Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Sep 10, 2016

ANSWER: North Korea

Explanation:
North Korea has conducted its fifth nuclear test on September 9, 2016 setting off a blast more powerful than a bomb triggered in Hiroshima.

• The warhead can be mounted on a ballistic missile.
• Its most powerful explosion to date follows a test in January prompting the UN Security Council to impose tightened sanctions that increased North Korea’s isolation but failed to prevent it from accelerating weapons development.
• Both South Korea and the US have criticised the move
• China, once a major diplomatic ally of North Korea, said it was opposed to the test and urged Pyongyang to stop taking actions to worsen the situation
• North Korea which labels the South and the US as its main enemies indicated scientists and technicians carried out nuclear explosion test for judgement of the power of a nuclear warhead as per a report from the official KCNA news agency
• Claims of being able to miniaturise a nuclear warhead have not been independently verified
• N.Korea has been testing missiles at an unprecedented rate and the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile is worrisome for neighbouring countries South Korea and Japan.
• Standardisation of the nuclear warhead will enable DPRK to produce at will and as many as it wants a variety of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power
• Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada indicated Pyongyang regime’s advances in mobile ballistic technology posed a massive threat to Japan.
• North Korea’s nuclear test coincided with the anniversary of the 1948 foundation as a republic
• The continued testing despite sanctions presents a severe challenge to Obama in the final months of his presidency.
• It could become a factor in the US Presidential election in November
• Sanctions have already been imposed on everything possible so the policy is at an impasse
• Japan’s Abe indicated that a nuclear test could not be tolerated
• China’s environment ministry began emergency radiation monitoring along its borders with North Korea in NE China according to state television
• Highest estimates of seismic magnitude indicate this was the most powerful test conducted by N.Korea so far

ANSWER: 111

Explanation:
President Pranab Mukherjee on 8th September 2016 provided assent to the Constitution 122nd Amendment GST bill 2014 as per Article 111 of the Constitution of India.

• Following this assent, the bill was changed into a law and permits rolling out a new indirect tax regime
• Following the Presidential assent, bill will be notified to the GST Council that will decide the tax rate, cess and surcharges
• Council is to be headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprised State Finance Ministers
• Union and state governments will have to draft the Central GST, state and Integrated GST laws for being passed in the winter session of the Parliament.
• CGST and IGST will be drafted on the basis of model GST law
• States will also draw their respective SGST laws with minor variation incorporating State based exemptions. IGST law will deal with inter state movement of goods and services
• GST is a single, indirect tax that will subsume most of the Central and State taxes such as Value Added Tax, excise and service tax, central sales tax, additional customs duty and special additional duty of customs
• Bill was passed by both houses of the Parliament in August 2016 and ratified by 19 states
• The bill needed ratification by legislative assemblies of at least 50 percent of the states.
• The first state to ratify the Bill was Assam. Other states which followed included Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, HP, Gujarat, MP, Delhi, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Haryana, Sikkim, Mizoram, Telangana, Goa, Odisha, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh

ANSWER: Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community

Explanation:
ASEAN Summit 2016 namely the 28th and 29th associations of ASEAN Summit concluded on 8th Sept 2016 at Vientiane Laos.

• The theme for the summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community
• HE THongloun Sisoulith, PM of Laos PDF was Chairperson of the summit
• The summit was held from 6-8th Sept 2016
• It was attended by leaders of 10 member ASEAN nations namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia
• ASEAN leaders at the summit discussed the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and enhanced cooperation with external partners of ASEAN
• The nations also adopted the initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III and Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 which is an integral part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025
• The ASEAN declaration on One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region was also signed
• Several outcome documents were aimed at realising the 8 priorities for ASEAN Chairmanship 2016 and the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025
• There was also an agreement to intensify ASEAN Cooperation with Dialogue Partners and External Parties through ASEAN led mechanisms namely ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, ASEAN regional forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus and East Asia Summit
• PM Narendra Modi represented India at the 14th ASEAN- India summit
• The summit is ASEAN’s highest policy making body. Chair of the ASEAN Submit rotates annually in alphabetical order of English names of member states

ANSWER: Into the Hidden Valley

Explanation:
Blackburn’s novel won the award in the UK on 4th September 2016. Author was presented the award at the HNS Conference in Oxford.

• Book narrates the story of the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh during British India times and the colonial history of British India
• Into the Hidden Valley explores the impact of colonialism whereby a settled civilisation collided with the British empire
• Into the Hidden Valley was chosen for the award ahead of Helena Page Schrader’s Defender of Jerusalem and Kermit Roosevelt’s Allegiance.
• Blackburn is an author of 16 books on Indian culture and folklore, mostly in S India and NE India
• One book, a study of shadow puppet theatre in Kerala was the runner up for the UK Folklore Book of the Year while a translation of an early Tamil novel won the AK Ramanujan Prize in the US
• He is also director of the 5 year, multidisciplinary grant to study Tibet Burma tribal cultures in NE India providing inspiration for the Hidden Valley
• MM Bennetts was a specialist in early 19th century British History and book critic for the Christian Science Monitor- the award is named after him.

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on 7th September 2016 launched the integration of the DigiLocker with Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Certificates in New Delhi.

• New service will end the issue of carrying physical copies of RCs and DLs and the same can be accessed on mobile phones via the DigiLocker mobile app.
• Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Documents can now be issued directly to the DigiLockers of individuals in digital formats.
• Digital copies will be shared with other departments as identity and address proof
• This will also promote on the spot verification through citizen mobile phones by various law enforcement authorities
• The digital copies can be shared with other departments as identity and address proof
• DigiLocker was launched by PM Modi in July 2015 and aims at transforming India into a digitally empowered knowledge economy
• It is a platform for the issuance and verification of documents and certificates digitally
• DigiLocker has 2126332 registered users with 2411702 uploaded documents and issued 42673232 documents till September 2016

ANSWER: Gujarat

Explanation:
Governor of Gujarat Om Prakash Kohli took oath of office as the 26th governor of MP at Raj Bhavan following the end of the tenure of Ram Naresh Yadav

• Acting Chief Justice of MP HC Rajendra Mohan administered the oath to Governor Kohli who has just been assigned additional charge of MP by President Pranab Mukherjee till a new Governor is appointed
• Governor Kohli retired as a reader and was president of DUTA and National Democratic Teacher’s Front
• He was arrested under MISA and jailed
• Following his retirement, he was nominated to the RS when he was member of the standing committees of finance, urban and rural development
• He was also president of the Delhi State BJP for two terms from 1991-1995 and 2009-2010
• As national secretary of the BJP, he was in charge of party affairs in states of Punjab, Haryana, J&K, HP and Rajasthan
• He was appointed Gujarat Governor on July 16, 2014

ANSWER: Complete

Explanation:
There will be a complete ban on the use of polythene in all national monuments and tourist destinations from October 2

• The initiative aims to carry forward the Swaraj Bharat Mission for which the government chose the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to impose the ban
• Trial phase of the initiative will be launched in September and from October 2, it will be implemented in all the national monuments and tourist destinations
• Plastic bottles will not be banned however, but tourists will be asked to place then in recycle containers at tourist destinations
• It will be easy to implement this cleanliness initiative as the tourist destinations will have security personnel who check the tourists at the entrance
• Ban will be applicable to the protected zone or 100m radius of the monuments.