Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Oct 25, 2017

ANSWER: All the above

Explanation:
An organic filter that allows only near-infrared (NIR) light to pass through has been developed by scientists at the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) based in Thiruvananthapuram.

The new NIR filter can be used for night vision glasses, night photography, and will have applications in security and forensics such as identifying blood stains on a dark fabric.

Currently available inorganic filters are expensive and brittle whereas organic filters are easy to process and flexible too.

The filter was prepared by mixing a black dye (diketopyrrolopyrrole or DPP) having an amide group that helps the molecules to be in close contact with each other and interact, leading to changes in their optical properties.

The organogel-based filter has the ability to absorb both ultraviolet and visible light while allowing the near-infrared light alone to pass through.

The nanofibres formed through the self-assembly of the DPP molecules are responsible for the broad light absorption of the material, making it appear dark.

How Scientists Developed It

• The researchers developed the filter by mixing the organogel with a transparent polymer (polydimethylsiloxane).
• The addition of the dye turns the transparent polymer into a semi-transparent one and the filter appears black as it absorbs most of the ultraviolet-visible light.
• Only very little of the organogel has to be added to the polymer to make the filter.
• The material is present throughout the polymer matrix even though very little is added.
• The filter was found to absorb light from 300-850 nm (both ultraviolet, visible and a part of NIR light) and transmit NIR light from 850-1500 nm.
• The researchers tested it for night photography and found the filter responsive only to NIR light.
• A potential application of the new material is in the design of hidden security codes on documents which can be viewed only through a NIR-readable camera.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Even as milk production becomes a key contributor to agricultural income in India, an investigation has found that a fourth of India’s dairies had no shelter for animals and half of these institutions housed sick and injured animals.

The findings were part of an assessment of conditions in 450 dairies, spanning 10 of the country’s top milk-producing States and involved assessing the health and living conditions of about 25,000 cattle.

Nearly 55% of dairy owners allowed their sick animals to be milked.

To increase milk production, hormone Oxytocin was being wantonly administered, even though it is a restricted drug that can only be given after advise from a registered medical practitioner.

Delhi had the "worst" cattle management problem in the country.

None of the dairies had a male calf of more than two months of age and were flourishing in "illegal establishments".

There was also minimal veterinary care and indiscriminate use of Oxytocin here.

The investigation was carried out in Punjab, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi was picked because of its strategic significance.

In Uttar Pradesh - India’s largest milk producer with over 20 million tonnes of production - 92% of dairies didn’t have a visiting veterinarian and 48% of them used sick animals for milking.

ANSWER: West Bengal

Explanation:
The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India signed a $300 million loan to continue a series of fiscal reforms in the State of West Bengal to improve the quality of public service delivery.

The Second West Bengal Development Finance Program targets a further increase in public investment through reduction of unproductive expenditure, and savings from efficiencies in revenue collections.

The Program will build on earlier intervention under Phase I of the project through the $400 million Program that targeted a comprehensive fiscal consolidation program in the state.

The new Program will create the fiscal space necessary to sustain higher public investment in the State which could put the state’s finances on a balanced and sustainable path.

The program agreement was signed by Mr. Parwez Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal.

ADB’s first Program focused on augmenting public investments that reached almost 1.3%, as a percentage of gross state domestic product, in FY2016 from 0.5% in FY2012 while the fiscal deficit reduced to 2.2% from 3.4% in the same period.

The new Program will not only target public investment but would also support private investments more directly by creating an infrastructure facility to support project preparation, development, and appraisal, with emphasis on public-private partnerships in health and education.

It also seeks to simplify the registration and licensing procedure for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Spread over two years, the Program will also carry forward reforms such as linking medium term expenditure plans to actual budgets, supported by strengthening internal audit system, and enhancements in the integrated financial management system (IFMS).

Other activities under the program include improved tax monitoring and continued support for information technology systems in strengthening tax and land administration.

ANSWER: CIPAM

Explanation:
The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu launched the official website for the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

CIPAM has been set up under the aegis of DIPP with a mandate to effectively implement the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy.

The website is interactive providing regular updates on all upcoming events including awareness and sensitization programs being conducted, as also information on all Intellectual Property Rights.

It would make available resource material on IPRs specially curated for various levels: schools, universities, industry and enforcement agencies.

The website provides regular updates on the latest IP trends-statistics on applications filed, examined, grants and disposal for various IPRs.

It would provide information on the various initiatives being taken by the Government to strengthen the IPR regime in the country.

ANSWER: Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small Industries

Explanation:
Ministries of Power and Textiles have joined hands under a new initiative SAATHI (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small Industries).

Under this initiative, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector entity under the administrative control of Ministry of Power, would procure energy efficient Powerlooms, motors and Rapier kits in bulk and provide them to the small and medium Powerloom units at no upfront cost.

The SAATHI initiative of the Government will be jointly implemented by EESL and the office of the Textile Commissioner on a pan-India basis.

To kick start the implementation, cluster wise demonstration projects and workshops will be organized in key clusters such as Erode, Surat, Ichalkaranji, etc.

The use of these efficient equipment would result in energy savings and cost savings to the unit owner and he would repay in instalments to EESL over a 4 to 5 year period.

This is the aggregation, bulk procurement and financing model that EESL has successfully deployed in several sectors like LED bulbs, Smart Meters and Electric Vehicles.

The unit owner neither has to allocate any upfront capital cost to procure these equipment nor does it have to allocate additional expenditure for repayment as the repayments to EESL are made from the savings that accrue as a result of higher efficiency equipments and cost savings.

The aggregation of demand and bulk procurement will also lead to reduction in capital cost, benefits of which will be passed on to the Powerloom units so that their repayment amount and period would reduce.

Powerloom Sector in India

• The Powerloom sector in India is predominantly an unorganised sector and has a large number of micro and small units which produce 57 percent of the total cloth in the country.
• There are 24.86 lakhs Powerloom units in this country, most of whom use obsolete technology. With a view to upgrading the technology, the Government of India has been implementing the INSITU upgradation of plain Powerlooms as part of Power Tex India.
• This is a scheme in which plain Powerlooms are attached with process control equipment leading to higher productivity, better quality and more than 50 percent additional value realisation.
• So far 1.70 lakhs plain Powerlooms have been upgraded under the scheme, with a total Government of India subsidy of INR 186 crores.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Distinguished classical singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi passed away on 24th Oct 2017 evening at a hospital in Kolkata following a cardiac arrest.

Girija was 88, and is survived by a daughter.

Fondly called Appa ji, the queen of Thumri was taken to the city's BM Birla Heart Research Centre on Tuesday afternoon with cardiovascular ailments.

A legendary singer of the "Benaras gharana" had received Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

Known as the "thumri queen", Girija Devi popularised the genre of semi-classical Indian music. She was conferred with all three Padma awards, and was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

Tributes from stalwarts in the Indian music industry began pouring in soon after news of the singer's demise broke.

Born in a zamindar family at a village near Banaras on May 8, 1929, music was a part of Girija Devi's life from a very early age.

ANSWER: Rasiklal Dhariwal

Explanation:
Industrialist and CMD of Manikchand Group Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal passed away due to multi-organ failure this evening in a private hospital.

He was 79 and is survived by wife Shobha, a son and four daughters.

According to the hospital, where Dhariwal breathed his last, he was admitted on September 4 and was suffering from cancer.

Born in Shirur in Pune district of Maharashtra, Dhariwal inherited a bidi factory with 20 workers from his father and went on to become a gutkha baron.

He spotted potential in tobacco products and further diversified his business and ventured into gutkha business, where he made a name for himself.

Not limiting his business to gutkha, whose manufacturing and sale was banned in Maharashtra a few years ago, Dhariwal forayed into newer domains such as packaging, roller flour mills, real estate, wind energy, packaged drinking water and pet preforms (for water and edible oil).

From tobacco products, Dhariwal diversified into pan masala, mouth-fresheners, packaged water, electrical switches, and even flour mills. He is survived by his wife Shobha and five children.

Through his philanthropic entity the Rasiklal M Dhariwal Foundation, the industrialist launched projects in the areas of healthcare, education, environment and disaster management, among others.

ANSWER: IV Sasi

Explanation:
Renowned Malayalam filmmaker I.V. Sasi passed away on 24th Oct 2017 in Chennai where he was undergoing treatment.

With over 150 films to his credit, Sasi was known for his work in between 1970-2000. He has directed a few Hindi films as well.

The veteran director won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration in the year 1982 for his movie ‘Aaroodam’. He has also received multiple state awards for his work.

He was also the recipient of the JC Daniel Award in 2015.

Born in 1948, Sasi married yesteryear actor Seema whom he met on the sets of his movie ‘Avalude Raavukkal’. The couple has worked together in several movies. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

Incidentally, Sasi began his career as an art director with ‘Kaliyalla Kalyanam’ in 1968. His first directorial venture was ‘Ulsavam’ which released in the year 1975.

Some of his best known films are ‘Avalude Raavukal’, ‘Devaasuram’, ‘Guru’, ‘Eeta’, ‘Angaadi’, ‘Anubhavam’, ‘Ayalkari’, ‘Inspector Balram’, ‘1921’, ‘Vellathooval’, ‘Balram vs Tharadas’, ‘Sradha’, amid others.

One of the most successful director in Malayalam industry, Sasi was instrumental in establishing stars like Mammootty and Mohanlal.

ANSWER: 24th October 1945

Explanation:
United Nation Day, above and beyond, is celebrated to remember the organisation of the United Nations and its agenda of promoting human rights, diversity and progress across the world.

Basically, it is the United Nation's birthday, but there is more to it.

Exactly 72 years ago from today, in 1945, the United Nation officially came into being.

The majority of its signatories came together to sign the founding document, and the UN Charter was started up with the promise to be "devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gain their support for" its work,".

However, October 24 started being celebrated as United Nations Day in 1948. Since 1971, after the United Nations General Assembly's recommendation, the day was registered by Member States as a public holiday.

ANSWER: Both b and c

Explanation:
The 'Paika Bidroha' (Paika Rebellion) of 1817 will find a place in the history books as 'the First War of Independence' from the next academic session.

This announcement was marking the bicentenary of Paika Rebellion.

Centre has allocated INR. 200 crore for commemorating it across the country.

Paika Bidroha will find a place as the First War of Independence against the British Rule in the history books.

Paikas were peasant militia under the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king during the times of war.

They rebelled against the British rule under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar as early as 1817.

Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had, in a letter to the Centre, urged that it should recognise 'Paika Bidroha' as the First War of Independence against the British rule as it took place four decades before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, which has so far been regarded as the first war of Indian Independence.

What is Paika Rebellion?

• When the British started tinkering with the revenue system in 1803, the farming community of Odisha rose in rebellion.
• At that critical juncture, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar - the military chief of the King of Khurda - led his motley army of Paikas forcing the British East India Company forces to retreat.
• The rebellion came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion).
• The rebellion, by the landed militia of Khurda called Paiks, predates the first war of independence in 1857 but did not get similar recognition.
• It took place when the British East India company wrested the rent-free land that had been given to the Paiks for their military service to the Kingdom of Khurda.