Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
The Swiss team of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic has won the 31st edition of the Hopman Cup tournament 2019 in Perth, Australia. They defeated German team of Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber 4-0 1-4 4-3 (5-4) in the deciding mixed doubles final. Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer is the first player to win three Hopman Cups – twice with Bencic and once with Martina Hingis, in 2001. Beside this, Switzerland became the first team to defend the Hopman Cup. It has been reported that the Hopman Cup will be replaced by an ATP tournament from next year.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has amalgamated three Regional Rural Banks (RRB) — Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Sutlej Gramin Bank — into a single RRB with effect from January 1. The sponsor banks of the RRBs are National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Government of Punjab and Punjab National Bank (PNB), State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab and Sind Bank.

Notes:
On January 7, the Lok Sabha passed ‘The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018’, which seeks removal of leprosy as a ground for divorce from various Acts governing marriage in India. The Bill seeks to amend five Acts: the Divorce Act of 1869, the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act of 1939, the Special Marriage Act of 1954, the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act of 1956. Presently, leprosy is completely curable and can be treated with multi-drug therapy. However, old legislative provisions discriminating the persons affected by leprosy continued in various laws. If passed by Rajya Sabha and eventually made an Act, the Bill will go a long way in detaching the social stigma associated with the disease.

Notes:
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), also known as Non-Resident Indian Day, is observed every year on 9th of January to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.

Notes:
India has been ranked at 41st at the 11th edition of EIU Democracy Index 2018, which provides a snapshot of the state of world democracy for 165 independent states and two territories. The report explaining the index titled ‘Democracy 2018: Me too? Political Participation, Protest & Democracy’ was particularly damning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite the criticism, the report pointed that in India, the image of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi resonates with an aspiring middle class, and he has also maintained the support of business. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s index rank nations on five parameters – electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties. Among all these parameters India fared the worst when it came to political culture. The index is topped by Norway, followed by Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Denmark.

Notes:
On January 11, an agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed in New Delhi among 6 States – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Under the agreement, three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries – Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These include Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand, Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Renukaji on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh. These three projects were identified as National Projects in 2008 under which 90% funding of the cost of irrigation & drinking water component will be provided by the Govt. of India (GoI) as central assistance and the rest 10% cost of the irrigation and drinking water component will be borne by the beneficiary states. In addition to this, a concession agreement was also signed for Namami Gange projects for the city of Prayagraj under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One City One Operator Concept.

Notes:
As per 2019 Henley and Partners Passport Index, the Indian passport has been ranked as the 79th most powerful in the world. The Henley index ranks world’s passports based on how many countries they can get the holder access to without a prior visa. An Indian passport holder can visit 61 countries without a pre-travel visa. Japan tops the list and its passport gives holders access to 190 countries. Singapore and South Korea come 2nd with access to 189 countries each while France and Germany share the third spot with access to 188 countries each. The US passport gives its citizens access to 185 countries without the need for a prior visa and shares the sixth spot with UK, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and Canada. The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

Notes:
On the occasion of National Youth Day (NYD- 2019), Union minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019. It is organised on the theme of “Be The Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”. Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in elections. The fest will be conducted at three levels: District, State and National. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister. The festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate manner. Relevant and effective voices on Vision of New India in 2022 would be captured and documented to make these available to policy makers and implementers to take it forward.

Notes:
The Gujarat Government has recently announced that the benefits of 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of general category in educational institutions and government jobs will be applicable from 14th January 2019 midnight. It is clarified that the eligibility of the new quota will be applicable only for which the announcement for jobs and admissions have been made but the process has not yet begun. In such cases, the ongoing process will be suspended for time being and fresh process will begin after incorporating the 10% additional quota. However, it is pertinent to mention here that the benefits of the fresh quota will not be applicable for which the process had begun before January 14, 2019, like for which the process of written, oral, computer proficiency or preliminary tests have already been conducted. The Centre had taken the decision under Article 46 of Guiding Principles of Constitution of India after Amendment of the Articles 15 and 16, incorporating 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections.

Notes:
The 352nd birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh has recently celebrated as Prakash Utsav with religious fervour and gaiety in various parts of the country. The main function is organised at Takhat Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara, Patna Sahib, where thousands of pilgrims across the globe are offering prayers. Born at Patna Sahib in Bihar on 5th January 1666, Guru Govind Singh was the 10th Sikh guru. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh as leader of Sikhs at the age of just nine. The 10th Sikh Guru was a spiritual leader, philosopher, poet and master warrior. He is considered as the eternal guru by his followers because of his contribution to Sikhism. He founded the Sikh warrior community called ‘Khalsa Panth’ at Anandpur Sahib in 1699, and introduced the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times.