Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2020

Notes:
The Union Minister for Home Affairs had recently visited Sashastra Seem Bal Headquarters in New Delhi. He reviewed the functioning of the SSB during this visit. The deployment, operational achievements and concerns were reviewed. SSB, one of the Central Armed Police Forces, was known as Special Service Bureau prior to 2001.

Notes:
The light utility aircraft Dornier was recently inducted into the No.41 “Otters” Squadron during a ceremony at the Palam Air Force Station. the Dornier-228 aircraft is a multi-purpose, fuel efficient, rugged, lightweight twin turboprop aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear.

Notes:
Eighty years after the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression treaty dividing Europe into spheres of influence, Russia has put the original Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and its secret protocol into the public. Alongside the pact, 1938 Munich Agreement and other documents related to the occupation of Czechoslovakia until the outbreak of Second World War was also displayed to state that the west sought to redirect Nazi Germany’s aggression towards Moscow.

Notes:
On 1^st January each year, India and Pakistan exchange a list of their nuclear installations in accordance with the Agreement on the Prohibition of attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. This agreement prohibits both the countries from attacking each other’s atomic facilities.

Notes:
Former Indian Hockey team captain and the team’s defender Sunita Lakra recently announced her retirement from International Hockey citing her knee injuries. In the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy, India bagged the second place under her captaincy. She was also a part of the Indian team that participated in the Rio Olympics, 2016. Though she could not participate in Tokyo Olympics, Sunita will hopefully return to play domestic Hockey after her knee surgery.

Notes:
The ancient ritualistic festival observed by the people of ‘Meiti’ community of Manipur is recently celebrated in the capital city of Tripura, Agartala. Department of Information and Cultural Affairs of the Tripura state Government jointly organised this festival along with the cultural committees of the state. The festival is celebrated for five days, hosting many cultural events that include folk dance, oral literature and music.

Notes:
Veteran Theatre artist and Social Activist of Assam, Ratna Ojha passed away at Guwahati. He played an instrumental role in reviving the theatre play movement of the state. He had also actively participated and addressed demonstrations in several social issues of the country including those against Citizenship amendment act. For his great contribution towards the theatre art, he was honoured with the ‘Natasurya Award’ by the Assam Government.

Notes:
The 14th edition of the famous Global Healthcare summit is proposed to be held in Vishakhapatnam in January 2021. An association called the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin organises this three-day-event. The 13th summit was conducted in Hyderabad, in the month of July, 2019. The event is proposed to be jointly organised by the Andhra Pradesh state Government. More than 500 doctors and health care professionals are expected to participate in the summit.

Notes:
The Ministry of Railways recently granted ‘Organized Group A Status’ (OGAS) to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and also renamed it as the Indian Railway Protection Force Service. Recently the Union Cabinet approved the restructuring of the Indian Railways and merged eight Group A services of the Railways into a central service called the Indian Railway Management Service. Vinod Kumar Yadav recently assumed charge as the chairman of Railway Board after an extension in his term.

Notes:
A leading research agency, HexGn conducted a study of the funding patterns in the start-up ecosystem in the year 2019. The total international funding for technology start-ups decreased by 22% to 293 billion when compared to the funding of 375 billion, last year. However, the start-up funding in India has grown by 18% to $14 billion in 2019. For the first time, two Indian cities namely Delhi NCR and Bengaluru were ranked in the “Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding” list.