Daily GK Update

Daily GK Update - 16th March 2017

Appointments

1. Captain Amarinder Singh sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab.

• Congress secured 77 out of the 117 assembly seats thus leading to a comfortable victory.
• Apart from Amarinder Singh, cabinet ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal, Brahm Mohindra, Charanjit Channi, Rana Gurjit and Tripat Bajwa also took oath. Aruna Choudhary and Razia Sultana were sworn in as ministers of state with independent charge.
• The ceremony took place at Raj Bhawan, Chandigarh, administered by Governor V. P. Singh Badnore.

2. Nongthombam Biren Singh takes oath as Chief Minister of Manipur.

• This is the first time when BJP has formed government in Manipur.
• National People's Party’s Y. Joykumar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
• The ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan in Imphal, in presence of Manipur Governor, Najma Heptulla.
• Although BJP managed 21 out of 60 assembly seats, second to Congress with 28 seats, it managed the support of four seats each from Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party and Naga Peoples Front, thus forming government.

3. Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar takes charge as the Acting Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

• Sudhakar took charge after the previous chief justice, NN Paul Vasanthakumar attained superannuation.
• President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Sudhakar as the acting chief justice as per the provisions conferred by Section 100 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.
• J&K Government is likely to appoint Delhi High Court judge Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed as the next chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

National Affairs

4. Shashank Manohar steps down as ICC Chairman.

• Manohar had been serving dual role of ICC Chairman as well as BCCI President (since October 2015).
• He was elected unopposed as the first independent Chairman of ICC for a two year term in May 2016.
• He submitted his resignation to David Richardson, ICC Chief Executive, just 8 months into his term.
• ICC will now elect an interim chairman before holding elections for a permanent candidate.

5. Monetization of Coal Bed Methane Gas Marketing and Pricing Freedom for CBM Gas Policy approved by Cabinet.

• The approval was given by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
• Under the policy,  Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Contractors will be capable of marketing and pricing freedom to sell the CBM at Arm's Length Price in the domestic market.
• The policy is expected to incentivize the CBM operation in the country in order to boost gas production as well as generate economic activities.

6. Union Cabinet gives approval for revised pact with Bangladesh to set up Border Haats.

• The Revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Mode of Operation (MoO) to establish Border haats on the India Bangladesh Border was approved by the Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi.
• The move aims to promote the wellbeing of the people dwelling in remote areas across the borders of two countries, by promoting traditional system of marketing the local produce through local markets.

7. Madukar Gupta Committee submits its report to the Union Government.

• The committee was constituted to strengthen border protection and address vulnerabilities in fencing along the Indo-Pakistan border.
• The committee submitted its recommendations broadly on the issues of Threats and Border Protection, assessment of force level, deployment on the border, infrastructure and technology issues for protection of border and administrative issues.
• The committee was appointed on 5th April 2016.

8. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puraskar (2016) awarded in New Delhi.

• The awards were presented during the inaugural function of Krishi Unnati Mela – 2017.
• The award was presented by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, to Ramakrishna Ashram.
• The total sum of this award is Rs. 50 lakhs in which there is a provision of one award of Rs. 25.00 lakh at national level and 11 awards of Rs. 2.25 lakh at regional level every year will be awarded.

9. FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) signs MoU with Canon.

• The MoU has been signed to promote short courses in Film & Television.
• Under this, Canon will support skill-oriented courses as Technology Partner.

10. Rs. 6000 crores Tractor Loan Settlement Scheme announced by SBI.

• State Bank of India has now announced a one-time settlement for tractor and farm equipment loans that constitute about Rs6,000 crore of doubtful and loss cases on its books.
• This scheme is however applicable for loans up to Rs25 lakh.
• The scheme was announced by SBI Managing Director, Rajnish Kumar.

International Affairs

11. Mercer’s Quality of Living Index ranks Hyderabad as the best Indian City in terms of Living Standard.

• Hyderabad was ranked at 145th position globally in terms of living standards out of the 450 cities.
• Pune followed Hyderabad at 146th place.
• Vienna, Austrian Capital has grabbed the top spot, followed by Zurich, Switzerland.
• Singapore is the top Asian city on the list with 25th rank.

"Thought of the Day"

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”

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