Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 07, 2017

ANSWER: Sankara Narayanan

Explanation:
R A Sankara Narayanan has taken charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank.

He has taken over the resigns of the bank from Kishore Sansi, who reached superannuation on August 31.

He joined Bank of India as a direct recruit officer in 1983 and has headed various branches.

KV Rama Moorthy has assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank.

Prior to joining TMB, he was Executive Director of United Bank of India.

He succeeds HS Upendra Kamath. Rama Moorthy’s appointment is for a period of three years.

DHFL, a leading housing finance company, has elevated Harshil Mehta as Joint Managing Director & CEO of the company with effect from September 1.

Prior to this elevation, Mehta was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.

ANSWER: Initial coin offering

Explanation:
The People's Bank of China has declared initial coin offerings (ICOs) illegal and wants them to “cease immediately”.

A growing number of tech companies are opting to sell digital “tokens” because they are quick, easy and unregulated.

The ban saw sharp falls in the two leading crypto-currencies, with bitcoin tumbling $200.

Issuing ICOs - a relatively new phenomenon - has become popular in China, with close to $395m (£305m) raised from investors this year but it is part of a growing global trend. The research site CoinDesk suggests more than $1.5bn in capital has been raised through ICOs since the start of the year.

That's up $256m from last year.

The move is aimed at protecting investors and “dealing with the risks properly”, said a joint statement from the People's Bank of China, securities and banking regulators and other government departments.

ICOs unlike the more traditional share offerings, involves companies raising cash with ICOs don't necessarily offer investors a stake or equity in their business in exchange for their money.

There are legitimate ICOs out there, but a lot of companies are jumping on the ICO bandwagon because it is largely an unregulated space at the moment, and thus, an easy way to raise cash.

ANSWER: Lasker Award

Explanation:
The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation also announced on Sept 6 that it was giving its public service award to Planned Parenthood. Each award includes a $250,000 honorarium.

The foundation’s clinical research award is shared by Dr. Douglas Lowy and John Schiller of the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

In the early 1990s they began work that would eventually lead to vaccines against human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer and some other cancers.

They showed that a particular viral protein could provoke a strong immune response against the virus.

The Lasker award for basic medical research went to Michael N. Hall of the Biozentrum Institute at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Starting in the 1990s, he discovered and studied proteins that serve as a master regulator of cell growth, one that responds to the availability of nutrients.

Defects related to those “TOR” proteins contribute to diabetes and cancer, and scientists are developing anti-cancer drugs based on them, the foundation said.

In awarding its public service prize to Planned Parenthood, the foundation said it had provided “essential health services and reproductive care to millions of women for more than a century.”

Laskar Awards: Know More

• The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine.

The four main awards are:


• Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.
• Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.
• Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award
• Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science

ANSWER: DIKSHA

Explanation:
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the National Award to Teachers - 2016 on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, in New Delhi.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu also launched DIKSHA portal, a national digital infrastructure for teachers. DIKSHA will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education.

Basically the DIKSHA Portal is created to provide digital and advance technology to the teachers.

The main purpose of the Diksha portal is to focus the whole life cycle of the teacher, from the point they are student teachers till their retirement.

The HRD ministry has also set up a slogan “National Digital Infrastructure for Our Teachers Our Heroes” for DIKSHA national teachers portal.

For all the information regarding the national teachers portal you can visit official website diksha.gov.in.

Through this portal the teachers can take the benefit of the current digital infrastructure which is created for the teachers of the country.

Benefits & Features of DIKSHA Portal: Know More

• The HRD ministry has launched this portal to provide new and modern technologies to the teachers.
• It is journey to make technology work for the teachers.
• The teachers can learn free courses online at their home.
• Teachers can take the training through this portal in both modes offline as well as online.
• The portal will help the teachers to direct themselves, as they join the Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs).
• Through this portal the teachers can take quality content and the content can be shared in multiple people and the infrastructure is multi channel.
• It can be accessed on various formats like PCs, mobile phones, tablets etc.
• The aim is “Sabko Shiksha aur Acchi Shiksha” to “teach to transform, educate to empower and learn to lead”.

ANSWER: UJALA

Explanation:
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, Malaysia.

The Scheme was launched by Chief Minister of Melaka Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Hj. Idris Bin Hj. Haron.

In due course of time, the successful Indian model of UJALA scheme has become a sought-after example for the different nations of the world and will now be implemented in Melaka to extend programme benefits to people of the region.

Under this scheme, each household in Melaka will get 10 high quality 9-watt LED bulbs at a cost of only RM 10.

The distribution of these LED bulb will take place from 28 numbers of Japerun in the region.

These Japerun are a unique community welfare and engagement centers, which are situated across the Melakan State.

Under the extensive and ever-expanding idea of UJALA, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) plans to distribute about 1 million 9W

LED bulbs, which will replace 18W CFLs.

The initiative will have the logistical assistance and facilitation support from Green Growth Asia, which is a not for profit organization.

The bulb for the UJALA scheme in Melaka comes with a 3-year free replacement warranty against any technical defects.

UJALA: Know More

• The Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi on January 5, 2015 had launched the world's largest and most extensive LED distribution programme, UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All).
• A simple act of change of one light bulb to LED at South Block Prime Minister's office in India heralded a movement in the entire country for considering the same change.
• Due to bulk LED bulb procurement by EESL, a healthy competition rose among the manufacturers and this brought down the prices of LED bulbs in India from a range of about Rs. 300 - Rs.400 to about Rs. 70 per bulb
• UJALA’s impact in Malaysia will bring about clean energy, contribute to climate change targets and save the already dwindling energy resources.
• With a fairly large switch to LED bulbs, Melaka will be able to reduce carbon emissions by around 19,000 tonnes per year.
• Currently, over 25-crore LED bulbs have been distributed under the UJALA scheme in India, resulting in 33,828 mn kWh of energy savings per year.
• While about 13,531 crores are being saved in energy bills of consumers per annum, about 2,74,00,887 tonnes of CO2 reduction is taking place per year.

ANSWER: All the above

Explanation:
List of MoUs/Agreements signed during State visit of Prime Minister to Myanmar

S.No.	Name of MoUs/Agreements	Myanmar side	India side
1.	MoU on Maritime Security Cooperation Between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar	Brigadier General San Win, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Defence	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
2.	Cultural Exchange Programme between the Government of the Republic of India And the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar for the year 2017-2020	U Htun Ohn, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
3.	MoU on Enhancing the Cooperation of the Upgradation of the Women's Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar.		Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
4.	MoU for Sharing White Shipping Information between the Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy	Rear Admiral Moe Aung, Chief of Staff (Myanmar Navy)	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
5.	Technical Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government Of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar for providing Coastal Surveillance System	Rear Admiral Moe Aung, Chief of Staff (Myanmar Navy)	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
6.	MoU between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare of the Republic of India and Food and Drugs (FDA), Ministry of Health and Sports of Myanmar on Cooperation in Medical Products Regulation.	Dr. Than Htut, Director General, Ministry of Health and Sports, GOM	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
7.	Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and Family welfare of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Health And Sports of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on cooperation in the field of Health and medicine	Dr. Than Htut, Director General, Ministry of Health and Sports, GOM	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
8.	Exchange of Letter for Extension of MoU on the establishment of MIIT	Dr. Thein Win, Director General, Department of Higher Education	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
9.	Exchange of Letter for Extension of MoU on the establishment of India-Myanmar Center for Enhancement of IT-Skill	U Win Khaing Moe, Director General, Department of Research and Innovation	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
10.	Memorandum of understanding in the field of elections between the Election Commission of India and The Union Election Commission of Myanmar.	U Tin Tun, Secretary of Union Election Commission of Myanmar	Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar
11.	Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Myanmar Press Council and the Press Council of India	U Aung Hla Tun, Vice-Chairman (1)	Mr. Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, Chairman, Press Council of India

ANSWER: PLuS Alliance Prize

Explanation:
Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and Mumbai-born scientist Veena Sahajwalla have been conferred the PLuS Alliance Prize.

This is a prestigious honour that recognises Research Innovation, Education Innovation, Global Leadership and Global Innovation.

The Prize of USD 50,000 was awarded in two categories; Education Innovation and Research Innovation.

Both winners were recognized for the development and implementation of innovative solutions to significant global issues.

ANSWER: Novartis

Explanation:
Global pharma major Novartis named Vasant Narasimhan as its new chief executive officer (CEO) from 1 February 2018.

He succeeds Joseph Jimenez who will step down in 2018 after eight years in the position.

Narasimhan is currently global head (drug development) and chief medical officer of the company and is also member of the executive committee of the company.

ANSWER: UNESCO

Explanation:
UNESCO has announced the winners of the 2017 International Literacy Prizes, which honours excellence and innovation in the field of global literacy.

The awards will be handed out to five laureates from Canada, Colombia, Jordan, Pakistan and South Africa on the occasion of International Literacy Day,which falls on September 8.

The prizes are divided into two categories -

• The UNESCOConfucius Prize for Literacy sponsored by China, and
• The King Sejong Literacy Prize sponsored by South Korea.

This year’s Confucius Prize is given to the AdulTICoProgram from Columbia, The Citizens Foundation from Pakistan, and the FunDza project from South Africa.

The King Sejong prize is shared by the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance from Canada and the We Love Reading program from Jordan.