GK Digest: January 2017 www.BankExamsToday.Com 1/2/2017 Ramandeep Singh GK Digest: January 2017 Table of Contents Recent National and international awards 201653 Current Affairs ............................................................. 1 SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARDS WINNER LISTS 2016 Important Appointments in India - 2016 ............... 1 ...................................................................................... 57 Latest List of Indian banks - Their Heads and Famous Books, Authors and Biographies: For Head Office (Dec 2016) .............................................. 6 Upcoming Exams ...................................................... 59 Heads of Important International Organizations : Books - Autobiography ........................................ 59 December 2016 ........................................................... 9 Books – Authors – Awards (2016).......................... 59 18 Interesting Facts about Indian Railways ......... 11 50 Most Famous Books of 2016 ............................ 60 Total Number of Railway Zones in India : 17 (list List of Lifetime Achievement Awards 2016 enclosed) ..................................................................... 12 Winners ....................................................................... 64 Persons and Places in News - 10th Dec to 25th List of Important Days With Themes .................... 67 Dec 2016 ..................................................................... 13 Medals won by Indians in 2016 ............................. 70 Places in News ........................................................... 14 Awards and Honours in 2016 (Sep to Dec) ......... 72 ......... 17 ICC Awards ODI and Test Teams: 2016 ................ 22 ICC ODI Team of the Year 2016 ............................. 23 Current Affairs ICC Test Team of the Year 2016 ............................. 24 List of Current Heads of International Organisations ............................................................. 25 PM launches UPI based mobile payment Heads of Important Organizations in India......... 26 app called BHIM Awards and Honours in India 2016-17 ................. 29 . Urging people to make digital payments a "habit" to make the country a cashless List of Arjuna Awards Winners 2016 ................. 29 economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi List of Dhronacharya Awards Winners 2016 .. 30 launched a mobile app for the Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Padma Vibhushan Awardees ................................. 31 . The application, which will be common across all banks and financial institutions, is called Padma Bhushan Awardees ..................................... 32 BHIM (Bharat Interface for Mobile). Padma Shri Awardees .............................................. 33 . The BHIM app will empower the poorest of the poor National Bravery Awards 2016 .............................. 39 . It is for the small merchant, farmers in far-flung areas, tribals. The Asian Awards 2016 ........................................... 41 . Adding that the BHIM app doesn't even require Dada Saheb Phalke Awards 2016 .......................... 42 an Internet connection since it can also work on simple feature phones Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2016 ................. 43 . Aadhaar-based payments system would be Nobel Prize 2016 ....................................................... 45 added to the app in the next two weeks 58th Annual Grammy Awards 2016 ...................... 46 www.BankExamsToday.Com Page 1 GK Digest: January 2017 Tax treaty with Singapore amended to . The highest bridge in the world, set at a height of 1,854 feet, opened to traffic in China on bring parity with Cyprus, Mauritius Thursday. The 1,341-metre-long Beipanjiang Bridge, soars . India has amended its over two-decade old tax over a river and connects the Guizhou and treaty with Singapore that will allow it to tax Yunnan mountainous provinces. capital gains on investments from the South . It has reportedly reduced travel time from four East Asian nation, a significant milestone in hours to one hour. It cost $144 million (over Rs. plugging round-tripping of funds after changes 977 crore) to build, Chinese media reported. to treaties with Mauritius and Cyprus. Short-term capital gains in India face tax at the rate of 15% while there is an exemption for First transgender principal of an Indian long-term gains. college quits . A statement from Singapore government said the updated DTAA preserves the existing tax . The first transgender principal of an Indian exemption on capital gains for shares acquired college, Manabi Bandopadhyay, submitted her before 1April 2017, while providing a resignation, ending her 19 month-long tenure as transitional arrangement for shares acquired on the head of Krishnagar Women’s College in West or after 1 April 2017. Bengal. Manabi cited indiscipline and lack of Lionel Messi named World's Best cooperation from students and colleagues as the reason behind the decision. “I was tired Playmaker of 2016 by IFFHS of...regular agitations...by students and teachers," she said. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was named the World's Best Playmaker for the second consecutive year by International Sindhu unveiled as official face of 2nd Federation of Football History & Statistics Int'l Kite Festival (IFFHS). Messi topped the list with 172 points followed . Rio Olympics silver medal-winning shuttler PV by Andres Iniesta (66 points) and Toni Kroos (45 Sindhu was unveiled as the official face of the points). Notably, this year's Ballon d'Or winner 2nd International Kite Festival to be held from Cristiano Ronaldo does not feature in the list 12th to 17th January in Hyderabad. The festival is organized by Telangana Tourism BITS students develop first aid app with and Incredible India, among others, to celebrate Red Cross Society Sankranthi. The state Tourism Minister Azmeera Chandulal . Six students from the Birla Institute of was also present at the announcement Technology and Science have developed a first- ceremony. aid app in collaboration with the Indian Red Cross Society. The Android-based app contains instructions 7-year-old Kush creates history in Youth and information regarding medical Chess Championship emergencies. Other features include a one-tap . Seven-year-old Kush Bhagat created history call feature to connect with the National after winning three gold medals in the 1st Emergency Helpline and using GPS on the Western Asia Youth Chess Championship in Al phone to locate all the nearest hospitals. Ain Chess Club in UAE. The 2nd class student from Mumbai became the World's highest bridge opens in China only Indian to win in all three categories - rapid, blitz and standard - in the competition. www.BankExamsToday.Com Page 2 GK Digest: January 2017 . Kush won against 158 participants from 20 centre for international and domestic different countries. arbitration” Sorin Grindeanu named Romania's new Amul's 'India 3.0' book launched Prime Minister . Covering topical grounds and popular incidents from the contemporary context, Indian dairy . Romania's President Klaus Iohannis on Friday cooperative Amul launched the updated edition named Sorin Grindeanu from the ruling Social of 'Amul's India 3.0'. Democrat party as the country's new prime . The book was unveiled by social commentator minister. Santosh Desai, Amul's Managing Director R.S. Grindeanu now faces a confidence vote in Sodhi, and journalists Indrajit Hazra, Rahul Da parliament on his programme and cabinet Cunha and Jai Arjun Singh. They shared many nominees. Earlier, President Iohannis had insights and observations shared about the turned down the party's first choice Sevil iconic 'Amul Girl' Shhaideh, an economist who would have become Romania's first female Muslim PM. Central Board Of Direct Taxes Signs 2 Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements Institutionalisation Of Arbitration . The Central Board of Direct Taxes or CBDT has Mechanism: Justice Srikrishna To Head signed two more unilateral advance pricing agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers as it The Committee looks to reduce litigation by providing certainty in transfer pricing. The Union Government has constituted a High . The two APAs signed on Thursday pertain to the Level Committee in the Ministry of Law and information technology and automobile sectors. Justice to be headed by former Supreme Court The international transactions covered in these Justice, BN Shrikrishna. agreements include software development . According a press note published at the Press services, IT enabled services, manufacturing and Information Bureau website, this committee will business support services review the institutionalization of Arbitration . With this, the total number of APAs entered into Mechanism in India. by the CBDT has reached 117. This includes 7 . Apart from Justice(retd) BN Shrikrishna as its bilateral APAs and 110 Unilateral APAs. Chairman, the committee will comprise of another former Supreme Court judge RV Raveendran, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat of the State Bank of India ties up with Delhi High Court, Senior Advocate K.K. Magicbricks.com Venugopal, PS Narasimha, Additional Solicitor General of India, Senior Advocate Indu . State Bank of IndiaBSE 0.89 %, the country’s Malhotra, Araghya Sengupta, Director, Vidhi largest bank has tied up with online classifieds Centre for Legal Policy, a representative of portal magicbricks.com, to conduct joint Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce marketing activites and help rejuvenate the real and Industry (FICCI), a representative