Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 4th January, 2017

Cabinet approves ratifying an agreement between India, Uruguay regarding cooperation in Customs Matters
i.Cabinet has approved signing and ratifying an agreement between India and Uruguay regarding cooperation and mutual assistance in Customs Matters.
ii.The Agreement will help in the availability of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of customs offences. 

Election commission announces poll dates for five state Assembly 

i.The Election Commission today announced the dates for the assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.ii. Uttar Pradesh, the biggest state in the country, will go to polls in seven phases for 403 seats on 11th February, 15th February, 19th February, 23rd February, 27th February, 4th March and on 8th March. 


EPFO launches a campaign to enrol more workers, sets Re 1 fine for late registration
i.Encouraging firms to enrol their workers under schemes run by retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a three-month campaign has been launched beginning 1 January  2017 where employers will get amnesty and pay just Re 1 as damages for not registering their employees earlier. 
ii.To be called ‘Enrollment and Establishment coverage campaign 2017’.


Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar sworn-in as 44th Chief Justice of India
i.Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar has been sworn-in as the 44th Chief Justice of India. President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Khehar at a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan on 4 January 2017. 
ii.He replaced Justice TS Thakur whose tenure ended.
iii.Justice Khehar’s tenure will be till 27 August 2017.


Uttar Pradesh: Digi Dhan Mela being organised in Meerut
i.In Uttar Pradesh, day-long Digi Dhan Mela is being organised by the central government and the financial institutions in Meerut on 4 January 2017. 
ii.Through such Melas, common people are motivated towards higher usage of digital transactions by offering incentives like Lucky Grahak Yojana for Consumers and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for Merchants.


Google introduces tools for small businesses in India
i.Google India has created two tools  My Business and Digital Unlocked for the small and medium businesses in India,that would help to create an online presence, besides a digital training programme. 
ii.It is an India first tool which introduced this year. Google My Business would help small businesses set up website from their mobile devices. 


Nepal Hosts Elephant Festival in Chitwan to Boost Tourism
i.The 13th edition of Nepal’s five-day Chitwan Elephant Festival kicked off in Kathmandu with the participation of over 50 elephants. 
ii.The annual festival which brings fun, sports and adventure together was inaugurated on Monday in Sauraha, the gateway to Chitwan National Park 




Finland First Country to introduces basic income for unemployed
i.Finland has become the first country in the world to pay a basic income to randomly picked citizens on a national level in an aiming at dismissing poverty, motivate people to join work force and decrease unemployment.
ii.It is conducted with 2,000 randomly picked unemployed participants between the ages of 25 and 58.


Britain Ambassador to the Europe Union Quits
i.The U.K.’s ambassador to the European Union Ivan Rogers resigned from his post.
ii.Sir Mark Ivan Rogers KCMG (born 1960) is a senior British civil servant, who was the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union from 4 November 2013 until his resignation on 3 January 2017


Brijesh Patel and other two KSCA office-bearers resign
A day after the Supreme Court removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as President and Secretary of the BCCI for obstructing Lodha Panel reforms, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) bearers Brijesh Patel, Ashok Anand and Dayanand Pai, have resigned from the posts of KSCA Secretary, President and Treasurer.




Mithali Raj to lead India in Women’s World Cup Qualifier
i.Seasoned player Mithali Raj will skipper the Indian women’s cricket team for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup qualifiers to be played from February 3 to 21 in Colombo.
ii.The team comprises of most of the prominent names in the squad which guided India to clinch the women’s T20 Asia Cup 2016 title in December last year by beating arch-rivals Pakistan.