reserve Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force, and 14-15% reservation at the constable level in border guarding forces i.e. Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal and Indo Tibetan Border Police, starting immediately, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

iii. The Committee on Empowerment of Women in its Sixth Report had advocated elevating representation of women in paramilitary forces. The reservation is, however, limited to only constable-level position.

iv. There are 9 lakh troops in all these forces combined, of which women constitute a mere 20,000. In 2015, 33% positions in the Delhi Police were reserved for women; six other Union Territories also passed this proposal and women were also allowed for combat roles in the Indian Air Force.

v. The Delhi Police employed only 9.27% women when the regulation was passed.

4. IAMAI appoints Freecharge founder Kunal Shah as chairman

i. Industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which counts companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google as members, named Kunal Shah, co-founder FreeCharge as its new chairman.

ii. Shah succeeds Nishant Rao, the ex-managing director of LinkedIn, who recently moved to Freshdesk as the global Chief Operating Officer, the association said in a statement. 

iii. IAMAI also named Vishwas Patel, chief executive officer, CCAvenue as the new treasurer. 

iv. Shah co-founded FreeCharge in August 2010 with an aim to build a business that turned recharges in to rewarding experiences for its consumers. In April 2015, FreeCharge was acquired by Snapdeal. 

v. Vishwas, the founderand CEO of Avenues India Private Limited, launched the company's first initiative, CCAvenue in September 2001. CCAvenue provides payment gateway services to thousands of eMerchants across the world. 

5. Gadkari launches India's first River Information System

i. Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday inaugurated the River Information System (RIS) - the first of its kind in India - to facilitate safe and accurate navigation on National Waterway-1 (the Ganga River).

ii. "While it remains a challenge how to develop the waterways of the country, the River Information System is a major step in realising the dream of waterways," said Gadkari, according to an official statement statement.

iii. Phase-II of the system from Farakka to Patna and Phase-III from Patna to Varanasi will be undertaken on priority, the statement said.

iv. "River Information Systems are combination of modern tracking equipment related hardware and software designed to optimise traffic and transport processes in inland navigation," the statement added.

6. International media conference in Mysuru

i. The Global Communication Association (GCA), a not-for-profit professional organisation, to host the 11th international conference of media experts and communication specialists from around the world at Mysuru on January 28-29.

ii. The meet has University of Mysore, which is celebrating its Centenary year, as its academic partner for hosting the conference. “The 2016 India conference focusing on ‘Ombudsman: Media and social responsibility’, has aroused keen interest amongst many participants coming from different academic and industry backgrounds,” said Krishna B Mariyanka, Curator and Organising Secretary, 11th GCA Conference, Mysuru.

iii. At a time when there is a massive explosion of the media across the globe, be it of the traditional variety or the new media, it is increasingly being looked upon as a powerful instrument of social change,” he added.

iv. On the flip side, as with any instrument that can influence vast sections of a society, there are also other ‘powerful forces’ that will misuse the media for vested interests.

v. Established in the year 2007, the GCA objectives are the promotion of academic research in global communication studies among major universities worldwide; facilitation of joint project and research opportunities among scholars and students.

vi. More importantly, GCA provides an eclectic international platform for corporate executives, communication specialists, policy makers, academicians, bureaucrats, political leaders, public relations practitioners and co-related industry professionals to meet, interact and generate new ideas for growth.

7. Mysuru to get Cauvery river gallery

i. Karnataka’s Tourism and the National Academy of Sciences of India (NASI) have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a Cauvery river gallery in Mysuru.

ii. The gallery, to be built at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crore, is expected to showcase the life, culture and biodiversity along the river from its birth in Kodagu till it reaches the Bay of Bengal. The exhibits at the gallery would also include multimedia features and electronic display to provide the visitors an immersive experience of life and culture along the river.

iii. Tourism Department officials and NASI executives signed the MoU for establishing the gallery at the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) complex in Mysuru. The project will be completed in 6-9 months and it is expected to become a tourist attraction.

iv. NASI former president Manju Sharma said, “The Cauvery gallery in Mysuru will be third in the country. So far we have completed the Brahmaputra river gallery project in Guwahati and the Ganga river gallery in Allahabad.”

v. RV Deshpande, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries and Tourism, said NSAI would execute the project and run it for three years before handing it over to the State government.

vi. The Karnataka Knowledge Commission (Jnana Ayoga) headed by K Kasturirangan had recommended the establishment of the gallery and is providing input to the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) for the implementation of the project.

8. Cabinet okays ‘Sampoorna Arogya Keralam’ medical care project

i. The State Cabinet has decided to implement the ‘Sampoorna Arogya Keralam’ project announced in the 2015-16 State budget. The project aims to bring all major government health services under one umbrella. With this, people will not be required to visit multiple offices or agencies for medical care.

ii. Instead, they can go to enlisted public and private hospitals and get the services through a smart health card. A Sampoorna Arogya Keralam Trust would be set up to implement the initiative. All families with annual income below Rs. 3 lakh will be brought under the project, an official release said here. At least 42 lakh such families are expected to benefit.

iii. The Chief Minister will head the Sampoorna Arogya Kerala Trust, which will monitor and implement the project. A corpus fund of Rs. 20 crore would be set up and a separate head of account formed. Various financial assistance schemes under sundry departments will be consolidated under the project and up to ₹2 lakh made available to beneficiaries through means of the smart card.

iv. The IT platform of a similar project implemented in Telangana by Arogyasri Trust will be customised for use to roll out the project, the release said. Assistance for medical care in Kerala is currently made available through Rashtriya Swayam Bima Yojana (RSBY), Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (Chis), Chis-Plus, Arogyakiranam, Karunya Benevolent Fund, Thalolam, cancer protection scheme and similar schemes of various welfare fund boards.

v. Beneficiary families, except the 32 lakh enrolled under the RSBY, Chis and Chis-Plus schemes, need to produce an income certificate from the revenue department as a one-time requirement. They would be issued smart cards in due course. A technical committee will be set up to decide on treatment protocols and the various procedures required to be adopted in accordance with the guidelines of the project.

9. India to skip BS-V, leapfrog to BS-VI norms from April 1, 2020

i. In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the Centre today decided to implement stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020, by skipping BS-V altogether. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, which was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

ii. “Government has decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI directly by April 1, 2020. We have decided to skip BS-VI emission norms. It is a bold decision and a commitment to the environment,” Gadkari told PTI here after the meeting.

iii. All the other ministries have assured cooperation to make the implementation successful, he added. At the end of December, Pradhan had stated that India would go straight from Euro-IV compliant petrol and diesel to Euro-VI fuel by 2020. Earlier, a meeting of an inter-ministerial group, including representatives of the Ministries of Road Transport and Highways, Petroleum, Heavy Industries and Environment and Forests, was unable to reach a consensus.

iv. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry was of the view the roll-out of BS-V norms must start from 2019 but the Petroleum Ministry expressed its inability to comply with the deadline. Earlier in November, a draft notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoEF), had advanced dates for implementation of BS-V norms to April 1, 2019, and BS-VI norms to April 1, 2021.

v. At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in the whole of northern India covering J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country has BS-III grade fuel.

10. Uber launches ‘uberEXCHANGE’, start-up mentorship programme

i. Taxi-hailing app Uber today announced a new start-up mentorship programme in the country in partnership with Invest India called ‘uberEXCHANGE’. Over the next years, Uber will host a series of six leadership talks by senior Uber executives, including from their headquarters in San Francisco, the company said in a statement.

ii. The programme will address issues that entrepreneurs face, like fund-raising, product design, engineering and how to scale up a business. At the end of the programme, the top 10 start-ups will travel to San Francisco, where they will be introduced to global investors, fellow entrepreneurs and the team at Uber, it said.

iii. This public-private initiative will enable students, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to learn from each other, helping to create a culture that celebrates risk-taking and views failure as an opportunity to learn. It will also support Prime Minister’s vision to make India a global startup hub.

iv. “Today, more and more people aspire to be entrepreneurs and build something themselves. That’s why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s start-up India initiative is so important, and that is why we’re excited to share our experience with hundreds of startups and entrepreneurs as they begin their journey,” Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick said.

v. Kalanick is expected to give the inaugural speech at the Startup India Initiative on January 16, speaking about his own journey as an entrepreneur. “This mentorship programme will be immensely valuable to Indian entrepreneurs and I am excited about the exchange of knowledge and ideas between the startup culture in India and the Silicon Valley,” DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant said.

11. AB Khare appointed CMD of Madras Fertilizers

i. The Centre has appointed AB Khare as the Chairman and Managing Director of the state-run Madras Fertilzers for a five-year term. In August last year, the government headhunter Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) had recommended the name of Khare for the post of CMD at Madras Fertilizers Ltd (MFL).

ii. Khare will succeed I Vijay Kumar. His name was finalised after interviewing 7 shortlisted candidates. Khare was previously working with state—owned fertiliser firm Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers as Chief General Manager (Commercial).

iii. “The President is pleased to appoint of A B Khare to the post of CMD, MFL in the pay scale of Rs. 75,000-90,000 for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till the date of his superannuation, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest,” the Fertiliser Ministry said in an notification.

iv. MFL was incorporated in 1966 as a joint venture between the Government of India and Amoco India, a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company of the USA. It is under the administrative control of the Fertiliser Ministry.

12. Achyuta Samanta elected as General President of 105th Indian Science Congress

i. Dr Achyuta Samanta was on 6 January 2016 elected as the General President of the 105th Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) that is scheduled for 2017-18. Samanta is also currently serving as member of Executive Council of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).

ii. With this, Samanta becomes the second person from Odisha to be elected as President of the ISC in its 102 years history. On last occasion, Prof Prana Krushna Parija, eminent Odia scientist, was elected as President of the 47th Session of the ISCA in 1960.

iii. He has been the member of Executive Council of ISCA since 2011. He has also been the member of many prestigious educational and other national level apex bodies, including UGC (2008-2014), AICTE, National Coir Board, CAPART and NCTE.

iv. He was the only person from Odisha to be the member of both UGC and AICTE. Samanta has set up institutions like Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneshwar.

13. Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passed away

i. Noted Gujarati writer and poet Labhshankar Thakar passed away on 6 January 2016 following prolonged illness in Ahmedabad. He was 80. He was a modernist author of Gujarati literature with influence of existentialism challenging traditional literature styles.

ii. He was born on 14 January 1935 in Sedla village near Surendranagar in Gujarat. Some of his famous poems are Vahi Jati Pachhal Ramya Ghosha (1965), Manasni Vaat (1968), Mara Namne Darwaje (1972), Boom Kagalma Kora (1974), Pravahan (1986), Kalagranthi (1987). He wrote many plays including Asatyakumar Ekagrani Dharpakad, Make Believe (1967), Mari Jawani Maza (1973), Bathtub ma Machhali (1982) etc. 

iii. He is also known for his novels Akasmat (1968) and Kon? (1968). Apart from being Gujarati poet, playwright and story writer he was also an Ayurvedic Practitioner. He also wrote several books on Ayurveda and also had published several magazines including Kriti and Unmoolan.

iv. He had also been awarded several times for his works including Sahitya Akadami Award (1991) for his poetry, Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar (2002) of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, Kumar Chandrak (1962), Narmad Chandrak and Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak (1981).

14. Sam Pitroda appointed as Odisha Government’s Technical Advisor

i. Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, popularly known as Sam Pitroda, on 6 January 2016 was appointed Technology Advisor to the Odisha Government. Pitroda was appointed as the technology adviser for development of telecom, electronics, IT, ITES sectors of the state.

ii. Pitroda will have a key role in Vision 2036 for Odisha@100, as the state government is making a vision document for 2036 to celebrate the 100 years of state’s formation. Born on 4 May 1942 in Titilagarh, Odisha, Sam Pitroda is a telecom engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. In 1964, he travelled to Chicago to study electrical engineering.

iii. He is a director of the Young Indian Company co-owned by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He also served as Advisor to the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Technology Missions related to water, literacy, immunization, oil seeds, telecom, and dairy.

iv. He is the founding Chairman of India’s Telecom Commission. He has also served as an advisor to the United Nations.

15. Pavan Kapoor To Be India's Ambassador To Israel

i. Senior diplomat Pavan Kapoor has been appointed India's ambassador to strategically important Israel, where he will succeed Jaideep Sarkar. Mr Kapoor, a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer, is currently India's High Commissioner in Mozambique capital Maputo. "He is expected to take up his assignment shortly," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

ii. The appointment assumes significance as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to visit India this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also pay a return visit to Tel Aviv. India's relations with Israel are on an upswing. President Pranab Mukherjee had visited Tel Aviv in October last year, becoming the first Indian Head of State to visit the Jewish nation.

iii. India is Israel's largest buyer of military hardware. Israel has supplied various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years but the transactions have largely remained behind the curtains. Mr Kapoor, an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, also a has a Master's degree in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics.

iv.  In his diplomatic career of two decades, he has served in different capacities in the Indian Missions in Moscow, London, Geneva and Kiev apart from serving in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office. He has also done a stint at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London as Political Adviser on Asia and Europe.

Daily GK Update: 6th January 2016

1. Cabinet okays India-Singapore MoU on civil aviation

i. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed with Singapore in the field of civil aviation.

ii. This MoU was signed in November 2015 between the Airports Authority of India (on behalf of the Government of India) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (on behalf of the Government of Singapore) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore.

iii. The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent.

iv. The Union Cabinet also gave its nod for post-facto approval to the Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) with foreign countries/organisations.

v. The Union Cabinet has been apprised of the protocol signed earlier between India and Czech Republic in the field of heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities construction.

vi. The protocol includes the intent for modernisation of the existing facilities in India by the Czech companies, including modernisation of three plants of Heavy Engineering Corporation, a Central Public Sector Enterprises under the Department of Heavy Industries at Ranchi, set up with Czech support

2. Forbes released 2016 30 Under 30 List; 45 Indian-origin people figured

i. Forbes on 4 January 2016 released the 2016 30 Under 30 List featuring 600 men and women who achieved remarkable professional success before attaining 30 years of age. They were chosen from an initial screening list of more than 15000 representing a gamut of 20 segments that include art & style, finance, sports, education, etc.

ii. The list includes John Boyega (Hollywood & Entertainment category), Shawn Mendes (Music), Emerson Spartz (Media) among others.

iii. Further, 45 Indians and Indian-origin people figured in the annual compilation for their entrepreneurial spirit and breakout talents.

iv. Indian-origin people figured in the list are,

Ritesh Agarwal, OYO Rooms CEO

Karishma Shah, Alphabet’s Google X

Divya Nettimi, Viking Global Investors

Nisha Chittal, MSNBC

Ashish Patel, NowThis Media

Saagar Govil, CEO of Cemtrex

3. Union Cabinet approved Stand Up India Scheme

i. The Union Cabinet on 6 January 2016 approved the Stand Up India Scheme to promote entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes and Women entrepreneurs.

ii. The Scheme is intended to facilitate at least two projects per bank branch, on an average one for each category of entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit at least 2.5 lakh borrowers. The expected date of reaching the target of at least 2.5 lakh approvals is 36 months from the launch of the Scheme.

iii. It provides for refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10000 crore rupees. It will create credit guarantee mechanism through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC). It will provide support for borrowers both at the pre loan stage and during operations.

iv. It will provide support for borrowers both at the pre loan stage and during operations. Its focus is on handholding support for both SC/ST and Women borrowers.

v. The aim is to leverage institutional credit structure to reach out under-served sectors of the population by facilitating bank loans repayable up to 7 years and between 10 lakh rupees- 100 lakh rupees for greenfield enterprises in nonfarm sector set up by such SC, ST and Women borrowers.

vi. The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) will be the operating agency for the loan. Margin money of the composite loan would be up to 25 percent. The Start up India Stand up India initiative was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on 15 August 2015.

4. Andhra Bank launched Immediate Payment Service

i. Andhra Bank on 6 January 2016 launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) across all its branches in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The service makes payments possible within fraction of seconds with all the standards and integrity maintained for security.

ii. The IMPS was enabled across all branches to provide inter-bank electronic fund transfer service capable of processing person to account remittances.

iii. Unlike National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), IMPS will be available round-the-clock under which a real-time instant fund transfer system for inter-bank remittances is possible. The maximum cap of transaction will be 2 lakh rupees and charged at the rate of five rupees per transaction.

iv. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrella organization for all retail payments system in India. It was set up with the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

v. Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) is one of the electronic funds transfer systems of India. It was started in November 2010. The service enables an instant, 24X7, interbank electronic fund transfer through mobile, internet and ATM.

5. World's largest blue star sapphire discovered in Sri Lanka

i. The world's largest blue star sapphire that weighs 1404.49 carats was discovered in a mine in Sri Lanka. The sapphire was found in August 2015 near Ratnapura city in the South of Sri Lanka.

ii. The stone is worth at an estimated cost of 100 million US dollars but could be valued up to 165 million US dollars.

iii. The sapphire has been named as The Star of Adam by its current owner. The name came from a Muslim belief that Adam arrived in Sri Lanka after being sent away from the Garden of Eden. As per the myth, Adam lived on the slopes of a mountain now known as Adam’s Peak, about 15 miles from Ratnapura.

iv. The Star of Adam Sapphire has also been certified by the Gemology Institute of Columbo, Sri Lanka.

v. A star sapphire is a type of sapphire that has a star in the middle due to a light reflection phenomenon known as asterism. The value of a star sapphire depends on the weight of the stone and also on the body color, visibility, and intensity of the asterism.

6. CCI cleared Reliance Capital-Goldman Sachs deal

i. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 5 January 2016 gave its approval to Reliance Capital Asset Management's proposed acquisition of Goldman Sachs' mutual fund business in India for 243 crore rupees. CCI approved the acquisition as the deal may not have an adverse impact on competition in the country.

ii. After CCI’s nod, Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM) will seek the final nod of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to complete the takeover.

iii. RCAM had announced the acquisition in October 2015. Under the deal, the company will acquire all 12 onshore mutual fund schemes of Goldman Sachs Asset Management India with total asset under management of 7132 crore rupees.

iv. The deal will also make Reliance MF the exclusive fund manager for the government's ambitious Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) Exchange.

v. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational investment banking firm. It engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management and other financial services primarily with institutional clients.

vi. The firm provides mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting services, asset management, and prime brokerage to its clients. The firm also engages in market making and private equity deals, and is a primary dealer in the United States Treasury security market.

7. Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman topped 2015 US Bestseller List

i. The book Go Set a Watchman written by Harper Lee was in news in the first week of January 2016 as it topped the 2015 US bestseller list. Around 1.6 million copies of the book were sold in the USA since it was published in July 2015. The figures were based on US print unit sales reported to Nielsen.

ii. Go Set a Watchman was published more than half a century after Harper’s Pulitzer-winning first book, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published.

iii. The spike in the sales of Go Set a Watchman can be attributed to the fact that 89-year-old Harper Lee is now confined to a nursing home and may not publish a word in future.

iv. The second and third bestseller in the list was Jeff Kinney’s Diary of Wimpy Kid series (1.48 million copies) and British author EL James’ Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian (1.4 million) respectively.

8. Australia pulled out of U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh due to safety concerns

i. Australia on 5 January 2016 withdrew from the Under-19 World Cup Tournament in Bangladesh. It pulled-out citing security reasons. The decision was announced by Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland who said the decision was taken after monitoring the security situation in Bangladesh. 

ii. The tournament is scheduled to happen from 22 January to 14 February 2016. ICC announced that Australia will be replaced by Ireland team – the runners-up in the qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur in October 2015.

iii. The first matches of the event will start on 27 January 2016 in which England will play against Fiji and Bangladesh will play against South Africa. It will be the eleventh edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and the second to be held in Bangladesh, after the 2004 event.

iv. Earlier in October 2015, Cricket Australia had cancelled senior men's Test tour of Bangladesh for similar reasons. It seems that the decision was made after a series of militant violent attacks in the country since September 2015, including the shooting of three foreigners, two of whom died.

9. Union Government launched Ganga Gram Yojana in Uttar Pradesh

i. The Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti on 5 January 2016 launched Ganga Gram Yojana at Village Puth in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Under the scheme, 1600 villages of UP situated along the banks of river Ganga will be developed.

ii. In the first phase of the progamme, 200 villages have been selected initially. In these villages, open drains falling into river Ganga will be diverted and alternative arrangements for sewage treatment will be made. The villages will have toilets in every house hold.

iii. It is proposed to incur the expenditure of 1 crore rupees on every village. These villages will be developed under the Sichewal model. Sichewal is situated in Punjab, where cooperation of the villagers has been solicited for the water management and waste disposal.

iv. The Ministry also deployed first company of Ganga Task force Battalion at Garhmukteshwar as a major initiative towards fast track implementation of Namami Gange Programme. Moreover, three such companies will be soon deployed at Kanpur, Varanasi and Allahabad.

10. India keen to promote operational oceanography: Minister

i. Government is keen to promote operational oceanography since it plays an important role in translating the benefits of science for the common public, Y S Chowdary, Minister of State for Science, Technology & Earth Sciences said here today.

ii. A few examples being potential fishing zones advisories to fishermen, ocean state forecasts for mariners, tsunami and storm surge early warnings among others, the minister was quoted as saying by an official release. 

iii. Chowdary performed 'bhoomipujan' or ground breaking ceremony for setting up the international training centre for operational oceanography (ITCO-Ocean) which is coming up on the campus of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services ( INCOIS) here. 

11. Wayne Rooney named 2015 England Player of the Year

i. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been voted 2015 England Player of the Year for the fourth time after breaking his country's scoring record, the Football Association announced on Tuesday, January 5.

ii. The 30-year-old took his England tally to 51 goals, breaking Bobby Charlton's longstanding record of 49, and top-scored with 7 goals as Roy Hodgson's side qualified for Euro 2016 with a perfect record of 10 wins.

iii. Rooney, England's captain, received 37 percent of the votes in a poll of England Supporters Club members. He previously won the award in 2008, 2009 and 2014. "To win this award is always a huge honour and to win it for a fourth time is something I'm very proud of," Rooney said on his personal website.

iv. "The fact it's voted for by the fans is what makes it very special for me. It's been a great year for the team and for me personally. "I would like to thank all the fans for their continued support and hopefully 2016 will be an even better year!"

v. Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland, who has produced some impressive performances this season, was elected the Under-21s Player of the Year. Rooney and Butland, 22, will be presented with their awards prior to England's friendly against Germany in Berlin on March 26.

12. Apurvi Chandela sets a world record to win gold at Swedish Grand Prix

i. Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela broke the world record on way to winning gold in the women's 10 metre air rifle event at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix. Chandela shot 211.2 in the event held on Tuesday to surpass the feat of Chinese Olympic gold medallist Yi Siling, who held the record with 211.

ii. The result marked a positive start for Chandela, who has already won an Olympic quota place for the Rio Olympics. The silver and bronze went to Swedish shooters Astrid Steffensen (207.6) and Stine Nielsen (185.0).

iii. An elated Chandela said: "This gold at Sweden has further strengthened my resolve to bag a medal at the Rio Olympics this year. The support, encouragement and wishes received from my well wishers from Rajasthan has stood me in good stead in various international tournaments."

iv. Chandela had won the gold at the National Championships in the Capital last month. She had won an Olympic quota place for India after winning a bronze at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, in April.