GK & Current Affairs Quiz: October 31, 2017

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:
Giriraj Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), has launched MSME Delayed Payment Portal – MSME Samadhaan (http://msefc.msme.gov.in) on October 30. The purpose of the portal is to empower Micro and Small Entrepreneurs (MSEs) across the country to directly register their cases relating to delayed payments by Central Ministries/Departments/CPSEs/State Governments. The information on the portal will be available in public domain, thus exerting moral pressure on the defaulting organisations. The CEO of PSEs and the Secretary of the Ministries concerned will also be able to monitor the cases of delayed payment under their jurisdiction and issue necessary instructions to resolve the issues. The MSEs will also be empowered to access the portal and monitor their cases.

Notes:
The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) will be hosted by India in 2020. The CMS COP is also known as a Global Wildlife Conference & is held once in three years. It was officially announced at the CMS COP 12, which is held in Manila, Philippines from 23 to 28 October 2017 and was attended by delegates from over 120 countries. The slogan for the CMS COP 12 was “Their Future is Our Future – Sustainable Development for Wildlife & People”. It is first time that the COP was held in Asia. The CMS is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.

Notes:
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM has taken charge as the new Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) at a formal ceremony held in New Delhi on October 30, 2017. He succeeded Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, who has taken charge as the new Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command (ENC) on 31 Oct 17. Kumar is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The VCNS is second in command of the Indian Navy. The office is held by a Three Star Officer in the rank of Vice Admiral. He is responsible for operation of naval related tasks.

Notes:
Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Swiss Indoors men’s singles tennis tournament by defeating Juan Martin del Potro in the fiinal by 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. With this, he earned his 8th Basel title that led him to achieve his 95th career title. Now, Federer surpassed Ivan Lendl in number of career titles, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies.

Notes:
Heena Sidhu clinched the 10-metre air pistol gold medal at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane, Australia on October 31, 2017. She gave a perfect start at the Championships, which is held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6. Sidhu shot a combined score of 626.2 to claim the top honours. This was Sidhu’s second successive international gold after she along with Jitu Rai, claimed the top position in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event in the ISSF World Cup Finals in Delhi earlier this month. Among other Indians, Deepak Kumar won a bronze medal in the 10-metre air rifle event. London Olympic bronze-medallist Gagan Narang finished fourth, while Ravikumar ended fifth.

Notes:
The Jasper National Park (JNP) is located in Alberta, Canada and covers an area of 10,878 km2. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The park is home to moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, porcupine, lynx, beaver, two species of fox, marten, pika, etc.

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.