Daily GK Update : 9th March 2017

National & International Appointment

1. Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected Mumbai Mayor

• The Shiv Sena nominee and three-time corporator from Santacruz Vishwanath Mahadeshwar has been elected 76th Mayor of Mumbai, with the support of the BJP.
• He defeated Congress nominee ‘Vitthal Lokare’ by the 171-31 margin.
• The Mayor of Mumbai is the first citizen of the Indian city of Mumbai.
• The election result of Bombay Municipal Corporation had thrown up a hung verdict with the Shiv Sena winning 84 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party winning 82 seats out of 227.

Note:

• Mahadeshwar is the chief of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, but the role is largely ceremonial as the real powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner.
• The Mayor also plays a functional role in deliberating over the discussions in the Corporation.

 National Affairs

2. EPFO pensioners can give digital life certificates till 31st March

• The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation(EPFO) has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by 31st March under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS).
• Earlier, the last date was 28th of last month.
• A copy of Aadhaar enrolment ID slip is sufficient for settlement of the claim under EPS.

3. North-East Business Summit begins in New Delhi today

• Today, two-day North-East Business Summit (NEBS) has begun in New Delhi.
• The summit aims to display the strengths, potential and initiatives of the North-East, promote investment the region and also have focused deliberations on strategic areas like healthcare, connectivity, agriculture, food processing and energy.

Note:

• The North-East Business Summit is an annual flagship event to promote investment and business opportunities in the North-Eastern part of India.
• The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India and the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

 4. Govt launches web portal for obtaining CRZ clearances

• Today, The Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave has launched the web portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearances in New Delhi.
• The objectives of the web portal includes, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the process of CRZ clearances.
• The system will enable the project proponents and the concerned State and Union Territory bodies like the State Coastal Zone Management Authorities and Municipal Planning agencies in tracking the status of their proposals.
• The Portal enables submission of applications for CRZ clearance in a single-window interface.

 5. Haryana: Girl child ratio increases to 938 per 1000 male

• The Haryana govt. has informed that the girl child ratio has increased to 938 per 1000 male children in February in Haryana.
• In January 2017, the registered girl child ratio was 922.
• The gradual increase in the ratio of girl child is the result of effective implementation of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' programme.

Honors & Awards

6. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wins the best actress award for Sarbjit

• The actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the Best Actress award for her performance in Sarbjit at the International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA).
• The film “Sarabjit“ was based on the story of an Indian national Sarbjit Singh (Randeep Hooda) who was punished by Pakistan’s Supreme Court on the charges of spying.
• Sarbjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) fought for him for years to get him back to the country.

Obituaries 

7. Ex Puducherry Minister M Chandrakasu passes away in Chennai

• Former Minister of Puducherry M Chandrakasu (65-year) passed away in Chennai after prolonged illness.
• Chandrakasu represented Nedungad constituency in the outlying enclave of Karaikal for six terms.
• He was Agriculture Minister in the Rangasamy Government.

Sports 

8. Vijay Goel constitutes committee to look into women players' grievances

• The sports minister Vijay Goel has constituted a high-level committee to look in to the grievances of women players in New Delhi.
• The five- member (two- woman player and one sports journalist) committee will be headed by Joint Secretary of Sports Ministry.
• The government will soon start a diploma course for women coaches.
• First “Gramin Khel Mahotsav” will be held from 25th to 31st March in New Delhi.
• This festival will help participation of rural youth in large numbers in popular sports and encourage them to achieve excellence and adopt healthy life style.

9. India beat Belarus 3-1 to clinch series 5-0

• The Indian women’s hockey team defeated Belarus 3-1 to make a clean sweep of the five-match Test series (5-0) in Bhopal.
• For India, Vandana Katariya, Gurjit Kaur and Rani (Captain) scored one each, while Yuliya Mikheichyk scored the solitary goal for Belarus.

10. Cuevas wins third Brasil Open tennis title

• Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) has won his third consecutive Brazil Open title by beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain) 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 in a final.
• It was Cuevas' sixth career ATP singles title

 11. Ashwin, Jadeja jointly ranked number one in ICC Test rankings

• The Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has become the first set of spinners to be jointly ranked number one in the “ICC Test rankings” for bowlers.
• He caught up with Ashwin in the rankings after the second Test against Australia.
• Jadeja reached the top position for the first time in his career.
• Earlier, the two bowlers shared the top spot was in April 2008, when Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralidaran were at the top.

"Thought of the Day"

“The best revenge is massive success.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

GK Quiz (for previous day’s news only) Take the quiz below to find out how well-versed you are with current affairs. You can also go through the Daily GK Update: 8th March 2017 before attempting the quiz.