Daily GK Update : 2nd March, 2016

1st Raisina Dialogue Inaugurated By Sushma Swaraj In New Delhi

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the 1st Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. 

ii. Envisioned as India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue 2016 is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.

iii. It is a key to not only India's development but the entire region and the Asian continent. 

iv. The conclave has focused on Asia's physical, economic, human and digital connectivity. Over 450 delegates from around 40 countries are participating in the three-day conference. The delegates also include former president of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.

v. As per officials "the Asian century in effect is really about once again integrating Asia with itself, integrating Asia within itself, and integrating Asia with the world". The theme of this inaugural edition of the Dialogue is "Connecting Asia" which tries to capture the various facets of these ambitions. 

2. Mukesh Ambani Again Tops 84 Indian Billionaires in Forbes List

i. Mukesh Ambani  Reliance Industries chairman again topped 84 Indian billionaires in Forbes 2016 list of the world's richest people once again headed by Bill Gates with a net worth of $75 billion. 

ii. Mukesh Ambani with a net worth of $19.3 billion was ranked 36th among world's 1,810 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.48 trillion, down from $7.05 trillion last year.

iii. Technology guru Gates, who has topped the list for 17 of the last 22 years was followed by Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega, best known for the Zara fashion chain, with Warren Buffett remaining in the third spot.

iv. United states led with the greatest number of billionaires, with 540, followed by China with 251, Germany with 120, India with 84 and Russia with 77. 

v. China had the most of 198 newcomer billionaires, adding 70 to the list. Thirty-three newcomers were from the US, 8 from India and 28 from Germany Notable newcomers included Flipkart cofounders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (No. 1476) of India.

3. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation To Establish A Research Chair In Kalinga Institute Of Social Sciences (KISS)

i. The MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has signed a MOU with Bhubaneswar -based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) to establish a Research Chair.

ii. The Chair will be named after MS Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution for promoting knowledge and skill for empowerment for less privileged children in India. 

iii. This is the first-ever initiative of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to establish a Research Chair in any private institute in the country. 

iv. The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is the largest residential institute for the tribals in the world. 

v. It provides free of cost accommodation, education, food, health care  from Kindergarten to Post Graduation to more than 25,000 children of whom 12,200 are girls.

4. UltraTech acquired cement units of Jaiprakash Associates

i. Aditya Birla Group firm UltraTech has announced the acquisition of debt-ridden JP Group’s cement plants for Rs 16,500 crore, making it the biggest deal in the sector. 

ii. The buyer will pay an additional amount of Rs 470 crore to complete the grinding unit. 

iii. In a transaction that will take its cement portfolio to nearly 91 million tonne, UltraTech Cement will acquire 22.4 mt of assets from Jaiprakash Associates. 

iv. The deal includes two units in Madhya Pradesh.

v. UltraTech Cement said it entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Jaiprakash Associates Limited for the acquisition of its identified cement plants having total cement capacity of 22.4 MTPA (million tons per annum) situated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. 

5. TCS Recognized As Top Global Employer

i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services company has been recognized as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute. 

ii. The assessment was done among 1,072 companies worldwide and the TCS become 1st with an exceptional performer across 9 core HR areas including talent strategy, workforce planning, on-boarding, learning and development, performance management and leadership development, among others. These things makes the company one in only eight organizations worldwide to have achieved this status.

iii. This certification is only awarded to the best employers around the world organisations that demonstrate the highest standards of employee offerings. 

iv. Others in the list include CJSC Technip, DHL, Dimension data, Saint Gobain, JT International, Mobinil, Mobistar, Orange and Valeo.

v. This year, it was also certified as the Region-wide Top Employer in Europe for the 4th consecutive year. TCS earned the foremost rating in the United Kingdom and Germany, and also received an accreditation in six other countries in Europe - Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

6. Sanjeev Kapoor joins Vistara as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer

i. Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines.

ii. Kapoor will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio of Vistaras commercial and planning functions, including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, among others.

iii. He will also be responsible for in-flight services and ground operations of the carrier.

iv. Kapoor succeeds Giam Ming Toh, who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his deputation with Vistara.

v. Tata Sons holds a majority 51 per cent stake in Vistara - a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which holds the remaining 49 per cent. Kapoor joins Vistara with over 19 years of experience in the airline industry, in various leadership and consulting role.

7. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain Takes Over As Chief Of Staff, Eastern Naval Command

i. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as the Chief of Staff of the Visakhapatnam. 

ii. He succeeds Vice Admiral Bimal Verma who has been transferred as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.

iii. Vice Admiral Jain is an alumnus of the Sainik School (Rewa), National Defence Academy (Pune), the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington, Ooty), the College of Naval Warfare (Mumbai) and the National Defence College (Pretoria, South Africa). 

iv. He was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 July 1982 and post specialisation in Gunnery and Missile Warfare, he held appointments as Gunnery Officer of missile destroyers, IN Ships Ranvijay and Ranvir. 

8. RBI unlocks Rs.40000 crore additional capital for banks

i. At the time when public sector banks are facing pressure on their profitability due to a sharp rise in non-performing assets, which is eroding their capital base. 

ii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) move comes revised norms on capital recognition, making available an additional Rs.40,000 crore to Indian banks, this announcement is a big relief for, mainly, public sector banks.

iii. Finance minister Arun Jaitley announced after his budget speech a capital infusion of Rs. 25,000 crore for the fiscal year starting in April. 

iv. The minister did not make any increases to the capital infusion amount  that was decided in August 2015. 

v. Many public sector banks reported huge losses for the quarter ended December 2015 after the RBI asked lenders to identify several accounts as non-performing. Banks are expected to post weak earnings in the current quarter too.

9. Mrugank Paranjape Appointed As MCX MD

i. Multi Commodity Exchange announced the appointment of Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO of the exchange. 

ii. He will succeed Manoj Vaish. The exchange has also re designated Parveen Kumar Singhal, the present Joint Managing Director as President & Whole Time Director with effect from April 1. The appointment will be for a period of three years and subject to prior approval from SEBI.

iii. Mr. Mrugank Paranjape was Asia Pacific Head of Trust & Securities Services/Cash Management for Financial Institutions and Regional Head of Securities for The Global Network Banking Division, Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad since last 14 years. Currently, he is India Head, Deutsche Bank. 

iv. Last May, SEBI rejected the exchange's proposal to appoint Balasubramaniam Venkataramani, Chief Business Officer of BSE as MD & CEO as MCX had not followed proper procedure. 

v. The exchange remained without a full-time MD & CEO since May 2014 when Vaish resigned after just three months stint.  

10. Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth After 340 Days in Space

i. NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko returned on Earth.

ii. After a historic 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. 

iii. It was a science experiment to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, so that NASA can prepare astronauts for longer flights to Mars and beyond. 

iv. Mr. Kelly, who spent the time about 249 miles above the planet aboard the International Space Station, and the Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed on  Eastern in Kazakhstany.

11. George Kennedy The Oscar Winning Actor Passed Away

i. George Kennedy, who has passed away recently, was one of America’s most recognizable and versatile character actors. 

ii. He was 91 year old. He appeared in more than 175 films, ranging from westerns to disaster movies and from thrillers to comedies. 

iii. Mr. Kennedy's the tough guy character won an academy award for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s. He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002. 

iv. His biggest acting achievement came in Cool Hand Luke, a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a Southern chain gang. Its theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment helped make it one of the most important films of the tumultuous 1960s.

v. Kennedy played the role of Dragline, the chain-gang boss who goes from Luke’s No 1 nemesis to his biggest disciple as Newman’s character takes on folk hero status among fellow inmates. The movie garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best supporting actor.

12. Aaron Phangiso Suspended For illegal Bowling Action

i. Aaron Phangiso, the South African left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in domestic cricket with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal.

ii. Cricket South Africa announced An International Cricket Council (ICC) movement expert found his arm extended beyond the 15 degrees allowed.

ii. Phangiso’s action was reported after he took 2 for 38 for the Highveld Lions in their eight-wicket win against Warriors in the semifinal of South Africa’s domestic Momentum One Day Cup.

Daily GK Update : 1st March, 2016

1. Delhi’s IGI airport retains world’s number 1 position

i. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has retained the world’s number 1 position for the second consecutive year in 25-40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category. 

ii. The rankings were announced by the Airports Council International (ACI).

iii. In 2007, a year after the airport was privatised, the airport’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) ranking was 101 in the world. 

iv. In 2011, the airport moved to number 2 position, which it retained till 2013. In 2014, it became no. 1 in the 25-40 MPPA category and retained the rank in 2015 with a score of 4.96 in ASQ survey on scale of 1 to 5.

2. Mahesh Kumar Singla committee constituted to consider ST status to six communities of Assam

i. Union Government on 29 February 2016 constituted a committee to consider Scheduled Tribe status to six Communities of Assam. 

ii. The committee will be headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Ministry of Home Affairs, Mahesh Kumar Singla.

iii. The committee will recommend the modalities for granting of Scheduled Tribe status to six Communities namely Koch Rajbongshi, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi (Tea Tribes) in Assam.

iv. The Committee will submit its report by 31 May 2016.

v. The committee will consult with the Government of Assam and suggest the modalities for the required reservations, of shifting the existing reservation for these communities from OBC to ST.

3. Former Chief Justice Of India H.L. Dattu Joined NHRC As Chairperson

i. Former Chief Justice of India H L Dattu took charge as the Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). 

ii. He is the 7th Chairperson of the NHRC. His appointment announced under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, by the President on the recommendation of the high powered committee headed by the Prime Minister for the tenure of 5 years. 

iii. The committee had cleared the name of Justice Dattu for the post last week. 

iv. The post was lying vacant form the last 8 months after the retirement of Justice K G Balakrishnan. 

v. The former Chief Justice Of India (CJI) took over the position from Justice C Joseph, who has been the acting chairperson since the end of the five-year term of former chairperson K G Balakrishnan. 

4. India Inks $3.1 Billion Deals For Apache And Chinook Helicopters With US

i. Indian Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of helicopters, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache, which will be inducted in the forces soon.

ii. Defence ministry already issued an order for puchase of 15 chinook helicopter and 21 Apache helicopters, which will soon be inducted in the forces," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters on 28-feb. 

iii. Ministry had totalling Rs 22,000 crores, has been placed for the purchase of these choppers, which will strengthen the capabilities of country's defence forces.

5. 7th Lamitye Military Exercise Ends

i. The 7th joint military exercise between India and Seychelles military forces came to a close on 28-feb-2016 at victoria mahe island in seychella with a final attack scenario where suspected pirates had escaped at Cap Ternay. 

ii. It was conducted aim to improved interprosporaty of both Armis.

iii.This edition of joint military drill, will be concluding phase of the drill. 

iv. It will be incorporating a tactical exercise and will be witnessed by senior military officers from both the countries who will review the standards of interoperability achieved by both the contingents.

v. India and Seychelles have been conducting joint drill ‘Exercise Lamitye’ since 2001. Lamitye which means friendship in Creole (local dialect), is conducted biennially with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries

6. SIDBI To Raise Rs 10,000 Cr. For Stand Up India Fund

i. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will  raise the proposed Rs 10,000 Crore corpus for ‘Stand Up India Fund’ from Reserve Bank Of India. 

ii. The Fund will be disbursed to Dalit and women entrepreneurs. As per the SIDBI Chairman & MD Kshatrapati Shivaji, It will be raised from the RBI through the priority sector lending shortfalls under the scheme announced by PM Narendra Modi.

iii. According to that scheme each bank branch has been mandated to lend to one micro-enterprise promoted by a woman and SC and ST entrepreneur and the funds will also include one devoted for factoring, educational loans, Mudra loans of up to Rs 10 lakh and the Stand Up India loans.

iv. SIDBI is currently working on 4 new credit guarantee funds, apart from the already operational Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises which gives a cover of up to Rs 1 crore for MSME loans. 

v. The bank depends on a variety of instruments to raise resources, including certificate of deposits, commercial papers, non-convertible debentures and credit lines from external agencies.

7. Japan to stipulate 80% emission cut goal by 2050

i. The Japanese government will stipulate a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 from current levels.

ii. The move follows the international climate agreement reached in Paris in December 2015.

iii. The plan, being compiled by the environment ministry and the ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI), is likely to be approved by the cabinet before Japan hosts the Group of Seven (G7) summit in May.

iv. The government is obligated by law to update the national plan for cutting emissions, but it has not had a new plan since fiscal 2013 partly because energy policy was thrown into disarray by disasters, including the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

v. Prior to the global climate talks in Paris, the administration decided on a goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent in 2030 from 2013 levels, which will be included in the upcoming plan.

8. Randeep Hooda Honoured With Achievement Award In Australia

i. Randeep Hooda, the Bollywood actor was felicitated by Melbourne based South Asian community members at a function in Australia. On the occasion, the 39-year-old actor, also shared his memories of the time he spent as an international student in the country.

ii. The members of a non profit organization South Asian Public Affairs Council (SAPAC) honoured the visiting actor with an achievement award for making his mark in the film industry.

iii. At the event, Randeep Hooda formally launched a non profit organisation ‘Nobody Dies Hungry’ founded by an Australian Indian Aloke Kumar. 

iv. The award was presented by the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Danielle Green. 

v. And a local councilor Oscar Yildiz also offered Hooda to become an ambassador of ‘Bully Zero Australia’ which the actor accepted.

9. Hashim Thaci elected as President of Kosovo

i. Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci was on 26 February 2016 elected as president of Kosovo by the Members of Parliament amid the protests. 

ii. He succeeded Atifete Jahjaga as head of state after winning the required simple majority in voting held in Pristina. 

iii. He was a guerrilla leader during a conflict that led to Kosovo, a mainly ethnic Albanian province declaring independence from Serbia.

iv. He had also served as prime minister fell out with many opposition groups after helping to negotiate with Serbia a deal that gave more autonomy to minority Serbs of Kosovo.

v. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognised by the US and many EU countries. This self-declared independence was not recognized by Serbia and many other countries around the world.

10. NASA Invites India To Jointly Explore Mars

i. India and the US could jointly explore Mars and, who knows, an Indian astronaut could also head to the Red planet on a joint mission. 

ii. India Maiden mission to red planets manglyaan has opened the eyes of the world on ISRO’s capabilities at undertaking low cost, high value inter-planetary mission.

iii. Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL Charles Elachi a part of NASA and an institution better known for piloting most of the American planetary exploration efforts with rovers like Curiosity, says India and the US could jointly explore Mars and even invited India to send astronauts to the Red Planet.

iv. When India launched its mission to Mars, and I congratulate India on a superb mission by reaching the orbit or Mars in the very first attempt. 

v. JPL supported ISRO in the navigation and communication because of the antennas we have. Reaching the Mars orbit in first attempt was an amazing achievement and that too at such low cost. Now American scientists through its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN) mission and India through its Mars Orbiter Mission are sharing data.

11. Zee Media to acquire 80% stake in India Today companies

i. Zee Media Corporation will acquire up to 80 per cent stake in India Today group’s loss-making e-commerce and TV shopping entities — Today Merchandise and Today Retail Network Pvt Ltd — for Rs 166 crore in staggered payments over the next four years.

ii. The investment will be made in tranches. 

iii. By June, Zee Media would acquire 49 per cent stake by investing Rs 39.7 crore by subscribing equity shares of both companies and had managerial and operational control over the target company. 

iv. Explaining its rationale for investing in the ventures, Zee Media said TV shopping holds great investment value and with this acquisition, the company would shorten the launch timing of TV shopping channel.

12. Rozle Prezelj elected Chairman of IAAF Athletes’ Commission

i. Slovenian high-jumper Rozle Prezelj on 27 February 2016 was elected the Chairman of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes' Commission in Monaco.

ii. Prezelj took over as Chairman of the commission from Frank Fredericks with immediate effect.

iii. On the other hand, Britain’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was nominated Vice Chairwoman of the commission.

iv. His best result was at the 2008 Olympics where he finished 12th in high jump.

13. Rahul Sachdev won 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016

i. Rahul Sachdev on 29 February 2016 won the 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016 in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

ii. This tournament was organized by Billiards and Snooker Association of Aurangabad and had no relation with Cue Sports India.

iii. Rahul defeated Pushpender Singh of Railways in the final with 5-3 Score. Though Pushpender emerged as a strong contender and had lost only one frame before reaching the final while Rahul scored a break of 104.

iv. Rahul sood as the runner up in Nationals in 2013 and it was his highest performance. It is major breakthrough in his career to win All India level Invitation tournament.

v. To reach final, Rahul ousted Laxman Rawat (Railways) 5-1 whereas Pushpender Singh knocked out Kamal Chawla of Railways 5-1.

14. Armaan Ebrahim won FMSCI Motorsports Man of the Year Trophy

i. Car racer Armaan Ebrahim on 28 February 2016 was awarded the Motorsports Man-of-the-Year Trophy at ceremony organised by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

ii. Armaan walked away with the glittering ‘Raymond Gautam Singhania Rolling Trophy’ and a cash prize of Rs 2,00,000 for his performance in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia Series. 

iii. B.I. Chandhok recived lifetime achivement award. An avid racer and a founder of FMSCI, Chandhok has served the motorsports fraternity in various roles and the gathering saluted the man for his lifelong achievements. 

iv. He was awarded the trophy by FMSCI chairman Vijay Mallya.

15. Bahadur Singh Rana Won Gold In 50 Km Race Walk In National Championship

i. Olympian Basant Bahadur Singh Rana clinched the gold medal in men’s 50km race walk event on the second and final day of the National Championships in Jaipur. 

ii. It was the 3rd edition of National Race Walking Championships. 

iii. The 32 year old Rana has a personal best of 3:56:48 which he clocked in the 2012 London Olympics, which was a national record.

iv. Delhi walker Rana clocked 4 hours 7 minutes 24 seconds to finish first out of 33 participants in the race but only 9 managed to complete the race. 

v. Perhaps it was a good 1 minute 25 seconds behind the Rio Olympic qualification mark. Chandan Singh clinched the silver medal with a time of 4:09:50 while Jitendra Singh won the bronze medal with an effort of 4:12:10. The former has already bettered the Rio qualification mark in the 20km category. In the Women’s category, Neena K.T won the yellow medal with a time of 53:12.49, Bhawna Jat won the silver with a time of 53:27.79 while Priyanka Patel won the bronze, after clocking a timing of 53:32.95.

Daily GK Update : 28 & 29th February, 2016

1. The Major Highlights/Announcement of the Union Budget 2016-17

i. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presents his third Union Budget. To support the small tax-payer and the small investor, the Minister announced a slew of schemes, and income tax exemptions.

ii. Following are the key highlights :

- Forex reserves are at highest level at $350 billion'

- 2016: Current account deficit seen at 1.4% of GDP'

- 3 schemes to address weaker sections'

- GDP growth has accelerated to 7.6%. CPI inflation has come down to 5.4%.

- FY 16-17 will have the additional burden of implementing the VII pay commission and the defence OROP.

- New scheme for BPL families for gas connections. Staturtory backing for Aadhaar platform to ensure delivery of benefits. etc 

For more updates: Click Here

2. Naveen Patnaik Has Been Elected As BJD President For The 7th Consecutive Term

i. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was formally declared elected as the president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the 7th consecutive term.

ii. Besides Naveen, 80 others were elected unopposed to the State executive of the party. 

iii. The election as BJD president was a mere formality as he was the only candidate to file nomination papers for the post.

iv. Naveen Patnaik re-election as the BJD’s president was announced by the State returning officer (SRO) Pratap Keshari Deb at the party’s State council meeting. 

v. The party’s organisational poll process was started in the last week of December and it was completed on Sunday in five phases.

3. President of India to be the chief guest at the 40th anniversary celebrations of Indian Civil Accounts Service tomorrow

i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will be the Chief Guest at the 40th Anniversary Celebrations of Indian Civil Accounts Service tomorrow (March 1,2016). 

ii. The event will be celebrate in New Delhi.

4. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme to be Launched 

i. ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ programme will be launched to link States and Districts in an annual programme that connects people though exchanges in areas of language, trade, culture, travel and tourism. 

ii. Today While presenting the General Budget 2016-17 in Lok Sabha, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that to strengthen understanding of each other.

iii. it is proposed to create a closer engagement between States and Districts in a structured manner. 

5. Oscar Awards 2016 conferred; Film Mad Max: Fury Road won maximum awards

i. 88th Academy Awards, popularly called Oscar Awards, were conferred on 29 February 2016. 

ii. The award ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

iii. Chris Rock hosted the ceremony and Indian Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra made her debut on the Oscars red carpet and presented the award.  

iv. The Oscar Awards for the year 2016 were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 24 categories.

v. Some of winners of 88th Academy Awards: Best Picture: Spotlight, Best Director:  Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant, Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Best Actress: Brie Larson for Room, Best Animated Short Film:  Bear Story and Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out etc. 

6. National Science Day observed with theme Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation

i. National Science Day was observed across India on 28 February 2016. 

ii. The theme for the National Science Day 2016 is Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation.

iii. The day is observed annually to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect (phenomenon of scattering of photons) by Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928.

iv. Raman was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his discovery and this was the first Nobel Prize for India in the field of Science.

v. The first National Science Day was celebrated on 28 February 1987.

7. 100 Crore each allocated for celebrating Birth Centenary of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay and 350th Birth Anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh 

i. General Budget 2016-17 has proposed allocation of initial sums of Rs. 100 Crore each allocated for celebrating Birth Centenary of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay and 350th Birth Anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. 

ii. While presenting the General Budget 2016-17 in Lok Sabha today, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that in 2017, the country will also celebrate the 70th Anniversary of our Independence. 

iii. Government will chalk out milestones for nation’s journey beyond the 70th Anniversary of Independence. 

8. President to declare Kerala as first digital state today

i. President Pranab Mukherjee will declare Kerala as the first digital state of the country on 27th February,2016.

ii. pinning another feather on the cap of the southern state that boasts of many firsts in the human development index.

iii. It will be the 1st fully digitised state With high e-literacy rate and mobile penetration (32 m connections).

iv. It is also the first to complete the national optic fiber network project which helps to provide high-speed internet in all gram panchayats and remote areas. 

v. Many key government offices will be paperless soon. More than 3000 offices in the state, including motor vehicles and land registration departments, have achieved this feat.

9. Dinesh Sharma Appointed As Chairman Of Governing Council Of IFAD

i. Dinesh Sharma, Additional Finance Secretary, Department Of Economic Affairs and India’s Governor to the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) was unanimously elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of IFAD for a period of two years in its 39th Session held in Rome, Italy.

ii. IFAD was setup in 1977 as the 13th Specialized Agency of the United Nations and works towards removing poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world. 

iii. India is a founder member of IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries. 

iv. IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies those are Governing Council and the Executive Board. 

v. The Governing Council is the highest decision making body and consists of 176 member countries.

10. Resul Pookutty became first Asian to win Golden Reel Award

i. Famous sound designer Resul Pookutty on 27 February 2016 became the first Asian to win the award for Best Sound for documentary India’s Daughter at the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) 63rd annual Golden Reel Awards.

ii. The competing films television documentaries in the list included Beware Baltimore, Chef’s Table, Deadliest Catch, and The Undrafted, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Revenant among others.

iii. Pookutty made his debut in sound design with the 1997 film Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One, directed by Rajat Kapoor.

iv. He got his big break with the critically acclaimed 2005 film Black.

v. Each year the MPSE presents The Golden Reel Awards, in which it acknowledges the year's best work in the various areas of sound editing.

11. Vinod Rai Appointed Chairman Of Newly Constituted Banks Board Bureau(BBB)

i. Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau (BBB).

ii. His appointment comes after Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for the constitution of the BBB.

iii. He is former Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) from January 2008 and May 2013.

iv. Last year Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in last 2015 announced that the government is going to set up a Bank Board Bureau for Public Sector Unit (PSU) banks, where each bank would be monitored on the basis of"key performance indicators". Apart from chairman Vinod Rai , the other three members are Anil K. Khandelwal, former CMD of Bank of Baroda, H.N. Sinor, former Joint MD, ICICI Bank and Rupa Kudwa, former MD and CEO, CRISIL.

12. Former Maharashtra Minister Nihal Ahmed Maulavi Mohammed Usman died

i. Socialist leader and former Maharashtra Minister Nihal Ahmed Maulavi Mohammed Usman today passed away in Nashik following age-old ailments.

ii. He was 90. Ahmed was the former Maharashtra Minister of technical and higher education, state president of Janata Dal (Secular) and former legislator in the state Assembly for nearly three decades.

iii. He passed away in Nashik and popularly known as Nihalbhai, he was also the first mayor of the Malegaon Municipal Corporation.

iv. He was the state president of Janata Dal (Secular). He was a former Minister of technical and higher education of Maharastra.

v. He was elected as legislator in the state Assembly for nearly three decades.

13. BK Garudachar, India's oldest first-class cricketer, died

i. India's oldest first-class cricketer BK Garudachar, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore. 

ii. He was 99. A right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler, Garudachar made 1126 runs at an average of 29.63 from 27 matches in first-class cricket between 1935 and 1946.

iii. Born on 13 January 1917 at Chikamagalur in Karnataka, Garudachar started playing for Mysore before representing United Province and Bombay in the 1940s. 

iv. He graduated in engineering from the Benares University.

14. Famous Tamil comedy actor Kumarimuthu died

i. Famous Tamil Comedy actor Kumarimuthu died in Chennai. He was 77.

ii. He was in politics as the celebrity faces of Karunanidhi headed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Party.

iii. He made his acting debut in Ival Oru Seethai in 1978. After the film Nandu written and directed by J Mahendran, he got many offers.

iv. He acted more than 500 films in Kollywood and did a variety of roles through his humorous acts.

v. Vijay and Nayantara starred Villu in 2009 was his Last Movie.He acted in some of the popular films which are Oomai Vizhigal, Idhu Namma Aalu, Pudhu Vasantham, Idhayam, Sahadevan Mahadevan and Aanazhagan.

15. Wawrinka Beats Baghdatis To Win Dubai Title

i. Switzerland Player Stanislas Wawrinka won the battle of the 30-year-olds by defeating Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 7-6 (13) to win the Dubai Tennis Championships title.

ii. He also won the last nine finals he's played, including the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open. 

iii. The last final he lost was in 2013. 

iv. The victory is Wawrinka's second title of the year.

v. Baghdatis, who was unseeded, has now lost his last seven finals. 

Daily GK Update : 27th February, 2016

1. ISRO to set up Satellite Centre for in ASEAN countries in Vietnam

i. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is working to establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility for ASEAN Member countries in Vietnam.

ii. ISRO will set up this satellite centre at the behest of Union Government as part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha.

iii. This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries.

iv. Under this initiative, all 10 ASEAN member countries including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.

v. Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system

2. E-Tourist Visa Scheme extended to 37 more countries

i. The Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries. With this, the total count of countries under the scheme will become 150.

ii. The new countries included in e-Tourist Visa scheme are Austria, Albania, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Comoros, Cote d’lvoire, Cape Verde,  Czech Republic, Croatia, Eritrea, Denmark, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Gambia, Ghana,  Madagascar, Malawi, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, San Marino, Moldova, Namibia, Romania, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tajikistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

iii. Union Government had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme (as Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme) in November 2014. The e-Tourist Visa Scheme facilitates pre-authorization of Visa i.e. electronic travel authorisation given to foreigners prior to travel.

iv. Under this scheme, an applicant registers for visa online and receives an email authorising him/her to travel to India after it is approved. On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who will in turn allow them to enter into the country.

v. The scheme seeks to tap the vast tourism potential of India which still remains untapped and explored.

3. Ex-DRDO Chairman Dr Avinash Chander received Aryabhata Award 2013

i. Former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and ex-DRDO chief Dr Avinash Chander on 25 February 2016 received the prestigious Astronautical Society of India's Aryabhata Award 2013.

ii. He received the award from Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to Union Government and Dr A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO, at ASI-ISRO Awards function held at Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad.

iii. Besides, Dr.Ranganath R Navalgund, Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, received the Aryabhata Award for the year 2012.

iv. Aryabhata Award was named after the fifth century Indian astronomer and mathematician and also in commemoration of the first Indian Satellite launched on 19 April 1975, Aryabhata. It is presented every year to an individual for outstanding lifetime contribution to the promotion of astronautics in India.

4. Gianni Infantino elected FIFA President

i. Gianni Infantino was elected as the President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) after winning a second-round vote at Extraordinary FIFA Congress held in Zurich on 26 February 2016.

ii. He was elected as the ninth FIFA President after the second ballot in which he secured 115 of 207 total votes. He will serve FIFA for the remainder of current term of office (until 2019).

iii. Infantino, the 45-year-old general secretary of European governing body UEFA, succeeded the 79-year-old Sepp Blatter, who held the position since 1998.

iv. Sheikh Salman of Bahrain got 88 votes after being the front-runner during the four-month campaign. Prince Ali of Jordan had four, and Jerome Champagne of France got zero votes.

5. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranveer Singh To Get Dinanath Mangeshkar prize

i. Actor Ranveer Singh was on 26 February 2016 selected for Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar award. The award will be bestowed upon Ranveer by Lata Mangeshkar at a function to be held in Pune.

ii. The award is annually conferred on artists on 24 April to commemorate Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar’s death anniversary.

iii. Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar award was instituted in 1999 in the memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata Mangeshkar. Since then it is awarded annually to persons for their outstanding contributions to music and movies.

iv. The award carries monetary award of 101001 rupees, a memento and a citation.

6. Mumbai won Ranji Trophy for the 41st time

i. Mumbai on 26 February 2016 won the Ranji Trophy with an innings and 21 run victory over Saurashtra. It won the trophy for the first time in three seasons.

ii. With this, they have 41 titles in 45 finals with 10 of them being an innings victory. Karnataka stands second in the overall Ranji standings with eight titles. It was a repeat of the 2012-13 final where Mumbai had made short work of Saurashtra with an innings and 125-run victory.

iii. Mumbai made 371 runs in 82.2 overs in their first innings and in reply Saurashtra managed 235 and 115 runs in first and second innings respectively. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur shackled opposition batting in the second innings and claimed five wickets for 26 runs in 13.2 overs to took his match tally to eight.

iv. Shreyas Iyer was named man of the match for his 117 runs in Mumbai's only innings of the match. He ended the season as the leading run-getter with 1321 runs at 73.38 including four centuries and seven fifties.

vi. In 2015, the trophy was Karnataka which was their eighth title. In the final, Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu.