Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
In China, the world’s longest 3D-printed concrete bridge has recently opened across a canal on the Wenzaobang River in Shanghai. The bridge is The newly-opened bridge is 26.3 metre-long and 3.6-meter-wide, and is designed by Professor Xy Weiguo from Tsinghua University in China. Its design was inspired by an ancient Chinese bridge named “Anji Bridge” in Hebei Province. The system is cost-efficient uses smart technology and digital design to print 3D concrete blocks. A total of 44 hollowed-out 3D printed concrete blocks were used to lay the bridge while 68 concrete units made the handrails. The bridge has sensors that collect displacement data which will be used to improve the design of future bridges constructed using 3D printing.

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The Telangana government has decided to set up an armed “State Tiger Protection Force” (STPF) to save the Big Cat population in the State. The 112-member-armed STPF will be headed by anAssistant Conservator of Forests to protect tiger populationin Amarabad and Kawal Tiger Reserves. The State and Central government will share the cost of the force on 40:60 basis. The cases under the Preventive Detention Act would be registered against violators.

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Aparna Kumar has become the India’s first woman Indian Police Service (IPS) DIG and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officer to successfully complete the South Pole expedition. She unfurled the National and the ITBP flags at the South Pole on 13th January 2019 after covering 111Km of walking on the snow. Aparna will now attempt to conquer the North Pole this April. She has covered six of the highest peaks across continents including the Mount Everest. The one left for her to scale is the Mount Denali in Alaska.The ITBP is a Central Armed Police Force which is primarily deployed to secure the icy Himalayan borders of the nation since its Inception in 1962.

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Atin Bandyopadhyay (85), the renowned Bengali writer, has passed away in Kolkata on 19th January, 2019. Born in 1934 in Dhaka, he had taken up various jobs as a sailor, school teacher, factory manager, journalist to finally became a writer. He won the 2001 Sahitya Akademi award for his compilation of short stories ‘Panchashati Galpo’. His masterpiece is considered to be a four-part tetralogy on the Partition: “Nilkantha Pakhir Khonje”, ”Manusher Gharbari”, “Aloukik Jalajan” and “Ishwarer Bagan”.

Notes:
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Swedish aerospace and defence company (Saab) to explore Air Traffic Management (ATM) solutions for airports operating under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme. In the sector of ATM solutions, Saab has a portfolio ranging from Advanced-Surface Movement Guidance & Control System (A-SMGCS) and Surface Movement Radar (SR- 3), to Remote Towers which can be deployed at all types of airports. ATM solutions from Saab can support both single and multiple runway airfields, as well as remote operations and deployable systems. Hence, the MoU with Saab will support AAI’s need for ATM solutions and training of its personnel in ATM services. The MoU highlights the efforts of AAI to build infrastructure for the Indian government’s UDAN-RCS regional airport development and regional connectivity plan, helping to make air travel more affordable and widespread.

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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Atal Setu — the third Cable bridge across river Mandovi in Panaji, Goa. The new bride is four-lane and 5.1Km long, and is expected to overcome the bottlenecks and curb traffic jams at Panaji Circle and Panaji entrance. It is constructed by the GIDC (Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation) and engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro. This is the third bridge across Mandovi River. It is named as ATAL SETU in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee.

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Insurance regulator IRDAI has constituted a committee that will not only facilitate in identifying the Systemically Important Insurers (SIIs), but also recommend enhanced supervision measures for them. The committee headed by IRDAI member (finance and investment) Pravin Kutumbe will submit its report within six months. The committee would study the methodology followed by International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) for identification of SIIs and those followed by other financial regulators, particularly by RBI for identification of SIFIs. As per the terms of reference, the panel has also to develop a paper on assessment methodology for SIIs in India and recommend enhanced supervision for them.

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On 28th January 2019, Tamil Nadu was declared the ‘Best State Overall’ for its active participation in the national campaign ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’. The campaign was a 100-day consumer outreach programme of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which was launched on 16th October 2018 to amplify its Eat Right India initiative. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were adjudged the Best States with population above 3 crore. Punjab, Goa and Delhi were recognised as the Best States having population less than 3 crore. Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand were given special awards for their participation despite their hilly and difficult terrain. The Yatra saw the involvement of 10 lakh participants and reached to around 2.5 crore people across various States and UTs. It also led to the creation of 21,000 local ‘Eat Right Champions’ who would sustain this movement in the future.

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The Delhi government has decided to provide the Capital’s farmers a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops based on the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee’s report. In its 2006 report, the National Commission on Farmers’ chairman Prof. M S Swaminathan suggested the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to fix MSP at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production.

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First time in the history of Kumbh, UP State government’s cabinet meeting was held at Prayagraj Kumbh on 29th of January 2019. It is also 2nd time in the history of UP that cabinet meeting held outside the state capital. Here, the State cabinet decided to construct 600 km long Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj with a cost of Rs. 36000 crores to provide better connectivity from Western districts to Prayagraj. The expressway is being touted as the world’s longest highway. It will be built on a stretch of 6,556 hectares of land. The proposed Ganga Expressway will weave through Meerut-Amroha-Bulandshahr-Budaun-Shahjahanpur-Kannauj-Unnao-Rae Bareli-Pratapgarh and end at Prayagraj, earlier known as Allahabad. Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet also approved proposal of Gorakhpur link road project connecting Azamgarh and Ambedkarnagar with Purvanchal expressway. UP Cabinet has also decided to set up statue of Nishadraj at Sringverpur at Prayagraj and develop Ashram of Maharshi Valmiki at Chitrakoot. The Cabinet has also decided to exempt film URI from State GST as film is based on patriotism and sacrifice of soldiers. The first meeting of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet away from Lucknow was held in 1962 in Nainital when Govind Vallabh Pant was the Chief Minister.