Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 09, 2017

ANSWER: UID

Explanation:
Insurance regulator IRDAI (The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) on Nov 8, 2017 said linkage of the unique identity number (UID) or Aadhaar with insurance policies is mandatory and asked insurers to comply with the statutory norms.

The government in June had notified the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 making Aaadhar and PAN/Form 60 mandatory for availing financial services including insurance and also for linking the existing policies with the same.

In a communication to all life and general insurance companies, IRDAI said the rules have "statutory force" and as such they have to implement them without awaiting further instructions.

There are 24 life insurance companies and 33 general insurers (including standalone health insurers) operating in the country.

ANSWER: Priti Patel

Explanation:
Priti Patel, Britain's first Indian-origin cabinet minister resigned as International Development Secretary on Nov 8 evening, as the political crisis engulfing the British government intensified.

Ms. Patel's resignation came following an intense day at Westminster amid further revelations about Ms. Patel's dealings with senior Israeli politicians and a visit to Israel during a "family holiday" over the summer.

On Monday, Ms. Patel had publicly apologized for failing to disclose 12 meetings with senior Israeli politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a "family holiday" to Israel in August.

After initially suggesting the FCO and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had been in the loop since the outset, she admitted they had been made aware of the meetings while the trip was underway.

While Downing Street initially stood by her, subsequent revelations have made her position increasingly tenuous.

It also emerged that Ms. Patel had since commenced discussions within her department over sending aid money to the Israeli army for work in the Golan Heights.

The decision to allow Ms. Patel to stay after the initial details of the undisclosed meetings emerged faced widespread criticism both from within the Conservative Party and from opposition parties, including Labour, which called for her resignation or an investigation into whether the ministerial code had been breached.

Other UK India-origin Leaders

• Mancherjee Bhownagree, Conservative MP; second Indian MP in British Parliament (deceased)
• Parmjit Dhanda, Labour MP.
• Nirj Deva, Conservative MEP.
• Piara Khabra, Labour MP (deceased).
• Ashok Kumar (British politician), Labour MP.
• Claude Moraes, Labour MEP.
• Dadabhai Naoroji, Liberal MP; first Indian MP in British Parliament (deceased)
• Shapurji Saklatvala, Communist MP.
• Marsha Singh, Labour MP.
• Parmjit Singh Gill, Liberal Democrats.
• Shailesh Vara, Conservative MP.
• Keith Vaz, Labour MP; longest-serving British Asian MP; former Minister for Europe and Privy Council member.
• Virendra Sharma - Labour MP and councillor in Ealing.

ANSWER: Second

Explanation:
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, has signed an Institutional agreement with Anna University to establish India's second Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) at the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), Anna University, Chennai, under the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) TISC program.

WIPO's Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

CIPR: Know More

• CIPR has an experience of filing more than 185 Patents, 29 Trademarks, 39 Copyrights, 25 Industrial Design and has also assisted in filing 12 International Patent Applications.
• Anna University has been accredited with 6th rank among Universities, 8th rank among Engineering Colleges and 13th rank in the overall category in India, by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• CIPR has also organized IPR awareness programs as well as six certificate courses on IPR related subjects.

TISC: Know More

• The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.
• Over 500 TISCs operate worldwide and establishing a TISC in India will give the host institutions access to the global network.
• TISC will give an impetus to knowledge sharing, sharing of best practices among the TISCs, capacity building, generation and commercialization of Intellectual Properties.

ANSWER: 64

Explanation:
It's a feature the city has always flaunted with pride, but now, it has got international recognition. Chennai has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition.

A total of 64 cities from 44 countries have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the organisation's website said.

They join a network at the frontline of UNESCO's efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development.

Gastronomy, music, crafts and folk art, media arts, design, film and literature are the seven fields of creativity highlighted by the network, which now has a total of 180 cities in 72 countries.

Jaipur and Varanasi are the other Indian cities that feature on the list.

ANSWER: Mary Kom

Explanation:
Mary Kom won her fifth gold at the Asian Championships.

After fighting in the 51 kg category for the past three years, Mary, a Rajya Sabha MP, had shifted to 48 and this was her first international championship in the new weight class.

She scored a 5-0 win over Kim Hyang Hi of North Korea in Ho Ch Minh City, Vietnam.

She made a comeback for the 2014 CWG trials, where she missed out on a spot with a narrow loss against Pinki Jangra in 51 Kg.

Mary won the gold medal at Asian Games in Incheon before taking a six month break once again.

Nov 8's final saw Mary making use of counter punches and blanking Kim in all the rounds.

Mary Kom: Know More

• Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte (born 24 November 1982), better known as Mary Kom, is an Olympic Indian boxer hailing from the Kom tribe in Manipur.
• She is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
• Nicknamed "Magnificent Mary", she is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze medal.
• She has also been ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category.
• She became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea.
• On 26 April 2016, Kom was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
• In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Mary Kom along with Akhil Kumar as national observers for boxing.

ANSWER: Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Atal Innovation Mission- Niti Aayog

Explanation:
Two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed between Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Atal Innovation Mission - Niti Ayog and Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University in Delhi on Nov 8, 2017.

The partnerships on skill development and entrepreneurship seek to align with the National Priority Areas.

Therefore, quality deliverables under these collaborations will go a long way in initiating and sustaining innovative approaches towards strengthening the enterprise movement in the country.

With an aim of enabling millions and millions of Indian youth acquire necessary skills and contribute towards making India a modern country, India has launched 'Skilling India' as a multi-skill development programme on mission mode for job creation and entrepreneurship skill development for all socio-economic classes.

To realise this dream, upgrading skills to international standards through significant industry involvement and developing necessary frameworks for standards, curriculum and quality assurance are the prerequisites.

Along with impetus on Skilling India, promotion of Entrepreneurship is being pursued by Government through 'Start-up India'.

Incubators plays a vital role as the incubation process not only provided the start-up with an inspiring environment, quality mentoring and a support structure, it also helped them refine their business model and get access to an economical, yet professional working space.

IICA has explored ways to collaborate and undertake various activities to promote incubation/ entrepreneurship and innovation.

To facilitate activities such as capacity building programmes/ workshops/ seminar, research in area of incubation, innovation, skill development etc., IICA has inked the Statement of Intent with Atal Innovation Mission-Niti Aayog and the Memorandum of Understanding with Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University.

These collaborations are likely to provide the opportunities for all stakeholders to participate and contribute to larger cause of incubation and skill creation.

ANSWER: Andhra Pradesh

Explanation:
The famous Banaganapalle mangoes of Andhra Pradesh and Tulaipanji rice of West Bengal are among the seven commodities that have been granted Geographical Indication (GI) this fiscal year by the Indian patent office.

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Darjeeling tea, Tirupati laddu, Kangra paintings, Nagpur orange and Kashmir pashmina are among the registered GIs in India.

The other five products which have received the GI tag this year include Pochampally Ikat of Telangana; Gobindobhog rice of West Bengal; Durgi stone carvings and Etikoppaka toys of Andhra Pradesh; and Chakshesang shawl of Nagaland, according to the Indian patent office website.

In 2016-17, as many as 33 items got GI registration.

Experts said that this tag gave protection to the producer of these genuine products, which commanded premium pricing in the markets, both domestic and international.

Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

ANSWER: India-UN Development Partnership Fund

Explanation:
India has pledged to contribute $100 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund to help the poorest nations achieve the world organisation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce poverty and raise the quality of life.

The multi-year contribution at the 2017 UN Pledging Conference for Development Activities was announced on 4th Nov, 2017.

This contribution would be in addition to $10.582 million India is contributing to various other UN programmes, he said.

A total of $398.98 million was pledged by about 20 countries during Monday's conference session.

The Fund launched on June 8 is managed by the UN Office of South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and focuses on the least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The utilisation of India's contributions will be flexible and attuned to the needs of the receiving countries.

The first project from the Fund is being executed in partnership with seven Pacific Island countries.

The Fund has since then identified 15 more projects.

Of the $5 million India contributed to the Fund this year, $2 million would be utilised for reconstruction in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, which took a big hit from hurricanes.

The Fund project currently underway is an early warning system for extreme weather conditions for the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Tonga.

When the Fund was launched in June, it was yet another example of India's contributions to shaping a better world and its notable leadership and drive towards ensuring that no one is left behind, both in India and worldwide.

Contributions From India to UN

• The $100 million contribution pledged to the Fund and $10.582 million to other programmes are in addition to the annual dues of about $35 million mandated by the General Assembly as India's contributions towards the UN's regular budget, the peacekeeping operations and the tribunals.
• The contributions totalling $10.582 million are for the UN Development Programme ($4.5 million), World Food Programme ($1.92 million), UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians ($1.25 million), UN Women ($1 million), Unicef ($862, 000), UN Population Fund ($500,000), UN HABITAT ($150,000), UN Environment Programme ($100,000), UN Office on Drugs and Crime ($100,000) and Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation ($200,000).
• India will also be making contributions to the trust funds for victims of torture and modern slavery, and to the programme for UN Volunteers.

ANSWER: Western Ghats

Explanation:
Researchers have discovered a new species of ant in the Western Ghats, recognised as one of the world's 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity.

The new species was found in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The research, published in the latest issue of peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.

Belonging to Tyrannomyrmex, a rare tropical genus of ants, the species was discovered by the team from the Vallakadavu range during an expedition a year ago.

Paying tribute to their mentor and eminent myrmecologist Musthak Ali, who is regarded as the country's 'ant man', the authors of the study have named the new species Tyrannomyrmex alii (or T. alii).

Tyrannomyrmex is a rare myrmicine (subfamily of ants) ant genus that is distributed in the Indomalayan bio-region that extends from southern India and Sri Lanka to southeast Asia.

The particular genus had been erected in 2003 with the discovery of the species, Tyrannomyrmex rex Fernández, in Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia. Later, two more species that were under the same genus had been discovered; Tyrannomyrmex dux (or T. dux) from the Ponmudi hills in 2007 and T. legatus from the Sinharaja Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka in 2013.

T. alli has thus become the four species of the rare genus and the second one from India. Notably, both of the Tyrannomyrmex species that have been described from the country are known from the Western Ghats range in Kerala.

Tyrannomyrmex alii: Know More

• The new species can be distinguished from the other species of the same genus through its morphological characteristics.
• While it differed from T. dux by the petiolar shape, it became dissimilar to T. legatus and T. rex by surface sculpture and pilosity.
• There are detailed morphological descriptions of the gyne and the worker castes, images from scanning electron microscopy, a key to all four known species of Tyrannomyrmex, and a note on the ecology of this rare genus.

ANSWER: Wild banana

Explanation:
Andaman and Nicobar islands is a biodiversity hotspot that hosts seven different species of wild banana that we know of, not to mention numerous, as yet undocumented, others.

The latest discovery, published in the Nordic Journal of Botany, is of a species of wild banana named Musa paramjitiana, in honour of Paramjit Singh, who happens to be the director of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

The species was found in North Andaman's Krishnapuri forest, 6 kilometres from any human habitation.

The plant grows to a height of nine metres and bears an edible, sweet-and-sour tasting fruit that is boat-shaped and has numerous bulb-shaped seeds.

Its conservation status has been declared as 'Critically Endangered' as it has so far been spotted in only two locations on the islands, each with 6 to 18 plants in a clump.

The fruit is part of the diet of local tribes.

The fruits and seeds have ethno-medicinal importance. Pseudo-stem and leaves of these species are also used during religious and cultural ceremonies.

The germplasm of all the wild banana species needs to be conserved on an urgent basis, since most of these are found in very small habitats and at risk of extinction.

In 2014, Musa indandamanensis, another wild banana, was discovered in a remote tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman island. It has dark green cylindrical flower buds.