Daily GK Updates – 23rd February 2016
1. ONGC board approves Rs. 5,050-cr investment in Tripura
i. The board of state-run ONGC has approved an investment of Rs. 5,050 crore in Tripura for drilling of wells and creation of surface facilities to produce 5.1 mmscmd gas from the state’s fields. 
ii. The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has announced to develop northeast region as a dominant hydrocarbon hub as part of its Hydrocarbon Vision 2030, the statement said.
iii. In line with this vision, ONGC management has put their first foot forward and approved additional investment of Rs. 3,104 crore for drilling of wells and creation of surface facilities to produce 5.1 mmscmd gas from Tripura fields,” the press release issued by Tripura Asset of ONGC said.
iv. Earlier in 2008, ONGC board had approved for investment of Rs. 1,946 crore for the same and total approved investment in Tripura will be Rs. 5,050 crore,” the release said.
2. Katni to have India’s longest railway bridge
i. Katni in Madhya Pradesh will have India’s longest railway bridge, 14 km on the up line, almost three and half times longer than Vembanad rail bridge in Kerala that connects Edappally and Vallarpadam in Kochi and is 4.62 km long.
ii. Called Katni grade separator, down line of the bridge would be of 7 km. Its total length would be 21 km up and down side.
iii. Project received clearance from Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) recently along with other railway projects. Design and survey of the bridge has been completed and it will take 5 years for completion.
3. CII signs MoU with Dubai exports to boost trade
i. Aiming to strengthen India-UAE economic ties, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed an MoU with Dubai Exports to boost trade and explore business opportunities.
ii. CII, a non-government organisation, has signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Exports, which works with other Dubai Government Departments to simplify the export process.
iii. It develops long-term growth strategies to expand businesses and maximise the opportunities given by Dubai’s unique position as a natural trade gateway between the East and West.
iv. The MoU pledged to maintain frequent and regular contact with each other for mutual exchange of non-confidential, economic and trade information and to suggest and re commend partners for economic and trade cooperation and explore opportunities for business between members of both parties.
4. India remains world’s largest arms importer
i. India continues to remain the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 14% of the global arms imports in the 2011-2015 timeframe.
ii. It was revealed by report on international arms transfers released by a global think-tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
iii. Top arms importers are: India (14%), China (4.7%), Australia (3.6%), Pakistan (3.3%), Vietnam (2.9%) and South Korea (2.6%).
iv. India’s arms imports: It remains three times greater than those of its rivals Pakistan and China. Its biggest suppliers are Russia, United States (US), Israel and France
5. Swachh Paryatan mobile app launched
i. The Centre has launched a mobile app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ in order to facilitate general public to communicate their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around tourist destinations.
ii. The app, which is available on Android Phones, will also be soon available on Apple and Microsoft as well, the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement on Monday.
iii. It shall be monitored by the Project Monitoring Unit of Swachh Bharat Mission in Ministry of Tourism.
iv. Initially, 25 Adarsh Smarak Monuments such as Red Fort, Taj Mahal, Elephanta Caves, Qutub Minar Complex, among others, have been identified for inclusion in the app, but it would be scaled up to include more monuments as the campaign expands, the statement said.
6. Singer bhuvaneshwari Mishra passes away
i. Renowned singer Bhubaneswari Mishra passed away in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest at the age of 67. Though she was completely fit and fine, Ms Mishra passed away all of a sudden.
ii. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the sudden demise of Ms Mishra describing her as a “very talented artist”.
iii. She was popular both as a classical and a playback singer. Her sudden demise has cast a pall of gloom in the music industry.
7. Haryana set to become first state to complete Aquifer mapping
i. Haryana is set become the first state in the country to complete aquifer mapping for its groundwater resources by May 2016. Aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock from which groundwater can be extracted. Key facts
ii. Aquifer mapping: It is scientific mapping of aquifers to asses the groundwater situation. Objective: To prepare management plans in consultation with stakeholders and state governments to take measures to replenish the declining groundwater.
iii. This aquifer mapping is undertaken by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) on the scale of 1:50,000 in 3D.
8. Malayalam film Ottal named best children’s film at Berlin International Film Festival
i. Malayalam film Ottal (The Trap) has been named as best feature-length and best short films in the children’s category at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
ii. It has been honoured with the prestigious Crystal Bear award in the ‘Generation K-Plus’ section. The film has been directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair. It is based on story about an old fisherman and his grandson.
iii. The film is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s short story ‘Vanaka’. Earlier, Ottal had bagged the National Award for best film on Environment Conservation/Preservation. It had set a record at 20th International Film Festival of Kerala by sweeping all the top awards.
iv. By wining Crystal Bear award, Ottal became third Indian film in row to win this award after Killa (2014) and Dhanak (2015).
9. Dnipro FC wins 2016 Nagjee International Club Football Tournament
i. Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Football Club (FC) has won the 2016 Sait Nagjee International Club Football Tournament.
ii. With this victory, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk became first European team to win this prestigious Football tournament held in India.
iii. In summit clash played at the EMS Corporation stadium at Kozhikode (Kerala), Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk FC defeated Brazilian FC Atletico Paranaense by 3-0 goals.
iv. For the Ukrainian FC, three goals were scored by Ihor Kohut (40th minute), Denys Balanuik (62nd minute) and Yuri Vakulko (85th minute).
10. Bihar becomes sixth State to join UDAY Scheme
i. The Government of India, the State of Bihar and the DISCOMs of Bihar (North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited, and South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the Scheme UDAY .
ii. Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana” here on Monday for operational and financial turnaround of DISCOMs. Bihar is the sixth State to have accepted UDAY for bringing about a positive change in the power sector scenario of States.
iii. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have already signed the MoU under UDAY for operational and financial turnaround of DISCOMs.
11. Indian-origin Sikh appointed Kuala Lumpur police commissioner
i. Indian-origin Sikh has been appointed the police commissioner of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, the highest police rank achieved by a Sikh in the Muslim-majority country.
ii. Deputy commissioner Amar Singh, in his late 50s, will replace Tajuddin Mohamed who will move to federal headquarters as the deputy director of commercial CID next month.
iii. His appointment as Kuala Lumpur police chief was announced on Friday along with several other transfers and promotions, The Star news site reported.
12. Minuteman ICBM soars over California as US Air Force run test-launch – but this time without causing a UFO scare
i. The US Air Force launched a test-run of its Minuteman 3 missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles last night, lighting up the sky with enough rocket fuel to carry the missile to its destination, 4,200 miles away.
ii. In November last year, the US Navy fired a missile from a submarine off the coast of Southern California at night causing scores of residents to report it as a UFO.
iii. But that did not seem to be the case this time as the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) — which was unarmed, and carrying a test re-entry vehicle — was launched towards the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, far into the Pacific Ocean.
13. Vinay Kumar Singh appointed as MD of NCRTC
i. Indian Railway Officer Vinay Kumar Singh has been appointed as Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
ii. Prior to this appointment, he was working with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a railway PSU involved in the study of high speed rail corridors.
iii. He was appointed by the search and selection committee through an interview process. The committee comprised of Urban Development Secretary, official from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Railway Board Member (Staff) and expert from World Bank
iv. NCRTC is a nodal implementing agency of the three corridors of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in the National Capital Region (NCR) zone. The three rapid rail corridors will connect capital with Panipat, Meerut and Alwar.
The post Daily GK Updates – 23rd February 2016 appeared first on Bankers Adda.