Daily GK Updates: 27th August 2016

New ED at Corporation Bank

i. The Central government has appointed Gopal Murli Bhagat as Executive Director of Corporation Bank for a period of three years. Prior to his elevation, Bhagat was General Manager with Bank of India.

ii. Corporation Bank is a public sector banking company headquartered in Mangalore, India.

Nagaland becomes eighth State to pass GST bill

i. The Nagaland State Assembly has passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, 8th State to ratify the tax reform. 

ii. GST is a tax levied when a consumer buys a good or service. It is meant to be a single, comprehensive tax that will subsume all the other smaller indirect taxes on consumption like service tax, excise duty etc. 

India at 77th, Pakistan at 72nd and Bangladesh at 5th: World Risk Report 2016

i. The World Risk Report 2016, published by the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft, analyses the role that infrastructure plays in shaping a country’s disaster risk. 

ii. India has been ranked 77th, Pakistan at 72nd, Bangladesh at 5th and topped by Island state of Vanuatu.

Indian Super League season 3 to begin from October 1

i. Season-3 of the Indian Super League (ISL) football would be held from October 1 to December 18, with the opening game scheduled in Guwahati.

ii. The Indian Super League is a men's professional football league in India.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi launches POCSO e-box

i. Women and Child Development Minister (WCD) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has launched Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses, POCSO e-box, in New Delhi. 

ii. POCSO e-box is a platform where a child victim of sexual abuse can report such cases online. 

iii. It is initiative of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, for direct online reporting of child sexual abuse.

Pakistan to host 19th SAARC Summit on Nov. 9 & 10 this year

i. Pakistan will host the 19th SAARC Summit on November 9 and 10 this year.

ii. The SAARC Summit Cell is headed by Ambassador Amjad Sial.

iii. SAARC is an organization of eight countries located in the South Asia and it stands for the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation.

RBI asks banks to provide loans to women SHGs in rural areas at 7% 

i. RBI has asked banks to provide loans to women self-help groups in rural areas at 7% per annum.

ii. A self-help group (SHG) is a village-based financial intermediary committee usually composed of 10–20 local women or men.

Bengaluru to host the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017

i. IT capital of the country, Bengaluru, will host the 2017 Bharatiya Pravasi Divas. 

ii. It is scheduled to take place on February 7, 8 and 9 of 2017.

US Postal Service honors Diwali Festival with a Forever Stamp

i. The US Postal Service will commemorate the festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp on Oct 5 and on behalf  of this a dedication ceremony to be hosted at Consulate General of India in New York.

Diwal

iii. The commemorative stamp designed with featuring a traditional diya oil lamp beautifully lit, sitting on a sparkling gold background.

Finance Ministry set up a committee for digitalizing incentive payments

i. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set up a committee to consider incentives such as cash back schemes and tax rebates for promoting card and digital payments in a step towards discouraging cash transactions.

ii. The 11-member committee, headed by former Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal

Karnataka Bank launches UPI app KBL-SMATRz

i. Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank has come up with a mobile application named KBL-SMARTz built on the unified payments interface (UPI) platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

ii. The App was launched by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer P Jayarama Bhat, Karnataka Bank.

World Bank sanctions Rs 980 cr for Brahmaputra dredging: Min

i. The World Bank has announced a funding of Rs 980 crore to dredge the Brahmaputra as an initiative to develop waterways to Bangladesh and to other South East Asian countries which is give fillip to trade and industry in the Area.

ii. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs.

P Kumaran appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar

i. Shri P Kumaran Indian Foreign Service, presently Joint secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar.

ii. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

BCCI submits Compliance Report to Lodha Panel

i. The BCCI submitted the first Compliance Report to the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Panel in regards to the implementation of reforms as per the apex court verdict.

ii. The BCCI has already filed a Review Petition with the Supreme Court seeking recusal of CJI TS Thakur from the case. 

22nd edition of Delhi Book Fair begins today

i. The 22nd edition of the Delhi Book Fair will begin today at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

ii. The nine-day event will conclude on 4th of September.

DIPP to launch awareness campaign on IPR

i. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, DIPP, will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). 

ii. It will be taken forward by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) in collaboration with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) and Industry Associations.