Current Affairs Quiz -20th September, 2018 - Current Affairs MCQ

Mysuru-based C.A. Kuttappa, serving as Subedar in the Army and a resident of Gokulam here, has been nominated for the Dronacharya Award for 2018 in Boxing. Hailing from the Chenanda family, C.A. Kuttappa has been coaching the Indian men's boxing team since 2009 May.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, released the draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) and a booklet on 'Montreal Protocol - India's Success Story'. An improved website on the Ozone Cell of the Ministry and a Management Information System (MIS) for Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) were also launched. He also released two handbooks for trainers and technicians on "Good Service Practices and installation of room air-conditioners with HCFC-22 and flammable refrigerants". Also, "A Guide for integration of topics related to HCFC Phase out and Energy efficiency in Architectural Curriculum" was released. ICAP has been prepared by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The process was initiated in July 2017.

The Government of India (GoI) along with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has recently launched the Green Agriculture project that seeks to bring transformative change in the farm sector through conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes. The $33.5 million project is being funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by GoI's Agriculture and Environment ministries, and FAO.It will be implemented in five states viz. Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. The aim of the project is to transform agricultural production to generate global environmental benefits by addressing biodiversity conservation, land degradation, climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management.

India and Morocco signed the revised Air Services Agreement between the two countries enabling greater connectivity through a modernized agreement. The delegation of the two countries have met three times in the past years wherein they have worked towards liberalization of markets between the two countries and updating of the existing Air Services Agreement. The two sides cleared the legal and technical difficulties and agreed to a modern new text for the Air Services Agreement. Thereafter, both sides took approval for the agreed text of the Air Services Agreement from the respective governments.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated ISRO's first Space Technology Incubation Centre(STIC) at the National Institute of Technology Agartala via remote from Bengaluru. The Centre was launched at the first edition of 'Spacetronics' organised by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA)

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) in the area of vocational education and training. According to the MoU, students who complete specific training courses in India will receive a certificate that is recognised in India and enables its recognition in Germany. They will be able to apply for jobs in companies in India and also in Germany, very easily. German ambassador to India, Martin Ney, was present when the MoU was signed. This idea was initiated in May 2017, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German insurer Allianz signed up as a global Olympic sponsor for a 4-Games period of 10 years between 2021 and 2028. The insurer will become the IOC's 14th top sponsor. It would start from 2019 and with a pilot project in four key markets: Australia, China, France and Spain. Approximately US$50 million (S$68.5 million) per year will be given by Allianz to International Olympic Committee. Other sponsors are: Coca-Cola, Intel, Panasonic and Visa.

State-owned India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and Private Life Insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co Ltd (BALIC) entered into a strategic partnership to provide life insurance solutions, especially at the doorstep of every household in the country. This partnership will leverage IPPB's last mile reach for building awareness about life insurance. Both the companies came together, to formally sign the Corporate Agency Agreement.

The Aditya Birla Retail Limited (ABRL) sold its supermarket chain More to Witzig Advisory Services, owned by Samara Alternative Investment Fund. Amazon, in a deal with Samara, will be eventually picking up a 49% stake. The deal was done at about Rs.4,200 crore. This will give Amazon to access more than 500 physical outposts across the country. The transaction was made between Witzig-Samara in an exchange filing. RKN Retail said that the board had approved the sale of its entire shareholding in ABRL to Witzig.

The government of India cleared the appointment of Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors (CEOs and MDs) at 10 Public Sector Banks (PSBs). They are part of the 15 names recommended by the Bank Boards Bureau for elevation. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra has been chosen to head Syndicate Bank while Padmaja Chundru will head Indian Bank. They are serving deputy managing directors of State Bank of India.

The 5th edition of the Track Asia Cup cycling will be held at the Indira Gandhi Cycling Velodrome in New Delhi from September 21-23, 2018. This was recently announced by the Cycling Federation of India (CFI). The event also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Cup, World Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

India and Romania have agreed to intensify cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora in order to address global challenges. It was issued in a statement after one to one talks between Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Werner Lohannis in Bucharest. Romania was appreciated for its support to India's bid for permanent membership of United Nations Security Council.

Director Vasan Bala's action thriller 'Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota' (The Man Who Feels No Pain) has won the top award ie., Grolsch People's Choice Midnight Madness Award at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). This is the first ever Indian film to be screened in the Toronto festival's Midnight Madness programme.

Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has won the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for 2017-18. The MAKA Trophy, first given in 1956-57, is awarded annually to the university with the best all-round performance. The winner gets a replica of the trophy, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, which is to be utilised for sports activities. GNDU has claimed the trophy for the 22nd time.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that Chennai Airport will be soon getting facial recognition technology under the 'DigiYatra' scheme which will soon be implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This technology will capture the image of a passenger and scan the ticket so that there is no need for the passengers to wait in queues at the entrance. Also if someone who travels with a fake ticket or with the boarding card of another the system will find out immediately and won't allow the passenger. It also ensures better security for the airport.

The governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement for renewing work on Rs. 2793 crore Shahpurkandi dam project. Punjab government would pay Rs.115 crore for land acquisition and the project would be completed by 2021. It will be irrigating 37,173 ha of land and would provide 206MW of electricity to Punjab and J&K. It would provide benefits worth Rs. 850 annually and utilize the water of Ravi River as per Indus water treaty