GK & Current Affairs Quiz: November 29, 2017

Notes:
Shaktikanta Das, the former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), has been appointed as India’s G20 Sherpa till December 31, 2018 for the Development Track of the G20 summit. There are two tracks in G-20 — Finance Track and Development Track. Finance Track is managed by the secretary (economic affairs) as India’s Deputy to G-20 and the Development Track is coordinated by the Sherpa. A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20 or the Nuclear Security Summit and are responsible for thrashing out the details before the meeting of the leaders. There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; he/she is assisted by several sous Sherpas. Prior to Das, former NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, held the responsibility of the G20 Sherpa.

Notes:
Pradeep Singh Kharola, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India. He will succeed Rajiv Bansal, who has been serving as the interim CMD for a little over 3 months. Currently, Mr. Kharola is the Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

Notes:
The first edition of the International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2017) has started in Jaipur, Rajasthan on November 27, 2017. The 5-day symposium is being organized by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in partnership with World Bank (WB) and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). INSPIRE 2017 is a global conference which aims to bring together various stakeholders like policymakers, innovators, financiers to showcase best practices in the sector. It is designed to provide global and national thought-leaders and implementers to expand perspectives on energy efficiency. Approx 350 participants from 13 countries across North America, Asia, Europe and Middle East are attending the event.

Notes:
The India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) has been launched by Preeti Sudan (Secretary of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)) and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (Director of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)) in New Delhi on November 28, 2017. The purpose of IHMI is to reduce disability and death related to Cardio-Vascular Disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in India. The initiative seeks to improve control of high blood pressure (hypertension), cut salt consumption and eliminate artificial trans-fats regarded as leading risk factors for CVD.

Notes:
Badri Narain Sharma, the 1985 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed the chairman of the newly constituted National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Prior to this appointment, Sharma was an Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue. The NAA has been set up for a two-year period and is mandated to ensure that the benefits of input credit and the reduction in tax rates effected by the GST Council are passed on to the consumers.

Notes:
Professor Hiroshi Marui of Japan has been conferred with the 3rd Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist Award -2017 by the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, for his exemplary contribution to Indology at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Professor Marui has spent over 40 years working on Indian philosophy and Buddhist Studies. His many acclaimed publications and research papers are considered a final authority on several subjects the world over.

Notes:
Indian men’s national Kabaddi team has won the gold medal at the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championships after defeating Pakistan in the final by 36-22 under the captaincy of Ajay Thakur in Gorgan, Iran on November 26, 2017. Beside this, Indian women’s national team has also won gold medal at the Asian Kabaddi Champions 2017 by defeating South Korea in the final by 42-20.

Notes:
Valtteri Bottas, a Finnish racing driver currently competing in Formula One with Mercedes, has won the 2017 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tournament on November 26.

Notes:
The 2-day Korea Tourism festival 2017 was held in Gurugram, Haryana on November 25 to showcase famous South Korean tourist destinations, delicacies, art, culture and the country’s heritage. The festival displayed food counters (managed by Korea Agro Fisheries and Food Trade Cooperation) to give a taste of the local Korean flavours to serve Indian taste buds besides featuring experiential attractions like face mask painting, Hangeul calligraphy and video gallery exhibiting Korean history & cultural assets. The fest was inaugurated by Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) Executive Vice President Min Hong Min along with Suman Billa, the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism.

Notes:
The Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched a digital supply chain finance solution to offer working capital loans to small and medium enterprise and large corporate clients. The solution will cover pre and post shipment products – dealer or channel finance, vendor finance and payable finance. This service will accelerate working capital loans by enhancing reporting capabilities. It will bring down the risk and ensure greater satisfaction to the clients.