Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Feb 28, 2016

ANSWER: Ajay Shankar

Explanation:
DIPP panel led by former secretary Ajay Shankar has suggested steps to cut down multiple permissions. A government constituted expert committee has suggested introduction of credible 3rd party certification in areas such as regulation and adoption of international best practices for emission norms and other steps to cut down on multiple permissions by investors. There has also been a recommendation that there is requirement for standing institutional mechanisms within GoI for third party regulatory assessment. For startups, the panel has suggested steps like mixed land use redevelopment/greenfield development and exemption from seeking building permissions. Startups should also be given special exemptions in the compliance of labour laws for their growth, the panel suggested. 11 member committee chaired by Shankar also indicated that an investor friendly regulatory framework should be put in place instead of multiple permissions. This is a step forward to make India an attractive destination for investments. Other members of the committee include Siddhartha Sibal (Accenture) CII Secretary General Chandrajeet Banerjee and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Manoj Kumar Singh and Joint Secretary in Ministry of Labour and Employment, Manoj Kumar Singh.

ANSWER: Uterus

Explanation:
Scientists perform first uterus transplant in the US. Surgeons at the clinic have performed the first uterus transplant on 24th February 2016. This transplant took 9 hours to perform. The recipient was 26 years old. The purpose of the procedure is to enable those without uterus or removed uterus to become pregnant and give birth. The team which performed the operation accompanied Dr. Andreas G. Tzakis who headed the group working with doctors from University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

ANSWER: Gianni Infantino

Explanation:
Gianni Infantino was elected as president of Fédération Internationale de Football Association) after winning a second-round vote at Extraordinary FIFA Congress held in Zurich, Switzerland on 26th February 2016. He was elected as the 9th FIFA President. This was after the second ballot in which he secured 115 of 207 votes. He will serve FIFA till 2019. He was previously the general secretary of EU governing body UEFA, succeeding Sepp Blatter who held the position since 1998. Infantino, a 45 year old defeated other contenders like Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, Prince Ali of Jordan and Jerome Champagne of France.

ANSWER: Ranveer Singh

Explanation:
Actor Ranveer Singh on 26th February 2016 will be honoured with the Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar award bestowed by Lata Mangeshkar at a Pune function. Award is conferred each year on artists on 24th April to commemorate the death anniversary of Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar. The award was instituted in the year 1999 in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata Mangeshkar. It is awarded to people for outstanding contributions to music and movie.

ANSWER: Rajesh Pillai

Explanation:
South Indian filmmaker Rajesh Pillai passed away due to a liver problem at the age of 42. His latest film Vettah starred Manju Warrier and Indrajith. He hit headlines with a path breaking movie in Malayalam cinema called Traffic in 2011.

ANSWER: BK Garudachar

Explanation:
BK Garudachar, India’s oldest first class cricketer from the pre-independence era is no more. He was the former captain of Mysore who was an all rounder. His best figures were 11 wickets for 62 runs when Mysore in the first Ranji trophy Mysore won against Hyderabad in the 1940s. Garudachar was credited for pioneering Karnataka cricket and was born in 1917.

ANSWER: Kerala

Explanation:
God’s own country Kerala has been declared the first digital state of the nation. This state has many firsts on the human development index. President Pranab Mukherjee noted that Kerala has become digitally enabled, right from the launch of pilot Akshaya e-literacy project in Kerala’s Malappuram district.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
The Akshaya project is the first district wide e-literacy project in India. It expanded from Kerala to the remaining states of India. There are currently 2500 Akshaya centres across the state of Kerala. President Mukherjee also inaugurated the first IT Park in the Malabar region which is spread over 0.5 million square feet and will provide a base for over 5000 professionals apart from creating indirect employment for over 20,000 people in this region. This UL Cyber Park is the first IT park to be developed by a labour cooperative society, Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Kerala under the umbrella of Compassionate Kerala or Kanivinte Kerala has introduced an initiative called Kanivu for helping the ill and those with acute mental disorders living in isolation. INR 100 crore has been earmarked for this project. Food, medicine and care will be provided to needy people through community participation via this initiative.

ANSWER: Kerala

Explanation:
This project was initiated 6 years ago. It is an important project for restoring archeological monuments through Thrissur, Enrakulam, Pattanam and Pallipuram. The project is named after Port Muziris where everything from stones to spices was traded. Large ships of ocean traders from across the world including Arabs, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese once came to this port. It is the largest conservation project in the country and the first green project in Kerala. It involves heritage, conservation and tourism. Apart from Athithi Devo Bhava, the Spice Route Initiative that will explore international linkages and collections across Malabar Coast and many parts of the world will be implemented with the support of UNESCO and United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

ANSWER: Draft National Health Policy

Explanation:
The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Shri JP Nadda chaired the 12th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare which discussed the Draft of the National Health Policy 2016. Some of the resolutions adopted towards the close of the meeting were as followed:

i. Health needs of country have changed over time since the last National Health policy
ii. Draft National Policy formulated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI has been formulated keeping this in mind
iii. Endorsement of the Draft National Health Policy by the Central Council for Health and Family Welfare.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Scientists have created cyberforests or computer simulations that grow realistic 3D forests right down to branches, leaves and roots of individual trees. This is to see how climate related changes like drought and wildfires impact real forests. Model called LES uses computing power to grow drought and shade tolerant trees which can be scaled to actual forest size. This is the only forest growing simulator that comes up with intricate root systems and canopy structures for every tree while previous forest simulators could only grow one or another. Researchers used a blend of data from US Department of Agriculture’s Forest and Inventory Analysis Programme and other forestry database alongside aerial reconnaissance from UAV or drones for customising models to certain forests.