Daily GK Update - 27th December 2014

1. Nadella to help in digital India initiative.

i. Microsoft’s chief Satya Nadella,pledged support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative.

ii. Mr. Nadella also met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and discussed modernisation and security of the government’s digital infrastructure, among other issues.

iii. “The Minister (Prasad) shared with Mr. Nadella the initiative of Digital India taken by this government headed by the Prime Minister. He told the Microsoft CEO that Digital India is designed to bridge the gap between haves and have-nots,” Communication and IT Ministry said in a statement.

2. NYK Auto to set up Ro-Ro terminal at Pipavav port.

i. NYK Auto Logistics (India), a part of automotive ocean transportation and logistics major NYK Group of Tokyo, has entered into an agreement with Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd. (APM Terminals Pipavav) to set up a dedicated Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) automobile yard at Pipavav port in Gujarat.

ii. Under the arrangement, Gujarat Pipavav Port has sub-leased 85,000 sq. meters of land for 10 years inside its premises to NYK Auto to develop a dedicated common user integrated Ro-Ro terminal.

iii. NYK group operates 18 Ro-Ro terminals globally, including seven in China, Thailand and Singapore.

iv. Gujarat Pipavav Port will provide all the port and related facilities for ensuring smooth and seamless flow of automobile cargo.

3.DRDO conducts maiden test-flight of Panchi

i. Panchi, the wheeled version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Nishant, capable of taking off from and landing on small airstrips, had its maiden flight from an airfield at Kolar in Karnataka.

ii. The aim of the flight, which lasted 25 minutes, was “to demonstrate that Panchi can take off and land on its wheels. 

iii. Panchi was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility at Bengaluru.

4. Tata Motors flags off 123 AC buses in Ahmedabad

i. Tata Motors, country's largest automobile company, on Friday flagged off 123 new air conditioned (AC) buses in Ahmedabad, equipped with automatic transmission.

ii. These buses are in addition to the order bagged by Tata Motors for 3,200 buses under the JNNURM-phase II scheme and are meant to reduce driver fatigue and provide for a superior commuting experience.

iii. The buses, built by Tata Marcopolo, are being operated by private operators.

5. Trevor Bull appointed as CEO and MD of Aviva India Life Insurance.

i. Trevor Bull was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Aviva India Life Insurance Ltd.

ii. He succeeded TR Ramachandran who led Aviva India since October 2008. Bull will take charge of the post from January 2015.

6. Ankita wins maiden ITF singles title

i.  India’s Ankita Raina overwhelmed British teenager Katy Dunne in straight sets in a one-sided final to lift her maiden $25,000 ITF singles title at the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune.

ii. This was the India no.1 woman singles player’s maiden $25,000 title and the 294-ranked Ankita expressed her delight over becoming the first from the host nation to clinch a title in the tournament after 14 years.

iii. Ankita earned 50 WTA points, She broke her rival’s serve five times in two sets while dropping her own only once in the title clash.

7. Amitabh Bachchan honoured with Yash Chopra Memorial Award

i. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award, and said that he is still striving to deliver his best in the Indian film industry.

ii Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao honoured him with the award, which was given to Lata Mangeshkar last year. 

iii. The second edition of the award ceremony was organised by the TSR Foundation, headed by Reddy. Other celebrities like Simi Garewal, Jaya Prada and late filmmaker Yash Chopra’s wife Pamela Chopra were present at the event.