Current Affairs Questions and Answers - August 21, 2015

ANSWER: A. ISRO

This initiative will also help in cutting down on the carbon emissions especially in the urban areas. A meeting was held on 20th Aug’15 in this regard between the officials from the Road and Highways Ministry, the Science and Technology Ministry and ISRO. The road ministry will within a week submit all its documents with regard to battery-specification requirement to ISRO. ISRO will develop a time-bound programme for the development of these commercial batteries.

ANSWER: B. Seychelles

The cabinet has approved the signing and ratification agreement between India and Seychelles for exchange of information with respect to taxes. The Agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Seychelles for tax purposes, which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for the signing of the revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Seychelles to modernize and update the existing ASA signed in 1978.

ANSWER: D. India

The programme--Call To Action Summit-- will be attended by Health Ministers from 24 countries, state health ministers from India and International academic experts. It will provide a platform to deliberate upon the importance of systems, innovations, convergence and evidence in ending preventable maternal and child deaths.

ANSWER: B. Ashwani Lohani

On 20th Aug’15 Ashwani Lohani was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of national carrier Air India for three years. He will be replacing Rohit Nandan, whose extended tenure ends on 21st August. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved appointment of Lohani, a 1980 batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer, as CMD, Air India Ltd. He is presently working as Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation in Bhopal.

ANSWER: B. United States

Scientists in the U.S. have found a way to take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and make carbon nanofibres, a valuable manufacturing material. Their solar-powered system runs just a few volts of electricity through a vat full of a hot, molten salt; CO2 is absorbed and the nanofibres gradually assemble at one of the electrodes. It currently produces 10g in an hour. The team suggests it could be scaled up and makes an impact on CO2 emissions, but other researchers are unsure. Nonetheless, it could offer a cheaper way of making carbon nanofibres than existing methods.

ANSWER: A. Piraeus

The migrants, most of them Syrian refugees, boarded the Eleftherios Venizelos car ferry in Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Lesvos in the past few days. The influx of migrants in Greece has increased dramatically in the past month to around 50,000. Greece has become the main transit point for migrants into the European Union in the past few months, with UN officials estimating that almost 160,000 have arrived on its shores since January.

ANSWER: A. Himachal Pradesh

It makes Himachal Pradesh the first state in North India to do so. Known as LED based Energy, Efficient and CCMS (Centralized Control and Monitoring System) Smart Street Lighting Scheme for Urban Local bodies and named as Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA). The Urban Development Department has taken this innovative in collaboration with EESL (Energy Efficient Services Limited), a joint venture company formed by 4 power sectors-National Thermal Power Corporation, Power Grid Corporation of India, Power Finance Corporation Ltd. and Rural Electrification Corporation. Under the scheme, the EESL will invest all the capital upfront.

ANSWER: C. Rajeev Gandhi

The birth anniversary of Rajeev Gandhi was observed on 20th Aug’15.

ANSWER: B. Saina Nehwal

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal regained the number one spot in world badminton rankings by toppling Spaniard Carolina Martin to whom she had lost in the summit clash of the just-concluded World Championships. Olympic bronze medallist Saina, who was beaten by Carolina at Jakarta on 16th Aug’15, dethroned the Spaniard in the latest Badminton World Federation ranking released on 20th Aug’15.

ANSWER: C. Sebastian Coe

The world government body of athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations - the IAAF, has chosen the British former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe as its new president. His election comes at a time, when the organisation is facing allegations of widespread doping in the sport. He succeeds Senegalese Lamine Diack, 82, who has led the IAAF for 16 years.

ANSWER: C. 1st Apr’17

The sale and registration of vehicles not meeting the new emission norms won't be allowed in the country from April 2017 and only Bharat Stage compliant four-wheeler vehicles will be manufactured. BS-IV norm was first introduced in the country in April 2010.

ANSWER: D. Anupam Kher

Anupam Kher has been appointed as the UN ambassador of the 'HeForShe' campaign for gender equality. The 'HeForShe' campaign has been initiated by UN Women. Its goal is to engage men as agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women's rights, by encouraging them to take action against inequalities faced by women and girls.

ANSWER: C. Adille Sumariwalla

He is an Olympian 100m runner and President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), was elected as one of the nine individual members of the all-powerful IAAF Council at the IAAF’s 50th Congress held at Beijing.

ANSWER: C. Babasaheb Purandre

Babasaheb Purandare is a well-known writer and theatre personality from Maharashtra, known for his ballads and writing on Maratha warrior Shivaji.