GK & Current Affairs Quiz: January 12, 2019

Notes:
On January 11, an agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed in New Delhi among 6 States – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Under the agreement, three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries – Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These include Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand, Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Renukaji on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh. These three projects were identified as National Projects in 2008 under which 90% funding of the cost of irrigation & drinking water component will be provided by the Govt. of India (GoI) as central assistance and the rest 10% cost of the irrigation and drinking water component will be borne by the beneficiary states. In addition to this, a concession agreement was also signed for Namami Gange projects for the city of Prayagraj under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One City One Operator Concept.

Notes:
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has appointed Su Tseng-chang as the island’s new Prime Minister, during a Cabinet reshuffle following the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s heavy losses in local elections. Su’s appointment follows the widely-expected resignation of William Lai, the second premier to quit since Tsai took office in 2016, in line with a practice of leaders quitting when their party loses a major election. Su is a former premier appointed in 2006 by then-President Chen Shui-bian and was a chairman of Tsai’s DPP for two terms.

Notes:
President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Birendra Prasad Baishya has been named as India’s Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. it is for the first time that the sport of Weightlifting has been accorded with the honour of Chef de Mission for the Olympics. Baishya is also one of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Vice Presidents. He is a former Union minster and a former Rajya Sabha Member from Assam. The Japanese capital –Tokyo – will host the Games for the second time in 2020 after having organised it 56 years back in 1964.

Notes:
As per 2019 Henley and Partners Passport Index, the Indian passport has been ranked as the 79th most powerful in the world. The Henley index ranks world’s passports based on how many countries they can get the holder access to without a prior visa. An Indian passport holder can visit 61 countries without a pre-travel visa. Japan tops the list and its passport gives holders access to 190 countries. Singapore and South Korea come 2nd with access to 189 countries each while France and Germany share the third spot with access to 188 countries each. The US passport gives its citizens access to 185 countries without the need for a prior visa and shares the sixth spot with UK, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and Canada. The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

Notes:
Ace Indian pugilist Mary Kom from Manipur has been ranked No.1 in the Light Fly (45-48kg) category by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), after scoring 1700 points. Earlier, Kom won the historic sixth gold medal at the 2018 Women’s World Boxing Championship by defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine in the 48kg category in New Delhi. She also won gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Silesian Open Boxing Tournament in Poland.