January 24, 2018, Current Affairs, Quiz - Current Affairs MCQ

Answer & Last week, Union Water Resources Ministry released central assistance amounting to Rs 734.7 crore for 26 irrigation projects. Out of the total amount Rs. 734.7 crore, Rs 246.9 crore is for nine prioritised projects under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) works. Remaining Rs 487.80 crore is to be utilised for Command Area Development (CAD) works for 17 projects. It is to be noted that during financial year 2017-18, central assistance amounting to Rs 1152.52 crore has been released for 26 priority projects under the AIBP so far. Besides, Rs. 3318.85 crore has been released as state share from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for 24 priority projects under the AIBP.

Government of Japan has committed JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Official Development Assistance loan for Yen 45 billion for Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Project (Phase 3). On 24th January 2018, documents regarding this was exchanged between Mr. S. Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, India and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) area, mainly 110 villages, will be covered by this project. People of this area will be provided with safe water supply and sewerage services. Water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants will be set up for this purpose.

Uttar Pradesh State Cabinet approved ‘one district, one product’ scheme to promote products indigenous to every district. Decision in this regard was as taken at State Cabinet meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiatyanth. Under this scheme, one product indigenous to every district of Uttar Pradesh would be showcased at the three-day UP Diwas event beginning from January 24, 2018. Uttar Pradesh State Government expects that implementation of this scheme will boost economic development of the state, and will generate five lakh new employment opportunities per year.

The annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) is being held in Davos, Switzerland from 23rd – 26th January 2018. Over the course of this event, global leaders from different sectors, including business, politics, academia and journalism will hold discussions and share their views on the most pressing contemporary issues facing the world. This year’s theme is “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World”.

India has ranked 81st out of 119 countries on 2018 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI). This marks an improvement as compared to 92nd rank in 2017. The index was released on January 23, 2018, the first day of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The report has outlined that developed, high income countries continue to dominate the rankings and there seems to be a correlation between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GTCI scores. 2018 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) report has been titled ‘Diversity for Competitiveness’ and focuses on role of diversity in forming talent policies and innovation strategies. Although India’s ranking has improved this year, the report has warned that it faces a serious risk of worsening brain drain. Switzerland has retained its top position. It is followed by Singapore and USA at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.

India has ranked 177th among 180 countries on Environmental Performance Index 2018. This marks a drop from 141st position in 2016. The Index was released on January 23, 2018, the first day of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The EPI report outlined that countries such as India, China and Pakistan which scored badly in air quality category are facing public health crisis that need urgent attention. Decline in India’s rank as compared to 2016 can be attributed to the quality of data and the broadening the base of parameters. However, Indian Government’s ‘Ujjwala Yojana’ got a special mention in the report. Switzerland topped the index followed by France and Denmark at No.2 and No. 3 respectively. Data from international organisations like World Bank and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has also been taken into consideration for compiling EPI 2018.

Sri Lankan government has announced that, the ban on import of vehicles that are not fitted with air bags and seat belts and below the emission levels as per Euro IV standard, will come to act on 1st July 2018. This ban was supposed to come to effect from 1 January 2018. After hearing requests from motor vehicle importers and manufacturers to extend time to comply with the standards mentioned by government, the ban has been postponed to 1st July 2018. As per the ban, from 1st July 2018, vehicles without airbags and seat belts for the driver and front passenger, Anti-Locking Breaking System (ABS) standards and three-point seat belts at the back portion will not be permitted for import.

Public sector lender Indian Overseas Bank announced that it has entered into an agreement with the National Housing Bank (NHB) for implementation of the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme (RHISS) of Union Ministry of Rural Development. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed in the presence of IOB MD and CEO, R. Subramaniakumar and MD and CEO of National Housing Bank, Sriram Kalyanaraman. Objective of this scheme is to provide subsidy for loans to households in rural areas for undertaking construction and modification activities. Under this scheme, 3% interest subsidy is offered on a loan amount of Rs two lakh for a tenure of 20 years.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has borrowed Rs 4,000 crore from ICICI Bank to acquire HPCL. ICICI Bank has provided the Rs 4,000 crore loan to ONGC for a period of one year. ONGC has borrowed this amount to acquire government’s 51.11 % stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL). Apart from this Rs 4,000 crore loan from ICICI Bank, ONGC has taken, over Rs 18,000 crore loan from 3 other banks to acquire HPCL. The total acquisition amount is Rs 36,915 crore. ONGC has signed a deal with PNB (Punjab National Bank) for Rs 10,600 crore. It has signed deals with Bank of India for Rs 4,460 crore and with Axis Bank for Rs 3,000 crore.

Rajesh Agarwal was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Niger. Rajesh Agarwal is currently the Counsellor, High Commission of India, Port Moresby. He has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Niger. He will soon take charge as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Niger.

The United States Senate appointed Jerome H Powell as the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Jerome H Powell replaces Janett Yellen as Chairman of Federal Reserve. Janett Yellen’s term ends in February 2018. Jerome H Powell is 64 years old. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate through a vote in which he obtained 84-12. Currently, Jerome H Powell is a Federal Governor.

Tsewang Namgyal was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Poland. Tsewang Namgyal is an Indian Foreign Service Officer (IFS) of the 1992 batch. He is at present the Ambassador of India to Cuba. He has been named the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Poland. He will soon take up his new assignment.

Rakesh Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, unveiled the Management Information System (MIS) portal for Anganwadi Services Training Programme, in New Delhi. The Management Information System (MIS) portal was developed jointly by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and National Informatics Centre (NIC). URL of the MIS portal is http://icds-trg.nic.in. The MIS Portal has been created to enable submission of applications by NGOs (non-governmental organization) for carrying out Anganwadi Services (ICDS – Integrated Child Development Services) Training through Anganwadi Workers Training Centres (AWTCs) and Middle Level Training Centres (MLTCs).

Rakhi Halder made a new national record by lifting 128kgs in the clean and jerk, in the 63kg women’s category, in the 33rd Women Senior National Weightlifting Championships, in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Rakhi Halder lifted 128kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 230kgs in the 63kg women’s category. She created a new national record surpassing Karnam Malleswari’s record of 127kg at Athens in 1999. Rakhi Halder won gold medal in the 63kg women’s category. S Thasana Chanu (202kg) won silver medal and Amandeep Kaur (191kg) won bronze in this category.

veteran Communist leader Yashwant Chavan died after a short time illness, at a private hospital in Pune, Maharashtra. Yashwant Chavan was 97 years old. He founded the ‘Lal Nishan Party’ (Red Flag Party) in 1965, after he split with the CPI (Communist Party of India). He also played an important role in the Navjivan Sangathana (‘New Life Organization’). The Lal Nishan Party was merged with CPI in August 2017.

Hugh Masekela, jazz trumpeter of South Africa, died after suffering from prostate cancer, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hugh Masekela was 78 years old. He was called the “the father of South African jazz”. He was born in Witbank, a town in eastern South Africa. He composed Soweto Blues and wrote Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela). Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela) was considered an anthem of the anti-apartheid struggle. He contributed a lot to end apartheid.

On 24th January 2018, National Girl Child Day was celebrated all over India. National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24 January to highlight the achievements of girl children and to focus on issues like sex ratio, female foeticide, child marriage, gender inequality, etc. The first phase of Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls was launched on National Girl Child Day (24 January 2018) by Rakesh Srivastava, Secretary, Women and Child Development. Rapid Reporting System is an online monitoring system to take measures for girls’ nutritional and health status by targeting beneficiaries and reducing wastages.