Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Aug 16, 2017

ANSWER: Santosh Sharma

Explanation:
Santosh Sharma was on 14th Aug 2017 appointed as chairman and managing director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL). He is currently director (operations) in the same company.

The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years, an order issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT) said.

Emandi Sankara Rao has been appointed as managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.

He is at present working as director and CEO of IIFCL Asset Management Company Ltd. Rao has been appointed to the post for a period of three years, the DoPT order said.

The ACC has also approved appointment of Debasis Jana as CMD of Andrew Yule and Co. Ltd (AYCL), Kolkata. He is working as director (planning) in the same company. He will hold the post for five years.

Hindustan Copper Limited: Know More

• Hindustan Copper Ltd. is a Government-owned corporation in the Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Mines (India), Government of India.
• HCL is the only vertically integrated copper producer in India engaged in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from Mining, Beneficiation, Smelting, Refining and Continuous Cast Rod manufacturer.
• HCL shares are listed at Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Ahmedabad exchanges.
• On 31 July 2015, the government of India announced a 15% stake sale in Hindustan Copper Limited, reducing its stake from 89.5% to 74.5%.
• The headquarters of this company are in Kolkata. It is also located in Delhi and Bengaluru.
• Its website is www.hindustancopper.com

ANSWER: Namo Yuva Rojgar Yojana

Explanation:
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra, a farmers’ market on wheels, which aims at delivering farm-fresh organic produce at reasonable prices.

A total of 125 farm-to-home delivery vans will tour the city to sell the produce. So far, 10 vehicles with fresh farm produce have been rolled out in the city.

The remaining 115 vehicles to be launched within a month. The vegetables sold in the mobile vans will be priced 25% lower than the average market rate.

The initiative aims to generate jobs for uneducated youth and women.

Officials said 125 Tata and Mahindra vehicles were being equipped to carry 1 tonne of vegetables and fruits.

The State government plans to launch 500 such vehicles all over Maharashtra.

Information about the timings of farmers’ market on wheels service, assortment of farm produce and their prices would be made available through a specially-designed app, athavdibazar, which will be available on Google Play Store.

Farmers never got a good price for their produce as there was no direct contact between farmers and consumers.

Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra is the brainchild of Prasad Lad, president of Mi Mumbai Abhiyan-Abhiman and Shri Swami Samarth Shetkari Utpadak.

Mr. Lad said the initiative will be different from the now defunct Maharashtra Agro and Fruit Processing Corporation (MAFCO).
The drive will involve farmers directly and not through the market committees. Farmers no longer will have to share their profit with middlemen.

The Chief Minister said farmers needed more space to store vegetables and fruits.

MAFCO and Namo Yuva Rojgar Yojana: Know More

• The now defunct MAFCO will be revived. The Mi Mumbai Abhiyan - Abhiman and MAFCO are likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
• MAFCO already has the infrastructure that is needed. This partnership will create jobs and bring benefits for farmers and consumers.
• Backed by the State government, the Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra aims to provide job opportunities to unemployed youth in Mumbai.
• Under the programme, various schemes will be initiated, including farmers’ weekly market, farmers’ mobile market and mother’s tiffin service.

ANSWER: Tata Motors

Explanation:
Tata Motors, India biggest automobile company, has appointed PB Balaji as its new group chief financial officer (CFO) who will take over the reins from CR Ramakrishnan.

Balaji, who will take over from November this year, has been working with Hindustan Unilever as its CFO since 2014. He started his career with Unilever in 1995.

Ramakrishnan who is set to retire next month will be the second high-profile exit in Tata Motors separated by a few months.

Executive director (commercial vehicles) Ravi Pisharody quit the company in June

Balaji’s appointment comes at a time when Tata Motors is battling market share loss in commercial vehicles and competitive pressures in passenger vehicles.

Tata Motors has decide to focus solely on returning to profitability (at the stand-alone level) and improving market share in both categories.

The company has shelved and postponed a few projects which it believed were cash guzzlers and not in line to achieve the desired objectives.

Balaji is a graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai and has a post-graduate management degree from Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

CR Ramakrishnan, 62, joined Tata Motors in 1980; he handled corporate treasury and accounting function with management accounting/MIS for over 15 years.

Thereafter, he held a two-year company-wide Systems and Business Process project responsibility covering R&D, Manufacturing, Sourcing and Sales & Service.

Subsequently, he served in the Group Chairman’s Office for 8 years before taking over as Chief Financial Officer in Tata Motors from Praveen Kadle. He had got elevated as Group CFO in July 2015.

The highlight of Ramakrishnan’s career was the successful takeover of UK’s luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford which Tata Motors bought in 2008 for USD 2.3 billion.

ANSWER: Facebook

Explanation:
Social media giant Facebook will monitor the growth of the MSMEs in Odisha after imparting training to them in next one year.

The social networking giant has partnered the Odisha’s MSME department and Project Mission Shakti to train 25,000 entrepreneurs by the end of 2018.

The state government has plans to organise hands-on workshops for MSME entrepreneurs and women SHGs on 'Digital Marketing Skills'.
Facebook will prepare a data base through registrations in which they will take the email ids and mobile numbers of entrepreneurs in all the workshops.

After sometime either through personal conversations or through email, they can find out what is the difference Facebook has made in the business turnover or profits.

Facebook launched its SheMeansBusiness programme in Bhubaneswar, which was attended by about 1,100 women entrepreneurs of the state. The programme of Facebook is launched in 16 countries around the world including India.

It is designed to reach out to aspiring and established women entrepreneurs to help them build and grow their business online.
As per Facebook, it is the largest congregation globally under SheMeansBusiness programme.

More than 150 entrepreneurs today created their pages and uploaded their products on their profile.

CM Naveen Patnaik stressed on the use of the three Ts - technology, teamwork and transparency - to bring about transformation in the lives of people.

This is amply demonstrated today in the partnership of the government with Facebook - a partnership aimed to reduce the digital divide and empower nearly 25,000 entrepreneurs and SHGs over the next one year.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Trains falling into rivers and coaches catching fire will be common sights in the country’s first ‘railways disaster management village’ expected to come up on the outskirts of Bengaluru by December 2018.
The “overaged rolling stock” will be used to replicate train accidents so that real time rescue operations could be carried out to improve such efforts.

It will be just like the mock drills carried out by security personnel. It will be as real as it can get.

The railways has earmarked the 3.32 sq km village of Hejjala, with a population of 3,483 people, to develop its Disaster Management Institute and Safety village at a cost of INR 44.42 crore, according to the blueprint accessed by PTI.

For augmenting theoretical class room training with practical hands on exercise, a real environment for training in various conditions and scenarios of train accidents, a concept of safety village was envisaged.

The focus is on imparting state of the art training on rescue, medical relief and rolling stock restoration techniques in a classroom and also using various simulated teaching aids.

However, it is the practical reproduction of accidents on site and the ensuing rescue operations that are being touted as the big ticket venture.

For the practical training as a part of the safety village tunnel, cutting, embankment, other conditions and obstructions like overhead structures and platforms are being created.

For carrying out underwater rescue and relief operations, a water body is also being developed.

Overaged rolling stock such as coaches, wagons and locomotives would be stationed in the safety village along with various tools and equipment for imparting hands-on practical training, the concept note said.

The village, about 25 km from Bengaluru, will also have a virtual reality centre for analysis of railway accidents.

The centre aims at providing training on dealing with various disasters under varied environment and terrain.

Construction work has begun and will be completed by December next year.

ANSWER: Tilak Marapana

Explanation:
Tilak Marapana of the United National Party (UNP) assumed charge as Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister on Aug 15 2016, following his predecessor Ravi Karunanayake’s resignation last week.

Mr. Karunanayake stepped down, after being linked to a controversial businessman who has been accused of a key role in a bond scam at the country’s Central Bank.

Denying any wrongdoing, the ex-Minister said he was resigning to protect the government and the UNP that he was part of.

Mr. Marapana is the third Foreign Minister since the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe combine formed government two and a half years ago.

In May, Mr. Karunanayake replaced Mangala Samaraweera, currently Finance Minister, in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Talk of Mr. Maranapana’s appointment earlier sparked criticism from sections in Colombo, who pointed to his 2015 resignation - he was Law and Order Minister then - after he reportedly defended a controversial maritime security company linked to a major corruption case.

In May, Mr. Marapana was brought back into the government as Minister of Development

ANSWER: DIG Suresh Chand Tyagi

Explanation:
On the occasion of Independence Day, the President of India has awarded one President’s Tatrakshak Medal (Distinguished Service), four Tatrakshak Medals (Gallantry) and two Tatrakshak Medals (Meritorious Service) to Indian Coast Guard personnel.

This was for displaying conspicuous acts of gallantry, distinguished and meritorious service.

The detailed list of the awardees are as follows:

PRESIDENT’S TATRAKSHAK MEDAL (Distinguished Service)

• DIG Suresh Chand Tyagi, P No. (0066-X)

TATRAKSHAK MEDAL (GALLANTRY)
• DIG Surendra Singh Dasila, P No. (0270-M)
• Comdt Rajappan Ramesh, P No. (0482-S)
• Comdt (JG) Abdus Sadek Ali, P No. (0671-X)
• Asst Comdt Panneerselvan Sasiselvan, P No. (1052-P)

TATRAKSHAK MEDAL (MERITORIOUS SERVICE)

• DIG Ravindra Dattatraya Shedbalkar, P No. (4018-E)
• DIG Surinder Singh Azad, P No. (0467-L)

These awards are being given to the personnel of the Indian Coast Guard on Republic Day and Independence Day every year, since 26 Jan 1990.

ANSWER: Smt A Prameela Bai

Explanation:
The President of India has approved the conferment of Correctional Service Medals to 20 prison personnel on the occasion of Independence Day, 2017.

The list of awardees include one President’s Correctional Service Medal for Distinguished Service and 19 Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
The President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has approved 112 Gallantry Awards to Armed Forces Personnel and members of Paramilitary Forces which include five Kirti Chakras, 17 Shaurya Chakras, 85 Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

The President has also awarded 40 Mention-in-Despatches to Army/Air Personnel for their significant contributions in different military operations which include two for ‘Operation Meghdoot’, 32 for ‘Operation Rakshak’, four for ‘Operation Orchid and one each for Army Headquarters and Air Force.

ANSWER: gallantryawards.gov.in

Explanation:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has launched a new website on Aug 15, 2017 to honour all the gallantry award winners since Independence.

Announcing the launch of the website http://gallantryawards.gov.in/ in a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said the portal will preserve and tell the stories of our bravest men and women, civilians as well as armed forces personnel.

“In remembrance of our heroes who have been awarded gallantry awards since Independence, launched the site http://gallantryawards.gov.in/

The website gives details of the Chakra Series awardees i.e., Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.

The portal contains information such as name, unit, year, citations and photographs of awardees till date.

ANSWER: West

Explanation:
The largest volcanic region on Earth - with over 100 volcanoes - has been discovered two km below the surface of the vast ice sheet in west Antarctica.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Britain found a staggering 91 previously unknown volcanoes.

This is adding to the 47 others that had been discovered over the previous century of exploring the region.

The height of these newly discovered volcanoes range from 100 to 3,850 metres, with the highest almost as tall as Switzerland’s 3,970-metre Eiger mountain.

These active peaks are concentrated in a region known as the west Antarctic rift system — which stretches 3,500 km from Antarctica’s Ross ice shelf to the Antarctic peninsula.

Geologists say this huge region is likely to dwarf east Africa’s volcanic ridge - currently rated as the densest concentration of volcanoes in the world.

If one of these volcanoes were to erupt it could further destabilise west Antarctica’s ice sheets.

Anything that causes the melting of ice, which an eruption certainly would, is likely to speed up the flow of ice into the sea.

The Edinburgh volcano survey, reported in the Geological Society’s special publications series, involved studying the underside of the west Antarctica ice sheet for hidden peaks of basalt rock similar to those produced by the region’s other volcanoes.

The biggest question that needs to be resolved is whether these volcanoes are active.