Monday, December 28, 2015

Daily GK Update: 27th December, 2015

Action plan for ‘Start up India’ to be unveiled on Jan. 16
i. Seeking to boost entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the action plan for ‘Start up India, Stand up India’ will be unveiled on January 16.
ii. Mr. Modi said the programme will focus on ensuring benefits reach the youth from the lowest strata of the society.
iii. He said the ‘Start up India, Stand up India’ campaign has brought in new opportunities for the youth.


Indian Oil Corp tops in 2015 Fortune 500 companies in India list
i. State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has emerged as the country’s biggest company in terms of annual revenue as per an annual list of 2015 Fortune 500 companies in India. 
ii. IOC topped the list for consecutive sixth year with annual revenue of Rs. 4,51,911 crore. IOC was followed by Mukesh Ambani-led private sector Reliance Industries at the second place with a revenue of Rs. 3,82,565 crore. 
iii. Top ten companies 
  • Indian Oil Corp (IOC)
  • Reliance Industries
  • Tata Motors
  • State Bank of India (SBI)
  • Bharat Petroleum (BPCL)
  • Hindustan Petroleum
  • Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
  • Tata Steel
  • Hindalco Industries
  • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Tech Mahindra launches contactless wallet MoboMoney
i. IT major Tech Mahindra has launched first of its kind ‘Tap N Pay’ contactless digital payment wallet MoboMoney for the Indian masses. 
ii. MoboMoney has been billed as India’s first commercial NFC ecosystem rollout that would allow consumers to convert cash into e-cash for making payments. 
iii. MoboMoney is a prepaid wallet issued in the form of a Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless tag that could be used to ‘Tap N Pay’ for goods and services.


Union Govt brings 376 drugs under the NLEM
i. The Union Government has added 106 drugs including that of HIV/AIDS, Cancer and Hepatitis C to the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). 
ii. In this regard, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s core committee has revised the NLEM. The committee was headed by V.M. Katoch, former secretary of Department of Health Research. 
iii. The revision includes addition of 106 essential medicines and deletion of 70 medicines. 
iv. With this total number of essential medicines in the list has gone up to 376 from earlier 348 medicines. This move will ensure their availability across the country at affordable prices. 
v. The new list takes cues from the World Health Organisation (WHO’s) 2015 list of essential drugs and medicines that satisfies the priority healthcare needs of people and ensure affordability.

Veteran Bollywood actress Sadhna passes away
i. Veteran Bollywood actress Sadhna Shivdasani (mononymously known as Sadhana) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was 74. 
ii. She was renowned for his style statement and acting prowess in Bollywood in the 1960s and 70s. 


PM NaMo inaugurates new building of Afghanistan Parliament in Kabul
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new building of Afghanistan Parliament in the capital city Kabul built by India. 
ii. It was inaugurated during Narendra Modi’s first official visit to Afghanistan after becoming Prime Minister. 
iii. He also named one block of Parliament as Atal Block after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 
iv. Prime Minister also handed over 4 Mi-25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan Air Force symbolising a shift in India’s position on supplying ‘offensive’ equipment. 



Seychelles Govt allows India to build Naval Base on its Assumption Island
i. Seychelles government allowed India to build its first Naval Base on the Assumption Island in the Indian Ocean region (IOR) as a joint project between both countries. 
ii. In this regard, Seychelles government has allocated a plot of land on in its Assumption Island which will help to enhance mutual security along our western seaboard in IOR. 
iii. India’s first Naval Base project has acquired significance following China acquiring its first African naval base in Djibouti (near Horn of Africa) in November 2014.



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