Daily GK Update : 7th March, 2016

1. Gyan Sangam: 3rd Phase of Bank Reforms to Focus on Bad Loan

i. With mounting bad loans, the second edition of the Finance Ministry’s brain storming session with public sector banks focused on management of non-performing assets and consolidation in the sector.

ii. The two-day Gyan Sangam — an annual retreat of chiefs of public sector financial institutions, officials from the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India — recently held on March 4 and 5 in Gurgaon. 

iii. The last year retreat was held for the first time in pune.

iv. The agenda would include- Restructuring and mergers and acquisitions of banks, NPA management and recovery, Technology, digital and financial inclusion, Credit growth, and Risk management.

v. “This retreat has been held to take forward the government’s commitment to reforms in the banking and financial sector. The growth and change in the financial sector ought to be in tune with the development in the real sector,” said the Finance Ministry.

2. Oil Minister Lays Foundation Stone Of Octomax Unit At Mathura (UP)

i. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gases laid the foundation stone of Country's 1st its of kind Octomax unit at Mathura refinery. 

ii. It will help in the production of high octane gasoline.

iii. Octomax, a "novel technology" developed in-house by Research and Development Center of Indian Oil, involves conversion of cracked C4 streams to high-octane gasoline blending stock for production of Euro-IV/V equivalent gasoline. 

iv. The cost of this project will be around 43 crore and is expected to be completed by October 2017. The capacity of the refinery plant will be of 55 KTA but it will increase later. 

v. The unit on Octomax technology has been conceptualized and designed based on indigenous efforts. According to Mr. Pradhan "Mathura refinery will play major role in meeting government's target of introducing BS-VI standardizing  petrol and diesel by 2020." 

3. 27 Government Banks May Be Merged Into Just 6

i. Finance Minister of India  Mr. Arun Jaitley has indicated that the Government may merge 27 public sector banks into just six. 

ii. Because PSB is working under pressure to tackle their dismal bad loan scenario and consolidation is the way forward to handle this situation. This has been said in the recently held Gyan Sangam in Gurgaon. 

iii. The time frame for the mergers will ensure there are no disruptions, the sources said. Because the banks are already short-staffed so downsizing would not be required. 

iv. Apart from that an official from Ministry stated that an expert committee will be soon to setup to look into the issue and the committee will also work closely with the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) to identify the right matches for consolidation. 

v. From April 1, 2016 the BBB will independently oversee consolidation and chalk out business plans for public sector banks. Since it is not feasible to bring down the government’s share in state-owned banks below 51%, consolidation to create strong banks is the only survival option. The finance ministry is also looking to merge the newly-launched Bharatiya Mahila Bank with the other PSBs.

4. Myanmar grants operating licenses to four more Asian banks including SBI

i. Myanmar has granted operating licenses to four Asian banks, bringing to 13 the number of foreign banks allowed to conduct business in the previously isolated country.

ii. Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, State Bank of India, Taiwan's Sun Commercial Bank and South Korea's Shinhan Bank, these are the four bank were granted preliminary licenses, Myanmar's Foreign Bank Licensing Committee. 

iii. The decision is just the second time Myanmar has granted licenses for foreign banks to open since a semi-civilian government took over in 2011.

iv. The approval gives the banks 12 months to demonstrate they can fulfill business plans laid out in their.

v. Myanmar (formerly Burma), is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups.

5. Amrita Patel Gets Mahindra Lifetime Achievement Award

i. Dr Amrita Patel has been conferred with the Mahindra Samriddi India Agri Lifetime Achievement Aear-Krishi Shiromani Samman in New Delhi. Dr Patel is a former Chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). She served as its chief from 1998 to 2014. 

ii. The award has been conferred by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

iii. Dr. Patel played a vita role in the implementation of Operation Flood, the largest development programme in the world. 

iv. The operation flood programme helped to promote, finance and deliver a variety of supporting services to a national cooperative dairy structure that transformed the lives of millions of marginalized and small farmers and milk producers.

v. The award is given for her purposeful contribution that made a difference in the field of agriculture to increase productivity and rural prosperity. 

6. Country's First Small Finance Bank To Start Ops On April 13

i. Jalandhar-based Capital Local Area Bank has become the first entity to receive the Reserve Bank of India‘s licence to start operations as a small finance bank.

ii. In september 2015 Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle licences to 10 applicants to set up small finance banks, including Capital Local Area Bank. 

iii. The small finance bank will undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to unserved and underserved sections including small business units, marginal farmers and unorganised sector entities.

iv. AS per Sarvjit Singh Samra, managing director of Capital Local Area Bank plans to start its small finance bank operations on April 13. 

7. Amazon Is India's Most Trusted Online Shopping Brand

i. Amazon World's largest e-retailer is India's most trusted online shopping brand followed homegrown Snapdeal and Flipkart.

ii. Ebay, Myntra, Yepme, Jabong, Naaptol, Shopclues and Askmebazaar Other firms to figure in the top 10 trusted online shopping brands.

iii. The survey was conducted among 2,500 respondents, aged 21-50, across 16 cities and its findings have been compiled in the Brand Trust Report, India Study 2016. iv. The report is issued annually by TRA (formerly Trust Research Advisory).

v. According to  TRA Chief Executive Officer N Chandramouli Amazon is India's most trusted online shopping brand with 36 per cent of the trust pie. Together, these three brands make up for 76 per cent of online shopping trust pie.

8. Tata Housing ties up with SBI for Women's Day offer

i. Real estate developer Tata Housing has partnered with the country's largest lender, State Bank of India, on the occasion of the International Women's Day.

ii. Tata Housing will allow its women customers to pay only 20 per cent of the agreement value while the balance can be paid on taking possession of the property, a company statement said here today.

iii. On its part, SBI will be offering home loans to its women customers at a special interest rate of 9.5 per cent per annum under the SBI Her Ghar scheme as part of the International Women's Day, which will be celebrated between March 8 and March 13, it said.

iv. Moreover, the SBI has waived processing fees on the home loan under the scheme, it added.

9. Investors' summit Begins in Gurgaon 

i. The first two-day 'Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit 2016' has kicked off in Gurgaon, which has see participation from 12 countries.

ii. Besides several Union Ministers, a number of leading entrepreneurs and MNCs have taken part.

iii. The summit comes close on the heels of the Jat quota agitation in Haryana, in which 30 people were killed and property worth crores of rupees was destroyed.

iv. The participating countries are Czech-Republic, Japan, Mauritius, New Zealand, China, Korea, Malawi, Peru, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Tunisia.

v. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the chief guest at the inaugural session while Khattar has delivered the keynote address.

10. Uttar Pradesh Assembly Passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016

i. Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 replacing an ordinance issued by the Governor Ram Naik. 

ii. The Bill allows Dalits of the state to sell their land to non-Dalits in the state without approval of the administration even if their remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres.

iii. This bill also seeks to bring changes existing revenue laws dating to the British era by further speeding up disposal of litigations over land ownership in rural areas. 

iv. It also provision that allows land owners lease out their land for share-cropping purpose without the fear of losing it after 12 years.

11. Email Inventor Ray Tomlinson Dies At 74

i. Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of email has passed away. He was 74. He died of an apparent heart attack. 

ii. His invention included the ground-breaking use of the @ symbol in email addresses, which is now standard.

iii. The US computer programmer came up with the idea of electronic messages that could be sent from one network to another in 1971. Before Ray Tomlinson invention direct electronic messages users could only write messages to others using the same computer. 

iv. He was the first to use the @ symbol in this way, to distinguish a user from its host.

v. His work was recognized by his peers in 2012, when he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

12. Renowned Singer And Actor Kalabhavan Mani Passed Away

i. Renowned Malayalam actor and folk singer Kalabhavan Mani passed away in Kochi on Sunday. He was 45. 

ii. He had been hospitalized for liver ailment. Mr. Mani had bagged national special jury award in 2000 for his performance in Malayalam film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum.

iii. The actor cum singer was from an economically backward family at Chalakkudy in Thrissur district. He has started his career as mimicry artiste at Kalabhavan in Kochi and then did comedy roles in Malayalam films. He was known for inimitable mannerisms as comedy artiste.

iv. Mani had acted in over 200 films in Malayalam and other South Indian languages. 

v. He has 1st acted in the Malayalam Film Industry in 1993 however first noticed in the film "Sallapam" in 1996 and after that, through his characteristic laugh and dialogue delivery style, never had to look back and went on to act in Tamil and Telugu films.

13. American Actress Nancy Reagan died At 94

i. Nancy Davis Reagan was an American actress and the wife of the 40th President of the United States,  Ronald Reagan. She died At 94 

ii. She was born in New York City, After her parents separated, she lived in Maryland with an aunt and uncle for some years She was the First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. 

iii. Nancy Reagan, one of the most high-profile and influential first ladies of the 20th century, Nancy was born in New York City. 

iv. Reagan died at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure, according to her spokeswoman, Joanne Drake of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

14. Patna Pirates Beat U Mumba 31-28 to Win 3rd Season Of Pro Kabaddi League

i. Season 3 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, ended on a high note with power packed action between U Mumba and Patna Pirates. 

ii. Stamping their authority and continuing their dream winning streak, Patna Pirates beat the dominant U Mumba to emerge as Champions of Pro Kabaddi Season 3.

iii. The score closed at 31-28 in favour of Patna Pirates after a thrilling 40 minute play of perhaps the best kabaddi of the season, followed by Manpreet Singh, captain of Patna Pirates holding up the golden trophy amidst spectacular scenes of celebration.

15. Asia Cup 2016 Concludes In Bangladesh & India Won Its 6th Asia Cup Title

i. India beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the final to win their Asia Cup title. With this victory, India lifted their sixth Asia Cup title. 

ii. This is the first time the Asia Cup was held in T20 format and India proved that why they are No.1 side in T20 Internationals.

iii. India finish their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup with a strong performance in the final. Bangladesh fought hard in phases but a victory with six balls to spare and eight wickets in hand is a pretty emphatic one in the end. 

iv. The 2016 Asia Cup was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tournament that was held in Bangladesh from 24 February to 6 March 2016. 

v. It was the 13th edition of the Asia Cup, the fifth to be held in Bangladesh. 

Daily GK Update: 6th March, 2016

Raisina Dialogue 2016 kicks off at New Delhi 

i. The first Raisina-Dialogue 2016, a flagship conference on Geopolitics and Geo-economics began in New Delhi. 

ii. The three day conference is joint initiative of Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in India. 

Key facts 

• The theme of Raisina-Dialogue 2016 is “Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity”. 
• It will enable the MEA to reach out to a wider international multi-disciplinary audience. 
• It will focus on Asia’s economic, physical, human and digital connectivity and shall attempt to discover challenges and opportunities for the region to manage its common spaces. 
• It will be attended by speakers from 40 countries including Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Bangladeshi foreign Minister Mahmood Ali. 
• It will provide platform to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia’s Integration with the whole world. 

Note: The name of conference comes from Raisina Hill which is the elevation in New Delhi where presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan is located. The conference has been organized on the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

India moves to WTO against US on temporary working visa issue 

i. India has filed a complaint against the United States decision to impose high fees L-1 and H-1B categories of temporary working visas in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 

ii. US had imposed fees on certain applicants for L-1 and H-1B categories of non-immigrant temporary working visas into the country. 

iii. According to India, US measure is inconsistent with the global norms and it would impact Indian IT professionals as it makes Indian IT companies less competitive in that market. These measures appear to be “inconsistent” with the terms, limitations and conditions agreed under the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services). 

Background 

• Earlier in 2015, US President Barack Obama had signed into law of spending package which had introduced a hefty $4,000 fee for certain categories of H-1B visa and $4,500 for L1 visa.
• Under this law, companies having more than 50 employees and having more than 50 per cent of their US employees on H-1B and L1 visas were forced pay the new fee from April 1, 2016. 
• H-1B and L1 visas are temporary work visas for skilled IT professionals to work in US and India is the largest user of both H1B and L1 visas.  

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates National Conference on Women Legislation 

i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a National conference on ‘Women Legislators: Building Resurgent India’ in New Delhi.

ii. The conference intends to hone the skills of legislators to perform their legislative and non-legislative roles with greater effectiveness. 

Key facts 

• The two-day conference will provide women legislators a platform to interact with their counterparts from across the country. 
• It will also bring together women union ministers, chief ministers, MPs and eminent women from the judiciary and the bureaucracy. 
• It will equip women legislators with latest knowledge in relevant areas and motivate, guide them in their twin roles as agents of socio-economic progress and as legislators. 
• It will be attended by more than 300 women MPs and state legislatures and legislative council members, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.  

Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill, 2016 

i. Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 replacing an ordinance issued by the Governor Ram Naik.

ii. The Bill allows Dalits of the state to sell their land to non-Dalits in the state without approval of the administration even if their remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres. 

Key facts 

• The bill seeks to bring changes existing revenue laws dating to the British era by further speeding up disposal of litigations over land ownership in rural areas. 
• It also provision that allows land owners lease out their land for share-cropping purpose without the fear of losing it after 12 years. 
• Ensures that wife gets equal rights on the gram samaj land given out on a lease signifying step towards empowerment of rural women. 
• The bill has provisions for setting up of a new judicial cadre that will look after land revenue disputes in order to end disputes especially in cases of partnership.  

Manoj Kumar to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award 

i. Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar has been selected for the prestigious 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015. 

ii. He was unanimously selected by a five member jury consisted of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota. 

About Manoj Kumar 

• Manoj Kumar was born as Harikishan Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad (now in Pakistan), then part of British India. 
• He had shifted to Delhi at the age of 10 due to India-Pakistan partition after independence. He entered in the film industry after graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi.
• His debut role as an actor was in the film Fashion (1957) and as a leading role was in film Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960). 
• He is remembered for his films Hariyali Aur Raasta, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Woh Kaun Thi, Do Badan, Patthar Ke Sanam, Upkaar, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and Kranti. 
• He is best known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes. His first patriotic film was Shaheed (1965) based on the life of Bhagat Singh. 
• Awards and Honours: He is a recipient of National Film Award (1968) for the film Upkaar. He also was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1992 and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. 

About Dadasaheb Phalke Award 

The award is conferred by the Union Government on person for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. 

Established in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. It is the highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema. 

The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of 10 lakhs rupees and a shawl. It is given on the basis of recommendations of a committee of eminent personalities set up by the Centre.  

Daily GK Update: 5th March, 2016

1. 15 States have Joined UDAY Scheme

i. The Finance Ministry Arun jaitley has given permission to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to issue the bonds as part of the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

ii. The Ministry of Finance and the RBI are working out the mode of these bond issues.

iii. According to Union Power Under the UDAY scheme, State governments take over 75 per cent of the debt of the distribution utilities. This is then issued as non-SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) bonds. The remaining 25 per cent of debt with electricity distribution utilities is also refinanced through State government-backed DISCOM bonds.

iv. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh account for around Rs. 1.5 lakh crore or about 35 per cent of the outstanding loans of State electricity distribution utilities in the country. 

v. Six States have already signed agreements to finalise their participation in the UDAY scheme including Bihar. 

2. MoU between Indian Army and Induslnd Bank

i. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Indian Army and Hinduja Grouped Induslnd Bank on the Defence Salary package.

ii. The signing ceremony of MoU was headed by Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma and the Dignitaries from Induslnd bank headed by Anil M Rao Head-General Banking Operations.

iii. The first MoU was signed earlier in 2011 was valid for a period of three years, this MoU revised to suit the requirements of serving soldiers also provide them opportunity to access modern banking facilities.

iv. The specially designed salary will hold additional features free/ concessional services including free drafts, Cheques books, and free fund transfer to any bank in India through NEFT/ RTGS and free ATM cards.

v. In the latest MoU Personal Accident Insurance  cover has been Included an amount of Rs. 2 lacs for Junior Commissioned Officer and up to 5 lacs for officers and NOC issuing time is reduced to 3 days from the date of application.

3. Sunil Sabharwal Re Appointed As Alternate Executive Director At IMF

i. Independent investor Sunil Sabharwal has become the first Indian American to occupy a key administration post as Alternate Executive Director at the IMF. 

ii. Mr. Sabharwal is re nominated by US President Barack Obama. He was 1st nominated in April 2014 and then renominated to the position of Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

iii. The post of Alternate Executive Director is one of the most powerful position in the IMF considering more than the 16.81 % voting share (highest) of US in the total IMF voting share. 

iv. Prior to this appointment Mr. Sabharwal has served as board chairman of Ogone, a European e-commerce payment services firm, from 2011-13. 

v. Mr. Sabharwal also had served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Investments at First Data Corporation/Western Union from 2003 to 2006. Since 2006, he has been an independent investor in the payments sector. 

4. Award for Srinivasan K. Swamy

i. The Advertising Club Madras conferred its 1st Distinguished Service Award on Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R K Swamy BBDO for his outstanding contribution to the advertising industry. 

ii. The award was presented to the ad lander who is also president of the IAA India chapter, at a ceremony in Chennai on 3 March 2016.

iii. N Murali, co-chairman of The Hindu group of publications ( Kasturi and Sons Ltd ), and second recipient of the title, was the chief guest for the evening. 

iv.  Mr. Murali was conferred with this award in 1995. 

v. Other recipients of this award were Narayanan in 1998, S.R. (Mani) Aiyer in 2001 and C K Ranganathan in 2004.

5. River Information System Like ATC To Be Launched For Inland Waterways Traffic

i. The Government has launched a River Information System (RIS)  between Haldia and Farakka stretch of the National Waterway-1 (NW-1) on 06.01.2016.

ii. The system enhances swift electronic data transfer between mobile vessels and shore (Base stations) through advance and real-time exchange of information.  

iii. RIS aims to streamline the exchange of information between waterway operators, regulators and users.

iv. This would facilitate: Inland navigation safety, Improvement in efficiency of inland navigation, Dissemination of information to vessels on the status of fairways, Provision of virtual aids to navigation and guidance to the vessels and Planning of voyages.

6. PepsiCo Named As New Associate Sponsor Of BCCI

i. Beverage giants PepsiCo has named as the new associate sponsor of BCCI , which was earlier pulled out as title sponsors of the Indian Premier League in October. 

ii. BCCI has named it as BCCI's official associate sponsor for all international matches in India. 

iii. The both entered into a 4 year partnership for refreshment, snacks and drinks besides grounds where the firm will try to garner maximum visibility for their brands.

iv. Besides, Pepsico, there would be two other official associate sponsors of BCCI, from which the cricket body would get Rs 150 crore for the next four years. 

v. Names of the other two sponsors will be announced in the next 7-10 days. Apart from them Mobile commerce platform Paytm is the official title sponsor of the BCCI. 

7. Chapchar Kut Festival Celebrated Across Mizoram

i. The traditional festival of Chapchar Kut of the Mizos was celebrated across the north-eastern state of Mizoram and also in the Mizo-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states. 

ii. It is a spring festival celebrated every year in month of March.

iii. The festival is celebrated with great fervor and gaiety by Mizos after completion of their Jhum operation (shifting agriculture by clearing jungle by burning and cultivating in remnants of burning). 

iv. The citizen belongs to the region dressed in traditional attire, exuberant dancers danced to the tune of typical music and songs. While popular Mizo dances including Cheraw, Sarlamkai, Chheihlam and Khuallam were performed by different cultural troupes.

v. Chapchar Kut Festival is estimated to have started in 1450-1700 A.D. in a village called Suaipui. In Aizawl, state state home minister R Lalzirliana was the 'Kut pa' or father of the festival, while state Art and Culture minister R Romawia was the 'Kut thlengtu' or host of the festival. 

8. TCS chief N Chandrasekaran appointed to board of Reserve Bank

i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO and managing director Natarajan Chandrasekaran and two others were on Friday appointed as non-official directors to the board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved appointment of former Chief Secretary of Gujarat Sudhir Mankad as part-time non-official director on the central board of the RBI for a period of four years, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

iii. Mr Mankad was Chief Secretary of Gujarat from April 2005 to August 2007 when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state. Besides Mr Mankad, Mr Chandrasekaran of TCS has also been appointed as part-time non-official director on the RBI board, it said.

iv. Bharat Narotam Doshi, non-executive chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra, is the third part-time non-official director on the central board of the bank, the department said. Both Mr Chandrasekaran and Mr Doshi will have a tenure of four years.

v. The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors. The board is appointed by the government of India. Besides the RBI Governor, there cannot be more than four deputy governors as full-time official directors of the central bank.

There can be ten non-official directors from various fields and two government officials.

9. Election Commission Announces Assembly Election In 4 States & 1 Union Territory

i. The Election Commission today announced the schedule for Assembly polls in four states — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and for Union Territory Puducherry. The Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has announced the election date today in New Delhi.

ii. In Assam, elections will be held in two phases – April 4 and 11. In West Bengal, it will be held on April 4, 11, 17, 21, 25, 30 April, and May 5. In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, the elections will be held on May 16. Counting of votes for all five states will be done on May 19.

iii. The elections will also see for the first time a symbol, which has been created by the National School of Design, allotted to NOTA (None of the above) that will be placed at the bottom of the list of candidates. And If possible polling centers will be set up in blind schools, leprosy centers to ensure inclusiveness.

iv. This time all the polls will have Mobile squads with GPS-fitted vehicles and will be accompanied by central forces to ensure that they quickly attend to complaints. 

v. There will be exclusive polling stations for differently-abled voters.

10. Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides And Great Santini Author, Dies At 70

i. Donald Patrick "Pat" Conroy was a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. 

ii. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.

iii. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, he was the eldest of seven children (five boys and two girls) born to Marine Colonel Donald Conroy, of Chicago, and the former Frances "Peggy" Peek of Alabama. 

iv. Conroy grew up in a military family, moving many times during his childhood and adolescence and never having a hometown, as his family followed his father, a fighter pilot, who was transferred from military base to military base. 

v. Conroy moved 23 times before he was 18 years old.

11. Cngress MLA R. Venkat Reddy Passes Away

i. Telangana Congress Former Minister Ramreddy Venkat Reddy passed away yesterday. He was undergoing with the treatment for cancer He was 72.

ii.  Mr. Reddy was a 5 time MLA from Khammam District. The veteran leader, who was also Chairman of Public Accounts Committee of Telangana Assembly, was a Minister in Congress Governments led by Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy in undivided Andhra Pardesh. 

iii. After the constituency was demerged, he shifted to Palair and won with comfortable majority in the 2014 elections. 

iv. A soft spoken low-profile politician, Venkat Reddy served as Horticulture Minister in Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy Governments. Venkat Reddy’s brother R. Damodar Reddy is also a former Minister.

v. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N Uttam Kumar Reddy, its working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress Legislature Party leader K Jana Reddy, among others, condoled his death.

12. Legendary Film Archivist P.K.Nair Passed Away

i. P.K.Nair, the founder director of the Nationl Film Archive of India has passed away. He was 86. Nair, who was in critical condition since the last 10 days, passed away at a hospital in Pune due to cardiac arrest. 

ii. He was instrumental in archiving several landmark Indian Films such as Dadasahe Phalke's " Raja Harishchndra " and " Kaliya Mardan". 

iii. Paramesh Krishnan Nair, who had dedicated his life to preservation of films and building the collection of films at the NFAI. 

iv. Nair joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune as a research assistant in 1961 and went on to play a key role in  setting up  the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) in 1964. 

v. He was appointed assistant curator in 1965  and continued with the NFAI till 1991.By the time when Mr. Nair retired as NFAI director, he had acquired a whopping 12,000 films for the archive out Of these, 8,000 were Indian and the rest foreign films. His life and work has been immortalized in the documentary Celluloid Man, made by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

13. Anirban Lahiri Jumps To 9th Spot At World Golf Championships

i. Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri turned in a second successive two-under 70 and jumped into the top-10 at tied ninth at the midway stage of the $9.5 million WGC Cadillac Championships.

ii. Lahiri, who had three birdies -- two of them in last three holes and one bogey, is still six shots behind the leader, Adam Scott, who is looking to make it two wins in two weeks Lahiri broke into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in March 2014 following a consistent season which included two victories on the Asian Tour. 

iii. Lahiri learned to play golf at the age of eight from his father, Dr. Tushar Lahiri, a physician with the armed forces who was also a recreational golfer. 

14. Indian Shooter Jitu Rai Clinches Gold 50m Pistol Gold

i. Jitu Rai (Nepali) (born 25 August 1987) is an Indian shooter of Nepalese origin, clinch the 50m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup Bangkok.

ii. Jitu Rai beat China’s former World and Olympic Champion Wei to second place shooting 191.3 to Pang’s 186.5. Wang Zhiwei, also of China and an Olympic Bronze medallist, finished third with a final round score of 165.8. 

iii. Jitu Rai reached the final by finishing third at the end of the 60 shot qualifying series with a score of 562. 

iv. He led the field of eight top qualifiers with a score of 564, while Zheiwei followed him in second place scoring 563. 

v. Former World Champion Tomoyuki Matsuda of Japan was also going to be a threat in the final given his recent form in the Asian Shooting qualifiers in Delhi.

Daily GK Update : 4th March, 2016

1. PM Narendra Modi Launches ‘Setu Bharatam’ Project, To Boost Infrastructure

i. Today, The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Rs 50,000-crore "Setu Bharatam" programme to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways. 

ii. With this the government aims to make all national highways free from railway crossings by 2019.

iii. Under this project, 208 new road over bridges or road under bridges places have been identified for construction and nearly 10200 crore rupees will be spent on it. 

iv. While around 1500 bridges will be widened, rehabilitated or replaced that are over 50 to 60 years old. The cost of rebuilding the old bridges is expected to be about 30000 crore rupees.

v. The Prime Minister spoke of the Government’s initiatives in other infrastructure sectors as well, including railways, irrigation and digital connectivity. He said that developing rural roads is a priority for the government and it has got huge budgetary support this year. In Budget 2016-17, Rs. 19,000 crore has been sanctioned under the Pradham Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), to connect all villages with roads, compared with Rs. 14,291 crore in the revised estimates of 2015-16.

2. Kerala Government has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance

i. Government of  Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in Kerala launched by the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. 

ii. The Air Ambulance in Kerala will exclusively be used for the speedy organ transplant. 

iii. The Air Ambulance in Kerala is a brand new six-seater aircraft that is a state-owned Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology. It imparts training to the aspirants seeking to become commercial pilots.

iv. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed regarding the Air Ambulance in Kerala took place between the Aviation Academy and the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing that was headed by the principal of the state-run Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. 

v. The two organizations will work together or speedy organ transportation between hospitals from brain-dead persons with the help of Air Ambulance in Kerala.

3. Manoj Kumar To Be Conferred Dada Saheb Phalke Award For The Year 2015

i. Veteran Film Actor and Director Shri Manoj Kumar is to be conferred the 47th Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2015. 

ii. Award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. 

iii. The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs and a shawl.

iv. The Award is given on the basis of recommendations of a Committee of eminent personalities set up by the Government for this purpose. This year, a five member jury named as Latha Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota, unanimously recommended Shri Manoj Kumar for the prestigious Award. Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley spoke to Shri Manoj Kumar today and congratulated him on being conferred the Award. 

v. The Dadasaheb Phalke award is India's highest award in cinema. Last year, the Dadasaheb Phalke award was given to Shashi Kapoor.

4. Alappuzha Backwaters To Get India’s First Solar Ferry

i. A 75-seater solar-powered passenger ferry, the first of its kind in the country, is quietly taking shape at Aroor in Alappuzha district. 

ii. The boat is expected to be commissioned within the next three months.

iii. This boat is being built by NavAlt, a Kochi-based joint venture, in collaboration with a French company. 

iv. The cost of the Rs.1.7-crore boat will make no noise or cause any pollution, unlike the diesel powered ones. 

v. It may work out to be a cheaper option too. An ordinary boat, made of steel and with a carrying capacity of 75 passengers, may cost around Rs.1.9 crore.

5. Government Proposes 10 Member Kashmiri Pandit Panel

i. The government of India has proposed to constitute a committee of  Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) to monitor implementation of packages for rehabilitation of the displaced community. The committee panel will consist 10 member. 

ii. According to the last month proposal of the Union Home Ministry the panel will includes the representatives of migrant camps from Muthi and Pukhroo.

iii. The proposal has been sent to governments of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, asking them to consult various associations of Kashmiri migrants and offer inputs in the matter at the earliest. 

iv. This included amounts towards jobs for Kashmiri migrants, rehabilitation of families from Chhamb and PoK, construction of houses, and setting up of five India Reserve Battalions.

v. This year’s budget saw that more than half of the Rs. 580 crore fund allocated for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants remained unutilised during 2015-16 but as per revised estimates, only Rs. 280 crore was provided, leaving Rs. 300 crore unutilised.

6. Ratan Thiyam Selected For 11th META Lifetime Achievement Award

i. Veteran playwright and director Ratan Thiyam has been selected for prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016 at the 11th edition of Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). 

ii. The award will be given to the theatre guru Ratan Thiyam for creating a new language in theatre and enriching the art form in various roles as writer, director, designer, composer and choreographer.

iii. Currently he is the chairman of the National School of Drama. 

iv. Prior to him, this award has been given to theatre greats such as Zohra Sehgal, Badal Sarkar, Khaled Chowdhury, Ebrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad and Heisnam Kanhailal.

v. The awards consist of a specially designed trophy and a cheque of 1,00,000 rupees for the best production, 75,000 rupees for best original playwright and 45,000 rupees for all other award categories.

7. World's Costliest Train Station Opened In New York At 9/11 Site

i. The World's most expensive train station in the world opens at the World Trade Center site in New York, United States Of America. 

ii. The site World Trade Center destroyed 14 years ago in the 9/11 attacks. 

iii. Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish Swiss architect taken 12 years to make it. The site has been made at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub next to the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the Al- Qaeda hijackings.

iv. The site World Trade Center Transportation Hub is expected to eventually serve more than 2,00,000 daily commuters. The building space measures 350 feet (107 meters) long by 115 feet (35 meters) at its widest point.

v. The center connects the PATH commuter rail to New Jersey with New York subway lines, provides indoor pedestrian access to the Trade Center towers and will also house an enormous shopping and restaurant plaza. The transit hub will serve 250,000 people making it the third largest transportation center in the city.

8. Flipkart launches Commerce Advertising Platform

i. Leading e-commerce company Flipkart launched its own advertisement platform, Brand Story Ads, with over 50 leading brands on board.

ii. Yes Bank, L’Oreal, Micromax, Intel, Gillette, Datsun and Sony have signed up with Flipkart to launch their ads campaigns on the platform.

iii. Flipkart ventured into the online advertising space last year with the introduction of product listing ads to enable sellers on the platform gain more visibility and reach a larger customer base. 

iv. With the launch of Brand Story Ads, Flipkart has introduced a new form of advertising called – Commerce Advertising. 

v. Commerce Advertising delivers a holistic view of consumer’s purchase journey post ad interactions and highlight effectiveness of the advertising campaigns.

9. Stevie Wonder Honoured With Global Green Hero Award

i. Veteran singer Stevie Wonder was honoured with Global Green Hero award. 

ii. The award has been given at the 13th Annual Global Green USA Pre Oscar party. 

iii. Presently the 65 year old singer Stevie is an music icon in the industry. 

iv. The singer is serving the industry from the age of 11 and has continued to perform and record till the early 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth.

v. On the occasion Mr. Wonder also performed a nine-song set of his greatest hits also pointed out that climate change and its environmental impact are issues that he has always been invested in. The singer has already honoured with the Grammy Award.

10. Veteran Left Chief Ashok Ghosh Lifeless

i. Veteran All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader and senior-most leader of the Left Front in West Bengal, Ashok Ghosh passed away recently. He was 94.

ii. A freedom fighter, Mr. Ghosh was the State secretary of the AIFB, the second biggest constituent of the Left Front, since 1951 — for 65 years. 

iii. He joined the AIFB in 1940, a year after its formation, influenced by the political philosophy of Subhas Chandra Bose. 

iv. In more than seven decades of public life, Mr. Ghosh did not leave the AIFB. 

v. Mr. Ghosh’s most significant contribution to the Bengal’s Left movement was destabilising the Congress by forging an anti-Congress alliance, much before the CPI (M)-led Left Front came to power in West Bengal.

11. Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma Passes Away

i. Purno Agitok Sangma, who was the Lok Sabha Speaker from 1996 to 1998 and one of the co-founders of Nationalist Congress Party passed away today following a heart attack. He was 68.

ii. Purno Agitok Sangma was born on 1 September 1947 in village Chapahati in the picturesque West Garo Hills District of the State of Meghalaya in North East India. 

iii. One of the greatest leaders from Northeast in national politics, he has been elected to the Lok Sabha eight times since 1977. 

iv. After completing his graduation from St. Anthony's College, he went to Dibrugarh University in Assam for his Masters degree in International Relations. 

v.  Subsequently, he also obtained a degree in Law.

12. Mumbai U-23 Team Clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16

i. The Mumbai under-23 team clinched the Col CK Nayudu Trophy by defeating Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. 

ii. Mumbai bowled out Madhya Pradesh for 442 and took a first innings lead of 135 runs to be declared the winner.

iii. This was Mumbai’s second big title of the season, After clinching their 41st Ranji Trophy title in Pune around a week back. 

iv. Winning team’s right arm seam bowler Tushar Deshpande made the most of the third new ball in the closing minutes of the game. 

v. The Mumbai team, winners of the 2015, 2016, U23 Col C K Nayudu Trophy, will be awarded with a cash prize of 20 lakh rupees on clinching the title.