Current Affairs 30th January 2018: Daily GK Update

National News

1. First Ever 'Khadi Haat' Inaugurated in Delhi

i. Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.

ii. The Khadi Haat was inaugurated by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• KVIC Chairman- V K Saxena. 
• NDMC Chairman- Naresh Kumar.

2. Indian, Vietnamese Armies Hold 1st Military Exercise- VINBAX

i. Armies of India and Vietnam have begun a six-day-long military exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The exercise named ‘VINBAX’ is the first military exercise between the two countries.

ii. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was in New Delhi to participate in the India-ASEAN Commemorative summit and attend the Republic Day celebrations.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Vietnam Capital- Hanoi, Currency- Vietnamese dong.

3. Aadhaar is Oxford Dictionary’s Hindi Word of 2017

i. Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.

ii. The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature Festival.

4. India Cheapest Country to Live in After South Africa: Survey

i. India is ranked second only to South Africa as the cheapest country to live or retire, according to a recent survey of 112 countries by GoBankingRates. The survey ranked nations on the bases of four key affordability metrics which are Local purchasing power index, rent index, Groceries index, and Consumer price index.

ii. India's local purchasing power is 20.9% lower, rent is 95.2% cheaper, groceries are 74.4% cheaper, local goods and services are 74.9% cheaper. The top three most expensive countries in the survey are Bermuda (ranked 112), Bahamas (111), and Hong Kong (110).


5. International Bird Festival to be Held in Dudhwa National Park

i. A three-day international bird festival will be held at the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh in February 2018 with nearly 200 leading ornithologists expected to attend.

ii. The purpose of the international bird festival is to promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct international identity besides highlighting its traditional arts, culture and heritage.

Awards

6. 5 MPs Chosen for Outstanding Parliamentarian Award

i. The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that five members of parliament (MPs) selected for the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards.

ii. This includes, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad (2015), Trinamool Congress’ Dinesh Trivedi (2016), Manipur’s governor Najma A Heptulla (2013), BJP’s Lok Sabha member Hukumdev Narayan Yadav (2014) and five-time Rajya Sabha member Bhartruhari Mahatab of the Lok Biju Janata Dal (BJD) (2017).

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was established in 1995. So far 18 eminent MPs have received the award.
• Chandra Shekhar of the Samajwadi Janata Party was the first member to receive this award.

7. Asha Bhosle to Get Yash Chopra Memorial Award

i. Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle will be given the 'Yash Chopra Memorial Award'. She will be the fifth winner of the award.

ii. The award has been instituted by the TSR Foundation of T. Subbarami Reddy in memory of producer-director Yash Chopra, who died in 2012.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Previous recipients of the Yash Chopra Memorial Award are Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and Shah Rukh Khan.

Banking/Business/Economy News

8. CRISIL Upgrades Outlook on 18 PSBs from Negative to Stable

i. Rating agency CRISIL has revised its outlook on 18 public sector banks (PSBs) from “negative” to “stable” after the government announced bank-wise capital infusion and reform plans.

ii. The revision in outlook is primarily driven by the government’s PSB recapitalisation programme for this fiscal (2017-18).

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Ashu Suyash is the MD and CEO of CRISIL.
• Gurpreet Chhatwal President of CRISIL.
• It Headquarters in Mumbai.
• CRISIL- Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited.

9. Paytm, Alibaba’s AGTech Holdings Launch New Mobile Gaming Platform

i. Mobile payments company Paytm and Alibaba Group-owned AGTech Holdings Ltd have formed a joint venture to launch 'Gamepind' a gaming platform aimed at mobile users in India.

ii. AGTech Media currently holds 45% in the joint venture, and Paytm owns the rest. At the time of the signing of the agreement, Paytm’s parent company One97 invested $8.8 million in the venture for its 55% stake, and AGTech Holdings put in $7.2 million for its 45% stake.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group- Jack Yun MA, Headquarters- Hangzhou, China.
• Paytm Founder- Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Headquarters- Noida.

Appointments

10. Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to Lead USISPF Board

i. Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has been elected as the Vice Chairman of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum. It is a new organisation set up to enhance business relations between India and the US.

ii. The new representative body - US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) was set up to promote bilateral trade and work on creating meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens. The USISPF now has 31 board members.