Daily GK Update 24th March 2020: Read Daily GK-Current Affairs Update

Table of Contents

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about the banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 24th March 2020 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

National News

1. 1st ‘Made in India’ COVID19 Test Kit gets CDSCO approval

“Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit” has become the first ‘Made in India’ COVID19 Test Kit to get the CDSCO approval. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has given the commercial approval to the COVID-19 diagnostic test kit made by Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd which is also known as the Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.

2. ECI defers Rajya Sabha elections amid coronavirus pandemic

The Election Commission of India has deferred the Rajya Sabha elections amid rising risk of rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic. Elections to 18 seats of Rajya Sabha were scheduled to be held on 26 March 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Chief Election Commissioner: Sunil Arora.
Chairman of Rajya Sabha: M. Venkaiah Naidu.

3. IOC becomes 1st company to begin supply of BS-VI fuel across India

India’s biggest oil firm, Indian Oil Corporation Limited has started supplying BS-VI fuel across India. With this, Indian Oil Corporation Limited has become 1st company to begin supply of BS-VI fuel across its 28,000 petrol pumps. The Government of India has set 01st April 2020 as the deadline to start the supply of BS-VI emission compliant fuels. BS (Bharat Satge)-VI grade fuel is the world’s cleanest fuel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Limited: Sanjiv Singh.

4. UK confirmed as first co-chair of India led CDRI

The United Kingdom has been confirmed as the first co-chair of the Governing Council of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is an India-led global climate initiative which was established by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 held in New York City, USA.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Prime Minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson.
Capital of the United Kingdom: London.
The currency of the United Kingdom: UK Pound.

International News

5. Canada withdraws from Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Canada has become the first country in the world to withdraw from Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The decision has been taken in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo 2020 Olympics was scheduled to be held in Japan from 24th July to 9th August 2020. Miraitowa is the official mascot of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Most Important Takeaways for Upcoming Competitive Exams:

Prime Minister of Japan: Shinzo Abe; Capital of Japan: Tokyo.
Currency of Japan: Japanese yen.

State News

6. Gujarat Police becomes 1st state police to introduce taser guns

The Gujarat Police is now equipped with taser guns as a part of their modernization drive to ensure public safety and security. By introducing the taser guns as part of police weapons, Gujarat becomes the first state in India. The taser guns (electrical weapon) use compressed nitrogen to fire, by sending electricity through attached wires, which disrupt voluntary control of muscles.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Chief Minister of Gujarat: Vijay Rupani; Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Dev Vrat.
Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a gravity dam on the Narmada river near Navagam, Gujarat.

7. Shivraj Singh Chouhan takes oath as Madhya Pradesh CM

Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He took oath for the fourth time as Chief Minister. Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath resigned just before the Supreme Court’s deadline to prove his majority in a trust vote.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.
Bandhavgarh National Park is in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This biodiverse park is known for its large population of royal Bengal tigers, especially in the central Tala zone.

Banking News

8. Charges for ATM cash withdrawal waived for 3 months

Union Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman Charges announced that cash withdrawal from other bank ATMs and penalties for non-maintenance of minimum balance in bank savings accounts have been waived for 3 months. This has been done to make sure that individuals don’t visit bank branches to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs: Anurag Singh Thakur.

9. Karur Vysya Bank launches pre-paid card “Enkasu”

Karur Vysya Bank has launched India’s 1st pre-paid card Enkasu (My cash in Tamil) in Karur, Tamil Nadu under its Quit cash movement. The card functions on Near Field Communication Technology (NFC) in a semi closed-loop & the customers buying this card can make ‘tap & go’ payments for even small purchases to merchants from an amount of Rs. 1 to doing away with the need for cash & small change.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Headquarters of Karur Vysya Bank: Karur, Tamil Nadu.
MD & CEO of Karur Vysya Bank: P. R. Seshadri.
Tagline of Karur Vysya Bank: Smart Way to Bank.

Awards News

10. The Abel Prize Laureates 2020 announced

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has named Hillel Furstenberg from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and Gregory Margulis from Yale University, the USA as winners of the Abel Prize 2020 for their “pioneering use of methods from probability & dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics”. They share the prize & the amount of Norwegian Krone 7.5 Million (USD 8.3400).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Niels Henrik Abel’s (Norway mathematician who made pioneering contributions during a sort of fields) birth, the Abel Prize was established by the Norwegian government in 2002.
Capital of Norway: Oslo.
Prime Minister of Norway: Erna Solberg.
The currency of Norway: Norwegian Krone.

Books and Authors

11. A book titled ‘Legacy Of Learning’ authored by Savita Chhabra released

Savita Chhabra has launched her first novel titled ‘Legacy of Learning’. She is the chairperson at Hygienic Research Institute Private Limited (HRIPL). The novel offers simplistic and relatable interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita in an attempt to connect the youth of India to the age-old, but relevant scriptures.

Important Days

12. World Tuberculosis Day observed globally on 24 March

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed globally on 24th March every year to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The theme of World TB Day 2020 is ‘It’s time’.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

TB is a disease which in humans is usually caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis).
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the WHO’s Director-General.
WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

13. International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims

International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed annually on 24th March every year. This day is observed on 24th March every year to pay tribute to “Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero” as he was murdered on 24 March 1980. The day aims to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Secretary General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

Miscellaneous News

14. Reliance sets up India’s 1st COVID-19 dedicated hospital in Mumbai

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has set up India’s first COVID-19 dedicated hospital in Mumbai. Reliance Foundation has opened this Hospital in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai. All beds in the hospital are equipped with the required infrastructure, bio-medical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: