Daily GK Update 3rd December 2016, Important Current Affairs

1. Nation pays tribute to Rajendra Prasad on his 131st birth anniversary

i. Remembering  Rajendra Prasad, the first President of Independent India on the 131st birth anniversary on 03rd December 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the nation bow to him for

his inspirational guidance in the time when India was getting freedom.

ii.  Dr.Rajendra Prasad was an eminent freedom fighter, a renowned jurist, an eloquent parliamentarian, an able administrator, a statesman par excellence and above all, a humanist to the core. Dr.Rajendra Prasad, affectionately addressed as ‘Rajen Babu’, was born at Village Ziradei in Saran district (now in Siwan) of Bihar on 03 December 1884.

2. Russian Scientist develop new cheap way to produce nuclear fuel using electricity

i. Scientists from Russia have developed a new unique, low-cost method for producing high-quality nuclear fuel using electricity. It is alternative novel method that forms the basis of powder metallurgy and involves electric pulse sintering under pressure. 

ii. The main type of fuel for nuclear power reactors is the uranium oxide pellet composition. It is produced from a powder by granulation, pressing, and sintering (coalescing into a solid or porous mass by heating) with the subsequent control of the quality and size of the pellets.

3. International Day of Persons with Disabilities being observed on 03rd December 2016

i. International Day of Persons with Disabilities being observed on 03rd December 2016.Disability Day is a day that has been promoted by the United Nations since 1992. The aim of Disability Day is to encourage a better understanding of people affected by a disability, together with helping to make people more aware of the rights, dignity and welfare of disabled people, as well as raise awareness about the benefits of integrating disabled persons into every aspect of life.

ii.  The theme of World Disability Day for 2016 is: Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want, which draws attention to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals can create a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities.

4. RBI defers Aadhaar-enabled devices

i. RBI defers mandatory implementation of Aadhar-enabled  PoS (Point of Sale) devices till June

30,2017. The RBI said banks, authorised card payment networks and white-label ATM operators have time till June 30, 2017, for deployment of Aadhaar-enabled devices. The central bank said the rate of deployment of acceptance infrastructure has slowed owing to the mismatch between demand and supply of such Aadhaar-enabled devices. As there is currently a limited capacity to produce such devices.

5. SC approves Centre’s Graded Response System to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR

i. The Supreme Court has approved Central Government’s Graded Response Action Plan to tackle different levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR. The apex court also has asked Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR.

6. Airtel Payments Bank to offer talk-time on new savings account

i. Airtel Payments Bank, the first payments bank in India introduce that any customer opening a savings account with it will get one minute of talk time on his/her Airtel mobile for every rupee

deposited.

ii. If a customer opens an account with a deposit of Rs1,000 then he/she will get 1,000 minutes of free talk time on his/her Airtel mobile number. The talk time can be used for calling all over India. This benefit is applicable on first time deposits only.The offer will be valid from Airtel to Airtel mobile minutes with a validity period of 30 days. 

7. Ruchi Soya to provide banking assistance to farmers

i. Edible oil firm Ruchi Soya Industries in association with State Bank of India (SBI)  launched an initiative to provide banking assistance to farmers.

ii.  To start off, banking assistance will be provided to soybean farmers in Indore, Samwer, Manglia and Ujjain mandis in Madhya Pradesh.The company will further plans to expand this initiative across the country in states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

iii. Under the initiative ‘Kisan Kalyan Ayojan’, the company will help farmers to open bank accounts, procure the produce directly from farmers at the right price and ensure farmers get their payment immediately through internet banking.

8. Hornbill Festival begins in Nagaland

i. The Hornbill Festival began in the Naga Heritage village of Kisama. The festival coincides with the Statehood Day of Nagaland which is observed on December 1. It is tourism promotional extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage. It is also called as the ‘Festival of Festivals‘.

9. UAE-based Indian wins International Children's Peace Prize

i. A 16-year-old Indian girl based in the UAE has won this year's International Children's Peace Prizevfor her fight for climate justice and combating environmental degradation. Kehkashan Basu waspresented the award by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus at The Hague. At the age of 12, Kehkashan founded her organisation Green Hope, which now has operations in over 10 countries.

10. Delhi Airport world's 22nd most connected

i.  The Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is the 22nd most connected airport in the world, according to air travel intelligence company OAG. Mumbai Airport has been ranked 28th,

while OAG's 2016 Megahubs Index has been topped by Chicago Airport in the United States. Meanwhile, the Atlanta and Dallas Airports, also in the US, have ranked second and third.

11. Rakesh Asthana takes additional charge as Director of CBI

i. The Union Government has given senior IPS officer Rakesh Asthana additional charge of the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

ii. He took charge following retirement of Anil Sinha. He was given this charge after government failed to find any full-time Director for CBI. This is the first time in last 10 years and only the second time in the CBI’s history that no new Director has been named to succeed an incumbent.

12. LeBron named Sports Ilustrated's Sportsperson of the Year

i. Basketball player LeBron James has been chosen as the Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year, becoming the second athlete ever to win the award twice. James edged out Usain Bolt, Phelps, Premier League champions Leicester City, among others. James had led his team Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA title and was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

13. Spanish city changes name for third time in a decade

i. A Spanish city has changed its name for the third time in a decade, renaming itself Palma from Palma de Mallorca. The regional government voted for the name change, claiming the "de Mallorca" tag to be a leftover from Spain’s centralist past. The city was renamed Palma in 2008, but its name was changed to Palma de Mallorca in 2012.

14. Usain Bolt wins a record sixth 'Athlete of the Year' award

i. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the International Association of Athletics Federations' award for male athlete of the year for a record sixth time on Friday. He last won the award in 2013, while his first win came in 2008. Bolt, who is undefeated this season in all distances, completed his 'triple-triple' of 100-metres, 200-metres and 4x100-metres Olympic golds in August.

15. Kolkata gets best cities award for tackling climate change

i. Kolkata, along with 10 other cities from across the globe, has been honoured with the best cities of 2016 award in recognition of its programme on solid waste management. Kolkata, the only Indian city to win the honour, received the award during the C40 Mayors Summit held in Mexico. Other cities which won the award include Copenhagen, Sydney, and Paris.

16. Chitra Ramkrishna Quits NSE, J Ravichandran Interim Chief 

i. Ramkrishna unexpectedly quit as chief executive officer of National Stock Exchange (NSE) , ending her 24-year career at the country’s largest bourse that she helped found. Ramkrishna, who took over as head of the exchange in 2013, quit due to personal reasons, J Ravichandran, group president, will be in charge till the board appoints a new CEO.