GK & Current Affairs Quiz: July 20, 2017

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has recently given ex-post facto approval for insurance regulator IRDAI’s admission as a signatory to IAIS Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) due to increasing integration of financial markets. The MMoU is a statement of its signatories’ intent to cooperate in the field of information exchange as well as procedure for handling information requests. The MMoU provides a formal basis for cooperation and information exchange between the signatory authorities regarding the supervision of insurance companies where cross- border aspects arise. The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) is a global framework of cooperation and information exchange between insurance supervisors. The MoU provides a formal basis for cooperation and information exchange between the signatory authorities regarding the supervision of insurance companies where cross- border aspects arise.

Notes:
Veteran BJP leader LK Advani has received the Lifetime Achievement (LTA) award for his contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha (LS). JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav got the Lifetime Achievement Award as a Rajya Sabha MP. The award was given by the Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function organised by the Lokmat Media Group. The other awardees from the Lok Sabha included Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran (Best Parliamentarian), Congress leader Kumari Sushmita Dev (Best Woman Parliamentarian) and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi (Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian). The awardees from the Rajya Sabha included CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury (Best Parliamentarian), Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan (Best Woman Parliamentarian) and Congress MP Rajni Patil (Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian). The awardees were selected by a jury, headed by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil.

Notes:
The Telangana government has launched an innovative programme “Janahitha” to receive complaints from public through a special portal. The programme has kick started in Suryapet district on pilot basis and will be implemented across the state in a phased manner. The aim of the programme is to facilitate the public to submit their complaints on line and get speedy redressal. Besides submitting their grievances, the public can also apply for various welfare schemes through this facility. The public, instead of visiting offices, can lodge their grievance through different means like portal, e-mail, WhatsApp or dialling the call centre from their homes. In addition, they can also track the status of their complaints. Officials at the district headquarters and Secretariat in Hyderabad will monitor the redressal of complaints and send SMS to the citizens on their status. Negative marks will be given to the officials if they fail to redress the grievances in stipulated time.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has recently approved the proposals for climate adaptation projects submitted by Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim. The three projects approved by the National Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC), under the Chairmanship of Secretary MoEF&CCm Ajay Narayan Jha, will receive funds under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC). The current projects address a range of climate change vulnerabilities in the states, which are not addressed under the ongoing schemes of the Central and State governments. The projects in Rajasthan and Sikkim are targeted at water security, while in Gujarat, the project will focus on increasing the adaptive capacity of communities dependent on natural resources in the Kachchh district. The NAFCC is a flagship Scheme of Government of India, which provides 100% grant to the State Governments for implementing climate change adaptation projects

Notes:
According to the supplement of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Outlook 2017, India is expected to achieve the projected growth rate of 7.4% in 2017 and 7.6% in 2018 on strong consumption demand. According to the report, South Asia will be the fastest growing of all sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific, with growth on track to meet original projections of 7% in 2017 and 7.2% in 2018. In the supplement, ADB has upgraded its growth outlook in the Asian region to 5.9% in 2017 from 5.7% and to 5.8% for 2018 from 5.7%.

Notes:
Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, has recently dedicated the state’s longest road bridge “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Setu” to the nation. The 2.88 km bridge is built on river Kathajodi (a tributary of Mahanadi) at an approximate cost Rs 114 crore. The Netaji Setu will not only lessen the distance between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack by 12 km, it will also help divert traffic and ease commute.

Notes:
Fanaceso Totti, the legendary Italian footballer, has finally confirmed his retirement from professional football on July 17, 2017 and announced that he had accepted an offer from his former team Roma to become a club director. Totti is regarded as one of the most talented Italian players of all time for his vision, technique, and goalscoring ability. He is the second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals; he also holds the record for the most goals scored in Serie A while playing for a single club.

Notes:
The global food fair “World Food India 2017” will be held in New Delhi on November 3-5, 2017 to boost food sector. The fair will be organized by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). In it, West Bengal will be the focus state and will showcase its innovative food processing methods in the food fair. The WFI will also provide global businesses with a platform to explore Indian market across the value chain in food processing and allied industries as well as in food retail.

Notes:
The 1817 Paika rebellion (Paika Bidroh) was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company’s rule in Odisha under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu. The rebellion quickly spread across most of Odisha before being ruthlessly put down by the company’s forces. It is in news because President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated a function in New Delhi to commemorate 200th year celebration of heroic Paika Rebellion of Odisha on July 20, 2017 to pay tribute to the martyrs. The President is scheduled to felicitate 150 Paika descendants at the function to be held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The function was organized by the Union Ministry of Culture.

Notes:
The Nameri National Park (NNP) is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam that covers an area of 200km2. The forest has over 600 species. Some notable species are Gmelina arborea, Michelia champaca, Amari, Chukrasia tabularis, etc. It is an ideal habitat for a host of Indian elephant including the tiger, leopard, sambar, dhole, pygmy hog, Indian wild bison, etc. The park is also a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 300 species such as white winged wood duck, great pied hornbill, wreathed hornbill, rufous necked hornbill, etc.