Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

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:
In pursuance of decision in the 32nd Meeting of GST Council held on 10th January 2019 at New Delhi, a Group of Ministers (GoM) on issues relating to lottery has been constituted. The ministerial panel headed by Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will examine uniformity of taxation on lottery under GST or other issues arising out of it. Under GST, state-organised lottery falls under the 12% tax slab while state-authorised lottery attracts 28% tax. According to the terms of reference, the panel will decide whether the disparity in tax structure on the same product needs be continued or a uniform rate be prescribed for both. The panel will also examine any other issue related to enforcement, including the legal frame work, in order to curb evasion of tax on lottery and suggest appropriate tax rate to address the problem. The GoM for lottery will submit its report to GST Council in next its meeting for approval.

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).

Notes:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has decided to organize an event named Shehri Samridhi Utsav from 1st -15th February 2019 all over the country focusing on urban livelihoods. The purpose of the event is to extend the outreach of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to the poorest of poor and the most vulnerable.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has approved setting up of three new naval air squadrons in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as part of efforts to bolster the Indian Navy’s overall strength. Besides this, the Central Government has also sanctioned manpower towards manning additional aircraft in existing Dornier Surveillance Squadrons in Kerala and Andaman Islands. A contract for procurement of 12 Dornier aircraft was signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) two years back and their delivery is commencing soon. The new Dornier 228 maritime surveillance aircraft to be delivered to the Navy are fitted with improved ‘state of the art’ sensors and equipment which includes glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, optical sensors and networking features. The aircraft will enhance maritime domain awareness of Indian Navy through round the clock sensor based surveillance and provide targeting data in areas of operation to ward off terror and other threats from sea.The addition will further strengthen Indian Navy’s efforts at Coastal Security of India’s vast coastline of over 7 thousand kilometres.

Notes:
The 7th ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers was held in Ha Long City, Viet Nam on 18th January 2019. Here, Union Tourism Minister of India, K J Alphons co-chaired the Tourism Ministers’ meeting with the Vietnamese minister, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien. As a follow up to the Summit, the Ministers launched the ASEAN-India Tourism Cooperation Year 2019, and looked forward to enhancing cooperation with a view to increasing two-way tourist visits and promoting greater people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and India. The Ministers’ meeting agreed to further enhance ASEAN-India cooperation in tourism under the framework of the ‘2012 Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and India on strengthening tourism cooperation with intensified efforts and activities. The Tourism Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand also attended the meeting.

Notes:
The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has been named as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020 by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). Rio will be the first city to receive the title under a program launched together by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 2018. The city will host the 27th edition of the World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in July 2020, an event that occurs every three years. According to UNESCO, the World Capital of Architecture is intended to become an international forum for debates about pressing global challenges from the perspectives of culture, cultural heritage, urban planning and architecture. As one of the oldest cities in Brazil, Rio has a mix of modern and colonial architecture, with world-renowned sites like the statue of Jesus Christ and contemporary constructions like the Museum of Tomorrow.

Notes:
The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank of Nepal, has recently announced the ban of Indian currency notes with denominations above Rs.100. Under the new rule, Nepali citizens cannot carry these denominations to other countries except India. Similarly, Nepalis are also not allowed to bring such notes from other countries. The central bank has issued a circular prohibiting Nepali traveller, banks and financial institutions from holding or carrying and trading Indian bank notes higher than Rs. 100. The central bank said in its circular that Indian denominations of Rs 2,00, Rs 500 and Rs 2000 cannot be carried and used for trading. The decision to ban these notes has come at a time when the NRB has requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to allow Nepal to use currency notes with all denominations. At present, only the notes with a denomination of Rs. 100 and below are freely exchangeable in Nepal.

Notes:
On January 19, the Tamil Nadu government roll out ‘Startup & Innovation policy 2018-2023’ with a mission of providing an enabling and innovative ecosystem for startups registered in the State and to make Tamil Nadu a ‘Global Innovation hub for startups’ by 2023. The mission shall aim for a minimum of 1,00,000 high skilled job creation, direct and indirect, in the Startup ecosystem. For implementing the policy, the State will set up Tamil Nadu Startup Fund with a corpus of Rs 250 crore. The fund will be invested in other SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds for investment in startups and MSMEs established in Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched a rocket carrying a satellite capable of delivering an artificial meteor shower into the Earth’s atmosphere. This will be the world first artificial meteor satellite if the mission succeed. The satellite was launched by Epsilon-4 Rocket from the JAXA Uchinoura Space Center. It is carrying the first of two micro-satellites built by Tokyo-based startup Astro Live Experiences (ALE). The satellite is set to release tiny balls from the micro-satellites in the hope of mimicking shooting stars in the night sky above Hiroshima in 2020. The process of producing such simulation is called Plasma Emission. Once the tiny ball is released in the space, it will automatically burn up to ashes so that no risk is posed to the people. The glow will be so much bright that it will be seen even through the light-polluted Tokyo city. The tiny ball is expected to shine for several seconds before being completely burned up. Apart from this tiny ball, the ALE is also looking forward to introducing disused satellites so that it will produce even brighter glows. Hence, the world’s first artificial shooting star project ‘Sky Canvas’ aims to bring people from all over the world together to witness an unprecedented, collective experience.