GK Update : 18th August, 2016 (English)

By: D.K. Choudhary

i. Jharkhand Assembly has been convened today to ratify Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament.

ii. Now Jharkhand became the third state to ratify the bill.

iii. Last week, Assam became the first state in the country to ratify the constitution amendment bill on the GST as the assembly unanimously passed the bill.

i. Banwarilal Purohit has replaced Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya as the Governor of Assam.

ii. V.P. Singh Badnore has been appointed as Governor of Punjab.

iii. Jagdish Mukhi has been appointed as Governor of Andaman and Nicobar

iv. Former Union Minister Najma Heptulla has been appointed Governor of Manipur.

i. Gujarat government has approved the implementation of the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission, raising salaries of over 8.5 lakh state employees and pensioners,  from 1st Jan.

ii. The Cabinet gave its approval to a proposal to implement the recommendations at a meeting in Gandhinagar chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

i. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed penalties on four cooperative banks for violation of various norms.

ii. Cooperative banks are:  Cooperative City Bank, Guwahati – Rs 5 lakh, Indapur Urban Cooperative Bank, Indapur – Rs 2 lakh, Shri Dadasaheb Gajmal Cooperative Bank, Pachora – Rs 1 lakh and Model Cooperative Urban Bank, Hyderabad – Rs 1 lakh.

i. The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a Metro Rail project for Allahabad.

ii. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

iii. The state cabinet also approved a scheme to provide free school bags and books to students till class VIII in government schools.

i. Oscar-winning music maestro A.R. Rahman has been honoured by the America Tamil Sangam with its Tamil Ratna Award.

ii. Presenting the award after Rahman’s concert at the United Nations General Assembly chamber.

iii. Rahman was invited at the UNGA to perform a concert to honour M.S. Subbulakshi, the doyen of Carnatic music. The concert was sponsored by India’s UN Mission and Sankara Nethralaya, a Chennai-based charity organisation.

i. Telangana State has received the highest number of gallantry medals for police personnel in the country on the eve of Independence Day.

ii. It was the only State unit to secure the President’s police medal for gallantry (PPMG).

iii. The other units to receive the award this year were Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), and the Intelligence Bureau(IB).

i. Tata Power Solar has commissioned a 100 mw solar project for NTPC in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, the biggest solar project commissioned using domestically manufactured solar cells and modules.

ii. Tata Power Solar delivered the project in record 80% of stipulated timelines, and nearly 3 months ahead of schedule.

i. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered an ancient camping site dating 8500 BC in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), indicating humans were camping in the area 10,500 years ago.

ii. This site was unearthed at 14,000 feet above the sea level on the way from Saser La to Ladakh.

i. Malayalam filmmaker-scriptwriter TA Razaq passed away in Kochi.

ii. He was 58. Razaq was undergoing treatment related to liver-related ailment at a private hospital, where he breathed his last.

iii. Razzaq’s film career began in the late 1980s, when he started work as an assistant director on the film Dhwani.

i. Padma Shri awardee Punjabi writer Gurdial Singh, 83, breathed his last after a prolonged illness in Bathinda.

ii. Singh had been on ventilator support since August 13 after he had fell unconscious at his residence in Jaitu town of Faridkot district.

i. Reliance Brands, a part of Reliance Industries Group, today announced a long-term master franchise agreement with Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda.

ii. Under the agreement, Reliance Brands will set up Scotch & Soda stores in all major cities in India by 2017.

i. Unilever, the parent company of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), has acquired Swedish firm Blueair, a leading player in mobile air purification technology, for an undisclosed sum.

ii. With this deal, Unilever is making its foray in air purification, a move that will complement its existing water purification business.

iii. Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch multinational consumer goods company co-headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and London, United Kingdom.