Daily GK Update : 15-16th January 2017

Honours & Awards

1. Shatrughan Sinha honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award

• An Indian film actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha has bagged the 62nd Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award -2016 , presented at the NSCI Dome, Mumbai (Maharastra).
• Aamir Khan’s Dangal swept away three of the four major awards, namely Best Film, Best Actor and Best Director.
• The year’s award ceremony was co-hosted by Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar, and Kapil Sharma.

Filmfare awards winners:

• Best Film: Dangal.
• Best Director: Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal).
• Best Actor: Aamir Khan (Dangal).
• Best Actress: Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab).
• Best Music Director: Pritam (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil).
• Best Playback Singer (Female): Neha Bhasin ("Jag Ghoomeya" Sultan).
• Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh ("Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
• Best Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya( "Channa Mereya" Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)

 Important Dates

2.15th January: 69th Army Day being observed

• Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India for recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from on this day in 1949.
• The day is celebrated to pay homage and salute to the courageous and brave Indian soldiers who have been sacrificing their lives for protecting the country.
• On 15 January 2017, India celebrated its 69th Indian Army day in New Delhi.
• Earlier in the day, wreaths were laid at Amar Jawan Jyoti (India Gate) by the three Service Chiefs to commemorate the Army Day.

Obituaries

3. Former governor of Uttarakhand Surjit Singh Barnala passes away

• Former Chief Minister of Punjab (1985 to 1987) and Governor (Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands) Surjit Singh Barnala (91-year) has passed away due to illness.
• He was the first governor of the then newly-created state of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) from Nov. 2000 to January 2003.
• He remained the member of the Punjab assembly and Lok Sabha.

National Affairs

4. Sports minister Goel inaugurates Khelo India competitions

• The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel has inaugurated national level competitions under the "Khelo India" scheme at the S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Pool complex in the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
• Khelo India will provide a platform to the budding talents to compete at national level and will groom them to achieve excellence at international level.
• More one thousand participants from over 25 states are participating in swimming, cycling and wrestling competitions.
• The competitions are being conducted not only to promote sports at grass-root level but also help create sports infrastructure in the country.
• A National portal for Sports Talent Search will also be launched in this month by  Sports Ministry.

5. New Adoption Regulations come into force from today

• Today, the new Adoption Regulations have come into force and it has replaced the Adoption Guidelines-2015 will further strengthen the adoption programe in the country by streamlining the process.
• Early de-institutionalisation of children, informed choice for the parents, ethical practices and strictly defined timelines in the adoption process are the salient aspects of the Adoption Regulations 2017.

6.  ABU Intl Dance Fest: Over 100 artists from ten countries participated

• The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the first ever Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Dance festival concludes in Hyderabad.
• Over 100 artists from about ten countries showcased their traditional and contemporary dance nuances, from the Asia-Pacific region during the festival.
• Countries including Maldives, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and India are taking part in the Festival.

7. Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates petroleum awareness program “Saksham 2017”

• Today, minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated a month-long awareness drive on fuel conservation "Saksham 2017" in New Delhi.
• The drive aimed to create awareness amongst masses towards judicious utilization and conservation of petroleum products along with the use of energy efficient appliances.
• Saksham is aimed to educate on various steps for fuel conservation through activities like Quiz Show, Saksham Asian Cycling Championship, Walkathons, concerts and other activities across the country.

Banking & Finance

8. WPI inflation rises to 3.39% in December

• A wholesale inflation has broken a three-month declining trend and rose to 3.39% in December 2016.
• The increase was mainly due to a rise in prices of manufactured items.
• The Wholesale price index-based inflation had stood at 3.15% in Nov. 2016 and minus 1.06% in December 2015.
• Overall wholesale food inflation fell to minus 0.7% in December 2016 from 1.54% in November and inflation in manufactured articles rose to 3.67% in December, from 3.2% in November.

9. SEBI cuts broker fees by 25 pc to Rs. 15 per transaction

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to lower broker fees by 25% to 15 rupees per transaction of one crore rupees as part of calibration of various other fees collected by the regulator from different market intermediaries.
• The move is likely to reduce the overall cost of transactions.
• An option to all market intermediaries and companies to make their regulatory payments in digital mode.
• The move would help in reducing failures due to payment gateway issues.

Sports

10. India beat England by three wickets after chasing down 351 in Pune

• Team India pulled off an incredible three-wicket win over England in the first One-Day International (ODI) of the 3-match series at Pune (Maharastra).
• England had posted a mammoth 350 for 7 (highest ODI score against India)
• Full-time ODI captain of Indian Virat Kohli has made 122-runs (27th ODI century), while Jadhav scored 120-runs his second ton.
• Hardik Pandya made a well-played 40-runs as India overhauled the target with 11 balls to spare.
• Kedar Jadhav was named "man of the match".

Final Score

• England: 350/7 (50.0)
• India: 356/7 (48.1)

11. Australian Open: first Grand Slam of season begins in Melbourne

• Today, the first Grand Slam of the season 105th edition "Australian Open-2017" kicked off in Melbourne, Australia.
• World number one Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Agnieszka Radwanska, are taking part in the tournament.
• World number four Simona Halep of Romania made a shock first round exit after losing to an unseeded American Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 1-6.
• No Indian players in the Singles categories but in doubles Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan and Purav Raja are participating.

Note:

• The "2017 Australian Open" is a tennis tournament that will take place at Melbourne Park between 16–29th January 2017.
• The tournament will consist of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play.

Thought of the Day

“In the midst of movement and chaos of life keep stillness inside of you.”

“जीवन की भाग-दौड़ तथा उथल-पुथल में अंदर से शांत बने रहें।”

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