Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
As per Article 356 (1) of the Constitution,President Ram Nath Kovind approved a proclamation imposing President’s Rule in Maharashtra, following a recommendation from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. It has been imposed in Maharashtra for 6 months due to inability of political parties to form a government after 2019 assembly election.The Assembly will be kept under suspended animation.The President’s Rule can be revoked before the 6-month period if a situation emerges for formation of a stable government, If political parties fail to form a government within 6 months, Maharashtra will have to go for another election. However, this is the 3rd instance when President’s Rule has been imposed in the 59-year-old history of the state. The present-day Maharashtra came into existence on 1st May 1960. 

Notes:
The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has decided to launch a mobile app “Sishu Suraksha” on the occasion of National Children’s Day. The purpose of the app is to empower citizens to take moral responsibility of protecting future generations. The app can be used by anyone in the state to lodge a complaint which will be directly registered at Commission. 

Notes:
G Kamala Vardhana Rao, an IAS officer 1990 batch from Kerala Cadre, has been appointed as new CMD of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).The ITDC is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by Government of India, under Ministry of Tourism. It came into existence in October 1966 and owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand across India.

Notes:
The Suranga Bawadi is an integral part of the ancient Karez system of supplying water through subterranean tunnels built during Adil Shahi era in Vijayapura, Karnataka. It is in news recently because Bawadi has been selected as the World Monument Watch List for 2020 by the New York-based non-governmental organisation under the category of “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with 24 monuments across the world. Now, the unique underground water system in Vijayapura will receive funds for restoration work. According to historians, the Karez system was built in the 16th century by Ali Adil Shah–I & his successor Ibrahim Adil Shah–II brought in several changes by adding more structures to strengthen it.

Notes:
Ravi Prakash, a PhD scholar of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI- Bengaluru), has won the $25,000 BRICS-Young Innovator Prize for inventing an affordable indigenous milk chilling unit for smaller and marginal rural dairy farmers. Prakash was a part of 21-member delegation sent to Brazil by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for the 4th BRICS-Young Scientist Forum (YSF- 2019).

Notes:
The 4-day-long International Lavi fair 2019 was held at Rampur in Shimla district. The main attraction during the fair was the sale and purchase of Chamurthi horses — an endangered species known as the ‘ship of the cold desert’. The Lavi Fair is approximately 400 years old & dates back to the time when Raja Kehari Singh of Rampur Bushahr state signed a treaty to promote trade with Tibet. Rampur was once a major trade centre as it is located on the old silk route connecting Afghanistan, Tibet and Ladakh. The traders from Tibet used to bring raw wool, herbs and leather products and take back wheat flour, rice, spices, butter, farm implements and livestock.

Notes:
India has been ranked 78th among 178 nations in the 2019 Global Bribery Risk Index, which was released by Trace Bribery Risk Matrix.The Matrix evaluates countries under four parameters which are business interaction with the government, anti-bribery deterrence, transparency and civil society oversight.TRACE is a US based organisation which provides ranking to various countries in terms of the risk of bribery companies face in doing business in those countries.

Notes:
Gotabaya Rajapakasa, the controversial wartime defence secretary, has been sworn-in as 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka at the Ruwanweli Seya in Anuradhapura on 18th November 2019. He succeeded President Maithripala Sirisena for a 5-year term. Before the ceremony, the newly-elected president worshipped at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree in the Mahamewna Gardens and Ruwanweli Seya.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has recently launched a project that will connect 500 government-run secondary schools to virtual classrooms in the state. The virtual classes are attended through video conferences where students can meet the teacher on a real-time basis and ask questions. Approx 1.90 lakh students of these schools will also benefit from the project.

Notes:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched a scheme — Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana – to help people in waste management and to ensure the safety of sanitation workers. The government has plans to achieve three objectives with the scheme viz. a collection of waste from septic tanks in the colonies, ensuring safe disposal of the waste in sewage treatment plants, and deployment of trained staff with safety equipment for cleaning septic tanks.