2015-04-23

Daily GK Updates – 23rd April 2015

1. Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015

i. Shah Rukh Khan has had numerous prestigious honours conferred on him and the latest one in the list is the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award which was conferred to him on Tuesday.

ii. SRK was given the award for his performance in Farah Khan’s blockbuster Happy New Year.

iii. The actor not only was present to receive the Award but he also interacted with the people there and broke into an impromptu jig on stage too. Wearing his staple favourites- white shirt, coat and formal trousers, SRK looked dapper.

iv. SRK who played Charlie in HNY has received numerous recognition for his performance and the film also had entered the Rs 200 crore club in Bollywood.

2. Union Sports Ministry suspended recognition of Paralympic Committee of India

i. The Union Sports Ministry on 22 April 2015 suspended the recognition of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) with immediate effect.

ii. It was suspended for poor management and conduct of 15th National Para-Athletics Championships held in Ghaziabad in March 2015.

iii. The government took the action in the backdrop of the report of the inquiry conducted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

iv. SAI in its report found that the PCI failed miserably in providing adequate facilities to the para-athletes during the National Para Athletics Championships 2015 held from 20 March to 22 March 2015.

v. Earlier on 7 April 2015, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) had suspended its president Rajesh Tomar and had constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Justice (retd) Shankara Ramakrishnan.

3. Railways launched mobile app utsonmobile for paperless unreserved tickets

i. The Railway Ministry on 22 April 2015 launched a mobile application named utsonmobile, for paperless unreserved tickets. This mobile application aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.

ii. The application was launched as a pilot project in New Delhi by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and will cover 15 stations between Egmore and Tambram suburban sections in Chennai of the Southern Railway.Later, the service will be extended to in suburban section in all metros of the country in phases.

iii. Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) “utsonmobile” – the paperless unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to eliminate the need.

iv. The application was launched in accordance to the budget proposal made by Suresh Prabhu in his Railway Budget 2015-16 presented on 26 February 2015. In the budget, he proposed to provide paperless tickets in unreserved segment.

4. BSNL to allow unlimited free calling at night

i. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) on Thursday said it will introduce unlimited free calling at night from its landline phones to all landline and mobile phones of all service providers across India from May 1.

ii. “This unlimited free night calling shall be available from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.,” a company statement said.

iii. The scheme covers all major landline general plans of rural and urban areas for both landline and broadband connections.

iv. “BSNL landline phone offers voice clarity. Now landline customers can make unlimited calls comfortably anywhere in India to all networks from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. without paying call charges,” the statement added.

5. e-Khata, e-Nakshe launched by MUDA

i. The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) on Wednesday launched e-Khata and e-Nakshe schemes to expeditiously issue ‘khatas’ of properties in private layouts and approvals for building plans.

ii. Speaking after launching the new systems, Minister for Revenue V. Srinivas Prasad, who is also the Minister in charge of the district, said computerisation of the process of issuing ‘khatas’ and building plan approvals will not only bring down the time consumed for delivery of the documents, but also keep middlemen away.

iii. MUDA Chairman K.R. Mohan Kumar said the applicants should receive their khatas and building plan approvals within 21 days of submission of applications if all the required documents are in order.

6. RBI introduces early warning system to detect frauds

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put in place an early warning system to prevent financial frauds.

ii. The market intelligence units in its regional offices have been asked to pick-up early warnings on unscrupulous practices followed by financial institutions. This is part of the restructuring of the apex bank’s regional offices, to come into effect by May 15.

iii. “These units are expected to enable the bank in identification of new opportunities and trends in the financial sector…detecting threats that such activities may post to the public,” it said. The unit will function under the overall supervision of a senior RBI officer, according to a recent circular.

iv. An exclusive cell will also be created to monitor and take necessary action on complaints received, which do not come under the purview of the banking ombudsman.

v. They will report to the consumer education andprotection department in the central office. Regional offices will be categorised into three tiers. Tier-I or metro offices will comprise the four in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.

7. Kerala’s three MPs take oath in RS

i. The newly elected Rajya Sabha members from Kerala took oath of office on Thursday.

ii. The new members are Vayalar Ravi and P V Abdul Wahab from UDF and K K Ragesh from the Left. Vice-president Hameed Ansari administered the oath.

iii. Vayalar Ravi is becoming a Rajya Sabha member for the fourth time. It is second term for Wahab, while for Ragesh, it is his first.

8. ICICI Bank’s smartwatch app

i. ICICI Bank has launched an application through which customers can do transactions and check account-related information on their smartwatches.

ii. ICICI says that it is that first bank in the country to have enabled transactions through the smartwatch.

iii. The new app, ‘iWear by ICICI Bank’, has already gone live on smart watches powered by Google’s Android and Samsung’s Tizen platforms. It will also be made available onApple Watch, said a statement from the bank.

9. JBM Group to invest Rs 1,600 cr in solar energy

i. Automobile component manufacturer and engineering services provider JBM Group formally announced its foray into the solar energy sector on Thursday with a plan to invest ₹1,600 crore over the next three years to have a capacity of 300 MW.

ii. The $1.3-billion group has formed a new entity, JBM Solar, and plans to be an independent power producer with a focus on both ground-mounted and rooftop solar projects.

iii. JBM Solar has commissioned a rooftop solar installation at the India Habitat Centre generating 250 KW. The company has also bagged an order from the Haryana Government to set up 20 MW of capacity.

iv. “We feel this is the right time to enter the solar power sector. Going forward, we project that the solar power vertical will contribute 15 per cent of the total revenue at the group level.

10. ICICI Bank launched payment service Tap-n-Pay

i. Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank on 21 April 2015 launched Tap-n-Pay, a near-field communications-enabled payment service.

ii. The service was launched in collaboration with Tech Mahindra. To start with this service, bank has offered it at large campuses of corporate offices. ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra also are planning to extend this service across the country.

Highlights of Tap-n-Pay Service

• This payment service is based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology which will enable its customers to make over-the-counter payments without using cash.

• It will allow users to tap NFC enabled tag or mobile phone at the merchant’s point-of-sale device to make payments.

• It is a prepaid account which will be available to customers of any bank by simply registering for it and transferring money online from any bank account.

• ICICI Bank customers can also transfer money to the Tap-n-Pay account through an SMS

11. Union Cabinet approves lowering of age of Juveniles from 18 to 16 years for heinous crimes

i. Union Cabinet has approved lowering of age of juveniles from eighteen to sixteen years for heinous crimes. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii. The cabinet also approved to introduce Amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014. This amendment will propose and add special provisions to tackle heinous offences like murder and rape committed by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years.

iii. The proposed bill will amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The parent Act clearly defines and classifies offences as serious, petty and heinous and defines differentiated processes for each classified category.

iv. Then the trial of the case will take place as a juvenile or as an adult on basis of JJBs assessment and decide whether the culprit should be sent to observation home or tried in a regular court.

12. Bangladesh won 3-match ODI series against Pakistan, 3-0

i. Bangladesh on 22 April 2015 won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against Pakistan in Dhaka by 3-0. This was Bangladesh’s first series whitewash against an Asian Test-playing nation.

Series Report

1st Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 17 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 79 runs, and Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh was declared as the Man of the Match.

2nd Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 19 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 7 wickets, and Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh wasdeclared as the Man of the Match.

3rd Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 22 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 8 wickets, and Soumya Sarkar of Bangladesh was declared as the Man of the Match.

Man of the Series award went to Tamim Iqbal.

13. World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health program

i. World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM) program. The program was officially launched on Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day in Washington, D.C.

ii. The 45 million US Dollar PMEH program will initially run from 2015 to 2020 and focus primarily on air quality management in countries facing rapid urbanization and strong needs for pollution abatement measures, but also tackle water and land pollution.

iii. In particular, the program will focus on air quality management in five major urban areas in India, China, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

14. Google India tops Randstad survey for ‘Most Attractive Employer’

i. Google India has bagged the Randstad Award 2015 for Most Attractive Employer in India, while Sony India has been adjudged the runner-up. The sector-specific special recognition awards this year were awarded to Tata Steel (manufacturing), P&G (FMCG), and Honda India (Automobile).

ii. The 5th edition of the Randstad Awards event will be held in Delhi later today. In line with the Randstad Award philosophy, Microsoft India has been inducted into the Hall of Fame category this year for winning the coveted Randstad Award title for four consecutive years.

iii. The Randstad Award is hosted each year to encourage best practices for talent attraction and to identify the best ‘Employer Brand’ in the country based on the perceived attractiveness of a company.

iv. Globally, this research covered 23 countries, capturing the views of over 225,000 respondents (8,500 in India).

15. Novak Djokovic beats Tomas Berdych to win Monte Carlo Masters and set ATP record

i. Novak Djokovic has set another career record with his second Monte Carlo title, as the Serb became the first man to win the opening three Masters 1000 events in a season through a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Tomas Berdych.

ii. Djokovic’s victory was his 17th straight win of the season and also marked a fourth straight Masters 1000 title after also winning at Paris Bercy last November.

iii. “It was a tough match, a particular match,” 2013 Monte Carlo winner Djokovic said of a somewhat frustrating win, where he struck 38 unforced errors, lost his first set of the week and converted on only five of 14 break points.

iv. Djokovic now owns 52 career titles and 23 at the elite Masters level. He stands 19-2 over Berdych and 30-2 this season. Berdych missed a chance to move up to a career-best number four in the world.

16. Saina, Sindhu win; Kashyap loses in Asia Championship

i. World No. 1 Saina Nehwal started her campaign with a hard—fought win, while P V Sindhu too continued her rampaging run but it was curtains for top men’s shuttler Parupalli Kashyap at the $ 200,000 Badminton Asia Championship in Wuhan on Thursday.

ii. Olympic bronze-medallist, Saina, who got a bye and a walkover in the first two rounds, was off the blocks with a 21-14 10-21 21-10 win over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in a women’s singles match that lasted for an hour and seven minutes.

iii. Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap, who had played a long match on Wednesday against Chinese Taipei’s Jen Hao Hsu, could not continue his winning run as his gallant fight ended with a 23-21 17-21 8-21 loss to seventh seed Zhengming Wang of China.

iv. Among other Indians, the men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy B sank 10-21 13-21 against third seeds Xiaolong Liu and Zihan Qiu of China.

v. The mixed doubles pair of Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan also went down 13-21 5-21 to Kai Lu and Yaqiong Huang of China.

The post Daily GK Updates – 23rd April 2015 appeared first on Bankers Adda .

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