Daily GK Update : 26th July 2017

Important Dates

1. Kargil Vijay Diwas being observed today

• Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on 26th July every year in honor of the Kargil War's Heroes.
• Today, Defence minister Arun Jaitley and three service chief paid homage to Kargil martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate in New Delhi.
• On this day in 1999 that the Indian Armed Forces, as part of Operation Vijay recaptured Indian posts in Kargil which had been occupied by Pakistan's army.

Note:

• The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days, 527 soldiers from Indian Armed Forces sacrificed their lives during the war.
• Four Param Vir Chakras, nine Maha Vir Chakras, 53 Vir Chakras and other medals had been awarded to felicitate the Kargil War heroes.

National Affairs

2. FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018

• The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) directs the concerned food business operators to discontinue the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of stapled tea bags by 1^st January,2018.
• The FSSAI has also directed all food safety commissioners to take action to prevent the use of unsafe packaging materials by companies and take up measures for enforcement of its order.

Note:

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is an autonomous body established under the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

3. CM Yogi Adityanath launches UP-RERA site

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister ‘Yogi Adityanath’ has launched online UP- RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Act.) registration platform “www.up-rera.in” in Lucknow.
• Now the builders of Uttar Pradesh can register their projects on the site and instantly get a RERA registration number.
• The builders have four days until 31st July to register their existing projects.
• This bodes well for all those builders who were not being able to advertise their upcoming projects in the media as the Act prevented any non-RERA project to be sold in the state.
• A grace of a few days is being expected for everyone to come on the table with the Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Act (UP-RERA).

4. Union Home Minister chairs first meeting of Islands Development Agency

• The Union Home Minister ‘Rajnath Singh’ chaired the first meeting of the Island Development Agency (IDA) that was set up in June.
• He presented the vision for developing India’s maritime economy while preserving the natural eco-system and addressing the security concerns
• In the first phase, ten islands (Smith, Ross, Aves, Long and Little Andaman in Andaman & Nicobar and Minicoy, Bangaram, Suheli, Cherium, and Tinnakara in Lakshadweep) have been identified for development.

5. Vande Mataram must be sung in all educational institutions once a week

• The Madras High Court ordered that “Vande Mataram” must be played and sung in all schools, colleges, and universities at least once a week (preferably on Monday or Friday).
• The court also ruled that the national song must be played and sung in all government offices and institutions, private companies, factories, and industries at least once a month.

Note:

• Vande Mataram is a poem composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1870s, which he included in his 1881 novel ‘Anandamath’.
• First sung in a political context by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.

6. CNG, PNG prices hiked in Delhi

• Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has increased the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by one rupee 11 paise per kilogram in Delhi and one rupee 27 paise in UP (Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad).
• Now for CNG, the consumer will have to pay 38 rupees 76 paise per kilogram (Delhi) and 44 rupees 42 paise in its adjoining areas.
• It will continue to offer a discount of one rupee 50 paise per kilogram in the selling prices of CNG for filling between 12.30 AM to 5.30 AM at select outlets.
• Thus, the consumer price of CNG would be 37 rupees 26 paise per Kg (Delhi) and 42 rupees 92 paise per Kg in its adjoining areas.
• The rate of Piped Natural Gas(PNG) in Delhi has also been increased by 33 paise per Standard Cubic Meter(SCM) to 25 rupees 19 paise.
• The rate has been hiked by 36 paise per SCM to 26 rupees 73 paise in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad,

Note:

• The rates have been revised to offset the overall impact on its costs after the transition to GST regime.

Banking & Finance

7. Standard Chartered Bank unveils forex card

• Standard Chartered Bank has launched a ‘Multicurrency Forex Card’ for the customer’s convenience of loading up to 20 widely used currencies on one card.
• The card comes with an online reload facility during overseas travel and is designed to offer travelers a secure way to carry money when travelling abroad.
• The card will also provide forex rate lock-in with zero mark-ups on cash withdrawals and shop abroad.
• It will also provide travelers insurance covers against misuse of lost card, personal accident insurance and loss of baggage or personal documents.

Science & Defence

8. Reliance Defence launches first two Navy ships ‘Shachi’ and ‘Shruti’

• Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) has launched its first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) ‘Shachi’ and ‘Shruti’ at their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.
• These two NOPVs are the first warships to be launched by a private sector shipyard in India.
• The ships are part of a five-ship project (approximately Rs 2,500 crore) being constructed for the Indian Navy.
• According to RDEL, the vessels are fitted with 20,000 KW diesel engine-driven propulsion systems and can deliver speeds up to 25 knots.
• The primary role of NOPVs is to undertake surveillance of the country’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) besides operational tasks such as anti-piracy patrols.

Note:

• Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (formerly known as Pipavav Shipyard Limited) is an Indian shipbuilding and Heavy industry company headquartered in Mumbai.

International Affairs

9. Zimbabwe's Parliament passes bill to give President sweeping powers to appoint judges

• Zimbabwe's Parliament has passed a bill amending the constitution to give the President sweeping powers to appoint the country's top judges without consulting any other institution.
• Now, the bill has given Robert Mugabe the sole responsibility to appoint the chief justice and their deputy.
• Under the 2013 constitution, the president could only appoint a chief justice from individuals recommended by the judicial services commission and after public interviews of the candidates.
• A total of 182 lawmakers voted in favour of the changes that tinker with the country's constitution.

10. BRICS Youth Forum opens in Beijing

• The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum opened to discuss the development of the youth in the countries of the grouping in Beijing, China.
• The three-day forum gathered 50 youth representatives working as civil servants, scholars, entrepreneurs, artists and journalists from the BRICS countries.
• The theme of the forum is 'Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth Development'.

Note:

• The five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) first came up with the idea of establishing a dialogue mechanism for BRICS youth in 2014.

Sports

11. Kylie Masse wins 100m backstroke world gold in record time

• Canada’s Kylie Masse (21-year) stormed to women's 100m backstroke gold in a new world-record time at the world aquatics championships in Budapest.
• Earlier, she tied for the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in 100 m backstroke.
• Masse clocked 58.10 seconds and breaks Gemma Spofforth’s previous mark of 58.12 seconds from the 2009 championships.
• Kathleen Baker (United States) took silver, at 0.48 seconds.
• Emily Seebohm (Australia) brushed off a cold to claim bronze, at 0.49 seconds.

 "Thought of the Day"

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

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