Daily GK Update - 15th Nov 2014

1.    G20 leaders summit begins in Brisbane

i. The 2014 G-20 Australia summit is the ninth meeting of the G-20 heads of government.

ii. G20 leaders summit begins in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia, from 15 and 16 November 2014.
iii. The hosting venue is Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre at South Brisbane.
iv. The Leaders' Summit is the most important event in the G20 year. The summit provides a valuable opportunity for leaders to discuss a wide range of global economic issues and to use their collective power to improve people’s lives.
v. The summit is informed by the policy discussions held throughout the year. At the end of the summit, leaders release a communiqué which outlines the G20 policy discussions and commitments.

2.    Financial inclusion: All households in Kerala, Goa get bank accounts

i. Giving a boost to the Centre's financial inclusion agenda, Kerala and Goa have become first states in the country with every household having at least one bank account.

ii. Kerala was declared as 100 per cent saturated State (in terms of coverage of all households with at least one bank account) on November 11," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

iii. In addition, Goa, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep and three districts of Gujarat- Porbandar, Mehasana, Gandhi Nagar, have also covered all households under PMJDY with at least one bank account, it said.

iv. As on November 10, 7.24 crore accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) of which 4.29 crore in rural and 2.95 crore are in urban areas. RuPay Cards have been issued in case of 3.97 crore accounts.

v. Recently, Financial Services Secretary Hasmukh Adhia reviewed the progress in implementation of PMJDY with state level banking committees conveners of all the states.

3.    RBI issues guidelines on loans to landless farmers

i. Taking forward the government's Budget proposal to provide finance to landless farmers, RBI today set out detailed guidelines for banks for giving such loans and asked them to ensure meeting targets.

ii. The banks would also have to provide regular progress reports to NABARD in this regard.

iii. In the Union Budget 2014-15, it was declared that 5 lakh Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of land-less farmers will be financed through NABARD in the current financial year.

iv. Banks may encourage creation of such enterprise/ livelihood based JLGs within SHGs. Banks may finance these JLGs in addition to the loan/credit limit extended to the SHGs," RBI said in a notification.

4.    Government had 461.60 billion rupees of outstanding loans from RBI as on November 7

i. The Indian government had 461.6 billion rupees ($7.48 billion) outstanding loans with the central bank under its ways and means advances in the week ended Nov. 7, according to the Reserve Bank of India's weekly statistical supplement released on Friday.

ii. The central government also had no outstanding loans in the previous week.

iii. State governments had 17.39 billion rupees of loans from the RBI in the week ended Nov. 7, compared with 7.43 billion rupees in the previous week, the release showed.

5.    Union Government launched the nationwide Bal Swachhta Mission

i. The Union Government launched the National Bal Swachhta Mission in New Delhi.

ii. On the occasion, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi also released a book on Bal Swachtta Mission prepared by NIPCCD.

iii. Apart from this, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani, who launched the Bal Swachhta Mission at the National Bal Bhavan also launched Udaan programme for girls.

iv. Bal Swachhta Week is being observed from 14 November to 19 November 2014.

About Bal Swachhta Mission
i. The Bal Swachhta Mission is a part of the nationwide sanitation initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission that was launched by the Prime Minister on 2 October 2014.

ii. The nationwide Bal Swachhta Mission will have the following six themes:

1. Clean Anganwadis
2. Clean Surroundings like Playgrounds
3. Clean Self (Personal Hygiene/Child Health)
4. Clean Food
5. Clean Drinking Water
6. Clean Toilets

6.    DD National to be re-launched with tagline Desh Ka Apna Channel

i. Prasar Bharti announced to re-launch DD National with new tagline Doordarshan National – Desh Ka Apna Channel. Also, new colours of purple and pink are added with a fresh palette of programming.

ii. The new look promises fresh content and will provide wholesome entertainment to the viewers from 17 November 2014. The move is aimed at attracting more viewers.

iii. The channel will continue to focus on traditional family values – Rishtey, Nation before Self, Rashtra Gaurav and Trustworthiness – Dilon Mein Vishwas.

About DD National
i. Doordarshan National is the primary channel of Prasar Bharati which was launched on 15 September 1959.

ii. DD National (DD1) is a state-owned general interest terrestrial television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan.
iii. It is one of India's largest broadcasting organisations in terms of studio and transmitter infrastructure. Recently, it also started broadcasting on Digital Terrestrial Transmitters.

7.    Obama announces $3 billion contribution to Green Climate Fund

i. U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday formally announced a $3-billion U.S. contribution to an international fund to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change.

ii. The contribution doubles what other countries had previously pledged ahead of a November 20, 2014 deadline.

8.    Philae lander of Rosetta Mission landed on Comet 67P

i. European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission landed its Philae probe on the surface of Comet 67P/ Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014. The landing site has been named as Agilkia and is located on the head of the bizarre double-lobed object. 
ii. This is the first time in the space history that a probe landed on a comet. 
iii. Philae’s mission is to transmit data about composition of the comet after landing on its surface. It will provide elemental, isotopic, molecular and mineralogical composition of the cometary material.

iv. The lander name has been kept after Philae Island in the Nile, where an obelisk (a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument) that was found and used, along with the Rosetta stone, to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

9.    Union Government announced concessions for minority refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan

i. Union Ministry of Home Affairs relaxed Indian citizenship norms for Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan. As per the relaxed norms, now the refugees from both the countries, who have entered prior to 31 December 2009, can apply for the Indian citizenship manually.

ii. This decision of the government was taken in the light of refugees facing difficulties in submitting online applications.

iii. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed the Foreigners Division of his ministry that while approving the concessions, grievances of these applicants should be suitably addressed.

Refugees in India
• There are about 400 Pakistani Hindu refugee settlements in cities like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jaipur. 
• Several Sikh refugees live in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
• About one lakh minority community refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan are living in India

10.  Radio Kashmir Jammu won Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting award 2014

i. Radio Kashmir Jammu on 12 November 2014 won prestigious Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting award 2014 for its programme Jeevan Rekha.

ii. Jeevan Rekha is a programme based on the live broadcasts done in the wake of flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir by Radio Kashmir Jammu.

iii. It was based on the based on the rescue operations carried out by Radio Kashmir Jammu during massive floods in the J & K region.

iv. Jeevan Rekha was a production by Sanjeev Sharma, Programme Executive, written by Nitish Arora, Programme Executive.

About Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting award
i. The Award was instituted to commemorate the visit of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi to the Studios of AIR at Broadcasting House, New Delhi on 12 November 1947.

ii. The award is presented annually to the Best Programmes produced on Gandhian Philosophy and Public Services Programmes by AIR & Doordarshan

11.  Farhan Akhtar appointed as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia

i. Bollywood Actor Farhan Akhtar appointed as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia. Farhan is the first male ever to be chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador in the organization’s history.

ii. Farhan will dedicate his efforts as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia towards the empowerment of women and girls and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s newly launched HeForShe initiative in advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment. 
iii. UN Women’s other Goodwill Ambassadors include British actor Emma Watson, Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman and HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand.

About UN Women
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to accelerate progress on meeting women needs worldwide. 

12.  India successfully test-fired Dhanush ballistic missile

i. Surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile was test-fired from a naval ship off the Odisha coast on 14 November 2014.

ii. Dhanush, a naval variant of India’s indigenously-developed Prithvi missile was fired from a ship in the Bay of Bengal by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence force. 

iii. The missile launch was part of an exercise by the armed forces and it reached the designated target with high precision. Missiles launch and flight performance was monitored from the ITR at Chandipur, Odisha.

13.  Johnson named ICC Cricketer of the Year

i. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was on Friday declared ICC Cricketer of the Year as well as the ICC Test cricketer of the Year.

ii. The 33-year-old has won the coveted Cricketer of the Year award for the second time in his career while he is only third Australian after Ricky Ponting (2006) and Michael Clarke (2013) to win the Test Cricketer of the Year award. 
iii. During the voting period between 26 August 2013 and 17 September 2014, Johnson claimed 59 Test wickets at an average of 15.23, with best bowling figures of seven for 40 runs against England in Adelaide last December. 
iv. In ODIs, Johnson claimed 21 wickets in 16 games. 

v. Johnson was earlier named in the ICC Test Team of the Year in Dubai on 5 November. In the same event, India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was revealed as the LG People's Choice award winner. 
vi. Johnson has been joined on the winners' list by South Africa's AB de Villiers, who was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, and England's Gary Ballance, who claimed his first-ever ICC award after being named the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

14.  Boxing India granted permanent membership by International Boxing Association, AIBA

i. Completing India's rehabilitation into the international boxing fold, AIBA Friday unanimously gave permanent membership to the recently elected Boxing India during its quadrennial congress in Jeju Islands, Korea.

ii. India was provisionally suspended in December 2012 for alleged manipulation in the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation's elections.

iii. Boxing India was earlier granted provisional recognition by AIBA after the elections but is still to get the approval from the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association.

15.  Infosys ties up with DreamWorks for new engineering solutions

i. Software major Infosys has entered into a strategic partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG to develop new engineering solutions.

ii. “The tie-up envisages developing next generation technologies with our global talent pool in cloud, big data, Java and open source platforms for DreamWorks,” the IT bellwether said in a statement on Saturday.

iii. The U.S.-based digital studio creates animated feature films, television programmes and online virtual worlds.

iv. Infosys chief executive Vishal Sikka said the company had a market-leading record of delivering critical engineering services to innovative tech firms like DreamWorks.

16.  Saina storms into summit clash of China Open

i. Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal stood just one win away from clinching her maiden China Open title after she stormed into the finals of the $700,000 Super Series Premier tournament in Fuzhou on Saturday.

ii. In her sixth appearance in the prestigious tournament, Saina continued her rampaging run as she produced another good show to outclass World No. 17 Liu Xin of China 21-17 21-17 in the women’s singles semifinals that lasted 47 minutes at the Haixia Olympic Sport Centre.

iii. The World No. 5 Indian will take on the winner of match between fifth seed Bae Yeon Ju of Korea and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, in the summit clash on Sunday.