Daily GK Update : 22nd April, 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

Daily GK Update : 22nd April, 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

1. 22nd April : Earth Day

i. Each year, 22nd April is celebrated as Earth Day. This is an annual event which is celebrated all over the world to demonstrate support for environment protection.

 ii. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year. 

iii. On this earth day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement is scheduled to be signed by the United States, India and some 120 other countries. This signing satisfies a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

2. Government's Twitter Seva To Address Grievances Of Startups

i. The Commerce and Industry Ministry has launched a Twitter Seva service a special Twitter cell by the Narenda Modi government manned by a set of dedicated officers of the Commerce and Industry Ministry was launched. 
ii. It will respond to queries from start-ups, exporters and importer, and other stakeholders within 48 and 72 working hours.
iii. At the launch of the service, Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister said that queries on matters relating to Department of Commerce and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will be answered through this service.

3. President Mukherjee To Attend Khongjom Day In Manipur

i. President Pranab Mukherjee will attend the observation of Khongjom and inaugurate a monument-cum-tourist Centre at Khongjom in Manipur tomorrow.

ii. Khongjom day is observed on the 23rd April every year to pay rich tributes to the brave sons of Manipur who made supreme sacrifice for the cause of their motherland.

iii. Khongjom, which is under Thoubal district of the state and is about 36 kms from Imphal on the Indo-Myanmar road.

4. Department Of Disinvestment Is Now 'Dipam'

i. The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or 'Dipam'.

ii. The new department has been mandated to "advise the government in the matters of financial restructuring of central public sector enterprises.

iii. The Dipam will work under Finance Ministry and it will deal with "all matters relating to management of central government investments in equity including disinvestment of equity in central public sector undertakings".

5. Dr. Harsh Vardhan Celebrates Earth Day By Inaugurating India’s 1st Cellulosic Alcohol Technology Demonstration Plant In Uttarakhand

i. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated India’s 1st Second-Generation (2G) Ethanol plant today at Kashipur in Uttarakhand. 

ii. Such technological breakthroughs can make India stand out as a leader in the world’s struggle to save the earth from challenges of global warming.

iii. It is a novel technology suited to both Indian & Global Needs and is projected to be capable of converting all types of agricultural residues like Bagasse, Rice Straw, Wheat Straw, Bamboo, Cotton Stalk, Corn Stover, Wood chips etc. to ethanol in less than 24 hours, with optimum product yields. If successfully operated and scaled-up, it will establish India as a major global technology provider in the arena of renewables and reduction in carbon-emissions, besides effecting considerable savings in import of crude-oil.

6. Six Indians In TIME’s 100 Most Influential People

i. TIME released the list of 100 most influential people on Thursday which featured six Indians including RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and actress Priyanka Chopra.
ii. Tennis ace Sania Mirza, environmentalist Sunita Narain along with Flipkart Co-founders Sachin and Binny Bansal were other Indians on the list. The list also featured Indian-origin Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was among the probable contenders for the list, was not in the final list determined by Time’s editors. Modi was among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world last year.

7. Goa To Host International Seminar On Wheat Products

i. The eighth International Seminar on Wheat and Wheat Products is scheduled to be held in Panaji, Goa, on July 17-18, 2016.

ii. The theme for this year’s seminar is ‘New Ideas and Innovation for Growth’.

iii. WPPS has been organizing a number of seminars for past many years on relevant themes concerning wheat value chain encompassing farm to plate.

8. Vistara And TCS Enter Into Strategic Partnership

i. Full service airline Vistara has entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
ii. They have came into partnership for a broad range of information technology (IT) services, including application maintenance services and airport infrastructure support.

iii. Vistara is a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines. The carrier and TCS have entered into an agreement for a "long term strategic partnership".

9. TCS In Time's Top 50 Employers For Women In UK

i. A part of the Tata group and India's largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been recognized as one of the United Kingdom's leading employers for women in a list published by The Times. 

ii. The Times Top 50 Employers for Women recognizes organisations that are spearheading gender equality in the workplace and making a conscious effort to even out the playing field for men and women. 

iii. Presently, the company has employed over 1,00,000 women globally, a 3rd of its total workforce. TCS’ rank in The Times Top 50 is recognition of its continued drive to make gender equality a central part of its business strategy. 

10. India Replaces China As Top FDI Destination In 2015: FDI Intelligence Report

i. According to FDI Intelligence Report India has replaced China as the top Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination by attracting $63 billion worth FDI projects in 2015. 

ii. FDI Intelligence is a division of international media company – The Financial Times Limited. 

iii. India was the highest-ranked country by capital investment in the year 2015, with 63 billion dollars-worth of FDI projects announced. It was the biggest change in Greenfield FDI in 2015 was near tripling with an estimated 63 billion dollars. 

11. Mahatma Gandhi’s Granddaughter Tara Gandhi Gets Top French Honour

i. Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee was on Wednesday conferred with the Order of Arts and Letters, one of France’s top honours.

ii. According to French Ambassy, this honour comes in recognition of Bhattacharjee’s remarkable work for promoting peace, solidarity, culture, education, and development.

iii. On behalf of the French President Bhattacharjee, 82, was conferred the Officier de lOrdre des Arts et Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) honour here late last evening by French Ambassador Francois Richier. Some noted Indian recipients of this honour in the past include Bharti Kher, Shahrukh Khan, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Aishwarya Rai and Upamanyu Chatterjee. 

12. Harriet Tubman To Be First African-American On US Currency

i. Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will become the first African-American on the face of US paper currency.

ii. She also became the first woman in more than a century, when she replaces former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

iii. The US Treasury Department said that Tubman, who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and went on to help hundreds of slaves escape, would take the centre spot on the bill, while Jackson, a slave owner, would move to the back.

13. Renowned Music Legend Prince Has Passed Away

i. The American music superstar Prince Rogers Nelson has passed away. He was 57 year old. 

ii. The pop star was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis. He was born on 7 June 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz singer.

iii. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and earned 30 nominations. He also won an Oscar for the song score "Purple Rain".