Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2019

Notes:
The media-savvy former mayor of San Salvador, Nayib Bukele of the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) has won a landslide victory in 2019 El Salvador presidential election by winning over 53% of the total vote. With this, he brought an end to a two-party system that has held sway over the violence-plagued Central American country for three decades. Bukele will succeed Salvador Sánchez Cerén , after whom the leadership chair was vacant for a period of time. He will assume office on 1 June 2019.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for the establishment of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) for conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny. It will lead to the development of the cattle population in the country including the development and conservation of indigenous breeds. It will result in the growth of the livestock sector which is more inclusive, benefit women, and small and marginal farmers. The Aayog will work in collaboration with Veterinary, Animal Sciences or Agriculture University or departments or organizations of the Central or State Government engaged in the task of research in the field of breeding and rearing of the cow, organic manure, biogas, etc. Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog was announced in the Union Budget 2019-20 on the 1st of this month.

Notes:
The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, announced the sixth bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2018-19. In it, the RBI has cut the key policy rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% from 6.5% with immediate effect. Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 6.0%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5%. The MPC also decided to change the monetary policy stance from calibrated tightening to neutral. These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of +/- 2 per cent, while supporting growth. The bank also projected an economic growth rate of 7.4% for FY20, up from 7.2% estimated for the current fiscal by Central Statistics Office (CSO). This is the first policy review, post the appointment of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and also the first post the interim budget. The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled from April 2 to 4, 2019.

Notes:
The “Parmanu Tech 2019” Conference was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) at New Delhi on February 6. The conference discussed issues related to Nuclear Energy and Radiation Technologies. Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, delivered the keynote address at the conference. During the conference sector specific sessions were held with Panel discussions on the following topics: 1) Health care: Nuclear Medicine and Radiation therapy – Care to cure, 2) Food Preservation, Agricultural & Industrial Applications: From farms to factories – Serving the National Cause and 3) Showcasing India’s capabilities in Nuclear Energy: Energy Security with environmental responsibility – the Onward March.

Notes:
Thailand has official declared the Siamese fighting fish as its national aquatic animal to boost conservation efforts and commercial breeding in the country. Known in the West as a betta fish, the underwater brawler is popular in home aquariums for its iridescent body and many-hued tail. It brings up feelings of nostalgia for older generations in Thailand – which changed its name from Siam in 1939. They remember a time when the fish were traded and sparred in childhood games. The Siamese fighting fish is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Thailand’s official national animal is the elephant.

Notes:
On 6th February 2019, Opener Smriti Mandhana hammered the fastest fifty for India in the first T20I against New Zealand in Wellington in just 24 deliveries. She broke her own record of fastest T20I fifty for India in women’s cricket, which she had achieved against England in Mumbai in 2018. Though, Smriti Mandhana’s 58 and Jemimah Rodrigues’ 39 went in vain as the Indian eves were bundled out for 136 in 19.1 overs. New Zealand Women defeated India by 23 runs in the first T20I. The overall record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20Is belongs to Sophie Devine of New Zealand who hit a half-century in 18 balls against India during a T20 International back in 2015.

Notes:
The Dard Aryan Tribe of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region known for its liberal customs and ornate costumes is struggling to keep its vibrant cultural legacy alive. Recently, at the 2019 Dard Aryan Festival (Aryan Utsav) in New Delhi, the delegation of the Dard Aryans has requested the Central government to make serious interventions. The rich heritage of the Dard Aryans — believed to be the original descendants of ‘pure Aryan race’ — is under threat due to rapid modernisation, migration and religious conversion. The Dard Aryans inhabit Dha, Hanu, Beema, Darchik and Garkone villages in Leh and Kargil districts. The villages are together called the Aryan valley. The people of this region have unique physical features, social life, ethnic culture and language. Many researchers believe that the ‘Aryans of Ladakh’ or the ‘Brokpas’ were a part of Alexander’s army and had come to the region over 2,000 years ago. The word ‘Dard’ is derived from a Sanskrit word, ‘Daradas’, which refers to people who live on hillsides.

Notes:
The book titled “Let’s Talk On Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters” has been authored by Rakesh Anand Bakshi, which serves as a comprehensive guide on radio-presenting in India. The new book celebrates the lives of 14 popular radio presenters in India – from the legendary Ameen Sayani to present-day RJs who have been entertaining us via the airwaves. Besides Sayani, among those RJs featured in the book are Yunus Khan, Rohini, Mamta Singh, Sayema, Hrishikay Kannan, Anuraag ‘picture’ Pandey and Anmol. This book can help shed light on intricacies of radio as a medium and the RJs behind the microphones, connect fans to their favourite RJs and, eventually attract more talent to be part of the industry. The book, published by Penguin Random House, will be launched on World Radio Day (WRD-2019) on February 13 in Mumbai.

Notes:
Radheyshyam Julaniya, a 1985 batch officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed the new Union Sports Secretary. He succeeded Rahul Bhatnagar, who is set to join the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Earlier, Bhatnagar had also served as Director General of Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). During his tenure, IIM Rohtak has also started a MBA programme in Sports Management with Ministry funding. Bhatnagar also outlined the achievements of the Sports Ministry during his tenure, which includes, opening the National Sports University (NSU), Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) besides hosting important international tournaments like the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and World Women’s Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

Notes:
The Himalayan Cloud Observatory has recently been set up in the SRT campus Chamba of Tehri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand to receive forecast and monitor cloud burst incidents in the Himalayan region and help minimise the damage. This is the second observatory in the country to monitor cloud activities by the Indian Science and Technology (IST) Department and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur that can function in high-altitudes. The cloudburst incidents are very frequent in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand and resulted in a huge loss of life. The Himalayan Cloud Observatory has recently prepared a six-month data while being in the testing period, so that after the completion of the testing period, cloud bursting incidents in future could be easily predicted and the severe loss of lives and property caused to the localities due to this could be stopped.