GK & Current Affairs Quiz: April 19, 2017

Notes:
The 14th edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Srilanka from May 12-14, 2017 under the theme “Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace”. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day. The events include an International Buddhist Symposium the participation of over 400 delegates from 100 countries. Vesak is associated with three important locations of Buddhist history – Lumbini in Nepal, the birth place of Prince Siddharta, Bodh Gaya (Buddha Gaya) Bihar State in India where The Buddha attained the most exalted Enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree and Kushinagar (Kusinara) in Uttar Pradesh, India where The Buddha attained Mahaparinibbāna. The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha’s teaching of cessation of suffering and universal peace to all humankind. It is a message to urge followers to do that which is good and to turn away from evil. It is a message of peace and perfect harmony between human beings and nature.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has formed a committee to review the recommendations made by University Grants Commission (UGC) panel on implementation of the 7th pay commission in educational institutions. The committee will be headed Kewal Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the department of Higher Education (HE). The development comes against the backdrop of teachers’ associations of various universities threatening to go on strike on April 19, 2017 over the delay in implementation after the UGC panel submitted its report. The pay review committee of the UGC, which was formed in 2016 and was headed by it member VS Chauhan, had recommended to scrap ad-hoc and temporary appointments of teachers across universities.

Notes:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has become the India’s most valued Public Sector Unit (PSU) in terms of market valuation. At the end of trade on April 18, the market cap of SBI stood at Rs 2,35,307.51 crore. Among the top-10 most valued companies list, SBI is at 5th position, while ONGC is at 7th. Apart from this, IT major TCS is the most valued Indian company with a market cap of Rs 4,54,902.85 crore followed by RIL, HDFC Bank, ITC, SBI, HDFC, ONGC, Infosys, HUL, and Maruti Suzuki.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to help develop low-cost lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. According to the MoU, BHEL will set up a production plant, while ISRO will provide support for scale-up, joint effort in cost optimisation, research and development for alternate chemistry and buyback commitment, according to sources. BHEL will develop the battery for commercial applications. This is part of India’s plan to promote low-cost electric vehicles with the use of lithium-ion batteries.

Notes:
As per latest biannual World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, International Monetary Fund (IMF) has increased India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate estimate for FY 17 (2016-17) to 6.8%, from 6.6% estimated in January 2017. As per WEO, IMF has also retained India’s GDP growth projection of 7.2% for FY 18 and 7.7% for FY19 because of the temporary negative consumption shock induced by cash shortages and payment disruptions from the recent currency exchange initiative. According to WEO, the global economy is expected to do better with 3.5% growth in 2017 against 3.1% in 2016 on the back of better growth in the US and the emerging market pack, but Euro zone is likely to continue to grow at current pace.

Notes:
Allan Holdsworth (70), the renowned British guitarist and composer, has recently passed away in California, United States. He was known for his advanced knowledge of music, through which he incorporated a vast array of complex chord progressions and intricate solos.

Notes:
Sagar Baheti from Bangaluru has become the India’s first visually impaired runner to compete and finish the historic Boston Marathon, which is the world’s oldest, most competitive and the hardest marathon. He covered the 42.195 km distance in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 7 seconds and finished the race at the 18th spot in the visually impaired category. Presently, Baheti cannot identify objects beyond one metre. He was supported by the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) to compete in the marathon.

Notes:
Civil Services Day is celebrated on April 21 every year in India. This day is celebrated to commemorate the day when the first home minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed administrative services officers in 1947.

Notes:
The National Safety Council (NSC) is a self-supporting non-profit autonomous society, set up by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India (GoI) on 4th March 1966. Its aim is to strengthen a national movement on Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) to prevent and mitigate loss of life, human suffering & economic losses and provide support services. It is in news because the 2016 NSCI Safety Awards will be presented by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattatreya on April 20, 2017 in New Delhi. The NSCI Safety Awards are coveted national level awards in the field of Workplace Safety, Health and Environment. The headquarters of the NSC is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Notes:
The Sessa Orchid Sanctuary is located in the Himalayan foothills in Bhalukpong Forest Division of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary to the southwest. It is a part of the Kameng Protected Area Complex (KPAC), which is an Elephant Reserve. Sessa is noted for the occurrence of more than 200 orchid species with 5 new and endemic species. Sub-tropical types include the genera Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Coelogyne, Eria, Phaius and Liparis. The sanctuary is unique in having 7 endemic species of saprotrophic orchids.