Dear Aspirants,
The General Awareness Section plays an important role in scoring well above cut off marks in any competitive exam. The Banking Awareness and Static Awareness questions asked in the General Awareness Section are based on Current Affairs mainly. So you need to prepare well this section to score good marks. Here is the Daily GK Update to get you acquainted with the top events that made the headlines today!
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National News
1. 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue begins
i. The 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue begins in New Delhi.
ii. It was held under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and Deputy Minister of the Economic Development of Russia, Timur Maksimov. The first Dialogue was held in St. Petersburg in November 2018.
2. Phase-II DBT in fertilizer subsidy launched
i. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers launched the Phase-II of the Direct Benefit Transfer of Fertilizer Subsidy.
ii. DBT in fertilizer subsidy is a step in the direction of bringing ease of living in the lives of farmers through use of modern technology and plugging leakages, pilferages and black marketing.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:
- Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers: D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
3. Connaught Place 9th most expensive office location in the world
i. According to property consultant CBRE, New Delhi’s Connaught Place (CP) is the 9th most expensive office location in the world. Hong Kong’s Central district retained the top spot as the world’s most expensive market for prime office rents.
ii. Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex and Nariman Point CBD slipped to 27th and 40th position. Global Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey, CBRE tracks the cost of leasing prime office space globally.
International News
4. Russia launched Soyuz Carrier Rocket with 33 satellites
i. Russia successfully launched Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a hydrometeorological satellite and 32 small satellites.
ii. The satellite will provide images of clouds, the surface of the Earth, ice and snow covers in the visible, infrared and microwave ranges.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:
- President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital of Russia: Moscow.
- Currency of Russia: Ruble.
5. France to impose green tax on plane tickets from 2020
i. France will impose green tax up to €18 on plane tickets from 2020. The move aims to fund less-polluting transportation projects.
ii. A similar tax was introduced in Sweden in April 2018, which imposed an added charge of up to €40 on every ticket in a bid to lessen the impact of air travel on the climate.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:
- President of France: Emmanuel Macron; Capital: Paris; Currency: Euro, CFP Franc
6. Sri Lanka eliminates measles
i. Sri Lanka has become fifth country in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Southeast Asia region to eliminate measles.
ii. The other countries in the region which have achieved this feat are Bhutan, Maldives, DPR Korea and Timor-Leste.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:
- Capitals of Sri Lanka: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
- Currency of Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan rupee.
- Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe; President: Maithripala Sirisena.
Agreements
7. VNL signs pact with Vietnam to develop digital villages
i. Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) has inked a pact with Vietnam to develop digital villages.
ii. Vihaan Networks Ltd will offer solutions for advancing rural connectivity by developing digital villages in Vietnam’s underserved areas through solar-based cellular and broadband solution.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:
- Vietnam Capital: Hanoi; Currency: Vietnamese dong.
State News
8. Lal Bahadur Shastri Statue unveiled by PM
i. The Prime Minister unveiled the statue of former Prime Minister Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.
ii. It is built by Northern Coalfields, a subsidiary of Coal India.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:
- CM of UP: Yogi Adityanath; Governor of UP: Ram Naik.
Banking and Business News
9. Deposits in Jan Dhan Yojana accounts crosses Rs 1 lakh crore
i. Deposits in bank accounts opened under Jan Dhan scheme have crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark.
ii. As per the latest finance ministry data, the total balance in over 36.06 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana accounts was at Rs 1,00,495.94 crore as on July 3.
iii. The PMJDY was launched on August 28, 2014, with an aim to provide universal access to banking facilities to the people in the country.
10. SBI slashes lending rates by 5 bps
i. State Bank of India has reduced its benchmark lending rate by 5 bps across all loan tenures.
ii. The lender’s one-year marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) will be 8.4% compared with 8.45%.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:
- Chairperson of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 July 1955.
11. Walmart Labs acqui-hires startups FloCare and BigTrade
i. Walmart Labs has acqui-hired health tech startup FloCare and B2B wholesale trading platform BigTrade. The aim of acqui-hiring is to strengthen its customer service.
ii. As per the process, some founders and team members of the two companies will join Walmart Labs in the customer and supply chain technology teams.
iii. Acqui-hires are typically made for the skills of the team, rather than for the product.
12. Milkbasket acquires Bengaluru’s e-grocery store PSR Supply Chain
i. Online grocery delivery platform Milkbasket has acquired Bengaluru-based e-grocery distributor PSR Supply Chain.
ii. Founded in early 2015, Milkbasket has built a new-age technology platform to enable a smooth grocery buying experience online.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:
- CEO of Milkbasket: Anant Goel.
Appointments
13. Arun Kumar appointed as DGCA chief
i. Arun Kumar has been appointed as the Director General of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation. He will replace BS Bhullar.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Main 2019:
- HQ of DGCA: New Delhi; Established in: Jan 1978.
Sports
14. Dutee Chand wins gold in Summer University Games
i. Dutee Chand from Odisha has won the gold medal in the women’s 100 metre sprint at the 30th Summer University Games in Naples, Italy.
ii. This is the first time an Indian has won a 100-metre gold at this global event.
Awards
15. ‘Best Innovation Award’ won by NEFR
i. Northeast Frontier Railway has won the‘Best Innovation Award’ for unique strategy adopted to keep wild elephants away from train tracks.
ii. The cash prize awarded of Rs 3 lakh. The NEFR, in a bid to tackle the problem, came up with ‘Plan Bee’ in 2017.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Main 2019:
- Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal.
16. India Football Federation’s AIFF Awards announced
i. The full list of AIFF awards:
- Best Grassroots Development Programme: Jammu & Kashmir Football Association.
- Best Referee: R. Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu).
- Best Assistant Referee: Joseph Tony (Karnataka).
- Emerging Women’s Footballer 2018-19: Dangmei Grace (Manipur).
- Emerging Men’s Footballer of the Year: Abdul Sahal (Kerala).
- Women’s Footballer of the Year: Ashalata Devi.
- Men’s Footballer of the Year: Sunil Chhetri.
Miscellaneous
17. “News bulletin” launched in National Museum of Indian Cinema
i. A News bulletin of the National Museum of Indian Cinema, brought out by the Films Division,was launched.
ii. This bulletin will give them a physical document to cherish and to get relevant information.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:
- National Museum of Indian Cinema: Mumbai (Maharastra)
Obituaries
18. Former India goalkeeper Celestine passes away
i. Former India football goalkeeper from Tamil Nadu A. U. Celestine passed away.
ii. He played for the Tamil Nadu men’s team in the senior Nationals as a keeper in the 1965 and 69 National championships.
iii. He represented India in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 1969.
Daily GK Update 14 January 2020: Read Da...
