Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2019

Notes:
Recently, National drug pricing regulator NPPA has fixed the retail prices of 36 formulations, including those used for treatment of cancer, diabetes, infections, asthma, seizures, inflammation and pain, among others. As per data available with NPPA, the MRP for 105 brands will be reduced up to 85% entailing minimum saving of Rs 105 crore to consumers. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) currently fixes prices of drugs placed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) under Schedule-I of the DPCO. So far, around 1000 drugs have been brought under price control under the initiative. It also monitors annual price increase for these and the non-scheduled drugs. It also administers Pharma Sahi Dam and Pharma Jan Samadhan platforms for information on medicine prices and registering public grievances. The headquarters of NPPA is located in New Delhi.

Notes:
The West Bengal government has launched ‘Banglar Shiksha’ portal to provide real-time data on state-run and aided schools. The portal, ”Banglar Shiksha” (banglarshiksha.gov.in), will store real-time data of 1.5 crore students, 5 lakh teachers and 1 lakh schools. It will be operated on a trial basis for two months to remove glitches, if any and will be fully functional by 1st May 2019. The system will enable the headmaster and class teacher to access the academic performance of a student. Parents, too, can access the information by downloading the Banglar Shiksha app.

Notes:
The Lignocellulosic biomass (or LC biomass) refers to plant biomass that is composed of carbohydrate polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose), and an aromatic polymer (lignin). It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels, mainly bio-ethanol. It is in news recently because the Union Cabinet has approved the “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana” for providing financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock. It has been launched as a tool to create 2G Ethanol capacity in the country and attract investments in this new sector. The scheme focuses to incentivize 2G Ethanol sector and support this nascent industry by creating a suitable ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and increasing Research & Development in this area. The ethanol produced by the scheme beneficiaries will be mandatorily supplied to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to further enhance the blending percentage under Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. The JI-VAN Yojana will be supported with total financial outlay of Rs.1969.50 crore for the period from 2018-19 to 2023-24.

Notes:
Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has won a gold medal in 65 kilogram freestyle at the Dan Kolov-Nikol Petrov tournament in Ruse, Bulgaria. He beat American Jordan Oliver 12-3 in the final & also secured the maximum ranking points from the tournament. This was Punia’s 10th medal in as many international tournaments since the 2017 World Championships in Paris. Earlier, Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in women’s 59 kg while Sarita Mor won a silver in the same weight category. Sakshi Malik won silver in 65 kg women’s freestyle. In the men’s freestyle events, Sandeep Tomar claimed silver in 61kg.

Notes:
On 5th March, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) on India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri District of Assam. The project is a part of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), which many countries including Israel have adopted to ensure proper border management. Hence, the implementation of the BOLD-QIT project will not only help Border Security Force (BSF) to curb all types of cross border crimes but also provide respite to the troops from round the clock human surveillance. Now, the entire span of River Brahmaputra has been covered with data network generated by Microwave communication, OFC Cables, DMR Communication, day and night surveillance Cameras and intrusion detection system. These modern gadgets provide feeds to BSF Control Rooms on the Border and enable BSF Quick Reaction Teams to thwart any possibility of Illegal Cross Border Crossing/ Crimes. The BSF is responsible for safeguarding of over 4,000km long International Border with Bangladesh.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has recently ordered a ban on molasses in the state in the aftermath of the hooch tragedy in two districts – Golaghat and Jorhat – which claimed 158 lives. Molasses is an important component in making “sulai”, an intoxicating drink widely consumed in the tea garden areas of Assam.

Notes:
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be honoured with the first-ever ‘Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar’, which is instituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2.51 lakh, a memento and a citation and will be presented to Varthaman on 17th April 2019, coinciding with Mahavir Jayanti. In the ongoing India-Pakistan standoff, Varthaman was held for three days under captivity in Pakistan after his Mig-21 Bison aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight. He shot down a Pakistani Air Force F-16 before he was forced to eject and landed across the Line of Control (LoC). He was captured by Pakistan forces soon after and was released on March 1.

Notes:
P Venkata Ramesh Babu, a 1985 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the director-general of the National Archives of India (NAI). Prior to this post, he was CMD of Rural Electrification Corporation Limited. The NAI is a repository of the non-current records of the Government of India (GoI) and holds them in trust for the use of administrators and scholars. It functions as an Attached Office of the Department of Culture under the Ministry of Culture.

Notes:
Tech giant Google has recently launched a new app ‘Bolo’ that aims to help children in primary school learn to read in Hindi and English. The free app, which is being launched in India first, uses Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. The app features an animated character ‘Diya’, who encourages children to read stories aloud and helps if the child is unable to pronounce a word. It also lauds the reader when she completes the reading. The Bolo app will be available on Google Play Store in India for all smartphones running Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) and higher, and can also work offline.To ensure safety of the child, all personal information always stays on device. The users are also not asked for details like email ID and gender for logging into the app.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, ancient tribal language Gondi will be taught in tribal districts to save it from becoming a thing of the past. The rapid decline in the number of people who speak that tongue is a matter of concern; hence, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has decided to include Gondi in the primary education curriculum of the state’s tribal-dominated districts.