Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
In Jakarta, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been sworn-in for a second and final 5-year term with a pledge to take bolder actions in the course of a string of fresh challenges around security, corruption and economic slowdown. Widodo clinched victory with 55.5% of the vote in the April presidential election.

Notes:
Sociopolitical philosopher-writer KB Siddaiah (65) has passed away in Bengaluru. He was one of the founder members of Dalitha Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) during the 80’s and co-authored many songs to inspire the movement. He was a disciple of Jnapith awardee Dr U R Anantamurthy and critic Ki Ram Nagaraj. 

Notes:
The 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) 2019 is being held at Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan from 25-26 October 2019. The NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia through an initiative of the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. It was founded during the collapse of the colonial system and the independence struggles of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world and at the height of the Cold War. The NAM is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Notes:
The researchers from Queen Mary institute of London have developed a new dielectric capacitor- a device that stores energy like a battery, taking inspiration from a French pastry. The croissant is made by folding multiple layers of dough. They found that by pressing and folding a polymer film capacitor, they were able to store 30 times more energy than the best-performing commercially available dielectric capacitor. This is the highest energy density ever reported in a polymer film capacitor. The advance may pave the way for efficient, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly electric energy storage systems for wind and solar sources. With this technique, large amounts of renewable energy can be stored.

Notes:
The World Iodine Deficiency Day (WIDD) is observed every year on 21st of October  to raise awareness of iodine deficiency and its devastating effects on brain development. Iodine is an essential micronutrient required for normal thyroid function, growth, and development. Its deficiency is a major cause of preventable mental retardation. In its most severe forms, Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs) can lead to cretinism, stillbirth and miscarriage; even mild deficiency can cause a significant loss of learning ability.

Notes:
India’s first plant to convert paddy straw into Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) will come up  at Gharaunda village in Karnal, Haryana. The biogas generated at the Indra Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) ‘s plant will be used as CNG in vehicles and as piped cooking gas and help fight menace of stubble burning in fields.  The plant is estimated to be completed by May 2020. It will  have the capacity to convert stubble generated from  20,000 acres in a year into gas, which will then be sourced by IGL for its City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Karnal. This unit has been set up by Ajay Bio-Energy Pvt Ltd under ‘SATAT’ (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme on CBG launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Notes:
To celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev, India and Pakistan have recently signed the landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, just about 4 km from the International Boundary.  It will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with the Gurdwara at Kartarpur in Pakistan. The agreement will allow access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Norowal district of Pakistan where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life. The highlights of the Agreement are as follows: Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor and the travel will be Visa Free.

Notes:
The World Development Information Day (WDID) is observed every year on 24th of October to draw the attention of the world public-opinion  to development problems and the necessity of strengthening international cooperation to solve them. It aims to disseminate information and mobilize public opinion, particularly among young people, in order to create awareness of the problems of development, promoting efforts in the sphere of international cooperation for development. This special day coincides with the United Nations Day (UND) which also falls on 24th October. 

Notes:
The World Polio Day (WPD) is observed every year on 24th October by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its allied agencies to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate progress towards a polio-free world and the tireless efforts of many towards the goal.

Notes:
India has been ranked 32nd among 39 nations at the 2019 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI). The index is based on how they fare on providing pension and retirement benefits to citizens across different income groups. India’s index value increased largely due to the improvement in all three sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity. As per the index, the improvement was due to slight increase in scores across various dimensions, including net household savings, greater flexibility in managing retirement and part time work, steady progress in governance and reporting around private pension plans.