Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 06, 2015

ANSWER: Justdial, Snapdeal and Paytm

Explanation:
US based tech major Microsoft has announced partnerships to enable Indian organisations to explore previously unknown business areas and enrich customer and citizen experiences. The newly-launched local Microsoft Cloud and new devices will also catalyse digital transformation, the company indicated. Tech giant has also announced partnership with Justdial, Snapdeal and Paytm apart from launching a special cloud initiative for smart cities associated startups. According to the company, Justdial and Microsoft will explore the use of Bing and cloud-based analytics to provide and enhance customer experience and Paytm and Microsoft are working on three core areas of partnership. The companies will integrate the Paytm app and Paytm Wallet into Cortana to enable consumers to pay for their utility bills and carry out mobile transactions easily. Paytm will use Office 365 for merchants' inventory and account management. Payt. will also support Microsoft services through Merchant Network. Snapdeal will work with Microsoft Cloud platforms to create a digital automotive dealership.

ANSWER: Bimal Prasad

Explanation:
India's former Ambassador to Nepal Bimal Prasad on 4 November 2015 passed away in New Delhi at the age of 92. He was a close aide of Jayaprakash Narayan and worked as professor of history at University of Patna. He also taught South Asian Studies at JNU and the dean of School of International Studies. He has authored numerous books on JP’s philosophy.

ANSWER: From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet

Explanation:
Mars Orbiter Mission’s anniversary was marked by ISRO at a meeting in ISTRAC Bangalore where a book entitled “From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet” was released. This ISRO publication celebrates the 9 month odyssey of MOM which was launched from Sriharikota in AP on November 5, 2013.

ANSWER: Maldives

Explanation:
Maldives government on 4th November 2015 declared a state of emergency for a period of 30 days citing threat to national security. Declaration was made under A253 of the constitution which gives the president the right to declare emergency and suspend citizen rights. Explosives were seized in Male following which the declaration of emergency was made.

ANSWER: Justice Teerth Singh Thakur

Explanation:
Chief Justice H L Dattu on 4 November 2015 recommended Justice Teerth Singh Thakur to be the next (43rd) Chief Justice of India.He will be appointed as the highest-ranking judge in the Supreme Court of India on 2nd December 2015 and 4th January 2017. He is former acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court who later took over as CJ of Punjab and Haryana High Court. On 17 November 2009, he was elevated to the SC.

ANSWER: Collegium system

Explanation:
SC has said there will be no bar on the collegium system for working for appointing judges for higher judiciary. The latter has many large scale vacancies. SC will not interfere with the collegium system. The SC recently quashed the NJAC/National Judicial Appointments Commission Act aimed at replacing the collegium system for the appointment of judges to higher judiciary.

ANSWER: State Bonds

Explanation:
Union Cabinet has approved a scheme whereby power distribution companies in select states can convert debt into state bond and roll out steps to improve efficiency in power plants. Plan is called UDAY/ Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana. It will shift 75% of their burden from them to state balance sheets resulting in interest cost savings of 3 to 5 percent.

ANSWER: Same

Explanation:
DoPT has issued guidelines for liberalising 2G spectrum in that operators will be able to offer mobile services such as 4G using the same radio waves. "Existing CMTS/UAS/UL with access service authorisation licensees may liberalise their entire administratively allotted spectrum holding in 800 Mhz and 1800 Mhz band in a service area for the balance validity period of right to use spectrum," the guidelines indicated. This will benefit telecom operators like Reliance Communications, Aircel, Airtel and Vodafone.

ANSWER: Elephants

Explanation:
India and Bangladesh are working on trans boundary conservation of elephants and safe cross border migration of elephants is on the cooperation agenda. Bangladesh is also working with its ministries on issue of trans-boundary elephant conservation and migration. Cross border jumbo movements are impacted by border fencing. This problem of cross border elephant movement is chiefly bound in NE states of Meghalaya and Tripura.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
India has 20,000 tonnes of gold which should be put to productive use, and these schemes show us the way to achieve this. The Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) will replace the existing Gold Deposit Scheme, 1999. Under the GMS, resident Indians (classified as individuals, HUF, Trusts including Sebi-registered Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds) can deposit gold. Deposit certificates can be issued by banks equalling 995 fineness of gold and the principal and interest of the deposit under the scheme will be denominated in gold. The terms of deposit will include short-term deposits (1-3 years), medium-term deposits (5-7 years) and long-term deposits (12-15 years).Under the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, the Reserve Bank of India will issue Gold Bonds on behalf of the GoI. Under the Gold Coin and Bullion Scheme, the government will issue gold coins, the first ever national gold coins, with Ashok Chakra engravings on them.

ANSWER: T. K. Viswanathan

Explanation:
Bankruptcy Law Reform Committee has submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Finance on November 4, 2015. Report of the BLRC involves rational and a comprehensive draft insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill covering various entities. Bill proposes to set up an Insolvency Regulatory and deemed the DRT and NCLAT shall be adjudicating authorities with respect to individuals and unlimited liability partnership firms.

ANSWER: 51.7%

Explanation:
Nasdaq-listed IT services company Virtusa has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 51.7% stake in Chennai-based Polaris Consulting & Services for approximately $270 million and an unconditional mandatory open offer to purchase up to 26% of the outstanding shares of Polaris from the public shareholders. Virtusa will acquire 51.7% of the paid up share capital of Polaris from certain promoter entities led by Arun Jain and certain other shareholders, including OrbiTech Private formerly known as Orbitech Limited. The Polaris transaction is expected to close during Virtusa's fourth fiscal quarter of March 31, 2016.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Taxi aggregators Ola and Uber have signed agreements with the Rajasthan government for skill development and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities here.Ola will team up with the state government to provide skill development for 50,000 men and women over the next five years and Uber, on its part, will also collaborate on skills training and development programmes and create more than 35,000 entrepreneurial opportunities. Uber will also roll out pilot project for peer to peer ridesharing product

ANSWER: VIctor Ponta

Explanation:
Romanian PM Victor Ponta on 4th November 2015 resigned from his position following a deadly nightclub blaze which left 32 dead and nearly 200 injured. He has been Romania’s PM since 2012 and was recently mired in a corruption scandal.

ANSWER: Hunan

Explanation:
An endangered tree species more than 1,300 years old has been found during a census of ancient trees in central China's Hunan Province, in Shunhuangshan National Forest Park in Dong'an County in the city of Yongzhou. With a height of 35 m and diameter of 2.2 m, it is one of the oldest trees in the country and became extinct because taxol is extracted from it to treat cancer.