Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Feb 04, 2016

ANSWER: Major General Menon

Explanation:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has named Major General Menon has Head of Mission and Force Commander of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. He succeeds Nepal’s Purna Chandra Thapa whose assignment will finish on February 7th. Major General Menon was earlier Additional Director General Equipment Management in the Indian Army. From 2012-2013, he was a General Officer as well as Commanding an infantry division. He has also served as the Military Observer in United Nations Operation in Mozambique. He has also worked in the UNFIL or United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

ANSWER: Intizar Hussain

Explanation:
Well known Urdu fiction writer and poet Intizar Hussain has passed away on 2nd February 2016 in Lahore. Born in December 1923, he migrated to Pakistan in 1947. Among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013, he was the first national from Pakistan and the first Urdu writer to be nominated for a global award. He was conferred upon the Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ambassador to Pakistan Philppe Thiebaud in September 2014.

ANSWER: Rail

Explanation:
Cabinet has approved the formation of JV with states for rail projects to ensure wider participation of states. Railways has formed JV companies with state government for mobilisation of resources for quick implementation of rail projects. JV companies will now be responsible for project identification, land acquisition and financing in addition to government funding and monitoring. Cabinet presided by PM Narendra Modi has taken the decision that JV companies would be formed with equity participation of Railways Ministry and concerned state governments. Each JV will have paid up initial capital of INR 100 crore associated with the project quantum of projects to be undertaken. The initial paid up capital is limited to INR 50 crore for each state.

ANSWER: S.S Tarapore

Explanation:
S. S. Tarapore, former RBI deputy governor has passed away on 2nd February 2016 in Mumbai at the age of 80. He joined RBI in 1961 as a Research Officer and retired from RBI in 1996. He chaired two committees on CAC and one on streamlining the RBI.

ANSWER: Balram Jakhar

Explanation:
Ex LS Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away on 3rd February 2016 at the age of 92. He was elected as LS Speaker for two consecutive terms during the 1980s. He was elected to the LS 4 times and also served as the Union Agriculture Minister in the 1991 Naramsimha Rao Ministry. He was also the MP governor from 2004 to 2009. He was also the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of Commonwealth Parliamentarian Executive Forum.

ANSWER: Good

Explanation:
Sariska has received increasing tourist footfall as well as positive Management Effective Evaluation report for country’s 47 tiger reserves. Saris has improved the status within the past 4 years following effective management and flora as well as fauna conservation. This reserve had attained fair status in the previous MEE conducted in 2010-2011. In the MEE for 2014-2015, it has been placed in the category of good tiger reserves. Another tiger reserve which is now falling in the same category is Ranthambore tiger reserve. MEE is conducted by NCTA and WII and assess how well protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and community as well as tiger reserves are being managed.

ANSWER: Justice R. S Reddy

Explanation:
Shri Justice Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy, Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the State of Telangana and the State of Andhra Pradesh was appointed as CJ of the Gujarat HC with effect from the date charge of the office is assumed.

ANSWER: Lendingkart

Explanation:
Online financial platform Lendingkart has made the announcement of a partnership with women’s fashion marketplace Voonik to permit sellers within the platform to get free and easy short term loans. Voonik has more than 6000 merchants selling products online. It has over 7 million registered users and 5 million app downloads.

ANSWER: SwiftKey

Explanation:
Tech major Microsoft has purchased software keyboard and SDK app maker SwiftKey. SwiftKey is a free keyword app powering more than 300 m Android and iOS devices. Through this acquisition, Microsoft will add SwiftKey Technology with World Flow Technology for Windows. SwiftKey was founded by Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock.

ANSWER: BGR-34

Explanation:
CSIR has launched BGR-34 which is the nation’s first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug for type 2 diabetes mellitus scientifically validated for efficacy and safety. BGR-34 has been developed by National Botanical Research Institute and Centre Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. These are CSIR research units located in Lucknow. BGR-34 comes at the price of INR 5 per tablet. Currently, 6 crore of the adult Indian population has been diagnosed with diabetes.

ANSWER: LegbaCore

Explanation:
Technology giant Apple has acquired Cupertino based firmware security company LegbaCore in 2015, November. The acquisition came to light in December in a security researcher’s report and was confirmed recently through series of tweets from LegbaCore founder Xeno Kovah. He revealed on Twitter that he and his partner Corey Kallenberg have joined Apple as full-time employees.