Daily GK : 7 December 2016

National & International Appointment

1. JS Khehar to be next Chief Justice of India

• Supreme Court judge Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar  will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• He will succeed Justice T. S. Thakur.
• Justice Khehar will be sworn in as CJI (44th ) on 4th January 2017 and  hold the post till 28th August, 2017.
• He will be the first Sikh to be India’s Chief Justice.
• Justice Khehar was appointed as a judge to the apex court on September 13, 2011.

Note:

• The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is the head of the judiciary of India and the Supreme Court of India.
• As head of the supreme court, the chief justice is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches which deal with important matters of law.

International Affairs

2. Singapore tops global education rankings

• Singapore has the highest achieving students in international education rankings.
• It is are based on tests taken by 15-year olds in more than 70 countries.
• The influential Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa rankings) run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD).
• The Pisa provides education rankings based on international tests taken by 15-year olds in maths, reading and science.

Banking & Finance

3. Govt. asks banks to install additional 10 lakh POS to promote digital transactions

• The Union Government has asked banks to install 10 lakh additional Point of Sale (PoS) terminals by March 2017 to promote digital transactions across the country.
• Banks have already placed orders for 6 lakh PoS machines.
• Currently, about 15 lakh PoS terminals across different merchants to facilitate card based payments.
• The government has also waived 16.5% excise duty payable on acquisition till 31st March 2017.

Note:

• A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is a computerised replacement for a cash register.
• The POS system can include the ability to record and track customer orders, process credit and debit cards, connect to other systems in a network and manage inventory.

4. RBI monetary policy: Governor Urjit Patel keeps repo rate unchanged

• Today, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its key short-term lending rate, or repo rate, unchanged at 6.25 percent.
• The Reserve Bank's 6-member Monetary Policy Committee unanimously decided to maintain status quo.
• The Reverse repo rate, the Marginal Standing Facility and the Bank Rate were also kept unchanged.
• In its monetary policy review, the central bank also lowered its GDP growth forecast to 7.1 % for this fiscal, from the earlier 7.6 %, due to short-term disruption in economic activities from demonetisation.
• The Reserve Bank also withdraw the 100 % incremental Cash Reserve Ratio from December 10.

 National Affairs 

5. IISF-2016 to begin in New Delhi from today

• The five-day festival IISF-2016 is being held from today at CSIR National Physical Laboratory Campus in New Delhi and will continue till 11th December.
• It will showcase India’s achievements and progress in the field of science and technology with a focus on science for masses.
• The festival will provide an opportunity to the young minds to inculcate scientific temper and exchange ideas in scientific research.

6. Chandrababu launches AP Purse mobile app to promote digital transactions

• Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu has launched AP Purse mobile app featuring 13 mobile banking and 10 mobile wallet options in Vijayawada.
• Now, people can pay their bills using the app and carry out their cashless transactions.
• The State government has introduced cashless transactions at fair price shops and completed 70% of transactions using Aadhaar linkage to provide relief to people suffering from the shortage of small currency.

7. Odisha to appoint 1000 Banking correspondents in unbanked gram panchyats

• The Odisha government has decided to appoint 1 thousand Banking correspondents in about 1 thousand unbanked gram panchyats spread across 107 blocks across the State.
• Banks will appoint Banking correspondents through the Odisha Livelihoods Mission(OLM) in unbanked rural areas to help the people who are facing difficulties due to the effect of demonetization.
• In the next six month,around 6 thousand banking correspondents will be recruited in all 6 thousand gram panchyats of the state to assist people for the cashless transaction.

Obituaries

8. Noted journalist Cho Ramaswamy passes away

• Senior political satirist and founder editor of 'Thuglak magazine' Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy (82-year) passed away due to cardiac arrest in a Chennai(Tamil Nadu).
• He was an advisor to former Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
• Cho Ramaswamy was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1999 to 2005.

 Important Dates

9. Armed Forces Flag Day being observed

• Today is Armed Forces Flag Day (Flag Day of India),Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recalled the sacrifices of brave Indian soldiers on the day.
• The day is dedicated towards the collection of funds from people for the welfare of the Armed Forces personnel.
• It has been observed annually on this day since 1949.

10. Ambedkar's birth anniversary to be observed as 'Water Day'

• Dr BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary to be observed as 'Water Day' on 14 April across the India.
• The day will be observed to mark Ambedkar’s contribution in water resource management of the country.