Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Apr 22, 2017

ANSWER: Lampedusa

Explanation:
UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina/ Giusi Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

This is for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees.

Nicolini saved thousands who fled across Mediterranean on boats in search of a better life.

Lampedusa is a first European landfall for people fleeing war and economic hardship in Middle East and Africa.

Since 2012, mayor Nicolini has defended refugee and migrant rights.

The UNESCO Peace Prize jury recognised Nicolini for boundless humanity and commitment to refugee crisis management and integration in response to thousands of refugees on Lampedusa shores.

Nearly 13,000 women, men and children have perished in shipwrecks since 2013.

A total of 8,360 migrants have been rescued between April 14 –16 in Mediterranean and around 32,800 people have been brought to land since the start of 2017, as per the International Organisation for Migration.

At least 900 migrants have either perished or gone missing to cross the Mediterranean according to IOM's missing migrants project.

Nicolini leads a population of 6,500 residents on the Italian island 20 square miles.

The Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize also decided to award the nongovernmental organization SOS Méditerranée (France) for their work to save the lives of refugees and migrants and welcome them with dignity.

Since becoming mayor in 2012, Giuseppina Nicolini has been recognized for her boundless humanity and unwavering commitment to refugee crisis management and integration.

This is in response to the arrival of thousands of refugees on the shores of Lampedusa and elsewhere in Italy.

SOS Méditerranée is a civic, European organization for the rescue of people in distress in the Mediterranean.

Since launching its rescue operation in February 2016, the organization has saved more than 11,000 lives.

The Jury also appealed to the international community to ensure that the Mediterranean Sea becomes, once again, a place where solidarity and intercultural dialogue hold importance.

The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize was created in 1989 to honour individuals or public and private bodies or institutions that have made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace.

This is in conformity with the United Nations’ Charter and the Constitution of UNESCO.

Past Laureates of the Prize

• French President François Hollande
• Nelson Mandela
• Frederik W. De Klerk
• Yitzhak Rabin
• Shimon Peres
• Yasser Arafat
• King Juan Carlos of Spain
• Former US President, Jimmy Carter

ANSWER: Tripura

Explanation:
The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has selected Tripura for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16.

This is for commendable increase in food grain production in small category states.

Tripura gets this national award for the second time.

The northeastern state first received the award in the 2009-10 fiscal.

For total food grain production, Tamil Nadu gets the award in large category (production more than 10 million tonnes), Himachal Pradesh in medium category (1 to 10 million tonnes) and Tripura in small category (less than 1 million tonnes).

Each award-winning state would receive a trophy, a citation and cash award of INR five crore at a function in New Delhi.

Tripura: Know More

• Capital: Agartala
• Districts: 8
• Formation: 21 January 1972
• Population: 3.658 million (2012)
• Main Languages: Hindi, Kokborok, Meitei language, Odia

ANSWER: INR 2901 per gram of gold

Explanation:
The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2017-18--Series I will be opened for subscription from 24 to 28 April, 2017. The bonds will be issued on 12 May.

The issue price of the bond is based on the simple average closing price (published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association) for gold of 999 purity of the week preceding the subscription period.

It works out to be INR 2,951 per gram.

However, the government, in consultation with the RBI, has decided to offer a discount of INR 50 per gram on the nominal value of the Sovereign Gold Bond.

Hence, the issue price of gold bond for this tranche has been fixed at INR 2,901 per gram of gold.

The bonds would earn an interest of 2.75% per annum, payable every six months on initial investment.

The tenor of the bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from fifth year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

The minimum investment limit into these bonds is one gram of gold, while the maximum amount subscribed by an entity cannot be more than 500 grams per person per fiscal year

The bonds will be sold through banks, post offices, Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL), and recognised stock exchanges—National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE.

Given that the short-term outlook for gold looks promising, investors can hope to make tidy gains on the interim rally as well.

Investors who are looking for investing in gold can go for sovereign gold bonds.

These bonds are issued by the Government of India and offer returns linked to gold price.

Investors will also get a coupon of 2.5 per cent per annum.

The capital gains you make by investing in these bonds is tax exempt, provided you hold them till the end of the tenure of eight years.

Exit, though, is allowed from the fifth year through the secondary market. But this will result in capital gains tax of 20 per cent (with indexation benefit).

Interest on these bonds - a promised 2.5 per cent rate - will be paid semi-annually.

The other paper form of gold - Gold ETFs - has the disadvantage of higher costs.

ANSWER: 11th

Explanation:
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day programme.

The theme of the Conference was ‘Transforming India – Reform to Transform’. An Exhibition on various Priority Programmes of the Government of India was also organized on the theme.

The Civil Services Day is organized on 21st April every year, when civil servants re-dedicate themselves to the cause of the citizens and renew their commitment to public service.

This day coincides with the date on which Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had addressed the first batch of probationers at the All India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, New Delhi in 1947.

This year two day function was organised on 20-21 April, 2016, in which eight break away sessions on replication of PM awarded initiatives and four Priority Programmes namely ‘PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojana’, ‘Swachh Bharat (Gramin)’, ‘SwachhVidyalaya’ and ‘Soil Health Card’.

ANSWER: Quality Mark Award Scheme

Explanation:
As part of the innovative initiatives under the “White Revolution” umbrella Schemes, the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has supported the National Dairy Development Board(NDDB) developed initiative of “Quality Mark” Award Scheme.

This is for dairy Cooperatives to promote and encourage enhancement of safety, quality and hygiene of milk and milk products manufactured by dairy cooperatives.

It is aimed at bringing about process improvement in the entire value chain from producer to the consumer to ensure availability of safe and quality of milk and products both for the domestic and foreign market.

The “Quality Mark” Award Scheme for dairy Cooperatives in the country has been initiated to instil confidence in the consumers for the quality of milk being marketed by them by ensuring availability of safe and good quality milk and milk products.

The quality mark scheme was rolled out on 6th January-2016 after deliberating on the process and award mechanism for over a year.

The initiative does not propose any new/ additional system for Food Safety and Quality Management but lays down minimum standards against each link of the processes required for ensuring quality and safety.

ANSWER: Australia

Explanation:
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced sweeping changes to Australia’s citizenship laws, introducing tighter requirements for new applicants.

This is a move that follows the scrapping of the 457 visa schemes for foreign workers.

Under the new reforms, the applicants must be permanent residents for at least four years — three years longer than at present — and must be committed to embrace “Australian values.

Prospective citizens will have to pass a standalone English test that will focus heavily on respect for women and children, with possible questions about child marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence.

The test will have questions assessing an applicant’s understanding of and commitment to shared Australian values and responsibilities

ANSWER: Mongolia

Explanation:
Mongolia launched its first satellite part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.

The 1,227-megahertz satellite, called Mongol Sat-1, will help landlocked Mongolia expand its television, telecoms and broadband services.

The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), a telecoms and broadcast provider for the region.

No details about the cost of the satellite and the launch were provided.

The project began over 10 years ago.

ANSWER: NsrR

Explanation:
Researchers have uncovered molecular details of how pathogenic bacteria fight back against the human immune response to infection.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Institut de Biologie Structurale (CEA-CNRS-UGA, France) have identified the structure of NsrR.

This is a bacterial protein that binds to DNA and plays a key role in the bacterium’s resistance to nitric oxide (NO), which is produced in the initial immune response to infection.

In order to counter the effects of NO, which can be toxic to living organisms, many bacteria have evolved ways to detect it and mount a cellular response.

The most common dedicated NO sensor in bacteria is the regulatory protein NsrR. Regulatory proteins bind to DNA, and in doing so control whether particular genes are switched on or off.

ANSWER: Only a and b

Explanation:
India has won elections to two subsidiary bodies of a UN organ focussed on social and economic issues.

India along with 12 other members was elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The country garnered the most number of votes in the Asian group, with 49 out of 50 members of ECOSOC voting in its favour.

ECOSOC: Know More

• Abbreviation: ECOSOC/CESNU
• Formation: 1945
• Type: Primary organ
• Legal status: Active
• Head: President of the ECOSOC
• Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava[since 2016]
• Website: www.un.org/en/ecosoc