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Job Today• Daily GK Update - 12th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update - 11th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update - 9th & 10th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update 8th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update 7th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update 6th August 2015 Important Current Affairs• Daily GK Update 5th August 2015 Important Current Affairs

Daily GK Update - 12th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:34 PM PDT1. NABARD accredited by UN’s Green Climate Fund as National Implementing Entityi. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) got accredited by the Green Climate Fund as a national implementing entity for undertaking climate change related projects in India.

ii. In 2010 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had set Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help developing countries to finance clean energy projects other mitigation efforts and adaptation to climate change.iii. Accordingly NABARD is the only national implementing entity in the country for undertaking climate change projects. NABARD will get funds in the form of concessional loan or in form of grant or through other modalities approved by the GCF Board.iv. In line of this NABARD has submitted a proposal to GCF for financial support on ‘Mitigating climate change and enhancing adaption for farmers through agro-forestry project set by Haryana Government.2. Facebook awarded $21 million to Indian app developers under FbStart initiative

i. On 11 August the social network giant Facebook doled out 21 million US dollar to Indian app developers under its FbStart initiative.

ii. With an aim to attract next billion Internet users towards social networking, last year Facebook launched FbStart an initiative to promote and help new mobile app developers around the world. The two Indian entrants Hyderabad-based Samosa and Delhi’s Cardback received the 21 billion US dollars under this initiative.iii. The Hyderabad-based Samosa had developed an app that offers a curated collection of clips from popular movies that people can share with friends. The Delhi- based Cardback developed an app that helps cardholders and wallet users identify the best ways to pay and maximise their rewards and savings for every transaction they make.3. India signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for NCRMP Projectsi. On 11 August 2015 Government of India and the World Bank signed the Financing Agreement for the assistance of National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project- I & II (NCRMP- I & II) for $ 104.00 Million and $ 308.40 Million respectively.

ii. The two separate financing agreements were signed for NCRMP- I & II under a common objective for coastal states to mitigate vulnerability to the cyclone and hazards prone coastal communities. NCRMP-I covers States of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. NCRMP-II covers States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal.iii. The agreement for the project with respect to these state were signed by the representatives of the respective State Governments.iv. It proposes to reduce vulnerability to cyclone and other hydro-meteorological hazards of coastal communities in the respective States through; Establishing Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) and Capacity building for coastal communities.v. Establishing Cyclone Risk Mitigation Infrastructure and early warning systems benefitting coastal communities in the target states. Financing technical assistance for strengthening of multi-hazard risk management at the national level.4. Libya chaos deepens as PM resignsi. The future of Libya's internationally recognised government was uncertain Wednesday after Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani said he would resign, as fraught peace talks were set to enter a second day.

ii. It was unclear whether Thani planned to follow through on his resignation vow, made during an emotional live television appearance where he faced a barrage of angry questions from citizens.iii. The move added to the political chaos in Libya, as the country's rival factions were to meet for a second day of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.iv. The prime minister, who escaped an assassination attempt in May when gunmen opened fire on his car after a parliament meeting, was also hit with accusations of corruption against his government in the television interview.5. Sanjay Jalona appointed as MD and CEO for L&T Infotechi. Larsen and Toubro has appointed former Infosys executive Sanjay Jalona as the Managing Director and CEO of its subsidiary L&T Infotech, IT arm of L&T.

ii. The new CEO Sanjay Jalona will run L&T Infotech from its New Jersey office in order to add thrust to its profitable growth. Company aims to boost growth and strengthen its presence in the United States, Europe, Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the East countries.iii. Before joining the L&T Infotech country’s sixth largest IT services firm he was working as an executive vice-president and global head of High-Tech Manufacturing and Engineering Services for Infosys.iv. He was with Infosys for fifteen years and had held senior leadership positions across the Europe, India and US.6. President Pranab Mukherjee presented Saraswati Sammaan to Dr. M Veerappa Moilyi. President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 10 August 2015 presented the 24th Saraswati Sammaan for the year 2014 to Dr. M Veerappa Moily, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) in New Delhi. He received the award for his epic Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam written in Kannada.

ii. Divided into five volumes, Ramayana Mahanveshanam was first published in 2007 in Kannada. Later the poem was translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

iii. Moily’s work was selected for the award in March 2015 by a 13-member panel of scholars and writers headed by former Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti.iv. 75-year-old Moily a senior Congress leader from Karnataka is an established writer in Kannada. He has authored four novels, three collections of poetry, a number of plays and numerous essays.7. Pankaj Advani bags 13th World Snooker Championshipi. India’s poster boy of cue sports Pankaj Advani on Wednesday clinched his 13th world title after winning the World 6-Red Snooker Championship in a convincing manner.ii. Defending champion Advani outplayed Chinese Yan Bingtao 6-2, stamping his authority on the green baize in the final. The final started off with a bang with the Bangalore cueist racing to a rapid 3-0 lead in the best-of-11 final. But the Chinese found his form and ran away with the next two frames with the aid of a 66 break.iii. In no mood to give anything away, Advani did not allow his opponent to score a single point in the next two. He fired in a massive 71 break in the seventh frame to be one frame away from defending his title which he won in Egypt last year.

Daily GK Update - 11th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:33 PM PDT1. ISRO commissions Titanium Sponge Plant in Keralai. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 10 August has fully commissioned and started commercial production at the first indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala.ii. The initiative was taken by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre to establish Titanium Sponge Plant (TSP) a dedicated 500 MT per annum plant at M/s Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML), Chavara in Kollam district, Kerala.

iii. It is the only integrated plant in the world that undertakes all activities right from mining of Ti minerals to manufacturing of aerospace grade Ti sponge under one roof.iv. It is a Titanium (Ti) alloy products produced by conversion of raw titanium through Kroll process which is subjected to leaching or heated vacuum distillation to remove impurities and gaining the purest form (99.7 per cent) of Titanium Sponge. India has become the seventh country in the world producing Titanium sponge commercially.2. ICICI Bank launches ‘Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ Scheme for weaker sectionsi. India’s largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched ‘ICICI Bank Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ Scheme for weaker sections of society.ii. The scheme is new home loan proposition of the bank with special interest rate to cater people from rural areas including women borrowers as well as from weaker sections.

iii. Housing loan will be provided at the ICICI Bank Base Rate (known as I-Base) which is currently at 9.70%. An eligible customer can avail of loan to purchase, construction or renovation of a home in the rural areas.iv. The loan will range from five to fifteen lakh rupees for a period of 3–20 years and the loan can be up to 90 per cent of the property value.v. With the launch of this scheme, the private bank seeks to support the socio-economic development of a larger section of the society especially economically deprived sections.3. Kerala government announces State film awards 2014i. Kerala government announced State film awards 2014 in various categories. The list of awardees was declared by State Minister for Cinema Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Winners :• Best actor award: Nivin Pauly (Bangalore Days and 1983) and Sudev Nair (My Life Partner).• Best actress: Nasriya Naseem for her performance in the films ‘Om Shanthi Hosana’ and

‘Bangalore Days’.• Best Director: Sanalkumar Sasidharan for his film OraalPokkam.

4. Google unveils restructuring under new parent company Alphabet Inci. Search engine giant Google Inc has announced formation of a new holding or parent company called Alphabet Inc to encompass its search engine unit and all other subsidiaries.

ii. The new parent company was formed as part of Google’s new organisational structure which will help the company to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities and products.iii. Now Google will be replaced by Alphabet Inc as the publicly-traded entity and all its shares will automatically converted into the of shares of new parent entity with same rights. Under the new structural arrangement all subsidiaries of Google will be brought under the control of Alphabet Inc which will come into effect later 2015.iv. The new company will be led by Co-founder and current CEO of Google Larry Page while Sergey Brin, the other co-founder will serve as the President and Eric Schmidt will be executive

Chairman. Google’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ruth Porat will become CFO of Alphabet and current directors of the company will become directors of Alphabet Inc.v. Chennai born Sundar Pichai has been appointed of as CEO of new Google (subsidiary of Alphabet).5. Kochi first to join World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Councili. Kochi becomes first Indian city to be a member of Beijing headquartered, World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council and join its league of leading tourism cities across the world. The invitation to be the member of the council was sent to Kerala Tourism Department by WTCF which was formally accepted the state Tourism Department on 10 August 2015.

ii. The membership acceptance document was handed over to Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng by the Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany in the presence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the function held in Kochi.iii. Kochi was invited to be the member of the council on ground of its partnerships in culture, sports and tourism. In case of Kochi its cuisine, martial arts and snake and dragon boat races fulfils the set ground for membership.iv. The WTCF, headquartered at Beijing is a non-profit, non-governmental international organisation voluntarily formed by tourism cities like Los Angeles, Berlin, Barcelona and many other world famous tourism cities and tourism-related institutions.6. India’s social security pact with Canada comes into force

i. The social security pact between India and Canada which was approved by Union Cabinet in 2013 comes into force after two years of long waiting. According to the pact the employees posted by Indian entities in Canada are not required to contribute towards Canada’s social security schemes for period of 60 months and similarly the Canadian employees posted in India would enjoy the same benefit.ii. The employees on both the countries will be able to enjoy this benefit only when they produce a certificate of coverage that specifies that they are contributing towards social security schemes such as PF and pension in their home country.iii. This pact was sign to enable Indian as well as Canadian employees to avoid double social security contribution and to enhance competitiveness of their services and products.iv. Government has authorised Employment Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to implement social security agreements in India and to issue certificate of coverage to the employees posted by Indian entities to Canada.7. Sania Mirza to be conferred Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

i. Sania Mirza on Tuesday became only the second tennis player to be recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, while star cricketer Rohit Sharma and ace shooter Jitu Rai were among the 17 sportspersons picked for this year's Arjuna awards.

ii. Sania, currently ranked world number one in women's doubles, scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a women's doubles Grand Slam when she partnered Swiss great Martina Hingis for the Wimbledon trophy earlier this year.iii. Sania is only the second tennis player after Leander Paes to be named for the top award. Paes had been bestowed the honour way back in 1996 after his bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympics.iv. The 28-year-old, who has won three mixed doubles Grand Slams in her career, beat competition from squash player Deepika Pallikal, discus thrower Vikas Gowda, track and field star Tintu Luka, rising shuttler P V Sindhu, and hockey captain Sardar Singh for the coveted honour.8. 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 7 Bronze: India top Asian Youth Chess Championship with 17 medalsi. India impressed with a rich haul of 17 medals to be declared overall winners in the Asian Youth Chess Championship that concluded here today.Bagging 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 7 Bronze out of the available 36 medals, Indian juniors made their presence felt in the event organised by Korea Chess Federation.ii. Iran took four gold, two silver and one bronze for a tally of seven medals. Vietnam won four medals, one gold, two silver and one bronze, while strong contender China could win just two medals in one gold and one silver.iii. Players like Divya Deshmukh (Girls Under-10) of Nagpur, R Vaishali (Girls U-14) of Chennai have won both Asian and World Age Group competitions. Vaishali won by the widest of margins.iv. Champions Bharath Subramaniyam (Open U-8), Aakanksha (Girls U-16) and Krishna Teja (Open U-18) are a few names we are going to read more in the future.

Daily GK Update - 9th & 10th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:32 PM PDTUnion Government launched School Nursery Yojana to bring students closer to nature

i. The Yojana seeks to engage class VI to IX in raising of saplings in nurseries created in schools. The Yojana was launched by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. ii. Theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green.

About School Nursery Yojana• The Yojana in its first phase would cover 1000 schools and would be extended to 5000

schools in 2016 and 10000 schools the following year.• Under the Yojana, students will grow saplings as part of practical exercise for biology

classes and extra-curriculum activities.• Each school will initially receive first time financial grant of 25,000 rupees for creation of the

nursery with essential facilities.Global satellite to be named after Abdul Kalami. A global satellite for earth observation and disaster risk reduction — GlobalSat for DRR — proposed under the UN framework is to be dedicated to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a tribute to the vision of the celebrated rocket scientist and former Indian president who died July 27.ii. This has been stated by Milind Pimprikar, Chairman of CANEUS (CANada-Europe-US-ASia) Organization on Space Technologies for Societal Applications headquartered in Montreal, Canada.iii. Founded in 1999, CANEUS serves to develop a common platform for space technology solutions for natural and man-made disaster management. The ‘GlobalSat for DRR’ is a UN-driven global initiative on sharing space technology for disaster risk reduction, Mr. Pimprikar told IANS.

Param Tyag Chakra Initiative launched to honour families of martyrs

i. The Param Tyag Chakra was launched by the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology to honour family members of brave military men, who sacrificed their lives for the nation.ii. For this initiative, the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology in association with the management and students launched a web platform aimed at collecting the details of these family members.iii. Everyone including the general public, the government, corporates, the media can join this initiative in multiple ways like by identifying and referring such families or by channeling the support required for them etc.

Suraksha Bandhan drive launched to facilitate enrolment under Social Security Schemesi. Union Government launched Suraksha Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode through participating banks and insurance companies to facilitate enrolment under social security schemes.ii. The drive launched in the back drop of Raksha Bandhan aims at taking forward the Government’s objective of creating a universal social security system in the country, targeted especially at the poor and the under-privileged. iii. The drive will be supported through the Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will be available for purchase for 351 rupees in Bank branches by persons wishing to gift them to facilitate one year payment of premium for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana by the recipient.Raghavendra Gadagkar awarded with Germany's Cross of Order of the Merit

i. Indian sociobiologist Raghavendra Gadagkar was awarded with the Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of Order of the Merit at the German Consulate in Bengaluru.

ii. He was bestowed with the honour for his contribution in the field of behavioural ecology and sociobiology and for strengthening research corporation between India and Germany.iii. His first book, Survival Strategies, has been translated into Chinese and Korean. He was also the founding Chair person of the Centre for Contemporary Studies, established at IISc in 2004.About Cross of Order of the Merit

• Established in 1951 by the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany Theodor Heuss.

• It is highest civilian award of Germany awarded to Germans as well as to foreigners. • It recognizes person for their outstanding achievements in the fields of political, cultural,

economy, intellectual and volunteering.

Goa Tourism Minister Parulekar conferred with PATWA 2015 Awardi. Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar received the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) - Safari India South Asia Travel Award 2015. ii. Parulekar is the first tourism minister of Goa to receive this prestigious award.iii. Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) found in 1998 at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lank, is a professional organization of travel writers.10th August: World Bio-Fuel Dayi. Every year 10th August is observed as World Bio-Fuel Day in a bid to create awareness about non fossil-fuels (Green Fuels). ii. On this day in 1893, Sir Rudalph Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) for the first time successfully ran mechanical engine with Peanut Oil. His research experiment had predicted that vegetable oil is going to replace the fossil fuels in the next century to fuel different mechanical engines. Thus to mark this extraordinary achievement, World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th August.

Xiaomi ties up with Foxconn to set up facility in Andhra Pradesh through " Make in India" Initiativei. China-based Smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc has tied up with Taiwan-based Foxconn to set first Assembly line in Andhra Pradesh under ‘Make in India’ initiative.

ii. These two Smartphone manufacturer giants has forayed together into Indian electronics market to roll out Xiaomi’s first locally made Smartphone, the Redmi2 Prime as it seeks to expand its market share in India. iii. The size of the investment made in setting up the assembly line was not disclosed.

Telecom Minister launches mobile app "Disha" to aid digital literacy in Bihari. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched a new mobile app ‘Disha’ to aid digital literacy in Bihar. The app was launched in Bihar that aims to help people learn about computers and Internet through self learning modules. ii. The app envisages offering digital literacy to tribal and Dalit women in the State which is free and available on Google app store. This initiative was taken by Ministry to spread out digital literacy in women from tribal and Dalit background in Bihar. iii. To promote digital literacy government has initiated training program under “Digital Saksharta Abhiyan” in all states. Poet, freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passes awayi. Eminent Kannada poet and freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passed away at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district of Karnataka. He was 101. ii. He was an author, poet, journalist and Indian independence activist. About Kayyar Kinhanna Rai He was born on 8 June 1915 in Kasaragod in then Madras Presidency of British India. iii. He had started his career as a secondary school teacher and later delved into journalism and contributed his writings to various newspapers.

Daily GK Update 8th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:30 PM PDT1. Accenture India appoints Rekha Menon as chairman, Anindya Basu as MD.i. Global technology and consultancy giant Accenture on Friday said it will elevate Rekha M Menon as chairman of its India operations. ii. It has also roped in Anindya Basu as the country managing director (MD) in India.

iii. Menon is currently MD, human resources, for company's growth markets and has been leading HR strategy for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Russia, Turkey and Latin America.

iv. Basu will be responsible for driving Accenture's domestic business in India and building relationships with key clients by leveraging the company's capabilities in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations, it said. 2. Thomas Cook (India) Ltd acquires zurich Kuoni’s travel business in India and Hong Kongi. Billionaire investor Prem Watsa-backed Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has acquired Kuoni Group’s travel businesses in India and Hong Kong for ₹535 crore.

ii. The deal includes outbound travel brand SOTC and destination management brand SITA. It does not include VFS Global, which is Kuoni’s outsourcing and technology services subsidiary for governments and diplomatic missions.iii. Kuoni entered India in 1996 by acquiring travel brand SOTC and destination management brand SITA. The acquisition includes these two units of Kuoni.iv. The deal does not include Kuoni’s outsourcing and technology services subsidiary VFS Global which provides technology services to governments and diplomatic missions.v. Over 1,800 employees of Kuoni’s business unit in India and Hong Kong tour operations will now work for Thomas Cook. After this deal Kuoni will operate its business activities as an independent entity.3. Boost for 'Make in India': Foxconn to invest $5 billion in Maharashtra.i. Global electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn has announced it will invest $5 billion over the next five years in Maharashtra, which has given the Taiwan-based company 1,500 acres of land for its plant.

ii. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said the facility in Maharashtra will focus on research and development as well as manufacturing, and the company has chosen the state for being a financial centre, availability of quality talent and software-hardware integration facilities.iii. Foxconn will look for tie-ups with local partners for its presence in this state, he said, while adding that this MoU with the Maharashtra government was different from the already announced JV with the Adani group.iv. At an event organised to announce the investment and a Memorandum of Understanding in this regard between the company and the state government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Foxconn will be given 1,500 acres of land.4. Maharashtra government declares Thane creek area as ‘Flamingo Sanctuary’i. Maharashtra government has declared the area along Thane Creek as Flamingo Sanctuary.

ii. In this regard State Revenue and Forest Department has issued notification to declare northern part of the creek as a wildlife sanctuary as per provisions of Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972.iii. It should be noted that this Sanctuary is Maharashtra’s second Marine sanctuary after Malvan (marine) Wildlife Sanctuary which was declared in 1987.5. Pramerica buys Deutsche Bank’s mutual fund business in India.i. Mutual fund house Pramerica has agreed to buy the asset management business of Deutsche Bank in India. While neither party disclosed the size of the deal, industry sources estimate it to be ₹300-400 crore.

ii. As of June 30, 2015, Deutsche AMC had assets of around ₹20,720 crore, while Pramerica managed assets worth ₹2,125 crore. Both fund houses are focussed on liquid and fixed income funds.iii. Pramerica Asset Managers Pvt Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc of the US, and is the asset management company for Pramerica Mutual Fund here.iv. Ravneet Gill, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Bank Group India.

6. ESIC extends health insurance scheme to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur.i. Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has decided to implement its health insurance scheme to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur in a bid to cover all states in the country.

ii. It has decided to extend the benefit of its health insurance scheme to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, a union territory, according to an official release.iii. ESIC already covers union territories of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry under the ambit of its health insurance scheme.iv. ESIC, an arm of Labour Ministry, has a direct subscriber base of 1.95 crore, covering a population of around eight crore people under its cover.The ESIC board, headed by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, has also decided to extend the reach of ESI Scheme to 393 districts in the country by 1st April, 2016.7. Ram Nath Kovind, Acharya Dev Vrat appointed as Governors of Bihar, HP.

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Acharya Dev Vrat and Ram Nath Kovind as the governors of Himachal Pradesh and Bihar respectively.ii. Mr. Kovind will succeed Keshri Nath Tripathi (Governor of West Bengal) who was holding additional charge of Bihar. He had been a two-time Rajya Sabha member between 1994-2000 and 2000-06.iii. He hails from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and is a lawyer by profession. He was a senior BJP leader and had severed as chief of BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha.iv. Acharya Dev Vrat will succeed Kalyan Singh (Governor of Rajasthan) who was holding the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh.

Daily GK Update 7th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:29 PM PDT1. PM Modi declares August 7 as National Handloom Day to mark Swadeshi movement.

i. To commemorate the 1905 Swadeshi movement the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced August 7 as ‘National Handloom Day’ at the function held in Chennai.ii. At the event PM Modi also launched the ‘India Handloom’ brand to help weavers with brand for global markets.

iii. The day 7 August was selected to commemorate the 110 year old Swadeshi Movement, which promoted use of domestic products over British products.

iv. The motto behind observing National Handloom Day is to honour the handloom weavers and to carter an impetus to India’s handloom industry. Whereas launching of ‘India Handloom’ brand aims to promote handloom of India in the global markets as a genuine good quality international product.2. Indian-American Atul Keshap confirmed Ambassador to Sri Lanka.i. Indian-American Atul Keshap has been confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, becoming the second Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma.

ii. Mr. Keshap (44), a former official at the US Embassy in India, was on Wednesday confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the country’s envoy which would be his first Ambassadorial posting.

iii. He is currently working as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of State Department. He joined the Foreign Service in 1994.iv. Mr. Keshap also served as special assistant for the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia for the under secretary of state for political affairs.3. Colonel Harwant Singh (Retd), World War-II hero passes away.i. Retired Colonel Harwant Singh, a World War-II veteran and hero passed away in Patiala, Punjab. He was 95.

ii. He was commissioned in 2nd battalion of the Sikh Regiment of then British Army in September 1941. During the World War (WW)-II he had served in Palestine, North Africa, Iraq, Cyprus and Italy for the British Army.iii. In 1944, he was awarded with the Military Cross (highest award of the British Army) for gallantry during an offensive against the German forces on the Gothic Line in Italy.iv. During the first Independence Day celebration of 1947, he was officer in charge of the flag-hoisting ceremony held at Princess Park on August 15 and Red Fort on August 16.4. Rajasthan signs MoUs for Rs 2,452-cr investments at the investment meet in New Delhi.i. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth 2,452 crore rupees at an investor event organised in New Delhi.

ii. The event was organised in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) by the Bureau of Industry Promotion in Rajasthan.iii. Investment pacts were signed between the state government and several private companies that plan to set up industrial units in Rajasthan.iv. These investments are expected to generate over 7000 direct and more than thousand indirect jobs.5. IS seizes central Syrian town of Qaryatain.i. The radical militants of Sunni Islamist militant group Islamic State (IS) have seized Qaryatain, a key town in central Syria. It was seized following heavy clashes with Syrian forces.ii. It is IS’s biggest advance after it had captured the historic town of Palmyra in May 2015.

iii. The town of Qaryatain lies southwest of Palmyra and it is heavily populated town with a mixed population of around 40,000 Sunni Muslims and Christians, as well as thousands or internally displaced people.iv. Qaryatain lies midway between the cities of Palmyra, Homs and Damascus and is home to towering Roman ruins. Its capture gives the IS group strategic link up to areas under its control around and in Palmyra with areas in the eastern countryside of Qalamoun in Damascus province of Syria.6. Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion.

i. Egypt has launched a major expansion of the Suez Canal. It was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a lavish ceremony held at port city of Ismailiya ( located on west bank of canal).

ii. The project was started in August 2014 for the expansion of the Ballah Bypass from 61 metres to 312 metres. The project was dubbed as the New Suez Canal.iii. Expansion aims to increase the traffic handled by the canal in order to boost Egypt’s economy and global standing by turning the Suez Canal zone into a global logistics and trade center.iv. Completed in one year span with an estimated cost of US 8 billion dollars. It comprises 72km of new channel and bypasses which has deepened the main waterway.7. Snapdeal appoints Amitava Ghosh as VP-engineering.i. Ghosh, who has over 17 years of experience in building web-based products and platforms, will lead the development of intuitive technology solutions at the Delhi-based online marketplace. ii. Prior to this, Ghosh was the chief technology officer at TaxiForSure before Ola Cabs acquired the company. He headed the India engineering team of Tribune Digital Ventures earlier. iii. Snapdeal said in a press release that under Ghosh's leadership the company has launched Newsbeat, a mobile application which provides personalised audio streams of news stories. iv. For almost a decade, Ghosh was associated with Yahoo, where he was responsible for building platforms and user experiences for listings, media verticals, communities and social products. He holds an MTech degree in biochemical engineering and biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Daily GK Update 6th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:27 PM PDT1. India, Mozambique ink MoU to boost ties in New and Renewable Energy sectori. India and Mozambique agreed to deepen cooperation in New and Renewable Energy. In this regard both sides inked Memorandum of understanding (MoU) on expanding cooperation in energy sector.

ii. It was signed after delegation level talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique who is on official 5 day visit to India.

iii. Apart from this, both nations also agreed ways to intensify cooperation in maritime security and ocean economy as both have large coastlines and are linked by Indian Ocean.iv. India and Mozambique share a history of profitable trade relations and there bilateral trade in 2014-15 valued at US 2.4 billion dollars. In last 5 years trade between the two countries has multiplied five times.2. ILO, FICCI ink MoU to boost MSME productivityi. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have inked MoU to impart training to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to make them competitive and boost productivity.

ii. The MoU was signed as part of the second phase of Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Global Programme. The second phase covers three years period from January 2014 to December 2017 wherein national institutes will provide training to MSMEs.iii. SCORE is a training programme which seeks to empower employers and workers and increase productivity and competitiveness of MSMEs. It is being supported by the Norway Agency for Development Cooperation (NADC) and the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SSEA). Presently it is operational in eight countries including India.iv. It seeks to enable the FICCI to effectively coordinate and manage SCORE training services. Each phase under this global programme will approximately have year or more period and will be governed by a technical partnership agreement. The first phase was covered between October 2009 and December 2013.3. Union Cabinet approves proposal to sign agreement with UNESCOi. Union Cabinet gave its nod to a proposal to sign an agreement with UNESCO for establishment of a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia-Pacific region.

ii. This centre will be established as a category-2 centre (C2C) of the UN body at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.iii. By signing this agreement WII Dehradun will be first existing institute to be accorded recognition by UNESC. It will be also the first institute to get natural heritage recognition by UNESCO as currently there are 9 C2C institutes related to cultural heritage.this agreement has been mooted by the Union Environment Ministry. While, Union Government will provide capacity building for establishing this centre in order to support countries in the region for up keeping of heritage and natural sites.4. Union Cabinet gives nod to Direct Release of Wages into bank accounts of MNREGA workersi. Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of direct release of wages in to the accounts of the workers engaged under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Direct release of wages system under the MNREGA aims to streamline the flow of funds and to empower state governments to deliver entitlements as per the objectives of the Act.

ii. The wage component of MGNREGA will be directly released to the worker’s accounts based on a fund transfer order to be generated by states’ implementing agencies of government.iii. The fund transfer order in case of wages of workers from implementing agencies will be based in accordance with procedures prescribed by Union Rural Development Ministry and the wage component will be given to the State Employment Guarantee Fund window for further transferring it to beneficiaries.iv. In the implementation of this scheme, the gram panchayats will be empowered to take up work according to the agreed labour budget and without struggling for release of funds.5. Central Government liberalises single-brand retail norms for non-resident entitiesi. Now non resident single-branded retailers in India can operate their own outlets, can franchise their stores and can even opt for wholesale business as per central government’s new notification.

ii. These single-brand retailers can opt for above said trading options only when they do business through subsidiaries in India or form a joint venture with Indian entity.iii. Central government allowed single-brand retailers because the proceeds from franchise business will come into the current account while proceeds from FDI will be accounted in the capital account which does not violates rules set for non resident entities doing business in India.iv. Central government norm of 30 percent sourcing from Indian MSEs or cottage industries may be relaxed for all non-resident entities who are involved in FDI beyond 51 percent.v. At present there is 100 per cent FDI allowed in single-brand retail trading and require prior approval from government for the proposals beyond 49 per cent FDI6. Murugappa Group to form new Joint venture with Japan-based Organoi. The water treatment engineering company Polutech Limited of Murugappa Group signed an agreement with Organo Corp of Japan to set an industrial water treatment requirement company in a Joint venture.

ii. According to the agreement signed the Murugappa Group will hold 51 per cent in joint venture and the remaining portion will be with the Organo Group. The estimated new venture will deal in industrial water treatment requirements services, which will deal to meet growing demand of industries for waste water management.iii. Murugappa Group’s Polutech is a key player in the water treatment engineering services in India; it manufactures equipment and designs systems for water and waste water treatment plants. Whereas, Japan’s Organo is a key player in general water treatment engineering. It provides water treatment systems, management and maintenance of delivered systems and also deals in sales of standard products and chemicals.7. Airtel commercially Launches India’s first 4G services across 290 citiesi. On 6 August 2015 India’s telecom giant Airtel has commercially launched the high-speed 4G services across 296 towns across India .ii. In April 2012 Bharti Airtel had first launched its 4G service in Kolkata and from then conducted trials in 51 cities.iii. For the 4G devices Airtel has join hands with mobile handset maker Samsung to develop and provide 4G-enabled handsets in affordable price.iv. It should be noted that it is Airtel who has built first commercial 4G network in India that has brought high speed mobile broadband into reality.

Daily GK Update 5th August 2015 Important Current AffairsPosted: 13 Aug 2015 11:26 PM PDT1. Asia’s biggest telescope MAST inaugurated at Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthani. Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST), Asia’s biggest telescope was inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan. It was inaugurated by Professor U.R Rao, Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory, inaugurated.ii. The telescope was installed under the project undertaken by Union Ministry of Science and Technology and was funded by Department of Space (DoS). The project will be monitored by Ahmedabad based Physical Research Laboratory.

iii. MAST has a lens of 50 cm in diameter. These lenses were developed on the basis of optical and mechanical system of Belgium. The rear part of MAS has been developed by the observatory while its front part was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).iv. It will provide 3 Dimensional (3D) images of solar activities such as solar blast and solar flares. It will also in vital studies about other planetary movements even in the day time.v. MAST has been designed in 2004 and its optical elements were added to it in 2008. In 2013, it was installed at the Udaipur Solar Observatory.2. Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna wins 2015 Ramanujan Prize

i. Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna has won the Ramanujan Prize for year 2015. He has been

bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions in the area of algebraic cycles, algebraic K-theory and the theory of motives.ii. Presently, Dr. Krishna is mathematician professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. He hails from Bihar and had completed his early college and schooling education there.iii. Ramanujan Prize was established in 2005. It is named after the noted Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. It recognizes a researcher from a developing country who has conducted outstanding research in a developing country and is less than 45 years of age.iv. Dr. Krishna is the second Indian to win this award. First was Sujatha Ramadorai who had won it in 2006.3. IDFC Bank to start operations from Octoberi. IDFC Bank is set to start lending operations from October 1.The stage is set for this with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granting IDFC Bank licence for undertaking banking business, said IDFC in a notification to bourses.

ii. According to the terms and conditions of the bank licence, the transfer of business of IDFC Ltd. to the proposed bank should coincide with commencement of banking business.iii. The auditor certificate certifying transfer of business as on date of commencement of operations of the bank should be submitted to the RBI, the financial institution informed the bourses on Tuesday.iv. The board of directors of IDFC and IDFC Bank, at their meetings held on July 30 and July 27, respectively, have determined that the demerger scheme could be effective only upon receipt of requisite operational licences from the RBI and IDFC Bank Ltd. will commence the banking business from October 1.4. NDDB wins award for geographical info system

i. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on Tuesday said it has won the Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award 2015 for exemplary work in Dairy Geographical Information System.ii. The award ceremony was held recently at the annual Esri International User Conference in San Diego and presided over by Jack Dangermond, President and Founder of Esri.iii. With the advancement of Internet-based GIS technology, it is now possible to integrate and quickly disseminate the tremendous amount of attribute and graphical data of villages into usable information for decision-making by all stakeholders of the dairy sector.iv. NDDB’s Internet-based Dairy Geographical Information System (i-DGIS) application is the first of its kind in India, where village-level integration of data has been done, at such a large scale, for the dairy sector.

5. Ministry of Rural Development launches ‘SAMANVAY’ portal for Gram Panchayatsi. Union Ministry of Rural Development has launched ‘SAMANVAY’ web portal to monitor progress and implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for development of Gram Panchayats. It was launched by Union Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh.

ii. SAMANVAY web portal consist a compilation of all Government schemes of both Centra and State governments for Gram Panchayats.iii. The purpose of this portal is to help Member of Parliament’s (MPs) to utilise relevant schemes in the planning and implementation of SAGY. It will act as a database for compiled and mapped information on various gram panchayat related activities through various schemes undertaken by the Centre and State Governments. In SAMANVAY, around 1800 state schemes from across all states have been documented.iv. Apart from this, minister also launched a magazine Panchayat Darpan to monitor the progress of the SAGY. The magazine will act as a mirror of all the development activities by identifying 35 indicators undertaken in the village panchayats under SAGY.6. Delhi Government decided to have tram network in Old Delhii. Delhi government on 4 August 2015 decided to run trams in several walled city areas including Lal Quila, Jama Masjid and Old Delhi Railway Station. The decision was taken to augment transport infrastructure of the city.

ii. The tram network in Old Delhi will comprise Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Old Delhi Railway Station and Fatehpuri Masjid. It will also link New Delhi Railway Station and several other localities.iii. The government also decided to make Shahjahanad Redevelopment Corporation, set up to carry out infrastructure projects in Old Delhi, on the lines of New Delhi Municipal Council.iv. As of 2014, the Kolkata tram in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the only public tram system in the country.7. Alibaba to invest INR 4000 crore in Paytmi. To tame the world’s e-commerce giant Amazon, Alibaba is to invested 4000 crore rupees in m-commerce giant Paytm. Alibaba has picked up 25 per cent stake in Paytm’s parent company One97 through its subsidiary Ant Financial.ii. Earlier it has done investments in Snapdeal, FreeCharge and now Paytm which is the largest mobile payments space in India. Paytm has around 80 million digital wallets and Alibaba is interested in this major mobile commerce player in this mobile-first market to topple the largest global rival Amazon.

iii. Through the partnership with Alibaba Indian e-commerce players now also has access to Chinese market.iv. It should be noted that the Indian merchants are second biggest sellers on Alibaba portal after the Chinese.

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