Daily GK Update : 2nd March 2017

National & International Appointment

1. J S Deepak named India's next Ambassador to WTO

• Telecom Secretary J S Deepak (IAS officer -1982 batch Uttar Pradesh) was named India's next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June 2017.
• Deepak has been shifted from the telecom ministry and has been made Officer on Special Duty in the commerce department with "immediate effect".
• Earlier, he was India's chief negotiator at the WTO and for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement.
• Deepak is an MBA degree holder from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad

Note:

• The World Trade Organization is a global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
• The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994 replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

2. Sanjiv Singh appointed Indian Oil Corporation chairman

• Sanjiv Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the country’s largest commercial enterprise Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL).
• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved his appointment for a period of five years.
• Singh is at present the director of Refineries at the IOCL.
• He will be assuming the charge on or after 1st June 2017.

National Affairs

3. Delhi Govt extends midday meal scheme for girls up to class 12

• Currently, the scheme covers all primary classes of MCD and government schools and upper primary classes till Class 8^th with 16 lakh students.
• Schools will start serving midday meal to girl students of class 9^th to 12^th from 1st of next month.
• Now, Delhi state government will become the first state in the country to serve midday meal up to class 12.
• This will be done with a view to fight malnourishment and anemia, especially in female students.

4. Odisha Govt signs MoU with ‘Invest India’

• The Odisha government has signed an agreement with “Invest India” the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Union ministry of commerce and industries.
• They will help the state govt. in achieving the Mission-1000 Start-ups by the year 2020 and help the youth in realising their dreams.
• Start-up India has the objective of making India a country of job creators and make India the No. 1 start-up nation in the world.

5. Panneerselvam inaugurates 'Amma Kalviyagam'

• Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister ‘O Panneerselvam’ has launched a portal 'ammakalviyagam.in' as a part of 69th birth anniversary celebrations of late chief minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram (known as Amma).
• The portal is a hub of learning, interaction, opportunity, and connection.
• It will help student assistance from reputed teachers free of cost at the convenience of their homes.

International Affairs 

6. Nepal investment summit begins at Kathmandu

• Two-day Nepal Investment Summit 2017 has been inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Kathmandu(Nepal).
• Around 250 delegates from more than 20 countries are participating in the summit.
• This is the first investment summit in Kathmandu since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015.
• The aim of the summit is to project Nepal as an attractive investment destination and to explore possibilities of foreign investment in various sectors including hydropower, infrastructure, and tourism.

7. Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans

• Malaysia has decided to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans due to National security reasons from 6^th March 2017.
• Now, North Koreans will be required to obtain a visa before entering Malaysia for national security reasons.
• The move comes two weeks after Kim Jong Nam was killed at the Kuala Lumpur airport with a toxic nerve agent.

8. Sudan's Bashir names long-time ally and general prime minister

• Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has named Hassan Saleh to the newly-created post of Prime Minister.
• It is the first-time Sudan has a prime minister since Bashir came to power in a 1989 Islamist and military-backed coup.
• Sudan's constitution was amended in December to introduce the position of prime minister.

Note:

• Saleh is a retired army general and former defense, interior and presidential affairs minister.
• Currently, serves as first vice president and National Congress Party deputy leader for executive affairs.

Banking & Finance

9. Govt. asks banks to provide mobile banking facility to customers by 31st March

• The union government has asked all banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by 31st March in a bid to push digital transactions.
• Banks have been asked to run a nationwide campaign up to 31st March to ensure that every customer who has a mobile phone is enabled for mobile banking.
• The customers who are using UPI or BHIM app should automatically be enabled for mobile banking.

Sports

10. India planning to host boxing international tournament every year

• Indian Boxing federation president Ajay Singh has announced that Indian Boxing Federation (IBA) is planning to host one major boxing international tournament every year.
• The first such event will be the Women’s Youth World Championships -2017.
• It was for the first time that the chairpersons from 11 commissions of AIBA attended the event to discuss the future of world boxing.
• Earlier, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was banned by AIBA for possible manipulation of elections in 2012.

11. Virat Kohli to receive Polly Umrigar Award & Ashwin to get Dilip Sardesai Award

• Indian Captain Virat Kohli will receive the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award.
• The award is given to India's International Cricketer of the Year at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards, to be held in Bengaluru on 8^{th March 2017.}
• Virat Kohli is currently the highest-ranked Indian Test batsman in the world.
• Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been nominated for the Dilip Sardesai Award.
• Earlier, Kohli had won Polly Umrigar Award in 2011-12 and 2014-15 and becomes the first Indian cricketer to be bestowed the honor on three occasions.
• India off-spinner Ashwin holds the distinction of getting the Dilip Sardesai Award twice (first in 2011).

12. Luis Norton de Matos appointed new head coach of India U-17 football team

• Today, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) has appointed Portugal’s Luis Norton de Matos (63-year) as the head coach of the Indian Under-17 team for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
• He replaces Nicolai Adam, who was forced to resign under controversial circumstances after a revolt from the players.
• He had five appearances for the Portugal national side.
• The FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be hosted by India between 6 and 28 October 2017.

Note:

• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the organization which manages the game of association football in India.

 "Thought of the Day"

“Life is about making an impact, not making an income.”

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