Daily GK Updates [20th February 2015]

1. PM Modi launches Soil Health Card scheme targeting 14 crore farmers

i.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a Soil Health Card scheme, under which the Centre plans to target over 14 crore farmers in the next three years to check the excess use of fertilisers.

ii. The card, to be issued after testing soil, would help farmers save up to Rs 50,000 in 3 acres of land.

iii. Niti Aayog and the states have been asked to constitute high-powered expert committees on agriculture to boost farm growth.

2. Rs 50k-cr naval project gets Cabinet nod

i. The Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday sanctioned the country's biggest naval project, the construction of seven stealth frigates for Rs 45,381 crore. 

ii. Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL), Mumbai , will build four of these, while Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata (GRSE),.

iii. This project, dubbed Project 17A, follows on from the earlier Project 17, in which MDL built three 5,600-tonne frigates: INS Shivalik, Satpura and Sahyadri.

iv. The Project 17A frigates, while superficially similar to those build under Project 17, will pack significantly more punch with more advanced weaponry. The new vessels will be fitted with BrahMos cruise missile for land attack, and the new Indo-Israeli Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) that can shoot down incoming anti-ship missiles.

3. Telangana woos aerospace majors to invest in SEZ near Hyderabad

i. A day after Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu made a strong pitch for investment from aerospace and defence majors at Aero India.

ii. The Hyderabad Aerospace SEZ is the first exclusive park for aerospace companies in the country. 

iii. Under the new policy all mega projects (with investment of Rs 200 crore) will get clearance in 15 days. 

4. Shanghvi, The richest Indian

i. 59-year old Gujarat born Shanghvi, by virtue of his over 63% holding in three group companies — Sun Pharma, Sun Pharma Advanced Research and Ranbaxy Labs — is worth about Rs 1.46 lakh crore ($23.42 billion at an exchange rate of 62.34 to the dollar). 

ii. In comparison Mukesh Ambani holds only 45% holdings in his two companies – RIL and Reliance industries Infrastructure which is worth only Rs 1.32 lakh crore ($21.2 billion).

iii. If the 23% stake in the wind energy major Suzlon – that Shanghvi and his family is in the process of acquiring – is added then his wealth would almost come close to Rs 1.48 lakh crore ($23.7 billion). 

iv. if the global indexes are to be noted then according to Bloomberg Billionaire Index Mukesh Ambani is still the richest Indian (33rd globally) with a net worth of $21.9 billion and Shanghvi stands at the second position (39th globally) with a net worth of $19.7 billion.

5. Manjhi quits ahead of floor test, Nitish to aworn in as CM

i. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi resigned ahead of a trust vote in the State Assembly. 

ii. Hours ahead of the trust vote, Manjhi submitted his resignation to Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

iii. Nitish Kumar appologized to the people of Bihar on his previous decision to leave the post of the choef minister of Bihar.

iv. Nitish Kumar will sworn in as the CM of Bihar on 22nd February in Patna.

6. RIL appoints ex-IAS officer from Gujarat to board

i. Former top IAS officer from Gujarat, Maheshwar Sahu has been appointed as an independent director on the board of Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

ii. With this appointment, he joins RIL as one of the eight independent directors on its 14-member board.

iii. Sahu is popularly known as the man behind the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brainchild event- Vibrant Gujarat summit.