Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
Egypt has recently opened West Asia’s largest cathedral in its New Administrative Capital, 45km east of Cairo. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated the newly-built Cathedral of Nativity and a mosque on the eve of Coptic Christmas in a symbolic message of tolerance in the predominantly Muslim nation. The newly built Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque will be able to accommodate almost twice that of the cathedral, both of which are located in the major development that is the new administrative capital.

Notes:
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has constituted the Task Force to look into the issues of suicides of the students in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNU). Under the Chairmanship of Psychiatrist – Dr Jitendra Nagpal, the task force will look into the circumstances leading to the suicidal deaths of students residing in the hostels of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas residential schools. It will also suggest ways and means to arrest the trend of suicides by students. Besides, the Ministry has sent a proposal to engage two full time counselors (one male and one female) in each of the 630 functional JNVs to the Department of Expenditure for approval.

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:
Kumar Rajesh Chandra, A 1985 batch IPS officer, has been appointed the new Director-General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and will hold the post till 31st December 2021 i.e. date of his retirement on superannuation or until further orders. He succeeded S.S. Deswal. Prior to this post, Chandra was DG at Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The SSB is one of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India and is currently under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Its headquarters is located at New Delhi and its motto is’Service, Security and Brotherhood’.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed a 5-member committee headed by Nandan Nilekani to suggest ways to improve digital payments. The committee will review the existing status of digitisation of payments in the country, identify the current gaps in the ecosystem and suggest ways to bridge them and assess the current levels of digital payments in financial inclusion. It will also suggest measures to strengthen the safety and security of digital payments and provide a road map for increasing customer confidence and trust while accessing financial services through digital modes. Further, it will suggest a medium-term strategy for deepening of digital payments and other related items. The committee will submit its report in 90 days from its first meeting.

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:
Bihar left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman broke the 44-year old record of most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season by finishing the 2018-19 tournament with 68 wickets. He break the previous record of 64 dismissals set by former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi in the 1974–75 tournament. Aman now holds the record for most wickets taken in a Ranji Trophy season by any bowler. He is employed with the Indian Air Force (IAR) and hails from Bihar’s Gaya.

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 Andaman and Nicobar Command is the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The archipelago is straddled strategically near the mouth of the Malacca Straits which is an important Sea Lane of Communication used by the navies of several countries. Recently, it is in news because Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman witnessed a joint military drill involving the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Navy and the Indian Coast Guard in the A&N Islands on January 14. In her 2-day visit to Islands, she will also witness three exercises – general survival exercise, amphibious drill and a joint drill.

Notes:
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi will head the 7-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to look into the revenue shortfall being faced by states following the roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, had decided to set up the GoM at its meeting on 22nd December 2018. As per a GST Council notification, the committee will suggest steps for augmenting collections. It will undertake data analysis and suggest measures for course correction. Several states, including Bihar, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Gujarat are facing revenue shortfall.The states have faced revenue shortfall in the range of 14 to 37% in the April to November period. Among the Union Territories, Puducherry is facing maximum shortfall of 43%. Of the 29 states, only Andhra Pradesh and five north eastern states — Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim and Nagaland — have recorded revenue increase post the GST roll out.