Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Nov 27, 2017

ANSWER: NCR New Delhi

Explanation:
India is going to host 36^th International Geological Congress (IGC) in 2020 in NCR New Delhi.

India had won the bid in 2012 at 34^th IGC Brisbane, Australia to host the Congress in 2020.

Recently, delegation of International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) had visited India to discuss preparatory aspects of 36^th IGC.

IUGN: Know More

• The International Union of Geological Sciences is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology.
• President: Qiuming Cheng (Canada/China)
• Parent organization: International Council for Science
• Motto: Earth Science for the Global Community
• Founded: 1961
• Headquarters: Founded in Paris, France, secretariat in Beijing, China
• Key people: Sec.Gen.: Stanley Finney (US); Treasurer: Hiroshi Kitazato (Japan)

ANSWER: data recorder

Explanation:
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) in US have converted natural bacterial immune system into the world's smallest data recorder.

The researchers modified an ordinary laboratory strain of ubiquitous human gut microbe (bacteria) Escherichia coli (E Coli) which enabled it to record their interactions with environment and also time-stamp events.

Such bacteria, swallowed by a patient, might be able to record the changes they experience through the whole digestive tract, yielding an unprecedented view of previously inaccessible phenomena.

Other applications could include environmental sensing and basic studies in ecology and microbiology, where bacteria could monitor otherwise invisible changes without disrupting their surroundings.

CRISPR-Cas, an immune system is found in many species of bacteria.

CRISPR-Cas copies snippets of DNA from invading viruses so that subsequent generations of bacteria can repel these pathogens more effectively.

As a result, the CRISPR locus of the bacterial genome accumulates a chronological record of the bacterial viruses that it and its ancestors have survived.

When those same viruses try to infect again, the CRISPR-Cas system can recognise and eliminate them.

To build their microscopic recorder, the researchers modified a piece of DNA called a plasmid, giving it the ability to create more copies of itself in the bacterial cell in response to an external signal.

ANSWER: Air Deccan

Explanation:
Low cost airline Air Deccan is all set to start operations under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), from December 15 this year, airport officials here said on Sunday.

Under the Centre's UDAN scheme, air fares are capped at Rs 2,500 per person for an hour's flight to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in which the government will provide subsidy for flying with such low fares.

ANSWER: 2022

Explanation:
The Union Government has selected 115 backward districts for rapid transformation by 2022 in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to create a "New India" over the next five years.

These 115 backward districts include 35 districts affected by Left Wing Extremists (LWE) violence, 55 districts just affected by LWE and another 15 including districts in Jammu and Kashmir and northeast affected by terrorism.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a Vision for a new and vibrant India by 2022, the year when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence.

Inclusive development and improving the liveability of all are integral part of this vision.

One of the initiatives in this regard is to make a dramatic improvement in overall socio-economic development of backward districts.

The strategy envisaged is to adopt a focussed approach, ensure convergence of efforts of the Central, State and local Government and establish a real time monitoring mechanism to focus on outcomes that matter to common people in these districts beside giving rise to a virtuous cycle of economic development.

A total of 115 districts have been identified for this purpose on the basis of objective criteria. Such criteria include education, health, nutrition basic infrastructure like rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water and individual toilets etc.

These districts include 35 districts which are affected by violence by Left Wing Extremists.

Besides, while selecting these districts, it has been ensured that Ministries of Government of India, implementing social sector Scheme would select at least one most backward districts in every State for extending the reach of the programme in different part of the country.

Improvement in one district is likely to spur similar growth in neighbouring districts through demonstration effect.

ANSWER: Poland

Explanation:
India's Ritu Phogat has won Silver medal in Under-23 Senior World Wrestling held in Poland. She won silver medal in 48 kg category.

She entered into final by defeating Bulgarian Wrestler Selishka in Quarter finals and Chinese Wrestler Jiang Zhu in the semi-final. In the gold medal bout (in the final match), she lost against Turkish Wrestler Evin Demirhan and stand in second with a silver medal.

Another young Indian wrestler, Divya Kakran, came close to a medal but lost in the bronze medal bout.

ANSWER: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Scheme

Explanation:
The Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has announced that 30.76 lakh houses for the urban poor have been sanctioned so far since the launch of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Scheme in June 2015.

Currently, 15.65 lakh houses are at various stages of construction and about 4.13 lakh houses have been constructed since launch of PMAY (Urban).

PMAY: Know More

• At the slum decadal growth rate of 34%, the slum households are projected to go upto 18 million. 2 million non-slum urban poor households are proposed to be covered under the Mission.
• Hence, total housing shortage envisaged to be addressed through the new mission is 20 million.
• The Mission is being implemented during 2015-2022 and provides central assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other implementing agencies through States/UTs for:
• In-situ Rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation
• Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.
• Credit linked subsidy component is being implemented as a Central Sector Scheme while other three components as Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
• All statutory towns as per Census 2011 and towns notified subsequently would be eligible for coverage under the Mission.
• In the spirit of cooperative federalism, mission provides flexibility to the States for choosing the best options amongst four verticals of mission to meet the demand of housing in their states.
• Process of project formulation and approval in accordance with the mission Guidelines has been left to the States so that projects can be formulated, approved and implemented faster
• A Technology Sub-Mission under the Mission has been set up to facilitate adoption of modern, innovative and green technologies and building material for faster and quality construction of houses.
• Technology Sub-Mission also facilitates preparation and adoption of layout designs and building plans suitable for various geo-climatic zones.
• It will also assist States/Cities in deploying disaster resistant and environment friendly technologies.

ANSWER: 51

Explanation:
National drug pricing regulator NPPA on 25^th Nov, 2017 said it has capped prices of 51 essential formulations, including those used for the treatment of cancer, pain, heart conditions and skin problems.

The prices have been slashed in the range of 6 to 53 per cent.

NPPA is an organization of the Government of India which was established, inter alia, to fix/ revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.

The organization is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for the controlled drugs from the consumers.

It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

ANSWER: spread the message of Gita to world

Explanation:
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav 2017 in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The objective behind Mahotsav is to spread the message of Gita to world.

The second edition of the event was organised by Haryana Government. Mauritius was partner country and Uttar Pradesh was partner state of the event.

The 11th day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) of Margashirsh month (November - December) as per traditional Lunar calendar i.e. the Shukla Paksha Ekadashi day of the Margashirsha month is when this event is celebrated throughout world by all admirers of this sacred scripture "Bhagvad Gita"

The event is celebrated to commemorate the birth of 'Srimad Bhagwat Gita', the sacred scripture containing invaluable advice of Lord Krishna that he proffered to Arjuna, the third Pandava in the battlefield of Kurukshetra on the first day of the famous 18-day battle in the Mahabharata

ANSWER: Asian Marathon Championship

Explanation:
Gopi Thonakal created history by becoming first Indian man to win Asian Marathon Championship. He achieved the feat in the 16th edition of the prestigious event held at Dongguan in China.

He clocked 2 hours 15 minutes and 48 seconds to clinch gold medal. Uzbekistan's Andrey Petrov won silver medal while Byambalev Tseveenravdan of Mongolia won bronze medal

ANSWER: Aditya-L1

Explanation:
The India Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch first solar mission Aditya-L1 in 2019. It will be India's first dedicated scientific mission to study sun.

The mission aims to put 1,500-kg heavy class Aditya-L1 satellite into halo orbit around Lagrangian point L1, a point between Sun and Earth. This point is at a distance of about 1.5 million km from earth.

The project is approved and the satellite will be launched during 2019 - 2020 timeframe by PSLV-XL from Sriharikota.

Aditya-1 was meant to observe only the solar corona.

The outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of km above the disc (photosphere) is termed as the corona. It has a temperature of more than a million degree Kelvin which is much higher than the solar disc temperature of around 6000K.

How the corona gets heated to such high temperatures is still an unanswered question in solar physics.

Aditya-L1 with additional experiments can now provide observations of Sun's Photosphere (soft and hard X-ray), Chromosphere (UV) and corona (Visible and NIR).

In addition, particle payloads will study the particle flux emanating from the Sun and reaching the L1 orbit, and the magnetometer payload will measure the variation in magnetic field strength at the halo orbit around L1.

These payloads have to be placed outside the interference from the Earth's magnetic field and could not have been useful in the low earth orbit.

The main payload continues to be the coronagraph with improved capabilities. The main optics for this experiment remains the same.

Aditya-L1: Know More

• The Aditya-1 mission was conceived as a 400kg class satellite carrying one payload, the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) and was planned to launch in an 800 km low earth orbit.
• A Satellite placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/ eclipses.
• Therefore, the Aditya-1 mission has now been revised to "Aditya-L1 mission" and will be inserted in a halo orbit around the L1, which is 1.5 million km from the Earth.
• The satellite carries additional six payloads with enhanced science scope and objectives.