5th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

5th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. C D Balaji took charge as Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency

• i. Commodore C D Balaji (Retd) on 3 July 2015 took charge as the Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Programme Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
• ii. He succeeded P S Subramanyam, Distinguished Scientist, who superannuated on 30 June 2015.
• iii. Prior to this appointment, Balaji, an outsatnding scientists, was Project Director of the LCA’s naval version. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy's engineering branch in September 1978 and since then, he has specialised in the Naval Aviation Arm.
• iv. He served as an Air Engineer Officer of INAS 310 (Alize aircraft) for about 3 years embarking the Aircraft Carrier Vikrant. He joined ADA on deputation in 2002 to work on the development of a naval version of the light fighter. In December 2006, he left the Navy and fully moved to ADA.
• v. Based in Bengaluru, ADA is the premier multi-agency body spearheading the development of combat aircraft for the Air Force and the Navy- among them is the LCA and the proposed Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft AMCA.

2. President of India receives first copy of book 'Uniki'

• i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of the book 'Uniki' in Hyderabad today (July 3, 2015). The book has been written by Shri Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra. The President received the book from Shri K Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana who formally released it.
• ii. Speaking on the occasion, the President appealed to the people of both the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to work in close harmony, so as to ensure sustainable development and betterment of the people of the country and help it earn its rightful place in the comity of nations. He said that we all belong to India.
• iii. He stated that we need to remember that we can choose our friends but cannot choose our neighbours. Therefore, it is us for decide whether we should live in harmony and peace with our neighbours. 
• iv. He stated that the title, 'Uniki', which means Existence, evokes a philosophical view of the issues and events that have been written about in this book.

3. Guinness Book Recognises Madhya Pradesh’s World Record in Washing Hands

• i. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognised a record created in Madhya Pradesh on ‘World Hand washing Day’ in 2014.
• ii. The mega hand washing event was held on 15 October 2014 to create awareness about hygiene by washing hands with soap.
• iii. It was organised in all the 51 districts of Madhya Pradesh in over 13 thousand places. In it more than 12 lakh 78 thousand students had washed their hand simultaneously.
• iv. This record broke the earlier the world record which was jointly held by Argentina, Peru and Mexico. The joint record in three countries was created on October 14, 2011 in which 7,40,870 people had washed their hands simultaneously at different locations.

4. BSNL rolls out pre-paid card linked mobile wallet

• i. BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service on Friday which allows customers to transfer cash, pay for services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs 1 lakh.
• ii. The wallet service, Speed Pay, allows a customer to load money even if he does not have a bank account. The money loaded in the wallet can be transferred to an account and even withdrawn at branches or at BSNL outlets.
• iii. Loading money into a mobile wallet from a bank account is an option. BSNL customers who don't have bank accounts can also load money at any BSNL retail outlet and ask the retailer to recharge their mobile wallet account and pay for various services.
• iv. There will be one-per cent transaction charge if money from the wallet is transferred to other bank accounts or a there is cash withdrawal.

5. 4 Indian-Americans honoured with Great Immigrants award 2015 in United States

• i. Four Indian-Americans have been honoured with prestigious Great Immigrants, The Pride of America award 2015. They are among 38 distinguished personalities from more than 30 countries around the world who have been honoured with this year’s award.
• ii. The award is given by New York-based Carnegie Corporation on the occasion of Independence Day of United States i.e. 4th July.

Preet Bharara: US Attorney, Southern District of New York.

Rakesh Khurana: Dean of Harvard College and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership and Development.

Madhulika Sikka: Vice President and Executive Editor of .Mic.

Abraham Verghese: Physician, Professor and Author.

6. Solar Impulse completes epic flight to Hawaii

• i. Solar Impulse, the aeroplane that is powered only by the sun, has landed in Hawaii after making a historic 7,200km flight across the Pacific from Japan.
• ii. The distance covered and the time spent in the air - 118 hours - are records for manned, solar-powered flight. The duration is also an absolute record for a solo, un-refuelled journey.
• iii. Mr Borschberg's time betters that of the American adventurer Steve Fossett who spent 76 hours aloft in a single-seater jet in 2006.
• iv. Solar Impulse's slow speed, light weight and 72m wingspan put significant constraints on the type of weather the vehicle can handle, and that first sortie was aborted after just one day in the air because of a fast developing cold front ahead of it.

7. Former CJI Y K Sabharwal passes away

• i. Former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal passed away here last evening. 73-year-old Justice Sabharwal is survived by two sons Chetan and Nitin. The cremation will take place today.
• ii. Justice Sabharwal was CJI from November 1, 2005 to January 13, 2007.
• iii. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 1986 and became its permanent judge in April 1987.
• iv. From Delhi High Court, he went to Bombay High Court as chief justice before being appointed as a judge of the SC on January 28, 2001.
• v. Justice Sabharwal delivered several important judgements including the verdict in January 2006, that held the dissolution of Bihar Assembly as illegal and unconstitutional.

4th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

4th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indian-American professor R Paul Singh named for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate

• i. R Paul Singh, Indian-American professor has been selected for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate.
• ii. The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
• iii. Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing.
• iv. He had earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering form Punjab Agricultural University. He had completed his doctorate from Michigan State University, US.

2. Nationwide Mobile Number Portability goes live

• i. The countrywide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has become a reality today. This means mobile subscribers can now keep their existing mobile phone numbers even while shifting between states and circles.
• ii. The move lays the first stone for the government's 'One nation, One number' plan and is sure to benefit millions of people across the country.
• iii. Earlier, the deadline to rollout full MNP was May 2, 2015. This was, however, extended by two months after the Cellular Operators Association of India asked for an extension from the telecom department.
• iv. With about 3 million intra-circle MNP requests every month, more than 157 million subscribers have ported to other operators as of April, according to Trai data.

3. Airbus to build military choppers in India with Mahindra

• i. Europe's Airbus Group and India's Mahindra Group have struck a deal to build helicopters jointly as they bid to win an expected wave of orders from the country's armed forces, the companies said in a statement on Friday.
• ii. The two groups will form a joint venture in the coming months, aiming to become the first private manufacturer of helicopters in India, the statement said. It did not say how much the two will invest. 
• iii. India is in the midst of a huge upgrade of its armed forces — analysts forecast it will spend $250 billion over the next decade — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to encourage more indigenous manufacturing to end India's position as the world's largest arms importer.
• iv. Airbus Helicopters, part of Airbus Group, is joining forces with Mahindra after talking to several Indian companies that are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to capitalise on the government's push to build arms at home.

4. SBI launches initiative to speed up home loan applications 

• i. Country's largest lender State Bank of India today launched an initiative to provide doorstep services and expedite home loans application process. 
• ii. The initiative known as 'Project Tatkal' will help get the loan within 10 days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents, the bank said in a release.
• iii. The implementation will be done at large centres with sizable home loan business.
• iv. The bank has also recently introduced an online customer acquisition solution (OCAS) for instant e-approval of home loan applications.

5. Govt releases socio-economic and caste census for better policy-making

• i. The socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011 on Friday painted a grim picture of rural India, indicating that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood.
• ii. The SECC 2011, also the first paperless census conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government, said 23.52% rural families have no literate adult above 25 years, suggesting a poor state of education among rural masses.
• iii. The census, carried out in 640 districts under the aegis of the rural development ministry, was released jointly by finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh.
• iv. According to the census, there are a total number of 24.39 crore households in the country, of which 17.91 crore live in villages. Of these, 10.69 crore households are considered as deprived.

6. Indian-American teacher Darshan Jain receives US Presidential Award

• i. Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher has been selected for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
• ii. He was named for the award by President Barack Obama along with 107 Mathematics and Science teachers across US. All of them were chosen for shaping America’s success through their passion for Math and Science.
• iii. Presently Darshan Jain is director of mathematics at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Previously, he had taught mathematics at this institute for eight years.
• iv. US Presidential Award is awarded annually to outstanding science and mathematics teachers from across US from K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grades). The award carries monetary prize of US 10000 dollars.

7. Union Government launches web portal for issuing green clearance Category B projects

• i. Union Government has launched a web portal for online submission of applications for environment clearance by State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAA) for Category B projects.
• ii. It was launched by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on the occasion of Digital India Week. Soon after the launch of the web portal, nineteen states instantly have joined it.
• iii. The environment clearance web portal raises the levels of transparency and accountability as the clearances will be monitored and carried out effectively on a real time basis. It will also help to reduce pendency for maintaining the rigours of Environment Clearance process.
• iv. It should be noted that applications for Environment Clearances under Category ‘B’ projects under EIA notification, 2006 comes under State government for approval purpose.

20 June 2015 - Daily GK Update

20 June 2015 - Daily GK Update 

China launched world’s first electric passenger aircraft BX1E.

• i)China launched the world’s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.
• ii)The aircraft was designed together by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning General Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China.

Sushma Swaraj leaves for New York for International Yoga Day event

• i)External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for New York where she is going to participate in the International Yoga Day event being organised by the Indian Mission at the United Nations.
• ii)She will represent India next week in Nepal at a global donors' conference aimed at raising funds for the earthquake-hit country(Nominated by PM Shri Narendra Modi).

Serbia edge Brazil in final to clinch Fifa U-20 World Cup title.

• i) Serbia pulled off a historic 2-1 win in extra time to beat heavily favoured Brazil in the final of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Auckland on Saturday.
• ii) Serbia, playing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time as an independent nation, will leave as its champions.Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. Nemanja Maksimovic's decisive, 118th-minute goal settled the final 2-1 in favour of the delirious Serbians, and left five-time champions Brazil to settle for silver.

Haryana launches Village Mentoring Project(VMP) to uplift villagers.

• i)The Haryana Government today launched a Village Mentoring Project (VMP) to improve healthcare and education of the villagers with a special emphasis on girl child. 
• ii) The project would create awareness among the villagers about various issues including educating girl child, health, financial matters etc 

Brightest Galaxy in Early Universe named after Cristiano Ronaldo as CR7

• i)Scientists in third week of June 2015 named a newly discovered galaxy after Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The galaxy was labeled as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7).
• ii)CR7 is three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy known till now, called Himiko. This brightest galaxy was discovered in the early universe that contains the first generation of stars. For this discovery, they used ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).

PM to launch 3 flagship schemes for urban revamp on June 25.

• i) The three big ticket projects — Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Housing for All, now named as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), are worth Rs. four lakh crore.
• ii)It marks a red-letter day in the history of urban development in the country with the simultaneous launch of AMRUT, PMAY and Smart Cities Mission.
• iii) The Prime Minister will also release operational guidelines for the three urban missions besides unveiling logos and tag lines, according to a senior Urban Development Ministry official.

Nikesh Arora appointed SoftBank President

• i)India-born former Google executive Nikesh Arora has been appointed the President of Japan’s telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp that paid the “rising star” a whopping US$135 million for the financial year 2014.
• ii)Arora, 47, who earlier held the vice president’s post, was appointed company president and chief operating officer at a general meeting of shareholders here yesterday.

India Unlimited’ to boost synergies between Indian and Swedish entrepreneurs.

• i)India Unlimited ∞ - a platform for connecting India and Sweden in every field where both stand to gain.
• ii)Seeking synergies between Swedish and Indian entrepreneurship, Indian mission in Sweden has launched ‘India Unlimited’ platform.
• iii)The aim of the platform ‘India Unlimited’ is promoting Brand India in Sweden and Brand Sweden in India. 

State Government initiative to make Arunachal an organic state.

• i) In a bid to make Arunachal Pradesh a hundred per cent organic state, the State government decided to launch “State Soil Health Mission”.The programme aims at proper documentation of soil health and preparation of soil map.
• ii)Arunachal Pradesh government which is among the top five states for devolution of powers to Panchayati Raj, has initiated steps to strengthen the urban local self-governance to enhance revenue base of urban local bodies.

19 June 2015 - Daily GK Update

19 June 2015 - Daily GK update: 

India set for World Yoga Day on 21 June 2015.

• i) International day of yoga is also called as the world yoga day. United Nations General Assembly has declared 21st of June as an International Yoga Day on 11th of December in 2014.Launching a particular date of practicing yoga all across the world and celebrating as yoga day was initiated by the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations General Assembly.
• ii) Official name of this day is UN International Yoga Day and also called as Yoga Day. It is a worldwide event celebrated by the people of all countries through practicing yoga, meditation, debates, meetings, discussions, variety of cultural performances, etc.World Yoga Day or International Day of Yoga would be celebrated by the people throughout the world first time on 21st of June in 2015, at Sunday.

SBI launches online forex platform

• i)State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank, has launched SBI eforex, an Internet-based platform that enables customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online.
• ii) This smart platform facilitates the customers of the bank to obtain forex rates without having to physically visit the branch.
• iii) SBI eforex is an innovative platform incorporating robust security features and is designed to be user-friendly, fast and convenient. It is a highly flexible product offering the facility to the customers to customise and set their own limits for deal size, daily transaction limits etc. Details of all deals done are made available to the users on a real-time basis.
• iv) Under the forex segment, SBI had recently launched 'Fx Out' which enables sending of foreign currency remittances from any its branches in India.

Gandhi medals to mark his 33 years of freedom struggle

• i) Now among the various Gandhi souvenirs and memorabilia that has been sold and collected for over the past half a century, will be added a set of limited-edition medallions highlighting milestones in his 33 years (1914-1947) of freedom struggle.
• ii) Alok Goyal, a Kolkata-based numismatic dealer, has created a series of medals on Father of the Nation. So far, he has marketed five such medals beginning with Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa in 1914.
• iii) The sixth in the series to will hit the market on June 20 to commemorate 75 years of Netaji's last meeting with Gandhiji before leaving India in early 1941. Each of the series will have just 500 medals and are being sold at Rs. 1,000 a piece.The next two in the series would be on Gandhi-led civil disobedience movement and the movement against untouchablility.
• iv)Goyal-designed Gandhi medals were being manufactured a private German mint. He earlier had marketed commemorative coins with divine icon of Lord Venkateswara, in association with a Lichenstein company Coin Invest Trust and under a license from the Republic of Palau.

China and Australia formally sign free trade agreement

• i)China and Australia have signed a trade agreement that is set to increase market access for Australian beef and wine exporters while boosting Chinese carmakers and electronics producers who wish to sell their goods to Australians.
• ii) One flashpoint is the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clause, which grants foreign companies the right to sue governments for breaching commitments in such agreements.The Australian union movement has also raised concerns about the access to be granted to Chinese citizens under labour market provisions.
• iii) The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said the agreement would give each nation “unprecedented access to each other’s markets” and pointed to the reduction in tariffs imposed on trade.
• “It removes barriers to Australian agricultural exports across a range of products, including beef, dairy, lamb, wine, horticulture and seafood,”

India offers Tanzania expertise in natural gas sector

• i) India on Friday offered its expertise to Tanzania in development of its potentially rich natural gas sector and decided to extend e-tourist visa to people of the African nation even as the two countries signed eight MoUs to expand engagements in diverse areas.During extensive talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, both the countries also decided to establish a Joint Working Group to strengthen cooperation in counter terrorism.
• ii)The MoUs signed included a loan agreement between Exim Bank and Tanzanian government on a line of credit for $ 268.35 million for extension of a pipeline project and cooperation in the field of hydrology, tourism and agriculture.India is the largest trading partner of Tanzania in Africa with bilateral trade in 2013-14 being more than $4 billion.

Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST

• i) Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a weather alert service named NOWCAST.NOWCAST will be used to send SMS alerts on extreme weather data like hailstorm, thunderstorm and squall originated by India Meteorological Department (IMD) to over one crore farmers whose mobile numbers are registered on government’s mKisan portal.Further, the mKisan portal will send warning SMSs to farmers located in affected district/blocks. These warnings will help the farmers to take precautionary measures as needed and feasible.
• ii)The SMS will be sent in English, Hindi and regional languages as per farmers’ request.This technological break-through is a collaborative effort between mKisan Portal developed by DAC, weather technologies adopted by IMD and GIS Portal of NIC.
• iii)Radha Mohan Singh also launched Insurance Web-Portals for Farmers (www.farmer.gov.in/insurance) that will enable farmers to insure their crops under three schemes.
• iv)Prevailing provisions under which farmers can insure their crops are

• National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Modified National Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)
• Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)
• Besides, Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS) also is applicable in some parts of the country.

Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India

• i) Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India. He will head AI India’s operations and its efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide.Patel as the organization’s chief political advisor, strategist and spokesperson will give direction to its goal of being an independent, effective, and deep-rooted organization in India.
• ii) Patel’s previous work include
• India: Low Trust Society (2015)
• Rights and Wrongs, a report on the 2002 Gujarat riots which he co-authored
• Worked as a columnist with publications in India and Pakistan
• Television and radio work as an independent expertiii) In a country-wide campaign, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising yoga sessions for India Inc on Sunday (June 21), the International Day of Yoga. Thousands of representatives of industry, including CEOs, employees and family members, are rolling out their yoga mats to participate in the event.

18th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Charles Correa, face of contemporary architecture in India passes away

• i. India’s greatest contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away in Mumbai following a brief illness. He was 84.
• ii. He was Chief Architect for Navi Mumbai along with Shirish Patel and Pravina Mehta from 1970–75.
• iii. He also had served as first Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization and was appointed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.He is founder of Mumbai’s Urban Design Research Institute (established in 1984) dedicated to protect the environment and improve lives of urban communities.
• iv. He had been awarded the Padma Shri (1972), Padma Vibhushan (2006) by Government of India. He was also awarded Royal Gold Medal for Architecture (1984) by the Royal Institute of British Architects, 7th Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1998), Praemium Imperiale of Japan.

2. BSNL to set up 40,000 wi-fi hot spots India

• i. State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced to set up 40,000 Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) hot spots across the country.
• ii. This project will come in lines with new digital architecture which is part of Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme. The 40,000 wi-fi hot spots project will be entailed with an investment of about 6,000 crore rupees. The project is likely to be completed by 2018.
• iii. It was announced by Union Minister of Communications & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad after launching the Wi-Fi facility at Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
• iv. BSNL has installed the Wi-Fi facility at the premises of Taj Mahal as part of the Union Government’s plan to provide free internet services at major tourist places across country.

3. ASCI launches mobile app to curb misleading advertisements

• i. In a bid to address misleading advertisements, the Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) launched its consumer complaint mobile application – ASCIonline, to provide consumer complaint services on a mobile app besides providing the facility online.
• ii. Talking about the initiative, Narendra Ambwani, ASCI chairman said, “One of the goals of ASCI is to provide convenient access for lodging complaint and hence this launch of mobile app."
• iii. Lodge complaints by simply providing advertisement details and objection. Users can also attach the files like image or video or YouTube link of that advertisement.
• iv. Status of complaints and complaint tracking also made simple and user-friendly.

4. Archana Ramasundaram out of CBI, appointed Director of NCRB

• i. Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram has been moved out of the CBI and appointed as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• ii. Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed as Additional Director in CBI in February last year amid controversy.She was not assigned any work on the direction of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a writ petition against her appointment.
• iii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved lateral shift of Ramasundaram from the post of Additional Director, CBI to hold Director General or equivalent level post at the Centre.
• iv. Ramasundaram's appointment last year had generated quite a controversy as the CBI locked horns with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Home Ministry over the choice.

5. Govt okays 16 FDI proposals worth Rs. 6,751 cr.

• i. The government on Wednesday approved 16 foreign investment proposals, including those of Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Star India Private Limited, amounting to Rs. 6,750.86 crore.
• ii. The proposals were cleared during the FIPB meeting held on May 28
• iii. Broadcaster Star India Private Limited has been given approval for further issuance and transfer of shares to its foreign collaborator and acquisition of another Indian company engaged in broadcasting sector on a slump sale basis.
• iv. Syngene International has been allowed to raise foreign investment to 44 per cent from 10 per cent by initial public offering of equity shares to FIIs, FPIs and NRIs.

6. Election Commission suspends recognition of PA Sangma-led National People’s Party

• i. Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended recognition of the PA Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) which was a recognized state party in Meghalaya.
• ii. The recognition of NPP was suspended under para 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 after the party failed to file the election expenditure statement incurred in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
• iii. At present NPP has one Lok Sabha member- PA Sangma from Tura constituency from Meghalaya. It also has 4 members in Rajasthan Legislative assembly and 2 in Meghalaya Legislative assembly.

7. Book titled Modi - Incredible emergence of a star in Chinese language written by Tarun Vijay

• i. A book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled Modi –Incredible emergence of a star written in Chinese language by Tarun Vijay
• ii. The book was published in July 2014 by Sichuan University’s South Asia Study Centre.
• iii. The book is a biography based on the life and economic vision of Narendra Modi.

17th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indian Railways names Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express

• i. Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express with an immediate effect.
• ii. In this regard the train No 19031/19032 Ahmedabad-Haridwar-Ahmedabad famously known as Haridwar Mail has been christened as Yoga Express.
• iii. This decision was taken by Indian Railways before celebration of first ‘International Yoga Day’ on 21st June which will be observed as global event.

2. LIC Nomura Mutual Fund CEO Nilesh Sathe appointed member, life at IRDAI

• i. The government has appointed Nilesh Sathe, Chief Executive Officer of LIC Nomura Mutual Fund Asset Management Company, as the member-life of insurance regulator IRDAI.
• ii. The post was lying vacant since the retirement of S Roy Chowdhury in February 2014. 
• iii. Sathe will be joining the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on July 1 and have a four-year long tenure at the Hyderabad-headquartered insurance sector watchdog.
• iv. Sathe held various positions in LIC, which include Executive Director (marketing) and Senior Divisional Manager in Mumbai.

3. UN elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft to head General Assembly

• i. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 15 June 2015 elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft as its President for its upcoming 70th session in September 2015. 
• ii. He will have tenure of one year and succeeds Uganda's Sam Kutesa to preside over the 193-member body.
• iii. Lykketoft presently is the speaker of Danish Parliament since 2011 and is a member of the Social Democrats party.
• iv. Earlier from 1993 to 2001, Lykketoft served Denmark as its Foreign and Finance Ministers.

4. PM Narendra Modi launched book titled Education of Muslims by Professor JS Rajput

• i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 June 2015 launched a book titled Education of Muslims: An Islamic Perspective of Knowledge and Education – Indian Context edited by Professor JS Rajput.
• ii. The book is aimed at informing and educating policy-makers, scholars and readers about role of Islam in pursuit of education and knowledge.
• iii. The book contains 16 articles written by various scholars and historians including JS Rajput on wide ranging issues related to understanding of Islam religion, role of Islam and its educational institutions (madrasas) in dissemination of knowledge and educational status of Muslim children in India among others.
• iv. JS Rajput is an accomplished educationist and historian. He is a former director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Chairman, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

5. Union Government launched Augmented Reality Application named Sakaar

• i. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on 15 June 2015 launched an Augmented Reality (AR) application named Sakaar to highlight the achievements of the Department of Space.
• ii. The application has been developed by Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO for Android devices. 
• iii. Sakaar consists of 3D models of MOM, RISAT, rockets (PSLV, GSLV Mk-III); videos of INSAT 3D-predicting cyclones, GSLV D5/Cryo, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) orbit insertion, launch video of MOM, 360 degree animated view of MOM; Anaglyph of Mars surface.
• iv. Augmentation is in real time and the information is overlaid on the live view of the device’s camera.  Essentially, AR requires three elements: 

Android device with back camera
AR application
AR Markers.

6. Sunil Chhetri becomes first Indian to score 50 international goals

• i. Prolific striker Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals during his team's 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.
• ii. Chhetri's feat, though, came in a losing cause, as India suffered their second successive defeat in the preliminary joint qualification second round.
• iii. Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia stays at the second spot with 42 goals in 107 matches while IM Vijayan has 40 goals from 79 games. This meanwhile, was Chhetri's 87th match.
• iv. For the record, it was Chhetri who scored India's all the goals in the team's four joint preliminary round 2018 World Cup qualifying games so far.

16th June 2015 - Daily GK update

16th June 2015 - Daily GK update

1. Nasscom signs MoU with IESA

• i)The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) on Monday signed an MoU with India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) to speed up 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' agenda for electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) and IT.
• ii)The aim is to create a common agenda that will guide the Government and industry to construct policies and an environment leading to the creation of ESDM and IT products, solutions and brands out of India.
• Vinay Shenoy, Chairman, IESA, said: "By joining forces, we are now better able to address 'Device-Infrastructure-Application' and the interplay between them. Initial focus areas are likely to be policy frameworks, enabling capability build-up, knowledge sharing, eco-system discovery and promotion.''
• Under the MoU, both industry associations will bring key stakeholders and partners from industry, Government, academia and investment community closer and identify key areas of investment.

2. Wholesale price inflation dips in May

• i)Wholesale inflation at (-)2.36 per cent in May as against (-)2.65 per cent in April.
• Inflation remained in negative territory for the seventh month in May, registering a decline of 2.36 per cent on account of subdued prices of food items, fuel and manufactured goods.The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was (—) 2.65 per cent in April.
• It has been in the negative zone since November 2014. Inflation in last May was 6.18 per cent.
• ii)The lower inflation comes amid a forecast of deficient monsoon this year. In contrast to IMD’s forecast of 12 per cent deficient rainfall, the onset of monsoon has been reasonably strong so far.
• Citigroup said that overall the monsoon is still a risk factor but “we expect CPI (retail inflation) to undershoot RBI’s Jan-16 projection by 40bps and average 5 per cent in 2015-16. This is likely to create room for further 25 bps cut in current fiscal“.
• iii)The CPI inflation had inched up marginally in May to over 5 per cent from 4.87 per cent in the previous month.

3. Sheila Kaul, former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, died

• i) Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, ex-Union Minister and Congress leader Sheila Kaul died after a brief illness on 14 June 2015. She was 100.
• She is now survived by sons Gautam Kaul, a retired IPS officer, and Vikram Kaul, an international sports administrator, besides daughter Deepa Kaul, a former Information Minister in UP.
• ii) She was married to renowned botanist Kailash Nath Kaul, who established the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow. Kaul, sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru, was oldest surviving former Parliamentarian.
• iii) She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for five times in 1971, 1980 and 1984 (from Lucknow) and in 1989, 1991 (from Rae Bareli).

4. BSNL launched free roaming today

• i)State-run BSNL will launch free roaming, starting today, which will allow all its mobile customers across the country to receive incoming calls at no cost.
• “Now BSNL mobile customers will not need to carry multiple SIMs and handsets during roaming. ii)They are free to talk as long as they want without worrying of any charges during incoming calls.
• “In fact, it is like a dream of ‘One Nation One Number’ coming true,” BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement. One June 2, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the telco would be launching free roaming scheme from June 15.
• iii)The company also clarified that it has not received any communication from sectoral regulator TRAI regarding the roaming scheme.
• “We have not received any such communication from TRAI.BSNL has announced this scheme with the consent of Minister of Communications & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad who himself had announced it in a press conference held on June 2. TRAI has no objection to it,” Shrivastava said

5. FDI in services sector up 46% in 2014-15

• i)With the government taking steps to improve ease of doing business and attracting investments, FDI inflows into the services sector grew by over 46% to $3.25 billion in 2014-15.
• ii)The services sector, which includes banking, insurance, outsourcing, R&D, courier and technology testing, had received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $2.22 billion in 2013-14.
• However, the total foreign inflow in 2014-15 in the services sector was low as compared to 2012-13 when it was $4.83 billion, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) data.
• iii)The government has announced a series of steps such as fixing timeliness for approvals to improve the ease of doing business in the country and attracting domestic as well as foreign investments.
• In step with the growth in FDI in important sectors like services, overall foreign inflows in the country too rose by 27% to $30.93 billion during the previous fiscal. The amount was $24.29 billion in 2013-14.

6. Ameising Luikham takes over as New Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises

• i)Shri Ameising Luikham, IAS (MN:1981) today took over as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in the M/o Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises . Prior to this he was working as Secretary, North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
• ii)Shri Luikham's appointment is vice Shri Kapil Dev Tripathi, IAS (AM:1980) who already have been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

7. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) launched India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)

• i)The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on 12 June 2015 launched the India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP).The INIP has become the 27th such insurance pool in the world as countries such as France, Russia, South Africa and the U.S. have put in place such similar risk transfer mechanisms.Features of India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)
• ii)It will cover the risks of liability of nuclear operators and suppliers under Section 6(2) and Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2010 respectively.
• It provides three types of policies viz., tier 1 policy for operators, tier 2 policy for turn key suppliers and tier 3 policy for suppliers other than turn key supply

8. Union Government launched website to connect employers, job seekers

• i)Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra on 15 June 2015 launched a digital Employment Exchange for Industries (EEX) portal eex.dcmsme.gov.in which will connect employers and job seekers.
• ii)The portal will help in linking Make in India initiative with Skilled India one.The employers and job seekers can now register at www.eex.dcmsme.gov.in. Nearly, two lakh job seekers have already registered themselves with the EEX.
• iii)There are large units in the country which are dependent on MSMEs, but the absence of skilled manpower results in non-competitiveness of MSMEs and Indian industry as a whole.
• Until and unless, the skilled hands do not find the appropriate jobs and the appropriate employer, it
• will lead to frustration and skepticism to the entire skilling program of this country.
• Therefore, it is utmost important that these skilled hands get a platform where they can find livelihoods for themselves.  This online portal will enable industrial units in finding suitable manpower and will help job seekers in finding suitable jobs.

15th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Government launches Migrant Resource Centre in Chennai

• i. Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) was set up in Chennai by the Union Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and Tamil Nadu state government.
• ii. The MRC will provide migrants and overseas Indian workers with information, advice, counseling and guidance on all aspects of overseas employment.
• iii. Following are support functions of MRCs

1. Dissemination of information on safe and legal migration. 
2. Dissemination of information regarding status of recruiting agents along with other service providers. 
3. Registration and response to complaints and grievances within the redressal forum of MOIA. 
4. To offer counseling support in form of walk in or telephone and email support. 

• iv. Note: It is the fourth such MRC in India set up by MOIA. The first MRC was established in 2008 in Kochi, Kerala by MOIA. Later, fully functional MRCs in Hyderabad (Telengana & Andhra Pradesh), Gurgaon (Haryana) were established.

2. Recommendations of Bibek Debroy Committee on restructuring of Indian Railways

• i. The committee has suggested measures for restructuring the Railway Board and its departments so that policy making is separated from day-to-day operations. 
• ii. Recommendations of Bibek Debroy committee 

1. Establishment of an independent regulator Railway Regulatory Authority of India (RRAI) with a separate budget and to be independent of the Ministry. 
2. RRAI will decide on tariffs to revamp the cash-strapped railways. 
3. Railway Budget should be phased out with gross budgetary support to Indian Railways. 
4. No privatisation of Indian Railway but allowed participation of private sector in the railway projects.
5. State governments should be asked to entirely fund the Government Railway Police (GRP). 
6. The recommended changes should be implemented only by Union Railways ministry in the first five years including the resolution of the social cost issue. 

• iii. Background: Union government had constituted the high-level committee in September 2014 to restructure the Railways and suggest ways for resource mobilisation. It was seven-member panel headed by eminent economist and NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy. The other 6 members are former cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, Gusharan Das, Ravi Narain, Partha Mukhopadhyay, Rajendra Kashyap, Ajay Tyagi and Ajay Narayan Jha.

3. Government sacks Dr. Bimal Roy, Director of Indian Statistical Institute

• i. Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) has sacked Dr Bimal K Roy as the Director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). He was removed from the office on charges of indiscipline one-and-a-half months before the end of his term. 
• ii. Professor Sanghmitra Bandyopadhayay now will replace Dr Bimal K Roy as the Director of ISI. With this appointment she has become the first woman to lead the institute.
• iii. Roy who is a renowned cryptologist was appointed Director of ISI in August 2010. In April 2015, he was conferred with India’s fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri for his contribution in the discipline of literature and education. 

4. VK Singh inaugurates first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University, China

• i. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V K Singh inaugurated first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, China.
• ii. This is first Indian government institution related Indian spiritual art form i.e. Yoga in China inaugurated ahead of the first UN Yoga Day to be observed on June 21.
• iii. The Yoga College was established in lines with the MoU for establishing the Yoga College signed during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May 2015.
• iv. This college seeks to provide certification courses in the Indian spiritual art with them Indian teachers who are going to help in curriculum development and training.

5. RBI issued final guidelines for 6-year and 13-year Interest Rate Futures

• i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on government securities with residual maturity of 4-8 years and 11-15 years respectively under the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) (Amendment) Directions, 2015. For this purpose, RBI amended the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2013 dated 5 December 2013.
• ii. For the 6-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying shall be a coupon bearing government security of face value of 100 rupees and the residual maturity of 6-year IRF is between 4 and 8 years on the expiry of futures contract.
• iii. For the 13-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying can be a coupon bearing government security of face value of 100 rupees and residual maturity will be between 11 and 15 years on the expiry of futures contract.
• iv. Moreover, the RBI  also expanded the residual maturity for the existing 10-year cash settled IRF from 9-11 years to 8-11 years to provide market participants a greater choice and flexibility to hedge their interest rate risk across different tenors.

6. 14th June: World Blood Donor Day

• i. World Blood Donor Day is being observed across the world on 14 June to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation. 
• ii. The theme of this year’s campaign is Thank you for saving my life. This year’s campaign encourages donors all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly with the slogan Give freely, give often. Blood donation matters. 
• iii. Objective 
• To spread awareness about the need for safe and secure blood supplies. 
• Provide an opportunity to draw public attention to the importance of blood donation for saving lives. 

7. US becomes world's largest oil producer, says BP Report 

• i. As per recently released report by British Petroleum (BP) Energy Company, United States (US) became the world’s largest oil producer in 2014 surpassing Saudi Arabia. 
• ii. Production: US had produced 11.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) i.e. 15.9% more oil in 2014. While, Saudi Arabia was placed second position as it had produced 11.5 million bpd in 2014.  Russia was placed at third position with 10.8 million bpd oil production. 
• iii. Natural Gas Production: US also has surpassed Russia as the world’s largest producer of natural gas. 
• iv. Consumption: China had remained the world’s largest growth market for energy in 2014 
• v. Facts related to India: India’s oil production gad declined by 1.3% at 895,000 bpd, while the consumption had increased by 3% to 3.8 million bpd. India has shown 7.1% rise in energy consumption. 

13th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. 50-lakh penalty on Future Generali

• i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of 50 lakh on Future Generali Life Insurance Company. 
• ii. The regulator, which had examined 34 charges on a variety of aspects related to business, said the company had violated many norms, including not settling ‘huge’ number of claims in respect of the group insurance schemes, continuation of corporate agency even after expiry of licence, use of unlicensed entities for procuring business and distribution of gift vouchers procured from Big Bazar, one of the group companies.
• iii. It has been asked to pay the penalty within 15 days, according to an order issued by IRDAI Chairman TS Vijayan.

2. China launches freight train service connecting Europe

• i. China today launched a freight train service between its northeastern city of Harbin and Europe, opening a new trade route to Europe covering a distance of nearly 10,000 kms.
• ii. The train left Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, carrying 49 containers of domestic goods such as electronic products and auto parts worth US$ three million from northeast and north China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

3. Dick Costolo resigned as CEO of Twitter Inc

• i. Dick Costolo on 11 June 2015 resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Twitter Inc after serving the company for five years. Costolo will demit the office of CEO on 1 July 2015.
• ii. Twitter co-founder and Square Inc's CEO Jack Dorsey will take over as the Interim CEO of the company on 1 July 2015 and will stay until a replacement is found.
• iii. Costolo joined the company in 2009 as its Chief Operating Officer. In 2013, he helped the company to go public and recently he struggled to attract new users to the service.

4. AP launches ‘Mee Bhoomi’ digital depository of land records

• i. The Andhra Pradesh government has launched `Mee Bhoomi', a digital depository of land records.The portal, http://meebhoomi.ap.gov.in/, makes all land details along with Adangal/Pahani and 1-B details, available to the people.
• ii. It also lists details of land owners, area, assessment, water source, soil type, nature of possession of the land, liabilities, tenancy, and crops grown. One can also view individual/ village adangal and 1B details on the website.
• iii. Besides the survey number or pattadar number, it also gives the option of entering the Aadhaar card number to view land details. Users can also search for their field measurement book (F.M.B) on the website. The details of any transactions will also be updated on the website.
• iv. With respect to grievances related to land, people can register a complaint at the closest Mee-Seva centre, which will process the same within 15 days.Making the portal mobile-friendly, the government has also launched an Android app.

5. Wes Hall inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

• i. Former West Indies fast bowler Wes Hall was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the lunch break on the opening day of the Sabina Park Test between West Indies and Australia.
• ii. He became the fourth cricketer to receive the honour this year after Betty Wilson, Anil Kumble and Martin Crowe.Hall, 77, received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall of Famer Courtney Walsh, and is now the 18th cricketer from the Caribbean to be bestowed with the award.
• iii. Hall, who played 48 Tests for West Indies between 1958 and 1969, said he was "privileged" and "honoured" to receive the award which put him in the company of the "many greats of the game"

6. RBI allows FII buying in Kaveri Seed

• i. The stock of Kaveri Seed Company will see some buying interest on Monday, as the Reserve Bank of India on Friday said foreign portfolio investors could now invest up to 49 per cent of the company’s equity base.
• ii. The RBI decision follows foreign investor shareholding falling below the revised threshold limit. According to exchange data, at the end of March 2015, FIIs held 22.26 per cent stake in the seed major.

7. In Haryana village, contest of selfies with daughter to save girl child

• i. Haryana's Bibipur village, which wants The Women's World' added to its name, has now come out 
• with a unique idea to continue its efforts to create gender-neutral atmosphere in the state. 
• ii. The village panchyat has decided to organize a best selfie with daughters' contest to honour the winning family with a trophy, certificate and Rs 2,100 as cash prize.
• iii. The panchayat has invited parents to send their selfies to the village sarpanch on WhatsApp by June 17 while the winner family would be announced after two days. 
• iv. Village sarpnach Sunil Jaglan said they that had already received more than 120 entries in past four days after they announced the contest.

8. Utility bills valid proof of address to open account: RBI

• i. Bills for postpaid mobile service, piped gas and water supply can now be submitted as proof of address for opening account with banks or other financial institutions, the Reserve Bank said today.
• ii. Utility bill which is not more than two months old of any service provider (electricity, telephone, postpaid mobile phone, piped gas, water bill) for the limited purpose of proof of address are deemed to be Officially Valid Documents (OVDs) under 'simplified measures.

12th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Legendary actor Sir Christopher Lee passes away

• i. Legendary English actor, singer and writer Sir Christopher Lee passed away in London, United Kingdom. He was 93. The veteran actor was famously known as the master of horror for his famous villainy acting roles in numerous movies such as Dracula, The Wicker Man, James Bond, Lord of the Rings trilogy etc.
• ii. Christopher Lee was born in London in 1922 Film career: His on screen acting career began in 1947 after he had the Rank Organisation where he was trained as an actor. His career spanned more than 7 decades. His famous acting roles include Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), Count Dooku Star Wars trilogy (2002 and 2005) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).
• iii. He also is known for his best performance portraying of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998). Music career: Lee was also known for his singing ability. He had recorded various opera and musical pieces between 1986 and 1998.
• iv. He also had recorded symphonic metal album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010 after he had worked with several metal bands since 2005. Awards and Honours: He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011 and Spirit of Metal award (2010)

2. TCS, Infosys face US probe for H-1B visa violations

• i. The US government has opened an investigation against two of the biggest Indian outsourcing companies for possible violations of H1-B visa rules, according to a media report.
• ii. The Department of Labour has opened the investigation against Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys for possible violations of rules for visas for foreign technology workers under contracts they held with an electric utility Southern California Edison
• iii. The power company had recently laid off more than 500 technology workers amid claims that many of those laid off were made to train their replacements who were immigrants on the temporary work visas brought in by the Indian firms
• iv. The move by the Labour Department comes days after the NYT had reported that hundreds of employees at entertainment giant Walt Disney were laid off and replaced with Indians holding H1-B visas.

3. RBI allows NRIs to subscribe chit funds

• i. Reserve Bank of Indian has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit fund to encourage flow of capital into the country. Decision in this regard was taken after RBI had revised the extant guidelines for subscription to the chit funds in consultation with the government.
• ii. Henceforth, NRIs on non-repatriation basis will be allowed to invest in chit fund without any ceiling. However, the subscription to the chit funds by NRIs will be mandatorily brought in through normal banking channel, including through an account maintained with a bank in India.
• iii. The state government may permit any chit fund to accept subscription from NRIs on non-repatriation basis. It will be permitted by the registrar of chits or an officer authorized by the state government in accordance with the provisions of the Chit Fund Act, 1982.
• iv. Earlier in May 2000, RBI had barred NRIs from investing in a company or firms engaged in the business of chit fund. Apart from this decision, RBI also extended the scheme allowing airline companies to raise external commercial borrowings (ECB) for working capital as a permissible end-use under the approval route.  Now, the ECB scheme will continue till March 31, 2016.

4. Second border haat opens in Sipahijala district of Tripura

• i. The second border haat (rural market) was opened for common people at Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
• ii. The haat was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina by video-conferencing from Dhaka on June 6, 2015. This market is set up at the zero line of the international border with one part on the Indian side and the other in Bangladesh.
• iii. Initially it will facilitate bilateral trade of 16 shortlisted locally produced goods. These goods include agricultural and horticultural crops, spices, minor forest products excluding timber, fish and dry fish, dairy and poultry products, cottage industry items, wooden furniture, handloom and handicraft items.
• iv. People residing within a distance of 5 km from along the border are entitled to do business at the haat which will take place once in a week initially.  No local taxes would be levied on the goods sold in the haats and currencies of both the countries would prevail.
• v. First border haat was inaugurated on Srinagar- Purba border area in January 2015 by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Nirmala along with her Bangladeshi counterpart Tofail ahmed.

5. Union Government scraps import duties on AIDS drugs and test kits

• i. Union Government has scrapped customs import duties for drugs and test kits used to treat Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).
• ii. In this regard Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has issued a notice that will remain in effect till March 2016. This decision will help to cut prices of AIDS drugs across the country and thus help directly in Government’s national program to fight the disease.
• iii. It will also make import raw materials that are used to make antiretrovirals under the national program cheaper. This tax exemption will be applicable to certain first-line and second-line antiretroviral drugs which are used to treat adults and children.
• iv. Apart from drugs certain diagnostic kits and equipment are also exempted from tax. In India more than 2.1 million HIV/AIDS patients are provided with daily antiretrovirals for free from state-run distribution centres which are operated by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

6. C.S Verma steps down as SAIL CMD

• i. State-owned SAIL on Thursday said C. S. Verma had relinquished the charge as Chairman and Managing Director on completion of his tenure and Steel Secretary Rakesh Singh has assumed the charge till a regular incumbent is appointed.
• ii. Mr. Verma was appointed CMD of the country’s largest steel producer for a 5-year term in June 2010 by the previous UPA government, and was eligible for an extension till he attained the superannuation age of 60 years in September 2019.
• iii. The government’s not extending his tenure to the top job makes him the first ‘Maharatna’ PSU head to be denied an extension during the current NDA regime.

7. Renewable energy targets quadruple globally in 10 years: IRENA

• i. IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is a global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations.
• ii. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced that in past one decade renewable energy targets have quadruple globally.
• iii. It was mentioned IRENA Renewable Energy Target Setting report which was released by IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin on the side lines of IRENA’s 9th Council meeting in Dubai.
• iv. As per report, 164 countries have adopted at least one type of renewable energy target compared to 43 countries in 2005. All nations are adopting renewable energy targets to meet multiple objectives including energy security, environmental sustainability and socio-economic benefits. 
• v. The majority of 150 countries have focused committed renewable energy targets on the electricity sector The numbers of countries setting renewable targets for the heating and cooling sector have increased to 47 from 2 countries in 2005.

11th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indian-Origin Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Presented With Pride of Community Award

• i. Indian-origin US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been presented with the Pride of the Community Award by a prominent Hindu advocacy group.
• ii. Receiving the award by the Hindu American Foundation at its 12th Annual Day reception at Capitol Hill, Mr Murthy said that he draws inspiration from the life of Swami Vivekananda.
• iii. HAF also awarded Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion at St Olaf College, Dharma Seva award; Harpreet Singh Mokha of the Department of Justice, the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Pluralism; and Senator Mark Kirk and Rep Joe Crowley, HAF's Friend of the Community awards.

2. Reliance Capital names Gopkumar as CEO of broking, distribution business 

• i. Reliance Capital, part of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, today said it has appointed B Gopkumar chief executive of its broking and distribution business. 
• ii. Gopkumar, who succeeds Vikrant Gugnani, has over 20 years of industry experience. He has handled various assignments across varied functions, including direct sales, priority banking, marketing, product development, broking and distribution. 
• iii. Reliance Capital's broking business -- Reliance Securities -- provides a varied customer base with access to equities, equity options, wealth management solutions and mutual funds. 

3. 26 African countries create TFTA: Cape Town to Cairo free-trade zone

• i. African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa’s largest free-trade zone.
• ii. This free-trade zone will cover 26 countries in an area from southernmost tip of African continent i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north.
• iii. The pact was signed in Egypt will intent to ease the movement of goods across 26 member countries which represent more than half the continent’s GDP. TFTA pact combines existing three trade blocs among the African nations viz Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
• iv. It will remove trade barriers on most goods, making them cheaper and stimulating $ 1 trillion worth of economic activity across the region of more than 600 million people.

4. Union Cabinet gives nod to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement

• i. Union Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement.
• ii. The agreement which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) seeks to regulate the vehicular traffic of passenger, personal and cargo amongst BBIN countries.
• The agreement will be signed on 15th June 2015 at the Transport Minister’s meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.
• iii. BBIN agreement aims to promote safe, environmentally sound and economical efficient road transport in the sub-region of BBIN. It also seeks to help each member country to create an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
• iv. BBIN agreement will benefit member nations for mutual cross border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region. 
• For implementation of this agreement each signatory member will bear its own costs.

5. Stanford scientist Manu Prakash makes water based computer

• i. Manu Prakash, who amazed the world last year by building a paper microscope, has now come up with a computer that works by moving water droplets. P
• ii. rakash is an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and he has developed the water computer with the help of two of his students. He was born in Meerut, India.
• iii. What Prakash did was devise a system in which tiny water droplets are trapped in a magnetic field. When the field is rotated or flipped, the droplets move in precise direction and distance. This became the basis of the computer clock, which is an essential component of any computer.
• iv. Computer clocks are responsible for nearly every modern convenience. Smartphones, DVRs, airplanes, internet - without a clock, none of these could operate without frequent and serious complications. 

6. Senior scientist Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar appointed as Director of CSIR-IICT

• i. Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar was appointed Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) a premier research institute of Union Government based in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• ii. He was named appointed to the top post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is ex-officio Chairman of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) functioning under Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
• iii. He has made significant contributions in diverse areas of organic chemistry with a special emphasis total synthesis of biologically active natural products, on chiral chemistry and pharmaceutical products.
• iv. He also has developed technologies for synthesis of latest anti-tumor and abortive drug mesoprostol, anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline and drug for treatment of schizophrenia asenapine etc. Apart from above contributions, he also has more than 250 publications with 5,000 citations to his credit.

9. CAD shrinks massively to 0.2 per cent in Q4

• i. The country’s current account deficit (CAD) narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion, or 0.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the fourth quarter of the last financial year on a sequential basis mainly on account of a lower trade gap.
• ii. The CAD shrank to 1.3 per cent of GDP for full financial year 2014-15.
• iii. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, CAD narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion (0.2 per cent of GDP) in fourth quarter of financial year 2014-15 from USD 8.3 billion (1.6 per cent of GDP) in the third quarter

8. Forbes list: Dhoni only Indian among world's richest athletes

• i. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only Indian sportsman in Forbes magazine's 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.
• ii. Dhoni has been ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2015 dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 last year.
• iii. Dhoni's total earnings stood at $31 million, including amount from salary/winnings at $4 million and endorsements worth $27 million.
• iv. The earnings figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses paid out between June 2014 and June 2015.

10th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Microsoft begins rebranding of Nokia Priority Stores

• i. In order to increase its presence in emerging markets like India, Microsoft on Wednesday kick-started rebranding of Nokia Priority Stores as Microsoft Priority Resellers.
• ii. India is the first country among Microsoft's global markets to roll out the new look for its retail outlets.
• iii. This is perhaps one of the biggest rebranding exercises undertaken by a mobile manufacturer and we wanted India to lead the way being a priority market for us. For many consumers, the rebranded shops will be their first experience of Microsoft as a consumer hardware manufacturer.
• iv. While existing Nokia stores would transform into Microsoft Priority Resellers, housing only Microsoft products, the multi-branded retail stores will be rechristened as Microsoft Mobile Resellers.

2. SEBI cracks down on 200 illicit fund-raising activities in 1 year

• i. Stepping up action against illicit fund-raising in a big way, SEBI has cracked down on nearly 200 such activities in last one year relating to fraud against gullible investors and recovered Rs. 25 crore.
• ii. SEBI has passed close to 200 orders in last one year against illegal fund-raising activities and barred individuals and companies from mobilising money from public.
• iii. The Securities Laws Amendment Act, which was notified by the government in August 2014, empowers SEBI to pass orders for attachment of properties, arrest of defaulters and to access call data records.
• iv. A majority of orders against deemed public issues were in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The same for CIS activities are in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

3. Small traders' body CAIT to launch ecommerce platform 

• i. After fighting tooth and nail with online retailers, the apex body of small traders, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has decided to launch its own ecommerce portal in the next three months. 
• ii. Named 'e-Lala', the proposed portal will provide a direct interface between sellers and consumers and there will be no third agency which will be involved in any transaction, thereby eliminating the commission component which the sellers need to pay.
• iii. The proposal was recently discussed at the national governing council meeting of CAIT. The body has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of its national president BC Bhartia to implement the plan. 
• iv. It will be the first ecommerce portal in the country by the traders for the traders. It will be a location-based portal wherein traders from different cities will be registered under their respective category of items.
• v. Consumers will have the option to buy either online or from the physical store of the chosen seller

4. RBI issues draft norms on rupee-linked bonds overseas

• i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said that Indian corporates, eligible to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs), are permitted to issue rupee- linked bonds overseas.
• ii. Corporates which are, at present, permitted to access ECB, under the approval route, will require prior permission of the RBI to issue such bonds and those coming under the automatic route can do so without prior permission of the RBI.
• iii. The RBI proposed that the subscription, coupon payments and redemption might be settled in foreign currency. 
• iv. It also stipulated the coupon on the bonds should not be more than 500 basis points above the sovereign yield of the Government of India security of corresponding maturity as per the FIMMDA yield curve prevailing on the date of issue.

5. Kapil Mishra to Succeed Jitender Tomar as Delhi's Law Minister

• i. Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Kapil Mishra will succeed Jitender Tomar as Delhi's law minister. A letter has been sent to the president in this regard.
• ii. Mr Tomar had stepped down on Tuesday after being arrested over allegations that he had faked his law degree.
• iii. Mr Mishra, the legislator from northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar, was placed in the crucial Jal Board to help realise the Aam Aadmi Party's election promise of providing cheap water to Delhiites.

6. Government to Give Rs 6,000 Crore Interest-Free Loans to Sugar Mills

• i. The government has approved interest-free loans for cash-strapped sugar mills to help them pay nearly 30 per cent of the record Rs 21,000 crore they owe to cane farmers, many of whom are struggling with huge debts as the first country-wide drought in six years looms.
• ii. Sugar cane prices, meanwhile, have jumped over the years due to the populist policies of state governments to raise minimum support prices for farmers.
• iii. Mills in India, the world's biggest sugar producer after Brazil, have been lobbying the government for months seeking relief as prices of the sweetener have fallen below the cost of production due to ample supplies.
• iv. The federal government earlier this year approved a subsidy to export raw sugar, although that failed to boost shipments amid a global glut.

9th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Government extends Bank of Baroda interim chief Ranjan Dhawan's term for 3 months 

• i. The government has further extended the term of Bank of Baroda's (BoB) interim MD & CEO Ranjan Dhawan for three months while Bank of India will be headed by its Executive Director B P Sharma for the same duration. 
• ii. Dhawan, the senior-most Executive Director of BoB, was given this additional charge in February.
• iii. The post of a full-time MD & CEO at BoB has been lying vacant since July 2014 when the then Chairman and Managing Director S S Mundra was appointed RBI Deputy Governor.
• iv. Sharma's appointment comes into force from June 8, 2015, and will be till the appointment of a regular MD & CEO or further orders, whichever is earlier, it added.

2. RBI debt recast norms: Banks will be left holding the bag if no buyers for firms turn up

• i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted banks to take control of 51 percent of stake in a company that has failed to recover financial health even after a period of financial restructuring, typically due to management inefficiency or other factors.
• ii. This provision, part of the strategic debt restructuring exercise (SDR), is aimed at ensuring promoters of defaulted companies have more ‘skin in the game’.
• iii. The RBI’s move is part of a coordinated action plan with markets regulator, Securities and exchange board of India (Sebi), which in March had allowed banks to convert part or full debt of listed defaulter companies into equity.
• iv. Both the RBI and Sebi have made the process easier for banks and become aggressive in taking control of defaulter companies.
• v. For companies too, this will offer relief since they will be free from interest payments once the debt is converted into equity. However, such a relief might come at the cost of losing management control.

3. 7th International junior shotgun: Anantjeet wins skeet gold

• i. Anantjeet Singh Naruka beat Lari Pesonen of Finland 12-11 in the skeet match for gold in the 7th International junior shotgun cup that concluded in Orimattila, Finland
• ii. After having qualified at the bottom with a modest score of 110, following rounds of 21, 22, 21, 25 and 21, Anantjeet kept getting better, as he wriggled his way through to the gold medal match by winning a three-way tie in the shoot-off to challenge the Finn.
• iii. Compatriot Angadvir Singh Bajwa, who had topped the qualification with 119 following a series of 23, 24, 24, 24 and 24, won the shoot-off for the bronze medal 6-5 against Matteo Chiti of Italy.
• iv. Angadvir and the Italian had shot three each in losing the shoot-off for the gold medal match with Anantjeet who shot 4, after the three were tied on 13 in the semifinals.

4. NCR gets bigger; Jind, Karnal and Muzaffarnagar districts added 

• i. The sprawl of the National Capital Region (NCR) just got bigger as the nod has been given for the inclusion of Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh and the Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana as part of the conurbation. 
• ii. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced the decision for including the three districts in NCR after chairing a meeting today of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) here. 
• iii. Naidu said that a committee has been appointed to look into the demands for the inclusion of more areas in NCR. 
• iv. The Union minister said that before including any area, the view of the particular state government will also have to be taken. 
• v. Haryana Chief Minister Khattar said that with the inclusion of Jind and Karnal in NCR, 57 per cent of the state's area had become part of the entity. 

5. R C Tayal appointed as new Director General of National Security Guard 

• i. Senior IPS officer R C Tayal has been appointed as the new chief of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG). 
• ii. The 1980-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre officer is at present serving as the Special Director General in paramilitary CRPF and is heading its formation in Jammu and Kashmir. 
• iii. He is expected to serve as NSG DG till August next year when he is scheduled for superannuation. 
• iv. NSG was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force with a specific aim to undertake counter-terror and counter-hijack operations and it was later tasked to protect high-risk VVIPs. 

6. EPFO to invest 5% of funds in equity market

• i. In a major policy shift, the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has decided to park 5 per cent of its funds in the equity market.
• ii. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the decision was in line with the suggestions made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitely that the EPFO invest up to 15 per cent of its funds in the equity market.
• iii. In another major announcement, the Minister said the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees State Insurance Corporation, at its latest meeting, decided to invest funds available with it from the contribution of employees through portfolio managers on the lines of the EPFO.
• iv. Employees’ interests would be the priority of the EPFO and care would be taken in the equity investments, the Labour Minister added.

7. ISRO Bags Space Pioneer Award for Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission

• i. The country's low-cost Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission which is in rendezvous with the Red Planet for an extended period has been presented with the Space Pioneer award for the year 2015 by
• the US' National Space Society.
• ii. Space Pioneer award for the year 2015 was presented to Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the Science and Engineering category during the 34th Annual International Space Development Conference held at Toronto in Canada during May 20-24, 2015, Bengaluru-headquartered Isro said on its website.
• iii. The Isro spacecraft was launched on its nine-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013 and had escaped the earth's gravitational field on December 1.
• iv. The spacecraft is under 'solar conjunction' at Mars, which means the spacecraft, which is orbiting Mars, is behind the sun as viewed from the Earth.

8. India’s first State-of-the-Art Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre inagurated by Gadkari

• i. Tackling pollution and oil spills in and around Mumbai will now become much easier, as Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the India’s first of its kind State-of-the-Art Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre for Mumbai & JNPT Harbour
• ii. The OSRC which is equipped with State-of-the-Art equipment in operational readiness for combating Tier-I oil spill upto 700 tones, ensures adequate protection to the public health and welfare and to the marine environment.
• iii. The facility which is funded by Participating Oil Companies (POCs) and MbPT has taken the responsibility of tendering and monitoring of Tier -I OSR facility.
• iv. The area of operation includes the water limits of the Mumbai Port Trust MbPT, JNPT and ONGC’s facilities at Nhava and Uran.
• v. The OSRC will be monitored on 24/7 basis and is also equipped with skilled and trained personnel and wireless communication facilities for immediately responding to any oil spill.

9. ICICI Bank Appoints MK Sharma As Non-Executive Chairman

• i. ICICI Bank on Tuesday said that its board has approved the appointment of MK Sharma as non-executive chairman for a period of five years.
• ii. Mr Sharma will replace KV Kamath who would shortly step down from the board consequent to his nomination as the first president of the BRICS New Development Bank.
• iii. Mr Sharma was formerly the vice chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL).
• iv. e is an independent director of several companies and has been a member of government committees relating to corporate law and corporate governance, ICICI Bank said in a statement.
• v. He is currently an independent director of two subsidiaries of the Bank, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company.

8th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Deutsche Bank makes John Cryan CEO after co-CEOs Anshu Jain, Juergen Fitschen quit

• i. Deutsche Bank appointed John Cryan as its new CEO on Sunday after co-chief executives Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen resigned following criticism from investors.
• ii. John Cryan, 54, has been on the bank’s supervisory board since 2013 and was a former chief financial officer of UBS. He will replace Anshu Jain from July 1 and become the sole CEO when Juergen Fitschen steps down next year, the bank said.
• iii. Making Anshu Jain directly responsible for cutting Deutsche Bank’s costs by 4.7 billion euros ($5.2 billion), selling its Postbank retail business and paring back its investment bank put huge pressure on the former trader.

2. Stan Wawrinka stuns Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams wins French Open after beating Lucie Safarova in final

• i. Williams emerged with a 20th grand slam title thanks to a 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2 victory over the Czech Lucie Safarova.
• ii. The American is now two short of Steffi Graf, the open era leader, and four off Margaret Court, the all-time leader
• iii. Her win over Safarova was her fifth three-set victory of a tournament that was a struggle almost from day one.
• iv. Stan Wawrinka played magnificently in a 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory at Roland Garros.
• v. Wawrinka, 30, brought an end to Djokovic's 28-match winning streak as he claimed his second Grand Slam title.
• vi. The victory makes him only the second Swiss to win at Roland Garros after Roger Federer, the man he beat in the quarter-finals.

3. Federal Bank slashes base rate by 25 bps to 9.95%

• i. Federal Bank today cut the base rate, or the minimum lending rate, by 0.25 per cent to 9.95 per cent.
• ii. The new rates will be effective from June 18, 2015.
• iii. Soon after RBI's second bi-monthly policy review for 2015-16 on June 2, a number of banks, including largest public sector lender SBI, have cut the minimum lending rates.
• iv. Among others, Allahabad Bank, Dena Bank, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India and Syndicate Bank have announced cut in base rates.

4. IOC to invest Rs 15,000 crore to raise Panipat refinery capacity

• i. Indian Oil Corp, nation's largest oil firm, plans to invest about Rs 15,000 crore in raising capacity at its Panipat refinery in Haryana by 34% to 20.2 million tonnes (MT) by 2020.
• ii. IOC owns and operates eight refineries and has only a few weeks back added ninth refinery at Paradip in Odisha.
• iii. Its eight refineries have a cumulative refining capacity of 54.2 MT of crude oil and addition of 15 MT at Paradip refinery has helped it regain the top refiner slot in the country.
• iv. Essar Oil is the only other private refiner having a 20 MT a year unit at Vadinar in Gujarat.
• v. Panipat Refinery was commissioned in 1998 with a capacity of six MT per annum. The refining capacity was doubled to 12 MT in 2006 and then raised by a further three MT to 15 MT in 2010.

5. K.V. Chowdary is new CVC; Vijai Sharma new CIC

• i. Former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, K.V. Chowdary, was on Monday, appointed as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner, while the senior-most Information Commissioner, Vijai Sharma, is the new Chief Information Commissioner.
• ii. A selection panel headed by the Prime Minister, which includes leader of the principal opposition party, and senior cabinet ministers selects the CVC, CIC, vigilance commissioners and information commissioners.
• iii. The Central Vigilance Commission is headed by a CVC and comprises two vigilance commissioners and today’s appointment constitutes the full Commission.
• iv. In the CIC, there are vacancies of four Information Commissioners. The incumbents are Basant Seth, Yashovardhan Azad, Sharat Sabharwal, Manjula Prasher, M A Khan Yusufi and Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu.

6. SpiceJet signs deal to sell tickets to waitlisted railway travellers

• i. IRCTC's public relations officer Sandip Dutta explained that the Railways have entered the tie-up with SpiceJet and Go Air.
• ii. It enables a train traveller whose ticket is wait-listed to cancel the train ticket and instead get on to a flight of either airline by paying some incremental fee.
• iii. There are no fixed sectors to which the scheme applies, no fixed number of tickets either airline must make available to IRCTC and no fixed rates. 
• iv. This scheme only applies to tickets booked at least three days prior to the date of the journey, these train tickets can only be cancelled on a specific website and flight tickets are available only for the day of the train journey or a day prior to it.
• v. SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh pointed out that this tie-up is promising for the airline and he expects "significant" passenger volumes to be generated through this scheme.

7. Yes Bank reappoints Rana Kapoor as MD

• i. Yes Bank’s shareholders have approved 12 resolutions which included the re-appointment of Rana Kapoor as MD & CEO of the bank with a majority vote of 99.97%, sans the vote of the Madhu Kapur family.
• ii. In the bank’s annual general meeting on Saturday, the shareholders also approved through a special resolution the issuance of non-convertible debentures and bonds up to Rs 10,000 crore and also increased the borrowing limit of the bank to Rs 50,000 crore from Rs 30,000 crore currently. 
• iii. The bank got a majority vote to increase the combined foreign portfolio investors (FPI) and foreign institutional investors investment (FII) limits to 74% of the paid-up capital of the bank.
• iv. Shareholders also re-appointed M R Srinivasan as non-executive non-independent director (previously the chairman of Yes Bank) with a majority vote. Also, Diwan Arun Nanda and Ajay Vohra have been appointed as independent directors.

8. Tintu Luka finally strikes gold as India finishes 3rd at Asian Athletics Championships

• i. Tintu Luka bagged her maiden gold in a major international event by winning the women's 800m finals as India finished with five medals on the final day of competitions to sign off third in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships here today.
• ii. India secured a medal haul of 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze in the championships to finish third behind China (15, 13, 13) and Qatar (7, 2, 1). Japan (4, 3, 11) and Bahrain (3, 3, 2) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
• iii. This was India's best finish after 2007 in Amman, Jordan where the country was placed second.
• National record holder Luka clocked her season's best timing of 2:01.53 to clinch the gold at Wuhan Sports Center.
• iv. This was 26-year-old Luka's first individual title in a major international event after breaking into the scene in 2008-09 with a lot of promise under the tutelage of the legendary P T Usha.