Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Feb 19, 2017

ANSWER: Hindu Marriage Bill 2017

Explanation:
Pakistan’s Senate (upper house) has unanimously passed landmark The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 to regulate marriages of minority Hindus in the country.

It is first personal law for Pakistani Hindus, applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The bill is deals with marriage, registration of marriage, separation and remarriage, sets minimum legal age of marriage at 18 years for both boys and girls in the minority Hindu community.

The bill will help Hindu women get documentary proof of their marriage.

Pakistan: Know More

• Capital: Islamabad
• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• President: Mamnoon Hussain
• Population: 182.1 million (2013) World Bank
• Prime minister: Nawaz Sharif

ANSWER: Soybean oil

Explanation:
Scientists from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have made world’s strongest material graphene commercially more viable by using soybean.

They have developed a novel “GraphAir technology” which transforms soybean oil, a renewable, natural material into graphene films in a single step.

Previously graphene was produced in a highly-controlled environment with explosive compressed gases that required long hours of operation at high temperatures and extensive vacuum processing.

This production process was costly and was major roadblock in its commercialisation.

The technology grows graphene film in ambient air with a natural precursor, making its production faster and simpler.

Soybean oil breaks down into a range of carbon building units when heat is applied. It makes it essential for the synthesis of graphene films.

Importance of Discovery

This unique technology makes graphene fabrication fast, simple, safe, potentially scalable and integration friendly.

It results in good and transformable graphene properties, comparable to graphene made by conventional methods.

It is expected to reduce cost of graphene production and improve uptake in new applications.

Besides, it can also help to produce graphene from waste oil, leftover from cooking.

All About Graphene

• Graphene is a carbon material that is one atom thick.
• It is the world’s strongest and lightest known material derived from carbon.
• It has high conductivity and excellent electronic, mechanical, thermal and optical properties.
• It is used in many applications ranging from miniaturised electronics to biomedical devices, water filtration and purification, renewable energy, sensors, personalised healthcare and medicine etc.
• It also used to improve battery performance in energy devices, to cheaper solar panels.

ANSWER: Cryogenic Upper Stage

Explanation:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully ground tested India’s largest indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage engine for GSLV Mark III.

It was tested for full 10 minutes at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Complex (ILPC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.

The C25 stage is the most powerful upper stage so far developed by ISRO.

It uses Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen propellant combination stored at -253 degrees centigrade.

The development of C25 cryogenic stage will provide ISRO capability to launch 4 ton class satellites in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), an altitude where satellites revolve in sync with Earth’s rotation.

So far, the cryogenic engine consisting very complex technology has been developed only by Russia, US, France, China, Japan and India.

This was last test in the series before going for actual GSLV Mark III rocket launch in April 2017 where engine will be put into actual use.

GSLV Mark: Know More

• The GSLV Mark III rocket will be a successor to the GSLV Mark II.
• GSLV Mark 2 was first launched in 2001.
• It can carry a heavier payload than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV.

ANSWER: Solapur

Explanation:
Maharashtra Government approves cloud seeding project for 2017 monsoon Maharashtra Government has approved INR. 250 crore Cloud Seeding Programme during 2017 monsoon season to produce sufficient rain.

Under this programme, weather scientists using aircrafts will spray chemicals (silver iodide) over clouds hovering above Solapur district, a rain shadow region of Western Ghats in the state.

This will be the first controlled experiment to quantify the extent to which clouds form water drops large enough to make rain.

This programme, coordinated by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, will be the first controlled experiment to quantify the extent to which clouds form water drops large enough to make rain.

In this experiment, scientists will fly two aircraft and spray silver iodide and dry ice on 100 clouds and compare them with 100 unseeded clouds.

Ground radar will be used to track the clouds and verify which ones contributed rain.

Solapur: Know More

• Solapur is a city located in the south-eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• Solapur is located on major road and rail routes between Mumbai and Hyderabad.
• Area: 148.9 km^²
• Weather: 27°C, Wind N at 2 km/h, 29% Humidity
• Population: 872,478 (2001) (UN)

ANSWER: Global investors summit

Explanation:
Around 209 MoUs were signed between different companies at the Momentum Jharkhand, a two-day global investors summit held in Ranchi, state capital.

Due to these MoUs, investment worth 3 lakhs, 39 thousands and 87 crores rupees will come in the state.

These investments will create direct job for two lakhs nine thousands and 176 people while indirectly create about four lakhs employment opportunities.

Out of total 209, the maximum numbers of MoUs were signed in mining sector which is 121. It was followed by IT and e-governance, with 30 MoUs while Urban development and housing with 17 MoUs.

Jharkhand: Know More

• Founded: 15 November 2000
• Area: 79,714 km^²
• Capital: Ranchi
• Population: 31.9 million (2012)

ANSWER: Mastercard

Explanation:
Airtel Payments Bank and Mastercard, a leading global payments and technology firm has launched India’s first online debit card along with a prepaid card, both accessible via the Myairtel App.

The online debit card will enable customers of Airtel Payments Bank to make digital payments at over 100,000 online merchants.

Mastercard also has agreed to provide payment processing solutions to Airtel Payments Bank.

The platform will enable Airtel Payment Bank to provide various payment services like switching, card management along with support for reconciliation and dispute management processes.

Airtel was first to launch payment bank operations in November 2016 by launching pilot programme in Rajasthan.??

Mastercard: Know More

• CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga
• Headquarters: Purchase, New York, United States
• Revenue: 9.66 billion USD (2015)
• Founded: 16 December 1966
• Founders: Bank of California, First Interstate Bancorp, Crocker National Bank, Wells Fargo
• Subsidiaries: DataCash, MasterCard Advisors LLC.

ANSWER: Canara Bank

Explanation:
Canara Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to operationalise the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).

It will allow MHRD and Canara Bank to jointly promote HEFA with an authorised capital of INR. 2,000 crore.

HEFA is a special purpose vehicle that aims to give a major push for the creation of high quality infrastructure and capital assets in premier educational institutions.

It will leverage equity to raise up to INR. 20,000 crore for funding infrastructure and development projects for setting up world class Labs in IITs/IIMs/NITs and such other institutions.

It will also mobilise CSR funds from corporates/PSUs which will in turn be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on a grant basis. Read more: HEFA??

ANSWER: SIB

Explanation:
South Indian Bank (SIB) was awarded with ISO 27001: 2013 certification for its Information Security Management System (ISMS).

The certification process involved an extensive audit, conducted by British Standards Institution (BSI) against the criteria set out by the ISO 27001:2013 standards on various domains of IT functions.

The award demonstrates SIB’s total commitment to benchmarking technology framework and processes with international standards and commitment to long term vision for security best practices.

SIB already has received ISO 9001 Quality Management certification for its Credit Department, Personnel Department and Data Centre.

ISMS is set of policies and procedures for systematically managing an organization’s sensitive data.

Its goal is to minimize risk and ensure business continuity by pro-actively by limiting the impact of a security breach.

South Indian Bank

• Headquarters: India
• CEO: V. G. Mathew
• Founded: 1929
• South Indian Bank Limited is a major private sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India.

ANSWER: Jambuwantrao Dhote

Explanation:
Eminent Vidarbha leader and former Nagpur MP Jambuwantrao Dhote passed away.

He was 78. Known as the Lion of Vidarbha for his support to statehood for the region, Dhote was also a legislator for two terms from Yavatmal district.

An ardent disciple of Subhash Chandra Bose, he started his political career with Forward Bloc and later moved to the Congress in the late 70s before joining the Shiv Sena.

He was first elected to the state assembly from Yavatmal in 1962.

His membership was suspended when he threw the paper weight at the assembly speaker over the issue of a separate Vidarbha.

He again won in 1967. Later he had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur in 1972 and won it by defeating Congress veteran Rikhab Chandra Sharma.

Dhote contested the 1980 Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur as a Congress candidate and won it by a handsome margin. He later left the Congress and floated Vidarbha Janata Congress.

Dhote was the son-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former deputy chief minister, the late Ramrao Adik. His wife, Vijaya was also a Congress legislator from Yavatmal.

The veteran politician joined hands with Indira Gandhi in 1978 and made an electoral adjustment with the Congress in 1978 state elections.

His Forward Bloc got 22 seats from Vidarbha and four of his supporters were nominated as ministers.

ANSWER: Madhya Pradesh

Explanation:
The ‘Mile Banche Madhya Pradesh’ programme has been getting an overwhelming response with over 1.26 lakh volunteers including MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan besides pensioners, media persons, homemakers and other professionals.

They are getting registered to play the role of a ‘teacher’ for a day in government-run schools.

Over 31,000 people have volunteered, including chief minister and several of his ministerial colleagues for Madhya Pradesh government’s novel project on a participatory learning to be held in the state on February 18.

The registered persons include 2500 housewives, 575 media persons, 550 engineers, 535 doctors, 502 lawyers and 171 sports persons and a group of pensioners among others.

43,000 government employees will also visit government schools to participate in this programme.

Others who have got registered for this programme include 2300 representatives of voluntary organisations, 3301 retired officers-employees, 15000 persons working in 15 different private sectors, 16834 businessmen and 18,157 public representatives.

The volunteers will read a portion of any Hindi book for the students.

They will also encourage children to read out aloud a portion of any book of their interest.

The exercise will be followed by an educational dialogue between the volunteers and the children.

The exercise is expected to inspire children in primary and middle schools to inculcate a habit of reading various books other than the textbooks.

The online registration for ‘Mil Banche Madhya Pradesh’ programme would be open till February 10 through website ‘www.schoolchalehum.gov.in, he added.