Daily GK Updates – 1st – 2nd May 2015
1. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Adjudged World’s Best Airport
i. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world’s best airport for the year 2014. 
ii. In this regard, Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum.
iii. IGIA had scored 4.90 on a scale of 5 points measured by 300 members of the ACI ASQ benchmarking programme. It should be noted that, IGIA has bettered its ranking from second position for three consecutive years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to emerge on top in 2014.
iv. Airport Service Quality (ASQ) is the key to understanding how to increase passenger satisfaction and improve business performance. While the ACI is a trade association of the world’s airports and was founded in 1991.
2. Surender Singh takes charge as DG of Central Industrial Security Force
i. Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as the new Director General (DG) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
ii. In this regard an order was issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
iii. Surender Singh will succeed Arvind Ranjan who had retired as the DG of the CISF. He will have tenure of till August 2016.
3. NASA ended operations of MESSENGER Mission to Mercury
i. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ended the operations of MESSENGER Mission.
ii. MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging and it was launched on 3 August 2004 to study Mercury’s atmosphere.
iii. The journey of the spacecraft came to an end with Expected Impact (EI) on Mercury’s surface. It plunged to the Mercury’s surface at around 14000 kmph, creating a crater up to 52 feet wide.
iv. Although the mission completed its primary science objectives by March 2012, the spacecraft’s mission was extended two times, allowing it to capture images and information about the planet in unprecedented detail.
4. CNR Rao conferred with Japan’s highest civilian award
i. Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was conferred with Japan’s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
ii. He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese science cooperation.
iii. Rao is a National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor.
iv. He is also the Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bengaluru and a former Chair of the Japan-India Science Council. In 2014, he was awarded with India’s highest civilian award of India Bharat Ratna along with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
v. As a renowned scientist, he has published more than 1600 research papers and has authored about 50 books. He has been bestowed with about 70 honorary doctorates and also has received the highest civilian award from several nations.
5. UCO Bank, Indian Bank to offer loans for IPE programmes
i. UCO Bank and Indian Bank have agreed to extend educational loans covering the entire course fee to the students intending to pursue PGDM programmes offered by the Institute of Public Enterprise.
ii. The IPE is recognised by AICTE and treats it on a par with MBA courses extended by the Association of Indian universities, according to a statement from IPE Director, RK Mishra.
iii. The IPE PGDM programmes have excellent placement record, faculty with national and international exposure to industry, governments, teaching and research.
iv. Backed by Griha and LEED certified IPE campus infrastructure, the trimester curriculum is aligned to suit the industry requirement, providing management education with optional foreign module, strong linkages with industry, government and international bodies with South Asian Quality Systems Accreditation.
6. Four Indians to be conferred with 2015 Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan
i. Four Indians will be conferred with the Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan which were announced on 29 April 2015.
ii. These Indians are among the 85 foreign recipients who will receive the award at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 8 May 2015. The awards will be conferred by Emperor of Japan Akihito.
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Thottuvelil Krishna Pillai Aiyappankutty Nair (75): He is a former Advisor and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. He was awarded for the contribution to the enhancement of relations and the promotion of friendship between Japan and India.
Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (80): He is the Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore and a former Chair of the Japan-India Science Council. He was awarded with the highest civilian award of India Bharat Ratna in 2014. He was awarded for contribution to promoting academic interchange and mutual understanding in science and technology between Japan and India.
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Nikunj Parekh (74): He is the President of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai and Director of Bonsai Study Group of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai. He was awarded for contribution to promoting and presenting Japanese Culture in India
The Orders of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays
Topgay Bhutia (64): Former local employee of the Embassy of Japan in India was awarded for his contribution to the activities of the Japanese overseas establishment.
7. Floyd Mayweather Beats Manny Pacquiao by Unanimous Points Decision, Wins ‘Fight of the Century’
i. Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision on Saturday in their long-awaited welterweight world title showdown.
ii. In a bout branded boxing’s latest “Fight of the Century” Mayweather took his unblemished record to 48-0 adding the Filipino great’s World Boxing Organization title to his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council crowns.
iii. Pacquiao fell to 57-6 with two drawn, never able to mount the kind of sustained aggressive attack he needed to earn the decision. Even so, Pacquiao said he thought he did enough to earn the victory. “I thought I won the fight,” he said. “He didn’t do nothing.” In fact, Mayweather did what he does best, skilfully thwarting Pacquiao’s offense.
iv. Although his punches didn’t come in the bunches that Pacquiao’s did, there were plenty of telling blows. Ringside judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-110 for Mayweather, while judges Glenn Feldman and Bert Clements both scored it 116-112 for the American.
8. World’s largest solar photovoltaic plant of 750 MW to be built in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh
i. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet in the last week of April 2015 gave its approval to build 750 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant at Gurh tehsil in Rewa district.
ii. The plant, to be developed in three phases of 250 MW, once completed will become the world’s largest solar power plant.
iii. At present, the largest SPV plant is the Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW) in California’s San Luis Obispo county, US, which was commissioned in 2014
Characteristic Feature of SPV plant
The plant will use photovoltaic (PV) technology to generate electricity from the sun and is estimated to be completed by March 2017 at anestimated cost of 4500 crore rupees.
The loan for it will be provided by World Bank and New and Renewable Energy Department of Madhya Pradesh government will provide land for the project. The state government is also on the lookout for private land.
The plant will provide power at a price as low as 5.50 rupees per unit as against the 6.86 rupees per unit, which is the benchmark for levelised tariff (tariff realised over the span of the project) of (iv) SPV for 2015-16 announced by Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The project is being set up under the scheme for development of solar parks and ultra mega solar power projects. The PV modules for the plant would be sourced from the domestic market which is not mandatory.
The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will construct the grid connections and transmission lines of the solar plant.
9. Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard
i. Rajasthan Forest department has allotted more than twelve crore rupees for a bird conservation programme, Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
ii. For this project Japan Bank is going to provide financial support of three crore rupees.
iii. Under the GIB Project, closures will be made at many places in Khudi rasla, Pokhran and Shahgarh of Jaislmer district for safe habitat of bird. In order to regularly monitor the bird information chips will installed.
iv. The Great Indian Bustard locally called as Godawan is also the state bird of Rajasthan.
10. John Kerry arrives in Sri Lanka
i. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Colombo on Saturday on a two-day visit to express support to the new Sri Lankan government’s efforts to boost democracy, human rights and ensure reconciliation with Tamils.
ii. Mr. Kerry, the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Sri Lanka in a decade, was received at the Colombo international airport by his Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera. The top American diplomat will meet President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.
iii. He will also meet with the leaders of main Tamil party, TNA, and the civil society representatives. It appreciated the new government’s engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council and the willingness shown to invite U.N. special rapporteurs.
iv. Mr. Kerry’s visit comes following years of strained relations between the U.S. and Lanka’s previous government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mr. Rajapaksa had faced criticism from the West for refusing to cooperate with a probe into alleged war crimes committed during a crackdown on the LTTE.
11. CRPF to adopt village in earthquake-hit Nepal
i. Extending a helping hand to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal, paramilitary force CRPF has decided to adopt a village in the Himalayan country, a senior officer said today.
ii. The CRPF has decided to adopt Karikat village near Birganj in Nepal to provide people immediate relief and help in its reconstruction, saidInspector General of CRPF, Bihar and Jharkhand, Arun Kumar.
iii. “We got information that nobody has reached Karikat village comprising 150 families so far after the deadly earthquake on April 25 and decided to adopt it,” the CRPF IG said.
iv. He said CPRF personnel would reach out to every family in the village with relief and help in its reconstruction. The CRPF personnel initially regulated traffic at Raxual border clogged with vehicles.
12. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana introduced 5 lakh rupees Accident Insurance Scheme for transport
i. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana introduced 5 lakh rupees Accident Insurance Scheme for transport drivers. It will also cover education of two children of the beneficiary.
ii. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu formally launched the scheme at Rajhamundry while Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhara Rao made the announcement in Hyderabad.
iii. Both the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an insurer to bear the additional amount of 3 lakh rupees insurance cover, over and above the 2 lakh rupees cover that the Union Government will provide through the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
iv. To claim the benefit, the transport drivers have to register their names on a specified portal. About 11 lakh transport drivers and journalists in the two states will be benefited under the programme. About 16 thousand Home Guards in Telangana will also be benefited by the scheme.
13. Nitin Gadkari dedicated two Major Highway Projects in the North East to the Nation
i Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari dedicated Shillong Bypass Highway Project and four lane Jorabat-Barapani Section of NH-40 to the nation in Shillong, Meghalaya.
ii. The two projects are intended to improve connectivity between Guwahati and Shillong and other parts of the North East.
iii. The 48.76 Km Shillong Bypass was constructed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) mode and connects National Highway (NH) 40 and NH 44 (New NH 6).
iv. This will help decongest the traffic in the city of Shillong from trucks and heavy vehicles coming from or moving towards North Eastern parts of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.
v. Four laning of 61.80 km Jorabat-Barapani section is intended to augment connectivity between Guwahati and Shillong. The project was constructed by the NHAI on Design Build Finance Operate & Transfer (DBFOT) Mode on annuity basis.
14. Buenos Aires is world’s bookstore capital
i. All across Argentina’s capital, lodged between the steakhouses, ice cream shops and pizzerias, is an abundance of something that is becoming scarce in many nations: bookstores.
ii. From hole-in-the-wall joints with used copies of works by Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel de Cervantes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez to elegant buildings with the latest children’s books in several languages, Buenos Aires is filled with locales that pay homage to print.
iii. The city has more bookstores per capita than any other major city in the world, according to a recent study by the World Cities Cultural Forum, an organization that works to promote culture.
iv. With a population of 2.8 million people within the city limits, there are 25 bookstores for every 100,000 people, putting Buenos Aires far above other world cities like London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow and New York. The closest is Hong Kong, which has 22 bookstores per 100,000 people.
15. A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows written by Poonam Surie released
i. A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows was released by the Vice President M. Hamid Ansari . Confucius was considered as the most efficient author in Chinese history.
ii. Book has been written by Poonam Surie. Poonam Surie is an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi.
iii. The book highlights that in the evolving socio political milieu of China; interpreting Confucian philosophy as being non-confrontationist, benevolent and with values such as filial piety and harmony could help the current political regime deal with such problems as corruption and rising inequalities
16. Tata Power, L&T to supply mobile artillery system to the Army; contract yet to get defence ministry approval
i. The army is set to get an artillery boost with a proposal being moved to raise six new regiments of the indigenous Pinaka Multi-Launcher Rocket System (MLRS), a formidable system designed to annihilate enemy targets with a blanket of precisely guided rockets.
ii. Tata PowerBSE -1.94 % and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will get a major share of the Rs 1,950-crore contract that is to be approved by the defence ministry as they are the primary manufacturers of the mobile artillery system, along with state-run Bharat Earth Movers ( BEMLBSE 1.23 %).
iii. Sources said the army has moved a proposal to add six new regiments — with a total of 108 launchers — to its existing holding of three regiments to plug gaps in its artillery arm. The proposal is to process it as a repeat order under the buy Indian category with an initial allotment of Rs 1,950 crore.
17. Tennis player Rafael Nadal received Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain
i. Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal on 1 May 2015 received the Golden Medal for Merit in Work. Golden Medal is one of the top civilian honours of Spain which aims to highlight an exemplary performance in any job or profession.
ii. Nadal received the honour from the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey at the PM’s official residence Moncloa Palace in Madrid.
iii. Rafael Nadal is 14-time Grand Slam singles champion out of which he has won the French Open for a record nine times. He is often called The King of Clay and is currently ranked World Number 5.
iv. Besides, he has won the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 15 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments
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