Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 14th October 2017

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1. Union Minister Launched Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana

i. Communications Minister Manoj Sinha launched the Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana and an initiative for expansion of clientele base of Postal Life Insurance (PLI).
ii. Under Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana, at least one village (with min. 100 households) will be identified in each of the revenue districts of the country. Coverage of all households is the primary objective of this scheme.
iii. Under the scheme for expansion of PLI, benefits of Postal Life Insurance (PLI) will no more be confined to government and semi-government employees, but will also be available to professionals such as doctors, engineers, management consultants, charted accountants, architects, lawyers, bankers etc.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

The PLI, introduced in 1884, is one of the oldest life insurance schemes for benefit of government and semi-government employees.

2. Smriti Irani Opens World Largest B2B Handicraft & Gifts Fair

i. The 44th edition of world largest B2B handicraft and gifts fair entitled IHGF-Delhi Fair (Autumn) 2017 was inaugurated by Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles in a ceremony at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.

ii. It is the 4 Day long fair at state-of-the-art India Expo Centre, Greater Noida. This initiative will give opportunities to overseas buyers to bring technical know-how investment and marketing network to form joint ventures for promoting Indian Handicrafts in the world market.

3. France’s Audrey Azoulay to be Next UNESCO Chief

i. UNESCO’s executive board chose former French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay to be the UN cultural agency’s next leader.

ii. Azoulay succeeds outgoing Director-General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria. She was in the post since the last eight-years.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Irina Bokova is the Present Director-General of UNESCO.

4. World’s Largest Combustion Research Centre Inaugurated at IIT Madras

i. The world’s largest combustion research center was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) in Tamil Nadu. The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was inaugurated by NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat.

ii. The establishment of the center will give a major boost to the Indian scientific community and will provide an impetus to research in ‘Alternative Energy and Environmental Protection’.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

IIT-M was established in 1959.
Pawan Kumar Goenka is the Chairman of IIT-M.

5. Odisha Government Department Signs MOU with SBI

i. The Odisha government's Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection and the State Bank of India have signed an MOU for integration of SBI e-Pay with the cyber treasury.
ii. The MoU is a landmark initiative by the state government to facilitate revenue collection from citizens through digital banking platform. The SBI e-Pay is the payment aggregator service wing of the bank.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

SBI headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
It was established on 1 July 1955.
Rajnish Kumar is the present Chairman of SBI.

6. HPCL, First Indian OMC to Launch Lubricants in Myanmar

i. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has become the first Oil Marketing Company (OMC) from India to mark its presence in the lubricant market in Myanmar and to lend more visibility and awareness to the brand.

ii. Having achieved the number one position in the domestic market, HP Lubricants sought to prove itself in foreign shore by venturing into Myanmar.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Mr. M K Surana is the present Chairman & Managing Director of HPCL.

7. Rukaiya Rangwala Appointed MobiKwik Payment Gateway Head

i. MobiKwik, mobile wallet major, and a payment gateway provider announced the appointment of Rukaiya Rangwala as the Business Head of 'MobiKwik Payment Gateway' to drive the growth of the entity.

ii. The company had recently relaunched its Payment Gateway and aims to have over $5 billion worth of transactions processed on the platform by the end of 2017-18.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Bipin Preet Singh is the Founder CEO and Director of MobiKwik.

8. India-Sri Lanka JTE 'MITRA SHAKTI 2017' Started

i. The fifth India-Sri Lanka Joint Training Exercise (JTE) MITRA SHAKTI 2017 started with a grand Opening Ceremony conducted at Aundh Military Station, Pune. The exercise is 14 Day long.

ii. The exercise is based on Counter Terrorist Operations and an Infantry company from both the countries is participating in the same.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

General Bipin Rawat is the 27th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.
Nirmala Sitharaman is the Present Defence Minister of India.

9. US and Israel Withdraws from UNESCO

i. The US and Israel announced their withdrawal from the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO after Washington accused it of anti-Israeli bias. The withdrawal of the United States, which is meant to provide a fifth of Unesco’s funding, is a major blow for the Paris-based organization.

ii. UNESCO is best known for designating World Heritage Sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Irina Bokova is the Present Director-General of UNESCO.

10. M K Sanu Chosen for Mathrubhumi Literary Award

i. Eminent critic, biographer and orator M K Sanu has been chosen for the Mathrubhumi Literary Award for 2016 in recognition of his rich contribution to the Malayalam literature.

ii. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a citation, and a statuette.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

The 89-year-old Sanu is a recipient of several honors, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Padmaprabha Award.

11. Esther Staubli, First Female Referee to Officiate at U-17 World Cup

i. Switzerland's Esther Staubli has become the first female referee to officiate a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. She was the referee in the match between Japan and New Caledonia in the final round group E match.

ii. This is in line with FIFA's objective to further develop women's football as the 38-year-old is one of seven women referees invited to the tournament in India.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

The final Match of FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held in Kolkata, West Bengal.

12. Jackson Singh Scored India's First World Cup Goal

i. Jackson Singh Thounaojam created history at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by scoring India’s first goal in a FIFA U-17 World Cup during India’s match against Colombia.

ii. The moment for which the entire country was waiting with baited breath, came in the 82nd minute of the match when Jackson headed home from a corner and the 48000 odd-crowd erupted in sheer joy.

13. Historian Satish Chandra Passes Away

i. Veteran and one of India’s eminent historian Satish Chandra passed away the age of 95. Satish’s important works include Mughal Empire and its downfall. He was also the author of NCERT’s leading history book ‘History of Medieval India’.

ii. Chandra has founded JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies. He was also the chairman and vice chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India during the 1970s.

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