Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 1, 2017

ANSWER: MV Sridhar

Explanation:
M. V. Sridhar, a central figure in Hyderabad cricket circles, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Banjara Hills.

A man of multiple talents, Sridhar was a qualified doctor-turned cricketer-administrator who swiftly rose up the ranks.

He resigned last month as the BCCI’s Cricket Operations Manager - a position he held for four years during which he interacted with the players, selectors, Board officials, members of different committees and even attended ICC meets.

Doc, as he was fondly called, is also credited for the smooth handling of ‘Monkey Gate’ controversy involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds during India’s 2008 tour of Australia, a pointer to his communication skills.

He was the Indian team’s media manager then.

MV Sridhar: Know More

• The former Hyderabad captain was also the tournament director when India hosted the Twenty20 World Cup in 2016.
• Before that, he served the Hyderabad Cricket Association as secretary and joint secretary between 2000 and 2014.
• Prior to that, he dazzled on the field to become Hyderabad’s highest run-getter.
• A right-handed batsman, Sridhar played 97 first-class matches between 1988 and 2000 and scored 6,701 runs at an average of 48.91 with 21 centuries and 27 fifties. He also played in 35 List ‘A’ games and scored 930 runs at 29.06, with five half-centuries and a highest of 78 not out.
• His best was the staggering 366 in Hyderabad’s record-breaking total of 944/6 declared against Andhra at the Gymkhana ground (home) in the 1993-94 Ranji Trophy season.
• That individual score remains the highest for Hyderabad and the third highest in India behind Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s 443 not out (for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in 1948) and Sanjay Manjrekar’s 377 (for Bombay against Hyderabad in 1991).
• Besides serving as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) General Manager from 2013, Sridhar had been involved in administration in various capacities for a number of years.

ANSWER: Vice Chairman of Rajasthan's Twenty Point Programme

Explanation:
Former state health minister Dr Digamber Singh, who was fighting a battle against a fatal aliment for the past three years, passed away in Oct 2017.

Demise of the 67-year-old leader from Bharatpur sent shock waves within the state BJP.

A former health and industry minister; he was the vice-chairman of the state government's Twenty Point Programme since June 2015.

Senior members of the state BJP including CM Vasundhara Raje and cabinet members rushed to the hospital on the news of his demise.

The state cabinet, which in a meeting expressed grief on his death, also announced a day-long official mourning in Bharatpur, where Singh will be cremated.

Digambar Singh: Know More

• Singh represented the Deeg-Kumher constituency for two terms between 2003 and 2013.
• However, he lost the 2013 assembly on the same seat at a time when the state BJP went to create a history winning 162 of the 200 seats in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
• The second-blow to his political career came within a year to that when he contested and lost the by-poll on Surajgarh seat in September 2014.
• Singh, a former state health minister, was a two-time MLA from Deeg-Kumher Assembly constituency in Bharatpur.
• He was appointed as the vice chairman of the 20-point programme in June 2015 and was given the status of a cabinet rank minister.
• The government’s 20-point programme, which is under the planning department, is aimed at eradicating poverty and bringing improvement in the life of the common man.
• He was born in Barkheda Faujdar village in Bhartpur and was a practising doctor before joining politics in 1993.

ANSWER: Ivan Lendl

Explanation:
Roger Federer claimed an eighth Swiss Indoor title when he outlasted Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in front of a partisan Basel crowd.

The 36-year-old beaten by Del Potro in consecutive Basel finals in 2012 and 2013, has managed to win back.

Victory means Federer trails world number one Rafael Nadal by 1,460 points going into the Paris Masters where 1,000 points are on offer for the champion.

Del Potro would have moved into the eighth and final qualifying spot for London had he claimed a third Basel title, but now must reach the semi-finals at least in the French capital to make it to the season-ending tournament.

Roger Federer has overtaken Ivan Lendl by winning his 95th career singles title after beating Juan Martin del Potro in three sets in the final of the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion was made to work early by the big-serving Argentine, coming back from a set down to win 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

It is Federer's seventh title of the calendar year-the first time he has managed that feat in a decade.

Del Potro-who was on an eight-match winning streak having won in Stockholm a week ago - provided stern resistance in the first set, saving six break points.

ANSWER: Karambir Singh

Explanation:
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P assumed charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff from Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, who proceeds to Visakhapatnam and is scheduled to take over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command on October 31,2017.

Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The Flag Officer was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 July1, 1981 and is a specialist in Missiles & Gunnery.

The Flag Officer has had extensive operational tenures onboard frontline warships of the Indian Navy.

He has had the distinction of having commanded six seagoing platforms which include the guided missile corvette Kulish (commissioning), the guided missile frigate Talwar, the guided missile destroyers Mumbai and Mysore.

The officer has done the Naval Higher Command Course and is also an alumni of the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

His important shore/ staff assignments include Director Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam, Commanding Officer of INS Dronacharya, Kochi, Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the Western Naval Command, Mumbai.

He was promoted to Flag Rank in Sep 2009 and as a Rear Admiral, his assignments included Assistant Chief of Personnel (HRD) at Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) and Chief of Staff of Southern Naval Command.

On promotion to the Rank of Vice Admiral on December 1, 2013; he was appointed as the Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

Subsequently he has completed two joint service tenures as Principal Staff Officer at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, tenanting the billets of Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning & Force Development).

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
The opposition in Venezuela and the country's political prisoners have won the European Union's top human rights award, the Sakharov prize.

The president of the European Union Parliament , Antonio Tajani, said many people in Venezuela had been deprived of their fundamental freedoms.

He called the president a "dictator" and said: "We cannot remain silent."

The freedom of thought prize is awarded annually in memory of Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet scientist and dissident.

Venezuela is mired in a deep political and economic crisis which has left the South American country deeply polarised between supporters of the socialist government headed by President Nicolas Maduro, and its opponents.

More than 120 people were killed in protest-related violence during a spate of anti-government demonstrations earlier this year.

The €50,000-prize ($58,000; £45,000) will be awarded on 13 December in Strasbourg.

Last year's prize was awarded to two Yazidi women who escaped sexual enslavement by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

Member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Beatriz Becerra, congratulated the prize-winners.

The recipients of the Sakharov receive a monetary prize of 50,000 euros ($59,000).

The two other nominees for the prize were Guatemalan human rights activist Aura Lolita Chavez Izcaquic and journalist Dawit Isaak, imprisoned without trial in Eritrea since 2001.

ANSWER: Both a and c

Explanation:
Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on 29th Oct received Pramod Mahajan Smriti Award in Pune.

The actor was recently appointed as Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India,

Being awarded along with Shayra Banu, who is UN ambassador for HeforShe was also a massive honour.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar presented the awards.

Pramod Mahajan Smriti Award was instituted by Pune-based organization ‘Muktachhand’ in memory of Late former Union Minister Pramod Mahajan.

ANSWER: 30

Explanation:
The World Bank, today released the Doing Business (DB) Report, 2018. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is pleased to announce that India ranks 100 among 190 countries assessed by the Doing Business Team.

India has leapt 30 ranks over its rank of 130 in the Doing Business Report 2017.

The DB Report is an assessment of 190 economies and covers 10 indicators which span the lifecycle of a business.

India has improved its rank in 6 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to Frontier score).

The credit for this significant improvement is credited to the mantra of “Reform, Perform, Transform” given by the Prime Minister, wherein a strong leadership has provided the political will to carry out comprehensive and complex reforms, supported by a bureaucracy committed to perform.

The Government has undertaken an extensive exercise of stakeholder consultations, identification of user needs, government process re-engineering to match Government rules and procedures with user expectations and streamlined them to create a more conducive business environment.

An extensive exercise is also undertaken to increase awareness among users about reforms to ensure extensive use of newly created systems.

This edition of the report acknowledges India as a top improver, with an improvement of 30 ranks compared to last year’s report, the highest jump in rank of any country in the DB Report, 2018.

India is the only country in South Asia and BRICS economies to feature among most improved economies of the DB Report this year.

Major achievements in the World Bank in the Doing Business Report

The important highlights of India’s performance are:

1. Resolving Insolvency -
a. Rank improved from 136 to 103
b. Distance to Frontier (DTF) score improved from 32.75 to 40.75
c. Strength of insolvency framework index increased from 6 to 8.5
d. Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code created for efficient handling of restructuring & insolvency proceedings
e. Professional institutes set up for handling restructuring & insolvency proceedings

2. Paying Taxes -
a. Rank improved from 172 to 119
b. DTF score improved from 46.58 to 66.06
c. Payments reduced from 25 to 13 in a year
d. Time reduced from 241 to 214 hours
e. Total tax rate reduced from 60.6% to 55.3% (% of profit)
f. Post filing index improved from 4.3 to 49.31
g. Enabled electronic registration, return & payment of ESI & EPF contributions

3. Getting Credit -
a. Rank improved from 44 to 29
b. DTF score improved from 65 to 75
c. Strength of legal rights index improved from 6 to 8
d. Credit bureau coverage increased from 21.4% to 43.5% (% of adults)
e. Increased coverage of security interest registration under SARFAESI Act
f. Secured creditors prioritized over Government dues for purposes of recovery

4. Enforcing Contracts -
a. Rank improved from 172 to 164
b. DTF score improved from 35.19 to 40.76
c. Cost reduced from 39.6% to 31% (% of claim)
d. Quality of judicial process index improved from 9 to 10.3
e. Dedicated commercial courts established
f. National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) to monitor and manage court cases

5. Protecting Minority Investors -
a. Rank improved from 13 to 4
b. DTF score improved from 73.33 to 80
c. Strength of minority investor protection index increased from 7.3 to 8
d. Extent of conflict of interest regulation index increased from 6.7 to 7.3
e. Extent of shareholder governance index increased from 8 to 8.7
f. Greater transparency requirements for interested parties transactions
g. Greater shareholder protection through action against directors & claims for damages

6. Construction Permits -
a. Rank improved from 185 to 181
b. DTF score improved from 32.83 to 38.80
c. Procedures to obtain construction permits reduced from 35.1 to 30.1
d. Time reduced from 190.0 to 143.9 days
e. Cost reduced from 25.9 per cent to 23.2 per cent of warehouse value

ANSWER: China

Explanation:
China plans to build a $1 billion super-sized DNA sequencing platform in the Jiangsu Province aimed at storing genetic information of millions of its ethnic Chinese population/

The DNA project is part of the National Health & Medicine Big Data (Nanjing) Centre, a six-billion yuan (about $ one billion) project, Lan Qing, Deputy Director of the provincial Health and Family Planning Commission said.

During the first phase, health and medical information on about 80 million people, the equivalent of the population in Jiangsu, will be stored at the centre.

The designed capacity for DNA sequencing will be up to 400,000 to 500,000 samples per year.

The DNA sequencing project will be jointly undertaken by the state-owned Yangzi Group, Southeast University and Nanjing Medical University.

Researchers will then use big data created in the database to study genetic mutations related to major diseases, look for the impact of interaction between genes and environmental concerns on human heath, and provide statistical support for diagnosis and treatment of major diseases.

The programme will focus on population genetics, newborns, childhood brain and cognitive development, cancer, and rare and chronic diseases.

The database is expected to be complete in around four years.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Moving ahead with reforms in the public sector banking space, the government has constituted a ministerial panel headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that will oversee merger proposals of state-owned banks.

The other members of the panel include Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

While announcing the unprecedented INR 2.11 lakh crore capital infusion roadmap for the public sector banks (PSBs) last week, Jaitley indicated this will be accompanied by series of banking reforms over the next few months.

The constitution of Alternative Mechanism (AM) is a movement in that direction.

The Cabinet in August had decided to set up an Alternative Mechanism to fast-track consolidation among public sector banks to create strong lenders.

The move to create large banks aims at meeting the credit needs of the growing Indian economy and building capacity in the PSB space to raise resources without dependence on the state exchequer.

The mechanism will oversee the proposals coming from boards of PSBs for consolidation.

The decision to set up such a mechanism follows State Bank of India merging its five associate banks, as also the Bharatiya Mahila Bank, with itself.

ANSWER: Blue-Flag 17

Explanation:
A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel today to participate in exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’.

Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos.

The exercise would provide a platform for sharing of knowledge, combat experience and in improving operational capability of the participating nations.

The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel from 02-16 Nov 17. The team consists of personnel from various combat elements of the IAF and is led by Gp Capt Maluk Singh VSM.

This is the first time the Indian Air Force is operating with Israeli AF in a multilateral exercise setting. Exercise Blue Flag gives opportunity to the IAF to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from other Air Forces.

ANSWER: Eco friendly ductile cementitious composite

Explanation:
Researchers plan to retrofit a school building in quake-prone Uttarakhand with a novel concrete coating that can dramatically enhance the earthquake resistance of seismically vulnerable structures.

The fibre-reinforced concrete was developed at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada.

The material is engineered at the molecular scale to be strong, malleable, and ductile.

Researchers subjected the material, called eco-friendly ductile cementitious composite (EDCC), to earthquake simulation tests.

The material will be used to retrofit a school in Roorkee in Uttarakhand, a highly seismic area, researchers said.

EDCC combines cement with polymer-based fibres, fly ash and other industrial additives.