Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Apr 12, 2017

ANSWER: Australia

Explanation:
India and Australia on 10 April 2017 signed six agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

The signed agreements include cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime.

These agreements were signed during Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull’s four-day visit to India. He will be in India from 9 April to 12 April 2017.

This is Turnbull’s first visit to India since he assumed office in 2015.

The six agreements which were exchanged during Prime Minister Turnbull’s visit to India includes:

MoU on cooperation in combatting international terrorism and transnational organised crime.

MoU for promotion and development of cooperation in civil aviation security.

MoU on cooperation in the field of environment, climate and wildlife.

MoU on cooperation in sports.

MoU on cooperation in the field of health and medicine. Implementation arrangement between ISRO and Geoscience Australia on cooperation in earth observation and satellite navigation

These agreements were inked after the two sides held comprehensive discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.

The two nations also agreed to repeat a bilateral maritime exercise which was first held in the Bay of Bengal in 2015.

It will be repeated in Western Australia in the first half of 2018.

They also welcomed a decision of holding the first bilateral

Army-to-Army exercise, which will take place in 2018.

Besides, the much awaited free-trade agreement remained elusive during the visit of PM Turnbull. The two sides failed to conclude negotiations for Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

Australia has also decided to join the International Solar Alliance put together at PM Modi’s initiative.

The two leaders also remotely inaugurated a Nano-technology research centre which was jointly established by TERI Institute and the Deakin University of Australia.

ANSWER: Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Third Amendment) Bill 2017

Explanation:
The Lok Sabha on 10 April 2017 passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017.

The Bill was passed by the house with 360 MPs voting in favour and 2 against the bill.

It seeks to give constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes. The Bill seeks to insert a new Article 338B in the Constitution

The Article provides for the National Commission for Backward Classes, its composition, mandate, functions and various officers.

The Bill also seeks to insert a new Article 342-A, which empowers the President to notify the list of socially and educationally backward classes of a state/union territory.

In case of a state, President will make such notification after consultation with the Governor.

Under the new Article 342-A, the Parliament, by making a law, can include or exclude the classes from the central list of backward classes.

NCB: Know More

• The National Commission for Backward Classes is an Indian statutory body under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• It was established on 14 August 1993.
• It was constituted pursuant to the provisions of the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
• 1990, Indra Sawhney & Ors. Vs. Union of India and Ors., reported in (1992) Supp. 3 SCC 217, directed the Government of India for a permanent body in the nature of a Commission or Tribunal.
• It was for entertaining, examining and recommending upon requests for inclusion and complaints of over-inclusion and under-inclusion in the list of OBCs.
• At present, the Commission is responsible to look into the inclusion and exclusion of backward classes only.

ANSWER: Anuja Ravindran Dhir

Explanation:
Indian-origin Anuja Ravindra Dhir on 9 April 2017 became the first non-white judge of the Old Bailey Court of London.

She is also the youngest circuit judge currently to sit at the court.

The Old Bailey Court of London is the Central Criminal Court of London.

It houses 15 judges including 10 men and five women.

Anuja Ravindra Dhir was born in Dundee, Scotland to Indian immigrant parents and studied at Harris Academy before studying English and Scots law at Dundee University.

During the schooling days, she was faced dyslexia making it difficult for her to read and write.

After winning a Gray’s Inn scholarship in London, she began practicing law in 1989 where she practised for 23 years as both prosecutor and defence counsel.

She was made a Queen’s Counsel in 2010.

Dhir donned her judge’s robes as a circuit judge at the Central Criminal Courts, known as at the Old Bailey, in London in February 2017.

ANSWER: Paytm

Explanation:
The Digital wallet company Paytm in April 2017 announced the launch of new feature QR code on its Paytm Mall application.

This code will allow consumers to place online orders at physical stores.

With this launch, Paytm becomes the first company to invest in QR code-based payment solution.

The first product to be marketed or sold via this feature of Paytm Mall is handsets of Samsung.

This margin will be based on the product and may vary from 3 per cent to 20 per cent.

Over 95% of the population in the country still shops offline as there is a trust that exists between on offline retailer and customer.

Thus, the company wants to create an offline network as a platform for brands to reach out to millions of consumers, thereby, optimising the supply chain and marketing expenses on their behalf.

Paytm Mall was launched by Paytm in the last week of February 2017 with an aim to offer combination on the Mall and Bazaar concepts to Indian consumers.

Paytm: Know More

• Parent: One97
• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Dec 2010)
• Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Founded: 2010
• Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

ANSWER: Manipur

Explanation:
The new BJP-led government in Manipur state has decided to hold People’s Day on the 15th of every month.

The announcement was made by the state’s Chief Minister, N Biren Singh on 9 April 2017.

This will promote easy access to the state’s top elected leaders including himself and other Ministers, Commissioners, Secretaries, Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police.

Through the establishment of the day, the public would be able to give suggestions and lodge complaints on public grievances on the 15th of every month.

Formal official order confirming the same will be issued in the coming days.

Besides this, the CM listed out his top priorities as the new head of the state, which includes ending the economic blockade sponsored by the United Naga Council(UNC).

ANSWER: M. Achuthan

Explanation:
Literary critic M Achuthan passed away on 9 April 2017 following age-related illness at a private hospital in Kochi. He was 87. He is survived by his wife and daughters.

Achuthan began his career as a critic by challenging the views of literary stalwarts Kuttikrishna Marar and Joseph Mundassery.

Achuthan had 10 works to his credit.

His book on the poems of Edassery is one of his noted works. His works include ‘Swathanthrya Samaravum Malayala Sahithyavum’, ‘Paschathya Sahitya Darshanam’ and ‘Cherukadha Innale Innu’ among others.

He had also served various stints in his career including his term as the Chief Public Relations Officer of the state, as the Director of State Institute of Publications, as the President of Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham and as the President of Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishat.

He translated Thousand and One Nights into Malayalam.

He was awarded with the Sahitiya Akademi award in 1976 for his literary works.

Born in June 1930, Achuthan completed his MA in Malayalam Literature with first rank.

ANSWER: 2016

Explanation:
India has moved forward for safety legislation with the Lok Sabha passing the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The changes are significant as they will, for the first time, acknowledge the fundamental reordering of mobility with the introduction of laws recognizing app-based taxi operators.

A bill to unleash radical reforms in the transport sector by ensuring 100 per cent e-governance, checking bogus driving licenses and vehicle thefts, slapping heavy penalty on traffic violators and protecting the good samaritan was approved by the Lok Sabha on April 10.

In a first, the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill will allow the government to modify or amend any norm for the better application of rules.

The bill focuses on improved citizen centric services, reducing the number of accidents and steps to reduce work load on regional transport offices.

The bill also proposes hefty penalties for various traffic offences, three-year jail term for parents of minors caught driving and causing fatal accidents, and a ten-fold increase in compensation for the families of accident victims, among other things.

The Bill not only clearly defines guidelines for the taxi aggregators but also lists for–amending the existing categories of driver licensing, recall of vehicles in case of defects, protection of good samaritans from any civil or criminal action, and increase of penalties for several offences under the 1988 Act.

Another focus is e-Governance.

Enabling online learning licenses, increasing validity period for driving licenses, and doing away with the educational eligibility criteria for licenses are some of the features of the Bill.

On March 31, in 2016, the union cabinet approved the changes in the Motor Vehicles Act.

The bill introduced in Parliament last year had proposed 89 clauses for amendment out of which only 57 were accepted by the Parliament Standing Committee on Transport.

The Bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to address issues such as third party insurance, regulation of taxi aggregators and road safety.

Under the Act, the liability of the third party insurer for motor vehicle accidents is unlimited.

The amendment caps the maximum liability for third party insurance in case of a motor accident at INR 10 lakh in case of death and at five lakh rupees in case of grievous injury.

However, the Bill does not cap the compensation amount that courts can award. The Bill provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.

It defines taxi aggregators, guidelines for which will be determined by the Union Government.

Bill also provides for protection of good samaritans from any civil or criminal action, and increase of penalties for several offences under the 1988 Act.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Senior bureaucrats Ajit Kumar Srivastava and Shabri Bhattasali were on April 11, 2017 appointed members of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

This is the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.

The role of the CBDT is to provide inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes in the country and the statutory authority also administers the direct tax laws through Income Tax Department.

The CBDT functions under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.

It functions like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which combats money laundering and black money, and was formed by the G7 in 1989.

Srivastava and Bhattasali are Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre) officers of 1980 and 1981 batch respectively.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved their appointment as Members, CBDT, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.

CBDT: Know More

• The role of the CBDT is to provide inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes in the country.
• It is the statutory authority which also administers the direct tax laws through Income Tax Department.
• The CBDT functions under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.

ANSWER: UP

Explanation:
Taking its second biggest decision since coming to power, the Uttar Pradesh government on April 11, 2017 decided to waive surcharge on electricity dues.

It also gave nod to an agreement with the Centre to ensure 24X7 power supply by October 2018.

The MoU between UP and the Centre would be signed in the presence of Yogi and Union power minister Piyush Goyal.

The surcharge waiver would cost the state exchequer around INR 3,500 crore.

Also, in a first, the UP government has decided to purchase potatoes directly from farmers to cut wastage of the crop due to shortage of cold storages.

Coming in support of the UP government, the Centre approved procurement of 1 lakh metric tonne (MT) of potatoes in the state under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) during 2016-17 crop year (July-June).

The approval is in tune with the UP cabinet's decision to procure potatoes so that the farmers are not forced to sell it at throwaway prices in summer.

The purchase will be made at Rs 4,870 per MT. The agriculture ministry will provide an additional Rs 1,217.50 per MT for overhead expenses.

In another decision, the government gave nod to short-term mining policy, allowing district magistrates to give permits for mining for a limited period to plug the shortfall of sand and building material.

The permit, to be given in 10 days, will be issued through e-tendering.

Yogi Adityanath: Know More

• Born: 5 June 1972 Pauri Garhwal district
• Education: Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
• Party: Bharatiya Janata Party
• Deputy: Keshav Prasad Maurya, Dinesh Sharma

ANSWER: China

Explanation:
China executed more people in 2016 than all other nations combined, Amnesty International said Tuesday, even as death penalties in the world decreased overall.

The human rights organisation estimates the Asian giant alone killed thousands of people, a figure based on examinations of court records and news reports.

All other countries together executed at least 1,032 people last year–a decline of 37 percent compared to 2015. Of those, 87 percent took place in just four countries namely Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan.

Amnesty’s report found that hundreds of death sentences, including cases involving foreign nationals, had been omitted from China’s public database of court verdicts.

This is suggesting a concerted effort to hide the extent of the country’s killings.

The ruling Communist Party considers the death toll a state secret.

Despite local media reports saying at least 931 individuals were executed between 2014 and 2016, only 85 of them were in the online database.

In 2013, China’s Supreme People’s Court ruled that legal judgements should be made public, but the decision included many exceptions, including cases involving state secrets or personal privacy.

Previous estimates from other rights groups also put the number of annual executions in China in the thousands.

Chinese courts have a conviction rate of 99.92 percent, and concerns over wrongful verdicts are fuelled by police reliance on forced confessions and the lack of effective defence in criminal trials.

The nation’s top judge, Zhou Qiang, apologised in 2015 for past miscarriages of justice and said mistakes must be corrected.

In December 2016, a Chinese court cleared a man executed 21 years ago for murder, citing insufficient evidence in the original trial.

However experts say recent reforms have not been widely implemented.

A 2016 report from the US-based Dui Hua Foundation said China’s average death row prisoner waits only two months for execution.

The United States executed 20 last year, the lowest figure for the country since 1991.

ANSWER: poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

Explanation:
Visual, non-invasive monitoring of body temperature of patients without using a thermometer may become a reality soon, thanks to the work carried out by a team of scientists at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, near Chennai.

The concept is based on ferrofluid emulsion contained in a thin film that changes colour with rise in temperature within a narrow range - 30-40° C.

The emulsion has iron oxide nanoparticles containing oil droplets dispersed in water.

Till now ferrofluid was used as a magnetic stimuli-responsive material.

Scientists now found that in the presence of a temperature-sensitive polymer - poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), also known as PNIPAM) - the ferrofluid emulsion can be used as a thermally tunable grating to produce different colours.

The adsorbed polymer swells and collapses upon changing the temperature between 32° and 36° C.

This change was clearly manifested as colour change.

From this observation came the novel idea of using PNIPAM-stabilised emulsions as a multistimulii grating.

This is a first of its kind approach where the grating spacing can be tuned either by changing the temperature or by changing the magnetic field strength.

Up to about 34° C, the polymer is highly hydrated and swollen due to repulsive interaction between individual monomer segments.

But when the temperature crosses 34° C, the polymer becomes dehydrated leading to a collapsed state.

The polymer will once again become hydrated and swollen when the temperature falls below 34° C.

Scientists can use additives to tune the collapse of the polymer to higher temperature to reflect fever condition.

Using magnetic fields, the scientists first achieved a particular ordering (spacing between the arrays of emulsion droplets) of emulsion and got a particular colour.

When polymer is added as a stabiliser and the temperature is increased, the grating spacing of the polymer changes and gives rise to a different colour or spacing.

“The colour given off at normal temperature can be fixed by changing the emulsion property and magnetic field strength,” Dr. Philip says.

If the normal temperature is fixed at yellow, the change will be to green when the temperature increases.

Colour with higher wavelength is produced at lower temperature and colour of lower wavelength at higher temperature.

ANSWER: G-7

Explanation:
Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries and several other West Asian countries spoke with one voice at a meeting in Lucca, Italy, condemning the chemical attack in Syria that left 89 people dead.

The US and its allies held Syrian President Bhashar al-Assad responsible for the attacks.

The G7 also lent support to the U.S. for its attack on the Syrian government-controlled Shayrat airfield in Homs province last Thursday.

While the G7 united to isolate Mr. Assad diplomatically and urged Russia to do the same, no agreement was reached on sanctions against Russia for supporting the Syrian regime.

Some experts hold that the chemical attack and the US strike may not change the situation in Syria dramatically.

All About G-7 Countries

• Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• France: President François Hollande
• Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel
• Italy (2017 Chair): Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
• Japan: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
• United Kingdom: Prime Minister Theresa May
• United States: President Donald Trump

ANSWER: The Underground Railroad

Explanation:
17 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on 10 April 2017 by Pulitzer Prize Administrator Mike Pride in at Columbia University in New York.

The announcement marks the 101st year of prizes.

The awards were announced in 21 categories and they include Letters, Drama & Music and Journalism.

The novel titled The Underground Railroad authored by Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize in the fiction segment. In 2016, the novel had received the National Book Award of the US.

This marks the first time in more than 20 years that the same work won the Pulitzer and National Book Award for fiction.

The novel Underground Railroad is about an escaped slave that combined liberating imagination and brutal reality.

More than 2,500 entries were submitted this year, competing for 21 prizes. Seven of the awards recognize fiction, drama, history, biographies, poetry, general nonfiction and music.

Complete list of winners:

2017 Pulitzer prizes for Journalism

CATEGORY	WINNERS
Public Service	New York Daily News and ProPublica:
Breaking News Reporting	Staff of East Bay Times, Oakland, CA for relentless coverage of the “Ghost Ship” fire,
Investigative Reporting	Eric Eyre of Charleston Gazette-Mail, Charleston, WV
Explanatory Reporting	International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, McClatchy and Miami Herald was awarded for the Panama Papers.
Local Reporting	The Salt Lake Tribune Staff
National Reporting	David A. Fahrenthold of The Washington Post
International Reporting	The New York Times Staff: was awarded for agenda-setting reporting on Vladimir Putin’s efforts to project Russia’s power abroad.
Feature Writing	C. J. Chivers of The New York Times for a piece on a Marine’s postwar descent into violence.
Commentary	Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal
Criticism	Hilton Als of The New Yorker
Editorial Writing	Art Cullen of The Storm Lake Times, Storm Lake, IA:
Editorial Cartooning	Jim Morin of Miami Herald was awarded for editorial cartoons.
Breaking News Photography	Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer was awarded for powerful storytelling through images published in The New York Times showing the callous disregard for human life in the Philippine.
Feature Photography	E. Jason Wambsgans of Chicago Tribune

2017 Pulitzer prizes for Letters, Drama & Music

CATEGORY	WINNERS
Fiction	The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama	Sweat, by Lynn Nottage
History	Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy, by Heather Ann Thompson (Pantheon).
Biography or Autobiography	The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between, by Hisham Matar (Random House)sent of an embattled region.
Poetry	Olio, by Tyehimba Jess (Wave Books)
General Nonfiction	Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond (Crown)
Music	Angel’s Bone, by Du Yun

Pulitzer Prize: Know More

• The Prize established in 1917 is awarded for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.
• It was established by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher and is administered by Columbia University in NY City.
• Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories of which 20 winners are awarded a certificate and a cash award.
• The winner in the public service category of the reporting/journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.

ANSWER: Jupiter

Explanation:
Scientists reported 11th April 2017 that the dark expanse of the second Great Spot is 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometres) across and 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometres) wide.

It’s in the upper atmosphere and much cooler than the hot surroundings, thus the name Great Cold Spot.

Unlike giant planet’s familiar Great Red Spot, this newly discovered weather system is continually changing in shape and size.

It’s formed by the energy from Jupiter’s polar auroras.

Scientists were charting the temperature and density of Jupiter’s atmosphere.

When the researchers compared the data with thousands of images taken in years past by a telescope in Hawaii, the Great Cold Spot stood out.

It could be thousands of years old.

The Great Cold Spot is much more volatile than the slowly changing Great Red Spot.

Jupiter: Know More

• Radius: 69,911 km
• Mass: 1.898 × 10^27 kg (317.8 M⊕)
• Surface pressure: 20–200 kPa (cloud layer)
• Equatorial rotation velocity: 12.6 km/s; 45300 km/h
• Polar radius: : 66,854±10 km; 10.517 Earths;
• Important Moons: Europa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe

ANSWER: Stonehenge

Explanation:
Scientists have developed an app to tap the prehistoric acoustics that swirled around Britain's ancient monument Stonehenge over the last 5,000 years.

A team of researchers spent eight years creating an app that allows you to hear the different noises the stones generated at various points over thousands of years.

While most modern archaeologists generally agree Stonehenge was some sort of prehistoric temple aligned to the movements of the sun, the researchers found the stones also had surprisingly sonorous properties.

This is one of the few human-made places where you’d have heard these kind of acoustic effects."

The app allows listeners to wander amongst the standing stones while listening to an interactive soundscape–including the sound of birds and the wind moving through the stones.

Stonehenge: Know More

• Address: Amesbury, Salisbury SP4 7DE, UK
• Construction started: 3100 BC
• Designated: 1986 (10th session)
• Region: Europe and North America

ANSWER: Electronic Pan/e-PAN

Explanation:
The IT department has issued Permanent Account Number (PAN) within a day to 19,704 newly incorporated companies till March 31, 2017.

In addition to physical PAN card, CBDT has introduced the Electronic PAN (e-PAN) card, which is sent by email to all applicants, including individuals.

Applicant would be benefited by having a digitally signed E-PAN card which they can submit as proof of identity to other agency electronically directly or by storing in the Digital Locker (https://digilocker.gov.in).

The PAN issue was mandated by CBDT, the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.

The newly incorporated companies have also been issued Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN) simultaneously with PAN as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has tied up with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) under which companies can submit a common application form.

Applicant companies submit a common application form SPICe (INC 32) on MCA portal and once the data of incorporation is sent to CBDT by the MCA, PAN and TAN are issued immediately without any further intervention of the applicant.

The Certificate of Incorporation (COI) of newly incorporated companies includes the PAN in addition to the Corporate Identity Number (CIN).

TAN is also allotted simultaneously and communicated to the company.

Till March 31, 2017, 19,704 newly incorporated companies were allotted PAN in this manner.

During March 2017, of the 10,894 newly incorporated companies, PAN was allotted within 4 hours in 95.63 per cent cases and within one day in all cases.

Similarly, TAN was allotted to all such companies within 4 hrs in 94.7 per cent cases and within 1 day in 99.73 per cent cases.

Income Tax Department: Know More

• Formed: 1922
• Jurisdiction: Government of India
• Employees: 46,000 (2016-17 est.)
• Minister responsible: Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister
• Key executive : Sushil Chandra IRS ( IT: 1980), Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes
• Parent department: Department of Revenue
• Website : incometaxindia.gov.in