Current Affairs Questions & Answers - May 12, 2016

ANSWER: 1.1

Explanation:
Real agricultural growth is expected to rise 1.1 percent in 2015-2016 despite below normal monsoon in the previous year, as per Nomura report. The Japanese financial services major has indicated that the ongoing diversification in the agriculture sector reduced volatility in farm income and agricultural outputs.

• Composition of Indian agriculture changes from largely food-grain dominated sector to other core and ancillary activities such as horticulture and livestock.
• Reduced dependence on food-grain output is a reason why volatility in agricultural GDP growth has moderated.
• Despite below normal monsoon rainfall in 2015, real agriculture GVA growth is projected to rise 1.1 percent in FY16.

ANSWER: 2030

Explanation:
Indian electricity consumption will increase four times from 1.1 trillion to 4 trillion units by 2030. Despite energy efficient schemes, a possible 10 percent jump is there in electricity growth annually for the next 15 to 16 years. Emphasis given to domestic manufacturing activities will increase power consumption despite improvements in energy efficiency.

• India has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2022 of which 100 GW is to be obtained from solar.
• Solar power capacity at 6.7 GW will touch 20 GW.
• As the solar power sector is on track, the government will focus on encouraging new hydropower and wind power capacity.

ANSWER: Estimates

Explanation:
Parliamentary Committee on estimates chaired by BJP LS member Murli Manohar Joshi suggested an apex body headed by the Prime Minister for better coordination and implementation of all the schemes of the cleaning of India’s national river in a time bound manner. Committee suggested that the apex body should be backed by a legislative framework with statutory power to take decisions on different aspects of the river rejuvenation projects including land acquisition for sewage treatment plants and uninterrupted flow of the river or regulation of water withdrawal for agriculture, industrial and domestic use.

• So far GoI has identified 30 projects of inter linking rivers across the country.
• Only three links- Ken Betwa, Damanganga Pinjal and Par Tapi Narmada have been adopted for implementation.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Hockey India has recommended national men’s team players VR Raghunath and Dharamvir Singh and women’s capital team Ritu Rani for the Arjuna Award.

• Defender Raghunath and midfielder Dharamvir won the Asian Games gold medal at Incheon and were silver medallists in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
• Ritu is a midfilder who captained the Indian women’s team to its first Olympic qualification.
• HI also declared Sylvanus Dung Dung has been recommended for the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award and veteran coach C.R. Kumar recommended for the Dronacharya Award.

ANSWER: 49,000

Explanation:
Created up to 49,000 years ago, it marks the first time humans arrived in the continent.

• The latest discovery was made by archeologists from Australian National University in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
• ANY archaeologist Sue O’Connor indicated the axe dates between 46 to 49,000 years around the first time people arrived on the continent.
• In Japan such axes appeared 35,000 years ago. In most countries in the world, they arrived with agriculture around 10,000 years ago.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca at the centre of leaked documents detailing offshore financial dealings said it will take legal action against an international consortium of journalists. The firm said it had asked the ICIJ to stop publishing information from documents obtained through alleged computer hack.

• The consortium published information about close to 200,000 offshore entities in a searchable database implying all those mentioned need not have violated laws.
• The firm said the data was obtained illegally and full of errors.

ANSWER: Arrhythmia

Explanation:
A new non-invasive, personalised 3D virtual heart assessment tool is the new discovery to help doctors determine if a patient faces a risk of life-threatening arrhythmia.

• Researchers formed its predictions by using the distinctive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) records of patients who had survived a heart attack but were left with damaged cardiac tissue that predisposes the heart to deadly arrhythmias.
• If electrical waves run amok in arrhythmia, sudden death can occur, said researchers.
• This machine can prevent sudden cardiac deaths.

ANSWER: 3264

Explanation:
Astronomers have discovered 1284 more planets beyond our solar system, with nine possible in orbits suitable for surface water that could provide support for life.

• Announcement brings total number of confirmed planets outside the solar system to 3264.
• These are exoplanets detected by NASA”s Kepler space telescope while searching for habitable planets like earth.
• New planets were identified during Kepler’s four year primary mission outside the solar system to 3264.
• Of the planets nearly 550 could be rocky like earth- there are 21 total known planets which could harbour life.
• Kepler also looked for changes in the amount of light from 150,000 target stars with some of the changes caused by orbiting planets across or transiting the face of their host stars, relative to the line of vision of Kepler.
• Analysis technique has been developed by Princeton University astronomers Tim Morton and colleagues.

ANSWER: PfSPZ

Explanation:
An experimental vaccine has been found to protect a small number of healthy people from infection for more than one year after immunisation.

• Vaccine called PfSPZ is developed and produced by US based pharma company Sanaria.
• This vaccine confers long term sterile protection in select participants which has not been achieved with current vaccine approaches.
• The PfSPZ Vaccine is composed of live, but weakened P. falciparum sporozoites — the early developmental form of the parasite.

ANSWER: ThinkLABS

Explanation:
Education startup FitKids has acquired a science and technology education provider ThinkLABS for a non disclosed amount. FitKids provides science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for children from Kindergarten to grade 12.

• The acquisition will help add 100 schools to current portfolio of 160 schools in the country.
• ThinkLABS gives training to teachers to deliver the curriculum.

ANSWER: EID Parry (India)

Explanation:
Parrys Sugar Industries Ltd. will merge with EID Parry (India) Ltd. Parrys Sugar is a listed subsidiary of EID Parry.

• The board of EID Parry had already given its nod for the scheme of amalgamation.
• The merger, which will be subject to the approval of the shareholders and relevant regulatory authorities, will take retrospective effect from April 1, 2016, according to a company release.
• Shareholders of Parrys Sugar will receive two equity shares of Re.1 each of E.I.D. Parry for every 13 equity shares of Rs.10 each they hold.

ANSWER: Jan Egeland

Explanation:
Conflict, violence and disasters displaced 27.8 million people within their own countries in 2015, according to a new report released 11 May.

• Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) spoke of internal displacement caused by conflict and sudden-onset disasters, in a report that has been prepared by the NRC's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
• In addition the new report now also explores displacement currently "off the grid" displacement, such as that caused by criminal and gang violence, slow-onset disasters like drought, and development projects.
• Some 8.6 million new displacements associated with conflict and violence were recorded in 2015, and as of the end of the year the total including those who fled in previous years stood at 40.8 million.

ANSWER: Congress

Explanation:
President's Rule will be revoked from the hill state soon. The Congress's Rawat got the support of 33 of the 61 MLAs who voted.

• The floor test, also called a trust vote, was held to ascertain whether the ousted chief minister still enjoys a majority in the House.
• The Centre imposed President's Rule in Uttarakhand on March 27 saying Rawat lost his majority when nine Congress legislators rebelled.
• Congress President Sonia Gandhi had yesterday hailed the floor test as a "victory for democracy”.
• Uttarakhand has plunged into crisis when former CM Vijay Bahugana went against the government.

ANSWER: Pondicherry

Explanation:
Pondicherry University VC Chandra Krishnamurthy has tendered her resignation after being issued a show-cause notice after a UGC committee found her guilty of plagiarism and misrepresentation.

• Ms. Krishnamurthy took charge on February 1, 2013 for a five-year term. Last August, she was served a show-cause notice asking her to explain why she should not be dismissed.
• However, the V-C had challenged the “procedural fairness” in issuing of the notice and after a court verdict found nothing wrong, she replied to it earlier this year.

ANSWER: Hussain Haqqani

Explanation:
A forthcoming book titled India vs Pakistan: Why Can’t we just be Friends? was launched in second week of May 2016.

• The book is authored by former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani.
• This exposed the role of Pakistan in 26/11.
• The book is by South Asia expert, journalist, academic, political activist and ex ambassador of Pakistan to UK and Sri Lanka.

ANSWER: Solidarity fridge

Explanation:
Argentina adopting it to feed the needy ones who are facing the hardship due to increase in job cuts and inflation in the country.

• The genesis of ‘social fridge’ or ‘solidarity fridge’ lies in the recent economic crisis of Europe during which countries like Spain and Germany saw the mushrooming of such fridges.
• It is called so because people leave food in outdoor "social fridges" for those who need it. The fridges typically stand on the sidewalk outside restaurants.
• As of now some 57 “social fridges” are operating in Argentina.

ANSWER: Mrugank Paranjape

Explanation:
Deutsche Bank executive Mrugank Paranjape took over as CMD of MCX or Multiple Commodity Exchange which had previously been without a head for 2 years.

• MCX is an independent commodity exchange based in India established in 2003 and is based in Mumbai.
• It is India’s largest commodity futures exchange and the turnover of the exchange for the year 2015 was 55.52 trillion rupees (865.55 billion US dollars).

ANSWER: Anti Hijacking Bill 2014

Explanation:
Hijacking of an aircraft will now entail capital punishment in the event of death of “any person” as Parliament passed a bill to provide widen the ambit of the law in dealing with this crime.

• The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014, was approved by the Lok Sabha by voice vote.
• It was passed by the Rajya Sabha earlier. In the earlier bill, hijackers could be tried for death penalty only in the event of death of hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel.

ANSWER: National Technology Day

Explanation:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence celebrated National Technology Day, on May 11 which was organised by the Defence Science Forum. The day also saw release of a DRDO Technology Spectrum (compendium of innovative technological contributions/ methodologies of scientists). The function was attended by Directors, Scientists from DRDO Headquarters and Delhi based laboratories.

ANSWER: States Division

Explanation:
Ministry of External Affairs has set up a new division – “States Division” - in the Ministry to coordinate with States and Union Territories for further facilitation of their efforts to promote their exports and tourism and attract more overseas investments and expertise. The Division is headed by a Joint Secretary, assisted by two Deputy Secretary level officers and supported by a section.

ANSWER: Financial Intelligence Unit- India

Explanation:
Financial Intelligence Unit - India (FIU-IND) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 30 counterpart FIUs of other countries for sharing the information pertaining to money laundering and terror funding.

• FIU-IND is also a member of Egmont Group of FIUs, an international organization with a membership of 151 FIUs.
• Besides, India is also a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental body which makes recommendations relating to combating money laundering, terrorist financing and serious tax offences.
• India participates in various regional/global meetings to put India’s position with regard to steps taken to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

ANSWER: South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children

Explanation:
Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children.

• Safety, security and dignity of children and young people will determine well being of the nation, the Union Home Minister said.