Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer have jointly won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Mr Banerjee was educated at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D in 1988. He is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ms Duflo is the 2nd woman to be awarded a Nobel in economics after Elinor Ostrom (2009) and  is also the youngest person-ever to receive the Economics Prize. The prize amount of 9 million Swedish krona will be shared equally between the three Laureates.

Notes:
India has been ranked 102nd out of 117 nations at the 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) that tracks hunger and malnutrition. The GHI is a peer-reviewed annual report, which is jointly published by Ireland’s Concern Worldwide and Germany’s Welthungerhilfe. It scores countries on a 100-point “severity scale”, where zero is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. With a score of 30.3, India suffers from a level of hunger that is serious threat.

Notes:
The World Food Day (WFD)  is observed every year on 16th of October  to mark the foundation of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. It is also a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. The 2019 theme is “Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World”.

Notes:
The IIT Madras has collaborated  with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE)  for research on energy and biofuels. The 5-year joint-research agreement focuses on biofuels, data analytics, gas conversion and transport, and is intended towards finding low-emission solutions.

Notes:
On 16th of October, the 17-year-old Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal created history as he became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a double century in 50-overs cricket including List A and ODIs. He scored 203 in 154 balls against Jharkhand in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy at Alur, Karnataka. His, scintillating innings helped Mumbai set a mammoth target of 359 for Jharkhand in the Elite Group A match.

Notes:
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has recently released the 20th Livestock Census -2019. As per latest census, India’s livestock population has increased to over 535 million showing an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census-2012. Among the States, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of livestock of 67.8 million, followed by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The livestock census is conducted across the country periodically since 1919. The census usually covers all domesticated animals and headcounts of these animals are taken. The 20th Livestock Census was carried out in about 6.6 lakh villages and 89 thousand urban wards across the country.

Notes:
The first-ever India Innovation Index (III) has been launched by NITI Aayog in New Delhi in order to promote competitiveness among the states. Karnataka has topped the index, followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Jharkhand finished last in the list of 17 major states. Among the North-Eastern states, Sikkim and among Union Territories Delhi has occupied the top spot. 

Notes:
In a path-breaking development, the Central Government has recently approved the Kerala Government’s decision to bring teachers and other staff of private educational institutions under the Maternity Benefit Act. When the amendment to the Act comes into force, Kerala would become the first state in India to provide maternity benefits in the private educational sector. The employees covered under the law can avail 26 weeks’ maternity leave with salary. Moreover, an employer has to provide an amount of Rs 1,000 rupees as a medical allowance.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy has launched YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan Samman Yojana in Nellore district. Under the crop investment support scheme, farmers will get financial assistance of Rs 13,500 per annum in three instalments, with the State Government contributing Rs 7,500 and the Centre Rs 6,000. Rythu Bharosa is one of the 9 major promises (Navaratnalu, or nine gems) made by the ruling YSR Congress Party in its manifesto.

Notes:
Kalidas Karmakar (73), an internationally acclaimed painter of Bangladesh, has passed away in Dhaka on 18th October 2019. Kalidas was prolific in using new mediums and style for his art work while maintaining his signature style. He called his work alluvial art meaning the art of the delta land which gave expression to the precarious nature of the alluvial land and its people, their struggles and hopes. Karmakar also experimented with performance art which combined artist’s body as an object of art along with his paintings.