Daily GK Updates – 6th – 7th June 2015
1. India, Bangladesh sign ratification pact to operationalise the historic Land Boundary Agreement
i. India and Bangladesh have signed pact to operationalise the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between both nations. It was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 
his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his maiden visit to Bangladesh. In this regard, two sides swapped instruments of ratification regarding the LBA.
ii. The operationalisation of LBA paves the way for exchange of 162 enclaves under the control of either countries as per the 1974 pact. The LBA was passed unanimously by the Parliament last month. Under the Agreement, 111 border enclaves will be transferred to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 that will become part of India.
iii. The agreement settles land boundary dispute which dates back to colonial times as India transfers 111 border enclaves to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 enclaves. It also settles the question of citizenship for over 50,000 people in these enclaves.
iv. Apart from this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a fresh line of credit of 2 billion dollars to Bangladesh. Both nations also signed 22 agreements, including on cooperation in maritime safety and agreements to curb human trafficking and fake Indian currency.
v. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina also flagged off the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus service marking a historic moment in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
2. India’s first green police station inaugurated at New Delhi’s Maurice Nagar
i. India’s first green police station was inaugurated on the occasion of World Environment Day at Maurice Nagar in north Delhi. It was inaugurated by Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi.
ii. The police station has various provisions for preservation and safety of the environment. Students of Delhi University along with police officials had worked on the renovation of this police station to make it unique.
iii. 400 areca palm plants have been planted in the police station and its premises in order to bring down the carbon presence, as these plants are strong in carbon consumption.
iv. The toilets installed in this station are biodegradable and are capable of converting fecal matter into water and biogas through technique of anaerobic bacterial decomposition.
3. Kotak Mahindra, ING Bank ink MoU for cross-border business
i. Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Bank have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for exploring opportunities arising from cross-border business, investment and trade flows across various regions, including Europe.
ii. It was signed between the two parties and covers an array of co-operation in various areas such as trade remittances, finance. It also includes services related to non-resident Indians, corporate relationships, funding to counterparties’, fee-based products, direct banking and digital strategy and cross-border debt capital markets, mergers and acquisitions.
iii. Under the ambit of MoU, ING Bank will give its clients from The Netherlands and the other 39 countries commercial banking access to Kotak’s services in the vast Indian market. At the same time it will also offer the combined clients in India the opportunities of ING’s international network.
iv. It should be noted that Kotak Mahindra and associates are significant shareholders in Business Standard Private Ltd. ING Bank holds 6.5 per cent stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank which is India’s fourth largest private sector lender.
4. Adani, Reliance ink MoUs for power generation in Bangladesh
i. Adani Power Limited (APL) and Reliance Power Limited of India have signed separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
ii. These MoUs were signed on the first day of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. The deals were signed to set up 4,600 MW power plants in Bangladesh worth $5.5 billion.
iii. Under the deal, APL will invest 2.5 billion dollars to set up a coal-based power plant with a capacity of 1,600 MW. While Reliance Power will set up an imported liquefied natural gas-based power plant with a capacity of 3,000 MW with an investment of 3 billion dollars.
iv. The two Indian companies will complete construction of the plants in 13 months after final agreements are reached. These plants will help Bangladesh to tackle power shortages that are crimping its economic growth and deterring investment as country produces 7,000 MW of electricity but demand far exceeds supply, with a daily shortage up to 1,500 MW.
5.Union Government launches Jal Kranti Abhiyan
i. Union Government launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan. It was launched by Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion Uma Bharti in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
ii. Jal Kranti Abhiyan aims at turning one water scared village in each district of the country into water surplus village water through a holistic and integrated approach by adopting conservation and management techniques.
iii. Under the nationwide campaign a village with acute water scarcity on a pilot project will be selected as Jal Gram. In this identified village a comprehensive integrated development plan will be framed and several water conservation activities will be launched.
iv. Activities proposed under the campaign include rain water harvesting, recycling of waste water, micro irrigation for using water efficiently and mass awareness program.
v. Along with it, a cadre of local water professional Jal Mitra will be created and they will be given training to create mass awareness. As pilot project, activities under this nation campaign will be run in one water stressed village in each 672 districts in the country.
6. Govt picks new DRDO chief, scientific advisor to defence minister
i. The government Thursday appointed S Christopher, 59, as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development-cum-Director Ge-neral, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
ii. G S Reddy, 51, has been appointed as scientific advisor to the Defence Minister.
iii. DRDO has been functioning without a full-time head since January 31, when Avinash Chander resigned.
7. Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim sworn-in as first woman president of Mauritius
i. Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was sworn in as President of Mauritius. With this she became first woman to become President of Indian Ocean island nation which is a ceremonial position. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is an alumnus of the universities of Exeter and Surrey of United Kingdom.
ii. She is also the chair of organic chemistry at Mauritius University. She is internationally renowned biodiversity scientist and biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as their new President. She had worked with the World Bank and other international institutions.
iii. She also had served as the Managing Director of Centre International de Développement Pharmaceutique (CIDP) Research & Innovation. Ameenah had authored numerous academic and research papers.
iv. She has received several accolades and honours including Laureate for the L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Award for Africa (2007), African Union Award for ‘Women in Science’ for the Easter African Region (2009) etc.
8. R Seshasayee appointed as non-executive Chairman of Infosys
i. India’s second largest software services firm, Infosys has appointed R Seshasayee as non-executive chairman. He will replace KV Kamath, who stepped had down to take over as President of the Shanghai based BRICS New Development Bank.
ii. Since 2011, Seshasayee had served as an independent director of Infosys and was the chairperson of the company’s audit committee.
iii. Presently, he is also member of Infosys’ nominations committee. He is also non-executive vice chairman of Ashok Leyland and Chairman of IndusInd Bank. R Seshasayee is a chartered accountant by profession. He had started his career with Hindustan Lever Limited in 1971.
iv. Later in 1976, he joined Ashok Leyland Ltd. and was promoted as executive director in 1983, deputy managing director in 1993 and was elevated as managing director of the company in April 1998.
9. Doctors from Texas State of US successfully perform world’s first skull-scalp transplant
i. Doctors from Texas State of United States have done the world’s first partial skull and scalp transplant from a human donor. This rare medical feat which opens new frontier in transplant surgery was achieved by team of Doctors from Houston Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
ii. The recipient patient was Jim Boysen, a 55-year-old software developer who had suffered a large head wound from cancer treatment In a 15-hour transplant operation about a dozen doctors and 40 other health workers were involved.
iii. In this operation, Boysen was given a cap-shaped, 25-by-25 centimeter (10-by-10-inch) skull graft, and a 38-centimeter (15-inch)-wide scalp graft. This transplanted part extends from patients forehead across the top of his head and over its crown.
iv. It ends 2.5 centimeters above one ear and 5 centimeters above the other. It should be noted that in 2014 doctors in the Netherlands had replaced most of a woman’s skull with a 3-D printed plastic one.
10. Rana Kapoor’s reappointment as Yes Bank CEO, MD gets shareholders nod
i. Shareholders of Yes Bank Ltd approved equity fundraising up to $1 billion at the bank’s annual general meeting held on 6 June, said a press note from the bank on Sunday.
ii. The shareholders also approved the issuance of non-convertible debentures and bonds up to Rs.10,000 crore. The bank’s borrowing limit has been revised to Rs.50,000 crore from Rs.30,000 crore, it said.
iii. The bank said that the shareholders have approved the reappointment of Rana Kapoor as the bank’s managing director and chief executive.
iv. Madhu Kapur, the wife of late Yes Bank co-founder Ashok Kapur, is locked in a legal battle with the bank over the right to nominate directors to the board of the bank. Madhu Kapur and family are the second largest shareholders in the bank after Rana Kapoor.
11. Ratan Tata buys stake in Kaaryah
i. Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has acquired a stake in Kaaryah, a fashion portal for women’s wear, making it his latest personal investment in technology ventures.
ii. However, the company declined to disclose the quantum and value of the stake, which Tata Group’s former chief has invested in his personal capacity.
iii. Tata has made personal investments in homegrown e-commerce players like Snapdeal, Urban Ladder, Bluestone and Cardekho.com.
iv. He has also invested in mobile commerce firm Paytm and wind energy startup Altaeros. In April this year, he invested in Chinese handset maker Xiaomi.
12. Dr. M N Buch, former Bureaucrat and Architect of modern Bhopal died
i. Former bureaucrat Dr. Mahesh N. Buch who was widely regarded as the architect of modern Bhopal, passed away following a brain stroke in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
ii. He was 80. He was known for his clear views in context of urban planning and environment protection for betterment of Bhopal and Madhya Pradesh.
iii. Dr. Buch was born on October 5, 1934, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He graduated in Economics from the St. Stephen’s College of Delhi in 1954. He had joined government service in 1957, and later in 1964, he had passed civil services examination.
iv. He was Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Gujarat cadre. He has held several import portfolios as bureaucrat in Gujarat including Education Secretary, Chairman of the Kandla Port Trust, Executive Director of the Gujarat State Fertilizer Company and the Managing Director of the Gujarat Small Industries Corporation.
13. Barcelona FC wins 2015 UEFA Champions League trophy
i. Barcelona FC has won 2015 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League trophy for the fifth time. In the summit clash played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany they defeated Juventus FC by 3-1 goals.
ii. Ivan Rakitic had first scored goal for Barcelona in the fourth minute and later Luis Suárez restores at 68 minute and Neymar scored the goal in extra time. Earlier, Barcelona FC had won UEFA Champions League trophy in 1992, 2006, 2009 and 2011.
iii. UEFA Champions League (simply known as the Champions League) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the UEFA.
iv. It is contested by top-division European club and is considered as one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.
14. BCCI Names Dravid as India ‘A’ And Under-19 Teams Coach
i. Batting legend Rahul Dravid was on Saturday named as the coach of the India ‘A’ and Under-19 teams by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
ii. The development was confirmed by BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur at a press conference after a board meeting here on Saturday.
iii. Thakur also said that Karnataka’s right-handed batsman Lokesh Rahul won’t be travelling with the Indian team to Bangladesh for its upcoming tour against the neighbouring country due to an injury. An immediate replacement was not named by the BCCI.
iv. India are scheduled to play a Test match and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), starting with the five-day match on June 10.
15. French open: Serena Williams wins 20th grand slam title
i. World number one Serena Williams survived a mid-match meltdown to beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-7(2) 6-2 to win the French Open on Saturday, her 20th grand slam trophy.
ii. The American, who skipped practice on Friday because of a bout of flu, opened up a 6-3 4-1 lead but suddenly slumped as the 13th-seeded Safarova stormed back into contention, even moving 2-0 up in the decider.
iii. But Williams regained her composure and won the last six games to win the claycourt major for the third time after her 2002 and 2013 titles.
iv. She is now third on the list of all-time major champions behind Australian Margaret Court (24) and German Steffi Graff (22).
16. UK Author Ali Smith won 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
i. U K Author Ali Smith on 3 June 2015 won the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction for her novel How to be Both.
ii. Other nominees for the award were English author Laline Paull, Canadian author Rachel Cusk, Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie and Welsh author Sarah Waters.
iii. Ali Smith, a Scottish author, has also won the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize and the Novel Award in the 2014 Costa Book Awards for the same book.
17. India slaps anti-dumping duty on steel imports from China, Malaysia and South Korea
i. India has slapped anti-dumping duty on imports of certain steel products from three South Asian countries viz China, Malaysia and South Korea.
ii. The anti-dumping duty was imposed by Union Finance Ministry on the recommendation of Directorate General of Anti-Dumping Duty (DGAD) to protect domestic producers from below-cost inbound shipments.
iii. The duties have been imposed for five years on imports of certain varieties of steel especially on hot-rolled flat products of stainless steel used in automobile sectors.
iv. DGAD in its investigation probe had concluded that these steel products have been exported to India from these countries are below its associated normal value resulting in dumping of the product.
v. Anti-Dumping Duty is imposed under the multilateral WTO regime and varies from product to product and from country to country. In India, anti-dumping duty is recommended by the Union Ministry of Commerce, while the Union Finance Ministry imposes it.
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