Daily GK Updates – 20th April 2015
1. Navy’s new stealth destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to be launched in Mumbai today
i. Indian Navy’s new destroyer, Visakhapatnam, with enhanced capability to operate in nuclear, biological and chemical atmosphere, will be launched in Mumbai on Monday. 
ii. The ship is the first of the four follow follow-up order of the Kolkata class warships and will give a major flip to India’s maritime capabilities when it is inducted in 2018. Launch of the ship means that it is being put into the sea. The total cost of the project is little over Rs 29,600 crore.
iii. The ship, named Visakhapatnam (Project 15 B), a stealth destroyer, is 65 per cent indigenous and has a number of weapon systems which have been made at home.
iv. At 7,300 tonnes, Visakhapatnam will be the largest destroyer commissioned by the Indian Navy and will be equipped with the Israeli Multi Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar (MF-STAR).
v. This will provide targeting information to 32 Barak 8 long-range surface to air missiles onboard the warship, that is being co-developed by India with Israel.
vi. The ship will also be carrying 8 BrahMos missiles. Project 15 and Project 15-B will share the same hull-design and Ukrainian-built Zorya gas turbines. Navy officials said the Visakhapatnam is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by 2018.
2. Neeraj Kumar appointed BCCI’s ACSU chief
i. Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was, on Monday, appointed as chief advisor of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) for a term of one year.
ii. The decision to appoint Mr. Kumar was taken at the Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier League, which was chaired by chairman Rajeev Shukla.
iii. “We have appointed Neeraj Kumar as chief advisor to ACSU and he will have a term of one year,” BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said.
iv. It was under Mr. Kumar’s leadership that Delhi Police arrested former Test bowler S. Sreesanth along with domestic spinners Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the sixth edition of the IPL.
3. ICICI launches NFC-enabled payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’
i. Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’ based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.
ii. It can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone or a tag on the counter.
iii. The service is a close-end one, only for a close group of customers, like canteen payments at the work place, and not universal like a debit or credit card, the banks said in a statement, adding the merchant will have to first register for the service and then enroll customers for using it.
iv. The account, christened ‘Tap-n-Pay’, has been launched in association with Tech Mahindra, will help reduce dependence on cash.
v. Any person having any bank account, and not limited to ICICI customers, can avail the service
4. NASA offers USD 30k award to protect humans on Mars journey
i. NASA is offering an award of up to 30,000 dollars to space enthusiasts for innovative design ideas to protect crews on long-duration space missions such as the journey to Mars.
ii. Anyone can participate in the challenge, which will be open from April 29 to June 29, 2015, NASA said.
iii. Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), high-energy radiation that originates outside the solar system are a major issue facing future space travellers venturing beyond low-Earth orbit.
iv. NASA has already awarded 12,000 dollars to five winners of a challenge to mitigate radiation exposure on deep space missions.
5. IDBI Bank, NPCI launch platinum debit card
i. In a bid to promote card transactions and stay competitive, public sector lender IDBI Bank has tied up with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch Rupay Platinum Debit card with upgraded features.
ii. “The ‘Rupay Platinum Debit card’ enables cost-effective, fast and secure access to large number of ATMs, POS terminals, e-commerce websites and participating merchant establishments across the country. Customers can benefit from various discounts and offers that can be got onregistering for the card,” the IDBI bank said in a statement.
iii. The card fulfils the vision of the RBI of offering a domestic, open-loop, multilateral payment system to all banks and financial institutions in India. It will be instrumental in creating a less-cash economy and furthering the electronic payments system to make India a financial inclusive economy,
iv. it further said.All transactions under this card scheme are processed within the country and are in compliance with the regulatory requirement for debit cards and the PIN has been made mandatory for performing any kind of transactions. This ensures a higher level of security to the customers.
6. BHEL commissions 250 MW power plant in Gujarat
i. State-owned power equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 250-mw coal-based thermal power plant in Gujarat.
ii. The unit has been commissioned at the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd’s (GSECL) Sikka thermal power station (TPS) by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis, the company said in a regulatory filing today.
iii. Sikka TPS is located near Jamnagar, an industrial town in Gujarat.
iv. Two units of 120 mw each, supplied and executed earlier by BHEL are already in operation at Sikka. Another 250 mw unit, presently under execution at Sikka TPS, is also in an advanced stage of commissioning.
7. Chhurim Sherpa, first woman to climb the Everest summit twice in a week
i. Chhurim Sherpa, first woman to climb the 8850 metre (29035 feet) Mount Everest summit twice in a week was in news on 19 April 2015.
ii. Sherpa was in news as during her third ascent to Mount Everest she will take a cricket bat and two jerseys of deceased Australian cricketer Phil Hughes.
iii. Chhurim Sherpa is a Nepali mountaineer, who became the first woman to climb Mount Everest twice in the same season, a feat which was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records in March 2013.
iv. She accomplished this feat in 2012, by climbing Everest on 12 May 2012 and 19 May 2012.
8. Kerala launches project to help people overcome substance
i. The Kerala government on Sunday launched a major campaign “Subodham” to help people in the state overcome alcohol, drug and other substance abuse.
ii. The project was launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravishankar in the presence of religious leaders, representatives of student organisations and NGOs working against drug abuse.
iii. “The state government aims to wipe out the menace of substance addiction from our society through ‘Subodham’. If total alcohol prohibition could save the society, the state government is ready to forego the revenue from the sale of liquor that is around Rs 7,000 crore per annum,” said Chandy.
9. Former Bengal U-19 captain Ankit Keshri succumbs to on-field injury
i. In another tragic on-field incident after Phillip Hughes’ death last November, a promising Bengal batsman Ankit Keshri on passed away owing to an injury sustained during a Cricket Association of Bengal’s senior one-day knock-out match.
ii. The 20-year-old, a talented right-hander, had captained the Bengal U-19 team in Cooch Behar Trophy and was in the 30-member India U-19 probables list for the 2014 Colts World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
iii. Keshri was not a part of the playing XI and was the 12th man of the side in the fateful match. He came to replace Railways Ranji all-rounder Arnab Nandi, who had taken a break.
10. Djokovic wins Monte Carlo Masters
i. Even when Novak Djokovic doesn’t play very well, he manages to win titles.
ii. Despite hitting 38 unforced errors in a back-and forth match, the top-ranked Serb won the first big clay-court tournament of the season with a 7—5, 4—6, 6—3 win over Tomas Berdych in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters.
iii. It was Djokovic’s second triumph in three years in the principality, where he lives with his wife and kid, and his 11th straight win in a final.
11. Pranjala wins Asian junior championship
i. India’s Y Pranjala clinched the Asian Junior Tennis championship title after a come-from-behind victory over top seed Chinese Zheng Wushuang at New Delhi
ii. The second seeded Indian won with a 5-7 6-2 7-5 scoreline in the final against her formidable rival, who happened to be her doubles partner in the event. It was double delight for the 16-year-old Pranjala as she had won the doubles trophy on Friday.
iii. Coached by former Davis Cup player Ilyas Ghouse, Pranjala trains at GVK Tennis Academy in Hyderabad.
iv. “This competition is next to junior Grand Slams. The competition was intense. My opponent in the final is higher-ranked player and I had lost to her in the second round of ITF Grade I event in January. I am glad I could beat her this time,” the Class XII student said.
12. Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One
i. LEWIS Hamilton’s bid for a third Formula 1 title is gathering momentum after another convincing win in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, while his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg’s status as his main challenger is under threat from a resurgent Ferrari team.
ii. Hamilton won the race from pole position to strengthen his overall lead in the standings with his third win in four races, and 36th of his career. He is already 27 points ahead of Rosberg and 28 clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel — the only driver to beat Hamilton so far.
iii. “It doesn’t matter who it’s against, you try and beat everybody out there,” Hamilton said, underlining how the F1 title race looks far from being the two-horse contest between Mercedes teammates it was last season.
iv. The British driver started from pole for the first time in the desert race under floodlights and was largely untroubled, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Rosberg, whose braking problem with two laps remaining let in Raikkonen for his first podium in two years.
13. Bangladesh clinches ODI series vs Pakistan
i. Opener Tamim Iqbal struck his second consecutive century as Bangladesh clinched the series with a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second one-day international on Sunday.
ii. Tamim followed up his 132 with an unbeaten 116 his sixth ODI century to steer Bangladesh to 240—3 off 38.1 overs in reply to Pakistan’s 239—6.
iii. “This match was almost a perfect match. Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim have been brilliant,” said Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.
iv. Tamim hit 17 fours and one six in his run-a-ball innings, and shared a third-wicket partnership of 118 with Rahim.
14. Mudit Dani makes it to top 10 in junior TT rankings
i. Mumbai’s Mudit Dani became the third Indian to enter the top ten of the (International Table Tennis Federation) ITTF world junior boys’ circuit standings.
ii. The 16-year-old, who is ranked 10th, has become the first and only player from Mumbai and Maharashtra to achieve this feat.
iii. Qatar’s Al-Naggar Abdulrahman (No. 3), Japan’s Yuki Matsuyama, China’s Wei Shihao (both joint No. 5) and Qatar’s Abdulhussein Mohammed (No. 7) are the other Asians in the top ten of the rankings.
15. Mumbai Indians notch first win in IPL 8
i. Mumbai Indians put in their best performance so far to chalk up their first win in five matches of the 2015 Indian Premier League T20 tournament as they defeated a fighting Royal Challengers Bangalore by 18 runs here on Sunday.
ii. Playing with a positive intent, Mumbai Indians, thanks to half-centuries by Lendl Simmons (59, 44b, 9×4, 2×6) and India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand (58, 37b, 8×4, 2×6) along with a 15-ball 42 (3×4, 4×6) by skipper Rohit Sharma, piled up 209 for 7 after being asked to bat first.
iii. The RCB chase stuttered and nearly stalled with Chris Gayle, dropped twice, making just 10 runs off 24 balls, before being bowled by the crafty Harbhajan Singh, who brought into play his vast experience and guile to contain the rival batsmen.
iv. At the other end, opener Manvinder Bisla (20), Kohli (18) and Dinesh Karthik (18) threw their bats around but did not stay long enough to make a difference as RCB slid to their second defeat in three matches.
16. Shah Rukh Khan, Zayn Malik honoured at the 5th Asian Awards
i. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and teen idol Zyan Malik on 17 April 2015 were honoured at the 5th Asian Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. 
ii. Khan was awarded with the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award. The 49-year-old actor received the award by Indian-origin British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha.
iii. Previous winners in the cinema category included Irrfan Khan (2014), Anupam Kher (2013) and Yash Chopra (2011).
iv. On the other hand, 22-year-old Malik was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution to Music. He is an English singer and songwriter, and a previous member of the boy band One Direction.
List of Awardees:
Founders Award – Dr. Amar Bose, Founder of Bose Corporation
Entrepreneur of the Year – Jack Ma, Founder & CEO of Alibaba
Outstanding Achievement in Cinema- Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood actor
Chivas Regal Social Entrepreneur of the Year- Gopi Gopalakrishnan, President, World Health Partners
Outstanding Achievement in Sport- Kumar Sangakkara, Cricketer of Sri Lanka
Business Leader of the Year - The Hinduja Brothers
Outstanding Achievement in Television - Sanjeev Bhaskar, Comedian, actor and broadcaster
Outstanding Achievement in Art & Design – John Rocha, Designer
Outstanding Achievement in Science & Technology – Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee, Experimental particle physicist
Outstanding Achievement in Music- Zayn Malik, English singer and songwriter
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