Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

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The first-ever International Security Alliance (ISA)’s joint security exercise titled ‘ISALEX19’ has kick-started in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Area Emirates (UAE). The representatives of 50 law enforcement agencies of the ISA are participating in the exercise. The participants include representatives from tactical teams, rapid intervention units, communications, civil defence, and explosive ordnance disposal, teams. The ISA is an international working group to confront organised, transnational and extremist crimes. The alliance now comprises nine countries, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, France, Italy, Spain, Senegal, Singapore, and the Slovak Republic.

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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has operationalized the first Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) in Delhi and Vijayawada. The new Aadhaar centres are similar to Passport Seva Kendras run by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). These are meant to facilitate enrolment, updation and other activities. The centre has the capacity to handle upto 1,000 Aadhaar-related requests daily. The Aadhaar enrolment and updation centre is open from 9.30 am to 6 pm on all days except Tuesdays. These centres will soon be rolled out across 53 cities of India at an estimated project cost of Rs 300-400 crore.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently constituted a high-powered committee of Chief Ministers (CMs) for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers’ income. The nine-member committee, headed by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing. The members of the committee are as follows: Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand. The terms of reference (ToR) of the committee include suggesting modalities for adoption and time bound implementation of reforms such as Agriculture Produce and Livestock, Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018’; changes in the Essential Commodity Act, 1955 to attract private investments in agricultural marketing and infrastructure. The committee has also been asked to suggest mechanism for linking of market reforms with e-NAM, GRAM and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes; and ways to upgrade agri-technology to global standards and improve access of farmers to quality seed, plant propagation material and farm machinery in agriculturally advance countries.

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In Uttar Pradesh, the state government has launched a toll-free Chief Minister helpline No. 1076 that will enable people from across the state to register their complaints and will ensure a time-bound action on the complaints also. The CM helpline number 1076 will work 24×7 and anyone from any part of the state can call on this number anytime. The 500-seater call centre has been established for the helpline and it has the capacity to handle 80,000 inbound and 55,000 outbound calls on a daily basis. When the complainant calls the helpline, he/she will get an SMS informing that the complaint has been sent to the department concerned.

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The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has selected Mastercard CEO and President Ajay Banga and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji for its 2019 Global Excellence Awards. The prestigious award will be presented to both the business leaders at its 2nd Annual Leadership Summit in Washington on July 11. The leadership summit will highlight areas of bilateral cooperation like trade and investment, strategic energy ties, manufacturing and innovation partnership.

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The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) has collaborated with public sector enterprise Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on a pilot project to supply sanitary napkins to 11,516 students free of cost through a team of volunteers and female teachers of 75 schools in Gandipet, Moinabad, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally and Shamshabad mandals of the State. The project involves creating awareness on menstruation and menstrual hygiene among children in government schools in Telangana. It is being taken up with a funding of Rs 71.82 lakh given by the BDL as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The aim of the project is to create awareness on hygiene along with sociological and environmental issues, and removing the stigma associated with menstruation among rural adolescent girls. The NIRDPR is an Indian institute for research in rural development. It is located in Rajendranagar near Hyderabad.

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The Government of India (GoI) has signed pact with IBM India for undertaking a pilot study to utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) and weather technology solutions in agriculture in one district each in three states. The pilot study will be conducted for the Kharif crop season 2019 in three districts – Bhopal, Rajkot and Nanded – in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, respectively. As part of the collaboration, IBM’s Watson Decision Platform will give solution in the field of agriculture through AI and weather technology at village level/ farm level to provide weather forecast and soil moisture information on pro bono basis to help farmers for taking decisions regarding water and crop management for better production and productivity.

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In Tamil Nadu, the Kanchi Athi Varadar festival has started in Kanchipuram from July 1, 2019. The temple of Varadar is in Kancheepuram. The deity is made of fig tree and hence the name Athi Varadar. He is immersed in Anantasaras, the temple tank. He is brought out once in 40 years, pujas done for 45 days and restored to his water bed. The last time he came out was on July 2, 1979, and earlier on July 12, 1939. More than one lakh devotees thronged the temple on the first day.

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The ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Iraq has been lobbying since 1983 for the 4,000-year-old site to be added to the UN’s prestigious list. The seat of successive empires, under rulers such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon represents the expression of the creativity of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at its height. The city’s association with one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — the Hanging Gardens — has also inspired artistic, popular and religious culture on a global scale. It also warns that the site is in an “extremely vulnerable condition” and in need of urgent conservation. The city was famous for its Hanging Gardens, which were among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The site has suffered in recent years – first from the construction of a palace for Saddam Hussein, and later from being used as a base for US troops.

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The Punjab & Sind Bank has set up the Centralised MSME & Retail Group (Cen-MARG) for credit facilities at its head office in New Delhi. Now, all MSME and retail credit approvals will be performed at this centralised set up. This will help branches focus better on lead generation for retail and MSME lending and enhanced customer service. The Cen-MARG would be linked with pan-India branches in a phased manner. It has been envisioned to ensure a qualitative improvement in credit appraisal, improved turnaround time, uniform documentation and efficient monitoring.