Gk Update 6 July 2016

1. World's largest charkha unveiled at Delhi airport

i. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Minister Kalraj Mishra has unveiled the world’s largest Charkha at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, IGI in New Delhi.
ii. The idea behind displaying the Charkha at the airport is to highlight India’s quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. 
iii. The four tones Charkha made from high-quality Burma teak wood is estimated to last for over 50 years. It is 9 feet wide, 17 feet tall and 30 feet long. It was built in 55 days by a team of 42 skilled carpenters hailing from Ahmedabad.

2. Cabinet approvals :-

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mauritius in the field of Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation. 
ii. The 2nd approval is a joint issue of postage stamps between Department of Posts and Portugal Post. India and Portugal enjoy the excellent bilateral relationship with each other with frequent and active interaction through different platforms that allow both countries to exchange views on many of common issues of concern. 
iii. The Union Cabinet has also given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mozambique on Drug demand reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals and related matters.
iv. The Union Cabinet has also approved a long-term contract by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for import of pulses either through the private channels or Government-to-Government (G2G) sales through State Agencies nominated by the two countries. The MoU aims at promoting the production of Pigeon Peas/Tur and other pulses in Mozambique by encouraging a progressive increase in the trading of these pulses. 
v. The Union Cabinet has also approved a National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. The Scheme has an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore with a target of 50 lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20. It provides for incentivizing employers to engage apprentices. 
vi. The Union Cabinet has also approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Tanzania in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy. The MoU will provide structured framework for the cooperation between the two countries for the promotion and propagation of Indian Traditional Systems of Medicine & Homeopathy in Tanzania.
vii. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up a Major port at Enayam near Colachel in Tamil Nadu.  At present, there are only a few ports in India that have sufficient draft and can match global cargo handling efficiencies.
viii. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also approved an increase in foreign investment from the current approved level of 62% to 74% of the total paid-up share capital of the Axis Bank on a fully fungible basis. 

3. TRAI launches an app to track mobile data speed

i. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon start a consultation process to fix ‘quality of service’ rules for mobile data, including the average data speed for operators. 
ii. The regulator also launched a mobile app (TRAI Myspeed App) for measuring real-time internet speeds that consumers get. The data will be made available on the Trai Analytics Portal.
iii. Through the application, It will show mobile data speed of each operator in a given area on real time basis. 

4. President of India inaugurates swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi 

i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi.
ii. The President said that Swami Vivekananda, whose name adorns this beautiful auditorium was not only a good singer but was also an accomplished pakhawaj player. 
iii. He dedicated the Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar to all the gurus, students and disciples of Kathak and hoped that Swami Vivekananda will forever bless us with his vision of excellence. 

5. Rajasthan becomes first state to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers

i. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers. Labour Department has issued a notification in this regard. 
ii. As per the notification, it is now mandatory to pay 50 per cent of the prescribed a day minimum wage to a person who works for less than four hours in a day. 
iii. With this notification, part-time workers now come under the Minimum Wages Act 1948. In another decision, the government has increased minimum wages in all categories of scheduled employments by Rs 104 per month.

6. Nation pays homage to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death anniversary

i. Nation pays homage to the veteran leader and great freedom fighter and administrator Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death anniversary today at Samta Sthal near Rajghat in New Delhi.
ii. His political legacy reminds us of the fervor, idealism and indomitable spirit of India's political leadership that not only fought and won freedom for the country but also led the firm foundation for a modern democratic polity.

7. PM and the whole nation pays tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led Parliamentarians in paying tribute to former Parliamentarian, Minister in the first cabinet post independence and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary at the Parliament house.
ii. Mr. Mookerjee was not only a political activist but also a barrister and academician. He also served as Minister for Industry and Supply in the first Cabinet post-Independence. 
iii. He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 which was re-formed as the Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP in 1980.

8. World famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins

i. The world famous Rath Yatra or chariot festival of Lord Jagannath has begun today in Puri, Odisha as well as in different parts of the country. 
ii. Rath Yatra marks is an annual celebration of the journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balbhadra and sister Subhadra to the Gundicha temple.  
iii. The celebration ends nine days later with Bahuda Yatra or returns journey to their temple which will take place on the 14th of this month.

9. Aditya Birla Fashion acquires global clothing brand Forever 21

i. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has stated that it will acquire global clothing brand ’Forever 21’ in the Indian market for USD 26 million (around Rs. 175.52 Crore).
ii. Forever 21 has a network of more than 700 stores worldwide. Its India operations reported a turnover of 262 crore rupees in 2015-16.
iii. Aditya Birla Fashion executed a business transfer agreement with Diana Retail, Franchise of Forever 21, and DLF Brands for an acquisition of the business undertaking of Diana Retail under the Forever 21 brand. With this, Forever 21 business will form part of ABFRL’s Madura Fashion & Lifestyle division.

10. Centre appoints Thiruppathi as new AG of TN 

i. The Centre has announced the appointment of R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy as Accountant General, economic and revenue sector audit, of Tamil Nadu with immediate effect.
ii. Prior to this, he was serving as the Senior Deputy Accountant General in Agartala, Tripura, an official statement said.
iii. A 2000 batch officer of Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Venkatasamy is an alumni of University of Minnesota (US) and hails from Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.

11. Zee Learn appoints Debshankar Mukhopadhyay as CEO

i. Essel Group’s education arm Zee Learn has appointed Debshankar Mukhopadhyay as Chief Executive Officer.
ii. Mukhopadhyay has over 20 years of experience in educational and financial sectors across South Asia. Prior to joining Zee Learn, he was the Head of Educational Sales, Financial Services and Insurance at Manipal Global Education Services.
iii. He has also been associated with Max Life Insurance, Western Union, Scholastic India, Zee Interactive Learning Systems and DHL Worldwide.

12. Actress Noel Neill passes away aged 95

i. Noel Neill, the first actress to play Superman’s love interest, has passed away at the age of 95. 
ii. Neill was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1920, the daughter of Minneapolis Star Tribune news editor David Neill and the New York vaudeville performer LaVere Neill. 
iii. Neill has featured in several short films but soon gained leading lady status. In total, Neill made close to 100 films in her long and incredible career.

13. Acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami passed away

i. Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, whose 1997 film "Taste of Cherry" won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has passed away following a prolonged illness in Paris. He was suffering from Cancer and was 76 years old. 
ii. He was born in 1940 in Tehran and continued to work from Iran after the 1979 revolution. He had won more than 70 awards for his works.
iii. Kiarostami wrote and directed dozens of films over an illustrious career spanning more than 40 years. Kiarostami made his first film in 1970 titled The Bread and Alley that was just 12 minutes long. He also received the award from Martin Scorsese in the 2005 Marrakesh International Film Festival in Morocco. In 2016, he was among 683 film-makers who were asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

14. Annu Rani sets national record at National Interstate Athletics Championships

i. Javelin thrower Annu Rani has bettered her national record with a 59.87m throw at the 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Hyderabad. 
ii. Rani improved her previous meet mark with her first round 59.06m at G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium. However, her 59.87m throw came in the fourth round. 
iii. Annu Rani is the current national record holder in the javelin throw. She is supported by Olympic Gold Quest, a not-for-profit foundation that identifies and supports Indian athletes. 

15. Bengali actor Jeet acquires Kolkata team of PFL

i. Bengali cine star Jeet has acquired the Kolkata franchise of the first-ever multi-nation Premier Futsal League (PFL) scheduled to start on July 15.
ii. The team will be known as 'Kolkata 5s' as each franchise will be similarly named in the inaugural season.
iii. The owners will be allowed to rebrand their respective teams from season two.