Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 14, 2016

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Nagaland’s state government on 10th August 2016 took the decision to grant 33 percent reservation to women in Urban Local Bodies.

• Decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held in Kohima.
• Decision was announced during the State Level Watershed Conference by CM TR Zeilang.
• Elections to the state ULBs have been pending for several years as the tenure of the first municipal bodies came to an end between December 2009 and March 2010.
• Joint Action Committee on Women’s Reservation of the Naga Mother’s Association was fighting the SC for 33 percent reservation which led to the withholding of the elections to the ULBs.

ANSWER: 10th August

Explanation:
World Biofuel day was observed across the world on 10th August 2016. This date is observed each year to create awareness about non fossil fuels (green fuels).

• On 10th August 1893, Sir Rudolph Diesel successfully ran a mechanical engine with peanut oil.
• Diesel was also the inventor of the diesel engine
• His research predicted that vegetable oil would eventually replace fossil fuels to fuel different mechanical engines.
• On this day in 2016, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated a national level conference in capital city Delhi
• The ministry estimated that biofuel industry would grow from the current INR 6500 crore to INR 1 lakh crore rupees in the coming decade.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
RS has named 10 of its members to the Joint Committee of the Parliament that will closely scrutinise the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

• A resolution moved by Minister of State for Home Affairs, H.G. Hair on behalf of Home Minister Rajnath Singh appointed 10 of the members to the Joint Committee of the LS and RS by voice vote.
• Members nominated to the committee included:
• Vinery Saharabuddhe (BJP), Dilip Pandya (BJP), P. Bhattacharya (Congress), Bhubaneswar Kalita (Congress), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Derek O’Brien (TMC), Harivansh (JDU), Prasanna Acharya (BJD). Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP) and Swapan Dasgupta(nominated).
• Draft bill aims to help migrants of nearly all denominations- except Muslims- from neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship following six years.
• Following Opposition objections, Bill was referred to the Joint Committee and then moved to LS.
• Home Minister informed the Lower House that the bill should be send to the panel.

ANSWER: All 3 of the above

Explanation:
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharati and Union Urban Development Minister Shri M. Venkaih Naidu launched the Smart Ganga City scheme through video conference.

• The scheme was launched in 10 important cities through video conference namely:
• Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Patna, Barrackpore and Sahibgunj.
• National Mission for Clean Ganga has chosen these cities in the first phase of infrastructure development for sewage treatment
• This will be on hybrid annuity mode based on the PPP model.
• Though only 10 cities have been initially taken up, more will be added.

ANSWER: 3000m steeplechase

Explanation:
Lalita Babar qualified for the women’s 3000m steeplechase final after finishing fourth in the 2nd qualifying heat with a national record time while compatriot Sudha Singh was eliminated in the Olympic Games.

• Lalita also became the first Indian woman to reach track final in Olympics since PT Usha in 1984 LA Games.
• Lalita who won a brazen medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea finished with the seventh best time in the neats in a new national record of 9 minutes, 19.76 seconds.
• She clipped 7 seconds of the national mark which had been clocked by Sudha Singh in Shanghai in May
• Top three in the three heats gained automatic qualification while Lalita was one of the six fastest among the rest

ANSWER: 1968

Explanation:
Katie Ledecky broke the field and her own world record in winning the 800m freestyle at the Rio Olympics on 12th August, uniting the 200m,400m and 800m titles for the first time since 1968.

• The 19-year-old American also won the 4x200 m relay for four golds overall, touching in 8 minutes 04.79 seconds beating the record of 8:06:68 set in Austin, Texas on January 17.
• Ledecky shot to victory touching half a length in front of her closest rivals.
• She joined Janet Evans and Brooke Bennett as the only swimmers to win this event at 2 Olympics.
• She now has prominent in top 11 performances in the event.
• She is also the first Olympian to take the 200m, 400m and 800m gold at one Games since US teenager Debbie Mayer achieved the feat in Mexico City in 1968.

ANSWER: Port Majuro

Explanation:
India’s commitment to peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and Indian Navy’s increasing footprint and operational reach were testified by the arrival of the INS Satpura that has arrived at Part Majuro on a 2 day visit for an operational turnaround as part of the deployment in Western Pacific Ocean.

• Ship also participated Exercise RIMPAC-16 which is the largest multilateral naval exercise in the world conducted biennially by the US Navy of the Hawaiian coast.
• Navy personnel will have professional interaction with Republic of Marshall Islands police forces, enhancing the cooperation between the two nations.
• Bilateral relations between India and Republic of Marshall Islands have developed over the years through bilateral visits and interactions at numerous global forums.
• Republic of Marshall Islands voted in favour of India’s non-permanent seat of the UNSC for 2011-2012 and supported the G4 short resolution on UNSC reforms.
• India is engaged in capacity building and human resource development of the Island nation, especially in education and health sector through Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.
• The current visit is the first ever by the Indian Ship to this nation.

ANSWER: Breeding in captivity

Explanation:
To provide a flip to fish conservation and production, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute/CFMRI visage has identified 74 species of fish and prawns endemic to Indian waters suitable for mariculture or breeding in captivity.

• With fish production rising marginally in the past 5 years and demand exceeding supply, need for mariculture is there.
• As certain species are becoming extinct and their numbers have dwindled, mariculture for conservation would also be taken up for 15 species.
• Average production or catch from the wild or sea has risen by 3-4 percent according to the estimates of the research institute in the past 5 years.
• Production can only be done through mariculture or captive breeding in ponds, creeks, estuaries, near shore water and more.
• Marine fauna and flora for conservation mariculture include sea horse, sea urchins, sea cucumber, sea anemone and sea grass.

ANSWER: Anna University

Explanation:
Agreement is regarding research on life of critical equipment working in high temperature environments

Company will be inviting its client to participate in the research as well.

• Research is a unique attempt to use physics in three areas- creep, corrosion and fatigue- to study and predict the remaining life of critical equipment.

ANSWER: Pramukh Swami

Explanation:
Pramukh Swami, the 95 year old founder of Akshardham temple and Swaminaryan sect passed away following prolonged illness at Sarangpur temple.

• He was the president of the Bpchasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha/BAPS, a sub-sect of the Swami Narayan sect extending his tenure internationally with 3000 temples created in 5 decades.
• Akshardham temple built in New Delhi and Gandhinagar are considered the largest HIndu temple complexes in India.
• Swaminarayan temple in Atlanta created by BAPS is the largest Hindu temple outside of the Indian subcontinent.