Daily GK Update [12th April 2015]

1. Jitu Rai wins bronze at ISSF World Cup

i. Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai on 12 April 2015 won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea. 

ii. Rai won the bronze medal after he scored 181.1 points in the final and had missed out for the gold medal shoot-out by 0.4 points. 

iii. Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World Championships in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.

2. 17 Agreements signed between India and France during PM Narendra Modi’s visit

i. India and France on 11 April 2015 signed 17 agreements in various fields during Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s visit to France. 

ii. They were signed in presence of Indian PM and his counterpart French President Francois Hollande after they had held wide-ranging talks in Paris. 

Some of key agreements signed are 

• MoU between Larsen and Tubro and AREVA- It aims at improve the financial viability of the Jaitapur Nuclear plant project by reducing cost by increasing localization. It will also enable France to transfer of technology to India for development of indigenous nuclear energy industry in India. 

• Pre-engineering agreements (PEA) between NPCIL and Areva- It intends to bring clarity on all technical aspects of the plant. It will help all parties including AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL to fix their price and optimise all provisions for risks (still included at this stage) in the costs of the project. 

• MoU between CNES and ISRO on Megha Tropiques satellite- It extends MoU for two more years of joint project for sharing and use of data from the satellite. The satellite was launched in October 2011 on board of Indian launch vehicle PSLV. 

• MOU between ISRO, CNES and ONERA- It proposes cooperation in the areas of satellite remote sensing, satellite communications and satellite meteorology and others field. 

• MoU between Union Sports Ministry and French Ministry of Sports- It envisages cooperation and exchange of experiences in the fields of sports medicine and institutional cooperation. 

• Railway protocol between Union Railways Ministry and French National Railways (SNCF)- It seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation. 

• Other agreements signed between both nations in the fields of economy, energy, culture, tourism, conservation, Ayurveda, skill development and science and technology. Note- NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India), CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies), ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

3. Asteroid 316201 named after Malala Yousafzai

i. Asteroid 316201 was named as ‘316201 Malala’ after the youngest Nobel laureate and girls’ education campaigner Malala Yousafzai. 

ii. The asteroid was named after her by Amy Mainzer, astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, United States under the International Astronomical Union rules. 

iii. In 2010, Mr. Mainzer had discovered the asteroid which was known as 316201. As a discoverer of the asteroid he had owned the rights to name it. 

iv. Asteroid 316201 Malala is located in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter. It orbits around the Sun every 5.5 years and is more-than 2 mile wide. 

4. Yuki Bhambri wins $15,000 ITF Futures tournament title

i. Yuki Bhambri on 11 April 2015 has won the 15,000 US Dollar ITF Futures tournament title. In the final he recorded a straight-set win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont of Belarus played at Karshi, Uzbekistan.

ii. Bhambri defeated his rival with Bhambri with 6-2 6-4 score. This win has pocketed 27 ranking points on Bhambri which will take him to a rank between 215 and 220. It was also Yuki’s 10th ITF Futures singles title. 

iii. This win also has ensured Yuki’s entry into the French Open qualifying event which will be the Clay Court Grand Slam that will begin on the19 May 2015. 

About ITF Futures tournament title 

• ITF Futures tournament title is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world. 
• These tournaments are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). 
• This title represents the lowest rung of the men’s professional tennis ladder. 
• These tournaments are incorporated into the ATP rankings which helps young professionals to progress on to the ATP Challenger Tour and then in ATP World Tour. 

5. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates ‘Songs and Dances of the North East’ festival

i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated first Songs and Dances of the North East, a cultural festival in New Delhi. 

ii. The day long festival was organized by Government of Meghalaya and sponsored by the North Eastern Council (NEC). 

iii. The purpose of festival is to showcase the culture of India’s northeast region and highlight the immense contribution made by the people of the region in nation building. 

iv. This festival will be held by rotation in different parts of the country as part of the series of events planned by NEC and Union Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER).   

v. All eight States of the northeast region will collaborate to host the festival in different parts of the country with an aim to attract investors and visitors to the region.

6. Bharat Hari Singhania became the president of JK Organization

i. Bharat Hari Singhania assumed the presidency of JK Organization. The company issued a formal statement on 9 April 2015 in this regard.

ii. He succeeded Gaur Hari Singhania who died on 4 April 2015.

iii. The JK Group is 125-year-old and has footprint in 100 countries. It has overseas manufacturing operations in Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, Belgium, Portugal and the UAE.

About Bharat Hari Singhania

• He is an industrialist with over forty-four years of experience in managing various industries including cement, automotive tyres, paper, synthetics, audio magnetic tapes and high yielding hybrid seeds.
• He has been the Chairman of JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd., the holding company of Hansdeep Industries and Trading Company Ltd., since May 2013.
• He has been a Director of Bengal and Assam Company Ltd. since February 2009.
• He is also the chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur.

7. Arun Kumar Jha appointed as CEO of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

i. Arun Kumar Jha was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

ii. The decision in this regard was taken on 10 April 2015 by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

iii. As the CEO of KVIC, he will oversee the day-to-day functioning of the commission and report about its activities to the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

iv. Before this appointment, he had been working as the Director General of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) functioning under the Union Ministry of MSME.

v. Jha is a 1985-batch Indian Economics Service (IES) officer.

About KVIC

• It is a statutory body established by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
• It functions under the aegis of Union Ministry of MSME. 
• It’s primary objective is to create self-reliance amongst the poor and build strong rural community spirit by producing saleable articles and providing employment.

8. Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One

i. Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 12 April 2015 won Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One on the Shanghai International Circuit in China. This was his second win of the season and his fourth Chinese Grand Prix win. 

ii. It was also Lewis Hamilton’s overall 35th Grand Prix win. 

iii. In Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by teammate Nico Rosberg at second place.