Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

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Prof Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from Germany has won the 2017 Blue Planet Prize for establishing a new field of science ‘Earth System Analysis’ and introducing most influential concepts including the notion of tipping elements in the climate system in Tokyo. He is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Beside him, Prof. Gretchen C. Daily (from USA) has also won the award for her work promoting practical conservation by revealing the value of nature. Each will receive a prize of 50 million yen, about $450,000. The Blue Planet Prize, which is instituted by Asahi Glass Foundation, is the world’s most prestigious award for pioneers in environmental science.

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According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s revised guidelines on interest subvention scheme, banks will provide funds to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in rural areas at 7% under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in the current fiscal FY18. These guidelines will be implemented in 21 Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and 19 private banks. All women SHGs will be eligible for interest subvention on credit upto Rs 3 lakh at 7% per annum. Banks will be subvented to the extent of difference between the Weighted Average Interest Charged and 7% subject to the maximum limit of 5.5% for the year 2017-18. The subvention will be available to banks on the condition that they make SHG credit available at 7% per annum. The interest subvention scheme on credit to women SHG during 2017-18 is applicable in 250 districts across the country.

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Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, has launched the ambitious ‘Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna’ for the farmers of the state at the Krishi Upaj Mandi in Khurai, Sagar. The scheme has launched as a guarantee to ensure reasonable prices to the farmers for their agriculture produces. To get benefits of the scheme, the farmers are required to sell their crops in the mandi and obtain a receipt for the same. As per the scheme, the government will provide subsidy and loan ranging from Rs 10 lakhs to two crores to the farmers willing to invest in industries. In addition, the state government has approved a web of irrigation projects across the Sagar District which will cover 96-hectare fields.

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The Search-cum-Selection Committee headed by Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash has been formed to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). The other members of the 5-member committee are Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Additional Secretary (Personnel) in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat PPK Ramacharyulu and journalist Rahul Srivastava. Rajya Sabha TV is owned and operated by the Upper House of Parliament and the vice-president is its chairman.

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Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar has clinched the 2017 Macao Open golf tournament title to bag his 8th Asian Tour title. As a result, Bhullar etched his name on the Macao Open trophy for the second time having previously won the event in 2012. It was also Bhullar’s third wire-to-wire victory of his career following the Macao Open 2012 and the Indonesia Open 2013. With this, he equalled Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa’s record of most wins (8) by an Indian on the Asian Tour.

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Former IB Chief Dineshwar Sharma, a 1976 batch Kerala cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the Government of India (GoI) special representative to hold sustained dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with all stakeholders. He will hold the position of a Cabinet Secretary. As an interlocutor, he will hold peace talks with Assam’s insurgent groups, including the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and will be free to decide whom to talk to. Sharma is retired as director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on December 31, 2016.

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The World Development Information Day (WDID) is observed every year on October 24 to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the necessity of strengthening international cooperation to solve them.

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The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has celebrated its 56th raising day on October 24, 2017. The ITBP guards 3488 KMs long borders in the Himalayas on the BOPs at altitudes ranging from 9K to 18.7 K ft. Apart from border guarding, the Force is also deployed for Anti-Naxal Operations and other Internal Security duties. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF) of India, raised on 24th October in 1962, under the CRPF Act, in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

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The global conference on consumer protection has inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on October 26, 2017 with theme “Empowering Consumers in New Markets”. This is the first time that an international conference on consumer protection is being organised by India for countries of the region which account for a majority of the global consumers and share common challenges and experiences. The 2-day conference will deliberate upon steps taken by Asian countries to implement the United Nations guidelines on consumer protection as well as challenges faced by consumers of financial services and e-commerce. Experts from different countries and India will present their papers and views. Twenty two countries from East, South and South-East Asia are participating in the conference. These include China, South Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) is observed every year on October 27 to raise general awareness of the need to preserve and safeguard important audiovisual material for future generations, and for urgent measures to be taken to conserve this heritage and ensure it remains accessible to the public now, and to future generations. The 2017 theme is “Discover, remember and share”.