Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 9-10th April, 2017

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World Homeopathy Day: International Convention Organised in New Delhi

i. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the National Convention on World Homeopathy Day on 10 April 2017 at New Delhi.
ii. The event was organized to commemorate the 262nd birth anniversary of the founder of Homeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist.
iii. The theme of the convention is "Enhancing Quality Research in Homeopathy through scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences".
26 projects worth Rs2100 cr approved for Namami Gange project

i. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved 26 projects worth Rs 2,154.28 crore under the Centre’s ‘Namami Gange’ programme, aiming to reduce the river’s pollution load.
ii. As part of the projects, the NMCG will set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) and develop sewage network in four Ganga basin states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Delhi.
iii. It will create sewage treatment capacity of 188 million litres daily (MLD), setting up 13 new STPs in the states. The NMCG will rehabilitate three existing STPs of 596 MLD-capacity in Delhi, Haridwar (Uttarakhand) and Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh).

India, Russia team up to promote innovation and R&D

i. India has signed a joint declaration with Russia to promote innovation and the R&D ecosystem between the two countries.
ii. 'The declaration was signed between the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on the sidelines of the Global R&D Summit 2017.
iii. With this collaboration, there will be an effort to promote innovation and technology entrepreneurship through the development of long-term cooperation, co-innovation and direct contacts between Russian and Indian innovation clusters.

India, Australia sign 6 pacts

i. India and Australia inked six pacts including one aimed at boosting counter terrorism cooperation after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull.
ii. The two leaders held comprehensive discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. The two sides inked a pact to boost counter-terrorism cooperation which was signed between the Ministry of Home Affairs and its counterpart Australian ministry.

Deendayal Rasoi Yojna launched in Madhya Pradesh

i. Madhya Pradesh government kick-started its ambitious ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojana’ under which subsidised meals will be available at Rs 5 per plate to people, especially the economically disadvantaged sections of society.
ii. The initiative is on the lines of state run Amma Canteens, started by the former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which served subsidised food at low prices. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the scheme at Gwalior. In the first phase, the scheme would be inaugurated in 49 districts.

Rajnath Singh launches Akshay Kumar’s portal ‘Bharat Ke Veer’

i. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched the website and app named 'Bharat Ke Veer', to facilitate the monetary contribution to the kin of soldier personnel killed in action.
ii. The Home Minister launched the website on the occasion of the 'Shaurya Diwas', which was organized to facilitate the CRPF with bravery awards and medals.
iii. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of ‘Next of Kin’ of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. Actor Akshay Kumar was the Guest of Honour during the function.

North India to get DNA bank for wildlife

i. North India is all set to get its first Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) bank for wildlife in Bareilly.
ii. It will help in research and also in bringing down poaching. At present, the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) in Hyderabad is the only such facility in the country.

Venkaiah Naidu launches 352 housing projects in 53 cities

i. Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu launched 352 projects in 53 cities in 17 States across the country with an investment of Rs 38,003-cr to build 2,03,851 affordable houses.
ii. These housing projects would be implemented by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) across the country in the first major private investment in affordable housing.

RBI allows banks to invest in REITs & InvITs

i. The Reserve Bank of India has allowed banks to invest in Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), a move that will help revive the cash-starved infrastructure sector.
ii. Banks are allowed to invest in equity-linked mutual funds, venture capital funds (VCFs) and equities to the extent of 20% of their Net Owned Fund (NOF).

Smita Sandhane appointed MD of Saraswat Bank

i. Saraswat Bank, the largest lender in the co-operative space, has appointed Smita Sandhane as its Managing Director (MD) with effect from 01st April 2017.
ii. She is the first woman chief of India's largest urban co-operative bank. Prior to her elevation, Sandhane was the Joint Managing Director of the bank. She has been with the bank since 1982. Sandhane has taken over from S.K. Banerji, who retired from the services of the bank on March 31, 2017.

Central Bank of India customer wins Rs 1 cr under Modi's cashless scheme

i. A transaction of Rs 1,590 has bagged a Central Bank of India customer a lucky bounty of Rs 1 crore under the Modi government's promotional scheme to popularise digital payments.
ii. In the consumer section, the first mega prize of Rs 1 crore went to a customer of Central Bank of India, while the second prize of Rs 50 lakh went to a Bank of Baroda customer. A customer of Punjab National Bank is the winner of third prize of Rs 25 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Lucky Grahak Yojana.

British-Indian educationist named ‘Asian Businesswoman of the Year'

i. Indian-origin Asha Khemka was named 'Asian Businesswoman of the Year' at an event in Birmingham, England.
ii. Khemka was also honoured with one of the UK’s top civilian awards Dame, the female equivalent of knighthood in 2014 and has since won several accolades for her work in education in Nottingham.

Samsung India’s R&D unit tops chart of IT patent applicants

i. Samsung R&D Institute India filed the maximum number of patent applications in the IT sector in 2015-16, followed by home-grown TCS and Wipro according to Indian Patent Office survey.
ii. In the scientific and research and development organizations category, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has topped the chart. Indian Patent Office comes under the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

Flipkart Buys eBay India

i. India's largest e-commerce player Flipkart buys eBay's India business, and closing a $1.4 billion fund-raising round from Tencent, eBay and Microsoft.
ii. In exchange for an equity stake in Flipkart, eBay has agreed to make a $500 million cash investment in and sell its eBay.in business to Flipkart.

12th Indo-Mongolian Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant held in Vairengte

i. The 12th edition Indo-Mongolian Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2017 has begun at Vairengte in Mizoram.
ii. Vairengte houses Indian Army’s elite Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School. The first joint Nomadic Elephant was held in 2004 and since then it is annually held. It seeks to promote military associations between India and Mongolia.

ISRO And Agriculture Ministry Team Up To Geo-Tag Agricultural Assets

i. The Agriculture Ministry joined hands with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), a wing of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to geo-tag agricultural assets for their real-time monitoring and effective utilization.
ii.The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) of the Agriculture Ministry and NRSC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard.

Hamilton beats Vettel to win his fifth Chinese Grand Prix

i. Mercedes' British Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton defeated Ferrari's four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel to lift his fifth title at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows-

Smita Sandhane has appointed as MD of Saraswat Bank.
Smita Sandhane is the first woman chief of Saraswat Bank.
Sandhane has taken over from S.K. Banerji.
The Saraswat Bank is the largest Co-operative Bank in the country.
Saraswat Bank inception in 1918.
Saraswat Bank is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra
NMCG has approved 26 projects worth Rs 2,154.28 crore under the Centre’s ‘Namami Gange’ programme.
This amount will be spent in the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Delhi.
National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Uma Bharti is the cabinet minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.
Lewis Hamilton has won his fifth title at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton is British formula One racer.
Hamilton beat Vettel by 0.186 seconds for his second pole in two races.
India and Russia signed a joint collaboration to promote innovation
PM of Russia is Dmitry Medvedev and President is Vladimir Putin
Currency of Russia is Russian ruble and Capital is Moscow
India and Russia are the member countries of BRICS.
Samsung R&D Institute of India has topped the chart of IT patent applicants
TCS and Wipro are at the second and third position
Samsung Headquarter is in Seoul, South Korea.
Full form of AYUSH is The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
World Homeopathy Day is observed on 10 April 2017
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH is Shripad Yesso Naik
The theme of the convention is "Enhancing Quality Research in Homeopathy through scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences".
Rajnath Singh launched Akshay Kumar’s portal ‘Bharat Ke Veer’
Akshay Kumar was recently awarded as the Best Actor for Rustam in 64th National Awards
'Bharat Ke Veer' portal is a facility for the monetary contribution to the kin of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel killed in action.
Venkaiah Naidu launches 352 housing projects in 53 cities
Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is M Venkaiah Naidu
For the first time, a major private investment in affordable housing is done by CREDAI
Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India is the full form of CREDAI.
Asha Khemka was named 'Asian Businesswoman of the Year'
'Asian Businesswoman of the Year' event was held in Birmingham, England
Asha Khemka was honoured for her efforts in the field of education and skills at the Asian Business Awards ceremony.
RBI has allowed banks to invest in REITs & InvITs
Real Estate Investment Trust is the full form of REITs
Infrastructure Investment Trusts is the full form InvITs
BP Kanungo has been recently appointed as the new Deputy Governor of RBI.
First DNA Bank for Wild Animals in North India to Be Set Up in Bareilly
DNA full form is Deoxyribonucleic acid
MP govt started Rs 5 thali under ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojana’
CM of Madhya Pradesh is Shivraj Singh Chouhan and governor of MP is Om Prakash Kohli as additional charge
In the first phase, the scheme would be inaugurated in 49 districts.
Flipkart buys eBay India
CEO of Flipkart is Kalyan Krishnamurthy
Flipkart headoffice is in Bengaluru