Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

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:
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 United States has launched a new innovation initiative titled ‘Fair Value for Innovation’ at the 4th edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. The initiative was launched by the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) of United States Chamber of Commerce. It will examine economic underpinnings that would enable breakthrough innovation, and explore how policymakers can harness innovation capital in India and around the globe through research, advocacy, partnerships, and programs.

Notes:
Bengaluru Raptors have won their first-ever Premier Badminton League (PBL) title at Bengaluru on 13th January 2019. In the title clash played, Bengaluru edged out Mumbai Rockets, with a 4-3 win. Star player Kidambi Srikanth, Vu Ji Trang and the Men’s Doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Satiawan won their matches for Bengaluru guiding them to victory.

Notes:
In Maharashtra, the 9th International Micro Irrigation Conference (IMIC) will be held at Aurangabad on 16th January 2019 with theme “Micro Irrigation in Modern Agriculture”. The 3-day event will be a multi-disciplinary dialogue in the form of a conference discussing issues related to micro irrigation for modern agriculture and various related issues like new techniques in micro irrigation for increased crop productivity, micro irrigation in cluster level farming etc. The conference is being organized by the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in association with International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Indian National Committee on Surface Water (INCSW) and WAPCOS Limited, a CPSE under the Union Ministry. The event will aim to address problems of developing as well as developed nations in the context of present-day challenges.

Notes:
Puducherry government has decided to impose a ban on the production, sale, and use of single-use plastic products in the Union Territory from 1st March 2019. The massive drive would also be launched to create awareness among the merchants and the public on the necessity of the ban. The decision has been taken to keep the environment clean. The ban on non-biodegradable bags will open up a new market for canvas/cotton, denim and jute bags. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had announced ban on manufacture, sales, storage and usage of disposable plastic on 2018 World Environment Day (WED), with effect from 1st January 2019. Beside this, in March 2018, the Maharashtra Government also issued a notification imposing a ban on manufacture, use, sale, and distribution of all plastic materials like bags, spoons, Disposable utensils.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has constituted a 7-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to boost the real estate sector under the GST regime. Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel will be the convener of the GoM. The panel will analyse tax rate of GST and suggest a composition scheme for residential construction units. It will also look into the issue of the legality of inclusion or exclusion of land or any other ingredient in the composition scheme and suggest valuation mechanism. It will also examine various aspects of the GST levy on Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and Development Rights in a joint Development Agreement and suitable model. Currently, GST on the under-construction flats and houses is 12% whereas ready-to-move-in flats with a completion certificate attract no GST. There are also complaints about the builders not passing on the benefit of input tax credit to the consumers. The Council’s law and fitment committee will assist the panel. The officers from the Centre and states can also be invited in the committee for inputs, if required.

Notes:
D Gukesh from Chennai has become the 2nd youngest Grandmaster (GM) in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, seven months and 17 days. He erased the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa in June 2018. He achieved his third and final GM norm at the ongoing 17th Delhi International Open Chess tournament in Delhi after beating compatriot D K Sharma in the ninth round. Gukesh becomes India’s 59th Grand Master. Sergey Karjakin from Ukraine holds the record for the world’s youngest- ever grandmaster, having qualified for the title at the age of 12 years and 7 months in 2002.

Notes:
Yohei Sasakawa, who is Goodwill Ambassador of the WHO for Leprosy Eradication, has been conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018. The award will be given to Sasakawa in recognition of his work towards eradication of the disease in India and across the world. The Ministry of Culture has also announced the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. These are as follows: Ekal Abhiyan Trust has been chosen for the award for year 2017 while Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh International will share the award for 2016. Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari bagged the award for 2015. Vivekananda Kendra will be awarded for its contribution in rural development, education, development of natural resources. The annual award was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the commemoration of 125th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The award carries an amount of Rs 1Crore, a Citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.

Notes:
Prabhat Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as new Director General (Investigation) in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Singh is at present Special Director in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He has been appointed to the post for a period up to April 30, 2020, the date of his superannuation. The NHRC is an autonomous public body constituted on 12th October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (TPHRA). Apart from him, S N Pradhan has been appointed Director General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).