Daily GK Update – Current Affairs – 30th January 2016

1. Uttar Pradesh joins UDAY scheme

i. Uttar Pradesh became the fourth state to join the Centre’s scheme to revive state electricity distribution utilities on Saturday. The state government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd, the holding company of the various electricity distribution utilities in the state.

ii. Under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), the state government will take over Rs. 39,900-crore of debt of the electricity distribution utilities. The balance Rs. 13,300-crore of debt will be issued as state guaranteed DISCOM bonds at coupon rates that are 3 per cent lower than the current interest cost. This would help save the distribution utilities Rs. 1,600 crore annually.

iii. Efficiency measures including reduction of AT&C losses will help bring additional revenue of Rs. 17,700 crore to the distribution utilities.

iv. The four states – Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – which have signed MoUs for joining UDAY, account for about 35 per cent of the outstanding loans of state electricity distribution utilities in the country.

v. Uttar Pradesh expects to start issuing the bonds by the second week of February. “There is very good investor appetite for the bonds. We have had discussions with insurance companies, provident fund organisations and liquidity does not appear to be a problem,” Goyal added.

2. Cabinet of Somalia agreed on Election Model outlined by Mogadishu Declaration 2015

i. Cabinet of Somalia on 28 January 2016 agreed on Election Model outlined by the Mogadishu Declaration. The declaration, which was adopted in December 2015,  calls for the electoral process in Somalia to establish a new, bicameral Federal Parliament in 2016, based on inclusivity and representation.

ii. The election model paves the way for formation of new government as the term of non-elected Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is set to expire in 2016 after serving for about four years.

iii. The new electoral model envisioned a 275-member lower house which maintains a power-sharing formula among clans and a 54-member upper house based on equal representation of existing, emerging and prospective federal states plus additional seats for Puntland and Somaliland.

iv. It also requires that a minimum of 30 percent of seats be reserved for women.

v. Mogadishu Declaration established 7 key principles and actions basing on which the precise details of a final electoral model and the plan for implementing that model to be evolved for formation of new government in Somalia in 2016.

vi. As per the declaration, representation in the country’s next federal parliament will be based on a balance between constituencies and clan affiliation. It stipulates that the representation of women in the legislative branch shall be increased by guaranteeing them a minimum number of reserved seats in both the upper and lower houses of the federal parliament.

3. Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh launched MITRA app for women safety

i. Lt Governor of Puducherry AK Singh on 28 January 2016 launched the MITRA mobile application to ensure safety and security of women in the Union Territory. The app was launched in the presence of the Chief Minister N Rangasamy in Puducherry.

ii. The Android based application can send emergency SOS messages when in danger or emergency.

iii. To launch the application, the person in danger need only press the power button of his/her mobile three times.

iv. At present, it is available only in smart phones.

v. It is an initiative of the Puducherry Police and can be used with ease and without anyone noticing it. Though the app can be used by anyone, it will be more useful to women, children and the aged.

4. Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank sets up cell to monitor govt schemes

i. The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has set up a separate cell for monitoring progress under all the government-sponsored schemes, according to Ashok Reddy, Chairman of the bank.

ii. According to a press release from the bank here on Saturday, Reddy received the ‘runner-up’ award of the ‘ASSOCHAM Social Banking Excellence Award 2015’ under the ‘regional rural banks’ category in Mumbai on Friday. The Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, gave away the award to Reddy.

iii. The cell at the head office in Dharwad monitors the progress of government-sponsored schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), the Credit Guarantee Fund and the MUDRA Yojana.

iv. The bank has opened 10.30 lakh accounts covering all households with a bank account in its area of operation under PMJDY. He said 9.80 lakh RuPay cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders, and around 4,000 PMJDY account holders have been provided overdraft facility.

v. The bank has canvassed 2.80 lakh policies under PMJJBY, 8.90 lakh policies under PMSBY and 1,500 under APY schemes. It has financed 15,813 accounts under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana amounting to Rs. 125 crore during the campaign period, he said.

5. Goa launches project tracking portal

i. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today launched Goa e-Suvidha Portal, an online project tracking mechanism to fast track projects.

ii. It aims at resolving a variety of issues in setting up infrastructure and other large projects , both in the public and private sectors, with targeted investment between ₹50 crore and ₹1,000 crore.

iii. The system is designed to enhance efficiency, bring transparency, boost investor confidence, and improve the communication between the industry and the government.

6. Prince Mahidol Award 2015 conferred in Bangkok

i. Prince Mahidol Award 2015 was conferred upon Professor Morton Mower and Sir Michael Marmot for outstanding achievements in medicine and public health worldwide.

ii. The award was presented on 29 January 2016 at the Grand Palace in Bangkok by the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on behalf of the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, who couldn’t attend the ceremony due to ill health.

iii. Mower, a citizen of the USA, received the award in the category of medicine for invention of the Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator. The device helps in monitoring heart rate and rhythm and delivers electrical current when abnormality is detected.

iv. Marmot, a citizen of the UK, won the award in public health category for his evidence-based evaluation of the role of Social Determinants of Health, a concept that was adopted by the government of the UK and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to eliminate health inequalities.

v. Mahidol Award was established in 1992 to commemorate the 100th birthday anniversary of Prince Mahidol of Songkla, who is recognized by the Thais as the father of modern medicine and public health of Thailand. The award is presented by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation that was established under the Royal Patronage of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

vi. It is bestowed upon individuals or institutions that have made outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of medical, and public health and human services in the world. It is conferred upon by the King of Thailand with prizes worth a total of 100000 US dollars.

7. KK Jalan is now MSME Secretary

i. In a bureaucratic reshuffle, the government has transferred Central Provident Fund Commissioner KK Jalan as Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment,” said an official release on Friday. A 1982 batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, Jalan will take over from current incumbent Anup K Pujari on his retirement.

ii. Also, Shobhana K Pattanayak, a 1982 Karnataka cadre officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, following the retirement of Siraj Hussain, a 1979 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer.

iii. Avinash K Srivastava, (UP-1982), at present Special Secretary, Department of Agriculture, will now be Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, following the retirement of Ranglal Jamuda (Odisha-1981).

iv. Vinod Agrawal, (Jharkhand-1980), at present Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, will take over as Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, following the retirement of Lov Verma, (Uttar Pradesh-1978).

v. Shyam S Agarwal, (Rajasthan-1980), Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, will be the new Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

8. JS Deepak replaces Garg as Telecom Secretary

i. Amid the high-decibel debate around Net neutrality, call drops and the upcoming mega spectrum auction, Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg on Friday was moved to the low-profile Minority Affairs Ministry, as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle.

ii. JS Deepak, a UP cadre officer from the 1982 batch, who is currently Secretary, Department of IT (DeitY), will replace Garg. This will be Deepak’s second innings in the Department of Communications (DoT).

iii. As Joint Secretary, DoT, he was among those who had played a lead role in ensuring the smooth auction of 3G and broadband wireless access spectrum in 2010, which fetched the government revenue of ₹1.06 lakh crore.

iv. Following this, Deepak was asked to handle the 2G spectrum auction in 2012 after the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of 121 licences for 2G during the tenure of A Raja as Telecom Minister. Deepak, an MSc in electronics from Bangalore University and MBA from IIM-Ahmadabad, was then Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce.

9. Leslie Berland appointed as Chief Marketing Officer of Twitter Inc

i. Leslie Berland was on 26 January 2016 appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Twitter Inc, an online social networking site. Before Berland’s appointment, the marketing operations was overseen by the Twitter’s CFO Anthony Noto.

ii. Prior to this appointment, she was working at American Express (AmEx) as an executive vice-president of global advertising, marketing and digital partnerships.

iii. Berland joined the American Express (AmEx) in 2005 and had overseen its advertising, sponsorships, media, content and brand identity. 

iv. She also helped to create AmEx’s first social media strategies. Leslie Berland was placed at 6th position in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue and also was included in Advertising Age’s Creativity 50 list.

10. Former Army Chief Gen K V Krishna Rao passes away

i. Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao, who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, died here today at the military hospital following a cardiac arrest. He was 92.

Rao also served as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir at a time when militancy was at its peak in the state.

ii. Rao was the 14th Chief of the Army Staff of Indian Army and had an illustrious career spanning over four decades in the force. He was commissioned into the Army on August 9, 1942. As a young officer, he had served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during the Second World War.

iii. During extensive Punjab disturbances in the run up to the partition in 1947, he served both in East and West Punjab. He also participated in the 1947-48 war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. He was a founder Instructor of the National Defence Academy during 1949-51.

iv. Rao had commanded a brigade in the forward area of Ladakh during 1965-66, an infantry division in Jammu Region during 1969-70 and a Mountain Division engaged in counter insurgency operations in Nagaland and Manipur during 1970-72.

v. Rao was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time from July 11, 1989 to January 19, 1990 and the second time from March 13, 1993 till May 2, 1998.

11. Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to win Australian Open

i. Angelique Kerber became the first German to win a Grand Slam title since her childhood idol Steffi Graf in 1999 when she upset world number one Serena Williams 6-4 3-6 6-4 to clinch the Australian Open on Saturday.

ii. The 34-year-old American had been seeking her seventh Melbourne Park title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Graf for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.

iii. The seventh-seeded Kerber, however, was not overawed by the occasion of her first Grand Slam final, breaking twice in the first set to take it in 39 minutes as Williams made 23 unforced errors.

iv. Both players suffered early breaks in the third set but the championship appeared to have tipped in the German’s favour in a marathon sixth game when she finally converted her fifth break point to take a 4-2 lead.

v. She extended that to 5-2 and was serving for the title at 5-3 before Williams fought back, though the inspired German was able to clinch her first Grand Slam and then collapse onto the court in jubilation.