GK and Current Affairs Updates

E-commerce giant Flipkart on 1 April 2016 announced that it has acquired payments start-up PhonePe Internet Pvt. Ltd.
•    The start-up PhonePe was launched in December 2015 by former Flipkart executives Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari and Burzin Engineer.
•    As per the deal of acquisition, PhonePe will function as an independent business unit. The details of the transaction were not disclosed, however, the deal is not cash transaction.
•    PhonePe is Flipkart’s third major acquisition in payments, after it bought payments start-up NGPay in 2014, and FX Mart Pvt. Ltd, which owns a prepaid wallet licence, in August 2015.
•    Founded in December 2015, Phonepe is building a product where payments can be made by just using mobile number.
•    The product is based on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a new process in electronic funds transfer being launched by National Payments Corporation of India.
•    The PhonePe team will join Flipkart but will function as an independent business unit.
•    The UPI is a part of a set of government programmes and technologies, together called India Stack, that companies can use to slash costs in offline authentication and provide services legally approved by the government to anyone with a mobile phone. The UPI is set to be formally launched in April.

British entertainer Ronnie Corbett, best known for BBC comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies, died on 31 March 2016. He was 85.
•    Corbett achieved prominence in David Frost's 1960s satirical comedy programme The Frost Report and subsequently starred in sitcoms such as No – That's Me Over Here!, Now Look Here and Sorry!.
•    Corbett's BBC television comedy show with Ronnie Barker, The Two Ronnies, ranfrom 1971 to 1987. Barker and Corbett performed sketches and musical numbers. Corbett presented a monologue.
•    Corbett's best-known role away from The Two Ronnies was as the 40-something Timothy Lumsden, dominated by his mother, in the sitcom Sorry!
•    The entertainer was awarded with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity.
•    He had a brother about six years younger, and a sister about ten years younger than him.
•    Corbett was educated at James Gillespie's High School and the Royal High School in the city, but did not attend university. 
•    After leaving school, he decided he wanted to be an actor while performing in amateur theatricals at a church youth club. His first job, however, was with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Kachhabali village in Bhim tehsil of Rajsamand District became the first in Rajasthan to vote to close down its only liquor shop.
•    The polling was conducted by the excise department of the state on 29 March 2016 and around 94% of the voters said that they want a complete ban on the sale of alcohol in the village.
•    The vote was carried out under the Rajasthan Excise Rules, according to which any panchayat can decide to close a liquor shop in the village if 50% of its residents vote for it.
•    The poll was the result of a campaign that started on Republic Day in 2016, led by Geeta, the sarpanch, under whose guidance a voting session had also been organised on 29 February 2016.
•    This is the first time the provision of the Rajasthan Excise Act, 1975, that provides for the closure of a country liquor shop, was invoked.
•    Under this provision, 51% of all registered voters, not just those present and voting, should opt to close down the shop.
•    Before the poll is held, at least 20% of the voters of the gram panchayat or municipal ward must seek a referendum on the issue, in a letter to the district 

collector.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 31 March 2016 launched the Phase I of Green Delhi initiative by planting trees at the Triangular Park at the ITO Chowk.
•    The launch of the initiative is in tune with the Detailed Action Plan (DAP) that was submitted by the Delhi Government to the Supreme Court in December 2015.
•    The DAP deals with the steps being taken to improve air quality and reduce air pollution in the National Capital.
•    Vaccum cleaning of all Public Works Department (PWD) roads will be started at regular intervals starting from 1 April 2016.
•    To avoid dust rising from unpaved footpaths and central verges, the central verges of the 1260 kilometres of road maintained by the PWD will be bedded with grass and greenery. This initiative will include kutcha portion under flyovers.
•    Pollution absorbing shrubs such as Thevetianerefolia (Pila Kaner), Nerium oleander (LalKaner), Calliandrabrevipes (Powder puff) and Bougainvilleas and trees such a Ficusinfectoria (Pilkhan), Cassia Siamea will be planted.
•    For the Phase I, from April to May 2016, 2 crore rupees were allocated by the Government.
•    The Phase II will cover the remaining parts that are not covered by the Phase I and will be executed between July 2016 and September 2016.

ZahaHadid, the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) gold medal, died on 31 March 2016 due to heart attack in Miami. The Iraqi-born British architect died at the age of 65.
•    In 2004, Hadid became the first woman and first Muslim recipient to win the Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel for architecture.
•    Born in Baghdad in 31 October 1950, she first studied mathematics at the American University in Lebanon, before pursuing architecture at the Architectural Association in London in 1972.
•    Hadid, who was known for her neofuturistic design, was recently awarded the 2016 Royal Gold Medal in architecture by RIBA.
•    Hadid designed the London Aquatics Centre, which was used during the 2012 London Olympics.
•    She also designed the Al Wakrah Stadium, which is under construction for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
•    She received the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011.
•    She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2012 for services to architecture.

Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) on 29 March 2016 named JitendraJagota, Director Legal & Government Affairs at Avon Beauty Products, as its Chairman.
•    Jagota succeeds RajatBanerji, who serves as National Head, Corporate Affairs at Amway India.
•    Jagota was appointed the Chairman during the Association’s new Executive Committee was announced at the General Body Meeting held in New Delhi.
•    The new Executive Committee comprised of VivekKatoch as Vice Chairman, RajatBanerji as Treasurer, and RiniSanyal as Secretary.
•    The elected members of the IDSA will each serve one-year term for financial year 2016-17.
•     IDSA- The Indian Direct Selling Association is an autonomous, self-regulatory body for the direct selling industry in India.
•    The Association acts as an interface between the industry and policy-making bodies of the Government facilitating the cause of direct selling industry in India.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on 30 March 2016 announced that France will end its Operation Sangaris in the Central African Republic in 2016.
•    The decision was taken in view of the achievement of the objective of its military intervention in the country. The mission was launched with the objective of restoring security in the country after three years of communal violence.
•   The announcement came alongside the swearing in ceremony of Faustin ArchangeTouadera as the first elected President of the nation in three years.
•    The pullout will be in parallel with the build-up of the 12000-strong UN force, MINUSCA, and the European Union's training mission (EUTM RCA). At present it has been reduced from 2500 at its peak in December 2013 to 900. Around 300 French troops will remain in CAR, who will rejoin MINUSCA and take part in EUTM RCA.
•    The Operation was launched by France in December 2013 to support the African Union-led International Support Mission to the CAR (MISCA). The MISCA was formed with the adoption of Resolution 2127 by the United Nation Security Council (UNSC).
•    The resolution was adopted against the background of killing of thousands during the religious and ethnic violence between Christians and Muslims in the country that took place in March 2013 plunging the country into a civil war.
•    CAR plunged into the civil war in March 2013, when Muslim Seleka rebels ousted President Francois Bozize and installed their leader Michel Djotodia in power for 10 months. Later in 2014, a transitional government was brought in under international pressure.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 31st march 2016 announced a 'happiness ministry' to measure the state's    progress.
•    While United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the only country to create posts of minister of happiness in the government, Chouhan joined chorus to ensure that a welfare state cannot only deal with politics and economy.
•    The state will be made responsible for happiness and tolerance of its citizens and will rope in psychologists to counsel people how to be always happy.
•    Shivraj related happiness to developments in the country, showering praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by putting him on the pedestal of god for the third time in three weeks. 
•    Madhya Pradesh is the first Indian state to have a ‘Ministry of Happiness’ to measure state’s growth.
•    UAE created the post of ‘Minisitry of Happiness and Tolerance’ in 2016, Venezuela created a ‘Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness’ in 2013.

Google has announced Fiber Phone, that the company would be adding a home telephone service to its existing Fiber high-speed internet and cable TV offerings. 
•    Landlines can be familiar, reliable and provide high-quality service, but the technology hasn’t always kept up. 
•    It's a modernized, use-it-anywhere service that borrows a lot from Google Voice.
•    Fiber Phone costs $10 per month, and gives unlimited local and nationwide calling. 
•    When you need to place an international call, the rates are identical to Google Voice. 
•    Fiber Phone borrows other features from Voice, too. "Fiber number lives in the cloud," according to Google. You can use it on almost any phone, tablet or laptop. 
•    Fiber Phone isn't launching in all of Fiber's current cities; instead, it'll be rolling out in phases. 
•    The introduction of phone service (and thus a potential triple play package) makes Google look a bit more like typical cable provider.

The Union Government has launched the Start-up India portal and mobile application. It was launched by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek in New Delhi as an integral component of the Action Plan of the Start-up India. 
•    The portal and mobile app provide up-to- date information issued by various Government ministries/ departments. 
•    They will also provide information regarding incubators and funding agencies recognized for the purpose of recommending Start-ups. 
•    It was established within Invest India, will be a single point of contact for the entire Start-up ecosystem. 
•    It would enable exchange of knowledge and will work in a hub and spoke model with Governments, Angel Funds, VCs, Incubators, Mentors, etc. 
•    It will assist Start-ups on all aspects through their lifecycle such as providing mentorship, incubator facilities, IPR support, funding etc. 
•    It provides simple and user friendly process of recognition for start-ups listed in the Start-up India Action Plan. 
•    Provide a real time digital version final recognition certificate is provided to Start-ups on completion of the application process. 
•    The portal and mobile app will help in process of verification of certificates by entering the Start-up Recognition/ Certificate Number. 
•    Inter-Ministerial Board set up DIPP will verify the eligibility of Start-ups opting to avail Tax and IPR related benefits. 
•    Background The “Start-up India” initiative was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, 2016 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. As part of it Start-up India Action Plan was released. 
•    It highlights initiatives envisaged by the Government to develop a conducive Start-up ecosystem in the country.