Current Affairs Quiz - 29th April, 2018 - Current Affairs MCQ

Indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has successfully fired an air-to-air beyond visual range (BVR) missile. With this major milestone, Tejas has demonstrated its overall capability as an effective combat jet, and inched closer to receive final operational clearance. Nirmala Sitharaman complimented the DRDO and other agencies involved in making Tejas a world-class aircraft.

The Defence Ministry approved military procurement worth Rs. 3,687 crore, which includes anti-tank guided missile NAG for the Army and long-range guns for the Navy. The proposals were cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The DAC also approved the procurement of thirteen 127 mm calibre guns for the Navy.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi launched the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED, during the celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti at Bijapur, Chattisgarh. The Van Dhan scheme along with others like Jan Dhan and Gobar-Dhan schemes had the potential to change the tribal-rural economic system. Under Van Dhan, 10 Self Help Groups of 30 Tribal gatherers would be constituted.

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd's director Rahul Bhatia has taken over as the interim chief executive officer after its president and director Aditya Ghosh unexpectedly resigned. Indigo is jointly owned by Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal. Indigo is the biggest airline in India and the biggest budget airline in Asia by market valuation.

The Haryana government has appointed international shooter Gauri Sheoran as brand ambassador for its Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign. The decision was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the launch of MR vaccination campaign. Under the campaign, around 80 lakh children - in the age group of nine months to 15 years - would be vaccinated. The chief minister also flagged off 11 medical mobile units for the campaign. Through this campaign, the government proposes to eliminate measles and control rubella in the country by year 2020.

Former PM Manmohan Singh recently released a book by Economist C H. Hanumantha Rao. The book is titled 'My Journey from Marxism-Leninism to Nehruvian Socialism'. C H Hanumantha Rao was the former Planning Commission and Finance Commission member.

Mike Pompeo was sworn in as the secretary of state, shortly after the Senate confirmed the former CIA director's nomination as America's top diplomat at a crucial time when the US is involved in several high stakes negotiations around the world. Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito administered the oath to Pompeo in the West Conference Room of the Supreme Court. He replaced Rex Tillerson.

The Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) was inaugurated by Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons in Noida on April 27, 2018.The institute will further government's commitment of creating skilled manpower in the field of hospitality. It will also help in promoting the research and development in Culinary Arts. Another ICI campus is being set up in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati.

The month of May in Jharkhand will see high bill electricity bills because the rates of electricity units have been doubled. The State Electricity Regulatory Commission approved it on Friday about this hike in electricity tariff. Domestic urban consumers currently pay 2.90 per unit for up to 200 units. According to the new rate, now the domestic consumers will have to pay Rs 5.50 per unit. At present, the domestic rural consumers will have to pay Rs. 4.40 to 4.75 per unit instead of 1.25 per unit. This time only electricity categories are fixed in five categories that include domestic, irrigation, business, industrial and institutional. Commission Chairman Arvind Prasad and Member (Technology) RN Singh, declaring new rates, claimed that there is a provision of subsidy that will provide relief. For this, the government has made a provision of Rs 2000 crores. The commission is not clear about the system of complaint related to the provisions of the subsidy, including the modalities. It is surprising that the cost of electricity in the domestic category will be almost equal to the electricity used in the industries.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the capital acquisition proposals of over 3,687 crore rupees. The decision was taken in the meeting council, chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. In a boost to indigenization and in the realization of India's growing technological prowess, the DAC approved procurement of DRDO's designed and developed NAG Missile System at the cost of 524 crore rupees. The system includes a third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile- NAG, along with the Missile Carrier Vehicle. The DAC approved procurement of thirteen 127 mm caliber guns for the Navy.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is awarded the National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018 in the category "Top R&D Institution / Organization for Patents and Commercialization". Dr Girish Sahni, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR received the award at the hands of Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry, at a function organized by the Indian Intellectual Property Office and Confederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (CII) in New Delhi, to celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day (26th April).

The Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in New Delhi on April 24, 2018 to build the capacity of the Asia-Pacific Region to monitor and report on land degradation. The workshop was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and UNCCD Secretariat. The 4-day workshop trained the participants in the use of an innovative land degradation monitoring tool by Conservation International, for the reporting process of UNCCD. The participants included delegates from about 40 Asia Pacific countries, as well as representatives from 12 Indian states affected by land degradation, scientists and researchers from scientific institutions of national importance and line-Ministries. The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. The convention promotes good land stewardship.

Sitanshu Yashaschandra, the Gujarati poet, playwright and academic, has been selected for the 2017 Saraswati Samman for his collection of verses titled 'Vakhar'. The award is presented by the KK Birla Foundation, a literary and cultural organisation that also gives the Vyas Samman for Hindi and Bihari Puraskar for Hindi and Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan. It is the highest recognition in the field of Indian literature in the country and carries a citation, a plaque and award money of Rs 15 lakh.

The NDMA has conducted its first-ever mock exercise on Bio-Disasters at the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport in Patna, Bihar. The full-scale Biological Management Emergency exercise was based on a suspected Ebola outbreak scenario. The aim of the 5-day training programme is to enhance the preparedness of Airport Emergency Handlers (AEHs) to respond to CBRN emergencies at the airports. The CBRN emergencies pertain to threats emanating due to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear material. It was conducted in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS).

Manipur's Shirui Lily Festival 2018 was concluded at Ukhrul district. The festival was spread over multiple venues. The festival was sponsored by the department of tourism, Manipur to spread awareness about conservation of the endangered Shirui Lily and promote the district of Ukhrul as a tourist destination in Manipur. The festival was also supported by NEC and aims to promote afforestation and sustainable tourism efforts in the state.