Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has recently signed an agreement with Escorts Ltd to finance farmers for purchase of Escorts tractors. The aim of the tie-up with Escorts is to promote, market and make accessible, organised finance facility, with superior features, at competitive interest rates to farmers across the country, who wish to purchase Powertrac and Farmtrac tractors manufactured by Escorts. Escorts is a leading tractor and construction equipment manufacturer at Faridabad in Haryana.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon make Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) compulsory for companies having aggregate fund-based and non-fund based exposure over Rs 5 crore. Before this, RBI made LEI mandatory for transactions in interest rate, forex and credit derivative market. LEI is a unique 20 digit alphanumeric code that will be assigned to corporate borrowers. Banks will be required to capture this number in the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) database that captures details of loan above Rs 5 crore. LEI mechanism will help banks to effectively monitor debt exposure of corporate borrowers. It would also enable banks in preventing multiple loans to companies against the same collateral.

Notes:
The Anamalai Tiger Reserve, which is earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP), is located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu. It is home to golden jackal, leopard cat, jungle cat, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, wild boar, common langur, bonnet macaque, Asian palm civet, etc. It is also home to 15 of 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats. Over 250 species of birds have been identified in the park such as cormorants, ducks, teal, darter, partridge, quail, etc.

Notes:
N.J.Gangte (IFS:1994) has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia. He is presently the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

Notes:
The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China to give big boost to green energy in public transport. The tram was put into commercial operation for the first time in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei Province. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no pollutants. No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is controlled under 100 degrees Celsius. The tram, having three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40 kilometers at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour after being refilled with 12 kilograms of hydrogen.

Notes:
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has won the men’s singles title of the French Open Superseries badminton tournament 2017 by defeating Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the final by 21-14, 21-13 in Paris, France on October 29. This is his fourth title in the fifth superseries final. Beside this, Greysia POLL and Apriyani Rahayu won the Women’s doubles title, defeating Lee Sottee and SHIN Seung Chen 21-17, 21-15. The Mixed Doubles title went to Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana NATSIR who beat Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen 22-20, 21-15.

Notes:
According to World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Global TB Report 2017, India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64% of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016. Indonesia has acquired 2nd position, followed by China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa. As per new TB report, an estimated 1.7 million people died from TB in 2016, including nearly 400,000 people who were co-infected with HIV, recording a drop by 4 per cent as compared to 2015. Also, India along with China and the Russia accounted for almost of half of the 490,000, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016. The report pointed out that though global efforts to combat tuberculosis have saved an estimated 53 million lives since 2000 and reduced the TB mortality rate by 37 percent, the latest picture is grim as TB remains the top infectious killer in 2016.

Notes:
The National Unity Day (NUD), also known as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (RED), is celebrated every year across India on October 31 to commemorate birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of Republic of India. The day is observed to foster and reinforce the government’s dedication to preserve and strengthen unity of the nation. This year, in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Run For Unity’ in New Delhi to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. A large number of people, including sports personalities like Sardar Singh, Deepa Karmakar, Suresh Raina and Karnam Malleswari participated in the Run.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank (WB) has signed a 200 million Loan Agreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project. The Project will support the Government of Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agriculture productivity and market access, and enable small farm holders produce crops that are resilient to recurrent floods or droughts in the state. The 200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 7-year grace period, and a maturity of 16.5 years.

Notes:
The United Nations’s World Cities Day (WCD) is observed on October 31 to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. This year, in 2017, the United Nations has selected the theme “Innovative Governance, Open Cities” to highlight the important role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion. The general theme of World Cities Day (WCD) is ‘Better City, Better Life’, while each year a different sub-theme is selected, to either promote successes of urbanization, or address specific challenges resulting from urbanization.