Current Affairs Questions & Answers - July 09, 2016

ANSWER: 50

Explanation:
Level of participation of women in India’s job market is coming down, a matter of some concern according to a statement issued by ILO.

• One of the issues is the question of gender and women’s participation in the labour market and that of women.
• India is not the only country facing this problem, but the international comparison is pretty massive
• IMF conducted a study in November 2015 which pointed to a gender gap of 50 percent in India compared to an average gap of 12 percent in the OECD countries.
• Work profiles are changing due to globalisation, technological upgradation, geopolitical situations and collective responses and solutions need to be employed by stakeholders for this.
• ILO is looking to bolster the role of women through promotion of social dialogue, global labour standards and international experience

ANSWER: 4

Explanation:
RBI on July 7, 2016 has notified the interest rate for different small savings scheme for the quarter closing September.

• Interest rates have been retained as they were for the previous April-June quarter
• Internet rates for small savings schemes like Kisan Vikas Patra and Public Provident Fund Scheme are notified on a quarterly basis.
• Interest rate on savings deposit is 4 percent while for the 5 year recurring deposit and 5 year senior citizen’s scheme is 7.4 percent and 8.6 percent respectively.
• Public Provident Fund Scheme earns interest rate of 8.1 percent and Kisan Vikas Patra of 7.8 percent.
• 110 months maturity period is stipulated for these schemes.
• Interest rate on Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme is 8.6 percent and in another notification, there has been a review of reporting requirements with an aim to reduce the burden of compliance. Banks have been told to discontinue submission of such reports with immediate effect.

ANSWER: Amitabh Bhatia

Explanation:
Telecom major TATA Docomo has on 7th July, 2016 announced the appointment of Amitabh Bhatia as the consumer business unit head- AP and Telangana.

• As the CBU head, Bhatia will oversee the business and operations of the telco in two states.
• He was earlier leading Gujarat circle at TATA Teleservices.
• He had previously held numerous positions at Electrolux, Reliance Communication and Bharti Airtel.

ANSWER: Sulu

Explanation:
The actor playing Hikaru Sulu in the upcoming sci-fi film Star Trek Beyond has revealed that the character is openly gay and married in the new film.

• Actor John Cho who plays the role of Sulu first made known by George Takei in the 1966 Star Trek television series has informed that Sulu, the helmsman of the USS Enterprise has a daughter with his married partner.
• There is yet to be an openly gay film character in action blockbusters as a superhero.

ANSWER: 7

Explanation:
Indian sugar production could fall by 7 percent to 23.26 MT in the next marketing year commencing in October with a decrease in sugar output on account of rainfall deficit in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

• Sugar output is estimated to fall for the second straight year in 2016-2017 marketing year on account of drought in major sugar producing states.
• Sugar production in India, the world’s second largest sugar producer after Brazil is estimated as having fallen to 25.1 MT in 2015-2016 marketing year ending September from 28.3 MT in the previous year.
• ISMA has released the preliminary estimate indicating sugar output was pegged at 23.26 million tonnes in 2016-2017.
• This is around 1.8 to 1.9 MT less than current production of 25.1 MT.
• This is in concordance with the government’s estimate of 23-23.5 MT for the next year- ISMA attributed the likely fall in sugar output to a decline of 5.5 percent in sugarcane acreage to 4.99 million ha in 2016-2017 as against 5.28 million ha in the previous year
• This results in lower sugar cane output.
• ISMA data indicates sugar production in Maharashtra- the biggest producer in India- is estimated to decline to around 6.15 MT in 2016-2017 from 8.40 MT in the present year.
• The area under cane cultivation in 2016-2017 fell due to a drought like situation whereby there was poor rainfall and lesser water availability for irrigation.
• Cane area in the state is currently 7,80K ha as against 1.05 million ha in 2015-2016.
• UP is the second largest sugar producing state. Here the production is estimated to rise to 7.54 MT in 2016-2017 marketing year from 6.82 MT in the present year.

ANSWER: 1 billion

Explanation:
Software-as-a-Service market in India is expected to grow by as much as three times to USD 1 billion by 2020, as per NASSCOM research.

• Demand will be driven by businesses aiming to zero in on core operations.
• Market for SaaS was pegged at USD 300 million in 2014-2015 as against USD 407 million in 2015-2016.
• SaaS is a pay-as-you-go software distribution model.
• Research points that there are differences in over 150 firms offering solutions in SaaS segment with start ups powering the segment.
• Close to 40-45 percent of the companies within the segment are startups.
• Investors are showing keen interest in the number of startups.
• India SaaS based products have received close to USD 450 million in the first two quarters of the previous year.
• Close to 170 million was invested in such start-ups in 2014 across 22 deals.
• Number of such deals have grown by 2 times to 22 in 2014 from 11 in 2011.
• With 60 percent of the funding, in post 2012, more startups are being able to access funding in the past 5 years.
• The US and EU account for more than 80 percent of the demand for Indian SaaS Solutions as per the report.
• Internationally, the SaaS market was pegged at USD 31 billion in 2015; it is expected to grow at 18 percent annually to USD 72 billion by 2020.
• Players like SAP, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft have cornered close to 50 percent of the global SaaS market

ANSWER: Radhika Menon

Explanation:
Radhika Menon became the first woman to become captain of Indian Merchant Navy.

• She also became the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation for saving 7 fishermen caught in a storm.
• Fishing boat Durgamma drifted from Kakinada in AP to Gopalpur in Odisha when it was spotted by the team led by Menon.
• Menon was at the helm of oil tanker Sampurna Swarajya of the SCI.

ANSWER: Lidudumalingani Mqombothi

Explanation:
S. African filmmaker, photographer and writer Lidudumalingani Mqombothi on July 5, 2016 won the 17th edition of the prestigious Caine Prize 2016 for his short story Memories We Lost.

• He won 10000 Euro and a month at Georgetown University in the US as writer-in-residence.
• This winning story covers the battle with schizophrenia and the protagonist’s close relationship with the sibling in the Eastern Cape.
• Caine Prize is a yearly literature award given to African short story writers who publish work in English.
• It was established in 2010 in the UK and named in memory of Chairman of the Booker Group, Harry Caine.
• This award is called the African Booker and it showcases the richness and diversity of African writing

ANSWER: 10,11

Explanation:
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis expanded his CoM including 11 ministers and 10 fresh faces.

• With this Cabinet expansion, the CoM now stood at 39 with 42 being the maximum number permitted.
• Newly inducted ministers included 6 ministers from BJP, 2 from Shiv Sena and 1 from Rashtriya Samaj Party as well as Swabhiman Shetkari Sanghatana.
• The BJP also got a maximum share of cabinet rank ministers in state assembly- 4 new cabinet ministers were appointed and 1 MoS was promoted to cabinet rank.
• BJP leaders newly inducted as cabinet rank ministers include Subhash Deshmukh, Pandurang Phundkar, Jaikumar Raval and Sambhaji Patil-Nilangekar.
• Ministers of State from the BJP include Madan Yerawar and Ravindra Chavan.
• Sena’s Gulabrao Patil and Arjun Khotkar were made ministers of state.
• Sadabhau Khot of BJP ally Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana were sworn in as MoS

ANSWER: Vishal Kapoor

Explanation:
IDFC MF has appointed Vishal Kapoor, a senior executive from Standard Chartered Bank as the CEO.

• Kapoor will take charge of the new position from September in 2016.
• Vishal will be responsible for driving accelerated growth of IDFC AMC heading seasoned senior management team including Anoop Bhaskar, Kaplan Parekh and Suyash Choudhary.
• IDFC or Infrastructure Development Finance Company is a finance company based in India which provides financing and advisory services for accelerated growth.
• Vishal Kapoor is am IIMA Graduate and a B.Com from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

ANSWER: Comptroller General of Defence Accounts

Explanation:
Senior bureaucrat SK Kohli has been appointed as the CGDA (Comptroller General of Defence Accounts)

- ACC has approved Kohli’a appointment for promotion to post of CGDA

- Kohli is an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer

- CGDA mandates audit, payment and accounting of all charges for the armed forces

- Established Officer’s Division processes all proposals for senior appointment in the government of India that require approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under GoI Transaction of Business Rules 1961

- The complete list of the Cabinet Committee is given below:

• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
• Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Security

ANSWER: 11

Explanation:
The Obama administration has placed sanctions on N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un and 10 other regime officials for complicity alleged in human rights abuses against the people of North Korea.

• Move marks the first time Washington has personally sanctioned the North Korean leader.
• Sanctions also extend to 5 North Korean state entities including the Ministry of People’s Security.
• North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006.

ANSWER: Aurangabad

Explanation:
MEA is holding the country’s first SAARC Tourism Summit in Aurangabad.

• This city is also counted as the tourism capital of Maharashtra.
• Government hopes the summit will bolster Make in India and Make in Maharahstra and rake in more FDI.
• Two day meet will be organised in the second week of October and it is aimed at tapping FDI Biotechnology hubs under the Make in India scheme.
• MTDC is planning to also set up a Buddhist centre on its 900 acre land at Ellora.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
West Bengal has taken up a project to set up three biotechnology hubs across the state to get in more biotechnology innovations to the state.

• The biotechnology hubs will come up in Bardhaman, Kalimpong and Medinipur districts.
• They will assist in the coordination of various departments with the Biotechnology department in a better way.
• Biotechnology Department of the State has taken up an elaborate scheme to tie up with other departments with the Biotechnology department in a better way.
• It will also provide germ free food to common people.
• Biotechnology was first used in 1919 by Karoly Ereky.
• As new practices in biotechnology grow, additional subfields of the science have been created including gene therapy, genomics and immunology.
• Pharmaceuticals such as insulin, antibiotics and vaccines should be considered biotechnology uses, innovations like gene therapy and gene suppression also being part of this

ANSWER: Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Explanation:
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Krishi Vigyan Kendra portal in New Delhi.

• There are 645 Krishi Vigyankendras in the nation; centres were established in the rural districts of the country.
• Every KVK has a direct interface and linkage with at least 1000 farmers.
• Farmers and agriculturalists earlier had difficulty accessing information as there was no online monitoring system earlier.
• Portal will provide a platform to provide information and advisory to farmers and facilitate online monitoring of KVK activities.
• KVKs are the the main centre of knowledge and resource in the field of agriculture at the district level.
• This portal will help in monitoring at the national level and providing advisory and timely information to farmers.
• Mandate of KVK is Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Development

ANSWER: Sudarshan Bhagat

Explanation:
Shri Sudarshan Bhagat took over as the new Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The focus will be to increase the production of food grains with less production cost as well as dairy products so farmers may receive doubled income.

• Ministers represent Lohardaga (Jharkhand) Parliamentary constituency in LS.
• Shri Bhagat was member of the 15th LS and the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly (2000-2005).
• Shri Bhagat has also held various ministerial posts in Government of Jharkhand.

ANSWER: INNOPROM

Explanation:
INNOPROM, the largest annual industrial global trade fair of Russia to showcase engineering innovations from across the world will begin on 10th of July in Ekaterinburg.

• India is the partner country for INNOPROM 2016.
• With Industrial Net being the lead theme for the exhibition, this event aims to bring together important components to improve efficiency under one roof.
• A delegation of 110 companies led by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce & Industry, Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman will showcase India’s engineering prowess at the Russian engineering and technology event under the Brand India Engineering Campaign.

ANSWER: New Delhi

Explanation:
NCB, Ministry of Home Affairs organised the 2nd anti-drug Working Group meeting of the Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries.

• Meeting was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.
• India will be hosting the eighth BRICS summit in October 2016 in Goa.
• Seventh BRICS summit was held in July 2015 in Russia.
• This was the 2nd such meeting of the Heads of Drug Control Agencies.
• Delegates from 5 BRICS countries namely Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa participated in the discussions which followed the inaugural sessions.