GK & Current Affairs – July 7, 2016

1. Which committee has been constituted to examine the feasibility of a new financial year?
[A]Shankar Acharya committee
[B]Rajiv Kumar committee
[C]KM Chandrasekhar committee
[D]PV Rajaraman committee
Answer: Shankar Acharya committee
Notes:
The Dr. Shankar Acharya committee has been constituted by the Union Finance Ministry to examine the feasibility and desirability of having a new financial year. This could lead to changing India’s financial year from April-March to January –February or any other 12-month period. As per terms of reference, the 4-member committee will examine the merits and demerits of various dates for commencement of financial year including the existing dates. The panel will take into account the genesis of current financial year, suitability of financial year from point of view of correct estimation of receipts and expenditure of Central and State governments. It will also consider the effect of the different agriculture crop periods, impact on business, taxation systems and procedures, statistics and data collection and convenience of legislatures for transacting budget work. The committee will submit its reports by December 31, 2016.
2. What is the India’s rank in the 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI)?
[A]100th
[B]91st
[C]89th
[D]68th
Answer: 91st
Notes:
India has been ranked 91st out of 139 countries in the 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI). The 2016 NRI index is a key component of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Information Technology Report 2016. The list is topped by Singapore, followed by Finland, Sweden, Norway and the United States. The index measures countries’ success in creating the necessary conditions for a transition to a digitized economy and society.
3. The tropical cyclone ‘Nepartak ‘ is approaching towards which of the following countries?
[A]Maldivies
[B]Indonesia
[C]Malaysia
[D]Taiwan
Answer: Taiwan
Notes:
The category-5 tropical cyclone ‘Nepartak ‘ is approaching towards Taiwan at a speed of 280 kilometers per hour.
4. The Namami Gange programme has been launched from which city of India?
[A]Haridwar
[B]Patna
[C]Delhi
[D]Nainital
Answer: Haridwar
Notes:
The Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti has recently launched the Namami Gange programme for cleaning of river Ganga from Haridwar, Uttarakhand . The simultaneous programmes were also launched for cleaning of Ganga and its tributaries from Gangotri to Howrah at various locations in Uttrakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi. The 231 projects under Namami Gange involve modernization and redevelopment of ghats and crematoriums, development of sewage infrastructure and treatment, afforestation, tree plantation (medicinal plants), pilot drain project, interceptor drain project, trash skimmers and conservation of biodiversity.
5. The World Zoonoses day is observed on which date?
[A]July 7
[B]July 6
[C]July 8
[D]July 5
Answer: July 6
Notes:
The World Zoonoses Day is observed on July 6 every year to create awareness on zoonotic diseases, how to prevent them and what actions to take when exposed. The word “zoonoses” was derived from the Greek words zoon (animal) and nosos (ailment). It is all about spread of infectious disease between species, sometimes done by a vector from animals to humans and from humans to other animals. As per the veterinary doctors, there are about 150 known zoonotic diseases and prominent among them are tuberculosis, cat scratch fever, tick paralysis, roundworms, hookworms, scabies and rabies.
6. Who is the newly appointed Union Minister of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting?
[A]Birender Singh
[B]Ananth Kumar
[C]Ravi Shankar Prasad
[D]Venkaiah Naidu
Answer: Venkaiah Naidu
Notes:
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu is the newly appointed Union Minister of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). In addition to I & B ministry, he already holds the portfolio of Urban Development Housing, Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs. Earlier, the I&B ministry was with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley who also held it as an additional charge.
7. Who has become the first-ever Indian gymnast to be certified as “World Class Gymnast” by the International Federation of Gymnastics (IFG)?
[A]Vikas Gowda
[B]Dipa Karmakar
[C]Sanathoi Devi
[D]Sharath Gayakwad
Answer: Dipa Karmakar
Notes:
Dipa Karmakar from Tripura has become the first-ever Indian gymnast to be certified as “World Class Gymnast” by the International Federation of Gymnastics (IFG). The IFG is the governing body of competitive gymnastics and its headquarters is at Lausanne, Switzerland.
8. Abbas Kiarostami, who passed away recently, was a famous film-director of which country?
[A]India
[B]Iran
[C]Bangladesh
[D]Pakistan
Answer: Iran
Notes:
Abbas Kiarostami (76), the immensely acclaimed and influential Iranian writer-director, has recently passed away in Paris, France. He was the only Iranian ever to win the Palme D’Or at Cannes film festival.
9. The book “Wood smoke and Leafcups : autobiographical footnotes to the anthropology of the Durwa” has been authored by whom?
[A]Vivek Shanbhag
[B]Venkat Raman Singh Shyam
[C]S. Anand
[D]Madhu Ramnath
Answer: Madhu Ramnath
Notes:
The book “Wood smoke and Leafcups : autobiographical footnotes to the anthropology of the Durwa” has been authored by Madhu Ramnath. The book articulates the vast struggles over land and territory that haunt tribal areas. It is highly recommended for anyone who wants to journey into a deeper understanding of tribal cultures, which currently face genocide in Central India.
10. The UNESCO Kalinga prize is related to which field?
[A]Sports
[B]Science
[C]Journalism
[D]Peace
Answer: Science
Notes:
The UNESCO Kalinga Prize is given to a person(s) who make outstanding contribution to the interpretation of science and technology to the general public. It is in news recently because the Odisha government has decided to double the prize money of UNESCO Kalinga Prize-2017 from $ 20,000 to $40,000. The prize was established in 1951 by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with a generous grant from Mr Biju Patnaik, the founder-president of the Kalinga Foundation Trust. The biennial award is jointly financed by the Government of India through the Ministry of Science and Technology, Odisha government and Kalinga Foundation Trust. .

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