Daily Current Affairs- 12th January 2017

Dear Readers, we are presenting Daily Current Affairs for All Exams- 12th January 2017. Daily Current Affairs and General Knowledge is very helpful for IBPS Bank Exams, SBI , RBI Assistant,NIACL, SSC and Railway Exams.

1. Second Scorpene class submarine INS Khanderi launched

1. INS Khanderi, the second Scorpene class submarine was launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

2. It is the second of the six submarines being built at MDL in collaboration with France’s DCNS as part of Project 75 of Indian Navy.

2. Guided Pinaka successfully test-fired

1. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur (Odisha). 

2. The test-firing met all mission objectives. The flight-path Guided Pinaka was tracked and monitored by the radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur.

3. January 12: National Youth Day 

1. The National Youth Day is observed every year on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. 

2. Observance of the day seeks to propagate the philosophy and the ideals of Swami Vivekananda for which he lived and worked. It will also help and act as a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth. Several functions are being organised across the country to mark the occasion. 

3. To celebrate this day, the 21st National Youth Festival was held in Rohtak, Haryana. The theme this Festival was ‘Youth for Digital India’.

4. Daniel Ortega sworn in for 3rd term as Nicaragua’s President 

1. Daniel Ortega (71) was sworn in for a third consecutive term as President in Nicaragua. He is President of the Central American nation since 2007. 

2. Besides, his wife Rosario Murillo took oath as the new Vice President. With this, the married couple reins of power for the first time in the Central American country’s history.

5. PR Sreejesh becomes member of FIH Athletes’ Committee 

1. The Indian hockey team captain PR Sreejesh became a member of International Hockey Federation (FIH) Athletes’ Committee. The committee comprises a total of eight current and former hockey players.

2. It has the responsibility to act as a liaison between the FIH and the athletes to make sure the players have voice in the FIH decision making process. 

6. Axis Bank becomes third lender to offer block chain service 

1. Private sector Axis Bank became the third lender in the country to announce usage of block chain solutions for its operations. For this purpose, Axis Bank has tied up with fintech firm Ripple. The bank will use this upcoming technology for its cross-border remittances. 2. India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank was the first to announce block chain solutions in for international trade finance and remittances in October 2016.

3. It was followed up by Yes Bank (launched in January 2017) for its will be using the technology for vendor financing.

7. Virat Kohli appointed as brand ambassador Gionee 

1. Chinese mobile handset brand Gionee has roped in Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli as the brand ambassador. The poster boy for Indian cricket will joining Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador of Gionee. 

2. The Chinese company which had entered India in 2012 clocked $1.4 billion (`9,500 crore) of revenue in India in 2016 by selling 1.2 crore handsets.

8. Government to sell 51% stake in Pawan Hans

1. Moving ahead with the strategic sale of Pawan Hans, the government today said it will sell its entire 51 per cent stake and transfer the management control of the helicopter service operator. Pawan Hans is a joint venture where state-owned ONGC holds 49 per cent.

2. The government has sought applications from entities to act as transaction advisor for the proposed disinvestment of its stake in the company. 

3. Set up in 1985, Pawan Hans currently has a fleet of 46 helicopters. It was incorporated with the primary objective of providing helicopter support services to the oil sector for off-shore exploration operations, services in remote and hilly areas as well as for charter services.

9. India’s first Madame Tussauds museum to open in June in Delhi

1. The first wax museum attraction Madame Tussauds will debut in Delhi this June with its operator Merlin Entertainments foraying into India with an investment plan of 50 million pounds over the next 10 years.

2. UK-based Merlin Enterprises runs 116 attractions in 24 countries and the company will be foraying into the Indian market with the launch of Madame Tussauds in the national capital.

10. Airtel Payments Bank Launched in all 29 States

1. Promoters of Airtel Payments Bank, which has gone national today, have committed themselves to an initial investment of Rs. 3,000 crore in the venture, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said on Thursday.

2. While Bharti Airtel has 80 per cent stake, Kotak Mahindra Bank has 20 per cent stake in Airtel Payments Bank.

3. The nationwide launch of Airtel Payments Bank was done at the hands of the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the capital on Thursday.

4. On April 11 last year, Airtel Payments Bank had become the first entity in India to receive a payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India.